Her Collar, Her Love

Rarity had read Underground Love furiously for the next three days. The book was thick and detailed, describing not only the various kinks within the BDSM community, but it also delved into the nature of the dominant and submissive relationship, describing it in broad terms for newcomers. It gave her a better idea of what to expect, but it simply wasn’t enough. Rarity still felt so uncertain about the proprieties of such a thing. And anyway, was she really going to wait for Fluttershy to make the overture?

I may have better luck wishing purple were mauve, the fashionista thought wryly.

The trouble was, did she take the plunge, as it were, and confess to having eavesdropped on Fluttershy and Discord’s conversation, or did she come forward as if she were acting under her own intentions to be Fluttershy's gentlemare caller?

Rarity’s muzzle scrunched as she selected a spool of pearly silk from her work station’s ribbon tree. This she set next to a spool of black satin, ivory button, and silver thread.

Isn’t it true that I’m acting under my own intentions, to some extent? After all, I am considering this idea independent of an actual request. But perhaps Discord is right? What business do I have claiming to be anyone’s ‘dominant’? Ugh, what a brutish word! Surely I can think of something more refined to refer to myself as. Mistress? Madame? Lady Rarity? She huffed with frustration, her eyes narrowing behind her ruby red glasses. Ugh! I refuse to be anyone's punchline. Least of all Discord's!

She stared absently at the wall as she once again recalled the first scene she had encountered from the nightclub-- the one of the mare in the dog mask. With some guilt, but no little fascination, she replaced the mare in her memory with Fluttershy. The fashionista imagined her friend whining pitifully like a puppy. Eating out of a bowl. Having her belly rubbed by a hoof that looked suspiciously like Rarity’s as it moved lower, and lower...and lower…

The knock at the entrance downstairs made Rarity jerk with surprise. She rushed down the steps to the store level. “Wh-who is it?” she sang, though her voice trembled noticeably.

“Dark Mask,” a deep and amused voice answered.

Our appointment! Of course!

Rarity gasped and rushed to open the door. “Oh heavens, I really must apologize for my discourtesy! I am not in the right frame of mind! I promise you, I did not forget about our arrangement, and I am fully prepared--!”

The stallion chuckled as he entered her shop. “Rarity, calm yourself! I’m early.”

The mare’s eyes fluttered and she looked sharply at the clock. “S-so you are…”

He smiled pleasantly as he looked around the boutique. “You live over your business?”

Rarity shied back and nodded. “Er, yes. I do.” She winced. “Do you find this setting unacceptable? I’m sure I can arrange for something else--”

“Rarity.” Dark Mask’s voice was still gentle, but he flashed her a firm grin. “Please. You do yourself a disservice. You’re a successful mare. No one has the right to judge you, least of all me.”

She frowned at him. “But you are equally successful, if not moreso!”

Now the fashion model raised a brow at her, striking a very devilish look to go with his modern appeal. Rarity could feel her pulse race. Sweet Celestia, no wonder he has so many admirers!

“I enjoy my work,” he said. “But unlike my colleagues, I do not suffer delusions of grandeur.” His smooth voice hinted at restrained laughter. “I know my place in the fashion world.” He grinned and pointed at a ponnequin. “It’s a step above one of these.” Dark quirked his head to one side, his lips puckering. “Mmm… Perhaps on second thought, my ilk are still below ponnequins. At least they do not get old as us models do.”

If Dark Mask thought Rarity would sit idly by whilst such a genteel stallion belittled himself, he was entirely mistaken. “Now see here, Mr. Mask!” she said with unyielding force as she launched to her hooves and approached him. The stallion looked at her, startled by the passion that suddenly swept her to stand before him with shoulders drawn back and her muzzle in the air. “I protest your attitude about your work, and while I find it admirable that you would check your ego for my benefit, I will not tolerate you speaking so lowly of yourself! You do commendable work, sir, and you are an inspiration to many, so if we must talk of doing ponies disservice, I will ardently remind you of the fans you besmirch when mocking your modeling career!”

The stallion’s mouth had fallen open at some point during that tirade, and he was gazing down at Rarity’s poised figure with the whites of his eyes showing. Rarity stared up at him steadily, feeling her passion chase away her diffidence.

So she was quite taken aback when Dark Mask burst out laughing.

