Little Dusk Shine’s Big Adventure

Chapters

Chapter 3: Dusk Shine and Barbara
Chapter 4: The Nightmare Has Returned
Chapter 5: Saving the Day from… Idiots?
Chapter 6: An After Party with Dusk’s New Girlfriends
Chapter 7: The Ticket to Dusk’s First Mare Mouth
Chapter 8: Presents, Parties, and Pudgy Ponies
Chapter 9: Wholesome, Cuddlesome, Objectification
Chapter 10: Everyday Chores with Fiancés
Chapter 11: A Captain’s Duties
Chapter 12: Pranks, Ponuts, and Paunches
Chapter 13: Brushing off the Griffon
Chapter 14: Brushing Up The Griffon
Chapter 1: A Mission to Ponyville
Chapter 2: Meeting the Mares of Ponyville

Chapter 3: Dusk Shine and Barbara

“DUSK!” Barb leaped into the air, callously barreling through ponies as she tracked his scent to find a closed door. Even over the party’s clamor, the drake heard a faint squeak from inside, so she gingerly pushed the door open before hurriedly closing it behind her. After ascending the stairs, as expected, upon the bed sat a shivering lump beneath the covers. “It’s me,” Barb quietly informed as she approached. Climbing atop the mattress, the drake curled around the quivering bulge and relaxed. They’d endured this before, and she knew to simply be patient and wait for Dusk to calm down.

“Sorry,” Barb quietly said as the noise beyond the door continued. “I should have guessed you’d have issues when even I got overwhelmed. These ponies just don’t know when to quit.”

“Why didn’t you roar at them?” Dusk asked beneath the covers, shaking a little less now that he felt Barb’s familiar warmth.

“Excuse me?”

“Like earlier today. You roared at Precision. Why didn’t you scare these ponies away, too?”

Barb needed a second to think about that, as roaring at unwelcome bitches was kind of her thing. “Huh. Um, I guess I didn’t sense any aggression from this bunch.”

“Aggression?”

“Yeah. Precision looked like she was about to do something stupid before I stepped in. But these girls…” Barb trailed off in thought. “Call me crazy, but I think they were genuinely interested in you… us. That’s still weird to think about.”

“R-really?” Dusk softly chuckled. “You never thought about getting intimate with other ponies before?”

“Not really. I don’t think my sex drive is as strong as a pony’s. Though, now that I’m thinking about it, Rarity’s idea of a dinner date doesn’t sound half bad.” Barb nosed the lump under the covers and asked, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Which sounds best?”

Dusk finally emerged from beneath the covers. “I think it would be best if we get some rest. Studying is clearly out, so we might as well clear our heads so we can talk to the queen when she gets here.”

“Good idea. I need to ask her if there’s some kind of surgery for removing that stick up your butt.”

Dusk frowned up at the drake’s shit-eating grin. “That wasn’t funny the first fourteen hundred times, and it’s not funny now.”

“Agree to disagree. But, if this is what you want, then shut up and close your eyes,” Barb gently instructed as she rested her head near the small stallion.

Dusk, however, just kept staring at his companion. “Um, I-I’m better now, so, i-if you wanted to go back and j-join the party…”

“It wouldn’t be any fun without you,” Barb dismissed, eyes still closed.

“But what about Rarity?”

“I get the feeling she’s the persistent type. They all are, so they’ll still be here tomorrow. We can try again then.”

Dusk’s ears splayed in shame as he looked upon the large drake, quietly hating himself for holding her back from what she wanted because he was too much of a weirdo. Barb did so much for him, and he couldn’t help but feel the need to repay his debt. “Ya know, Fluttershy’s not the only one with an encyclopedic knowledge about dragons.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. For example, your spines usually quiver when you’re mad. However, I know they only move that way when you’re horny,” Dusk informed while pointing, grinning a little anxiously when his familiar opened her eyes, and her head ascended above him.

“So you noticed?”

“Now that I can think straight, yeah,” Dusk confirmed, tossing the covers aside to expose himself. “A lot of mares flirted with you today. You must be so worked up.”

Barb extended a claw and gently knocked the sitting pony onto his back, revealing an erection as long as his leg. “I’m not the only one,” she said, her face descending as she nosed where the base of his dark purple cock met his heavy-hanging balls. Inhaling his masculine scent, she added, “Yeah, that’s the stuff.”

Dusk blushed, forelegs pulled against his belly as Barb shifted around him. Her body was like a wall that blocked everything beyond, rendering Dusk’s whole world as nothing but the drake. Of course, wielding such power over one so small and precious turned her on immensely. The drake’s mighty jaws parted, and her long, slippery tongue extended to encircle the phallus. Dusk moaned and reflexively arched his back to buck his hips as the hot and slippery oral appendage constricted and massaged his length.

Barb hummed appreciatively as Dusk’s flavor spilled across her tongue. While she’d seldom discussed the matter with others, the drake had always found ponies delicious. Male or female, everything from their tight little puckers to their perky little snoots was utterly scrumptious. She could spend hours cuddling with her adopted mothers, father, or pseudo-siblings, holding them close and licking them like a mother cat. Of course, like most predators, she preferred their softer bits. And while she enjoyed licking pussies more than cocks overall, none held a candle to the sweet candy now pulsing in her grasp. Dusk made the cutest noises, and she knew how to press all his buttons. For example, her twining tongue slithered south to the stallion’s tight pucker. Simply touching the ponut was enough to make Dusk’s body jerk, but the sounds he made when she penetrated him were like music to her ears.

***

“Yup, they’re doing it,” Pinkie confirmed, holding the oddly-shaped horn in her ear up to the door. Behind her stood a mere four ponies, with the rest having departed once it became clear the guest of honor wasn’t attending.

“This is highly uncouth and a breach of privacy,” Rarity huffed as she turned away, only to keep one eye trained on the pink mare shamelessly touching herself. “However, since I suspect no pony is leaving anytime soon, might you, pray tell…?”

“It sounds like she’s starting with some oral action,” assessed Pinkie, licking her lips. “Oh, and I think she’s doing a rim job, too. Stallions don’t usually make that noise unless you do stuff with their butts.”

“Dragon tongues are quite long and dexterous,” Fluttershy added. “She, uh, c-could do a lot.”

“No way her tongue’s better than mine,” Rainbow boasted. “Of course, the only way we could be sure is a good old-fashioned cunnilingus death match. First to make the other cum, wins Dusk.”

“That ain’t how it works, sugar cube,” Apple Jack chided. “He belongs ta his moms ‘til he puts on a collar. Course, with them ain’t here, Ah think Barb’s got the main claim as his familiar… sister… whatever. At best, ya can do what ya wanted fer a day, but when that dragon comes askin’ fer him back, Ah hope ya do the smart thing ‘n’ jus’ let it happen.”

“She’s right, Rainbow,” Fluttershy agreed. “Dragons are very protective of what they hold precious, and there’s no telling what she might do if she feels he’s sufficiently threatened.”

“So, from what you’re saying, it sounds like these two are a packaged deal?” inquired Pinkie, the horn still in her ear. “I can live with that. Hehe, it might be fun to be the little spoon for a change.”

“Not so fast, darling. What makes you think you should get them?” asked Rarity. “I have just as much right to them as you do.”

Pinkie looked at the white mare like she’d grown a second head and started speaking in tongues. “Well, duh! I never said I’d get them exclusively, just eventually. It’s obvious we all want a piece of the action, so why don’t we just share and take turns?”

The other mares exchanged ponderous looks. Clearly, none had considered this route, for which they were embarrassed. They’d all been around town and knew each other well enough. While their relationships with one another ranged from casual to much more, mares coming together over a stallion was hardly original.

“Well, we shouldn’t get too far ahead ‘f ourselves, now,” Apple Jack cautioned. “The li’l fella ain’t exactly said yes ta any ‘f us.”

“Perhaps, but surely, it’s only a matter of ti~hime,” Rarity countered in a sing-song voice. “After all, how could any stallion resist this for long?” she questioned while striking a pose.

“Mah brother has. It ain’t impossible,” Apple Jack reminded, smirking when Rarity shot her a death glare.

“That doesn’t count. I’ve never used the full force of my charms on your brother. Don’t get me wrong, Big Mac is quite the handsome stallion, and he’ll make some lucky mares very happy someday. However, somepony his size is not my preference.”

