Dinner felt strange. Dash had came downstairs after she had finished and found Fluttershy and Ruby already sitting. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to say something, she kept nervously glancing towards Dash, but didn’t speak.

Ruby, however, had no problem speaking. “Glad you could join us, Rainbow. I was beginning to worry that I might have to go get you.”

Rainbow hoped nobody else noticed her blush. “Hey. Fuck off, Ruby. Sometimes a girl needs her space, Alright?” She sat casually down, absurdly conscious of the fact that all three of them were naked and getting ready to eat dinner. Had Ruby even cleaned himself off? Dash had wiped herself down a little, but was leaking something wet onto the wooden chair. Mortified at the unwelcome discovery, she focused on her meal with a furious intensity.

It looked like a good meal. Roasted walnuts, glazed in honey and over a light salad with some chopped apples and cheese in it. Fluttershy had put a lot of work into this. “Hey… uh… thanks for the food, Shy. It looks awesome.”

Fluttershy beamed happily at the compliment. “Oh thank you! Mr. Rubinstein helped pay for it, so I thought we’d have something nice tonight.”

Dash gulped and looked at Ruby. He was ignoring her and eating his food. Should she thank him? She didn’t feel like thanking him. She shifted nervously in her seat, the motion reminding her of her embarrassingly squishy situation. Her thighs were warm and sticky as something smeared under her butt cheeks. Rainbow flushed red and nervously picked up her fork.

Fluttershy interrupted her as Dash unsuccessfully attempted to spear a walnut. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried when Mr. Rubinstein said he needed to punish you.” Fluttershy glanced cautiously at Ruby, and then back at Dash. “You are okay, right?”

Dash paused, letting the crumbling nut roll off her fork. “Uhh… Yeah. We worked something out.”

Ruby looked up and smiled at Fluttershy. “Dash agreed to play nice for a change, and we had some fun together.” Then he turned to wink at Dash.

Rainbow chose to ignore Ruby, instead awkwardly shoving a large bite of lettuce in her mouth. Chewing gave her time to think instead of talk. Everything felt so strange, surreal even. She should be angry, or something like it, with the way he’d treated her, but she just wasn’t. She had maybe even kind of liked it.

Dash swallowed in a big gulp, and corrected herself. She did not like it, thank you very much. It just didn’t bother her like it should, and that bothered her. She’d just been raped again, hadn’t she? But then she’d masturbated afterwards to the memory and that had definitely not been rape. Had the encounter before been rape? What was rape? Was she wrong about the whole thing? Was Ruby really in the right about all this, and the fact that she didn’t want it not matter?

She stared at a tomato on her fork, thinking it through. She hadn’t wanted to have sex, but Ruby had made her agree to it somehow. Why had she agreed? It had felt kind of good, but also bad. What had she been scared of? All she could figure was that it could have been the chain biting into her wings. The more she thought about it, the more she decided that she’d sold herself to free her wings from the chain. Dash bit into the juicy tomato as she thought. Was she really so cheap?

No, it was more complex than that. She really had sold herself, but it was for more than the chain. She’d thought she was selling herself to Applejack or Fluttershy, but things hadn’t gone as planned. Did that make her a whore? Dash felt nauseous, and put her fork down as she stared at the salad. Ruby had paid for that salad.

She glanced at Fluttershy who was watching her curiously. Dash glanced back at the salad. She was eating the salad that Ruby had paid for because he was going to have sex with her whenever he wanted. He already had. She really was a whore. This was a whore’s salad, a pomegranate seed for Persephone. She’d accepted the payment for her body—now Dash had to stay in hell with her new owner.

She looked back at Fluttershy again, almost feeling tears well up before she glanced back down. Thoughts bubbled around her head. Persephone had ended up in hell for half the year for eating pomegranate seeds that belonged to Hades. Dash had eaten Ruby’s salad, but she wasn’t eating alone. Fluttershy looked concerned. Dash sniffed, thinking about the way that Fluttershy’s face looked as she slowly picked up her fork. Maybe hell wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. She could put up with her nights belonging to these two ponies and her days belonging to her normal life. Persephone had managed months at a time. Dash could handle a few hours of abuse—she was tough.

Besides, Fluttershy would be there with her.

()()()()()

Fluttershy was slowly eating her salad as she glanced back and forth between Mr. Rubinstein and Rainbow. The salad was good, but she was still worried. Mr. Rubinstein seemed pleased with himself, happily eating his salad, but Rainbow looked troubled. She kept looking at Fluttershy, each time with a new emotion on her face. Rainbow had never been very good at hiding her emotions, and Fluttershy had always been just a little more perceptive of the ponies around her.

While Dash didn’t look particularly hurt, there were bruises on her wings which caused them to slightly fan away from the chair as she sat. The sight made her frown in displeasure. Fluttershy put down her fork and cleared her throat, causing both her house guests to look at her. She’d come to a decision.

“We need to talk.”

The other two looked at each other and Mr. Rubinstein shrugged. “Yeah?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath to help build her courage. “I like this arrangement, Mr. Rubinstein. I’ll put up with almost anything.” Fluttershy smiled and winked at him. “And I mean anything.” Rubinstein actually blushed slightly at that.

She frowned as she continued, hoping he would listen. “But it’s not worth my friend’s happiness.” Fluttershy nodded towards Rainbow, who quickly shoved a very large bite of salad into her mouth and chewed slowly, pretending to stare blankly at her food. “Nothing is worth that, Mr. Rubinstein.”

Rubinstein frowned. “But I own her.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, you do. And she is legally your slave. While I am more than happy to be in this situation, she is not.”

Mr. Rubinstein slowly blinked. “Well, I don’t want her to be unhappy, Fluttershy. But I’m not just giving her up either.”

Fluttershy swallowed. She knew she could do this. “Mr. Rubinstein, you are from a very different time and place. I know Twilight said that writs were legal, and I know she said that we had to solve our own problems. But I promise you that if she found out that you beat Rainbow she would dissolve the writs in an instant.”

He looked confused. “But… if that’s the case, then why would you let me punish her? Why would you give me the things I asked for?”

Fluttershy sighed. “Because I panicked, Mr. Rubinstein.” That wasn’t entirely true. “I… umm… also thought that Rainbow would know that, and not let anything too bad happen to her.”