It was a coarser laughter than she’d heard from him before--a rough, almost wheezing guffaw that surely would have earned some disapproving looks backstage at a fashion show... But it was a genuine laugh. Broad and deep, holding nothing back. With a start, Rarity realized she was getting a glimpse beneath the stallion’s facade. The unicorn’s eyes fluttered, and her assertive pose wilted. Then, unbidden, the corners of her lips twitched up as a small chuckle escaped her. The chuckle was like a spark that ignited her humor, and within moments she was doubled over and laughing as hard as her new client.

When they started to calm down, Dark Mask dabbed at his eyes with the back of his hoof and chortled softly, “May I propose that we both refrain from self-disparaging remarks? Even in the pursuit of a laugh?”

Rarity took several deep breaths, trying to will away the giggles that still plagued her. “That sounds most reasonable! Yes, I believe I can agree to that, Mr. Mask.”

“And let’s drop the formalities too, hmm?” he added with a broad smile. “You can just call me D. Dark, if you’d prefer, but D works just fine. Mask is acceptable too, if you’re feeling cross with me.”

She winked and led the stallion toward the back office where she had kept the designs for the new clothing line. “Given your roguish nature, I’m afraid I may have to take you up on that offer!”

Rarity was very glad indeed that Dark Mask liked the direction her designs were heading in. She wasn’t set on any of them staying as they were, and so she wasn’t in the least bit offended when the fashion model made change suggestions for each. She was, however, rather glad the stallion hadn’t outright rejected any of her ideas, to be quite honest.

As the hour turned late, Rarity levitated the last drawing back into the portfolio folder. “I’m very pleased that we can work so well together,” she said to her companion. “For somepony without hooves-on experience, you have a very keen understanding of the design process!”

Dark Mask smirked at her as he sauntered around her office, his dark brown eyes taking in the various photos of family and friends, as well as keepsakes and decorations that adorned her walls. “I make it a point to learn what I can. Not many fashion models continue to find work into their later years. I need to have something to fall back onto.” He paused to catch her warning glare. His smirk took on a nervous slant. “That was pragmatism, Rarity, not defeatism!”

She hmphed and focused on placing the portfolio back onto its place on her shelf. While this project was a primary concern of hers for the moment, she still had to attend to her other businesses, and that meant her Art must roll on, unimpeded. She had to keep her workspace clear for her next design, pristine in the wonderful muse of her creative mess. As she stole a moment to contemplate her various portfolios to attune to her next task--perhaps tomorrow afternoon during lunchtime--she heard a small cough behind her.

Blinking, Rarity turned around... and her face went slack.

Dark Mask was holding up her borrowed copy of Underground Love, a goading smile splitting across his lean face. “Oh ho! It seems somepony’s brush with the dark side has sparked something, hmm?”

Immediately Rarity’s aura encircled the book and ripped it out of the stallion’s hooves. Her white coat burned red as she hastily levitated the volume toward her desk, where she slammed it onto the surface in her haste. “I was doing research!” she blurted. That was partially true, at least. While her main reason for checking out the book had been to learn more about what being a dominant to Fluttershy might entail, she had also used the rather detailed illustrations to help further her design sketches.

Dark Mask sighed like he were about to explain something to a child. This made the fashionista’s hackles rise instinctively. “Rarity, I appreciate your desire to keep our relationship professional, but honestly, while I may seem polite--” the unicorn couldn’t help but scoff here. “--I am rather uninterested in being formal. I promise to remain respectful of you as a businessmare, but let’s do away with the last of the pretense once and for all, hmm?”

The fashion model’s teasing smile dissipated to a serious look as he ventured closer. “Over the years it’s gotten easier for me to spot the ones who are merely intrigued by BDSM, and the ones who have a genuine interest to try it. You don’t fool me, Rarity. I know you were the latter.” He jerked his head at the book on her work desk, his lip curling. Rarity’s spine curved, her eyes going wide as she watched the other pony stop near her. “It’s all well and good to want to educate yourself, but you won’t learn what you need to with that book. Tartarus, you could read dozens of books like it and still fail to understand. What you need is to try it yourself and to have somepony guiding you along the way.” Dark Mask sat and placed a hoof on his chest. “I can help you. You know I can help you. I’m actually a little disappointed that you failed to ask. Did I do something to put you off?”

Rarity shook her head frantically. “No! Oh my goodness, no. Dark, of course not. I just… How to put this…” she grimaced and looked down at her hooves. “Aside from not wanting to ruin our professional partnership there was... um… S-somepony else that I’ve been considering experimenting with.”

Dark Mask’s eyebrows rose. “Really now! And who would that be?”

