Although Fluttershy did indeed feel better after cumming, that didn’t necessarily mean she felt good. At least she’d worked up the nerve to walk on her own, even if she had practically glued herself to Rainbow’s side for the emotional security that her brave cyan friend provided. After looking around to make sure no pony was looking, Rainbow threw a sympathetic wing over her friend. It was a comforting gesture inherent to all winged creatures, which Fluttershy greatly appreciated.

Gilda, meanwhile, had to swallow her jealousy. If she spoke up, she knew that Rainbow would just argue that stupid Cluttershy needed her more, which was totally lame. Even lamer was the fact that Gilda couldn’t think of an argument that didn’t make her sound like a total ass hole. Could Rainbow have been doing this on purpose? Was she deliberately teasing her griffon sub in order to build anticipation for their next session? That sounded like a little too much forethought for Rainbow, but Gilda knew her dom would never do anything to deliberately hurt her feelings without a good reason. Besides, as a sub, she was morally – and to some extent legally – obligated to do as she was told.

“Something the matter?” Trixie huffed.

Gilda turned to the collared mare beside her and scowled. “What’s it to you?”

“Trixie is tired of being ignored,” she whispered. “If she tries talking to anyone else, Twilight will just tell her off. But since we’re both slaves-”

“I ain’t no slave!” Gilda snapped defensively.

Trixie furrowed her brow in puzzlement, but managed not to flinch back. “Uh, that’s not the impression Trixie got from Rainbow.”

“You don’t know her, or me,” Gilda growled in her throat. “So don’t go talking like you do.”

Trixie’s ears splayed. However, she maintained her pace beside the much larger predator, hoping that not backing down was the right move. “Well, can we talk about dragons? Trixie would very much like to know that we aren’t walking into a suicide mission.”

Gilda looked the little blue pony over. Despite Pinkie’s best efforts, most other ponies in town avoided the griffon if they could help it. Even if they didn’t out right back away from her, they were still putting in an obvious effort to hold their ground. This mare was just as obviously fighting against her instincts to flee in fear of the big bad predator. However, that look of loneliness took Gilda back to her youth, to a time when she was a nervous runt in a strange place, when one showboat of a filly took pity on her.

“Sure,” Gilda conceded with a sigh, pretending not to notice the way Trixie’s ears perked as she beamed in delight. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, outmaneuvering a dragon when you have wings is all well and good, but what about those of us who are,” she gestured at her back, “lacking?”

Gilda thought on that. “School never really went into that. I’m guessing it’d be like fighting that ursa.” She failed to notice Trixie’s flinch. “Fliers keep ‘im busy up top while you guys hit ‘im low.” She then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “I recommend you go for the balls.”

Trixie snickered and whispered back, “Good idea. That way the pissed off fire breather will take his anger out on the first thing he sees, which’ll be whatever’s at eye level.”

“Touché,” Gilda replied and the two shared a laugh.

From the front of the line, Twilight whispered to AJ, “Should I do something about that?”

AJ looked to where Twilight had indicated. “About what?”

“My slave is talking out of turn.”

AJ rolled her eyes. “Twi, ya might want to ease up on the poor filly just a smidge.”

Twilight frowned. “How so?”

AJ snorted. “Pa told me once that the worst kind o’ master was a first timer. They almost always go overboard ‘n’ end up mistreatin’ their slaves.”

Twilight pursed her lips, but reluctantly accepted the criticism. “I get that I’m not very experienced. Even after talking to you, Rarity, and Rainbow, I don’t feel all that closer to understanding what slavery is all about.”

AJ nodded sagely. “This probably ain’t the time fer that kind o’ talk. You ‘n’ me definitely need ta have some words when we get back home. But fer right now, jus’… try ‘n’ be a little nicer ta the poor gal. Treat ‘er like a pet, strict yet lovin’. If ya need ta tell ‘er ta roll over, be sure ta rub ‘er belly so she knows she’s done good. Ya hear?”

Twilight nodded and looked back. Trixie had said something that made Gilda cover her beak to suppress her chortles. “Maybe.”

“So how was she, darling?”

“Who?”

“Well, Fluttershy, of course,” Rarity tittered. “Did you enjoy her tight little anus?”

“You bet’ch’ya!” Pinkie cheered. “I always knew she was tight, but it’s a whole other story when you’ve got one of these.” She gestured down to her sheath. “It’s like fucking a big foal whose still small in all the best ways.”

