Monopoly: Petting Edition


                                            >You always enjoyed air shows.

                                            >All the tricks and precision flying.

                                            >It was really quite a sight to see the athletic pegasi in their element.

                                            >Not to mention a statistically significant amount of them were rather sharp and attractive looking mares.

                                            >But the ranks were missing one of said attractions today due to a sports injury.

                                            >So your attention was split.

                                            >Ponies leap from the stands cheering for a coordinated trick.

                                            >"Aww come on! Soarin's way outta position! I can't believe ponies are cheering for this!"

                                            >You look over to the pouty mare.

                                            "I don't know it looks pretty good to me, Dash."

                                            >She crosses her forelegs.

                                            >"I should be the one out there! My tensors aren't even that sore."

                                            >You look at her flexed flight muscles in question.

                                            >Apparently there was a limit to how hard the fastest flyer in Equestria could fly.

                                            >Or rather, a limit to how much her captain was willing to let her push herself after an injury.

                                            >As much of a brag as she was, you could tell by her wince that she wasn't fully recovered.

                                            >Her wings twitched painfully as she settled them.

                                            "Yeah, well a bit of down time never hurt anyone."

                                            >You idly reach over and ruffle her mane.

                                            >Being best friends had afforded you certain benefits.

                                            >Free airshows all the time, your own personal physical trainer, and unrestricted access to the most vivacious and fun personality you've had the privilege of knowing.

                                            >What it did not allow was your hand to stray any lower in your instinctive gestures of affection.

                                            >As much as you wanted to work those sore knots from her wing cradle, you had to restrain yourself.

                                            >Just below her neckline was the start of an erogenous zone for pegasi, and Dash's was more sensitive than most.

                                            >The awkward encounter that led to you finding out about that was still seared into your memory.

                                            >As was the subsequent bumbling conversation about 'how pegasi work'...as told by somepony who was trying really hard to act like she knew more than she did.

                                            >You never knew her cyan face could turn so red.

                                            >It was actually really cute, but you'd never tell her that.

                                            >"Anon."

                                            >Your fingers sift through the naturally conditioned bush of her mane and give her scalp a scratch.

                                            >It wasn't the first time you've done this, and she wasn't telling you to stop.

                                            >You never gave much thought to it, it felt so natural that you didn't really stop to consider how she felt about it.

                                            >Of course, you didn't think of her as a pet, but that didn't keep your hand from wandering.

                                            >The pegasus can't help but lean into your touch; her ear flicks reflexively.

                                            "I'm actually happy for the company, it's kind of nice to watch an airshow with someone who knows what they're looking at."

                                            >You hear a quiet grunt.

                                            >"Anon..."

                                            >Fingers dig into the thicker fur behind her ear.

                                            >You don't immediately feel her skin so you naturally scratch a bit harder to work down to it.

                                            "Plus you're only half as annoying when you're not pumped up on adrenaline and preworkout from a show."

                                            >"Anon!"

                                            >You freeze at her outburst.

                                            "What?"

                                            >"Stop doing that!" She says in a hushed tone.

                                            >It takes a moment to realize that it was your scratching rather than the teasing that she was talking about.

                                            >You pull your hand back and look at her scrunchy pout and mussed mane.

                                            >It appears she's hit her limit for public displays of affection today.

                                            >Also not an uncommon occurrence considering her tolerance was so low.

                                            >It was such a shame too, the cute little cyan creature was very easy to be affectionate towards...despite her attitude about it.

                                            "Sorry."

                                            >Her glare wavers, something that gives you just enough confidence fix the mess of a mane that you created.

                                            >You brush it back and comb through it a few times so she can have her 'look' back.

                                            >Her eyes dart around to make sure anypony watching doesn't watch for long.

                                            >"Ok that's enough it's fixed!"

                                            "Hold on your red is mixed with your orange."

                                            >"That's fine it's supposed to be that way!"

                                            "No its not just hold still."

                                            >You focus all your attention to combing her hair straight.

                                            >She ducks away from your hand.

                                            >"You can't know my mane better than I know my mane!"

                                            "Are you kidding? I've combed it more than you have!"

                                            >"What? How?"

                                            "Just now, in the ten seconds I've been trying to fix it."

                                            >"Alright, just cuz I don't waste half my day trying to pretty up like Rarity doesn't mean I never brush my mane." She states indignantly.

                                            >You anticipate her duck and finally swipe that last lock of red back into place.

                                            "Eh, if you ask me you don't need it."

                                            >She pauses and the conversation seems to taper off.

                                            >You keep your hands to your side and go back to watching the show, not thinking anything of it.

                                            >"Whaddaya mean?"

                                            "Huh?"

                                            >She turns towards you.

                                            >"A-About not needing it?"

                                            >You quirk a brow at her.

                                            "I wasn't teasing you if that's what you mean."

                                            >Her eyes linger as yours try not to.

                                            >"Really?"

                                            >The lull in her chipper demeanor gives you reason to meet her gaze.

