Rarity's Assertiveness Training Course

Applejack stands outside, a surprised but genial expression on her face as she raises her hoof in greeting. She opens her mouth to speak, but immediately freezes. Her eyes drift down to Dash, back to Rarity, and then back to Dash.

And then she grins.

"Well, lookie what we have here. Howdy, Rarity."

"Hello, Applejack …."

Her eyes narrow dangerously.

"… my arch nemesis!"

Applejack responds with a dismissive snort as she steps inside. "Aw, nemisis shmemisis. Don't you think you're being just a tad over-dramatic there, Rare?" Rainbow Dash shrinks away, her eyes filled with shame as Applejack draws close.

"Rainbow Dash! I'm surprised at you!" A cruel smile sits on her lips as she grasps Rainbow by the chin. Her hoof, soaked by the torrent of Rainbow's warm drool, gently lifts her head. "I'da never thought you'd be into this kinda hoity-toity unicorn stuff."

Rarity shuts the door. Her expression is indignant as she adjusts her spectacles on her nose. "You can say what you will about my technique, Applejack, but you can hardly deny its effectiveness."

"Now I ain't insulting your so-called 'technique'," she replies, her threatening stare still fixed on Rainbow Dash, "I'm just thinking that a gal like Rainbow here'd prefer something with a little more ... bite to it."

She suddenly lifts Dash from the floor in a rough embrace, crushing her against her body with one hoof, forcing her head back with the other. Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, Rainbow whimpers as she feels AJ's tongue rising in a long, sloppy trail over her throat, eagerly collecting the tickling drizzles of saliva still pouring from her open mouth. Just as quickly as it appeared, the hot, rough touch of the tounge is gone, replaced by the gentle breath of her friend upon her shoulder.

And immediately, her soft whimpers become gasps as Applejack's teeth sink into the tense flesh of her wing.

"Ah! Aa~h!"

Her oily hooves slip ineffectually from AJ's stout body as she half-heartedly struggles to push her away. The teeth on her wing clamp down just firmly enough to bring tiny stabs of pain where the edge of each tooth bites into her skin – a burning counterpart to the delicate touch of the tongue shifting through her downy feathers, the soft lips wrapped about the shaft of her wing, and the slow, tingling vibration of quiet moans as Applejack suckles on the edge of her sensitive limb.

Dash's mind boggles, her thoughts awash in a haze of sensation and her emotions overwhelmed at the continuous frenzy of the ordeal and the constant stares of her friends – so many ponies, all of them watching her, watching somepony's mouth all over her stiff, throbbing wings, listening to all those disgusting little sounds she's making. She barely notices when Applejack drops her carelessly to the floor.

AJ laughs as Rainbow writhes about on the ground, her hooves sliding wildly over her own body and her sloppy, blushing face gazing up in teary, bleary-eyed excitement.

"You see?" she asks, pausing momentarily to spit out a few dusty flecks of blue feathers. "It's like I'm always saying, earth ponies and pegasi ain't all delicate like you unicorns. You gotta be more firm with 'em." She gives Dash a little tap with her hoof. "Shows 'em how much you care."

But Rarity remains less than convinced. "Hmph. Honestly, I can't see the allure in such thoughtless, brutal 'methods'."

"Say what?!" Fluttershy and Twilight shrink back as Applejack turns about, catching Rarity with a withering glare. "I'll have you know that these 'methods' are an Apple family tradition passed down since the pioneer days!"

Twilight forces herself between the two angry ponies, nervously pushing them apart. "Now, now, there's no need to fight, girls," she says with a tense chuckle. "We're all friends here –"

"Oh, a 'tradition' is it? Ha! Why, it's hardly more than a beating! A barbaric throwback to the times when 'civilization' meant taking an annual bath."

"Why you stuck-up, perfumed little –" AJ practically growls as she faces down the equally incensed unicorn. "I've had it up to here with you looking down your prissy white nose at me and my family! How about we settle this thing once and for all? I say we have ourselves a showdown."

Rarity tosses her mane. "Oh, this should be rich! Alright, I'm game. What, pray tell, did you have in mind?"

"You and me, my farm, two days from now, best technique wins! And just to make things interesting, I think we should make a little wager on the match." She smirks as she tips her hat. "Now I wonder, sugarcube – how would you like to be my slave for a week?"

