“Sorry, boss! I really thought he’d go for it!” Bruises had been pacing and apologizing ever since I came back from my pointless visit to her last boss. No amount of cajoling had convinced him to bank his company on restoring an abandoned old theater, and his office had been too full to force the matter. Not that I could blame him; anypony sensible would balk at investing their whole workforce on what had to look like a complete fool’s errand, but until I found contractors willing to do the work, I couldn’t move on a loan. Banks never put the cart before the pony. Still, first try. Plenty of others in Manehattan.

“Relax, Bruises. He didn’t want in. That’s fine. His loss.” I took a pull from my cider as Pirouette directed her girls around the stage in final rehearsals for the night’s show. “I’ll find somepony.”

“I still don’t get why you didn’t bring me though.” Bruises looked hurt. I sighed and put the cider down. I’d been dancing around it the whole time; she hated remembering what she was like before. If she wouldn’t let it go, though…

“Think about how you acted last time you saw him, Bruises. Were you nice to him?” Bruises blinked, then hung her huge head like a scolded filly.

“No, sir…” Wonderful. She’d gone from vaguely hurt to depressed.

I rose to cheer her up, only to hear an indignant squawk from the stage. “There! There, Ms. P, didja see it that time?” One of the dancers was pointing angrily out the picture window at nothing at all, but the tired look on Pirouette’s face told me that whatever it was, this wasn’t a new complaint.

“C’mon, Bruises. Looks like the girls are spooked. Who’s gonna make them feel safe if their big, tough bouncer is pouting?” Blushing just a bit, Bruises raised her head and fell in behind me as I walked to the stage.

“What’s the fuss, Pirouette?” If something was spooking my girls while they were getting ready for a show, it needed fixing, and pronto. A bad show was never an option; distractions during rehearsal were forbidden. Pirouette turned to me with a completely serious expression, and I realized the dancers must’ve been seriously on edge.

“Done, I’ve been trying to leave you be about it, since you’ve got so much on your plate with those… uh, ‘investments’ of yours, but for weeks now girls have been seeing something white outside. Peeking in windows, overhead as they come in—two said they even saw flashes of light right before the white thing took off! I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s got the girls upset, and that’s got me upset.” Pirouette’s demeanor changed, and she leaned close, giving me her sweetest smile. “You always say you’ll take care of anything for us, right? Be a sweetheart and find out what’s going on, hmm?” A few of the dancers snickered or whispered behind raised hooves. Giddy as fillies. One moment screaming, the next all giggles.

I patted Pirouette on the head, suppressing a smile as hers suddenly vanished. “Sure thing, Pirouette. Come on, Bruises; time to play detective.” Bruises bounced to her hooves from where she’d plopped herself beside me, and offered a sharp salute. “Detectives, Bruises, not sol—you know, nevermind. That was kinda cute.”

Bruises blushed again, and Pirouette laid her ears back for some reason as I headed for the front door. Out of the corner of my eye, I could swear I saw a couple of the dancers facehoofing. I let it go. They’d change their tunes when I got rid of the problem.

Outside Tall Tail, Bruises and I started looking around. I’m sure she was completely serious, but anypony else would’ve thought Bruises was making a mockery of our hunt—her nose was so close to the ground I was worried she’d snort a stray pebble and need a hospital trip.

“Easy, Bruises. Whatever’s going on, it wouldn’t leave tracks on a sidewalk. You can search normally, honest.” If there was a clue to be found, it wouldn’t be that small. Besides, Bruises attracted enough attention with her size alone; we didn’t need her bloodhound act attracting any more.

Bruises nodded and resumed walking along more normally while I looked over the window our nuisance had been at moments before. My search was interrupted by a hoof right in front of my muzzle, holding up a candy wrapper, and an excited voice. “Is this a clue, boss?”

I had to look over at Bruises, hoping something in her expression would imply that it was just a joke. Nope. Nothing. Earnest as ever, there was no doubt that the question was serious. I stifled a sigh and gestured at a wastebasket near the street corner. “No, Bruises. That’s just a piece of litter. Toss it, would you? Trash out front is bad for business.”

