Work began with getting everyone’s measurements, as well as a brief description of what they wanted. Twilight wanted something star-themed, so Rarity went with dark colors to emphasize her fellow unicorn’s fur as well as the night sky. For the stars, she used cut crystal and added more of a collar in the back to emphasize regality. As Molestia’s favorite fuck toy, Twilight needed to look important.

AJ’s ‘fancy’ duds weren’t all that bad, but definitely needed an update. Rarity decided a modest application of apple-shaped decoration would help emphasize what the mare was about without being too tacky. Working the ruggedness of the cowpony theme into something more aesthetic was immensely satisfying. It was actually a fun challenge creating something that looked nice, but was also durable enough to handle a mare at work should AJ feel the need. And, knowing AJ, that would probably be the case.

Pinkie Pie’s request made it sound like she wanted to wear a literal cake. And as much as Rarity liked a challenge, even if such a thing were feasible, she eventually talked Pinkie out of it by arguing that she’d end up eating the thing before the Gala even started. Pink was the obvious base color, but Rarity took things a step farther with a festive hem resembling streamers, a liberal application of balloon designs stitched around the barrel, and a hat that resembled a cupcake.

Rarity knew that Fluttershy would want something soft, something that whispered gentleness with inviting nature colors. Green really was Fluttershy’s color. Rarity even went the extra step of putting the dress’ sketch in front of a landscape painting, inspiring herself with the mental image of Fluttershy frolicking in a meadow somewhere. Knowing her, she was bound to do that anyway, so she might as well look the part as she sang with the songs of spring.

Rainbow’s dress was easily the trickiest, requiring the cyan mare to make the most return trips of all their friends. The main hurdle to overcome was the need to be not only aerodynamic, but also sturdy enough to handle the high speeds that RD would inevitably try to reach. Taking inspiration from the Romarin style of the ancient pegasi went a long way towards accommodating this goal, not to mention that it was a lot of fun updating something classic.

Having never been to such a formal event before, Gilda had no real idea what would look good. She wanted something that would make her look strong, but that was as far as things went. Reading between the lines, Rarity decided to start with a rainbow coloration matching RD’s dress. They’d be similar enough to show a common theme without being exact copies, thus informing all that these two were together.

A similar mindset went into Trixie’s dress. The blue unicorn wanted something eye-catching, something to bedazzle the audience and emphasize her greatness. Rarity had initially dismissed such a request. After all, it was most uncouth for a slave to outshine her owner; but then Rarity got to thinking. If done right, something to emphasize the greatness of a slave wouldn’t outshine the owner, but compliment her. Furthermore, it would play on the mindset that it takes a powerful pony to tame a powerful slave, which would appeal to both egos. So, in addition to including Twilight’s cutie mark to signify ownership, Rarity went with gold and silver crystal stars to offset Twilight’s more plain white stars.

Lastly, Spike had given her his old tuxedo to do with as she liked. Rarity loved how Spike trusted her to make him fabulous, and was determined not to disappoint him. His tuxedo was already made of some fine material. She had initially assumed it to be custom-made by a designer in Canterlot, although she could not find any kind of signature. She asked, and it turned out that Night Light had sewn this himself. Rarity was impressed. The tuxedo lacked any slacks, which were common among bipeds, but Rarity agreed they’d just be a hindrance for what she expected the Gala to entail. Unfortunately, aside from letting it out in places where the drake had grown, there was very little that needed doing. Spike looked so cute when he’d first tried it on for her that anything extra would just come off as excessive.

***

“Hey there, dweeb,” Gilda greeted casually. Her eagle eyes took in the scene of the giant stage being set up just outside the boutique. She might not have known anything about Equestria’s fashion culture, but she’d spent enough time around construction to get the gist of what was being built. “Looks pretty solid.”

“Hey, Gilda, and thank you,” replied Trixie. “Apple Jack’s slaves already went home for the day, so I’m just running some last-minute inspections. But, like you said: pretty solid.” She tapped a plank for emphasis.

“You know about construction?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Twilight gave me a crash course,” she groaned. “This inspection is actually a test. Later she’s gonna come in with a professional to do the real inspection. Then, if there are any problems that I miss, she’s gonna bring out the flogger.”

