Good Girl Rainbow

Rainbow attempted to hold her head low, trying to avoid as much attention as she possibly could, only for Twilight to tug tighter on her leash, causing her to have to raise her head back up. “Do you gotta keep doing that?” she asked in a hushed tone.

For her part Twilight treated this like any other event. She simply trotted along, dragging an uncharacteristically shy Rainbow around the outside of Ponyville toward the train station. “Come along, Rainbow. You’re just making this harder on yourself,” Twilight replied with a chipper smile as they cleared the half-way point.

“Easy for you to say,” Rainbow grumbled as she moved her hooves faster.

It had been a compromise. Twilight agreed not to take Rainbow through the center of town, but Rainbow had to agree to stay on her hooves and walk with her. Less ponies would see, but they’d get there slower. Still, regardless how good the compromise had sounded that morning, actually going through with it was another story.

Twilight smiled as she kept track of the number of looks they had gotten. Three so far, but not by any pony that would make a scene, at least not yet. She wasn’t surprised that Rainbow was keeping her eyes firmly ahead of her, not wanting to know who was seeing her like this and who wasn’t. Her smile widened as she saw the train station around the next bend. “We’re almost there, Rainbow.”

Rainbow looked up for the first time since they left the castle and breathed out a sigh of relief. The train was already there and, judging by how empty the station was, most of the ponies had already bought their tickets and boarded the train. With a destination in sight Rainbow doubled her pace, pulling ahead of Twilight to try and end this embarrassment as quickly as she could.

“Nah-ah, Rainbow,” Twilight replied as she pulled back on the leash, harder. Rainbow glared back, only to receive a magical pat on her rear end.

“You know I’m not a literal pet, right?” Rainbow replied.

“I know, you’re my pet,” Twilight said with a smile and a wink as she took the lead once more, never speeding up or slowing down. “Now act like the good girl I know you are, or you won’t get your treat.”

Rainbow lightly growled, but fell back in line behind Twilight. The two cleared the distance to the station in less than a minute, but to Rainbow it felt like an hour, something made worse by the looks of the few ponies that still remained on the platform.

None of them commented, at least not at the moment, and as such Twilight ignored them. She trotted up to the ticket counter and said, “Two tickets to the Crystal Empire please.”

The pony behind the counter looked questionably at Twilight’s new look, in and of itself that would have been enough, but there was also no way to miss the leashed pegasus attached to her. “Princess Twilight, is everything okay?” he asked, unable to simply ignore the situation in front of him.

“Everything’s fine,” Twilight replied with a smile. “Rainbow and I are just heading up to see my sister-in-law.”

“But, I mean—”

“You know, the Princess of Love. I’m sure you don’t want to get in the way of the reunion of two Princesses of Equestria, do you?” Twilight added, her tone still chipper, but the words did not match. The undertone of the threat was obvious to anypony that heard it. “In fact, why don’t you go ahead and book me the VIP car.”

Rainbow watched wide-eyed as the ticket pony rushed to print off the tickets. I changed something in you, didn’t I? She couldn’t put her hoof on it. Something had been fundamentally altered in Twilight. She was still Twilight, still the nerdy bookworm, still the same pony that had saved Equestria countless times, but also not.

You really did like being bad, and now you’re trying to balance the two. The realization hit Rainbow like a ton of bricks. She had done this, she had introduced Twilight to a new side of herself, a side that shone through just now, and, if she were being honest, several times over the past few days. And it carried more than just a seductive undertone.

“Come along, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I got us a private car all to ourselves!”

Rainbow followed, but quickly looked back. In spite of the changes, of the leash, and tattoos, the pony behind the booth wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at Twilight with a stare that said he was worried about her. It didn’t surprise Rainbow one bit that the moment she went up the stairs, the pony put a ‘gone to lunch’ sign up and dashed into town.

“We’re going to have trouble when we get back,” Rainbow said.

“Oh I know,” Twilight replied with a dual hint of annoyance and sadness in her voice. “But let's save that for tomorrow. We should try and enjoy this trip together.”

“With that over our heads?” Rainbow asked as she followed Twilight down the hall and to their car.

“Trust me, I have something in mind that we’ll both enjoy for this trip.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

Twilight smiled back at her as she opened the car door and invited Rainbow inside. The pegasus shrugged and took the lead. The car itself was rather nice, nicer than any she could ever remember being in before, nicer than any of them had ever traveled in before. “Is this… ours?” Rainbow asked as Twilight temporally unhooked Rainbow’s leash.

