"Hello? Is anypony- Woah!"
Dusk Shine jumped when the door closed behind him with a thud.
He flicked his tail at the door and grumbled, pointing his ears forward. Today hadn't been one of his favorites. His hooves were heavy and achy from a long day of paperwork, and now they were cold. Standing around outside, repeatedly knocking, hadn't done him any favors.
So he had let himself in! Elusive, his friend and sometimes-lover, had been the one to invite him over anyway, so it wasn't technically intruding. He just hoped the other unicorn was around here somewhere. Chewing his lip, he looked around.
Carousel Boutique; a place of refinement. Ponies came in, fashion icons trotted out. At least, that's how Elusive had put it.
The flamboyant stallion was always like that. Putting a spin on things. On ponies. All day! In an afternoon, he'd have at least twenty of his customers wrapped around his hoof, begging to see his newest designs. It was impressive, really. On the few occasions that Dusk Shine volunteered to aid Carousel Boutique's business, he'd had trouble resisting getting swept up in the speeches and inspirational tangents. All of it over a simple skirt or a scarf.
"Elusive? Are you home?" Dusk called out. The only response was the sound of the building settling, creaking quietly in relief at the wind's reprieve. He took a step into the main lobby, peeking his head around the stair's banister. "It's Dusk! I've come to visit."
Nothing. Not even a peep.
"Well then," he whispered to apparently nopony.
The sun was slowly dipping down over the horizon, so the last of the natural light was steadily snaking back through the windows. There were a few dim desk-lamps illuminating spots of the boutique, but not enough to see anything clearly. Dusk narrowed his eyes, looking around for one of Elusive's dimmer switches. All it took was a few sparks from his horn to turn the dial, gradually adding a bit more of a pleasant glow to the room's otherwise dreary atmosphere.
Dusk Shine flicked his tail to the side, quite pleased with himself. "Much better!"
A soft purple glow tinted the room when he once again flared his horn, removing the fluffy blue scarf from around his neck, followed by a winter jacket. Both designed and gifted by the one whose house he now stood in. They floated on over to the coat-stand by the door, dropping neatly on a hook.
As Dusk stopped concentrating and the magic petered out, a few mannequins in the corner suddenly caught his eye. They reflected the light in the way the professional ones always did. Spotless, of course, and polished to a gleaming shine. They weren't adorned with anything, though. Usually, they'd be dressed up in whatever Elusive couldn't afford to put on another pony. But now they were bare. Weird.
As odd as that was, it wasn't nearly as odd as the small pile of clothes that sat, folded, on the nearby desk. A closer look showed him that this was an entire outfit, complete with underwear and socks. Something a mare would wear, judging from the cute skirt atop the pile. A small note garnished the lot, decorated in eloquent handwriting and peppered with doodled hearts.
"Dear Pet," it read.
"Unfortunately, I am a bit preoccupied at the moment. My little brother is being an adorable little nuisance, so my presence is required elsewhere for now. For the time being, I have put together a little something for you to wear while you make yourself comfortable. It'll look gorgeous on you, I promise."
"Thinking of you always, Elusive"
He glanced back at the pile. Elusive wanted him to wear all this? Oh gosh. He'd never been told what to wear before.
It made him feel bubbly inside. It was embarrassing as heck, sure, but he'd already dabbled with cross-dressing in Elusive's presence. This was just more of the same. Being ordered to do it was even more fun. Most of all, he was glad that even if he wasn't here, Elusive still knew exactly how to ease him into a dom-dependent mindset. For the first time today, he was starting to relax.
All he had to do was get dressed up and wait for Master to return home. Better get to it, then.
A purple glow enveloped each article of clothing and separated them from the pile, levitating in the air around the stallion. At the same time, a full-length mirror was quickly dragged over, and he situated himself in front of it.
The first, most noticeable thing were the panties. They were cute. Cotton, plain white, with horizontal bubblegum pink stripes. At first glance, they looked a bit too small. A few testing stretches, testing their elasticity, made him sigh in relief.
Levitating them down, Dusk daintily stepped into them, before pulling them back up again. Plus a few extra gentle tugs to fit them over his fluffy butt. When they were fully on, he noted that this was probably the most comfy pair of panties he had ever worn. And his butt looked amazing in them. Elusive would definitely have to make more.
Next, of course, was the skirt. Elusive was a generous pony, but seemingly not generous enough to allow his pet a cute pair of shorts to wear. Probably to make sure he couldn't hide that pantied butt. How mean.
The pleated skirt matched that same bubblegum pink, with a tall waist and suspenders hanging from it. Dusk followed the same method of stepping into it and tugging it on. It wasn't as short as he figured it'd be, since it covered his rump completely. This didn't matter much, though, as it came installed with a thin petticoat underneath, to make it fluff up and sway and bounce with every movement.
Leaving the suspenders alone, Dusk pulled the ever so slightly over-sized top over his head, and tucked it into the skirt. One of the short sleeves hung loosely off his shoulder, supported by a tiny purple strap of silk. The suspenders went over the top, pulling the skirt up a smidgen in the process.
Socks were last, pulled up all the way to his knees, leaving just a bit of pudgy purple thigh exposed.
By now, Dusk was blushing heavily. Getting dolled up like this in front of a mirror was the quickest way to turn the normally focused and controlled unicorn into warm, giddy mush. Ignoring the butterflies in his tummy, Dusk turned around, cheekily pointing his behind at his reflection.
It certainly wasn't proper for a mare to flash her underwear. But Dusk did it anyway! The way the skirt tickled his thighs, as he lifted his tail to show off the plot underneath, sent shivers up his spine. It was thrilling! The bright, vibrant, girly colours of his outfit made him feel pretty and confident too. There was nothing better than this, surely.