“Harsh,” Gilda said sympathetically. “What happens if you catch something the professional misses?”

“Actually, that’s a good question. I’ll need to ask Twilight about that.”

“Maybe I can help.”

“That’d be appreciated. The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for your help,” she said with a gracious bow before the two got back to work. “So, what brings you out here, anyway? No offense, but Trixie was under the impression that you’d glued yourself to Rainbow’s side.”

Gilda made a shrill squawk that was probably meant to be a snort. “Yeah, no. Dashie’s great and all, but I’ve got my own life. My team was supposed to wrangle some wild clouds, but we finished early, so now I’ve got the rest of the day off.”

Trixie whickered her annoyance. “Day off, huh? Boy, does Trixie miss those.”

“It ain’t that bad, is it? Twilight’s new to owning slaves, but she doesn’t come across as much of a sadist.”

“Were you not listening when Trixie mentioned the flogging?”

Gilda shrugged. “Masters gotta discipline their slaves somehow.” It wasn’t exactly nice, but it was the truth.

Trixie gave a defeated sigh, knowing she couldn’t argue with that. “Trixie is still lamenting the loss of her freedom. It sucks, but it is what it is.”

Gilda made that same shrill snort.

“What?”

“Eh. It’s just kind of funny you’re being all sad about having what I… nevermind,” she finished quietly, embarrassed to admit such a thing out loud.

“Let’s change subjects. What else does the large and muscular Gilda do when she’s not worshipping at the altar of rainbows?”

“I guess the usual. I fly around, take in the sights. Been trying some of the restaurants around this place. What about you?”

“What about Trixie?”

“Back when you were free. How did you spend your days off then?”

Trixie pursed her lips. “Truthfully, Trixie wouldn’t exactly describe them as days off,” she said with air quotes. “Trixie was a traveling showmare. When she wasn’t showing, she was traveling. When she wasn’t traveling, she was setting up camp in all manner of wild and exotic regions… that often made some spooky sounds at night. That includes gathering wood for cooking, foraging to supplement a thin food budget, and learning to treat monster repellant like it’s more valuable than gold… which it technically is. Not to mention—what’s that look for?”

Gilda was grinning. It wasn’t a wide-eyed, manic, or lustful thing. Instead, the corners of the griffon’s beak had simply curled up in a modest, appreciative smile. “That actually sounds pretty cool.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. Most griffons think all ponies are a bunch of soft weaklings that’d go all to pieces if you take away their fancy doilies and whatnot. From what I’ve seen, it’s kinda true. You guys bolt at the first sight of danger, but you. You’re actually tougher than that.”

“I… Trixie is?”

“Sounds like it. Takes a tough bird to leave home behind and survive all on your own.”

Trixie beamed, fur bristling as her chest puffed out in pride. “Trixie is no bird, but she appreciates your recognition of her oft-ignored rugged side.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, turn it down a bit, Trix.”

“Sorry.”

***

“So I just hold this here?” Scootaloo asked. She was staring at the pincushion as though she expected it to come to life and bite her at any moment.

“Yes, darling. Just like that.”

“Huuuh!”

“Why can’t you just put it on the table?” The orange filly asked what seemed like the obvious question. “How come I gotta hold it?”

“My apologies, Scootaloo,” Rarity said demurely. She was hunched over in her seat, pushing fabric along through the sewing machine. “I’m not quite accustomed to having so many assistants at once. It’s a bit trying thinking of something for you all to do.”

The filly heard the air of danger in her elder’s tone and quickly amended. “Sorry if I’m being rude. Thanks again for letting us help.”

“Hnn, haaa!”

Rarity nodded graciously. “Much better, and you are most welcome. It is my pleasure to do what I can to help you in your search for your cutie marks.”

“Also, thanks fer not makin’ us split up,” AB added. She’d just come from the kitchen, balancing a tray with a glass of water and some sliced oranges on a plate.

“But of course. You may set it down there, dear.” Rarity motioned to a free space beside her. “Besides, having this many assistants at once is good practice for when my business expands.”

“When’s that?” AB asked.