“Technically it’s the princess’ car.”

“So... yours?”

“Well… kinda. I never reserved it because it just didn’t feel right. This is the car they set aside for Princess Celestia, Luna, or Cadance.”

“Or Princess Twilight,” Rainbow replied with a deadpan look on her face.

“Or me,” Twilight replied with a shrug. “It just felt wrong to travel in this. Plus I’d normally travel with you girls, and this isn’t exactly made for six ponies.”

Rainbow gave Twilight a deadpan expression as she patted down one of the alicorn-sized pillows. It was more than obvious to the mare that this car would have fit all six of them without issue, comfortably, but Twilight being Twilight had felt unworthy of such luxury. “Another change?”

“Seemed fitting, that way we could spend time together, just the two of us,” Twilight replied, both ponies lurching slightly as the train departed.

“Sex on a train?” Rainbow replied, already guessing where it was going.

“Well, maybe, but I was actually thinking we might do something different.”

“Oh? Like what?”

Twilight powered her horn and opened her saddle bag. She levitated out a book that Rainbow was all-too familiar with. “I brought along a copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Golden Idol with us, I know you’ve read it a thousand times but I was thinking we might read it together, just the two of us.”

Rainbow had to force her wings down, flying today had been all but forbidden, but in her excitement her body responded automatically. “Sweet!” she exclaimed.

Twilight sat down on the large pillow in the center of the room and before she could even gesture for Rainbow to join her the mare was already by her side, their coats pressed together. Using her magic she opened the book cover, feeling her heart skip a beat as she realized that—through the closeness of their coats—she could feel Rainbow’s heart beating in her chest.

“Oh can we do the voices?”

“Sure thing. Why don’t you read the Daring Do parts, and I’ll read the rest,” Twilight replied as she felt Rainbow’s tail intermingle with her own.

“Awsome,” Rainbow said as Twilight opened the book.

“Daring Do and the Quest for the Golden Idol, chapter one, a new mystery,”

“Man I still can’t believe you went with such a lame-o voice for Professor Magno,” Rainbow said as the two left the train, Rainbow walking slightly in front of Twilight, her leash firmly attached to her collar and held in Twilight’s mouth.

“We’ve been over this a thousand times. She’s a professor, Rainbow. She’d be dignified,” Twilight replied with a sigh.

“No, she’s cool! She helps Daring Do!”

“And how are those things mutually exclusive?”

“Mutually whativs?”

“Mutually exclusive. It means that the existence of one excludes the existence of the other.” Twilight replied and then rolled her eyes when Rainbow gave her a look that said she still didn’t understand. “I’m saying someone can be both dignified and cool at the same time.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Rainbow asked.

“I did.”

“Umm, excuse me, what’s going on here?”

Twilight and Rainbow both looked ahead. The two had become so wrapped up in their conversation that they were completely oblivious to the crowd of onlookers staring at them. One of the crystal earth pony guards had approached, daring to interrupt.

“Is there a problem?” Twilight asked. Her body language indicating that she truly didn’t understand the issue.

Rainbow shrunk down, the realization that she had walked out in public in this situation without even realizing it surprised her.

“Is there a problem?” he repeated, unsure how she could be so oblivious. “Why are you leading her on a leash?”

Twilight looked back at Rainbow and then to the crystal pony, her wings flitted ever so slightly. “That’s really none of your business, is it?”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide at that. She stared at Twilight, seeing that slight change of posture, the way she carried herself, It’s the same as before, her dominant side, Rainbow realized. The change was small, slight. It wasn’t possession or some evil force, well not evil in the traditional sense, rather there was only one word she could ascribe to it, perseverance.

This is your domineering side, isn’t it?

“None of my business? Ma’am it’s my job to—”

“It’s your job to guard the Crystal Empire and serve the Princesses of Equestria,” Twilight said as she cut in. “And in case you didn’t get the memo, I’m one of the Princesses.”

“That doesn’t mean you can force ponies to—”

“Hey!” Rainbow found herself shouting, much to her own surprise. “She’s not making me do anything!”

That caused a noticeable gasp from the guard and the gathered ponies. “Ma’am, you’re saying you agreed to this?”

