> Friendship Flops and Riding Crops > by Holy > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Breaking Bondage > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightning Dust lazily flapped through the Ponyville skies, a tinge of frustration building up inside her. Her ego still protested in what she was about to do, but Lightning was looking a little further into the future and past her petty superiority for once. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew apologizing to Rainbow Dash and her friends would at least put her back in good standings with her former wingpony. Lightning ran through all the possibilities after making amends in her head: Rainbow putting aside her pride and realizing that Lightning really was the better flier, then forgetting her jealousy and singing Lightning’s praises to Spitfire. Spitfire letting her back into the academy... She mused through the future possibilities, her frustrations with having to swallow her pride and apologize slowly fizzling away. Lightning barely even realized she’d already reached Rainbow’s cloud home, and also that she was in no way prepared to actually give a proper apology. Lightning folded in her wings and let herself fall with a soft bounce into the cloud porch, whisking away her former thoughts of renewed glory and trying desperately to think of something that would really garner some sympathy from Rainbow Dash and get her to forgive Lightning. "Hey, Rainbow Dash... Long time no see, eh? No, that's lame. H-hey, Rainbow! What have you been up to? You a bona fide Wonderbolt yet? No, that isn't right either.Ugh..." Lightning said to herself, an uncharacteristic nervousness building up inside her. She sighed, defeated already with her flimsy attempts. Maybe today wasn’t the right time for this after all. "Hello?" Lightning Dust jumped back as the door to the house opened wide, revealing her old flying buddy. Unfortunately, though, the friendly feelings weren't returned, a scowl forming on Rainbow Dash's face at the sight of her. "What do you want?"  Rainbow hissed at Lightning, the disdain on her face clear as day. "Oh, hey Rainbow Dash," Lightning Dust said, trying to act coolly. "How have you been?" "Better before you showed up." "Listen, I didn't come to fight or stir up trouble or anything. I just wanted to apologize." Rainbow’s expression softened for a moment. She raised an eyebrow, signaling Lightning to say what she had to say. "I know it's not saying much... but I'm really sorry about what happened at the academy. I mean, I know everything turned out fine, but I know how pissed you were, and... I really didn’t mean to try and kill your friends and everything. And afterwards, I really just didn’t know how to react. I should’ve just apologized right then,” Lightning said, internally wincing at the massive bruise she just inflicted on her ego. “Yeah, you should’ve,” Rainbow said softly, looking away from Lightning. “Look, I really am sorry about everything. After having a while to think about it, I just wanted someone as fast as me to hang out with, you know?” A gentle smile formed on Rainbow’s face as she remembered the fun she had at the academy with Lightning. “Heh, yeah... I think you’re the first pony to have ever actually beaten me at anything.” “Nothing like a little competition to improve on our skills, right?” Lightning said, her confident persona slowly returning. “Right... I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give you another chance. If you’re actually sorry then I wouldn’t mind being friends. As long as you don’t try to kill my friends again.” Rainbow and Lightning shared a quick smile. A massive weight felt like it was lifted off of Lightning’s shoulders. She felt relieved that things actually worked out for her once since she got booted out of the academy. “Heh, awesome. I can imagine us now. Two up-and-coming Wonderbolts, making new tricks on the fly and making history too. Maybe we can finally perfect that tornado you messed up back at the academy.” Rainbow Dash's smile quickly turned back to a hard frown. "What did you just say?" Lightning winced as she realized what came out of her mouth. Her incessant need to be the best never let up... and never ceased to get her even further into trouble. “I mean... that’s not... I just... you did help make the tornado, but I didn’t mean to say that you... I mean, no harm done right? Didn’t we agree to put it behind us?” "No harm done?