                                            >It seemed like she's still waiting for an answer.

                                            >Chances were it was a trap just to get you to say something 'sappy.'

                                            >Either way you figure it's worth the risk.

                                            >Plus it never hurts to tell the truth.

                                            "I was just saying you don't need a lot of effort to look pretty."

                                            >Her eyes widen before she looks back to the show in the sky.

                                            >You brace for a tease that never comes.

                                            >"You know..."

                                            >And here it goes.

                                            >"...this is kinda boring, whaddaya say we head back and finish our game of monopony?"

                                            >Ok, that was unexpected, and for more reasons than one.

                                            "Wait, didn't you want to come out here because you were mad that you were losing?"

                                            >She flushes a bit, "N-no!"

                                            "But you were losing pretty bad."

                                            >"Just shutup already, we're leaving!"

                                            >That decision happened fast, but you weren't going to protest.

                                            >Even if you cared enough about the show to watch without her, excitement seemed to follow her prismatic tail so you don't think twice about the sudden change.

                                            >Not to mention with Autumn underway you were far from comfortably warm in your short sleeve shirt and pants.

                                            "Alright fine." You sigh and follow her out of the stands.

                                            >The walk and train ride back to you apartment was uneventful.

                                            >She was unusually chatty and excited...something odd considering she was returning to a losing game.

                                            >You entertain each other regardless and in no time at all you're back on your couch looking at a half-dozen properties with hotels on them...all owned by you.

                                            >Dash sits next to you, biting her lip as she surveys the hostile landscape.

                                            >"Let's start over!"

                                            "No-hoho. I'm not going to let you off the hook that easy!"

                                            >"Aww come on! It's only going to get boringer cuz you're just going to keep buying everything!"

                                            "Yeah, that's the fun part."

                                            >"Psssh! This only happened because I was trying to take it easy on you!"

                                            "Nice try."

                                            >"Seriously! I could've bought Boardclop when I landed on it, but I didn't want you to get all angry and stop playing."

                                            "Like you're doing now?"

                                            >"What? No!"

                                            >You knew this could end one of two ways. Either you restart the game or she makes you wish you'd restarted the game.

                                            "Fine."

                                            >You wipe the board clean and set up anew.

                                            >After the first few turns she falls silent.

                                            >She rolls again, moves her wheelbarrow, then scoots closer to hoof you the die.

                                            >Another turn, another scoot, another exchange.

                                            >You barely notice her proximity. She was no stranger to your personal space--a equine normalcy that you'd come to terms with a long time ago.

                                            >She scratches her ear before handing back the die.

                                            >"Sorry, fur was bothering me."

                                            "No worries."

                                            >You roll and move.

                                            "Yes! I'll buy that, and there's three properties on the same street. Time to start buying hotels."

                                            >You hear her grumble.

                                            "What's the matter Rainbow? Not up for the competition?"

                                            >"No it's my ear."

                                            >You look at her, perplexed.

                                            >She just sits there and fixes you with an expectant stare.

                                            >"...I-It itches."

                                            "Well scratch it, then roll. I can't wait to start collecting some rent."

                                            >She makes a motion to scratch her ear, then brush her mane.

                                            >She leaves her colors in horrible disarray before rolling.

                                            >The cyan mare moves her token past go, but doesn't do anything besides breathe heavily...and look at you.

                                            "Are you not going to take your 200 bits?"

                                            >"Huh? Oh yeah."

                                            >She grabs the fake currency and pats down her hair again before giving you the same look.

                                            >You roll.

                                            >She scoots closer.

                                            "You alright, Dash?"

                                            >"Yeah."

                                            "Ok well I--"

                                            >"--I mean if you really want to keep petting me I guess that's alright." She blurts.

                                            >You're shocked by her sudden outburst.

                                            >She doesn't look frustrated, though. If anything she looks...eager?

                                            "Oh Dash, that was just a spur of the moment thing, sorry if it was weird for you, I guess I just wasn't thinking about it."

                                            >She shrugs, "I'm not mad."

                                            >This catches your attention.

                                            >She looks down a bit sheepishly, "I just...as long as it's not in public." The mare gulps nervously.

                                            >And so do you.

                                            "Dash."

                                            >She meets your gaze.

                                            "Do you, want me to pet you?"

                                            >Her eyes light up and betray her heart before her better judgement takes control.

                                            >"Well, I overheard Cloudchaser talking about something called uh, heavy petting?"

                                            >This really gets your attention.

                                            >The spry pegasus takes this a cue to continue.

                                            >"She said it was really nice and it helped her scratch all her itches."

                                            "Dash, I don't think--"

                                            >"--And I was thinking that your hands would be perfect for petting and s-stuff."

                                            >Does she really want to do this with you?

                                            >You were close, really close actually, but she'd never initiated something like this before.

                                            >Apart from that time she joked about kissing practice for a few days straight.

                                            >Yeah that might've been a sign.

                                            >Or it might not have been.

