Our Sacred Spot

Chapters

The Truth Tickles
Sweet Confessions
The Agitators
Hitting the Spot
Harmonious Ecology
A World of Rusted Gold

The Truth Tickles

The world was more fragile than anyone knew. The dirt, the forests, the mountains—they whispered to those attuned to mother nature's ancient rhythms. But why must such knowledge fall on poor little Fluttershy?

Mud congealed around Fluttershy's knee-high rubber boots as she trudged through the riverbank. The swampy water sparkled in the morning sun, and beyond a carpet of lily pads stood the depth marker, a white post hidden by leaves and vines. Fluttershy brushed the plants aside and scribbled the measurements in her notepad.

Pinkie cartwheeled across the shore and somersaulted into a headstand. “That's the last marker thingy, right? Let's celebrate with a snack!”

“Not hungry,” Fluttershy said, tensing her brow as she compared rows of figures. “Just like I thought. The river is still growing year over year.”

“Wetter is always better,” Pinkie said with a suggestive lilt. “You know, for farming.” She rummaged through her saddlebag and popped a lemon square in her mouth.

“Not if the cost is pulling water from distant regions and drying them out.”

Pinkie grabbed one of the cattail reeds and held it like a microphone. “Equestria is wet one minute and dry the next. Sounds like our love lives, am I right?”

Fluttershy sighed to herself, waded back to shore, and packed the notes in her bag. “Let's head home.”

Pinkie's raunchy jokes didn't shock or outrage, but they reminded Fluttershy of her uneasy relationship with her sexuality. The Fates had cursed Fluttershy with an early growth spurt as a teenager, a curse which separated her from everyone else and flooded her mind with confusing desires. Sex was always awkward, sometimes painful, and yes, occasionally pleasant, but coupling with stallions never resembled the transcendent bliss so often depicted in the romance novels she ordered through the mail catalog. In recent years she retreated from sex and relationships and focused on her true calling: Environmental stewardship.

Most mares didn't struggle with these issues as far as Fluttershy knew. On the contrary, some exhibited a great deal of comfort with their desires. Like a certain pastry chef and party planner.

To say Pinkie was eccentric would be like calling the dragon lands a tad toasty, and for a long time Fluttershy kept her at a distance. Fluttershy wanted predictability and peace, while Pinkie spread more trouble than a bear in a honeybee farm. Often when Fluttershy dined at the outdoor cafe or shopped in the markets she overheard salacious rumors about Pinkie and her “after parties.” Even Twilight teased Pinkie about meeting “new friends” and “entertaining the guests.” Rainbow Dash once invited Fluttershy to tag along, saying how she could meet “chill stallions from Cloudsdale looking for a good time” and how it would be “an awesome change of pace.” She refused, of course.

Despite all that, Fluttershy grew accustomed to Pinkie's peculiar quirks over the years and sought her company for these long treks into the wilderness. They never talked about those wild parties, although the rumors had died down as of late.

Birdwatching became Pinkie's favorite new hobby. She spotted them high in the treetops with her keen eyes, not even needing binoculars half the time, and with Fluttershy's help she mastered their songs and called them out while hopping through the woods. “That's a pine sparrow,” Pinkie said with glee. “Oh! Oh! And that's a white-tailed wobbly! Easy peasy.”

Pinkie grew increasingly drawn to nature, and she listened to Fluttershy's lectures with great interest, even when Fluttershy raved about the cooperation exhibited by lichen.

“Lichen is a composite organism,” Fluttershy said, pointing at the fuzzy roots of a massive sycamore tree. “That means lichen is composed of two completely different creatures. It's algae and fungi working together to form a symbiotic relationship, which allows them to flourish more than they could alone. That's why lichen survives in some of the harshest environments in Equestria.”

Pinkie examined the blue-green patch clinging to the bark. “So this moldy muck is kinda like us. You keep tabs on nature, and I make sure you don't lose your marbles in the middle of nowhere.”

Fluttershy giggled so hard her mane spilled across her face. “Something like that.”

Pinkie squealed with excitement and bounced higher than usual. “That's what I like to see! Getting a smile out of you lately has been tough. I haven't been annoying you, have I?”

“Heavens no. You've been loads of help. I've just been, um, working too hard?”

Pinkie pawed at the dirt and spoke with a nervous rush. “You're my friend and I want to help but if I'm a nuisance please yell at me so I can do better. I love spending time with you away from the crowds and the parties and the pressure to to be a dumb clown. When I'm with you I can find my balance instead of falling face-first into a pie. I know sometimes you have trouble flexing your courage but if you tell me to scram I won't take it personally. Honest!”

The sudden outpouring left Fluttershy at a loss for words and filled her tummy with confusing jitters. Pinkie usually told silly stories about faraway festivals where someone tripped into the apple bobbing basin, or how her sisters once brewed rock alcohol in an old bathtub they found in the woods. But this was something different.

“You don't have to go anywhere,” Fluttershy said. “I adore your company. What brought this—”

Pinkie painted the world with a bright smile as she slung her foreleg over Fluttershy's shoulders. “Great to know! Now check this out: I've been working on that fancy bird call.” Pinkie crouched low to the ground, took a deep breath, and let loose a warbling honk that echoed across the forest and sent a flock of birds fleeing over the horizon.

Fluttershy winced and covered her ears. “Okay, that's a bit much, maybe you should—”

A Northern Equestrian Star Snatcher sailed across the sky and called out with a song sweeter than a crystal bell, rendering Fluttershy speechless. A rare and majestic bird with tail feathers that flowed like liquid gold, the Star Snatcher circled overhead and revealed his iridescent plumage covered with starry spots.

Pinkie playfully nudged Fluttershy's side. “How's that for bird watching?”

“He's beautiful,” Fluttershy murmured. “Like a living jewel. I've never seen one so close.”

The Star Snatcher shrieked a teeth rattling cry, and Pinkie yanked Fluttershy to safety under a birch tree. “Whoa! What's his problem?”

“Pretty sure it's mating season and you confused him.”

Pinkie giggled into her hoof. “Whoops! Dunno about you, but I'm not in the egg laying mood. Let's blow this popsicle stand.”

After a long hike that involved regularly checking over their shoulders for a lovelorn Star Snatcher, Fluttershy and Pinkie returned to Ponyville and visited Fluttershy's pet playpen.

“Hey Pinkie, do me a favor? Don't tie balloons to the bunnies this time.”

“But they're jealous of their flying squirrel buddies. They wanna taste the sweet sky too!”

“Maybe, but you weren't the one who had to corral them before they floated away.”

“Fair point.”

Pinkie trotted inside the enclosure while balancing a basket of food on her head. She tilted to the side and spilled nuts and seeds along the ground for the growing mob of bunnies, birds, and other hungry rascals. A chipmunk named Maurice, whose legs Fluttershy had patched up with bandages, fell behind and couldn't catch up, so one of the bunnies shared a big leafy green. They sat and munched it together.

“Aww, that's adorable,” Pinkie said. She flipped the basket through the air and scattered treats all over the place. “Party hard, critters!”

Fluttershy spoke above the feeding frenzy. “Wanna help out back?”

The two friends rounded Fluttershy's cottage into her backyard, and Pinkie zipped to and fro and gathered the equipment in mere moments. Fluttershy knelt and tended her garden with a trowel and a watering can. “Do you know what I love about nature more than anything else?”

“Oh, I got this!” Pinkie reared back and flapped her forelegs. “Butterflies!” She lost her balance and crashed to the ground.

“Good guess, but no. I love how so many animals work together, even across different species. Kindness isn't unique to us civilized creatures, but something that arose long ago, something that's deep in our bones, if only we would listen.”

Pinkie picked herself up, strolled through Fluttershy's sizable garden, and smelled the succulent flowers. “Mmm, yeah, mother nature is a cool lady, at least when she's not trying to eat us.”

A bumblebee caught Fluttershy's attention as it landed on the purple petals of a carnation and covered itself in pollen. “All these flowers host insects and fungi that depend on one another. Now imagine the dizzying complexity of a whole forest, let alone the whole world. Holistic thinking is what forged Equestria's bedrock principles of togetherness, but nowadays a lot of ponies dismiss animals as lower lifeforms, as if we aren't animals too, as if we have nothing to learn from our primal kin.”

“Is everything okay? You've been going on longer and longer nature rants lately. Which is educational, don't get me wrong, but—”

Fluttershy jammed the trowel deep into the dirt and slumped. “This garden is a waste of time.”

Pinkie blinked and tapped her head. “Are my ears full of circus peanuts and candy corn? I swear you just bad-mouthed gardening!”

“I can put this garden in order,” Fluttershy said, dragging her hoof through the soil, “but what about the rest of Equestria? The way we're twisting the environment to our designs is disgraceful.”

“Ooh, for sure,” Pinkie said with a spirited nod. “We pat ourselves on the back and say we're in balance with nature, but we're a bunch of fibbers.”

Fluttershy's ears perked up. She couldn't believe Pinkie of all ponies had opinions about ecosystem management. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“If ponies can't benefit from nature, do we really care? Like if it's not pretty, or we can't make potions from it—ya know? Like how fancy mares bedazzle their dresses with Star Snatcher feathers.”

Fluttershy rose to her hooves and dusted herself off. “That's right. Don't forget the way we control the weather and write off the negative consequences. I bet that growing desert down south is from our meddling with the hydrologic cycle.”

Pinkie rubbed her chin. “I don't think hydras can ride bicycles. Now a unicycle, maybe…”

“I mean the water cycle. You know, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.”

“Oh, right, of course! I mean, I was just testing you, to make sure your brain wasn't all frizzle frazzled.”

Fluttershy trotted across the yard, leaned against the fence, and gazed into the distant line of fluffy white clouds. “Pegasi weather teams move entire lakes from one region to another without a care in the world. We force the clouds to rain and snow, and for what?”

“Um… food?”

“Usually it's to enrich some noble house. They grow water-hungry cash crops and reap huge profits on the public dime. If there's a mudslide or a flood, oh well, they don't care.”

“Well that's a bummer.” Pinkie hopped next to Fluttershy, threw her forelegs over the fence, and surveyed the heavens. “I wish I could visit the sky more often. It's so soft and cuddly up there, like a world of pillows!”

“I've always been more comfortable on the ground," Fluttershy said, peering into the distant forest. “Sometimes I swear I'm part earth pony.”

Pinkie scooched closer and nuzzled Fluttershy's shoulder. “I'm glad you're afraid of heights, at least if it means you stay down here. Is that weird to say?”

Fluttershy's face warmed and she spoke through a clumsy smile. “Don't worry. I know what you mean.”

Pinkie danced a little jig with her hind legs while holding onto the fence. “Oh! Another example! How about monsters? If it's a cute critter, we love 'em. If it's big and scary and attacks us, boo, hiss, banish the beasty!”

Fluttershy giggled and swished her tail. “Gosh, I thought I was the only one who thought like that, other than Tree Hugger and her friends. Most ponies would call us bleeding hearts for feeling sorry for monsters.”

Pinkie shrugged. “We cut down their homes, build villages in their kitchens, and then act surprised when they see us as snacks. If a pack of timberwolves set up shop in Sugarcube Corner I wouldn't be too happy either. And you know their cakes would be made of twigs and tree sap or something icky like that.”

“It's a problem that's growing worse as ponies expand into the unknown. What should we do about it?”

Pinkie crouched low to the grass, crept toward Fluttershy with an evil eye, and spoke in a mock monster voice. “You should watch out, you tasty little mare, and you better run if you don't want to be my brunch!”

Fluttershy backed away and giggled. “Pinkie! That's almost kinda scary.” Pinkie playfully growled and leaped closer, and Fluttershy screamed and took off galloping across the back yard. “I don't want to be brunch!”

The bewildered animals in the pen looked on with squawking excitement. The air whipped past Fluttershy's face as she raced in circles around her cottage with Pinkie bouncing close behind. Despite her slender build, Fluttershy wasn't exactly an athlete, and after a morning of hiking her legs already ached from the sudden exertion. Rather than closing the distance, Pinkie stayed out of reach and teased her instead. “Run, run, quick as a bunny, or the pink monster will getcha!”

“You're a silly mare!” Fluttershy shouted through streams of laughter.

“Silly monster,” Pinkie corrected.

Fluttershy spread her wings, sailed into the air, and landed on the roof of her chicken coop. “Ha! I bet you didn't see that one coming.”

The only response came from the chorus of buzzing cicadas deep in the woods.

Fluttershy spun around and scanned the yard. “Pinkie? Where did you go?”

Nothing to see but wisps of dandelion fuzz wafting on the warm summer breeze.

“That's fine. I can stay up here for awhile. Maybe I'll take a nap. Or I could fly into town and grab some real brunch. Artichokes and garlic butter sounds delish.”

The wind swept through Fluttershy's mane and she brushed it out of her face.

“Come on, Pinkie. I know you're a hide and seek champion, but this is a little weird.”

Fluttershy glided to the ground and ambled across the yard while focusing on the back door of her house. She whirled around and slinked backward to be extra sure she wouldn't be caught off guard, but she only found swaying tree branches. A nearby bush rustled and a pink blur zoomed out and tackled her into the grass. “Don't be scared,” Pinkie said with a growl. “I'm a tickle monster!”

Pinkie needled her forelegs into Fluttershy's sides with gleeful abandon, and Fluttershy shrank into a trembling ball of fluff and feathers until the growing tension in her tummy muscles erupted. “Pinkieeehehehe! Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy's voice wavered and squeaked under the tenacious tickles, and when an opening presented itself Fluttershy rolled across the grass and through a clump of dandelions. “Catch me if you can!”

Pinkie pounced and reclaimed her prey with ease. “Sorry Shy, but the tickle monster is hungry. Nice knowing ya!”

Pinkie's playful hooves glided over Fluttershy's soft belly and dug into the sensitive spots under her ribs. Fluttershy shrieked with helpless laughter and twisted along her side as her feeble body shook in a giggling quake that only encouraged Pinkie to press more insistently into her tummy and hips. Tingling waves filled Fluttershy with a warm gooey ache and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and vulnerability. Fluttershy couldn't help but sink back and surrender to Pinkie's endless stamina.

Years ago, Pinkie had asked Fluttershy if she was comfortable with her famous tickle attacks, to which Fluttershy said she didn't mind, but this onslaught was almost too much. The teasing caresses along Fluttershy's exposed stomach plunged her deeper and deeper into spasms of laughter with no hope of escape. Hot sweat rolled down Fluttershy's brow while Pinkie found a new tickle target under her fragile wings. If the tension rose any higher Fluttershy would explode into a cloud of feathers.

Pinkie's eyes sparkled with delight as she planted her mouth around Fluttershy's bellybutton and blew a raspberry harder than a whirring egg beater. Fluttershy howled with such outrageous laughter she swore it would carry across the wind into Ponyville, and everyone would gather around them in a huge crowd and whisper judgmental comments about what strange mares they were. Fluttershy's wings snapped open, her hind legs kicked the air like she was pedaling one of Pinkie's unicycles, and the world spun in a dizzying rush. “Oh my gosh, Pinkie! I can't take it anymore! I can't!”

Pinkie pulled away and beamed a big goofy grin. She opened her mouth to speak, but something made her pause. Fluttershy gazed into Pinkie's warm blue eyes and a strange comfort washed across her as she caught her breath. The warm sun, the soft grass, and the welcoming smile of an old friend brought a newfound sense of security. Sparks of restless energy spread through Fluttershy's chest and limbs and filled the space between them. Pinkie blinked and turned away like she might stand up and dismiss their connection as an awkward fluke. Fluttershy couldn't let this moment slip past, but she didn't know what to say without making a fool of herself.

Fluttershy reached with a trembling hoof and tugged Pinkie's foreleg, which made her glance down with concern. “Sorry if I went overboard. I got caught up in the moment, ya know?”

Fluttershy bolted upright and wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie in a tight embrace.

“Whoa. Nice to see you too.”

“D-Did you feel that spark?” Fluttershy asked, leaning against Pinkie's shoulder. “Or am I crazy?”

Pinkie spoke just above a whisper. “Maybe I did, and maybe you are.”

Fluttershy drifted away and swallowed hard. “I've never—I mean, with a mare—if you want we could—”

Pinkie guided Fluttershy down to the plush grass and kissed her on the cheek. Fluttershy murmured in appreciation as Pinkie pressed her soft lips under her jaw and nuzzled her delicate neck. “Is this okay?” Pinkie asked. “Is this what you want?” Fluttershy released a pent up breath and nodded. Pinkie smiled and kissed her on the lips and sent warm shivers deep into her chest. Pinkie tasted like zesty lemon squares and watermelon chapstick. She was gentle and methodical, the opposite of her typical maniacal mayhem. Fluttershy wiggled against the grass as Pinkie kissed her neck and blew tiny raspberries against her sensitive skin.

“You're such a sweet and modest mare,” Pinkie said, pulling back and resting on her haunches. “Maybe we should stop before someone catches you with me.”

Fluttershy tried to pull Pinkie down onto her, but she was too weak. “Or maybe we could, um, do that again? If that's okay with you.” Pinkie straddled Fluttershy between her soft plump thighs and dipped down and smooched her chest. Fluttershy bit her lip from the rush of hot tingles shooting through her skin all the way down to her tail. The poofy fuzz of Pinkie's mane brushed against Fluttershy's muzzle while Pinkie roamed up her neck planting kisses until she dragged her lips across Fluttershy's chin and onto her mouth. The silky smooth caress of Pinkie's eager tongue teased and prodded Fluttershy until she opened up. Pinkie slipped between her lips and filled her mouth with citric bliss. Their kiss was as warm and pristine as the rays from the sacred sun dancing across their coats under the clear summer sky. Fluttershy moaned into Pinkie's bewitching embrace and wished this could last forever. Pinkie booped Fluttershy's nose with her own and pulled away with a satisfied smile.

“I've never been kissed like this,” Fluttershy said with a dreamy tone. “At least not by stallions.”

Pinkie rested her hoof on Fluttershy's chest and giggled. “Your poor little heart is about to leap out and run away. Don't worry, I'll chase it down for you.”

Fluttershy's ears drooped under the weight of reality. “Bad news. I need to attend a weather meeting, collect soil samples from Applejack's orchards, and take her pigs truffle hunting.”

Pinkie dismounted and helped Fluttershy up. “Sounds like you have a busy afternoon.”

“Don't go yet. I can push everything back twenty minutes. Maybe a little more.” She gestured toward her cottage. “We could go inside and, and,” she stammered so much her cheeks flushed with heat, “and we could drink tea. Or whatever.”

Pinkie shared a warm smile and pulled Fluttershy's hooves into her chest. “I don't want a quick fling. Not with you, Fluttershy. You mean so much more to me than that.”

“But—”

“Let's wait two days. If this was a passing phase we can laugh and pretend it was a strange dream. But if you're still interested, stop by Sugarcube Corner after my shift and we'll see what happens.”

Fluttershy ruffled her feathers and rubbed the back of her head. “Right, it was probably a heat stroke or something. Temporary insanity.”

Pinkie waved goodbye and turned to leave, but instead she peeked over her shoulder. “Do you think Equestria will be okay? The environment, I mean.”

What remained of Fluttershy's good mood drowned in a sea of shadows. “That's… Not a pleasant subject. I'd rather not think about it.”

“So that's why you've been in a funk. You're worried about the future! Why didn't you tell me?”

Fluttershy slumped back and hid behind her mane. “I didn't want to be a downer.”

“But I'm your friend. Don't pretend everything is sunshine and lollipops when it's not.”

“One reason I've enjoyed spending so much time with you lately is because you take my mind off what's looming over the horizon. But it's getting harder to ignore those dark clouds.” Fluttershy took a deep breath as the suffocating reality gripped her chest. “How do I even explain this? Think of the weather like a rubber band. The more we work against nature with our magic, the more the band stretches, and the more wingpower we have to summon to get what we want. We'll keep pushing the system further and further until it hits the breaking point and snaps. And when that happens… It's over. Our control. Our way of life. Gone.”

Pinkie braced herself against the fence post and sank to the grass. “Holy cinnamon buns. Is it too late for that tea?”

“See why I wasn't eager to share the good news?”

A battle waged across Pinkie's face as she confronted this frightening new world. “No way. You're smart, Flutterpal, but that can't be right. Ponies have been controlling the weather for ages.”

“Right, but our modern weather projects surpass all previous efforts in sheer scale. The amount of magic we're pouring into the system isn't sustainable. And I can't prove this, but I suspect the old kingdoms weren't blanketed by snow and ice because of Windigos, but because they mismanaged their climate system.”

“Whoa. They definitely don't put that part in the plays.”

“You think that's bad? I'm just getting started. Do you want me to describe what happens when Equestria's topsoil blows away in a dust storm? Or what happens when ponies migrate by the millions searching for dwindling resources? We've built a pyre under our hooves, and now we're playing with matches.”

“At least my fireworks won't go to waste.” Pinkie cracked up with nervous laughter that failed to hide her growing dismay. She stood up and trudged closer. “So we can still change, right? It's not too late?”

“I… I don't know.” Fluttershy struggled to meet her friend's hopeful gaze, so instead she glanced toward the shaded woods and let the melodies of the songbirds rouse pleasant memories. “Sometimes when the stress is too much, I wander through the forest and listen to nature's music. When your mind clears, you can ponder the vast expanse of time and the untold aeons before our birth. Just as there was a time before birds and frogs, someday there will be a time after ponies.”

Pinkie stepped back and pinned her ears. “You sound like you've already given up. I refuse to believe we'll let things get that bad!”

“Well, you asked. The good news is the worst effects won't happen in our lifetime. Probably.”

Pinkie looked up with sudden confidence. “Explain all this to Twilight. She'll figure something out.”

“I did. She called my research speculation. She said the problem is too far in the future and my solutions were too extreme. You should've heard her grand speech, her ode to inaction, how she described Equestrian society as this delicate balance of interlinked systems and how we can't disrupt one without harming another, as if that didn't apply even more to the environment.”

“That's disappointing.”

“But not surprising. The princesses were always dedicated to preserving the status quo.”

“Maybe we could—”

“I also sent letters to the Royal Weather Institute. They told me to go pound sand, in polite academic jargon of course. They think any future weather anomalies can be mitigated with more advanced magic.” Fluttershy pointed toward Canterlot, the golden city that glittered in the sunlight. “There's a lot of powerful interests arrayed against us.”

Pinkie mulled that over. “So it's up to us regular ponies.”

“This is way beyond bake sales and charity concerts. This would take—well, let's just say it. We'd have to reorganize Equestrian society from the bottom up. Doesn't seem likely.”

Pinkie paced in a meandering path across the yard while her face pinched with concentration. “When I was little, my Nana Pie said the schools taught history all wrong. She said countless normal ponies do all the work, make all the real progress, and then a few famous ponies hog all the credit.” Pinkie spun on her hooves and faced Fluttershy with conviction. “Are you gonna tell me my Nana Pie was out to lunch?”

“She sounds like a wise mare, but where would we even start?”

“You got it. We start something. A movement. A campaign. A party?”

“I suppose with the proper organizing anything is possible.”

Pinkie bounced across the yard and glomped onto Fluttershy's side, almost bowling her over. “That's the spirit!”

Pinkie's tight hug and infectious optimism pushed down Fluttershy's fears, replacing them with a rush of bewildering desires, desires that only grew more intense as Fluttershy inhaled the mix of sweat and strawberry shampoo from Pinkie's mane.

Pinkie relented and gave a soft pat to Fluttershy's shoulder. “You've given me oodles to think about, but I should really get going. See ya around!” After they waved goodbye, Pinkie hiked down the long dusty trail back to Ponyville, and once again Fluttershy found herself on the boundary between civilization and the wild green yonder.

Alone.

Sweet Confessions

Cheerful ukulele music drifted down the staircase as Fluttershy ascended to the Sugar Cube Corner loft. “Pinkie, I'm coming up. Don't let me scare you.”

The music stopped and the licorice lined room sat empty.

“Pinkie? Where did you go?”

The late afternoon sun filtered through multiple windows in the vaulted ceiling and cast Pinkie's candy themed bedroom in an orange glow. Abandoned musical instruments littered the long central table, as well as sheet music and piles of documents and maps. Fluttershy greeted Pinkie's pet alligator Gummy, who waddled across the red tablecloth and gnawed the tuba's mouthpiece.

A sheet of paper on the nearest chair displayed a message written in pink marker: “Look out behind you!”

Fluttershy whirled around and came face to face with a platypus doll tied to a balloon. She backed up into the table and something grabbed her leg and she yelped and bolted into the air. The tablecloth lifted and Pinkie emerged with a sheepish grin. “You gotta watch out for those pesky table monsters.”

Nervous laughter escaped Fluttershy as she floated back to the floor. “I'm not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Nah. Just practicing my one mare band routine. Wanna take a load off?”

Fluttershy unhooked her saddlebags, placed them on the table, and pulled out her presents. “Here's a jar of glitter and some bows I thought might look pretty on you.”

Pinkie hoisted the silver glitter into the sunlight. “Oooh, extra sparkly.”

“That's made from plants instead of plastic, so it's biodegradable and non-toxic.”

“Neato! Thanks for saving me a trip to the store, but you didn't have to bring anything. I'm just glad you showed up.”

Fluttershy poked at the ukulele resting on the table. “So what did you have planned?”

“I dunno. Whatever tickles your fancy I guess.” Pinkie hummed a lively tune as she arranged several of the blue bows in her mane and checked them out in the mirror on her bedside bureau. “We could go hiking and bird watching. Or we could chill at the lake, swim a little, relax on the beach, the usual stuff. Whaddya say?”