“Hmm. Good to know. To be honest, I haven’t tried her anus, either.”

“That’s a surprise,” Pinkie admitted. “Isn’t she, like, your pet?”

“In a manner. We aren’t exactly what you’d call official, but she does appreciate what it means to belong to a mare as fabulous as myself.”

“Still, though,” Pinkie continued. “Kinda weird you haven’t stuck your new meat between those hot, fluffy buns.”

“Such crude language,” Rarity chided, but giggled all the same.

“Have you done any experimenting since the Slutty Sun Celebration?”

“Well, there have been a few clients curious about my new,” Rarity shook her hips, making her rump and sheath wiggle enticingly, “abilities. Oh, and of course my little sister.”

The pink mare looked pleased at this. “So you’ve tried all her holes?”

“Holes,” Rarity scoffed at the word. “I’m afraid not. As far as her pleasure tunnels,” she stressed, “I have only used her mouth. The procedure to retighten a filly Sweetie’s age is an expense I’d like to avoid, tempted as I am. Perhaps it can be a birthday or Hearth’s Warming present.”

Pinkie’s frown only deepened. “But Twilight said she thought our new penises were, like, magically accommodating and fit any hole, or something like that.”

“Now that you mention it,” Rarity pondered, stroking a hoof to her chin. “She did mention something to that effect some time ago. We had a rather lengthy discussion, in fact. Oh!” Her cheeks grew pink. “I believe that was the day I’d been struck by an especially elaborate burst of inspiration. I must have forgotten amidst the exhilaration of my revolutionary design.”

Pinkie whickered her disappointment.

“What’s the matter, darling?”

“Well, it just kinda bugs me how whelmed everypony is about these awesome things.”

“Whelmed?”

“Between underwhelmed and overwhelmed.”

“Ah.”

“But seriously, why aren’t you guys as excited as I am? The day after the Slutty Sun Celebration, I paid Mr. Cake back for fucking my ass in spades, and then I did the same to Mrs. Cake. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a little cock crazy at my last few orgy parties, and not in the usual way.”

Rarity laughed demurely. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything…”

“Exactly! No pony wants to say anything, and that’s the problem. It’s like ‘Oh hey. New penis. Oh well. Back to the old routine.’ And that’s just not right. We’re dick mares, for Molestia’s sake! We became dick mares after gang raping a demonically possessed princess and saving the world. That should mean something, but it’s like no pony cares. You and AJ just shrug and accept it without doing anything new or special, Rainbow’s modified her daily routine only slightly by picking ponies at random to ram instead of just making them eat her out, it’s like Fluttershy pretends nothing’s changed at all, and Twilight’s only curious about the sciencey stuff. No pony cares about how amazing it is that we get to fuck like both stallions and mares. That’s super funeriffic, but it’s like I’m the only pony who’s doing anything about it.”

Rarity blinked, taking a moment to unpack all that Pinkie had unloaded. She’d never taken the pink mare for the thoughtful sort. “That’s… well… I suppose you do have a point, but that’s exactly the problem.”

Pinkie tilted her head and perked her ears cutely.

“That is a lot to deal with, and perhaps the rest of us just aren’t as acclimated to such extremes as you, darling. Speaking for myself, I have been experimenting, but at a pace that makes me the most comfortable. Presumably the others have been doing the same, working through these changes on their own terms.”

Pinkie sighed and let her head hang low. “I guess you’re right. It’s just that I hate to think about all the fun you guys are missing out on by not playing with your new toys.”

Rarity giggled and patted Pinkie’s shoulder. “There, there, darling. It’s not like they’re going anywhere?”

“Aren’t they?” At Rarity’s confusion, Pinkie called up ahead. “Hey Twilight.”

“Yeah?”

“Any chance of our new penises going poof anytime soon?’

That got Rainbow’s attention as well. “Say what now?”

“Uh, I’ll have to get back to you on that one. So far these organs seem pretty solid, but that’s not a possibility I’ve tested for just yet.”

“Thank you,” Pinkie replied.

“… in that case,” Rarity added, “if indeed my new equipment is magically accommodating to any orifice, I suppose I owe it to myself and my sister to take her little bottom at least a few times.”

“That’s the spirit!”