                                            >The level of affection equine culture normalized really obscured a lot of boundaries and if you were being honest, you had no clue where you two stood right now.

                                            >You liked each other, that much was blatantly obvious.

                                            >Whether that was as friends, or friends with something else, or some new category that included best friends who casually make out and touch each other in a pleasing but not inherently sensual way, you weren't sure.

                                            >All you knew is that you really weren't against petting the pony looking up at you with her big, beautiful magenta eyes.

                                            >Plus it'd be insulting to refuse at this point.

                                            "Alright, uhh,  I'll try my best."

                                            >She smiles, "Heh,  awesome!"

                                            >You can't help but smile back at her enthusiasm.

                                            >Her casual and characteristic demeanor made it seem a bit more normal than it at first felt.

                                            >That is to say, more normal than you overthought it to be, considering this whole thing started because it was such a natural-feeling action.

                                            >She makes the first move and perks her ear, leaning in to bare her 'itchy spot.'

                                            >You pause just to savor the rare moment. It wasn't often Dash had a heart-to-heart, and for some reason it made you feel warm inside knowing she trusted you enough to show you this side of her.

                                            >She peeks an eye at you.

                                            >"W-What? Don't make this weird!"

                                            >You waste no more time reaching out to make contact.

                                            >Your fingers find the thick fur behind her ear and you see her eyes roll back as she sighs.

                                            "Hahaha, and you thought I was the one making it weird!"

                                            >The mare leans heavily into your touch as you wiggle your fingers behind her ear and rake them down her thinly furred neck--adding a bit more force with each approving grunt.

                                            >"It's not--mgh!...weird. We're-ngh!...friends..."

                                            >She turns her head, giving silent directions to continue your scratching around her neck.

                                            "Yeah well, I guess we are huh?"

                                            >Hearing those words come out of her mouth made you feel incredibly privileged.

                                            >It made you even more desperate to coax those cute approving grunts from her.

                                            >You never gave it much thought, but being this close made her natural scent quite obvious.

                                            >A whiff of ozone, a splash of rain, and a touch of sweat and spicy BO.

                                            >It was a scent that'd been in the background of your life for so long you'd stopped noticing it, that is, until it started leaning against your shoulder in response to your touch.

                                            >For the record, pegasus mare was far from unpleasant.

                                            >It was something you weren't opposed to getting all over your shirt and couch...or falling asleep against for that matter.

                                            >You shake the strange thought from your head and notice hers bob back and forth against your firm touch.

                                            >Her eyelids flutter as your fingers work deliberately behind her jawline.

                                            >She really was getting into this.

                                            "I had no idea you ponies liked getting pet so much, and it's your turn, by the way."

                                            >You place the dice in her hoof and she tosses it on the table after some delay.

                                            >"Mmm don't...just feels nice." She mumbles.

                                            >Her half-lidded eyes look at the board and she begins to tense up, then freezes, unwilling to leave the relief of your fingers if just to move her piece.

                                            "I got it."

                                            >You lean over and move her wheelbarrow before rolling--all while keeping the party in her fur going.

                                            >She goes limp against your shoulder again once you lean back.

                                            "Geez, you aren't kidding. I might have to try this petting thing."

                                            >Your joke was an attempt to conceal the fact that you had no idea how to handle this situation.

                                            >That being, having your normally standoffish and affection-shy friend become putty in your hands.

                                            >"Yeah...forssshure. I'll get you when mmmdone...ina bit."

                                            >She didn't realize you were kidding, and you were starting to think you weren't either.

                                            >You roll for her and cautiously lean forward to move the piece.

                                            >Fingers work under her jawline and follow the contour of her neck.

                                            >You'd been here a while and gotten used to ponies, but you can't say you've had the opportunity to explore their anatomy like this.

                                            >Needless to say you were soaking up every detail.

                                            >She wasn't that different from you, apart from her fur.

                                            >It was plush and soft, and it got shorter the closer it got to her chin where it became a cyan fuzz.

                                            >The skin underneath was a shocking pale white, and it was surprisingly hot to the touch.

                                            >A layer of natural skin oils--one that contributed to the earthy and spicy portions of her scent clung to the places you'd expect.

                                            >Behind her ears, under her jaw, in the crook of her collarbone--it made the whole exchange feel far more intimate than you would've expected.

                                            >You find yourself looking over your shoulder as Dash's unfocused gaze stares through the ceiling.

                                            >Luckily nopony was in sight, or even earshot.

                                            >The only thing you can hear is the gentle autumn breeze outside your open window and the sound of fingers scratching through fur amidst the pegasus' heavy breathing.

                                            >You study her relaxed face and pause your scratching to readjust your sitting position.

                                            >Her daze tolerates the interruption and she eagerly buries her muzzle into your shoulder when you reach around to get the other, as of yet untouched, side of her neck.

                                            "Am I hitting the right spots?"

                                            >"Mmm..." Comes your only response.

                                            >Apparently so.

                                            >You had to admit it was pretty satisfying to 'scratch her itches' as she put it.