“Oh, not too far off, I’m sure. My ultimate goal is to turn Carousel Boutique into a franchise with stores in every city across Equestria. Of course, the big ones will be Manehatten and Canterlot. But these things take time and patience. My dresses being presented at the Gala will go a long way in building up my brand recognition. From there, the hope is that I’ll soon be getting orders from more high-end clients, giving me the funds necessary to eventually open up a second store.”

“Huuf, hooh!”

“Maybe that’s something we could help with,” AB suggested. “We could be like yer regional managers!”

“Hooh, huuf!”

Rarity giggled softly at the filly’s high aspirations. “That’s quite the goal you’ve set for yourself. Tell me, do you have any managerial experience?”

AB’s enthusiasm fizzled. “Uh, not really. Unless herdin’ chickens counts?”

Rarity blew a strand of her mane from her face. “Given what I’ve seen in certain department stores, I think it might. However, although I’ll keep you in mind should you apply, I’m afraid none of you have really developed the skills necessary in running a store.”

“We’ll never know how to do anything if we don’t practice,” Scootaloo offered insightfully. “Maybe we could manage the show?”

“Haah! Hah!”

“The offer is appreciated, but I’m afraid this show is too important for me to entrust to untested fillies. If something smaller comes up, I’d be glad to have you. Until then, this is the best I can offer.”

Two of the three foals all hung their heads in quiet disappointment. Sweetie, who hadn’t said anything up to this point, could barely even move her head. She stood beneath Rarity’s sewing desk, between her big sister’s legs, and with the mare’s massive white cock stretching out her throat. Sweetie found this state rather relaxing, loving the sensation of fullness in her throat. The white filly wondered if this meant that she preferred oral over other kinds of penetration. She’d probably have to experiment with Spike to be sure, which got her jittery with excitement.

“Ah, ah,” warned Rarity. “Don’t move so much, Sweetie. You’ll throw off my concentration if you make me climax too early.”

“Hawwy,” said the filly around her mouthful.

“Haaah!”

To show that all was forgiven, Rarity reached down and ran a hoof down her sister’s back. “Very good. And what about you, Spike?” She turned to face where she’d left the drake. He was standing with a blindfold blocking his vision, a ball-gag muffling his words, and his claws tied behind his back. Rarity felt that the restraints would add to the ambiance of the moment as the little drake squatted down upon the dildo set up on the floor. His moans were lewd and most gratifying to the fashionista’s ears. She watched as he sank himself down further and further until his plush boy buns touched the fake balls at the toy’s base. From there, as before, he would straighten his legs to lift himself up. Again, his moans were like music to Rarity’s ears. The sight of his cock twitching and leaking with pre-made her involuntarily lick her lips.

“Don’t go getting any ideas,” she playfully chided.

“Hnngh!” AB stopped in her tracks, realizing that she’d been walking towards the lewd sight in a mild trance. Her ears splayed submissively. “Sorry.”

“That’s quite alright, darling. He is quite the alluring sight,” tittered Rarity as she reached beneath her balls to stroke her clit. “But we must all suffer for the sake of art. So Spikey-wikey may not move or cum until he has completed one hundred squats.”

Seeing the little filly bow in acquiescence sent a shiver of bliss through the white mare’s body. She usually preferred to exert her rightful authority over adults, but dominating foals had its own little charm. They’d all willingly come into her lair, volunteered themselves to be used as she saw fit, and it was nothing short of splendid. Normally Rarity preferred working alone, but having these little ponies running around at her beck and call made her think of what it would eventually be like once she did open up those other shops. First, staff would need to be hired. Ponies of all sorts of skill sets and body types would need to be interviewed, sworn to her service, and… played with.

“Ha-ha! Aaah!”

“Oh, dear,” panted Rarity breathlessly. She was fanning herself with a hoof. “Goodness, this is embarrassing.” Even her giggle was refined and ladylike. “I appear to be a little,” she trailed off with another titter as she rubbed along Sweetie’s side, “overstimulated.”

“Ya need ta cum?” AB asked, getting right to the point as she’d been taught to do.

“Perhaps,” Rarity conceded. “Oh, Spi~ike!” she called in a singsong tone.