Completely unfazed, Bruises lit her horn and levitated the crumpled junk off to the garbage. She resumed her hunt, and so did I—only to have an unusually brightly colored pebble float suddenly into my line of sight. Bruises’ voice came with it, of course. “What about this?”

Wondering if perhaps I should’ve called Jade from her dusting behind the bar instead of bringing my bouncer, I shook my head. “Nope. Just a pebble, Bruises. We’re looking for something to lead us to whatever was outside the window just a minute ago, remember?”

Bruises nodded vigorously. “Right!” For some reason, the pebble stayed her in magical grip. I didn’t ask.

I gave up examining the window. If there was anything like a clue there, it was beyond me. Bruises had no such trouble coming up with “possibilities,” though. A flyer, a piece of broken glass (both of which joined the candy wrapper), and other junk were hoisted my way, and Bruises’ enthusiasm dropped a hair as I had her discard them all. I was ready to call it hopeless, and Bruises looked afraid to ask as she held up one more thing—a feather.

I snatched it from Bruises’ hoof. “Where did you find that?” Any feather right there couldn’t have been for long—it was a breezy enough day for our tails to flutter a bit in the wind, a feather would’ve moved along if it’d been there more than a few minutes. And, it was white.

Bruises mood bounced back instantly. “It was caught on the window sill, up here, boss!” Bruises pointed to a spot well above my head, and I clapped a hoof over my face. White feather, quick disappearance, clue up out of my view—the girls were acting like they’d seen a ghost, when it was nothing but a pegasus. Why one was snooping around my club, however, I didn’t know. As I removed my hoof, I let my head fall backwards in exasperation at such an obvious answer, and saw it: a bit of white hanging over the edge of the roof.

“He’s still up there! Doubletime, Bruises!” Startled, Bruises lagged behind a few paces, but had no trouble making it up as we stormed back through The Tall Tail’s main hall, earning more than a few startled glances as we did. I winced at the racket we made running up the iron staircase, and almost stopped to check for damage as we went from first floor to second. Day Planner squawked indignantly as we tore through the office and up into my apartment above. Finally, we burst onto the roof and looked around frantically. Nothing.

“Damnit! Look around, Bruises. Other rooftops, up, anything.” We both craned our necks, looking for any white in the sky that wasn’t a cloud, but nothing turned up. I grumbled and panted, annoyed at having lost whoever was making trouble. Doubly annoyed at being winded for nothing.

Bruises just sounded disappointed. “He got away, boss.” Annoyed as I was, I nearly snapped at her for stating the obvious, but held my tongue. Catching my breath gave a perfectly good excuse for not answering.

I sat to rest a moment on the rooftop before heading back down, but as soon as my rear hit the roof, there was a click, a flash, and a clatter as the table I kept up there was knocked to the side by an uninvited guest. The damned white pegasus!

I shouted, “Bruises! Grab him!” Startled again, she took a second longer than she should’ve, and the pegasus spiraled into the air and away—only to be snagged by Bruises’ magic, yanked down, and shoved roughly against the brick wall of the passage back into the club.

“Ow!”

That voice was much too high. With the pegasus held in place, I finally got a proper look and frowned. Small and feminine, with a camera around her neck and rolls of film on her flank, we’d caught our troublemaker, and she was nothing but a shutterbug filly. All this fuss over nothing. Detectives my flank. “Hey, kid, don’t you think you’re a little young to be trying to peep at a cabaret? We don’t run that kind of show anyway.”

Still pinned to the wall, the angry filly thrashed helplessly and spat an awfully foul set of profanities at me, protesting that she was an adult. I let that go; before Bruises, I was the one bouncing the occasional underage pony from The Tall Tail, and at least half of them tried the “no, really, I’m all grown up!” line. It was nothing new. Until it was.

