On the Importance of a Good Safe Word

“So,” Celestia began. “I understand your position, Twilight. But have you ever really tried it?”

It was the next day. They were having a light breakfast, as far away from Luna’s part of the castle as possible. Both were dressed rather more reasonably than before, but alas, Celestia had made it clear that she wasn’t going to let the events of last night go.

“Well, no, but-”

“Then it’s hardly fair to declare that you can’t enjoy it, isn’t it?” The elder Princess smiled softly to lessen the harshness of her interruption.

Twilight frowned, buttering her toast with a bit more effort than was entirely necessary.

“Ok, sure, but I just don’t understand why anybody would even want that! I mean, you want me to…” her voice went soft, as though she were afraid someone was listening in. “To pretend to be evil, and tie you up, and treat you like a slave and s-“ her voice dropped further, embarrassed to even say the words “s-spank you and, I mean, isn’t that just kind of…abusive?” She stuffed a corner of bread into her mouth. “I mean, you’re Princess Celestia! You rule half the world! You’re immortal and mighty and…” she gestured with her over-buttered bread. “Tall. You’re the Unconquered Sun! You don’t sleep with bad guys, you fight them. I just…I don’t see why you would want any of the stuff you want me to do.”

“Well, I think you’ve hit on it right there, sweetie. I do rule. I have for eons now. Every day, I have the responsibility to telling my people what they can and cannot do. I have to make decisions that affect, even determine, the lives of thousands. Millions now, actually. My word can seal a person’s fate, Twilight. Did it occur to you that such a duty might wear on me, from time to time?”

“Er, sure. Ok. B-“

“And, that being the case, that maybe I might like for someone else take over for a bit? Hand over the reins, if you will? Let someone I love and trust do a bit of determining my fate, if just for a little while. It’s honestly kind of liberating in a way, being told what to do. I know that probably sounds backwards.” She smiled endearingly.

Twilight’s lovely little mouth worked as she tried to marshal some kind of defense. She took another bite of toast to buy some time.

“Fine,” she said, swallowing. “But why the um, bondage? And the villain thing?”

“Well, I suppose it’s true that I am all of those things you said, Twilight, and that yes, I do mostly fight villains, rather than engage with them in other ways. But fighting is passionate. Surely you’ve noticed that, in your adventures? A good battle is exciting! It makes you feel alive! Taking a stand against some nemesis in glorious personal combat is just..." Celestia shivered as a little thrill went through her at the thought of it. “It’s like a physical affirmation of everything you believe in.”

“Right, but you want to pretend to lose.”

“Oh, well, sometimes you can sort of…win by losing? I’ve pulled a few punches in my time, only to ‘conquer’ my opponent in other ways.”

Twilight sputtered out half the tea she’d been drinking.

“Wait, what!? You’ve lost on purpose!? And then…what?”

Celestia shrugged with a sheepish smile.

“Not lost, exactly. Better to say that I allowed a draw. Most of Equestria’s nemeses aren’t really that evil, as I’m sure you’ve observed. Many can be surprisingly reasonable after a good scrap and a bit of, ah, intimate time with their erstwhile opponent.” More seriously, she said. “It can be tiresome, taking a fall when you’d rather just punt someone into the Sun, but that’s all part of rulership, Twilight. You learn to make compromises for the sake of your people. You’ve never seen what happens when I truly throw myself at an enemy, so I suppose you’ll just have to take my word for it, but this way really is far better for all involved. You still have to be careful, because they are villains after all, and that takes some of the fun out of it, but it works.”

“Oh,” said her paramour. Recent events involving villains in Equestria were starting to make a lot more sense to Twilight.

“But doing such things with someone you love, someone you know won’t betray your trust, that’s completely different, baby. It’s really not abusive at all, as long as your partner is into it. It’s like a game. Just a fun bit of fantasy, where we can do all the things we maybe want to do but normally never would, or are afraid to ask for. And I trust you, Twilight. I love you. And so I want to share this part of myself with you. And I want you to feel like you can do the same with me. I promise, I’ll never judge you for anything you want in bed. I’ve always prided myself on being a very giving lover. In fact,” she said, fully aware that she was flagrantly cheating in the relationship game by playing her cards this way, “I seem to recall that we’ve already done several things that I wasn’t entirely comfortable with at your very convincing insistence.” She smiled a completely reasonable smile. And pushed her breasts up just a bit so they pressed tight against her dress. Twilight had a rather charming fascination with them, and why play only one hand when you have two?

“Um…” said Twilight, eyes focused somewhere under Celestia’s face.