                                            >Being such a strong and independent personality must take a toll; it was nice to be the shoulder she could lean on, in more ways than one.

                                            >To bring her comfort.

                                            "You should see your face right now, you look like you're under anesthesia or something." You chuckle.

                                            >You hear some sputtering and she turns to lay her head on your shoulder, her neck muscles flexing pleasurably under your scratchy nails.

                                            >"Its-pth...bettr mmm-dentithp..." She sputters and slurs heavily.

                                            >You chuckle, "Did you just say this is better than the dentist? Dash?"

                                            >You look down just in time to see a heavy string of saliva fall from the corner of her loose lips and run down your shoulder and arm.

                                            "Aww geez!"

                                            >You freeze and watch her saliva run down your arm while wincing.

                                            >The change of pace helps her regain her wits and her footing; she slurps before wiping her muzzle and recovering from your shoulder, "Heh, sorry."

                                            >Her apology comes shyly, and without an excuse.

                                            >It was impossible to stay mad at her normally, but when she looks and acts like she is now, it's downright unthinkable.

                                            >You wipe your arm on the cushion and offer an apologetic smile.

                                            "Hey, it's alright. Don't worry. Like you said, I'm cool with it, we're friends."

                                            >Her cheeks get a bit rosy at that comment, but she buys it.

                                            >She meets your eyes, and not knowing what to do, she chooses to smile.

                                            >The fur of her neck and cheeks are laced with the lines your fingers traced through them.

                                            >Her mane is a frazzled mess of what at first glance looked like bed-head.

                                            >And her chin is dark with her own spit she failed to contain.

                                            >Neither of you know what to do for a moment.

                                            >That whole encounter went a bit beyond what either had expected.

                                            >But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

                                            >It was cozy, and seeing as how it was now autumn in Ponyville, that seemed like a good enough excuse as any to keep it going.

                                            >You find yourself growing less and less interested in making fake money, and more interested in giving your friend satisfying scratches.

                                            >Something about seeing her face like that made it so worth it.

                                            "S-So, I think there were a few more spots I missed."

                                            >She looks questioningly at you, even if she wanted to continue her ego was still alive and kicking.

                                            "And if you drool that's fine, it'll just be one more thing I can tease you about later." You try to add some humor to the uncharted territory.

                                            >"Heh! Just wait til I pet you!"

                                            >That just sounds weird.

                                            "You think I'll look like that when it's my turn? Fat chance!"

                                            >"Oh really? I bet I can pet you so hard you'll drool too!"

                                            "I bet I can pet you so hard you'll pee yourself!"

                                            >"Hah! Even if you could you'd still lose because I'd pee on your couch!"

                                            "Well..."

                                            >She had a point there.

                                            >And her smug grin proves it.

                                            "Alright, do you want me to keep going or not?"

                                            >"If you don’t, I'm going to finish the rest of Daring Do and the Crystal Empire by myself!"

                                            >Your eyes narrow.

                                            "You wouldn't."

                                            >Reading together was another ritual you two had, and you were really getting into the most recent installation in the series.

                                            >She shoots you a cock-eyed grin knowing she had the upper hoof.

                                            "Alright then, but only because I want to know how the dinner party with the mayor ends!"

                                            >She snorts and you reach out and pull her moseying frame against your shoulder.

                                            >The pony takes to snuggling far easier than you'd come to expect.

                                            >Then, you feel her nose rub against your cheek.

                                            >Hot breath exits her nostrils before she breathes you in.

                                            >Warm fur of her cheek brushes playfully against yours as she stretches her neck to rub against you.

                                            >"Heh, it's a deal."

                                            >That was just...that was a nuzzle, right?

                                            >You gulp.

                                            >She'd thrown a foreleg around you, bumped elbows, headbutted you, but this is the first time she's done something so purely affectionate.

                                            >It felt so alien, and the first thing you can think of is how good she is at it despite never having seemed to practice.

                                            >Either way, feeling the brash, proud, tomboyish mare rub her cheek on yours made you feel like you'd found a four-leaf clover, shooting star, and the winning lottery ticket all at once.

                                            >And by golly if that doesn't earn some ear scratches, you're not sure what will.


                                            >With your face still warm from the nuzzle, you throw an arm around your friend and pull her into your shoulder.

                                            >"Whoa! Hey easy now, just cuz y-you're good at ear scratches doesn't mean you c-can..."

                                            >Oh but it does.

                                            >A well timed ear scratch silences her as she leans into you uncontrollably.

                                            >Her reactions were a bit over the top, but you figure a lifetime without getting your fuzzy ears scratched would do that to you.

                                            >If you had fuzzy ears that is.

                                            "This might sound weird, but you have no idea how hard it is not to do this to you guys all the time."

                                            >You bring your other hand to cup her cheeks and work your thumb and forefinger around her ears simoultaneously.

                                            >She leans into you without hesitation and her eyes flutter shut.

                                            >"Just...as long as nopony's watching i-it's cool." She manages.