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as anger built up inside of her. She stomped over to Lightning, bringing her face into Lightning Dust's. "Maybe you don't get it yet, but my friends were in serious danger thanks to your little tornado stunt which you couldn't even control! Don’t you dare try to shift the blame onto me. That was your idea, your tornado, and your screw-up. Are you seriously so full of yourself that you can’t even own up to your mistakes for more than half a minute!?" Lightning took a step back, fighting the urge to be confrontational and stay apologetic. "Jeez. I said I was sorry. Can’t we just--" "No, we can’t, Lightning. If you really are sorry, you wouldn’t be here just trying to apologize to get me to admit it was my fault. Now get off my cloud,” Rainbow said as she turned back towards her house. With a slam from the cloud-built doors, Lightning Dust was left alone again. “Son of a...” Lightning whispered as the frustration built up inside her. She was that close to getting Rainbow back on her side, then one little sentence made things even worse than they already were. She internally cursed Rainbow for not just ignoring her comment, and cursed herself as well for even making it. Her muscles tensed in anger at the thought. She already knew she lost control first, why did she have to say that? Lightning let go of the tension building up in her body with a long sigh. There was nothing she could do about it now. On to plan B I guess... she thought, her expression turning defeated. With a soft flap she leapt off the clouds and glided down towards Ponyville. If Rainbow wouldn’t listen to her, maybe Rainbow’s friends would. Thoughts flew through Lightning Dust's mind faster than her own wings in the wind as she tried coming up with ways she could apologize again. She just couldn't find the right way to ask forgiveness for putting their lives in danger, and the more she thought about it, the more she wondered what her real intention was. She knew she just wanted to get back into the Wonderbolts, but she also at least hoped she wasn’t that bad of a pony, and part of her was doing this out of the kindness of her heart. As much as she hated to admit it, the more she went over her thoughts before meeting Rainbow, the worse she felt. Fortunately for her, as she pulled into the Ponyville sky, one of the first things she came across was a large boutique with a white unicorn taking out the trash. Recognizing her from the Academy, Lightning veered toward her. With a hint of residual frustration, she said, "Guess you're the first one up." Just as Rarity was about to head back inside, Lightning Dust landed with a thump, making the white mare turn around in surprise. "Oh, my," Rarity said with a smile. "You startled me,” Rarity then gave Lightning a quick once-over, squinting her eyes at the mare’s familiar face. “Wait... Don't I recognize you from somewhere?" "Yeah," Lightning Dust said, scratching the back of her head. "I'm a friend of Rainbow Dash. Well, sorta." Rarity gasped and grinned. "Oh, I remember now! You're the girl from the Academy! I thought you--oh, wait... Weren't you the one who--" Rarity said, as the grin slipped from her face. "Yeah, that's me." The pegasus kicked a hoof against the ground, an awkward silence vibrating in the air. Lightning grit her teeth for a moment as she tried to find the right words. "So anyway, I came by to apologize for, you know, nearly killing you and all. Happens to the best of us, right?" Lightning Dust chuckled awkwardly, and Rarity's expression mirrored hers. "Not exactly a common occurrence, darling, but apology accepted!” Lightning was taken aback for a moment, really not expecting it to be that easy. “Now, what did you say your name was?" "Oh! Yeah. Lightning Dust. My uh... My name's Lightning Dust." "A Cloudsdale name if I’ve ever heard one," Rarity said with a welcoming smile. "Why don’t you come in for a while, darling? I’m sure you’re quite exhausted flying all the way from wherever you came from, and I’m sure the conversation would be more pleasant over a cup of tea rather than by the garbage, wouldn’t you say?"  “Yeah... sure.” This whole encounter seemed very awkward to Lightning Dust, but since Rarity was already halfway to the door, she decided to follow Rarity into her boutique. The shop itself felt like a dream world for most of the snobby Canterlot ponies Lightning had met; the entire shop glittered with sparkling dresses that Lightning could tell were hoof-made, making her wince from the bright reflections off of some of the more glittery ones. The aroma of fancy perfumes filled the air, making Lightning’s eyes water. Lightning Dust hesitated to call it off-putting, but still far from the kind of place where she would want to spend a weekend. “Any particular tea you prefer, dear?” Rarity asked as she sauntered towards the kitchen. “Nah,” the pegasus replied, still trying to adjust to her surroundings. Lightning Dust took a deep breath in to calm down her nerves before Rarity came back. She really wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation. Nothing was ever this easy. Lightning grew a little uneasy, thinking there had to be some caveat Rarity had in mind. Rarity then came around the corner with a plate of tea and some sort of baked goods in her glowing blue aura. "Now," she said, placing the plate on the table, "What exactly brings you to town? I’m sure you didn’t stop by to just apologize to me." “I actually came to apologize to Rainbow Dash, but that didn’t work out so well...” Lightning said, not really wanting to think about it. “Oh, she can be so hard-headed sometimes,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes as if she was used to Rainbow’s antics. “What happened up there? Nothing good I’m sure.” "Yeah, nothing good. I tried to apologize to her, she blew up on me and now we're here." "It’s as simple as that?" As Lightning Dust thought about it, her ears drooped, along with her smile. "No, I guess not. I may  have implied that it was sort of her fault...” Lightning realized Rarity would probably be more prone to take Rainbow’s side, “but, uhhh, completely on accident, you know?” Lightning said with a forced smile, hoping not to have a repeat of Rainbow Dash. “I guess that's why I'm here,” she continued. “I’m sort of hoping making a good impression with her friends might change her mind... er, not that I wouldn’t have done that anyway.” Lightning tried to hold back a wince. She totally wouldn’t have if Rainbow accepted her apology the first time. That realization only made her feel worse about the situation. Rarity could somehow sense the tension in Lightning’s words. Despite Lightning’s growing sense that she might be messing this one up too, Rarity put a comforting hoof against Lightning’s shoulder. “I believe you, darling,” Rarity said, giving the pegasus a generous smile. Lightning let the moment linger until Rarity spoke up again. "Listen, Darling, I can understand where you're coming from. Rainbow Dash really is a good friend, she may be the most stubborn and frustrating mare in all of Equestria sometimes, but I know she’s not heartless. I’ll tell you what: tomorrow I’ll get all the girls together and we can show Rainbow Dash that you really are sorry for, um, almost killing us in a tornado.” "Really? You'd do that for me?" Lightning Dust was a flurry of delighted and confused at the same time. No one had ever really been this generous to her before; she’s had to fight mercilessly to get what she’s wanted up until now. As soon as Rarity nodded her head, Lightning Dust let an uncharacteristically joyous smile cross her face. She almost wanted to burst into the air and start doing flips and tricks of victory, but that might have been a bit awkward for her first time with Rarity. “Wow, that’s awesome, Rarity! I thought this trip was going to be a total failure after I left Rainbow’s house. I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank you." "Oh, it's nothing, dear,” Rarity said, sharing Lightning’s delight. “Really, I’ve never met anyone who’s actually gone this far to help me. If you ever need anything, consider it done,” Lightning said with her usual confident smirk, not really thinking over her words. A sly grin crept over Rarity’s face. Lightning knew that look; that caveat she was thinking about earlier was about to hit her. Lightning could sense the excitement building inside Rarity as she prepared her request. "Well, I may have one way you could make it up to me, if you didn't mind trying out a few outfits for me." Lightning was left surprised again, as she was expecting something extremely convoluted and difficult. Modeling a few prissy dresses was nothing with the end goal of getting another shot with The Wonderbolts. "Really? Is that all?" "Well, I would do it myself, but I felt I needed a... *ahem* second opinion." "Sure. I'll try 'em on." With her sly grin, she led the green pegasus away to a room in the back. Lightning Dust, though, was already pumped. She was going to get this out of the way and be back on Rainbow's good side in no time. She was excited. She was ready. She was-- "Here we are." As Rarity flicked on the light switch to