My mind was slow to return to the land of the waking, such was the level of comfort I felt with my closest friends wrapped in my coils as their body heat soaked into my scales. I rolled my pony half over to turn away from the glaring sunlight as I tried to go back to sleep, only to bump my muzzle against Willow’s as the timberpony giggled softly.

I opened my eyes to see that Willow was already awake, although the slight droop in her gaze showed she was more than comfortable where she was for the time being. I returned her smile as she shifted slightly in my coils, sending delightful shivers up my spine as her fur and bark gently rubbed against my belly scales.

“Good morning Sapphire,” Willow whispered as she bent forward and licked up my face between my eyes and over my left ear, “Sleep well?”

I nodded as I leaned forward, returning her affections with a lick of my own as I dragged my tongue over the side of her neck and up her left cheek. Willow purred in contentment as she closed her eyes once more, snuggling against my tail as I pulled it just a bit tighter around her body and rippled my coils a few times to massage her from hooves to neck.

She let out a giant yawn before wiggling a bit, “Stop that. I don’t want to go back to sleep.”

I giggled as I kept up my massage, making her groan softly as her muscles turned to mush under my tender yet firm ministrations, “I didn’t hear any complaints the last time I did this for you. Are you saying you really don’t like my coils squeezing you over and over like this?” I knew what her answer would be, but I couldn’t help teasing her as she struggled to fight against the soothing embrace of my tail and remain awake.

“No, I love it when you do this,” she replied as she shifted again, managing to free one of her front hooves as she pulled herself out of the cocoon I had encased her in. “I just really need to get up before I make a mess in our nice new bed.”

Realizing what she was talking about, my tail shifted off of her completely just as she got her upper half free of my coils, leaving me feeling slightly lacking as the timberpony jumped off the bed and made her way into the washroom. She closed the door behind her and a minute later I heard the sounds of rushing water, followed by Willow’s return as she climbed back up onto the bed. She glanced at the still slumbering Evergreen as she picked up a few sections of my tail and draped them over her body, allowing me to pull her close again as my coils secured her legs to her sides. It wasn’t a neat cocoon like before, but just as effective as her eyes began to flutter closed once again.

She smiled as she leaned in and nuzzled against my cheek with her own, whispering into my ear before pulling back, “You should give Evergreen the same treatment when she wakes up. I’d bet she would love to feel your tail melting her body like that.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the sleeping nymph, a soft smile on her lips as she rested in complete peace, secured from neck to tail in a perfect cocoon with a thick section of my tail supporting her head like a living pillow. I got a devious idea in my head, and I allowed my grin to turn into a smirk as I flicked my eyes back towards Willow.

The hybrid must have realized what I planned to do, and she returned my smirk as she turned her attention to Evergreen, “If you’re going to do what I think you’re doing. I can’t wait to see how far it goes before she wakes up.”

I nodded, shifting until my upper body was in an upright position, leaning slightly over Evergreen as I began to move my tail around the sleeping nymph. At first, I kept my movements slow and gentle, barely squeezing or shifting the sections side to side to let her get used to the sensation. Her mouth parted in a sigh but made no other motions, spurring me on to greater action as I upped the strength of my squeezes slightly. Her mouth was still open, but her lips curled into a smile as she murmured in her slumber, shifting against my tail as her legs rubbed against my belly scales. I hummed in pleasure as her soft body sent a totally different sensation running up my spine compared to Willow’s earlier movements, and I upped the strength of my massage once more as I began to actively squeeze and relax my coils around her body. My tail twisted and rotated around her frame as Evergreen let out a breathy moan, her breathing rushing in and out of her body in time with my squeezes as my coils pushed the air from her lungs and then allowed it to enter again.

I kept this up for several minutes, Willow grinning all the while as she snuggled into her own sections of my tail, her eyes locked on the actively moaning and panting nymph as I turned her body into mush. My smirk became almost predatory as the scent of Willow’s arousal became noticeable as the timberpony began rubbing herself against a section of my tail, and I glanced over at her as I continued my attentions to Evergreen.

