In a Rare Mood... (Written by Triskelion)

“Red”emption of a Showmare

Chapter 3: In A Rare Mood...

The walk back to Ponyville was going to be torture.

The narrow stripes of white-hot pain from that vicious, wicked switch hurt more than anything. Every step she took was a fresh burst of agony from the welts crisscrossing her backside...

And the cape rubbing against them wasn’t helping at all. Every slight shift of the cloth, light as it was, felt like barbed wire being dragged across her flanks. Trixie just prayed that this was the worst of the punishments she’d have to submit to. Surely it had to be; she could hardly imagine Rarity or Rainbow Dash would be able to do anything even worse to her than the sheer torment inflicted by that awful switch. Dear Celestia, she’d never even imagined such excruciating pain...

“You okay, sugarcube?”

It took Trixie a moment or two to realize Applejack had asked her a question. “Wh... what?” she asked.

“I said, are ya okay?” Applejack repeated, with honest concern in her voice.

“Trixie is fine,” Trixie said cautiously. “Why do you ask?”

“‘Cause you’re walkin’ kinda like Granny Smith does when her bad hip is actin’ up,” Applejack chuckled gently. “Are ya sure you’re all right?”

“Trixie... may be feeling a little uncomfortable,” Trixie admitted. Noting the raised-brow look from Twilight, she sighed as she realized she’d slipped back into her third-person tic again. “That switch really hurt...”

“Well, that’s kinda the idea, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled again.

Trixie opened her mouth to give a sharp reply, then quickly closed it again, mindful of Twilight’s steady gaze and of her own determination to break free of her former arrogance. A few painful steps later, she winced and gasped softly as she felt her cape being lifted and flipped back again, exposing the angry red welts across her hindquarters.

“I think you may have been a little harder on her than you needed to be, Applejack,” Twilight said as she studied the damage to her marefriend’s backside. No wonder Trixie was walking so stiffly; those deep red welts hurt just to look at. She didn’t even want to think about how much pain Trixie must be in right now.

“Huh? I said I wouldn’t go no harder on her than I would’ve done on Apple Bloom, remember?” Applejack protested mildly. “An’ I didn’t. Heck, I got whalloped harder’n that once, when I was a filly... Foolin’ around with the kitchen stove like a dang idiot even after I’d been told more’n once not ta touch it, thinkin’ I was gonna be so clever an’ smart an’ make a batch of oatmeal cookies all by myself...” she said, blushing at the memory of her younger self pulling such a hay-brained and willfully-disobedient stunt. “Thank Celestia th’ only thing that ended up gettin’ set on fire that day was my backside.”

“Yes, but you’re earth ponies, Applejack,” Twilight explained patiently. “Physically, you’re the strongest and toughest of all three races, by far. Unicorns are more... um... fragile, on the average.”

Applejack halted in her tracks, blinking in surprise, as if that notion had only just occurred to her. She backed up a few paces to take a closer look, then gasped softly as she saw what the apple switch had done to the unicorn mare. While she hadn’t broken the skin, thank Celestia, the welts she’d left were much worse than she’d expected, and she realized with a guilty twinge in her heart that she had, indeed, given Trixie a much harsher switching than she thought she had. Oh, Celestia forgive me, no wonder she can hardly walk... she must be in agony from those...

“Oh my gosh...” Applejack looked up, her wide green eyes full of apology. “I’m sorry, Trixie, I didn’t... I didn’t mean ta hurt you that bad, I swear. I only meant ta... I mean, I just...”

“...just don’t know your own strength, obviously,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes as Applejack’s voice trailed off. “Trixie will... I’ll live,” she added, trying to give a small smile. “It’s nothing Trixie didn’t deserve. She’s caused so much pain to others, it’s only fitting that she – that I suffer some pain in return, I think.”

“Maybe so, but ain’t no need for ya to suffer that much, sugarcube,” Applejack said, surprising Trixie by giving her a warm, compassionate nuzzle by way of apology. “I’m so sorry, Trixie. I really didn’t realize I’d... I mean, it never even occurred ta me that’d be too hard a whoopin’ for ya, bein’ a unicorn ‘stead of an earth pony...” Now it was Applejack’s turn to look down at the ground in shame. “I’m sorry, Trixie. I shoulda stopped ta think about that, ‘stead of just layin’ into ya. Can ya forgive me?”

The “old” Trixie would have felt smug and vindicated at having another pony humble herself before her like that... but instead, Trixie actually found herself smiling a little at hearing Applejack’s sincere apologies, and feeling a pleasant sort of warmth settling into her heart as she realized the earth pony mare actually meant it, and was genuinely sorry to have done harm to her, even inadvertently. Is this what... real friendship feels like? she thought. Giving forgiveness when you hurt each other, instead of holding grudges? If so, then I think... I think I like it.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Applejack,” she said, returning the nuzzle. “As I said... Trixie deserved it. The old Trixie deserved it, I mean. And if a ‘whoopin’’ like that is what it takes to make sure I don’t become that ‘Proud and Arrogant Trixie’ again, then... it was worth it.”

“I suppose, but still...”

“Trixie could have stopped you, you know,” Trixie reminded her, gazing steadily into the farm-mare’s green eyes. “But she... I didn’t. I took it willingly, Applejack, because Trix... because I swore to Twilight I would face the consequences of my actions, no matter how much it hurt, because Trixie deserves it for what she... what I did to all of you. So if you can forgive Trix... forgive me for the pain I caused, then I forgive you, too. Even if it does feel like a timberwolf just clawed my backside,” she added with a wry chuckle. Applejack chuckled a little as well, and the two mares exchanged a few nuzzles and a brief hug to cement their mutual forgiveness and the beginnings of what was, hopefully, a new friendship.

Twilight gave her marefriend a proud smile as Trixie offered her forgiveness to Applejack. You’re getting there, Trixie, she thought fondly. Little by little, you’re getting there. “Hold still for a moment, Trixie,” she said, her horn lighting up as she prepared to cast a spell.

Trixie gave Twilight a quizzical look over her shoulder, then suddenly yelped as she felt a series of crackling, tingly little “zaps” igniting across her rump. Almost before she could voice a protest, the sensation faded, and her eyes widened in surprise as a blessed relief of pain came in its wake. She could still feel the welted stripes across her rump, and they still hurt – but not nearly as much as before. The welts still felt hot and tight, and walking was still going to be more than a little uncomfortable, but each step would no longer be sheer torture for her.

“Dang,” Applejack said admiringly as she saw the welts fading a little under Twilight’s purple aura. “Now that’s a neat trick.”

“Healing spell,” Twilight grinned smugly as the aura faded from her horn. “It doesn’t do much for really major stuff, but it’s handy for minor injuries like scrapes, bruises... paper cuts,” she added with a chuckle. “It helps suppress the pain and speeds up the healing some. You’ll still feel those for a while, though.”

Trixie sighed with relief, and nodded. “As Trixie deserves to, Love,” she said, giving Twilight a soft kiss on the cheek.

“I don’t suppose you could teach me that trick, could ya?” Applejack joked. “That’d come in awful handy th’ next time Big Mac sprains his barrel durin’ applebuck season.”

“Ha! Not unless you’ve been hiding a horn under an illusion spell all this time, Applejack,” Twilight laughed.

“Well, shoot.”

\/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every outfit is chic, unique, and magnifi –”

Rarity’s customary cheerful greeting halted in mid-word as she came out from one of the curtained-off areas of her shop and saw who it was who’d just come through the door. Her expression quickly shifted from businesslike friendliness to warm fondness as she saw two of her best friends had dropped in for a visit... then just as quickly shifted to wary suspicion and hostility as she saw the third pony standing between and slightly behind Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. An azure-blue unicorn mare whom she was sorry to say she recognized, and had very much hoped to never see again.

“What is that... pony... doing in my shop?” she demanded, barely catching herself from using a much more uncomplimentary and unladylike word instead. Trixie flinched under Rarity’s openly-hostile gaze and backed up a step, pressing closer against Twilight as if she were trying to hide behind her.

“Simmer down, Rares,” Applejack said, taking a step forward. “Trixie ain’t here to cause trouble. She just wants ta talk.”

