Chapters Reserve Stock: Growing Competition
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived a mare named Rarity. She was a dressmaker, an artist, and a buisnessmare, not to mention the lead singer in her acapella group. All the ponies in Ponyville thought she was talented and generous, and so when she told them she was going into the alcohol trade, they anticipated she would have great success.
Dragon’s Milk she called it. It was a dry liquor with a variable taste—sometimes flowery, sometimes tangy, sometimes bitter. It didn’t taste like anything else, being too strong and complex to be like beer, to dry and hoppy to be like gin, too flowery to be like old malt liquor. It was a runaway success, and it made Rarity a handsome profit.
The ponies of Ponyville were proud of Rarity’s creation. As Dragon’s Milk appeared in stores in Canterlot and Manehatten and Fillydelphia, Ponyville became known for something other than monster attacks and the Elements of Harmony. It put their town on the map, they said, as something other than a hazard warning symbol.
They thought Rarity must be clever indeed, to have come up with such a fine beverage.
Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship, had a slightly different opinion. She thought that Rarity really needed to stop milking dragons.
Or, dragon. Rarity had only one dragon—Ember. They had a complex relationship.
It all began in the spring, when Rarity discovered that dragons have an annual mating cycle. After asking suitable questions, she learned that during the peak of this cycle, mature female dragons will lactate a thin, alcohol based fluid, in a manner superficially similar to mammals.
“Of course,” Twilight had said, “it’s not actually milk . Milk is a highly caloric fat based particle suspension which serves as the youngs’ primary food source, while dragon’s nursing fluid is really just a base of alcohol with trace amounts of key minerals and micronutrients.”
After a long silence, Rarity replied: “Are you telling me that Ember’s… teats , are currently secreting a beverage in excess of,” she checked one of the books, “a hundred proof?”
“Oh, yes. Ha ha.” Twilight laughed. “She may look like a mammal, but don’t let her nurse any young ponies.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Twilight,” Rarity said. “I won’t. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go check on an unrelated matter.”
Two weeks later, Dragon’s Milk appeared in its first store.
Soon, Rarity dragged others into her scheme. There was Thunderlane, who made the deliveries, and Gilda, who arranged sales to Griffonstone. She also roped in Applejack, despite considerable resistance.
Ultimately, it was Ember who sealed the deal with Applejack, when she discovered that the humble farm pony had a particular interest in dragons with aggressive curves. It was a pleasurable surprise for them both.
And so, as fall came and the running of the leaves approached, all seemed well in the world. Rarity was respected and wealthy, Ember had her new pony friends, and Applejack had discovered the joy of being in a relationship with a creature who appealed to her extremely obscure fetish.
Until the day Rarity went to Barnyard Bargins for some fabric, and saw her product in the window. Dragons Milk , read the display stand, 50 bits .
Underneath it was a different beverage, with a lighter color and sparkly bits floating inside. It came in a bottle that looked like a young dragon with aggressively large teats, and it showed off her fangs as she smiled.
Dragons Milk: Fuze’s Private Batch , read the display stand, 75 bits .
It was barely ten minutes later that Rarity, sweaty and out of breath, threw open the door to her own boutique. “Some dragon,” she screamed, brandishing a bottle of the new stuff like a weapon, “is ripping us off!”
Reserve Stock: Growing Competition
It is at this point that we arrive at the story proper, and focus on that story’s protagonist, Applejack.
She was in a difficult position, with this whole dragon business. It had recently come to light that Applejack was gay, and that she had a fetishes for dragons, large breasts, and lactation. Specifically, these facts came to light when Applejack laid eyes upon Ember, a large-breasted lesbian-inclined dragon in the middle of her nursing cycle.
All of which is to say, Applejack burned up. She boiled. She blushed so bright ponies thought she was ill. The heat between her legs made the air ripple over her tail. She learned some things about herself that day she was not entirely prepared to know.
One must understand her position. If Sunset Shimmer wanted to work off some frustration, she could open her laptop, search for Dragons + Huge Tits + Milk + Remarkably Specific Fetish , and within minutes have discovered fifty webpages and a subreddit. But Applejack did not have this convenience.
The thing she was most sexually attracted to in the world—the specific combination of traits that set her loins afire—had only one incarnation. It was Ember or nothing.
That was difficult, when Ember wouldn’t give her the time of day. It became more difficult after she and Ember became an item.
Applejack was having some trouble focusing.
“Blah blah blah,” Rarity was saying, as the three of them sat together in her boutique. “Blah blah copyright infringement blah blah lawsuit blah blah brand identity .” She was laying out her plan to deal with this upstart, and crush the pony or dragon who dared to nose in on their business.