the room. As soon as the light illuminated the room, Lightning's jaw dropped. The sheer amount of lewd leather garments, whips, chains, binds, and all other manner of various sexual tools of pain hung from the wall of the small room. Lightning could feel her cheeks burn with a sudden embarrassment. Clearing her throat and trying to push away the fear in her voice, she said, "Y-you're joking... right?" Lightning forced a smile, trying not to make eye contact. "Why would I be joking, dear? I know it isn't quite as classy as my designs in the front, but I'm going to need a model to really see how the outfits move." Rarity looked over to Lightning, then put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, darling. Just an hour or two of trying a few of them on to see how they look. It's not like we're going to use them for their intended purpose." Lightning took a deep breath, trying to ignore the strange feelings building up inside her. "Yeah... yeah! Of course. Not like I was embarrassed or anything. Just a little weird seeing so much of this stuff at once, you know?" "I completely understand. Now, would you like to begin?" Rarity asked, using her magic to take a set of straps off of a table next to her. "Sure... ready for anything," Lightning said, careful not to let her voice betray her words. "Wonderful! Now, just hold still and we should be done in just an hour or two," Rarity said, her horn lighting up with magic as her first piece floated off the wall in a light blue aura. Lightning gulped at the prospect of "an hour or two.” She already felt weird enough being in this would-be sex dungeon; however, her ego managed to pull her back to confidence as she stood there waiting to be dressed. With a flash, Rarity strapped the outfit onto her, and Lightning's cheeks immediately went red again. The long, silk socks covering most of her legs, the tight corset around her midsection, and most of all, the collar situated around her neck all made her wildly uncomfortable. The foreign feelings aroused a strange sensation Lightning didn’t want to admit she was feeling. She fidgeted her hips, making the fabric grip her tighter as she moved. The sudden squeeze left her even more flustered than before. Lightning tried to take a few deep breaths and ignore the feeling, but the increasing warmth in her body became hard to ignore. The strange feelings culminated into a slight urge building up inside her that she definitely didn't expect from trying a few clothes on. "Dear, would you mind holding still? I need a few good seconds of you in these to see how well they work," Rarity said, making Lightning realize she had been subconsciously fidgeting. "Y-yeah, sure. Just not something I'm really used to..." Lightning said, thinking that was the understatement of the year. She was determined not to get too flustered about it though. Can't have a possible future friend thinking she was anything less than perfect. Lightning did her best to strike a pose, but the clothing on her lightly squeezed her, making that strange, uncomfortable feeling even worse. Lightning ignored how red she knew her cheeks were, and tried to look confident regardless. "Oh, yes, darling. That looks absolutely gorgeous on you," Rarity smiled, fawning over Lightning's features under the tight garments. "Let's move on to another, shall we?" Lightning breathed a sigh of relief as the tight fabric left her features in a quick flash. Her moment of respite was short-lived, however, as another flash resulted in an even worse outfit being wrapped around her body. Along with the presence of even longer socks, a set of straps wrapped around her midsection all the way from her neck to between her legs. Lightning could feel the soft fabric gently spreading apart the fur back there, leading up to her tail and wrapping around it, forcing it away from hiding her folds. The sudden open feeling of it made her cheeks burn brightly, and any shred of confidence she had left quickly fled. Her heartbeat skyrocketed as her entire body warmed up in a flurry of feelings underneath the tight fabric. "Hmm. It's missing something..." Rarity said, putting a hoof to her chin. “Ah! I know just the thing.” Then the white mare trotted to the other side of the room and out of Lightning Dust’s sight. Lightning grimaced as the wetness grew between the straps. She knew if this didn’t let up soon, Rarity would no doubt notice; Lightning could already feel her fur dampening, and with her tail unable to cover herself, the glisten off her would no doubt be noticeable. “Would