Smolder walked slowly to the door, holding the tray in front of her, and, smoothing the scales on the head, took the handle, entering the spacious, semi-dark hall that reminded her of the library at Friendship School, where, like here, there were bookshelves everywhere and portraits of majestic ponies and griffins on the walls. She turned her head and looked to the far end of the hall, where there was a wide fireplace with armchairs pulled up to it, and, letting out a deep breath, she headed that way, trying not to swing the tray on which she had a vase of candy and freshly brewed tea that she had made for her owner.

"Mistress," the dragon repeated mentally, feeling a rush of joy and pleasure from the word. She loved her mistress very much and wanted to obey her every command. After all, she was her faithful servant and had to do exactly as she wished.

She paused for a moment and looked down at her maid's outfit, which consisted of a small black dress, stockings, and a white apron. She wanted to make sure her skirt wasn't wrinkled, and that the bow around her neck hung straight. Her mistress hated it when Smolder appeared disheveled, and the dragoness had taken great care to make sure she looked her best, never to disappoint her.

Once she was satisfied that her appearance was flawless, Smolder continued walking toward the fireplace and approached one of the chairs and sat down, lifting the hem of her skirt in a welcoming gesture.

"Ma'am," the dragoness said with a smile. "I'll bring your tea."

"At last, Smolder, how long have we been waiting for you?" The mare, sitting in the shade of an armchair, leaned forward and stared at the maid.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I know I'm late. I was making you tea when the fire in the kitchen went out, and I had to fetch some wood to start it up again," the dragoness blushed, feeling guilty that her mistress was unhappy with her.

"I see. You've at least made it just the way I like it, haven't you?"

"Oh, of course, Mistress. I brewed your favorite chamomile tea and cooled it slightly so it wouldn't burn your lips."

"Well done, Smolder, you're a good girl," the mare said in a pleased voice, giving the dragoness the rush of joy she felt every time she was praised.

She set the tray down on the coffee table, picked up the teapot and cup, and began pouring her mistress some tea.

"Hey, hey, hold the cup lower, and put your elbows down a little. And don't tilt the teapot so sharply. You don't want to splash me, do you?" The mare said reproachfully.

"No, Mistress, I would never do that," Smolder said hastily, doing as she was told, not wanting to upset her mistress, but feeling slightly gratified that her mistress had corrected her. The dragoness loved to be told what to do and followed each order to the letter.

She felt the hem of her petticoat begin to rise slowly upward.

Turning her head slightly, she saw a shimmering cloud of telekinesis behind her.

"What's the matter, Smolder? Is there something bothering you? Or don't you want me to look at your panties?" Her landlady asked with a chuckle.

"Don't you? Of course not, Mistress. I belong to you, and you can do what you want with me," the dragoness said, blushing, immediately turning away and continuing to serve tea while her mistress pulled up her skirt and admired her silken lingerie.

Then Smolder felt a hoof slip down her leg, rising swiftly upward.

She closed her eyes and sighed languidly. Oh, how she loved it when her mistress touched her.

"Please, ma'am, your tea is ready," the maid finally said as she finished serving it.

"Well done, Smolder, I'm very pleased with you."

"Thank you, ma'am, it's an honor to serve you. And now, with your permission, I would like to go and prepare your bedroom," the dragoness said, bowing low as she prepared to leave the hall when she felt a gentle wave of telekinesis on her paw.

"Wait, my dear. We can go to the bedroom later, but now I'd like to thank you for your work," the mare said, stressing the word "we".

"I assure you, ma'am, that's quite unnecessary," Smolder said, her paws folded in front of her with worry. "Your gratitude is my highest reward."

"That's true, but I think you deserve better," the mare said, and she magically drew the dragoness to her side. "And that this is a reward you won't refuse."

She threw her arms about Smolder's neck, and Smolder felt the warmth of her breath.

"Oh yes, Mistress, it's a reward I've been waiting for," she whispered dreamily, as she prepared to feel the sweet kiss on her lips.

***

Suddenly a rooster crowed outside the window.

She opened her eyes, blinking incomprehensibly, and looked outside, where it was beginning to dawn slowly.

She looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table beside her and immediately turned it off so it wouldn't wake her roommate, Ocellus, who, unlike her, didn't wake up that early and go to the school stadium to work out in the morning.

Sitting up on the bed, the young dragoness stretched with pleasure.