Rarity matches her smirk. "That sounds positively lovely darling, but what if I lose?"

"Shoot, you know what I mean! And I sure don't think you'll like what I've got planned for you when you lose. Two days from now, we'll see once and for all who's the top ... top around these parts."

"I guess we will!"

"Dang right!"

As the two separate, they slowly become aware of the awkward silence that's filled the room. Nopony seems entirely certain where to direct their anxious, aimless stares.

"Well, ah ... ahem." Twilight anxiously speaks up. "That was certainly ... something."

Applejack grimaces. "Sorry about all that, Twi. I wasn't exactly expectin' this when I showed up. Oh, dang! That's right! I almost forgot why I came here in the first place." She fidgets with ther hat as she inclines her head to Twilight. "Twi, do you think it'd be okay if Applebloom comes by later? She's been having an awful tough time with her school work and I thought, well, if it ain't too much trouble, maybe you could help her out a little?"

Twilight's eyes drift about the room. Rarity's discarded clothes sit at the foot of the checkout desk. The floor gleams with thick smears of oil and puddles of spit.

Her rubber-clad hoof squeeks as she nervously paws at the ground where Dash lies, collapsed into a drooling, slurping pile.

"I ... should probably clean up a little first."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Applejack kicks up a tiny cloud of dust, her hoof anxiously tap-tap-tapping on the path outside her home. In the distance, she can already see the colorful shapes of her friends on the road to Sweet Apple Acres.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she steadies her hooves. "Now, settle down, girl," she thinks to herself, "Ain't no reason to be nervous. We've got this here contest in the bag, after all."

Still feeling a bit naked without her hat, she looks back one more time to ensure that the rest of her outfit is still sitting properly on her body. Sure enough, everything is in place, the rich brown chaps hanging comfortably over her hind legs, still just snug enough to emphasize her rump. They've always had a way of making her normally flat, muscular farmer's haunches seem round and full.

Maybe chaps are little old-fashioned, but they get the job done. And even a girl like Applejack likes to feel good about herself every once in a while.

"Speakin' of old fashioned ...."

She doesn't even try to force down her smirk as Rarity turns the final bend in the road, haughtily approaching the farm in some sort of old-timey frou-frou evening gown.

"Well what have we here?" AJ asks with a laugh in her voice. "You going to some kinda debutante ball after this, Rarity?"

Rarity doesn't even pause as she continues to stroll along, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash following nearby. She does, however, give AJ a smooth look, her eyes passing from her mane to her tail with a scornful expression. It's clear that she already has her game face on.

"Nice chaps, Applejack," she says as she saunters by. "Wouldn't want you to end up with friction burns from those thunder thighs of yours, would we?"

Though Applejack's eyes narrow for a moment, she decides to let the comment slide ... at least, until after she's won their showdown.

"Well, anyway, I've already got everything set up, if y'all'll just follow me."

She leads them around the house, through the cellar door and down a flight of creeky, wooden steps until, finally, they find themselves in the large, well-lit space of the cellar itself. It's a rather unassuming room, a low, wooden platform leading to an empty dirt floor, lanterns and tools and old junk lining the walls much like any other cellar. Upon closer inspection, however, one might be able to notice that the atmosphere in the chamber is subtly threatening, the chains and collars a bit more numerous and more spikey than usual.

"Well, girls? What do you think?"

Twilight glances about. "Oh, it's uh ... really nice, AJ. You've really –"

"It's just a cruddy cellar! What's the big deal?" Rainbow dash crosses her forehooves as her eyes dart left and right. "Let's just get this thing over with. It's not like I want to be here or anything."

With a roll of her eyes, Applejack turns to Fluttershy. "You okay, there, Fluttershy? You seem a little bit frazzled."

"Oh! Yes, I'm fine." Her head droops back to the ground as she fidgets with her hooves. Her cheeks are clearly tinged with a rosy blush. "It's just that, this is the first time I've ever been in a ... sex dungeon."

Applejack stumbles back. "What? A sex dungeon?" she sputters. "Shoot! This ain't no 'sex dungeon'! Why, this here's a right respectable place for practicing the traditional Apple family arts!"

