There had been a little break in Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s fight, but it didn’t last terribly long. Snacks snacked-upon and drinks drank (and what nice drinks they were- The Flower Sisters always made perfect rose water), they started Round Two. To her own dismay, Applejack almost let Round Two end as soon as it began- Dash sprang onto her fast, skipping the normal pre-fight brawl and going straight to a grapple. And while Applejack had much better tail control, that was a dang hard thing to leverage when a feisty pegasus had her stuck already. She tried to push back, swinging around and up... But that just got her between Dash and the wall. Today just wasn't her day.

She shouldn't have been terribly surprised when, having pinned her to a wall, Rainbow Dash started nuzzling her neck. Each little press and nudge made Applejack shiver. Their blood always ran so hot during these spars, and in the past, it had gotten a little... heavy. Never that far, but she always had a feeling it could have gone 'there', if she had pushed it. Dash laughed- Apparently happy about her second straight win of the day, even though it still wasn't over yet. But... Was she really laughing about that? Or was it about how they were pressed together right now?
"Remember earlier, the whole thing with 'that' word?"

Applejack did her best to play dumb, even as Rainbow Dash dug her teeth in, nibbling along her coat.
"W-what about 'that' word?"

"C'mon AJ... I wanna make you say it again... Or maybe I don't. Maybe I don't want to stop."
Dash punctuated each statement with another little nip, chuckling into her skin as she went.

"Oooh..."
She groaned, trying not to arch her neck harder against those teeth. So much rough pressure against her body, that inferno-hot athletic body pressing down onto her... It was so different from her sweet marshmallow lover, Rarity's soft body and cool skin. The contrast was making it harder to resist than she expected. On top of that, she realized she didn't actually want to resist... And to be totally honest, she didn't have to resist. This very issue had come up in theory, and Rarity had said... Well, a lot of things.

----

It had been a long week on the farm- Cider season. Nothing managed to affect her more than their toughest, most business-oriented make-or-break segment of the year. Applejack was not just sore on every inch of her body, but her mind and spirit were wound just as tight. Stress upon stress, worries and issues. Ponies never said a bad word about their cider, but the Apple family still managed to fret over the success of their number-one product. And so she lay here in Carousel Boutique, waiting for her wonderful, accommodating lover take care of it all. These days, Rarity had shown her a rather... unorthodox way to relax. But boy howdy did it ever work.

She winced as the first ropes dug in a little tight, crossing her barrel and moving up around her joints. Rarity adjusted her pace, putting a gentle touch into her magic and soothing the slight abrasion of the bindings. It always felt strangely comforting to float, suspended in Rarity's power as the thick cords spiraled around. It wasn't as relaxing as what was coming, but still... it helped. Her eyes followed the path of each loop as they tightened, pushing her coat into her skin in just the right way. Even working with ropes as often as she did, it utterly fascinated her how her unicorn marefriend could make such intricate knots, so fast.

And it was even faster than usual- not five minutes before she was trussed like a prize pig, her whole body bound and compressed. She was already panting, haunches hot and tongue lolling out. Even her mane and tail got involved, linked to one another behind her back, lifting her hair completely out of her face and indecently revealing her marehood. Once, Rarity had threatened to open shop and leave her like this, use her as a conversation piece with her most discerning high-class customers... Especially the stallions. And Applejack's reaction had been strong, although half-frightened. She was still thinking of a way to get her back for that...

"And how are you feeling, lover?"

"Hot. Tight. Real sore, but gettin' better."

"Veeeerry good. And now that I have you as a, well, captive audience... I want to discuss something."

Her eyes flicked around nervously.
"I'm not gunna have to call a safety and stop y'all, am I?"

Rarity tutted.
"I hope not, darling. I just believe that this is the kind of issue you would... run from, if you could."

"You think I would run from somethin' like that?"

"Applejack, I seem to remember a time where you bolted clear to Dodge Junction because you couldn't face some minor failure."

"Now come on..."

"Or the time you hid in the coat closet for over an hour because you saw a wedding dress on one of my dressforms and leapt to staggering conclusions..."

She didn't have a response for that one.

"Oooh, or what about the time Mayor Mare almost caught us in flagrante and you bucked a hole in my wall?"

