Feathers and Leather

Pearl was starting to get a little peeved, her fur was drying and chafing, making each step a little painful and very awkward. She had to start walking bow-legged, but her mistress didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, and certainly didn’t show any intention of stopping. She was tempted to call the whole thing off when she realized they were heading to the personal apartments part of CTS. “Um, mistress, where are we going?”

“I didn’t tell you? We are heading to my apartment.”

“Oh..”

Intrigued, Pearl decided to tolerate her chafing fur and followed her up a couple flights of stairs, to a door like any other. Her mistress put her pip sub into a depression on the wall. The door opened, and Pearl followed her mistress in.

The apartment was cozy but chic, a comfortable looking bed set against the wall with nightstands on either side, a large collection of soft pillows set in front of a fireplace with a chest to the side, and Pearl could see a little kitchenette and another door, presumably to a bathroom. The color scheme was black and gray with teal accents adding some pops of color throughout.

“W-wow mistress, this is beautiful.”

Her mistress smirked and put her hoof under Pearl’s chin, pulling her into a deep kiss. Pearl moaned softly, the slightly acidic taste of her own juices mixed with the berries and caramel from earlier resulting in a explosion of flavor on her tongue.

Her mistress pulled her closer by the leash, rising onto her hide hooves and forcing Pearl to sit. She pulled away from the kiss and growled softly, leaning under Pearl’s chin to nip at her neck.

Pearl was conflicted, on the one claw, more play. On the other claw, her thighs were starting to actually hurt and she didn’t know if she could handle more. She sighed quietly as she called the safeword to stop, “Towertop.”

Her mistress immediately reacted, taking the leash off and pulling her into a hug in one smooth movement. “Are you okay dear? What’s wrong?”

Pearl sighed again, “Don’t get me wrong mistress, I really enjoyed myself. But my fur is really starting to bug me a bit if I’m being completely honest.”

Her mistress blinked and tilted her head before gasping as she looked down to Pearl’s thighs. “Oh, right of course, sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, really. Um...D-do you think we can take a bath...?”

“Oh, of course! Here, you can put your stuff on the nightstand.”

Her mistress took her mask off, walking over and placing it on the desk next to the bed. Pearl followed her lead, taking her collar, cuffs, and bell off, and placing it by the mask. She followed her across the room, marveling at the surprisingly spacious bathroom once inside. There was a tub big enough for two bodies to fit comfortably and a seperate shower, along with a mirror and good sized vanity. Similar to the room, it was tastefully decorated in white with teal accents. “So, um, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s your name? Mine is Snow Quill.”

Pearl blinked in surprise at the question, “Oh, uh, my name is Pearl.”

“Pearl...”

She shuddered at the way her name was practically purred by Snow Quill, sitting down as she turned on the shower. “So, uh, d-did you enjoy tonight?”

“Uh huh, I’ve never been a plate before and I have to admit it was very fun.”

“Good, good, that’s uh, that’s good. Um, so, is there...well, what didn’t you like? And please don’t feel bad you had to call towertop just now.”

Pearl chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “I know, I know. And uh, well, walking over here was a little annoying because of my fur chafing, and...well, while I wouldn’t have minded playing more, I would rather enjoy washing off properly.”

Snow sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck and shifted around a bit. “Sorry for not thinking about your fur, I shouldn’t have spread everything around so much...”

Pearl shrugged, “It’s okay, really. That part was okay, and hindsight is 20/20.”

Snow cracked a small smile at Pearl’s wink, sighing. “Well, regardless, as a member of the Foodplay Guild I should have thought farther ahead.”

She bit her lip, looking to the side and rubbing her foreleg nervously. “Sorry for all the questions, I really like to talk about the scene, which well, I guess isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I’m very detail oriented and tend to overthink...a lot... That’s why you don’t see me with a black mask...or collar...Sorry I’m so awkward, it’s not very dommish I know.”

Pearl’s heart broke a little at the sadness in her voice, “Oh...Come here Snow.”

She looked over in surprise as Pearl held her claws out, beckoning her for a hug. She hesitantly walked over, but once Pearl’s arms and wings were around her she collapsed and started to sniffle. After a moment she tried to pull away, “I-I’m sorry. Y-you probably just wanna get h-home. H-here, I’ll let you bathe yourself.”