“You’re gonna be in so much trouble, Deal! I’ve got photos! You sneaking out of Vinyl’s show! You sneaking into that old hotel! You with Whittle, and some of Desert Rose’s other goons! The guard might not be making anything stick, but I know they’re no good, and you’re right there with ‘em! It’s gonna be all over the front page of the Manehattan Times!” Not once through her tirade did she quit thrashing. I was starting to get worried she’d hurt herself, and Bruises was looking unhappy, but if she even knew about the Vinyl concert and the meetings with the Trotties, she was trouble, much less if she had photos.

“Look, kid—”

She shouted loudly enough to hurt my ears, “I’m not a filly, you stupid motherbucker! I’m Exposé, and I’m a staff photojournalist at the Manehattan Times!”

I’ll be honest. My blood ran cold. I’d never met her, but a few of The Tall Tail’s events had attracted the paper in the past, and I’d heard of Exposé. Tiny, touchy about it, but able to get scoops nopony else could crack, and always with more than enough photos to prove her stories. Hell to work with, but when she had news, everypony from the editor-in-chief on down let her have her way. It fit better than I wanted to admit.

“Never been caught before, have you?” Exposé’s tirade continued while I spoke quietly. “Telling me what you had was really, really stupid. I was ready to just tell you not to come back. Now I have to do something about you.” Bruises frowned, looking even more unhappy, and I didn’t blame her. I felt like some awful comic book villain, something out of that inane “Power Ponies” franchise, but facts were facts. I couldn’t let news like that break before I was ready for it. Horseapples.

Exposé, at least, had shut up and was taking me seriously. The thrashing was gone; now she was trembling. “Y-you wouldn’t. Born Leader… that was you?” Exposé went pale. Well, more pale. With Desert Rose still calling the shots with the Trotties, I guess she hadn’t figured that part out.

I wasn’t about to offer anything she didn’t already know. “Give me the camera.”

Exposé was wide-eyed now, but her reputation for being tough wasn’t all talk. “N-no.” Her eyes narrowed, and her tone went cold. I’d gone from suspicious troublemaker to murderer. She went from afraid to hateful. “You’re going to jail, Deal. You don’t know where my photos are, and if you do anything to me, somepony will find out.”

The day had started so nicely. I reached out and grabbed the camera strap. When I moved to pull it over her head, though, Exposé twisted and bit, hard, clamping teeth down on my leg.

I screamed and recoiled, scraping flesh against teeth and making it hurt even more. Bruises gasped and turned to me, looking at my hurt leg and forgetting all about Exposé, who was up and into the air—with her camera—in a heartbeat. Forcefully pointing Bruises’ huge head skyward by her chin, I pointed at the fleeing pegasus and yelled “Catch her!”

Again Bruises lit her horn, managing to snag only Exposé’s tail, an instant before she was too far to grasp. Exposé struggled and cursed, but Bruises reeled her in inch by inch until she could get a proper grip. My leg was bleeding, and Bruises was much less bothered by being rough. Expose was slammed to the rooftop, hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs, and Bruises moved to pin her physically.

Limping on my hurt leg, I followed and sat next to Bruises’ and Exposé’s heads. There was only one way to handle a threat like this: make it an asset. And I had a promise to keep, to boot. “Like her, Bruises?”

Confused, the big mare blinked, but didn’t move even her head this time. Exposé was not going to slip away twice. “Huh? No way, boss! Look at you! You’re bleeding, and it’s all her fault! And she wants to put you in jail!”

I shook my head, smiling. Of course Bruises wouldn’t get it if I asked like that. “Forget about all that. Look at her. What do you think of her looks?”

Bruises blushed a little as she struggled to look at more than Exposé’s head the way she held her down. “Well, she’s cute. Tiny, but… that’s cute too. She’s like a big doll.”

Exposé was gradually coming to her senses, but Bruises’ evaluation of her snapped her back to reality in an instant. “Doll? I’ll doll you! Get off me! What are you, a draft horse? Get off!” Exposé kicked ferociously at Bruises’ belly, but if Bruises even noticed, I couldn’t tell. I smiled and patted my bouncer on her big head.

“That, Bruises, is your new fillyfriend. Go on, give her a kiss! Or whatever it is you’d like to do, I guess. Put her in a little doll outfit, maybe?”