“When you say size, I hope you don’t mean dick,” Pinkie added. “Cuz I got a peak at Dusk’s fifth leg, and yeah, fifth leg is pretty accurate,” she explained to the other mares’ elation, with Rainbow even pumping her hoof in victory. “Though I think he’s a tad smaller than Big Mac, but that’s still pretty big. Oh, wait. Quiet, I think they’re doing something different.”

***

Barb was too enthralled with her task to notice the change in sound and smell from beyond the door below. Dusk’s cock throbbed, looking like it might explode at any second as the poor guy whimpered. He needed release, but he trusted Barb to do her thing. Wielding such responsibility, the drake reared up to her full height. Looming tall and intimidating to most, her hind legs scooted forward until her torso hovered directly over the stallion’s spire. Then her groin scales split, revealing her pink slit and unleashing a gust of aromatic pheromones. With a grin that sometimes sent small children screaming, Barb carefully lowered herself onto the shaft. It breached her soft and squishy flesh with wet squelches, and she had to bite her bottom lip to avoid moaning too loudly. Finally, she reached the base, positioned on her knees to avoid crushing her little lover. “It’s in,” she whispered. Ponies might debate over whether this counted as real sex, but the two of them needed release, and that’s all that mattered.

“S-so hooot!” Dusk groaned. He tried sitting up to start moving, but a claw half as big as him pinned him to the mattress. The stallion could do nothing but stare in anxious anticipation at the looming master of his fate.

Still grinning, Barb twisted her hips to the side, making Dusk gasp as the friction sent rapturous pleasure through her core. It was like hot coals in her pussy set off fireworks that shot into her brain, making it hard to think of anything but carnal bliss. Her hips rose slowly to savor the withdrawal’s friction, hovered a second, and came smashing down upon the pony atop the soft mattress. “Buck, you’re hotter than usual!” she grunted in a deep, guttural growl.

“S-same to y-you,” Dusk huffed back, still trying to thrust his hips to match his lover’s actions. “Th-those girls must’ve g-gotten to you.”

“Damn right, they did!” Barb crowed as she bounced, no longer caring who might hear as the bed creaked. “I want them, Dusk. I want them and you in my clutches. All the sexy mares and my favorite stallion to screw silly. I’ll shove Rainbow’s face in my ass and make Rarity eat me out. Fluttershy looks like she’d make sounds as cute as yours if I use my tongue, so I’ll sample her first, and I think I’ll train Apple Jack to massage my joints to keep me limber through the orgy.”

“A-and what ab-about m-me?” Dusk huffed as mighty drake hips repeatedly slammed into his pelvis, each time sending his cock to her deepest depths and nearly wiping his mind of all but sexual euphoria.

“Don’t forget Pinkie,” Barb reminded. “She looks like she’s got the best ass, so that’s where you’ll be. I wanna see you mount her like a stallion and hug that butt so she doesn’t throw you off. Ngh! It’ll be like bucking a cotton candy glob!”

“Hnnngh!” Dusk moaned as he came, shooting a torrent of white seed straight into Barb’s cervix. She’d sat down on him as soon as she felt him start, ensuring every last drop went inside her. The drake flexed her vaginal muscles when she felt the stallion’s climax start petering out, wanting to milk him for all he had. Dusk never stopped groaning as his body writhed under pleasurable pressure. This lasted almost a minute before the stallion was spent. The colt-looking stallion fell limply against his sheets, unable to even turn his head.

Seeing such helpless prey lie before her, Barb’s draconic instincts drove her to salivate as her head descended. Her lover wreaked of sex and sweat, tickling her nostrils and stoking her appetite. Parting her jaws, a gust of hot breath escaped as she pondered taking the next step. Dusk always tasted good, but he’d feel even better sliding down her throat and curling up in her tummy. It would be so easy, too. The little guy was so out of it that he probably wouldn’t notice until he was halfway down her gullet. Yes, it would be so easy, and no one could stop her.

“N-Nightm-mare,” Dusk groaned, barely half-conscious. “G-gotta stop N-Nightmarrre.”

Barb’s dripping jaws closed as she snorted in a disappointed huff. Even post-orgasm, Dusk had never stopped thinking about his mission. This troublesome stallion had no shortage of annoyances, even if she admired his determination. Imagining how much he’d whine if he woke up in her tummy, Barb reasoned that it wasn’t worth the trouble, and decided to not eat the little guy tonight. Instead, she curled back around his small form so they both had their sleep aids. And as she laid her head beside him, Barb almost hoped that Nightmare Moon really would come back, if only to avoid disappointing her favorite pony.

***

“Did she do it?” Apple Jack asked on behalf of the mares without listening horns all packed together around the pink one, her hips grinding as she bit her bottom lip and awaited the narrator’s announcement.

“Uuuh, nuh-uh,” Pinkie answered, which was not what her audience wanted to hear.

“What!?” snapped Rainbow, only for the others to hurriedly seal her mouth shut. A brief tussle ensued, followed by the speedster coming up for air and demanding in a more library-appropriate volume, “What gives? It sounded like she was totally building up to that.”

“Yeah, I thought so, too,” Pinkie agreed in resignation. “But Dusk muttered something I couldn’t really hear, and then Barb stopped. It sucks, but that’s how it goes sometimes. On the plus side, at least we know that Barb is totally on board for an orgy.”

“Yer jus’ sayin’ that cuz ya’ll get Dusk first.”

“Yeah, but dragon butt sounds like a pretty decent runner-up prize,” Rainbow countered. “Not that you’d know, little miss masseuse.”

“Well, I can certainly appreciate that she can identify my oral skills,” Rarity said while fluffing her mane. “I shan’t shirk my duties.”

“I’m just glad to be included,” Fluttershy muttered, pretending no pony had noticed the puddle beneath her dripping marehood as she couldn’t stop imagining Barb’s draconic tongue at work. For only she knew what the fire-breather was capable of.

Pinkie grinned as she observed the mares who may soon become her new wives. “Oh, yeah. This is gonna be good.”

Author's Note

Ya know, going back and watching the old show to refresh myself, it’s funny the things you notice. In the first episode, Twilight’s bedroom loft had a dividing wall between it and the main library. However, in every episode after, the loft and library are part of the same open space. Should this story go beyond the first two episodes, I think I’ll stick with the divider, as it just makes sense to have some modicum of privacy for your bedroom.

Anyway, thus concludes the first sex scene. However, as Rarity so eloquently put it, intercourse between family members doesn’t count. I like how this idea borders on sweet despite the depravity, because it leaves no question where Barb stands in relation to Dusk. We also have the five horny mares looking at one another and going, ‘yeah, we’re good with sharing,’ confirming that female bisexuality is a predominant thing in this world, as it should be.

Also, in case there’s any lingering doubt, yes, there will be vore in this story. I’ll see about separating it into a second part of the next clop for those who don’t care for this fetish, but it's coming.

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Chapter 4: The Nightmare Has Returned

The alarm on the nightstand blared, though it was still dark out, and both Dusk and Barb shot up, remarkably well-rested despite their recent activities that had stained the bedding. After a quick wash, the pair hurried to the Assembly Hall, where ponies of all sorts had gathered. Surprisingly, there were an impressive number of visible males of all ages, with relatively few pot-bellied mares. Dusk smiled, glad that no one would look at him weirdly for wanting to be on his own four hooves to see the thing that everyone had gathered to see.

Then Pinkie ran up. “I’m so excited! Are you excited? I’ve never been so excited! Except for that time, I saw you walking into town, and I went,” she inhaled in a deep gasp as her eyes darted between the stallion and drake. “But, I mean, really, what can top that?”

While Barb was put off by this blatant disregard for her reptilian enormity, she didn’t hate it, so she let the pink one chatter away.

Fluttershy’s birds sang their introductory song as the mayor gave her speech. However, Dusk tuned them all out as his eyes and ears swiveled on high alert. Everything seemed fine, yet his anxiety grew by the second, making his horn itch. Unfortunately, while scratching, Dusk saw that he wasn’t the only one. Although all eyes focused on where Celestia was to appear on the second-floor balcony, every unicorn in the room began scratching their horns with increasing agitation, no one noticing that something was off. Dusk snapped up to spy the moon through the upper window, noting the absence of the familiar craters shaped like a long-horned mare. “… buck.”

Catching Dusk’s whisper, Barb followed his line of sight and winced. “Oh, that’s not good, is it?”

