At their hideaway base in the Canterlot, Rarity slithered through the grounds on patrol for any interlopers, flicking her tongue out and revealing in playing the bad guy for a change of pace.

She prowled around like a cat looking for mice, but her fun was brought to a halt when she saw Fluttershy leaning on a crate, her arm over her forehead as if she fainted from overexposure to the sun.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity asked, slithering up to her friend. “What ever is the matter, darling? You look so dour and depressed.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Fluttershy said. “I just miss my animal friends.” She rolled over. “Ever since I got turned into a snake, I feel like I’ve actually lost my ability to talk to animals. The birds don’t say hi to me when I walk by anymore, stray cats don’t go near me … it’s just a mess.”

Rarity stroked her chin. “I know what will cheer you up! Why don’t we go back to Ponyville and you can say hi to Angel Bunny?”

“Oh, no, no,” Fluttershy recoiled at the idea. “I’m so predatory now, Rarity. I’m not sure I can trust myself not to eat him.”

“Wait,” Rarity said, “so you’re depressed because you haven’t talked to animals, and you haven’t talked to animals because you can’t trust yourself not to eat them?”

“I guess so.”

“Fluttershy, do you maybe not see a little bit of a problem here?”

Fluttershy sighed. “You’re right. But I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Thankfully, I do.” Rarity grabbed Fluttershy and lifted her up, nuzzling their cheeks together. “Tonight, you and I are going to go back to Ponyville and we’re going to have a good time!”

“Personal space, please,” Fluttershy pleaded in vain.

They took the train to Ponyville. It was a little difficulty to sneak past the guards who were out on high alert, well aware a cadre of snake ponies was present in Canterlot and growing, but they managed. From there, hypnotizing the ticket master into giving them free tickets and granting them their own cart at the back of the train where they could stay hidden from others was easy enough.

They reached Ponyville without much difficult. They waited as long as they could, then when Rarity was sure no one else would be paying attention to them, she led Fluttershy out the back exit and they slipped away, quietly as – well, as snakes in the grass.

“Ah, Ponyville, I’ve missed you!” Rarity exclaimed. “Take in that fresh, Ponyville air!” she accompanied this statement with a significant whiff and deep inhale. “The grass! The birds, the bees”

She promptly sneezed hard.

“The pollen,” Rarity groaned, rubbing at her nose.

“Yeah, I guess it’s nice ...” Fluttershy cupped a flower with her fingers and bounced the bud. Something about still didn’t feel right. Maybe she’d gone too long without eating a pony to simulate being full, perhaps she simply been away from home so long it no longer felt like home.

Fluttershy pressed her face to the flower and took a sniff. Not minding her own strength, she pulled too hard and severed the flower from its stalk, as if to emphasize the surreal sense of incompleteness and wrongness she was feeling.

“Oh!” She gasped and teared up.

“Let’s move on, shall we?” Rarity suggested, grabbing Fluttershy by the shoulder and steering her away from the flower. She used her magic to levitate the flower out of Fluttershy’s hand and tried to reattach the bud to its stalk, without success.

Rarity drove Fluttershy onward, taking her into town.

“Rarity, are you sure this is a good idea?” Fluttershy asked. “What if ponies see us? How are we going to explain … this?” she gestured to their tails.

“By thrashing them with our tails so they know better to ask, possibly followed by hypnotizing them and perhaps eating them as well. I’ll keep out options open.”

“Rarity,” Fluttershy said, rolling her eyes.

“What? It’s a perfectly valid strategy. Oh, here we are! The place I wanted to take you.”

Fluttershy looked up and recognized the building as the spa. “The spa? Rarity, have you thought this through?”

“Of course I have,” Rarity said. “A visit to Aloe and Lotus as the spa will always cheer you right up! It was one of your favorite activities, remember?”

“I’m not sure I’d used a strong word like favorite,” Fluttershy said. “Preferred. One of my preferred activities.”

“Oh, come on,” Rarity grabbed Fluttershy’s hand and hauled her into the building by force.

“Aloe! Lotus!” Rarity called at the front desk as she and Fluttershy slithered inside. “It’s Rarity and Fluttershy, your favorite customers! We’re here for some specialty treatment today.”

“Oh, but of course!” Aloe said, appearing from behind the front desk, happy as could be to receive one of her best patrons. “What can my sister and I do for you to – AGH!”

She recoiled at the sight of Rarity and Fluttershy and backed up against the wall, breathing heavily.

“I told you this was a bad idea,” Fluttershy dejectedly murmured.