Pearl didn’t let go, however, instead started to pet her. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m not gonna leave you, besides, you’re the one that promised me a little reward, so reward me by bathing together. You can’t be scared of that can you? I mean, you just ate all manner of fruit and stuff out of me.”

Snow laughed, nuzzling her head into Pearl’s chest. “Y-yeah..okay..”

Pearl smiled, and carefully stood up, managing to scoop Snow up in the process. Pearl noticed she seemed so small and vulnerable, similar to how she presented herself as a sub.

“I like the waterfall shower, especially nice for situations like this huh.”

“Y-Yeah, it is.”

Pearl set her down, and then sat down herself in the warm water. “Ahhh, now this is nice. Do you have soap and stuff?”

“Uh huh, I have a couple different scents. There’s rosemary-mint, my personal favorite, vanilla, and tropical fruits.”

“Hmm, that rosemary-mint sounds pretty good.”

Pearl watched with a small smile as Snow leaned out the shower and grabbed a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Pearl grabbed the body wash and scooted out of the water, squirting some directly on her thighs. She gasped and squirmed a little at the coldness, and went to start massaging it in when a pair of hooves started rubbing it in for her. Pearl smiled even more, leaning back and sighing contently, relaxing even more with the massage. “You’re pretty good at this you know.”

Snow blushed, “Thanks. Can you roll over?”

Pearl nodded, turning around so her lower back could be washed as well. She groaned softly as Snow’s expert hooves gently kneaded and groped her fur, working the body wash in thoroughly. “Ok, let's get you rinsed off.”

Pearl nodded, and scooted back into the water, letting Snow rinse her fur as expertly as she rubbed it in. After she completely rinsed Pearl’s fur, Snow gently opened her wings and started preening them, using a combination of her hooves and mouth.

Pearl moaned softly at the preening, shifting a bit and opening her wings even more to allow better access. Her back leg even thumped a little on the floor, and she was utterly relaxed and undoubtedly happy. It was definitely one of the better aftercare sessions she’d had, and they weren’t even out of the shower yet!

After the preening, Pearl decided to return the favor, and swiped the shampoo and conditioner before Snow could start washing herself. She only smirked at the look of confusion on her face, and pulled her into her lap, where she whispered softly, “Now it’s my turn.”

She felt Snow shudder, and squirted the shampoo onto her mane, gently running her claws through it and massaging her head. She heard soft moans and felt Snow squirm, her heart warming even more. ‘Oh by Celestia she is adorable.’

Pearl repeated the process with her tail, making a soft blush appear on the thestrals face as her moans increased in volume. Pearl noticed a hoof held shower head nearby, and turned a knob which re-directed the water flow. She started to rinse Snow’s mane and tail, falling in love with the soft coos and sounds filling the bathroom.

She was struck by a sudden sadness, realizing that this was probably the only night they’d spend together. ‘Damn...I shouldn’t have had made my contract one night only...I wonder if I’d be able to find her again, the Society is rather large.’

Pearl had been absentmindedly running conditioner in Snow’s mane and tail when a kiss on her cheek from a concerned looking Snow surprised her. “You okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Sorry, just...thinking.”

Pearl grabbed the shower head, rinsing her mane and tail quickly. After she was rinsed, Pearl found herself staring intensely into Snow’s eyes. Time itself seemed to stop, and Pearl became acutely aware of everything. The feel of Snow’s fur under her claws, their heartbeats beating in unison, the subtle earthiness of Snow’s natural scent peeking through the shampoo, the slow rise and fall of their chests as they subconsciously attuned themselves to the others body. Pearl wasn’t sure what was happening, and she didn’t particularly want to know. All she knew was she was there, Snow was there, and that was all that mattered.

Their lips met, dancing to an ancient song that hummed through both their bodies. Pearl slowly ran her claws all over Snow, as if trying to memorize each strand of fur and how it laid with the next. Their bodies moved with and against each other, unbridled passion roiling within Pearl like a tsunami. She was certain Snow felt the same way, but at the moment didn’t care for such details. All she cared about was touching her, feeling her, and being with her.

Pearl wasn’t sure how long the moment lasted, but when they eventually parted, Pearl felt like everything made sense. They sat there, panting softly, neither wishing to break the silence with such needless things as words. They embraced each other for a minute longer, riding out every second of whatever that just was.