Then, at the crescendo of the mayor’s presentation, the curtains revealed… nothing, causing all in attendance to gasp in horror, save for two.

“Nope,” Dusk confirmed, only to flinch when he felt a stabbing pain in his horn. He’d never been a drinker, but the burning sensation piercing his brain reminded him of descriptions of a hangover. This time, everyone noticed the unicorns doubling over in pain, with even some pegasi and earth ponies wincing.

All saw the cause when a mass of starry indigo aura manifested on the upper stage where Celestia was meant to appear. The mass swirled and congealed like a novice learning a new spell, finally finding a shape that sent another wave of gasps through the crowd. The mare’s fur was pitch-black, yet her helmet and regalia were a lighter shade of blue than her billowing, starry mane. Blue-green eyes with slit pupils bore menacingly down on the audience while a tremendously long horn left most unicorns feeling inadequate, and large black wings did the same for the pegasi. Her cutie mark, as only Dusk knew, was a white crescent moon.

“Oh, our beloved subjects,” greeted the black mare in a voice that sounded sweet, but was laced with venom that made most buttholes pucker. “It’s been so long since We’ve seen thine precious little sun-loving faces,” she said as though it were a curse.

“What did you do with our queen?” Rainbow demanded, almost charging headlong into a fight before Apple Jack caught her tail, recognizing this was not a fight a regular pony could win alone.

“My, are We not royal enough for thee?” questioned the black mare, her voice still dripping with venomous honey. “Doth thou not know who We are? Does Our crown no longer count now that We’ve been imprisoned for a thousand years? Didst thou not recall the legend? Didst thou not see the signs?” she asked with growing frustration at the lack of recognition.

“I did!” Dusk declared as he stepped forward, his stance bold despite his missing drake. The other ponies gave him a wide berth as all attention fell on him, including the threatening mare. “And I know who you are. You’re the mare in the moon. Nightmare Moon,” he announced to another round of gasps.

“Well-well-well, somepony who remembers us,” Nightmare Moon said, genuinely pleased as her eyes crawled appraisingly over this brave little stallion, noting his tail fidgeting to not tuck between his legs. “Then thou also knowest why We’re—”

“Someone,” Dusk cut in.

“… Say what?”

“Someone. In this context, you meant to say I’m someONE who remembers you, not somepony,” Dusk explained, satisfying his itch to correct others who were so blatantly wrong.

Nightmare blinked at the little stallion’s audacity. “Wh-what difference dost that make?”

Dusk smirked as he forced himself to look Nightmare in the eye and not let his gaze deviate to the form gearing to pounce behind her. “Well, it’s rather insensitive to those of us present who aren’t ponies.”

Nightmare blinked, her confusion morphing into understanding as she sensed the new presence, and smirked. “Nice try.” Her horn suddenly lit, casting a light that nearly blinded most ponies. However, the light was more than just the byproduct of her spell. It was innately magical in nature, meant to be seen only by those with a high magical proficiency. As expected, most unicorns winced, with the audacious little stallion covering his eyes and crying in pain. Five other ponies had similarly strong reactions, effectively outing themselves as the biggest threats in the room. Additionally, the drake behind her also flinched, leaving her open to the spell. The mighty beast tried charging despite her blinded state, unleashing a billowing roar, only for Nightmare’s magic to flip her would-be assailant, sending the drake barreling over the railing and crashing onto the floor.

“Barb!” Dusk cried, his brave mask dropped as he ran to his unresponsive companion. “Barb. Barb, answer me!” he begged in a growing panic.

“Fear not, oh clever colt,” Nightmare taunted. “Thy familiar is unharmed. She merely rests in a beautiful dream, a gift for thy bold plan. But oh, how thine knees doth quake without thy familiar’s protection.” Her lips split in a predatory, sharp-toothed grin.

Dusk did nothing to stop the tears rolling down his cheeks. He’d heard every word, but that did little to quell his panic as he fervently shook Barb.

“Mwa-ha-ha-ha!” Nightmare cackled maniacally. “Remember this day, Our little ponies… and drake. For it will be thine last. Henceforth, the night… will last… FOREVER!” And lightning struck to set the perfect tone.

Utter chaos followed as the mayor assumed authority and ordered the guards to attack Nightmare Moon, only for the obvious to happen. Upon seeing the well-trained soldiers so easily dispatched by such an overwhelming magical force, most ponies scattered in a screaming panic. When Nightmare transformed back into a mass of magic to escape, only Rainbow pursued. That just left four ponies who’d kept their heads enough to notice Dusk still weeping over Barb. Luckily, between the four of them, but mostly Apple Jack, they were easily able to carry Barb back to the treebrary, with Fluttershy escorting the distraught stallion.

Dusk watched the mares work, setting up a makeshift bed on the ground floor since carrying the drake upstairs wasn’t going to happen. As he sniffled, not minding the yellow mare’s consoling hoof on his back, the normally neutral stallion’s mind began running faster than Pinkie’s mouth. Without saying a word, he wiped his runny nose, faced away from his beloved companion, and ran at the nearest bookshelf while his magic grabbed their contents, tossing them aside in uncharacteristic disregard as he read, muttering, “Elements. Elements. How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?”

“And just what are the Elements of Harmony?” demanded Rainbow; having caught up to the others, she put her face so close to Dusk’s that she saw his nostril hairs. “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon?” she demanded again, pushing forward as the small stallion backed away from her intimidating aura, ears splayed and tail tucked between his legs. “Are you a spy? Gah!” she yelped when the orange mare grabbed her tail and pulled her back.

“Simmer down, sally,” Apple Jack consoled. “He ain’t no spy, but he sure knows what’s goin’ on. Don’t cha, Dusk?” she added in accusation as she and the other mares expectantly faced the small stallion.

It had been ages since Dusk faced a wall of intensely staring mares by himself. Being alone with a bunch of mares demanding something from him was basically his biggest nightmare. Glancing at Barb in some vain hope for help, he found her merely snoring. However, in seeing her unresponsive state, Dusk found new resolve to do what needed to be done, and faced the familiar mares without quaking legs. “I read about the prediction of Nightmare Moon’s return, which mentioned some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony. Those are the only things that can stop her, but I don’t know where to find them or what they do.”

“Elements of Harmony, a Reference Guide,” Pinkie read while staring at one of the few books left on the shelf.

Dusk ran into the pink mare’s side, unable to knock her over, given their considerable size difference. “How did you find that?”

“It was under E~,” Pinkie cheerfully sang.

Pursing his lips, Dusk extracted the book and quickly found the relevant portion. “There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty,” he read aloud, only to look around in confusion, swearing that he just heard five tings as he listed the Elements, but dismissed it as he resumed reading. “The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the Elements is the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, situated in what is now”—Dusk gulped—“th-th-the E-Everfree F-Forest?” Dusk sighed, taking the time to shelve this book and all others to calm himself.

“So, whatcha gonna do?” Apple Jack asked.

“I’m gonna save Barb.”

“WHAT!?” demanded the mares in unison as they listed off the horrors of that dangerous place. Wild magic flowed like water, enabling the plants, animals, and even weather to conduct themselves without pony help. Legend had it that such magic was born of a terrible hatred for ponies, and any who entered would face certain doom from the resentful flora and fauna. Also, there was the obvious thing.

“We can’t let a li’l fella like yawl go somewhere so dangerous alone,” asserted Apple Jack.

“Yeah, who knows what kind of nasty monsters are lurking around every corner, waiting to do unspeakable things to a helplessly cute little guy like you,” Pinkie added.

“About eight that are active at this time of night,” Fluttershy stated. “Although, with Nightmare Moon stirring things up with her powerful magic, a safer estimate is probably eighteen, including plants.”

Rarity nodded. “Indeed. Can’t we, perhaps, send word to Canterlot and summon more guards?”

“Chh. Fat lot of good those shmucks were,” Rainbow dismissed before putting a hoof on Dusk’s shoulder. “Besides, I’m not letting an out-of-towner show me up,” she said with a reassuring smile.

Dusk was caught off guard. “Uh, what?”

“You heard me. You’re doing this for your family, and I get that,” Rainbow informed. “Besides, AJ’s right. We can’t let you do this by yourself.”

AJ furrowed her brow and snorted. “Dang it, Rainbow. Ah was jus’ getting’ ta that, then ya had ta go ‘n steal mah thunder.” At Dusk’s confusion, she elaborated with a smile, “Well, obviously, we can’t let ya do this alone. How could we call ourselves mares if we left a stallion ta do all the dirty work?”

