Star led the way as she and Twilight headed towards Rainbow Dash’s cabin. It really was a choice between Dash or Fluttershy for now. Star felt Applejack and Pinkie Pie were going to be the most difficult to tame.

Applejack was honest and very straightforward with a strong moral code. Enslaving Twilight had been partially about exploiting self doubt. Applejack was the most self assured of Twilight’s friends. There was a lot less to work with.

Pinkie was the opposite. Star was sure she was hiding something behind that bubbly attitude, but she was also just so...random, Star wasn’t certain how she could even get her under. It would take time and study to make sure she did things just right.

So that left the two pegasi, and Fluttershy was so often with her animals in her cottage, it would be easy to find time alone with her. Rainbow Dash was almost always on the move or grouped up with everyone. Now was one of the better opportunities to snatch her.

As they approached the cabin, Star noticed a repetitive clunk-clunk sound from inside. She looked back at Twilight who could obviously hear it too, but just shrugged, unsure what to make of it either. Star decided to press on, but paused one more moment and hugged Twilight around the waist, quickly glancing around to make sure no one else was around. “Are you ready, Twi?”

“Yes, Star.” She nodded and pressed herself gently into Starlight’s body. They held there for a moment before getting back in character. Star walked up and knocked on the door.

The clunking stopped and RD’s voice came through. “Yeah?”

“It’s Star and Twilight.” Star called.

“Door’s open.”

Star pulled the sliding door aside and stepped in, seeing a rubber ball rolling on the floor of the cabin. She realized the clunking sound had been RD tossing it against the wall. Twilight followed right behind her. As soon as Star closed the door, she pressed her left hand against the wall of the cabin, subtly casting a silence spell that would prevent any loud outbursts or moans from travelling.

Rainbow Dash was lying along one of the cushioned seats, a Daring Do novel at her side. She was dressed for flying, as usual. She always dressed for activity if there wasn’t some formal occasion. That meant outfits that wouldn’t interfere with her wings, so generally simple t shirts and an absence of jackets and the like. Flying was the most important activity for her, so the rest of her outfit was more flexible and she often wore jeans and other various pants, though not skirts for obvious reasons. Today, though, she was in a full athletic set, wearing nothing but a sports bra and a set of small runner’s shorts.

Star loved how open and unashamed Rainbow Dash was. She wouldn’t even understand the idea of being ashamed of wearing so little. For her, clothes were for comfort and utility first. If anyone was caught staring, she’d likely just assume they were admiring her athletic prowess rather than lusting after it. Still, Star did her best not to stare at the pegasus’ tummy as it tensed from Dash sitting up to greet them, showing off the subtle definition of her abs.

“Hey Twilight, Star. What brings you guys over?”

“We just wanted to see how the trip has been for you.” Twilight said with a warm smile. “I know you might start getting bored when there isn’t too much to do on the train.”

“Thanks Twilight, that’s sweet of you, but it’s not like I’m going to lose my mind or anything. I’ve got the newest Daring Do book to finish, and I can always go out flying when I feel cooped up.”

Twilight sat down across from Rainbow as she raised an eyebrow. “Really?” She said incredulously. “Is it safe to go out flying? What if you fall behind the train?”

“Come on, Twilight, I’m way faster than this thing.” Rainbow puffed her chest out slightly in pride. “Even with the train at the horizon I can catch back up to it in less than a minute.”

Twilight tilted her head, noting the specificity of Rainbow’s claim. “Wait...have you gone out flying already?” Rainbow Dash answered with a sly grin. “Rainbow! What would happen if you got lost out there?”

Dash waved a hand dismissively. “Relax. How am I going to miss train tracks? It’s a giant line that goes all the way to the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight gave a few more words of concern, but changed the topic to the early plot in the latest Daring Do novel. Star stayed silent, just listening happily as her pet chatted away. It was a wonderful conversation, going over the same topics Twi would with Rainbow Dash under normal circumstances, but it was also a cover for Rainbow’s enslavement, and Twilight knew it. But this wasn’t a betrayal in Twilight's mind. It was practically a gift. Star had drilled it repeatedly into her head that all her friends would be happiest once Star had taken control just as she had with Twi.