“You’re a naughty mare,” I admonished her, the hybrid making no effort to stop as she watched every move I made around Evergreen’s body, “getting excited watching my coils squeeze and massage someone else as they moan and pant in my grip.” Willow’s eyes had begun to glaze over in lust, and I tightened my tail around her body to prevent her from touching herself, a more dominant side coming to the fore as I leaned over the now panting mare. “Do you want me to do the same to you? Would you like me to make you feel amazing pleasure like what I’m giving Evergreen?”

She nodded her head sluggishly, her mind fogged over in lust as she weakly struggled against my coils. She wasn’t really trying, I could tell, but it was all part of the act as she submitted to my will.

“Please, Sapphire, make me feel good like you did in that cave.” Her voice was soft and pleading as the scent of her arousal was joined by another, this one coming from the wrapped-up nymph behind me.

I glanced towards the moaning puddle that had once been Evergreen, noticing that the nymph was actively trying to bring her forehooves towards the growing wet spot between her hind legs. I grinned deviously as I tightened my tail around her to halt her movements, causing Evergreen to whine in her sleep but not to awaken as I kept up my massage over the rest of her body. One section of the cocoon kept her from touching herself as I turned my attention back to Willow, who was no longer fighting my tail as she gazed up at me with a heated gaze.

“Do you want me to please you like I did before,” I whispered as I leaned to the side, revealing the moaning and panting form of Evergreen as my tail continued to tighten and release around her heating frame, “or would you rather see how long I can keep doing this before Evergreen wakes up?”

Willow looked over at Evergreen before turning back to me, asking in a completely submissive tone, “Will I be allowed to please myself, Mistress?”

I started in slight surprise, wondering why she had called me that when she wasn’t under my hypnosis. I pondered her actions for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she remembered what had happened while she was under my spell, and my actions this morning were bringing out some of the same behaviors. I smiled to myself as I turned my attention back to Willow, the timberpony watching me expectantly as she awaited my answer.

“How about we play a game?” I asked, her ears snapping to attention as her eyes widened slightly, “You can watch all you like, but you can’t touch yourself or do anything other than listen to Evergreen as I attend to her. If you can last until she either climaxes or wakes up without giving in, then the next time we do something like this, I’ll make every second a moment in paradise. Do we have a deal?”

Willow eagerly nodded, climbing out from under my tail as she walked over to Evergreen’s coil prison, laying down on her belly to hide her obvious arousal as she watched my actions with rapt attention. I turned my full attention to the moaning and panting nymph in my grip, feeling her crotch absolutely soaking the lower half of her cocoon as my tail squeezed her body into paste. Somehow, she hadn’t woken up, but I had a feeling it was a rapidly losing battle. So, I sped up my tail’s movements again, squeezing until her face began to turn pale from lack of air before releasing again, her lungs surging full of air as her moans where interrupted by a loud gasp. I felt the moisture on my tail rapidly increase after that squeeze, and I realized that some part of Evergreen must be liking the fact that she could barely breathe. Glancing at Willow to make sure she was paying attention, and wasn’t doing anything to herself, I squeezed Evergreen even tighter before holding her in that position, the tint of her face changing towards a paler green as her mouth gaped in a breathless gasp. I felt a shudder run over her entire body as I finally released her, the gasp of air returning to her lungs followed by a loud scream as her body shook in climax.

Her body slumped in my coils as she came down from her high, my tail falling still as I glanced over at Willow. The poor mare hadn’t been able to stop herself and had been actively rubbing against her own body with a hoof that she had tired to sneak under her belly without my notice. Her eyes were rolled back as she came down from her own high, her gaze returning to me only to widen as I smirked at her.

“Seems like you lost our little bet, Willow.” I said in an admonishing tone as I unwrapped Evergreen and placed the wet sections of my tail in front of the timberpony, “As punishment for losing, you have to clean up the mess that your desires created.” I softened the playful glare with a smile as she shifted forward to sniff the sweet-scented liquid. “If it makes you feel any better, I think Evergreen might like to join you the next time we do something like this, if you can convince her to do so.”