A bouquet of balloons floated above Pinkie's bed, anchored to the headboard with string, and in their colorful shadows stretched a teal blanket adorned with alternating heart and candy patterns. Pinkie turned and followed Fluttershy's gaze, and then a suggestive smile spread across Pinkie's muzzle. “Or we could stay inside and find something else to do. Something even more relaxing.”

Fluttershy's knees weakened and she sank into the nearest chair. “Is this a mistake? I don't want to hurt our friendship, but I can't stop thinking about the other day.”

Pinkie crossed the room with gentle strides and placed her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. Those big blue eyes made her feel like everything would be okay no matter what. Pinkie drifted closer, gauging Fluttershy's reaction, and they both leaned into a tender kiss. Pinkie's lips were soft and inviting and tasted like cinnamon and blueberries and whatever else she sampled from the bakery that afternoon. The same spark from two days ago warmed Fluttershy's chest, and she melted back into the chair like she was made of taffy.

Pinkie broke away and Fluttershy let out a little moan of disappointment. “Did that feel like a mistake?” Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy whimpered. “No. Maybe. I don't know! Ever since I came to Ponyville, I've been searching for something just beyond my grasp, but I have no idea what I'm doing.”

Pinkie's gaze fell to the confetti strewn floor. “Welcome to the party.”

“What? I've been embarrassed this whole time because you're younger than me and have everything figured out. I mean, you seem so comfortable being, well, you.”

Pinkie dropped back onto her haunches and chuckled. “The only thing I've figured out is we get one spin on this crazy merry-go-round we call life, so you may as well have some fun before the ride ends.” Pinkie sat on the edge of her bed and patted the sheets. “Maybe we can figure something out together.”

For so long Fluttershy had been wandering through a dark woods, and now Pinkie revealed a new path. The stairs to the lobby beckoned as an escape to her old life, a miserable yet predictable routine, while Pinkie offered the terrifying possibility of change.

“What about the future?” Fluttershy muttered. “We're heading toward a nightmare.”

“We can't let tomorrow stop us from living today.”

If Fluttershy didn't seize this opportunity she would never forgive herself. She staggered across the room on shaky legs and joined her friend. The mattress sank with their combined weight as Pinkie pulled her into an accepting embrace. Pinkie set aside the bubbly mare obsessed with party cannons and streamers and exploding pranks and revealed the wistful mare underneath who once farmed rocks in a dusty field. For the longest time they shared cautious kisses while rubbing each other's sides. Pinkie's pleasantly plump figure was so alluring, and whenever they smooshed together their soft coats intermingled with a satisfying frizz.

A warm tension bloomed inside Fluttershy, and she whimpered like a pathetic mare who didn't know what she was doing. Pinkie pulled her close. “You can talk to me about anything. I'll never judge you, and I keep secrets no matter what. Pinkie promise.”

Fluttershy confessed something she never dreamed of sharing with her coltfriends. “I've been confused for such a long time. About what I want. About sex.” Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut and trembled. “I hate my gangly body, and I hate what's under my tail!”

Pinkie enveloped her in a deep hug and caressed the back of her shoulders. “Shhh, everything will be okay. Just do me a super special favor and never, ever say you hate part of yourself. I wouldn't let another pony insult you, and I won't let you either.” Fluttershy somehow always forgot Pinkie was an earth pony, and that strength hiding underneath the surface provided a welcome comfort. Pinkie ran her hoof along the side of Fluttershy's face and cradled her chin. “You're a silly goose, you know that? You're so much prettier than I could ever be. But that's not why I like you.” Pinkie kissed her on the forehead and brushed a hoof through her long mane.

“I like you too,” Fluttershy said, her face warming. “But I've never been with a mare before. I might need your, um… guidance?”

“Sure thing. Just think of me as your training wheels. And this might not be breaking news, but I've been around the block a few times. I've partied with stallions and mares, sometimes at the same time. Does that bother you?”

“Not at all. I wouldn't begrudge another mare her inner flame. But was it always there, or did you have to find it?”

Pinkie rolled onto her back and stared at the spacious ceiling. “Funny thing about flames—you might end up hurting yourself. Or someone else.” A distant memory crossed Pinkie's eyes as she rubbed nervous circles into the mattress. “My parents were super strict. They told my sisters and me to avoid sins of the flesh. They said we should save ourselves until we married a stallion who had done the same. They wanted me to stay on the farm and help, but that wasn't for me, so I left and looked for my place in the world. I've always had this nagging guilt I abandoned them. That I was selfish.”

Fluttershy played with the tuft of fur on Pinkie's chest. “If you stayed on that farm the world would be so much gloomier. And even worse, we wouldn't have met.”

Pinkie held Fluttershy's hoof and took a deep breath. “My drive was always super strong, and I didn't know how to deal with it when I left all the old rules behind. I was confused like you, but I went too far in the other direction and put my faith in ponies I shouldn't have. Right now I don't want to make some huge commitment for life or anything like that, but I want to be with someone I can trust. Someone like you.”

Fluttershy's heart pounded against her chest. Her mouth opened for a moment before she managed the words. “I… I like the sound of that. A lot.”

“I know being with me is embarrassing—”

“Not true.”

“Aww, you're sweeter than rock candy, but I would feel awful if I hurt your reputation. Let's be secret marefriends for now. This can be our own little game.” Pinkie trailed her hoof down Fluttershy's side and lingered at the swell of her hip. “Is this okay?”

Fluttershy lost herself in Pinkie's soothing eyes and nodded.

“Funny,” Pinkie said, admiring Fluttershy's cutie mark. “Butterflies and balloons. Do we fly where we want, or only where the wind takes us?”

“I'll go wherever you take me.”

They pressed together with an unsteady awkwardness as they angled their muzzles the wrong way for a proper kiss, mirroring each other's mistakes and giggling as they bumped noses. Pinkie's hooves glided over Fluttershy's curves, massaged her rump, and stoked the wonderful warmth under her tail. Fluttershy shivered while Pinkie kneaded her soft cheeks and enveloped her in a secure hug. Maybe Pinkie had regrets and bitter memories, but she was resilient and loving and so at ease with her own desires.

“I wish,” Fluttershy said with some difficulty, “I wish I could borrow a speck of your confidence and keep it in my saddlebag like a magic charm.”

“Do you have problems with your fire? Do you wish it were stronger?”

“Not exactly. But it always made me uncomfortable, like sex was something imposed on me, like my desires weren't my own.”

Pinkie loosened her grip. “Am I imposing?”

“No, no, I mean—it's like I've never had space to breathe. When I dated stallions I wanted them—or I thought I did—but apparently we were sailing on different air currents, because they pressured me into moving faster than I wanted. And I gave in to them, which was a mistake, I know, but I wanted to get over my issues and be like other mares. But that never worked. Even when it felt kinda good it never clicked. For a long time I thought sex just wasn't for me, but then you kissed me with the softness of a cloud and I knew there was a different way. A gentler way.”

Pinkie leaned on her elbow. “If I ever do anything you don't like tell me to buzz off. I'm a big gal. I can take it.”

Fluttershy fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. “But how do I know what I want?”

“Hmmm. Sex can be a puzzle. Maybe the most complicated puzzle there is.” Pinkie crawled down and traced her hoof along Fluttershy's side and toward the base of her tail. “And sometimes it's as simple as a dimple.”

Fluttershy backed away. “Not yet.”

“Okey dokey. Take all the time you need.” A flirty smile played across Pinkie's face. “I have an idea! Scary, I know. Instead of touching each other, we could touch ourselves for each other. Like show and tell. Whaddya think?”

Fluttershy bit her lip as the warmth under her tail throbbed from the perverted suggestion. Somehow that almost sounded reasonable. She nodded.

Pinkie sat up against the pastel pillows with a grin and spread her legs. “Do you know why I love playing with myself? I always win.” Fluttershy covered her mouth and giggled. If sex was something to joke about then maybe it wasn't so serious and frightening. Fluttershy parted her legs just enough to slide her hoof down there, so she wouldn't expose herself too much. They both worked their hooves in tiny circles while hesitantly meeting each other's eyes before darting elsewhere. They gazed up dreamily at the inner dome of the Sugar Cube Corner loft while slick noises filled the air.

Fluttershy let slip a timid moan despite herself, and Pinkie grinned and added her own lusty murmurs. “We're just two mares strumming our clitars and making beautiful music together. Nothing to worry about.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Clitar?”

“You know, like a guitar and your—”

“Right. Gotcha.” Fluttershy tried her best to match Pinkie's rhythm, moaning a little louder as she stroked her heavy hood, enjoying the tingly rush that rose through her body like a warm updraft in the sky. She was surprisingly comfortable with the idea of touching herself in front of Pinkie. “This is so weird,” Fluttershy muttered. “For the longest time I was almost afraid of you, and now—”

Pinkie flinched as if she were wounded. “Afraid?”

“Or maybe, um… intimidated? I'm talking about years ago, back when I first settled in Ponyville. You had lots of friends and so many inside jokes. I thought if our paths crossed I'd embarrass myself, or you'd prank me and make me look foolish. But I feel safe with you now.”

“I know I've made you uncomfortable before,” Pinkie said with a downward glance, “and I'm super sorry. I hope I can make up for that.”

Fluttershy laughed it off. “Not a big deal. That was my fault for being so… me.”

Pinkie reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “Never apologize for being your sweet sensitive self.”

“Sorry. Uh, I mean… thanks.”

Due to their side facing arrangement, Fluttershy couldn't see much between Pinkie's legs, just her hoof moving against the summit of her darkened folds. “I'm not so sweet,” Fluttershy said. “Do you know what I did the other day after you left? I galloped into my room and played with myself.”

Pinkie gasped with feigned concern and a hint of pleasure. “That's a one way ticket to Tartarus for sure. Celestia will chain you next to Tirek and you'll have to play fetch with Cerberus until you stop being such a naughty mare.”

“I would break easy. I'll tell them you corrupted me with tickles and dirty puns. Maybe we could share a cell.”

“Mmmm… I hope you don't want me to confess all my sins too or we might be here awhile. So what did ya think about when you were polishing your diamond?”

A terrible heat inflamed Fluttershy's cheeks. “You. I thought about you kissing me. We spread our legs together, and then I, um, you showed me—”

Pinkie rolled her head and gasped with delight as she parted her thighs further. “Look all you want.” Pinkie's busy hoof and wide thighs obscured her marehood, but Fluttershy craned her neck and caught a glimpse of her dream stretching with shiny wetness. Pinkie shifted closer and panted into the frilly pillow. Instead of growing louder and crazier, Pinkie's desperate moans fell to a simmering silence. She spoke just above a whisper. “I'm so close. Soooo close.” Pinkie's hoof blurred and she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow as she humped the mattress. “Mmm! Mmmfff!” Shivers danced through her body and jiggled her plump bottom while her poofy tail swished and jerked across the sheets before falling motionless.

Pinkie breathed hard and shared a weak smile burdened by their mutual uncertainty. Fluttershy had no idea what to say or where to look. “Um… Good job? I guess you enjoyed yourself? For some reason I thought you'd be noisier.”

“I grew up in a little bitty house with three sisters, so silence was a virtue, at least when I was ringing the devil's doorbell.”

Self-consciousness crept across Fluttershy like tiny pinpricks as she realized Pinkie wasn't touching herself anymore and instead watched with anticipation, like this was a performance. Fluttershy's breathing went haywire when Pinkie noticed the gross sticky stuff clinging to her hoof.

“Oops! Sorry!” Pinkie covered her eyes. “I liked how you looked at me when I had mine, so I thought—”

“You're fine,” Fluttershy said, trying to regain her composure. “But I've never done this in front of another pony.”

“Not even your coltfriends?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath while she rested her messy hoof against her belly. “Never. They usually just wanted to put their thing in as soon as possible, even if they pretended to be interested in other, um, activities. But they never suggested this.”

“That's too bad.” Pinkie scooted closer and rested along her side. “Earlier you said you hated what's under your tail. Why?”

Fluttershy's throat scratched as the truth crawled out. “Because my kitty is ugly and dirty. And it smells awful.”

“You're not supposed to smell with it, silly.”

Fluttershy looked away and huffed. She knew Pinkie's heart was in the right place, but this wasn't the best time.

“Sorry, but you kinda walked into that one.” Pinkie brushed her billowy tail across Fluttershy's leg and tickled her. “Do you think it's strange we're dirty and shameful down there, but we're supposed to save them for someone we love? Isn't that loco in the coco?”

“I know most mares don't have these problems. I hear them talking about their… you know… exploits.”

“Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Your sexuality is unique and precious and a special gift.”

“You almost make it sound noble.”

“Those tricky Fates did their best to discourage our natural desires, but here we are. They can't hold us back forever. If you're ready, I'd love to see your butterfly grove.”

Fluttershy groaned. “You'll tell me I'm beautiful and sexy no matter how ugly I am.”

“Now there's a tragedy.” Pinkie scooched closer and whispered. “I don't care what's between your legs, as long as you have a kind heart.”

The setting sun bathed them with an orange radiance that would leave nothing to the imagination. “I'm used to doing this in the dark,” Fluttershy said, “but I guess there's no point hiding anymore.” She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. “Okay. I'll show you everything.” Pinkie migrated down the bed and waited on her haunches. A tentative resolve filled Fluttershy's chest. Pinkie had seen plenty of other mares so this was no big deal. That's what Fluttershy wanted to believe. Needed to believe. Fluttershy swept her long tail to the side and parted her thighs until her most private parts spread with them.

Pinkie cooed and her face lit up. “You have such a pretty pink puss—I mean kitty. A pretty pink kitty.”

Fluttershy shrank back into herself. “It's misshapen. My lips are fat and funny looking. And my button sticks out too much.”

“Mares come in all shapes and sizes, and you look splenderific. Gosh, after all that hype I was expecting claws and glowing eyes.”

Fluttershy wrapped herself with the blanket and let out a nervous laugh. “It's been awhile. Who knows, right?”

Pinkie relaxed on her side and showed off her big round bottom without a hint of shame. She lifted her bushy tail and Fluttershy's mind went blank. Enormous labia the color of dark bubblegum glistened in the soft sunlight falling between Pinkie's thighs. Staring at another mare's private parts in public was rude and frowned upon, but the occasional glance was inevitable when stiff breezes swept tails aside and revealed what seemed like modest folds. Maybe when mares got excited they plumped out more than Fluttershy thought. Pinkie spent so much time leaping through the air that Fluttershy had grown accustomed to her bulging bits, but they were never this puffy and pronounced.

Out of nowhere Pinkie grabbed a pair of googly eyes and attached them to her labia so her nether region looked like a malformed face. She spread her butt cheeks and her marehood opened like a mouth. “Rawr! I'm hungry! FEED ME!”

Fluttershy covered her mouth in shock.

Pinkie played with herself like a puppet. “Hydras and manticores are wannabes. I'm the real monster! NOTHING CAN TAME ME!”

This was the strangest thing Pinkie had ever done, and that's saying something.

“Hey, it's not my fault. All my friends are dicks!”

Fluttershy squealed with laughter and shielded her reddening face. Pinkie climbed up the bed and snuggled alongside her until she calmed down. “There's a reason they call it bumping uglies and not bumping pretties,” Pinkie said. “But if you ask me, you're beautiful all over.”

Fluttershy's ears wilted as she glanced between her thighs. “The smell. You don't mind how it smells?”

Pinkie's nostrils flared as she took a deep breath. “Mmmm… You smell like a warm spring breeze across a field of roses.”

“Really?”

Pinkie booped her nose. “Nah! You smell like a vajayjay. Big surprise, right? Listen, I like what you have down there, and I like you, but I guess you won't believe me unless…”

Fluttershy gasped as Pinkie crawled down and kissed her crazy hard on the neck. “Whoa! Don't give me a hickey.”

Pinkie giggled as she traveled down her chest. “Oh yeah, we wouldn't anyone to know about your secret marefriend.”

Did mare hickeys look different than stallion hickeys? There was no time to ponder such mysteries. Sweet kisses and nibbles blanketed Fluttershy's belly as Pinkie glided down further until her playful tongue found Fluttershy's stiff nipples. A soft trembling moan escaped Fluttershy's lips as Pinkie tugged her tingling nubs and wet them between her lips. Pinkie brushed her tongue against Fluttershy's sensitive swells and left them covered with warm saliva, and then Pinkie blew hot breath across the damp skin and waves of goosebumps spread across her tender flesh. Fluttershy shivered as a powerful erotic heat blossomed between her spreading thighs.

Pinkie settled down below. “We're gonna have fun, okay? This doesn't have to be super serious.”

“W-What do you mean?”

Pinkie squeezed and stroked Fluttershy's rump while searching for the right words. “The whole orgasm thing, ya know? It's always waiting in the shadows like an awkward surprise party. If they happen, cool, and if they're not in the cards, that's cool too. The real reward is being close with each other.”

“That sounds like really good advice… and reverse psychology.”

“Uh-oh, you're on to me. But seriously! Think of this more like a modest celebration. We're two friends sharing a lazy evening, okay?” Pinkie kissed the back of Fluttershy's knee while rubbing up and down her leg. “Here's some more advice, might sound silly, but it helped me bunches. You're afraid of being dirty and perverted, right? Afraid of your inner judgment? The shame?”

Fluttershy murmured in appreciation from Pinkie's marvelous massage. “Maybe. Sometimes. I don't know.”

“Use that shame instead of letting it weigh you down. Smile when you think of yourself as a dirty mare. Prance as a proud pervert!”

“Um… I don't know about that.”

Pinkie drew Fluttershy's legs together and gyrated them in slow circles like a big stirring spoon. “Not in public, silly, but behind closed doors. That's when you're a naughty mare and it's okay.”

Fluttershy averted her gaze to the candy blanket. “I'll think about it.”

“Exactly. It's a new way of thinking, and it might make all the difference. Spread your legs for me again?”

That's definitely something a naughty mare would do. Her thighs stuck together a little as she parted them and shared the source of her anxieties. Pinkie locked her lips to the inside of Fluttershy's right knee and eased down while dragging her soft lips against Fluttershy's increasingly sensitive inner thigh, drawing closer and closer to her pulsing heat. Fluttershy tensed with misgivings, from the possibility that Pinkie would be disgusted by the grotesque mess down there, hardly better than the filthy swamp they visited two days ago. But instead Pinkie cast a seductive glance and blew a playful kiss. Pinkie hovered her muzzle over Fluttershy's most private place and inhaled with the same satisfaction as when she smelled freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Pinkie licked her lips and descended with a lustful gleam in her eyes, lower and lower…

And skipped across the gap to Fluttershy's left leg.

Fluttershy groaned from the tantalizing tease, and Pinkie swallowed a giggle as she sucked the plump skin of Fluttershy's left thigh. “That was a death defying leap over the dreaded jelly canyon,” Pinkie said with a wink and a sly smirk. “Maybe the next expedition won't be so lucky.” Pinkie reached down and massaged Fluttershy's squishy rump, making her wiggle her hips and flounce her tail. Tender kisses worked down Fluttershy's leg before Pinkie stuck out her sizable tongue and dragged it across Fluttershy's inner leg crease and toward the rim of her aching wetness. Pinkie was about to cross that wonderful boundary when she lifted and hopped back to the right side. “That was a close one, folks. Don't try this at home.”

Fluttershy struggled against the bed and moaned in frustration. Her thick button winked into the world in an obscene display, and a ticklish bead of lust rolled down her butt and onto the mattress.

Pinkie returned to kissing her right leg. “Gosh, Flutterpal, are you trying to tell me something? Use your words.”

“I'm ready for you to touch my… my… you know.”

“Your kitty?”

Fluttershy nodded through a horrible blush. The blinds on the nearest window were closed, but a nosy pegasus could fly up and press their face against the glass and peek between the slats. The voyeur would catch Fluttershy in this outrageously lewd position, and no excuse in the world could explain why Pinkie was camped out between her open legs. Maybe the peeping pony would be the friendly mare from the market who sold artichokes, maybe she would spread gossip about how Fluttershy was a mare loving pervert, maybe everyone in town would find out and give her strange looks when she went to buy vegetables, maybe—

Pinkie giggled into her thigh. “Your secret pearl popped out again. You're a naughty little mare thinking dirty thoughts, aren't you?”

“M-Maybe.”

Pinkie drifted down and planted a big wet smooch on Fluttershy's upturned rear end. “Here's the secret to being random: If you don't know what you're doing, nobody else will either.” Pinkie looped her forelegs under Fluttershy's bottom, held onto her hips, and circled her eager tongue around Fluttershy's marehood in a maddening path, zigging here, zagging there, spiraling around in shorter and shorter trails, but never quite reaching the place Fluttershy needed attention more than anywhere else. Fluttershy lifted her butt in the vain hope of pressing against Pinkie's face, but Pinkie held her firm against the mattress.

Pinkie peered over the curve of Fluttershy's belly with a seductive admiration before she swept her nimble tongue along the edge of Fluttershy's engorged nether lips. With exasperating deliberation, Pinkie traced around the edge of Fluttershy's swelling passion until she completed the circle of warm saliva with a kiss. Sweat rolled down Fluttershy's forehead and her button jutted out again, yearning desperately to be touched before retreating from the cold air. “P-Please lick me in that dirty place. Do you want me to say the perverted word everyone else uses?”

“You don't have to say any—”

“My pussy! Pleeease lick my pussy! I can't stand this teasing!”

Pinkie flattened her wide tongue and dragged it across the bottom of Fluttershy's throbbing heat and up along her silky folds in a slow, agonizing massage, inching closer and closer to the peak of her valley, until that wonderful tongue swirled around her love button in a dance of pure pleasure. Fluttershy let out a lusty moan as Pinkie took the sensitive bulb between her lips and massaged it with a warm wet hug before letting it retreat inside.

“Now for the best part of any celebration,” Pinkie said with a twinkle in her eye. “The banquet!” Pinkie planted her lips around Fluttershy's aching entrance, slipped her tongue inside, and rolled it against her opening, pulling another moan from Fluttershy's throat. Pinkie glossed her lips with the shiny juices that poured from Fluttershy's naughty place, and then, without breaking eye contact, Pinkie blotted her lips like she was applying chapstick. A warm confidence filled Fluttershy as Pinkie savored her dirty essence and validated her sexuality with such a brazen display.

Pinkie licked her own hoof until it was slick, rubbed it between Fluttershy's legs, and pressed between her folds. “I don't need a marker to measure you. You're wetter than a slip and slide!” Pinkie admired her gooey hoof, stuck out her tongue, and played with Fluttershy's sticky excitement before swallowing it down. Pinkie imitated a posh accent. “I'm a cunny connoisseur and I do declare! Your cunny honey is super yummy.”

The last of Fluttershy's doubts melted away. She spread her legs and gave Pinkie all the room she needed. Pinkie sank between her quivering thighs and lapped up her dripping slit and flooded her with warm sensual energy. “Mmmm,” Pinkie murmured. “I'm snatching sweet snacks from your sugar shack.” Pinkie massaged Fluttershy's soft mounds while planting loving kisses in her private garden. Once again Fluttershy's big berry popped out like a flower begging to be watered in a drought, and without hesitation Pinkie swept her wet tongue across the sensitive bloom. Fluttershy let out a long delirious moan and unfurled her wings against the mattress.

Pinkie's focus wandered as she licked to and fro between Fluttershy's legs, never quite staying in one spot, just like she always jumped from one topic to another. Fluttershy was starved for this gentle attention, for a nurturing touch from someone who understood her needs, someone who didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. And yet despite finding what she needed, she couldn't manage to meet Pinkie's sultry stare for more than a few moments—the connection was too intense, too intimate. Fluttershy dug her front hooves into the mattress, unsure of what to do with them, suddenly self-conscious again.

Pinkie dipped her tongue deep inside and forced out a long moan that twisted Fluttershy's face into a perverse grimace. “That's even better than a smile,” Pinkie said with a husky flourish. Pinkie opened her mouth wide and wrapped her lips around the crown of Fluttershy's cunny and sucked down hard, so hard she created a vacuum seal that stole the last of Fluttershy's restraint. She bucked from the hot bolts shooting up her spine, but Pinkie steadied her hips and pulled her against the bed. These wild urges weren't like her, but Pinkie wasn't like any of her previous partners either. Some hidden part of Fluttershy loved the way Pinkie took control, how she gripped her cutie marks and held her down with firm pressure. Pinkie's tongue found her desperately winking button and filled her with new confidence.

“Yes, right there, don't stop,” Fluttershy said through ragged breaths. “Pleeease keep licking my clitty!”

Pinkie went above and beyond and sucked Fluttershy's pulsing pearl into her mouth and caressed it between her velvety lips. Fluttershy's eyes rolled back and she trembled from the absurd pleasure pouring into her feeble frame. The leading curl of Pinkie's bow-adorned mane brushed across Fluttershy's stomach and teased between her swaying breasts while Pinkie pressed her face more insistently into Fluttershy's most vulnerable place. While enveloping more and more of Fluttershy into her mouth, Pinkie made increasingly excited murmurs, like she actually enjoyed going down on Fluttershy instead of treating this as something she was supposed to do, like something on a check list. All of Pinkie's little moans sent out rumbling vibrations and heightened her pleasure.

Fluttershy couldn't help but squeeze her thighs around Pinkie's head and pull her even deeper, as if Pinkie of all ponies might pull away and abandon her. Pinkie always made sure Fluttershy wasn't left out in the cold, like when they relaxed by the lake and Pinkie invited her into the water for some splashy fun. Fluttershy was an even worse swimmer than she was a flier and had to wear a life jacket to tread water with her wispy body. Pinkie's chubbier build let her float along without a care in the world, yet she always stayed by Fluttershy's side and helped her swim back to shore.