"Like that time we did it on the balcony of my room, even though you know how I worry about people seeing us? And then in the Royal gardens, right after the Summer Sun Celebration? Or when you dressed up in your little schoolgirl outfit and somehow persuaded me to have my way with you over a desk, and had me call you my most faithful student, despite my numerous reserve-”

"OK! Ok, I get it! You can stop!" Twilight was incandescently blushing, caught between embarrassment and laughter. It was adorable.

"But, um, did you really not like it?" asked Twilight, honestly surprised. "The schoolgirl thing?" Celestia had certainly seemed enthusiastic enough at the time.

"Oh, I did. It just took some effort. I still remember you when you actually were in school, Twilight. The idea of doing the things that we did with a teenaged you is just..." She shuddered a little.

"Really!? I had no idea! I'm so sorry!"

Celestia waved her concerns away.

"It's nothing, Twilight. Really, don't worry. I had a delightful time once I got over it. But this is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I never, ever would have done such a thing with you when you were in school, even if I’d known how you felt about me. But now that we're all adults, it's just a fun game we can play, even if it's not my favorite."

"Hrmm. Put that way," said Twilight, tapping her fork on a plate, "it looks like I owe you one. Ok, I’ll try again. Even if I totally don’t get why you’re into being dominated or whatever. You’ve convinced me.”

Celestia sat back, satisfied and certain that everyone was going to come out ahead on this.

"Thank you, sweetie. I think you’ll like it once you get into it. But, actually, I thought we might go at this from a different direction than last time?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“As it happens,” began Celestia, poking at a bit of breakfast. “I have a, well, I guess you would call her an alter-ego.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this. Um, darling?”

Twilight wasn’t the best at the pet name thing, but she tried.

“Yes, well, she’s more like…like an aspect of myself, I suppose, than an alter-ego.”

“Like Nightmare Moon and the Tantabus are for Luna?

“No! No, I wouldn’t go that far,” said Celestia, backpedaling. “The only reason I bring her up is that, in the same way I sometimes like to be ’dominated,’ as you put it, she likes to be the dominator.” She glanced up to see how Twilight took that.

“Ok,” she said, cautiously. “So, you want to…what?”

"Well, I thought I’d have you meet her. And maybe she could show you how to play the game.”

“Oh. Alright, sure. Does she have a name?”

“Yes. It’s, ah, Tyrant Sun.”

Twilight looked very, very dubious.

Celestia just smiled.

“I know. I know it sounds bad. But she’s no trouble, I promise.” It had been a couple of millennia since she’d last tried to conquer the world, after all. She and Celestia were over all that.

“Hrmm. Well. If you say so.”

“Wonderful! Oh, and one more thing.”

“Ok.”

“You should tell me a safe word.”

“A…safe word?”

Celestia could physically see the reservations mounting up in Twilight’s mind.

“It’s something people do when they’re…well, it’s in case you want to stop. If things get too intense.”

“Um. Why wouldn’t I just say I want to stop?”

“That’s all part of the game, honey. Remember how I said it’s a way to do all the things you normally wouldn’t?”

“So, ok, wait. If I tell you to stop while we’re playing this ‘game,’ you won’t? Unless I say the safe word?”

“Yes.” Celestia folded her hands in front of her and tried to make that sound reasonable. “It makes sense when you’re in the moment. You’ll see. Just say the word, and I, or Tyrant Sun, in this case, will stop whatever we’re doing immediately, no questions asked. But it should be something that has no place in the bedroom.” She hoped her smile didn’t look as desperate as it felt, because Twilight’s little frown was growing ever more worrisome. “It really isn’t…just…please?

Maybe it had been that bit about how she loved Twilight and trusted her, or perhaps it was just the girl’s insatiable curiosity, but to Celestia’s surprise and delight, her girlfriend agreed with only a shrug and no further argument.

“Ok. Pumpernickel.”

"Pardon?”

“That’s my safe word. Pumpernickel.”

Celestia swelled with happiness.

“Oh, thank you, Twilight. I promise this will be better than you think. And that’s a good word. Very cute.”