“I very much doubt she has anything to say that I want to hear, darling,” Rarity said. “Honestly, I’m surprised she even dares to show her face again after what she did.”

“That’s what she’s here to talk about, Rarity,” Twilight said.

Rarity looked back and forth between her two friends, not quite sure what to make of this. Applejack and Twilight standing right next to Trixie? The mare who’d turned Ponyville upside-down – quite literally, in some cases – and tried to enslave everyone, who’d brought an Ursa rampaging through town... who’d humiliated her by turning her fabulously-styled indigo mane into a hideous pileup of the most appalling shade of swamp-muck green...

“Very well, what is it you want this time, Trixie?” Rarity finally asked, her tone still full of suspicion.

Trixie swallowed nervously, then cautiously stepped out from behind Twilight and Applejack. Slowly, she made her way over to where Rarity stood, each soft clop of her hooves against the floor echoing in the deadly silence, then halted just a few steps away from the ivory unicorn. Rarity tensed as Trixie drew nearer, a light-blue aura forming around her horn as she prepared to defend herself against whatever mischief the arrogant and thoroughly uncouth showmare had planned this time...

...and then, Trixie did the one thing Rarity would never have expected. The proud showmare closed her eyes, stretched out her forelegs, and bowed to Rarity, lowering herself all the way to the floor. “Trixie... is here to apologize,” she began in a quiet, humbled voice. She’d rehearsed what she’d wanted to say, and how to say it, all the way from Applejack’s farm to the boutique. Her impression of Rarity was that the ivory unicorn mare put a high value on propriety and formal etiquette, and Twilight had agreed with that assessment when Trixie had mentioned it. So after giving it some thought, Trixie had decided that a formal display of submission might be the best way to get through to Rarity.

“Trixie’s behavior has been both shameful and inexcusable,” Trixie continued. “She... I accept full responsibility for everything I did to you, and to your friends, and to Ponyville. Even if it was the Amulet’s influence making Trixie do some of those things, it was still Trixie’s... my choice to put it on, because I was a selfish foal who found it easier to blame all of you for Trixie’s misfortunes and seek childish, petty revenge, instead of facing the consequences of her... my own poor choices like a grown-up mare.”

Rarity blinked and stared down at the humbled unicorn, her expression slowly changing from suspicion to confusion. This can’t be the same Trixie, she thought to herself. “What kind of trick is this, Trixie?”

“No tricks, Rarity,” Trixie said, still keeping herself lowered before the one she’d come to apologize to. “Not any more. Trixie is... I’m sorry, Rarity. Please forgive me.”

Rarity tilted her head as she looked up at Applejack and Twilight, trying to determine whether there was some hidden agenda going on here that she just wasn’t getting. Finally, she turned her attention back to Trixie, narrowing her eyes. “You turned my mane green, darling,” she said darkly. “Swamp-muck green. With twigs in it. Dirty twigs. Swamp-muck green with dirty twigs and earthworms in it...!”

Trixie just nodded, closing her eyes as she kept herself lowered and humbled. “And that was wrong of Trix... of me,” she said. “There was no need for Trixie... for me to humiliate you that way. Rarity... Trixie is sorry, for everything she’s – I mean, for everything I’ve ever done to you. And...” She paused and swallowed before continuing. “Trixie begs for your forgiveness, and will accept any punishment you feel she deserves... that I deserve.” Discord take it, I swear I’m going to break that habit if it kills me!

“She means it, Rares,” Applejack spoke up quietly. “She’s already taken penance from me an’ Twilight... an’ I’m assumin’ Rainbow Dash is next on the list?” she added, receiving a confirming nod from Twilight as she glanced over at her friend.

“The three ponies Trixie... I hurt and humiliated for no reason other than my own foolish pride,” Trixie added, still addressing Rarity. “There is nothing to excuse what Trixie did to any of you back then. Some might say that when you three heckled Trixie’s... my magic act, I had a right to try to put you in your places rather than let you continue to disrupt the show – but Trixie took it too personally, and went too far. There was no need for Trixie to humiliate you the way she did.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head down to the floor again, still formally humbling herself before Rarity. “Trixie is ashamed of how she behaved back then, and... again, I beg your forgiveness, Rarity, and... I will submit to any punishment you feel that I deserve.”

Rarity studied the seemingly no-longer-proud showmare groveling for forgiveness at her hooves, raising a curious and more than a little confused brow. “Assuming, purely for the sake of argument, that your apology is sincere,” she began cautiously, “I suppose it would be... ungenerous of me to refuse it... but... why? What does it matter to you? You’ll forgive me if I find it hard to believe you’ve had a sudden attack of conscience, given your past history...”

“Not so much a sudden one, as a painful one, from what I’m told,” Applejack chuckled.

Twilight sighed and shushed her earth-pony friend with a hoof. “It’s a long story, Rarity...” she said with a sigh of resignation, knowing she was going to have to tell it all over again. And then tell it yet one more time to Rainbow Dash, as well. She found herself wishing they could have just gotten Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash together in one room and gotten this over with all at once, so she and Trixie wouldn’t have to keep repeating themselves... but it was far too likely that such a meeting would’ve quickly gotten out of hoof and simply resulted in a huge blowup of an argument, instead of a reconciliation. No, one at a time was best.

“Isn’t it always,” Rarity remarked dryly.

“That’s what I said too,” Applejack chuckled.

Rarity sighed dramatically. “Oh, very well. I suppose just listening won’t kill me. Give me a moment, I’ll make us some tea, and we can discuss this in... well, something approaching a civilized manner, anyway.”

Trixie saw an opportunity to make another display of humbled submission to Rarity... or, if nothing else, to at least disarm a small bit of the tension by removing herself from the room for a few minutes while Rarity talked to her friends. “If you’ll tell Trixie where the kitchen is,” she said, still keeping herself bowed low, like... like a servant, the thought flashed through her mind, “Tri– I’ll make the tea, while you three talk... if you’ll trust me to, that is.”

“Darling, I trust you about as much as I trust Opalescence with an open jar of catnip,” Rarity said frostily. Catching the look of disappointment in Twilight’s expression, she relented a little. “But I suppose it would be ungracious to refuse the gesture... the kitchen is that way,” she said, nodding towards an archway. “Through there, second arch on the right. Use the Coltley’s ‘Orange Dulcet’ blend in the tin that’s already opened, if you please.”

Trixie nodded respectfully and pushed herself back to her hooves to make her way to the kitchen, trying to ignore the feel of suspicious eyes on her flanks as she walked away from Rarity. Hoping to show that she could be trusted, she didn’t even stop to look at anything else in the shop, but headed straight for the second archway and vanished into the kitchen as directed.

All right, let’s see... there’s the kettle, there’s the tea... oh, it’s loose-leaf tea, isn’t it. Grasping the kettle in her telekinetic field, she filled it with water and set it on the stove to boil, then quietly began searching for a teapot and a tea-ball to brew the loose-leaf tea in. She hoped that rifling through Rarity’s kitchen drawers would be the lesser of two evils – or at least the more forgivable one – versus going back out to interrupt a conversation that would probably go much more smoothly if Rarity didn’t have to see or hear her for a few minutes.

“She... did... what?!”

Yes, that conversation would definitely be better off without her in the room. She continued searching though the cabinets, until she found what she was looking for. A beautiful sterling-silver tea set engraved with a seashell pattern, sitting on a matching serving tray, along with a large metal tea infuser for the pot.

“...You what!?” Rarity’s voice seemed to be shifting from cold anger to incredulous disbelief. Trixie hoped that was a promising sign.

Carefully, she slid the tea service out from the cabinet and set it down on the table, looking at it with interest. It was an old-fashioned style, of the type often used for serving “high tea” in the more elegant houses and hotels of Trottingham or Canterlot, with a two-tiered serving tray for little sandwiches or pastries to be served along with the tea. Trixie frowned slightly as she thought it over. This elegant tea set seemed a bit excessive for just serving a plain cup of tea to everypony; this was the kind of set one would normally only bring out for formal gatherings and important occasions...

Important occasions... she thought to herself, as an idea began to form. Twilight Sparkle’s words came back to her. Show them how humble The Great and Powerful Trixie can be, when she’s truly sorry for what she did, and wants to make amends...