Mr. Rubinstein still looked confused. “But I’m allowed to… I’m practically required to!”

Dash looked hard at a walnut on her plate as she slowly chewed with an intense face.

Fluttershy looked guiltily at both of them. “Well, nopony has had slaves in a very long time in Equestria. We’re not really sure what’s legal and what’s not. But the princess is a close personal friend of ours. And not just Twilight. Princess Luna owes us both a favor as well.”

Rubinstein began to grow pale and put down his fork. “P… Princess L… Luna?”

Fluttershy nodded feeling guilty for leaning on her connections. “Oh yes. We helped her… umm… well, get better. And I’m sure if we asked she’d find a way to ahh… resolve the issue for us.”

Rubinstein’s eyes were wide in fear, and Fluttershy felt the need to comfort him. “Oh don’t worry. She’s not as scary as she seems. I was really scared the first time I met her.” Fluttershy frowned. “Oh. And the second… And the third…” Fluttershy furrowed her eyebrows. “But after that she was nice. And a lot less scary.”`

Rubinstein had scooted his chair back and was glancing nervously at the door. “Does she still have the Night Guard?”

Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Oh yes! Her bat pony friends are adorable! Sometimes I make them little bat cookies when she visits. They just munch them right up!”

Rubinstein looked even more terrified.

“What’s wrong?” She’d meant to convince him to be nicer to Rainbow, but he seemed to be a very pale shade of purple for some reason.

Rubinstein glanced at the door, then the window, and then fearfully back at Fluttershy. “Rainbow can go. Please… Don’t tell Princess Luna. I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy had no idea what came over him. A loud slam interrupted her as Rainbow violently put her fork down and glared at her.

“Fuck!”

Fluttershy was startled by the sudden vulgarity, and jumped in her chair.

“What the fuck, Shy?”

Fluttershy didn’t know why Dash was angry, so she hid behind her hair and meeped.

“Seriously?” Dash looked incredulously at the terrified Rubinstein and then back at Fluttershy. “Why the fuck couldn’t you have threatened him like that before he raped me?”

Fluttershy mumbled under her breath, her confidence gone instantly. “I… I didn’t… it wasn’t...”

Rainbow stared at her in apparent disgust, then looked down at her half eaten salad and shouted at it. “Fuck you, salad!”

Fluttershy cringed. Something had gone wrong. She was hiding again, Rainbow was livid at both Fluttershy and the salad, and Mr. Rubinstein was begging her for forgiveness. She didn’t know what she had said.

Rainbow shouted, standing up and slamming her hand into the table, startling Fluttershy again. “No!” She violently slammed it again, and shouted louder. “No!”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and whimpered. Every time Rainbow banged the table she startled in her chair. It sounded like Mr. Rubinstein was hyperventilating.

Rainbow sat back down and stared blankly at the salad. Then she turned slowly to Mr. Rubinstein and spoke in a deadpan voice, “Calm down, Ruby. Shy didn’t mean it like that.”

The three of them sat in awkward silence, nopony moved for several minutes. Fluttershy couldn’t figure it out. Why was Rubinstein so scared? She hadn’t meant to threaten him. And Rainbow just looked so utterly defeated. If she wasn’t so mad at Fluttershy, Fluttershy wouldn’t have hesitated to give her a hug.

Rainbow sighed loudly. “You know what? I’m not even mad at Ruby. He wasn’t even the first pony to rape me.” Rainbow glared harshly at Fluttershy. Fluttershy panicked as she thought hard. Rainbow couldn’t be implying that Fluttershy had done that, but it really felt like she was.

Dash picked up a walnut off the salad and looked at it, glancing at Fluttershy. “Thanks to your fucking mind games, I’m now a bona-fide whore.” She ate the walnut, angrily licking her fingers as she glared at Fluttershy. “Congratulations.”

Fluttershy mumbled her confusion. “But… It wasn’t…”

Rainbow picked up her fork with one hand and dismissively put the other up to stop Fluttershy from talking. “I don’t even care anymore, Shy.”

Sniffling, Fluttershy began to quietly cry as Dash angrily ate the salad. Dash talked between bites, her mouth full as she chewed and talked at the same time.

“Here’s the thing. I’m super angry, Shy. But this isn’t Ruby’s fault. It’s my fault and it’s your fault.” Rainbow took another bite and talked with her mouth full. “It took me a while to realize, you know? We made bad decisions. Both of us.” She swallowed. “Ruby is straight up a bag of dicks, but he thinks he’s right, and he might be. We’re the idiots here, it’s our fault. Ruby is just being fucking Ruby.” Rainbow smacked her lips loudly and pointed the fork accusingly at Fluttershy as she ate. “We aren’t gonna sick scary Luna or evil bat ponies on him.” Rubinstein visibly relaxed in his chair.

Fluttershy wanted to apologize, but Rainbow was acting so scary.

Rainbow squinted at Ruby. “I don’t know what weird shit she used to do, but nowadays she’s basically a bureaucrat. Things aren’t violent like they used to be.”

Fluttershy knew that Princess Luna had been really scary as Nightmare Moon—maybe she had used to act like that more often? Fluttershy quickly decided that she should have brought up Celestia or maybe Discord. Well, probably just Celestia actually.

Rainbow loudly ate her salad while Ruby looked awkwardly back and forth. Fluttershy couldn’t work up the courage to look beyond her hair. Finally he worked up the courage to speak. “So… now what?”

Rainbow was nearing the end of her salad, and paused her eating to talk. “Now? Well… Now I get pissed at Fluttershy for being so damn good at everything. Seriously, this salad is fucking amazing.” Rainbow glared angrily at Fluttershy as she spoke. “I hate that I like it, but I fucking like it. It’s a damned awesome salad.”

Rainbow put her head in her hands and leaned over the table, looking down at it. “Just like everything you do, Shy. Every god damned fucking thing.”

Fluttershy felt like she was going to cry. “Do you… hate me?”

Rainbow looked back up, startled. “No! That’s not it at all. I hate that you’re so much better than me at things. I can’t cook for shit, Shy. I burn my shakes.” Rainbow gestured at the house and down to Fluttershy. “I’m bad at all of this… home making stuff. I kick ass in the air, but I’ve never lived like this. I’ve always been jealous of how clean your house is, your cooking, every little thing you do.”

Fluttershy flicked her eyes hopefully back up at Rainbow.