                                            >You slowly work your thumbs into her ears and circle them down to the top of her ear canals.

                                            >She opens her eyes in surprise but allows you to invade a little further under her curious gaze.

                                            >Understanding dawns on her cyan face once you bring your forefingers into play massaging the cartilage at the base of her ears.

                                            >"Mh-mmmmh!" Her loud groan surprises you.

                                            >Her pleased eyes meet yours before they cross and roll back in her head.

                                            "Heheh!" You can't help but snicker at the out of character reaction you evoked.

                                            *thud-thwump!

                                            >You dare work your thumbs a bit deeper until you're a half inch down her ear canals; your fingers tug and stretch and massage from the outside like gentle pincers probing the clusters of nerves deep in her scalp.

                                            *thump!...thump-thud-thud-thwap!

                                            >The sticatto vibration finally catches your attention and you look over to see her hindleg kicking the cushion in sequence with your ministrations.

                                            "Heh...this is actually kinda fun."

                                            >If she could hear you past the blockage she probably wouldn't have been in a state of mind to rebut with a snarky quip.

                                            >You had no doubt the actual insides of her ears were extremely sensitive, so you took care to rub genly and only with the pads of your thumbs.

                                            >She bites her lip and a bit of drool starts to form in the corner of her mouth.

                                            >Her head tilts to the side and she pushes into you.

                                            >You respond by pushing a bit deeper--until your digits wouldn't fit any further--and wiggling them around in a circle.

                                            >It was always felt good when you did that to yourself.

                                            >Granted, it was probably more comfortable being in control of the fingers that were doing it, but it didn't seem like that was a concern to her.

                                            >Her closed eyelids flutter and she breathes heavily as you take your time doing something you never thought you'd find yourself doing.

                                            >You weren't even sure you knew what you were doing.

                                            >Technically it was still petting, but making THE Rainbow Dash mutter gibberish and drool on herself while her body melted against you and kicked like her life depended on it was a little awkward to say the least.

                                            >It's not that you didn't want to make her feel good.

                                            >You just weren't sure how to handle her like this.

                                            >She'd always been one to be in control of the situation or the conversation, keeping her reputaion protected.

                                            >Now she had no control over anything.

                                            >Strangely enough, one of the first things that comes to mind is the responsibility you feel to protect what she can't.

                                            >Your eyes dart to the open window across the room, just to make sure there were no curious eavesdroppers.

                                            >Then, you look back to the limp face you're holding.

                                            >For some reason you can't help but remember a few weeks ago when she was 'joking' about needing to practice her kissing with somepony.

                                            >You were fairly certain it was a tease, and if you had gone for it she probably would've just laughed her rump off.

                                            >But would she have done that before or after you'd kissed?

                                            >No.

                                            >You can't think about weird stuff like that.

                                            >Not when it would be so easy to land one right on her soft, fuzzy mouth...

                                            >You shake your head clear and try to shift your attention to something else.

                                            >Her nostrils flare with each hot breath that buffets your neck, a string of spittle breaks off just in time for another drop to start forming behind it.

                                            >After more than a minute of her amateur deep tissue massage, you can't take it and pop your thumbs free to wipe off a bit of earwax off on your pants.

                                            >Her eyes immediatly flutter open and she shuffles closer in hopes that the wonderful sensations return.

                                            "You alright?"

                                            >Your shy smile manages to catch her eye.

                                            *slurp!

                                            >She grunts and nods; a hoof tries to wipe her mouth but she completey misses and swipes empty air.

                                            >Geez that really did a number on her.

                                            >She looks up at you as you reach out to wipe her dribble off.

                                            >"Wwwat h-happened?"

                                            "I found the pegasus reset button, that's what happened."

                                            >Her soft blush told you she hadn't planned on relinquishing that much coherence.

                                            >But her dopey grin told you she didn't regret it.

                                            >"G-geez...how about a warning next time."

                                            "I had no idea that was going to happen."

                                            >"Yeah well...warn me next time."

                                            >Next time?

                                            >What have you gotten yourself into?

                                            >"I think it's your turn, by the way."

                                            >Her voice snaps you back to reality and you realize you'd completely forgotten about your game.

                                            "You know what? I think the spirit of capitalism has given me an idea."

                                            >"Huh?"

                                            >She looks at you, perplexed.

                                            "Instead of me giving you free pets and getting nothing but cute faces and sore fingers in return, I think it's time you earn them."

                                            >"What? Wait...I wasn't doing a cute face o-or whatever!"

                                            >She seems to protest the fairness of the situation.

                                            >You choose to carry on.

                                            "If I land on your property, I'll give you an ear scratch or whatever you want that's proportional to the rent I'd have to pay."

                                            >"And if I land on yours?" She asks skeptically.

                                            "Then you do the same for me."

                                            >"How's that fair you already have more than me!"

                                            "Hooves aren't as good at massaging as hands...seems fair me. Also, I just spent the last ten minutes on you but who's counting?"

                                            >She looks at her forehooves.