It might work, or it might not... but it seemed like the sort of gesture that Rarity would appreciate, so Trixie decided it was worth a try. She resumed her search through the kitchen, catching up ingredients and utensils in her signature azure-blue field, making sure to work as quietly as possible and to clean up everything as she went. By the time the kettle began to boil, everything was ready.

“...simply cannot believe what I’m hearing, darlings,” Rarity was saying as Trixie came back from the kitchen. “Every time she’s come here, she’s been nothing but arrogant, rude, and thoroughly disagreeable – when she wasn’t being a power-mad lunatic, that is! And you’re telling me she’s... humble, now? Repentant, even?”

Applejack glanced up as she saw the mare in question come plodding back into the room, and smiled in amusement as she saw what Trixie was bringing with her. “Don’t take our word for it, sugarcube, have a look for y’self,” she said.

Rarity turned her head to look, and blinked in surprise as she saw Trixie crossing the showroom with slow, measured steps, keeping the tea service held firmly in her telekinetic field so as not to spill a drop. She had re-tied her black cloak into something that made a passable imitation of a short “Prench Maid’s” skirt, and appropriated a set of frilly lace garters from one of the ponyquins for her rear legs. The outfit wouldn’t win any awards for style or authenticity, but it was the symbolism that counted.

Carefully, she set the tray down on a table near some lounging chairs, then turned and bowed to Rarity once more. “Trixie t–... I took the liberty of preparing some refreshments for your guests, Miss Rarity,” she said, giving Twilight just the barest hint of a wink, and receiving one from her marefriend in return. “I hope they’ll be to your liking. If you and your guests would care to be seated, Trixie will be happy to serve you.”

Rarity raised a brow as she regarded the azure unicorn bowing submissively before her, glancing towards the “high tea” Trixie had prepared for them. Trixie obviously hadn’t had nearly enough time to make everything from scratch, and had had to make do with what Rarity already had available; but fortunately for Trixie, Rarity had a long-standing habit of treating herself to a scone with jam and cream in the afternoon, so Trixie had been able to put together a reasonable selection of treats out of what was on-hoof. Rarity was a bit irritated that Trixie hadn’t asked permission first, but she had to admit, the cucumber sandwiches and toast triangles with melted cheese did look rather tasty, and seeing as how Trixie had clearly gone to so much effort in hopes of pleasing her, she supposed it would be a shame to let them go to waste...

...now there was a strange thought. Trixie had done all of this... just to please her? That proud, arrogant, downright rude mare was humbling herself like this, just to please her and earn her forgiveness?

Trixie will submit to any punishment you feel she deserves... Rarity glanced over to Twilight and Applejack, still with her brow raised in a silent inquiry, and received only a pair of barely-perceptible smiles and nods in return. She turned her gaze back to Trixie, and smiled a little smile to herself as well. This could, perhaps, get very interesting...

All right, let’s see just how far you’re willing to go, “Humble and Submissive Trixie”...

“Well, then... shall we be seated, darlings?” she said, gesturing grandly to the couches. “Trixie, you may begin by pouring the tea, one lump of sugar and a touch of milk in mine, and then we’ll begin with the cheese-on-toast while it’s still nice and hot.”

Trixie noted immediately the lack of a “please” accompanying any of those commands, and the way in which Rarity simply gave them with the expectation that they would be obeyed, as if Rarity had every right to order her around. A bit of her old prideful ego tried to rebel at the notion, but she firmly squashed it down. If that was how Rarity wanted to play it, then by Celestia, the “Humble and Obedient Trixie” would submit to the white unicorn’s every whim.

“Yes, miss Rarity,” she said, waiting for them to all be seated before rising from her submissive bow. She made a point of serving Rarity first, pouring her tea into a cup and preparing it exactly to specification, then floating two of the hot toast-and-cheese triangles onto a small plate and setting them before her. “Please be careful, miss Rarity, the cheese is still quite hot,” she cautioned, before turning her attention to Applejack and Twilight. “Miss Twilight, miss Applejack, how will you take your tea this afternoon?”

Applejack and Twilight traded glances of amusement as Trixie slipped into her role of a lowly, humbled servant, clearly intending to play it to the hilt. “Two sugars, no milk in mine if ya please,” Applejack said, biting off her usual “sugarcube” term of endearment at the end since it didn’t seem like the sort of thing that would be appropriate to the roles being played. Taking her cue from Rarity and Applejack, Twilight phrased her preference as a casual order as well, though she couldn’t help raising a brow slightly as she saw a tiny shiver pass through Trixie when she gave the order like that. It seemed a lot like the kind of shiver that had passed through Twilight when she’d willingly submitted herself to being Trixie’s pleasure-toy, down in the basement, and she made a note of that for later.

The slight shiver wasn’t lost on Rarity, either. My, my... this might indeed get very interesting... She waited until Trixie had served everypony their tea and cheese toast, then made a show of examining the showmare’s improvised serving-mare outfit with a critical eye. “Mmm... you know, if we’re going to do this, we really should do it properly,” she commented idly. Summoning an old-style iron key from its usual resting place (underneath the false bottom of a jewelry box in her bedroom), she floated it over to Trixie. “Down the hall, all the way to the back, I have a showroom especially for certain... specialty outfits, shall we say,” she explained with a mischievous smile. “Use this key to get in. The black outfit on the ponyquin third from the doorway on the right will do nicely for the occasion, I think.”

Trixie raised a brow as she caught the key in her magic, noting the odd looks Twilight and Applejack were giving the ivory unicorn as they wondered what Rarity was playing at. Trixie wondered as well, although she had her suspicions...

“Yes, miss Rarity,” she said.

“And don’t take too long, darling, we wouldn’t want this lovely tea to get cold, now would we.”

“Of course not, miss Rarity,” Trixie said, already making her way towards the arch leading to the hallway again.

“And be sure to wear all of it, darling,” she heard Rarity calling out after her as she disappeared through the archway. Wondering just what Rarity meant by that, specifically, Trixie trotted down the hallway to the doorway at the end, as indicated, and slid the key into the lock. She pushed the door open, then flipped on the lights...

Ah. So that’s what the ivory fashionista had meant by “specialty outfits.”

So be it, then.

\/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/

Several minutes later, three sets of eyes turned to look towards the archway as they heard hoofsteps approaching... and one orange earth-pony and one purple unicorn did a double-take as they saw the outfit Trixie was wearing. The ivory unicorn just smiled. “Much better, darling. Now come over here and resume your duties, there’s a good girl.”

Trixie stepped across the showroom, trying not to blush any more deeply than she already was. Her body was encased in a web of heavy faux-leather straps and steel rings fitted tightly around her barrel, stomach, and the upper portions of both her front and rear legs, while leaving her flanks and hindquarters uncovered, with a large steel ring fitted right at the dock of her tail and a short “sleeve” of strapping that forced her to keep her tail lifted high, preventing her from covering herself back there. A matching halter fitted equally snugly around her head and face, and each leg had a sturdy cuff buckled just above her hooves. A short, frilly “Prench Maid” apron, a matching cap of black satin and white lace, and black-fishnet socks with matching garters on the back legs indicated her status as a serving-mare without giving any cover at all, adding a bit of flirtatious playfulness to the ensemble.

Even in a clothing-optional society like Equestria, the right outfit could still make a mare (or stallion, for that matter) feel even more naked and exposed than they normally were anyway, if only because of the symbolism of the outfit in question – and there was no mistaking the symbolic message this outfit was meant to send. The tight black straps, steel rings, and sturdy hoof-cuffs, along with the forced lifting of her tail to expose her marefolds to anypony who cared to look, were an open acknowledgment that the ensemble’s wearer had given herself over to a Master or Mistress. Not just as a servant or a maid, but as a sexual object – a slave, forced to display herself for her owner’s amusement, and to be available for her owner’s use at any time, in any manner, that they chose to use her.

And oh, horseapples, that thought was exciting Trixie a lot more than she really wanted it to...

“Dang...” Applejack murmured appreciatively. Twilight just swallowed. Suddenly, it seemed very warm in Rarity’s boutique.

“Yes, quite,” Rarity agreed. “Now hurry up, Trixie, we don’t want to keep our guests waiting.”