The unicorn cleared her throat and traced a circle on the floor with her hoof. “Ah, yes. I suppose bringing up said pony would lead to questions about said pony.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “She’s a... friend.”

“And has this ‘friend’ expressed similar interests as you?”

Rarity eased one eye open. Dark Mask was looking at her studiously. “Yes, actually,” she managed to say.

“So have you asked her, yet?” Dark pressed, his brow furrowing.

Rarity winced and looked away. “No. You see, I think she was in the process of asking me… But my friend, she’s terribly shy, and while I’d hate to take away a moment for the poor dear to assert herself, I fear she might never say anything to me. Also… Also I sort of, well, eavesdropped on a private conversation relating to her desires, so in a way, I feel I may have already trespassed on her by toying with my answer.” Rarity sighed and pawed the ground with her hooves again, smiling at Dark Mask weakly. "Hardly my ladylike image, no?"

“You are toying a bit with your answer, yes,” Dark Mask replied with a pondering nod. He shrugged. “But you can wipe the slate clean by confessing to the eavesdropping and admitting that you return her wishes. I understand that you want your friend to feel confident--but believe me, there is no bigger compliment than somepony accepting your niche desires without complaint.” He gave a sad smile. "Take this from personal experience-- if nothing else, coming clean in both the matter of the eavesdropping and the interest will be better for your friendship in the long term."

Rarity tilted her head to the side as she considered this.

Odd to look at things that way, but I must say… it rings with a kind of truth, doesn’t it? After all, didn’t I feel relieved to have somepony I could confide in the night I returned from Manehattan?

“You’re right,” she breathed. Rarity stomped a hoof and smiled fiercely, a fire having entered into her eyes. “You are quite right! I shall dilly dally no more! Tomorrow I will tell Fluttershy the truth!”

Now Dark Mask froze, his eyes widening. “Fluttershy? You mean the Fluttershy, who caused a stir in the modeling circuit a few years back? Photo Finish’s star model?”

Rarity went still, her smile turning brittle on her face. “Yes?”

Dark Mask grinned so hard, Rarity thought his face would split in two. “Now that is a good reason to pass me up as a partner!”

The stallion laughed as the unicorn chased him around the office with flying bolts of fabric.

When he had worked the teasing out of his system, Dark Mask had returned to a more straightforward attitude, much to Rarity’s relief. The stallion’s train didn’t leave until tomorrow, and the roguish model was quite eager to see what a small town like Ponyville had to offer in the wee hours. Rarity typically wasn’t one to go out at such a time on a weeknight, but she knew Dark had travelled far to see her, and she hated to leave him feeling disappointed. Plus, the fashionista reasoned, this could still be filed under ‘networking’ if anyone dared to question the propriety of their night jaunt.

Thus, Rarity took Dark Mask to the one place she knew would still be open for a drink at this hour, and that was Berry Punch’s.

The establishment was small, built from dark wood from none other than the Everfree Forest. It smelled of cider and wine, which Rarity had always liked, though she herded Dark Mask away from the floors in front of the rest rooms for they were always sickeningly sticky--with what, no one could ever tell. Berry Punch defensively claimed that she mopped the floors once every three hours. In all the years Rarity had been there, she’d never seen the bar owner or her employees hold a mop once.

Taking stools at the bar (there were no booths given the size of the place) Rarity ordered a dark wine, while Dark Mask ordered hard cider.

Berry Punch set the drinks before them and they murmured their thanks, turning to face one another. Aside from them, there were only two other ponies at the other end of the bar, and Rarity couldn’t recall their names.

“So,” Dark Mask began after taking a sip of his cider. “Your intention is to just come right out and tell Fluttershy you wish to be her dominant?”

Rarity choked a little on her wine, hastily setting the glass down as she tried to clear her throat. A little hoarsely, she asked the stallion, “And how on earth do you know I wish to be her dominant?”

Dark Mask gave her a dry look. “I may not have met the mare, my lady, but if you are trying to suggest that Fluttershy, the most notoriously timid model the fashion world has ever seen, has aspirations to be your dominant, then I’m afraid one sip of wine is your limit.”

The unicorn pouted. “Ooh, very well! Yes, if you must know. She wanted me to be her owner.”

The stallion’s brows rose. “‘Owner?’”