                                            >"What are you talking about my hooves can do anything your hands can!"

                                            "If you say so."

                                            >You roll the die and move your piece to an empty space.

                                            >"Hey! Did you hear me? I said hooves are just as good as hands!"

                                            "I heard you."

                                            >Your smirk frustrates her further but she snatches the die and rolls.

                                            >She moves the board piece to each square before triumphantly smacking it down on one of your properties.

                                            >"Hah! I'm gonna prove it too!"

                                            >Her confidence lasts long enough for her to scoot closer.

                                            >You could tell she had no idea what she was doing and it took every fiber of your being not to crack up laughing.

                                            >Finally, you feel pressure atop your head.

                                            >Dash's forehoof presses down your hair and drags down your neck.

                                            >The first movement builds confidence for her next.

                                            >And it was entirely too rough.

                                            "Ow!" You wince as hairs get pulled under her hard hoof.

                                            >"Aww quit being a baby!"

                                            >She goes for it again, with no noticable change.

                                            "Hey take it easy!"

                                            >"It's not even that bad! Just quit being so sensitive!"

                                            >The mare finally takes a hint and stops.

                                            >You carefully pat down your hair.

                                            "If you want to know what it feels like then I'll go grab a rock from outside and comb your mane with that!"

                                            >"Pfft! Hooves aren't that hard!"

                                            "Maybe try not to pretend you're scrubbing the dishes next time."

                                            >"Maybe I ought to!" She states indignantly.

                                            >You take your turn on the board and conveniently land on one of her tiles.

                                            >"Neck."

                                            "Huh?"

                                            >"Do my neck next!"

                                            >She tries to scoot over to present her nape while pouting and keeping her forelegs crossed.

                                            >As much as you wanted to keep things equitable, you can't help but spoil the cute little pegasus.

                                            >Fingers gently sift through her mane and start scratching the base of her neck before tracing it back up to the base of her skull.

                                            >Her ears fold over your hand and she lets out a little grunt.

                                            "You know I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't enjoy it."

                                            >"Oh come on, we're simulating a free market economy, it's what you wanted."

                                            >Her quip catches you off-gaurd.

                                            "Y-Yeah I guess."

                                            >You didn't think she'd get one over on you so easily.

                                            >Just as your mind races to come up with new rules to level the playing field you feel a bump in her neck.

                                            "Oh geez is that a knot?"

                                            >"Yeah it's-mgh!...My stupid pillow."

                                            >Your hands return to the base of her neck and start over, this time with a massage.

                                            >Soft fur gives way as you rhythmically squeeze the tense musculature of her nape, slowly working your way up her neck.

                                            >With each deliberate movement her posture slouches further and further until the side of her face is practically resting on your chest.

                                            >After a few mintues of working the cramped muscle, you manage to route it from her neck and you're once again combing through soft fur.

                                            "There, that better?"

                                            >Rather than respond she clambers onto you--sending you toppling against the back cushion.

                                            "Dash what are you--hahaha--what is that?"

                                            >You stop fending off her attack and let her crawl onto you as your attention gets drawn to the feeling of wetness and sound of heavy breathing behind your ear.

                                            >A hand reaches back to feel the fur of her cheek as you squint past the ticklish sensations.

                                            >"Just shutup and quit squirming! I'm trying to preen you!"

                                            >Almost immediatly, the sensation goes from ticklish to soothing as her tongue drags across the back of your ear.

                                            "B-but I'm not a pegasus and I thought preening was--"

                                            >"--Do you want me to go back to using hooves?"

                                            >No.

                                            >You did not.

                                            >Besides, this wasn't that bad as long as you didn't think about the fact that it was a wet pony tongue doing most of the work.

                                            >"That's what I thought. Now sit still."

                                            >You give in and lay back against the cushion while your motivated friend does all the work.

                                            >Despite how she sounded, her ministrations felt far from begrudging.

                                            >Lips nibbled around your ear, teeth rake across your nape, and her tongue brushes through your hair like a giant wet comb...with one bristle.

                                            >Maybe she actually did have a conscience and felt bad about hogging all the attention?

                                            >Her hot breath is strangely comforting as is the sound of her wet attentions.

                                            >A descent amount of pony weight keeps you sinking into the crevice of the couch, but it also keeps you warm.

                                            >Before you know it, the sound of her chuckling snaps you out of a doze.

                                            >"Heheh! Toldya I was good at petting."

                                            >You recover your wits but not your posture as Dash continues to lay on you.

                                            "Well, that wasn't technically petting but I'm not going to complain."

                                            >She snickers.

                                            >"You should've seen your face. It was all bleh..." She crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue.

                                            "Heh, thanks."

                                            >"No worries dude! It was fu--uh...good to practice on somepony else, I-I guess." She catches herself and blushes. "And sorry about earlier, I was just uh...trying to pet heavy and I didn't realize it would hurt."

                                            "Oh, yeah. Um...that's fine."

