Workplace Mentality

In the gentle soothing quiet of the morning, Twin groaned softly, his ear folding against his head as he heard several doors open and shut unceremoniously loudly, the ponies leaving them disregarding the sleeping staff present. Shortly after that disturbance however, the sound of something metal being hit forced Twin to snap his hooves to his ears, groaning louder than before. Or at least try, when he tried to cover his ears his hooves couldn’t swing around due to the coils, Twin had to wriggle free and by the time he’d gotten free he was mostly awake and the sound had stopped, replaced instead by other doors opening and loud shuffling. Twin sighed, pushing himself up and grabbing his uniform, walking out into the hallway, full of the other staff members. Twin found the end of the line and looked over his new co-workers.

Twin began to notice large gaps in the crowd and they shuffled in a bizarre chaotic order towards any available bathroom when the occupant finally left, and many of the bedroom doors Twin was going past as he waited were labelled ‘unoccupied’. Twin estimated at least more than half were labelled as such, Ruby must have lost a lot of staff recently at this ‘dinner’. Twin tapped his hoof waiting, despite the less than full staff list, the time it took some to shower was ridiculous and Twin debated whether he should have stayed in bed a little bit longer. Then again, if he’d woken up when he should have he wouldn’t be in this mess. Either way, the tiny crowd finally dissipated and Twin stepped into one of the bathrooms, quickly jumping into the already warm water, one benefit at least to going after the others. As Twin soaked his body he paused, staring at the two hanging bottles, both were labelled shampoo with various brandings plastered on the side, one a simple summer sky blue, the other purple, making Twin think of the greenhouse trees for some reason. The truly odd thing however was that the purple bottle was written over in black marker with the word ‘pets’ over it. It was noticeably lower in quantity than the other, so it must be popular… it couldn’t hurt to try, right?

Twin took the cap off, sniffing and the smell alone was enough to confirm that this was a perfectly okay idea to Twin! It was so sweet, yet also savoury like a fruity salad topped with honey and slices of cake on the side. Twin smiled as he poured some out and experienced a very strange sensation, where the thick gloopy gel landed and settled on his hoof there was a tingling sensation as if he was going numb because his brain couldn’t handle all the relaxing sensations he was being presented with. His leg quivering slightly in delight, Twin bit his lip with a quiet sigh. It felt as if his muscles were melting into this stuff.

“Lamias are great,” Twin mumbled, deciding that he wouldn’t use any other gel for washing now he’d tried this. This thought was enforced as Twin began to rub the gel into his mane turning into purple coloured frothy bubbles. As Twin rubbed the shampoo in it felt as if thousands of tiny snakes were slithering over his muscles and nerves, squeezing him tight enough to go lightheaded and fuzzy, but with enough slack he could feel them rub all around his brain. Twin’s mouth dropped open and he let out a gargled moan, before coughing on the water filling his mouth “Okay… muh-maybe don’t face the shower when putting this on…” Twin mumbled to himself turning around and spreading the gel over his wings, which flung open before he’d even touched them, as if his body was openly saying how welcome the sensations were.

Twin was soon covered in the soapy bubbles, head hanging low as if bearing a heavy weight, his mouth vaguely open as he tried his best not to drool. Unable to back up properly, Twin merely sat down under the water and hummed cheerfully as the bubbles were washed away, slithering down his body with the water. Twin poked a hoof to his chest, feeling a slight tingling sensitivity wherever he touched, it was delightful. However, Twin was soon clean of suds and as much as he wanted to make use of the gel a second time, he had work to do and upsetting Ruby might get him fired from the gel- her employment.

Twin stood up and turned the water dial off, stepping out onto the already damp bath mat, drying himself quickly before dressing in his uniform. As Twin put the suit top on he bit his lip, feeling the fabric rubbing over his body, shifting back and forth to enjoy the sensation of movement caressing him. The collar was even better, it hadn’t changed but it suddenly felt tighter. Twin wasn’t sure why this change was so thrilling, but he didn’t care, instead he placed a hoof to his neck and pushed in, gulping against his own frog whilst smiling.

Reality, once again, had to tap Twin’s shoulder to get him moving and he trotted with a cheerful pace out the bathroom and into Ruby’s “Looks like the new guy enjoyed the dripleaf.” One mare commented smiling to her friend as Twin passed them by.

Once inside the bathroom, Twin wasted no time turning the hot tap all the way around. It felt like he was trying to turn a gate wheel due to its size and the amount of water that gushed out was befitting that as well. It was a very brief wait until the bath was pooling up with hot water, steaming up the room. Twin began turning the tap back early, so he didn’t flood the floor, then headed over to Ruby’s personal shampoo and oil selection. Twin took a couple down at random, reading the labels, ‘lotus’ and ‘strawberry’ were normal alongside most of the other shampoos. Twin soon noticed the oils however, which were less of your typical variety. They included things such as ‘a soft hug’ scale soothing oil ‘slither ease’ for mobile lamias… and ‘ensnaring fragrance’ which was a big bottle with a picture of a snake, its body letting off little love hearts and air bubbles that popped into tiny swirls. Despite being written in the universe’s tiniest font, Twin instantly noticed the marking for dripleaf. This seemed good, and lotus was a nice exotic flower that would go with it perfectly. Twin set the selection by the edge of the bath before making his way back out of the rom, heading up the spiral ramp to Ruby’s room.

