Starlight next found herself on the doorstep of the boutique, knocking gently on the immaculately polished stained glass. It was only a few moments before Rarity’s distorted silhouette presented itself through the prismatic surface, her impossibly light footsteps, even in heels, allowing her to appear seemingly out of thin air.

“Why Starlight, what a surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure?” There was a knowing lilt to her voice, as well as a hint of sarcasm. The last few weeks of preparation had continuously pitted Rarity’s fondness for Starlight with her desire to be allowed to work alone in peace. With so much to do Star had mostly indulged the fashion queen, leaving her to her own devices while Star coordinated the innumerable other issues that demanded her attention. Now, however, almost everything was in place, and Rarity’s vacation from scrutiny would have to come to an end.

“Y'know, I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I might drop by for a visit.”

“I’m so glad to hear that Darling, because for a second there I thought you might be coming by to check in on me.”

Rarity turned and welcomed Starlight into her workshop, adding an extra little wiggle to her stride as she moved aside but barely sparing the sudden flourish a thought.

“Of course not Rare, I know that Equestria’s foremost fashion designer is far too skilled to need someone looking over her shoulder.”

A satisfied smirk crested across Rarity’s ruby red lips, a twinkle in her eye at the knowledge that perhaps she had finally gotten through to her, achieved some semblance of recognition for her talents.

“But since you brought it up…”

Or perhaps not.

“I’m just here to make sure everything’s going alright, after all, there’s only two days left.”

“Honestly Darling, you’re almost as bad as Twilight! All this worry can wreak havoc on your complexion you know.”

Starlight strode further into the studio, a somewhat unfamiliar surrounding in recent weeks. She had been inside for her own fitting, as had the others, but beyond that the fashionista had put the whole workshop on lockdown. Star approached the table nearest to the foyer while Rarity trailed closely behind, the imperceptible click of her heels carrying her forward with the poise befitting the fashion model she so closely resembled.

“I just want to make sure everything is absolutely perfect.” She was barely stood by the table a moment before Rarity had sidled up beside her, pulling out a chair for her friend to rest upon. The move registered as strange, but just for a moment, before remembering the importance of playing the perfect hostess, even as they sparred.

Starlight reached a hand upward from her seat, a brief, gentle brush of it across Rarity’s cheek. “Thank you Darling.” She purred. The touch lasted only an instant, but in that moment Rarity felt her legs turn to jelly and her train of thought disappear into the distance. It was only a few seconds later, that she realised her interlocutor was looking up at her expectantly, and that she was supposed to be indignant.

“A - As if I would ever produce anything even slightly less than perfect?” She responded, hoping against hope that the long awkward pause had existed only in her head. “The way you micromanage you’d almost think it was your coronation you were planning.”

“Then you won’t mind if I go up stairs and have a look at all your hard work?”

Starlight hadn’t budged a centimetre, Rarity knew they were just playing roles at this point, that Starlight was more goading than asking. Their conflict was so familiar it may as well have been scripted, and both women knew well what the next line would be.

“You will do no such thing! If you think there’s even a chance that you’ll get to see my masterworks before their debut you’re out of your mind.”

Starlight’s being oddly…affectionate, and her own strange reaction aside, she would not allow anyone to ruin the grand reveal, not even the woman tasked with organising the entire affair.

“I understand completely.” Starlight lied.

The definitive tone to Rarity’s voice was nothing short of adorable, she had missed moments like this more than anything. Her friend being so stalwart, so completely unaware, so convinced of the fact that her will was anything other than a thin façade, erected solely for the amusement it brought her to tear it down.

“It sounds like you have everything under control, and I assume it’ll be ready a day early like we planned?”

“Naturally Darling, I am a professional after all, I had everything taken care of ages ago.”

“Well then, I have a few free minutes, so why don’t we just talk instead?”

Rarity’s eyes darted toward the stairs, a tic which Star picked up on as soon as it occurred.

“Unless you’re busy with something?”

Rarity looked to Starlight, doing her best to suppress a pensiveness within her, keenly aware of the mage's endless tenacity. Still, a break would do her some good, and it had been quite a while since they had the chance to catch up. Besides, she knew Starlight wasn’t getting past her.

