Maud looked at the three ponies arrayed before her. "Do you like rocks? I like rocks, rocks are wonderful. They sit where you tell them to, they-" She stopped and gazed impassively at one of her new students. "Trixie, pull your pet to heel."

"Trixie is trying! Shade!" Trixie tried to clamp her tail down and pull her Shadowbolt around to her side. "Shade! HEEL!" She gave a hard yank on the leash.

Shade gave a quick lick to her Master before turning slowly and sitting at her side. I can't believe I can just do this stuff, I feel… free.

"As I was saying. Do you like rocks? I like rocks, rocks are wonderful. They sit where you tell them to, they…" This time Maud stopped because Trixie was desperately yanking on the leash, trying to pull Shade back from sniffing at Cheerilee's plot.

"Trixie," Cheerilee sidled away from the dark pet, "can't you control her?" She reached a hoof out and gently stroked her own pet's nose, the pony hidden under the weak spell Princess Twilight had cast for her giving a happy sigh and rubbing against her hoof.

"Shade." Maud's voice was calm, even. But even the ponies she hadn't named focused completely on her. "Behave, Shade. I am trying to teach your owner how to treat you properly."

I should probably behave. I can always taste her later. Stepping back beside Trixie, Shade planted her plot on the floor again. She felt a pair of forelegs wrap around her neck and turned to see her Master had hugged her.

"Good girl, Shade. Trixie will learn how to take care of such a Great and Powerful pet." Trixie let go and stood up, feeling Shade lean slightly against her. "Sorry, she will behave now."

Rarity smiled at Trixie, thankful that her pet was on the other side of the entertainer. "Darling, it is quite alright. That is what you are here for." Of course Rarity didn't have a pet here. Smugness drove the unicorn to even greater heights of superiority: her "little filly" was so big that not even some heavy enchantment magic would hide her from being identified.

Maud gestured to the side, where Twilight was stacking cards ever so carefully with her magic. It wouldn't normally take so much work, but when the base of the card tower was thinner than the top even magic had trouble countering the irresistible force of gravity. "This is the way we do hypnosis. It all builds on two cards." Her three students paid close attention to Twilight's tower. "At the top is what you want your subject to behave like. I have used it to split Twilight's personality, make her want things, and forced her to do particular things."

Twilight was grinning brightly. It is such a relief that I don't have to hide this from some of my friends. She looked at the three mares, learning this wonderful gift from her Mistress.

"In the middle we have the building blocks. Hypnosis is built on trust initially, but to reach the things you desire to impart onto your subject you need to link trust to control. 'Slow down' safe words, background desires, even mild commands can go here." Maud walked closer to the pile of cards. "At the bottom of your tower will always be two cards, two important ones."

Trixie had experienced first-hoof this low in the tree, but it was still fascinating. Lifting one hoof, she began rubbing Shade's ear.

"Your subject is only yours to control because she wants to be." Maud gestured to one card. "If either of you use the 'bail out' password, or if anypony is in danger, she is no longer yours." Maud pointed to the other card at the bottom of the tower. "If either of these conditions fail…"

Twilight reached her hoof in and only tapped the "bail out" card, sending the cards tumbling down and ruining her work.

"Good girl." Maud gave praise to her pet and turned to the ponies assembled. "Tell me how you would layer these cards up in your subjects head. Starting on the end, Rarity."

"My little fillies both have horns, so we use magic as our safe words." Rarity stepped forward, but without one of her "fillies" nearby she felt a slight pang of worry. To her shock, Twilight got up and trotted forward.

"Rarity, pretend I am one of your fillies, then. But it is only pretend." Twilight smiled to her friend and got a hug back.

"Darling, thank you." Squeezing Twilight, Rarity beamed in delight and settled back. "So first I would use those wonderful tricks Maud taught me, to calm my filly and have them relaxed and open." She looked to Maud and got the slightest nod. "Twilight, you are my pet only if you want to be, if you don't want to be my pet then you are not." The words slipped from her throat easily, she had heard them used by Maud herself on Twilight. "If you touch me with your magic, or I tell you 'We are over,' or if you think anypony is in danger, you are no longer my pet and are once more yourself."

