Ruby slid towards me smiling and I backed up slightly.

“Um, is this necessary, being this close… How will I see the magic happen?” I asked Ruby chuckled.

“This isn’t the type of magic you need a horn for if you had listened but… You might want to stand somewhere a bit more open, or comfortable, in case you fall.” Ruby said.

“What exactly does this spell do?” Ruby grinned.

“Oh, it’s just something that helps relax you.” She said clearly cutting something out.

I shifted about wondering if I could possible call it off when Ruby slid towards my bedroom.

“There’s plenty of space in here, you can sit down if you’d like.” Ruby said I hesitated and Ruby looked back at me “Come on Bolt, don’t make me drag you.” she playfully dragged the end of her tail towards me, I started moving forward.

“Okay, no dragging please.” I whispered Ruby grinned.

Ruby closed the door behind us, her tail massed around like a living barricade. I gulped slightly regretting agreeing to whatever she had planned. Ruby smirked tilting her head then slid into the centre of the room and made a ‘seat’ out of several coils. She stared at me waiting for me to decide, Ruby’s tail no longer blocked the door so I could have just left. But curiosity kept eating away at me, she’d said it was specific lamia magic that they could all do. What type of magic? Before I’d even noticed I’d trotted over and sat opposite Ruby. I blinked realising what I’d done and tapped my hooves against the floor nervously.

For a minute the pair of us just sat there, regarding each other with different levels of curiosity. Me wondering what magic Ruby could show me and Ruby wondering if I would suddenly flee. Finally I lost my patience.

“Are you going to show me this magic or what?” I asked Ruby blinked then grinned.

“Oh, right okay.” She said and shifted her tail getting comfortable.

For a few more seconds it seemed like we’d carry on staring at each other, then I noticed a slight change in Ruby’s eyes. They seemed to be glowing slightly, nor were they purple anymore, they’d turned deep sky blue. No they hadn’t, her left eye had, but her right was shadowy leaf green, then they had another colour added to them, then a third. They began to move over Ruby’s eyes in large circles changing into different colours, the spirals followed no form of pattern or logic but they were still very beautiful. I didn’t even notice I was leaning forwards, eyes wide and my mouth hung open in awe.

“R-Ruby what’s… Happening?” The words came out slightly stuttered and slurred as if I was drunk.

My mind clouded over and slowed, I decided that looking at these beautiful colours wasn’t such a good idea, but I couldn’t look away. I just kept looking and Ruby grinned.

Ruby began moving her head in circles and I followed groggily, moving my head was severely tiring for some reason but I had to keep looking at those colours. The thought of looking away had just gone, like smoke in the wind. My eyes were becoming heavy as if I was tired and I felt a gentle touch, Ruby’s tail was sliding over my back hooves. As her tail formed a single loop I place my front of hooves on top, Ruby’s tail climbed higher up my legs then around my flank.

Ruby ‘stood’ up and I looked as high as I could from my sitting position.

“Stand on your hind legs,” Ruby whispered and I pushed up with my front hooves and balanced on my hind legs.

My front hooves fell to my side, they just felt so heavy that I didn’t want to hold them up. Ruby’s tail kept me balanced despite the awkward stance I was in… And I could keep looking into her eyes. Ruby’s tail coiled over my wings pinning them in place, my eyes drooped and I forced them open. The colours pulsing in Ruby’s eyes made it hard to think, but I didn’t want to I just wanted to keep looking… But something was telling me to close them too.

“Bolt,” Ruby’s voice was clear as crystal as if the colours were focusing on her voice for me “How do you feel?” Ruby asked.

I felt amazing, nothing could compete to this amazing spectacle. Ruby’s tail holding me in a firm yet soft hold, the ability to easily look but not feel uncomfortable standing on my hind legs and her eyes… I think I’d started to smile slightly.

“Happy.” I mumbled Ruby smiled as her tail tightened around my neck.

For a second my eyes snapped open again, thoughts raced through my head, red lights. Then I looked back into Ruby’s eyes and it all calmed down. My mouth turned up into a wide grin and my head completely emptied. My eyes stopped trying to close and those faint pesky thoughts of escaping just evaporated like water. Ruby tapped my nose with her hoof then lifted me off the ground slightly. Ruby looked at me like I was some sort of prize and I felt amazed that she treated me as such.