“I suppose I could take a few minutes to relax…” She turned to the kitchen and with a flicker of pale blue aura ignited the tea kettle to her side. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

Rarity gave her one last look before ascending the stairs, returning moments later and taking a seat at the table opposite Starlight, the kettle following suite accompanied by a pair of porcelain cups.

“So how have you been keeping? Considering all the extra work you’ve had.”

“I’d hardly call it work, I cleared my schedule to make sure I had all the time in the world to prepare everything.” She said, taking a sip from her cup. “Its almost been like a vacation for me.”

“Really? So what have you been doing today? Besides work I mean.”

“Oh, the usual, I took Sweetie Belle to school, did some shopping, some cooking.”

Starlight gave her a look that threw Rarity slightly off balance. A quirk of her eyebrow, a smirk on her lips, she looked as if she was waiting for more, as if she knew something… but that was impossible, there was no way that she -.

Suddenly Rarity felt Starlight’s hands on hers, the smirk having graduated into a coy grin, her eyes still staring into Rarity’s own as if she could see into her soul.

“I want you to be crystal clear with me Rarity.”

Rarity felt Starlight’s thumbs run tenderly along each finger on her free hand, but she continued to stare into Starlight’s eyes unable to break away for even a moment. There was a tingle traveling up her arms with each touch to her digits, like the strings of a piano, a slight vibration moving up through her arm and into the deepest parts of herself, sending a gentle numbness along her nerves, until her whole body was silent, and all she could see were those deep, purple eyes.

“Can you do that for me Rarity? Can you be crystal clear?”

“I will always be crystal clear with you Starlight.” She murmured, barely aware of what she was saying.

Starlight clapped her hands together rousing Rarity back to awareness. “Excellent! I’m glad to hear it!”

Rarity blinked several times, feeling for all the world like she had lost the plot. “I… I’m sorry Darling I think I may have lost my train of thought for a moment, what were you saying?”

“I was asking what it was you were keeping secret from me up stairs.”

“Right, of course, Twilight is up in my room, I’ve been making some last-minute alterations to her dress.”

A tremor of excitement ran its way through Starlight, she had no idea Twilight was nearby, the thought that she might return a day early hadn’t even crossed her mind.

“Why didn’t she tell anyone?”

“She still has some things that need to be taken care of, if everyone knew she was here she would be delayed getting back.”

There the briefest moment of consideration paid to walking away then and there. To toy with Rarity, to holdup Twilight, both would be rather selfish of her… but that moment faded quickly. She would be quick…ish, a bit of fun, and a chance to see Twilight a a day early, one more petty indulgence she had more than earned.

“Tell me more about how you spent your morning today.” She pressed, having given up on self control. A few minutes spent on idle fun could hardly cause harm.

“Well first I took Sweetie Belle to school.” Rarity looked across the table at Starlight’s smiling face, seeing genuine interest shimmer in her eyes, it was sometimes easy to forget that for all their differences she was still a truly caring person. “And of course, when I got there, I made sure that a few of her friends could see that I wasn’t wearing any underwear.”

Starlight let the statement hang in the air for a moment, savouring Rarity’s earnestness while trying her best not to laugh or smile too widely, taking a long sip from her own cup to extend the pause.

“I see, tell me more.”

“Button Mash dropped his lunch box on his way inside and I stopped to help him pick up his things.”

“My, how nice of you.”

“He could see right down my shirt the entire time.” A tingle ran up her spine as she said it, the memory all the more pleasurable for its recency. “I caught him peeking, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of me”

There were easier ways to get the information from Rarity. Star had experimented with having her simply drone on mindlessly, or prying them from her, fully aware and painfully embarrassed, but suggestions like this were always more fun. As far as she was concerned it was just a little extra spice, a simple way to enjoy each others company to the fullest, they were still friends, just better ones that one of them realised.

“By the time I was done he couldn’t even look me in the eye, he did his best to hide it, but I could tell how excited he was.”

“I bet he told all his friends about it the moment he got to school.” Rarity practically choked on the mouthful of tea, her hand reaching directly for the nearest napkin while her face went from pale white to salmon pink. “Excuse me. I – I hadn’t thought of that.”