Fortunately, Spike had just finished straightening his legs. He took a step forward, letting the large black horse cock flop around, glistening in the light from a combination of lubricant and his own inner juices. He hurriedly waddled as quickly as he dared, mindful that his eyes and claws were still out of commission. Then, using his other senses, he stopped directly beside where Rarity was sitting.

The free fillies all caught sight of the drake’s gaping anus and licked their lips, even Scootaloo.

“Good boy,” she praised and magically undid all of his restraints. The look he gave upon having her be the first thing he saw made her heart flutter with appreciation. “Now, could you be a dear and put that delightful tongue of yours to work?” She wiggled her bottom for emphasis.

Nodding eagerly, Spike ran around to the chair’s open back and pressed his nose between those soft, heavenly cheeks. The scent was subtle, refined, but with a powerful aftertaste that almost dominated his nostrils. It was the smell of Rarity, to be sure. Yet, he couldn’t quite reach with those stubby legs of his.

“Let me help, darling.” Rarity scooched back in her seat, pushing her butt out to give Spike ample access to his earned reward. As for Sweetie, the little filly was lifted in her sister’s magic and turned upside down. She squealed excitedly upon realizing what was coming next as Rarity rotated her along the cock so as to avoid the filly’s tiny horn.

“You two.” Rarity pointed at the remaining fillies. “You may masturbate, but do not touch one another.”

The fillies nodded, satisfying the fashionista’s lust for control.

With his prize in reach, Spike pressed his nose as deeply as he could between Rarity’s ass cheeks. Then, when he could go no further, he extended his tongue and quickly found the mare’s twitching pucker. It was delicious. *Shlurp*

“Good boy, Spikey-wikey. I half expected you to use your hands despite me not giving you permission, but you continue to impress me.” As Rarity lavished the love-struck drake with praise, she’d just gotten Sweetie into the ideal position. Now upside down, the magic encasing the filly’s body began pushing her small form up and off of Rarity’s cock. Her longing moan sounded no different than if the phallus was being pulled from her pussy. Finally, once she was about halfway off, Rarity reversed the pull of her magic, gliding her living cock sock back down along her length.

“I wonder,” Rarity panted as the lewd, wet music of molested foals graced her ears. “Is this what Princess Lunaughty does all day?” Spike’s tongue had just penetrated her pucker and was eagerly exploring her anal depths, a treat she normally reserved for her most favorite of toys. Sweetie, meanwhile, was busy moving herself about, kicking her legs this way and that while expertly constraining her esophagus in all the ways she knew that Rarity loved. “I certainly wouldn’t blame her if that were the case!”

Scootaloo and AB were having trouble deciding whether to look at one another or the great white mare using their friends as her playthings. The orange filly especially felt her eyes drawn to the striking pink slit hidden behind those soft yellow lips. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips, knowing exactly how she wanted to parch her thirst. AB, once she noticed, gave her orange friend a saucy wink and turned her body to provide a better show as she rubbed herself. The earth filly even fell onto her back, fully showing off her butt as her hooves worked to spread herself wide for her audience to behold.

Rarity’s cry of bliss was like the ringing of the dinner bell, alerting all to ‘cum’ and get it, as it were. Being upsidedown, Sweetie ended up squirting all over herself as her little filly juices ran down her belly and chest. She barely had time to notice, what with all of her sister’s sperm flooding her belly and expanding her middle. Like a true gentle drake, Spike kept his semen relatively contained to a single spot, despite the rather impressive volume of it all. AB and Scootaloo also released their little filly climaxes on the floor. It was nothing that a simple cleaning spell couldn’t handle, assuming that Rarity didn’t just leave it to add to the room’s natural aroma.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Rarity turned back to her workstation to see all that she’d accomplished. Running a few mental calculations as to how much she’d have likely done without the foals around, she concluded that although she needed practice with managing large groups, having several loyal servants around was indeed a boon to her work.

***

Fluttershy had only been called back to Rarity’s boutique a few times so far. She’d seen enough of the designs and trusted enough in her old friend’s expertise to mostly leave things be. This enabled her to spend more time with her babies. At present, one of her dogs was following her around and licking eagerly at her pussy as she oversaw the household chores. “Oh, my,” she awed at the expertise with which her animals worked. “You’re getting better at this every day.” She wiped a happy tear from her eye. “I’m so proud of you.”