That took Rainbow aback. She was never one to shy away from the spotlight, but the attention on her right now was very different than anything she’d ever experienced before. The eyes on her might as well have been laser beams drilling into her. Then her eyes locked onto Twilight's and the rest of the world disappeared.

After a pregnant pause, Rainbow replied with an absolute definitive, “Yeah, this is my choice.”

The silence was deafening.

Twilight broke it.

“I assume that takes care of all your issues and we can pass by unmolested now?”

“I um… I…”

“Well?” Twilight pressed.

Rainbow found herself flinching at that word. The meaning far exceeded what anypony that was looking could know.

“Yes… yes princess,” the guard stuttered.

“I’m glad we have that issue resolved. And while we’re at it, why don’t you escort us to the palace so I can see my brother and sister-in-law. Just to make sure there’s no other misunderstandings along the way.”

“Of course princess, I’d be happy to be of assistance.” His voice did not match his tone.

“If you’re happy to be of assistance, I was tired of carrying these bags. Do bring them with us to the Crystal Palace,” Twilight replied as she levitated the satchel from her back and dropped it on the earth pony’s back.

“Y-yes, princess.”

“Thank you kind sir,” Twilight replied and then turned to Rainbow. “You ready, Rainbow?”

“Y-yes,” Rainbow replied. The whole scene bothered her on several levels. It had seemed as if Twilight wasn’t Twilight, that the ‘perseverance monster’ had taken over, and yet, at the end, when Twilight turned and smiled at her, that had been Twilight.

As their escort and Twilight started off, Rainbow sped up to a trot until she was side by side with the princess. “You okay, Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

“Hmm? Why do you ask?”

“You’re not normally so testy with ponies,” Rainbow replied.

Twilight smiled a loving smile at Rainbow, one that filled the mare with a sense of warmth she hadn’t been expected right before booping her on the nose with a hoof. “Trust me, Rainbow. That wasn’t me being testy. I could do a lot worse. That was me putting an end to any additional trouble we might encounter before it started.”

“But that’s not you,” Rainbow said.

Twilight cocked her head. “It’s the me you helped me find.”

“I did do this then,” Rainbow said, her eyes downcast.

“Yes, and no.” Twilight replied. “It was there all along, you simply brought it to the forefront. Made me see another side of myself.” When Rainbow kept looking at the ground, Twilight added, “A side that’s kinda fun, no?”

Rainbow looked up at her at that. There was a playful look on Twilight’s face that said exactly the sort of fun she’d been referring to. “Well, that has been kinda fun,” Rainbow replied.

“I think so too,” Twilight replied as she lightly smacked Rainbow’s flank with a wing.

Rainbow jumped a little at that, the action taking her by surprise. “But are you okay with it?” she asked. “I mean… I…”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled her as the two walked together, their tones softened so only they could hear one another. “I’m fine, Dashie. In truth I don’t think there’s any going back. No matter what happens I’ll never forget that side of myself, it’s a part of me now.”

“You make it seem like you’ve been possessed.”

Twilight laughed. “No, nothing like that. It’s more like… remember the first time you went to a spa?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, slightly embarrassed to admit that in public.

I’m leading you along on a leash and you’re embarrassed about that. Oh Rainbow, never change, Twilight thought with a smile as she continued. “Well afterwards, you always know how good that felt. How much you’d enjoy yourself. It was always a part of you. And you’d always be tempted to go back, you’d still be you, but you’d be a you that knew how much you enjoyed being pampered. This is like that.”

“So this is the after effects of you going to like, what... a bad girl Twilight spa?” Rainbow asked.

“Well that’s one way to put it,” Twilight replied with a laugh as the two made their way into the castle. I’m not the only one who has undergone a change, Rainbow. Do you even realize that? Twilight resisted the temptation to say that out loud. While the pegasus had made leaps and bounds, she figured it was still far to early for that level of self reflection on the part of her normally brash marefriend.

They walked up the stairs and dismissed the guard who—to put it mildly—was very happy to take his leave. When they got to the throne room Twilight was equally happy and disappointed. Happy due to the object of her quest being present, and disappointed due to her not being alone. Dammit, I’d hoped I’d be able to talk to Cadance before talking to Shining.

The room went dead as Cadance, Shining, and two servants stopped and stared at the sight before them. Several seconds passed before Cadance practically jumped out of her throne and ran to Twilight. “Twilight! It’s so good to see you!”