you mind spreading your hind legs a bit, dear? Oh, and could you pull your forelegs together as well?” Rarity said, making the blood drain from Lightning’s face. Lightning silently obeyed, and with another flash of magic, a metal bar clamped between her back legs, holding them open while a leather pouch appeared around her forelegs, keeping them securely together. Despite the soft velvet lining within them, Lightning couldn’t have been more uncomfortable. “Hmm. That shade of black does go with the fabric. Give me a moment, I’d like to check the color of a few crops as well.” Lightning’s blood ran cold at those words. She gulped hard, hoping Rarity would just compare a few colors and be done with it. Somehow Lightning knew that wasn’t going to be the end of it. With her wings covered in straps and all of her legs bound, Lightning had no means of escape... and it was turning her on like nothing had before. There was no doubt in Lightning’s mind about her arousal filling the air; her own musk hit her nose and made the blush on her cheeks all the darker. It was only a matter of time before Rarity noticed. “Hmmm, let’s see,” Rarity said, laying two different crops across Lightning’s flank. Lightning’s breathing turned erratic at the feeling, biting her lip as she imagined the tool being used for its intended purpose.Lightning closed her eyes tightly and grit her teeth; she could barely contain her own desire any longer. “I do like the onyx, but I think the sleeping panth—” Rarity cut herself off abruptly. With the sharpness of her interruption, Lightning knew it could only be one thing. “L-Lightning, darling, are you al—” “Just fucking hit me!” Lightning finally blurted out, wiggling her hips towards the crop as she slid down on her forehooves into a more submissive position. The stillness in the air was suffocating for a few moments as what Lightning just said registered to both of them. “I-I mean... it’s a riding crop right? Might as well try it out if we’re already doing everything else,” Lightning said in a shaky tone. She knew she messed up, but since she was this horny, might as well go for broke. “If... if you say so, darling,” Rarity said, uncertainty clear in her voice. With an audible gulp, Rarity lightly whipped the crop across the turquoise mare’s flank. Lightning let out a soft moan as the tool struck her, causing her lips to tremble in anticipation. “Harder!” Lightning demanded louder, wanting more. This time Rarity slapped the crop across her flank with some considerable force, the sound of the strike echoing through the small room. Lightning’s entire body quivered at the strike, and made her folds clench at the feeling. She let out a muffled moan as she bit her lip, the waves of pain passing through her and turning her on even more. “Harder!” she said again, even louder this time, involuntarily arching her back for the blow. There was a quick moment of hesitation as Lightning could hear a few hoofsteps  behind her. After a few seconds of thinking it wouldn’t come, Rarity slammed the crop across Lightning’s flank as hard as she possible could, so hard Lightning thought she felt a cut forming on her backside. In the heat of passion, she let out a tremendous moan that rocked her entire body before slowly falling to a drawn-out hum of pleasure. Lightning tensed against her bonds as the feeling of the strike lingered. She could feel her own arousal dripping down her thighs, and every muscle she had flexed as the feelings of pain and horniness spread through her. Once everything died down to a more bearable level, Lightning opened her eyes to look over at Rarity. The otherwise classy mare was fidgeting at the sight of her, biting her lip as she looked over Lightning’s body with a lustful gaze. Lightning could see the desire in her look, but it soon faded once they made eye contact and the situation turned awkward. “I-I am so sorry, darling. That was so unladylike of me... I’ll just take these off of you and—” “No!” Lightning blurted, letting her arousal dictate her actions now. “I mean, I don’t mind, let’s keep going. I know there are, uh, other things you want to try,” Lightning said, trying to let her confident demeanor shine through her shaky, yearning voice. “I-I don’t know, dear... this seems—” “Please!” Lightning said, desperate to just get off already. The burning between her legs was unbearable at this point, and she could feel the warm wetness of her folds slowly creep down her thighs. Rarity cleared her throat as a blush formed on her face. “If you insist,” she said, still