Trixie trotted over to obey as quickly as the tight straps would let her, her horn already starting to glow as she lifted the teapot to refill everypony’s cups. “Yes, miss Rarity.”

“That’s Mistress Rarity, dear,” Rarity said firmly, giving the azure unicorn a stern look.

Oh, so that’s how you want to play it, do you? Trixie thought rebelliously, even as that commanding tone combined with the feeling of being nakedly, sexually exposed this way by the harness straps had her bowing to acknowledge her error almost before she even realized she was doing it. “Yes... Mistress Rarity,” Trixie said, feeling the humiliated blush flaming on her cheeks.

“Much better. That outfit suits you nicely, I think. The Obedient and Submissive Trixie. Much more suitable... don’t you think so, Twilight?”

Twilight blinked and shook her head slightly to clear it, then smiled and nodded. Apparently, Rarity intended to punish Trixie by dominating and humiliating her, instead of just lighting up her flanks with a hairbrush or a belt – although there was no guarantee she wouldn’t do some of that as well. Her first thought was to wonder if she should be jealous of Rarity taking over the role of Trixie’s dominant like this, but – no. Rarity was her friend, and there was no reason to be jealous of her; Rarity had no intention of stealing Trixie away from her, or anything silly like that. To the contrary, this could be a valuable learning experience; Rarity clearly had some first-hoof knowledge of this kind of thing, and studying her technique might come in useful for later...

“Oh, definitely,” she agreed, giving Rarity a warm smile and a quick, conspiratorial wink. “In fact, I just might buy that outfit for her and make her wear it all the time. It might do wonders for her attitude.”

“Just say the word, darling,” Rarity chuckled. She got up and circled around the bowing, blushing unicorn mare, making a show of examining Trixie’s exposed backside. She actually felt a twinge of sympathy for Trixie as she got a good, close-up look at the welts crisscrossing those azure-blue hindquarters; those truly did look excruciatingly painful. Good heavens, Applejack... she thought to herself. You certainly can’t be accused of having gone too easy on her, can you... Dear Celestia, those must hurt terribly. I almost feel sorry for her...

Seeing those welts made Rarity feel more comfortable with her intended course of action; while the idea of punishing Trixie for her misdeeds had an undeniable appeal, Rarity hadn’t been altogether sure about simply making her bend over for another spanking. Her own experience with such things was, after all, almost entirely limited to disciplining her little sister when she misbehaved – and Sweetie Belle wasn’t a deliberately bad filly; she just had a tendency to let her high-spirited enthusiasm get the better of her common sense at times, so it hardly ever required more than a dozen crisp swats on each flank for the gentle, sensitive filly to learn her lesson. Stubborn, prideful Trixie, on the other hoof, would be a much tougher nut to crack, and Rarity wasn’t quite sure if she could bring herself to inflict quite that kind of harsh, painful punishment on another pony, especially after Applejack had already done such a very thorough job of searing the showmare’s flanks...

But dominating and humiliating her? That, Rarity could do. And she would enjoy it. Oh, yes... I will thoroughly enjoy seeing you broken, darling... she thought evilly to herself. You want to earn my forgiveness? Then you will crawl at my hooves and beg for it...

“But you haven’t even seen the most interesting feature of the ensemble yet,” she added out loud as she brushed a hoof across the cleft of Trixie’s backside, making the azure unicorn gasp and squeak at the unexpectedly intimate touch. “Trixie, did I not say to wear all of this outfit?”

Trixie blinked. She’d put on everything that the ponyquin had been wearing; what more was she supposed to have worn? “Trixie th–... I mean, I thought I did, Miss... Mistress Rarity. Was there more to it?”

“You didn’t see the box sitting under the ponyquin?”

“I...” Trixie furrowed her brow for a moment. “No, mistress, if Tr– if I saw it, I didn’t realize it was meant to go with the outfit, mistress. I’m sorry.”

Rarity made a dramatic sigh. “Wait right there, and don’t move.” She gave Twilight another wink, unseen by the showmare, then trotted off to the back room to retrieve whatever it was that Trixie had overlooked.

Both Applejack and Twilight had to chuckle at Trixie’s expression. “Look at it this way, sugarcube, it beats gettin’ th’ tar whalloped outta your butt again, don’t it?” Applejack said.

“Twilight, you wouldn’t... really make Trixie wear this in public, would you?” Trixie asked, looking towards her marefriend with an embarrassed blush. Although whether her embarrassment was because she would be utterly humiliated to be made to openly advertise herself as Twilight’s slave if Twilight made her go out dressed like this, or excited to do so, even Trixie herself wasn’t entirely sure.

“I might,” Twilight smirked, taking her cue from Rarity’s earlier actions. “And that’s Mistress Twilight to you, Trixie.”

Trixie eeped! and looked away again, closing her eyes as she shivered with a mix of embarrassment, humiliation, and... excitement? Anticipation? She wasn’t sure what to call it, but the way it made her heart flutter and her stomach feel hollow at the same time was certainly something...

“Dang, Twi, I had no idea you were such a kinky li’l mare,” Applejack teased. She had to admit, it was interesting to see how easily and naturally Twilight seemed to be taking to asserting dominance over her marefriend that way. It definitely wasn’t a side of the studious and occasionally socially-awkward unicorn that Applejack saw very often.

“I’ve been studying,” Twilight replied smugly.

“Of course ya have,” Applejack chuckled. “I might hafta drop by the library an’ borrow whatever books you’ve been readin’, then. Sounds like they might be educational.”

“Ohh, you have no idea...”

They both looked up as Rarity returned, floating a small box in front of her. “Very good, Trixie. Now, Twilight, come over here and allow me to demonstrate the most... interesting feature to this particular ensemble. I think you’ll find it quite amusing and educational.” Twilight raised a brow, then got up and walked over to stand next to Rarity as the ivory unicorn set the box down behind Trixie. “Now, Trixie... keep your head and forelegs down, and spread your rear legs as wide apart as possible,” Rarity said firmly.

Trixie flinched and hesitated for a moment, then slowly adjusted her position to stand with her rear hooves widely spread, as ordered. The resulting position was decidedly uncomfortable as well as humiliating, but Trixie sensed it was only the beginning.

“Now as you can see, this outfit normally leaves the slave’s marefolds nicely exposed,” Rarity said cheerfully as she lifted a black strap out of the box. Emphasizing the word “slave” hit Trixie right where she lived, and she couldn’t help making a little squeak of protest. “What was that, slave?” Rarity snapped, deliberately emphasizing the word again. “Do you have something to say, slave?”

“N-no, Mistress Rarity,” Trixie stammered, cowed by the commanding tone in Rarity’s voice. Even Applejack was impressed by it; Rarity always seemed so soft and delicate on the surface, but there was a great deal more steel under that marshmallow exterior than most ponies thought.

“I should think not,” Rarity said, glaring at Trixie for a moment to drive the point home, before turning her attention back to Twilight and her demonstration. “However,” she continued in that same cheery tone, as if nothing had happened, “should you prefer to keep that lovely sight all to yourself, this extra strap attaches here, and here, and allows you to cover her up. It can also be used for more... entertaining purposes.”

“What do you – oh, my,” Twilight started to ask, her eyes widening as she saw the other items still in the box.

“Oh, my, indeed,” Rarity agreed with a wicked chuckle. “Would you care to do the honors, or shall I?”

Twilight sat back on her haunches to watch. “Go ahead, Rarity,” she said. “She’s doing penance for you, after all, so for the moment... she’s your slave, not mine. Do whatever you want with her.”

Applejack raised a brow at that... then raised both brows as she saw what Rarity was levitating up behind the bent-over, humiliated showmare. “Jumpin’ crabapples...”

Trixie risked a look over her shoulder, and quickly wished she hadn’t. Oh, not that she had anything against the type of toys being levitated in Rarity’s blue aura, as such, and they were certainly preferable to seeing yet another instrument of punishment being aimed at her instead... but the thought of having them used on her, while everypony watched... “Please, Mistress...” she whimpered softly.

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” Rarity chuckled. “Now observe, Twilight.”