“What happened to you two?” Aloe asked.

Rarity chuckled. “Aha, well, you see, darling-”

“Wait, no, no, never mind, I can guess,” Aloe said. “You two got mixed up with the wrong zebra and then she cursed into you snakes, and now you need me and Lotus to make you a special bath that will undo the curse.”

Rarity and Fluttershy looked at each other. Rarity smiled, showing her fangs, unable to believe their good luck.

“Why, yes,” Rarity said, tapping her fingers together. “Yes, Aloe, darling, that is exactly what happened. Be a dear and start up the bath for us, would you? Use some lavender and oatmeal for our skin.”

“Coming right up.” Aloe pushed a button the register. “And really, Rarity, you girls have got to stop getting mixed up in all these crazy adventures. It’s not good for your skin.’

“Oh, of course, of course, darling, of course, but one never knows when one will be called upon to do their duty, do they?”

“I suppose not.”

Aloe left to draw up the bath.

Rarity turned to Fluttershy and jabbed her in the arm. “Fluttershy! Smile! Don’t you realize what just happened? Aloe’s treating us like there’s nothing different! Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I guess,” Fluttershy sighed. “I’m sorry, Rarity, I guess I still just miss Angel.” She rubbed at her head.

“Well, let’s finish up here, and then, if you’re up for it, maybe we’ll give Angel a visit as well.”

“That would be nice,” Fluttershy murmured.

Aloe and Lotus drew up the bath, shaking petals of lavender flowers into the water as they brought it up to temperature. Lotus stuck a hoof in to test the water and recoiled, finding it too hot, so they poured more cold water in.

“Okay,” Aloe said after a second. “It’s ready.” She motioned for Rarity and Fluttershy to come in.

The two snake-ponies slithered forth and sank their tails into the water, bringing themselves in slowly and gradually. Their massive coils had to wrap and wind around themselves to fit into the space of the tub, which was designed with normal ponies in mind.

Rarity gave a sigh as the hot water caressed her body, while Fluttershy remained quiet. Quieter than usual.

Lotus tilted her head.

“What is it, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing, nothing, I’m just wondering how long it will take for the cure to work,” she tapped her chin with worry. “I don’t want you molting in my hot tub.”

“Lotus, don’t be rude,” Aloe said.

“Sorry.”

“I’m sure it won’t be long, darlings. You can leave us by ourselves for a few minutes. Go on. Toodle-oo.” Rarity waved her hand around to dismiss them.

Lotus gave Aloe an unsure glare, but the two of them left.

Fluttershy remained crouched in her seat, staring into space with an empty expression on her eyes.

“Oh, come now, Fluttershy,” Rarity said. “I thought this what you wanted. To go back to old routines?”

“It is what I wanted, but now I’m not sure if it’s what I needed,” Fluttershy said. “Look, Rarity.” She lifted her tail out of the water. “Just because we are back home doesn’t mean everything goes back to normal. I mean, sure, Aloe and Lotus are treating us like nothing’s wrong, but how long will that last? Can we be sure anypony else will? And what happens we get … the craving again?”

She put her hands on her stomach.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, darling.” Rarity cupped Fluttershy’s cheeks. “For now, we should just relax and enjoy this warm water on our scales.” She leaned in and gave Fluttershy a kiss on the lips.

Fluttershy sighed, but this one sounded happier than all the others she had made recently. “You’re right, Rarity. We should just relax and enjoy ourselves.” She sank her shoulders beneath the water and tried to do exactly like that.

They sat there that like that exchanging relaxed sighs back and forth, the hot tub giving off steam and producing a lovely smell of lavender for their nostrils to enjoy. It had been some time they had a nice hot soak together, and the warm water helped take the tension out of their joints, including their tails.

Rarity’s eyes popped open. Fluttershy’s words had come to pass. She had the craving again.

Fluttershy peeked one eye open, and she knew at a glance what was on Rarity’s mind.

“Are you feeling it, too?”

“Oh, yes, darling, I’m feeling it. Whatever shall we do?”

Fluttershy tilted her head back, craning her neck. She got a wicked smile on her face that Rarity found all the more unnerving for how uncharacteristic it was.

“I know exactly what we should do,” Fluttershy said.

“Darling, what do you propose? … ooh,” Rarity nodded, knowing exactly what Fluttershy was going to suggest. She leaned back and gave an affirming smirk.

“Oh, Aloe! Lotus!” Fluttershy called.

Aloe and Lotus dutifully returned to the room.

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

“What can we help you with?”