The balloon bundles drifted above, casting colorful shadows that played across their sweat drenched coats, shifting from red to blue and purple. Pinkie focused her experienced tongue and lips along Fluttershy's needy groove while fondling Fluttershy's nipples in turn, a dizzying combination that drove her crazy. Fluttershy tossed her head across the pillow while a wonderful glowing warmth throbbed just beneath the surface.

“Almost there,” Fluttershy said as her tail swished under Pinkie's chin. “K-Keep it steady. Don't do anything weird. Just… keep… ahhh…”

Coherent thought evaporated into thin air like dandelion fluff in the summer breeze. The only thing that mattered was Pinkie's tongue massaging the bottom of her clit, the bottom of her world. Pinkie took Fluttershy into her mouth with confidence and set her nerves ablaze. Fluttershy wiggled her butt and strained against the bed as the flames of her lust roared higher and higher in an out of control inferno.

Pinkie couldn't hold back her enthusiasm and moaned into the slick heat between Fluttershy's quaking thighs, and the sudden vibrations pushed Fluttershy over the edge into a churning river of erotic energy. Fluttershy stiffened and gasped and squeezed her eyes tight as her pussy rippled in wave after wave of hot ecstasy, and through it all Pinkie clutched her bucking hips and swirled her tongue with abandon across her throbbing clit. Fluttershy needed to be guided through these turbulent waters, guided to the shore of long forgotten pleasures, and Pinkie was there to show her the way.

Louder and louder moans escaped Fluttershy's throat while her wings flapped and trembled and her tail whipped across the sheets beyond her control. The peak of Fluttershy's passion rendered her utterly helpless, but she trusted Pinkie even in her most vulnerable moment. Fluttershy surrendered to the wild clenching joy while her worries dissolved under Pinkie's relentless tongue.

The sweeping erotic tides consumed what was once a raging firestorm and left nothing but embers. Fluttershy sank back before one last tremor seized her. “N-No more. Too much!”

Pinkie's mouth and chin glistened as she traveled up the bed and comforted Fluttershy with a soothing embrace. Fluttershy's chest strained as she breathed thick air saturated with their sweat and arousal. A long silence passed while Pinkie let Fluttershy recover, giving her a gentle massage along her side. Fluttershy reached out and played with the curly tip of Pinkie's mane, and they drew close and met in a giggling kiss. The sticky residue of Fluttershy's desire still smeared Pinkie's lips and soon coated Fluttershy's tongue with a pungent glaze. As they gently moaned into each other, Fluttershy wasn't sure what to think about her own taste invading her mouth, finding it off-putting and embarrassing, but it also inspired a strange pride.

Pinkie took Fluttershy's ear in her mouth with a playful nibble. “See? I told you we'd find something relaxing to do.”

“All this relaxing sure is exhausting.”

Pinkie dragged her lips down Fluttershy's cheek and across her muzzle. “What's the matter, Shy? You need more mouth-to-mouth?”

“You're silly. And amazing. I didn't… I didn't know I needed that so bad.”

Pinkie placed her hoof over Fluttershy's chest. “You don't have to be afraid of your own heart anymore.”

A healing serenity passed through Fluttershy's restless mind and calmed her nerves. They snuggled close and made out like it was second nature. Pinkie's lips were a dream.

“Sorry if I didn't go far enough,” Pinkie said between kisses. “I wasn't sure if you needed your G-Spot rubbed too. I should've asked what you liked, but I kinda got carried away, and you seemed happy enough, so…”

The G-Spot wasn't something Fluttershy knew much about. Every once in awhile she overheard that word from other mares discussing their sex lives. She imagined that's what her romance books meant when they referred to a mare's “hot spot,” but she wasn't sure what any of that meant, and she was too embarrassed to expose her ignorance about something that seemed so basic. Fluttershy murmured sweet nothings as they nuzzled each other's cheeks, letting the issue slide.

Pinkie snaked a hoof between her own thighs and played with herself while they squeezed together.

“Do you want some help down there?”

“You don't have to do anything. Just lay back.” Pinkie opened the nightstand drawer, pulled out a little tube, and squeezed out a dollop of cool gel across the top of Fluttershy's thigh. “The wetter the better, right?” Pinkie climbed up, straddled the pool of lube, and sank down with supreme satisfaction, making a noise like mares in the spa when they slip into the hot water. As Pinkie wiggled up Fluttershy's leg she sang a silly song: “One, two, three, four, I declare a pussy war!” Pinkie's plump inner thighs squeezed around Fluttershy's leg while a sweltering heat poured from the center.

“Is this how mares, um, you know, make love?”

“Sometimes. There's so many fun ways for mares to share their feelings with each other.”

“I'm still a little confused,” Fluttershy confessed. “I thought I liked stallions, but I love being with you even more, so what does that mean? Am I a lesbian? Bi? Something else?”

“Don't worry about labels. Just be you.” Pinkie clamped her thighs hard around Fluttershy's leg and grinned. “Labels trap you in a box.”

Fluttershy never imagined she'd be taking so much sex advice from Pinkie of all ponies. “How did you learn all this stuff?”

“When you make a million mistakes you're bound to figure something out. Even if it's by accident.”

While Pinkie sought her own pleasure with a gentle rocking motion, Fluttershy allowed herself to admire Pinkie's soft curves and wide hips. Pinkie's physique was a peculiar combination of pudgy and fit. She ate a ton of candy and pastries, but she was always galloping and jumping all over the place, not to mention playing games in the park until she was the last one standing. Freed from old constraints in the wake of her first lesbian experience, Fluttershy had to admit she enjoyed watching Pinkie's feminine figure bounce and jiggle while her messy mane tumbled down her shoulders. Pinkie kept grinding against Fluttershy, letting out a series of hushed moans from the increasing pressure.

One of the bright red balloons tied to the headboard soared into view as Pinkie playfully rubbed it against Fluttershy's mane. Long pink strands of Fluttershy's hair lifted from the static cling, and Pinkie snickered while she gathered them with the balloon like cotton candy. The balloon left a faint rubbery scent as Pinkie brushed it down Fluttershy's chest and across her belly. The growing energy sparked and zapped into Fluttershy's nipples. She recoiled and yelped from the sudden jolt.

Pinkie let out a couple giggles despite herself. “Whoops! Sorry.”

Fluttershy laughed too as she wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie's ample bottom. “I was nervous about all sorts of things before I came over here, but I didn't expect surprise balloon attacks.”

The springs of the mattress squeaked as Pinkie increased her tempo. “Sex is actually pretty silly, don't ya think? We rub these goofy bits between our legs, and then we yell and have seizures. If we can't laugh at that, we're lost.”

“It's silly when you put it like that, but this means something, right?”

“Of course it does, but that just makes it even sillier.” She gazed down and giggled at her bouncing teats. “See what I mean? How can this be serious when my boobies are breakdancing?” Pinkie wiggled to the top of Fluttershy's thigh and smeared a sticky path along the way. She leaned in close and whispered. “This means something because it's with you. No matter what happens we'll always be friends, right?”

“I hope so.”

Pinkie tensed and lost her rhythm. She fell forward and cried out in desperation as she humped back against the air. “Push into me. Please!”

Fluttershy did her best to steady Pinkie's powerful hips before raising her thigh and sliding against Pinkie's intimate folds. Fluttershy was rewarded with more of Pinkie's sugary sweet moans. A strange expression crossed Pinkie's face, as if she wanted to say something but held back, and her moans turned into whimpers.

“Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Am I doing something wrong?”

Furrows crept across Pinkie's damp forehead. “Couldn't be better. You just feel so good is all. This is even funner than riding a pogo stick.” Pinkie blinked and her eyes glistened. The faster she rocked her hips the faster she talked. “Maybe I know a lot of ponies, but they're not really my friends. I remember their names and birthdays, but nothing else that matters. I gather them like party favors and pretend to forget them when they're inconvenient, but I won't ever forget you.”

“Pinkie, you don't have to—”

“Please. I need to get this off my chest. I need you to understand. All that carefree sex I had—I won't lie and say it wasn't fun. But after awhile it left me feeling… empty. So I slept around even more to fill that void. I fooled myself into thinking I was happy, and whenever I had doubts I told myself I was making everyone else happy. But there was never a foundation. It's like I was falling and couldn't stop. But you caught me and told me about birds and lichen and nature and how we have to protect it. You gave me a soft landing. You're a lifesaver.”

“Wow… I don't know what to—”

Pinkie winced and glanced away. “I can't believe I was stupid enough to say all that. I must sound so pathetic and clingy.”

Fluttershy rested her hooves along Pinkie's hips. “I'm glad you told me how you feel. Isn't this the whole point of being marefriends? Just tell me what you need.”

“Kiss me and don't stop.”

Their lips found each other with renewed passion. An immense heat radiated from Pinkie's marehood and filled the air with a tantalizing fragrance, reminiscent of a damp forest mixed with gumdrops.

Pinkie threw her head back. “I'm gonna pop like a fizzy drink! Oooh!” Pinkie went rigid from ears to tail before she collapsed against Fluttershy's chest and shook like the victims from her joy buzzer pranks. “Harder, harder,” she begged. Fluttershy mashed her slippery thigh against Pinkie's throbbing pussy while warm syrup cascaded down her leg and dripped onto the sheets. “Mmmm. Now that's how you party.” Pinkie went slack and draped her weight across Fluttershy like a warm fuzzy blanket. The air sparkled with possibilities as Pinkie dipped her head under Fluttershy's chin and caught her breath. They had just crossed a threshold veiled by balloons and bittersweet memories, and their relationship could never be the same again. Fluttershy ran her hoof through Pinkie's unruly mane and rubbed behind her ear, making her back hoof waggle. No one was cuter than a tuckered out Pinkie Pie.

The mattress rebounded as Pinkie rolled over and let out a long satisfied sigh. “You did a fantabulous job riding out with me. There's some towels in the closet if you want. I'd fetch one for you, but I'd probably fall on my face.”

Fluttershy didn't mind the melted bliss sticking to her thigh, and she couldn't imagine leaving her exhausted lover's side. “Maybe I taught you about nature, but you know way more about sex stuff than I do, even about my own body. It's like I have to learn all over again.”

“Everything will be different than before. Two mares have a different energy, ya know?”

“I think it's more than that. We approach life from different directions, but we're looking for the same thing, right?”

Pinkie pulled Fluttershy close and their legs intertwined as they cuddled. “Maybe we found something. Maybe we didn't. Let's enjoy this while it lasts.”

The room's orange haze drifted into a reddish pink before surrendering to the shadows. The evening's first stars glittered in the fading light, a warning to ponies that all manner of beasts prowled just beyond the edge of their fragile civilization. Fluttershy sat up and stretched, surprised that so much time had passed already. She sauntered to the long table and found a seat. “What's with all these maps?”

“I've been planning my next party schedule.”

“You're leaving Ponyville?”

Pinkie crossed the room and rubbed Fluttershy's shoulders from behind. “I'm bouncing all over the place. Got some solid gigs coming up.”

Fluttershy rolled her shoulders into Pinkie's massage. “I miss you already.”

“Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me!” Pinkie bent down while Fluttershy leaned back and they locked their lips in a delightful rush. Pinkie broke away and gasped. “Here's a doodle straight from my noodle: I've built a professional party network stretching from here to Griffonstone. We could spread the word and organize a club to discuss Equestria's problems. Maybe schedule meetings and everything.”

“Sounds ambitious.”

Pinkie gestured toward the table. “We could use my arts and craft supplies to make fliers and pamphlets. You in?”

“I doubt anyone will listen, but it's worth a shot.”

“You've traveled all over Equestria and studied this stuff. Ponies will take you seriously.” Pinkie grabbed her ukulele and plopped in the nearby chair and plucked a few notes. “I'm a dummy compared to you, but I know—”

Fluttershy rested her hoof on Pinkie's knee. “You're not dumb. You're clever and have such a vivid imagination. You need to be pretty smart to play all these instruments.”

A big blush spread across Pinkie's cheeks and she glanced away. “Aw shucks, you're making me feel mushy inside. Look, I don't know much about economology or whatever. I know there's trouble brewing on the horizon, and we need a lot of ponies working together to find a fix. So if I can bring everyone together that's a start, right?”

“Organizing might be the hardest part, so your help would be huge.”

“Just make sure we don't ruin Equestria. That's where I keep all my stuff.” Pinkie brushed her tail against Fluttershy's leg. “Plus I heard some pretty cool mares live there.”

They relaxed in the silver moonlight while Pinkie played mellow music on her ukulele. One tune brought back Fluttershy's old childhood memories. “That kinda sounded like Golden Bay. Ever hear that one?”

“Yeppers peppers! Rock farmers and miners sang that all the time. Huh, I didn't figure they'd have that way up in Cloudsdale.”

Fluttershy pressed her hooves together. “After dinner, the weather factory workers would gather in circles outside and sing all kinds of songs. Some of them were pretty crude, but that one always caught my ear.”

They shared a knowing glance. Pinkie played the jaunty tune while Fluttershy stood tall and sang along.

Come on down you sorry dregs
Time to rest those tired old legs
And listen to this bitter truth:
We'll never find the fountain of youth.

We are born from fire, lust, and old cosmic dust
From the mine, the dock, the new shipyard
Another day, another shift, we punch the time card
Spinning in circles with no regard
Until we fall to rust.

So we must—

We must—

We must chance, we must prance, we must dance into the fray
Even if we're made of clay, on that special day, we'll sail away
Sail straight to heaven's bay
What's the going price?
For paradise.

On Harmony's wings we pray
Take us to the golden bay
Where ponies laugh and play
Rainbows reach new highs
And no one ever dies.

While belting out the song, Fluttershy danced halfway across the room without thinking, and after finishing she froze in embarrassment, despite Pinkie being the only witness. Fluttershy wandered back to her chair and clung to it for safety.

Pinkie lowered the ukulele and rubbed her eyes. “Your voice is beautiful. It's like you're drizzling honey in my ears.”

“Um, thanks, but you know what? I don't want to ascend to another world. I'd rather fight for the one we have.”

“And we will. No harm in a little dreaming.”

“There is if ponies surrender to a comforting fantasy. Harmony should be about the here and now.”

Pinkie laid the ukulele on the table and glanced out the window into the starry sky. “Sometimes when life grinds us down, our imagination is all we have left. Isn't a flicker of hope for a new world better than nothing? Besides, I always thought that song was more about um, what do you call it, when we're all in this together but it's not quite Harmony? Um…”

“Friendship?”

“Sorta, but like when ponies work together to improve their lives, and maybe they don't even know each other, but they understand…”

“Solidarity?”

“Yeah! Rock solid-arity!”

Fluttershy couldn't help but succumb to Pinkie's rousing enthusiasm. “Maybe you're right about it being a harmless folk song. I always worry too much.”

“Speaking of worry, it's awfully dark out there. We can do a sleep over if you want. Pajamas and everything.”

Fluttershy pecked Pinkie on the cheek. “Only if we get something to eat. I'm starving.”

Pinkie giggled and rubbed her belly. “I hear ya! I'll rustle up some eggplant quiche. And then we can make a bed fort.” Pinkie hopped down the staircase while Fluttershy leaned back and admired the night sky. She wasn't quite sure what she had gotten into, but the world made more sense than it did yesterday.

The Agitators

Over the next several days, Fluttershy spent most of her free time in Pinkie's loft, and together they created a wealth of consciousness raising material to distribute on Pinkie's party tour. Silver glitter and stickers adorned Pinkie's pamphlets and posters, while Fluttershy organized her eye-catching information into dense lists and charts. Twilight would've been proud—if she wasn't obsessed with technocratic pragmatism.

Fluttershy and Pinkie discussed the interdependence of nature and the great ancestral web that connected all life, from the greatest beasts to the smallest blades of grass. “I guess it's cool all life is related,” Pinkie said. “Even the trees can join our family reunions. But it's spooky how one of my relatives is sitting in my bedroom as a table.”

Pinkie helped Fluttershy come up with the proper messaging. “Don't be too doomy gloomy or they'll give up in despair. Make them believe they can help. Fire up their imagination with a new vision of Equestria.”

“A project greater than themselves. Something to give their lives meaning. A green tomorrow.”

“You got it!”

While brainstorming more ideas, Pinkie stood on her hind legs and played with a blue and yellow hula hoop, swiveling her hips with easy confidence. Fluttershy's attention wandered while Pinkie's curvy physique flexed in an alluring display. Fluttershy averted her gaze when Pinkie caught her.

“You can look if you want,” Pinkie said. “You can be yourself around me.”

Fluttershy cleared her throat and went back to folding paper for another pamphlet. “Do you think I've been nervous around mares because I've always been attracted to them but didn't know? And if I'm attracted to stallions too, well, maybe this explains my anxieties.”

Pinkie slowed her pace and rolled her hypnotic hips in an even more suggestive dance. “You're probably not attracted to every mare, just like you weren't attracted to every stallion. Just the ones who catch your fancy.”

“So it's normal for straight mares to admire another mare's beauty, right? Like her mane? Her dress? Because other mares do that all the time. I wonder if I ever said anything that went too far and made someone realize I was a bit different.”

“Straight mares admire other mares, sure, but they don't daydream about lifting up another mare's skirt.”

“R-Right.”

“Or their tails.”

“Yeah…”

“Relax. Lots of mares party with other mares. It's practically Equestria's pastime. Even mares you think are totally straight? They sneak off for some extracurricular fun when they meet the right gal pal. It just doesn't come up in polite conversation.”

“Didn't you say not to compare myself to others?” Fluttershy asked, forcing a weak smile. “I know you're right, but these feelings are still so confusing.”

Pinkie ceased her spinning and let the hula hoop wobble to the floor. “Let's take a break.”

They played board games while eating banana bread and sipping strawberry smoothies. Pinkie had amassed a mountain of games in her closet, stacked next to her party cannon, and she crushed in any contest that involved memory and pattern recognition.

“How in the world do you remember this stuff?” Fluttershy asked, having lost yet another round of Earth Pony Empire.

“Not sure. When I was a kid, my sisters and I played a game where we secretly shifted the rocks in the field, and whoever spotted the most differences won. I scored a lot of candy that way.” Pinkie slipped below the tablecloth with a grin, moved sight unseen between Fluttershy's legs, and brushed her tail aside. “And now I get something yummier than candy.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy cooed. “Y-You're not giving me much of an incentive to win.” Fluttershy giggled as she sank back into the chair and spread her thighs for Pinkie's talented tongue. A mare could get used to this.

* * *

Ponies crowded into the train station carrying suitcases and bags. Watching Pinkie board the train out of Ponyville filled Fluttershy with a gnawing regret, but she couldn't join Pinkie and abandon her responsibilities on such short notice. She wanted to kiss Pinkie goodbye like the other couples were doing, but some of their other friends arrived to send Pinkie off too, so they settled for a modest hug.

“See ya when I see ya,” Pinkie said to the gang. “Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Flutterpal.”

The train pulled away while everyone waved goodbye, and when it disappeared Rainbow perked up. “Sup, Fluttershy? Haven't seen you in ages. Wanna grab some lunch? Then I could teach you how to perform a loop de loop again, except this time we won't crash into the clock tower.”

Rarity tossed her elegant mane. “A ridiculous notion! She wants to cleanse her pores at the spa, isn't that right, dear? And did you hear about who Sapphire Shores is really dating? One of my clients has a friend who says it's all a ruse and—”

Fluttershy retreated and mumbled something about taking care of woodland creatures.

* * *

Applejack's piggies yanked at their leash when they picked up the scent. They raced through the White Tail woods and frantically dug near the gnarled roots of an oak tree. Fluttershy cautioned them not to eat the prize and reminded them they could have some blueberry muffins as a reward instead. The sows oinked with glee as they shoved their faces deep into the soil and dragged out a treasure trove of truffles. Did the Canterlot nobility pay outrageous prices for this stinky stuff because it was actually tasty, or because they loved flaunting their wealth and sophisticated taste? A part of Fluttershy resented her role in exploiting nature for such petty ends, but Applejack needed the income and depended on her. At least the pigs seemed happy enough.

Dragonflies and frogs provided Fluttershy's only companionship while she trudged through another muddy riverbank and recorded its measurements. Life without Pinkie was an interminable slog.

What was the point of recording more data? The results were always more dire than expected, always dashing any hope she was foolish enough to entertain, and it's not like anyone would listen to her anyway. She needed something to take her mind off the future.

Rubbing herself brought hollow orgasms that staved off her immediate physical needs, but left her restless and unsatisfied. The romance novels that once ignited Fluttershy's fantasies proved too tiresome now. She wanted more than mere fantasy. She craved the sweet touch of Pinkie's lips, daydreamed about Pinkie's giggles and reassuring smiles, and yearned for Pinkie's boundless energy and love of life. An emptiness ate away at her psyche and left a Pinkie-shaped void.

Before leaving, Pinkie gave her the platypus doll as a memento. Fluttershy named it Petrey and tucked the button-eyed plushy into bed every night. It held the faintest trace of Pinkie's lovely strawberry scent, and Fluttershy inhaled it to bring back happy memories. She wasn't sure if this was romantic or pathetic.

Maybe Fluttershy was getting carried away. After all, this was a new relationship, and those were always intense and full of passion in the early going, like a phoenix before it burst into flames and crumbled to ashes. Fluttershy knew she needed more time to know where they really stood, but that didn't make her any less lonesome.

Twilight's library provided sanctuary from the dreary world. Fluttershy scoured the most obscure sources for tidbits of environmental knowledge and dissident societal critiques. A bounty of disconnected scholarship waited to be marshaled for some higher purpose than trivia. The stacks of notes grew taller as Fluttershy poured herself into this endeavor. The sun became a stranger while the smell of parchment and ink grew into familiar friends.

In the far corner of the library stood a section dedicated to sexual materials of academic interest, such as The Loving Tribes: A History of Equestrian Sexual Attitudes and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Crystal Pony Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). Maybe if Fluttershy browsed those shelves she could learn about the mysterious G-Spot, but she didn't dare risk being caught red-hoofed by Twilight or Spike.

* * *

While shopping in the outdoor vegetable markets for tomatoes and cauliflowers, Fluttershy absentmindedly observed the mares perusing the cucumber bin. Flowing manes and tails, sleek shoulders, rounded hips—Fluttershy drank in their inviting figures with a sideways glance before snapping away and berating herself. A pang of guilt tormented her conscience, as if she had somehow cheated on Pinkie, and yet she grew increasingly curious about her awakening desires.

Ponyville was still a relatively small village, so she knew some of these mares on a superficial level, having made small talk during one of the festivals or from helping them with pet problems. She had to admit several made striking impressions, especially the slender pegasi with long graceful legs, perhaps because they pulled it off better than she could. But Fluttershy didn't want to jump into bed with any of them.

A caramel colored earth mare sporting a sturdy physique and a shapely rump pulled a wagon laden with ceramic jars—the weekly honey delivery. She parked and rested on a bench, fanning her face with a ragged straw hat. “Hey, butterfly gal, you're Fluttershy, ain'tcha? Pinkie's friend?”

Fluttershy froze. A victim of her leering had caught her outright, but this wagon mare either didn't notice or didn't care, so Fluttershy played it cool and settled alongside her.

The rugged mare wiped her brow with a handkerchief and perked up from Fluttershy's company. “Name's Toffee Swirl. Pinkie says you're the caretaker round these parts. Gotta say, you keep the roadside scenery green and gorgeous, a sight for sore eyes on these long road trips. I reckon managing the Everfree must be a nightmare, huh?”

“We mostly leave it alone.”

“Ha! You're supposed to say you wrangle Ursa Majors everyday and twice on Sunday, if you want to make yourself look good anyhow.”

“I've seen you around before. You always deliver honey?”

“Nope. Mostly fancy wares—dyes, perfume, wine, that sorta stuff. Best believe I don't spill a drop!” Toffee retrieved a canteen from the wagon and took a long swig, and when Fluttershy declined her offer for a drink she shrugged and gulped down some more. “I'm keen on delivering honey to Sugar Cube Corner on account of Pinkie being a hoot, and the free slices of pecan crumble don't hurt neither. Swell folks, those Cakes. Hope they don't blow their stacks from this week's prices. Ain't my fault, ya know?”

Fluttershy spotted the placard on the side of the wagon. “Fifty bits a jar? Whoa.”

“Whoa is right. Apparently the bee folk down south are facing more trouble than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Hope they figure something out soon, 'cause ponyfolk might go nuts without their sweets.”

“Declining bee populations,” Fluttershy muttered. “Another problem on the pile.” Toffee strapped herself back into the wagon harness, but Fluttershy interrupted before she could say goodbye. “If you and the other cart pullers were in charge instead of the guilds in Canterlot, what would you change?”

“That's a doozy of a hypothetical. No one cares what us cart pullers think.”

“But if you decided together?”

“Hmmm... We could do with fewer hours and more days off to see our families, and smoother riding wagons so we don't screw up our knees and backs, and routes that make a lick of sense, and—oh mercy, what am I bellyaching about? Plenty of ponies got it worse. And I ain't one of them Agitators.”

Fluttershy wondered about the official sounding denunciation. “Agitator?”

“That's what they're calling the troublemakers in the western provinces. There was a miner's strike that got out of control and they fought with some royal guards and—well, no one's sure what happened exactly. Apparently the union leaders called the strike off, but no one listened, and a bunch of other unions started striking too. Wild stuff, right? But that ain't all. The Agitators are riling up ponies with talk about how we're under a yoke of gold and lies. They say the bosses and landlords are robbing us blind, and we don't need them anymore. They even bad-mouth Canterlot and the princesses.”

“That's amazing! I haven't heard anything about that.”

“My route takes me by the action, so I heard folks talking like it was the end of the world. Didn't see anything about it in the papers, though.”

“Did you meet any of them? The Agitators?”