Rainbow closed her eyes. “If you’d have threatened Ruby like that yesterday I’d have gone with it in a heartbeat. But then, last night happened.”

Fluttershy blinked, and then looked closer at her friend in concern.

When Dash opened her eyes, Fluttershy saw an animal in pain. Dash had a tired, betrayed look about her. “I didn’t want it, you know? I just couldn’t tell you ‘no’. I never know how.” Dash sighed. “Not to you.”

A cold horror rose in her stomach as Fluttershy suddenly realized what Dash was talking about. She didn’t believe it, but all she could think was “Oh no. Oh no no no.”

Rainbow began to tear up. “I couldn’t… I didn’t… and then…” Rainbow picked up a walnut and popped it in her mouth. Angrily staring at Fluttershy, tears streamed down Rainbow’s cheeks as she chewed it and slowly shook her head side to side. “And I loved it. Just like your fucking salad.”

Terrified, Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hands. She hadn’t thought that it had been like that. It hadn’t felt like that. There was no way it could have been like that.

She was a rapist.

Dash just sighed and picked up her fork, looking down at the last bits of salad as her tears fell. “And then later with Ruby it didn’t matter anymore. I’d already gone through once, so I might as well finish, you know?” She began to eat what was left, but kept talking with her mouth full. “And maybe it wasn’t as good as the first bite, but I ate it anyways.” Rainbow stared at her empty plate. “Fucking hell salad.”

Fluttershy didn’t know what to say. She felt sick. “Rainbow… I’m so so sorry. I didn’t know…”

Dash glared at her. “No, you didn’t. That’s why it’s my fault too. I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. I’m furious, Shy.” Dash began to cry as she spoke, her voice breaking, “I’m a whore because of you.”

Fluttershy took heaving breaths, trying to hold her stomach down. It wasn’t like that. “You’re not a whore, Rainbow Dash! You got taken advantage of!”

Rainbow glared at her. “Yeah. The first time.” Rainbow stifled her tears and took a breath. “Then I let Ruby do his thing, and it was like your thing but different. It wasn’t bad, but I still got pissed. I didn’t like that I’d let him do it. I hit Ruby because of how angry I was at you and me, Shy. Ruby paid for our salad, and I don’t just mean our dinner. He fucking owns us now.”

She glared over to Ruby. “After I hit him, I didn’t want to fight back the second time. I let him use me again, even though I was awake. I fucking knew what I was doing, even if I didn’t realize why. I knew it wouldn’t be that bad, so I sold myself, Shy. Maybe it was to free my wings, maybe it was for some peace of mind, or maybe it was because he has a piece of paper that says we’re his fucking property. It doesn’t matter why.” Dash slumped back in her chair, seemingly exhausted from her rant.

Fluttershy’s mind was reeling, trying to put everything into a context she could understand. She had touched Dash, then Dash had let Mr. Rubinstein touch her because Fluttershy’s touch hadn’t been bad. Then Dash had been angry at herself for letting it happen and hit Mr. Rubinstein. Realizing that Mr. Rubinstein hadn’t deserved it, she had let him go further. Fluttershy gulped—this wasn’t like her fantasies at all. Her friend was in an unhealthy mental spiral, and it was all her fault. Her same friend had been beaten and raped multiple times and it was her fault. Fluttershy began to whine as a cry rose from deep in her throat.

Dash ignored her and ran her hand through her hair as she looked at the ceiling to speak. “So the deal is still on, Ruby. And we are not going to either Princess Luna or Twilight. You don’t deserve that level of bullshit, even though you suck ass.”

Rubinstein looked confused. “Thank you? I think?”

Rainbow turned back to the softly wailing Fluttershy. “He didn’t beat me, Shy. I mean, he could have, I’d have let him. Hell, I’d still let him. I can take a hit or two. I fucking knew why I hit him, but I didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t want to think about it like that.”

Fluttershy stared at her with open, watery eyes. Shy knew what it was. It was Rainbow’s first time. It was when Fluttershy had raped her.

Rainbow looked at her with a pained, teary expression, “I just… wanted it to be nice, Shy.”

Dash had cut to her heart, and Fluttershy openly sobbed. “I thought it was nice!”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, well… it was, okay? But it was also… fuck.” Rainbow looked like she was in pain. “Fuck! It wasn’t supposed to go like this. I liked it, Shy. Okay? I liked it! Stop crying.”

Fluttershy’s mind was reeling. She’d raped her closest friend, and thought it had been helpful. She had thought she was being kind. Fluttershy was a terrible pony, the worst. She should be in jail, or exiled, or fed to a dragon. Rainbow would hate her forever, and she deserved it.

()()()()

Rubinstein was still getting over his scare, watching the two mares cry and scream at each other. He had been worried, very worried, when Fluttershy had mentioned Princess Luna. The dark princess had always been known for her nighttime activities, and the Night Guard was known for especially brutal enforcement. If what they said was true and they got the Lunar Princess involved, Rubinstein likely wouldn’t live for the morning.

As he calmed down, he thought about how mares never really changed over the years. Two stallions would have fought and been done with it already, but he doubted any pony that wasn’t some kind of monster could hit Fluttershy. Even the usually hyper aggressive Rainbow Dash was just glaring at her as an attack. Still, having them fight was no good.

Rainbow had assured him that the deal was still on, but he was uncomfortable with this new information brought to light about their connections. He’d known they’d done some stuff and saved Equestria together, but the fact that Fluttershy brought cookies to the infamous Night Guard and thought they were adorable terrified him.

Worse, something seemed to have transpired between the two of them while he had slept. He didn’t know what she was babbling about, mares couldn’t rape one another—especially not slaves. Regardless, Rainbow was very upset by whatever had happened and kept talking about salad for some reason. Fluttershy wouldn’t stop crying.

What he had gleaned was that Rainbow had struck him because she was angry at Fluttershy. It made sense the more he thought about it, that was a typical mare solution to a problem—attack the nearest stallion instead of addressing the problem. It’s just that most mares fought with words. Rainbow fought with fists, unless she was fighting with was Fluttershy.

All this yelling, screaming, and crying wasn’t going to solve anything. Rubinstein wanted to sit down and discuss the situation with them calmly, but they were far from calm and neither was he. Still, he had to do something. Fluttershy was openly wailing into her hands, and Rainbow was cursing at the table quite creatively.