Rainbow Dash didn’t suspect a thing either as she obsessed over some plot twist in the first chapter of the book, not noticing as Star took the opportunity to gaze along her exposed tummy and thighs. There was even a hint of her cutie mark at the bottom of her tiny running shorts. Star looked forward to getting to see more of that cutie mark and to feel Rainbow’s taut body tensing for her under her touch. That would likely come later. There were only two hours until dinner, and this would be Dash’s first time. Star didn’t need to do any more than scratch the surface.

After a few more minutes, the conversation shifted to the Crystalling. Twilight was describing Applejack’s present that she’d seen when it was being loaded onto the train.

“Yeah, a crib is okay...but it’s no Cloudsdale mobile.” Rainbow said with a look of anticipation. She hopped up and grabbed a case from the luggage compartment above the seats. She opened it up and pulled out a delicately balanced mobile decorated with rainbows, clouds, and lightning bolts. “Bam!” She declared to punctuate the reveal.

“Ooohh, that looks great, Rainbow!” Twilight said, looking it over.

“Yeah, it is pretty awesome. I had one like it when I was a baby. It got me dreaming of all the cool stuff I’d see when I was out flying.”

It seemed all too perfect, and for the first time, Star spoke up. “Could I hold that, Rainbow Dash?” She stood up from the seat and reached out a tentative hand.

“Yeah, sure. Just be careful. Pinkie already knocked a piece off earlier and I had to spend twenty minutes repairing it.”

“Thank you. It’s very stunning.” Star carefully took the mobile and raised it up a bit higher. Rainbow sat back down where she’d been and looked up at the mobile, feeding on the praise. “Did you make this yourself?”

“Mostly, but I got help from Fluttershy to make sure it was balanced right.”

“It’s impressive work from you both.” Star grinned a bit. “And you say you had one just like this? How much of it do you remember?”

“Nothing from sleeping in a crib, obviously.” Rainbow replied, “But I kept the mobile hanging over my nightlight until I was four.”

“That’s nice. Good. How close is this one to yours? Look closely if you need to. Was the bow the same color? Did it have the same ornament?”

Rainbow’s brow furrowed in concentration as she looked at the mobile, a little above her natural eye-line, forcing her to tilt her eyes up. “It was pretty similar. Mine had stars instead of rainbows on the spokes and a single rainbow in the middle.”

“Good. I suppose that’s a small change. The rainbows are bright and catch the light, similar to glittering stars. If you look closely at this mobile, you could picture yours in your mind. It would be the last thing you saw before going to sleep, wouldn’t it?”

Rainbow nodded. “I suppose so.” Star noticed Dash’s eyes were staying focused on the mobile as she hoped.

Twilight stayed completely silent, realizing what was happening. She sat back across from Rainbow and simple watched in rapt fascination at Star’s induction. Star carefully rotated the mobile in her hand. “You can probably remember the feeling of all those nights, relaxing as you slipped into bed, letting the weight of the bed hold you, letting all your muscles relax before you slept. And there would be the mobile, glittering from your night light. Can you remember the nights like that, where you were just so so tired and watched your mobile as you slowly drifted to sleep?”

This time, Rainbow just gave a little nod, but her expression was not too glassy. She still had a lot of focus and tension in her expression. She was reacting, but slower than Twilight or Rarity. All it took was time, though.

“That’s good. It’s probably a good memory. The sort of memory it’s nice to recall. Remembering your mobile as you focus on this one. As you focus on this mobile, that memory can get stronger and stronger. “Star smiled, seeing as a little bit more focus faded from Dash’s eyes.