“Ugh. Why does this have to be so complicated?” Ember demanded. “I’m the dragon lord. Let’s just find this ‘Fuze’ character, tell her to back off, and if she doesn’t I’ll beat her to a pulp.”
Ember smacked one fist into the other to emphasize her words. The sharp motion made her chest sway. It made her bounce. And a moment later, a single bead of sweat rolled down Applejack’s face.
“Blah blah,” Rarity replied, “blah blah shell company blah blah pony blah blah blah private investigator .”
The logic behind what Applejack saw was simple. Like most creatures that produce fluid for their young, dragons did so in proportion to the perceived demand. If Ember never expressed milk, her mating season would produce two small bumps on her chest, which would pass after a few weeks. If she nursed a young dragon, they would swell, and produce more fluid to compensate.
It didn’t stop there. Rarity had made sure of that. “We’re selling out, darling,” she had explained so long ago. “We need to increase production.”
Which she did, with diet and special training, and where need be, with magic. Until Ember’s breasts swelled to the size of melons. Until they were fuller and plumper on her chest than any natural fixture, an extreme and overflowing symbol of femininity.
And they were full. Applejack could see how uncomfortably she sat, how her teats bulged, how her breasts were swollen and full. Applejack’s mouth had gone dry, but slowly, she licked her lips.
“Blah blah favorable judge ,” Rarity was saying, “blah blah state monopoly blah blah Applejack .”
At the mention of her name, Applejack’s head shot up, so quick it was like she’d been slapped. Her eyes shrunk to points, and she stammered for words, finally managing: “Uh… yeah.”
“Ugh.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Have you even heard a word I’m saying?”
“Doubt it.” Ember grinned. “See something you like?” With both hands, she reached up and cupped each of her breasts, giving each a gentle squeeze. She had to be gentle. Full as she was, Applejack could see that even that small motion caused her discomfort.
“Yer uh…” Applejack fiddled with her hat, nakedly struggling for words. “You need a good milking, Ember. Past time.”
“After we’re done with this, please?” Rarity let out a curt sigh. “We do need to win this battle if we don’t want to be inundated with copycats.”
“You can talk about boring legal stuff later.” Ember stretched out her back, pushing out her chest. “I want to be milked now.”
“Really?” Rarity’s look could wither plants.
“Don’t you give me that look. We had a deal.” Ember again hefted her breasts with her claws. “These things are what keep us in business, remember? When I want attention I get attention. So get over here, Applejack.”
Applejack moved so fast it was like she teleported. One second she was in her chair, the next she was at Ember’s side. She rested a hoof on Ember’s leg and said: “Uh… happy to oblige.” Her body was so stiff her foreleg trembled, and her breath came in short, quick motions. “Let’s go upstairs?”
“No. Here is good.” Ember considered her position for a moment. “I don’t feel like the milking machine.”
“Um…” Applejack froze for half a second, her body still as a statue. Then she stumbled out: “I can get a bucket.”
“Absolutely not.” Rarity snorted. “You’d spoil the product. I can milk her directly into the glass bottles. An advantage of unicorn magic.”
“Yeah,” Ember agreed. “Rarity can do the actual milking. I want you between my legs, farmpony.”
Once again, Applejack froze, but it lasted more than half a second. Her head jerked between Ember and Rarity, mechanically moving between one and the other. Then she stammered: “I can’t.”
Ember reached down underneath Applejack. She ran a talon along Applejack’s belly, and when she shuddered, brought the tip of that talon all the way down to her inner thigh. She played with it there, brushing Applejack’s slit, until it produced the moan and shiver she was expecting.
“I think you can manage,” Ember chuckled.
“But…” Applejack didn’t understand why Rarity was giggling. Her manner was already drunk, as her gaze staggered around the room. “Your tits. I like your tits. I want to milk you.”
“You can milk me a little,” Ember agreed. “Just because I like you. But Rarity has to do most of it. Got it?”
Then she hefted a single massive breast, and pressed her nipples towards Applejack. AJ wrapped her lips around what was offered, and took one long draw of high-proof Dragon’s Milk. The day’s batch was rich, with a smell like oak.
It took a few sips before she stopped worrying. Before she was so drunk that she didn’t care that Rarity was right there alongside her, nuzzled into this dragon’s teats. Before she didn’t care that somepony was watching her press her head between Ember’s legs. She lost herself in the moment.
“It’s my turn ya’ great plump cow,” she said, laughing all the while. Ember scratched her with her claws for daring to use such a term. She didn’t care, and pushed her hindquarters up to Ember’s face anyway.
“Nope nope! Mine,” she said, as she and Rarity held Ember down, managing less to suckle off her teats and more to kiss the general area.
And then, when Rarity and Ember got annoyed with her, they held her down and she got to feel what it was like to be pleasured with a unicorn’s horn. It felt good, even if she didn’t feel that way about Rarity.