“Come here,” Fluttershy gestured. “Test the water. I think it might be too cold again.”

Aloe and Lotus exchanged baffled looks. The water, the quality water in their quality hot tub, that they maintained spectacularly well, cold again already? It was inconceivable.

“Perhaps it’s because they’re cold-blooded?” Lotus whispered.

“I don’t think that’s how being cold-blooded works,” Aloe whispered back.

“Darlings, what are you talking about over there?” Rarity asked, struggling to keep up her poker face. The urge to not just giggle, but cackle at knowing Aloe and Lotus’ ultimate and inevitable fate, was almost too much for her to keep up with.

“Okay,” Aloe said. “If you think it’s too cold, maybe it’s too cold.”

She walked up to the edge of the tub and dipped her fingers in, swishing the water around. A displeased expression spread on her face.

“Aloe, you don’t look sure what to think,” Rarity said. “Lotus, why don’t you come over to my side and offer a second opinion?”

“Okay,” Lotus said. At this point she was just ready to just get it over with. Add more hot water if they needed and don’t if they didn’t. How hard would that be?

Lotus went over to Rarity’s side of the tub and did the same as Aloe, dipping her fingers.

Fluttershy couldn’t hold back her giggle. She received strange looks from Aloe and Lotus, but they didn’t do much else.

Rarity made a gesture for Fluttershy to shush, but she giggled herself.

Lotus was not amused. “Ladies, could I please ask to you explain exactly what in the world of Equestria is so funny?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s just ...”

Like twin heads of hydras raising from the bog, Rarity and Fluttershy’s tails shot out of the water, causing a splash, and wound around Aloe and Lotus, lifting them into the air like they were in the grip of a kraken.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lotus complained as Rarity’s tail bobbed her around.

“What’s going on!?” Aloe added. “Oh, oh no, I know what’s happening. You’re not really trying to get cured, are you? There was never any cure! You’re possessed! You’re under some villain’s creature, or nature spirit or something!”

Rarity gave a ladylike chuckle that nonetheless quite sinister. “My, you’ve figured that out exceptionally fast, didn’t you! You should consider becoming a detective, Aloe. Of course…”

The two snakes brought their victims close to their faces.

“You didn’t figure it out quite fast enough, did you?”

“Please don’t eat me,” Aloe begged.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m sorry, Aloe. I can’t do that. I’m hungry. I have to eat something, and that something is going to be ponies. Cute little ponies just like you.” She booped Aloe’s nose. “But you don’t have to worry. I’ll spit you right back out.”

“That just makes me worry more!” Aloe said. “How are you going to do that? What are you going to do, vomit me back out?”

“Something like that,” Fluttershy said, covering her mouth as she giggled again.

"Now, Aloe, just calm down," Fluttershy said.

"How am I supposed to calm down?" Aloe flailed uselessly, struggling to get free of Fluttershy's tight grip. It was like being caught between two pillars of stone. "You just said you were going to eat me and then vomit me back out! That's gross!"

"Now, now, I only said one of those things," Fluttershy said. She narrowed her eyes and glared as Aloe continued to struggle. "Aloe!"

Fluttershy grabbed Aloe's chin and brought Aloe's face into hers.

"Calm down," Fluttershy ordered, with a vexing kind of quiet authoritativeness that she was capable of producing. To make sure Aloe complied with the other, Fluttershy began her hypnosis, peppering Aloe's eyes with colored rings of swirling hypnotic vision.

"Calm… down?" Aloe repeated, confused. The hypnosis spread through her eyes, then quickly from there to her mind. "Yes, calm down."

"Yes, that's right, calm down," Fluttershy affirmed, giving a strong nod. She stroked a hand lovingly through Aloe's hair. "There, see? Now isn't that better now that you're not struggling anymore?"

Aloe nodded, giving a vague murmur.

Lotus had learned nothing from watching her partner be taken like this. She continued to struggle.

Rarity scoffed. "Really, darling, if there was a chance in Tartarus you could escape, do you think Aloe wouldn't have found it by now?"

"You don't know that!" Lotus snapped. She swung her head down and bit Rarity's tail with her teeth, but she came off the worse for it. "Ow! That's like beating into the neck of a hydra or something!"

"Yes, funny how we sssnakes develop protections against that sort of thing, isn't it?" Rarity said. "Now, Lotus, darling, I care for you deeply. You run by far the best spa in all of Equestria, and you've been there to listen to my woes in my low mements ... but I can't let such an insolence go unanswered, now, can I?"