Rarity could feel her cheeks color. “Er, yes. You see, Fluttershy… She… She wants to…”

Dark Mask held up a hoof. “Ah! Wait. On second thought, please. Do not tell me. Until you discuss things with her further, I’m not sure she would appreciate you outing her kinks to somepony she doesn’t know.”

The fashionista gasped, both hooves covering her mouth. “Sweet Celestia! You’re right! That was a very close thing.”

The stallion shrugged. “One thing we respect in the BDSM community is discretion. Even when some of us share within the community, no one carries that information out… At least, not without serious repercussions.”

Rarity frowned. “Repercussions?”

Dark bobbed his head from side to side as he lifted his mug for another drink. “In addition to losing the trust of other kinksters, a pony could find themselves barred from clubs and events. Outing somepony for their private lifestyle is no joke. That’s why it’s important to discuss what’s okay and what isn’t with your partners. That ought to be at the top of your list when you come clean with Fluttershy. You can’t do anything until you both understand what your limits are.”

The mare hummed and took a sip from her glass. Oddly, such sanctions felt-- comfortable. Like the quiet dictates and punishments of the high society scene, such measures were taken within an acceptable code to produce the society that one wished. An almost ladylike proposition, after its own fashion. Several long moments passed where the two business partners (and Rarity supposed, new friends?) sat and drank in quiet. Then she asked the question that had been nettling her since she first laid hooves on the BDSM book; the very heart of the matter: “Who am I supposed to...be, for her?”

Despite the broadness of the question, Dark Mask didn’t hesitate. “That’s something you’ll get an idea of when you two talk. You’ll need to be honest. Both of you will. Don’t expect to rush into things. Start simple. As you both learn and grow, you’ll find things will come more naturally.” He raised a hoof, his face going very serious. “And always prioritize safety. I’m sure that so-called how-to guide mentioned things like safe words?”

Rarity nodded her head. She was already feeling a little giddy for her wine. Blasted drinks always went straight to her head.

Dark Mask gave a short nod. “Good. Just remember these three words and you’ll be fine: Safe, sane, and consensual. There’s other guidelines ponies follow, but this, in my opinion, is the best. If you ever hear somepony say SSC, that’s what they’re referring to. It means you always consider safety; you make sure everyone is in their right mind going into a scene; and everyone-- everyone-- consents to what is about to happen. Misunderstandings are one thing. Ignoring hard limits without consent is another.

“After you two figure out the things you’re willing to try together, lay down some ground rules. Even if your sub cannot speak, she should be able to signal in some way that a scene needs to stop. And if you’re going to try something elaborate, always plan ahead. Trust me, Rarity, when I say that you do not wish to find yourself calling for medics when you failed to account for some severe food allergy or something else equally horrid. Some may argue that a sub who uses their safe word is topping from the bottom--but I say they are fools. Better that a sub knows their limits than ends up getting hurt! As a dom, Fluttershy’s safety will be your responsibility. She’ll be trusting in you.”

Rarity drew herself up, her intoxicated pink face hardening. “I wouldn’t dare let her down!”

The stallion nodded, patting her placatingly on the hoof. “Of course not. I think you’ll make a good dom, my lady.”

This made the mare grin happily. She took another sip of her wine when one last question popped into her head. Slowly she set down her glass. “D?”

Dark Mask hastily turned to look at her, his face grimacing as he swallowed a large gulp of cider. “Mmm! My apologies-- yes? And thank you for using my nickname, by the way. I was starting to feel silly for even bringing it up!” He winked, but his grin faded at Rarity’s anxious look.

“D, Fluttershy is my friend.” Rarity whispered. “I… I’ve always liked stallions, and yet I cannot deny that the idea of entering into this arrangement with her sounds very exciting for me! But… what does that mean, then? Are we still just friends? Is it… all right to still want to be just friends? I’m not sure that I could-- well, at least, not right this moment say that I--”

Dark Mask placed a gentle hoof over Rarity’s lips, making her fall silent. He leaned in and caught her gaze. Softly he said, “If you two are as close as you have suggested, then I’m certain that Fluttershy will be capable of letting you know how she feels on the matter. She’s already expressed a kind of trust in you, Rarity. Give her the same courtesy.”

Rarity found herself staring long after the stallion removed his hoof and returned to his drink.

Trust… she thought as she slowly turned back to her wine. I have to trust her to be able to understand my heart isn’t so compulsive. Not after Prince Blueblood. Not after Trenderhoof. But I feel I can still be friends with her...no matter what.

A clarity entered the unicorn’s eyes. She drained her wine glass.

No matter what!