Bruises stared down at Exposé, obviously baffled, and even the noisy reporter was speechless for a change. Bruises looked at me sidelong. She wanted to, I could tell, but had pretty understandable doubts. “Boss… I don’t think she likes me.”

There were no doubts in Exposé’s head. “Don’t like? Of course I don’t like you, you… you big ox! Get offa me!” Exposé sensed things were very quickly getting worse for her, I suppose. She redoubled her attempts to kick Bruises off, but had no more luck than before.

“You’re not going to?” I had no intention of just having Bruises hold Exposé down and have her way. I was going to take care of that. All I wanted was to see the look on Exposé’s face when Bruises’ big mouth practically covered hers. Bruises had the same reluctance any decent pony would, though, if they didn’t realize I was going to fix things. I sighed.

Bruises spoke without looking at me. “Boss…” It was obvious enough that Bruises would love the mare beneath her, but wasn’t putting two and two together fast enough to get things done. I didn’t want to spoil the fun of seeing Exposé’s expression, so I couldn’t just smoke them both. Suddenly, I had an idea.

With no explanation, I grabbed Bruises’ chin and pulled her into a kiss with me instead of the kicking pegasus below. Startled, Bruises opened her mouth, probably to ask what the buck was going on—and I blew her full of smoke where Exposé couldn’t see. Bruises went only a little slack. I blew more. She relaxed more, but after the initial failure, I just kept blowing more and more into her, concerned that her massive size was making it less effective when it didn’t go in through the ears or something.

“What the buck is going on?!” Exposé stole Bruises’ line, and I laughed just a bit as I broke the kiss. Cloudy eyed and absent looking, there was no doubt Bruises was in exactly the right state… but I frowned as I caught a glance of a wisp of smoke trailing from her mouth. That had never happened before, and I didn’t know what consequences it might bring. No turning back now, though.

“Go on, Bruises. Do whatever you’d like.” The trail of wetness crawling down her back leg left no doubt what that kiss had put her in the mood for. Exposé thrashed harder, seeing the strange look in Bruises’ eyes, but couldn’t get out from under the weight. At this point, I was wary enough that even if she started to, I’d have smoke in her ears in an instant.

Looking back down at Exposé in a daze, Bruises mumbled, “’kay,” before lowering her lips. Finally, Exposé shrieked, but it was muffled by Bruises’ mouth. Wide-eyed, horrified, and furious—that was how Exposé looked—but only for a second or two. Before I moved to make the experience a pleasant, even wonderful one for her, her eyes half closed and grew distant. The scream trailed off as if forgotten halfway, and of all things, Exposé returned Bruises’ kiss! I didn’t get it. Then a wisp of smoke wafted free as Bruises moved her face away for just a moment. I’d filled her so full of smoke she leaked or something! Jade had never done that.

I frowned. I’d thought I was beginning to understand how the smoke worked, but this was new. Worrying, I forgot to do what I needed with Exposé, until I got a reminder that she was even there, when Bruises magically lifted the troublesome reporter’s nether regions to her own and started to rub, making both moan distractedly.

I laughed and shook my head. The smoke’s weird behavior was something for another time. Right now there were two mares in front of me, tribbing. One giant, one miniscule, one pinning one pinned, both more arousing than I’d expected them to be. I looked around in the air for any stray pegasi, and was relieved to find none. I let smoke trail from my nearest hoof to Exposé’s ears. A smoky kiss wouldn’t hold forever. Something more lasting was required. Something absolute—between the threat of Exposé and the risk of Bruises’ heart breaking, there was no room for error. I made the smoke as thick as I possibly could, nearly opaque.

“You love this, Exposé.” I looked back, where they ground against each other. It was impossible to tell who was wetter anymore, the liquids were so completely mingled, and both were so soaked. Exposé’s moaning made it obvious she was enjoying herself greatly anyway. “Tiny as you are, as much as you can’t stand being mistaken for a filly, you love how Bruises dwarfs you, how she dominates you. It’s embarrassing to be mistaken for a filly, but you’re really getting off feeling helpless as one.”