“I reckon I'm talking to one right now.” Toffee let loose a hearty laugh. “Ah, no ma'am, I haven't been that far west in a spell. And I ain't saying they're totally wrong. The way I see it, everyone's got problems nowadays, but that's no reason to raise a ruckus. I keep my head down and everything works out fine. If there's a real problem the princesses will figure it out.”

“What if you knew every day would be worse than the last?”

“I suppose everyone's got their breaking point. Don't tell the Wagon Guild I said that, though.” Toffee rubbed Fluttershy's shoulder and smiled like they just shared a secret. “I gotta get haulin', hon. Keep making the world pretty, ya hear? And if you ever need something sweet, you know where to find me.”

Toffee trudged down the street with the wagon in tow, flouncing her amber tail from side to side. Fluttershy wasn't sure if Toffee was hitting on her or just being friendly.

* * *

One day the wall-eyed delivery mare dropped off a letter in Fluttershy's mailbox. She rushed out and tore it open.

Hey Snuggle Bug,

I'm coming home soon, so you better hide all your secret marefriends.
Or maybe they could meet my secret marefriends? Just kidding! Or am I?
I'm bringing home some fun surprises. Insert evil laughter here.

Miss you bunches!
—Pinkie

P.S. Even the griffons loved your pro-nature propaganda.

Fluttershy launched herself into the sky, soared above the forest with a gaggle of geese, and hummed a silly old ditty. Someone tapped her shoulder and she yelped and crashed into a cloud.

“Equestria to Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash shouted, waving to get her attention. “Sheesh! You were in your own world there. Just wanted to remind you about the big storm project tomorrow. We'll need as many pegasi as we can manage.”

Fluttershy brushed the fluff out of her face. “Um, thanks?”

* * *

Constructing the last summer storm was a massive undertaking that required hundreds of ponies. Teams of pegasi retrieved clouds shipped from southern Equestria and pushed them into an enormous arc surrounding Ponyville. This went against everything Fluttershy had come to believe, but what choice did she have? She was just a cog in the weather machine, and the damage would be done regardless, even if she cooked up some excuse and stayed home.

If Fluttershy were really an Agitator like Toffee Swirl said, she would organize the other pegasi and throw a wrench in the works. But she would have to put herself out there and bring down an avalanche of attention and criticism. And even if she were successful, Ponyville's individual action, divorced from a systemic approach, wouldn't transform Equestria's weather manipulation into a healthy alternative. Or maybe that's what she needed to believe in order to soothe her guilt.

Fierce winds whipped through Fluttershy's mane as she helped a dozen pegasi guide a crackling vapor cloud darker than a shadow into the primary storm cell. The skies around Ponyville descended into a somber gray.

Exhausted and smelling of sickly sweet ozone, Fluttershy collapsed into her lonely bed and slept long into the next day.

While she sipped tea in the late afternoon there came an excited knocking from the front door, and Fluttershy rushed across the living room and threw it open. Pinkie beamed while gentle rain splattered against her umbrella hat. “Surprise! Gosh, are you gals trying to drown Ponyville or what?”

Fluttershy pulled her inside with a bear hug. “You were gone too long. I almost thought you'd never come back.”

“And miss your pretty voice? Not a chance!” Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy's hoof and leaned close. “Let's skedaddle back to my place before the weather gets ugly.”

“Why not stay here?”

Pinkie cracked a mischievous smile. “Trust me.”

They raced through the warm rain into downtown Ponyville. The markets and food carts ringings the town square had all been vacated. The few stragglers rushing indoors gave the pair only a momentary glance. And why would anyone suspect anything? They were just two innocent mares about to bake cookies or plan a surprise party, certainly nothing scandalous.

Beyond Sugarcube Corner, under the gloom of the nightmarish storm clouds, a majestic rainbow faded in the dying light. Fluttershy would've sworn the ghostly rainbow brightened with the arrival of Pinkie's sunny aura, as if her inner light refused to let color drain from the world.

Pinkie giggled as she skipped down the street and splashed through the puddles. Fluttershy wouldn't let Pinkie out of her sight again.

Hitting the Spot

The lamp on Pinkie's nightstand cast a glowing oasis into the stormy shadows. Pinkie's fuchsia mane stuck out between Fluttershy's thighs while she lavished her long neglected valley with affection. Trembling and squeaking with joy, Fluttershy arched her back and humped against Pinkie's muzzle as another surge of electric tremors ravaged her feeble body. The throbbing ecstasy came hard and fast, and Fluttershy could only flail and struggle against the mattress with her outstretched wings. Pinkie's sweet caresses brought peace and sent Fluttershy floating above blissful clouds that stretched forever into the citrus sky. Mist billowed around her delicate wings, almost as soft as Pinkie's face against her inner thighs, and the dreadful storm Fluttershy had delivered to their village faded away.

Fluttershy could almost imagine slipping free from guilt and doubt. Maybe she could be more like Pinkie. Maybe she could let her old fears dissolve in this wonderful warmth, even if she looked ridiculous with her legs spread open and her face contorted with delight.

Booming thunder shattered her fantasy, and the pleasure twisted into a pang. “Stop, stop,” Fluttershy begged. “Too much.”

Pinkie crawled up the bed with sensual glee and kissed her so hard on the mouth Fluttershy plunged back into the pillow. Fluttershy's tangy desire dripped from Pinkie's lips and swirled between their tongues. Incessant pants escaped Fluttershy's mouth as she recovered from her second peak of their reunion. Pinkie rubbed Fluttershy's reddening chest with approval. “Look at you. So much more confident than when we first started.”

The punishing storm raged outside and stripped leaves from the trees while thunder rumbled over the horizon. Fluttershy whimpered and clung to Pinkie's warmth.

“This is a good day to stay inside and snuggle,” Pinkie said. “Though if you ask me a little rain ain't so bad. A warm summer shower cleanses the soul.”

“I thought you wanted us to be dirty.”

Pinkie giggled and played with Fluttershy's disheveled mane. “No matter where I went on my party tour, everyone was super open-minded about our message. I think underneath Equestria's happy candy coating there's a lot of bitterness out there. I met so many ponies struggling to pay for rent, school, medicine, you name it. Parents are depressed from watching their kids move halfway across the country just to get a job. Plenty of ponies work so hard they don't have time to make friends. Some of them couldn't pinpoint what's wrong, they just knew something was off, that Equestria is heading down the wrong path. But all of them were ready to stand up and be counted. So uhh, that's good news, I guess?”

“Maybe that's why they love your parties so much. They're searching for something that's missing. Some kind of connection.”

“You're not wrong,” Pinkie said with a hint of regret. “If I can convince a lonely crowd to talk to their neighbors and make some friends, I've done my job. But I haven't lived up to my cutie mark in a long time. Nowadays I'm more like a distraction.”

“Sometimes a distraction is exactly what someone needs. I could never entertain ponies like you do. All those judging eyes studying your every movement, waiting for you to slip up and fail... It's too much. But not for you. Somehow you always bring out the best in everyone.”

Pinkie shared a gentle smile that bridged the gap between two profoundly different mares. Fluttershy leaned closer for another kiss, but Pinkie bolted upright and sprang out of bed. “Oh, I almost forgot! On my trip I purchased a plethora of perverted paraphernalia.” Pinkie bounced to her closet, threw open the doors, and dragged out a blue and yellow chest. “This is the pretty box I keep my toys in before I stick them in my dirty box.” She lifted the lid, bent down with her bottom in the air, and at the end of the bed she stacked a collection of rubber and silicone playthings molded into the most bewildering shapes.

“That's uh… a lot of toys. I just use my hoof. Sometimes a pillow.”

Pinkie held a thick shaft that wobbled as she waved it around. “When you paddle your pink canoe up the stream of desire it's way easier if you have a fancy oar that vibrates. And has bumps on it. And if it's curved juuust right.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened. “What in Equestria is that?”

Pinkie picked up an abomination of mismatched multi-shafted rainbow erections that looked like a tree of crooked penises. “This puppy is called The Hydra. Great for parties.”

Fluttershy snapped her thighs shut. “It looks like a torture device.”

“Heeheee, only if you use it right! Then you could totally make someone beg for mercy and spill their secrets. Among other things.”

Pinkie sorted through the pile with a perverse twinkle in her eyes. “Here we go. This is supposed to be perfect for hitting the G-Spot! Yummy!” Pinkie showed off a sky blue dildo that looked like someone left chocolate out in the sun until it melted and curved back into itself.

“I'd love to try this out with you,” Pinkie said. “Doesn't that sound fun?”

“You want to use that? On my, uh, G-Spot?”

Pinkie twirled the blue toy in her hooves like a baton. “We've only been dipping our hooves in the water, if you know what I mean. You're ready to swim in the deep end.”

“M-Maybe I should wear a life jacket and water wings.”

“And I'll be the lifeguard.” Pinkie rolled the device onto Fluttershy's chest. “Check it out. It's nifty.”

The silicone surface was smoother than powdered silk, which provided some comfort, but the design was still so unusual. Only the rounded head gleamed with obvious purpose. The shaft's elongated “S” shape would hinder the normal path of lovemaking and didn't make any sense. Maybe she was missing something.

“What's wrong?” Pinkie asked. Her eyes lit up with concern. “Oh no. I wasn't thinking. You've had lousy experiences with this kinda thing. I mean, going inside. Penetration. Is that right?”

“Well… yes. I've been with some guys who rushed me. They went too deep too soon. And when I complained they made me second guess myself. But that doesn't matter anymore. I know you'll be gentle.”

Pinkie wrapped their hooves together. “We go at the pace you want. Always.”

“That means more than you know. Or I guess you would know. That's the benefit of being with another mare.”

“You'd think mares would be more understanding than stallions since we have the same squishy bits and all. But I've been with some mares who… Yeah. Let's not worry about them. Let's focus on us.”

The toy rolled to the side as they leaned into a hopeful kiss that pulled them ever closer. Pinkie ran a hoof along Fluttershy's side and slipped between her thighs. “Hold up,” Fluttershy said. “What I'm actually wondering about is, um… Let's pretend I didn't remember what the G-Spot was exactly. Could you remind me?”

Pinkie's ears drooped and she hugged Fluttershy again. “I'm so sorry.”

Fluttershy squeaked as Pinkie constricted her with the strength of a python. “About what?”

“About everything. The state of the world. You and me. That you were discouraged from learning about your body for so long. Every mare should know about this.”

Fluttershy wiggled out of her grasp. “That's sweet and all, but you're making me feel like a weirdo for not knowing.”

“I'm sorry about that too.”

Fluttershy giggled and nudged Pinkie's shoulder. “I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to tell me about this spot.”

A faraway look filled Pinkie's eyes while she spoke with a hushed reverence. “The G-Spot is a magical place that awakens a mare's most heartfelt passions. It's our sacred spot.”

“Sounds serious. I get how some ponies view sex as a mystical experience, like connecting with your inner nature and all, but… I dunno. That seems a bit much.”

A provocative smile teased across Pinkie's face. “The closest you'll get to heaven on Earth is a G-Spot massage.”

“You might be overselling it just a teeny bit.”

“Every mare is different, so maybe you'll prefer something else. The G-Spot is funny, though. It's like a net that catches all your crazy emotions, so don't be surprised if this dredges up unpleasant memories. There's a process, and you have to work with it.”

“But what is it?”

Pinkie went to work piling the rest of the toys back into the chest. “It's like a special nerve? Or maybe the backside of your clitty? Yeah, that's right, it's your clitty's butt!”

“Uh-huh. And what does the G stand for?”

“Oh, you'll find out soon enough.”

“You won't just tell me?”

“Okay, okay, fair enough,” Pinkie said, settling back into bed. “The G in G-Spot stands for… Gouda.”

Fluttershy let out a long sigh.

“Don't believe me? Just wait. You'll be moaning that it feels so Gouda!”

Fluttershy picked up a purple pillow and threw it against Pinkie's face, and before her surprised friend could recover Fluttershy dove on top. They both giggled as they kissed and nuzzled each other, their tails intertwined while they rolled across the bed. Pinkie gained an advantage, pressed Fluttershy into the mattress, and looked down with a devious smile. “You're so soft and adorablicious I could just gobble you up.” Fluttershy squealed as Pinkie blew a raspberry against her neck and peppered her cheeks with kisses. “I'd love to show you what you've been missing.”

Experience taught that Pinkie's whimsical ravings often held a kernel of truth, and the toy's peculiar design couldn't be for naught. Fluttershy surrendered to her curiosity and met Pinkie's eager eyes. “I'm ready. Take me on an adventure.”

Pinkie fetched an orange towel from the closet and laid it across the mattress. “Scooch your hiney.”

“What's this for?”

“Don't worry! You won't even need it. Probably.”

Fluttershy evened out the bumps in the towel and rested on it. “You know what makes me worry? Telling me not to worry.”

“Sometimes when a mare gets her G-Spot rubbed she shows some extra appreciation. No big deal.”

“I'll try not to make a mess,” Fluttershy said as she fidgeted with the frayed ends of the towel. “I can't imagine how embarrassing that would be.”

Pinkie caressed the gentle curves of Fluttershy's flank. “If you want this to work you can't hold anything back. At some point you'll need to abandon yourself to feelings you may not understand, and then live with whatever happens. And if you want to know a secret, sometimes I've been a little messy.”

“Really?”

“The bigger the mess the more fun you had, that's what I say anyway. Just try to relax, okay?”

Fluttershy sank back into the pillows and let out a long exhale. “This is me being totally relaxed and not worried at all.”

Pinkie gave a playful smack to Fluttershy's cutie mark that sent vibrations down her leg. “That's the spirit!” She opened her nightstand drawer, pulled out the familiar tube of clear gel, and applied a healthy squirt across the toy's length.

Fluttershy snaked a hoof between her legs and dipped the edge into her cunny, drawing back a long sticky strand. “If I get much wetter we'll float away.” Pinkie gripped Fluttershy's foreleg, licked across the messy hoof with her greedy tongue, and swallowed Fluttershy's dirty honey with confidence.

“I missed you,” Pinkie said. “I thought about you every night when I climbed into bed. Sometimes I slept at an inn, sometimes in someone's spare bedroom, but I always dreamed how we would celebrate when I came home.”

“Show me,” Fluttershy said breathlessly. “I need you.”

Pinkie journeyed below and positioned herself between Fluttershy's outstretched thighs with the dildo in her grasp. A long lick up Fluttershy's wet heat made her squirm and groan and ache with anticipation. Pinkie pressed the toy's super smooth head between Fluttershy's breasts before trailing down and circling around her eager entrance, each loop growing shorter and shorter until she stroked the tip up and down Fluttershy's slippery groove. The shiny silicone head parted her lips and glided inside liquid smooth, drawing out a soft gasp. There was little need for accommodation due to how turned on Fluttershy was, but Pinkie went slow anyway, allowing her walls to pulse with the joy of being spread open and massaged for the first time in ages. Fluttershy groaned as the curved length took a different route than usual and bumped against her front wall.

“Breathe nice and deep using your tummy,” Pinkie said.

The shaft sank deeper and gave her a nice full feeling, even though it wasn't overly thick like some of the other toys. Her tail swished with a mind of is own and Pinkie giggled and swept it away. The rounded head glided across Fluttershy's upper wall and hit that annoying ridged spot. “Oh no. Don't tell me that's my G-Spot.”

“I dunno. Could be deeper, could be shallower. Tell me how you feel.”

Pinkie eased the toy in further and filled her with elusive pinpricks. “I was never sure about that spot,” Fluttershy said. “It feels funny.”

“Good funny or bad funny?”

The head bumped into the spot again and Fluttershy clenched down and let out an annoyed grunt. “Ugh! I don't know about this.”

“Should I stop?”

“N-No. Keep going. But cool it with the poking.” Fluttershy's face scrunched as the tip rolled in circles and filled her with needling pangs. “Not like that either.” Pinkie tried all sorts of approaches and most of them created nettlesome tingles at best. What finally worked was a smooth massage that started deeper and dragged across the spot as Pinkie pulled the toy out. “That still feels kinda weird, but it's not so bad.”

“Some mares take a couple sessions before they get used to this,” Pinkie said. “Let the feelings wash over you and collect at the bottom of your mind like a chocolate fountain. Think of it like building a foundation for the future.”

Pinkie kissed down Fluttershy's belly and smothered her love button with her lips as she worked the dildo in a gentle rhythm. Fluttershy tried to cultivate this blooming desire deep inside, but Pinkie's persistent tongue sent arrows of pleasure that punctured her progress like a balloon.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but please stop playing with my clitty. It's really distracting.”

Pinkie descended and dragged her thick tongue across Fluttershy's sensitive dock until the tender flesh turned into the bristles of her tail, and then Pinkie reversed course and blazed a trail across Fluttershy's soft bottom and along the edge of her crack. A rush of energy flowed inside and the rough patch swelled with vivid heat.

“Oooh,” Fluttershy murmured. “The spot is changing. It's throbbing and getting all tingly. It's like a storm cloud.”

The torrential downpour outside receded into pleasant white noise. Pinkie continued sliding the curved dildo inside as she scooted closer and shared a gentle kiss. “I'm gonna try something, okay? I think you're ready.”

“I trust you.”

Pinkie slinked back with a determined focus and settled alongside Fluttershy's hip. She placed a firm hoof above the squishy hill of Fluttershy's mons, pressed down, and pushed the silicone shaft deep inside. Fluttershy threw her head back and moaned as the pleasure shifted from the realm of the erotic to the sublime.

The thick head plunged into the center of Fluttershy's stormy spot and released turbulent energies. Visions of flight camp came rushing back from the deepest recesses of her mind. Fluttershy couldn't finish the basic obstacle course, and everyone laughed when she tripped on the stupid cloud rings and fell on her face. Those weak little wings barely got her off the ground and she hated them. She was tall and skinny and awkward and her voice squeaked so she talked through a stuttering whisper and oh no, why was she thinking about this? She was supposed to be sharing a special moment with her friend, but instead some sick part of her wanted to sabotage her happiness.

Hot sweat rolled down Fluttershy's brow as she tossed and turned. “Fluttershy can hardly fly,” she repeated over and over like a bitter mantra. “What kind of pegasus is afraid of heights? Useless. Useless.”

Pinkie carefully stretched Fluttershy's wings away from her body until they reached their fullest extent, and then she massaged the soft yellow plumage. “You give all you can to the Ponyville weather team, and you guide the migrating birds back home in the spring. That's more than anyone could ask from these wonderful wings. The wings of an angel.”

“That's just twisting nature to our ends. I'm complicit!”

Pinkie let out a little sigh and kissed Fluttershy on the forehead. “You deserve to be happy, but not because you jumped some hurdle and earned a prize, but because you're a mare with a heart and a soul. We're both wandering through this absurd world and we should help each other.”

A comforting warmth spread across Fluttershy's neck and chest. Fluttershy's garden bloomed with swelling passion, and she couldn't help but squirm and hump against the toy as a lustful hunger seized her, but Pinkie held her down. “Don't chase your orgasm or you might scare it away. Let it come to you when the time is right.”

Easy for her to say. Each stroke against Fluttershy's spot brought a sumptuous rush, but also left her with new puzzles. She had to keep wiping her face because her eyes wouldn't stop watering, and tiny vibrations twitched in her inner thighs before working across the the rim of her marehood. Her body was just as confused as she was.

Not all that long ago, Fluttershy played buckball with Pinkie and they had a blast beating the Appleloosan team. Fluttershy couldn't fly fast or gallop hard, but she actually felt comfortable in her skin for once. And now Pinkie wanted her to find peace with her body in a new way, to be at ease with own sexuality. She closed her eyes and focused.

Unlike pleasure from her pearl, which sent out jagged lightning bolts, this growing tension was round and deep. The heated euphoria advanced a little further with each of Pinkie's thrusts and spread delicious tingles into strange new places, like the roots of a flower growing into fertile soil. Just as Fluttershy came to understand these remarkable feelings, her thoughts wandered away from her body and fixed on her marefriend.

When life disappointed and ponies despaired, Pinkie shielded herself behind a thin regretful smile in order to protect her fragile heart. Pinkie wanted to lift everyone's spirits not because she was a naive optimist, but because she's seen the ugliness of the world more than most, and she knew ponies beaten down into the dirt couldn't help anyone else. That's what Pinkie saw in Fluttershy earlier in the summer: A defeated mare who hid in a cottage away from everyone else, terrified and confused by her own desires.

Fluttershy's hidden spot roiled with mysterious energies. Pinkie plowed the dildo's head into the turmoil, but instead of bliss there was unrelenting pressure. A kaleidoscope of memories flooded her mind.

Years ago, Fluttershy and her friends went to chase away the great red dragon from the mountain. Pinkie sang a cute song and encouraged her to cross the enormous gap. Actually, it was a tiny gap, but Pinkie took her concerns seriously. “It's just a hop, skip, and a jump,” Pinkie sang in her sugary sweet voice.

While trying out for the Ponyville quartet, Fluttershy thought Pinkie was making fun of her singing and she ran crying into the cold night and had to be chased down by her friends and reassured Pinkie meant no harm. Neither of them communicated well back then, but that memory still resurrected stinging anger and shame.

Fluttershy had once taken assertiveness lessons from Iron Will. She yelled cruel insults at Pinkie and Rarity and made them burst into tears. Just because they were less sensitive didn't give her license to lash out at them for years of perceived callousness. Another current of acidic self-doubt and guilt bubbled up inside.

The hot tension between Fluttershy's legs tightened into a knot. She couldn't stand the ache much longer and desperately needed a release. The damp pillowcase clung to her neck as she splayed her wings against the mattress and struggled under Pinkie's supportive watch. “Harder,” Fluttershy said with conviction. “I need it harder.” Pinkie rammed the smooth head into her throbbing hot spot until Fluttershy's breathing hitched. Fluttershy trusted Pinkie with her most private insecurities and there was no reason to let the past weigh her down. Shame, anger, love—all these confusing feelings coalesced into a spark at the tip of her clitoris and rushed deep inside.

Fluttershy's eyes rolled back and her whole body stiffened. She let out a husky moan from deep in her chest. “Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop.” She tossed and turned while sweat poured down her face. The tension grew into an unbearable burden and she blinked as her eyes teared up. Nothing like this ever happened before. There was a strange hot heaviness building deep inside that didn't make any sense. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe she should tell Pinkie to stop before she humiliated herself and ruined everything.

The moment of truth blazed like the sun. She could either embrace these terrifying feelings or flee and forever be a coward. She was sick and tired of running from her desires, from her instincts, from life. She surrendered and let go of all the doubts and fears that always held her back and made her feel like a useless and pathetic little mare who didn't belong. Fluttershy's entire body seized up and the last speck of self-control slipped from her grasp. Something opened. Something was happening.

Clear liquid gushed from Fluttershy's pussy and sprayed the towel in wave after wave of hot spurts. The tension released all at once and stupefying pleasure rocketed up her spine and radiated through her chest and into her limbs. “Oh Goddess!” she moaned. “Oh Goddess! Oh Holy Goddess!” Pinkie thrust the stiff toy into her sacred spot again and again and launched her into a bewildering spiral of sexual bliss the likes of which she had never dreamed. Her muscles squeezed and released with waves of narcotic pleasure and her mind went blank as all those negative feelings washed away into an erotic abyss. She shut her eyes tight and trembled as her weak frame filled with a transcendent glow that hummed in her ears. At long last she glimpsed a calming peace she always sought but could never find.

Fluttershy always imagined her perfect climax would be like the singing of angels on a bed of roses. Instead a growl bellowed from the bottom of her chest like a primal cry. That heavenly spot connected to something deep in her psyche, something ancient buried underneath all her civilized pretensions. Fluttershy grunted and howled as she fell into another quaking orgasm that surged up so fast she wailed in the wake of its clenching bliss. With each wave of delicious pleasure her clitoris winked and her legs twitched and kicked in the air. The rapturous joy was so intense a small part of her worried she might pass out and miss it. Both Pinkie and Fluttershy watched with awe and fascination as another plume of liquid erupted from between her legs. Fluttershy's overheated pussy throbbed and rippled and squirted out pent up frustrations that arced through the air and splattered across the towel in an obscene display she couldn't hide.

The flood of energy washed away the last of her strength. Fluttershy slumped against the pillows and gasped for air. A debilitating chill crept across her nerves and she couldn't stop shaking and whimpering. She had never felt so exposed and vulnerable. A frightening abandonment gripped her as Pinkie removed the toy and left her utterly empty. Fluttershy was so weak and fragile she might crack like a porcelain doll. She gazed into Pinkie's warm blue eyes. “Hold me. Please hold me.” Pinkie was already crawling closer. She curled up alongside Fluttershy and wrapped those wonderful forelegs around her chest and held her so close their coats mixed together in a soft frizz. Pinkie whispered sweet encouragements in her ear and kissed her neck. Suddenly there was warmth and belonging and all her fears melted away.

Fluttershy dared to glance between her thighs. Dark streaks marred the towel from top to bottom. She had absolutely soaked it. A shameful twinge invaded her reverie. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make a mess. Please believe me!”

“Shhh,” Pinkie said as she stroked up and down Fluttershy's side. “What you did was beautiful and totally natural. The only thing that matters is that we're here for each other.”

Warm tears blurred Fluttershy's vision and ran down her cheek. “What did you do to me?”

Pinkie giggled and squeezed a little tighter. “That was all you. You did such a good job. I'm really proud of you.” Pinkie brushed the wet strands of hair from Fluttershy's face. “You're the bravest mare I've ever known.”

Fluttershy made a skeptical groan. “Pinkie…”

“It's true. And if you ever forget I'll be here to remind you.”

Fluttershy feared she might cry and tarnish the moment. She stared out the window and watched the trees bend in the fierce winds. The two lovers shared a tranquil moment and basked in each other's presence. The only sounds were the pounding rain and their labored breathing.