Rubinstein stood up, and slapped the table loudly. “Girls! Stop this.”

Both mares looked at him in disbelief. Rainbow glared at him. “It doesn’t fucking work that way, Ruby.”

He shrugged. “It was worth a shot.” Still, it was quieter. That let him think a little.

He needed them to forgive each other. Maybe if he could just get them to calm down it would help. He had given them a tool to help with that, he just needed to get them to use it.

“Remember yesterday, after the game? Remember the chant you said to each other?”

Rainbow glared daggers at Rubinstein, while Fluttershy sniffled quietly.

“Did you lie to her, Rainbow?” Rubinstein smirked confidently at Dash.

Dash grew angry, “What? Of course not!”

Rubinstein turned quickly to Fluttershy, ignoring the rest of Dash’s outburst. “And you, Fluttershy, did you lie to Rainbow yesterday during the chant?”

Fluttershy sniffed back some tears. “No…”

Rubinstein smiled. “I want both of you to come over here and hold hands again.”

Rainbow stared at him in anger as Fluttershy slowly responded. “I think I’d rather be alone, Mr. Rubinstein. If that’s okay with you.”

Rubinstein frowned. “No it is not. I want you to come over here and hold hands, like yesterday.” She quietly got out of her chair. Rainbow glared daggers at Rubinstein, who only glared back at her and barked out, “Now.”

Dash rolled her eyes and got up, slamming the chair under the table before walking to his side. He looked them both over. They were both naked, how he liked, but still had their differences. Dash’s hair and tail were wild, a result of the sex no doubt. He even thought he saw a thin glint of milky moisture trickling down her leg, a remnant of his earlier deposit in her. Rubinstein chuckled as he eyed her smooth, fit body. He’d tapped that.

Fluttershy was a little more soft, her body having extra cushion in all the right places. The larger mare still had smooth curves around her body. He knew that she was a joy to hold, and to squeeze. Her well groomed hair was long, reaching all the way to the base of her tail. He liked pulling it, and planned on doing so later tonight. But first he had to fix them.

Fluttershy had tears streaming down her cheeks and was sniffling back snot from her crying. Dash wasn’t much better, the wet trickle from her red eyes ruining her blue fur and she had an angry expression plastered across her face.

Slowly, Fluttershy raised her shaking hands, and Dash grabbed them firmly. Neither mare was looking at the other.

Rubinstein frowned. “Now, look at each other. See how the other person is crying?”

Fluttershy began to whine, but looked at Dash. For her part, Dash’s eyes softened and looked like she was going to tear up again.

Rubinstein continued. “Dash, do you think you failed Fluttershy?”

Rainbow frowned, but answered. “Y…. yes.”

Rubinstein continued. His plan was working so far. “And Fluttershy, do you think you failed Dash?”

Fluttershy didn’t hesitate, she bawled out, “Yes! I did!” and started to cry with heaves. He could see Dash grip her hands tighter, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“So you both failed then?”

Dash let out a quiet affirmation while Fluttershy painfully sobbed, “Yes!”

“Then you failed together, just like you promised you would. You also promised to forgive each other. Dash? Do you forgive Fluttershy for whatever she did to you?”

Fluttershy quieted, and stared at Rainbow with a wet, terrified expression. Rainbow glared at her for a second before her expression melted and she sighed. “Yeah.” Rubinstein saw her squeeze Fluttershy’s hands again. “I forgive you Shy. Shit happens, but we gotta wipe ourselves clean after.”

Fluttershy’s eyes welled up again as Ruby began to speak. “Fluttershy, then do you...”

He was interrupted by Fluttershy as she almost screamed. “Yes! Completely.” Fluttershy smiled, tears still falling. “Always.”

Rubinstein sighed in relief as the two gazed at each other. He was glad this fiasco was over, and with minimal effort on his part. He wanted to finish his salad, it had been pretty good. “So, yesterday you said that you’d love each other. Do you love her Dash?”

Dash grumbled and blushed a dark crimson. He knew what she wanted to say. “Fuck you, Ruby.” Instead, she glared darkly at him before sighing and turning to Fluttershy. “Yes, Yes I do.” Rubinstein smirked. He knew that Dash was harboring some sort of crush or something equally infantile towards Fluttershy. He had never had a problem with filly foolers, and as long as she was willing to perform for him he could care less where her personal interests lie.

“And you, Fluttershy. Do you still love your friend?” Fluttershy didn’t blush. Likely to her it was exactly like he’d originally meant. The love of a friend. “Of course I do.” Of course, Fluttershy had turned out to be the kind of mare who wouldn’t shy away from a little affection. He doubted she’d turn down an offer from Dash.

Rubinstein spoke, trying to hurry it along. “So, you both failed each other, you forgave each other, and you still love each other. Is this correct?

Both mares nodded.

“Good. Then it’s settled. The important things are decided, you two can make up now and discuss the details later.”

He watched as Dash slowly pulled Fluttershy forward and gave her hands a squeeze. “Hey, Shy… I’m still pretty angry, but don’t worry about it. We’re both idiots, okay?”

“I guess so.” Fluttershy mumbled, squeezing Dash’s hands back.

Rubinstein sat back down. “Good. Now I’m going to finish eating. We also need to talk. I’m not really comfortable with things right now, and you both don’t seem to be either.” Hopefully they were done crying. There were some things they needed to discuss.

The two mares went back to their seats and sat awkwardly down. Fluttershy poked at her salad while glancing nervously at Rainbow, who just stared at her empty plate with a forlorn look.

Rubinstein crunched on a candied walnut, letting the sugary glaze melt in his mouth while he thought. The Luna thing was down right terrifying, and the confession from Fluttershy that Equestria really hadn’t had slaves in over half a century left him feeling unsure. He had felt completely in the right in his actions, at least legally if not morally, but now he was concerned. The local princess seemed versed on ancient laws, and likely could figure out the legalities of the situation, but she was also their friend. Any pony in power would clearly interpret the laws in favor of their friends, and he needed to be cautious of that.

The other option was Celestia, but if you were friends with one of the Twin princesses, that meant you were friends with the other. Celestia was considered fair, but had on occasion done something quasi legal for a close friend. She wasn’t above personal favors. He should probably cut his losses and run. He’d banged both of the mares, and didn’t want to risk the ire of the princesses.

