Elegant eighteen, very nearly nineteen, and married for several months, the young unicorn mare reflected on the time spent with her husband so far. She hadn’t been as lucky as to be with child like her earth pony friend yet, nor a princess like her favourite pegasus, but her husband... nay, her master still loved her. She would be ready for when he got home from work, waiting to greet him by the front door. He was surprised the first few times, but had become accustomed to it since, so she had to change things up every now and then.

But it wasn’t always like this. No, it was in fact a two way street, and every now and then her husband would be at her beck and call, only referring to her as his mistress. Which was why, when he entered their Canterlot home, he would find her waiting not bound and gagged, but holding his collar in her hand.

She ran her fingers over the engraved tag hanging at the front, smiling sweetly as she looked over the words, 'SWEETIE BELLE'S PROPERTY', of which she had one of her own with her husband's name on it. A glance at the clock told her it was time, so she rose from her seat and approached the front door, collecting a crop as she went. The thought of her neighbours seeing did not worry her, as they had seen her answer the door to him in just stockings and suspenders before, putting it down to young love.

She saw a shadow through the window, waiting for the door to open. It did so, but her heart almost stopped when she saw extra figures appear in the frosted glass panel, and her husband’s voice made her ears twitch. “... she’s gonna love this! It’ll be a nice surprise to see you!”

“Ah’ll bet, sure has been awhile.”

“You got that right, Bloom.” The door swung open fully, revealing not only her husband, Spike the young dragon, but also Applebloom and Rumble, Scootaloo and Pipsqueak, and the two imposing forms of Arctic Halberd and Boreal Spear. All of them stared at her, her cheeks blushing wildly as her shock disappeared and she remember what covered her.

Sweetie Belle, to most an innocent and pretty young unicorn, stood clad in a tight red latex catsuit and red high heels, with a collar in one hand and a crop in the other. These items then clattered to the floor, the unicron giving a weak smile. “Uh… hi guys, and welcome to our home!” The other two mares moved in and hugged their friend, who returned the embrace with a sheepish smile. “Come into the longue, I’ll… um, just get presentable.”

“Why? Yer lookin’ good there, Sweets.” She could see Applebloom looking at her with some slight envy, her swollen stomach covered by a loose dress. Sweetie Belle was envious of her as well; it wasn’t that they weren’t trying, they just hadn’t met with success yet, but good things come to those who wait. “But yeah, Ah could do with resting mah feet. All o’ this extra weight an’ all.”

The three mares were followed by the four stallions and one drake, all taking a seat in the large room. Since their wedding, and finding jobs in the capital, Spike and Sweetie Belle had only seen their friends once or twice. Scootaloo, along with Pip, had been travelling to pegasus colonies, where nearly all ponies celebrated her arrival; there were a few that refused to even acknowledge her existence though. She didn’t care.

Applebloom, much to nopony’s surprise, had gotten more involved with the farm, but her brother and sister had begun to restrict her jobs as she progressed along. Rumble had gotten himself a job, which he kept a close secret… at least until Sweetie Belle flicked through a fashion magazine during a quiet period at The Crop; the red lingerie stood out against his light grey coat, and after pressing the matter during the subsequent trip to Ponyville, he revealed his role of modelling for Rarity’s ever growing business, taking every chance he could get to ensure his marefriend had what she needed. “So, Sweets, how’s the job?” The unicorn gave a giggle as she ran a hand over her catsuit, one of her own designs.

“It’s good, I get to try out the new stock, and Miss Velvet is teaching me things for at home.” She blew a kiss to Spike, who just grinned and grabbed a bottle of amber whiskey from the drinks cabinet at the side of the room, pouring it into three glasses; he knew Spear and Halberd wouldn’t drink whilst on duty. “Spike’s doing a good job at the castle, aren’t you, hon?”

“Yeah, the library became a mess after Twilight moved to Ponyville. It’s a wonder anypony ever finds anything.” The group had a small laugh, knowing how OCD the mare could get if things weren’t done properly. “So, Rumble,” the pegasus turned to Spike, accepting the glass, the other being passed to Pip. “Any more angry Applejack issues?”

“No, not really. I mean, I did have to avoid her for a few weeks, but it seems she’s calmed down now. What about you and Sweetie Belle?” Spike’s eyes briefly met the mare’s, who gave him a soft smile and nodded her head.

“We’re still trying. Getting some advice from the hospital, it’s apparently harder for a drake and a mare to conceive, but not impossible. They’ve, uh… given us some stuff that should help, but we haven’t tried it yet.” There was a sudden gasp, Sweetie Belle dashing from the room. Spike looked around and shrugged, following her, finding the mare looking deep within their fridge. “Sweets?”