Starlight often wondered what it was like in Rarity’s head when they spoke like this. She had told her she would discuss anything and everything as casually as she would the weather, no matter how private or embarrassing. It had been a wonderful way to bond, every little secret she had, from which of the groups brothers she most fancied, to the origin of that accent of hers, all she needed to do was ask.

Still, her favourite part would always be listening to the prim, proper, and ever so refined Rarity discuss the days debauchery in that oh so polished way of hers, ‘The temperature was a balmy 15 degrees, the sky was the most delightful shade of pastel blue and I watched Mr. Cake nearly walk himself into a fountain as I spread my legs for him on a park bench.’

Still, Star was itching to make better use of their brief time together, and to take a trip up those stairs, and so she moved on to the next step.

Starlight held up a single finger between them and watched Rarity’s eyes take hold of it. Their focus was anchored to instantly, a response seared into her at a level so deep it was practically instinctual. That much was obvious as she moved it back and forth, the ocean blue orbs opposite her following perfectly, making clear that she had taken the bait.

Rarity for her part had fallen silent, the rest of her story was queued in her mind, but all of the sudden it, and everything else had stopped. Like a sudden traffic jam every thought in her head was stalled in limbo, her vision fixated upon the tip of Star’s finger while the rest of the world faded away.

“Starlight Glimmer is sitting right in front of you, don’t think about it.”

The words never really reached the listener, still captivated by the presence of her opposite’s fingertip, they went right past her, into the deepest reaches of her mind. Once planted they set to work, informing every thought that waited fixed and frozen for their signal to begin again.

Starlight rose to her feet, making her way around the table, her friend still starring straight ahead, beyond the empty chair, as if seeing through the very walls that surrounded them and into the street outside.

“What happened after that?”

Rarity felt a hand brush aside her long ringlets of purple hair, followed by a pair of lips intermittently kissing and sucking their way down her neck, faint traces of lipstick marking their way down her lily-white skin. ‘Don’t think about it.’

“I walked Sweetie Belle to class, she says she’s too old for it…”

“But you didn’t do it for her did you?” Starlight had begun pulling Rarity’s top down over her shoulders, the straps confining her arms, pressing her round perky breasts together, her hand adopting a new, awkward posture to raise her teacup to her lips. ‘Don’t think about it.’

“No” she sighed, now feeling a pair of hands groping at her chest, a heady tingle spreading out across her body. “When I bent over to hug her goodbye, I heard some of the boys whispering.”

“You wore that micro skirt I picked out for you, didn’t you?”

“Yessssss.”

“What do you think they saw?”

“Everythinggggg.”

“It felt good didn’t it? To have their eyes on you?” There was a hand between her legs now, just brushing up against her was enough to leave her panties drenched, she had already needed to change her skirt once today, at this rate she would need to do the laundry a day early.

“It’s a lot easier than fashion isn’t it? When you want attention all you need to do is show off that sweet little body of yours.”

Starlight knew that if she had been allowed to, Rarity would have already cum by now, but there were very strict conditions set within that pretty little head of hers, she could only climax when she had permission, or…

“What happened next?”

“I excused myself to the washroom to-.”

“To rub yourself raw?” Fingers plunged into her, a shock of pleasure rode all throughout Rarity’s body, a wave trying desperately to crest but always stopping just short. The teacup finally fell from her hands, she felt the warm liquid spill across her chest, running down along her body, the faint sound of a magic aura offering relief rather than the sound of shattering china.

There was a time when a mistake like this would be cause for worry, when the pliant state of her subjects mind was fragile, and the stakes far higher. Now, however, her control was near absolute, nothing would distract her unless she allowed it.

“Aren’t you naughty, masturbating in a school bathroom like a horny teenager, and to the thought of your sister’s friends no less.”

“I – I can’t help it.”

“Do you feel guilty humiliating your sister like that?”

“Yesssss… but it just – it just feels so good! And knowing that when they talk to her, they’re thinking of me…”

“So, after you edged in the washroom and then-.”

“I did more than edge.”

For the first time since they began, Starlight’s fingers ceased their exploration.