                                            >"I just don't get why Fleet said it felt so good? I mean, it feels good when you do it but you're the only human I know and you haven't been petting her."

                                            >Her eyes narrow on yours.

                                            "N-No definitely not!" You stutter, trying to ignore the phrasing implications.

                                            >You were really hoping you could avoid this conversation.

                                            "Besides, that's not exactly the same thing."

                                            >"What do you mean?"

                                            >Your hands cup her damp legpits and you scoop up all fifty pounds of mare to relocate her next to you.

                                            >Sitting up next to her was going to make the subsequent explaination much less awkward.

                                            "Petting is just something you do to...I don't know, things that need petting. Like--"

                                            >"--Friends?"

                                            "...Yeah. Usually friends with fur."

                                            >"Okay?" She quirks a brow at you, somewhat miffed that she's no longer lounging comfortably on your chest.

                                            "That's where you get ear scratches, belly rubs, that sorta thing."

                                            >"Oh! Oh! For my next turn I want to try belly rubs!" She smiles excitedly.

                                            >Her innocence was so precious, but you needed to get this idea out of her head.

                                            "Sure, but that's different from heavy petting."

                                            >She calms her excitement and stares at you expectantly.

                                            >You take a deep breath and brace for the ensuing outburst of awkward backlash.

                                            >As strange as it was, you enjoyed the soft cookie Dash was in private; you really didn't want to have to take a step back on that frontier.

                                            >Still, she deserves the truth.

                                            >"Just tell me already!"

                                            "It's like petting but between your legs!"

                                            >She looks confused at first, then picks up a hindleg and looks down shamelessly.

                                            >"What like on my teats? I mean, my belly button's ticklish but my teats could use a good scratch--"

                                            "No! Don't...do that..." You try not to look at the cyan mounds even though nopony considered it private.

                                            >"Huh?"

                                            >Damn innuendos and their different meanings.

                                            "I meant under your tail!"

                                            >It takes a moment for the realization to set in.

                                            >"...Ooooooh! Hahahahaha!"

                                            "What's so funny?"

                                            >"Hahahaha! It makes sooo much more sense now! Hahaha!"

                                            "So y-you're not mad?"

                                            >"Mad? Why would I be?"

                                            "I don't know I just thought maybe..."

                                            >"Are you kidding it's more funny than anything else!"

                                            >You try to keep your happy smile contained as the snickering pony collapses on the couch.

                                            >"Holy cow that would've been hilarious! Ahaha!"

                                            "What would've?"

                                            >Her laughter is starting to become contagious.

                                            >You can't believe you were worried about this.

                                            >"Hahaha-If you'd just-pfft...went for it and shoved your hand down there-hahaha!"

                                            >You start snickering.

                                            >The fact that she didn't find the idea insulting was a heck of a confidence boost.

                                            "It was a bit awkward when you said it, I've gotta admit."

                                            >"Yeah I'll bet! Thank Celestia you were the first pon-person I asked. Anypony else would've had a stroke!"

                                            "Nah, don't worry about it. Just a misunderstanding."

                                            >"Glad that got cleared up!" She finally contains herself and sits up to grab the die.

                                            "Yeah, thanks for not being weird about it."

                                            >Her next roll lands her on an empty spot which she buys.

                                            >"Pfft! I already told ya, you're my best bud I'm ok with a bit of...that sorta thing."

                                            >What sort of thing?

                                            >Your question is left for you alone to ponder because you didn't have the guts to press the topic.

                                            >Fate offered no respite. Your turn leads you to owing Dash some more affection.

                                            >You go back to work on her neck but spread the attention throughout her scalp.

                                            >The tension seems to melt away as her head relaxes into your touch with each and every squeeze and rub.

                                            "By the way I don't think you've ever introduced me to...Fleetfoot, that's her name right?"

                                            >Her relaxed expression turns sharp and her eyes suddenly pierce yours.

                                            >It takes a moment for her to see the smirk you're sporting.

                                            >"Heh, yeah maybe some day. As long as you keep your hands to yourself..." She mumbles as she relaxes and closes her eyes again.

                                            >You tuck her mane to the side, taking your time combing through each color as you expose the near side of her neck.

                                            "Is that jealously I'm hearing?"

                                            >"N-no!"

                                            "Somepony wants all the petting to themselves maybe?"

                                            >"What? N-no!"

                                            >Experimentally, you sift your fingertips into the edge of her hairline and give it a light scratch.

                                            >"Mgh..."

                                            "What was that?"

                                            >"...mmnothin..."

                                            "Oh, I thought you said something."

                                            >"Are you done yet!?"

                                            "Do you want me to be?"

                                            >Silence is your answer and she's forced to tolerate your winning snicker as you finish scratching around her hairline.

                                            >You give the dice to her.

                                            "Don't worry, I'm not about to go around petting random ponies under the tail."

                                            >"Pfft-hahaha!"

                                            >She rolls and it lands on your one property with a hotel.

                                            >"Ok this is rigged."