Twin lightly knocked on the door, but there was no response, after waiting a moment, Twin pushed the door open slowly and as quietly as he could, peeking his head in. The fire had burnt out, leaving only a tiny smoke trail floating up the chimney with a few red glowing embers remaining. This left the room dim and dark and Twin could only make out the mound of coils that was his employer atop the bed, a coil occasionally shifting causing the bed to creak and the massive sheets to rustle.

Twin squeezed in through the door and closed it behind him softly, not wanting the light to disturb Ruby as he slowly crept forward. Twin glanced up towards the head of the bed, roughly making out Ruby’s form laying on her belly using her own tail as a pillow, her chest and tail rising and falling with her breathing. Twin gulped and opened his wings, floating up just above the great serpent’s tail and landing amongst the piles of coils. As instructed, Twin knelt down and grabbed a coil, feeling the muscles and fat slip around his legs, moulding to him slightly as gravity pulled downward, struggling with the weight now Ruby wasn’t aiding him in the task. Twin grunted then let out a sharp gasp, freezing as Ruby rolled over with a groan, the coil Twin was holding slithering over him slightly, rubbing his legs before falling still again. Twin was meant to be waking her up but something told Twin he wanted to do it the way she had specified to him the previous night, logic told him this was because he didn’t want to be standing beside a sleepy, and possibly grumpy, snake that would no doubt be angry at him for such an awakening.

Twin gulped as Ruby settled down again and pulled the coil up with a heave, managing to lift it over his right shoulder where it landed atop him, slapping against his body with a heavy thud of scales, muscles and fat, causing Twin to pitch downward with an involuntary gasp as his lungs emptied from the collision. As Twin recovered, the coil slipped and slid around, grabbing Twin’s body and hugging him tightly, pressing into his neck. Twin looked around, hearing soft rustling, the coils all seemed to be curving towards the source of heat, moving away from the side previously facing the fire towards where Twin had settled. Twin stood up, taking a step back and he felt his hoof sink into coily fat which tried to loop around him quickly, however Ruby’s grace wasn’t carried over in her sleep and Twin was able to move forward out of grabbing range.

“What am I doing… I… have to let her coil me up… but I don’t want to get crushed!” Twin thought glancing around at the mass of scales approaching him from every side, some rolling over other coils forming barriers making the bed shift and sag as well, only making it more difficult to avoid the mass of scales.

Twin moved sideways before grabbing another coil, which tried to loop around his legs before he wrapped it over his back, his wings opening up to let the coil trail over them and help support the weight, the coil slithered slowly, as if exploring, curling around Twin’s wings. Twin stood upright, stock still, as his feathers were ruffled and shivered all over. Pegasi, much like Unicorns with their horns, had sensitive wing tips. Twin tried to grab the coil but couldn’t reach it, the one over his shoulder preventing him from curling his leg around far enough, so he tried pushing the coil going over him aside to get some room. This proved to be a mistake as the coil instead tightened around Twin when he pushed against it, alongside the wing coil and Twin staggered, trying to keep his mouth shut from the sensation of scales on his feathers. His stumbling led him to the encircling coils, which had finally closed the distance and he tripped, falling forward atop them. Struggling to move his legs, Twin pushed up, trying to stand but the coils seemed to be speeding up and the coils already around Twin weighed him down. Twin got halfway back up before falling, a coil sliding over his head pushing it down so he had a face full of squishy red and white scales. Twin’s front hooves slipped between two coils, which tightened when presented with the encased warmth. Twin was beginning to panic now, as he was unable to get up, more coils slipped over his rear legs and his head waving about only stimulated Ruby’s predatory instincts in her sleep, the lamia humming, dreaming, totally unaware of her butler’s perilous situation that she was causing.

Twin finally snapped into a blind panic, disregarding why he had begun so carefully before, calling out to the massive serpent “Ruby!” Even with his face full of coils the sound was decently loud in the dead silent room.

Twin felt the coils halt in their progress and heard a single slithering movement to his left. Twin was able to turn his head to look and could see Ruby sitting up, rubbing her eyes before looking down at Twin as he shuffled under her coils.

“This isn’t quite how I wanted you to wake me when I asked you to warm my coils,” Ruby said softly leaning into her pillows and yawning. Twin gulped, feeling his neck press into the coils, concerned he’d upset Ruby “Although, I suppose this was your first time. Next time, Twinwing, simply lay on your back and let my coils do as they please, they won’t hurt you if you don’t struggle,” Ruby rubbed Twin’s cheek with a coil “That includes shaking your head.” She added with a squeeze.