Then she threw up, passed out, and Rarity held her mane over the toilet. Dragon’s Milk was a very strong liquor, after all.
The next morning, she woke up in Rarity’s bed. Rarity was to her left and Ember was to her right. Both were fast asleep, but Applejack could see that it was already past nine. She could also see that Ember needed to be milked. They’d let her go unattended all night.
“Ember,” AJ nudged her. “Ember, get up.”
There was none of the fanfare of last night. The three of them woke up, hooked Ember to the milking machine, and watched her groan in relief as the pressure in her teats abated.
“The lawyers will be here soon,” Rarity said as they waited for the machine to finish. “Possibly with their clients. We should be ready to meet this ‘Fuze’ today.”
“Sure. Sure,” Applejack agreed. But after a moment, she added: “What kind of relationship are we in?”
“Why, we’re friends,” Rarity said, a soft smile appearing on her face. “Why do you ask?”
Applejack turned to look at Ember, letting the silence speak for itself. After a moment, Ember shrugged. “I don’t like putting labels on things.”
Neither answer helped her much.
“Well then,” Applejack finally said. “Pass me one of those bottles, would you? I got a screaming headache. Need a hair of the dog that bit me.”
She took a small sip, then hesitantly looked at Ember. She didn’t smile. Not quite. “You taste good.”
Reserve Stock: Growing Competition
Applejack wasn’t sure why she was at the train station. That is, what she was doing there, precisely.
Rarity being there she understood. Rarity owned their business, would need to speak with the lawyers, and might have a few choice words for the ponies and dragons of Fuze’s Brewing Company . Ember’s presence she also understood. Ember was the Dragon Lord, and so if they met this Fuze in person, Ember could simply order them to shut down their operation.
But, Applejack wondered, why did she need to be there to greet the train? To meet their rivals? What did she contribute to this moment? For that matter, what did she contribute to the company?
She wasn’t sure, and it was hard to think with Ember around. Even drained, her breasts were bigger than any AJ had seen. It was all she could do not to nuzzle her in public.
“It’s too dang hot,” she complained.
“It’s a chilly day, actually.” Ember ran a hand along AJ’s back. “You’re pretty hot though.”
“Might be sick,” AJ mumbled.
“I’ll do something special for you this evening,” Ember smiled. “I’ll come by the farm. So it’s just you and me. Something a little more intimate.”
AJ’s heart fluttered and a bright smile appeared on her face, but she said nothing. The smile faded before long, dipping into a frown as the train they were waiting for approached the station.
“Alright,” Rarity reminded them. “So we’re looking for two lawyers, plus three brewery staff, and I think one of those three is Fuze. Ember, if you can order her to shut down operations, wonderful, but I remind you not to start a brawl in the middle of the train station. Even if you win, it will destroy our reputation as an honest business.”
“Yeah yeah,” Ember cracked her knuckles. “I got it.”
The train screeched to a halt in the station. The doors opened, and a crowd of Manehattanite ponies spilled out. They wasted no time in rushing out into Ponyville, pushing past Applejack and her friends.
But then, a sound carried through the air. Not hooves, but claws on metal, and a new figure emerged from the train. She was a dragon with scales as black as night, not unlike Ember in build.
Though she was bigger than Ember. Quite a bit bigger. Where Ember’s breasts were the size of common melons, each of Fuze’s was the size of two watermelons pushed together. They were so large she obviously struggled with the weight, both forward and top-heavy, and with every step she jiggled. She swayed. She bounced.
Applejack bit her lip, and decided to say nothing. It was just as well; Ember and Rarity were gaping as well.
“Oof!” With a loud groan, Fuze cracked out her back. “Those were getting heavy. Dragon Lord Ember, a pleasure.” She smiled just like on the bottle, showing off her fangs. “Which means you two must be Rarity and Applejack.”
“That can’t be real,” Ember snapped, more out of a matter of disbelief than anything. She covered her own chest reflexively.
“Oh, it’s real. Just not natural .” Fuze giggled. “Rarity did a little magic trick, you know.”
Ember and Applejack both looked at Rarity, whose expression had turned befuddled. But before she could defend herself, Fuze went on: “No no, not her, my Rarity. Come along, you two.”
From the train behind Fuze emerged two ponies. One was nearly the spitting image of Rarity: white coat, purple mane, and three gemstones for a cutie mark. The only way to tell them apart was age. Fuze’s Rarity was obviously a young mare, and kept her hair in a spikey, punk style. The other pony was an orange stallion—an earth pony with two apples for a cutie mark, and a black stetson on his head.