                                            "Well I'm sorry the Pareto distribution trends toward totality."

                                            >"Calm down I'm just kidding! You don't have to get all egghead on me."

                                            >You were about to jump into a philosophical debate about capitalism.

                                            >She fixes you with a stare and takes a moment to think.

                                            "What?"

                                            >"N-Nothing."

                                            >Her pensive answer wasn't so convincing but you don't press the subject.

                                            "Ok then, I'd like you to hit my other ear and maybe my--"

                                            >"--It's gonna be kinda hard to pay off that much rent."

                                            "Oh so when it's my delicate little fingers on the line petting's fair game, but preening isn't?"

                                            >"No I just...I was thinking that, like, maybe we could have different rules for things that would cost more? Cuz I don't know about you but my ears are all scratched out and I think it'd be better to sorta, give something that's like, proportional to the..."

                                            "What are you proposing, Dash?" You sigh.

                                            >You were actually a bit dissappointed.

                                            >You wouldn't admit it to her, but you were looking forward to more of that preening stuff.

                                            "If you land on a hotel you owe a kiss!"

                                            >Your eyes widen and her cheeks redden.

                                            >"I-I mean. If you want me to preen you instead that's fine but if you think about it, it's actually less gross to kiss cuz then I only have to put my tongue in one spot and I think it'd be good practice and I'd rather do it with you cuz I know you won't freak out on me and--"

                                            "--Hey, hey, hey, calm down I'm just surprised is all."

                                            >The ensuing silence gives her time for her blush to solidify.

                                            >"S-so you wanna try it? I mean, just to see if it's even fun...I just thought it'd be better to practice with--"

                                            "Yes!"

                                            >That stops her nervous rambling.

                                            >She looks at you like she never expected to get this far.

                                            >"Wait really?"

                                            "Sure."

                                            >"Like, on the m-m-mouth?"

                                            "I mean, I don't see why you'd need to practice kissing on the cheek."

                                            >"Heh, yeah. That's what I was thinking." She scratches her neck with a forehoof.

                                            >You decide help her out with the struggling logic.

                                            "Like you were saying, it's more proportional than some ear nibbles."

                                            >"Yeah!"

                                            "And it's technically not as gross."

                                            >"Mhmm!" She nods enthusiastically.

                                            "N-Not that it would be anyways."

                                            >You both blush a bit and wait awkwardly for either to make the first move.

                                            >You really don't feel the heat of the situation until you feel her breath on your face.

                                            >How did a game of monopony turn into this?

                                            >She goes to lean in but pauses.

                                            >"Just, so it's fair. You should let me do all the work so you can just uh...e-enjoy it."

                                            >She gulps.

                                            >You nod.

                                            >Before you know it, the hot breath had turned into hot furry lips and you find yourself mouth-to-mouth with your best friend.

                                            >It wasn't what you'd expected.

                                            >You didn't really know what to expect, but the first thing that comes to mind is that you now know what it feel like to have zero personal space.

                                            >Her lips were far more dextrous than you thought possible.

                                            >They nibble their way between yours and you feel her wetness mix with yours.

                                            >Her hot breath tickles your lungs and sends your heart racing.

                                            >Just when you think you can't be any closer to the pegasus, she leans into you and sprawls her large, wet tongue across your lips--smearing them with her essence.

                                            "Mmpf!"

                                            >Her breathing picks up pace and she does it again, pushing her tongue inside your lips to swipe your teeth and gums.

                                            >True to your word, however, you avoid trying to contend with her exuberant appendage.

                                            >The lapping continues for a bit longer.

                                            >Long enough for you to figure out the taste of her breath.

                                            >Something earthy like hay, and something else.

                                            >Probably Dash mouth.

                                            >It wasn't bad, it was just...new.

                                            >Finally, she pulls away and you get a chance to catch a breath.

                                            >She wipes her lips and looks at you sheepishly.

                                            >"So, uh...h-how was it?"

                                            >You swallow and stare at her.

                                            "Uh...is the licking normal?"

                                            >She snorts and tucks her ears, "I-I guess...I mean, I was just sort of winging it."

                                            "Yeah, that was...good. It was a solid attempt. Ten outta ten."

                                            >You still can't wipe the blush off your face.

                                            >"Heheh! Yeah well hurry up and roll I want another try!"

                                            >You bat her ears playfully.

                                            "Easy there, I don't wan't to drown in pony tongue!"

                                            >She snickers, finally recovered from the bout of friendly intimacy.

                                            >You weren't sure what you were to each other.

                                            >Friends had a bit of a different meaning in Equestria, but that was turning out to be more satisfying than uncomfortable.

                                            >Even the kiss was...fun.

                                            >You may not be sure where this boat was headed, but you were sure about one thing.

                                            >If there was one pony you could choose to navigate these uncertain waters with, it was the cyan one sitting across from you.

                                            "You know, this game's going to take awhile..."

                                            >You meet her eyes.

                                            >"Sleepover?"

                                            >She grins.

                                            "Sleepover."