Dusk shook his head. “No, that isn’t necessary. I’m the Royal Protégé, so this is my responsibility. You’re all civilians, which means—”

“My guy, don’t bother,” Pinkie cut in. “I know these mares, and I know that when they set their mind on something, there’s not much that can stop them. So, since it looks like we’ve all decided to come along”—she paused to look around, waiting for the others to nod—“that’s what’s happening. So, you can either waste your time fighting us, or let us help. Personally, I’m kinda hoping for the former, cuz it means I get to sit on ya until you submit,” she finished with an ear-to-ear smile.

Dusk’s shoulders slumped in defeat, yet his ears did not splay. “Fine. I just—wha!” he yelped when the orange mare nosed under his butt and tossed him onto her back.

“Glad ya saw reason,” AJ said as she led the pack, smugly trotting out the door and down the road as she felt the others’ jealous gazes on her back. “So, anythin’ more ya can tell us ‘bout this Nightmare Moon?”

“I h-heard she has sh-sharp teeth for chewing up ponies,” Fluttershy admitted.

“My dad’s favorite swear is ‘colder than Nightmare’s cooch,’ which I think means your dick will freeze if you try bucking her,” Rainbow offered.

“As I recall, the moon holds sway over the tides, so might she have some water affinity?” Rarity inquired.

“Shoot, we should have brought some candy,” huffed Pinkie. “Maybe giving her some sweets will put her in a good mood. Ya know, a Nightmare Night offering.”

Dusk shook his head as he rode atop AJ’s back, appreciating the smooth surface compared to the coarse one he was used to. “I don’t know anything concrete about her abilities. Texts on the Elements were hard enough to find, and Nightmare Moon is just as obscure. The only thing I can say for certain is that she’s an alicorn, like Celestia, which means she’s powerful.”

As the Everfree came into view, Dusk hurriedly imparted the legend of the mare’s fall from Queen Luna, Celestia’s younger sister. The forest looked particularly menacing as strange sounds stirred beyond what the group could see. Unfortunately, Fluttershy’s theory was probably accurate. As such, the ponies packed tightly together in a defensive formation, with Dusk at the center.

“Speaking of obscure, h-has anyone here ever actually, ya know, been this deep in the forest?” Dusk asked, trying not to quake atop AJ’s back as he noticed all eyes fall on the yellow mare.

“W-well, I’ve read a little, b-but I’ve never gone deeper than the outskirts,” Fluttershy clarified as the path took them to a clearing by a cliff. “N-never go so far you can’t see the outer trees. Th-that’s the rule.”

Dusk nodded as he looked ahead. Seeing a suspiciously tall patch of foliage in the distance, he pointed and said, “I bet that’s it.” He then whirled on Rainbow and said, “Don’t go alone. Splitting the party will only put us at risk.”

Rainbow dismissed. “As if I’d do that.”

“Yawl’ve done that, like, every chance since this mess started,” AJ countered.

“Yeah, but that was just when it was me,” Rainbow argued. “There’s no way I’d leave you guys hanging. You’re my pals. Plus, I’m looking to get Dusk under my tail, and I don’t think abandoning him would win me any points.”

Dusk blinked. “Uh, I can hear you, ya know.”

Rainbow tilted her head in confusion at the small stallion. “What’s your point?”

Suddenly, the ground collapsed under their hooves, sending two-thirds of the group tumbling down the steep cliff. The pegasi reflexively took flight, but quickly dove in pursuit. Rainbow and Fluttershy saved Pinkie and Rarity, respectively, leaving AJ to catch herself on a root, while Dusk nearly fell off the edge of a sheer drop.

“Hold on, Ah’m a comin’,” AJ said as she slid down, finding Dusk hanging precariously from another root just out of reach. “Hang on there, sugar cube. Ah’m here. Jus’ reach yer hoof out, ‘n Ah’ll grab ya.”

“No-no-no!” Dusk violently shook his head as he desperately clung to the root. “No, this was stupid. I should have never come here!”

“Sugar cube?”

“I-I’m nothing without Barb!” Dusk confessed, unable to open his eyes. “Sh-she’s the only reason I can face anything, b-because I know she’ll protect me. Y-you were all right. I-I’m just a stallion. A short, miserable, worthless stallion. I can’t do anything by myself. If I’d just stayed home and got married like everyone told me, Barb wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and I wouldn’t—”

“Oy!” AJ cut in. “Ain’t no pony’s gonna badmouth mah friend like that. Try it again, ‘n Ah’ll slap the shit out ‘f ya.”

Still quaking in fear as he clung to the root, Dusk finally cracked an eye open to look up. No mare had ever threatened to hit him before, as such things simply weren’t done. More surprising than the mare’s words was her unexpectedly radiant smile.

“Dusk, yer one of the bravest stallions Ah’ve ever met. Ah can tell how scared ya are. Yawl’ve been shakin’ like a leaf since this trip started, but that’s why yer brave. Yer facin’ yer fear ta do what has ta be done. That’s the honest truth, ‘n if yawl don’t know that’s the literal definition ‘f bravery, then Ah’m gonna take yer bookworm card right after Ah’m done smackin’ ya. Hear me?”

*Ting*

Now wide-eyed as he stared at the orange mare, Dusk nodded as he stopped shaking while processing the mare’s mostly accurate words. However, while weighing the value of correcting her grammar, the purple stallion furrowed his brow when AJ retracted her helping hoof.

“Alright, girls, Ah think he’s good.”

Dusk looked around to find both pegasi hovering to either side. “Uh, how long have you two been there?”

“A little after the bravest stallion part,” Rainbow answered. “And don’t worry. I only checked out your butt a little, but I can’t speak for Fluttershy,” she said with a grin as the yellow mare blushed. “We’re gonna need to get some meat on your bones as soon as this is over.” She and her yellow friend then scooped Dusk up before setting him gently on the ground with the others, and on his own four hooves at that.

While pondering his newfound mobile independence, Dusk’s eyes tracked AJ descending the cliff side like a mountain goat to join the others in the ravine. Her words rang in his mind, and he muttered, “The honest truth.”

Suddenly, a vicious roar rumbled across the ravine as an enormous creature charged at the group. The manticore had a lion’s head and body, bat-like wings, and a scorpion’s tail, yet that did nothing to deter the ponies emboldened by AJ’s speech. Rarity went first, gathering up forest debris and hovering it around her to make herself look bigger, but the beast’s roar messed up her mane, and that was that. AJ jumped on the manticore’s back, riding it like a bull while Rainbow flew circles to disorient it. The thing just bucked the former off and casually swiped its tail at the latter. Even after that failure, five of the six formed a spear formation, with Dusk taking point, ready to show off his magic. However, before they could enact the final charge, the sixth pony stepped in.

“Waiiit!” Fluttershy cried, startling even the monster to stop and see where this might be going. The yellow mare approached the manticore without a trace of fear, no matter how much the thing postured at her. Such an unwavering approach made the beast shrink down a little, suddenly wondering what this stranger knew that it didn’t. Extending her hoof, Fluttershy said, “Come on, let me see.”

The others watched in slack-jawed awe as the manticore presented its paw for Fluttershy’s inspection, revealing a sizeable thorn. And while the group once more readied for action when the beast unleashed an even more powerful roar, several tripped over themselves when they witnessed the thing embrace and gratefully lick the yellow mare, purring like a kitten. The manticore then flew off into the distance, leaving the ponies with their other bravest member.

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Rainbow muttered.

“H-how did you know about the thorn?” Dusk asked.

“I didn’t,” Fluttershy casually replied as she fixed the mane that had been licked out of place before tossing the thorn aside. “Sometimes, we all need to be shown a little kindness.”

*Ting*

Dusk’s ear flicked as he looked around. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Uh, nothing. We should get going,” he said, once more taking the lead into the darkest part of the forest yet.

“Ugh, my eyes could use a break from all this icky muck,” Rarity complained as they trekked through mud. Suddenly, the moon disappeared behind the canopy, casting the group in darkness. “Ugh, my eyes could use a break from all this lack of handsome, coltish stallions in sexy underwear!” she said more loudly than before and waited, only to putter her lips in disappointment.

“Eh, worth a shot,” consoled Pinkie.

“The ruins could be right in front of our faces, and we wouldn’t even know it,” Dusk added.