“Oh.” The strange twist seemed to snap Ponyville’s Rarity back to her senses. She not only recovered her composure, but managed roll her eyes, uttering a dry retort. “How shocking. Terrifying, even. A mare who resembles me in all regards, save for a dark disposition. A black mirror to all my faults. An evil clone, if you will. Why in all my days as bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony, this is the first time I have ever encountered such a thing."
She sighed, and inspected her hoof polish. “What shall I call you? Other Rarity, perhaps? I expect you’ll start monologuing soon.”
Other Rarity sneered and reached a hoof up to her head, brushing back her mane. "Oh, I'm no evil clone. I'm just a young mare trying to find her way in the world. Really, I'm a fan of your work. I'm named after you."
"How creative. Were you conjured by some sorcerer? Bred in a lab?"
"You misunderstand," Other Rarity said, her tone turning sickly sweet. "My parents named me after you when I was born."
Rarity paused a moment, looking up from her hoof. "That seems unlikely."
"Oh, no." Other Rarity grinned ear to ear, her expression absolutely delighted. "They were honored! You saved their lives, you know, that one summer day. You thwarted Nightmare Moon, and saved all of Equestria, including a certain stallion and his pregnant wife. It was the least they could do to name their child after you."
"But that was..." Rarity paused. "No."
"It was sixteen years ago," Other Rarity's tone picked up a cruel edge.
"No." Rarity took a step back. "No!"
"That's right. I'm named after you, and I'm sixteen." Other Rarity grinned, her eyes wide and manic. "I'm sixteen." Her voice rose to a shout. "And you're past thirty!"
Rarity clutched her heart, screamed, and fainted on the spot.
“Rarity!” AJ shouted, as she and Ember each leapt to Rarity’s side. “What do you do?”
“I won , darling,” Other Rarity said, polishing her hoof against her coat. “It’s a phenomenon you might not be familiar with.”
“You little punk!” Ember whirled to face her. “I’m going to tear you—”
But before she could deliver her threat, Fuze stepped between Ember and Other Rarity. “I’ll thank you not to take that tone with my friend.”
“You ,” Ember growled. “You… you, ugh! I am the Dragon Lord and you think you can rip me off? You’re done with this, and you’re done with Equestria. I command you to return to the dragon lands and wait there until I decide how to punish you.”
Red flashed as Ember used the Dragon Lord’s natural magic, but no corresponding light appeared around Fuze. “I refuse,” she replied. “I renounce my identity as a dragon, and I renounce the dragon lands. I will live the rest of my days in Equestria, a friend to ponies and a subject of Princess Celestia. You have no authority over me.”
Everyone in the station paused a moment, waiting to see what would happen. Ember’s eyes jumped over the scene. “Hah,” Fuze said. “I don’t feel the urge to obey her. It worked.” She reached a talon back to scratch Other Rarity behind the ears. “You’re a pretty good wizard.”
“You traitor. I’ll rip your wings off!” Ember screamed, a blast of fire shooting out of her muzzle. Other Rarity and the stallion in the black stetson both scattered, leaping out of the way in the nick of time. Fuze was unhurt by the blast, but fire scattered all over the train station, setting a trashbin alight and sending ponies fleeing in terror.
“Woah woah!” Applejack put a leg around Ember and pulled her back. “Don’t. Don’t! Remember what Rarity said about starting a fight.”
“I don’t care about our stupid reputation ,” Ember snarled. Fuze’s manner was only making her angrier, as the black dragon stood there with a confidant smirk. “That punk thinks she can defy me and I will teach her a lesson!”
“If you really want to pick a fight, pick a fight you’ll win ,” Applejack urged. “Fuze showed up ready for this, Other Rarity seems to be some kind of spellcaster, we’re already down one, and the stallion with the stetson is wearing brass horseshoes. You pick a fight now, you’ll be the Dragon Lord who got her face pounded into the concrete in a Ponyville train station.”
“That… you. Ugh!” Ember let out a blast of smoke directly into AJ’s face. “Fine. You betray me too then. I thought I could count on you. I thought you were there to support me!”
“I…”
“Forget it.” Ember picked up AJ. “You want to go make friends so bad? Fine. Do. I’m going to go help Rarity.”
“Smelling salts,” called Other Rarity. “Perk her right up.”
Ember made a rude gesture, first at Other Rarity, then at Applejack, spread her wings, and flew away. With the considerable weight on her chest and the added burden of carrying a pony, her flight was unsteady and lopsided. But it still offered a spectacular view.
“Hate to see her leave,” said the stallion in the black stetson, “but love to watch her go.”
AJ turned back to the three new arrivals, slowly casting her gaze over them. She glanced at the burning trashcan. Finally, the asked the stallion in the black hat: “So who are you then?”
