Dragonfly hummed to herself as she moved about from cage to cage along the side of the house. Each and every morning she needed to ensure that the insects inside of them were well fed, their numbers thriving, and that there were no gaps in the cages that would allow them to escape. Checking the notepad in her small hands, she had noticed a drop in the grasshopper cage meaning she would have to take them off the family’s menu until their numbers went up. On the bright side, the crickets and the stag beetles had just produced a large amount of eggs meaning that soon she could start cooking them.

The young mare tapped her chin with the eraser end of her pencil as she strode around the corner that brought her closer to her father’s blacksmith shop. The question was what to make out of them. There was a decent bread recipe that she hadn’t made in a while. Or maybe she could cook them like how they had that one time with the pumpkin seeds back...when things weren’t so bleak.

Unable to help herself, Dragonfly looked in the direction of an old dirt road that went into the forest. According to her father, when he was young, ponies from all across Equestria and beyond would travel that road to enter their town. They would come for the metals mined down below, the finest blades in Equestria, the best armor a pony could buy, and jewelry that even the craftsponies in Canterlot envied. Tales on how Princess Celestia herself would come to have a blade commissioned for one of her brave knights for their valor. He would talk about how nopony back then was without work and no mouth went unfed. Ponies walked with their heads held high with pride; for here, and only here, could they walk around without the disguise that Princess Celestia insisted that wear.

Neither Dragonfly nor Dragon Fang had ever seen those days. The road had always looked like it did now, covered in large webbing. There were no wagons to be filled with treasures that the thestral race prided itself in making. The trains sometimes brought ponies who sought out thestral craft, but mostly these days it only brought tourists. Add to the fact that the mines were being horribly mismanaged for some time meant that those who lived in this area faced hard times. There was little work to go around; most families having to carefully ration their supplies until the tourist season began.

Sighing, Dragonfly headed towards the door only to have it open when she was a mere few feet away from it. Succubus walked out of the house, awake and looking rather down. Her wings were slumped low on her back and her eyes seemed to be a bit darker, less alive than when she had first arrived. Even her mane looked a bit flatter than it had been yesterday. Her attire, a bright red tube top and matching mini-mini skirt, looked ever more out of place than her normal attire.

“Bored,” she cried out as she slumped out of the house. “So boooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrred!”

“I’m, ah, sorry to hear that,” said Dragonfly as she watched Succubus fall face first onto the ground and lay there like a log. Honestly, at this moment watching this mare was more like watching a little filly. For the life of her she couldn’t understand how Succubus was related to Dark Bargain.

“There has to be something to do around here,” complained Succubus, the dirt slightly muffling her voice. “Someplace where we can go and have a little fun.”

“We don’t have anything like that here,” replied Dragonfly sadly as Succubus turned her head to look at her. “Anyplace ‘fun’ is only open during the tourist season to save on bits. And even if such places were open right now, I honestly don’t know how much fun we would have with so few bits.”

Dragonfly watched as Succubus turned around so that she was now lying on her back, letting out a groan as she did so. Her face, as well as what little she was wearing, looked dirty. That did not seem to bother the big busted mare as she stared up into the star filled sky with an expression of longing.

“How can you live like this?” asked Succubus.

“Because we have no choice,” replied Dragonfly simply. “It’s just the way things are.”

“Of course you have a choice!” snapped Succubus as she got up, now looking angry. “You always have a choice! Look at me. I was in a similar position where my life sucked. But did I sit back, shrug, and say there was nothing I could do? No! If you don’t like the way things are then either change them or leave!”

Dragonfly felt her face beginning to burn as she glared at the other mare. “You really think it’s that easy?” she demanded. “This is our home! We are doing everything we can to save it but nothing is working. The last three mayors before Papa tried to get bring other businesses to Hollow Shades so we could have work, but nopony thought it was worth it because of the location. Then the job got thrusted onto Papa because nopony else wanted it. And if we did leave, where would we go? Can you imagine an entire community trying to find work at the same time? I doubt there are enough jobs out there for us!”