She continued, “That’s right, it’s easy to remember such a deep, relaxing time as you stare into the mobile. All sorts of things can pull up memories of the past: sights, sounds, even smells. So it makes sense that if you look deeply at this mobile, you’ll recall those feelings of resting in bed, of just letting go. And memories can be very powerful. When you remember a sad thing, you can start feeling sad, and when you remember a happy thing, you can start to feel happy. So staring deeply at the mobile can let you feel very relaxed and tired, like you’re about to fall asleep from a long day.”

Rainbow’s eyes had grown a bit hazier and her eyelids had slightly sagged. Starlight was making slow, steady progress. She used her magic to suspend the mobile up in the air and slipped down to sit next to Rainbow Dash, allowing her to continue even more intimately. “Just keep watching and focusing on the mobile, as your body begins to let go.” She whispered gently.

“I feel…..” Rainbow Dash whispered, trying to put a thought together while her mind remained fixated on the mobile.

“Feeling relaxed, feeling so nice as you watch.” Star whispered in response. “Each slow breath in...and out lets you feel more relaxed. You can remember that sinky sensation of lying in bed. So sleepy and soft. Taking those deep breaths in...and out.”

Star placed one hand on Rainbow’s shoulder and the other on her tummy, adding a tiny bit of pressure each time Rainbow exhaled to reinforce the heaviness growing in her mind. “Heavy and sinking, drifting away more and more.”

Rainbow’s eyes were half closed, but there was a tension showing in her expression as the remnants of her conscious mind tried to make sense of what she was feeling. Some part of her was looking for answers as to why the conversation had turned to her just listening. “So easy to just relax and embrace the sensations.” Star whispered. “Lying in bed, eyes growing heavy, slowly sinking away. Heavier and heavier. And when your eyes slide shut, your mind sinks away, just listening to my voice. Relaxed and peaceful.”

So much of the tension had faded from Rainbow’s face. Her eyes were blinking more and more frequently as she fought to keep them open. Every blink lasted a tiny bit longer. “S..stop. I feel…” She whispered faintly.

Star smiled. “It’s fine to feel so so heavy...so relaxed. The more you try to keep your eyes open, the heavier they become. So nice, as you finally….begin...to sink….”

“I...said..sssSTOP!” Suddenly, Rainbow’s body tensed and she pushed Starlight away from her. In the surprise of the shove, Starlight lost her focus on the mobile and it crumpled to the floor of the cabin. Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, shaking the lethargic sensations away. When she opened them again she looked at Star in confusion and a little fear. “Why was…”

Star stared back in shock. Rainbow had just shrugged all of the induction off. How was that possible? Rainbow was confused, and didn’t know what was happening, but the look on her face showed she didn’t think it was good. Star looked at Twilight, who appeared just as shocked and at a loss for words. Star had to think of something to say, some explanation to calm Rainbow down.

Rainbow pushed herself back a bit in her seat. “What was happening? Why did I feel...and you were droning about….” Her eyes flickered around the room, like the words to put on her emotions would be somewhere to read. “I think I need some air.” She finally declared, quickly standing and turning to the door.

Star gasped as Rainbow reached for the door handle. If Rainbow had time to process what had happened, she might realize...No! In an instant, Rainbow was covered in turquoise magic that pulled her away from the door and into the center of the cabin. In the same instant, Starlight reinforced the silence spell, realizing things were going to get loud.

“Wha!?” Rainbow stumbled as the magic pulled her back, but she managed to keep her footing. “What are you doing?” She whirled around and looked at Star in shock. Her eyes narrowed, staring daggers at the unicorn. “Let go!” She screamed, unfurling her wings. She turned back to the door and strained to raise her wings up. Slowly her wings rose up one inch, and then another, managing to overpower Starlight’s restraining magic. Rainbow violently flapped her wings down to propel herself towards the door. The whole room whipped up like a mini whirlwind, tossing Rainbow Dash’s book to the floor and leaving Twilight and Starlight’s hair tangled.

Star winced as she struggled to hold Rainbow in place. Dash’s wings were incredibly powerful, and the flap advanced her closer to the door. She was just too strong for Star to keep still. “Twilight, hold her!” She commanded.