“Jackapple,” he said. “I farm apples, mostly. Do some other things. Sorry about your train station.”
“Yeah.” Applejack cleared her throat. “So uh… if we ain’t gonna throw down right now, I guess we’ll see you in court then?”
“Guess you will,” Fuze said, mimicking AJ’s southern accent. She reached out to scratch Jackapple behind the ears in turn. “Say, anywhere in this town we could stay until the trial’s over?”
“Ponyville doesn’t have any hotels.” And yet, after a moment, Applejack added: “But the Carrots’ have a few extra rooms to rent on their farm. They’re nice ponies. No problems with dragons or other creatures.”
“Thank you kindly,” Jackapple tipped his black hat. “No hard feelings, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Applejack stared at Fuze as the three of them walked past. At their closest point, Fuze stopped, reaching out to Applejack with her claws. AJ pulled back, flinching like she was about to be cut.
Then, Fuze scratched her behind the ears. “Earth ponies are cute,” she said.
Applejack didn’t want Fuze to leave, but she did enjoy watching her go.
Reserve Stock: Growing Competition
Rarity had arranged for their lawsuit to be tried in the Royal Court of Ponyville, with Her Highness, the Honorable Twilight Sparkle presiding. When the request was granted, she was certain of their victory, and bragged to Ember and Applejack about the scheme. The case would never come to trial, she said. No lawyer would be foolish enough to argue a case before the aggrieved party’s best friend.
The Law Offices of Flim & Flam were representing Fuze’s Brewing Company . Rarity was infuriated when they decided to go to court.
But it was worse when Twilight rejected her motion for a summary ruling.
“I’m sorry, Rarity,” Twilight said from the bench. “I really am sorry. Because I hate those two. A lot. Stenographer, enter into the record that the defendant’s lawyers are awful ponies.”
Spike grumbled that she didn’t have to use his title, and quickly wrote it down. Twilight continued, “But as a judge, I have to be impartial, and I think their argument does have merit. Dragon’s milk is a literal, descriptive term of what your product is, and under Equestrian law, common-use terms cannot be copyrighted. Just like a copyright on the term ‘cow’s milk’ would be unenforceable, I am not persuaded by your copyright on the term ‘dragon’s milk.’ While I recognize you may yet make your case, I’m sorry, I do require this matter to be tried.”
Rarity’s glare was so intense that Twilight grimaced in her chair. The judge’s stand might burst into flames around her for the sheer heat of Rarity’s anger.
Assuming it didn’t burst into flames from Ember’s fire first. She sat next to Rarity, arms folded under her chest, a bitter glower on her face. Two lines of smoke curled out of her nostrils, pooling into a dark cloud near the ceiling.
Fuze sat with Other Rarity behind the opposite bench, smirking as the events of the day went on. It was her, more than Twilight, who was the subject of Ember’s fury. Whenever their eyes met, each reflexively tensed for a fight.
Applejack wasn’t sitting at the front with Ember and Rarity. She hadn’t been explicitly invited, and so she didn’t invite herself. She sat in the back, watching the two dragons. Each had arrived empty, but the longer the legal proceedings went on, the more full each of them became.
She tried taking slow, deep breaths, but it didn’t help. Ember and Fuze moved as they sat, like all creatures did. They stretched, they sat back, they leaned over. They gave her a view.
Then, Jackapple sat next to her, black stetson and all. “Hey,” he whispered.
The courtroom was not full, and there were several rows between them and the next member of the audience. As Flim and Flam sang a musical number about overzealous copyright enforcement, Applejack used the cover to whisper back: “Hey.”
“Saw you checking out black and blue up there.”
Applejack wasn’t sure how to respond. She bit her lip, looking from her counterpart to the front of the room. But Jackapple didn’t say a word, and the longer the silence hung, the more tense Applejack became.
Until, finally, she said: “Yours looks ready to pop.”
It was true. Despite their immense size, Fuze’s breasts were filling faster than Ember’s. Already she was swollen, squirming in her chair, her nipples stiff and erect.
“Yeah.” JA nodded. “Give her another hour or two, she’ll be biting her lip and begging.”
A blush rose in Applejack’s cheeks. She shifted on the bench: “Morning ain’t even over yet.”
“How often do you milk yours?”
The blush in her cheeks deepened. “I don’t think that’s any of your business. I ain’t into stallions.”
“I’m not into ponies. Dragons only, for me.” He nodded to the front. “These two are pretty good.”
“Yeah.” Applejack whispered. Then, finally, she said: “Twice a day. Morning and evening. You?”
“Four times a day, plus the middle of the night.” He grinned. “Once, she was tired, so she kept pushing us off and saying to go back to sleep. So I said okay. Your call. Come morning, she was so pent up she was tearing up. So big she could barely lift them. Struggling to find the milking machine, because of course she lost it.”