“Well I’d hire you!” said Succubus. Her eyes then brightened as a thought crossed her mind. “Why stop with you? How about we find as many thestrals as we can who want to leave and they can come work in Ponyville! I can help ponies and not be bored!”

“…you own your own business?” asked Dragonfly, who was taken aback by this.

Now grinning broadly, Succubus folded her arms underneath her large melons as she nodded. “Me and my Pip are not just partners in bed but also in our own business.”

Dragonfly blinked at this as she gave the other thestral mare another look over. For the life of her she didn’t see how this was possible. Just by the way she dressed…there was no way a mare who wore so little could ever run a business. Well, in Hollow Shades at least. Maybe it was different in the rest of Equestria. She had seen many of the tourists and they seemed to enjoy showing off their arms and legs. Maybe they considered it more professional to wear less? Still, Succubus didn’t seem to act like any pony who might co-own a business.

“Well, I suppose we can find a few ponies around here who might be interested,” began Dragonfly, causing Succubus’ grin to grow. “So, what kind of ponies are you looking for?”

“Any mares who are sexy and want to dance naked!” exclaimed Succubus.

“…WHAT?!”

In the ivory and gold city of Canterlot, Princess Celestia sat in front of an elegant wooden desk within her private chambers. On almost any other night at this time she would have been coming out of her massive bath, her fur carrying the scent of various oils she used to relax and rejuvenate her body before going to bed. A few candles would be lit, providing just enough light for her to see without hurting her eyes, the scents they carried further relaxing the day princess as she toweled herself off with the softest towels known to pony kind. While that would be going on, Celestia’s only thoughts would be what to do until she fell asleep. Would she relax in bed with a good book? Or, instead, would she sit on the toilet as she rubbed her pussy and fingered her plothole while remembering the last time she had been fucked on the island. Instead of that she was going over paperwork, her normal calm and motherly expression replace with a concerned frown as her eyes went over various words and numbers.

Something was very wrong in Hollow Shades and the Hanging City.

As Celestia continued to shift through the papers in both her hands as well as in her magical grasp she heard a soft knock on her door. Raising an eyebrow, Celestia quickly glanced out the door to see that the moon was well within the sky and the stars were shining brightly. Very rarely did anypony come knocking on her door at this time. The staff knew that she was not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. And if it were, they would come barreling through that door without wasting anytime knocking.

“Come in,” said Celestia while doing her best to keep the curiosity out of her voice. A moment later the door opened to reveal Kizbit with a frown on his face. “Well this is a surprise. I believe your schedule says that you should be putting your nightcap on right now. What brings you to my room at this time?”

“What indeed,” muttered Kizbit as he stood into the room, fighting to hold back a yawn as he did so. “It just so happens that I was running a bit late this night and, on the way to my room, I happened to spot that the lights were on in your room. Far be it for somepony like me to tell a mare of your age when they should be in bed, but I do believe that you have a busy day ahead of you. Surely, whatever minor matter you are working on can wait until the morning?”

Celestia let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair. “If this were a minor matter then I would be in bed,” she said calmly, her hand reaching out to touch the documents as she did. “What I am dealing with is the issue with the new Duke Dark Bargain.”

Kizbit let out a hum as he nodded his head in understanding. “Yes, that matter is a tad important. But, it was my understanding that you were going to wait until after you heard back from the Countess before deciding if he might have had any part in his parents’ plot.”

“That was and still is the plan,” replied Celestia with a nod. “Yet, with Luna away at this time I find myself with a trusted council for that particular area. I am ashamed to admit it, but I am a bit in the dark when it comes to most of its current on-goings. So, earlier today, I had requested a bit of information to see if there might be anything there that might shed light on either his innocence or guilt. I have their family’s finances, holdings, their mine safety reports as well as reports from the other mines just so I have something to compare them to.”

“Well then,” began Kizbit as he stepped into the room. “I take it you have found something more nefarious about his family? Something to make you worry about the safety of the Hanging City or, pardon the theatrics, the whole of Equestria?”