Rarity lifted Lotus high up into the air, then brought her crashing down into the hot tub. The water splashed everywhere, drenching Fluttershy and Aloe as well as putting out and knocking over a few candles and incense Aloe and Lotus had put out.

"Rarity," Fluttershy said, trying to not be angry about her soaking hair clinging to her eyes. "Please try to be more careful."

"Sorry, darling," Rarity said as she pulled out a shaking Lotus out from the water. "I just couldn't help myself."

"I think you could have," Fluttershy mumbled.

Aloe was brought back to her senses by the shock of the water. She resumed struggling.

Fluttershy brushed her bangs out of her eyes to see what the sensation she was getting was, and grew annoyed to see Aloe struggling again.

"Aloe, sweetie ..." Fluttershy cupped Aloe's chin and locked her eyes with her again, activating her hypnosis again. "Why do you struggle so? You know it's useless."

"It's not useless," Aloe said, averting her eyes. "Not if I can resist you long enough to-"

"To what, exactly?" Fluttershy asked, the tip of her tail giving an irritated wiggle, like a rattlesnake. "No one knows we're here. No one saw us come in. We slipped right by the houses and not a soul saw us. You don't have access to a phone, or any kind of communication. There's no pony who's going to come and rescue you."

Aloe gasped in shock. "Well, I, I-"

"Oh my, I sounded awfully villainous just now, didn't I?" Fluttershy said. "I should try to talk nicer if I want to calm you down."

"Calm me down!?" Aloe shouted. She made an effort to try and kick Fluttershy with her leg, which hung from behind her, but the rest of Fluttershy's tail was too far away for the blow to connect. How big were these darn tails, anyway?

"Yes," Fluttershy breathed, clasping Aloe's cheeks. "Calm down." She used her fingers to pry Aloe's eyelids open, and Aloe soon fell under the spell again.

"Calm down," Aloe repeated.

"That's right, calm," Fluttershy said.

"Calm," Aloe nodded happily.

"Aloe!" Lotus shouted. "Aloe, don't listen to her! Fight it! You can fight it!"

"Oh, really, listen to yourself carry on," Rarity said. "Am I going to have to give you a dunk again?"

"Please don't," Fluttershy said, wincing at the idea.

"Well, all right, a light dip perhaps," Rarity added.

Lotus groaned and huffed. She stopped fighting, but she gave Rarity a hateful glare.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, darling," Rarity said. "We're just two lonely mares trying to have a little fun in a dark and dreary world."

"Equestria is one of the happiest places to live," Lotus replied.

"Ah! Mere words," Rarity said, waving her hand. "It's a charade, I tell you, a sham, a hoax! Deep down, all ponies -"

"Forceps Magazine has consistently rated Equestria highest in overall life satisfaction, happiness, and contentment for the last five-hundred years," Lotus said.

This shut Rarity up. She tried to hold herself up high, rising up from the tub slightly.

"Well ... you can't begrudge me for trying to commit to my role as a villain, can you?"

"So you admit you're a villain?" Lotus said.

"Why deny it?" Rarity said. "It's not like there's anything you can do about it." Ignoring Lotus' frown, she went on. "Besides, villain is too strong a word anyways. We're simpler simpler, more basic. Something you can't really apply moral judgments to."

"Why not?" Lotus asked.

"Because, darling… " Rarity spun Lotus over and then brought her face in. "We're the lowest things of all – hungry animals. Now, let me look into your eyes ..."

Rarity's eyes became swirling colors, and Lotus, having seen Aloe suffer from this, averted her eyes. Rarity pinched Lotus' cheek just hard enough to make Aloe reopen them, and she soon fell under the sway.

“I … I… ” Lotus babbled, trying in vain to resist the pull. But Rarity’s eyes were so colorful, and so deep. The vibrancy called to her, like looking over a field of flowers in a jungle. They appeared to have a depth of field that expanded more and more the longer Lotus looked – like looking straight into a kaleidoscope.

“That’s it, darling,” Rarity said, rocking Lotus gently with her tail. “Look into my eyes … and relax.”

“Relax.”

“You put so much work into helping everyone in Ponyville relaxing, don’t you? It’s past time someone helped you relax. Do you ever get to enjoy this hot tub for yourself?”

“No?” Lotus said, confused. She wasn’t supposed to. The hot tub wasn’t for her personal pleasure, it was for her business. It was a service she provided for a fee. That was how business worked. A cashier does not eat straight from the canned goods section at a supermarket, and so she did not bathe in the hot tub.