Pinkie let out a pent up giggle. “Now you know why it's called the G-Spot.”

“I do?”

Pinkie exaggerated a moan. “Oh my Goddess. The Goddess Spot!”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense.” The sticky towel clung to Fluttershy's bottom as she rolled away, and Pinkie tossed it on the floor with a squishy splat. “I felt less like a goddess and more like a blocked garden hose. I guess that doesn't sound as mystical, though.”

“You howled like a timberwolf because you felt like a garden hose? Suuure.”

Fluttershy recoiled as Pinkie tickled her sides. “Okay, okay, you win! It did feel like something out of this world, like I left my body and touched the cosmos. It was actually a little frightening.”

“Would you ever do it again?”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. “Only with you. Because I trust you, and you gave me the courage to let it happen.”

Pinkie edged closer, and they met in a long, sweet kiss. “Heh! You're still shaking. It's like magic, isn't it?”

“Mmmm. Everything is still so warm and tingly. There's even tiny heartbeats in my hooves.” Fluttershy sat up with some effort and leveled a playful grin at Pinkie. “So your big plan came true. Now what?”

“Huh? What plan?”

“Your plan to turn me into a dirty mare. You thought dragging me down into the gutter with you was funny, didn't you?”

Pinkie's expression softened as she caught the joke. “Oh, yes indeedy! I'm laughing all the way to the perverted bank.”

Fluttershy pounced and straddled her friend before unfurling her wings. “So you like laughing, huh? Then take this!” Fluttershy brushed her feathers across Pinkie's soft round belly until Pinkie's lip quivered. “Admit it!” Fluttershy demanded. “You wanted me to be a naughty mare like you.”

Pinkie burst into laughter so hard she snorted. “Yes! Hahaha! Eeep! I mean no!” Fluttershy dragged her feathers across Pinkie's tummy and swirled them inside her exposed bellybutton, making Pinkie shriek with glee. “Nonono! Anything but that! I promise to be a good girl from now on! Someone help meehehehehe!”

Fluttershy pulled back with concern and dismounted to the side, leaving behind a confused Pinkie. “Hey, no need to worry. We're just playing around.” Pinkie switched back to her exaggerated victim voice. “And it would be just awful if you tickled my hooves! Please don't do that!”

A wicked smile graced Fluttershy's muzzle. She slid the tip of one wing across Pinkie's thigh, down her calf, and against the bottom of her vulnerable hoof, while she poked the other wing into Pinkie's side. Under assault from all directions, poor Pinkie could only seize up as she struggled to hold back another outburst. “You didn't think your plan through,” Fluttershy said, “because now I'm a naughty mare and you can't control me.” Pinkie exploded into a convulsive giggling fit as Fluttershy caressed her bristles into Pinkie's most ticklish spots until tears of joy rolled down her face. Pinkie spread her thighs wide and her tiny clitoris winked into the world.

Fluttershy had expected Pinkie's button to be bigger than average. Maybe even gargantuan. Instead it was a cute little devil.

Pinkie's marehood had darkened so much it was almost purple. A shadow of guilt forced Fluttershy to glance away and cease her tickle attack. She had been so self-centered, while Pinkie had been more than happy to pleasure her and ask nothing in return. Folding her wings and sliding back, Fluttershy knelt between Pinkie's thighs and prepared to bring their relationship to the next level, but Pinkie scooted away. “Wait. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything, like you owe me a favor. Does that make sense?”

Fluttershy crawled up and nuzzled Pinkie's cheek. “I want to try. I want to make you feel good too.”

“You're still learning and growing into your feelings, and this is a huge step, bigger than a dragon's footprint. We can take it slower if you want.”

“I've been dreaming of this. I want to taste you.”

Pinkie sighed with relief. “Thank goodness. I need more than a little rubbing. I'm super freaking horny!”

They giggled together, and Fluttershy enjoyed finally being able to be so sexually open with someone for the first time in her life. But a terrible possibility soured the occasion, and Fluttershy turned away.

“Everything okay?”

“Now that I think about it, um, I'm kinda afraid I won't like your taste. I mean, I really like you! But maybe I don't like mares that way, you know?”

“Mares don't exactly taste like peaches and cream down there. Maybe it'll be an acquired taste? Only one way to find out.”

Fluttershy positioned herself between Pinkie's open legs, massaged her squishy tummy, and traced a path across her thighs. She caressed Pinkie's big round bottom and admired her soft feminine curves. Such an inviting sight made Fluttershy shiver with anticipation.

“Spank me if you want,” Pinkie said. “I haven't exactly been a good girl, have I?”

Fluttershy pulled her hoof back, hesitated for a moment, and playfully smacked Pinkie's right cheek. Her big butt wobbled and she returned a saucy laugh. Pinkie's swollen nether lips separated and revealed their inner secrets, like a blooming carnation.

“The rumors are true,” Fluttershy teased. “You're even pinker on the inside.”

Fluttershy crossed the threshold between Pinkie's thighs and hovered above her marefriend's glistening valley. A powerful heat radiated across Fluttershy's face, and a heavy scent drifted into her nostrils like the rolling fog from a field of ripe strawberries. Pinkie's perfume was bold and intimidating, but the complex contours of another mare's scent awakened something deep inside Fluttershy that couldn't be ignored. Fluttershy extended her tongue and took her first tentative lick along the side of Pinkie's groove, a cautious approach guided by weak intuition.

Pinkie pressed the base of her tail against Fluttershy's chin. “If you get tired of flicking your tongue like a sneaky snake, try sticking it out and moving your neck.”

Not wanting to seem eager to dive into the center, Fluttershy dragged her tongue around the edge of Pinkie's intimate folds. Fluttershy only made this motion when Pinkie let her lick the batter from the rims of her mixing bowls.

Pinkie knew so many lovers over the years. How could Fluttershy possibly meet Pinkie's expectations and give her what she needed? Fluttershy could emulate what Pinkie did their first time together, but maybe they were too different for that to work. These meddlesome fears weren't helpful so she cast them aside and followed her instincts. The more time she spent kissing and licking between Pinkie's legs the more right this seemed, the more those mysterious urges fell into place, and the more she cooed and murmured as she tended this private pink garden.

Fluttershy indulged her curiosity and slipped her tongue inside Pinkie's rosy interior and sampled her heady syrup. Pinkie tasted like pungent polka dots and melted salt water taffy. Sugary bubbles popped across Fluttershy's mind and brought a soothing peace. The soft inner world of another mare proved both familiar and foreign, like a half-remembered dream on a lazy summer's day, and she wanted to experience more of this succulent realm. A soft moan escaped Pinkie's throat and her cute heart-shaped clit peeked out and demanded attention. Fluttershy licked her lips and made her move.

“Wait! My little pink jelly bean is super duper sensitive. Don't touch it yet, okay? Just play keep away for now.”

Fluttershy delicately worked around the pulsing beacon of Pinkie's desire before trailing down her engorged labia. Pinkie tensed and shuddered so hard her ample mounds swayed from side to side.

The most surprising aspect of going down on a mare, if Pinkie was anything to judge by, was the strength of her scent. Pinkie's intoxicating odor lingered like a haze between her thighs, so thick Fluttershy swore it clung against her skin. Every breath made her mouth water, made her want to swallow that sticky lust dripping from some hidden wellspring, made her want to sink deep inside and never come up for air.

Why conjure fantasies when reality waited just beyond her nose? Fluttershy probed and parted Pinkie's weighty lips, spread them wide open without shame, and sank her muzzle into Pinkie's glistening honeypot. The heat beckoned and drew her deeper into a greater intimacy she had wanted for so long. The welcoming walls squeezed along her snout like a pink whirlpool that would never let go. Reaching as deep as she could manage, Fluttershy inhaled Pinkie's very essence into her chest, and a great deal of confusion washed away. This is where she belonged. This is what she needed.

Fluttershy pulled back, giggled into Pinkie's thigh, and wiped away the melted candy from her muzzle. “What's funny?” Pinkie asked. “Besides my stuff on your face.”

“Nothing. Just a strange thought.”

“Ooh! Tell me! Sex is always a little strange.”

Fluttershy bit the corner of her mouth. “I'm like a piggy rooting around for truffles.”

A blank expression swept across Pinkie's face, and then she burst into laughter sweeter than bubblegum. “Heeheee! That should totally be our super secret code phrase: Truffle hunting! Whaddya think?”

Fluttershy grinned and buried her face between Pinkie's thighs and dipped her tongue as deep inside as she could.

“Mmmm. Keep looking. Maybe you'll find my missing socks too.”

Pinkie's little jokes and carefree attitude always smoothed over the awkwardness between them, but Fluttershy no longer needed the help. She moved without thinking, freed from the anchor of doubt. In Pinkie's bedroom Fluttershy had found a secluded haven to be herself, and between Pinkie's legs she found authentic desires that had long lay dormant. Laying back and letting someone service you was one thing, but wishing to return the pleasure in such an intimate manner was something else entirely. As Fluttershy spread and licked the sensitive inner portions of Pinkie's lips, those velvet curtains slick with pent up desire, she knew she had discovered something fundamental about herself.

Pinkie squealed with excitement as her clit peeked out again. “Play with my joy buzzer! Go hog wild!”

Fluttershy let her exuberance fly as she pounced and captured Pinkie's stiff pearl between her lips. With her free hoof she traced the contours of Pinkie's shapely rump and moaned into her endlessly alluring heat, humbled by the opportunity to explore both their sexualities. For some reason Fluttershy imagined Pinkie donning a boater hat and shouting like a carnival barker. “Now's your chance folks, this is a one time offer, step right up and lick your prize.” But she did no such thing. Pinkie gazed down with appreciation before sinking back into the pillows and rolling her head.

“I'm soooo ready. Put that crazy thing in me.”

“Aren't you skipping a step?”

“Huh?”

Fluttershy left the bed on wobbly legs and retrieved a burgundy towel from the closet, being careful not to bump the party cannon. Pinkie lifted her wide bottom and plopped back down after Fluttershy rolled it out, like some perverted red carpet event leading straight to Pinkie's cunny.

“Oh yeah! Good call.”

Fluttershy guided the shiny curved length of silicone between Pinkie's plump marelips, coaxing out an excited gasp as the head parted Pinkie's flexing entrance. Lube was a forgotten afterthought, as Pinkie was already sopping wet, and Fluttershy's lust still coated the shaft with a bright sheen. Fluttershy got a charge out of imagining their sticky juices mixing and churning together deep inside.

“Bingo! X marks the spot! Rub right there.”

Fluttershy noted the depth on the shaft so she would consistently find the hidden treasure. About halfway down. Deeper than she expected.

“Fair warning: I'm very uhh—responsive. You might have to fight me.”

“Pardon?”

“I'm kinda wild when I'm in the moan zone, so you might have to move with me and go with the flow, ya know? Don't stop even if I look like I'm swimming with electric eels. I'll tell ya when I'm done.”

A heavy sense of responsibility weighed across Fluttershy. She knew how incredible this felt and didn't want Pinkie to miss out. She braced herself between Pinkie's open legs, on the cusp of a new journey, and gently thrust the sky blue dildo into Pinkie's slick heat and went to work polishing her pearl with her tongue.

“My little pink canoe is entering the rapids. Gonna be a bumpy ride!”

Pinkie's tunnel gripped the toy and tugged with a surprising strength on every backstroke, as if trying to inhale the full length and gorge itself. Pinkie tossed and turned and laughed while her belly rolled with gleeful waves.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and their combined passion filtered through her mind like pink food dye, leaving behind even greater appreciation. Pinkie's exquisite curves were primed for pleasure, and in that moment Fluttershy decided the Fates themselves brewed Pinkie in some heavenly distillery and poured her out across the world to spread merriment and erotic bliss. Her voluptuous figure demanded massages and tender kisses, if only to return a small measure of joy Pinkie had brought so many ponies.

“Oooh! My canoe is gonna capsize!”

“Capsizing is good?”

“Sooohoho good! Push it over!”

Fluttershy couldn't believe Pinkie had already found such an urgent release.

“Ooh, don't stop! I'm gonna pop the cork! Confetti time!”

Soft laughing moans echoed from above as Pinkie's cunny puffed out further and further until she let out a desperate moan and her whole body seized up. A warm fountain of mare lust erupted through the air and splashed against Fluttershy's muzzle and forelegs and drizzled down the dildo. The sticky flood poured onto the towel and seeped around Pinkie's derriere. The liquid lust was clean and pure and pumped out in messy gushes before its strength waned, and as it dissipated a thick white cream dribbled down Pinkie's pussy. Fluttershy couldn't help but lick up the luxurious treat and trace a path to the tiny source under Pinkie's button. An extra concentrated dose of bittersweet delight tingled her tongue and left behind a smooth aftertaste as she swallowed it down, like a savory buttercream.

“Your face is all wet,” Pinkie said through frazzled breaths. “Where's my umbrella hat when you need it?”

“Now what? You want me to—”

“Keep going. Party's just getting started.”

The dildo's every advance filled the room with lewd and sloppy noises thanks to the extra wetness flowing from Pinkie's inner confines. Pinkie jerked and thrashed like a wild mare, a wave rolling from her hips to her shoulders, every thrust against Pinkie's spot drowning her in a sea of hoof curling ecstasy. Fluttershy struggled to establish a semblance of order. Sometimes she gripped Pinkie's twisting waist, other times she wrapped a foreleg under Pinkie's knee to quell the contortions. As long as Fluttershy kept massaging that cosmic spot with a reliable rhythm nothing else mattered.

Pinkie slurred her words like a happy drunk. “You and me? We're gal pals. Pussy pals. Coochie comrades.” Pinkie vibrated like a plucked ukulele string. “This is better than cinnamon buns, blueberry pancakes, and OOOOOOOH!” Pinkie's forelegs descended and framed her marelips while she pulled them apart. “Call my pussy Joy because I love spreading it!”

A fountain of bittersweet fluid sprayed across Fluttershy's face and jetted from Pinkie's quivering cunny in waves of hypnotic spurts. This gush was less intense than the first release, but she still maintained a forceful enough pressure to paint Fluttershy's mouth with a coating of sticky syrup, and each squirt brought an intense wink from Pinkie's pulsing pearl. Lively feminine energy suffused the air, drifted into Fluttershy's nostrils, and drove her further into the clutches of wild sapphic urges. Oh how she wanted to see what an unrestrained mare could really do. Pinkie was so comfortable with her sexuality it was a bad joke, and Fluttershy wanted to see the punchline.

Pinkie's feverish pussy rippled like it was alive, like it was hungry, and Fluttershy was more than happy to feed it a steady diet of silicone using increasingly vigorous strokes. Fluttershy lowered her wing between Pinkie's damp thighs and skimmed her feathers across the dusky peaks atop Pinkie's lopsided candy mounds.

“You're titillating my titties,” Pinkie said with bouncy excitement. “Mmm! Your feathers are so stiff and scratchy and wonderful.” Pinkie gasped. “Are you gonna do what I think you are?”

Fluttershy dragged her feathers across Pinkie's sticky groove and circled her crown jewel. “Hmmm, maybe. Is this where you want it?”

“Oh yes right there! Please oh please! I'm a dirty mare and I need a good feather dusting!”

“Are you suuure?” Fluttershy asked with a growing grin. “Maybe you need to rest after your long party tour.”

Pinkie stretched and kicked her legs in desperation. “Pleeease let me cream. I'm gonna power wash the walls!”

Fluttershy giggled as she focused the bristly tip under Pinkie's button and brushed back and forth with a gentle sawing motion. Pinkie howled with outrageous pleasure that made her doughy tummy flex and shake. Her delicate moans were long gone, swept away by the storm between her legs, a storm so much impressive than the one outside.

“Tickle my clit,” Pinkie begged. “Tickle my itty bitty clitty! Heheheee yes yes oh yesss! A bubbling brew is coming for you! Oh woooow!”

A geyser of sweet mare liquor exploded from Pinkie's winking pussy and splattered Fluttershy's face and dripped down her chin. Another thick burst sailed onto the towel and ran down Pinkie's rump and dock. Its power quickly dissipated, until all that remained was one last spritz, soft and dainty, before Pinkie emptied herself for good.

But Pinkie was by no means finished, and like a coiled spring simmering with energy she wrenched away and twisted against the mattress. Fluttershy kept working the dildo and battled through Pinkie's unruly commotion, including an out of control tail that smacked her across the face multiple times. Pinkie's manic pleasure heightened as she broke free of Fluttershy's grasp, rolled onto her belly, and humped against the mattress with wild abandon. Fluttershy could only gawk as her resistance against Pinkie's strength proved futile. The last thing she expected from their reunion was a wrestling match.

“Tummy,” Pinkie babbled under her breath with frustration. “Tummy. Tummy. Aim for my tummy!”

Fluttershy rushed to correct her mistake. Since Pinkie had moved into a new position, her special spot was along the bottom, on the same side as her navel. As soon as Fluttershy redirected the toy where it was most needed, Pinkie rose to her knees and wiggled backward trying to get more. Pinkie's crazed humping crowded Fluttershy down the bed until she started running out of room. Fluttershy pressed her hoof against Pinkie's soft rump to push her in the other direction, commencing the world's strangest shoving match. This was a losing effort, as not only was Fluttershy weaker and without leverage, but her focus wandered to the supple curves of Pinkie's bountiful bottom as it jiggled from out of control convulsions.

The dildo slipped free and tumbled against the mattress, and Pinkie stopped her butt barrage before she would've humped Fluttershy onto the floor, letting loose a shuddering groan as her jelly bean peeked out to say hello. Fluttershy dipped below Pinkie's tail and let her tongue do the rest of the talking. Sticky cream glossed her snout as she licked and sucked Pinkie's plump pussy like a juicy peach, savoring Pinkie's raw desire flowing straight from her innermost sanctum. A flash of lightning illuminated the bedroom and drowned out Pinkie's cries of wavering ecstasy until she collapsed against the pillows. Pinkie's chest rose and fell with great effort as she rolled onto her back.

“Come up here,” Pinkie said, blowing a kiss and giggling. Fluttershy propped herself along Pinkie's side, and they made out despite their fatigue. “I trust you more than anyone,” Pinkie said. “I trust you with my body, my heart, my everything.” Their lips met with devoted passion in the raging shadows of the storm. For the first time, Fluttershy found herself in complete control, while Pinkie struggled to recover, barely able to lift her head from the pillow.

Pinkie spread her trembling legs in open invitation. “Most ponies don't push me this far. I want you to push me until I fall forever. Push me until I melt into a puddle.”

Fluttershy could be relentless if that's what Pinkie needed, and to prove it she guided the dildo back home and plowed into Pinkie's sublime spot with a sudden flurry, drawing a hissing breath through Pinkie's clenched teeth.

“Ahh haha! Just like that! Give it to me good!”

Countless orgasms crashed across Pinkie's sweet pudgy figure, each one coming faster and faster until the boundary between them disappeared. The tides of a powerful pleasure overwhelmed Pinkie until she mashed her face into the neighboring pillow and muffled what would've been a window rattling shriek. Pinkie flopped back motionless as if her spirit abandoned her body.

“K-Keep going,” Pinkie whispered. “You're my sexy butt… my sexy butterfly.”

Fluttershy continued her pumping strokes despite her better judgment, although she kept checking to ensure her friend was okay. Sometimes Pinkie returned a weak nod or whimpered with shaky approval, but she was increasingly subdued, drenched in sweat, and struggling to breathe, as if she had just galloped through a marathon. Pinkie's strength waned to nothing until she fell deep into a mindless trance. To see her rambunctious friend reduced to such a vulnerable state was distressing.

Another wave of whole body convulsions that resembled a seizure more than an orgasm wracked Pinkie's limp body and rocked her to the core. Pinkie's jaw slackened and saliva dribbled down the corner of her mouth. Her unfocused eyes glistened like glass and her words were long and drawn out. “Heaven. I'm in heaven.”

Fluttershy returned to tickling Pinkie's button with her feathers while plunging the toy between Pinkie's legs, into the fiery heart of her desire, but Pinkie didn't make a peep beyond panting gasps. She laid back in repose with half-lidded eyes and stared at the ceiling with a frozen smile. Fluttershy's overworked forelegs ached from exertion, but she kept thrusting regardless. She knew beneath this placid surface Pinkie was experiencing untold depths of bliss, an erotic odyssey into the limits of her body Fluttershy couldn't even begin to fathom. She had to show Pinkie how much she cared, how she wouldn't be intimidated or ashamed. She rammed the dildo inside with her most urgent thrusts yet in hopes of finally quenching Pinkie's boundless lust. A soft whinny escaped Pinkie's throat as she stretched her hind legs and kicked in tandem with her throbbing clitoris.

Earlier that afternoon, when they climbed the stairs and fell into bed with torrid kisses, Pinkie had reassured Fluttershy the Cakes couldn't hear them downstairs, that their commotion wouldn't pass beyond the walls of the loft if they weren't too crazy. And yet Fluttershy couldn't help but imagine the Cakes crouched on the staircase spying on their dirty antics. The Cakes would discover why Fluttershy was really so eager to visit, and she would never be able to show her face around Sugarcube Corner again. Or maybe the Cakes would be so turned on they would play with themselves, maybe they would get off from Pinkie spurting her sticky essence all over Fluttershy's face, maybe the Cakes would make love right there in the stairwell, maybe Mrs. Cake would lift her tail and—

Pinkie scrunched her face and gasped. Her words lacked energy. “S-Stop. Please stop.”

Fluttershy pulled the toy out with a wet pop and grabbed her lover's shoulder. “Pinkie! Are you okay?”

Pinkie's eyes sparkled. “I'm very okay. Are you okay?”

Fluttershy sighed with relief. “Thank goodness. I was afraid I hurt you or did something wrong.”

“My face… My face hurts from smiling too much.” Pinkie giggled and lifted her drooping forelegs. “Hold me so I don't float away like those balloon bunnies.”

“I'm here for you,” Fluttershy said, blanketing Pinkie in a protective hug. “Just like you were here for me.”

Pinkie blinked as if emerging from a daze. “Did you see me? My clitty kept popping out like a cuckoo clock. Cuckoo! Cuckoo!”

“Um, yeah, that was definitely something else.” Fluttershy removed the soaked towel and flung it on the floor next to hers. “I didn't know mares could be so… demonstrative?”

“I can't do that all the time, but seeing your first ever gush really put me in the mood. And you stuck with me like a champ the whole way through. What did I do to deserve you?”

“You were just yourself,” Fluttershy said, trying to mimic Pinkie's reassuring ways. “This proves we really are lichen, just like you said. We're two different forces coming together to make something special.”

“This is probably the only time I won't mind being compared to slime mold.”

Fluttershy teased Pinkie's tail with her own. “I'm guessing there weren't too many stallions who kept up with you.”

“Nopey dopey! That's why you get two or three of them.”

They both giggled as they snuggled together in the gloom. Fluttershy rested her head against Pinkie's floofy chest. “Do you think I could ever be as responsive as you?”

“Hmmm. Good question. Finding out could be a whole lotta fun. The trick is to let it happen and not worry about what you look like.” Pinkie rolled Fluttershy along her side and made her the little spoon, wrapping her forelegs around Fluttershy's tummy. “Let's be something tastier than lichen. Let's say you're the peanut butter to my chocolate. Or the chocolate to my peanut butter. Whichever one works for you.”

Fluttershy murmured as Pinkie playfully nibbled her ears and massaged under her folded wings. “So what's next? Do we make more pamphlets? Should we travel together this time? Maybe we could research the southern desert and the bee problem, or we could head up to the Crystal Empire and investigate why the polar vortex is changing and—”

“You'll be busy as a bee with something else.”

“Uh-oh. Let me guess: It's a surprise.”

“You're getting good at this, Flutterbug.”

“Or maybe you're running out of tricks and—”

Thunder boomed close and roared through Fluttershy's chest. She cowered under the blankets while the bakery quaked to the foundation. Pinkie squeezed her into a warm fuzzy embrace, and they waited out the commotion together. Fluttershy was safe and secure just like she always wanted.

Harmonious Ecology

The fading warmth of summer gave way to autumn, and Fluttershy's mailbox threatened to burst from the piles of correspondence she received from all over Equestria.

“How exciting,” Fluttershy said as she read another letter in her living room. “They want to hold a meeting here in Ponyville. Maybe I'll squeeze in and hang out at the back.”

Pinkie let out a knowing chuckle. “Oh, you'll have a front row seat.”

Fluttershy lowered the letter. “Pinkie, what did you do?”

“Maaaaaybe I said you would be the main speaker.”

Fluttershy didn't scream or faint. She only took a deep breath and exhaled. “Of course you did.”

Pinkie tossed her foreleg over Fluttershy's shoulder. “They all wanted to hear you drop some knowledge, so I said you would be the head honcho in hopes they would come visit. And they did! That's good, right?”

“The future of Equestria shouldn't depend on my pitiful public speaking skills, but I'll give it my best shot.”

Pinkie backed away. “So you're not mad?”

“I'd describe it more as a mild existential terror.”

* * *

Pinkie whispered dirty ideas into Fluttershy's ears, ideas she promised would solve all their problems and ensure the meeting went off without a hitch. At first Fluttershy demurred, finding them too risky if not downright depraved, but the more she dwelled on them the more she realized this might be Pinkie's cleverest plan yet. But if she failed she would never live it down, she would be humiliated and exposed, and yet, for reasons she didn't understand, that just made Pinkie's perverted plan all the more enticing.

The more time she spent with Pinkie, the more her old self fell away like clothes that didn't fit anymore.