“Maybe yawl should get back on mah back where it’s safer,” AJ suggested.

“Yipe! Hey, now’s not the time for grab-ass,” Rainbow shot back.

“Whoops, sorry,” AJ apologized.

“Don’t be sorry. Just save that for later.”

“Aaah!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Oh, relax,” Rainbow dismissed. “It was just my—AAAHHH!” Her scream was almost deafening when she beheld the tree’s menacing face.

Suddenly, it appeared like every tree in the vicinity was in a nasty mood, the kind that usually preceded rending flesh from bone. Naturally, the ponies circled up for protection. Dusk found himself at the center, unintentionally wedged between four mare butts that threatened to suffocate him. This was hardly the first time the stallion had been in such a predicament, as it had been a favorite means of asserting dominance by his mothers, sisters, and even his former babysitter, yet more than two was something else. Dusk couldn’t help but notice the difference between each booty, with AJ and Rainbow having the most muscle, the latter being a little on the bony side, Fluttershy’s plot was the squishiest, leaving Rarity in a comfortable middle. Their smells were also distinct as a rich brew of odors delighted Dusk’s nose. It wasn’t overbearing, like the stink of mares in heat, but it still triggered an involuntary physical response.

All these distractions made it difficult for Dusk to throw spells at the monstrous trees. However, just as he’d found sufficient focus and was ready to finally cast, everyone caught Pinkie making faces at one of the particularly terrifying trees. They asked what her deal was, and before anyone knew it, they’d been pulled into a spontaneous song where laughing at the trees stripped them of all horrifying features. By the end, everyone was still laughing, but more out of relief than genuine humor, with Dusk barely noticing another ting.

Next, the group arrived at a stream with torrential rapids. However, before anyone could suggest letting the flyers carry them across, a large, serpentine tail whipped out from the water’s surface. This drew the group’s attention to a weeping sea serpent with a fabulous head of hair, an effeminate voice, and half a mustache?

“Oh, what a world, what a world!” wailed the serpent, his tail violently thrashing in a tantrum that the pegasi didn’t want to risk traversing.

So, Dusk did the obvious. “Excuse me, sir, why are you crying?” As per usual, the purple stallion tuned out most of the explanation, dismissing it as unimportant. However, he noted how the culprit of the serpent’s distress was a ‘tacky little cloud’ tearing off half his mustache. However, while most of the ponies scoffed at the seemingly petty reason, as before, one stepped up.

Rarity agreed wholeheartedly with the serpent, praising his scales and hair, much to his appreciation, only to bemoan the damaged mustache. Even more shockingly, the fashionista so obsessed with appearances suddenly grabbed an errant scale and sliced off her tail. She then embedded the severed hairs into the serpent’s draconic snout and dyed them to match, much to the effeminate reptile’s glee.

*Ting*

“Great thinking, Rarity,” Dusk praised. “But, what about your tail?”

“Oh, it’s not a problem, darling. Short tails are in this season,” Rarity assured while turning her body sideways and shaking her rump at Dusk. “Do you like it?”

Able to see everything, Dusk blinked like a deer caught in the headlights, once more silently acknowledging the ting.

“I don’t suppose we could take turns taking the lead?” Rarity daintily inquired. “Since I helped with the last obstacle, I think I’ve earned that privilege.”

“What d’ya say, Dusk? Think she’s earned it?” AJ offered.

“Er, I-I mean, I guess,” Dusk stammered.

“My, how considerate of you, darling. Thank you,” Rarity said to the orange earth mare.

“Don’t read too much into this,” AJ dismissed. “Dusk ain’t the only one wantin’ a peek,” she said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggled.

“Fair enough,” Rarity allowed. Seeing as the others seemed just as eager to see her goods, she turned her back to the bunch and marched with a swagger. What little modesty her shortened tail had afforded was wiped away by the broad sways of her wagging hips. The attention from such a desirable male was nice, but knowing that an additional four lovely mares also eyed her body with such naked lust only sweetened the experience.

Unfortunately, Rarity’s tenure as leader was short-lived when the castle came into view beyond a thick fog. The unfortunate part came when they approached a broken bridge.

Examining the wooden planks and rope, Dusk deduced, “Wow, this is a really strong bridge.”

“Uh, it’s broken, sugar cube.”

“I mean, besides that,” Dusk amended. “Supposedly, ponies haven’t been here for hundreds of years, yet everything looks in great shape. I can’t even detect any preservation spells. So, either they really don’t make them like they used to, or someone’s been doing maintenance out here,” he suggested. “Also, that looks more like a cut than a natural break.”

“Oh, goodness. What could have done this?” asked Fluttershy.

“Well, given the sea serpent guy said he was attacked by a cloud, and we saw Nightmare Moon turn into a cloud…” Dusk leadingly rolled his hoof at the others.

“Hmm, I thought that thorn looked a little odd,” Fluttershy pondered. Sensing the question, she elaborated, “I’m not sure, but it kind of felt like the thing was staring at me.”

Dusk nodded, only to wave the others in close and whisper. “The enemy’s been following us this whole time. This is probably another obstacle, but we shouldn’t let on that we’re aware.”

“Dude, I think you’re overthinking this,” Rainbow said as she flew down and grabbed the bridge’s end. She carried it to the other side and prepared to secure it, only for the fog to roll in and obscure the other ponies as eerie sounds echoed nearby.

“Raiiin~booow.”

Adopting an aggressive stance, Rainbow turned to face the source. “Hey, who’s there?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash. It is such a pleasure to finally meet the greatest young flyer in all of Equestria,” said the spooky voice.

The cyan mare instantly relaxed and began smugly examining her hooves. “Well, I see you’ve got good taste. Although, who are you, anyway?”

“Why, we’re an up-and-coming group that will soon surpass the Wonderbolts.” Three ponies ran out of the fog and slid to a halt, showing off their dark and edgy flying suits. “We’re the greatest flyers in the Everfree Forest, the Shadowbolts! All we need to complete our team is the fastest, most magnificent, coolest pegasus to ever live.”

“Oh, stop, you’re making me blush. That sounds awesome, but I’m kinda in the middle of something. So, just give me a sec to tie this up, and we can start talking terms,” Rainbow reasoned, only for the Shadowbolts to suddenly block her path to the bridge.

“No!” said the leader. “It’s us or them.”

Rainbow nodded as she gave the matter its due thought, walked toward the trio, and extended her hoof to shake. “I choose you.”

“Excellent!” said the Shadowbolt leader, descending into maniacal laughter, only to be yanked forward by the rainbow-maned mare.

“To get your butts whooped!” Rainbow finished, swinging the leader like a flail and knocking her silent companions aside. Snickering as she finished setting the bridge while keeping an eye on the downed trio, the aspiring speedster said, “Man, you must think I’m an idiot to fall for that.” Deepening her voice in imitation of the leader, she added, “Choose the strangers you just met over helping your friends save the world. Ha! What a riot. And a secret team that’s been hiding out in the Everfree? Double ha! Okay, yeah, I think that’s good and tight. Now, let’s see about putting you bitches in your—where’d ya go?” She looked around, but the others had gone.

Finally, the others crossed the bridge.

“Rainbow, we heard everything,” Dusk said. “You really chose us?”

“I mean, it was kind of obvious it was a trap,” Rainbow admitted. “And even if it wasn’t, that would have been a lousy deal. Rainbow Dash don’t leave her friends hanging.”

*Ting*

Yet again, Dusk’s ear flicked. “There! I definitely heard it that time.”

“Heard what, darling?”

“A ting, like a little ringing bell. I’d heard five back in the library, but I thought it was my imagination. But then I heard another just now, and now that I think about it, there was one at each obstacle we faced,” Dusk explained.

“Whatcha thinkin’, sugar cube?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. It’s like there’s an idea just out of reach, but I can’t seem to grasp it.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, Barb usually talks these things through with me. She notices things I don’t, so what have you guys noticed? Anything you feel like sharing?”

“Well, this might be a bit unrelated, darling, but there has, in fact, been something on my mind that I’ve been meaning to ask,” Rarity began as she approached Dusk. “You called yourself the Royal Protégé back in the Assembly Hall and the treebrary. I know I’ve heard that term before, but could you clarify on what it means?”

“It was on that fancy badge ya showed at the farm,” AJ added. “It seemed official enough, but Ah don’t know what that means either.”