The animals all cooed, cawed, growled, and chirped their various sounds of appreciation. It moved yellow quiet to bits knowing how much her babies loved her and wanted to make her happy. “I’m going to have to arrange special rewards for all of you for doing so well.” The licking of her lips and the wiggling of her rump let them all know precisely what she had in mind, which served to bolster their morale and make them work even harder.

Then a knock came at the door.

“Oh, who could that be?”

A bird chirped, and Fluttershy flinched.

“Zecora! What does she want?”

The bird chirped again, describing how the zebra mare appeared to be carrying something that smelled of rotten fruit and moldy cheese.

“Oh, good. She’s just bringing buy Harry’s medicine.”

The bear made a growl that sounded more like a whine.

“No, Harry. You can’t eat her. You’ve had an upset tummy for weeks, and this medicine is just what you need.” She beckoned the bear down to her level and rubbed a hoof lovingly along his snoot until he made a sound akin to a purr.

Assuring her babies that all was well with her relaxed body language, Fluttershy opened the door and had to force herself not to flinch. She still found Zecora’s alien fur pattern to be rather distressing. Even after learning how silly and hurtful all those rumors had been, the old fear still lingered. Still, she was an adult, an adult with a legion of animals at her command that had recently proved themselves in battle, and understood that she had a responsibility not to accidentally set them off.

“The medicine you requested.” Zecora reached into her saddlebag and removed a brown package. It smelled exactly as the bird described, although the zebra had her focus elsewhere. Her ears were on high alert, pivoting this way and that as the army of critters went about their tasks.

“Thank you, Zecora. Harry might not be happy about it, but he’ll be glad once he feels better.”

Zecora nodded amicably. “And the payment we discussed?”

Fluttershy extended a hoof to her side and waited until a group of birds dropped the coins into her hoof’s frog. Then she paused a second to make sure it was the right amount and handed the coins over. “Here you go. But, uh,” her ears splayed apologetically. “Before you go, there was, uh, something else I, um, wanted.”

Zecora raised a curious eyebrow. She did not fail to notice how all of the animals had changed in their movements. They became slower and more cautious as they all seemed to stare at her out of the corner of their many, many eyes. Yet, having dealt with wild animals before, she maintained her composure to not agitate them by showing fear. “Yes?”

“Well, um, if it’s okay with you,” Fluttershy began, already regretting asking this of the busy apothecary. “I was wondering if you, maybe, wanted to, um, k-kiss m-me?”

Zecora blinked. She’d patiently waited for the passive mare to finish her wishy-washy ramble, but hadn’t expected this to be where things were headed. So, only one response seemed fitting. “Why?”

“I… I shouldn’t have asked! You’re obviously too busy, and I shouldn’t have brought this up so suddenly.” Fluttershy was trembling. She tried to fight against it, knowing how much it would upset her babies, but her nerves were getting the best of her.

“I am not busy, nor am I opposed. You are a very pretty mare,” Zecora assured, “but I wonder what brought this on.”

Fluttershy pursed her lips in bemusement at her own reaction. “I… I know it might seem silly, but, well, you make me nervous. It’s dumb, I know, but I can’t help it. Maybe, um… maybe it’d be better if we got, you know, closer?”

Zecora nodded. “So you wish to touch my lips to rid yourself of these frightful fits?”

“Um, kinda?”

“Well, I see no harm. So long as your beasties stay at the length of an arm,” she added warily.

Fluttershy nodded her relief. “It’s okay, babies,” she called. “We’re all fine. Momma just wants to, hehe, make out with the neighbor.”

Zecora studied the yellow mare intently. As in all of their prior interactions, she seemed so nervous that it was exceedingly difficult to hold any kind of conversation. Yet, she would almost become a different person when talking to her animals. And although she’d heard the reasons why, it still did not fully register how such a thing could work. Thinking on such matters caused a new question to bubble up to the surface. “Forgive my ignorance, but is this one of those instances where… payment is necessary?”

“What? Oh, goodness no! I mean, if this is too much trouble, then I could pay you if you wanted, but—”

“What? No! I was just wondering. There is no need to stress yourself with worrying.”