unsure. “So, um... what would you like to try next?” She did her best to sound casual, trying to put on an act like she wasn’t about to have sex with Lightning. She floated a few different toys off the shelf, causing Lightning’s breath to catch in her throat when she eyed a strap-on floating towards her. “That one,” she said, nodding towards the plastic member in Rarity’s magic grasp. Rarity’s blush deepened once she connected Lightning’s gaze to the toy in her grasp. Rarity cleared her throat again, still not entirely used to the situation. “If you say so...” With a flash, the strap-on clamped to Rarity’s hips, letting the long plastic length bob between Rarity’s legs as she slowly trotted to Lightning’s backside. The seconds seemed like an eternity to Lightning Dust as the anticipation of Rarity fucking her began to build up. Lightning bit her lip as she felt Rarity’s hooves on her flank, her awkward movements culminating in that cold piece of plastic finally settling onto Lightning’s pussy. Lightning let out a soft moan as her body lost control to her arousal. Her heart was beating like mad, and every single breath ended with a tiny hum of pleasure caused by Rarity awkwardly shifted her hips forward, slipping the first few inches into Lightning. With a sharp gasp, Lightning’s entire body trembled as her desire was finally getting satisfied. Despite Rarity’s awkward movements, Lightning let out a drawn out coo as her inner walls accepted Rarity’s length. After the stressful build up and series of hits with the crop that sent her into a shivering mess, Rarity’s faux member slowly sliding into her folds was the best thing she’d ever felt in her life. With her anticipation finally rewarded, Lightning drooped forward, the tension in her muscles fading away in the sea of pleasure Rarity was finally granting her. Once Rarity had hilted inside of her, Lightning could barely manage to keep her hind legs straight. The ecstasy of being completely filled made Lightning’s entire body quiver, and her breathing turned to short ragged breaths as Rarity slowly pulled the toy out of her. In the brief moment of respite before Rarity prepared for her next stroke, Lightning turned her head and said, “hit me again,” as loud as her strained voice would allow. Rarity complied, sliding the smooth black riding crop across Lightning’s cutie mark, making Lightning bite her lip in anticipation. Just as Rarity thrusted her hips forward, she slapped the crop across Lightning’s thigh yet again, leaving a harsh red mark that showed even through her fur. With the combination of the strike and Rarity slamming the large toy as deep as it would go, Lightning let out a feminine squeak that might have embarrassed her in any other situation. Her body tensed harshly at the pairing, making her jerk backwards and push Rarity even deeper inside of her. Lightning let out a little whimper as the pain resonated across her thigh and made her vision blur. She wiggled her hips against Rarity, wanting more as Rarity traced her hooves across Lightning’s flanks, seemingly enjoying the taught muscles hiding under her fur. Without warning, Rarity smacked Lightning’s other side with the crop, eliciting another uncharacteristic cry from the otherwise confident flier. Rarity drove into Lightning, finding a decent pace after the first few awkward thrusts. Lightning could feel herself turning to putty under Rarity’s hooves. Each loving stroke of her hoof across Lightning’s fur was accompanied by another sharp strike against her flanks, leaving a roadmap of welts that left a lingering sting. Lightning spared a look over her arched back, seeing the sly smile Rarity’s face alongside an accompanying blush. Any reservations she’d had before were completely gone as she surveyed her prize, her horn lighting up as she positioned the crop over Lightning’s flank again. Out of the corner of her eye, Lightning could see another black toy float off the wall and towards her. Before she could get a good look at it, the crop came down yet again, making her wince as she let out another whimper under Rarity’s touch. Once she opened her eyes again, she found a long, black length poised at her mouth. Before Lightning could even register the situation, Rarity slapped her with a particularly hard strike, forcing her mouth open for a yelp. Seizing the opportunity, Rarity slid the length down Lightning’s throat, alternating thrusts between her mouth and against her hips. Tears slid down Lightning’s face as the fake cock bulged her throat. The impressive length forced