“Sorry, Ruby.” Twin said as he tried to push out of his current position, only to have a coil loop over his neck and tug him back down forcefully, the coils pressing down to render him immobile again.

“It’s quite alright, it just means you’ll warm me like this today. Now, hold still… just five more… degrees…” Ruby cooed with a grin.

Twin shuffled, getting as comfortable as he could whilst smothered in coils, feeling Ruby slither her tail back and forth over his body. Was she using friction to get more warmth or trying to lull him into relaxing and falling still, maybe both… because Twin could feel his body heating up and yet he couldn’t help but slump down into the coils, trying to let them rub as much of his body as they could manage. Twin felt his eyes droop, resting his head on a coil, this was peaceful… perfect, he could just lay here and forget about the world… his worries… his responsibilities…

Twin snapped up “R-Ruby, your bath will be getting cold!” Twin said looking at the lamia as she opened her eyes again, sighing.

“Yes, I suppose so, and it would be a waste of bits to fill it again… very well, Twinwing, I’m getting up.” Ruby said lifting Twin up into the air and uncoiling him, leaving him flailing in the air until his wings took over, pitching left and right until he landed unsteadily “Real ace flying.” She commented and Twin flushed, heading for the door with a pout as Ruby chuckled.

Twin led Ruby downstairs, the lamia yawning a couple times as she slithered along, eyeing up her latest plaything between each one as they made their way past a few staff members already cleaning the hallways. Did they do this daily? Ruby must like her place very clean, no wonder she wanted new staff, even untrained like Twin.

“She does have a high reputation to keep up, she works for the lamia Queen after all she has to set a good example to visitors and her peers!” Twin thought, glancing back at a mare polishing a hoof rail, a dull smile on her face as her eyes seemed to glow as she worked.

Twin bumped into the bathroom door before he could look properly and backed up, shaking his head slightly before pushing the door open with his hoof, as opposed to his face. The room had filled with a heavy cloud of steam and water was dripping down the tiled walls now into various drains dotting the floor, furthering the illusion of a pool over a bath. Ruby slid past Twin up to the water’s edge and very simply slid out over the edge, her pony body floating, just brushing the surface causing a small wave that sent ripples to the edges before Ruby slid down, her tail swishing over the tiles into the water with hardly a sound. Twin watched, fascinated, as Ruby quickly raised the water level to the point it began to overflow, Twin hadn’t appreciated how large Ruby was, or how thick her coils became at certain points, growing thicker than his body and still going. The water was alive with twisting white and red, distorted by the water waving about from the small disturbance of Ruby entering her bath. Finally, Ruby’s tail tip slid in and the room was nearly silent, save for Twin’s breathing and Ruby shuffling above the water. Ruby lowered herself down to her neck, shifting her coils, and Twin heard a series of subdued shuffling under the water, scales on ceramic tiles, which sounded like the ground was being moved beneath him, yet it was oddly calming to listen to.

Ruby settled herself atop her coils, floating on the surface, warming herself with her eyes closed enjoying the sensation of heat flooding her body “Uh, Ruby?” Twin called and she opened her eyes, looking over as Ruby bobbed slightly.

“Yes, Twinwing?” She asked smiling.

“I can’t reach you from here, could you… come over to the edge of the bath?” Twin requested, awkwardly stood by the oil and shampoo waiting.

Ruby smiled, but it faded as what Ruby desired didn’t seem to ping for Twin, or maybe it did and he was just too nervous. She was going incredible fast right now for him, so she decided to let Twin have this one “Alright, one moment.” Ruby said standing up and spinning around, her tail starting to roll over behind her as she did so, Twin glancing up as he heard several splashes proceeding this movement.

Ruby had raised her tail, swinging her coils through the air in various arcs, each one unique, be it just a subtle angle or the size of the coils it didn’t matter, each one was its own little wonder. Twin stared, watching water droplets drip down into the water, splattering down like rain, Ruby’s coils sparkling and reflecting a clean sheen of colours over the length of her tail. Ruby let her tail slip back into the water, splattering the edges of the bath again as she glided over to Twin with only a single deft push of her tail. Ruby stopped and settled several coils against the edge of the pool, making it appear shallow if you took Ruby’s tail to be the new ‘base’ of the pool. Ruby settled by the edge sitting low in the water as she sighed happily.

Twin sat down by the edge of the pool, leaning over as he grabbed the shampoo bottle first uncapping it and letting the smell of lotus fill the room steadily “Mmmm, so you like lotus, Twinwing?” Ruby asked as Twin began to massage the gel into Ruby’s mane, the lamia sitting up so he could, embarrassingly, rub the soap over her body.