Exposé moaned more loudly in response. “There aren’t many like Bruises, you know. So huge, so powerful. Think of what you’ll miss out on at night, making you feel like a doll. Embarrassing, but thrilling, don’t you think?” Exposé shuddered. I couldn’t be sure it was the idea I was putting in her head. It could’ve been Bruises’ lips grinding against hers, for all I know. But there was no hint of objection, and that’s what I cared about. No, what I cared most about came next.

“So, you’re going to be Bruises’ fillyfriend, and she’s mine. That means you won’t be making any trouble for me. That’d just make trouble for Bruises, after all. She might leave you. Alone, and tiny, and helpless.” Her legs were still pinned, but Exposé cried out suddenly, and flung her wings around Bruises’ head, holding the only thing she could. I wondered for a moment if maybe a little of what I was etching into Exposé was already true. “Help me, and you help her. Help me, and I’ll make sure you’re her little doll forever.” Exposé shuddered hard. It didn’t matter whether it was what I was telling her, or whether it was Bruises’ doing. She’d never leave.

* * * * *

I sat in my living room after the show that night, enjoying a cold cider, and content that the problem was solved. I even managed to keep the sighs to a minimum. I’d turned down a pegasus, after all, and when her foul mouth was shut, Exposé was cute. Tall or tiny, mares were most attractive at extremes. I couldn’t be too upset, though. After all, Peach Pit was practically made to order. My mood was as high as it’d been in days.

The knock at my door was unexpected, but at that hour it could only be Jade, done cleaning up the bar and ready for bed. She’d lost her key once before, and I got up to let her in, muttering that it had better not be becoming a habit. I was more than a little surprised to find Exposé on the other side, in a long, frilly dress, mane in spiral curls all around her face—just like a little doll. Behind her sat Bruises, sheepishly tapping her hooves together and looking everywhere but at me. Both mares faces were stained with a deep blush.

“Why Exposé! You look adorable! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Exposé blushed deeper and muttered what I’m sure would’ve been a curse if it’d been audible. I’ll be honest—after that afternoon, I savored that reaction.

“M-miss Parapet said she wanted to thank you. She said I had it all wrong, that you’re trying to clean up Manehattan, and the proper authorities just can’t get things done. That… that you’re really nice.” Exposé was practically choking on each and every word. This was not easy for her. I loved it.

“Miss Parapet, huh?” I grinned at Bruises, who ever so carefully studied the floor. “Which of you settled on that, I wonder.” Bruises quit tapping her hooves long enough to timidly raise one. “Aww, Bruises, that’s adorable. You found somepony you can be firm with! Well, without me telling you to, anyway.” The mares looked at each other, then away, sharply. My mood was getting better and better.

“You really don’t need to thank me, though, Bruises. I promised you a fillyfriend if you’d work for me, and you’ve been a great employee. I’m glad you two are ha—” I was cut off abruptly by a hoof on my mouth. Not rough, but there was no question the owner wanted me to shut up. On the other end was Exposé, practically shaking.

“Don’t make fun of me.” She wasn’t yelling or cursing, but it wasn’t a request, either. “Please.” Still not a request. So the manners were mostly to keep out of trouble. I could be nice; I’d had my fun.

“Sorry, Exposé. I like to tease a bit, but I wasn’t trying to make anypony angry.” That was true, honestly. Not that I minded getting under Exposé’s skin a little. “Anyway, I meant it. You two don’t need to thank me.”

“Miss Parapet wants to, Mr. Deal. And I… I want to apologize.” Exposé wasn’t looking me in the eye, and made a point not to when Bruises patted her head. “Look, just… let us in, please?”

I shrugged. It was late, but not so late I’d chase away an employee who wanted to talk for a bit. I stepped back from the door, and Bruises and Exposé walked past. “Up the stairs, to the left at the first landing.” The mares headed up, Bruises first, and I followed, enjoying the view of Exposé’s small plot swaying under the dress as she climbed.