“We haven’t got enough to feed everypony!” Giving a small chuckle, Spike wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Pulling away, he grabbed a piece of paper and a quill, quickly writing something down, sending it away in a green flame immediately. “Spike?”

“If it’s not here in thirty minutes, it’s free.” Sweetie Belle went to head back to the others, but Spike stepped in front of her with a smirk, causing her to back away a little. “I haven’t had the chance to say it, but you look great.” Even though he had seen her in a variety of catsuits before, this current one was tailored by Velvet just for Sweetie Belle to measure, a fact Spike knew about but this was the first time seeing it. “Having said that, I’m pretty sure you don’t want to sit in it all evening. Why don’t you go get changed?” He gave a chuckle as she kissed his cheek, then stepped out of the way to let her pass, returning to the lounge where their friends waited.

“An’ what was that all about, huh?” Spike grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, glancing at the group.

“Well… we kinda haven’t been for groceries for awhile, so didn’t have enough to go around. Thankfully, we get a discount at the local pizza store.”

“Will you please… sit… still!” Twilight stopped her fidgeting, Rarity heaving her umpteenth sigh in just under fifteen minutes. Glancing over at the pile of dresses upon the large bed, the white furred unicorn had a sudden strike of inspiration. She darted out of the room and started shouting at the castle staff moving through the corridors, leaving the lavender alicorn to shake her head with a giggle. It was a nice distraction, her friend spazzing out over something so simple, yet she was still apprehensive about the forthcoming evening; her first banquet where she would be the host. There was another giggle from her as a pair of large, muscular arms wrapped around her small frame from behind, followed by a kiss to the back of her neck.

“Everythin’ goin’ okay?” Pressing back against the familiar chest of her stallion, Twilight gave a small nod, reaching up and pulling Big Macintosh’s muzzle down, softly kissing his cheek. This turned more passionate as the mare spun around on her stool, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging him lower, the stallion ending up kneeling on the floor as their lips parted, both of them panting for breath; it had been a few weeks since they had seen each other. “Feelin’ better now?”

“Much, thank you. It’s a shame we have to wait, all I’d have to do is shut the door and blame it on a sudden burst of alicorn magic.” Her horn glowed a cool lavender, the earth pony looking over his shoulder as the doors began to slowly close… at least until they were pushed back open by Rarity, who strode into the room with a triumphant grin. Then she noticed the couple in each other’s embrace. “Your timing is impeccable as always, Rarity!”

“Was our princess using sarcasm there? No matter, you are not meant to be in here!” Mac had barely any time to give Twilight a quick peck on the cheek before he was floated out of the room in Rarity’s magic, the door slamming shut after. Now that they were alone once more, Rarity walked back over to the stool, right to the alicorn and turned her to face the mirror. “Now, we already have a princess with the attitude of a pegasus, and I know you had a much better upbringing than she, poor dear, but she’s doing well from what I’ve heard. Right then, your mane… hold still, this should just take a moment.”

Having recently left the shower, Twilight’s mane was still slightly wet, which Rarity took full advantage of as she brushed it straight, then beginning the complicated process. Splitting Twilight’s mane, she brought two small groups under her ears and around to the back of her head, where she started to twist it gently with the rest of the lavender and pink strands of hair flowed. Once placed into a neat little bun, threading a couple of sticks into to keep it in place, then moved in front of Twilight. The last free bits of her mane brushed either side of her horn and straight over her face, where Rarity trimmed the hair down until Twilight’s fringe was just above her eyes. “I had no idea you had grown your mane out darling, but I think this will sit well with the dignitaries, don’t you?”

Turning to face the mirror, Twilight’s breath caught in her throat at the reflection that stared back, her make up having been done previous to the mane styling; if her heritage wasn’t known to nearly everypony in Canterlot already, it would be understandable for the alicorn to be mistaken for a mare from Neighpon. “Rarity… are you sure this isn’t, you know, too much?”

“Of course not! It shows you have… done research into their culture. Besides, if it offends, just pull the stick and the bun will come undone. Now, the dress, and I must say, you should have waited for Big Macintosh to see you like this.” Twilight gave a slight shrug, knowing that her white lingerie was now driving her stallion nuts, and she had little doubt that if he had wings or a horn he’d be on the balcony and looking in through the window. “Hmm, slip into this one it’s already been altered for your wings.”

Twilight took the offered garment and slipped it over her legs, slowly sliding it up her body. Once she was covered, Rarity moved closer to help her set everything in its proper place, followed by applying a light pink gloss to Twilight’s lips. “Perfect, darling. Why, if they get offended, then they can just fuck off back to Neighpon!” The alicorn gave a small giggle, both mares turning to the mantlepiece as a clock began chiming, alerting them both of the time. “Go, now! I will see you at dinner!” Waiting until her friend had disappeared, Rarity gave a low whistle. “You can come in now.” A door opposite opened and a unicorn stallion walked out, giving the mare a winning smile.

