Rarity was frantically pacing across her boutique’s floor, in a mad rush to multitask across the whole room. A little adjustment to the buttons on a mannequin here, then a few more lines on the sketch paper there, then to work on the seams over on the sewing machine...

“Alright, that dress is done, but I need to make sure it fits her soon. I have to add the diamond sequins on that...Oh! And I need to fix the stitching on that one…” She had gotten herself into a manic rhythm, but at the pace she was running around, she was sure to collapse at any moment.

The ringing of her door’s bell finally snapped her out of her vicious cycle, as she turned with a surprised yelp to see who had entered.

“Ah, pardon me, did I arrive at a bad time?” Princess Luna stood at the door, clearly put-off by the state of disarray she had caught Rarity in.

“P-Princess Luna!” Rarity sputtered, frantically searching for a brush to fix the frazzles in her mane. “No, it’s totally fine! I just...wasn’t expecting your arrival, is all!”

Luna quizzically tilted her head. “You did summon me for my dress fitting today, did you not?”

The gears started cranking double-time in Rarity’s mind as she remembered what day it was. “Oh! That was today today! I, er, forgive me, I’m just having a little bit of trouble keeping up with everything as of late!”

“If you’re busy, I have no problems with rescheduling-”

“Oh no no no not at all, dear! Not after you came all this way!” Rarity insisted. “Just stand over there on the podium and I’ll be ready to take your measurements!”

As Rarity slipped behind the curtain, Princess Luna stepped onto the stage, with only the trio of reflections on the mirrors to keep her company.

After a short wait, Rarity stepped back out with her notepad, measuring tape, and a fully-fixed mane. “Now then, let’s get started!”

With her magic, Rarity started taking the measurements of Luna’s proportions. “So, Luna, what is the ideal look you want for this outfit?” she asked as the tape stretched from her hoof to shoulder.

“Well, I would like for the dress to reflect the beauty of the night sky. Though I don’t want to have myself be the center of attention because of it. I’d rather they be reminded of the natural wonder of the night by looking at it. I apologize if that sounds contradictory-”

“Ah, so subtle, but still stunning,“ Rarity noted, wrapping the measuring tape around Luna’s stomach. There were a few ideas on the design and color scheme already forming in her mind.

Luna nodded. “This event is going to take place outdoors, so ideally I’d like it short enough so that it won’t get dirty or tangled up in things easily.”

Immediately, several mental designs were either adjusted to accommodate, or scrapped entirely. Though Rarity didn’t show any frustration on her face, she just adjusted her glasses as she measured the base around the princess’s wing. “I see, I see, anything else?”

“Well, could I ask that it be more...comfortable to move in?” Luna sheepishly asked. “I know it sounds a bit silly, but many of my dresses are uncomfortably stiff.”

“Of course, dear! That should be easy enough!” Rarity nodded, now measuring Luna’s flank.

“I appreciate it, Rarity,” Luna sighed in relief. “If I’m going to be wearing this dress for hours at a time, I would at least like to feel like I can move around without anything tearing!”

“Mmhm…”

Luna took notice that the measuring tape was wrapped around her flank for much longer than usual, and Rarity’s tone sounded oddly distant. It almost felt like the tape was squeezing her… “Is...is everything alright back there, Rarity?”

“Hm? O-Oh, yes! Sorry, I was just...deciding on what sort of fabrics to use!” Rarity cleared her throat. “It will take me a bit to get the full design ready, but I can show you a few fabrics I think would be to your liking!”

“By all means, please, go ahead.”

Rarity turned Luna around to face the mirrors as she got the fabrics. She draped some cloth over Luna’s neck. “Now this one is purple on one side, and black on the other. So we could make it layered.”

Luna looked at herself through the mirrors, trying to visualize what the full dress would look like. “I see, what else did you have in mind?”

Rarity swapped out the cloth for a much darker shade of purple. “What about this one? It’s a bit darker, but we could decorate it with some strategically placed gems around the waist to make it look like a starry sky.”

“I’m rather fond of that idea,” Luna nodded, looking at her flowing mane. “You could really make it look like the night sky on my dress?”

“So long as you’re not asking me to be astronomically accurate,” Rarity teased. She held the fabric across Luna’s back, getting a few of the small sparkling gemstones from her stash, lining them up down her sides. “The light could shimmer across your dress, like the stars twinkling in the sky.”

“Or, alternatively, we have this.” Rarity displayed the final bit of cloth, some translucent cyan silk. “I figure with winter soon approaching, it would be appropriate to emulate the northern lights with this.”