Twilight dropped the leash and ran forward. In tandem the two begun their usual greeting. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

While Cadance’s reaction had been one of ecstatic pleasure at the sight of Twilight, Shining’s reaction at seeing his sister walk in the way she had was one of complete shock. The stallion quickly cleared the room before walking up to join his wife. “Twily? I… what… huh,” he stumbled, his eyes never leaving his sister’s new ‘look’.

Rainbow didn’t know what to expect next. And yet, somehow, what did occur still managed to take her by surprise. “Hi big brother. Do you like my new look? I got it to commemorate my relationship with my new marefriend, Rainbow! Hope that’s not too surprising for you.”

Shining’s jaw fell to the ground, as did Rainbow’s. Cadance just laughed as she said, “Twily, you’re so mean to your brother.”

“Well I mean he does love surprises, especially life-changing surprises that we keep from family members,” Twilight replied as she blew Shining a raspberry.

Shining picked his jaw off the floor. “Are you doing this just to get revenge on me‽”

Cadance spoke up first. “Shining Armor, how dare you suggest such a thing!”

“Yeah big brother! That’s just a bonus.”

“Wait, so you, and Rainbow, I mean…”

“And is there something wrong with your sister finding her special somepony?” Cadance asked, her tone getting serious for the first time in the conversation.

“I uhhh…”

“Yeah BBBFF, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I mean… uh… it’s just kinda sudden,” Shining rubbed his hoof very uncomfortably on the back of his neck. The stallion didn’t know when the conversation had suddenly turned against him, but there was no doubt that it had.

“No more sudden than a letter received two days before a certain wedding,” Twilight replied.

“I told you that I didn’t have a choice!”

“There’s always a choice,” Twilight replied. “You had the ability to tell me, you chose not to, no matter what the orders were.”

Shining was taken aback by the vitriol he heard in Twilight’s voice. He knew she’d been mad, but he’d thought they’d moved past it. He stared down at his hooves.

Cadance stepped in, “I assume now we can call it even?”

“I’d say yes,” Twilight replied.

“Yes,” Shining mumbled.

“Great!” replied Cadance.

“But that still doesn’t explain… this!” Shining cut in, refusing to be bogarted out of the conversation.

All eyes turned to him. “What’s this?” Twilight asked.

“Don’t play dumb, the look, the tattoos, the leash, all of it!”

Damn, I was hoping to keep him on the defensive. Twilight thought.

“I’d say the leash is rather self explanatory,” Cadance replied with a chuckle.

It clicked in Shining’s mind. “Oh dear Celestia.”

“Oh please, brother. I heard about the saddle,” Twilight replied.

Shining’s eyes went wide as he stared at Cadance in total shock.

“And didn’t you say that he’s the one that enjoys being strapped into the sex swing?” Rainbow added in. Unwilling and unable to resist poking the bear.

Shining’s coat turned from white to red.

Cadace thought about adding something, but changed her mind. “Okay girls, we’ve upset my dear Shining enough today. Twilight, you don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to. Shining, your sister is a living, breathing mare. One with all the needs and desires that you and I have. It’s time for you to accept that.”

It was then that Shining lowered his head in defeat. “Yes, ma’am.”

“For your information brother, we got a bit drunk one night and ended up at a tattoo parlor,” Twilight added in.

“Makes sense,” Cadance said. “Is that a good enough reason for you, Shining?”

Shining just nodded.

“I guess we know who wears the pants in that relationship,” Rainbow chuckled.

“Oh, speaking of pants, have you two started bringing clothes into your play?” Cadance asked.

“Wait, why would we add clothes?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m going upstairs,” Shining cut in.

“As you wish,” Cadance said with a wink.

As the three watched Shining hurry up the stairs Rainbow chimed in, “That alone was worth the price of admission.”

“Will he be okay?” Twilight asked, unable to not show some concern for her brother. She couldn’t lie; it did feel good to get revenge on him, but she didn’t want to hurt him.

“He’ll be fine. I’ll make it up to him,” Cadance replied.

“A turn in the swing?” Rainbow asked with a laugh.

“Indeed, among some other things,” Cadance said. “But no more kink-shaming, Rainbow. Everypony has their own likes and dislikes. And they’re nothing to be made fun of.” Her tone went from serious to playful in an instant. “Now Twilight, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“Well… I was hoping to take you up on your offer for some personal lessons for Rainbow and I?”

“Personal lessons? I’d be delighted,” Cadance said as she led the two down a very different staircase.