her to swallow it, testing the limits of how deep her mouth could go. Lightning moaned around it with each thrust into her. She’d never felt so used before, completely unable to move and completely at the will of another pony; she loved it. With each thrust she could feel herself edging closer to orgasm, her muffled cries getting louder and louder around the member down her throat. Rarity increased her pace as Lightning’s moans grew louder and less controlled. Lightning was losing herself in the combination of pain, pleasure, and tinge of fear every time Rarity kept the cock down her throat a little too long, not letting her breathe. The culmination of feelings made the burning between her legs almost unbearable as Rarity continued to pound her. Rarity had seemingly given up any initial qualms about a lack of gentleness; every thrust into Lightning was accompanied by a wet smack against her, and her fake member testing the limits of how deep inside she could go. With a final strike against her flank, Lightning couldn’t hold it back anymore. She arched her back and let out a long, drawn-out cry around the rubber in her mouth so loud that any passersby outside the boutique would’ve heard it had she not been gagged. Lightning tensed around Rarity’s presence inside her, her legs shaking from the force of the orgasm. Waves of pleasure poured over her, highlighting the constant sting of the welts covering her backside. Rarity saw Lightning’s pleasure and drove herself as far as she could inside of her, amplifying the feelings. Once the orgasm had finally subsided, Lightning went limp in Rarity’s grasp. The cock slid out of her throat, allowing her to finally breathe in some ragged, post-orgasm breaths. Rarity let go of Lightning’s hips, making her slump to the ground on her haunches, her stomach resting on the cold metal bar spreading her legs. Lightning faintly noticed the sheer amount of her own arousal dampening her fur around her folds, but couldn’t bring up the energy to care, as most of her body was covered in sweat from the ordeal anyway. With another flash, Lightning was finally free again, her body completely exposed to the cooling air while Rarity put the toys and garments away, focusing back on Lightning Dust. Her yearning grin was gone in place of a look of concern at the ragged mess Lightning was in. “D...dear? Are you alright?” she asked as she got closer to look her over. “I may have gone a bit overboard...” Her tone grew worried. Lightning let a smile cross over her face. Despite the smell of her own sweat and musk filling the room, she could still sense a hint of sex that wasn’t hers. She slowly got to her hooves and flashed as sultry a grin as she could manage towards Rarity. “You... you’ve got a bedroom, right?” Lightning asked, still out of breath. “Um, yes?” Lightning sauntered over on shaky legs, still wanting more. “How about we use it?” Rarity only gave her a tiny, excited smile in response, which was all Lightning needed. With a few toys in hoof, the two ran upstairs to “try on” the rest of Rarity’s outfits. Rainbow landed in the grass next to Fluttershy, a distrustful frown already on her face. When Fluttershy told her that Lightning had sucked up to her friends just to get to her, she was obviously not impressed. She was going to need to do more than that to earn her trust back. As she walked up to the picnic area the rest of her friends were already gathered around, Rainbow mentally prepared herself for an argument, letting the feelings of disdain for her former wingpony control her thoughts. As she walked up to the scene however, her hard scowl turned to confusion at the sight. Lightning Dust was fast asleep in the grass, with Rarity running a comforting hoof through her mane. “Hey, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a smile, followed by greetings from the rest of her friends. “Uh, what’s going on here?” Rainbow asked, looking at the unconscious Lightning Dust with a raised eyebrow, then noticing a hint of red on her cutie marks. “Lightning wanted to apologize, darling. She came by my boutique after your little... interaction, and told me how sorry she was. Once she had expressed her apologies to the rest of us, we wanted to let you know that she wasn’t such a bad pony after all. Didn’t Fluttershy tell you any of this?” Rarity asked as she continued to comfort a sleeping Lightning. “She did... but, why is Lightning asleep?” “Oh,” Rarity said, looking down on Lightning. A sly smile crept over her face at a fresh memory. “She had a bit of a rough night.”