“You know you can only cum when-.”

“When someone else is in the room to watch or to listen.” Rarity quickly finished, the thought, having become more than familiar with the peculiarity that so often prevented her from finding release.

Starlight fingers resumed their ministrations, once again building towards a healthy momentum.

“Really? Someone was very naughty, who was in the washroom with you?”

“Ah – Ap – Applebloom.”

Star paused once more, this time more out of surprise than displeasure, but Rarity was keen to keep the feeling going, her hips rolling as best they could, grinding against the fingers and the chair like a dog in heat, even as the rest of her retained some semblance of normalcy.

“Sounds like someone had quite the busy morning.”

Rarity felt the faint tingle of magic between her legs, beginning small but slowly expanding within her, replacing the fingers that had abandoned her just moments earlier, but this was better. She hadn’t felt this in longer than she cared to admit, this wasn’t edging, this wasn’t fingering, she was finally, finally, being fucked.

There was a long guttural groan from her as the ephemeral construct worked its way as deeply as it could, even as her mind pushed aside any notion of what was happening, her body was far more honest. Like a string wound far too tightly, the slightest provocation sent violent vibrations thrumming all throughout her.

Her skin was slick with sweat, her fingers were now digging into the table like the claws of a wild animal, and her whole body convulsed with every magical thrust, each one leaving her lungs breathless and her stomach tight.

“I – I sat in the stall, and – and – and I masturbated until I came, and then I did it again, a – and again, I di – I didn’t stop until after the bell rang, ah – an – and when I left the stall she was – she was there!”

“Do you think she knows?”

“Ahhh I know she does!” Rarity was speaking into the table now, her face buried into the flat surface as her hips rolled forward and back in time with their invisible companion, Starlight’s hands still toying with her rigid pink nipples from behind. “She’s bEEN THere every - eVERy time I’ve gone, FUH - for the last - last ThREE WEEks, I think she might even hAVe a bit of a crush.”

“Do you think her sister knows?”

“OhHhH that would be EVEn hotter! AppLEJAck can barely even STUH-string a sentence together when sEX is involved.”

Starlight snickered to herself, Applejack wasn’t nearly as repressed as Rarity thought, but she would learn that herself soon enough.

“Every time she l-looked at me, she’d KNOW I was some kind of PervERt, that I was turning her sister into one TOO!”

“After… After that I cUH - came straight home, but the walk here is alWAYS the best p-part, all those eyes on me, staring at me, imagining all the th-things I’ve done, OHHH, it’s just too much.”

Starlight couldn’t help but imagine it, the image of Rarity making her way home, thighs slick with arousal, hair disheveled, and skin covered in sweat from her time spent in the stall. Stopping to discuss the matters of the day with the locals in the neighbourhood while reeking of sex arousal and selflove, she would need to accompany her one day, just to see for herself how much of a depraved little deviant she had managed to make.

“Well haven’t you been a busy girl while I’ve been away, I bet you want to cum just thinking about it, would you like me to make that happen?”

“Duh - Don’t BE silly Darling hOW could you make me cum?”

Starlight had almost forgotten that despite all her theatrics, to Rarity they were still having a pleasant conversation about the days events. At last Starlight released her grip on Rarity, the magic phallus that had spent the past few minutes similarly disappearing followed swiftly by an unconscious but pathetic whimper on the part of its recipient.

“Right, how foolish of me.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate the offer of course.” She said in between slow ragged breaths. “I’ve found myself having rather torrid dreams involving you almost every night, and whenever I masturbate you seem to pop into my mind unprovoked.”

“What an odd state of affairs…” She smirked to herself, returning to the place where the illusory double with which Rarity was engaged in conversation sat.

Rarity opposite her, now a sweaty, horny mess, a sight that Starlight had dearly missed in their time apart. She looked for all the world as if she would explode at the slightest touch.

Rarity deserved a reward, without Starlight’s intervention Rarity had taken every suggestion to heart, she was genuinely impressed at how far she’d taken things, and so, out came the pendant.

Despite the fact that to her waking mind, Starlight was totally invisible her eyes lurched immediately away from the empty space and towards the shiny blue rock on the end of Starlight’s string.