A deep patch of red blossomed across the yellow mare’s cheeks. “I’m just making things awkward, aren’t I?”

“No worse than myself,” Zecora said with what she hoped to be a disarming smile. “Maybe, if it is not too much trouble, we should just act on the double?”

After a moment’s thought, Fluttershy nodded. She straightened her posture and wetted her lips with her tongue. She also smelled her breath, relieved that it smelled more of toothpaste than assorted animal ass.

Not knowing if such formalities were needed on her part, Zecora wanted nothing more than to get this over with, flee, and possibly arrange for a courier to handle all future orders to this address. Eyes closed, she leaned forward until her snoot made contact with another. A more delightful aroma almost instantly washed out the smell of wet fur and urine. It put Zecora in mind of a field of wildflowers on a warm summer’s day, putting her at ease. The feel against her lips erased whatever stress lingered, leading her to melt into the warm softness.

On Fluttershy’s end, her nose was struck with a far more exotic odor. She’d only ever encountered such an odor around Zecora’s hut. Still, it made her imagine a group of zebras huddled together in a single hut, sweat glistening from their muscled bodies, as a shaman threw all manner of herbs and incense into the fire as part of some ritual. Such a scent was strong, foreign, but also exciting in its own way. The lips were rough, a little unpracticed in their movements, yet seemed very equine in their overall shape. That last part was a little surprising, which encouraged the shy mare to do a bit more exploring.

The pair’s lips began to move, tasting one another with the timidity of nervous virgins. Neither was brave enough to try any tongue, but that was fine. The point was to get to know one another after all, which did not necessitate any boldness at this time. After what seemed like an appropriate length of time to snog in silence, the pair pulled away and opened their eyes. Both tried to say something, to give their thoughts and commentary on the shared experience, but words failed them. Finally, after another moment of awkward silence, Zecora turned around and walked away. She walked with a noticeable sway in her hips, hoping such a gesture would convey her appreciation. Fluttershy continued to say nothing, but her door remained open as she watched until the striped mare disappeared over the hill. When both felt safely out of earshot from the other, they exhaled breaths they didn’t know they were holding and finally spoke. “That was hot!”

***

AJ had been hard at work for the past few hours. Given that they were between harvesting seasons, the slaves were mostly in town doing odd jobs for a little extra coin or putting the finishing touches on the stage. With all of the daily chores already finished, AJ was keeping herself busy with examining the health of the trees. It was a monotonous and tedious task that would take up hours upon hours, but she didn’t mind. Aside from being necessary to maintain the orchard, this job essentially let her clear her mind and just relax.

She snorted, amused at thinking how her friends might react if they learned that her preferred relaxation method was in her work. They’d probably tease her by calling her a workaholic or something, which was probably fair. She understood the true value of a hard day’s work, and that was nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, it made the farmer feel just a little bit smug about how her superior lifestyle had sculpted her into the fine and upstanding mare that everypony loved.

“Excuse me.”

AJ turned to see a stranger approaching her. She was a mint green pegasus with a blue mane. Not especially strong like RD, suggesting a more lax lifestyle. She also wore pretty expensive-looking jewelry and a blue skirt covering her flanks. “Hey, there. What can Ah do ya fer?”

“Yes. Hello.” The mare looked around the orchard as though she’d never seen trees before. “I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I’m not exactly familiar with the protocols regarding the Elements of Debauchery.”

“The Elements? Ya from Canterlot ‘r somethin’?”

“Manehatten, actually. Sorry again. My name is Glamor Show, and I’m an up-and-coming set designer. You wouldn’t happen to be Apple Jack, would you?”

“Ah am,” affirmed the hayseed mare. “So, when you say sets, are ya’ll here fer Rarity’s li’l fashion show?”

“I and others, yes. Unsurprisingly, word of a fashion show featuring the Elements of Debauchery is making quite a few waves in many prominent circles.” Glamor spoke in that special way of ponies who thought they were hot shit and expected everypony around them to kiss their hooves. “So, if it’s not too much trouble, I was wondering if I could stop by and have a look at the merchandise, as it were.”