“Right. Sure. So,” she said, drumming her fingers on the table. “Should I wear anything special? For this totally-normal-and-not-at-all-weird thing we’re doing?”

~~~

Twilight arrived at Celestia’s chambers later that evening, wearing the same schoolgirl outfit she’d worn that one time, when Celestia’d had her over the desk. Celestia might not be into that particular bit of costuming, but apparently this ‘Tyrant Sun’ loved it.

She wasn’t sure what to expect with all this. Her first talk with Celestia on the villain roleplay thing, which had been little more than ‘dress in this, pretend to be evil,’ had resulted in that earlier disaster, so she was a little nervous. How else was a girl supposed to feel about meeting someone named Tyrant? The dimmed lighting and empty halls weren’t helping. She pulled her skirt down for like, the thousandth time tonight. The little pleated skirt was technically wearable in public, but maybe only for certain occasions. Nightmare Night, for instance, when girls could get away with being well over half-naked, and dressing as an older, hotter version of your high-school self was a totally normal thing to do. And maybe only for someone who didn’t mind having people check out her butt all night. Twilight didn’t. She might be rather, ah, ‘efficiently built’ up top, but everyone agreed, her backside was something really special. A national treasure, Celestia had once called it. She may have been drinking at the time.

Under the skirt, good, old-fashioned white cotton. There were fancier options, but there was just something classically sexy about a nice pair of simple, white cotton panties. And it fit the theme, besides. Her blue, button up shirt barely held these days. Twilight kind of liked that. It really brought what modest charms she had to the fore. Just put 'em right out there. She’d decided against a bra because why even bother? She hadn’t brought her old backpack. She’d thought about it, just to stay in character, but figured it was a bit much. Anyway…

She raised a hand to knock on the doors, but they creaked open before she’d even touched them.

“Enter,” intoned a dusky, darkly feminine voice.

Twilight’s brows rose. She hesitated a bit before obeying, but obey she did. She stepped into the darkened room. Only a few, small, distant candles lit the normally glowing chamber. They ringed the room, leading to the huge banister bed that Twilight was now well familiar with. The doors drifted shut behind her.

“Um. Princess?” Twilight spoke into the dark.

“Princess?” responded the voice, slightly indignant.

The whole room came to life as a series of little fires ignited. The warm, sensual tones of torchlight led to what could only be called a throne. Maybe even an altar. The woman upon it didn’t sit. She sprawled. Reclined. One long, smooth leg was draped over the other. A hand held up Tyrant Sun’s chin. The other toyed with a bit of flame, held in her palm, being rolled up and over it like a juggler’s ball. She flowed up out of the seat as Twilight stared, snuffing the fire with a flick of her jeweled wrist. She strutted forward, hips swaying, stopping some few yards away.

Even at this first glance, Tyrant Sun was as far distant from Celestia as noon from night.

Tyrant Sun’s hair was the molten red of a savage dawn, highlighted with a bright orange, like liquid iron. It didn’t wave in some untouchable wind, but poured like a river of magma, the tips dancing with white-hot fire, shimmering and restless. She reached languorously up with both hands and ran long, ruby-painted fingers through that molten cascade, splaying it out as Twilight watched, momentarily dumbfounded.

Her face was the same as Celestia’s, her hands and breasts and hips the very same that Twilight knew and loved, but they were all so impossibly different at the same time. And her eyes. Goddess, those burning eyes! Twilight felt like she was being consumed, just being near this woman, and that was by no means a complaint. Sun let her hair fall down past her lower back as Twilight watched, sliding easily into a pose that really showed off everything she was. She grinned, diamond-white teeth flashing behind crimson lips.

“No, my dear. I am not your Princess.”

She wore all gold and black and crimson. It could almost be mistaken for armor, but like, fantasy novel armor. Her broad shoulders were out in the open, muscle unhidden. Her chest, which could only be described with words like ‘fulsome’ or ‘plentiful’ or other words with ‘full’ in them somewhere, pushed up against a bodice of some black, shimmery, unfeasibly form-fitting cloth, shot through with lines of shining metal. They were laced tight with glittering gold chain. A wide collar came down off around them, drawing one’s attention to what lay between, as if that needed doing. As Twilight’s eyes followed the costume’s lines down, she saw it was a bit like a one-piece swimsuit, ending between the swell of those glorious thighs. Over her hips, Tyrant Sun wore something like a belt or sash of heavy vermilion cloth. It did absolutely nothing to hide her figure and everything to emphasize it. On her legs, boots a bit like those Twilight had worn before, but…more. Thigh high, they were black and gold, again almost like armor, and led down to a truly astounding pair of shining, stiletto heels.

