Tough 'n'Ticklish

Story by 2ShyShy

Writing Contest Participant #6

Please check out his work at:
♥https://www.furaffinity.net/user/fluttershy~
♥https://www.fimfiction.net/user/2446/StarkyShy
♥https://twitter.com/DazedDreamy

Fluttershy pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “I’m telling you, Rainbow Dash is more ticklish!”

“Psssh, no way!” Pinkie Pie scoffed. “Applejack’s waaaay more ticklish than Dashie is!”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at Pinkie’s audacious claim. “Really? The most stubborn and strongest pony we know is more ticklish than the one that gets all squeamish even just being barefoot around us?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “That’s just cause her feet are the most ticklish part of her! Applejack might be tough physically, but when it comes to taking tickles, those abs might as well be painted on! Except you’d have a hard time because she’d crumble if you got a paintbrush anywhere near her abs!”

“I-”

Fluttershy had to take a moment to fully process Pinkie’s analogy before making a rebuttal. “Trust me, Pinkie, I know for a fact that Dash is more ticklish. One time when we were hanging out, I brushed my wing against her barefoot, and she screamed and leapt ten feet into the air!”

“Puh-lease! I was there when Trixie went all eeeeeevil. She made Applejack start begging in seconds with only two feathers!” Pinkie crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. “So there!”

“Oh yeah? How do you know they weren’t just super tickly feathers Trixie made?”

Pinkie opened her mouth, but hesitated to respond. It wasn’t the most convincing argument, but she had to admit that she didn’t have a proper answer. “Well…hm…”

Fluttershy put her hands on her hips and smirked. “And any regular pair of feathers on Dashie’s feet will get the same results!”

“So? Applejack’s still more ticklish than Rainbow Dash is!” Pinkie said, sticking her tongue out.

“She is not!”

“Is too!”

The two butted foreheads and growled, before their mock anger broke off into giggles and mischievous smirks.

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” Fluttershy gave Pinkie’s sides a few playful pokes.

“Heehee! Yep!”

Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack had finished stacking up some bales of hay. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, leaning back against the wall of the barn.

“Heeeeey Applejack!”

The earth pony casually turned her head, giving a friendly wave hello to her friend who was grinning ear to ear. “Howdy, Pinkie Pie, what brings you all the way over here?”

“Oh, I came by cause I needed your help with something…” Pinkie innocently giggled.

“Well, sure! What can I do for ya?”

“Juuuuust give it a bit…” Pinkie raised up a finger, looking out towards the entrance of the barn.

Shortly after, Fluttershy came flying in, with Rainbow Dash right behind her.

Applejack tilted her head in confusion. “Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy? What’re they doin’ here?”

“Yeeaaah, I’m still confused on what’s going on,” Dash said, scratching the back of her head.

Fluttershy tapped her fingers together. “Well, Pinkie and I needed your help with something…”

Pinkie hopped by Fluttershy’s side, putting an arm around her shoulder. “Yeah! We just wanted to figure out which one of you is more ticklish…”

Even the mere utterance of the word from Pinkie Pie made Applejack and Rainbow Dash tense up, though Applejack was much better at hiding her worry.

“Heh, well, that’s pretty obvious, ain’t it?” Applejack chuckled. “Answer’s clearly Rainbow Dash! Probably the most ticklish feet ya ever seen on a pony!”

“What? No way!” Dash immediately sputtered out to try and defend herself. “Applejack’s waaaay more ticklish than I am! Like, have you seen how ticklish her armpits and stomach are?”

“See?” Pinkie smirked at Fluttershy, gesturing at the other two ponies. “Seems like they can’t decide either…”

“Oh dear, that’s a shame…” Fluttershy said, “Luckily there’s a way we can all find out for sure, right?”

“Oh, definitely!”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash gulped, already fearing the worst. They turned around to run, but Pinkie Pie’s unpredictable antics moved faster than they did. Being at Applejack’s farm, her lassos were close at hand, and the pair suddenly found themselves tied up to the pillars of the barn, secured by the wrists, and their ankles tied up in front of them.