“Rarity?”

“Yes Starlight?”

“Stand.”

Rarity shot out of her chair at the word, a noticeable jiggle to her unbound chest as she took position, hands at her side and back rigid.

“I’m going to give you some new instructions, you will follow them without thinking and to the best of your ability, do you understand?”

“I understand, Starlight.”

“Excellent, you’re horny aren’t you Rarity?”

“Very…”

“Then here’s what you’re going to do: When the pendant goes away, you’re going to realise that you desperately need…” Starlight looked over the table for a moment, searching for anything of use. “A new pen!” She said, picking one up and tossing it across the room.

“It will be the most important thing in the world for you to go to the stationary store and buy a brand-new pen. Right. This. Second.”

“I need a new pen…” The banality of the statement was in stark contrast to the breathy, desperate tone of voice in which it was spoken.

“And the moment you lay hands on that pen you’re going to realise that you have a desperate, irresistible urge to fuck yourself with it.”

Rarity’s tongue wound its way along her lips, an aching hunger taking root deep in the recesses of her mind.

“Fuck myself…”

“So you’ll find a quiet corner where no one can see you and you’ll do it, you’ll try to keep yourself under control, to keep your voice down, but you’ll fail, and as soon as your ready, you have my permission to cum as hard and as often as you can.”

Rarity’s thighs clamped together, a shiver of anticipation winding its way through her entire body, even as her eyes remained immovably fixed on the deep, mesmerising blue of Starlight’s makeshift pendulum.

Starlight suspended the gem in mid air with a simple application of her aura. It would be easier to redress Rarity with magic but she always preferred to do so by hand. A simple dishrag floated over and into her hand, which she used to dutifully wipe the tea from her chest.

Pulling her top back in place afforded ample time to tease and stroke the perfectly maintained skin it was meant to cover; the whole affair made all the hotter by the doll-like lack of resistance offered. Dressing her at all almost felt like a waste, perhaps the day would come when she could proudly parade her conquests through the streets like this, but that would need to wait.

“And when you’ve finally cum your little empty brain out…” she purred gently returning the straps of her top to their original position, taking ample time to lay hands on her prize’s perfectly sculpted breasts. “You’re going lick it clean, and then you’ll walk up to the counter with it and buy it, do you understand?”

“I understand Starlight.”

A few final touches were all it took, mussing about with her hair just enough to make it look presentable, adjusting her skirt so that it was just a little less scandalous.

“And naturally, you won’t remember anything of our little talk.” She said with a peck on her cheek.

“No Starlight.” Came the final absent-minded reply as the pendant disappeared back into Starlight’s pocket.

It took Rarity just a second to come back to reality, the spark of life slowly returning to life within her eyes.

“I’m so sorry you have to go Rarity .” She said with feigned remorse, leading the still groggy fashion designer towards the conclusion she knew she would reach.

“I.. Yes, I simply must get a new pen, I’m so sorry to leave suddenly like this.”

“I understand Rare, believe me, I understand.”

Rarity had collected her things with hardly a moments notice, purse in hand and a few quick strides taking her to the door.

“You’ll lock up when you finish your tea wont you?”

“Of course.”

“And you promise you won’t go to see Twilight?”

“I promise.”

She eyed her suspiciously, but only for a moment, before long she was out the door and Starlight was already making her way towards the stairs.

There was a mild thud as Starlight found herself colliding with the hard wood of Rarity’s bedroom door, followed by muted cursing under her breath as a flicker of magic undid the lock from the outside.

“I can’t believe she even locked the door, I mean where’s the trus-.”

Twilight turned from her perch at the windowsill, a book the size of her head levitating itself down to the floor as Star stood frozen midway through the entrance.

“Star?!”

Starlight watched Twilight rise to her feet, bathed in the light of the midday sun, lending her lightly tanned skin an angelic glow.

“You’re not supposed to-.”

“You look beautiful…” Starlight blurted out without really thinking. “I – I mean you look more – you always look – just -.”