“No,” replied Celestia as she glanced over at the desk. “As far as I can see, the family in question has never warranted any suspicion until this matter came up. Their finances are, for the most part, clean. There have been a few scandals within the family history; however they mostly involve one member of the family sleeping with a maid or butler. Nothing I don’t hear about our own nobles here in Canterlot. The mines that they own have had a few safety violations from time to time, but they have always fixed whatever problems have been brought up by their next inspection. They have always reported when a certain ore vein would need time to re-grow with their thestral magic. Diamond Dog raids on the mines have also been reported and stalls on shipments due to these attacks have always been reported. As far as I can gleam, this was a one time deal. We’ll know more once I hear back from the Countess.”

“Well that’s good then,” said Kizbit as he walked over to the bed and began to pull down the covers. “Since nothing is wrong, I think you should set this matter aside until later. You have several meeting that will require you to be at your be-”

“That isn’t what has me worried,” interrupted Celestia, regaining Kizbit’s attention. “It’s the other mining systems. By law, those mines must be maintained to a certain point if the owners want to keep them. When I was looking at the other mines’ documents I saw that they are all working barely above the minimum. Various sections of the mines have been closed down for one reason or another. Most of the work force has been outsourced from the thestrals, meaning that the mineral deposits aren’t growing back fast enough. There are a number of fines brought up about safety issues every year.”

“Well,” began Kizbit slowly. “That certainly does sound concerning to say the least. However, since they, as you yourself have said, are still operating the mines to an acceptable degree then I see no reason why you should be concerning yourself with this. It’s most likely the reason why it was never brought to your attention before now. There are far more pressing matters that you will need to deal with in the morning like, for example, a progress report from your sister and former student.”

Celestia, unable to control herself, let out a growl of annoyance that shocked Kizbit so much that he almost fell onto the bed. It frustrated the princess that he couldn’t see just how terrible the situation really was. It had been a long time since she had been to either Hollow Shades or the Hanging City. She could clearly remember the passion that the thestrals held as they worked their craft in the jewelry, blacksmiths, and the mines. How they held themselves up high as they walked through the streets. Would it still be like that with these changes? If not, would the thestrals eventually decide to take the mines back by force after leaving Equestria just like how the Crystal Empire had threatened to do not too long ago? Or would they become resentful towards the rest of Equestria, becoming a place that would be hostile to those they saw as outsiders. And if the mines weren’t taken care of, would there be a disaster like what might happen with the weather if the pegasi mishandled it?

Luckily, Celestia believed it hadn’t gotten that far. If it had, Luna would have informed her already of any growing tension with the ponies there or of any other kind for danger. Her sister was most likely trying handle this on her own since the thestrals looked up to and respected her above all the other princesses. If she had to guess, Luna was supplying them with all the work she could while trying to see if there was any legal way she could take back the mines.

As she opened her mouth to inform Kizbit of this the door to Celestia’s chambers flung open as two Royal Guards rushed into the room. Celestia whipped her head around, annoyed at Kizbit’s reaction to what she had found out as well as this intrusion. She glared at the two for a moment, but calmed down when she saw the pale expressions on both of them. It was as if they had just seen Tirek storming towards the city.

“Princess,” said one of them as they both took a knee before her. “Forgive the intrusion at this late hour. An incident has occurred involving a member of the castle staff that we believe you should take a look at.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” said Dragonfly as she walked down the streets of Hollow Shades with Succubus by her side. The streets were nearly deserted, despite the moon being up for a few hours now. The few ponies they did see had their heads hanging low as they quickly made their way to their destination. The only sound they could hear was the wind as it blew through the trees and the broken windows of the nearby buildings, all of which looked like they had been abandoned for some time now.

The sad thing was they weren’t.

“Relax,” said Succubus off-handedly, walking next to Dragonfly as she swayed her hips for all to see and ignoring the looks of disdain she received because of this. “At least we’re out of the house, in the fresh night air, and going to talk to mares about letting their sexiness shine. The worst that can happen is that they’ll say no, right?”