Willow’s sheepish expression shifted to one of excitement as she began to slowly lick up Evergreen’s arousal, her touch sending ripples up my spine as she playfully rubbed her tongue into the ridges between my belly scales.

I hummed as I rubbed her between the ears and leaned down to sample the fluid she hadn’t gotten to yet, the sweet flavor of nectar running over my taste buds as the scent of honeysuckle reached my muzzle. I decided I wasn’t going to let Willow have all the spoils and ran my tongue over the rest of my tail, running my tongue over Willow’s cheeks as we came close to one another in a teasing motion before pulling back to avoid her playful nip in my direction.
Once my tail was clean again, we turned our attention to Evergreen as the nymph began to shift and rub at her eyes with a hoof, her wings stretching slightly as she opened her eyes and let out a wide yawn, “Oh, Sapphire, I had the most amazing dream last night. I might never sleep in my tree again if your tail proves to be that comfortable each night.” She glanced at Willow and I, only to pause as she sniffed the air once or twice. She glanced down her own body and then blushed a vibrant emerald as her tail curled up in a pathetic attempt to hide the results of my earlier actions.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to, that is, I just –,” she trailed off into nothing as she tried to hide her embarrassment by pulling down what little of her mane there was to try and cover her face, although it wasn’t nearly as effective as she might have wanted.

Willow and I shared a look, one that said under no circumstances would we ever tell Evergreen what it was we had done. With that settled, I turned towards the distraught nymph and pulled her chest against mine, resting my chin on top of her head between her ears as I rubbed her back with my hooves and gently shushed her.

“It’s alright, Evergreen.” I murmured in a comforting tone, “I don’t mind. If anything, I’m flattered that you found my coils to be so,” I cleared my throat to clear the lump that formed as I held back my chuckles, “comfortable.”

Evergreen’s blush grew even worse at my words, and she hid her face in my chest fur as she muttered obscenities that I could barely hear. Willow walked up and wrapped her hooves around Evergreen’s other side as we huddled together on the bed, just being with one another as Evergreen got herself under control.

Our moment only lasted for a few minutes before a trio of loud knocks sounded from below, dragging us back to reality as Willow and I released the now calm nymph.

“What was that?” Willow asked, her hackles rising as she glanced around for threats, “Is something attacking our new home?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied, slithering off the bed and moving over to the door that led to the hallway, “it sounded more like someone was knocking on the front door.” I looked back as Willow shifted to follow me, although I noticed that Evergreen seemed to be a bit shaken by the sudden turn of events, “Why don’t you stay here and protect Evergreen if it turns out to be a threat? I can handle whatever it is until you can get her out of the back door and into the forest if we need to run.”

The timberpony nodded as she climbed back up onto the bed, sitting tall and alert as she guarded the shaking nymph. Evergreen flashed me a grateful glance before ducking under one of the sheets to hide herself as I moved through the door and into the hall, a second round of knocks echoing from down the stairs as I moved carefully through the house.

Tasting the air to try and tell who it might be at the door, I picked up several scents, although given the large number and close proximity I couldn’t identify any of them. So, as carefully as I could, I move up to the door and pressed my ear against the wood, listening for anything outside for a few moments.

“Do you think they left without saying goodbye?” I heard a familiar soft voice ask as I listened through the wood.
It was followed by a much louder and clearer drawl as Applejack replied to who I assumed to be Fluttershy.

“They wouldn’t leave without Evergreen’s tree, and it’s still back at mah farm where we planted it yesterday.” I jerked back as another trio of knocks made my ears ring and my head ache slightly as I pulled back from the door to rub my head with a hoof, “Hey Sapphire, Evergreen, Willow, any of ya’ll awake in there?!”

I used my tail to turn the knob and open the door, giving the orange mare in front of me a soul look as I rubbed my ear, “Yes, we’re awake, and thanks for ringing my ears for me after I just woke up. It really helps to get my mind going when my head feels like it’s been pounded against a tree.”