At the landing, Exposé looked around and shook her head. “You don’t get it? The bedroom, Mr. Deal. Miss Parapet said that’s the kind of… thank you and apology you’d like best.”

I sighed. I could make Exposé want it, and I’d think about it if I had to, but as far as I was concerned, she belonged to Bruises. Toying with her head wasn’t my first choice anymore. “You really don’t ha—” Exposé covered my mouth again, but didn’t speak. I made a mental note to talk to Bruises about that. I understood, but I couldn’t have her doing that in public.

It was Bruises who spoke, though, not Exposé. “We talked about it already, boss. I really want to with you… at least once… and Exposé said… uh…”

Exposé burst. “I said if she’s going to have you, I don’t want to be left out!” Looking away again, Exposé stamped a hoof and said nothing else.

“…that.” Bruises gestured at Exposé with a hoof big enough to hide the mare’s whole face. So that’s how it was. She wanted it, but she didn’t want to admit it. I struggled not to laugh.

“Alright then, ladies. Down the hall, door on the end.” I had no idea what was in store for me, but I’d put Bruises off over and over. There was no way to do it now, not without hurting her, and I’d already made my peace with giving her a chance sooner or later. Exposé flapped her wings once, and came to rest on Bruises’ back as they headed down the hall. I followed, stiffening a bit at the idea in spite of my reservations about my hulking bouncer.

In the bedroom, I found myself floating through the air, hat flying to its rack as Bruises lifted me onto the bed. Still blushing horribly, she crawled up beside me, leaving hardly any room, and rolled onto her back, legs as spread as they’d go. It… wasn’t terribly erotic, to be honest. Before I could think of how I ought to react, though, I felt a tongue on my barely unsheathed shaft, a tiny one. Looking down, I found Exposé lapping at the tip like a kitten at a saucer of milk, and gasped. THAT was erotic—hardly any bigger than a filly, done up like a doll, and lapping like she was cautious of the growing member between her hooves, Exposé was getting me stiff in a hurry. I laid back, eyes closed, and sighed happily. After a minute or two, though it suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes to find that Bruises looked almost as pleased as I had, as Exposé had been gently tending to her with a hoof the whole time.

“She’s ready, Mr. Deal.” Exposé nodded toward Bruises, and I nodded. The little pegasus had gotten me excited enough that suddenly Bruises waiting lips didn’t look bad at all—either pair. I moved to climb up between her legs, and Bruises lifted me easily, lowering me to just the right point, and I slid in, holding her hind legs apart myself. Just as I remembered from the day she’d pounced on me, this one part of Bruises was soft as silk. I pushed in the rest of the way, not reaching her depths before I ran out of dick. With any other mare I’d have been embarrassed, but before I could even think of anything like that, Bruises clasped her insides around me, almost as tightly as Peach Pit, and I moaned.

“You can move, boss. I’m good. Exposé will take care of us both.” Bruises was leaning up to look at me as she spoke, heat in her eyes. I nodded and smiled, leaning forward to plant a kiss as close to her head as I could—I got maybe halfway up her belly. She was rock hard beneath my lips, but there was that feminine scent in my nostrils again. I smiled at the big mare and began to thrust, doubts forgotten. Bruises let out the tiniest little squeak as I started to move, squeezing me tighter. Close my eyes, and she could be any other mare. Her size didn’t matter at all.

I was only a few thrusts in when it was my turn to squeak. A tiny mouth was clamped gently over one of my balls, following it as I moved and swirling it around with a tongue. It was enough to throw me off me rhythm, and Bruises looked up, instantly worried. I smiled back a her and pushed in as far as I could, earning a happy moan. Exposé’s mouth was busy, but the wing on my flank told me she hadn’t missed it. I did my best to put the wing out of my mind. This was about Bruises right now. I steadied myself to push harder, my hoof sliding up Bruises’ leg to her powerful inner thigh, and I pumped away, wildly.