AJ frowned. “Sorry. Rarity’s the dressmaker. Whatever she’s doin’, it’s all up in her shop. Ah really don’t know nothin’ ‘bout what’s goin’ on.”

“Oh, begging your pardon,” Glamor tittered at nothing in particular. “I might have given you the wrong impression. You see, the ‘merchandise’ of which I speak is not the dress, but the mare filling it out.”

AJ’s perplexed frown was maintained. “Really? Well, if all ya wanted was a fuck, ya could o’ jus’ said so.”

“Oh, no-no-no-no. You misunderstand yet again. My intent is to admire the merchandise, not sample it.” Glamor shook her head, smiling in that way of adults speaking to children. At least you tried.

AJ caught that tone almost immediately, and her eyebrow did an Applejackian climb up her forehead. “Ya don’t say.”

“Oh, I do. Very much!”

AJ huffed. While her first impulse was to buck this bitch’s teeth in, she’d been raised better than that. There wasn’t anything malicious in this stranger’s demeanor, or at least as far as she could tell. More likely, she was suffering from the tribalism of low expectations: not evil, but annoyingly ignorant. Apart from that, she hadn’t really made any kind of burdensome demands. “So, ya’ll jus’ wanna watch while Ah do… mah normal stuff?”

“Oh, yes. I plan to write an article on Equestria’s most ‘down-to-earth hero,’ hehe.” Again, Glamor tittered at something only she found funny. “Seeing the Element of Arousal in her daily routine should create quite a stir amongst my readers.”

AJ heaved a snort of defeat. Her parents had taught her the importance of southern hospitality. She was obligated to abide by all guests, at least until she was properly provoked to do otherwise. And as bad as it might have been, a little part of AJ hoped that it would come to that.

“Alright then.” Resigned to her fate, AJ resumed her task of examining the trees. There was no great secret to the task. She just had to do a full 360-degree survey around each one, look for anything suspicious, maybe cut into the tree or test one of the apples if she found anything she didn’t like, mark it as sick if need be, and move on. Walk, look, maybe look closer, and keep walking.

It was little surprise when Glamor yawned. “Goodness. Is this really what you’re doing today?”

“E’yup.”

“No feeding the chickens, bailing the hay or… or whatever it is you farmers do?”

“E’nope. Did all the fun stuff this mornin’. ‘Fraid all that’s left is this.” And AJ got back to her examination. For a second, she felt a little bad about Glamor. All she wanted was to watch the Element of Arousal do some standard chores and write an article for the paper. It was actually pretty flattering, thinking that ponies across the country might be interested in the drudgery of farm life, at least when it was being performed by a mare with such a sexy title.

“Tell ya what,” AJ called over to the dower mare. “How ‘bout ya’ll come in nice ‘n’ early tomorrow. Say around 5 in the mornin’. You’ll get a chance ta see me, mah family, ‘n’ our slaves out workin’ in droves. Sounds like that’d make fer a lot better story.”

Glamor looked contemplative. “Yes. Yes, I suppose it does. Hmm, awfully early in the morning, though. Not to mention later than I’d hoped. Isn’t there anything that could be arranged today?”

“What’s yer hurry? The fashion show ain’t fer another few days.”

“No. But, um, I’m on a bit of a tight schedule. My publisher wants an article submitted by noon tomorrow.”

“Really? Seems kinda arbitrary ta me.”

Glamor rolled her eyes. “Surely, there must be something you can do?”

After finishing its dissent not too long ago, AJ’s eyebrow resumed its climb. “What? Ya want me ta overfeed the chickens ‘til they pop, or break the barn door jus’ ta fix it?”

“Yes! Yes, that sounds simply splendid. I could just amend a few things to give the impression of authenticity, and my readers should get everything they’re looking for.” Then, at AJ’s piercing glower, she added, “If it’s not too much trouble, that is.”

“Jus’ what kind o’ article ya’ll writin’, anyway?”

“What kind? Hmm. Let’s see here. There are already a number of articles on the other Elements. Fluttershy is the sweet one, Rainbow Dash is the tomboy, Rarity is the fabulous one, and so on. But there’s almost nothing on Apple Jack, at least relative to the others. My publisher thinks that your down-to-earthness might have caused something of a delay in consumer awareness, but that a boom is due any time. Our goal is to get a head start on that boom, providing the standard by which all future stories will be judged.”