For as quick as Pinkie was, her knot work was solid. Applejack and Rainbow Dash struggled, but couldn’t wriggle or break their way out of their bondage.

“Pinkie Pie, g-get us out of this!” Rainbow Dash growled. She could already see Fluttershy staring at her sneakers with a devious glint in her eyes.

“A-Ain’t there an easier way to find out?” Applejack squirmed around. The way she was tied up, with her hands wrapping around the pillar behind her head, her exposed armpits made her feel so…vulnerable…

“There might…” Fluttershy giggled as she took a step towards the two bound ponies.

“But this way is more fun!” Pinkie chimed in.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie went in front of Applejack and Rainbow Dash respectively, curious to see if the pony was as ticklish as her friend had claimed. Fluttershy started tugging off Applejack’s boots, while Pinkie began untying Dash’s sneakers.

“F-Fluttershy, c’mon…” Applejack weakly grinned, trying to reason with the pegasus as her boots were removed. “You don’t have to go through all this! Ah’m not even that ticklish, really!”

“Don’t listen to her, Fluttershy! She’ll crumble if you get her armpits!” Dash immediately interjected, throwing her under the bus as Pinkie removed her shoes.

“Damnit, Rainbow Dash! You and your hyper-sensitive soles have got no place to talk about bein’ ticklish!” Applejack snarled.

Fluttershy tugged off Applejack’s boots and socks, surprised at how neat and clean her feet were. Her soles were a bit sweaty, which seemed natural, she had just spent the last few hours working out in the hot sun, after all. Though a quick brush against her sole with her fingers revealed just how soft and smooth Applejack’s feet were. No rough or hardened spots to be found, and even the tops of her feet revealed some bright red polish on her toenails.

Pinkie tossed away Dash’s shoes and socks, revealing similar results. Dash’s feet were also soft to the touch, although this was more a result of the pegasus opting to fly everywhere instead of walking and putting pressure on her feet.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash winced, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were staring at their feet with mischievous intent, and they were already fighting off the urge to giggle as they playfully teased their soles.

Without any warning, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started tickling, their fingers eagerly danced across their soles, excited to get their ticklish reactions.

Applejack strained herself to try and keep the laughter in. Her hands clenched into fists as her legs started to tremble. “Nnngh…q-quit it F-Fluttershyyyy…”

Dash also tried to resist, though was far less successful at it. She puffed up her cheeks and held her breath, but with Pinkie’s fingers skittering against her feet, she only lasted a few seconds before cracking. “Eeehahahahaha! S-Stahahahahahahap!”

Hearing Dash immediately break put a smile on Fluttershy’s face, though she still needed to get Applejack to crack, and if Pinkie’s claims were anywhere near the truth, it wouldn’t take long. Perhaps she just needed to go a little bit harder…

Pinkie wasn’t surprised at all how quickly Dash broke. She was always terrible at resisting tickles. Not that she was complaining, she’d never object to tickling Rainbow Dash silly, though it certainly wasn’t helping her argument.

Applejack exhaled sharply through her nostrils. Fluttershy’s fingers were tickling her soles faster. She could feel those finely manicured nails raking down her feet, never giving her a moment to relax. But she refused to give Fluttershy the satisfaction of breaking. She’d prove that Rainbow Dash was the more ticklish one.

“Nahahahahahaha! Stahahahahahahahap ihihihit! Pleheheheaaaase!” Rainbow Dash flailed her feet around as much as she could, though it hardly made a difference, Pinkie just kept scribbling at her soles, undeterred.

“See how much Rainbow’s laughing?” Fluttershy smugly said, looking over at Pinkie. “Told you she was more ticklish than Applejack!”

“Pssh, that’s just cause you haven’t hit Applejack’s tickle spots yet!” Pinkie scoffed, dismissively waving her hand. “Go for her armpits or her tummy first, then talk to me.”

Following Pinkie’s advice, Fluttershy scooted up closer. As her hands reached up to Applejack’s armpits, the worried look on Applejack’s face became very apparent.