Dusk stared at the five mares in wonder, finally confirming that none of them knew what he was. However, while this left him a tad reluctant to share, he recalled Pinkie’s words about these mares not being easily stopped, so he relented. “The Royal Protégé is the semi-official title given to the Queen’s… proxy.”

“In plain Ponish?” Rainbow requested.

“It means that I act as Queen Celestia’s agent. She sends me places to act on her behalf. This is my tenth mission, and my first outside Canterlot. Also, if Celestia is absent and there aren’t any other officials around, technically… I’m the highest authority in the room.” Dusk flinched as the mares stared blankly at him. “I, uh, I’m also her number one student, heh-heh.”

“So you’re, like, super important?” Rainbow inquired incredulously.

Dusk shrugged and noncommittally replied, “Kinda.”

Rarity smacked her hoof to her forehead. “That’s where I heard it! I was just a filly and a little preoccupied at the time, but I remember reading in the papers how the queen named a new Royal Protégé, the first stallion in nine centuries. That was you?”

“It is me, yes,” Dusk corrected, only to regret his action when everyone’s stares intensified. “P-please don’t be mad that I kept this from you.”

“Why would we be mad?” Pinkie asked. “It’s not like you’re the kind of jackass blowhard who starts every conversation with the reminder that you’re more important than everypony around you. It just didn’t come up,” she nonchalantly explained, to Dusk’s amazement.

“Which is dumb, if you ask me,” Rainbow added while dramatically posing with her hoof over her chest. “I, for one, believe greatness deserves to be recognized.”

“I’m not that great.”

“I’m sorry, but the first stallion in nine centuries sounds pretty great,” Fluttershy interjected.

“However, that entails a follow-up question,” Rarity continued. “How is a stallion such as yourself still single? Surely, you’ve had suitors.”

Dusk rolled his eyes. “I have. They’ve just never been, ya know, right for me.”

“Let me guess,” Pinkie began. “A bunch of stuck-up bitches who only wanted the title and didn’t give a damn about you, right?”

Dusk blinked. “Uh, yeah. How’d you guess?”

It was Pinkie’s turn to blink as she looked around. “Was that not obvious?”

Fluttershy gasped. “Goodness, how dreadful!”

“Follow-up question number two,” Rarity added. “This probably isn’t relevant, but why isn’t your title King Consort?” she asked, looking around as the others stared at her. “What? Dusk is powerful and charming. While I’m not defending any mare who rudely approaches a stallion, I still get the desire. Please don’t think less of me for saying this, but a mare would have to be crazy to let a prize like you go without trying. The queen can have any stallion she wants, so why didn’t she claim you?”

“I… don’t know,” Dusk admitted. “For a while, I thought I wasn’t her type, but then I snuck a peek at her harem, and there were four guys who looked almost exactly like me. So… I don’t know.”

“Maybe she’s been saving you for a special occasion,” Pinkie suggested, licking her lips. “Like the last cookie she doesn’t want anypony else to eat.”

Dusk frowned. “I’m well past the age most stallions are married. What occasion could she possibly be waiting for?”

“Well, we’re on an epic quest to stop Nightmare Moon and save Equestria,” Pinkie innocently observed. “That’s a thing.”

“And I wouldn’t have made it this far without all of you by my side,” Dusk realized as his gaze fell to the dirt. “I needed to be here, to be with you, to… to… Ugh, why can’t I get it?”

“Easy there, sugar cube,” AJ assured, pulling the shorter pony into a hug. “You’ll get there. ‘Til then, wanna go fer another ride?”

“I… sure,” Dusk conceded.

Finally, they arrived at the ruined castle. Ancient and dusty doors creaked open, revealing a peculiar apparatus in the entry hall that bore five spherical stones. Fluttershy and Rainbow helped get them down, openly wondering where the sixth might be. Dusk explained the sixth would only appear when revealed by a spark, whatever that meant. So, out of concern for the others’ safety, Dusk asked them to keep their distance while he experimented.

A second later, the obvious happened, and a dark cloud swooped in to scoop up both Dusk and the Elements, causing all to vanish, and leaving the five mares alone and afraid. Luckily, they weren’t dumb, and deduced their missing member was in the nearby tower with lights shining through the windows.

Author's Note

Sorry to brag, but this and the following segments were all written in one grand burst of 11K words. Eleven-freaking-thousand words! My internet had gone out at the time, and I guess a lack of distractions does a mind good. Anyway, we continue follow the same story beats as the show, with the key difference coming from the modified characters. Obviously, Barb had to be written out for being too much of a power house, thus leaving Dusk to come into his own with his new friends. Having him break down in tears and needing AJ’s reassurance was particularly satisfying to write, as it signals that he’s finally starting to accept these mares. Or, at least, he’s more conscious of his acceptance.

Also, writing Dusk to be more intelligent and genre savvy was tricky, as I had to repeatedly stop myself from having him outright figure out too soon that this was a standard fairytale scenario, and his friends were crucial to their victory. Also, in hindsight, Rainbow’s trial was especially obvious, so having her recognize the obvious red flags wasn’t making her smarter, just less dumb.

In case it wasn’t obvious, Dusk has minor autistic tendencies, such as an aversion to being touched by strangers. Autism just seems to naturally fit Twilight’s character, and by extension, her male counterpart. On top of that, he’s so used to strangers being generally selfish and inconsiderate that it takes even him by surprise by how well he responds to these five new girls who seem to like him for him. Granted, they’re thirsty as Hell and have no qualms admitting it, but they like him reasons beyond mere lust.

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Chapter 5: Saving the Day from… Idiots?

Dusk awoke in a daze. His body ached as he stood, seeing Nightmare Moon in her great and terrible glory, now with the Elements orbiting in her grasp. As lightning clashed around the mare, the stallion lowered his head and scratched his hoof at the ground, seemingly preparing to charge.

Nightmare tilted her head in disbelief. “Thou must be kidding. Dost thou truly believe so strongly in thy abilities as to challenge us?”

“Not challenge. Bargain,” Dusk corrected. “You’re Queen Celestia’s sister, an alicorn, so I know I don’t stand a chance against you in terms of power.”

Nightmare narrowed her eyes. “Then what is thy game?”

“Politics,” Dusk answered. “I’m Celestia’s Royal Protégé, a title I earned after impressing her with my magic by hatching Barb, the dragon you knocked out,”—he endeavored, keeping his tone even and free of resentment—“something no one had ever done before. However, my friends made an interesting point a little bit ago. I’m nowhere near Celestia’s level, but I’m good enough to be her consort. However, since she’s not interested in claiming me, I’m free for any other interested parties.”

Nightmare blinked, taken aback by this turn of events. “Elaborate.”

“Power alone can’t rule a nation. You’ll need support and recognition of your legitimacy. As the Royal Protégé, I can give you that. Having me by your side will bolster your claim to the throne. Also, by common interpretation of the term, I’m technically a virgin.” Dusk then adopted a more submissive stance as he imitated the males he hated, turning his body to enticingly wiggle his rump at the much larger mare. He interpreted his adversary’s small bit of drool as a good sign. “Like you said, it’s been a thousand years since you’ve been with a stallion. I’m honestly a little curious how I compare.”

Nightmare Moon swallowed. “Well, ahem, W-We find thy form quite appealing, and We are most glad the spell continues holding strong.”

“Spell?” Dusk asked while turning his back and bending over.

“An enemy, Discord, cast one final spell before his defeat, rendering most stallions younger in appearance. It was little more than a prank in a last-ditch effort at spite. However, the spell backfired, as he likely did not expect how readily mares would take to their new stallions. Our sister and We agreed, so we bolstered the spell to ensure its reach and longevity would extend. Stallions in this state were not only more aesthetically pleasing, but they were easier to control. Coltish stallions were so much more agreeable, and they also seemed to appreciate the added attention from their female peers. ‘Tis what those in our day called a win-win.”

Dusk blinked as Nightmare so readily confessed one of the greatest mysteries in Equestrian history. The purple stallion had always favored the theory that an enemy monster had cursed the population, but even he’d laughed at those who suggested the queen was responsible, let alone her and her mostly forgotten sister. “A-and the swallowing?”

“An unintended, but welcome side effect to mingling alicorn magic with a spell interwoven with pony essence. Before, only the alicorns had sufficient magic to know the pleasures of swallowing a being whole and alive. However, as We saw upon our arrival, We art elated to learn that modern generations still indulge in our gift, though they know not to whom they must thank for this blessing.”