As he was thinking about it, he glanced back up at Fluttershy. She was still gorgeous, even when she was nervous and puffy faced from crying. He gulped the bite of salad down, and put another delicious bite into his mouth. The food she made was amazing. Sure, things were awkward and dangerous, but everything about the mare was amazing. She was his. Why would he want to throw this away? She even liked it. No, she wasn’t the problem.

His eyes wandered to Rainbow. She had an empty hollow look, like a thousand yard stare as she gazed into the depths of her cleaned dinner plate. Occasionally she’d scowl with some thought, and then her face would go neutral. The angry face almost made her look ugly, but crossed some obscene line that made him feel a tingle below the waist. Rainbow was fucking hot, even when she was pissed. He was reminded that both mares were naked, and even if Rainbow hated him right now, she had confidently said that the deal would stick.

So why throw it all away out of fear? There was always the chance he was still right. Maybe the rules would back him up. They would if they hadn’t changed. Would ponies bother to update laws that weren’t in effect for hundreds of years? Still, it would be best if he could resolve all this without the princesses. Down that road was only ruin.

He sighed, and figured they should talk it out. “Alright. I just want to be clear on this. Fluttershy, you want this for yourself, but don’t want to hurt your friend, right?”

Fluttershy sniffled and nodded.

“And Rainbow…” Rainbow’s head jerked as she focused on him. She had been spacing out until he’d addressed her. “What’s your deal? Why didn’t you want to leave when I said we could drop it?”

Dash glanced awkwardly at Fluttershy, then grumbled. “I don’t like you Ruby. We both know that.”

“Yes.” He answered simply.

She leaned back in her chair. “Well, it’s like this. I’m not leaving Shy here alone with you for all winter, or however fucking long your staying. And I know she isn’t gonna be leaving or kicking you out.”

Fluttershy looked up wide eyed.

Ruby blinked. Well, he hadn’t expected that answer. Although, it sort of made sense.

“If you get outta hand, I can kick your ass.” She slowly began to grin as she looked at him, probably imagining violence.

Ruby frowned. “But I own you.”

Rainbow just shrugged. “Sure. Whatever. And I’ll be nice tonight, just like I promised.”

Fluttershy glared at her friend angrily. “Rainbow! You don’t want this. Don’t do it for me. I…” She glanced nervously at Rubinstein. “I can handle myself with Mr. Rubinstein just fine.”

Rainbow glared back at her. “I’ve already done the worst of it. I’m tough, Shy. I can take whatever this asshole dishes out. I’ll be fine. What’s he gonna do? Rape me again? I know what I’m getting into.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair and looked back at Rubinstein. “Besides, Ruby here owns our writs. We’re his. I don’t wanna fuck up again after the weather factory incident. If he raised a stink, it might be bad for me. Even if Twilight cleaned it up.”

Rubinstein interjected. “Actually, if what Fluttershy said is true about slaves not being legal for such a long time, I’m not sure what the rules are now. We’d have to research the details, and I don’t want to hold you against your will if it’s illegal.” He hadn’t wanted to say it, but it was true. He couldn’t lead them on with a lie.

Rainbow looked suddenly angry. “You don’t fucking get it, Ruby. I don’t give a shit about the rules, I haven’t from the start. Why would I care what some seven hundred year old fucking book says?”

Now he was confused. Who wouldn’t be concerned about the laws governing their lives? “But you just said you were worried about legal trouble.”

“Don’t mess with me Ruby. We all knew what we were betting on that last bet, and you made it crystal fucking clear what you wanted from me half an hour ago. I thought I made myself pretty fucking clear too. I fucking hate you, I fucking hate what you did to me, and I fucking hate myself for how I feel about it.”

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. She wasn’t making any sense. “So I’ve gathered.”

Rainbow growled. “But I get it. I got it. Okay? I’m your fucking toy, you won. The almighty dick conquered the unwilling pussy; hurray for you. I’m your Celestia damned pet, just because I’m a fucking helpless mare and you’re a masculine stallion. Doesn’t matter that I could kick your ass, or that I have about a thousand times more balls than you. Nope. You’ve got the dick, and I’m just the slot it goes into.” She threw her hands up in the air and leaned back in the chair, staring at the roof.

Rubinstein was truly and totally confused. Rainbow was angrily ranting, but he wasn’t sure why. What was she going on about? “Uhh… I’ve got the writ. That’s the more important thing here.”

Rainbow looked back at him and put her hands slowly on the table. “I don’t care about the writ, Ruby. Let me say it again. Maybe you’ll understand this time. I… have… never… cared… about… the… writ. Was that slow enough?”

Now nothing about Rainbow made sense. “But why did you go along then?”

Rainbow clenched her hands tightly, and glanced at Fluttershy before unclenching them. “I care about three things. My friends and responsibilities come first. Next is my rep. I live off my reputation in more ways than one. Last, I have to be fucking excellent. I am the best, Ruby. The best.” She met his eyes with a steely gaze.

He glanced at Fluttershy. “So you stayed for her?”

Rainbow continued to stare coldly at him. “Not at first. She’d have been happy to indulge you, and I wasn’t exactly worried about you two not getting along. No, I stayed because I fucking lost the bet. I was sober, and I knew what I was betting. I should have left, but I didn’t, did I?” She kept coldly staring at him.

Rubinstein met her gaze, locking eyes with her. “No, you didn’t.”

The staring match kept up as Rainbow continued. “Now it’s been just over a day. I’ve watched you fuck my friend, and then you fucked me. I ate my pomegranate seeds. I made my promises. Remember?” She leaned forward, her face focused with a strange intensity. “You own me. You fucking made me say it. Now it’s real. I’m yours, asshole.”

Rubinstein stared silently at her, trying to get into her head. The last time he’d stared at her like this she had been a quivering mess, and he’d figured out her secret. Maybe it would work again. He remembered the way her eyes flickered, her pupils widening when she came, all with their eyes locked. Slowly he grinned as the answer came to him. “Yes you are. Say it again, Dash. Who’s your owner?”

Her face flushed, and this time she said it nervously, her eyes reflecting the soft candlelight strangely. “You own me, Ruby.” she glanced down and blinked, ashamed to look at him. “And that’s why I can’t leave. It’s a mix of obligations; both to you and Shy, my reputation if this shit becomes the weekly town gossip, and because I have to be fucking excellent. Even at being your fucking toy. I told you Ruby. You win. Three out of fucking three.”