“This will be our special secret,” Pinkie said, reclining in her bed. Fluttershy crawled between Pinkie's thighs and started her favorite new indoor hobby: Going to town on Pinkie's pussy until she begged for mercy. The only downside was the ache under her tongue after a long session, a small price to pay for spending quality time with her marefriend.

Marefriend.

That magical word never lost its luster.

Just as Fluttershy got into a groove, a soft mouth clamped around her butt cheek and made her yelp in surprise. Gummy had latched onto Fluttershy's bottom like a suction cup and was nomming away.

Pinkie shrieked with laughter while Fluttershy wiggled her rump in a fruitless attempt to dislodge the scaly scamp, his tail swaying in the air. “Shoo, shoo,” Fluttershy said through a growing blush. “Um, a little help?”

“Hey Gummy, I don't blame you, she's got a cute caboose.” Pinkie picked up the little gator and booped his snout with her nose. “But only I get to touch her tushie, okay?”

* * *

For their secret plan to work they needed proper concealment, which meant a trip to Rarity's boutique. Fluttershy admired Pinkie's new dress as she emerged from the curtained changing room. A ruffled magenta skirt flowed over Pinkie's tail, and a poofy white and blue striped top completed the ensemble. “That should do the trick,” Fluttershy said. “You look like you're about to serve me ice cream.”

Pinkie drew close and whispered with a sultry purr. “If you're a good girl I'll give you a cherry on top.”

“And if I'm a bad girl?”

Rarity called out and interrupted their reverie. “Yoohoo! Fluttershy! Your selection awaits.” The secret lovers did their best to act like normal friends as they rounded the corner. They sat beside each other on a lounge sofa while Rarity levitated a variety of dresses from the rack and displayed them for review.

“I'm tired of always wearing meadow green,” Fluttershy said. “Let's try that sky dress with the cloud trim.”

“Powder blue, excellent match with your coat,” Rarity said, adjusting her reading glasses. “There's something different about you, dear. You're radiant, you have a verve, a pep in your step—I suppose all this organizing brought out your best, hmm?”

“I've been preparing my speech. Pinkie takes care of the rest.”

“How splendid! Event planning is definitely up Pinkie's alley.”

“A lot of things have been up my alley lately,” Pinkie whispered with a giggle.

“What was that, dearie?”

Fluttershy elbowed Pinkie in the side. “She said it's like a big rally. You know, because of all the ponies.”

“Why of course,” Rarity said. “Now just let me make a few alterations and you'll be out of here in no time.” Rarity perched on a stool and swept the dress across her workstation. “You know, Fluttershy, this meeting could prove a most excellent occasion to dip your hooves back into the dating world. I bet all sorts of eligible bachelors will attend.”

Pinkie's hoof drifted around Fluttershy's lower back.

“This isn't a social club,” Fluttershy said. “It's for raising awareness and addressing serious issues.”

“An admirable sentiment, dear, but you can't put a leash on love. I know you've had some bad luck, but I'm confident Mr. Right is out there waiting for you, and what better venue to find a fellow who matches your interests?”

Pinkie tightened her grip around Fluttershy's waist into a tenacious hug.

“I'm already seeing someone, believe it or not.”

“How lovely! Do I know him?”

Pinkie held back the flicker of a grin and shrugged her shoulders, as if to say “this is your call.”

“I took a different path this time. I'm seeing a mare.”

Rarity's ears perked up. “So you've broadened your horizons. Are you going to dish the dirt on this mysterious mare or keep me hanging?”

“You know her pretty well.”

Rarity tilted her head and cooed. “Is it Cloud Chaser? A little birdie told me she's on the prowl for mares after breaking up with Thunderlane. Wait, don't tell me, it's Coco Pommel, isn't it? I've never heard her talk about having a coltfriend, so—”

“I'm dating Pinkie.”

Rarity turned to face them, blinked several times, and covered her mouth before chortling so hard she shook. “Ohohoho, Fluttershy, you're such a riot! Pinkie, do take note, you've got stiff competition for town jester.” Pinkie sidled up to Fluttershy and started smooching her on the cheek, and Rarity froze in place while her glasses slid down her muzzle. She returned her attention to the dress. “Not bad. You two almost had me convinced. You're dedicated to your pranks, aren't you?”

“There's no prank. We've been together for awhile now.”

“Thirty-one days and four hours,” Pinkie added.

Fluttershy massaged Pinkie's knee. “Do you need more proof?”

Rarity waved away the suggestion. “I believe you! I don't need more sordid displays in my shop, especially after last week's incident with the Whinnypeg dance troupe.” She rubbed her chin and studied them with growing approval. “This will take some getting used to, but I must admit you two make an adorable couple. Have you told the others?”

“We'd rather keep this under wraps,” Fluttershy said. “We're still figuring things out, and we have a lot on our plate right now.”

“I'm a tad jealous,” Rarity said, sighing in defeat. “I never had much luck with mares. You know I don't like to kiss and tell”—Fluttershy and Pinkie shared a skeptical glance—“but once upon a time I set my hopes on this lovely lady from Canterlot. She was a high class mare with extravagant tastes, and her domineering attitude proved rather helpful for certain, shall we say, recreational activities involving props. We had such fun together, but dating another mare was like dancing on the lip of a volcano. We crashed and burned over some ridiculous nonsense. Can you believe she said I wasn't on the cutting edge anymore? The nerve!”

“That's um… quite the story,” Fluttershy said. “What happened to her?”

“She ended up back with her old boyfriend. Typical.”

“Sooo does that mean we should ignore the advice you're about to give us?” Pinkie asked.

Rarity muttered to herself. “Artists are never appreciated in their time.”

“Will you be able to attend the meeting?” Fluttershy asked.

“I'm afraid not, dear. Fall fashions are swamping me, not to mention my back orders. Perhaps this dress will be my contribution to the cause?”

Pinkie and Fluttershy leaned over Rarity's desk and admired her craftsmanship. “A mare wearing this could sell matches to a dragon,” Pinkie said.

“This is lovely beyond compare,” Fluttershy added. “Sometimes I wish I could be an artist like you.”

“Pish posh! We're all artists, darling, and the world is our canvas. Now go out there and paint a masterpiece.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie prepared to leave the boutique, balancing their boxed dresses on their backs, when Rarity called out to them. “You two want foolproof advice? Imagine how Applejack and Rainbow Dash would act, and then do the opposite.”

* * *

In Fluttershy's living room, Pinkie revealed her newest erotic toy: A smiling purple butterfly that nestled against Fluttershy's cunny. Attached to its front were thin black straps that looped around Fluttershy's thighs and rear end.

“These make sure it stays nice and snug,” Pinkie said, adjusting the bands a little tighter. The butterfly's business end provided a short but thick shaft that spread Fluttershy apart and gave her something to squeeze. Pinkie pressed a button and the entire butterfly came to life with a vibrating hum, its wings flapping against Fluttershy's labia while its head pulsed against her hood.

“Whooaaaa.” Fluttershy sank back into her green couch under the rumbling waves. “How does it do that?”

“I think there's a magic crystal thingy inside. Hmmm, maybe that's why Rarity loves gems so much.”

Fluttershy struggled to her hooves and staggered across the living room in a failed attempt to seem normal. Finding the buzzing a bit much, she leaned against the fireplace and caught her breath. Angel Bunny came bounding down the staircase, paused on the lowest step, and tilted his fuzzy head in confusion before casting a suspicious gaze at Pinkie, who lounged on the couch feigning innocence.

“Angel, dear, run along and play,” Fluttershy said, swishing her tail. “Momma's got company.” The little ruffian shrugged and scampered back upstairs, and with some effort Fluttershy managed to stroll back to the couch without buckling once. “This might actually work. I just need a bit more practice.”

* * *

A wide spectrum of Equestrian society arrived at the Ponyville Town Hall, from Canterlot ponies draped in luxurious dresses and jewelry to earth pony laborers wearing dusty cloaks and patched hats. Fluttershy greeted the visitors at the door and met farmers, teachers, nurses, artisans, mages, mayors, miners, weather workers, cart pullers, students, and fellow environmental caretakers.

Along the edge of Ponyville, a purple and silver hot air balloon emblazoned with an eagle claw touched down. Out of the basket spilled a flock—or was it a pride—of griffons, and they barged inside while arguing all the way. A straggler towered over Fluttershy and cut through her with yellow eyes.

“G-Gilda… It's been awhile. You're looking well.”

Gilda raked her talons through her snow-white crest and coughed. “Yeah, I guess. Pinkie said I should say sorry, or something, so there ya go.”

“You came all this way to apologize? How sweet of—”

“Naw. Griffonstone is a dump because we let it rot, and Pinkie said you figured out a fix. True?”

“Um… Maybe?”

Gilda sank her claws into Fluttershy's shoulder in something approaching a reassuring gesture. “You know I went to flight school in Cloudsdale, right? You ponies are corny and sing too many lame songs, but I like Equestria, so don't let your pony friends make the same mistakes we did. The lust for gold is a killer.”

* * *

The audience totaled around two hundred, and they chatted among themselves while they took their seats in the Town Hall auditorium. Fluttershy put on a brave face, ascended the stage, and gripped the lectern for dear life. She could do this. She had to do this. And it would be so much easier with the comforting presence of that butterfly toy rumbling under her tail, hidden by Rarity's splendid sky dress.

Just ten minutes earlier backstage, Pinkie had carefully slipped the butterfly into place after explaining how it would be on its lowest setting. Pinkie pulled up Fluttershy's purple underwear and kissed her on the behind “for butt luck, the best kind of luck.”

Fluttershy studied the crowd and searched for her goofy gal pal. Pinkie sat near the center aisle and cheerfully waved and bit her lip as her own hidden toy delivered forbidden massages, except hers was shaped like an egg and buried deep inside.

The grand hall fell silent while everyone focused on Fluttershy. She cleared her throat and spoke from prepared remarks. “Welcome, friends and neighbors. For those who traveled a great distance to reach us today, I hope you were able to appreciate Equestria's dazzling beauty, from the swampy lowlands to the towering crystal peaks in the north. I've always admired the Equestrian ethos: Harmony with each other and Harmony with the Earth. Maybe we could actually try it for once.”

Confused murmurs spread through the crowd, but Fluttershy wasn't thrown off by their apprehension, instead finding herself already at ease. A week's worth of expectations had lodged in her stomach like an icy weight and clamped along her nerves, but the frost melted from the secret butterfly going to work against her tingling marehood. Fluttershy had found confidence with sex in private, so it only made sense to carry this revelation into the public sphere, or so Pinkie had reasoned, and now Fluttershy set out to prove her marefriend right.

“Ponies are resilient because life was always difficult for us. We came from meager beginnings in the ice and snow, and then we fled to a new land teeming with dragons and great beasts. Everything noble about Equestria was born from struggle, and now we face a new challenge, one of our own making, but we'll solve this problem the way we faced everything else—together.”

Fluttershy recounted her studies in painstaking detail. She focused on the following points:

Large scale weather manipulation ultimately destroys what we sought to control. Maintaining the status quo requires ever increasing wingpower, and once this system fails the weather will spiral into catastrophe. Blizzards, floods, and droughts will batter Equestria into submission. We must scale back weather management year by year as we transition to a new equilibrium.
Abandoned magical artifacts leak corrosive energy into the environment, poisoning the land and corrupting innocent creatures. Teams of mages must rejuvenate the wilderness by cleaning up centuries of arcane energy pollution. Future magical waste will be collected and processed.
Ponies have blighted the land with mining, deforestation, and modern agricultural practices. Farmers aim for the highest profits via monocropping, but this drains nutrients from the soil and leaves it vulnerable to erosion. We must employ a system of permaculture and agroforestry to restore topsoil and conserve resources.

Fluttershy could almost see Equestria's future farms as she described the new suite of techniques. A crew of earth mares advanced across a field that was brimming with all variety of vegetables and crossed by rows of trees planted to secure the soil. The mares tended to their crops with water canisters while singing an upbeat tune to raise their spirits under the harsh midday sun.

Their work complete, the sweaty mares celebrated by pouring cool water over their friends and jumping into a pile of giggles and upturned bottoms. Dozens of mares stretched across the farm in a long daisy chain of spread legs, probing muzzles, and disappearing cucumbers that were plowing a different kind of field. Their delighted moans rang out as geysers of mare lust arced through the air and drenched the crops with life giving nutrients. This was truly the pinnacle of resource management and community building.

Fluttershy ruffled her feathers and took a deep breath. No one was ever this horny when talking about new farming methods. Not even Applejack.

The fantasy wasn't part of Fluttershy's speech, of course, but the daydream made her lose her place for a moment. Where was the next topic? Oh, right.

Wasteful production must be minimized. For example, massive quantities of land and water are used in producing fibers and dyes for the textile industry, which manufactures clothing far beyond Equestria's needs. The fashion industry drives this consumption with pernicious advertising that instills anxieties that can only be met by the latest fad.

On second thought, maybe it was for the best Rarity couldn't attend.

Habitat destruction sends all manner of beasts on a crash course with civilization. In response, the victims call for razing the creature's homes to push the danger back, which only exacerbates the problem further. Ponyville's naturalized border with the Everfree is a leading example of pony/beast cohabitation and should be emulated.

A warm rush of pleasure gripped Fluttershy and threw her off. The vibrations from the wiggling butterfly coursed through her tender valley and engulfed her throbbing clit. She feigned a cough so she could gasp and squeeze her eyes shut without being obvious, and to stall for time she took a long sip of water. No one suspected a thing. She moved to her last point.

The aforementioned dilemmas are bad enough on their own, but if left unchecked they would converge in unpredictable ways until we cross a tipping point. Beset by cascading disasters, Equestria would abandon its communal ways and disintegrate into tiny fiefdoms. The survivors would stake their narrow claims and keep out strangers no matter the cost, hoarding Equestria's dwindling resources like greedy dragons.

“If you study the past,” Fluttershy continued, “you see a repeating pattern. Reckless civilizations leave deserts in their hoofprints. This may not seem as dire as a demon crawling from the pits of Tartarus and vowing our destruction, but if we don't establish a sustainable society then Equestria's future is nothing but ruins and half-remembered legends.”

A commotion raced through the crowd as ponies bolted from their seats and spoke over one another.

“Monsters attack our gates! We need more soldiers, trenches, magic barriers, anything to keep them out.”

“If we don't control the rains we can't grow food and ponies will starve.”

“So lower the population.”

“Don't panic! Someone will make a spell and save the day.”

“Who invited the griffons? Our ancestors fought these feathered freaks not all that long ago, who's to say this isn't their doing?”

“Ponies can't hurt the world. We're so small and the world is so big.”

“That must be true because it reinforces what I already believe.”

Fluttershy rubbed her thighs together while the relentlessly vibrating toy filled her with a warm gooey ache. A bead of sweat rolled down her brow, but she wiped it away before anyone noticed. She cleared her throat and calmed the crowd. “You're all missing the root problem. We have enough resources for everyone, but we need more than patchwork solutions that let us pretend we can plunder nature in a limited way. Our current system incentivizes anti-social behavior and imprisons our imagination. To save Equestria's environment, we must reorganize society so we focus on sustaining the many, not enriching the few.”

A prominent Canterlot mare named Fleur dis Lee stood up and objected. Her lavish dress gleamed with gemstones and Star Snatcher feathers. “Now listen here, Miss Fluttershy, I shan't sit here while you besmirch the business ponies who endeavored to build this land. Your precious Ponyville would be nothing but timberwolf country if it weren't for Filthy Rich's ancestors.” Sitting next to her was Fancy Pants, who crossed his forelegs and gave an exaggerated nod and a loud “harrumph.”

Toffee Swirl the wagon mare rose from the audience wearing an enormous straw hat. “Everyone knows the Apples founded Ponyville by working their tails off, and the common ponies built the rest, not the masters from Canterlot. Who mined those fancy jewels in your dress, by the way? An earth pony toiling in the dirt, that's who!”

Fleur dis Lee pinned her ears and scoffed. “I paid more than a reasonable price—an act of charity by any measure. And mind your tone, because without Canterlot's nobility you earth ponies would eat that dirt.”

The crowd simmered with tension, but Toffee didn't back down. “What's the matter, hon, spooked by the workers’ movement in the western provinces? Afraid it might spread to Equestria's heartland? Funny, I haven't seen that covered in any of the newspapers run by your friends in the guilds. Just admit that's the only reason you're here: To stamp out a campaign that threatens your ill-gotten wealth.”

“Ridiculous claptrap,” Fleur dis Lee said. “The productive elements of society have nothing to fear from layabouts and freeloaders.”

“Ha! The only freeloaders live in mansions and castles. Y'all from Canterlot are a bunch of blood-sucking parasites.”

A vicious argument exploded across the hall with a slew of back and forth insults as the crowd descended into a frenzied mass. Everything was falling apart and Fluttershy wanted nothing more than to flee to the safety of her cottage and forget this ever happened. She peered out into the turmoil and locked eyes with Pinkie, who returned a reassuring glance that filled her with confidence. The restless toy vibrating against her marehood energized her into an ever heightening crescendo.

“Quiet, everyone!” Fluttershy shouted. “Is this our future? Arguing while the world sinks into the sand? This isn't about individuals, it's about whole systems. We must decide this together: Will we sever our connection to the environment in pursuit of profit? What will we profit when Equestria is reduced to a howling wasteland? Is this really the best we can do? Turning live green nature into dead gold bricks?”

“More populist pandering,” Fleur dis Lee said. “You rail against profits and the excess of the textile industry while showcasing one of Rarity's gaudy dresses. I bet she paid you to wear that abomination. You're just a walking advertisement.”

“What? That's absurd. And this is a modest dress, so I don't think…” Fluttershy held back a moan deep in her chest. She couldn't imagine the crowd's reaction if they discovered the truth behind her attire. “A-And I don't think my wardrobe is the issue.”

“Of course you wouldn't. You want everyone else to change, not you. How convenient.”

“I want to expand the horizon of your vision beyond your muzzle. Now does anyone else have anything to say?”

A pegasus mare with a mint coat sailed above the crowd. “Weather control has been the pride of pegasi since time immemorial. What's our purpose in your world? To be aerial scouts? Entertainment?”

“We can still employ weather magic,” Fluttershy said, “but it should be defensive in nature, and scaled down for local need, not to enrich some distant group of absentee owners. As much as possible, we must work with mother nature, not against her.”

A stallion's voice called out. “Why are we talking about this? You're friends with Princess Twilight.” The crowd hummed with agreement. “He's right,” said another mare. “This is a job for the princesses. Celestia will save us.”

“This is beyond the scope of castles and crowns,” Fluttershy said. “Not only because the powerful wish to maintain the very systems leading us to ruin, but because our problems spring from the same source. The alienation, the breakdown of communal bonds, the reduction of everything to a transactional exchange—these all flow from our relationships with each other under a system that puts profits over ponies, and this determines how we view the natural world. If we exploit one another, so too shall we exploit and dominate the environment. To find true Harmony we must dismantle hierarchy and all forms of domination. We must abolish plutocrats and princesses.”

Gasps rang out from the crowd, as well as scattered applause.

“This is utopian nonsense,” Fleur dis Lee said. “Show us your plans for this glorious new society. One without princesses!”

“There's no grand plan from on high. That's the point. Each community would meet with their neighbors and decide what needs to be done for the betterment of all.”

“Impossible!” Fleur dis Lee shouted. “We need a powerful mare to unite Equestria. Anything else goes against the nature of the herd.”

“Ages ago the wise and pragmatic ponies said it's impossible the three pony tribes could ever live together. They said it's impossible to awaken the Elements of Harmony. They said it's impossible to make friends with dragons and changelings and all the rest. If we don't embrace the impossible, we will face the unthinkable.”

Growing sections of the crowd cheered, but Fleur dis Lee kept them at bay with a mere glance. “Cute rhetoric. I'm sure you practiced in front of a mirror and everything. But words can't bring forth the dreams of starry-eyed flower children.”

Fluttershy swallowed a moan of frustration and rising sexual bliss. “Y-You believe in a dream too. No, not a dream, a nightmare. You want endless growth in a finite world. You want to treat your workers like trash and expect them to take it. You're in for a rude awakening!”

Fluttershy's heart pounded, her blood ran hot, and her marehood grew unbearably heavy with need. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. Once she went over the brink they would discover she was a dirty mare and they would bend her over the lectern, yank down her underwear, and show all of Equestria how much of a pathetic lust-addled pervert she really was. Everyone would denounce her and say this whole event was just a prop for her disgusting fantasy. No one would ever listen to her again.

“Please understand this point,” Fluttershy said through a wavering gasp. “Our social relations will always govern our relations with nature.”

The tingling lusts under Fluttershy's tail reached a fever pitch. Her knees buckled under the butterfly's onslaught and she leaned against the podium for support. Her tail jerked and lifted and the throbbing tension released in wave after wave of soul sizzling pleasure made all the more intense by the audience of unsuspecting ponies watching her every movement. Erotic heat radiated from her pussy, stoked by every illicit vibration against her clit. She struggled to meet the crowd's eyes, as if they could see through her, as if her perversions were painted across her face for all to witness. She bit down on her cheek, breathed using her diaphragm, and did everything in her power to hold back a moan that would echo through the grand hall and reveal her wanton lusts. And yet despite her valiant efforts, the excess energy had to go somewhere. Fluttershy squeezed her eyes tight and shivered like she was cast out into one of the world ending blizzards.

A stallion in the front row leaned forward. “Miss? Is everything okay?”

“Y-Yes,” Fluttershy said, her face warm from secret shame. “I'm just very passionate about the environment.”

Pinkie was proven right yet again. Imagining herself as dirty and sinful pony made Fluttershy even hotter and hornier than usual. She let out a contented sigh, wiped her brow, and scanned the crowd. Pinkie writhed in her chair with restless energy while her tail swung to and fro. Fluttershy giggled in sympathy with Pinkie's inner turmoil.

A business stallion in a top hat had been speaking at length, but Fluttershy only heard a stream of pablum. “We must make the proper capital investments… paradigm shifts… disruptive innovations…”

A mare with glasses, a slide rule, and a notepad said, “We should establish a Department of Environmental and Resource Preservation—D.E.R.P.”

“You've made many salient points,” said a silver griffoness with a red feather in her crest. “But your idea of delegating power to local communities would cause a whole raft of problems. If preserving the environment is our goal we must invest authority in a central committee to make uniform decisions and—”

“Don't listen to Gale unless you like being stabbed in the back,” Gilda said. “She's a power hungry lunatic.”

“How dare you call me an opportunist? The only reason you made this trip was to visit that rainbow pony!”

Gilda waved a dismissive claw. “We had centralized authority in the king. How did that turn out?”

“What a preposterous comparison. You don't know the first thing about class structures or power dynamics or—”

Mayor Mare's bespectacled secretary trotted onto the stage and interrupted. “This meeting's allotted time is up. Thank you for visiting Ponyville and supporting our local businesses. Any Canterlot delegates who wish to speak with the mayor should see me in the front office.”

The audience dispersed, and as Fleur dis Lee made her exit she flicked her tail dismissively. “This meeting was a complete waste of time. Equestria will never succumb to decay, just as gold will never know the touch of rust.”

A sticky wetness clung between Fluttershy's thighs as she left the stage. Her climax left her deeply satisfied, but she didn't expect such a mess, and she needed to find a place to clean up. Pinkie bumbled across the auditorium in an awkward gait and beckoned Fluttershy to follow her down the side hall. They passed the archive room, several offices, and ponies milling around a break room drinking tea and coffee. At the end of the corridor, they flung open a double door, ducked around the corner, and found refuge in an empty meeting room decorated with light wood paneling, royal blue carpet, and majestic paintings of Celestia and Luna.

Pinkie pushed one of the rolling chairs to the side and threw herself against the long conference table. “That was insane! I saw the exact moment your canoe went over the waterfall, but I don't think anyone else had a clue.” Fluttershy sank into one of the plush chairs, and Pinkie reached out with her hind leg and dragged Fluttershy's underwear to the floor. A sizable damp spot marred the fabric, and her sticky essence seeped around the smiling butterfly toy. “That must've been a good one,” Pinkie said with a hint of jealousy.

“I didn't feel it against my G-spot, it just sorta happened,” Fluttershy said, unfastening the loops and setting the shiny butterfly on the table. “Everything was so nice and warm.”

“Y-You're coming into balance with your body like a seesaw, and—” Pinkie let out an anguished moan, bent over the table, and wiggled her butt. “I'm sooOOOoo close! It kinda hurts!”

Fluttershy rolled behind Pinkie and flipped the ruffled dress over her back. Pinkie's sky blue underwear had been completely soaked. Fluttershy pulled down the drenched fabric while Pinkie helped by lifting her legs. A mouth watering fog wafted across Fluttershy's face and filled her chest with an hour's worth of Pinkie's pent up desire. The green base of the vibrating egg peeked between Pinkie's immensely dark and swollen marelips, and a long strand of arousal dripped onto the blue carpet.

“I need relief reaaally bad,” Pinkie said, her secret pearl winking into the air. “Oh, this is torture! Help me!”

Fluttershy grabbed either side of Pinkie's balloon adorned flanks and steadied her frenzied shaking. After a gentle tug, Pinkie's plump cheeks spread apart and Fluttershy lavished Pinkie's desperately engorged valley with an emergency tongue bath. Fluttershy meandered around Pinkie's exposed clit, gave it a brief lick along the side, and pulled away, letting it retreat back into its warm confines.

“You're a monster,” Pinkie said through an exasperated laugh. “A cruel, heartless monster! I'm gonna go crazy!”

“Too late for that,” Fluttershy teased. She licked the length of Pinkie's silky smooth slit and planted kisses across her round cheeks.