Twilight smiled awkwardly, crossing the distance between them and embracing her dear friend. “I know what you mean Star, Rarity never ceases to amaze me.” She separated, doing a little spin in place, the long white gown trimmed in gold flowing after her, the purples and pinks that matched her mark mixing and mingling in waves up and down the ensemble.

"I hope everyone else reacts the same way you did." It couldn't possibly have looked more perfect. Particular preferences for how it should look may have somehow found their way into Rarity's subconscious, but seeing how she had run with them was truly breathtaking.

“How’d you know I was up here?” The question suddenly shaking Star from her moment of spellbound adoration.

“I – I just came to check on the outfits, I didn’t even know you were up here.” It was the best lie she could manage. Even with advance knowledge she was unprepared, a flurry of emotions shorting out her usual knack for duplicity.

“I’m surprised you managed to get past her at all, she wrestled Dash to the ground the last time she tried to see any of her work early…Where is Rarity anyway?”

“Oh she’s – she’s off getting some last-minute supplies” Star stammered, still keenly studying every last detail of the otherworldly beauty that stood mere metres away.

“Again?” A faint sigh escaped Twilight’s lips a dejected timbre to her voice. “She’s been so patient these last weeks, cancelling commissions and working right up until the last minute just for me…”

For the first time since laying eyes on her, Star managed to pry her vision from Twilight, looking around the room and seeing an outfit meant for every one of their friends, each upon a mannequin matching their proportions save for three to one side, far larger than the others and left bare.

It’s true that leaving something so important to the last minute wasn’t like Rarity, but Star hadn’t really given it much thought.

“This is the third time she’s needed to remake this dress y'know? She had it done weeks ago, but -.”

“You’ve been growing?” Once again Star found herself without a filter, the layers upon layers and preparation and misdirection vanishing in the princesses’ presence.

Twilight felt a knot tie in her stomach, equal parts embarrassment, and shame. “Is it that obvious?”

It was.

When they had met Star and Twilight were just about equal in height, almost identical in figure and proportion, but in the time since the differences had grown more pronounced. The soon to be ruler of Equestria was head and shoulders above her now, her curves and proportions befitting those of the goddess she was becoming, she often looked like an entirely different person, but times like these reminded Star that she was still the same person inside.

“Its not that obvious.” She forced out after brief hesitation.

Twilight gave an anemic chuckle. “You’re such a bad liar, I bet you’re just as burnt out as she is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Star, I left you all alone! To plan everything! All so I could wander off on my own.” There was genuine sadness in her voice, regret that stabbed at Starlight’s heart like a knife.

“What’s the GDP of Manehatten?”

“One and a half trillion bits.” She responded without thinking.

“And if I were to ask what our number one import from Saddle Arabia was, you’d say…”

“That they export two-point-four million reams of fine silk to Equestria every year.”

The enormous tome that sat on the floor once again came to life, launched into Starlight’s hands before being passed back to its owner.

“How many of these things have you read and memorised in the time since you’ve been gone?”

A familiar, sheepish look crept along Twilight’s face, a familiar expression that even her enhanced stature and status couldn’t hide.

“We’ve been working hard, but so have you, learning every last detail it takes to run a kingdom.”

"I just don't want to let anyone down."

"You won't Twilight, you could never let m- your friends down, we all know you'll be the best ruler Equestria's ever had."

A thin smile grew along her face, a small one, but still more than enough bring butterflies to her stomach.

"I should get going before Rarity comes back."

"That's probably best, I'll make sure to keep your little visit a secret."

Star was at the door, hand to the knob, heart aflutter.

"I'm lucky to have a friend like you Star."

She opened the door, and began to slide her way back into the hall. "I feel the same way Twilight."

'friend'

There were so many things she wanted to do, to say. The door was right there, nothing would could stop her if she just gave in to temptation. But she had waited this long, one more day wouldn’t hurt. She focused her energy upon herself, the butterflies in her stomach replaced by the tingling that accompanied teleportation.

She shut her eyes as energy flowed through her, and in a blinding flash of light, vanished from the spot.

Author's Note

Ok, technically I'm a little late posting this but in my defense...Hollow Knight is a really good game.

We're at the halfway point in this short little thing I'm making, hopefully I haven't lost too many people along the way, see you next week (fingers crossed).