“And a good evening to you, my darling Rarity.”

Moving as best as she could in her dress, Twilight made it to the main staircase just as the large, ornate gold doors to the castle opened. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Celestia smiling softly at her, the other two princesses dressed in a similar manner, the elder in gold and Luna in deep azure. “Young Twilight looks amazing, does she not, sister?”

“Indeed, Luna. Twilight, come and greet our guests.” Letting Celestia, as the eldest, lead, Twilight fell into step next to Luna, who seemed to be just as apprehensive about this meeting. From what little research she managed to do, Twilight had found out that in the time before Luna’s banishment, Neighpon had been a country in turmoil, the odd raiding party coming across land through the Ib’xian empire, but most by sea to the Bridle Shores.

The raids continued until the ponies of Equestria banded together and stood as one, showing their might to their assailants. This showed off their strength to the other tribes, and resulted in a thirteen year war. Then came the founders, saving the land from the wendigos, ushering in an era of peace that she knew not all experienced. She was brought from her deep thoughts as the trio of alicorns stepped onto the red carpet, where the younger mare frowned as both Celestia and Luna fell to their knees and bowed at the stallion now stood in front of them. “Twilight, please.”

“No.” The mares behind the stallion all gasped at her, whilst Luna looked ready to start, or finish, a fight. Celestia just stared at Twilight with pleading eyes, begging her to join them in showing respect, but the lavender alicorn instead marched past her and within arms distance of the stallion. “I don’t care why you’re here, but we will not bow to your whims! I dressed like this to show respect, and my friends seem to cower out of fear! You should bow to us, it is our country after all!”

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” The stallion suddenly twitched at Celestia’s shout, his arms shooting up quickly and heading for the flinching mare. Her eyes cracked open as the expected attack never came, watching the guards backing off and stowing their weapons, even as the stallion kept his arms wrapped around her and held her close. “A-ambasador Uma?”

“It is about time this happened! Princess Celestia, you have always been eager to please, adopting our customs for when we visit.” Twilight stepped back from the grinning stallion, trying to process what he said. Whilst there was a slight slur to certain letters, and he spoke fast, though not approaching Pinkie Pie fast, his voice was calm and confident. “My brother and I were talking the other day, and we were saying how nice it would be for us to perform your customs when we visit. Now, would a beautiful young princess please escort me to the dining hall, so we can get things rolling?”

He also had a certain… charm about him, and Twilight offered him her arm as Celestia and Luna stood up, parting to allow them in front, stealing nervous glances at each other; the rule book had just been eaten, thrown up, eaten again and finally shit out within less than five minutes. The elder alicorn glanced up, nodding once at the pony peering down from the balcony. Twilight Sparkle was never the one in danger, and the guards were not needed to stop Uma. They were there to protect him from the silent crimson juggernaut that had watched the meeting.

Whilst no longer nervous, Twilight still couldn’t remove the sense of foreboding that had fallen around her; something bad was going to happen tonight, and she didn’t know when or how. Celestia and Uma talked and joked like old friends, the younger princess’ actions breaking down hundreds of years of customs between the nations. Movement caught her eye, where she turned to see Big Mac waving her over, so she politely excused herself and walked into the room he had been observing from. “What’s up?”

“You okay? He ain’t done nothin’ to hurt you, has he?”

“What? No! Why would you even think that? He’s done nothing but being a gentlecolt, kind and charming.” This made the stallion snort in disbelief, turning to scowl at the pony that had just made both Celestia and Luna burst out with laughter, as well as a few chuckles from the stalwart guards. “Mac, what’s wrong?”

“Can’t trust their type, Twi. We should never have stopped pushin’ back.”

“Are you talking about… why? Why is it so important to you?”

“His ancestors… they were the ones that attacked t’ Bridle Shores.”

“And what does that have to do with…”

“Because that’s where the Apple clan originates from! ‘is type nearly destroyed us all!”

“Type? You mean unicorn? Did you forget I was a unicorn once?” Mac took a deep sigh and pulled his marefriend close, nuzzling her cheek. She did a lot to calm him down when he started to get angry, and he truly appreciated it, so he answered her question with the complete truth.

“No Twi, not cos he’s a unicorn. Cos he’s from Neighpon.” Twilight pulled away with a shocked gasp, staring up at the earth pony. “Twi?”