As Fluttershy’s nails skittered against her armpits, Applejack immediately tried to hold in her laughter, but just like Pinkie Pie had claimed, it only took a bit of light tickling for her to start squealing. “N-Nohohohohoho! Nahahahat thehehehehere!”

Fluttershy was immediately impressed and surprised by just how little it took to get Applejack to start laughing. Her fingers were lightly grazing her pits, and yet Applejack was already wildly twisting about to try and shake her off.

Meanwhile, Pinkie was having a blast with Rainbow Dash’s feet. All the playful scribbles she was giving to her feet drew out tons of high-pitched squeals. She hadn’t even really started her more intense tickles, and yet Rainbow was thrashing about like crazy.

“Baaahahahahahaha! P-Pinkie! Stahahahahahahahaaaaaap!” It felt like Pinkie Pie was tickling every inch of her feet at once. Pinkie had sat down firmly on her ankles, so no matter how hard she kicked her legs, she couldn’t throw her off.

Which was a shame for Pinkie. She was sure that Rainbow Dash was making some great ticklish expressions behind her back. Though she was getting quite a show watching her feet. The most they could do was wiggle and curl, and it was honestly adorable watching her feet squirm.

“Don’t forget to get her tummy, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie casually reminded her friend.

“Oooh, thanks, Pinkie!” Fluttershy grinned, immediately aiming for Applejack’s abs.

Applejack only had a brief second to catch her breath from the armpit tickling before Fluttershy swapped tickle spots, and those evil fingers started going for her stomach. “Wait no no NOHOHOHOHOHOHO! GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Fluttershy was shocked. Applejack’s abs were firm to the touch, and yet she had her head thrown back in hysterics. She had no idea that abs this rock-solid could be so ticklish! She was starting to reconsider her stance on who the more ticklish pony was.

Fluttershy had long admired Applejack’s muscular body, her earth pony physique gave her some very toned arms and thighs, and her choice of clothing often had her bare her midriff to show off her abs. But with all these light strokes and wiggles making Applejack beg for mercy…it made Fluttershy feel more powerful than the mare with a six-pack.

Pinkie Pie was shaking her shoulders from side to side with giddy excitement. She was all too eager to rake her fingers up and down Rainbow Dash’s soles.

“BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! PINKIIIEEEHEEHEEHEE! AAAHAAAAA IT TIHIHIHIHIHICKLES!” Rainbow Dash bucked her hips, all she could see was Pinkie’s back rhythmically bobbing about, but she could definitely feel her fingers spidering all over her feet, and not being able to see exactly what she was doing made it tickle even more.

Pinkie Pie was reveling in the moment. She so rarely got a chance to tickle Dash’s feet. And with how much she was squealing and thrashing, for good reason. It was a pretty well-known fact among all her friends that Rainbow Dash’s feet were especially ticklish, which for someone as tickle-happy as Pinkie, was especially torturous given Rainbow’s aversion to having her feet touched. So she was more than happy to milk this moment for all it was worth.

Fluttershy turned her head to see the massive grin on Pinkie’s face, and the tears that were running down Rainbow’s. “She’s got very ticklish soles, Pinkie, but make sure to tickle her toes, too!”

Pinkie playfully smacked her own head. “Duh! Of course!”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow immediately started scolding. “Why would you tell her thaAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Her anger was very quickly interrupted by Pinkie following Fluttershy’s advice.

Pinkie’s fingers slid all the way up Rainbow’s soles to get right underneath her toes, squealing with delight to see them splay out and wiggle before she got her fingers in between.

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP PLEEHEHEHAAAASE!” Rainbow arched her back as her laughter hit an even higher pitch. She tried to curl her feet to get Pinkie’s fingers away, but Pinkie kept striking right underneath her toes, making her freeze up and open herself to more tickling.

“F-FLUTTERSHY! QUHIHIHIHIT TIHIHIHICKLING MEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!” Applejack swayed her hips from side to side, but she was trapped between Fluttershy’s fingers, squeezing and skittering across her sides and stomach.