Applejack had the decency to look chastised, although I was pulled away from the farm mare as I noticed that all of the other mares from before were present as well, minus Princess Celestia. Spike was also missing, although I figured that since he worked with Twilight, he might have other things to do.

Rarity walked up and asked in a politer tone, “If it wouldn’t be too forward of us to ask, might we come inside? There are some important things we must discuss before we let you girls wander around the town and interact with other ponies. It’s nothing bad, but things we feel you need to know in order to get along with others.”

I turned my gaze to Twilight, who nodded, “It’s what Princess Celestia asked us to do after we left you three last night. She wanted us to tell you the general laws for being a citizen of Equestria, along with some of the more common social customs that we ponies are used to using.” She pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from her bags, using her horn to lift it in front of me and unrolling it so I could look it over. “I took the liberty of writing down some of the larger points that we would go over as a group and then we could spend some time asking questions back and forth for a bit to cover anything else that comes to mind. Is that okay?”

I looked over the lines and dots that covered the surface hovering in front of me for a moment before turning back to the mare, “What exactly am I looking at?”

Her face fell as she pulled the item back and rolled it up, her voice tinged with regret as she put it back into her bags, “Oh, that’s right. You and your friends lived in the Everfree before coming here. I forgot that you might not be able to read our language, even though you somehow speak plain Equish with perfect fluency.” She shook her head before lifting it with a smile once again, “Never mind the list, if we could come inside, we can go over the items in conversation instead.”

I nodded, pulled away from the opening as the mares filed into the main room, pulling my tail into a neat pile under my pony half as the girls sat down on the couches and chairs around the room.

I lifted my head and called out in a loud voice, “It’s alright girls, it’s just Twilight and her friends! Would you mind coming down here so we can talk? The girls have some things they need to discuss with us before we can go wandering around outside!”

A moment later, Willow and Evergreen walked down the steps side by side, their eyes taking in the gathered mares before walking around and climbing onto the pile of coils that I rested on. I smiled as they settled in against my sides and rested their weight on my tail, their body heat doing wonders to wake me up the rest of the way as the ponies stared at us in confusion.

“Why would you choose to climb all over Sapphire if there are perfectly usable couches right here?” Rarity asked as she indicated the unused furniture, “Isn’t it a bit rude to use her as a pillow like that?”

“I don’t mind it.” I replied for them as I put my hooves over their shoulders and pulled them closer, “Their body heat feels great on my tail and I’ve been told my coils can be quite comfortable if I use them right. We trust each other and we feel most secure when we are together.”

Fluttershy smiled as she held a hoof against her cheek, “Oh that’s so sweet. I do the same thing with some of my animal friends when I feel scared or alone. It always makes me feel better after I get a nice warm hug from Harry or have a few birds sing to me.”

The others relaxed after that, leaving us with the primary reason as to why the mares were here in the first place.
Twilight cleared her throat, pulling out the list again as she spoke, “Well, we might as well get down to business. We have a lot of topics to cover just in case you three don’t know how some things work, so we’re going to go over everything on this list before we let you go about the town by yourselves. If that takes a few days, then we will escort you where you need to be until we have covered everything here. These are orders straight from Princess Celestia, so are we all in agreement?”

The ponies nodded, followed by Willow, Evergreen and me after a moment’s contemplation. If the Princess wanted us to do this, then who were we to argue with her? This was her land after all, so we needed to follow her rules.
Twilight unrolled the list and I stared in awe as it rolled down onto the floor and halfway across the room, leaving most of the other mares to groan as they realized what they had gotten themselves into.

“Oh, come on Twilight,” Rainbow whined from her perch on top of the fireplace mantle, “do we really have to go through all of that before we can leave them alone?”

Twilight nodded firmly, “Princess Celestia wrote this list herself and sent it to me. We can go over some things in lighter detail, but the majority of this stuff is critical for being able to function in everyday Equestria. Remember, these three didn’t even have houses or running water that wasn’t part of a river or lake where they came from. Things that might be completely normal to us would not make any sense to them unless we explain it first.”

“Such as?” Applejack interjected.

Twilight tuned to the farm mare and pointed to the first item on the list, “Such as what bits are and how they work.”