“Er… I guess, it smells nice, sure…” Twin said with a deep flush.

“Why didn’t you pick what you liked best?” Ruby asked.

“I… didn’t really look at all the shampoo options,” Twin gulped as his voice dropped “I focused on one of the oils in particular and just grabbed what looked good as a shampoo between the first ones I grabbed.” Twin admitted.

“And what was the oil you chose?” Twin shuffled where he sat on the tiled pool edge.

“Ensnaring fragrance.” Twin said, picking up the bottle and showing Ruby “I enjoyed the dripleaf shampoo this morning.” Twin admitted with a smile, which Ruby noticed smirking as she glanced back at him, as well as the slightly glassy, memory distant, gaze in his eyes “What?” Twin asked as his gaze refocused.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just that most of my new workers never use dripleaf, at least not for a while, not until they have grown accustomed to me and my… tendencies.” Ruby said whilst staring at Twin with a small, devious, smirk, confusing Twin.

“What kind of tendencies?” Twin asked, daftly.

Ruby chuckled “Well, I get accusations that I’m a little… grabby,” Ruby cooed as her coils slithered up the edges of the pool, curling their damp warm scales around Twin’s hind legs and rubbing them “But, honestly, I just like having ponies to snuggle up with, you’re all so cute and fluffy and just so… squeezable!” Ruby tilted her head back, reaching up with her hooves, caressing Twin’s face “You don’t mind though, do you, Twinwing?” Ruby asked as the stallion halted his work on Ruby, staring into those pools of purple and black.

“No.” Twin said, hardly able to believe his mouth had just moved to admit that without his own brain’s permission.

“Is that so? It wouldn’t bother you if I looped several thick, heavy, strong coils around your body squeezing tighter and tighter until you’re wheezing for breath, barely able to wriggle in my grip as I hold you, suspended in mid-air, before me?” Ruby asked before giggling at Twin’s nervous face “Don’t look so frightened, I wouldn’t hurt you,” Ruby then mumbled to herself “But you would love it anyway.”

Twin failed to properly hear what Ruby said and couldn’t question her as she suddenly let her pony body slip down and fall under the water, her mane spreading out and Twin felt Ruby’s name was very befitting. The suds dissipated and broke away and the light of the bathroom beamed down on Ruby perfectly, her mane flying around her, phantom-like, floating and almost glowing, reflecting perfectly like a freshly polished gemstone.

Ruby sat back up out of the water, droplets running down her body back into the mass of water, her mane falling down and clinging to her body as it too dripped rapidly, partially covering her face with damp hair, yet Twin found this look to be just as graceful and beautiful as Ruby with her mane done up. Ruby smiled at Twin as she pushed her mane back to see fully.

“The oil, Twinwing.” Ruby said giving him a casual push with her tail so he turned over, grabbing the bottle and settling down by the pool edge again.

“So, how does this work, do you need to climb out or...?” Twin asked awkwardly holding the bottle, unsure how to proceed.

In response, Ruby lifted a coil, as thick as Twin’s body, and laid it on the floor in front of him “I’ll lift my coils out of the bath as you oil them up for me. Simply put some of the oil on my coils, you don’t need much it goes a long way, and rub it in on top and under,” Ruby grinned “You can sit on my coils if you desire to at any point. Just pull the coil along when you are done with it and I’ll slide it along so you can do another section.” Ruby ordered and Twin nodded, shuffling closer to the dripping coil and kneeling before it, opening the bottle.

Twin sighed, breathing in that soothing, sweet and savoury scented aroma, grinning foolishly as he simply started at Ruby’s coils, which were rolling slowly back and forth causing a rainbow of colour to flow along the scales like a river, Twin’s brain slowly churning over what he had to do next as he stared in awe. Ruby cleared her throat and chuckled as Twin snapped back to reality, sitting up straighter and turning the bottle over, pouring a little onto Ruby’s offered coil. Twin’s hooves shook slightly before he placed them down atop the meaty tube, into the little splatter of oil. Twin’s spine tingled and his whole body shivered in delight as he flushed, rubbing around Ruby’s coils, pushing in, the coils easily giving way to even the smallest of pushes, as if Twin was massaging tubes filled with semi-solid water. Ruby sighed happily and laid back, relaxing, as Twin worked along Ruby’s tail, feeling his hooves grow numb… and yet sensitive, feeling every individual scale slip underneath him and along his frogs as he rubbed Ruby down gently. When Twin reached Ruby’s underbelly he found it was incredibly soft, the top scales had a texture that was much tougher indicating strength but, despite being used to slither upon, Ruby’s underbelly was incredibly smooth, with much fewer scales making it up, it felt wonderful to rub his hooves against it.