***

Meanwhile, at Fluttershy’s cottage…

Spike was moving about the kitchen at such speed as to appear to be in multiple places at once. It was nearly time for lunch and Fluttershy had left very specific instructions for each creature’s dietary needs. It was a lot of work for just one little dragon, but he was thankful it was his only job. Fluttershy had trained her animals so well that they had pretty much taken over the remainder of the chores on the list. Spike had been especially awed by the hierarchy the critters had arranged that forbade those who weren’t housebroken from coming indoors. Food preparation was the only task that the animals were outright forbidden from doing themselves, for reasons that Spike imagined were obvious. A well trained dog that was hungry was, first and foremost, a hungry dog.

With everything prepared, Spike delivered each meal by hand. With how well he was balancing so many dishes on one tray, Spike thought to himself that he must be the envy of every waiter in Equestria. The only real issue that came about was when his patrons required a different sort of attending.

Spike had been rather reluctant with his first request, a bobcat with an erection and no mate. The drake started by reaching out with his claws, but the feline’s growl made him think twice. Admittedly, the cat’s pink dick was a lot smaller than he was used to. He didn’t want to take the chance of hurting a creature that was only slightly smaller than him but with sharper claws. So, mustering up his nerve and forcing himself to think about Twilight, he opted to use his mouth.

The bobcat’s penis had an odd flavor to it. It wasn’t bad; just a little unusual. Spike imagined Rarity describing it as an ‘acquired taste’ in that sophisticated manner of hers. The shape was also different from any he’d dealt with before. Yet despite his inexperience, the cat came in his mouth all the same. He swallowed, because doing otherwise would be rude, and then he went on to feed the next animals in line.

With each creature, Spike’s apprehension was ebbed away as his comfort grew. The female animals were the easiest to deal with, especially those that were big enough to take his dick. A deer’s pussy wasn’t all that different from pony pussy, but for the smaller creatures, he’d had to just dry hump their little slits until they were satisfied. He’d had to do a lot of dry humping and mouth work with the later batches of animals. A dragon his age could only produce so much cum, after all.

However, when some of the horny males tried to show him other ways he could satisfy them, that was when Spike put his foot down. The first was a dog, no doubt one of the ones that had taken Twilight’s virginity. It kept nosing under his tail while its erection swung imposingly between its legs. Unlike Twilight, however, Spike had entered the dog pin on full alert, and wasn’t producing a feminine scent. Before this dog could get carried away, Spike belched a burst of green flame right between the dog’s ears, singeing its fur and leaving a bald spot atop the yelping beast’s scalp. The dog, and every other upstart male with funny ideas, all got the message.

Don’t fuck the fire breather unless you’re ready to get burned.

“Hey, Spike!”

Spike turned to face the newcomer and smiled. “Hey Apple Bloom. I’m just finishing up feeding these guys and then we can talk.”

“Ah’ll help. Ah feed the farm animals all the time.”

“Sure.”

And the two worked side by side, wrapping up the chores in no time, even despite all the playful hip bumping and eyelash batting. AB didn’t say it, but she respected how Spike prioritized his work. AJ liked to joke that a solid sense of work ethic was as much part of the Apple genetics as the kickass ass, but AB wasn’t so sure it was a joke. Most of the time, when ponies solicited one another, they’d drop everything for the sake of fun. To AB, ignoring prior commitments like that was little better than breaking a promise or even lying; two things that had been heavily frowned upon in her house. She’d never pointed this out to others, sensing it would be taken as needlessly rude and thus antithetical to being neighborly; another edict of the Apple Clan. However, seeing Spike not even hesitate to honor his promise, even when he had the option of hanging out with her, well, it made the little filly’s heart go pitter patter just a little.

“Ya got a little somethin’.” Bloom looked at Spike and indicated the corner of her own mouth.

Spike licked his lips and pulled the substance into his maw. “And that would be goat semen.”

Bloom tittered, not the least bit repulsed. “Ya can tell the difference?”

“I’ve always had a discerning palate.” Spike posed proudly. “Goat is a bit saltier than bear, but sweeter than beaver. It’s all a little bland, though. Pony cum has a lot more flavor.”

Bloom pouted playfully. “Now Ah’m mad ya didn’t let me clean that fer ya.” She finished with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Spike grinned confidently and offered his cheek. “Well, what’s stopping you?”