“Bits?” Willow and Evergreen chorused, mirroring my mental question as Twilight turned a triumphant glance towards the orange earth pony.

“See what I mean?” She cleared her throat before speaking to us directly, “Bits are a form of currency that we use here in Equestria. While other kingdoms use other forms of money, the bit is what you will need to know and understand in order to get things you need here in Ponyville.”

“What’s money?” I asked, Willow and Evergreen nodding their agreement as the other ponies gaped at us like we had a second head.

“Money is something that ponies can earn by performing services for others,” Twilight explained as the other mares got over their shock, “this money can then be traded to other ponies in return for getting items that they have that you need or want.”

She pulled out a small, golden thing that was circular and flat, the shiny surface having been formed into a duo of images on either side. The first was a picture of the sun, while the other was a crescent moon. Twilight floated it across the room so I could hold it in my hoof, Evergreen and Willow leaning in to look it over as they both touched it for themselves.

“Bits are made out of gold, which is a valuable metal in Equestria, given its rarity.” Twilight continued, “So, if one were to have a lot of bits in their possession, then they could use them to get very rare or difficult to create items in exchange. The more difficult to create or rare the item, the more bits a pony would need to have in order to trade for that item. Am I making any sort of sense to you three?”

Willow just looked bewildered, while Evergreen had a look of deep contemplation on her face. Meanwhile, I was starting to piece together what was being said, but I figured it was better to ask and be wrong then to not know at all.

“So, if I’m understanding you correctly,” I replied slowly, pulling Willow and Evergreen from their thoughts as they looked up at me, “These bits, as you call them, are a rare metal made into small pieces that can be given out in exchange for doing work?” Twilight and the others nodded, so at least I got that part down. “And you can give these bits to ponies in order to get things from them, like food or water?”

“While water is something everypony has access to,” Twilight corrected, “food is one thing that can be bought using bits, although given everypony needs food, it’s usually quite easy to get unless you go and get something specially prepared at a restaurant.”

“What’s a restaurant?” Evergreen spoke up for the first time since the conversation began.

Rarity fielded this question as she flipped her mane with one hoof, “A restaurant is where one can go to get food that would otherwise be difficult to prepare or make. Some ponies can’t cook anything other than the most simple of dishes, so if they want to eat something other than basic flower sandwiches then they would go to a restaurant and pay another pony to cook for them. Remember, it’s all about services being given in exchange for bits.”

“So, if we hunted for other ponies,” Willow said with a grin, “we could earn bits in exchange for giving them some of the animals we kill?”

Willow’s face fell as the ponies looked at her in horror, her ears folding back as she shifted to hide under one of my coils, “Did I say something wrong?”

Pinkie closed her mouth first and asked in a completely flat tone, “Do you three hunt and kill little animals and eat their meat as food?”

We shared a look before I turned my attention back to the pink mare, “Um, yes, Willow and I eat meat. I normally eat my prey whole, like a snake would, but Willow hunts and eats smaller creatures just like her pack did. Is that a problem?”

Most of the ponies had turned a slight shade of green, except for Fluttershy, who was simply frowning as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, “Well, I guess we can’t really fault you for being who you are.” Her voice was soft but cut through the room like a whipping branch as the others turned to gape at the shy pegasus.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity gasped, “You can’t really be accepting of these creatures eating living animals, your own little woodland creatures?”

“I can,” was the firm reply, “and so should you.” The hard look the normally timid mare sent around the room sent a chill up my spine, and I wasn’t even the one she was using it on, “I have plenty of woodland friends who eat meat. Harry the bear is one example, although there are others like my eagle and hawk friends. I don’t think they’re monsters for eating what nature tells them too, and you shouldn’t hate Willow or Sapphire for needing to do the same thing.”

“But what if they get hungry and hurt a pony?” Applejack retorted, ignoring the furious expressions that crossed my face and Willow’s, “What if mah little sister is out playing with her friends and they attack her because they didn’t get something to eat for a few days?”