Twin shuffled, glancing at Ruby who seemed to sense his desire and laughed quietly to herself, before nudging his stationery hooves with her tail, which spurred Twin to continue. Despite the growing want for Twin to leap at the mound of scales and coils, he resisted, focusing instead on rubbing circles along and down Ruby’s tail, getting further and further, with thicker and thicker coils forcing Twin to stand just to tend to both sides. Finally, Ruby climbed out, dragging the rest of her tail with her, which she concentrated into a ball around her oiled coils and rubbed them together, slipping and sliding them through and against one another. Twin watched, his hooves still hovering in the air, watching one of the segments of tail he’d oiled up within the centre, watching other parts of Ruby’s tail flash and slide over it, gripping and squeezing it. Twin gulped as he tried to avoid sinking into the growing fantasy of him being that coil…

“Not bad for your first day, Twinwing, well done. Now, I have some paperwork that I must tend to myself regarding my recent work, you can see to my bedroom now, I will be in the living room when you finish.” Twin nodded as he made his way towards the door “Oh, and Twinwing,” Twin stopped looking back at Ruby as she held out a coil towards him “You are more than welcome to them… anytime, I can show you just how dexterous a lamia can be.” Twin smiled and flushed, bowing his head a little in embarrassment.

“I er… thank you, Ruby.” He said and Ruby nodded and Twin left.

Ruby sighed with a grin “Now… I think there’s time for food and maybe a little play with Bolt before I have to get stuck into my own work!” Ruby thought out loud with a wide grin.

Twin made his way quickly back up to Ruby’s room, opening the door without as much caution as before when he was sneaking in to wake Ruby. Closing it behind him, Twin glanced around the dim room before locating the curtained window, jumping upon the bed to reach it and pulling it open to bathe the room in bright sunlight. The window seemed to perfectly catch every ray and direct it upon Ruby’s bed, Twin could already feel the heat on the back of his neck. With a shrug, Twin set to work pulling the bed lining back into place, straightening the duvet and sitting the pillows up, puffing them back up into a normal shape after Ruby had squished them or hugged them tightly. Twin briefly checked for any clothing dotted around but found nothing knocked under the bed or under the slither-in wardrobe’s sliding door. With that fact confirmed, Twin briefly left to head down the two ramps, towards the greenhouse side and down into the laundry room. Much like any basement, it had a low stone ceiling and the air was thick with moisture from the machines and the air was stale from poor circulation since it had no windows and the door was always closed. Twin checked around, a few rows of washers and driers lining one wall, another holding a bunch of dusters and spray polish. Twin smiled, grabbing a set alongside a black bin bag and searched around until he found a dustpan and brush before heading back up, passing the living room as Bolt was heading towards the room, a tray of food stretched over his back.

“Oh, the new member, hello,” Bolt said with an odd dull tone.

“Oh, hay Bolt, you alright?” Twin asked noticing Bolt’s tone.

“Yes, I’m great, I’m just taking a meal Bolt made to Goddess.” Bolt said.

“Er… okay…?” Why was he speaking in third person? And was he talking about Ruby as his ‘Goddess’ now, not his Mistress?

“Hmmm… oh, you don’t know…? Well, you’ll find out, Goddess seems to have an interest in you. Then again, she likes all Pegasi… anyway, I best get in before the food goes cold, you should get back to work as well… Twinwing, right?” Bolt said with a little, lazy wave before ducking inside.

“Boy,” Twin mumbled continuing on back towards Ruby’s room “That was weird.”

Once back in the bedroom, Twin set to work brushing the dust from the bedside table, the head board, window sill, wardrobe shelves and the fireplace top. When the room had a nice sheen, just like Ruby’s beautiful coils, Twin set to work emptying the fireplace of burnt out logs and ash into the bin bag, once done Twin gave the brick wall a polish to get the soot and black markings off, revealing the ruby red bricks behind it all. When it was sparkling clean, Twin grabbed several logs and scraps of paper, throwing them in and lighting the fire. As Twin when to sit up, he noticed one of the old clippings, the headline had already burnt and Twin couldn’t get close enough to read the text, but it was a picture of Ruby alongside another lamia mare, this one a wonderful blue and golden colour. They had their coils stretched before them with several mares coiled up, six regular ponies, or so they appeared, and the two royal sisters. They all looked really happy!

Twin smiled and stood up, glad to know he was with a nice, kind and clearly popular lamia. Twin looked around the room, it was perfectly clean and crisp and ready for Ruby’s return that evening, Twin heard a soft grumbled and finally took notice of the time outside, it was a little past midday, had time gone that fast? Twin got up, heading for the staff room, inside, sure enough, there was lunch ready and waiting. The sandwich stacks had already been broken down and there was a massive pot that was entirely empty but seemed to have been something Bolt made as it was clearly a pudding of some sort with some still warm custard in a pitcher beside it, along with about nine empty ones. That, or everypony here had a weird taste for custard with sandwiches. Twin took a dozen small sandwich pieces and sat down, looking around the room, only noticing now he was almost entirely alone. In fact, he WAS alone, nopony else was present in the room, it was deserted. Twin shrugged, guess he had been late, sure seemed that way, but as he had no direct boss, seeing as Alex seemed to work more towards paperwork than room cleaning, to give additional jobs, Twin was able to allocate his own breaks. Or so it seemed anyway.