"I chose Rarity," Maud began, cutting in. "Because she has been present when I have worked on Twilight in the past. Go on, what would you layer on top now?"

Rarity grinned. "Well, since it would be my first time playing with Twilight, I would ask you first, what you would allow me to do." Rarity watched as Maud gave her a half smile. "Etiquette with another mare's pet is everything. Twilight, you will keep your eyes slightly downcast at all times, while you are my pet. My pet, you will keep your tail arched as high as you can make it, and you will always prance as well as you can. You will do all these things in the hope of catching another mare, or stallion's, eye, and you will do them because when my pets do them they make me very happy."

"Not a hard one, but you forgot slow down words. Sometimes my pet doesn't want to drop out of her fun completely, but she wants to let me know when things are not quite as she wishes." Maud looked from the blushing Rarity, to Trixie, and finally Cheerilee. "Tell us how you would word such a thing."

"My pet, if you need something changed, if anything makes you feel bad, or hurts you in a way you do not wish, give a tug on my mane with your magic. When that happens," Rarity suddenly remembered this bit, the words coming easier, "you will still be my pet, but whatever command made you want to tug my mane will no longer hold sway over you." She looked up to get a nod from Maud.

"I want to prance like a pretty mare." Twilight turned her head back to Maud and earned a little smile from her Mistress.

"Next time, pet." Maud reached a hoof out and her pet rushed over to rub her head against it. She looked at Trixie. "Next. No hypnosis, just give her the commands."

"Shade, stand before Trixie, good girl now." Trixie's ego overrode any hope that her voice would crack, that she would show any hint of weakness, particularly not in front of her pet. She smiled and reached her hoof up when Shade did what she wanted, rubbing the Shadowbolt's snout. "You are a good girl."

The little voice of "Rainbow Dash" inside the head of the freer version of herself smiled to see Trixie so happy. Shade wagged her tail and tilted her snout to lick the offered hoof.

"Trixie's pet is only her pet if she wants to be, the moment she doesn't want to be Trixie's pet, she isn't." The words stung a little in Trixie's throat, but one look at the devotion in her pet's eyes fueled her ego more than putting on a thousand successful shows. "If Trixie's pet ever thinks anypony is in danger she will not be Trixie's pet, and if Trixie tells her pet 'Show's Over,' or Trixie's pet curls her wing tips, she is no longer Trixie's pet."

"Show me how Trixie's pet curls her wingtips, how easy is that to see?" Maud walked forward and saw as each of the feathers on the Shadowbolt's wings curled up in quite a distinctive way. "Noticeable and easy?" She looked right at Shade and got a nod back. "Continue, Trixie."

Neither part of Dash could deny how awesome this was. It's not even full hypnosis, she is just saying these things and I… I want to believe them.

"Stop." Maud stepped forward and used her earth pony strength to try to push Trixie out of the way. It was a surprise to Maud when it wasn't as easy as she would have thought. "Shade entered a trance."

I sure did, this is awesome. Shade smiled, lolling her tongue out of one side of her snout.

"Trixie didn't do anything!" Trixie was trying to push past the solid earth pony to get to her pet. "The Careful and Caring Trixie wouldn't try to hurt Shade. Trixie's pet is not her pet now, she is free."

The words echoed in Dash's head, they pushed Shade aside and let the real Rainbow Dash be free. "Trixie, what was that for? That was totally awesome!" She suddenly realized that she had talked with her normal voice. "Uh, I mean, growl, snarl…"

"Rainbow Dash, darling if you think this is in any way demeaning, remember that you walk the path of a princess." Rarity smiled at her friend. "And I must say, that really is quite amazing how different you act as Shade, like you are putting on an entirely new mental dress."

"This is so much cooler than dresses." Rainbow Dash felt obliged to defend Trixie's costume. "I mean, look at me!" She spread her wings, smoke curling off her feathers. Lifting a hoof, she offered it to Trixie.

Unaccustomed to such things, Trixie had to draw on her showmareship and bulldoze through the situation. The two pony's hooves connected with a firm clop. "The Great and Powerful Trixie would have nothing less than the best for her pet to wear."

"We really should talk about it later." Rarity beamed in delight at being able to mix her two favorite topics. "I am sure I could come up with something much nicer than that old metal head-collar. The industrial look is so last season. I hear braided rope is big now."