“We would never do something like that!” I roared, causing the mares to pull back in fear as my tail impacted the floor with a resounding crash, “Sure we need to eat but we would never hurt another being when we know that they aren’t just a simple animal. Right, Willow?”

I glanced down at the hybrid, who nodded immediately before adding in her own thoughts, “I may have once been a part of a Timberwolf pack, but we never killed anything that wasn’t just an animal. I had heard about some of the other members hunting down ponies, but I never thought about doing it, because it would be like hunting my own mother and eating her because the rest of my kind thought of her as prey.” She shivered in revulsion as the ponies gaped at her, “I would never dream of hurting a pony like that. I would rather starve then have to eat a pony.”

“And I can tell you this right now,” I added, “we will hunt for the meat we need whether you like it or not, but I can promise that we will only do so within the Great Forest, where the prey is nothing more than dumb animals that wouldn’t know a pony from a tree. We will never hunt a pony for food. We might give these bits you spoke about to a pony in exchange for food, if we find something new we like. But other than that, we will do our hunting away from town and away from ponies. Is that clear?”

The other mares nodded hastily, and I let out a sigh as I relaxed back onto my tail, Willow lying down after a few more moments as Twilight scanned over the list.

“Well I think we have food and money covered,” she muttered to herself as she checked off two of the items, “but that still leaves several more things we need to go over, not the least of which being how we deal with threats and what to do if ponies start acting afraid or threatening towards you three.”

“You mean we can’t simply claw them into submission if they attack us?” Willow replied, “That’s how it worked in my pack. If someone tried to attack another pack member, they would fight and the loser would have to submit to the will of the winner. It was simple and brutal, but effective.”

“While that would be cool if ponies could kick the snot out of each other if they disagreed on something,” Rainbow said from atop the mantle, “the Guard would have some choice words for you if you made it a problem in public or if anypony got seriously hurt because of it.”

“The Guard?” I echoed.

“The Equestrian Guard is a group of ponies that work to keep the peace and to punish ponies that break the laws of the land.” Twilight explained, “They are tasked with keeping order in towns and cities and are trained to handle most situations if the need arises. If ponies get into trouble with the law, then the Guard takes them in and either gives them a fine, which must be paid in bits, or they are sent to a jail for a period of time to make up for their actions.”

“A jail is a place where ponies are locked in cells and kept in there until they have served their time.” Applejack added, “It could be as little as a few days to many years, depending on what the pony did.”

“So, they’d be trapped in there?” Evergreen’s tone had taken on a fearful one as she huddled against my side, “Unable to leave or to do anything until their time has been completed?” The ponies nodded, “That’s awful! Why would you do that to someone?”

“Because those that go to jail are the ones that deserve it.” Pinkie of all ponies was speaking in a dark tone and her mane had fallen fairly flat, “I knew a pony before I came to Ponyville that had lost the one they loved because of another mare. She was jealous of them and decided that if she couldn’t have the stallion of her dreams, then nopony could.” She lifted her eyes and all of us pulled back slightly at the fury in her gaze, “My best friend back home had to watch as her fiancé was killed right in front of her, and I will never forgive that mare for what she did. She’s not going to get out of that prison until the day she dies, and I’m glad for it.”

Like a switch being flipped, her bubbly personality came back and her mane returned to its normal poofy nature, “So, anypony else think we could use some drinks? I’ll grab some from the kitchen while you guys continue talking.”

She bounced out of the room, leaving the rest of us in shock as we stared after the pink mare. “Everypony else agree that we never bring this up again?” Rainbow asked.

“Agreed.” The rest of us nodded as Twilight shakily lifted the list and moved onto the next item.

“A-Anyway,” she cleared her throat to get rid of the nervous tremor, “the Guard is easily spotted by the metal armor they wear while on duty. If you have an issue with a pony or group of ponies, don’t try and fight it out or get into an argument. Talk to a Guard and they will do the best they can to sort out the situation before it can get out of hoof.”