Abandoning all pretense of flirting, Dusk’s scholar switch had been flipped, and he sat down while facing Nightmare Moon like the dutiful student he was. “So, when you said your actions extended the original spell’s longevity, can I assume that meant the original would have eventually worn off, and stallions would be allowed to age normally?”

“Indeed. A sharp mind on thee, our future mate,” Nightmare reminded, licking her lips in anticipation as the orbiting Elements slowed. “Although, now We are curious. Has the spell waned in our absence?”

“Last I checked, the number of larger stallions has been steadily declining over the centuries. I’m slightly shorter than average,” Dusk informed.

Nightmare sat down and clapped her hooves. “Huzzah!”

“So, you permanently augmented an entire species to better fit your… inclinations,” Dusk pondered, gaining insight into the alicorn mindset.

“For thine benefit, of course,” Nightmare confirmed.

“Of course,” Dusk replied with a nod, now knowing that most of the frustrations in his life could be attributed to a couple of overpowered mares normalizing their fetishes upon a species. “But why just stallions, though? Why not have filly-looking mares, too?”

“We had discussed the matter with Tia many times. While We favored such an experiment, Tia refused. Miniaturizing a tenth of the population had been strenuous enough on the nation, meaning We needed every mare to pull her weight plowing the fields, repairing infrastructure, maintaining civic order, etc. Even a small percentage of mares becoming fillies would have been unsustainable, not to mention the complications of birthing from such small bodies. Alas, little one, a nation of adorable youngsters ripe for devouring shalt never be more than a lovely dream. Additionally, while the changes were generally accepted by the majority, there were still detractors who did not appreciate this alteration. So, We kept the secret and foisted all blame on Discord.”

“And altering the spell too much more, or even starting a new one, would have shifted suspicion back to you,” Dusk reasoned.

“Goodness, thou art a clever one,” Nightmare moaned, her hoof moving dangerously close to her inner thigh as her desires became impossible to ignore or deny. Looking down at her lower half in shock at the glistening around her sex, she added. “Stars above! W-We had no idea our cravings had grown so strong.”

“I seem to have that effect on mares,” Dusk remarked with a slightly smug smirk. It was one thing being proposed by petty nobles who cared more for his title than him. However, seeing that he was successfully wooing an ancient alicorn of darkness with only his words was an ego boost he had not expected. “So, if making more ponies younger was out, did you ever try anything else?”

“Why doth thou ask?”

“Honestly, I’ve always kind of resented being so small and having mares push me around all the time,” Dusk admitted. “However, I’ve recently learned that mares can also lift you up, which is easier when they’re bigger. While the overall act of inflicting such a spell was, at best, ethically dubious, I can, at least, appreciate the practical thinking that keeps you all-powerful beings in check… sort of. Besides, while the spell was wrong on an objective level, subjectively, I was raised in this culture. I don’t hate the idea of mares dominating coltish stallions on principle. Honestly, I’ve always been secretly envious of such relationships when they seemed healthy and happy, such as my father and mothers. However, the more I think about it, the more the concepts grow intriguing as I separate them from any ethical constraints. Just picturing how these spells might actually work and thinking through the surrounding logistics is fascinating. It kinda makes me want to see if there are other spells that could be cast to make ponies’ lives better in ways neither you nor Celestia even considered.”

“Ngh!” Nightmare moaned as her hoof finally contacted her shiny, drooling marehood. “Th-thou art killing us.” Shifting as she sat, she added, “Wh-what spells didst thou have in mind?”

“Well, Celestia taught me this one for getting a dragon’s motor running.” Then, before elaborating, Dusk teleported behind Nightmare Moon, his magic concentrated in the shape of a golf club. As if in slow motion, the mare faced the stallion, locked eyes, and lit her horn to retaliate, but it was too late. “Fooour!” And he delivered his most devastating blow onto the big black booty, making it ripple as the mare was sent flying to the opposite wall.

Nightmare Moon hurriedly pulled herself out of the alicorn-shaped hole in the wall, only to find her infuriatingly clever adversary kneeling in the center of the five Elements, horn lit. She could scarcely believe how easily she’d dropped her guard and been bested. On top of physical age, the spell was supposed to make grown stallions as timid and controllable as their foal selves. It was part of the aesthetic. Regardless, despite claiming to be below average, this stallion, the one she’d overheard called Dusk Shine, had demonstrated a level of boldness that outmatched many of Equestria’s greatest heroes. Him being granted the title of Celestia’s Royal Protégé was more than a mere token, it seemed. And now that he was mere seconds away from sealing his victory over her, Nightmare Moon had one thing on her mind. She needed to claim this stallion!

Dusk had tuned out the rest of the world as he concentrated, his magic zapping between the spheres to trigger a reaction. He didn’t notice Nightmare Moon having teleported before him until it was too late. She knocked him back with a minor force spell that sent his small body flying, skipping over the broken tile floor like a stone across water. He looked back, heart swelling with hope as the spheres lit up, only for the light to fizzle and die. Then, as if to rub salt in the wound, Nightmare Moon cackled as she reared up and brought her hooves down, smashing the spheres into shards.

“Nooo!” Dusk wailed.

“Weep not, little stallion, for thine words and deeds have swayed us,” Nightmare Moon said as she stalked forward. “Thou shalt be our consort, but not a mere plaything to be used and thrown away in a toy box. Heavens, no. Thou art too valuable to waste on such trifles. Instead, thou shalt be our partner. Together, we shalt craft new spells that will forever change Equestria into a paradise. Further, thou shalt be awarded the title of stud. Thine cleverness must pass on to the next generation. However, perhaps that is thinking too far ahead,” she amended, calming her cadence. “In the more immediate, it is time that We claim our prize.” Now standing directly before Dusk, she licked her lips, ready to consummate their arrangement. Then, just as she’d pressed an armored hoof to the unicorn’s chest, ready to push him onto his back to make him watch as she asserted dominance, a clamor from the stairs behind him caught her attention. “Oh, come on!”

Finally, the five mares found their missing stallion, and upon seeing him in such a position, all looked ready for blood.

*Ting*

Feeling this last little sound in his head, Dusk turned a smirk up at Nightmare Moon as it finally clicked what he needed to do. “You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony that easily?”

Nightmare Moon shook her head in dread and disbelief. “… Nooo.”

“Well, you’re wrong, because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony—”

“No-no-no-nooo!” Nightmare Moon shook her head in denial, having been on the other end of these heroic speeches enough times to know where this was going.

“—are right heeere!” Dusk declared as he teleported back to rejoin his friends. “Apple Jack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of—”

“NO!” Nightmare Moon screamed as the stone shards began flying toward the five interlopers and her almost-husband. “No! No! No! Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!” she screamed with increasing volume, drowning out Dusk’s speech. She just kept swearing and stomping her hooves in a tantrum as her adversaries ascended in the air, empowered by the ancient magic that congealed into fancy jewelry for the new wielders. So blinded by rage, was she, that the mare in the moon didn’t see the rainbow attack coming until it was too late to escape. An explosion of blinding magical light followed, enveloping the alicorn and sending the others flying back.

“Ugh, is everypony okay?” AJ asked as she dizzily climbed to her shaky hooves.

“Everyb-body,” Dusk woozily corrected.

“Dusk!” the mares cried in unison and rushed to embrace him, making sure to grab each other along the way for good measure.

“Well done, my little ponies,” announced an angelic voice as the sun finally poked over the horizon and cast the ancient castle in a brilliant light. Out from the glow emerged none other than Queen Celestia in all her radiant glory.

While five of the six heroes awkwardly separated from the group hug to bow, the smallest ran up. “Queen Celestia, it’s good to see you.”

“Dusk, my faithful student. I knew you could do it,” Celestia warmly replied.

“Uh-huh. Thought so.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Nightmare Moon told me all about you modifying Discord’s spell,” Dusk accused, amazed when Celestia’s ears splayed, and she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

“Yes, well, ahem, th-that’s beside the point. I see you took my advice and made some friends,” Celestia added, pointing insistently at the mares behind her student in the hopes of changing the subject.

“Friends, huh?” Dusk skeptically parroted. “Cuz I’m pretty sure they already decided they were my fiancés,” he said to their elation before resuming facing Celestia. “However, now I’m wondering if maybe that’s what someone planned from the start.”