Bloom tittered and gave the drake’s scaly cheek a prolonged lick. Spike’s scales didn’t exactly have any flavor, but the texture did feel nice against her tongue. She also really liked the sound of his giggles. “Speakin’ o’ which, ya’ll don’t mind fuckin’ animals?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Living with Twilight taught me to keep an open mind about kinks. Never knew when Molestia was gonna pull a surprise quiz. But if you’re asking if anything’s been up my ass, then the answer is no. Just ask that guy.” He pointed at the whimpering dog with a bald forehead.

She nodded her understanding. “So ya’ll don’t mind suckin’ animal dick?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Spike countered, trying to parse out his words. “I’m not really in to animals, but I’ll still help out for a friend. Plus, while I can tell the difference between flavors, it’s like choosing between moldy white bread and moldy wheat bread. Not really my thing. Also, they’re just animals, so it doesn’t count.”

AB shook her head with an amused expression. “Ya’ll ‘re the strangest dragon Ah ever met.”

Spike puffed out his chest and performed a small, bodybuilder flex. “I’m also the handsomest dragon you’ve ever met.”

AB giggled. “Can’t argue there.” Spike confounded her in ways that went beyond his straightness. He was so different, so exotic, and she just wanted to know more about him. “Course now ya got me curious how other dragons compare.”

Spike’s expression of pride sobered almost instantly, inadvertently making AB feel like an arrow had been shot through her heart for harming his smile.

“Ah’m sorry.”

“No. It’s not you.” He waved dismissively and shook his head.

“Want ta talk about it?”

“Nah. It’s dumb.”

“Ya sure? Talkin’ ‘bout stuff usually helps me feel better.” She chewed a little on her bottom lip. “‘N’ Ah wanna help.”

Spike rewarded AB’s kind words with a sweet smile before turning his gaze in the direction of the smoky mountain. “I was just thinking about the dragon Twilight and the others are facing; wondering what he’s like, and how I might, well, compare.”

AB nodded, but couldn’t think of anything to say. If there was anything she learned from Big Mac, apart from properly judging sizes and knowing when to apply lube, it was the merit of offering an open ear.

“I know why I couldn’t go. This guy is obviously super inconsiderate and could probably squish me flat without even noticing, and not in the good way.”

AB managed a soft giggle, but still couldn’t stand the sight of Spike so down. She liked him a lot and felt something new stir inside her. It was a sense of obligation, to do right by her friend. The answer to this terrible conundrum manifested a blink later. “Speakin’ o’ big, strong dragons,” she turned around, bent over, and hiked her tail, “let’s see jus’ how strong ya’ll really are.”

Perking up immediately, Spike threw his claw into the air. “Challenge accepted!” He then added, “But let’s do it inside. I’ll bet Fluttershy’ll appreciate if we stank up her bed.”

Bloom flipped around and nuzzled under Spike’s chin. “Yer a good guy, Spike.”

***

After stopping for a meal of their own, the traveling companions continued their journey up the mountain. When a deep but short break in the path had hindered Fluttershy, Gilda volunteered to nip at the mare’s butter yellow backside until she made the terrifying two foot jump. The next obstacle was an area Twilight’s map had identified as an avalanche zone. However, the dragon’s repeated snoring had caused the zone to be all avalanched out, so the party was able to proceed unmolested… figuratively speaking. They were traveling with Rainbow and Pinkie, after all.

“Bummer,” Pinkie whickered. “I was hoping for some death-defying boulder dodging.”

“You and me both, sister,” Rainbow agreed with a bump of the hips.

“Speak for yourselves,” Rarity dismissed. “Running from bone crushing boulders might ruin my hooficure,” she said while daintily examining her hoof.

“Great priorities,” AJ remarked, and then came to a stop. “Uh, Twi?”

“Yeah,” Twilight replied, craning her neck back to stare up at the cave that was even bigger than the treebrary. It was so big, so deep, like a bottomless pit longing to swallow them all. There was an eerie, ominous whistling as wind blew across the opening.

“We here?”

“Yes. Yes, we’re here.”

“… bummer.”

“That certainly is a,” Rarity gulped, “large door.”

“Yeah. I told you that, already,” reminded Pinkie. “Big dragon with an even bigger pair of dicks. We’d have to-”

A great, guttural snore caused most of the party to duck down and cover their heads. Many small rocks were dislodged and fell around the team.