Fluttershy cowers behind her hooves. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply anything bad!" she squeaks, "I-I guess I was just a little confused by the um ... throne of skulls."

She points across the platform where a regal velvet seat lies perched on what appears to be a pile of smooth, dry pony skulls.

Shamefaced, Applejack awkwardly rubs the back of her neck as she mumbles. "Well, we ... do have to store the Nightmare Night decorations somewhere, after all."

"Well I for one think the decor is splendid." Rarity settles herself comfortably upon the throne as she magically fastens a pair of collars around the necks of Twilight and Rainbow Dash, leaving them chained to the base of the seat. She draws a hoof slowly down her chest as she reclines. "Shall we begin our little contest now, Applejack? I'm eager to see what sort of challenge you had in mind."

"In a hurry to lose, eh, Rare? I think I can oblige you." She turns her attention to the center of the cellar. "Alright, come on out!" she shouts.

From a shadowy corner of the room, a mysterious shape suddenly bursts forth.

"Ta-da!" it shouts as it lands. "It's me! Pinkie Pie!"

It certainly is. Rainbow Dash stops fiddling with the collar around her neck and turns her shocked and blushing face to her pink friend. "Pinkie Pie!? What's she doing here?"

Rarity is the first to reply, suddenly all but drained of her previous confidence. "Oh. Oh, goodness. Well, you see, Pinkie is ah ... very ... skilled, Rainbow Dash."

"She sure is," AJ adds. "And that's what makes her the perfect subject for our showdown. I'm thinkin' whoever can finally manage to bring Pinkie Pie under hoof is the winner. That should prove what's what, eh, Rarity?"

Rising up on her throne, Rarity responds with a self-assured smile, gently stroking Twilight's mane as she once more assumes her proud, domineering persona. "Certainly. And it looks like you'll be going first?"

"Sure am," she says. "Come on, Pinkie, let's get this thing started."

"Yes, ma'am!" Pinkie replies.

The two approach what appears to be a wide, watery mud puddle near the center of the room, facing off as the four spectators watch from the platform. A soft shudder escapes Rarity's throat as she realizes what Applejack has planned.

Squaring her hooves, Applejack stares down her pink rival. "Well, you ready, sugarcube?"

Pinkie Pie struggles to keep her smile from her mouth as she narrows her eyes. "Grrr!" she replies.

With a snort, Applejack charges forward, a satisfying strain in her legs as she easily lifts her friend from the floor. Their momentum carries them through the air and into the mud where they land with a sloppy splash.

Pinkie Pie lies there, her body sinking into the water and mire as Applejack stands above, her loose mane framing her intense, mud-flecked face as she pins Pinkie's hooves to the ground.

"Wow, AJ, you're pretty strong."

Applejack answers with a quiet, throaty chuckle as she releases her grip, only to dive forward and slip her hooves around Pinkie's middle. She lifts up with a twist and turns Pinkie about, forcing her face into the mud and thoroughly covering both sides of her pink body with a thick coating of sludge.

She presses down, her chest heavy against Pinkie's back, leaving her immobile as she raises a hoof up to pull the sopping, curly mane behind her ear. She leans close as her other hoof slides over her friend's pudgy belly slowly and tenderly.

"Now don't this feel better?" she moans, "All covered in mud like the fat little pig you are?" She growls into Pinkie Pie's ear as she squirms under her tight grip. "Why don't y'all just stop strugglin' and be a good little piggy for me?"

A gleaming smile shines upon Pinkie's mud-stained face.

"Oink oink oink!"

Suddenly, Applejack finds her feet slipping.

Her hooves flail, flying from the ground as Pinkie spins about, catching her in a grimy hug and forcing her to her back.

She lies under her friend's heavy body, Pinkie's round, chubby belly rubbing against her in gritty, wet strokes. Applejack can feel the mud yielding beneath her, leaving a cold, slimy feeling where it envelops her back and squishes around her rear, squeezed thick and wet into the crack of her bare backside.

Pinkie Pie grins down from above, her mane dripping onto AJ's neck. "Oink."

She squeals in delight as she abruptly flies into the air, dislodged by a powerful earth pony shove. She lands with a 'plop' as Applejack rises to her feet, her mouth set in a frustrated scowl.