Trixie felt a tingling sensation across her folds as the magic aura surrounding the first of the toys brushed up against her... then bit her lip and let out a groan that was somewhere pain and pleasure as that thick latex replica of a very well-hung stallion’s shaft pushed its way into her, thrusting slowly in and out within Rarity’s telekinetic grip as it spread her open and filled her inside, deeper and deeper with every thrust... and oh, sun and moon, it was huge, she could feel every ridge and vein molded into its surface as it stretched her inside, surely there was no way she could possibly take the whole thing... Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, knowing that everypony could hear the obscenely wet sounds of that thick toy moving in and out of her arousal-slicked marefolds... “Please...” she whispered, pleading, even as her hindquarters started to rock and thrust back against the toy, almost without her even being aware she was doing it. “Trixie is... she...”

“...wants more?” Rarity asked. “Oh, never fear, I have plenty more for you, slave. Now hold very still.” She knew it was dreadfully wicked of her, but the way Trixie squeaked and shivered every time she called her by that particular title just sent such a little thrill along Rarity’s spine that she couldn’t help it. Besides, it seemed quite appropriate. Trixie had tried to enslave the whole town... now she, herself, was going to be enslaved to Rarity’s will. The fact that she was doing so willingly, at Twilight’s command, just made it all the sweeter. Poetic justice at its best, Rarity thought smugly, as she floated a small bottle up underneath Trixie’s tail, then tipped it over...

Trixie gasped and let out a louder squeal as she felt something cool, thick, and slippery dripping onto her back there, coating the puckered rosebud under her tail. She knew immediately what the liquid substance was, and what it implied... Oh no, oh no, please... I can’t... “M-Mistress... please... Trixie hasn’t... she’s never...” She could hardly bring herself to say it in front of everypony.

“Oh? Are you admitting there’s something I can do which the Great and Powerful Trixie can’t do better, slave?” Rarity teased. “I’ve had a full-grown stallion under my tail; surely you can handle this small little toy...” She pressed the toy in question up against Trixie’s lubricated tailhole, and pressed it forward a little. “Or do you admit that you’re less of a mare than I am, slave?”

Both Trixie and Twilight shivered at Rarity’s tone, for different reasons. Twilight found herself getting more than a little aroused, both by Rarity’s commanding dominance of Trixie, and of Trixie’s obvious humiliation. The side of her which had enjoyed dominating Trixie was fascinated by Rarity’s technique, and taking copious mental notes for later use – and at the same time, the side of her which had enjoyed submitting to Trixie’s dominance couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be in Trixie’s place, submitting to Rarity’s dominance herself, forced to perform such humiliating acts right in front of everypony...

Applejack, on the other hoof, was just wondering how much longer she could stand to watch this without taking... certain matters... into her own hoof. She’d heard about this sort of thing, of course, but seeing it played out right in front of her in living, sweating, moaning color was another barrel of apples entirely. Sweet Celestia, I think this is the hottest dang thing I’ve ever seen... I had no idea Twi an’ Rares were inta this kinda stuff! As she watched the scene play out in front of her, she found that she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to participate in a scene like this, rather than just watch from the sidelines... and the fact that she couldn’t quite seem to decide which unicorn’s hooves she’d rather be in sent a strangely giddy thrill up the farmpony’s spine. It was easy enough for the strong-willed earth pony to see herself in the dominant position... but to be in Trixie’s place? To have every shred of control and dignity stripped from her, and willingly give herself over to another pony’s domination?

I don’t know if I could ever bring myself ta do that... but darned if it don’t make me feel a li’l light-headed thinkin’ about it! she decided.

Trixie closed her eyes and whimpered as she felt the tip of the conical latex plug – which definitely felt neither “small” nor “little” to her! – starting to force its way into the passage under her tail with firm, steady, relentless pressure, spreading her a little wider with every fraction of an inch. She’d had sex with stallions before, as well as mares, but nopony had ever taken her there before, and even this little bit of penetration was wildly uncomfortable. Not actually painful, as such, but definitely not a sensation Trixie was enjoying at all. “M-Mistress... please...” she pleaded.

“Do you admit you’re the lesser mare, slave?” Rarity repeated in a demanding tone. When Trixie’s only answer was another whimper, Rarity increased the pressure to push the toy in another fraction of an inch. “Do you admit you’re the lesser mare...?”

Another whimpered pleading from Trixie got her nothing but another fraction of an inch of the toy forced into her, and now it did hurt as she instinctively fought the penetration by clenching tightly against the toy’s intrusion. “Do... you... admit...” Rarity repeated in a harder tone, making it clear that there would be no relief until Trixie told her what she wanted to hear.

“Y-... yes...” Trixie finally said in a small voice.

“Yes what, slave?”

“Yes, T-Trixie admits... that... she’s the l-lesser mare... Mistress Rarity,” Trixie said, forcing the words out past the remnants of her tattered pride and ego, even as the humiliation of humbling herself this way only seemed to make her own arousal even stronger. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. “Trixie is... lower than Mistress Rarity, and is... unworthy of her...” she said, hoping the answer would please the ivory unicorn.

“But you’ll take it anyway, won’t you,” Rarity said, holding the toy in place without forcing it in any deeper, even as her voice took on a softer, gentler tone. “For Twilight’s sake, you’ll do anything I want, no matter how uncomfortable or painful or degrading it is, to prove your apology and desire to do penance is sincere... isn’t that right?”

Trixie hesitated for a moment... then slowly nodded, even as she tried to brace herself for what was coming, feeling certain that it was going to hurt a lot more if that toy went in any deeper. “If it’s... what Mistress wants...” she said, “then... Trixie will try. But... Trixie honestly never has... had... anypony there, so please... Trixie begs you to be gentle, Mistress Rarity...”

“My, my... you have her nicely trained already, Twilight,” Rarity chuckled, trading winks with Twilight and Applejack. “Take a breath and let it out slowly, Trixie. It will help you to relax, and if you relax, this will go in much more easily.”

Trixie nodded her understanding, and tried her best to comply, breathing slowly and deeply while trying to keep from clenching around the uncomfortable intrusion. For Twilight... for Twilight... do it for Twilight, do it for Twilight, do it for ohh horseapples that really is uncomfortable I don’t know if I can take this it’s too much I can’t – “HNNNHHH!! Please, it’s t-too much!! Trixie can’t... she can’t! Please, it’s – AAAIIIHHH!!” she cried out, squealing in pain as the toy stretched her anal entrance to the limit and then some before suddenly popping all the way inside. Sun and moon, that stings...! she thought as she focused on her breathing, trying to relax again and overcome the very unpleasant sensation of having that thick toy stuffed into her no-longer-virgin tailhole like that...

“It’s already all the way in, darling,” Rarity chuckled, patting the showmare’s backside with a hoof. “And now that both of these are in place, we simply secure and tighten this strap like so, and... there! You can keep her stuffed nice and full as long as you like, without having to expend any effort beyond the initial insertion. Clever, yes? And now that they are both securely in place...” Her horn lit up, and a quick shot of magic arced from the tip of her horn to each of the thick rubber toys buried deep inside Trixie...

Trixie yelped and bucked forwards as both toys suddenly came to life inside her, throbbing and pulsing, hitting her with a shock of pleasure that took her legs right out from underneath her. She hit the floor with a thud that took her breath away for a moment, then started to writhe and squirm helplessly, unable to resist the powerful sensations throbbing through her nether areas. “I... OH!... Miss... tresssss... I... AAAHHH!!”

“Damn, Rares,” Applejack said admiringly. “Okay, I hafta ask. Are all unicorns this kinky, or am I just lucky t’ have especially interestin’ friends?”

“Well, I can’t speak for anypony other than myself, of course,” Rarity chuckled, “but in my business, one does tend to meet some... interesting clients, shall we say, who will pay well for a seamstress who can fulfill ‘special requests’ discreetly, if you follow my meaning? So, I suppose I may have picked up a few odd tidbits of knowledge about this sort of thing here and there, in passing...”

“Uh-huh.” Applejack’s expression showed she wasn’t buying that explanation for a moment.

Rarity just smiled, then walked away from the writhing, squirming, moaning showmare on the floor and resumed her seat, lifting her teacup. “Now... slave... you may resume serving this lovely afternoon tea you’ve prepared for us. Shall we move on to the sandwiches, girls?”