“Most mares here would vomit in front of your hooves if you asked them to do that,” hissed Dragonfly as her eyes darted around looking for anypony who might have overheard what Succubus had just said. While Succubus planned to leave here, Dragonfly knew that she would remain to look after her family. Something that would become more difficult if the residents here knew what she was helping with.

When she looked forwards again, she found Succubus filling her vision as she had moved in front of her and was now walking backwards. “Well if that’s the case then why are you helping me?” she asked with a grin.

Dragonfly rolled her eyes. “Because I’m afraid you would go running around the town, screaming your head off as you looked for ‘sexy’ mares,” retorted Dragonfly stiffly. “I’m going to take you to a few ponies I know who I hope will accept my apology after you ask your question. Maybe after a few of them say no then you’ll give up.” Succubus said nothing to this, just giggling a bit as she moved right back to Dragonfly’s side.

After a few minutes, the two stopped in front of a two story building with at least twelve gargoyles hanging off the roof. Unlike many of the building they had passed before this point, the windows were all intact, however all of the glass looked like they had been painted over with a thick layer of black paint. All across the dark wood, somepony or ponies had carved graffiti into it. Words like ‘freak’, ‘ugly’, and ‘vomit’ littered its surface with various phrases mixed in. The air around this building was vile due to the amount of shit that had been tossed onto the yard and the small front porch.

Taking a somewhat deep breath, Dragonfly marched over to the building with Succubus in tow. It was slow going for the two due to being careful not to step in anything. Eventually the two made it to the front door and, doing her best to ignore the maggots everywhere, Dragonfly knocked on the door.

“Go away!” shrieked a voice on the other side. “Please, just leave me alone! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

“Ghostly, it’s me, Dragonfly,” said the small breasted thestral while using one hand to cover her nose.

“D-Dragonfly,” said the voice on the other side. The two of them could now hear hoofsteps coming closer to the door very slowly. “Oh thank Luna and the Countess. I thought you were one of those horrible ponies who keeps wrecking my house.” It was then that both ponies could hear a soft click of a lock being undone from the other side. “So, what brings you over here tonight Dragonfly? To be honest, I didn’t think you’d be leaving your house for a couple days after I heard there was a changeling sighting. Not that I don’t mind pleasant company.”

“False alarm,” said Dragonfly as two more clicks were heard. “My sister checked it out herself. And sorry but this isn’t a normal social call. Guess you could call it a business-”

Dragonfly’s words were drowned out by a loud shriek of terror followed by the sounds of many locks being put back into place. “Your father said he wouldn’t kick me out! I swear to you I had everything cleaned up three days ago! You know it’s taking every bit I have to clean up this mess! An-And I know I paid my taxes s-so-”

“Ghostly, you’ve done nothing wrong,” interrupted Dragonfly loudly. “Please calm down. I just brought somepony who wants to meet you. She…She says she might have a job for you.”

For a moment, there was an eerie silence as Dragonfly waited for a response of any kind. She had expected Ghostly to react like this given her situation within Hollow Shades. Ever since she had entered puberty she had been harassed by the ponies who lived here, barely able to get by and living in the house her parents had left her before their passing. She let out a sigh of relief as the locks began to unlock again before the door, ever so slowly, opened to reveal Ghostly Stitch.

She was the palest, whitest thestral ever to be seen. Her coat was whiter than pure, freshly fallen snow that sent shivers down most ponies’ shines. The mare’s mane was silvery and long, going down so far that it touched her ass. Both of her eyes were hidden as her bangs went low enough so that they were completely covered. Her lips were the brightest thing about her, natural bright red making them pop out in contrast to the rest of her appearance. The clothing she wore looked old, covering her body as best it could but seemed to be straining to keep her double D cups hidden within.

“A job?” asked Ghostly, her voice carrying a faint trace of hope in it. “For somepony like me?”

“Yep!” cried Succubus as she jumped between the two mares, causing the other two to jump back. “And I think you’ll work out just fine! You got that timid, spooky sexy vibe going for you. All I need to know is if you can dance and what you look like naked!”

“W-W-Wh-,” stammered Ghostly, unable to finish a single word. Nopony there could see her eyes to see if they were wide with shock or narrow with rage. Her mouth just hung open as Succubus looked back at her with a blissfully ignorant smile on her face.