"Alright, no more Miss Nice-pony."

She immediately heaves herself upon Pinkie, and the two come together in a chaotic tangle. The chamber is filled with the echoing sounds of breathy grunts and giggles and muddy splats as the two roll about, their hooves and legs sliding undirected over each other's body as both try to firmly clutch their opponent.

In one moment a hoof slips free of a careless grasp and finds its way down a wet pink chest, leaving a trail in a muddy coat, drifting over a soft pony belly to find a grip between a set of chubby hind legs.

In another moment, a firm orange rump sits beneath a plump pink one, Applejack's hips squeezed the grasp of thick, surprisingly powerful thighs.

Two ponies face-to-face – two pairs of legs lie locked one about the other – two sets of hips pressed together, gliding over a slick, wet layer of muck, the orange and pink of their bodies visible where the mud has been rubbed away by their contact.

Twilight sits with a blush in her cheeks as she fidgets with her collar. "Wow, it's getting pretty heated, isn't it?"

"It certainly is." Rarity begins absently fanning her skirt, forcing a cool breeze over her haunches. "Their wrestling is getting rather intense, as well."

Applejack lands on her back as her latest throw launches Pinkie Pie over her head, sending her once more to the mud where her fall draws a loud "plop" from the ground and a spontaneous cheer from Rainbow Dash. AJ scrambles to her feet, her eyes cautious as she awaits Pinkie's counter. But a smile is on her lips as she sees her friend still on the floor panting heavy breaths, exhaustion in her baby blue eyes and her mane splattered on the ground in wet, loose curls. This is the moment that Applejack had been waiting for.

For all of Pinkie's impressive speed and formidible earth pony strength, she was simply too out of shape to keep up with an experienced apple farmer.

"You're a real squirmer, ain't ya?" she asks, her tone heavy, threatening, and seductive.

Pinkie wiggles about. "Oink oink!" She giggles as she tosses a clump of mud and laughs twice as hard when it lands AJ's nose with a "splat".

Applejack grumbles in annoyance, wiping her face and then releasing an irritated huff. "C'mere you!"

She grabs a muddy mouthful of Pinkie tail and tugs her steadily through the sloshing filth until her hooves reach solid ground. With a quick flip of her tail, Applejack snatches up a nearby coil of rope and, giving it a skillful twirl, begins to wrap it around Pinkie's folded forelegs, her tail and hooves working together as she spins her web.

Pinkie merely rolls her eyes. "You're doing it all wrong," she complains as AJ moves on to her hind legs.

"Dangit, I know what I'm doin'. Just you wait, Pinkie ..." she mutters in reply.

From her seat nearby, Rarity watches, biting her lip in anxiety, and just a little bit of envy, as Applejack wraps her rope about the wriggling, uncooperative Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow sits by her side. "It looks like AJ might just win this one after all, huh?"

Rarity gives her an uncertain glance before returning her attention to the action on the floor.

Suddenly, her eyes widen in understanding. She leaps to her feet.

"No," she whispers, "she's already lost!"

"It's not like – wait, no ... do it the other way. No, that's not –" Pinkie continues to grumble and huff as Applejack moves to her hind legs, wrapping her in turn after turn of rope, paying no mind to the mud that blorps thickly through the twisted cord.

A spark of satisfaction ignites in AJ's belly as Pinkie finally surrenders, her struggles ending in a heavy and frustrated sigh. Giving the line a firm tug with her teeth, Applejack nearly laughs as she completes the final knot.

"You know what?" Pinkie suddenly chirps, "I'll just do it myself."

In a movement far too quick for the eye to follow, Pinkie pushes herself across the muddy ground, her wet hooves slipping free as she shoots through Applejack's legs.

"What the hay!?"

Applejack twists about, only to be sent sprawling to the mud, her rear hoof hooked on a loop of rope. "Consarnit!"

She struggles to stand, accosted from every direction by a slippery Pinkie Pie. A constant stream of laughter sounding in her ears, she finds herself draped about in loose, ropy coils as Pinkie darts this way and that, through her legs, around her hooves, over her back and under her belly.

"Pinkie!"

"Yes?"