It took the words a minute or so to register through the haze of pleasure fogging Trixie’s head. “I... you...” Surely Rarity didn’t expect her to just get up and carry on playing “serving maid” with those... those things throbbing away inside her, driving her mad with pleasure as the relentless vibrations rocked her to the core. But a quick glance at Rarity, then Twilight, was enough to convince her that was exactly what was expected of her; so, gritting her teeth, she struggled back to her hooves, willing herself to overcome the torture of those throbbing, pulsing, humming, oh-so-pleasurable sensations and forcing herself to focus on serving them even though her body was screaming at her to just surrender to it...

“Y-yes... M-miss...tress...” she gasped out. It took everything she had to summon up a simple telekinesis spell to float the cucumber-and-dandelion sandwiches onto their plates, then hold her focus long enough to refill everypony’s teacups. The pleasure was just about unbearable; while Trixie had certainly pleasured herself with similar stallion-shaped toys on occasion, whatever magic enhancements had been done to these were lighting up the nerve endings all over her plot, inside and out, like nothing she’d ever experienced, and it was driving her mad.

She set the teapot back on the tray, then dropped back into her submissive posture, head and forehooves down, bowing to Rarity... which proved to be a mistake, at least as far as maintaining her self-control or dignity was concerned. With her rear end hiked up in that position, it was all too easy for the constant stimulation to overcome her self-control. At first, the thrusting motions were just small little twitches that she could at least hope weren’t noticeable enough to draw the other three mares’ attention, but it wasn’t long before the twitches grew to obvious squirming and rocking motions, and finally to blind thrusts of her hindquarters against the empty air, like a mare being mounted, seeking release and relief as she lost herself in the sensations.

Somewhere, she heard the sounds of a mare letting out soft little moans in a steady rhythm as a stallion covered her, driving his thick shaft deep into her wet folds with every thrust, filling her to the bursting point as her body bucked and writhed and burned with lust, her liquid heat dripping down the inside of her thighs as she bit her lip to stifle the screams of pleasure that were trying to get out. Dimly, she realized through the fog of lust and need that the sounds were coming from her, and she wondered what kind of obscene show she must be putting on for everypony as they watched her try to rut herself with the throbbing toys held deep within her by that damnably tight strap against her marefolds. And worse, somehow the toys seemed to be responding to these motions, generating pulsating waves of stimulation that matched the rhythm of her hindquarters as she rutted herself against the toys, making it all too easy to lose herself in the fantasy of having the living daylights bucked out of her by one... no, two stallions, plunging their delightfully thick, hard shafts so deep into her marehood and tailhole with every glorious thrust of their strong bodies against hers... using her, while her marefriend and her two friends watched...

“I... hhfff... I... please... I c-can’t... hnnhhh!...”

“You can’t?” Rarity snapped. “Can’t what?”

“T-too much...” Trixie stammered, feeling the hot blush blazing across her cheeks as she writhed and bucked helplessly, rutting herself right in front of everypony as the twin toys sent throbbing wave after wave of pleasure deep into her. “It’s... too... much... Mistress... please...”

“More than you deserve, obviously,” Rarity agreed coldly. “Perhaps you’d prefer me to finish what Applejack started and add another half-dozen welts across your flanks instead, slave?”

Rarity was bluffing on that last part, of course, but Trixie had no way to know that, and the threat alone was more than enough to silence any further protests. “No, M-mistress Rarity, I’m... hffff!... I’m sorry!”

“As well you should be. A good little slave would be thanking her Mistress for generously permitting her to enjoy such pleasure, instead of complaining about it.”

Trixie took the hint. “Th... hnnnhhh... thank you... Mistress...” she gasped out. “Thank you, Mistress...”

“Good girl,” Rarity said. “Isn’t she a good girl, Twilight?”

“Huh?” Twilight snapped out of her reverie, looking a bit flushed herself. “Oh, yes. Very good. Very... very good...” She shook herself and took a sip of tea to calm herself. “Very good.”

Applejack stifled a giggle at Twilight’s flustered expression. ‘Course, it ain’t like I’m not gettin’ a mite worked up myself... she thought, a slight flush coming to her orange cheeks as she caught the heavy scent of her own arousal – though her embarrassment was lessened a bit when she realized that not all of that lusty scent was from her; Twilight and Rarity were obviously enjoying the show as well, and Trixie was practically leaving a puddle on the floor... Dang it all, I’m gonna need a cold shower ‘fore I head back to the farm, or every stallion in town’ll be followin’ me home tryin’ ta get inta my plot! she thought with a snort of wry amusement.

“Yes, that’s right, Trixie... you’re a very good little slave, aren’t you...” Rarity said, grinning at the writhing showmare as Trixie fought to make some kind of coherent reply.

Trixie let out a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a moan, torn between the warmth of hearing her marefriend praise her, the relentless pleasure being inflicted on her by the toys, and the humiliation of being so easily dominated by Rarity and forced to put on such a shameless display like this. She felt dirty and degraded, her ego and pride slowly being crushed under the disgrace of being treated as nothing but a sexual plaything for Rarity’s entertainment while everypony watched – but the rising tide of sexual arousal inside her drove her on, despite her shame and embarrassment, as she rutted against the empty air, trying to get that last bit of stimulation to push her over the edge, her mind clouded with lust and pleasure and burning, aching, dripping need...

Oh yes, oh yes, oh sun and moon, I’m almost... almost there... oh yes, I’m almost... almost...

“...AHHH! NO!” she screamed in frustration as the throbbing sensations suddenly stopped and her nether areas went completely numb, denying her that last little bit she needed. “NO, NO, NO!!”

“Oh, did I forget to mention that little detail?” Rarity cooed, her expression one of pure wickedness despite her falsely-pleasant tone. “How thoughtless of me. The spell crystals inside those toys are sensitive to the user’s state of arousal, you see... and will not permit you to achieve orgasm, until your Mistress chooses to allow it. No matter how badly you want to climax, no matter how close you think you’re getting to it... they won’t let you have it. In fact, they will actively numb you back there and suppress your ability to feel any sensations, until you’ve completely lost the moment. And then they will do it again... and again... and again...”

Trixie let out another incoherent moan of frustration as she tried to push herself over the edge anyway, only to discover that Rarity wasn’t exaggerating in the least. No matter how much she writhed and squirmed, she couldn’t get any relief; it was as if the toys were suddenly no longer there at all, leaving her feeling empty and hollow inside. Not even trying to rub herself through the tight strap produced any sensation to speak of; it was as if everything from the dock of her tail down to the insides of her thighs had been suddenly hit with the kind of numbing anesthetic a dentist would use, robbing her of the ability to feel anything there. No pain, no pleasure, not even a sensation of touch or pressure... nothing. The orgasm that had been so tantalizingly close just a moment ago began slipping away from her grasp, leaving only empty disappointment and helpless, frustrated longing in its wake.

Applejack blinked at that explanation as she watched Trixie’s frantic squirming. “Dang, Rares... you really are true, concentrated evil, ain’tcha?” she chuckled.

“Why thank you, darling,” Rarity grinned back, toasting both of her friends with her teacup. “But I can’t take all the credit. A rather good friend of mine put me on to these a couple of years ago... so to speak,” she explained, with only a slight tinge of pink under her ivory cheeks, “and I can assure you from personal experience... the torment is exquisite. She’ll be screaming for relief within fifteen minutes, at most. Just you watch.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Rarity,” Twilight said. “She’s stronger than you think. She just might surprise you.”

“Mmm... shall we make it interesting then, Twilight?” She leaned over and whispered something into Twilight’s ear, causing the lavender unicorn to flush an even deeper shade of purple at Rarity’s proposal. The idea was shocking and scandalous, and...

“You’re on.”

Rarity raised a brow as Twilight agreed to the proposed wager. She’d only offered it half in jest, just to see what Twilight’s reaction would be. “Are you sure, darling?”

“I said, you’re on,” Twilight said confidently. She leaned in and whispered something back to Rarity, and Rarity brightened in understanding once she understood Twilight’s rationale in accepting the wager.