“My eyes are up here, darling.” She drew Twilight’s attention back up with the flick of finger.

Her arms were graced with décor much like the rest of her. Sleeves of sable and gold ran from her hands to past her elbows, held on not by gloves, but only a thin string that looped around her middle finger. It left her hands free to wear glittering rings and jingling bracelets and other adornments. The same hand that had snatched up Twilight’s gaze slid over Tyrant Sun’s flank, over her chest, up her throat. She crossed one arm under the other, resting her chin upon that hand, posing once more. She tapped one finger against her cheek, watching herself being watched.

She wore Celestia’s crown, Twilight finally noticed, but the gem within was a seething crimson, the same color as her nails, lips and eyes.

Saying nothing, Tyrant Sun spun into a turn that would have shamed even the haughtiest of fashion models, raising her arms above herself, making absolutely sure that Twilight noticed how well-fitted that outfit was with a slow, smooth shake of her hips at the end. She watched over her shoulder, wanting, demanding, to see her lover's speechless appreciation.

Twilight didn’t know her mouth was open.

“I trust you are suitably impressed.”

Not a question. A statement. Twilight tried to come up with an answer anyway.

“I, uh, yeah-er.”

Tyrant Sun turned back to face her, raising an imperious eyebrow.

“Surely you can do better than that.”

To say her voice was sexy would entirely fail to capture it. It smoked. It smoldered.

“O-of course! You’re uh, well, you’re, I mean,” Twilight flexed her hands. This was normally where she gave up on words and just jumped on Celestia. Touch was a much better way to communicate anyway. She stepped forward.

Tyrant crossed her arms over her chest, blocking Twilight as effectively as if she’d put up a wall.

“You’re normally so clever with that tongue of yours. Do you need me to help you, little girl? Why don’t you start with a compliment?”

Ok, well, that was kind of…insulting. But it did finally get Twilight’s brain working again.

“Right! W-*ahem* You, my lady, are gorgeous.”

Tyrant Sun looked down her nose, unimpressed.

“Incomparable? Transcendent! A goddess!”

Tyrant’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! Transcendent. A Goddess. I like that. Come, my little student,” she reached one hand toward Twilight. “Tell me more.”

Twilight jumped to take the offered hand. Wait. she wondered. Ok, hold on. What are we doing, exactly? She’d thought Tyrant Sun was going to explain the ‘game.’ Apparently she’d decided they should just play it, instead.

Tyrant Sun gripped her hand as soon as Twilight touched it. She raised it slightly up over her head. Twilight wasn’t sure what to do, and so, still a bit overwhelmed, she just kind of stood there.

Tyrant Sun gazed down at her. Was she actually taller than Celestia, or did it just seem that way?

“Come now, sweetling. Surely you know the basics, at least?”

“I, uh…”

Tyrant made a circling motion with one finger of her free hand.

“Oh! Right! I didn’t know we were danci-“

“Yes, yes, dear. Could you..?” She made the circling motion again, raising the hand that held Twilight’s own.

Twilight did a twirl, just as she would have on a dance floor, sending her skirt into a rather revealing spin. She was halfway to complaining that Celestia, or Tyrant Sun, or whoever-the-hell was being a kind of a royal bitch right now when the latter caught her in a tight hug and lifted her, kissing her deep.

Twilight melted, as she always did.

“Very good, darling.” Tyrant ran a hand down her back and over her skirt and then a ways back up, giving the cheek underneath a teasing squeeze. “You always look so good in a short skirt. Come along.” She set her down without another word and strutted toward the throne she’d lounged upon before, drawing Twilight with her by one hand. The girl found herself caught at some junction between indignation and arousal, and wondered why the two seemed to meet up so easily.

Sun flowed down into the seat, pulling Twilight with her such that the younger woman ended up sitting in her lap.

Tyrant Sun looked Twilight up and down for bit, a slight, unknowable smile on her lips. The moment went on. Twilight opened her mouth to say…something. She didn’t know what. It didn’t matter.

“I like this,” said Tyrant, cutting her off, tracing her fingers down the slightly strained buttons of Twilight’s shirt. “And this is just…mmm.” Her fingers grazed Twilight’s belly and then further down, just over bits of cloth between her legs. The girl leaned back, ready and oh-so-willing for those fingers to do more. But rather than slip under the skirt, they moved further down, sliding over her thigh and knee and calf, stopping. “But these are a bit…”