“We’ll… we’ll talk about this later. I need to get back, and you… you stay out of sight.” He watched as she returned to her seat and took a drink followed by a deep breath, then engaged the visiting stallion with conversation once more. The fur on the back of his neck bristled as Twilight giggled, but with a tone he had only heard around himself, and then this dignitary placed his hand over Twilight’s and started to lift it to his muzzle. That’s when Big Macintosh sprung into action.

Uma didn’t understand, all he had done was kiss Twilight’s hand, a gesture of respect to mares in Neighpon, and then he came. The largest stallion he had ever seen, now pinning him by his chest to a column, fist raised. The punch didn’t connect, as the earth pony was thrown to the floor in a lavender glow; he quickly stood back up.

“Leave, now.”

“But Twi…”

“I said get out! In fact… I don’t want to see you tonight! Just… go back to Ponyville and stay there!” Big Mac looked from face to face, the scared unicorn, the shocked princesses, and Twilight, who was on the verge of tears. Shoulders slumping in defeat, the stallion turned and walked out of the dining room, head hanging in shame. As soon as the door was closed, Twilight burst into sobbing, before turning to the side and running from the room, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

With a nod from Celestia, several guards broke away, two to follow Twilight, and the others to ensure Big Mac followed his princess’s orders. It took a few moments for some semblance of normality to resume, where Luna took over the proceedings after seeing the upset look on her sister’s face.

. The sound of chains was all the two young mares could hear, and not see, from where they were bound against wooden boards with blindfolds on. Only one of the mares was chained, the other secured by straps with her limbs spread wide, and she gasped as she started to rotate. A sudden ‘thunk’ next to one of them was heard, followed by several more, each one getting closer to her body. There was a sudden cheer as the audience went wild, Snips raising his own blindfold and looking over at his marefriend. Silver Spoon’s chest was heaving, her blindfold raising in a strange black aura, and she glanced down to see how close he got that time. Which was pretty close, considering she could see a little skin between her legs, but the knife hadn’t cut her.

Another cheer went up as the unicorn walked over and released the mare, the young couple sharing a quick kiss before turning to the group watching. “And there you have it, mares and gentlecolts, a game of chance, performed by Snips and his pretty mare Silver Spoon.” The ponies turned and bowed to the side of the stage, where their mentor appeared from, a rousing cheer from many stallions and a few mares who recalled her other profession. “Now then, how about more suspense?”

“Are you ready for this?”

Diamond Tiara shifted her head so that it pressed against the young stallion behind her, who was also in chains. “If I die doing this, I’m going to kill you!”

Snails just gave a small chuckle, holding onto Diamond’s hand, both of their arms behind their backs. There was a countdown from the crowd, a sudden clank, and the board they were stood upon fell through a trap door. They each took a deep breath as the water rose, holding tightly to each other. It didn't take long for them to be fully submerged, and thus with a bang on the tank as the signal, they began their dance.

Most would not class being chained down and then dropped in water a dance, but what the two ponies in the tank were doing seemed like such, their movements natural and fluid. As it was their first time doing this for an audience, the chains were not actually locked, but they still needed to get free. Which is what they did all whilst continuing their strange moves. With a slide under Snails' legs, Diamond Tiara freed herself, pausing to float in the centre of the tank to show off, before taking the final chain from the stallion and swimming seductively around him. Once both able to move, they came together in a tight embrace and passionate kiss as the water drained around them, leaving them panting for breath. "There you have it, mares and gentlecolts, our aquatic acrobats! Let's hear it for Snails, and his lovely assistant, Diamond Tiara!"

Giving a bow with an extra flourish, they managed to rally the crowd into another cheering frenzy before accepting the thick towels from their friends, the light purple earth pony pressing against the lanky unicorn, pouting up at him. “Snails, I’m cold. Warm me up, please?” Their mentor had come closer and moved the microphone above them, the echo of the stallion whispering ways to warm her up causing them to fall silent, blushing brightly at the silenced crowd. “Tr-Trixie!”

“Why don’t you two go get dried and changed? The after party starts in an hour. You two as well.” The four young ponies bowed once more and the two couples then moved to opposite sides of the stage, waving as they disappeared. A stage hand gave a thumbs up to the mare that remained on stage, who took back to the audience with a sultry grin. “Now that the foal’s show is done, how about something a bit more adult?” Motioning to her body really quickly, Trixie removed her outer layer with magic, revealing her tight lingerie. “Now then, may I have a volunteer from the audience?”

The once disgraced mare smirked as she looked across the filled hall, nearly every arm in the air and willing to participate.

Author's Notes:

Yep, I made Mac racist. Not tribalist. See, there are three pony 'tribes'. As Mac said, doesn't matter to him what kind of 'tribe' a pony is, as long as they're Equestrian.

Wait... a clop story without clop? I know, right? It made this chapter pretty long, so we get into that almost straight away next chapter.