“I am so sorry,” said Dragonfly quickly.

Taking a deep breath, Ghostly began to speak in a harsh tone with a finger pointed in Succubus’ direction. “H-How dare you?! No, seriously, how dare you come to my door and mock me?! I get enough shit from everypony else, but I expected more from some pony who shares in my shame of having…THESE!” At that point, her finger moved from Succubus to indicate her large mammaries. “Calling me sexy when I’m cursed with these? Thinking ponies will actually enjoy seeing me naked? They’re more likely to vomit! S-So you l-leave right-”

“But you are sexy,” interrupted Succubus in a matter of fact tone as she took a step forwards. Without warning her hands moved to grab Ghostly on the shoulders, their breasts pressed against each other.

“NO I’M NOT!” shouted Ghostly as she tried to get away. “YOU’RE A THESTRAL! YOU SHOULD KNOW NOPONY AROUND HERE WILL EVER WANT ME! OR YOU FOR THAT MATTER!”

“Well it’s a good thing the job isn’t around here,” said Succubus calmly, her words causing Ghostly to stop struggling.

“You,” began Ghostly but stopped to gulp. “You want me to leave…my home?” Ghostly place a hand on the doorframe. “I grew up here. This is all I’ve ever known. I’ve never been outside of Hollow Shades a day in my life.”

“Well that’s going to change,” said Succubus as she pushed Ghostly inside of her own house.

For a moment, Dragonfly stood still as she looked around. Ghostly’s shouting had attracted much attention for she could now see many faces peeking through the windows of their homes. The few ponies on the streets had stopped, lifting their heads so they could look in the direction of the house. Not wanting to be under their gaze or to give any of them the opportunity to come up to her and ask what was going on, Dragonfly also entered the home where she quickly shut the door before securing a few of the many locks and bolts.

After making sure no nosy pony would, or rather could, enter, Dragonfly made her way down a narrow hallway and past the stairway leading to the upper floor. She could see within her field of vision the ceiling that looked completely covered in webbing complete with various spiders crawling every which way. On both her sides faded wallpaper looked like it was slowly peeling off in random parts. There was a small table pressed against the wall that looked like it was about to collapse with a brown, lifeless plant on top. At least the floor was clean of any filth like what could be found outside.

Dragonfly moved down the hallway and entered a living room where the two big breasts thestrals were standing in.

“Look, I know what you’re going through because I’ve been there,” Succubus was saying as she continued to hold onto Ghostly’s shoulders. “You’ve been told you’re ugly and not at all sexy your whole life here. And that may be true in their eyes, but not in the eyes of the rest of Equestria. Believe me, if I had any stallion from any other part of Equestria in here right now I’d be pointing to the bulge in his pants. Or get you to strip in front of him so that he creams in his pants. That’s happened more than a few times with me. And don’t get me started on the mares. You’ll either be lusted by them or envied and hated. The only thing you need to do now is run with it.”

“B-But I live-” began Ghostly, but Succubus placed a finger on her mouth to silence her.

“I think, for your own good, you need to see what else is out there,” said Succubus as she lowered her hand and moved behind the other mare. As she did this, her hands were placed on Ghostly’s hips. Once Dragonfly saw that Succubus was directly behind the other mare, Succubus began to slowly move her hands upwards towards Ghostly breasts. Ghostly opened her mouth, looking like she was going to say something, but whatever she intended to say turned into a moan as Succubus squeezed the white mare’s breasts.

“Oh, the good stallions of Ponyville are going to love that sexy moan of yours,” whispered Succubus as her hands moved out of sight of Dragonfly’s vision. It didn’t take long for the only small breasted mare in the room to find out what Succubus was doing for she soon heard the sound of a zipper. Before her very eyes, Dragonfly watched as Ghostly’s dress fell to the ground so that it pooled around her hooves. Ghostly it turned out was not wearing a bra, only pink panties with a black rose on its front. Her nipples were small but the areola was so huge that somepony could fit two bits within it easily. Dragonfly couldn’t help but notice that the mare’s coat was completely flawless and that her body was only thick enough to support her upper body. In a vain effort to cover herself, Ghostly moved her arms up to her breasts but the sheer size of them made this a pointless effort.