Evergreen, Willow and I nodded as Twilight checked that off and moved on to the next topic. Pinkie returned a bit later while we were talking about public versus private property, and everyone in the room chose to collectively ignore her previous behavior as we sipped at the drinks. My friends and I were pleasantly surprised by how great the sweet-tasting fluid felt as we greedily drank it down, Pinkie smiling as she filled up our glasses with the mixture she called ‘punch’ before returning to her seat.

We spent the rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon going through the rest of the items, and by the end I felt like my head was going to burst from all the new information it had been hit with. Evergreen and Willow didn’t look much better, but at least we were finally done with all that as Twilight rolled up the list and stood up. She stretched herback like a cat as the other girls did similar motions, turning to face me and my friends as they walked up to the door.

“I would suggest you girls look for a job before too terribly long.” Twilight advised, “You won’t be able to get much for free around here without doing some work to earn it. So, think about what you are good at and we can talk tomorrow if you don’t have any luck thinking of something today.” She smiled as she waved goodbye, the other mares mirroring her action as we did the same. “We’ll work out teaching you how to read some other time. Right now, I think your minds could use a break to work through all the things we talked about.”

“Later girls.” Rainbow called as she rocketed into the sky, a rainbow contrail in her wake as she zipped off to who knew where.

“I do hope to see you around town at some point,” Rarity said as she and Pinkie walked out next, “don’t be strangers now, you hear me?”

“Yeah, and I still need to plan your big Welcome-to-Equestria-and-Thanks-For-Being-Our-Friends Party.” Pinkie added as she bounced out behind the white unicorn, “Stop by Sugarcube Corner if you feel like something sweet. The first cupcake is always free!”

Applejack tipped her hat to us as Evergreen and Willow climbed off of my tail, stepping up to the ponies as I followed behind them, “Ah just want to say Ah’m sorry for the comment I made earlier about ya’ll eating meat. It’s just Ah lost mah parents to a manticore and Ah didn’t want something like that to happen to another pony Ah loved.” She lowered her head and covered her face with the brim of her hat as she tucked her tail between her hind legs, “Can ya’ll ever forgive me?”

Fluttershy glanced up at us with a pleading look, and I could feel our resolve crack under her soft eyes as we turned back to Applejack, “Yeah, we can forgive you.” I moved up and raised her chin with one hoof, smiling down at her as our eyes met, “You ever need help on the farm, just let us know. We’ll be around to check in on Evergreen’s tree from time to time, so we might as well help out if you need us. Right girls?” I glanced over my shoulder at my companions, who nodded their agreement.

“Thanks a lot, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled in reply, lifting her head as she turned and walked out the door, “Well, time waits for nopony, and Ah’ll bet Big Mac and Applebloom haven’t gotten any of the chores done while Ah’ve been over here talking to ya’ll.” She waved goodbye as she exited, “Ya’ll come over sometime soon, Ah want to show you how well Evergreen’s tree is doing!”

Fluttershy mouthed a silent thank you to us as she walked out, leaving us alone in the living room as the door closed behind the ponies. Willow and Evergreen turned around and walked back into the living room, stepping over my tail as I turned to follow them until we were all sat around the dining room table. My tail took up so much room that I had to be seated at one of the long sides of the oak creation, leaving Willow and Evergreen to take up the others side as we exchanged looks.

“So,” Evergreen said in an uncertain tone, “what do you all think of the rather, um, long list of things the Princess wanted us to know?”

“I think it was a lot simpler when we live in the Great Forest.” Willow replied without hesitation, “Things were so much easier when we could just hunt for our own food and fight out our differences without having to worry about so many rules to get in the way.”

“And yet would you go back to your old life,” I countered, “knowing that there is a land such as this where you could have so much more than a cave floor to sleep on and shelter that doesn’t have to be protected from other predators who want your claim?”

Willow’s bluster deflated much like Pinkie’s mane had earlier, “I guess you have a point. No one would have stood up for me in the pack if one of the older members decided to fight me. It was the will of the strongest, and if you couldn’t hold your own you were no use to the pack.”