Applejack glares through her mud-slicked mane as Pinkie Pie stands innocently before her, the end of the cord in her lips.

"Now, Pinkie, I don't know what you think you're doin', but –"

"Don't worry! You'll see in ju~ust a second!" she says cheerfully.

She gives the rope a yank, and Applejack realizes only too late that the random, chaotic coils that encompass her body may not be so random after all. Her stomach drops as she watches the cord tighten about her limbs and belly, evolving from a disordered pile into an intricate, criss-crossing weave.

Her hooves slip, sending her to the ground again as Pinkie continues to pull. Her forelegs are left stretched above her head as she's pulled bodily through the mud, unable to wiggle free despite her frantic efforts.

When her movement finally stops, AJ finds herself in the center of the watery pit, her shoulders sore and her lungs heaving from her feverish, futile struggle. She sits stunned as she looks at her body. Pinkie's work is like nothing she's seen before. A tense length of rope holds her hind legs apart, gripping tight around her thighs and leaving her haunch lifted in the air. Careful loops encircle her limbs, each turn passing delicately through the other, forming tight, diamond patterns as they rise to her chest. On any other day she might have considered it pretty. But, today....

She lets out a defeated huff and tries to keep her mouth out of the muck. "Alright, I know when I'm licked," she says. "You win, Pinkie."

But Pinkie's reply catches her off guard once again. "Nope," she says as she kneels by AJ's side. She breathes softly into her ear as she whispers, "I don't win until you like it."

At a touch of Pinkie's hoof, Applejack is sent tipping to the side. She lands with a small splash. Before she can say a word, she finds her mouth filled again with the bitter taste of the rope.

Pinkie Pie ties off the final turns of cord that pass through AJ's muzzle, pulling at her cheeks and creating a makeshift gag. Everypony watches in puzzlement as she moves to secure the rope at various points on Applejack's body.

Then recognition dawns on them all simultaneously when she tosses the loose end up and over a rafter that looms overhead.

As she rises into the air, Applejack is left grumbling in irritation. Knowing that there's no point in further resistance, she simply resigns herself to whatever Pinkie has in mind. "Might as well get this over with." She looks past her belly and her parted legs to see Pinkie Pie knot the rope to a rail nearby as her friends look on, their expressions betraying their disturbingly intense interest.

Her forehooves remain extended above her head, secured by a line to her back. There's only the slightest amount of stretch to the rope as she flexes her powerful limbs. Her hind legs remain splayed wide, and any attempt to draw them closed only results in a tight squeeze as the rope digs into the thick flesh of her hindquarters. Like any respectable mare, she was careful to flip her sopping tail up between her haunches and onto her belly, but even with her innocence safely tucked away she can't restrain the hot, humiliated flush that rises to her freckled face.

She's surprised to realize that, even when suspended from the ceiling, the rope isn't crushing or pinching her at all. Instead, she feels it supporting her, not too tight, but ... firm against her flesh, woven about her like a net that carefully grasps every part of her body. The ridges and turns of the cord bite pleasantly into her skin, the smooth fibers rubbing into the soft flesh of her belly and the hard muscles of her chest.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Pinkie stands at her side, a happy smile on her face. She wipes a patch of mud from AJ's cheek and giggles as she gives her a delicate smooch. "It's like I'm giving you a big ol' hug all over, huh?"

And as much as Applejack doesn't want to admit it, "It kinda ... is."

With a strangely gentle expression, Pinkie passes her hooves over Applejack's cheeks and shoulders, carefully brushing away the dull muck and revealing here and there the healthy orange of her coat. She slides the soiled, golden mane away from her face, leaving it to tumble down freely behind her neck

Applejack shuts her eyes and gives what she hope sounds like a frustrated snort. Inwardly, however, she has to fight down a contented sigh. The soft surface of Pinkie's hooves drift across the patches of bare skin between the intertwining turns of rope – short paths down her sides and long, gentle strokes down her back, and she shivers in spite of herself as Pinkie pulls both hooves slowly over her hips, cautiously drifting across her belly and circling just shy of that sensitive point where her leg meets her body. For just a moment, she can feel a hoof slide under the belt of her chaps, her sudden touch tingling and tickling on the hot, sensitive skin below.