Turning his head, Dusk grinned. Putting his weight on his front hooves, he slowly rotated his hips. From side to side the skirt swayed, offering tinier glimpses. He briefly imagined a small crowd of ponies sitting behind him, staring hypnotically at his butt. A giggle, tiny and feminine, escaped his throat. One last booty wiggle finally satisfied him, and he skipped off to the lounge to wait for Master's return, away from the imaginary ponies' eyes.
A good fifteen minutes later, Dusk's ears perked up. The front door had just closed. There was a pause, then an almost-silent chuckle. Swallowing nervously, he sat up, straining to hear anything further. Was Master home? Maybe it was somepony else? He really didn't want a stranger seeing him like this. Definitely not.
"Pet?" He heard Elusive call. "I'm home! I'm dreadfully sorry it took so long." Hoofsteps approached, and Dusk, upon hearing them, went back to laying down. They got louder and louder, until a fuzzy white muzzle finally peeked into the room.
"G-good evening, Master!" The blushing pony squeaked, ears flattening. He knew what was coming next.
"Pet," Elusive intoned. "You know how to greet your master by now. Stand up and present yourself," he warned, the smuggest grin tugging at his cheeks.
Immediately, Dusk bolted up and stood before the slightly taller male. He mumbled out a few apologies while he turned around. As practiced, his tail lifted, which lifted his skirt in turn.
Elusive got a good, long look. Dusk lowered his head, whinnying.
"That's a good pet." Elusive let the tail drop, smoothing out a crease with his magic. The warning tone in his voice settled down to a warmer one, and his grin spread into a wide smile. "Been enjoying yourself? I hope you haven't been waiting too long."
"Y-yeah! I've just been reading." Dusk said, glancing over to the open magazines, discarded atop the table. They weren't great reading material, but he had to make do. Lost in thought, he almost didn't spot the long pink strap of embroidered and frilled silk floating just under his jaw, wrapping itself around his neck. A tiny golden bell tinkled softly as he tried to look down at it, and he let out an embarrassed whine.
"Oh, darling, hush. I'll never understand why you get so fussy when I collar you." Elusive scolded, earning an exaggerated pout.
A sharp click, and the collar fastened behind his neck. That sound meant just one thing to Dusk. From now on, until Master removed the collar, all of Dusk's worries and responsibilities were in Elusive's capable hooves. He only needed to act cute and follow orders. Ironically, as he felt the weight of the tiny magic-lock settle on his collar, a massive weight of responsibility lifted from his shoulders.
"There! Now my pet has her collar. I know how much you love wearing it~" Elusive teased, making Dusk's ears burn at being called 'her'. It fitted, he supposed. With the outfit, the only thing he'd really need to pass off as a filly was makeup and maybe a mane makeover. A brief fantasy popped into his mind of exploring Ponyville, dressed up, trying to blend in with the rest of the mares. They'd talk about boys and cute clothes and... other things!
On second thought, maybe he'd have to lose a bit of pudge first.
Dusk felt a tug on his collar, breaking him out of the daydream.
"T-thank you, Master." He eventually stammered out when he noticed Elusive was looking at him expectantly.
A shaggy hoof lifted up to affectionately pet the flustered pony between the ears. Then, without another word, the alabaster white stallion trotted past, sitting down exactly where Dusk had laid before. After brushing his mane out of his eyes, Dusk was on the receiving end of a silent 'come here' look.
Obedient as always, the sissy stallion tugged his skirt down and followed after, climbing up on the couch. Normally, pets wouldn't be allowed on the furniture, but Master didn't seem to mind too much today, just as long as he didn't crease or stain anything.
"Goodness, you're almost as quiet as Butterscotch sometimes," he heard Elusive laughing beside him as he focused on curling up, wrapping a lavender tail around himself. "I've not heard a single meow out of you yet. Such a quiet pet~"
"M-mew?" Dusk offered in a high-pitched voice, then hid under the tail. He wasn't very good at those noises, no matter how many times he did them. It didn't stop Elusive from further promting him, however.
"What was that? You'll have to speak up. You are a good pet, aren't you? Good pets speak when spoken to~"
"Mew!" He tried again. He did want to be good. A good pet's rewards were snacks and lots of pats.
"Good girl," Elusive nodded, pleased. Pats were applied with utmost care. After that, the room settled into a comfortable silence, interrupted only by the turning of magazine pages and soft breathing. The buzzing white noise of the room's light easily soothed Dusks frazzled nerves. He had no idea why he got so worked up over a few mewls, but that was part of the fun.
Time went by quickly from then on as the two took turns to talk about their day. Steaming cups of tea appeared for something to drink while they listened, and promptly banished when their tummies grew warm and full. A bit of the odd banter and teasing couldn't be helped. The further the sun descended, the less they talked, and their sleepiness grew.
It was getting late now. Both ponies shared a yawn. As chilly as the night was becoming, they kept themselves warm by holding each other close. Dusk had both forehooves wrapped around Elusive's thigh, nuzzling into the fluff, while the fashionista idly stroked his back.
Neither one wanted the evening to end. Their jobs had run them ragged, so every moment together was a precious commodity. When the couple awakened tomorrow, they would have to return to the daily grind. So they stubbornly snuggled, at least until one of them decided to call it quits.
"H-hey, Elusive?" Dusk peeped, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Yes, Dusk?" Came the reply. Elusive looked like he was on the verge of dozing off.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Darling~"
Moments later, Elusive felt the nuzzling stop. He glanced down at his special somepony sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his own breathing. As quietly as he could, he leaned down to plant a kiss on the purple pony's cheek.
Soon after, a second set of snores joined the chorus.