“Oh, and it has its own little sparkle to it, too!” Luna noted, beaming with excitement. “Do you mind letting me see how it looks on my body?”

Rarity held the fabric up to Luna’s side. “I think it looks absolutely dazzling with your coat, darling.”

Luna turned to get a better view through the mirror. “Indeed, I think this is the one I’d like for my dress.”

Rarity slid the fabric back to cover the flank. “And just look at how it complements your cutie mark!”

Luna was too focused on the fabric to see that Rarity had started caressing her flank with her hooves.

“Hm, yes, this is going to be fantastic…” Rarity murmured, squishing her cheek against Luna’s firm buttcheeks. “I can see it now…”

Luna finally took notice, seeing through the mirror’s reflection that Rarity was making hungry, lustful eyes right at her cutie mark, all while sighing things that she wasn’t completely sure were about the dress. “Er...Rarity?”

“Absolutely divine…”

With a roll of her eyes, Luna gave her a quick hip check to snap her back to reality.

“Eep! Huh?”

“Well, I have the utmost confidence that you’ll make a stellar outfit. Hopefully the proportions of my flank won’t be too much of an issue for you,” she teased.

With a massive blush as red as her glasses, Rarity nervously laughed and excused herself back behind the curtains.

“So, Daring Do. You thought you could take what I have rightfully stolen for myself?” Caballeron grinned, laughing above the captured pegasus.

Daring struggled against the ropes, but Cabelleron’s henchponies simply pulled tighter, undoing any progress she might have made.

Cabelleron dangled a medallion in front of Daring’s face to taunt her, smirking as she tried to bite it out of his hooves. “I have to admit, capturing you was almost too easy this time!”

The henchponies quickly tied Daring Do up, starting off by wrapping rope around her wings, making sure that she couldn’t spread them out to fly. They tied her front hooves to her sides, strapping them to the ropes around her wings, and then tied her hind hooves, wrapping rope around all the way up to her haunches.

Despite Daring’s best efforts, she couldn’t fight through all of Caballeron’s ponies. The ropes squeezed against her body, restricting her movement, but not her breathing. She could only grunt and writhe around as they finished tying the ropes tight. “Nnngh, you know I’m getting out of this, right?”

“Unfortunately for me, yes.” Caballeron gave a reluctant shrug. “However, I’m confident that these ropes will keep you occupied for quite a while!”

As Daring lay near-immobile on the floor, Caballeron lifted up her chin. “You know, I do quite enjoy seeing you like this…”

“Yeah? And I like seeing you humiliated…” Daring scoffed, straining her body to try and either break free or slip out of the ropes. But with the sheer amount of ropes she was tied up with, it wasn’t going to be an easy job.

Caballeron chuckled. “Well, it seems you’re in quite a bit of a bind right now!”

“Rrgh, you’re still here to gloat?” Daring wriggled on the ground, bending and curling as she kept attempting to break out.

“I suppose I could flee while I still can, but watching you attempt to escape is much more entertaining!” He crouched down to watch her struggle. “Tell me, how does it feel, Daring Do? I’ve had you tied up so many times, I’m afraid I’ve lost count!”

“Can’t say it’s a nice feeling...” Daring grumbled, trying to kick her hooves.

“Oh? I thought you’d be used to being in this situation by now!”

“The same way you should be used to me kicking your sorry flank at least once a month?”

“...Touche.” Caballeron clicked his tongue. “Still, you aren’t enjoying the feeling of rope around your hooves yet? How tightly it hugs your fur?”

Daring tried to shimmy her way out of the ropes, but they were wrapped too tight for her to get anywhere. Even the little restricted kicks of her hooves didn’t get her any headway on loosening the ropes.

“Do you not enjoy the feeling of being restricted?” Caballeron continued, pacing around the explorer as she wriggled around. “The feeling of total helplessness and peril? Such a thrill-seeking pony like you must enjoy knowing imminent doom is coming closer and closer...Does it not get your heart racing?”

Caballeron rolled Daring Do over to the cliffside, holding her right at the edge so that she could see how far down she might fall.

“I wonder what would happen if I rolled you off...Would you scream in terror, or delight?”

Daring Do suddenly awoke with a shudder. She looked around as her tired brain tried to put everything together. She was still in the jungle, but it was the middle of the cold night instead of the warm, sticky afternoon. She looked down, sensing a familiar tingling and wetness from her crotch.

“...Always cuts off at the fun part...” she muttered to herself, lying back down to try and fall back asleep.

Author's Note

She's princess proportioned