And then, her breath caught in her throat, AJ's eyes widen in panic as Pinkie grabs her tail and gives it a teasing downward flick.

"Mhmhmm!" she mumbles angrily through the rope clenched in her teeth.

Pinkie laughs aloud at her frantic expression but continues to flip her tail, each time flashing their friends a very indiscreet and very humiliating view of her hindquarters. They all seem as surprised as she at the sudden turn of events, but none turn away.

To Applejack's horror, Pinkie doesn't stop at a mere flip. Instead, with one final yank she pulls her tail down and ties it firmly behind her back.

AJ groans and looks away. Her heart pounds in her chest. Her belly quivers. She can practically feel their eyes all over her filthy hindquarters.

"Mh!" she squeeks as a sudden burst of pain erupts on her backside. Her eyes dart to the side to find Pinkie with a wet length of rope in her teeth and a cunning smirk on her lips. With a quick swing of her head, she sends the rope whipping through the air where it strikes with a harsh snap on AJ's rear.

Applejack huffs and mewls and bucks her hips away from the loud crack of the rope. Each strike pops, sharp and wet against her bottom, wrapping it's length in a stinging track across her buttocks and the top of her thighs. She feverishly pulls away, her hips and belly lifting and jerking with each strike until she's suddenly frozen by a ghastly revelation.

"Sweet Celestia's sun in the sky! I'm waving my hoo-ha their faces!"

She looks down, past her tummy all tied up and covered with those intricate knots and crisscrosses, between her hocks and her thighs, pulled wide by the damp, twisting cord. Her friends are all watching, Rarity ... Fluttershy ... Twilight, and Dash. Everypony sitting there, gawking at her mare-parts, watching her being beaten 'til her butt-cheeks are pink.

But – but there's nothing she can do about it! She's tied up, completely at Pinkie's mercy! It's Pinkie's fault!

Applejack sighs in spite of the burning heat that rolls over her skin and the relentless thump of her heartbeat. She has to wonder what she must look like to everypony, hanging there, trussed up with her bare ass shining.

No one's ever seen her like this before. Shoot, she's supposed to be the tough one – strong, responsible Applejack. She isn't allowed to be so helpless and ... dirty.

But it's all Pinkie's fault.

She's completely at her mercy, after all.

So ... maybe it's okay if she's a little dirty for once.

A soft grunt slips from her mouth as Pinkie gives the rope a sudden tug, tightening the loops of cord that sit at the base of her rear. The rope digs into her haunch. She can feel it squeezing the muscular cheeks of her rump, showing off her rear-end better than any set of chaps ever could.

She moans as Pinkie swings another lash against her backside. She gazes directly into the eyes of her friends, staring over her body as she gradually begins to buck her hips. With each strike she lifts higher, pulling her forelegs back, thrusting her body into the air.

Her breaths come heavily through the rope that stretches her aching lips. She can feel cold, muddy droplets rolling down the valleys of her taut, muscular chest. Her hips tremble as she holds herself high, taking the stripes of Pinkie's whip against the solid, tight surface of her flexing rump. The ropes woven about her middle squeeze like wet, biting mouths over her teats. And then she relaxes, her whole body quivering as she settles her burning muscles into the waiting grip of the ropes that hold her down as she's ravaged by the cutting blows against her raw, pink, naked body.

She brings her cheek to her foreleg, panting as she runs her tongue across the rope in her mouth and looks again into the astonished eyes of her friends. "That's right. Get a good look," she thinks to herself as she slowly rolls her backside, making a show of clenching her body and tugging hard against the tight bindings. "You like it right? Pinkie made me real pretty for you girls. Real pretty ...."

AJ is so absorbed in her own depraved thoughts and the intoxicating exhilaration of her flushed skin being gripped by the knotted cord that she fails to notice that the strikes on her rear have stopped.

Pinkie stands cheerfully at her side. She watches her writhing about in the ropes with a gentle smile and tucks her drooping, curly mane aside as she leans close.

"Now I win."

And just like that, Applejack's movements cease, her body drooping as if deflated by the heavy groan that slips from her throat.

"Horseapples."