“Oh, my, yes, I see your point. Very well. Trixie!”

“Y-yes... Mistress RaaaAAAAA!! R-Rarity!” Trixie gasped out as the vibrators suddenly surged to life inside her again. They seemed to be even worse this time around; within mere moments, her body was consumed by the sensations, her breath coming in ragged gasps and pants as both of the thick rubber toys buzzed and throbbed and pulsated and drove... her... mad...

“Listen carefully. Twilight and I have made a little wager on you. For some reason, she seems to think you can actually withstand fifteen minutes of the most intense stimulation those toys can deliver, without begging for relief. Personally, I don’t think you can last nearly that long. An arrogant, selfish, egotistical little braggart like you is hardly accustomed to putting anypony else’s desires ahead of your own, after all.”

Fifteen minutes?! Trixie wanted to scream already. She didn’t think she could even stand it for five more minutes, much less fifteen. Fifteen minutes of this would break her... which, of course, was precisely what she knew Rarity wanted. To see her broken. Or, failing that, to be vindicated when Trixie’s failure proved her to be nothing more than the same old “selfish and egotistical Trixie” who would put her own wants above everypony else’s, even her marefriend’s, when the chips were down...

“What’s... the... what are the... stakes, Mistress?”

“The ‘Submissive and Obedient Trixie’ will be receiving a spanking, as part of her penance,” Rarity said with a grin. “But if you cause Twilight to lose our little wager... she will take the spanking in your place.”

Trixie’s eyes went wide at that, as the implications broke through the haze of unbearable pleasure being forced on her by the throbbing, magic-infused toys buried inside her. “I – no! Please, Mistress Rarity, don’t... Trixie will do... aahhhh!... anything you want, but please... hnnnhhh!!... please, don’t punish Twilight for Trixie’s failures... please!”

Rarity couldn’t help raising a brow at the pleading look in Trixie’s eyes as she begged for her marefriend not to be punished in her place. The old, boastful, self-centered Trixie wouldn’t have cared; if anything, she probably would have considered it a “win” if somepony else ended up paying the price for her wrongdoing. Maybe she really has changed...? It hardly seems possible... but I just can’t imagine the self-aggrandizing egotist she was before being willing to humiliate herself like this, no matter what kind of scheme she was trying to pull off... And she had to admit, it did seem significant that Trixie hadn’t even once tried to use her magic to oppose anything Rarity had done to her so far. Even when she’d begged Rarity not to insert the second vibrator under her tail, she hadn’t manifested so much as a spark of opposition to stop her from doing it...

Rarity studied Trixie a moment longer, then smiled as an idea occurred to her. It was something she had occasionally been curious about, but the opportunity to try it had never really presented itself, as the few lovers Rarity had felt comfortable sharing her kinkier fantasies with in the past had never been interested in that particular activity. I wonder if she’ll actually go that far...

“Anything?” she finally asked.

Trixie swallowed and nodded. “Anything, Missssss... hhaah!... Mistress Rarity... please...”

Rarity stretched herself out on the couch, lying on her side. “Kiss my hooves.”

Trixie looked up, startled by the request. Whatever she’d been expecting Rarity to demand of her, it certainly hadn’t been that! “Wh... what?”

“Trixie, would you agree that it has been your mouth that’s gotten you into more trouble than anything else?”

“I... suppose, M-mistress R–aaaaahhh...! Rarity...”

“Then kiss my hooves. Put your troublesome mouth to good use for once. Kiss them... lick them... and clean them with your tongue like a good little slave,” Rarity commanded, curious to see if Trixie would actually do it.

Trixie swallowed as she considered her options. Again, a small part of her rebelled at the very idea; it was obvious to her now that Rarity’s primary goal was to see her utterly, completely humiliated and broken... forced to perform the most disgraceful, degrading acts for the ivory unicorn’s amusement, to crawl before her, as if she were nothing...

...just like you did to them, she told herself sternly. Forcing her tattered pride back into its corner, she lowered herself all the way to the floor and crawled forward, then took Rarity’s left hind-hoof into her forehooves and brought it to her muzzle to kiss it, nuzzle it, and then lick it clean, bathing every inch with her tongue all the way from the bottom of the outer walls up to the pastern. She was relieved to find that it wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as she’d imagined it might be – after all, it wasn’t as if Rarity had been out stomping around in the local garbage dump, or anything nasty like that. The ivory unicorn had showered just that morning, and had spent the whole day in her shop, so she was still perfectly clean... it was just the symbolism of the act that made it so filthy and shameful.

But for Twilight, she’d do it. She’d do her best to please Rarity, no matter how much she had to lower herself to earn the ivory unicorn’s forgiveness. If Rarity wanted to see her humiliated and broken, then for Twilight, she would let herself be humiliated and broken...

For her part, Rarity barely managed to keep her composure and maintain her “Mistress” persona, when what she really wanted to do was stare at the former showmare in pop-eyed, open-mouthed astonishment. She’d half-expected Trixie to balk at that command, thinking it would be further than the boastful showmare’s pride could stand... but instead, here she was, willingly degrading herself by bathing Rarity’s hooves with her tongue, at Rarity’s command, all for the sake of the newly-found love between her and Twilight and oooh, that actually doesfeel rather interesting, doesn’t it...

Applejack and Twilight traded amused glances as the battle of wills between Trixie and Rarity continued, with Trixie fighting to keep control over her increasingly-desperate need for some kind of release as the throbbing dildos tormented her with one denied orgasm after another, pulling her right to the edge, but never allowing her to get all the way over, while she tongue-bathed Rarity’s hooves one at a time. In a strange way, Trixie decided, the degrading task was actually helping her keep control, at least a little bit, by giving her something to fixate on other than how desperately she needed that orgasm that the damned toys just wouldn’t let her have...

“Oh, my... Twilight, darling, I strongly suggest you consider having her do this for you sometime,” Rarity cooed in a dreamy voice, her eyes half-lidded in blissful pleasure. “It’s simply... exquisite...”

“I gotta say, Rares, I never woulda figured you for this kinda stuff,” Applejack chuckled. “Just seems so darn unladylike. Then again, can’t rightly say I’d’ve ever figured Twilight for it neither, so shows ya what I know, I guess.”

“Well, you know what they say, darling,” Rarity’s half-closed eyes sparkled with amusement. “A lady on the streets, a freak between the sheets, yes?”

Both Twilight and Applejack had to giggle at that. “Yeah, I’d say this is just ‘bout th’ freakiest thing I’ve seen anypony do since mah sister caught th’ cutie pox,” Applejack said. “Can’t deny that it’s kinda dang hot, though.”

Trixie tried to ignore the conversation and just focus on cleaning Rarity’s hooves, doing her best to please the ivory unicorn even as the torment of being continually kept just below the brink of orgasm by those damnable toys made her want to scream... to cry... to beg... to do anything if only she could get some relief from it! She could feel her hindquarters thrusting blindly at the air, trying to mount the stallions in her imagination, trying to get just that little extra bit she needed, trying to get a little friction from the strap pulled tight against her soaking-wet marefolds, trying to get anything that would release her from this maddening, exquisitely-pleasurable torture before she lost her mind entirely...

“Pllllleeeeaaaasssseeee....” she heard herself whining as yet another round of being taken right to the edge, only to have her orgasm denied her by those damnable magic-enhanced toys, finally broke her resistance. Realizing with a sob that she’d lost count of how many denials she’d endured, or how long she’d endured it, she prayed she’d held out long enough, but... Forgive me... Twilight... I can’t... stand it... any more... I... can’t... I can’t... I... need... it...

Rarity blinked and shook off the dreamy haze, snapping her attention back to the present as she heard Trixie’s pleading cries. “Please... oh. Please what, darling?”

“Please... may T.... Trixie... nnnnhhhhh.... may she.... May... I... can’t... stand it... a-anymore, Miss... Mistress...” Trixie could barely form the words; her whole body was trembling with need, her breath was coming in ragged pants and gasps, and her mind was lost in a dense fog of frustration and desire and desperation for some kind of release...

“May you what, darling?”

“Trhhh.... I.... please... I need...”

“Yes, I know you do, slave,” Rarity said, grinning wickedly. “But you have to say it.”