“Fall in everypony,” Twilight said, keeping her voice low. She waited for the team to compose themselves and assemble. “Let’s go over the plan one last time. Rainbow, you and Gilda head up high and clear the smoke. We’ll need a clear view for full operational efficiency.”

“Got it,” Rainbow saluted before she and Gilda flew up.

“Rarity. Do you still have the presents?”

Rarity levitated her bags open and extracted a number of large gems. “I wasn’t sure what he would like, so I decided to bring several of my largest.”

“Good. That’ll make for a good peace offering. What about your makeup kit?”

“Ready for beautification, darling,” she tittered excitedly and turned a predatory grin on AJ.

“Why do Ah gotta put mah ass on the line like this?”

“Element of Arousal,” Twilights said matter-of-factly. “While I agree you’ve already got a perfect ass, there are still some ways to,” she thought of how she could explain the matter more delicately, “polish the gem. That should be enough to hold the dragon’s attention while the rest of us get to work. Pinkie.”

The pink ponker extracted from her bags a large supply of extra-large rubbery toys and several gallons of top brand lubricant. “Ready to tease dragon cock.”

“And don’t forget these,” Rarity added, offering up some of her silk scarves. “I hate to lose some of my best bindings, but just the mere touch of these beauties should be enough to push any creature to the brink.”

Twilight nodded. “Once the air is clear, Rainbow and Gilda can then use their expertise on wing sensitivity to pinpoint the dragon’s erogenous zones. Lastly, while the rest of you are winning him over, Fluttershy and I will be working to convince him why he should leave. If we’re lucky, one good orgasm should be enough to put him in a more agreeable mood. Is everypony ready?”

While most of the mares nodded in affirmation, Trixie raised her hoof.

“Uh, yes, Trixie?”

“Refresh Trixie’s memory. What exactly is the plan for if Plan A goes tits up and the grouchy dragon tries to murder his alarm clock; aka us?”

All eyes fell on Twilight, who blinked owlishly. “Uh… to make sure that doesn’t happen, I want you and Rarity to get in close and tend to his balls. You both have enough experience with Spike to have a pretty good idea of what feels good for dragons. Plus, if things go sour, you’ll already be in reach of his weak point.” Twilight’s reasoned explanation, however, did little to assuage her friends’ worries. “However, if negotiations do break down, I believe Trixie will be grateful she carried that raft with the reinforced bottom. That should carry us all the way down the mountain before the dragon, likely still groggy after waking up, can follow. How’s that?”

The other mares looked between one another, discussed in whispered voices, and finally nodded their agreement.

“Great.” Twilight turned around. “The rest of you finish getting prepped. Let’s get going, Fluttershy.”

Yellow quiet, however, gave a frightened squeak, still crouching down from the previous snore.

Twilight entered the cave. The stalactites hanging from the ceiling, thematically enough, looked sharp enough to resemble dragon’s teeth ready to chomp down on her. Then again, for those to be dragon’s teeth, that would mean that she was inside the dragon’s mouth. And if she was already this deep into the dragon’s mouth-And that’s the end of that line of thought. Statistically speaking, pissing herself was likely to hinder her plans of fucking the dragon away.

“Alright, Fluttershy. What would you say is the best way to gently wake up a large predator?” she asked, but there was no answer. “Fluttershy?” Looking around revealed no pony else in sight. She then turned back to the cave entrance and gave an annoyed whine. “Oh for fuck’s sake!”

Seconds later…

“We have to do this, Fluttershy,” Twilight grunted. She was pushing at the mare’s rump, trying to get her to budge, but yellow quiet had somehow dug herself in deep in a hole she’d found. So Rainbow decided to add her help, and probably feel up Twilight’s bottom a bit more than was strictly necessary. “Every, ugh, second that he keeps snoring…” Rarity and AJ decided to throw their lot in, but Fluttershy still wouldn’t budge. “… that’s more smoke to cover Equestria.” Eventually Pinkie tried jumping in, managing to move the line of ponies a full four inches.

Finally, Fluttershy realized she could put it off no longer. Ears drooping and tail between her legs, she confessed. “I… I can’t go in the cave.”

“What?” Rainbow asked in disbelief. “How are you scared of caves when so many of your animals live in caves and holes?”