Twilight looked down at the socks that led into her boots. Tyrant Sun waved a hand at them.

“Why don’t you just get those out of the way, darling?”

“Um.” Her shoes hadn’t been a problem last time. She’d just taken everything else off around them, no big deal.

“Well?” said Tyrant Sun, watching her, hands now firmly on the rests of her throne.

“Ok, what is this?” Twilight demanded. “You were supposed to tell me how to play this game or whatever, but you’re just…I don’t even know.”

“What this is, little girl,” stated Tyrant Sun, eyes aglow, “is an order. Take those off, immediately!”

“Fine! Jeez!”

Twilight hopped off Sun/Celestia’s lap and leaned over to untie her boots for no damned reason at all. She wished she knew what this was about, and why Sun was acting like that, and why it so hot the way her eyes had glowed right there.

“Ugh. Love, I do enjoy your spirit, and the show you’re giving me, but you could at least put some effort into it. Disrobing is an art. Take your time.”

Twilight glared back, further confused. She looked at her boot, half off her foot, then back at Tyrant Sun, who was resting her chin on one palm, grinning smugly.

“It’s all part of the game, sweetling.”

Ok. Wait. Twilight did a bit of mental math. Bent over like she was, with a skirt like she was wearing…ok, yeah, that would certainly provide a show. But what was the rest of that? About art and spirit and the weird mix of insults and affection? Was Sun expecting her to take off her boots in a sexy way, or something? Was that even possible? She knew Celestia had a bit of thing for feet, but…well, whatever. She’d give it a try.

Twilight straightened up, turned around, and leaned down to sit lightly on the floor. She spread her legs while making sure her skirt just barely covered her. She slipped off the boot, slowly, and slid her fingers into the sock under it, really taking her time getting it off her foot. She let it bunch up at her ankle, then daintily took hold of the toe and, ever so slowly, drew the whole thing off, inch by inch, feeling profoundly silly until she looked up and saw how Sun was looking at her.

Oh my, yes.

Twilight wiggled her toes, and saw Sun watch her do it. She leaned toward her other boot, playing a bit with the hem of her skirt on the way, showing, hopefully, just a glimpse of what was underneath. Tyrant Sun licked her lips.

Alright. I can get into this.

She unlaced the other boot, in no hurry this time.

“Oh, come now,” said Sun, waving a hand. “Off with it!”

Twilight frowned.

“You just told me to take my time!”

“You’ve taken plenty. And I believe what I said was to do what I tell you, so hurry up with it!”

Twilight was fairly certain she’d said no such thing. Am I supposed to argue, or do whatever arbitrary thing Sun says, or what? She was hypothetically learning what Celestia wanted done to her, right? And she wanted to be dominated, so…

Twilight went with ‘do whatever she says.’

“Of course, my lady.”

“Pah! Again with this ‘lady’ nonsense. What am I, some talentless noble harlot?”

“Uh, of course not. Princess, then?”

“Mm.” Tyrant Sun re-crossed her legs, intently watching as Twilight slowly uncovered her own.

“Will Your Majesty suffice?”

“Hmph.” Sun’s lips pouted a bit. She clearly wanted something specific. “And slow down. You have such lovely little toes.”

Twilight loosed the last of her laces, freeing her foot in as slow and sexy a way as she could think of. What would someone named Tyrant want to be called..?

“Mistress?”

Tyrant Sun’s eyes sparked anew.

“Yes! Mistress. Say it again!”

“Of course, Mistress.”

Ok, so she wants to be obeyed… Twilight used her naked foot to slide the other sock off, running one hand down her own chest at the same time. She wiggled her toes, balancing precariously on one hip as she rubbed her feet together and felt herself up a bit.

Tyrant squirmed a little, somehow making the motion both elegant and slightly intimidating.

“Enough with the shoes! Come here! This throne is terribly cold without you.”

"But you said to be slow, mistress. I wouldn’t want to disobey an order.”

“Oh, so we’re feeling obedient now?” But she didn’t say anything more, just watched, hungry with lust.

But she wants to be challenged, too?

Twilight tossed the sock onto the floor and drew her legs back in, taking no great care to hide what was under her skirt this time. She stood, running both hands down herself.

“Is there anything else you’d like me to take off, mistress?”

Sun gave her a grin, but it was a sharp one. She raised a hand and crooked one finger, drawing Twilight forward. Twilight went, placing herself back on her mistress’s lap. Tyrant Sun ran both hands up and down her girl, squeezing as she pleased. She kissed her, hard, pushing Twilight back with force of it.

“Somebody,” she said in that smoking voice, “needs a lesson in humility.”

“Wait, wh-“

She wrapped Twilight in an irresistible cloak of magic and flipped her over, laying her student across her knees. Tyrant Sun pulled up a few inches of skirt with one hand, revealing the thin, white panties beneath. A sharp *smack* reverberated through the room as she slapped Twilight’s ass.

