Entrapment

"Yes, yes," encouraged Spinner, clapping his hands to the beat of the music. "Very good, miss Fluttershy. Now turn to your right..."

Fluttershy had been learning how to dance for two and a half weeks now. She no longer felt pained by the moves, having strengthened her core muscles significantly through regular practice. Her yoga friends were very understanding, and even supportive of her new position. Except one of them, who was upset that her own master wouldn't pay for dance lessons.

The lesson was almost over for the day, and Malak walked in with Jerome and Nightshade in tow. They sat down on the couch, watching her. Malak's face displayed his expectation with a stern gaze. Nightshade was more encouraging, smiling and inclining her thumbs. This was normal behaviour for Malak, but this was the first time Fluttershy would be dancing for Nightshade. As such, Malak had told Fluttershy that she would be wearing her harem uniform. This was, by all accounts, a performance for her.

Fluttershy took her position and the music started. She knew she wasn't under any spotlight, but she could feel its phantom heat beating down on her. As her cue came up, her hips started moving. She wanted to close her eyes, but had been encouraged by Malak to keep them open while performing. If she held her eyes closed for more than three seconds, he would bend her over his knee. He'd done it twice, so she knew he meant to hold to his word.

She trembled as she danced, having lost any amount of confidence as soon as she had an audience. No amount of technique she had earned had done anything to combat her stage fright. She was doing her best to cover it up, and managed to hide it from Nightshade, the only pony in the room who didn't see her fear. Her expertise was in home and garden care, rather than music and dance.

When the dance was finished, Nightshade applauded. "Beautiful. Just magnificent." She stood up and ran to Fluttershy, giving her a hug. Fluttershy returned it, still trembling. "And you learned all of that in three weeks?"

Fluttershy blushed and nodded. "I'm still learning..."

"Not for much longer," interjected Spinner. "Barring some sort of accident, your lessons are almost over. I only teach beginners. I have a recital coming up, if you'd like to perform, but I don't know if that's a good idea."

Nightshade scowled at Spinner. "Are you saying she's not good enough to dance at your recital?"

"It's not a good idea for her to perform that night," confirmed Malak. "Unless she suddenly loses her case of stage fright. She was terrified performing in front of us few, she'll definitely panic when there're hundreds in view."

Spinner nodded. "That's not something I'm qualified to work out. If she manages to find a way to deal with the stage fright, she'll be very welcome to display her skill at my showcase."

During the course of this conversation, Jerome had slipped from Malak's shoulders and coiled himself around Fluttershy's waist. As she gently stroked his long, slender body, he made his way up around her arms and shoulders until his entire weight was on her. She looked into his silver eyes, entranced by the golden rings surrounding them. While most ponies would probably be upset by the red stripes running down his back, she thought he was cute.

She began to sway, having lost all interest in the conversation about her. For the moment, all that mattered was him. The world around her seemed to vanish, leaving the two of them alone. He began to pull at her muscles, gently directing her movements. It was a slow, sensual dance.

As Malak turned to ask her to opine on how long she would take, he noticed that she was performing better now than ever she had before. As her body moved smoothly from one position to the next, he caught a glimpse of her face, displaying genuine joy. She had grown very close to Jerome, telling Malak that she loved animals of all kinds. She had previously been living with dozens, but since she had arrived, Jerome was the only one she could give her love to. Malak drew the attention of the other two, and they watched the display.

"Wow," chuckled Spinner. "That's quite an improvement. I wonder if this may be the key that unlocked her abilities?"

"I knew she was good," smiled Nightshade. "But this is better than what I saw earlier."

Malak said nothing, but sat down and enjoyed the show. He turned the music back on, to see if she would synchronize with it. She did, picking up speed as the tempo rose, and slowing as it fell. She didn't seem to react to anything else, as Spinner issued commands that she didn't follow. Not that any extra commands were needed, as Fluttershy's movements were spot-on.

Eventually, Jerome lost eye contact with her, wrapping himself around her neck. She returned to her senses, finding that she'd had an audience for her dance. Her face flushed red, easily visible through the veil. This time, however, even Malak clapped for her performance.

"That's very good," he said. "I'm very impressed. When Jerome is with with you, you seem less distressed. He cares for you, and you obviously care for him. If you dance together, I can see clearly your vim."

"That was amazing, Fluttershy," smiled Nightshade. "I'm a little jealous, to be honest."

"That's quite a drastic bit of progress," chuckled Spinner. "If you can dance that way in front of my public class, I'll extend to you an invitation to dance at my showcase."

She didn't really want to attend the showcase. She didn't much care for dancing. Part of her wished that she could be listed as a home and garden slave, and spend her time with plants and animals. Unfortunately, that was not her decision to make. She turned to Malak, wondering what he would make her do.

"If you feel you're ready to share, you can go. If you'd rather not do it now, you can just say so. Keep in mind, though, that you'll be preforming for the king. If you can't perform by then, you'll receive a beating. Not from me, mind you, I don't like to cause pain. Instead, Jax will have his way, and you'll be in chains."

Fluttershy swallowed hard. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt too much to at least try to dance in front of your class. Can Jerome come with me?"

Spinner nodded. "I'll set you up with a slot for next week. How's that sound?"

Fluttershy nodded, hugging Jerome closer to her. He responded by tickling her ear with his tongue.