That had been what Bruises was waiting for, no doubt about it. Huge, muscular forelegs reached down and pulled me tight against her body, and silky insides clamped so tightly I could barely move. Under my hoof, I felt the sinew in Bruises hind legs tense and get harder still as the mare struggled to push back against me from her awkward position. All she really succeeded in doing was grinding my balls against Expose’s face. If Exposé minded at all, she gave no sign. Her soft tongue and tiny hooves ran all over my sack and around, right to the point that I entered her new fillyfriend. I groaned loudly, and licked at the bend of Bruises’ gigantic hind leg, confused at my growing arousal.

I put my back into it, and rammed Bruises hard, despite her tight grip on my cock. Her forelegs pressed me tighter against her body, away from the leg I’d been licking. Bruises screamed, and with one eye I was able to look up and see her face—I doubt she’d ever looked so happy in her life.

A little too happy, perhaps. Suddenly, Bruises flopped over, taking me with her, and I was underneath, pressed tightly between her hard underside and the bed’s soft mattress. She bucked ferociously, but without the madness that had driven her back in her dingy apartment, and I pushed back for all I was worth. Exposé moved, and began to lick around Bruises lips again, making me shudder when her tongue slipped onto me. I was close to my limit, but not hitting it. Not until Bruises wrapped her forelegs around me, completely trapping me in her massive arms, and I realized—all that muscle, all that power—wanted to please me, more than anything else. I burst at last, letting it flow, riling the smoke inside me on purpose to pour and pour until even Bruises’ massive insides were completely full and overflowing. Exposé squeaked as seed poured out onto her muzzle, but neither Bruises nor I even noticed at the time. We were gone.

* * * * *

I lay recovering, with Bruises strong leg still holding me close. She’d moved, making it easier for me to breathe, but hadn’t been willing to give me any space yet. I didn’t mind. Just as I began to doze, though, I felt a washcloth on my softening shaft, and looked up to see Exposé, muzzle clean once more, washing me off.

She caught my confused glance and answered the question I hadn’t asked. “My turn, Mr. Deal.”

I blinked and looked over at Bruises, who was still humming happily at having been really accepted—that was what had mattered most to her, after all. “Are you okay with that, Bruises? She’s your fillyfriend, not mine.”

Bruises just shrugged. I wasn’t even sure she understood the question until she mumbled, “If it’s you, I don’t mind, boss.” I smiled. My seed was still pouring out of her, but to her, I was still “boss.”

Exposé poked Bruises’ leg. “You too, Miss Parapet. You promised.” It wasn’t a plaintive whine. Expose didn’t do those. It was a reminder of a fact. She might’ve been playing the doll, but Exposé was no shrinking violet.

Bruises nodded, still smiling dreamily. “I didn’t forget. But he’s soft again.” Expose sighed, and moved her muzzle under my soft cock, lifting it with her face a few inches and making Bruises laugh. Exposé sighed, and began running her soft tongue back and forth, nuzzling as she did. I sighed and petted her on the head, earning an annoyed growl.

“Uh, boss? Only I get to do that, I think.” Bruises looked a little guilty, as if denying me anything was a sin she didn’t want to commit, but I just pulled back my hand and nodded. Exposé’s licks had turned to gentle sucking at the head of a shaft that barely fit her mouth at all. I groaned and let her work. She had me hard again in no time at all.

Without warning, Bruises lifted Exposé into the air, hind legs splayed, forelegs and wings held tight against her body, and lowered her gently onto my shaft, face to face. Unlike Bruises, I bottomed out in Exposé with inches to spare. The pegasus writhed in my lap, gasping and moaning as she tried to get more of me into her, but it wasn’t happening.

“She said she wanted to be really, really d—um… domi—darn. Exposé?”

“Augh! Domin—aah!—dominated! And you didn’t have to tell him that!” Exposé looked like she wanted to glare at Bruises, but didn’t dare. I got the idea, though, and wrapped my forelegs around her, holding her physically while Bruises kept her still magically. The timid whimper from Exposé was perfect. I started moving slowly, concerned about hurting such a small mare, and Exposé gasped and twisted on my shaft, crying out right into my face. I muffled her with a kiss, and continued pushing gently in and out of the helpless mare.