Rarity gives Applejack a short round of sarcastic applause before stepping off the platform. "Oh, well done, Applejack," she says in the most smug voice possible, "you certainly showed me a thing or two, hm?" With a light magical shove, she sends AJ into a slow spin, cheerfully ignoring the annoyed grumbles sent her way.

"Fluttershy, your lesson today is a very simple one." Rarity glances over her shoulder as she addresses her curious student. "Assertiveness means being in control of the situation – something that Applejack here has apparently forgotten."

She tosses her mane with an amused giggle as she approaches Pinkie Pie, carrying with her a heavy wooden paddle and taking care to remain a safe distance from the muddy pit nearby.

"I suppose it's my turn," she says, a sudden expression of distaste coming to her face as she looks over the grimy brown coat and mane of her formerly pink friend. A quick sparkle of her horn sets a small wave of magic cascading over Pinkie Pie's grungy body, combing away the mud and flinging it across the cellar in one smooth motion. "There. Much better."

Pinkie makes an impressed little noise as she pats at her newly clean curls, only to turn a suddenly seductive gaze upon Rarity from the corner of her eye. "So," she says in a silky tone, "what're you gonna do with me?"

Not to be outdone, Rarity flutters her lashes and draws the paddle delicately across her lips, her face only a hooflength from Pinkie's. "Well," she says as she shifts her hips and shuffles her ruffled skirt up to drape it over her back, "I have some ideas ...."

She can feel Pinkie Pie's breath on her cheek, her hoof gently sliding down her neck to the drooping collar of her dress. "Gonna spank me with that thing?"

A loud pop rings out as Rarity slaps the polished wooden surface against her own backside. She moans, her eyes slipping shut as she catches her lip in her teeth. "I was thinking about it," she says quietly.

She sighs as the sound of the paddle fills the room, and her voice lowers to a dangerous growl. "I think we should start off – hm! – slow," she continues, her speech interrupted by the sounds of hard slaps on a soft, round rump. Her eyes lock with Pinkie's. "I'll strap your hooves down nice and tight. Then I think I'll ... hmm ... slather your chubby little body with menthol oils."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yes," she says, "the oil will make it feel so much nicer when I paddle your pretty pink posterior until you're a quivering little blob of meat."

Pinkie giggles, her nose touching Rarity's as she tugs at the neckline of her dress, pushing it from her shoulders, leaving it low and loose on her belly. "You'll have to catch me first, you know," she whispers.

"You think I can't?"

"It'll be kind of hard with those hoofcuffs on."

Rarity lifts an eyebrow as she pulls away. "Hoofcuffs?" She looks at her forelegs, as if to emphasize her point, "But I dont' have any –"

She lifts her head quickly. She realizes that Pinkie is nowhere to be found just as a loud metallic noise rises from her hind legs.

Rarity clicks her tongue and lets out a slow, exasperated sigh. "Well, I suppose I walked right into that one."

Pinkie Pie laughs as Rarity falls to the ground, batting ineffectually at the cuffs on her rear hooves. She gives one last frustrated huff before a smile rises to her lips. "Oh, goodness!" she moans, her forehoof going dramatically to her forehead, "I've been soundly defeated! I suppose there's nothing for me to do but to accept whatever cruel punishment you have in store!" She supresses a giddy titter as she peeks past her hoof. "Hm? Pinkie?"

"Sorry, Rarity."

All eyes turn to the cellar door where Pinkie stands in a state of bouncy anticipation. "I can't stay and play right now. I just had a brilliant idea!" she shouts. "I was thinking to myself 'Hey, Pinkie, you know who would love this kind of crazy fun? Mayor Mare! Duh!' I just know she'll love this game! This is gonna be so much fun!" She squeals in excitement. "Don't go anywhere, you guys, I'll be right back."

Sunlight fills the room as Pinkie rushes outside, leaving the cellar door clattering on its hinges and her friends sitting in dumbfounded silence.

Fluttershy begins to nervously bounce her hooves, running in place as she quietly panics. "Oh my goodness ...."

"Did ..." Twilight pauses thoughtfully as she tries to formulate a sentence, "Did she just say she was going to invite the mayor?" She gulps. "As in, the sure-to-be-humiliated, angry-enough-to-kick-us-out-of-town mayor?"

"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!"