Applejack drew in a slow, deep breath, squirming on her bench. Up ahead, the two dragons were yelling at each other. Something about who thought of it first. Twilight was banging her gavel and threatening to have the whole courtroom frozen in time.
“I think we should stop talking before I do something I regret,” AJ said.
“Eh, what kind of evil clone would I be if I didn’t tempt you to ruin?” JA asked, adjusting his hat with a smile.
“Are you really?”
“Dunno. My parents named me Jackapple, and I like this hat. So I figure I’m me. But Other Rarity is actually named Other Rarity, so in her case, you know. I can see it.” His smile grew to a grin. “Want to meet her? Fuze?”
“Trying to seduce me away from my friends, huh?” AJ snapped.
“Trying to seduce you. I like your friends. They seem nice.” He paused. “And I’d like to meet Ember. If you want to trade.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, if you change your mind, swing by the Carrot farm this evening.”
“This is unbelievable,” with a single mighty sweep of her talons, Ember destroyed Rarity’s table. The blow picked it up clear off the floor and smashed it to splinters against the wall. “What’s the point of even having friends if they’re not going to do you favors?”
“Twilight’s performance today was…” Rarity hesitated, “disappointing, I admit. But—”
“No, Twilight did exactly what you’d expect a judge to do. Your performance was disappointing.” Ember pointed a talon right at Rarity’s face. “You fainted like sissy because a teenager said some mean things about your hair or whatever, and then you totally failed to rig the trial.”
Applejack sat there quietly. She didn’t say a word.
“Point that talon somewhere else,” Rarity replied, her cool tones gently hinting at the anger beneath. She did not raise her voice, nor show fear in the face of Ember’s tirade. “Fighting among ourselves will not help anything.”
“Yeah, about that. The other side doesn’t seem to fight among themselves.” Ember drew back her muzzle, showing off her teeth. “In fact, Jackapple and Other Rarity seem to do exactly what Fuze says. Almost like the one who actually makes the product is also their leader. So it made me wonder, I do all the work around here, why exactly are you in charge?”
“Do you want to run a business, Ember?” Rarity asked, eyes narrowed. “You could fill out paperwork, negotiate with bottle suppliers, ensure we have good relationships with district warehouses. It’ll be fun.”
“No, I…” She drew a deep breath. “Dammit!” A small blast of fire shot out, scorching the chair beside Rarity.
“We could cut a deal,” Applejack said.
Both Ember and Rarity turned to face her. Rarity turned calmly, but Ember whirled, and it was Ember who spoke first: “What did you say?”
“Cut a deal. 30% of their profits or some such if we drop the case. They can’t be certain of winning. It’s a good deal.”
Her answer came in stereo. “Absolutely not!” Rarity and Ember both shouted, one with indignation, the other with furious outrage.
“I’m the Dragon Lord,” Ember went on, gesturing furiously with her claws. “The Dragon Lord! I won’t be undercut by one of my own subjects.”
“Ya already been undercut.” Applejack drew in a breath. “Fuze sells for 50% more than us, right? Even if we shut her down, our prices don’t jump up by that much. So we’re now the cheap product in the market. We just are. That’s done.”
“I don’t care about a few bits,” Ember snapped.
“And she’s proven it works,” Applejack went on. “Some other dragon will try it. Even if we win the case, they’ll try it. They’ll just call it something other than Dragon’s Milk to get around the copyright.”
“I don’t care about other dragons either!” Her words emerged with a blast of heat and smoke. “I care about beating her .”
“Yeah well her tits are bigger than yours.”
The room was so quiet Applejack could hear her own breathing. Rarity gaped. Ember’s eyes had shrunk to pinpricks, her manner so stiff one would think she’d been struck. With a jerky motion, Applejack rose from her chair. “I don’t like it when my friends fight,” she said. “I don’t. And I’m going for a walk. Sort out whatever this is.”
“Will, um…” Rarity hesitated, showing doubt for the first time. “Will you be sleeping here tonight, or at the farm?”
“Dunno. We’ll see where I end up.”
She ended up on the Carrot farm. Other Rarity was out front on the porch, having a lovely chat with Carrot Top.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, pushing her spiky mane back behind her ears. “I wouldn’t so much say I’m an ‘evil whore’ as that I’m in a mutually supportive polyamorous collective, but I can see where you got impression. Once I realized I had the look going, I just went for it, you know?”
“It seems fun,” Carrot Top admitted. “I’ve been thinking of getting into evil counterparting. Spice up my life, you know?”
“Oh, it is fun,” Other Rarity put her hoof on the table. “You know, I just know kung-fu? Never learned it, just know it. I can’t wait to fight Rarity; it’s going to be amazing.”