Pinkie shifted her weight from one hind leg to another in a nervous dance, each shuffle wobbling and shaking her squishy bottom like jello. Another sticky strand of mare goo dribbled from Pinkie's puffy honeypot, but this time Fluttershy carefully gathered it with her tongue and swished the creamy goodness in her mouth. Fluttershy followed the strand to its source and slipped her greedy tongue inside until she brushed against the submerged toy still buzzing away. Incredible amounts of heat poured from Pinkie's inner depths, like a hot pink furnace on the verge of a meltdown. Pinkie's heart shaped clit popped out further than it ever has, straining against the air, yearning for the touch that would send her over the edge.

“Please, pleaaase,” Pinkie begged, a tense urgency in her voice. “Don't let me lose this.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth and sucked Pinkie's poor neglected clitty. She could maroon that little bud to the cold air once again and make Pinkie collapse from frustration, but Fluttershy preferred to soothe her friend's suffering. Or maybe her taste was simply irresistible.

Pinkie shivered and let out a low moan of sweet satisfaction. “Oh, you're the best! I loved watching you up there controlling the crowd. You were busting chops and breaking boxes. And we shared a special secret that made it even better.”

Pinkie was a dish of ice cream drizzled with warm strawberry syrup, and Fluttershy wouldn't let another drop go to waste. She paid special attention to Pinkie's cherry berry. “I can't believe this cute little clit caused so much trouble.”

“Story of my life.” Pinkie grabbed the sticky butterfly toy and gave it a long lick up its purple body. “You like being watched,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. “Today confirmed it. For awhile I thought when you looked around it's because you were nervous, but nope! That was hope. A dirty hope that someone would find us doing the deed. My bright-eyed Fluttershy really is a naughty mare!”

Pinkie pressed back into Fluttershy's muzzle and gyrated her rump against her face, and Fluttershy moaned from being found out. She sucked on Pinkie's jelly bean for all she was worth, swirling her tongue over the grooved tip. Fluttershy pulled back and a long ribbon of sticky lust connected them before it collapsed against Pinkie's thigh.

“You got me,” Fluttershy said. “I've never told anyone, but being caught in the act is my biggest fantasy. I don't know why, but it really gets me going.”

Pinkie trembled from the denial. “Great, but please h-hurry! I can't take much more! Maybe you can imagine those princess paintings watching us? I'm sure Celestia and Luna would love to know we're defiling the royal conference room!”

Fluttershy relished Pinkie's simmering frustrations as she teetered on the edge of a huge climax, and to add to Pinkie's delicious misery Fluttershy sang an old song with a new twist.

What is this place
Filled with so many wonders?
Casting its spell
That I am now under

We're heading down south
There's a button so funny
Melt in my mouth
And give me sweet honey
Hooooonneeeeeeey!

Fluttershy buried her face in Pinkie's marehood and sucked her desperate clit with newfound zeal.

“Oooh! Holy cows over the moon! I'm gonna… I'm gonna go kersploosh BIG TIME!”

Pinkie's tail lifted like a flagpole as Fluttershy took a deep breath and wrapped her lips around the crown of Pinkie's swelling pussy and hugged her big behind. Pinkie scraped her hind hoof against the floor and let out a shuddering moan. A warm tangy flood surged into Fluttershy's mouth straight from the source, puffed out her cheeks, and threatened to spill onto the floor. Fluttershy gulped down the first torrent and relaxed the best she could so the rest of Pinkie's pent up orgasm would pour past the back of her tongue. Jet after jet of Pinkie's pleasure gushed down Fluttershy's throat and filled her tummy with glowing erotic energy. One last blast of sticky mare cream splattered against her tongue and filled her mouth to the brim with a rich brew. Pinkie's gift dribbled down Fluttershy's chin while another trickle rolled down Pinkie's cunny and onto the floor.

Despite those dribs and drabs, Fluttershy had prevented a disaster. Instead of an enormous puddle, stained dresses, and a sticky mane, only a few wet spots sullied the carpet, hardly noticeable unless you knew where to look.

Pinkie let out a long sigh and slumped against the table, her tail flopping against her legs. “Wowie zowie. You swallowed my gooey gunk with gusto. Kinky.”

Fluttershy licked her lips and savored the long lasting residue. “Your, um, 'appreciation' tastes pretty good. And now I know what it's like to be a thirsty hummingbird drinking nectar.” Before pulling away, Fluttershy kissed Pinkie's clitoris and giggled as Pinkie shivered and squeezed out the egg-shaped toy with a deluge of melted desire. “I guess now you're in the egg laying mood. Got any more up there, Momma Pinkie? Maybe we could raise a full clutch.”

“Laugh it up, Snuggle Butt. I'm gonna get you back for all that teasing.” Pinkie rose up on wobbly forelegs before falling back down with an oomph. “It seems you've turned my brain into hot fudge. Clever.”

The inside of Fluttershy's dress worked as an impromptu towel as she dried the messy egg. She returned the plaything to its carrying case and stored it in Pinkie's saddlebag. Pinkie did the same with Fluttershy's toy before giving it one last lick. “This cute butterfly fluttered your butter for an hour. No wonder she's smiling.”

Fluttershy reclined in the comfy chair, spread her thighs wide, and aired out her sweltering marehood, casually bouncing one of her legs over the armrest. “I couldn't have faced that crowd without you. Not just because of your dirty idea, but because you were there supporting me. Maybe when we get home I can thank you some more.”

Pinkie sank to her knees and scooched between Fluttershy's legs with an impish smile. “Your speech inspired me to save the environment all over again. Watch me rejuvenate these endangered wetlands.” Pinkie descended face-first into Fluttershy's sticky heat, making her squeal with giddy anticipation.

A stranger's voice echoed down the hall. “I think they went in there.” The door around the corner creaked open and hoofsteps thudded closer and closer. Fluttershy and Pinkie rushed to look decent, pulling their underwear up and pushing their dresses down. The shadow along the wall crawled around the corner.

“I've been looking for you two,” said a smoky voice. “That meeting was totally radical.” Tree Hugger strolled into the room wearing a bohemian shawl and daisies in her mane. “And I do mean radical. Those Canterlot squares were popping monocles at record speeds.”

Fluttershy wiped her mouth. “Tree Hugger! What a wonderful surprise. I didn't see you in the crowd.”

“I was chilling in the back of the class and basking in your righteous vibes.” Tree Hugger sniffed at the air. “Is one of you wearing some funky all natural perfume? It's far out.”

“Haha, um, I don't think so.” Fluttershy trotted closer and nuzzled her old pal's neck, and Tree Hugger kissed her cheek and held her in a close hug. Pinkie slipped her hoof between them and nudged Tree Hugger away with a suspicious glare. “Oh, this is Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said. “She's my… good friend. She's the one responsible for organizing all this.”

Pinkie's ears tensed. “I remember you from the Grand Galloping Gala. So you and Fluttershy go way back, huh?”

Tree Hugger played with her peace sign necklace. “Hard to judge the flow of time. We're all just flotsam on the zeitgeist, my mare.”

Pinkie squinted as she formulated a comeback. “Yeah, well, our reality is merely a layer of frosting on a much larger cake.”

“So, um, do you think my speech helped?” Fluttershy asked. “It seemed to anger a lot of ponies, and a bunch of them leaped to awful conclusions.”

“You plant seeds here and there and who knows what sprouts up,” Tree Hugger said. “We'll need to cultivate them and see what happens, but there's promising news from all over. On my way here I percolated through the worker cooperatives and communes out west. They're seeing immense growth from ponies who want to break free from the Canterlot guilds. Equestria has a gnarly aura right now, like a new society is growing inside the shell of the old but can't quite power through. You might be the one who cracks it wide open.”

“Lucky me.”

Pinkie wrapped a possessive foreleg around Fluttershy. “You should've sent Harry the bear after that snooty Fleur dis Lee lady.”

Tree Hugger snorted. “You're a real goof, Pinks. I like you.”

Pinkie put on a fake smile that would fool most anyone but Fluttershy. “The feeling is mutual, Huggs.”

“You know what might be even more useful than bears mauling the rich? Writing a book.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “That would spread the message far and wide, and I wouldn't have to speak in front of crowds.” Fluttershy nudged Pinkie. “Great idea, right?”

Pinkie batted at the leaves of a nearby potted plant. “Wouldn't be the first time a book saved Equestria.”

“It's been a blast catching up,” Tree Hugger said, “but I don't want to harsh your mellow. We should totally hang out sometime. Maybe I could show you around those communes. And you could bring your funny friend too.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Fluttershy said, not wanting to commit and irritate Pinkie any further.

Tree Hugger glanced at Pinkie before making her exit. “Good luck with Fluttershy. She's easy to like, but hard to know. Peace out, you two.” She shut the door and disappeared.

“What does that mean?” Pinkie asked. She whirled around and stood unusually rigid. “Fluttershy! You said you were never with a mare before.”

“You think Tree Hugger and I actually… Ha! No, she's just super friendly.”

Pinkie's eyes narrowed. “I bet she is.”

“I can't believe this. Are you jealous?”

“Of course not. Maybe a little. Yes!”

“You've got to be kidding. My tummy is still warm because I swallowed your, erm… mare stuff.”

Pinkie whimpered and retreated under the portrait of Celestia while speaking faster and faster. “Right. Of course. How silly of me. But that's how it always starts. Old flames, old passions, old habits. Don't worry, Pinkie, that's what they always say. They're just an old friend, Pinkie, actually we don't need you anymore, Pinkie, nice knowing you while it lasted, Pinkie, you're annoying, Pinkie, it was just a fling, Pinkie, you should've known that, Pinkie, go away, Pinkie!”

“I'm sorry about your past relationships, but I promise Tree Hugger and I were never a thing. I Fluttershy promise.”

“Fine, but that doesn't change where this is going, does it?” Pinkie repeatedly knocked her hoof against her head. “Stupid! Stupid! What was I thinking? You're so smart and now you're a big time mover and shaker.” All of Pinkie's energy evaporated and she slumped back onto her haunches. “You'll meet some other cool pony who knows way more about nature than I ever could. I'm just a dumb clown. That's all I've ever been.”

Lots of ponies threw pity parties for themselves in hopes of gaining sympathy, but the pained sincerity in Pinkie's voice melted Fluttershy's heart. No words arose to mend the fragile mare behind the faded smile, so Fluttershy did what came naturally. She stepped forward and embraced Pinkie in a deep hug.

“I understand,” Pinkie said through a sniffle. “I'm always the rebound mare, always the stepping stone, and that's fine. You deserve better than me.”

Fluttershy squeezed so tight she trembled. “Stop! Please stop saying such awful things about the mare who changed my life.”

“You did that on your own. I was just along for the ride.”

“If it weren't for you I'd still be lost and confused and hiding in my cottage. I'd be nothing. This was all your idea!”

Pinkie wrenched away toward the exit, or at least she tried, but Fluttershy fought against the earth pony's strength with all her might and flapped her wings for leverage. “I'm not letting go. Not now. Not ever!” Pinkie grunted and pulled away and stumbled and they both collapsed against the carpet in a heap. Fluttershy reached out and looped her hooves around Pinkie's torso so she couldn't get away.

A little giggle escaped Pinkie, and then a burgeoning chuckle, and then a great heaving cackle that echoed through the room. Pinkie grew quiet and dried her eyes. “Look at us. We're a pair of freaking weirdos. Maybe we deserve each other.”

Fluttershy clambered over Pinkie and snuggled against her shoulder. “I like weird.”

With sheepish smiles they brushed themselves off, shared a quick kiss, and made their way toward the front entrance. After entering the auditorium, Fluttershy wanted to get something off her chest. “I met your friend Toffee Swirl when you were on your tour. I think that's why she came here. She was kinda flirty with me, or maybe I was reading too much into things, or—”

“So she's your secret marefriend!” Pinkie bumped Fluttershy off balance with her butt and giggled. “Kidding, kidding… Good old Toffee is always keeping an eye out for new friends on those lonely road trips.”

“Maybe more than friends?”

“You said it, not me.”

Groups of ponies milled below the Town Hall veranda and spilled onto the surrounding commons, and when Fluttershy wandered into sight at least twenty ponies mobbed her. “There she is,” they yelled with excitement. “Fluttershy! Lead us into a glorious tomorrow!”

“Oh, uh… I guess you liked my speech, then?”

“T'was brilliant,” said a classy stallion wearing a turtleneck. “We should name our club with a title befitting your genius.”

The crowd buzzed with ideas and yelled them out in turn:

“Friends of Fluttershy.”

“Fluttershy's Flora and Fauna Party.”

“The Butterfly Brigade.”

All this praise reminded Fluttershy of her mission to Starlight Glimmer's village. So many disaffected ponies had traveled there in hopes of finding meaning in their lives, but instead they fell under the charms of a charismatic cult leader. “I can't lead something so important,” Fluttershy said. “And if I tried I would crumple from the pressure and let everyone down. The entire point of our new society is that power should rise from below, remember?”

“So we'll vote you as our leader.”

Fluttershy's hoof smacked against her forehead. “No, no, listen! Banish the thought of leaders from your mind. Even if by some miracle I led you in the right direction, that just means someone else could swoop in and lead you astray.”

A sea of confusion stared back. “What should we do then?”

Fluttershy threw her forelegs over the veranda railing and addressed her would-be flock. “In the shadow of Canterlot we will build a new order of community self-management. How to proceed? Use your hearts and your heads. Mobilize local support, find out what the masses need, devise solutions by consensus, and make demands to the local authorities. Remember this well: Power resides with those who turn society's wheels. If the cart pullers refused to haul goods they would bring Equestria to a screeching halt. Organize the common workers and the ponies in castles will tremble.”

The gathering of ponies and griffons received her declaration with hushed awe. She couldn't believe she was saying such things out loud, openly transgressing against the ancient nobility, but she didn't see another way to save Equestria.

The crowd parted and made way for Toffee Swirl. “Fluttershy's on to something. After our little chat last month I reached out to the other cart pullers and they were even more fed up than I am. Count us in!”

Pinkie and Toffee waved at each other. “You were spitting venom back there,” Pinkie said. “It was awesome!”

“And I got plenty more where that came from,” Toffee said. “Here's a rallying cry for your next pamphlet: Workers built everything around us. Everything. The schools, the hospitals, the mines, the great weather factories, even the fancy castles. Which means we own it. We should decide what happens. And I reckon anyone who lays claim to our sweat and blood should be tarred and feathered!”

Cheers broke out all around, but Fluttershy wished to reel them back without being too much of a wet blanket. “There's no need for open revolt or anything crazy like that,” Fluttershy cautioned. “I'm hopeful the princesses and the nobility will see reason and join our cause. And if not they can be sidestepped. The old system will lose legitimacy when ponies control their own destiny. We can build a new world without them.”

“What if you're wrong?” Gilda asked. “Those who profit from the current system won't stand around while we undermine it. They'll send soldiers and spies and saboteurs.”

“They would only hasten their downfall if they did something so foolish. Call me an idealist if you want, but Equestria was built on the belief that the nobility had our best interests at heart. If they let the mask slip and show their true face… They can't stop all of us. Not when we're organized. Not when we're together.”

Fluttershy couldn't do this anymore. She was spent.

The mint pegasus stepped forward. “Hey Fluttershy, we're heading to the cafe for lunch. Wanna come and talk shop? We have sooo many questions!”

“Of course she will,” Gilda said. “Not as a leader, but as a mare with knowledge to share.”

“Sounds mighty fine,” Toffee added. “All that agitating is hungry work.”

Fluttershy shrank back. “I… I dunno.”

Pinkie elbowed her in the side and whispered. “Go ahead. This is what you've always wanted, isn't it?”

Fluttershy stood tall and puffed out her chest. “Thank you all for coming out and supporting me, but I must decline. This is your campaign now. I'm sorry if I'm not the pony you had hoped.”

A World of Rusted Gold

The speech and all the commotion in its wake had drained Fluttershy's mental reservoirs and left her exhausted. In years past she preferred long bouts of solitude after such demanding social engagements, and hiding in her cottage was always the perfect solution. Pinkie, sweeter than ever, offered to give her space to recover, but that wasn't what she wanted anymore. In the evenings, Pinkie brought boxes of apple turnovers, and they played board games and fell asleep in each other's arms. No one was cuter than Pinkie in her polka dot pajamas and nightcap.

“I've been thinking,” Pinkie said as they snuggled in the moonlight. “Maybe we never conquer our fears. We survive them.”

“Together. We survive together. That's the only way.”

Fluttershy's failures didn't haunt her dreams that night. As long as Pinkie hugged her close, Fluttershy could face the next day.

Unfamiliar ponies visited in hopes of talking about about the environment and activist planning, but Fluttershy sent them away with promises to write. Several letters arrived in her mailbox—some were scrawled with furious denunciations against her program and called her a traitor to the Crown, while others praised her interdisciplinary research and bold vision.

Several days passed before Fluttershy wanted to do anything beyond writing reports for the Royal Weather Institute and feeding her animals. She gathered a basket and opened the front door. Pinkie skipped down the front yard with her own basket balanced on her back before landing on the threshold.

“What a coinky dink,” Pinkie said with a wink. “Hey, check it out, we can be basket buddies.”

“More like a couple of basket cases.”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh no, I'm rubbing off on you!” She tilted the basket and a dozen letters spilled onto Fluttershy's coffee table. “Our new pals are organizing their own clubs and coming up with all kinds of cool ideas. It's only been a week and they've already recruited hundreds of members. Our hard work is paying off!”

“Our goal is the ocean and we've made a tincture.”

“But this is good news. Progress!”

“This is nothing but low hanging fruit. Still a lot of work ahead of us.”

“Gilda and the other griffons are still in town. Who knows what happens when they get home? You're always saying the campaign should reach beyond Equestria.” After an awkward silence Pinkie got the hint and switched topics. “So, what's your basket for?”

“I'm off to pick mist berries. Wanna come?”

Fluttershy trotted across the autumn fields while Pinkie bounced close behind. The Everfree forest sprawled before them, the air thick with the scent of pine needles. Pinkie backed away from the shadows. “You really wanna go in there?”

“This is the only place around here with mist berries. It's not so scary, as long as you don't go too deep.”

“I've heard that one before.”

The translucent purple berries were ripe and begging to be plucked. The lovers proceeded down lush corridors overrun with vines and exotic flowers. Leaves of rust and gold drifted on the cool wind and blanketed the forest floor.

Fluttershy wiped her brow and paused to rest in a clearing. “I'm a hypocrite, aren't I?”

Pinkie walked past on her front hooves while balancing the basket on her butt. “How do ya figure?”

“I'm out there preaching about solidarity and working together while I hide in the middle of nowhere.”

Pinkie throttled a bush until the berries topped off her basket. “Maybe living away from society gives you a different perspective.”

Fluttershy scoffed. “As if the common ponies are helpless without my lectures.”

“Hey, we all play a part, ya know? I didn't see anyone else stepping up.” Pinkie popped a berry in her mouth and smiled. “Mmmm! These goodies have the sweetest juice around. Or the second sweetest, after you.”

Shivers danced across Fluttershy's wings, maybe from the wind, maybe from Pinkie's suggestive remark.

A stream pure as crystal flowed through the forest and cascaded down a steep hill into the gloom. Dense foliage veiled the light and preserved an ancient order. “The Everfree Forest is Equestria's sacred spot,” Fluttershy said. “We weren't meant to understand her secrets. She blooms in the heart of the realm, wild and unexplored, save for the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“And Zecora.”

“Ponies might live like Zecora in the future—scattered, isolated, surviving off the land. And what of the glorious royal castle? Mother nature reclaimed the ruins after only a few decades, and she'll happily reclaim what's left of our cities. And what did I do about it? Pass out fliers. Make a speech. What a joke.”

“We're just two ponies. We can't change everything by ourselves. You did the best you could.”

Fluttershy studied her reflection in the stream as the water lapped against the moss covered shore. “I should've helped those organizers, but I ran away from my responsibilities, just like I always do. Even after all your help I'm still a coward.”

“You stood up for your principles. You didn't let them sweep you into something you were uncomfortable with. Stop listening to that negative voice in your head! Tell it to take a flying leap!”

Sunlight filtered through the canopy and played across Pinkie's shapely physique and concerned face. Her impossibly blue eyes were more mesmerizing than ever.

“Uh, Fluttershy? What's up? Is there a bug on my face or something?”

“You're beautiful. I don't say that enough.”

“Ha! You really are kind. Me, beautiful… With my messy hair and big nose? With this pudgy belly? Now if you called me ugly-cute, that might be more believable.”

“You're prettier than all the sleek pegasi racers, prettier than all the models and aristocrats in Canterlot who parade around in designer clothes. Your inner light always shines through no matter what, and your smile brightens everyone's day and makes me feel alive.”

Fluttershy glanced at the leaf littered ground. How embarrassing to let loose with such over the top sentiment. But she spoke from the heart.

Something unusual happened. Or rather, didn't happen. Pinkie didn't laugh or jump or make a funny face or say anything at all. A deep gratitude shone in her eyes. She nuzzled Fluttershy's neck before breaking away and circling around. “Let's admit the truth, just between us, you know, since we're both mature mares.” With each step she swayed her wide hips, her poofy tail failing to cover her alluring bottom. Pinkie spun around and stamped her hoof. “Aha! I knew it! You just like looking at my booty!”

Fluttershy playfully shook her head. “You sure cracked the case.”

“Hey! I'm supposed to make the awful puns.” Pinkie drew closer, like she had a secret to share, and whispered in Fluttershy's ear. “Wanna go truffle hunting? Follow me.”

They departed the Everfree and dropped their baskets back at the cottage. Pinkie ventured into the wilderness under the setting sun, and Fluttershy floated along as if deep in a dream. They traveled past fallen trees, a stream capped by a beaver's dam, a rickety fence with flaking white paint, an empty bee hive, heaps of fallen acorns, hills dotted with grazing jackalopes, a field of wild gourds, an abandoned windmill inhabited by a family of raccoons, a crumbling barn no one's used in years, and an old wagon wheel propped up against a boulder stained with lichen.

Pinkie beckoned Fluttershy through a field of orange marigolds and toward the bottom of a hill topped by a shedding elm tree. Scarlet and amber leaves dry as paper poured from the surrounding woods, and the capricious winds swept them into mounds taller than most ponies. The staggered placement of the leaf dunes resembled an obstacle course. Fluttershy slowed and schemed while Pinkie bounced ahead.

After several moments Pinkie called back. “Hey Flutterpal, where'd ya go?”

Fluttershy slinked behind one of the leaf mounds and giggled as she buried herself inside the dry plant debris, her vision sinking into the shadows. She stayed perfectly still as the crunchy thuds of Pinkie's hooves approached.

A hint of pink seeped through the cracks and Fluttershy exploded out of the leaves and landed on Pinkie's back. Pinkie screamed and spun around but Fluttershy's weight knocked her off balance and they collapsed onto the grass. “Don't be afraid,” Fluttershy said. “I'm a hugging monster!” Fluttershy straddled Pinkie and secured her in a fuzzy embrace and nuzzled her cheek as leaves rained from the sky. “Don't even try escaping. Your every struggle is just another snuggle.”

Pinkie let out a bombastic laugh and a mock growl. “I'm even worse. I'm a kissing monster!” Fluttershy purred as Pinkie pulled her close and left a trail of eager kisses along her neck and chest.

Fluttershy reached between Pinkie's plump thighs and discovered she was already damp. “I'm a… whatever this monster is…”

Pinkie moaned and pulled her to the side. They were a pile of kissing, licking, rubbing, giggling mares rolling around the leafy field with their legs and tails intertwined and their soft tummies sliding against each other. Pinkie took Fluttershy by the hoof and dragged her up the hill. “This way. There's something special just for you.”

Two baskets and a checkered blanket waited at the base of the towering elm tree. “A picnic? How lovely. You didn't have to do all this.”

“Considering the way I acted after the meeting, yeah, I do.”

“Aw, don't beat yourself up over that. If I were in your place—”

“Don't make excuses. I let my fears get the better of me. If this is gonna work, I need to be like a balloon and rise above my insecurities.”

Fluttershy settled on the blanket and admired the view down the hill, urging Pinkie to join her. “If you chipped away my insecurities, you could fit the rest of me in a jewelry box. Besides, seeing you act so jealous was kinda reassuring. You really cared.” Fluttershy rubbed Pinkie's shoulder and echoed their conversation from earlier in the summer. “Or is that weird to say?”

Pinkie giggled with recognition. “Don't worry. I know what you mean.” She grabbed one of the baskets, swung open the lid with a seductive smile, and pulled out a pumpkin pie. “Er… This isn't the one I meant. Oh well, who can complain about early dessert?”

They ate from paper plates and shared a thermos of warm apple cider. Pinkie had decorated the pie's surface with a balloon and butterfly design surrounded by little hearts. Fluttershy murmured in appreciation as she bit into the spice-infused pie and the decadent filling melted against her tongue. “You've outdone yourself again. I couldn't bake something this tasty in a hundred lifetimes.”

Pinkie's eyes sparkled with pride, but she played at modesty. “Oh, you know, just a little thing I threw together.”

“Careful. Giving me pastries every time we argue might be another one of your bad incentives.”

“Heeehee! Don't forget the whipped cream!” Pinkie shook a blue canister and doled out fluffy cream on Fluttershy's slice before she stuck the nozzle in her own mouth and—SQUIRT!—Pinkie's cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's. She swallowed with a big gulp and licked her lips. “Mmm! Your turn!” Fluttershy accepted the nozzle like a hamster drinking from a water dispenser, and cold foamy goodness jetted into her mouth. Pinkie sprayed another dollop on Fluttershy's nose and they both giggled. “Wait, wait,” Pinkie said, drifting closer. “Allow me.” Pinkie kissed and licked Fluttershy's muzzle and sucked the cream out of her mouth in a super sloppy kiss. The sugary treat melted and ran down Fluttershy's chin, and Pinkie flashed a devious smile and sprayed whipped cream down Fluttershy's chest and stomach.