He leaned back and smiled. “So there it is then. Miss Fluttershy is in because she wants to be, and you’re in because you feel like you have to be.”

Dash’s anger faded from her face as she stared emptily at the dinner plate again. “Yeah.”

Fluttershy spoke up. “Actually, Mr. Rubinstein. That’s not everything. I guess, I have to ask, umm… why are you in?”

He blinked, surprised. That should be obvious. “Because I want to be?”

Fluttershy coughed. “That’s not entirely honest, Mr. Rubinstein. You’ve been… a little conflicted. Sometimes. I mean, maybe.” She ducked behind her hair again, hiding her face. “Never mind…”

He stayed quiet for a moment, and Rainbow looked back up at him curiously. “Hey, I was honest. You can at least be honest to us. If you’re not too much of a bag of dicks for that.”

He put down his fork. Rainbow, for all her grace, was right. The mares deserved a little more information than that. “Okay. Well, I guess I don’t really have much waiting for me back at home. I mean, there’s work but I can find work anywhere. What I had for family died when Sombra took over. They fought, I didn’t. It was simple. After that, well, I’ve never been too good at making friends. Just like you say Rainbow. I’m jerk.”

Rainbow frowned for some reason, displeased by his answer.

“More than that, up until now, I’ve been kind of a pushover. I’m extra nice and sweet to mares, and it doesn’t get me anywhere. I’ll listen to their problems, help them out, whatever. Oh sure, they’re nice back, but they end up with some stallion that’s bad to them. I get dumped, usually quick. And then, well, you two fell into my hooves. This is my chance to be… a bad guy I guess. Just like those other assholes, I get a chance to get what I deserve.” It felt kind of strange saying it out loud.

Rainbow looked at him confused, and then laughed. “Are you fucking serious?”

Fluttershy looked at her with wide, surprised eyes.

Rubinstein was surprised at her sudden outburst, and more than a little hurt. Why was she laughing at him?

“Are you really that stupid, Ruby?” She stopped, looked him in the eyes again, and then laughed. “Oh shit you are! HA!”

He was getting angry now. “What’s so funny, Dash?” He glared at her.

Dash sniffled back a chuckle. “You, you dipshit. You really are a bag of dicks, you know that?”

His eyes turned cold. “Apparently.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “No seriously. Listen up. Do I have a lesson for you.”

He continued to glare at her. “Do tell.”

“You… are… a… jerk. Got that through your thick skull?” She looked at him with a sudden seriousness.

“I don’t see what the point is...”

Rainbow put up her hand, interrupting him. “No, listen. You’ve always been a jerk. You’re not suddenly now a bad guy. An actual nice stallion would never have done this shit. You didn’t magically become a bad guy because you got power over us. You’ve been a bad guy. You just didn’t realize it.”

Rubinstein stared at her.

Rainbow leaned forward, pointing at him and giggling. “You are an asshole, and you’ve always been an asshole.”

He foundered for words. “No. I’ve always been… better.”

She shook her head. “Ha! No. Look Ruby, I’m a jerk. I know a jerk when I see one. Shy here, she’s the real deal. Nicest mare I know. Me? Complete fucking jerk.”

He didn’t disagree with most of that assessment. “Well, just because you’re not nice doesn’t mean I’m usually not nice.”

Rainbow shook her head again. “You’re not hearing me Ruby. You are a jerk. Jerks can still be nice, but you’re not. You are a bad guy. Mares can usually tell when you’re lying through your fucking teeth. They don’t care if you’re a bad guy. They care if you’re fucking lying to them.”

This was horseshit. “What exactly are you saying?”

Rainbow looked at him smugly. “You spent so much time putting mares on a fucking pedestal, trying extra hard to be nice to them, and you know what?”

He glared at her.

“Normal ponies don’t have to fucking do that. You know what a mare is, Ruby?”

He continued to glare at her.

“A mare is just another fucking pony! Just like a fucking stallion. If you want to be a jerk, be a jerk. Don’t pretend like you’re nice to get them to like you just because they have a pussy. Mare’s can smell that shit from miles away. And the extra asshole mares, the one’s worse than me, will fucking use you like you’re trying to use them. But stallions don’t have a good nose for this shit, especially self centered jerks who don’t realize they’re lying through their teeth to get laid.”

Rubinstein wasn’t like that. It wasn’t like that. He was being nicer to them because he wanted them to like him. He wanted them to give him a chance. “I’m not like that. Look, I got plenty of tail during Sombra’s reign. I wasn’t looking for sex, I was looking for…” he didn’t know what he was looking for. Love? A relationship? Somebody that cared?

Rubinstein deflated as Rainbow’s words slowly sank in.

“Sure. Fine. Whatever you were looking for, you thought that being ‘extra nice to mares’ would help. Well, it didn’t, did it? Either they saw through your shit right away and left, they didn’t and they figured it out in a week or two and then left, or they stuck around and used you to make them feel good about themselves.”

His head dropped and he rested it on his hands. “You… You don’t understand.”

Rainbow glared at him. “No, not really. I’ve never understood your kind of jerk. I let people know I’m awesome, and I’m not shy about being a jerk. I’m not ashamed of it, it’s who I am. So why hide what you are? Who the fuck cares?”

He kept his face covered as emotions ran wild inside. He was furious. Rainbow was making him furious at her. Worse, he was angry with himself. He’s always thought that he’d been a good guy, but had he really? Why had he ever been nice? He’d always justified his behavior. He did what was allowed. Laws and regulations made sense. They were like math, or architecture. Absolute and resolute. Other ponies were never so simple. You had to put on a facade to get by, and it didn’t have to match your inside. It had to match the outside, the other ponies.

Were you the facade? Or were you the pony inside? Was he a bad pony because he’d tried to be nice to get what he wanted?

“Look Ruby. I know this ain't pretty, but life isn’t. Good ponies don’t rape other ponies, even if they’re allowed to. If I told Fluttershy she could touch me anywhere, but I’d hate it, she wouldn’t. If I gave her that power she wouldn’t use it. You? You’d fucking do what you want. You already have. You didn’t magically become evil because you got power over me. You were already evil.”