“Well, why not?” Rarity asked. “What possible reason could you have for denying yourself this one simple pleasure?”

“I … uh… ” Lotus stammered. She had an answer a minute, nay, a mere few seconds ago, but it was lost to her, tossed into a closet in the back of her mind along with numerous other pieces of lint and mental clutter that Rarity had no use for.

“Why don’t you take a soak with me?” Rarity asked, gently lowering Lotus down into the tub. “Consider it a special package – one soak with customer, for returning customers.”

Rarity dipped Lotus’ ankles in the water, then gradually sunk the rest of her in.

“That’s it,” Rarity used her tail to guide Lotus over to the edge of the tub where she could lean back and rest her head. “Just relax, dear. Relax.”

“Relax?” Lotus asked, becoming slightly more alert. She remembered someone saying that word, and saying it with distress, and that made her think she should be distressed, but she couldn’t remember who said it or why they were distressed at the time they did.

“Yes, darling.” Rarity arched her back, looming over Lotus like the shadow of a cobra about to strike. “Relax. Let yourself go. Let all of your thoughts, your woes, your troubles just … fade from your mind, like dust in the wind.” Rarity waved her fingers around.

“Troubles fade,” Lotus repeated. “Like dust in the wind ...” a dopey grin spread across her face. “Yes … yes, relax … I need to relax.”

“Very good,” Rarity said. “Now, I want you to go one step further than relaxation. I want you to be aroused.”

“Aroused?”

“Yes, darling, aroused,” Rarity said. “You know I’m going to eat you soon, and that really turns you on.”

“It does?”

“Of course it does! Haven’t you always wondered what it would be like to be consumed? To give yourself to someone so utterly that there’s nothing left for you to but to let them swallow you whole? It is not an ultimate expression of affection?”

“When you put it that way...” Lotus agreed.

“Indeed,” Rarity ran a finger through Lotus’ hair. “And you have some affection for me, don’t you? Now, now, don’t deny it. I’ve seen the way you look at me at times. Why wouldn’t you? I put a good deal effort into always looking my very best, and I’m a very attractive woman.” Rarity giggled. She ignored Fluttershy rolling her eyes in response. “You feel some attraction to me, don’t you? Haven’t you always?”

“Yes. Yes!” Lotus agreed eagerly. She had never thought of it before, but yes, she was attracted to Rarity. Had a crush on her. Was in a deep, unrequited love for her. Of course, this wasn’t actually true, but minds are funny things, and under the powerful of Rarity’s hypnotic suggestion, Lotus’ mind set quickly to work on revising all of her memories of Rarity to make this seem true. She remembered trying to catch sneak peaks and glances at Rarity when she got out of the spa. Trying to resist the urge to spy on Rarity through the curtains when she was changing in the closet.

“But you couldn’t do anything about it, could you? Because I was a customer, and you had to maintain a certain distance from me.”

“Yes, yes!” Lotus nodded, her heart pounding feverishly in her chest. She loved Rarity.

She had always loved Rarity.

“Well, now those days are over,” Rarity said. “You’re going to take a leave of absence from your work, and now you’ll be free to act on any thing you desire. Including me. Including the desire to be eaten by me. I’m so close to you, so close. It must be making you aroused. You’re hot, you’re wet, and you’re horny. Your mind is overflowing with perverted images and desires. You wonder what it would be like to cum inside my mouth.”

“YES!” Lotus shouted, struggling and writhing in Rarity’s grasp, desperate to be consumed. “Oh, Rarity, I want to be with you! I want – I want to be in you!”

“Your wish is granted,” Rarity launched Lotus into the air, using her tail like a spring pad, then caught Lotus in her mouth, sucking her up like a noodle. A thin one, too. Lotus went straight into Rarity’s mouth, cumming and leaving a mess over Rarity’s lips as she went squirting and orgasming inside Rarity’s gullet. It made look like Rarity had simply bitten into a pastry, rather than swallowed a pony whole while she was in the midst of a climax.

Rarity swallowed hard, then turned her attention to Fluttershy to check on how she was doing with Aloe.

“Are we all better now?” Fluttershy asked, continuing to stroke Aloe’s hair like she was a pet. “Good and calm?”

“Yes, good and calm.” Aloe had acquired the same dopey grin Lotus got during her time with Rarity.

“You’re not going to fight?” Fluttershy asked. She pulled on Aloe’s hair and sniffed it. “Not going to struggle anymore?”

“No ma’am,” Aloe said.