Fluttershy yelped and recoiled in laughter. “Hey! That's cold!”

“Guess I'll have to warm you up then.” Pinkie pressed her face into the globs of sticky cream and licked down Fluttershy's chest, leaving behind a wet trail that tingled with goosebumps in the cool wind. The bewildering temperature changes stoked the simmering lust between Fluttershy's thighs into an even greater urgency. Pinkie sloshed her tongue through Fluttershy's cream covered bellybutton while working her hooves to Fluttershy's rump and playfully squeezing her cheeks. “Check it out. The more pie you eat, the bigger your love seat.”

Fluttershy took another bite and sank back into the surprisingly comfortable tree. An arched indentation provided a convenient resting place for the both of them. Fluttershy let out a shocked “EEP!” when Pinkie sprayed freezing whipped cream across her stiff nipples. Pinkie followed with her warm mouth and focused on sweeping up the big mess with her tenacious tongue, licking and sucking Fluttershy's supple mounds, the most sensitive skin right before her swelling cunny.

“There, you're nice and clean,” Pinkie said with a satisfied smile before glancing downward. “Tsk, tsk. Looks like something else got dirty.”

“You can't seem to decide whether sex is dirty or divine.”

Pinkie descended between Fluttershy's outstretched thighs. “It's whatever makes it better for you.”

Fluttershy shuddered from Pinkie's intimate touch. “If anything feels that good it has to be a sin.”

“Mmm, hopefully!” Pinkie ran her incredible tongue along Fluttershy's groove before pressing her muzzle inside and pulling out with a big sticky smile. “Yum! This is one pie I won't ever get tired of falling into face-first.”

Fluttershy laughed ruefully. “You told me not to worry about what others think, but when I gave that speech I felt their eyes moving across my body and it made me hotter than ever. I wanted them to find out how much of a pervert I am so they could denounce me and cast me out. I've pushed these crazy thoughts away for so long, but why? Why do I want to be exposed and humiliated? Because of what happened at flight camp all those years ago? Ugh! I'm so messed up.”

“I dunno why. Figuring out your fantasies is like being lost in a maze of funhouse mirrors. But I do know the more you push a fantasy down, the sweeter and more irresistible it becomes.”

“That's why you brought me out here, isn't it?”

“Maaaybe. Now close your eyes for a special surprise,” Pinkie said with a sing-song voice. Fluttershy played along with growing anticipation. “Keep your mind open and your legs closed. I mean, your legs open and your mind closed. You know what I mean.” Clicks and clacks rang out like buttons being snapped into place, followed by a soft moan. Pinkie jostled Fluttershy as she settled next to her. “Check out my new threads!”

“Oh my…”

A dark belt looped around Pinkie's hips, and between her thighs rose a sparkly purple penis crowned with a flared head. Fluttershy blinked from momentary confusion. Of course it was another toy, but the coloration was only a tad darker than Pinkie's coat.

Pinkie wiggled her hips and giggled as the toy swayed to and fro like a perverted metronome. “This will be fun for both of us, see?” She traced her hoof between her legs and leaned to the side, revealing the toy's elaborate nature. It wrapped around and penetrated Pinkie's marehood and cupped the peak of her valley. “It's wedged nice and deep. Every time I hump you it'll push against me. Neato, huh?”

A smooth stub branched off the base of the shaft and forked into split ends. “What's that?” Fluttershy asked. “Is it broken?”

Pinkie playfully flicked the little arm, showing off its springiness. “That's a happy helper that hugs your button. They're like bunny ears. And that's not even the best part!” Pinkie pressed a sliding switch and the strap-on stirred to life with a vibrating whir. Pinkie let out a long dreamy sigh. “There's a pint-sized earthquake on my end too.” She turned off the toy and rubbed the thick purple shaft. “I stored it next to the cider, so it's nice and toasty.”

“It's just a little weird seeing you with a, um, you know—”

“A cock-a-doodle doo!”

Fluttershy leaned against Pinkie and trailed a hoof down her chest as they met in a giggling kiss. Any trepidation Fluttershy might harbor dissipated at the thought of how well all of Pinkie's ideas turned out. “Show me what to do,” Fluttershy said, unable to hide her eagerness.

“Climb aboard the Pinkie express and go for a ride. Wait a sec, let me just—” Pinkie reached for the lube sitting on the grass nearby.

“I won't need that,” Fluttershy said, throwing a hind leg over Pinkie and straddling her. “Trust me.” The toy's tip brushed the inside of Fluttershy's thighs while she positioned herself atop Pinkie and gingerly pressed back. Her folds enveloped the thick head for a moment, and she gyrated her hips and dipped the crown with her copious excitement. She sank down and drew the shaft deeper inside, but after meeting sudden resistance she paused and rested against Pinkie. “It's been awhile since I did anything like this,” Fluttershy admitted with a shade of embarrassment. “I just need some time to adjust.”

“It's bigger than what we've been playing with. Take it nice and slow. There's no rush.”

Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder. The spire of the Ponyville Town Hall protruded over the wooded horizon. Ponies flew around the town like bees returning honey to their hive, mere dots at this distance, but the idea of a stray pegasus seeing them filled her with a delightful warmth. “I can't believe we're doing this out here. You can talk me into anything.”

Fluttershy engulfed more and more of the length but whimpered as she hit another snag. Her marehood tightened in an unpleasant spasm. Desperate to escape, Fluttershy leaned awkwardly against Pinkie and raised her butt, letting most of the shaft fall out, but the slippery head still rested between her labia. Fluttershy found herself in a vulnerable position and groaned as her strength faded. She would fall back and take more than she could handle and hurt herself and ruin everything, but Pinkie gripped her waist and steadied her. The last vestiges of so many bitter memories melted away in Pinkie's embrace, the last memories of inconsiderate and selfish partners that made her tense up at the thought of deeper penetration. As long as she was with Pinkie she didn't need to worry about any of that nonsense ever again.

The smooth bunny ears brushed across Fluttershy's exposed pearl as she glided down the pliable girth. She accepted everything until she hit the base with a satisfied sigh. Fluttershy rolled her hips as she accommodated the silicone in her deepest confines, each and every movement rubbing her clit from a new direction. With Pinkie's encouragement, Fluttershy was soon rocking back and forth against the obscene toy in the glow of the setting sun. The light warmed her back while the kiss of the cold wind stiffened her nipples into hard little buds that Pinkie massaged with a reassuring smile. Fluttershy couldn't help but unfurl her wings into the gentle breeze and filter the sun's rays into a dappled shadow across Pinkie's face.

“Wow, Shy… You look like an angel. A sexy, sexy angel.”

Fluttershy descended and met Pinkie's waiting mouth. Their tongues swirled together in a dance of pumpkin pie bliss. A surge of confidence tempted Fluttershy into riding the purple dildo with increasing vigor. She bounced faster and faster, devouring the fake cock from tip to base, and just as she found a hint of pleasure her thighs and stomach burned, forcing her to rest. “Apparently my love-making muscles are out of shape. Give me a second.”

The more Fluttershy drank in Pinkie's cute dimples, her wild mane, and her full hips, the worse the tingly ache grew, the worse she needed that toy deep inside, until her frustrations boiled over. “Oh Pinkie! I want you so bad, but I can't do this yet. I need you to show me how.”

Pinkie pulled her into a smoldering kiss. “Let me take care of you.” The world swayed as Pinkie guided her to the soft blanket and propped Fluttershy on her side. Pinkie crawled behind and sensually spooned her. “Just gotta adjust the angle of the dangle.” Another click rang out as Pinkie rotated the bunny ears around the shaft until they lined up properly. Pinkie's eager hooves ran over Fluttershy's rump and clutched her hips. A ravenous sexual hunger overcame Fluttershy.

“Give it to me,” Fluttershy begged. “I need this. I need you.”

Pinkie molded herself against Fluttershy's back and lined up the flared head against Fluttershy's slick heat, pressing in, spreading her apart, and making her gasp with delight. Pinkie pulled out and left her empty and whimpering from the denial.

“A little revenge for the other day,” Pinkie said, kissing her neck. “It's more fun this way anyhow.”

The aching tension under Fluttershy's tail dissolved for several sweet moments as Pinkie pushed back inside, barely past the head, as if conducting a cursory exploration. “More,” Fluttershy demanded. She humped back with her butt and found an exhilarating rush as the glittery shaft sank inside and the little ears tickled her unbelievably stiff clit. Pinkie gripped Fluttershy's sides and held her in place, her earth strength coming to the fore as she withdrew and left her with nothing. Fluttershy cooed and shivered from Pinkie reining in her simmering sexual energy. Each denial only made her lust more ferocious.

Pinkie's warm breath swept across Fluttershy's neck as she worked her hips and teased Fluttershy's desperate groove, occasionally diverting to the side and leaving a sticky trail as she rubbed across her thighs and bottom. With every thrust that drew closer to Fluttershy's throbbing desire she couldn't help but swish her tail and make little frustrated moans.

The thinning edges of the tree's golden canopy provided only the flimsiest cover. If any pegasi flew too close they would catch an eyeful of Fluttershy's exposed rear end, not to mention her thick labia being spread apart by the teasing tip of Pinkie's strap-on. Or maybe in the angled sunlight her dripping pussy would glint across the field and draw someone's eye. Instead of filling her with anxiety, these dirty thoughts made her outrageously horny.

“Oh, Pinkie, you make me feel so wanted, like I'm humming with life, like this is where I always belonged.” Fluttershy trembled under her lover's attentive gaze and wiggled her bum. “But you said I should only be naughty behind closed doors.”

“Eh… Doors are optional.”

“Gosh, just look at all the hiding spots out there. Someone with binoculars could totally be watching us right now, maybe from the woods, maybe from way up in the sky.”

“Then let's give them a proper peepshow.”

Pinkie pushed past Fluttershy's entrance and plunged inside, reducing her to a shuddering wreck as her pussy stretched with sublime pleasure. Instead of falling into a monotonous and predictable pattern, Pinkie swiveled her hips and pressed the lovely length against Fluttershy's walls. A series of shallow strokes preceded a sudden deep thrust that opened Fluttershy all the way and made her gasp with sheer joy. Without missing a beat, Pinkie delivered several quick jolts to her deepest limit.

“Oooh my gosh! Right there,” Fluttershy cooed. “I want it deep, nice and—”

Pinkie pulled out in a slow, agonizing retreat that left Fluttershy unbearably empty. Just when Fluttershy couldn't stand that woeful void another instant, Pinkie advanced with a wiggling thrust and bottomed out to the hilt before grinding against her clit. Fluttershy groaned from the surprising movements and the return of that long sought after full feeling.

“Rocking your hips is less exhausting than bouncing,” Pinkie said. “But you know I don't tire easy.”

“Mmmm. Playing with those hula hoops really did wonders for your hips.”

“This will do wonders for your everything.”

Pinkie pressed the switch and the dildo rumbled to life and sent shock waves through the foundation of Fluttershy's femininity. The vibrations were more resonant than the butterfly toy, like an all-encompassing massage, and the undulating head rubbed against Fluttershy's deepest sweet spots and brought perfect pleasure.

In the distance, along the edge of the field, a caravan of wagon-pulling ponies traveled across the dirt path.

“Oh my! W-What if someone actually finds us?” Fluttershy asked. “What would we say?”

“Tell them we were playing leap frog and I got stuck.”

Fluttershy scrunched the blanket in her hooves and whimpered from the thought of those strangers crossing the meadow, gathering around the hill, and watching their sordid coupling. The idea of being watched so closely filled her skin with a fiery current, and seeing so many ponies in the distance bridged the gap between forbidden fantasies and stark reality. She wanted complete strangers to gawk at her, to see her cunny spread open to the world, to see her sexual release under Pinkie's devoted thrusting. Fluttershy wanted everyone to know she was more than an awkward pony who spent all her time in the woods caring for animals and fretting about the future. She was a sexual spirit who couldn't hide it anymore. She was a horny mare!

“Ooooh! I'm almost there!” Fluttershy cried out. “Ah! Keep holding me tight! It's so good!”

At this most crucial moment Fluttershy needed a steady rhythm, something reliable, something that wouldn't waver, and Pinkie provided all she needed and more. Fluttershy's orgasm heralded its approach with a familiar rush of tingles swirling around the tip of her clitoris, and another salvo of Pinkie's boisterous thrusts would soon free them and send the sparks deep inside.

In the distance, one of the wagon ponies stopped in their tracks and gazed across the sun drenched field. Fluttershy squinted and beheld a mare with a rich caramel coat. Toffee Swirl.

“D-Does she see us?” Fluttershy asked with shaking excitement. “Was I too loud?”

“Oh hey, it's our old pal Toffee! She can deliver honey whenever she wants, ya know what I mean?”

“She's looking right at us!”

“I bet you like her big bouncy butt, huh? You totally have a thing for plump earth mares with ooey gooey coochies. Hmm… Maybe she thinks we're just hugging? Let's call her over so she can see what's up. YOOHOO! TOFFEE!”

“Don't you dare! Oh my goodness, the rest of them are stopping too. T-They see us! Oh Pinkie! I'm gonna… I'm gonna…”

A river of life gushed out of Fluttershy's pussy and splattered against her thighs and cascaded onto the blanket. Her cosmic spot throbbed with mind melting pleasure and she couldn't stop bucking her hips back into Pinkie's clutches. Each exhilarating pulse around the stiff silicone was more intense than the last, its strength building to a vivid peak of clenching ecstasy that stole her breath, her mind, her restraint, fueled to greater heights by the mob of curious ponies watching from afar. Maybe they would spread gossip about how she wasn't such a quiet mare when she lifted her tail for Pinkie's big vibrating cock. Imagining all the potential consequences only pushed her deeper into debauchery. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Dirty rumors might make her more relatable, maybe spreading her legs would help spread their message, maybe this would prove how much she loved nature. One last warm geyser spurted onto the blanket before Fluttershy slumped behind her mane. The once explosive pleasure dissolved to a fading glow.

“That was a messy one,” Pinkie said, continuing to pump with increasingly squishy thrusts. “Bet you feel loads better now.”

Fluttershy's release drained her strength and left her as fragile as the papery leaves raining from the sky. She would blow away in the wind and never be found if it weren't for Pinkie holding her close.

“Looks like our wagon pals are moving on,” Pinkie said. “Bummer, you won't get to thank them. Wanna rest now or what?”

“I need to keep going until I find my limit. Just like you did! Please don't stop!”

Pinkie brushed her lips across the side of Fluttershy's neck and up to her ears. “I won't stop until you're a puddle. Pinkie promise.”

For too long Fluttershy had been a prisoner trapped in her own body. She no longer cared for the chains she once called dignity. Old limits and boundaries melted away in their passion, and all that remained was a realm of pleasure to explore. Fluttershy's delirious moans rang out across the fields and forests, her voice rising and falling with the ebb and flow of hoof curling bliss.

“That's your sweetest song yet,” Pinkie said. “Encore!”

More ponies in the distance heard Fluttershy's wild calls and paused to ascertain the source. Whether they saw the truth didn't matter. The mere possibility was enough to ignite Fluttershy's imagination and bring her closer to a release even more triumphant than the last.

From the edge of Ponyville ascended the purple and silver hot air balloon—the griffon's balloon. It sailed over the marigold field and swallowed the sun while its shadow rolled ever closer. If the griffons in the basket were paying any attention they would spy Pinkie bottoming out between Fluttershy's quivering thighs again and again.

“Incoming sky buddies with eagle eyes!” Pinkie yelled. “Ahoy, mateys! Come on, Shy, spread your legs wide and give Gilda a dirty going away present. I hear she's a big fan of mare pussy!”

Savage joy roared through Fluttershy from Pinkie's bold pumping as the balloon passed overhead and a crowd of feathery faces gazed down with yellow eyes. Their silent judgment swept across Fluttershy's body like a hot spotlight and spilled into every nook and cranny without remorse. Fluttershy had never felt this naked and exposed in her entire life, and she cried out from another gushing release so intense her jaw went slack. “FFF-FUCK! Fuck me! Ahh! S-So sorry! I didn't mean to curse and ruin the moment… it's just sooo good… they totally saw us… they saw everything…”

“If it's not okay to say a dirty word when you're creaming, when can you?”

“I need something more,” Fluttershy said with growing confidence, her whole body tingling with lust. “I need it rough.”

“You sure?”

“I'm not a delicate flower. I want you to shove me into the dirt and fuck me silly. Um, you know, if that's okay with—”

Pinkie pushed her shoulders and leveled the world.

The grass poked Fluttershy's soft stomach and chest as she landed with a surprised grunt. Pinkie advanced at once, using her knees to nudge Fluttershy's legs even further apart, her weight bearing down across Fluttershy's upturned bottom before pressing against her back. Fluttershy's legs sprawled out behind her onto the edge of the blanket and rendered her completely vulnerable, but Pinkie's invasion didn't come like she hoped. Instead, Pinkie rubbed and teased the head of the strap-on along her slippery crease.

Pinkie spoke into her ears with a sultry growl. “Ooh, my little Shy, you want more than guidance, don't ya? You want to be controlled and put in your place while everyone watches.”

“Yes! Make me feel weak and helpless.”

Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy's chest and enveloped her feeble body. As soon as the crown of the vibrator slid inside Fluttershy's needy cunny, Pinkie drove forward with deep thrusts, insistent thrusts, her tempo increasing into a dizzying crescendo, a wild, spirited pumping that stretched Fluttershy's deepest fathoms. She was addicted to Pinkie's strength draped across her back, to these crazy feelings bubbling up inside she no longer had to stifle and pretend didn't exist. Pinkie kissed her hard on the neck, nibbled her ears aggressively, and held her in a possessive grip she couldn't escape.

“There's no going back now,” Pinkie said. “All of Ponyville can hear your desperate moans. They know exactly what kind of mare you are. Show them how much you love to party!”

Fluttershy rocked forward with each glorious thrust. “I want to show them everything. I want them to see how helpless I am under you. I want—Ahh! I can't stop creaming! Take me until there's nothing left!”

A shivering inferno consumed Fluttershy, and from deep in her chest came a surprised whinny that turned into a silent squeal. The magical feelings from her clit and hot spot blended into a mind obliterating pleasure that quaked from between her legs and sent her wings sprawling to either side, more useless than ever. Fluttershy thrashed and shook and whimpered from the onslaught and almost broke free in the commotion, but Pinkie pinned her to the grass and rammed her inner depths with even more frenzied thrusts that slapped against her rump and made wet smacking noises.

“Yes, yes! Fuck me!” Fluttershy begged through a feverish moan as she raised her bottom higher. “Pound my pussy! Pound my dirty, pathetic pussy!”

Pinkie redoubled her efforts and plowed into her with increasing zeal and ignited a blazing chain reaction that rushed from the base of Fluttershy's tail into her chest and limbs. The orgasms and their aftershocks came faster and faster and gathered together like tributaries flowing into a great rampaging river and exploded into a thick syrup that squirted out in endless torrents, each pulse more mind blowing than the last. The world grew electric and alive, drowned in a hot sticky fog, while the autumn colors melted like candle wax.

An out of control maelstrom raged under Fluttershy's tail. The monster dripped and clenched with primordial lust, and because Pinkie had summoned this demon it was only proper she fought it back to the abyss from whence it came. And yet Fluttershy's raw sexuality was so powerful even Pinkie had trouble keeping up. Gasping and panting for air, Pinkie loosened her grip while her thrusts weakened and slowed to nothing. Newfound energy welled up inside Fluttershy, and she rose to her knees and lifted Pinkie with her. Fluttershy bucked back and sent her marefriend reeling.

“What's the matter, Pinkie? Nothing silly to say? No more puns? The least you can do is fuck me!”

Pinkie pulled back, muttering something about not breaking her promise, until the dildo's flared head almost fell out. With a grunt and a shout, Pinkie charged and crashed into Fluttershy like a train, making choo-choo noises as they fell together. Fluttershy plunged into the grass near a clump of marigolds, flat against her belly, and Pinkie pressed her chest across Fluttershy's shoulders and pinned her down for good. “Now you're all mine, my dirty little angel.” Pinkie poured out the last of her strength and hammered Fluttershy into heaven. She was completely immobilized and pushed down so hard the grass scraped against her nipples and filled her with a delicious glow. There was no escape from this unrelenting pussy pounding, and she loved every second of it.

“Make me your meek little mare,” Fluttershy begged without shame. “I need this so bad! I need it with you!”

Pinkie forged the enigma of Fluttershy's deepest desires into profound pleasures with every thrust into her sweltering heat. Sexual surrender was Fluttershy's way of coping with a lifetime of vulnerability, to embrace what she always feared, to share her weakness with Pinkie and be accepted without judgment. Fluttershy howled and strained against the limits of her body as healing waves rippled from her sacred spot and soothed the jagged edges of her mind. The awakening was so intense she would burst into a swarm of butterflies and travel the world on pink wings, from the volcanic dragon lands to the granite mountains beyond Griffonstone that held up the sky.

The fragrance of their coupling mixed together and swirled around them in a haze of sweaty mare scent that baked a memory into Fluttershy's mind she would never forget. She swished her tail and spread more of their heavy perfume until it clung to their coats and manes and seeped into their nostrils, so thick and heavy not even the chilled wind could blow their desire away.

The tantalizing truth of Fluttershy's sexuality emerged from the fog. Her lusts were born neither from sinful shadows nor cosmic clouds, but from raw untamed mother nature, from blood and nerves and the hot sweat that poured down their bodies and dripped down her back. Fluttershy's sexuality was a glittering gem buried in the mud and long forgotten. It was bitter honey from a jar broken by her doubts and put together by hugs and kisses and laughter. It was an enchanted forest burned until there's nothing left but ashes and the seeds waiting for the rains that would grow them all the stronger.

At long last Fluttershy's sexuality was her own.

Pinkie threw herself across Fluttershy's back and sank to the hilt. She gasped and cried out with sweet sugary shouts that echoed across the meadow, and Fluttershy joined her in a moaning duet and surrendered to waves of liberating ecstasy that rocked the very core of her hot throbbing marehood. They shivered and clung to each other for meaning in a frightening world that stretched all around them and soared over the horizon. Maybe someday everything they ever cared about would be destroyed by rust and ruin and the ravages of time, but in this moment there was only understanding and togetherness.

The intensity of their passion left them utterly exhausted. Pinkie rested her muzzle in the crook of Fluttershy's shoulder while they gathered their wits and caught their breath. In these tender moments nothing needed to be said to prove what they meant to one another. They found strength in their mutual frailty and helped each other rest against the tree. Pinkie disconnected the belt and set it aside. They peered out across the field at the dazzling sunset, but they preferred the greater beauty of their lover's eyes. They drifted closer and prepared for an intimate kiss. As the tension swelled to an emotional peak, a gold leaf whirled through the air and smacked into Pinkie's face. They erupted into hysterical giggling fits until Fluttershy peeled off the surprise blindfold.

“Well aren't you a cute wood nymph,” Pinkie said. “Or a cute nymphomaniac.”

“Guess that makes two of us.” Fluttershy curled up alongside Pinkie with a sneaking suspicion. “So just between the two of us, did you tell the griffons to fly over that field?”

“And spill all my secrets? No way! But I'm digging how you think I'm a kinky mastermind bent on world domination. You ever think maybe everything just magically turns out perfect when we're together? Oh! Oh! Big idea! This would be even better if I called another Star Snatcher!” Pinkie took a deep breath, and Fluttershy pounced and covered her mouth.

“Don't you dare,” Fluttershy said through another giggle.

“Mmffmrrrrooona.”

“Huh?” Fluttershy relented and let her speak.

“I wasn't really gonna.”

“Pretty sure all the Star Snatchers migrated by now anyway.” The setting sun painted the sky a lovely peach, and as Fluttershy admired the view she enveloped Pinkie with her outstretched wing. “Remember when I said I prefer the ground because I feel more like an earth pony?”

“Sure do.”

“I have a new reason: The ground is where you are.”

“You're sweeter than a sundae,” Pinkie said. “But don't let me hold you down. Write that book. Speak your mind and don't sugarcoat your words. You know everyone would read it. And when you're busy writing, I'll take care of your animals. I'll give you yummy food, hugs, kisses, and whatever else you need.”

Fluttershy let out a long sigh. “I'm lucky to have you, but what if this campaign isn't enough to save ponykind? What if Harmony and everything else is a great big lie? What if it's our destiny to destroy ourselves?”

“If that's true, then…” Pinkie surveyed the heavens and closed her eyes. She searched for an honest answer to Fluttershy's fears instead of easy reassurances. “If that's true, we should hold our loved ones close and tell them how much they mean to us. We should share the simple pleasures of life and remember the good times. I want to believe beauty can always be found, no matter how bad things get, even if it's only in our dreams.”

Fluttershy leaned against Pinkie and wrapped her tight in a fluffy wing hug. “I promise I'll put myself out there and do my part. I have to. I can't hide anymore.”

“And I'll stick by your side every step of the way, if you can stand me.”

Fluttershy held Pinkie's foreleg and massaged her hoof. “I can do more than stand you, Pinkie. The truth is I can't stop thinking about you, and whenever you're gone it’s like part of me is missing. You make me feel like I can do anything. I… I think I'm falling in love with you.”

“Don't worry, I'll catch you!” Pinkie pulled Fluttershy close and kissed her on the forehead. “Seeing you happy makes me feel like my life wasn't a stupid waste. Like I made the world a little bit brighter.”

“So you love me too?”

Pinkie flashed a devilish grin and took Fluttershy by the lips. The sun descended behind the Everfree, and the sky glowed with a brilliant mixture of yellow and pink.