AJ nodded, feeling that she got the gist of it. “Alright, so why should Ah care?”

“Um, well… ponies around the country will be furiously masturbating once they see the absolutely delectable words I put to paper describing your luscious body.”

AJ nodded, her face like stone. “And?”

Glamor flinched back as though struck. “And?”

“Yeah. An’ then what?”

“I… you…” Glamor was stuttering with disbelief. “What more could you need? Isn’t being the subject of countless sexual fantasies reward enough on its own?”

“In most cases, sure. But ya’ll jus’ asked me ta feed mah chickens ‘til they pop ‘n’ damage mah own property jus’ so ya’ll can lie ‘n’ sprinkle in some fancy words. An’ ya expect me ta do this without any compensation? Ah was bein’ polite, but now ya’ll’r oversteppin’ yerself.”

Glamor snorted. “My word. Is this what the famous Apple standard of hospitality has come to? My, how the mighty have fallen.”

AJ smiled. It was a soft smile, small, and convincingly sincere. It was not the smile of an exceptionally proud mare who’d just had her family insulted right to her face. Oh, no. This was the smile of a very content mare, a mare who’d come to terms with the reality of the situation, and resolved to do what needed doing. Maintaining this smile, AJ surveyed through the grass until she found a suitably sized rock. It was about a fifth the size of her head, fit comfortably in her hoof, and had a decent weight to it. She bounced it a little, testing its feel and worthiness for what needed doing.

“Ahem,” Glamor cleared her throat. “Hello. Excuse me. Are you listening?”

“Uh-huh,” AJ replied, never tearing her eyes from the bouncing rock.

Glamor shook her head. “Such a shame. You know, for such a seemingly well-kept mare, I’d have thought that your parents would—”

Whatever Glamor had intended to say, whatever derisive remarks about AJ’s parents were never heard, her next syllable was drowned out by the whistling of a bullet. There’d been no blast of gunpowder to set this bullet flying. But, given that Glamor had seen it coming straight for her face only to zoom past, leaving a papercut where the smooth stone had grazed her cheek, she had a pretty good idea of where it came from. The next thing she became aware of was a colossal crash that sent a rumbling through the ground, right up her hooves, and into her very bones. This was followed by a wooden creaking and the crash of a tree. With a considerable force of will and shaking to her core, Glamor managed to turn her head and see what had happened. A tree had fallen. A tree, one that AJ had marked as sick, had been sheered clean in two, vertically. The two halves of the tree had been split right down the middle. With no consideration for the roots holding them in place, the two halves fell to either side with two mighty thuds.

“There’s yer Apple hospitality,” AJ remarked in that friendly, neighborly way of hers. “That was a warnin’ shot. Next time Ah won’t miss.” And she picked up another rock. “Now then, you’d best start talkin’ ‘efore Ah… Where’d ya go?” She looked around, but there was no stuck-up smart-mouthing mare in sight. Where she’d been, there were only indentions of her hooves in the grass, along with a yellow puddle. Then, remembering that this was a pegasus, AJ looked up. Sure enough, a tiny pony shape disappeared into the cloud cover, although not very fast.

“Heh. Maybe Ponyville pegasi ‘r’ jus’ faster,” she said to no one in particular. Then, grateful to have that annoyance out of the way, she decided to resume her work, though not before saying a silent prayer for the tree she’d put out of its misery.

Author's Note

Most of the original episode stuck with Rarity in her shop, which doesn’t leave me a lot to work with. Therefore I decided to do some slice-of-life snippets. A fashion show starring the nation’s heroes would/should logically attract attention from the social elite. But more than that, I really had enjoyed the snippets showing my characters interacting and living their lives.

And thanks to my subscribers
Tier 1: sevensix, and User#56e9c67c
Tier 2: Magetsu88, Neural Shock, and Haveclav
Tier 3: Drake565
You guys make all of this possible. And if you want early access to my work, and to support an artist you enjoy, please check out my SubscribeStar as well. It'd mean a lot https://subscribestar.adult/typist-gray