"Ugh, this dream again, I'm so sick of it," she thought, remembering the absurdity of her dream. She covered her mouth with her paw, yawned softly, and was about to get up and leave the room when she felt something sticky between her legs.

"Oh, no, not again," she whispered, embarrassed, pulling aside the bedspread and looking at her thighs, which were glistening with lube. "I was cumming again."

Cautiously getting out of bed, she looked at her roommate, who was still snoozing peacefully, and covering herself with the blanket, she tiptoed toward the bathroom.

Closing the door behind her, Smolder stared in horror at her reflection.

"Oh, I'm so ashamed. I was out of control again. It's all because of these stupid dreams that haunt me every night," she said angrily, turning on the shower and quickly climbing into it to wash up.

It all started three days ago, the first time she'd had that crazy dream where she was serving as a maid to some unknown pony. She didn't know who she was or what looked like, but in the dream she had always felt an irresistible attraction to her and a desire to obey her every whim. And it was terrible! It was a disgrace for a dragon to want to serve someone, and Smolder couldn't understand how she'd reached such shameful fantasies.

Yes, she liked nice things, like dresses and bows and fancy manners, but to go from dresses to wanting to obey someone like that... no, it was unthinkable!

"Perhaps it's this place," she reasoned aloud, rubbing her scales liberally with soap. "Everyone here is too kind and helpful. I've learned a lot of silly things but that doesn't change that. I am a dragon. A strong and indomitable dragon! And I don't have to obey anyone. Especially not a pony."

She remembered a piece of her dream again to heighten her indignation. How she had worn a maid's outfit, served tea, and how the mistress had... touched her.

Smolder sighed loudly. She remembered the way she'd been touched and tried to kiss her, and her body immediately crumbled and warmed slightly. She froze involuntarily and felt her paw reach for her dilated hole.

"No! Stop it right now!" She reminded herself, desperately fighting the temptation that would not leave her. The warm touch, her eyes, the heat from her lips.

"Mistress," Smolder moaned softly, and her paw was once again dangerously close to her tail.

After a few seconds of resisting, she finally gave in and, as if mesmerized, dipping two fingers into her slit and moving them rapidly, imagining that her mistress was doing the same.

The dragoness masturbated vigorously for the next few minutes, until she felt the lube running down her fingers.

"Oh yes," she whispered with pleasure, flushed as she rose to her knees. A small flame erupted from her mouth and was immediately extinguished by the trickle of water.

"Well done, Smolder, you're a good girl," the mistress' voice echoed somewhere in her brain.

"Thank you, Mistress," the dragoness murmured softly, closing her eyes.

"Hey, Smolder, are you in there? May I come in?" She heard Ocellus' voice from behind the door.

"No!" The dragon exclaimed fearfully, making her friend give a loud whoop. "I mean, wait a minute, I'm almost done here, I'll be right out," she added as she hurriedly turned off the shower and threw a towel over herself.

She wrapped herself tightly in it and went to the door and launched her sleepy roommate into the bathroom.

"That's it, you can go wash up," said Smolder.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry if I scared you," the changeling apologized.

"Scared? Me? Oh, this is absurd." Smolder shot back lightheartedly. "I was so busy scrubbing my scales that I'd forgotten anyone else was here."

"I see," Ocellus nodded. "Are you going to the stadium now?"

"Of course I am. I like to stretch my legs. It relaxes me a little before I have to spend all day in stuffy classrooms listening to boring lectures from teachers," said Smolder.

"I don't know, I find them interesting," the changeling protested.

"Of course you do, you're such a good student. You do all your homework, and you never miss a lecture. I swear, if I hadn't seen you and Principal Twilight in the same place, I'd have thought you two were the same person."

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," Ocellus said as she walked over to the sink and pulled out her toothbrush.

"Yeah, whatever," Smolder brushed it off as she prepared to leave the room.

"By the way, Professor Rarity asked me to go to her class today and pick up some boxes of tissues to take to her boutique. Would you give me a hand?"

"I don't know. Go to the boutique," Smolder said with a slight blush, deciding to be a little stubborn, even though she really wanted to be there and see the beautiful dresses. "It's so far away. Why don't you ask someone else, like Gallus or Yona?"

"I already did, but Gallus is going to be helping Professor Dash all day today, and Yona said she's having relatives over for dinner. The others have their own things to do, too, so you're the only one I haven't asked for help yet."