"Alright, alright! So maybe ah've got some... avoidance issues. But now you've got me well and rightly trapped."
She struggled a little against her bonds, realizing that any attempt to move her forelegs caused her tail to shift up even higher. A groan escaped her lips.
"Oh mercy do you ever."

"Mmmh. Don't remind me, or I might get sidetracked and work you over before we even get the chance to talk. That's not your goal, is it?"

She knew better than to lie. As if she ever would to begin with, of course.
"No ma'am."

Rarity took her time continuing, and there wasn't a single thing that Applejack could do about it. Bound up and tied down like this, she wasn't able to act, or move, or do anything. And that was precisely why it made her feel so good. After weeks of stress, constantly working despite everypony insisting she relax, now she had no choice but to sit idly by, her body completely enshrouded in rope and magic. Twilight probably would have called it a 'paradox', the way being stretched and exposed made her feel so loose and safe. She just called it a wonderful feeling.

"Dear... Have you ever done anything with Rainbow Dash?"

Her blood went cold, but just a little- She had nothing to hide. Sure, their rivalry always had some, well, 'undertones', but... It wasn't like that. Not even once, not even the times she thought it would have been mighty nice to get a taste of those feathers...
"What? No! I... never. Not even before 'us', and sure as heck not now."

"Ahha. Well... Applejack?"

She wasn't entirely sure what she was about to hear, but it was easy (enough) to relax in her bonds and let Rarity continue.
"Yes, Marshmallow?"

"I wouldn't mind."

"Ah know. You've said the past is-"

"No. I don't mean the past. I mean... now. I wouldn't mind."

That was not what she had been expecting to hear. And nopony could blame her for being a touch skeptical.
"Really."

To her credit, Rarity didn't get defensive.
"Really. I... I think that you should be able, if you choose, to exercise some... freedom. As long as nopony takes your love from me, I don't mind if your body, ah... wanders."

"And is there a partic'lar reason for this... revelation?"

And even further points went to her marefriend: She was circling around behind Applejack, occasionally stroking her with a hoof, but never once showing her face. During a conversation this strange, even Rarity had to have been blushing.
"Not only do I worry about how rarely we get to 'interact' without attracting attention, I... I will admit some fantasies. Coming home to you, closing in for a kiss and seeing lipstick on your fur... Tasting another mare on your lips. Oh, or even a stallion's flavor. The idea that you had somepony else, and still came back to me... I like it, quite a bit."

She thought about it for a while. The perfect way these bonds dug into her, peeling away weeks of stress and exhaustion. The loving touches of a mare who she adored. The concept of turning around and bucking somepony else, then coming back to this sweet comfort. And most temptingly of them all, the thought of resolving things with Dash after all those struggles and tense arguments and near-miss nuzzles and wrestling matches...
"Ya know Rare, I think I might like that myself."

----

Applejack's attention snapped back to reality as Dash took a long lingering lick up her neck, ruffling her coat and dragging a gasp out of her. The enclosed rental court meant nopony could easily see them, but still she struggled. Even with her marefriend's explicit permission, this was a bit fast, and...

"P-pinkie."

Dash lifted her head, looking at her in confusion.
"What?"

"Is she alright with all this?"

"Pfft, yeah. What, you think she wouldn't be? Naw, we had that talk a while ago. It was actually pretty impressive the way she covered it: Got all philosophical, something like "We love each other absolutely, but sometimes we lust other ponies, and that's OK", although she said it more..."

"More Pinkie-like?"

Dash burst out laughing.
"Yeah, that's the ticket. Now, lemme take my winnings here..."

One pale blue hoof slipped down her coat, but Applejack stopped it. She glared at her pegasus friend and pushed back fiercely, throwing the surprised mare to the ground.
"Winnings? Now sugar, did you really think Round Two was over?"
With that, she lunged, an equal mix of bloodlust and just plain old-fashioned lust lust boling through her. Years of pent-up aggression, fight after fight, snide comments, jokes, hot summer evenings, the Running of the Leaves... It was all coming to a head now, and she wasn't going to let it turn into some kind of sappy emotional moment. She'd save that for Rare. With Rainbow Dash? It couldn't go any other way but the hard one.

--------

Retelling Luna's confession was almost as emotionally moving as it had been when it first happened. Fluttershy was trying to flex her wings in agitation, but the water made it more like a languid stretch... And all that did was remind her of the matter at hoof. Twilight was looking at her agape, even Rarity seemed surprised. She definitely couldn't blame either of them.