“Twilight?” Rainbow said in disbelief at the order.

Twilight had sat silently, unsure what to do, but now with the order given, her face grew pale. “I...but.” She stared back and forth at Star and Rainbow.

“Help me Twilight! Whatever Star is doing it’s wrong!” Rainbow raised her wings up again and forced them down, pushing her almost within arm’s reach of the door. She grabbed the armrest at the end of the seats. The handle to the door was an inch further.

“Twi, hold her!” Star repeated, turning to see what the holdup was. Twilight stayed still, simply looking more distressed. Starlight realized this was more than she had been ready for. It was easy for her to hold onto the idea of enslaving her friends when it was all fun and games, like looking at Spike’s speechless arousal or when Rainbow was peacefully slipping into trance. Now Dash was fighting, mad, and the idea this was all for RD’s own good was harder to square.

“Don’t listen to her Twilight! Whatever she told you, it’s a lie. I’m you’re friend.” Rainbow raised her wings up once more.

“I said hold her, Twi-slave!” Star shouted firmly.

With the honorific, the command hit her like an electric shock and she leapt up from her seat, her eyes growing a bit hazy. “Yes Mistress.” The words came out of her lips automatically and the turquoise magic around Rainbow was joined by the violet power of Twilight.

Rainbow strained to beat her wings down again like before, but with the alicorn’s power, her wings and limbs were now completely paralyzed. She looked at Twilight in dismay. “Slave? Twilight, what has she done to you?”

Twilight trembled a bit in response, but stayed quiet, focusing on the command and pushing away the parts of her mind that whispered that friends wouldn’t do this to each other.

Rainbow looked over at Star with rage. “We never should have trusted you! You were always a liar. You lied to us in the village, you liked to your villagers and you’ve been lying this whole time!”

“Rainbow, you don't understand, just calm down and I can explain.” Star didn’t think her words would be convincing, but at the moment, she didn’t know what to do. Had she become sloppy from how easy Twilight, Spike, and Rarity had been? How could she trance Rainbow now?

“Explain? You called Twilight a slave! This is another of your schemes. But we’re going to stop you, just like before.”

The mention of her defeat in the village made Starlight scowl. There was no reason to have any pretense now. She looked over at Twilight, who still looked shaken but committed to her course of action. “Twi-slave, do you know any magic to erase Rainbow Dash’s memory?”

“I...there is one spell, but it isn’t precise. She’d forget everything for the past few hours.” Twilight bit her lip, feeling the strain of holding her friend captive, but Star was confident her control held.

“Come on Twilight. Whatever she’s done to you, you can fight it.” Rainbow implored. She tried to step towards Star. “We can stop her together.” Still, the combined magic held her in place. Her muscles all strained and tensed like she was trying to push over a brick wall.

Star couldn't allow herself to panic. She was in control. At worst, she could erase Rainbow Dash’s memory, but gaps or discrepancies in memory could lead to more trouble down the road. She had to find a way to get Rainbow under if possible. But how? Twilight had been angry and on guard the first time Star tranced her, but hadn’t known what Star was actually up to. Rainbow had pushed through one induction already. If Star tried to start getting her to refocus on something, even with a Fiducia Compelus to help it along, Rainbow would realize what was happening and resist even more.

It had to be a different kind of induction completely. As Star looked at Rainbow’s strain against the magic, the answer came to her. “Twilight won’t listen to you.” Star said to Rainbow. There was no sense in playing dumb whether this worked out or not. For now, playing the villain was exactly what was needed. “Twilight is my slave, just like you suspect. Just like you’ll be.” She walked closer as Rainbow’s expression became even more enraged.

“I’m no one’s slave, and neither is Twilight! Whatever you were trying didn’t work on me, so you might as well give up now.”