“Oh, but it’s so much fun!” Fluttershy giggled. The pegasus was entranced by just how ticklish those firm abs of hers were, how the light skittering of her fingers was causing so much blushing and squealing.

“Now, let’s see what happens when I do…this!” Pinkie held the toes back on one of Dash’s feet, keeping her sole taut. With her other hand, she started digging into her arch, watching the other one flail about.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAACK NONONONONONOHOHOHOHOHO!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened as she started sputtering with laughter. All she could do was uselessly swing her free foot around while her other foot was being subjected to Pinkie’s torments.

“Ooooooh!” Pinkie was impressed, with that kind of reaction, she was starting to consider Rainbow Dash the more ticklish pony after all.

“Heehee, enjoying yourself, Pinkie?” Fluttershy giggled as she traced her fingers around Applejack’s abs.

“Oh, definitely!” Pinkie nodded as her fingers went in between Dash’s toes. “I forgot how much fun it was to tickle Dashie’s feet!”

“Applejack’s pretty fun to tickle, too!” Fluttershy teased. “I didn’t realize she had such ticklish abs!”

“I know, right?”

“COHOHOHOME OHOHOHOHON!”

“NOHOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHOHOHOHORE!”

The tickling was maddening enough, but Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie having a conversation on their ticklishness was adding another layer of torture for Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“They’re both laughing a loooot, huh?” Pinkie grinned.

“Mmhm! I’m still going easy on Applejack, though, look at how much she’s laughing!” Fluttershy demonstrated by dancing her fingers across Applejack’s stomach.

“NAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I CAHAHAHAHAHAHAN’T! AHAHA TIHIHIHICKLES SOHOHOHO MUHUHUHUCH!” Applejack’s entire face was blushing red, her hat had been thrown off during her struggle. Fluttershy’s nails against her stomach were a dangerous combination that were causing her to get lightheaded.

“Heehee, yeah!” Pinkie giggled. “Look what I can do with Dashie’s feet, though!” Pinkie clawed her fingers, attacking under all of Dash’s toes at once.

“AAAAIIIIIEEEEEAAAAHAAAAAAA!” Rainbow let out a loud squeal. Her back arched forward as the rest of her body tensed up for a solid three seconds as the tickling overwhelmed her.

Fluttershy let out a hum of amusement. She had gotten Rainbow Dash to squeal like that plenty of times, though Applejack was a different story. She expected to put in a lot more work to get Applejack to laugh as loud as she had been, but it was only taking a few expert wiggles and pokes to her stomach and armpits.

“I think you’re right, Pinkie. Applejack’s more ticklish than Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy’s judgment may be clouded by how much fun she was having, but she was willing to be wrong if it felt this good.

“Hehe, told ya so!” Pinkie winked.

Satisfied with the results of their experiment, Pinkie untied all the knots, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash slumped down, catching their breath.

“That was fun!” Fluttershy clapped.

“Mmhm! We should do that again sometime!” Pinkie agreed.

“Yeah…that was great…” Rainbow coughed out.

“Eheh…Ah enjoyed myself, too…”

Fluttershy and Pinkie turned their heads. They didn’t expect either of them to respond so…positively.

“Wait, really?”

“It’s a fun little game ya had goin’, and since ya got that question sorted out…” As Applejack panted, a wicked grin started to grow on her face. “Hey Rainbow, Ah’ve always wondered if Pinkie or Fluttershy is more ticklish…”

“Oh that’s easy, it’s Fluttershy for sure…” Rainbow Dash smirked as she stood up straight.

“Hold on now, Rainbow…Ah think it’s Pinkie Pie. She ain’t the Element of Laughter for nothin’, after all. Ah bet she’s just one big tickle spot…” Applejack cracked her knuckles, grabbing the rope that was just used to tie her up.

“Trust me, Fluttershy may be all quiet normally, but if you even wiggle your fingers near her….” Rainbow Dash took a menacing step towards the other pegasus.

“Well, guess there’s only one way to find out, huh?”

“Heheh…yep…”