"So, um, yes. She was trying to confess to me, I was trying to confess to her, and then we, uhm, rather than tell each other... We kissed. A lot."

Twilight looked at her with bright eyes, leaning out of the tub once again.
"And?"

"Aaand it's your turn."

The unicorn's happy bright expression immediately turned into a pout.
"Well... OK. I suppose my next bit is pretty interesting, so..."

She slowly relaxed as Twilight described the rest of their studies, their trip into town, and the lunch they had. It was all very interesting- Finding out that Celestia wanted the two of them to be on a title-free first-name basis was... Well, Fluttershy honestly thought they had already been like that. But it was new, and apparently a very major deal for Twilight- And she could understand. Despite Luna's recent arrival (re-arrival?) in Equestria, it still felt right to call her Princess. Because of that, speaking to her without a royal title was a bit stressful. In a way, however, it made the bond of their relationship even stronger.

"So after lunch, she took me to a little shop nearby..."

Oh dear. She couldn't possibly mean...

"A little shop that she, heh, heard about from Luna of all ponies..."

Ohno. Was Twilight really saying that Celestia had her go... there?

Twilight nodded at her.
"And yeah, that was exactly how I felt when I realized it was Matte and Nickle's place."

Up until Twilight pointed it out, Fluttershy did not realize she had been instinctively hiding herself, sinking down into the water until only her lashes and mane were visible. The very thought of being taken to that store by somepony you loved and respected made her mortified. What must it have been like to actually have it happen? Although she supposed she had a bit of an idea, given the way she accidentally ran into Luna on her way out of the place...

It was clear that Rarity was interested in this bit, perhaps more than anything else this far.
"Yes... Mr. Finish and Ms. Dime, correct?"

"That's them! And they were actually very accommodating of us- Matte was a bit of a joker, but so was Celestia."

"Really? I can't picture our regal Princess being so... jocular."

"Well, let me put it this way. Just about the first thing she did was ask to be directed to the 'plot devices'."

She was confused, but apparently Rarity got the joke, blushing deep red and tittering with laughter. Plot device... Well, um, other ponies sometimes call -that- a plot, so... Oh. She got the joke, and joined Rarity in furious blushing. Twilight was just as red as them, but she kept going.

"And, well, it... Uugh, it was so frustrating. But in a good way! She... she kept teasing me."

Rarity looked at her in shock, although despite looking affronted, she was clearly... approving? It was a strange mix of emotions in her expression, one that Fluttershy couldn’t quite place.
"In public? Darling, that..."

"No, not that kind of teasing. That, uh, that was later. And in public."

What had been a fairly embarrassing story suddenly turned right around and caught her interest again.
“R-really? The two of you...”

Twilight groaned, putting a hoof to her forehead.
“Look, it... It makes sense in context, alright? Just let me get there.”

They obliged, allowing Twilght to return to her story. They apparently hadn’t spent that much time in the shop, or made any purchases, but what they had seen was a display of sex toys. Very particular ones, which Twilight described with much blushing and misdirection...
“Modelled after moi? After all of us?”

“MMhmm. Mare and stallion, mind you.”

It was fairly obvious to Fluttershy that this idea enticed Rarity. And she herself... Didn’t really know how to feel. It’s not as if the creators (It wasn’t Mr. and Mrs. Finish themselves, right? They were such nice ponies...) could possibly have gotten accurate models of them. Or... could they? I WARNED Photo Finish that some of those outfits were a bit too revealing, but noo, covering up would have ruined ‘ze magicks’, and so here I am, worrying whether or not anypony with a pouchful of bits could get a replica of my... and then they’d use it, and... Oh dear. She had to blow off some steam and change topics, hopefully at the same time, or the mere thought of all this was going to drive her up the wall.

“Um, Twilight, you said your visit didn’t go much longer than that, right?”

“Yeah... Why?”

She smiled nervously.
“Well, I figured I should... get on with my turn. I kind of left the two of you hanging, after all.”

Fluttershy gave them both a moment to recall exactly where she had left off- Right on the cusp of her and Luna’s passionate makeout session. Twilight nodded her assent, and she sighed in relief. I can worry about prosthetic plots later. Now I just have to divulge the intimate details of my first time with a royal deity.

...Maybe I didn’t think this whole thing through.