Dragonfly blinked and, in that moment, Succubus had somehow removed her entire attire. More naked than Ghostly, Succubus wrapped her arms around the other mare’s torso while pressing her mounds against Ghostly’s back. The pale white mare’s face flushed red, a squeak escaping her lips as Succubus place one hand under one breast to give it a squeeze.

“I can just see it,” said Succubus is a husky voice that seemed to send a shiver down Ghsotly’s body. When she spoke next, her free hand began to travel up and down Ghostly’s body, tracing against its soft fur. “All those naughty colts and good stallions coming from all corners of Equestria just to see this sexy body. Watching as you tease them each time you swing or grind up against the pole. They’ll set bits on the stage just so you can rub these soft, bouncy tits in their faces. Oooh, I bet some will cum just from that. And when you get off the stage there isn’t a doubt in my mind that they will want a private show with you.”

“Y-You’re wrong,” whimpered Ghostly. Succubus said nothing at first, only moving so that they would now be face to face. The mare from Ponyville then placed a hand on Ghostly’s breast and smiled.

“I know I’m not,” replied Succubus in a firm but kind voice. “Because every night, I get on that stage to dance with everypony looking at me with lust filled expressions.” She paused to shiver slightly, as if just thinking about it was intense for her.

For a moment, Ghostly turned her head to look away. Dragonfly could see her lips pursed slightly, as if she were thinking and forgetting that not only was there another mare in the room but two of them were naked! When she looked back at Succubus, she took a step back.

“I…I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said.

“But why not?” cried Succubus looking flabbergasted.

“Because no pony in their right mind would ever do something like that!” said Dragonfly as if this were common knowledge.

“Well,” began Ghostly before she paused to gulp. “I’m really…I really want to know what it feels like to be…wanted like that. An-And I know I’ll never get to know that if I stay here. But, what if I leave everything behind for this new life and it doesn’t work out? Like, what if I get stage fright or something like that? What will I do then? Will I have to come back here? I’d like to have a relationship, maybe get married and have some foals, but who would seriously consider having that kind of relationship with a stripper? And where will I stay?”

“Oh,” was all Succubus said as she stood there blinking. “Is that really all you were worried about?”

“Well yes I wa-,” began Ghostly before she stomped her hoof on the ground. “Of course I’m worried about these things! Who wouldn’t?” Succubus raised her hand with a grin on her face, causing everypony else to groan.

“I swear,” said Dragonfly as she placed a hand on her head.

“First off, I’m a married mare,” began Succubus while still grinning. “And so is another dancer at the club. Being a stripper might make it a tad bit more difficult to find your prince charming, but if he’s out there you’ll find him, so don’t worry. As for if things don’t work out, well we’re not going to throw you to the streets! Me and Pip know a lot of ponies in Ponyville who would love to hire you. What’s your special talent?”

“My…special talent?” repeated Ghostly in a surprised tone. “I…I make costumes. When I was a filly I made all of the costumes for my glass for things like plays and Nightmare Night. Of course, when I got these well…”

“Well that’s perfect!” shouted Succubus as she bounced up and down giddily. “Naturally I’ll do all I can to help you shake that sexy body all across the stage, but if for whatever reason you want to do something else I have a friend named Rarity who would love to hire you! And if she can’t, maybe you can be a waitress until you can find something. As for where you can stay, I happen to know several ponies who would be willing to take you in if you don’t want to stay with me and Pip. Princess Twilight told me if there was ever a pony who needed a helping hand to send her to the castle and there will always be a room waiting for her.”

“I-I-I,” stammered Ghostly as her arms dropped, revealing her mostly nude form. Her wings shook slightly and her arms trembled as tears began to appear on her face. Without warning, she lunged at the smiling thestral mare and, much to Dragonfly’s shock, wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “I’ll do it!”

Author's Note

editing by Koekelbag