“So Bolt… Did you enjoy my magic?” Ruby asked I tried nodding but couldn’t even twitch by head in her coils, though that didn’t bother me.

“Yes.” I said. My voice wasn’t slurred anymore but it was soft and relaxed.

Ruby squeezed me gently forcing air out of my lungs and I sighed. Ruby’s eyes slowly returned to normal and she kept staring at me, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Right, let’s have some fun.” she whispered.

Ruby piled her tail into something that resembled a bean bag shape with a dip in the centre. Ruby relaxed her tail and I slid down like it was a tunnel slide, I landed in the ditch in Ruby’s tail. It felt amazingly comfortable, Ruby lowered the coils she’d held me in over me like a blanket. My front hooves resting atop the piles of coils and Ruby lay down in front of me staring at me, grinning.

“Stroke my tail.” she purred.

I ran my hooves slowly over her tail, it was impressive, you never notice how much muscle a snake has until you actually feel one. A layer of scales like armour then pure muscle.

I gently stroked Ruby’s tail like you might a small dog, Ruby herself closed her eyes and grinned, clearly enjoying the massage. This continued, me stroking her tail which moved along slowly, and Ruby dozing off slightly. When Ruby raised her tail off my lap she had to shake her head to battle the sleep away, she looked at me pondering what she could do. Ruby suddenly grinned pulling all of her tail away from me, my smile faltered a bit at having Ruby’s comfy tail taken away, but I watched as she formed a sort of carpet. Like the one they rolled out for celebrities, Ruby gestured to the line of coils.

“Walk over my tail.” Ruby ordered.

I stepped up onto Ruby’s tail, her coils shifted, with my left hoof on one side and my right on another. I walked across Ruby’s tail, Ruby herself was facing me her hooves folded over her tail and was resting her head on them, eyes closed and grinning. Halfway across Ruby shifted her tail and things went sour. The sudden shift in Ruby’s tail caused me to lose my balance and I fell down, my face hitting Ruby’s tail with a thud. I blinked suddenly thinking straight again and in control, Ruby had sat up then slid over to me in concern.

“Bolt, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to knock you over are you okay?” she asked I kept my face down the memories returning slowly, I felt anger boil and I looked up at Ruby.

“What did you do to me?” I whispered my voice a low growl.

“What? Bolt are you o...” I didn’t give her time to weave her lies, my anger snapping.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME WITH THOSE EYES OF YOURS!?” I shouted spreading my wings in anger.

Ruby froze, lifting one hoof then lowered her head.

“I was just showing you my lamia magic... I didn’t think you’d...” I cut her off again.

“You were controlling me, making me do things I wouldn’t normally do! What would you have done next if I hadn’t woken up?” Ruby coward in her tail, raising it like a shield over my cruel words but I didn’t back down now “I am not some puppet for you to toy with, all that you said about a rite of passage was it all a load of twisted lies, or did you get kicked out because you’re just so pathetic?” I thundered Ruby began to shake covering her head with her hooves but she managed to whisper.

“I wasn’t going to do anything, I promise. It was just hypnosis, I just wanted to make you feel relaxed around me, I didn’t mean for this to happen this way.” Ruby choked trying her best not to tear up.

“No you didn’t,” I whispered Ruby looked at me from behind her shield “You didn’t mean to wake me up.” I grumbled Ruby gasped and shook her head.

“No Bolt I wouldn’t...” I raised my hoof trying not to shout and Ruby fell silent.

“You said bringing you along was my choice?” I asked Ruby nodded “Then I’ve made another one... I want you to leave.” I said Ruby lowered her tail and hooves.

“What?” she asked.

“Leave... get out,” I said kicking open the bedroom door “And don’t let me ever see you again.” Ruby shook her head and tears flowed freely down her face, she sobbed and galloped (In a sliding term of the word) out of the room. I heard the wagon door open and slam behind it.

“I need a drink.” I mumbled.

I grabbed several bottles of apple cider, from sweet apple acres, a from that ran apple based produce across Equestria, from the fridge and sat down holding my head in one hoof and taking a long drink. I refused to acknowledge my want to cry at this betrayal or that it could’ve not been one, I simply sulked and drank until I passed out on the table. I had a nightmare of beating Ruby until she didn’t move... I woke up screaming her name and I didn’t know why.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 4, we see the first of likely many hypnosis moments, sad it got cut short... Don't worry sure they work it out and be grinning in no time- I mean friends again in no time!