“Oh, but it did work.” Starlight said with a smile. She walked right in front of Rainbow, close enough to get punched if the angry pegasus could overpower their magic. “I found a little opening in your mind, and my control will only grow until you’re kneeling at my feet.” Rainbow growled and tried to take a swing at Star, her muscles all flexing with the effort. “That’s it, good, fight all you want.” Star carefully weaved a Fiducia Compelus spell over Rainbow. Too much was going on for her to even notice the spell. It was not enough to fully control her, but it would help considerably. “Tense all those muscles, fight my control with everything you have, but then my control...will make you relax.”

Star carefully timed her words for when Rainbow did relax her muscles. Maximum strength can’t be maintained forever. You have to commit in pulses, letting your muscles rest before the next attempt. Star’s words, timed just as Rainbow was relaxing her muscles, was the trigger that made it feel like Star had been the one to end her attack.

Rainbow’s expression showed that her own relaxation came as a surprise. “It’ll take more than that to stop me.” Rainbow tensed up again, putting all her strength into her arm to attempt a blow, managing to move a single inch towards Star’s jaw.

“Fight all you want. You might break through and if you hit me, I might lose my concentration and you’d get free. But all that energy means when my control hits you, it’ll be even more powerful. So...relax.” She timed it again just as Rainbow naturally was untensing her body. But again Rainbow’s expression showed shock. Saying the command at roughly the same time made it hard for the subconcious to be sure which came first, the word or the action. That made it easier for the subconscious to assume there was a cause and effect when one didn’t actually exist. If Rainbow believed Star had this power over her, it would open her to accepting other control, even if she was ostensibly unwilling.

“Good.” Star smirked. “See, you’re slipping more and more into my control. Your strength fades a bit more each time. You get more and more helpless.” She placed her palm on Rainbow’s tummy.

“I’ll show you helpless!” Rainbow switched gears and tried to drive a knee up into Star’s stomach, but the magic still held. Star felt the tension of Rainbow’s abs as she worked to fight through the magic.

“So much fight in you, tensing up. It must be so tiring, puts so much strain on your body, makes your muscles tired and sore. Eventually...they can’t help but…” Star waited, feeling for the moment the fight of this attack would give out. Rainbow held on a bit longer than before. Her abs rippled madly with the strain of force and her face became flushed. “Relax.”

Dash gasped for air and the tension from her legs and abs vanished. She had waited for the command. Her mind had linked the command to the action. Rainbow was hers. Star allowed herself a wicked smile.

“Such a strong, powerful body. But your mind gets weaker, your thoughts get cloudier. Slowly but surely, you fall deeper. Each time you fight,” Star stroked up Rainbow’s chest, seeing as she tensed again. Rainbow was starting to follow the cue to tense up as well. “You fall deeper as you relax.” Rainbow let go of the tension.

Star gave Rainbow Dash’s breasts a little squeeze through her sports bra, taunting her slightly. The more helpless Rainbow felt, the more she would give into the commands in the end.. “Fight…..and relax.” Star began to cycle Rainbow over and over with the command. “Feel how each time you fight a little less and you relax a little longer. Your mind gets cloudier and cloudier as you fight….and relax.”

Rainbow’s eyes were very glassy now, far more than before. Star realized her mistake. The mobile had been such a tempting focal point, she’d jumped the gun and tried to use a visual induction with Rainbow. Even more than Rarity, Rainbow was a kinesthetic trancer. As an athlete, she was in tune to the sensations of her body, so that was the avenue to dip into her mind.

“You can’t...win. I..I’ll stop you.” Rainbow muttered, but it was too late for that. Starlight had turned Rainbow’s own resistance against her. To her subconscious, every attempt to break free was like another chain wrapping around Rainbow’s mind.

“You’ll try to stop me. You’ll fight.” Rainbow’s body tensed, but it was unfocused now. She wasn’t trying to punch or kick Star, or even run away. She was just flexing her muscles, waiting for the command to stop. “But every time you fight, you sink deeper, once you give in and relax.” Rainbow let out a deep, slow sigh as her body went completely limp, only held up by Star and Twilight’s magic. “Good girl. Fight...and relax.” After ten more repetitions, Rainbow’s eyes stayed closed and any remaining thoughts of resistance were only from the cue to tense up.