Snow was the first to move, gently ending the embrace and turning the water off. Pearl followed her as she stepped out of the shower, and accepted the warm towel she was handed.

The silence carried on as they dried off, and stayed even as they made their way out of the bathroom. Pearl went to the cushions in front of the fireplace while Snow went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Snow came by with a couple of mugs, carefully balanced on a tray on her back. “Hot chocolate?”

Pearl smiled as she accepted the cup, giggling at the mountain of whipped cream rising above it. Snow flicked a switch, turning on the fireplace, and sat down next to her. Pearl pulled her even closer with her wing, and they enjoyed their hot chocolate in front of the fire.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Pearl decided to speak up. “So um, what...what happened in there...”

Snow nodded, blushing softly, “y-yeah...um...I...I don’t know...”

“I, I mean it wasn’t bad...was it?”

“What?! No, it...it wasn’t bad per say...I, I don’t know..”

Pearl turned to face the flustered thestral, blushes apparent on both their faces. They quickly glanced away from each other, and an awkward silence settled over them. Pearl sipped at her hot cocoa and stared into the fire, thoughts whirling through her mind. Eventually, she finished her cup and stood up. “I, well, thank you. Tonight was, tonight was amazing. I um, I gotta get home though, it’s getting a little late and I’ve got...stuff.”

Snow seemed surprised when Pearl stood up, and nodded with an self-conscious laugh, “Oh yeah, stuff. I uh, I got some of that to do too...”

Pearl cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck, shifting around a little before making her way to her the nightstand that held her sub gear. Her breath caught as she saw the red of Snow’s mask against the red of her collar; just another reminder of the chance she’d have of being with her again. She clenched her beak and willed her tears to not fall, turning and nodding her goodbye to Snow. “Night.”

Pearl rushed out the door and down the stairs, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks as she headed towards the front to the locker room she used. She thought she heard Snow’s door open after she rushed out, but didn’t turn back to check.

She got a few looks as she rushed through the now busy Society, practically throwing herself into the locker room. Shakily she placed her pipsub in the slot, opening the locker with a quiet ‘beep’. Tears blurred her vision as she threw her collar and cuffs into the box, stopping for a moment to breathe and gently rearrange them into their indentations.

Her claws stayed on her collar, her wings flared to hide her tears from anyone around her. Pearl sighed, dragging a claw across the generic clocktower padlock. With a heavy heart she closed the lid and grabbed her saddlebags. A quick wipe of her eyes and she quickly closed the locker, stowed her pipsub, and rushed out the doors.

She made her way to the portals to get home, not stopping until a guard at the front gates held a hoof out in front of her. “Ma’m? Are you alright? Do you need us to call a den mother?”

“I...I uh...”

“There’s no need Shield, I’ll take care of her. Thank you.”

Pearl turned at the familiar voice, gulping softly as she saw the pony she really didn’t want to see right now; Ebony Orchid. The unicorn smiled softly at Pearl, nodding at the guard to let them pass through. Ebony nudged Pearl forward, “C’mon Pearl, let’s get you home.”

Pearl whimpered softly and started forward again, much slower this time to stay by Ebony’s side. Ebony was a den mother, and had taken Pearl under her metaphorical wing about a few years ago when she was looking for help. That help mainly being having the confidence to put on a collar. Ebony stayed by Pearls side as they stepped through the portal to Canterlot. It was only when Ebony had escorted Pearl to her apartment door did she say something. “Are you going to be alright Pearl?”

“Y-yeah, I...I’ll be okay...”

“Pearl...”

She shrank at the warning tone in Ebony’s voice. She didn’t like to lie, not that she was necessarily lying, she would be okay...eventually...

She hated the thought of Ebony seeing her cry, and she had a feeling there’d be a lot of crying tonight. Tense moments slipped by as Pearl contemplated her response, until Ebony sighed and made the decision for her. “I’ll let you off easy tonight, but you and I are meeting for coffee in a couple days, alright?”

Pearl nodded and managed a small smile as she hugged her. “You got it. Thanks Ebony.”

“Your welcome, now, don’t even think about being late.”

Pearl giggled softly, “I won’t. See you then.”