No. He hadn’t wanted to, he knew something was wrong and he stopped the very first time. She’d needed to be corrected the last time. But the second time, she was asleep. She hadn’t… it didn’t matter. So what? “I’m nice to most ponies, Dash. You were a jerk, so I was mean to you.”

Dash frowned. “Yeah, well, I’m a jerk, you’re a jerk, and Fluttershy is nice to both of us regardless. Think about that and keep justifying your shitty actions.”

She looked over at Fluttershy. “We should have naked conversations more often. I can really go for his balls like this.”

Fluttershy looked nervously at both of them. “Umm… Rainbow. That’s enough. You’ve made your point, and I don’t think you’re helping anymore.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine. I don’t care if I’m his fuck slave or whatever stupid shit he’s gonna call me. But if he’s gonna be fucking using me like a fucking pocket pussy, I’m gonna make sure he understands how fucking wrong that is…”

Fluttershy looked nervous after Rainbow’s rant. “Umm… I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to be… ohh… Can you, umm… watch your language?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Am I the only sane pony here?”

Rubinstein was lost in thought. Maybe she was right. He’d felt bad about some of the things he’d done, but he’d done them. Everything just felt so disjointed and confusing. Back in his time, he’d never have been questioned for a moment. He’d never of even had any self doubt. He acted like he was supposed to, like he always had. Why was that wrong? Once he’d become an adult, he’d been jealous of some of the rich slave owners. They had attentive mares when they wanted.

And when he was a slave, one of his duties was to be a breeder. He had been forced more than once after a long day in the mines, but that was just how it was. And more often than not, his matched mare wasn’t happy about the situation either. But they hadn’t complained about it. It was just another thing that slaves were for. Sure, sometimes he liked it. Sometimes the mares did, too.

He realized what he’d been looking for. It wasn’t companionship, it wasn’t love, and it wasn’t care. He didn’t deserve those things. Dash was right. He was an asshole, he’d always been one. He had been looking for simplicity.

He wanted his life to be like it was before. Not be a slave, necessarily, but have everything structured and defined. He fucked a mare because he was told to. There were rules and laws, even if it was just the rule of Sombra’s might. That was why he’d never fit in back in the crystal empire. They all wanted to be free, to explore their lives. He wanted structure, he wanted understandable rules instead of this crazy future.

He wouldn’t mind if Sombra took over again. He wouldn’t mind going back to the mines, working all day, and being made to fuck a different mare every night.

The realization jarred him. He’d thought he wanted to be free. He thought he was a good pony. He wasn’t. His life back home was a constant reminder of what he’d never have. Maybe he should never go home.

()()()()()

Fluttershy was both terrified and concerned. She also wished Rainbow would stop cursing. She’d been giving Rainbow a free pass, considering all the things the mare was going through, but after her rant about poor Mr. Rubinstein, Fluttershy was about fed up with it. Rainbow could talk without saying some variation of “fuck” every other word, and Fluttershy would appreciate it if she tried.

She understood why Rainbow was upset, and she wished she could help, but it seemed like her friend had made up her mind. And Rainbow had always been a bit stubborn about things when she considered it a matter of pride. She just wished that Rainbow would be nicer to Mr. Rubinstein! She hated it when ponies were mean to each other.

Fluttershy had just wanted to know a little more about him. He’d seemed conflicted earlier when it came to Dash, as though he really did want to let her go. But he’d decided to act in a way that he thought was helpful for her, even if it might not be. He was trying to be good, even if he had done some bad things.

But then Rainbow had gone off on him when he talked about himself because it reminded her of a few bad experiences. It had taken Rainbow a while to come to terms with her own personality, but Fluttershy had grown up with the brash mare and had helped her through her awkward years. Mr. Rubinstein’s story probably hit a little too close to home for Rainbow.

Fluttershy frowned at her friend. She briefly wished that Dash was nicer, but then chided herself. Dash was simply who she was. Sometimes she was mean, and given the situation, she had more than a little leeway to feel angry at Mr. Rubinstein. Fluttershy couldn’t wishfully make Dash nicer. If anybody was going to be nice, it was going to have to be her.

“Mr. Rubinstein, It’s not like that.”

The blue stallion kept his head buried in his hands. “Isn’t it, Fluttershy? Dash is right. I’m not who I pretend to be. I’m just trying to fit in, but it’s impossible. It’s like using sandstone for shear support, it simply won’t work. I try to be nice, but I guess I’m not.”

Fluttershy smiled confidently. He did not have to try to be nice, everybody could be nice. It was just that it was hard to be nice to certain ponies. Rainbow was one of them sometimes. “Did you have to try to be nice to me?”

He looked up, squinting his eyes. They looked red and irritated from how hard he had them shut. “No.”

She continued to smile. “Well, then you aren’t completely bad.”

He closed them again. “But it’s easy to be nice to you! You’re nice yourself, and you want what I want.”

Fluttershy kept smiling. “Well… what if I didn’t? What if I’d nicely asked for my writ back, or nicely asked to go free? Would you have let me go?”

He looked up again, seemingly confused. “I… yes? I think I would have, actually.”

She simply stated what she thought. “Then I don’t think you’re bad.”

He frowned. “It’s not so simple, Fluttershy. Rainbow is right. I’ve just been doing everything for myself. Even the things I think were right. Every building I built, every relationship I started, every thing I did I was just trying to make the world a more stable place. A place where I was more comfortable. Not a place where others were more comfortable. And I’m probably not going to stop. I don’t think I can.” He held out his hand and clenched it, looking at it like he was grasping some invisible coin. “It’s who I am.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Finally admitting the truth.”

Fluttershy frowned at her. “Rainbow, please, you’re not helping.”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah. Sorry, Shy. I’ve never been good at your pep talks. Tell you what.” She turned to Mr. Rubinstein. “I’m done eating, and I’ve heard what I wanted to hear. I’m going to go upstairs and lay on the bed. At some point, you two will finish your little chat, and Mr. Dick down there is going to get bored. I promised I’d be a good girl tonight, so I’ll be waiting. If I fall asleep, use me like a fu…” She glanced at Fluttershy, “a doll. Maybe I’ll wake up, maybe I won’t. I don’t care tonight and I promise I won’t punch anypony.”

Fluttershy frowned, but didn’t say anything as Rainbow swiftly got up and left, swishing her tail angrily.

“I’m sorry about that, Mr. Rubinstein. Rainbow’s a little emotional right now.”