“OW! What the-“

Sun stroked the cheek she’d just spanked, outside, and then in, slipping her fingers across Twilight’s inner thigh. She massaged Twilight’s back with the other hand.

“You think you can taunt your mistress without consequence?”

She spanked her again, softer this time, eliciting another cry of pseudo-outrage, then stroked between her legs, over her underwear. Her other hand was working its way down, playing at the buttons that barely held Twilight’s shirt together.

“Have you learned your lesson, little girl, or do I have to keep going?”

“I, uh...” Twilight was honestly caught between a yes and a no on that one. Tyrant Sun answered for her. Hard.

*Smack!*

“Agh! Fuck!”

Sun had her fingers inside Twilight’s panties now, just brushing her lips as she stroked the girl’s breasts through her shirt.

“Such language. It sounds like somebody hasn’t learned anything at all.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to do. It hurt, sure. It was humiliating, sorta. But also…

Tyrant Sun spanked her again, but it was soft this time.

“I didn’t hear an answer, young lady. Should I stop?”

Oh, well. Nice of her to ask, I guess?

“Or do you need more?”

“Um. Yes?”

Wait. Why did I say yes? Does that mean she’ll stop, or-

*Smack!*

"Dammit!"

*Smack!*

“Such a hard-headed little girl.”

“I don’t, I, um!”

What am I supposed to be learning here!?

Sun spanked her again, much harder this time. She snuck her hand in, hot and hard, between Twilight’s legs, dipping into her with one finger while others stroked her clit between spankings. Her free hand squeezed Twilight’s shoulders or neck or pinched her breasts through her shirt.

“Oh, goddess, just fuck me!”

*Smack!*

“Fucking OW!” Twilight felt tears trying to come up, and wondered why that didn’t bother her.

*Smack!*

“Such language, Twilight! I’m starting to think you like this, using naughty words like that,” said Sun, fingering for much longer this time. She pulled out, and Twilight looked back to see her run her tongue over those deft fingers. Seeing herself watched, Sun blew a kiss with her wet hand and passed it to Twilight. The girl closed her eyes and sucked at the fingers greedily.

“That’s so fucking hot, Pr-OW!”

Sun popped the fingers from her mouth as soon as Twilight started talking and spanked her again, hard, playing at her clit with the other hand.

Ow! Ok, Ow! I mean, yesyesyes, but ow! Why can’t she just let me…

“Oh my fucking Goddess!”

*Smack!*

Am I being punished for something? Why won’t she just tell me what she wants!?

Twilight bit her lip, managing to keep herself from crying out this time as the burn faded. Nothing happened for a while, except that Sun rubbed at her pussy some more. Twilight backed up into it, or would have, if she’d any way to do that while bent over Tyrant Sun’s knees. Oh wait. She spanks me anytime I swear. Seems like I could have figured that out before now. Ok. But…

“Can you, um, do the other side?”

Tyrant Sun spanked her once more, but softer than before, just enough to sting a little. Twilight managed to keep silent.

“I might consider such a thing, should you remember how to address me properly.”

“Oh! Right. Can you do the other side, Mistress?”

Tyrant Sun smiled graciously…

And then spanked Twilight where it hurt.

“No.”

“What the fuck!?”

“That was for forgetting your manners. And this…”

Sun smacked her again, but on the other cheek this time.

“Is for that dirty little mouth of yours.” Her fingers found their way back between Twilight’s legs. “And for trying to tell me what to do.”

Twilight made a groan somewhere between frustration and pleasure.

Tyrant Sun stroked her further.

“There. That's a good girl. It seems like you’re learning, my naughty little student.”

“Mmph.” Twilight found herself a little too busy to use words right now.

“But you’re not quite there.”

*Smack!*

“Dammit! Wh-”

“I expect an answer when I speak to you, Twilight. A simple ‘yes, mistress’ will suffice, but do feel free to be creative.”

Tyrant didn’t stop fingering as she spoke, but Twilight managed to say,

“Y-ah! Mm. Yes, mistress!”

*smack!*

Twilight cried out in equal parts outrage and lust. I did what I was supposed to! What the hell!?

“And look at me when you talk. You have the most gorgeous eyes when you’re about to come.”

Twilight turned over one shoulder, not sure what she was feeling or what she was even supposed to be feeling anymore. She was certainly about to come though. She remembered to say something just as Tyrant was raising a hand.

“Fine, I'm looking! Mistress!”

“Very good.” Tyrant smiled and lowered the arm that had been about to spank her again. “But we’ve only just started, and here you are, rushing for the climax. And I don’t think I appreciate your tone, little girl. I’m not sure you’ve earned an orgasm yet.”

Her fingers stopped just outside Twilight’s pussy, just barely rubbing at her lips, maddeningly close.