Ocellus looked at her friend pleadingly.

"Please, you're the only one who can help me."

"Oh, all right," Smolder agreed with a fake sigh. "I'll help you with the fabrics. But that's all. If I find out I have to do anything else, I'm leaving, okay?"

"Of course, thank you so much." The jolly changeling hugged the dragonfly, which was slightly embarrassing, especially after what had happened to her in the shower.

"All right, that's enough. I don't like this marmoset stuff," Smolder said as she broke free. "I'm just helping you carry the boxes. So you don't have to squeeze me. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to train."

She opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the common hallway.

***

"Here, Professor Rarity, we brought your fabrics, just as you asked," said Ocellus, as she and Smolder arrived at the Carousel Boutique with several large boxes, laden with rolls of fabric.

"Oh, thank you, girls, you've helped me out so much," the white unicorn thanked them, opening one of the boxes and pulling out a delicate green fabric. "Yes, it's just what I need to finish my new spring collection."

"You're welcome, Professor Rarity, we're always happy to help you," said the changeling. "Right, Smolder?"

"Yeah, we're just as happy to help as we are to have emeralds," said the dragon, who had to carry most of the boxes, not sounding very sincere.

"By the way, I'm working on one of my future outfits right now. Would you like to see it?" The pony asked, pulling the cloth back and lifting the box with her telekinesis.

"I'd love to, Professor Rarity," Ocellus agreed eagerly.

"What about you, Smolder?" The unicorn asked the dragoness.

"No, thanks," she brushed him off. "I'm not interested."

"Oh, come on, you love wearing dresses..." Ocellus wanted to say, but a shove from Smolder silenced her.

"Shh," she hissed.

"Yeah, sorry," the changeling said with a pained wince.

Only her friends and a couple of relatives knew that Smolder liked to wear dresses, and she was in no hurry to tell anyone else about it. Especially the teachers.

"Well, you wait here while we go upstairs," Rarity said as she and Ocellus made their way up to the second floor.

"Yeah, take your time," Smolder said, rubbing her paws together. For the first time in a long time she had a chance to walk through the Carousel boutique and admire the beautiful dresses worn on the mannequins. All the more, while no one saw her, she could briefly step out of the image of the bold and tough dragoness and dream a little about how she wears all these amazing outfits and how she is admired by those around her.

"Yes, my dear, I'm glad you could come to my party, too," Smolder said, looking at the beautiful blue dress with ribbons, imagining herself as the hostess at the ball, and strolling in a circle, talking to an unseen companion.

"What? Do you like my outfit? Oh, thank you. I ordered it from a famous fashion designer in Ponyville just for this occasion. And even though I already have so many gowns for celebrations, I never miss an opportunity to get myself something new. Hee-hee, thank you. You sure know how to pay a compliment. By the way, did you hear about..."

Then she stopped talking when she noticed that she was standing next to a mannequin wearing a short maid's dress.

It was incredibly beautiful, with a white apron, long stockings, and a charming black skirt, and the mannequin had a cute cap on top of it.

"No, not that," she whispered, blushing, unable to take her eyes off it.

The dream she had already forgotten about resurfaced in her mind, and she involuntarily stepped closer to admire the outfit, imagining herself strutting around in it with a broom while her mistress told her what to do.

"No, no, dear, stand up straight, you don't want me to be disappointed in you, do you?" A captivating voice echoed in her head.

"No, Mistress," Smolder whispered, straightening her back.

"Well done, good girl."

"Thank you, Mistress," the dragon said, as if she were in a trance, a pleasant warmth in her chest that slowly began to spread over her entire body, and her paws reached down again.

"What? Do you like this outfit?" Suddenly a completely different voice sounded, and Smolder flinched when she saw Rarity standing beside her, Ocellus standing behind her.

"N-no, I'm just, um, just looking," the dragoness said, stammering, caught off guard, and then she tried to change the subject: "Why did you make it? It's a maid's garment, not something you'd wear outdoors."

"That's right, my dear. I made it last week for an important lady at Canterlot who wanted something elegant and attractive for her maids. And if she likes it, she'll buy a dozen more," the unicorn replied. "By the way, if you want, I can make another one especially for you."