“Ah. No, mistress,” Fluttershy corrected, tapping Aloe’s nose. “Come on. Let me hear you say it.”

“No, mistress,” Aloe said. “I’m not going to fight anymore.”

“Good. You’re going to be a good girl from now on, aren’t you?” Fluttershy rubbed Aloe’s cheek with her thumb, the way one might play with a dog’s floppy jowls. “You’ll be quiet and obedient, just the way I want you.” Fluttershy exhaled sharply. “Just the way everyone should be. Quiet.”

“Quiet,” Aloe said. Then, taking her mistress’s words to heart, she said it again, but at a softer pitch. “Quiet.” She murmured, doing her best to speak as silently as possible.

“Fantastic,” Fluttershy said. “Now, Aloe, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“I’m rather hungry and I feel just so empty inside,” Fluttershy said. “I need to eat. To swallow a pony, and then I won’t feel so hungry and empty anymore. But I’d hate to just do it to you without you asking, so could you do me a favor and let me you’re enjoying it? That you want me to eat you? To drop you straight down my throat and into my gullet?”

Aloe nodded. “Yes, mistress. I want you to eat me and swallow me. Swallow me whole, then spit me back out, and do it all over again!”

Fluttershy chuckled. “Now, I don’t think that will be possible, for several reasons … but I appreciate your enthusiam, and I’ll see what I can do.” She gave Aloe a quick smooch on the lips, then lifted Aloe into the air.

Fluttershy spread her jaw wide, going ah as she opened her mouth up an incredible degree. A venus flytrap would envy her ability to spread her jaw so wide.

Inch by careful inch, Fluttershy unwound Aloe. She carried her tail up until Aloe was dangling by nothing more than the tip curled around her ankle.

Fluttershy let that go as well, and Aloe dropped straight into her mouth.

It had been since some time she’d done this, so Fluttershy struggled to choke and force Aloe down. It got to the point where Rarity was concerned she might have to pull a Heimlich, but Fluttershy managed and Aloe went down.

Aloe giggled and stammered as she was enveloped by the squishy folds of Fluttershy’s esophagus. She didn’t know why, but she felt the need, the urge to cum, and she did, but her mind was so dazed that she didn’t really take any pleasure in it while she squirted and smeared her juices all over the inside of Fluttershy’s walls.

Aloe dropped down into Fluttershy’s stomach, landing straight into a puddle of liquid. She blinked and rubbed to get the fluid out of her eyes, and some of the hypnosis began to wear off without the sustained eye contact.

Do you see a pit, one with a thin film over it? Fluttershy asked. Aloe looked around, trying to see where the voice was coming from, not realizing it was in her head. Find it, and then tuck yourself in.

Some of the hypnosis had worn, but not all. Even while she had a vague sense of danger about it, Aloe obeyed and tucked herself into the pit without complain, letting the film cover her. A strange liquid filled up, covering her arms and torso. Soon, she would be turned and converted into another beautiful snake.

“How are you feeling?” Rarity asked, swimming over to Fluttershy. “Is she settling down well? Lotus was giving me a bit of trouble, but I’ve got her where she needs to be.”

“Yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “She’s exactly where she should be. Soon, we’ll have more members.” She rubbed a hand over her inflated stomach. “Our little family is growing so fast.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Rarity said. She looked around. “We should go do something about the front. Ponies will start to suspect something if they come in here and Aloe and Lotus aren’t where they’re supposed to be.”

The two of them crawled out of the hot tub, like salamanders escaping the water. They locked the front door, turned the lights down, and switched the sign from Open to Closed.

After they did this, they returned to the hot tub and proceeded to snuggle, covering each with hugs and kisses and entwining their tails together in the comfort of the warm water while they waited for Aloe and Lotus to finish gestatating.

“Thank you for doing this, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “I really needed this.”

“Anytime, darling,” Rarity said, nuzzling into the crevice of Fluttershy’s neck. “I’ll be here for anything you need.”

“I know,” Fluttershy said. She rested her chin on Rarity’s shoulder, then felt around her stomach. Aloe would complete her transformation soon, and Lotus wouldn’t be far behind. Fluttershy couldn’t wait to greet them and welcome them into the family and do all the things that families do together with them.

Author's Note

This chapter is unusual that I actually got it done to the commissior's satisfaction in a reasonable amount of time. Would that I could update all my commissions this quickly.

A wonderful thank you to my very generous patrons:

Trepphacs
LazyReader19
Facinus
Thehock1
MyMaskofShame
Captain Croisandwich
Ganduil
Magnaking
Sirion123