Star picked up the mobile from the ground, carefully untangling two of the strings. She cast a recording spell on like the one she had used with Spike and set it up to repeat Rainbow’s new mantra over and over. She carefully floated Rainbow over to the cabin seat and hung the mobile above her. Lastly, Star, cast a second silence barrier around Rainbow, so the mobile was the only thing she could hear.

Only then did Star allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She took a step to the other seat across from Rainbow, but stumbled, knees hitting the floor. The strain of holding Rainbow had been immense, even with Twilight’s help. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the magic fatigue was hitting Star all at once.

“Are you okay, Mistress?” Twilight dashed to her side and helped Star up.

Star looked at Twilight with a small smile. Everything could have been ruined if Twilight hadn’t been here with her. But that sense of gratitude soured and Star’s expression hardened. “Twilight, why did you hesitate when I commanded you to hold her?”

Twilight looked down and bit her lip uncertainly, looking almost as confused as Star for what the answer was. “I’m sorry, Mistress. I just saw Rainbow was so angry and confused, and it’s not right to hold friends against their will, usually.”

“She’s your friend, but I’m your Mistress.” Star snapped back. She pulled Twilight closer and stared angrily. “If Rainbow had gotten away, I’d be finished. I’d be taken away from you and you’d never see me again. Is that what you want?”

Twilight started to tear up. “No, Mistress, of course not. I just...seeing Rainbow's face...it felt like stopping her was wrong.”

“I commanded you to stop her!” Star screamed. “Are you saying your Mistress is wrong?”

Tears began to flow down Twilight’s cheeks. “No. I would never say that. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Mistress. I promise I won’t do it again, I’ll always do what you say no matter what.”

Seeing Twilight’s tears gave Starlight pause and started to quell her rage. She took a long, deep breath, trying to get herself back under control. Her mind was coming up with punishments for Twilight’s disobedience, but she pushed them away. Punishing Twilight would be breaking a clock for running fast. It was her own programming that had allowed hesitation in Twilight.

“It’s alright, Twi-slave.” She said, finally calming. “It was my fault, not yours. I didn’t fully explain how fiercely your friends might resist.” She hugged Twilight closely. “It’s like when Discord made them all behave the opposite of themselves. Remember how you told me Rainbow fought you with all her might and you had to tie her down with rope? She fought a lot like she did now, didn’t she?”

Twilight nodded slowly and Starlight continued, “But it was for Dash’s own good. She was better afterwards.” She cupped Twilight’s chin and kissed her softly. “You’ll have to be strong and help your friends, even when they fight as hard as possible to stop you. Do you understand, dear?”

Twilight sniffled a bit and nodded, calming down. “I understand Mistress, yes. I’m sorry Mistress. I was just surprised by it. I was caught off guard.”

Star smiled softly and wiped away Twilight’s remaining tears. “It’s alright pet. You obeyed me in the end, as I knew you would. So all is forgiven.” She pressed her lips to Twilight’s and squeezed her pet princess tight.

Twilight shuddered in relief, melting into the kiss, finding her certainty there. “I love you Mistress.”

“I love you too, Twi-slave.” Star stroked through Twi’s hair. “Are you feeling better now, pet?”

Twilight nodded and wiped her eyes. “Mhmmm. Yes Mistress, I’m fine.”

“Good, my brave Twilight, because I need your help still. Rainbow Dash needs your help.” Star looked over at Dash, thinking over what would need to happen next.

Author's Note

Timing worked out to be on the late side, but the new chapter is out, thankfully, and the update schedule should become more regular going forward. Hope you enjoy this one. I expect there are still some typos around the work.

I was trying to think of more dialog to go with the beginning of this chapter before the induction bits started, but was running into bad mental blocks for it. I might add them in some other time, as i'm not 100% happy with the exposition of "they chatted a lot" but wanted to get the chapter finished rather than spend another week agonizing over two paragraphs.

Next chapter should be coming relatively soon. How to Train Your Pegasus