With a contently full belly, Twin looked around the room, but none of the games spoke to him, some looked rather interesting, like a visor settled on a bundle of coils that seemed to be glowing but Twin didn’t feel like giving them a try right now. Instead, Twin followed Ruby’s instructions if he ran out of work to do in her bedroom and made his way down to the living room. Twin pushed the door open, forgetting that he ought to knock like Ruby’s bedroom if he suspected she was inside the room, which he should have since she had specified she would be there earlier! Ruby was sat with her coils piled up at a thirty-degree angle in front of her, laying upon them was Bolt, who was bound by several thick loops of snake muscle over his entire body, only his head, cushioned between the backrest of coils, was visible, watching Ruby with a content open mouth smile. Ruby looked up quickly and Bolt moaned softly, pushing up against the coils to get closer to Ruby who pushed him down by shoving a thick coil into his face making him cry out, the sound comically muffled.

“Twinwing!” Ruby said with a slightly frightened and surprised squeak and Twin heard a heavy dragging on the floor and a little groan from Bolt who, when he was allowed to sat up, was rubbing his head blinking sleepily, as if he had been dazed or hit suddenly, which Twin understood he had been when Ruby slapped him with those massive coils “You should have knocked!” Ruby scolded, composing herself.

“Sorry, I thought you would have left… I’m here to clean the living room… I can-” Ruby shook her head before Twin could finish the suggestion.

“No, no, it’s fine, come in, Twinwing… please.” Ruby said beckoning him forward with her tail and Twin only realised he’d stepped forward when the door slammed shut behind him. He’d moved?

“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Twin said weakly stepping forward towards Ruby, a bit closer than most would in his shoes.

Ruby sat up slithering up to Twin who quivered under her gaze, Ruby tilted his head up with her tail tip “Think nothing of it.” Ruby said, her voice soft and yet echoing in Twin’s ears, reverberating with power.

“Think nothing of it…” Twin droned then smiled, Ruby wasn’t mad that he’d barged in, he’d just have to make a note not to do it again “I’ll get to work.” Twin said simply, walking towards the shelves with the duster he’d brought with him.

“Ah, might I ask a request of you, Twinwing?” Ruby asked politely, Twin looking back as she shuffled Bolt around in her coils, the stallion, previously standing over Twin, now looked so small and helpless in Ruby’s coils “Would you mind if I wrapped you up?” Ruby asked with a sweet smile.

“But… how would I clean?” Twin asked with a glance towards Bolt again, who Ruby gave a little affection squeeze when she noticed the little flicker from Twin’s eyes, Bolt’s muffled moan making Twin shuffle where he stood, biting his lip.

“I wouldn’t coil up your front legs, silly, just the rest of you. And with that uniform on you can’t really fly and reach the top shelves, can you?” Twin shook his head “No, so go on… let me wrap you up. You can’t say you didn’t enjoy it this morning, I promise it’ll feel so much better, I’m awake now and I can coil you up much more gracefully.” Ruby said holding out a coil the width of Twin’s head, Ruby dragging more coils forward, flipping them over onto their smooth red belly scales. Twin watched the light of the room flicker and dance along the canvas white of Ruby’s tail, which seemed to absorb and reflect every flicker of colour just… perfectly…

“Okay, I guess it won’t hurt.” Twin said walking forward a little closer so the coil was hovering a few inches from his face.

“Delightful, thank you so much for trusting me Twin, you won’t regret it.” Ruby said with a devilish grin.

Twin watched Ruby lift her coils, circling him in a hoovering fence of scales, trapping him in like penned in cattle. Twin glanced around a little nervously before a coil slipped around his neck, the cool appendage a soothing contrast to Twin’s hot neck. Twin moaned, smiling as Ruby rubbed and pinched Twin’s neck, making him dip his head forward to give her a better reach of his neck to pamper him. Ruby looped the coil around the front of Twin’s chest, lifting him up, two coils hooping under Twin’s front legs holding them up as if Twin was hanging onto a life preserver, Ruby’s ‘fence’ of coils closing in quickly looping around Twin’s body, corkscrewing down to his flank and down his legs, two separate coils tending to each one. Ruby tensed her coils, getting a firm grip on Twin as she let him stand on the tips of his hind legs, but almost all of his weight was being supported by the coils so Twin didn’t feel any awkward balance in this position.

“How’s that?” Ruby asked tightening the coil around Twin’s neck.