Twilight had been willing to overlook pretty much everything that had happened so far while Sun had been fingering her. She’d been right there! Why would Celestia stop now!?

Denied that wonderful bit of distraction, Twilight was left with nothing to focus on but the pain and irritation and vague sense that she should be ashamed of all this. She blinked, honestly flummoxed as to how the hell she was supposed to respond to that.

“I, um…”

“Hrmm. Should I let you come so soon?”

“Yes!” barked Twilight.

"Pfeh.” Tyrant Sun dismissively waved a hand which, Twilight couldn’t help but notice, was neither fingering nor even spanking her. “You’re not even trying, you little slut. Convince me.”

What was left of Twilight’s arousal quite suddenly evaporated.

“Excuse me!?”

Sun’s eyes went a bit wide with surprise at Twilight’s sudden intensity. But she didn’t stop, and she didn’t apologize. Just plowed straight through the impasse, as if it had been her plan all along.

“Hah! I thought that might get your attention. Such a proud little girl.” She caressed Twilight’s clit, slow and calm. “But do try again. I know you can do better.”

“Don’t just brush me off!” snapped Twilight, squirming off Sun and onto her feet. “You can’t call me a…call me that! And what am I even supposed to say!? You spank me no matter what! I don’t know what you want me to do!”

Tyrant Sun leaned back and gave Twilight an appraising look.

“Ah,” she said.

“ ‘Ah,’ what!? What does that mean!?”

“It means, darling, that unless you’ve suddenly become an amazing actress and this little outburst is part of an elaborate ruse to get me excited, now would be a good time to use that word we agreed on.”

wilight’s face screwed up in confusion. “Ruse? How would this get you excited? And what word? Pumpernickel?”

Tyrant Sun nodded. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and a second later, Celestia sat in her place.

It was absolutely fascinating to watch the transformation. The shift of the hair was the most obvious sign, but there were so many other tiny changes Twilight hadn’t quite caught until now. Celestia held herself completely differently, in a hundred little ways. Her chin dropped a few degrees, her eyes softened, she let her shoulders come down to rest. Both personas radiated regal presence, but Celestia managed it without so much of Sun’s outrageous arrogance, exuding patient benevolence instead. She also looked really good in that outfit…

Twilight crossed her arms and aimed herself away from Celestia, trying to maintain her anger.

Celestia rose from her throne. Twilight tensed when she tried to reach out to her, so Celestia backed off. Instead, she stated her case, and let her student come to her own conclusion.

“I'm sorry I upset you, Twilight. I…suppose I owe you some explanation."

"Yeah, I'd say so.”

Celestia nodded.

“I am…not very good at talking about this kind of thing. Sex, that is. It makes me, I don’t know. Nervous? So, perhaps I let myself pretend this would be easy for you. You’ve always learned best when given plenty of room to work out your own answers, so maybe I supposed I’d just drop you into the middle of it and let you figure things out.” She shrugged. “I’ll correct my mistake now, if you’ll let me.”

Twilight kept herself turned away because it was friggin’ impossible to stay angry at Celestia when she got like this, with her huge eyes and great rack and honest, deep-seated sincerity.

Cheater.

“Ok,” she managed.

"I suppose the first thing that needs saying is that I know that this is strange for you, Twilight. To see me like this. To think of me, or yourself, or us in these ways. And that’s fine. It is a little strange. You grew up taught that everyone is equal and deserves respect and is worthy and righteous and so on, and all of that is true, but…well, we all have our kinks, right? Some of us like strange things. Maybe my tastes are further out of synch with the rest of the world than I remember, but I don’t think so.” She paused, considering her words. “So, one thing for you to understand about this is that you don’t have to think so much about what I want. In fact, you don’t have to think at all.”

Twilight turned to her, one eyebrow raised in irritable suspicion.

“Don’t be angry, please, just listen.”

Twilight gave her a slight nod.

“I set up all this,” she waved to room around her, the candles, the throne, the bed. The flower petals on the ground that Twilight hadn’t even noticed until now. “Myself. I put down every candle, ran off all my guards, rearranged my whole room. I, personally, built this whole scene. I made sure everything was perfect, and I did it so that when you got here, you would have nothing at all to worry about, nothing to distract you from the experience. I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad, but to explain something important: This isn’t my show. It yours. You’re the star tonight. I know that seems backwards, since I’m the one giving all the orders, but that’s the nice part of being the ‘victim.’ The ‘villain’ has to do all the work. You just get to show up and have fun. In the end, it’s really all about what you want, not me. Understand?”