“And I never would have imagined that the world outside our grove could be filled with so many amazing things.” Evergreen added, “To think that we have access to water that flows at our command and a way to keep warm during the winter that uses controlled fire of all things. I would be hard pressed to find a reason to go back to my grove even if it still existed, because I like so much about what we have found here in Equestria.”

I nodded, “Well then, I guess we’ve decided to stay here, although that still leaves the issue of a job. What kinds of skills do we have that could be useful to the ponies?”

“I can track almost anything,” Willow spoke up immediately, “even in bad weather and over long distances. I might be able to help find lost ponies if they go missing or something.”

“And I can work with plants to make them grow bigger and stronger without causing harm to the soil or the surrounding environment.” Evergreen added, “I could look into helping Applejack with her orchard while I start working on growing more of the Fruits of Plenty. I bet I could even sell them once we have enough, given no one has ever been able to grow them except for my coven.”

I nodded, “Alright, that sounds like a good idea.” I turned back to Willow, “You might want to look into becoming a Guard or something like that, perhaps as part of a search and rescue team if such a thing exists. Besides, with your combat skills, you would be perfect to protect the rest of the team if they came across anything nasty while looking for the missing ponies.”

Willow puffed out her chest with pride at my words, “Thank you, Sapphire. I’ll look into it as soon as possible.”

“Which leaves me.” I stated simply, glancing down at my tail as my thoughts wandered, “I guess I could work with heavy lifting or something like that, given the strength in my tail. Perhaps I could ask around for some kind of delivery job, so I could help ponies to move large objects or something like that.”

Evergreen and Willow blushed as they shared a look, and I narrowed my eyes at them as they began giggling, “What? Did I say something funny?”

“Oh no,” Evergreen said as she got herself under control, “It’s just that you completely overlooked something that’s been right under your nose this whole time.”

“You could use your tail for work,” Willow said with a grin, “but not in the way you were thinking. What have you done for both me and Evergreen that we both really enjoyed?”

My eyes lit up as I realized what they were getting at, “You mean I could offer my tail to ponies who want a massage? But where would I even go to do something like that? I’m pretty sure none of the ponies want to have me do something like that out in the middle of the street.”

“Then you could go and offer your skills to the local spa.” Evergreen countered, much to the surprise of Willow and I, “What? I was listening to the girls as they talked and I noticed that one thing they all seemed to enjoy was visiting a place called the spa every once and a while to relax and unwind from a hard day of work. I don’t know if they’d pay you to give massages, but I think it might be your best bet.”

“Besides,” Willow added, “even if they say no, you could always use that fancy hypnosis of yours to make them agree to your idea.”

“Hypnosis?” Evergreen asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she glanced between Willow and me, “What hypnosis?”

Willow and I shared a knowing look, the timberpony shifting over to hold Evergreen by the shoulders as she fake whispered into her ear, “Trust me, it’s one of the most amazing things to experience in the world, and I’m not saying that because Sapphire ‘convinced’ me to say it. I truly loved the whole thing and I think you might like it too if you give it a chance.”

The duo turned to face me, and I pulled back a bit as Willow flicked her eyes at the nervous nymph, “Come on, Sapphire. You know you want to try it on her.”

I sighed as I shifted my tail around the table, my upper half following my coils as I moved to sit next to my friends, looking down at them from above as I smirked to myself. I would never admit it out loud, but I actually liked the idea of seeing both of my friends under my spell, and I lifted both of them into the air with my tail as I carried them back up the stairs and into the bedroom. If we were going to do this, then I was going to make sure they both loved every second of it.
I dropped both of them on the bed side by side and coiled up my tail under my pony half as I loomed over the both of them with a smile on my face. “Are you ready?”

Willow nodded eagerly, while Evergreen shifted slightly with nervous energy, “It won’t hurt, will it?”

I lit up my eyes, catching both of their attentions as my spell began to draw them into my gaze, “Not at all, Evergreen. In fact, you’ll probably be asking for more once I’m through with the both of you.”

Author's Note

Well, here we go again. Next chapter is going to be another one of those special ones that have no direct relevance to the plot. Let me know how much you are or are not enjoying the story thus far, and I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section below.

Happy reading, and I'll see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.