“Gulk! …Good.” Twin admitted as Bolt nodded in agreement, Ruby extending her squeezing to him as well, though it was clear to Twin, Ruby was being a lot harsher with her constriction on Bolt. Twin bit his lip, shifting where he stood as much as Ruby permitted “Ruby?” The lamia glanced from her head chef to Twin “Can you… squeeze me like Bolt?” Twin asked.

Ruby raised an eyebrow “Are you sure, Bolt has had much more time to adjust to more intense ‘hugs’ from my coils.” Ruby said as she tightened further with the red stallion as if to demonstrate, Bolt’s breathing halting entirely as his head slumped backward in a silent open mouth smile, a line of drool running down from the edge of his mouth, before Ruby relaxed and he was allowed to chokingly suck down some air.

Twin flushed, staring at Bolt’s blue tinged face, but also how delighted he looked, prodding Ruby’s coils to make her squeeze again, or tapping them to stop. Twin decided Ruby was right, he wasn’t ready for that level of intensity “Yeah, okay, you’re right… b-but can you still squeeze a little tighter?” Ruby smiled and began tightening.

“Just tell me when and I’ll use that as the limiter.” Ruby said and Twin nodded.

Ruby relaxed her coils, shifting and rolling them up Twin’s body, tilting his head upward as Ruby began to close in. Ruby didn’t pause continuing to push inward, the fat being subdued by the tension and muscles pushing through the giant tubes of scales, pushing into Twin’s body, pushing his chest and bones inward, preventing his lungs from filling fully. Twin began to take short, rapid and raspy breaths as his lungs shrank in size even further. Twin was panting at least a couple times a second, his heart fluttering and survival instincts screaming at him when he finally tapped out.

“Enough! Good, please!” He begged with a slight croak, the rising fear telling him Ruby would ignore his pleas.

But Twin’s untrusting mind was proven wrong as Ruby relaxed her grip, letting Twin slump and pant, coughing slightly “Okay, thank you.” Ruby said with a grin.

“Wait, I think I went too far!” Twin pleaded.

Ruby smiled “That’s your own fault, no changes now!” Ruby purred and Twin flushed “Don’t worry, you’ll like it, once you get use to it happening your fear will dissipate, you don’t see Bolt worrying when he can’t even get a wisp down!” Bolt managed a little nod with rolled up eyes, Ruby slid closer “And with practise you can have it just as tight.” She whispered “Now, get to dusting!” Ruby ordered lifting Twin up and turning him towards the shelves.

Twin raised his duster, running it along the top of the rows of books, many seemed magical, with various runes and star charts marking the spines, a few glowing when Twin ran the feathers of the duster over them, and one whispered to him to open it and he might have if Ruby wasn’t holding him back. Twin also cleaned the space between the books and the edge of the shelves. When one row was done Twin glanced back at Ruby, who was focusing on Bolt in his own mound of coils “Ruby can I-uck!” Ruby tightened her coil around Twin’s neck, silencing him.

“You do not speak when working in my coils Twin, if you want me to move you, stroke my coils and I will give you a new patch of dust to clean away, understand?” Twin nodded and reached up, running a hoof along Ruby’s tail gently, feeling it dip down as he stroked, curving so Twin covered more scales.

Ruby shifted her focus back to Twin and lifted him up off the ground, dangling in the air, presenting him with more dust lined books “There, see, so much easier, right Twinwing?” Ruby asked and Twin opened his mouth to speak, the coils closing in a little before he nodded “Smart colt.” Ruby cooed watching Twin return to work.

Ruby grinned, feeling the push of Twin’s chest expanding and contracting as he breathed, pushing into and against her coils. Ruby began to tense her grip, halting Twin’s chest from expanding properly as it was blocked by the wall of scales. Twin gulped, breathing out and trying to quickly breathe back in, even as he felt the coils close the space just a tiny bit, the little rubbing down the sides of his body indicating that Ruby was shifting her coils closer around him. Twin glanced down, watching the coils slide and shift threateningly as he dusted, unsure where he had and hadn’t done yet. It was getting difficult to focus over the rising panic.

Ruby cooed softly “Easy Twin, you’re not in any danger, relax… just relax,” Ruby rubbed her tail back and forth under Twin’s neck gently, pushing the coil over Twin’s chest a bit further in so he signed, expelling all the air he tried to hold in, the other coils catching up instead of the first loosening.

“R-Ruby, please, not too tight.” Twin pleaded, halting in his dusting to beg.

Ruby chuckled “No negotiating, just relax, I know your limits, perhaps better than even you do!” Ruby said as her tail continued to constrict.

Twin was already starting to wheeze softly as his lungs cried out for more air than he could provide them with. Survival instincts battled with Twin as he tried to continue with his job. Finally, somewhat satisfied, Twin desperately stroked Ruby’s tail but all she did was move him along, she didn’t relax her grip even slightly. Twin place the duster on top the next row of book then gasped, Ruby tighten firmly as she approached the limit Twin set, holding firmly. Twin’s head dipped forward, resting on the bookshelf as his vision blurred, a rising numbness in his brain and body creeping up his spine as Ruby let her tail gyrate slightly, rubbing him all over, teasing his feathers under the uniform.