"The Curious and Intrigued Trixie would… would really like that." It hit her extra hard that she was connecting with the ponies she had previous hurt, but Trixie was really enjoying the subject. "After class?" She watched Rarity get the most adorable look on her face and nod.

"Ugh, really Rarity? You are going-" Dash got no further, a jerk on the leash was all it took for her to give a happy little sigh and sink back into Shade. Shade didn't care that two ponies were talking about fashion, Shade liked the idea of getting a new bridle.

"Oh gosh. Trixie…" Twilight rushed over, seeing the change in her friend. "That put her under again right away. As she neared the once-more pet-like mare, Twilight got a lick on her cheek from the irrepressible Shade. "You are a good girl, Shade."

The element of harmony that Rainbow Dash embodied practically hummed inside her. Twilight understands this so well, if Master hadn't found me I would totally be her pet... She licked Twilight's cheek again for good measure.

"Rainbow Dash seems to really like this role. Trixie, it is your responsibility to make sure she is safe." Maud examined Trixie, looking into her eyes with her impassive stare. Memory of how much hypnosis Trixie had put up with, completely against the grain of her character, poked at Maud's mind and she gave a half smile. "Is the Great and Powerful Trixie up to it?"

At her full title, Trixie puffed her chest and glared at Maud. "The Careful and Caring Trixie likes her… likes Rainbow Dash, a lot for what she does for her. She is very willful and very able to help her pet when she needs it." Trixie stepped over to her pet. "Show's Over, Shade."

The words trickled through Dash's mind, sending Shade back to rest and uncovering herself again. She leaned closer and hugged Trixie, resting her head against the other mare's neck. "Thank you, Trixie." It felt like Shade was away, put back where she lived when Dash was in full control.

"So was she hypnotized?" Rarity batted her eyes a few times in consternation. "Darling, are you alright?"

"I feel great." Rainbow Dash drew back from Trixie. "See? Nothing wrong. But I don't get it, she didn't do the whole 'eye thing,' or that voice thing you do." Rainbow looked at Maud. "So how did I get hypnotized?"

"You wanted to." Maud stepped back from the pair and gave a sigh. "I haven't seen this before, but one of the books I read about hypnosis mentioned it. You shifted right into a trance."

"Mistress, you read books on hypnosis?" Twilight's excitement bubbled over into her words and she was almost dancing in place. "What ones? Was it Salating's Mind Mixing?"

"This means Trixie needs to make sure she is even more careful." Trixie pondered on the implications of a pet that hypnotized themselves into trance. "Oh, the perfect answer to this. Trixie will encourage her pet into trance each time they play, and make sure her tower is built properly. Dash, you want to be Trixie's pet now."

It wasn't a command, but Rainbow didn't care; she did want to be Trixie's pet. All this egg-head talk is useless to me anyway. Hey, Shade, tag. Relaxing and shaking herself, Shade looked up at her Master and grinned.

"Good girl, Shade. Now listen to Trixie's words, relax, calm yourself and just listen." As Trixie spoke, she saw Shade's eyes focus on her, saw the subtle hint that she had missed the first time. The Shadowbolt's entire attention was on her unicorn master. "You are Trixie's pet now, Trixie's Shade, Trixie's wild Shadowbolt. Trixie's pet doesn't need to worry about what others think, because she is a pet. Trixie's pet is the best flier in all Equestria, and knows it." It was easy for Trixie to see what words really sang to Dash's pet-self, the last words had the mare standing as tall as ever, wings slightly loose. Trixie began the same commands as before, building the tower as Maud had taught her.

This time, as Trixie spoke the words, Dash and Shade knew what was going on, knew that this collar that they consented to was their freedom and safety. Even when she was told that Trixie could remove the wonderful relaxation with just two words, they accepted it as law.

"...no longer Trixie's pet. Trixie's pet will be able to balk a command simply by barking, and if Trixie's pet does so whatever command that made her balk will no longer exist." Trixie stared deep into Shade's eyes, watching as the mare soaked up every word. "Is Trixie's Shade happy with-"

Shade made sure her Master knew how happy she was by licking her on the snout, again and again.

Author's Note

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ They will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

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