He blinked, confused. “Why are you sorry? She’s right. At some point I am going to upstairs, and I probably will do exactly that.”

Fluttershy blinked back, surprised. “Oh.” She’d figured sex was off the table tonight, the mood felt pretty well ruined. But if he planned on salvaging things, then she’d keep that in the back of her mind.

He continued. “There’s nothing to feel sorry about. I deserve whatever she does to me, and she deserves whatever I do to her. I don’t even know if I feel bad about it anymore. I don’t know what I feel.”

A frown slowly grew drew down Fluttershy’s face. He had it wrong. The world didn’t work like that. “No.”

He looked at her with a tired expression. “No?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. No.”

“Well that makes less sense.”

“Nopony deserves anything, good or bad. You made some bad choices. Rainbow made some bad choices. But neither of you deserve anything bad. At worst, you have to live with the consequences of your actions.” Fluttershy continued to frown.

“Well, the obvious consequences of my actions are that Rainbow Dash is going to hate me.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Possibly. Is that what you want to happen?”

“I don’t know anymore.”

She smiled at him. “I don’t think that’s what you really want, Mr. Rubinstein. You want me to like you, and I do. I like Rainbow, too. She’s brash, bold, sometimes inconsiderate, and certainly swears too often. But those are things I like about her. I admire those qualities sometimes.”

He just sighed.

She kept up. “I also like you. You’re a lot like her, except you have a different view. Rainbow sees herself as the most important pony in the world, so she tries to better the world by bettering herself. You try to better the world, too. It’s just that your ideal world might be a little different than Rainbow’s.”

Rubinstein looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You wanted to better Rainbow. It’s important to you that she not get what she wants through violence, so you wanted to teach her that. I also saw that you wanted to let her go, but you decided that the best way to improve the world was to try and improve Rainbow’s problem resolving skills.” Fluttershy smiled. He had good in him, even if he didn’t know it. Even if he expressed it poorly, it was there. He just needed to find it and realize it.

Besides, she liked having both of them around. It made her feel useful. Usually she cooked for herself, cleaned for herself, and spent her time babying her animals. Now she had two ponies to care for, to pamper, and to… Well, she blushed.

“But I’m just trying to make the world more comfortable for myself.”

Fluttershy looked at him curiously. “Aren’t we all?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m the same. I’m just trying to make the world more comfortable for me. I don’t like when ponies are mean, either to me or to others. So I’m nice to them. Most ponies treat you the way you treat them. If I’m nice to ponies, it makes them happier. If you’re happier, they’ll be more nice. I like making ponies happy, Mr. Rubinstein.” Fluttershy got up from her seat and walked over to him.

She noticed him eying her naked body up and down, and quietly smiled to herself. She knew she was pretty, and she knew other ponies liked seeing her. It was hard with lots of ponies, but with just one or two, well, she could be open if she wanted to. She didn’t mind him admiring her right now, even if it was a teensy bit embarrassing.

She began to blush, but fought it back to sit side saddle on his naked lap. Slowly, she trailed a finger around his chest. “I really do like making ponies happy, Mr Rubinstein.”

He was frozen by her sudden advance, and didn’t seem to know what to do. That didn’t bother her.

“But for me, part of making ponies happy is that I enjoy it. I love their happiness.” She leaned her head in and breathed deeply under his ear, letting him hear her. He smelled like sweat, sex, and candied walnuts. Fluttershy’s pulse quickened as she imagined watching him have his way with Dash.

Mr. Rubinstein swallowed. “I… uh see.”

There were a few ways to set the mood, but after the emotionally draining conversation she didn’t have the patience to wait. Especially after being reminded of what he already did to Dash. And what she could get him to do to her. Fluttershy decided that she’d be direct. She needed to relax a little now, and so did he.

Fluttershy lightly licked his ear, tasting the salty tang of dried sweat as she grabbed his hand and led it down her thighs with an obvious intent. She shuddered when it reached its goal, and slightly spread her legs wider to allow easier access. “I’m not the element of Generosity, Mr. Rubinstein. I get something from spreading kindness.”

He looked at her, his expression slowly melting from one of concern into a more relaxed and comfortable one. “What do you get, exactly, Miss Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy encouraged his gentle stroking with a soft coo, followed by her answer. “I get a good feeling, Mr. Rubinstein. A particularly good feeling that’s unlike any other.”

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her. She returned the kiss, playing gently with his tongue before pulling slowly away. She loved kisses. They were so intimate, so sharing. It was something private, personal, and honest. But more than that, kisses felt nice.

“And all I’m doing is making the world a more comfortable place for me to live, Mr. Rubinstein. Do you think it makes me a bad mare? To want to be comfortable in my own way?”

He licked his lips, probably still tasting her even as his fingers made her warm and tingle down below in a wonderful way. “I’d never call you bad. Maybe naughty.”

Fluttershy giggled as she felt something poke into her from his lap. It was a warm, strong thing that she was happy to feel on her rear. “Definitely naughty, Mr. Rubinstein.”

Fluttershy had a very naughty thought. Something bold, something brash, and something that she never would have considered before. But Dash had been pretty obvious about her inclinations, and she felt strangely free. Was her thought wrong? She didn’t feel like wresting with the morality of it just then. Dash had been explicit, after all. She could take it.

“Lets go show Miss. Dash how naughty I can be. And then maybe I’ll show you how naughty she wants me to be.”

In the back of her mind, a small voice wondered if maybe she made bad decisions when she was horny. Fluttershy tucked the voice away for later. Right now, she was going to be nice.

Author's Note

So this is completely unedited again. I should be bugging ambion, but they're doing that review project and I don't want to distract them because it looks pretty neat. Oh well! Please let me know what I can correct! I'm sure this one is full of mistakes. I'm also willing to correct/change story decisions on this chapter, up until the next one is posted. If somebody's acting OOC within the context of the story, let me know. It's been a while since I wrote anything for this, and figured I'd take a quick break from my android project to write something for one of my stories that people seem to like.

On the note of mistakes, not a whole lotta sexy in this one. Just drama. Oh well. Time to move on to sexytimes in the next chapter. Probably followed by more drama.

You know the problem with the blinds and the dealer in poker? Yeah. One follows the other, and it always changes who is what. Every single hand. Good luck figuring this mess out.