Twin tried to cry out for Ruby to loosen up but only a weak croak escaped his lips, a line of drool dripping down his chin as Twin’s eyes began to roll. Then, when Twin was all but certain he was going to pass out, Ruby loosened her tail a little, not all at once, forcing Twin to gasp quickly, Ruby loosening steadily so Twin didn’t cough a single time, his lungs expanding and filling at a more comfortable rate. Twin’s breathing steadied and he sighed.

“Th-thank you.” He managed as Ruby stroked his mane as her tail gave a grumble.

“Oh, sorry boys, but the belly calls. Bolt would you get a prey ready for me in my room,” Ruby let go of Twin, catching him by his neck so he hung by a coil noose, kicking and flailing as he gasped air down around the thick ‘rope’. The coil was too thick to act as an actual noose but it did push into Twin’s throat with every breath before Ruby set Twin down on the floor “Twinwing when you are done, polish the railings on the stairs until you need to go to bed.” She must mean the ramps.

Twin nodded “Of course.” He said breathing freely.

“Next time, know you limits, okay?” Twin nodded as Ruby giggled “I look forward to the next ‘wrap up’ with you. Bolt, my prey?” Bolt snapped back to reality, jumping up and nodding as he galloped out, suddenly looking nervous at delaying.

Ruby slithered out after Bolt, humming contently and Twin returned to his work, finishing the lower shelves which took roughly fifteen minutes. Once done, Twin left the room and noticed just the back of Bolt entering the kitchen, he must have delivered Ruby’s meal. Twin vaguely wondered what ‘prey’ could be, a selection of meat? Ruby was part snake after all. Twin shrugged, sure it was just some lamia meal with the name acting as a pun… or maybe it was prey, live rabbits perhaps? They seemed suitable.

Twin contemplated this thought with “I wonder if Ruby can unhinge her jaw… what would the rabbit look like going down?” Twin wouldn’t get a chance to explore his imagination for a solution however as he had reached Ruby’s doorway. Best to start at the top and work down then.

Twin settled down on the ramp beside the railing, taking out a cloth and clearing away the hoof marks covering it, as well as various streaks where Ruby had used her tail as support as well. As Twin worked he heard noises from Ruby’s room, Ruby speaking, laughing softly and then…

“Oooohhh… Muh… Mistress!” A voice said, it was beautiful and smooth like silk, clearly a mare, and yet she sounded tired and sleepy, worn out.

“Quiet, Fleur, or you will have the whole manor listening!” Ruby scolded, her voice much clearer through the wooden barrier.

Twin flushed deeply as Ruby laughed and the voice moaned louder, Twin glanced back. Was Ruby and this mare… getting it on? Twin’s wings threatened to rip his uniform off as he heard another moan which suddenly became muffled, Ruby must have put her tail over the mare’s face so her moans from Ruby’s licking couldn’t be heard… or was she using her tail. Twin flushed deeply, his face tomato red as he stood up, he’d get in so much trouble but… a little peek… and maybe he could join in…

Twin stepped up to the door, hearing a muffled and subdued moan of delight and Twin carefully and quietly pushed the handle down, opening the door a crack. Twin felt some sort of iron weight drop into his belly. Twin wasn’t watching two mares locked in interlude, instead, Ruby was leaning back amidst a sea of white and red scales covering the top of the bed Twin had made earlier that day, her head tilted up towards the ceiling, her mouth open wider than was possible for a normal pony, her body rigid and forward, her throat, belly and the top of her tail was bulging outward with a sleek, regal like form pressing outward, the silhouette just visible but details distorted by scales and Ruby’s own body. Hanging out of Ruby’s mouth were the legs of a white mare, thin and long, with a neatly kempt light pink tail disappearing as if Ruby were devouring it like spaghetti. Twin watched, unable to look away, as Ruby gulped loudly, the mare moaning in conflicting delight at being reduced to a lamia’s snack. Twin watched as all but the tail disappeared, Ruby closing her mouth to slurp Fleur’s pink tail down after her body, the mare groaning as she slipped and slid into Ruby’s belly, her bulge pressing outward as the mare visibly struggled, her face sometimes pressing up, which Ruby kissed lightly.

“Delicious Fleur, wonderful.” Ruby cooed to the bulge which moaned in delight at being such a scrumptious snack.

Twin gulped, movement returning and he shut the door with a tiny quiet click. However, the closed door didn’t block one thing; Ruby turning to look, her tongue flickering out and recognising the scent. Twin quietly shuffled over to the railing, beads of sweat running down his head, as he returned to his work, hoping Ruby would stay inside for a while whilst Fleur made her decent.

Twin made a decision rather quickly; he had to get out of here! FAST!