Trixie stifled a scream of frustration and pounded a hoof on the floor to try to clear her head enough to form the words. “...come, Mistress, may T-Trixie please... please... please be allowed... to come... pleeeeeease...” It was the final humiliation, to have to beg for the orgasm her body craved, but she didn’t care anymore. She couldn’t bear another second of having that need denied her, and she would do anything – even grovel and beg at the hooves of the one who had well and truly broken her – if that was what it would take to release her from this exquisite torment. “Please, Mistress... please may I come... please... may I... please... Mistress... please...”

Rarity smiled and stroked Trixie’s cheek with a forehoof. “Yes, Trixie... you may come for us....” She paused, holding Trixie on the brink just a little longer before giving the final word. “...Now.” At the instant she said it, Rarity’s horn lit up, reactivating the vibrators inside the sweating, shaking, pleading showmare, signaling the crystals inside to unleash their full force of mechanical and magical stimulation...

...and Trixie’s scream of ecstasy rang off the walls of the boutique as her world exploded in a brilliant flare of pale-blue light.

\/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/

Trixie let out an incoherent groan as she tried to roll over. Ugh... sleeping on the floor again? she thought hazily to herself. Judging by the stiffness in her joints, she’d been there a while, too. How long...? The last thing I remember is... Memories of the torment she’d endured at Rarity’s evil-minded whims, and the mind-shattering orgasm that had finally resulted from it, drifted through her foggy head. Oh. Right... That explained the aching stiffness, then.

A loud whack! and a squeak of pain brought Trixie to her senses. She opened her eyes, willing them to focus on the blurry forms in front of her, shaking her head several times to clear it as the two sounds were repeated. “What...?”

Suddenly, the scene snapped back into focus. Twilight, kneeling with her forelegs stretched out, rump in the air, tail lifted to expose her flanks... Rarity standing next to her, with something held in her light-blue telekinetic aura, aimed at Twilight’s backside... the object swinging down to strike Twilight’s flanks with another whack!, provoking another squeak of pain from the purple unicorn...

Twilight was getting spanked. Because of her.

Instantly, Trixie was on her hooves, her own telekinetic field grabbing the mane-brush before Rarity could deliver the next strike. “Stop!” she cried.

“Now, now, darling, a wager is a wager,” Rarity said firmly. Trixie didn’t see the slight wink Rarity and Twilight exchanged. “You had to hold out fifteen minutes, or she takes the spanking meant for you. You didn’t, she lost, now she has to pay up.”

“No,” Trixie said firmly as she stepped closer, meeting Rarity’s gaze with her own as she kept a tight telekinetic hold on the mane-brush. “Trixie is the one who failed, not Twilight. Trixie is the one you’re mad at for humiliating you. Trixie is the one who deserves to be punished, and she... and I will not let Twilight be punished for my failures.” Turning her back on Rarity, she knelt down next to her marefriend, copying Twilight’s pose, wincing a little at the discomfort as she realized those thick toys were still lodged inside her. “Punish me for what I did to you. Not her.” She closed her eyes, released her hold on the brush, and waited for it to strike...

All right... now I’m convinced, Rarity thought to herself. “As you wish, Trixie,” she said out loud as she adjusted the brush’s aim, now that she had uncontested control of it again. She paused for a moment, then brought it down onto Trixie’s flanks, swift and hard, landing a dozen swats so quickly that Trixie barely had time to cry out from the pain before the spanking was over – but at the same time, she made sure to avoid the welts that still showed across Trixie’s rump, focusing her strikes on the sensitive “sit spots” she’d learned about from Crimson Brush when the zebracorn brush-maker had showed her how to deliver a proper disciplinary spanking to her little sister. Judging by Trixie’s reaction, those spots were just as effective on grown-up mares as on misbehaving fillies. “There. Now we’re even, darling.”

“Th-thank you,” Trixie gasped softly, before turning to nuzzle Twilight affectionately. “Are you all right, love?” she asked, her eyes full of concern for her marefriend. “Trixie is... I’m sorry you had to take any of Tr–... of my punishment...”

Twilight chuckled and glanced back at Rarity. The two mares exchanged another conspiratorial wink, and suddenly the brush came down onto Twilight’s flanks with a loud whack!... and a brief ripple of purple light across the unicorn’s backside, as the brush collided with Twilight’s small shielding spell. “I didn’t feel a thing, love,” Twilight said, unable to suppress her giggles at Trixie’s startled expression as she pushed herself back up to her hooves.

“You... you...!” Trixie sputtered indignantly. “You... and she...!”

“Played ya like a fiddle, sugarcube,” Applejack said, busting out into laughter at the look on Trixie’s face.

“Yes, quite,” Rarity chuckled as well.

“Are you convinced now, Rarity?” Twilight asked.

Rarity pursed her lips, and nodded. “Yes... I believe I’m quite satisfied, darling. Trixie... I must admit, up until this moment, I still harbored a few shreds of doubt about your sincerity. But when your first instinct was to fight to protect Twilight, even if it meant taking on even more punishment than you’d already endured? That is an act which cannot be ignored.” She smiled at Trixie – and this time, it was a genuine smile, full of warmth and forgiveness, as she stepped closer. “And that being the case... perhaps it is time for both of us to put the unfortunate past behind us.”

The two unicorns regarded each other for a moment, as Trixie hesitantly returned the smile, and then the two mares gently nuzzled each other, entwining necks for a moment. “I accept your apology, Trixie,” Rarity said warmly. “And I forgive you.”

“Thank you... Mistress Rarity,” Trixie teased, making both mares chuckle softly as they stepped back. Trixie winced as each step made those damnable toys shift inside her again, causing Rarity to put a hoof to her mouth and giggle in a rather less-than-ladylike fashion as she noticed the peculiar expression on Trixie’s muzzle, and saw the way the azure showmare was trying not to squirm uncomfortably as she moved.

“Yes, I think it’s about time we got you out of those, darling...”

“Other way ‘round, Rares,” Applejack said with an amused snort.

“Yes, quite,” Rarity smirked. “Hold still a moment.”

Trixie braced herself and tried to hold still as the tingly magic played around her nether areas, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as the rubber toys were slowly pulled out of her with a pair of rude, wet-sounding pops. She groaned in sheer relief, then started to reach out to grasp the toys in her own magic. “Give them to Tr... to me, and I’ll go clean them off...”

“No need, darling,” Rarity said. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the floating toys were suddenly surrounded by a glowing corona of ice-blue light. When the light faded, the toys were as dry and sparkling-clean as if they’d just been freshly molded. “There,” she said as she opened her eyes and floated the items back into their storage box.

Twilight raised a brow. “A cleaning and sterilization spell? I didn’t know you knew magic like that, Rarity,” she said, visibly impressed.

“Well, it does come in handy on occasion,” Rarity chuckled. “Especially when one spends much of their day working with sharp scissors and needles, and has a white coat that shows every little speck of dirt. Remember the Sisterhooves Social? How do you think I dispersed all that mud off of me so quickly after Sweetie and I crossed the finish line?”

“I kinda wondered about that myself,” Applejack said. “Too bad y’all can’t bottle that trick an’ sell it.”

“Well, it probably could be impressed into a spell crystal,” Twilight said thoughtfully, causing Trixie to giggle softly to herself as her marefriend once again made that instant switch from playfully-sexual mistress and lover to endlessly-curious, inquisitive scholar, caught up in the intellectual problem posed by Applejack’s off-hoof comment. “The hard part would be keeping it charged up enough to be useful. Even the simplest spell crystals generally take at least a day to recharge themselves from natural magic currents alone; you’d either need a unicorn to keep recharging it for you if you were going to be using it frequently, in which case you may as well just have them cast the spell directly, or you’d have to keep a few dozen of them around and try to keep track of which ones you’ve already used and which ones are still recharging, so I’m not sure how practical it’d – ”

*WHAM!!*

Trixie, Twilight, Applejack and Rarity all jumped and turned around, startled, as Carousel Boutique’s front door slammed open hard enough to make the walls shake. A sky-blue pegasus mare with a wind-blown, polychromatic mane was hovering in the now-open doorway, her ruby eyes blazing with incandescent fury.

“Where is she?!”