Exposé continued to twist desperately on my shaft, grinding the bead of her clit against me. Bruises held us that tightly together, and I loved it. Little bites at Expose’s ears and neck made her scream—right up until the door opened. She snapped her head to the side to see, and screamed altogther differently. There stood Jade, Exposé’s camera in hoof, already working to focus the lens on us. Exposé squawked incoherently as I suddenly bucked harder, to prrevent her objection.

I looked over to Bruises. “You said she wanted to be dominated…” I held up a hoof behind Exposé’s head, wreathed in smoke. “What do you think?

Bruises eyes widened, and she smiled. I’d forgotten how much she enjoyed the smoke these days. “I think she’ll like it!”

Exposé was having none of it. “Like what? I don’t want my piiii…” The smoke slid into Exposé’s ear, and she slid into silence, slumping as much as she could in Bruises’ magical hold. I took my chance and patted her on the head.

“It’s fine, Jade. Go ahead and take pictures. Bruises, turn her so she’s facing Jade, okay?” Bruises nodded, and Exposé lifted and spun on my shaft. I groaned, almost losing it right there. Exposé settled back down on my rod, and I moved my hoof so the smoke wouldn’t be obvious in the photos.

The flash went off, and I began to thrust again, Exposé gasping softly, impaled on my stallionhood, as I did. The smoke flowing into her ear was a much thinner trickle; I wanted her aware for this. I wanted her to feel like it was true and accept it, not carve it into her. Into the same ear the smoke flowed, I whispered, “You love this.” The flash went off again as I fucked Exposé slowly. “You’re Bruises’ little dolly, after all, why wouldn’t you like when she plays with you with friends? We’re taking pictures because you’re such a pretty, precious little doll for her. That’s what you want, right? To be owned, played with, enjoyed.”

Exposé moaned, but the slight smile on her lips was an affirmative. I reached around in front, and rubbed at her clitoris while I slid in and out. To my side, Bruises was rubbing at her own with a huge hoof. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Exposé struggled against the stupor of the smoke and managed to nod her head. “Riiiight…”

I smiled and licked her neck as the flash went off again. She moaned, convulsing on my dick as she quietly orgasmed. “Good girl. You’re Bruises fillyfriend and doll. You like having your picture taken like this. They’re important keepsakes of you with your new owners, after all.”

Exposé shuddered again, much harder, the squeezing bringing me to my own orgasm as I lewdly licked at her face, to which she only smiled blankly. Gout after gout of seed flooded into Exposé, as much as I’d poured into Bruises, though the petite mare was far less equipped to hold it. The flash went off over and over as Exposé’s stomach swelled and seed poured out.

* * * * *

“So that’s how it is. Expect to see her around a lot, Pirouette. She’ll be helping us with positive press, making sure nothing troublesome sees ink. With a reputation like hers, no pony will think twice if she says there’s no story. In fact, she’s going to switch her scoop on me to a story about all the good I’m doing in this town. I wrapped up my explanation and sat happily near my—Bruises’—new mare.

Pirouette frowned at Exposé, who didn’t give an inch. “I can’t believe this is what’s been scaring my girls. A filly.”

Exposé growled for half a second before shouting, her loud voice filling the Tall Tail’s main room during afternoon rehearsal. “I’m not a filly, damn it!”

Author's Note

As mentioned in a blog post made just before this chapter went up, I wrote this while sitting on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. today. I figured, what better place to do a chapter on a member of the press coming to serve a corrupt power than the home of corrupt power? Turns out that the site wasn't quite as inspiring as I'd hoped. I had to do battle repeatedly with SUPER TINY red bugs of some kind that kept landing on my screen and keyboard, occasional screeching children, and some noisy Christian event on the opposite side with bad singing, out of sync dancing, and some guy loudly proclaiming that they were wasting their time seeing sights in D.C., because Jesus something something. (To be clear, I don't generally have problems with Christians when they're not using an amplifier to tell passersby that they should quit enjoying the sights and get right with God.)

Oh well. At least I got to eat at my favorite burger joint in Union Station.