“Ahem.” Applejack cleared her throat. Both of them looked over. “Sorry, I was looking for Jackapple. Or uh… Fuze, I guess.”
“Jackapple’s out helping with the chores.” Other Rarity pointed at the barn. “Fuze is in there.”
Applejack nodded, following where Other Rarity pointed. The door was open, but she stepped into the barn slowly and haltingly, looking this way and that. She examined the floors, the stalls, and the ceiling, like she was expecting some terrible monster to burst out at her.
“In here,” Fuze called, her voice emerging from one of the stalls in the back. She sounded tense and a bit curt. Applejack followed the sound, and found her sitting there.
She was pent up. Overfull. Seated on a stool in the old stall, her breasts were so big Applejack doubted she could see her own lap. Every motion made her sway, shake, or giggle, and white nipples poked out of her black-scaled breasts. She wasn’t just swollen, she was bulging, and her uncomfortable expression made it clear how weighty she’d become.
“Hey,” Fuze greeted her, and when Applejack stammered for a reply, she grinned. “What brings you here?”
“I, uh…” Applejack’s breath caught in her throat. “Uh…” The longer she waited, the worse it became, until she was stammering and red. “Why ain’t Other Rarity in here helping you?”
“Jackapple told me you were coming by. I wanted to give you a show.”
“That ain’t…” Applejack gestured vaguely with a hoof. “Uncomfortable?”
“Of course it is.” Slowly, Fuze rose to her feet. She was so top-heavy, so front-heavy, that for a few moments Applejack was afraid she would fall. Her legs shook, her chest swayed, and she had to grip the edge of the stall for support. But finally, she rose, stepping up to Applejack until there was only inches between them.
So close, Applejack couldn’t see her face—just the underside of the great, heaving tits above her. What she could see were Fuze’s hips, and her tail, and all that was built around them.
“Why are you doing this?” Applejack finally asked.
“Is it such a surprise?” Fuze grinned. “Applejack, why is Ember in the alcohol trade at all?”
“It’s uh…” Applejack stared up at Fuze’s breasts, struggling to think. “Fun.”
“She didn’t seem to be having much fun. And she doesn’t need the money. See, I’d bet she’s in it for the same reason I am. The same reason that I am here, very uncomfortably full, waiting for you to show up.”
She reached a talon down and gently, delicately, squeezed one of her breasts: “I like the attention.”
“You um…” Applejack hesitated. “You like me staring, do ya?”
“A bit. But that’s not it.” She gestured. “Rear up. Have a drink.”
“I’m worried I’ll push you over.”
“You push me over, you can keep me.” Fuze grinned. “Have a drink. I’m serious.”
And so Applejack reared up, and put her hooves on Fuze’s torso. Once she could see over Fuze’s breasts, she could see her grin and the delight in her eyes. And then, Applejack latched onto one of those white nipples.
“Oh, there we go,” Fuze let out a long, low moan. “That’s it. Drink up.” Applejack slowly sucked away, filling her mouth with that warm liquor. Fuze’s tasted like apples and spices. Jackapple’s influence, no doubt.
But then, Fuze pushed her away. “I want you buzzed. Not unconscious.”
But Applejack resisted, pushing back against her talons. “I want more,” she said. “You’re… I don’t know how to say it. You and Ember. I need you. It’s all I can think about.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s what I like. I don’t like you staring; I like you desperate. You see me here, biting my lip, playing up the whole, ‘oh please milk me’ thing. But I’m in control. And you’re not.” She pulled Applejack over with both talons, laying a kiss on her forehead. “That’s why I’m in this game. It’s power. Power that I don’t have to hurt anyone or break anything to have. I never wanted to be Dragon Lord, always fighting for my title. But this little kingdom is mine.”
“That’s… that’s not…” Applejack rubbed her head. “What do you want me to do?”
“Say you like me more than Ember.”
“I…” Slowly, Applejack drew out the words. “I can’t rightly say that I do. She ain’t perfect. Lord knows she ain’t. But she’s my friend and you’re…” She stared up at Fuze, squinting as though into a great distance. “But you know that. You just want to hear me say the right things.”
“See?” Fuze grinned. “You’re getting it.”
“Like… you want to hear me say that your tits are bigger than hers?”
“Are they?” her voice was delighted. “I didn’t notice.”
“They are. Cause she’s the Dragon Lord and you’re a great bloated cow.” She leaned her head in and wrapped her lips around one of Fuze’s nipples, giving a long slow pull. And when Fuze pulled her off, Applejack dug her hooves into the ground and pushed back.
The sudden motion tilted Fuze forward. Her tits went out past her feet, and she toppled forward. She barely caught herself in time, ending up in all fours, her oversized teats dangling below her.