“I’m not scared of caves,” Fluttershy elaborated. “I’m scared of… of… dragons!”

As if in reply, the dragon let out another thunderous snore and released an extra thick cloud of smoke that undid all of Rainbow and Gilda’s work. Everyone had to take a moment to hack up the toxic fumes.

“But Fluttershy,” Twilight said to the mare now hiding behind AJ, “you have an amazing talent for coercing and training animals. I’m literally talking to the Element of Bestiality for Christ’s sake!”

“Who’s sake?” AJ asked.

“Not important,” Twilight dismissed.

“Yes,” Fluttershy acknowledged, “because they’re not dragons.”

“Oh come on,” Rainbow whined, finally at the end of her patience for her oldest friend. “I saw you walk right up to that manticore and beat it off like no pony’s business!”

“Yes, because he wasn’t a dragon,” Fluttershy replied evenly.

“Spike is a dragon,” Pinkie chirped, “and I watched you suck him off pretty much the moment you met.”

“You watched?” Twilight asked, not recalling having seen the pink one anywhere near the cottage at that time. Then again, if Pinkie had been watching, then she must have also seen…

“Yes, because he’s not a huge, gigantic, enormous, terrifying, teeth gnashing, razor sharp scale having, smoke snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown up dragon.”

Another belch of smoke followed as the company absorbed Fluttershy’s words. Fluttershy, meanwhile, was busy cowering and weeping.

“Ya know,” AJ began reluctantly, quietly noting how her butt hole had tightened, “when she puts it like that…”

“I knew it!” Gilda angrily squawked. “I knew this subby good-for-nothing would just slow us down.”

“Gilda!” Rainbow snapped.

“I’m sorry, Dashie, but it has to be said.”

Fluttershy’s tears intensified.

“Trixie is suddenly much more enthusiastic about the raft plan.” She held up her hooves. “All in favor of taking the raft down the mountain… for a test run?”

“W-well…” Twilight stammered, barely believing what she was hearing. “If you’re so afraid of dragons, why didn’t you say something before we came up the mountain!?”

Fluttershy looked away. “I was… afraid to.”

The sounds of six hooves and one claw smacking into seven faces echoed into the cave and down the mountain.

With a heavy sigh, AJ began stroking along Fluttershy’s back. “We’re all scared of that dragon.”

“I’m n-hrgh!” Gilda tried to say, only for a blue hoof to shove itself into her beak.

“That’s part o’ bein’ brave. It’s facin’ yer fears ta do what needs ta be done.”

“And right now,” Rainbow added, her hoof still occupied, “we need you to put on your big girl panties, pull your balls out of your purse, and lick some ass!”

“Pardon me, darling. But isn’t the phrase to ‘kick some-’”

“I know what I said!”

“I…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted between the smiling faces of the other mares. They all looked so supportive, except for Trixie who was searching her bag for the raft. “I…”

At Fluttershy’s continued hesitation, Twilight decided to take a page out of Molestia’s book and play dirty. “If smoke production continues, it’ll only be a month or two before the sun is completely blocked out over central Equestria. Crops will die from lack of sun light. No crops means no food. No food,” she paused for dramatic tension, “means lots and lots of baby animals that’ll go hungry.”

“Twi?” AJ queried, surprised at what her friend was stooping to.

“What? It’s not like I’m lying. If anything, my mistake was not informing you all of the stakes before we started, but there it is. Beat off the dragon, or starve. Those are our options.”

“Still, though,” AJ chided. “Ya’ll coulda said that a bit more gently.”

“That was gentle,” Twilight stressed. “I didn’t even get into the likelihood of a civil war as ponies start killing each other for control over dwindling resources.”

But before anyone could further chastise the mare for her utter lack of tact, Fluttershy relented. “I’ll… do it.”

“See. It worked,” Twilight beamed, oblivious to the stink eye she was getting from the others, even Trixie and Gilda. “Now come on. The sooner we get this over with, the more likely we can avoid long-term ecological damage.”

Author's Note

As the gang continues their journey, I get to play around some more with character interactions. Spike and Bloom are turning out pretty fun so far, but Gilda and Trixie are also showing some potential. They’re kinda on similar rungs in the pecking order, so it makes sense that they’d be in a position to interact more frequently. Plus it’s a pretty uncommon pairing. Twilight is still overthinking things, and that’s about to backfire pretty spectacularly.