“Okayyy,” she said, drawing it out, giving herself some time. “That’s great, but why all the insults? And the, um, spanking, and…”

“Did you not like that?”

“I didn’t like being called a slut!”

Celestia nodded. She didn’t apologize, didn’t try to justify anything. Just acknowledged. “And now I know not to do that. It will never happen again. But the rest?”

“Oh, well. I mean, um…”

Celestia smiled.

“There you go again, overthinking things. It’s ok to be turned on by weird stuff, Twilight. Or not to be. Stop worrying about what you think you should think, baby, and just let yourself feel. You like to dance, yes?”

Twilight gave another cautious nod.

“Do you think about what you’re doing, while you dance?”

Her moves on the dance floor had once been described by Rarity as ‘a sort of vaguely organized flailing.’ Twilight hadn’t been sure whether or not that was an insult, but it was true enough. Dance was one of the few things that she could just do, one of the only times her brain would just shut up for a little while so she could…

Oh. Hm.

Apparently Celestia saw the revelation on her face, because she nodded, and stepped forward, wrapping herself around Twilight. “This isn’t a test, baby. There are no grades here, no judgements at all. Saying the safe word isn’t a failure, it just means we’ve found a boundary. And boundaries aren’t weaknesses. We’re just trying things. Sometimes they won’t work out, and that’s fine. But when things do work…”

Celestia gave her a smile that promised untold pleasures.

“Just try it for a bit. Let go. Let yourself have this. There is great freedom in surrender.”

Twilight smiled in spite of herself, in spite of how little sense that made. She buried her face in Celestia’s chest for a while.

“And as to me ordering you around and insulting you, that’s really meant more as a reward than a punishment. I thought you might like it. I certainly do. But you don’t have to take any of it personally. You can if it gets you off, but this is all just pretend. And just because I give you an order doesn’t mean you have to follow it. I can’t force anything on you unless you let me, remember? You have that magic word, so you can tell me to stop at any time, and no matter what, I will. So really, you’re the one in control here.”

Twilight looked up.

“Oh.”

Something clicked.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ok! I thought I was screwing everything up, and I got confused by all this…” she waved a hand, “Stuff. And so, well, anyway.”

Celestia smiled.

“Ok,” Twilight mumbled into that glorious cleavage. “But, one question?”

“Mm?”

Hands had already begun to wander. They made up quick, these two.

“So, you and Tyrant Sun. Should I talk like you’re different people, or-”

“Yes.”

The answer came faster and more definitively than Twilight had expected. She’d figured there was some explanation coming, but nothing followed.

“Alright then. So, is she coming back, or..?”

“Well,” Celestia said, pulling back some. “We can stop now if you want. We can pick this up later, after we’ve had some time to think about what we want. Or we can drop the whole thing, and never speak of it again. Unless…you’d like her to come back now?” There was a clear note of hope in her voice.

Hardly fair of her to ask that, Twilight thought, with her hand halfway up my skirt. But... She nodded with an enthusiasm that surprised even her.

Celestia had apparently been ready. Her hair fell back into that crimson cascade without a moment’s delay as Tyrant Sun swelled back into the world in her full, smoldering glory. She bared her teeth to Twilight in a knife-edged grin.

“I’ve missed you, baby,” she purred, drawing closer.

The girl giggled in happy anticipation.

“Can I ask you something, real quick?”

Tyrant Sun raised an eyebrow indulgently.

“Should I try to fight you, or whatever? It seems like you really like that. Your eyes kind of glow when you get turned on and it’s really hot.”

Sun laughed.

“You should do whatever you like, darling. If you’re feeling naughty and want to disobey, by all means, go ahead. That just means I get to play harder.” Her grin took a dangerous turn as she squeezed Twilight tight. Almost too tight. But not quite. “But this is your night. If you’d rather give in and do whatever I say without complaint…” she released, letting her hands roam free. “That’s just fine as well. Shall we?”

“One more question?”

“Mhmmmm.”

Sun was clearly growing impatient.

“About the whole ‘no being yes’ thing you mentioned this morning?”

“Ugh. Don’t put it that way, dear. I loathe that phrase. ‘No’ can mean a lot of things in this situation. And that was Celestia, not myself.”

“Right. Got it. But if I say I don’t want to keep going, does that mean...?”

Tyrant Sun looked down at her, lips quirking into a smirk.

Twilight fell into a mock swoon.

“Because I’m just not sure how much more I can take!”

Sun laughed, snapping Twilight up in her irresistible grip.

“Oh, little girl, you have no idea what you’re in for.”