“Look, I knocked you over,” AJ said, fetching a bucket from across the barn. “Looks like I get to keep you.”
But before she continued, she hesitated. She locked eyes with Fuze, seeking something from her. It made Fuze laugh.
“Looks like you do,” Fuze said, prompting, “Don’t stop. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to milk you.” AJ shoved the bucket under her. “Because those big fat teats are so sensitive I know it’ll make you melt. I’ll milk you until you need me as much as I need you. Until I’m happy. Then I’m going to eat you out until you moan fire. And then it’s my turn.”
Fuze arched her back, lifting her tits over the bucket.
That night, Other Rarity and Jackapple held AJ’s hair as she threw up into the hayloft. She woke up with a screaming headache, part of a pile of four bodies.
Reserve Stock: Growing Competition
There were no trial proceedings the next day, and so Applejack took her time in returning to Ponyville. She had to tend her own farm, mind her own trees, and endure a lecture from Big Mac about how she wouldn’t have a headache if she didn’t drink so much.
She really wanted to tell him what she’d been drinking, but some things brother and sister were not meant to know about each other.
It was early afternoon by the time she got back to the Boutique. No creature was there, so she let herself in the back and sat in the front, fiddling with her hat while she waited. Around three, she heard the key turn in the front lock, and Ember and Rarity walked in.
“Well, I don’t know,” Rarity was saying. “Flim & Flam are surprisingly good at this, I almost…”
She trailed off when Ember pointed, and only then noticed Applejack sitting in the store. “Applejack,” she said softly. “I uh… I’m surprised to see you here.” After a moment’s silence, she added, “When you didn’t come back last night… well. You understand.”
“Yeah, I got some things to say.” Applejack stood up, perched her hat on her head, and then adjusted it with a single brush of her hooves. “To both of you.”
Ember snorted. “If you expect me to apologize for that fight, you’re out of your mind. All I need is support and you two can’t—”
“Ember, why in Tartarus are you wasting your time with this?”
Ember froze, her expression screwing up. AJ crossed the distance between them, and without hesitation, poked her in the breast. “With this.”
“Well, it’s…” She stammered. “It’s fun. I like the… physicality.”
“Good. Have fun. Like the physicality. You know we can still sleep together even if we lose this court case, right? Twilight ain’t going to confiscate your tits.” Then she whirled on Rarity. “And you? Why are you here? You make dresses, not alcohol.”
“Applejack, I—”
“It’s because it’s fun and because you like being in charge. And you like winning. And that’s great! Have fun. Boss us around and make us bend over and do all the sexy things you like. I’m finding I’m weirdly into it. You can even like winning. But this case?” Applejack drew a breath and slammed a hoof down on the floor. “You’ve lost . Stop taking it out on your friends.”
Ember and Rarity stared at Applejack, neither sure what to say. But it hardly mattered. Applejack was not done speaking, and didn’t pause to let them interrupt. “You know why I’m here? Because I really like dragon tits. I do! Didn’t know that about myself. But I do. Ember, you’re the second-hottest piece of tail in all the world. The first hottest is Fuze. Screw you, she looks better, I like her tits. But you know why I’m over here and not there? Because I want a relationship, not just to go to bed. Even if it is a weird, three way… I don’t know. I don’t know what we are.”
With a stiff breath she finished: “But whatever we are? It’s based on my wanting you. Not my needing you. So if you treat me wrong like that, screw you, I’m out. Now are you going to calm down or what?”
“I…” Ember hesitated. “I didn’t mean…” She couldn’t make herself say sorry, but she did manage, “I’ll calm down.”
Rarity said nothing, but she did manage to look ashamed.
“This whole time I was wondering what I do here,” Applejack said. “And now I get it, because I got more common sense than both of you put together. Ember, Fuze doesn’t want to be Dragon Lord, and she ain’t no threat to your rule. But if you make an ass of yourself fighting her in Equestria, other dragons might start to wonder if you’ve lost your marbles. And Rarity? Trying to rig a trial and screwing it up doesn’t look good. Settle . I’d bet bits to wooden nickels they’ll offer 30%.”
“I…” Rarity hesitated. “We could. But, Applejack, is… everything okay?”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t fine before, but it’s fine now. I think.” She shut her eyes and let out a long sigh. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Hesitantly, Ember cleared her throat. “You want a drink?”
“Yeah,” Applejack said. “But you owe me one night at the farm. Something quiet and intimate you said. You never showed up.”
“I…” Ember ran her claws down her arm, looking away and at the floor. “I guess I do.”
“Am I uh…” Rarity hesitated. “Invited?”
“Yeah,” Applejack said. Then she smiled, “Just, when all three of us end up in bed together, don’t make it weird .”