"What? Oh no, you don't. We dragons don't like to wear clothes. Especially... like this," said Smolder, blushing. "Oh, look at the time. I've got to run out and do this, you know, my thing."

And when she said that, she dashed out of the boutique and spread her wings and flew away.

"What's the matter with her?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know, Teacher," Ocellus shrugged.

"What on earth is happening to me today?" Thought Smolder. "It's like I'm going crazy! I shouldn't like maid outfits, and I shouldn't want to obey anyone. Ugh! It's all those dreams! I have to get rid of them somehow! Maybe the Ponyville drugstore has something to chase them away. Yes, there is! I'll fly down there and buy myself some medicine for those dreams!"

***

"Good night, Smolder," Ocellus said as Celestia's sun began to lower, putting aside her book and turning off the lamp on her nightstand.

"Good night, Ocellus," answered the dragon, putting a couple of capsules of magic medicine in her mouth and drinking water. The Ponyville drugstore said they would help her control her dreams and see only what she wanted.

"And that means I won't have to go around in my maid's outfit and pour tea for anyone else tonight," she thought with a yawn as she lowered her head onto her pillow and closed her eyes. "I'll finally get a proper dragon's sleep tonight, and I'll wake up more awake in the morning than ever. Yes, I'll be fine."

She lay a while longer, thinking about how she had conquered her strange affliction, and after a few minutes she fell asleep, snoring softly.

***

Like a deadly whirlwind, Smolder flew over the yak's village and set several of the thatched roofs ablaze with her fiery breath. She was no longer as small as before, but had become a fearsome and indomitable dragoness that was larger than a mountain.

Yaks tried to stop her, hurling spears at her, which only bounced helplessly off her impenetrable scales.

"Ha-ha, you miserable fools! No spear can harm me!" She snarled mockingly, turning skyward, heading back toward the village. Of course Smolder didn't want to hurt anyone, not even in her dreams, but after that shameful fantasy, she was so glad she'd seen something new that she resisted and as a dragon-fly began to terrorize small villages as her ancestors had done in the olden days.

"Yes! How happy I am!" She grabbed a cart from the street and threw it into the air, laughing as she prepared to land in the square to fight the defenders of the village who had come out to her on trembling legs.

"I'll have my fun with you. Before you know it, I've got you," she grinned like a predator, but a familiar, enchanting voice echoed nearby:

"Well, well? Smolder, you're behaving very badly, and your mistress doesn't like it. Did you really think those pills would save you?"

"No, not that," the dragon was frightened.

"I didn't raise you to go away. Your place is not here, but at my feet. You are to serve and obey me."

"Yes, Mistress," Smolder said obediently, feeling the familiar surge of submission and humility that made her very happy.

"There you are, good girl. Now get her down and come to me," her mistress commanded, and Smolder saw the familiar mare on a hill nearby.

She landed near the tiny creature, wrapped in a long, expensive cloak, and the dragoness obediently moved toward her, folding her wings behind her.

"Good, now put this on," her mistress ordered, raising a large collar that fit Smolder's neck perfectly.

"B-but..." the dragoness protested, "I don't think I should..."

"You want to defy me?" asked the mare.

"No, Mistress."

"Then put it on. Put aside disobedience and accept your way."

Smolder still looked at the collar incredulously.

"Come on, don't be afraid," said the mare thoughtfully. "It's so pretty, and," she turned it sideways, "it has your name engraved on it. You like it, don't you?"

"Yes, Mistress," the dragoness nodded, involuntarily thrilled by her own name, which seemed to lure her in and tell her that it was her destiny.

"Then put it on. Please me," the mare said, holding it out to Smolder, and she obediently poked her head into it.

She went from big, scary dragoness to little dragon, dressed as a maid.

"Yes. That's it. I knew you wouldn't disappoint me," her mistress said, putting a leash around her collar. "Now, come along, you must get back to your duties. And if you obey me, I'll thank you."

She put her hoof in her panties.

"Yes, thank you, Mistress," Smolder said with a happy smile on her face as she obediently followed her to the majestic castle on the horizon.

And as they walked, somewhere in the back of her mind a fleeting thought flashed:

"Oh, shit! Here we go again!"

Author's Note

Wow! Smolder seems to have gotten herself into a very tricky situation, and it's not going to be easy for her to get out of it. Wondering who this Mistress is and how far she's willing to go to enslave the dragoness? You'll find out all the answers in the next chapter.