Celestia slumped her shoulders and sighed. “Clever, as always. Yes, I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and I knew that you’d be the one to defeat her. So, I told you what you needed to hear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a long overdue appointment I must meet.” Long and graceful legs carried the white alicorn to where Nightmare Moon had stood. Amidst the debris of the villain’s armor lay an alicorn filly the size of a mare. “Luna,” she neutrally greeted.

The smaller mare blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she looked up at the larger alicorn. “Tia.”

An awkward silence followed as the six mares watched. They still recalled Dusk telling them the story of Luna’s fall to darkness, so all wondered how the situation would be resolved. Would Celestia forgive her sister? Did darkness yet linger in Luna’s heart? Would there be atonement?

“You just had to tell, didn’t you,” Celestia accused. “A thousand years, I kept the secret, and you go blabbing to the first doe-eyed stallion to flash his flanks at you.”

“Um, excusith mwa, but who just got back from being condemned to a thousand-year-long dry spell?” Luna shot back, sounding like a petulant child. “Can you blame me for being a little needy?”

“Did she lose her fancy talk in the blast?” Dusk wondered aloud.

“A little?” Celestia retorted. “You were ready to start reading from your old diary if Dusk didn’t act when he did!”

“Okay, first of all, I only told Dusk, so keep yammering as loud as you can until the rest of Equestria knows,” Luna retorted. “And second, if the plan was really to keep Dusk single so he could do what needed doing now, does that mean you’re done and I can have him? I wasn’t lying about turning him into a breeding stud.”

“Uh, pardon me, Yer Royal Highnesses,” AJ politely cut in. “But, uh, what the buck is goin’ on right now?” she asked, gesturing between the alicorns. “Ah thought yawl were taken over by darkness ‘r somethin’.”

“That’s just what I call it when Lulu gets into one of her moods,” Celestia dismissed. “She’s always been a drama queen before the queen of the night, so I have to put her in timeout from time to time until she mellows out. Although, this time wouldn’t have had to be such a doozy if somepony—”

“Someone,” Dusk quietly corrected.

“—didn’t merge with a freaking demon!”

Luna scoffed. “Typical, Tia. Always shoving my problems under the carpet and never doing anything to actually solve things that doesn’t involve blasting magic at it.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining when I got rid of your last fiancé,” Celestia reminded.

“Yes, Sombra was a pain, but you’re the one who took things too far and almost made me blab about another secret. Way to go, smart one.”

“Oh, choke on a sandpaper cock!” Celestia shot back.

“The queen is a lot less… regal than I imagined,” Pinkie whispered to Fluttershy.

“Though, I have to admit that maaaybe I took things too far this last time,” Celestia continued. “You were absolutely right. Your nights are damn pretty. The work you put into painting the skies without disrupting navigational constellations is a work of art, and you deserve to be credited as such.”

Luna blinked, not expecting Celestia to actually admit her wrongdoing so easily. “Oh, uh, well, better late than never, I guess.”

Smiling, Celestia lowered her long neck and nuzzled her sister’s face. “You smell like you haven’t had a bath in centuries,” she whispered.

“And you smell like you haven’t had an orgy in minutes,” Luna whispered back, both mares sharing mischievous grins.

“Wait-wait-wait, an orgy?” demanded Rainbow. “Is that where you’ve been this whole time?”

Celestia held her head high and replied, “I was where I needed to be to give Dusk the chance to shine.” And when Luna nodded insistently to Rainbow, Celestia added, “And you can’t prove otherwise.”

“Wai-buh-wha?” Rainbow stammered, having trouble making sense of this revelation.

Pinkie, by contrast, got it pretty easily when she wiped the sweat from her brow. “Phew. We were worried you’d been kidnapped and locked in the deepest, darkest dungeon or something. It’s such a relief to know it was just an orgy. Although, confidentially speaking, eh, anypony you wouldn’t mind sharing?”

Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but there is no pony”—she locked eyes with Dusk to ensure he knew this was for him—“that I wish to share. Besides, as a recently betrothed mare, you really ought to focus on your new fiancés.”

“Hmm, good point,” Pinkie conceded and threw herself onto Fluttershy. “Hey, has anyone ever told you you’ve got a butt like an earth pony?”

“Um, a f-few times,” Fluttershy stammered as the plush pink mare pulled her into a warm and sweet-smelling embrace. It was actually a few hundred times, but who was counting? Pinkie, probably.

Rainbow whistled. “I like where this is going!” And she yanked AJ over by the tail with her teeth, grinning confidently the whole time. “Ya know, for as long as I’ve been in Ponyville, I considered myself the baddest, toughest mare in town with only one worthy rival. Wanna guess who that is?” she asked while rubbing a hoof over AJ’s flank, teasingly close to her cutie mark without actually touching.

“Heavens! Don’t tell me you lot are actually planning on doing the deed in a place like this,” Rarity gasped in horror. “Have you no shame?”

“Says the mare who went straight fer the stallion,” AJ accused, pointing at Dusk as he sat bewildered on Rarity’s back, his legs crossed as he stared at the other mares. “Ya know, it’s normally good manners ta start with each other ‘n build up ta bringing the stallion in,” AJ reminded as she closed around Rainbow’s other side and nuzzled the blue mare’s wing. “Keeps things fair, ‘n all.”

“Wait, that’s a rule?” Dusk wondered aloud, only to blush when the others started snickering at his naiveté.

“Goodness, you are a sheltered one,” Rarity cooed. “But yes, we mares can’t let our stallions think they’re the center of the universe. So, when dealing with larger groups, such as these, it’s customary for the mares to get each other started while the stallions watch.” She glanced down to where Dusk’s hooves covered and grinned. “And I see you’re not opposed to this custom. However, fear not, for I have no intention of taking your virginity in a place as drab as this.”

“You let him stay a virgin for how long?” Luna asked Celestia in disbelief, although they kept their voices low and backed away, wanting to watch without interfering.

“Aww, why ya gotta spoil all the fun, Rars?” Rainbow whined.

“Yeah, we was jus’ havin’ a li’l fun workin’ the li’l guy up,” agreed AJ.

“Speak for yourself. I’ve been itching to bite into this cake for years, and I ain’t missing this chance!” Pinkie declared, having hefted Fluttershy’s flanks in the air and buried her face between those butter-yellow cheeks. The cheeks’ owner could do nothing but cover her muzzle with her hooves to suppress her moans.

“So, out of curiosity, who would you rather be right now?” Rarity inquired as she pointed. “Pinkie or Fluttershy?”

Dusk stammered when he realized he was the question’s target. “I-um, uh, P-Pinkie, I guess?”

Rarity nodded. “Good answer. Fluttershy is such a dear. Her body is as divine as it looks, which is matched only by the succulence of her honey, not to mention her melodious voice when she climaxes.”

“You can say that again,” agreed Rainbow as she and AJ moved to either side of Rarity. “Seriously, she’s not a screamer, but a singer. It’s freaking hilarious,” she chuckled. “She’s my favorite go-to for whenever I’m feeling down, while Pinkie is more the type that needs some energy drinks before I dive in.”

“Ah can’t speak fer Fluttershy, but Rainbow ain’t lyin’ about energy drinks ‘n Pinkie. That girl has a real poor concept ‘f pacin’ once she gets into it,” warned AJ. “Though, while she ain’t been with mah brother, Ah have it on good authority that Rarity’s a good blend ‘f fun ‘n fancy. Expect rose petals ‘n ropes if she ever gets ya alone. Or, Ah guess Ah should say when she gets ya alone.”

“Oh, darling, you flatter me,” Rarity tittered. “However, you should not sell yourselves short. Pinkie isn’t the only mare who requires a little pre-gaming before bedding.”

“Hey, Ah ain’t that bad,” AJ countered. “… Usually.”

“I definitely am,” Rainbow confirmed and bounced her eyebrows at Dusk. “Don’t be fooled when you hear I’m the fastest mare in town. I am, but I know how to slow down when it counts.”

“Ain’t heard a peep out ‘f yawl in a while, li’l fella. What’s on yer mind?”

“J-just processing everything, I guess,” Dusk admitted, sounding winded. “The last 24 hours have been… a lot. I got engaged to five of the prettiest mares I’ve ever met, I think I saved Equestria, and I’m not sure which is more impressive.”

“Hey, flattery will get you everywhere,” Rainbow warned with a playful smirk.

“If it takes the pressure off, ain’t nothin’ official,” AJ reminded. “We ain’t even said the proper words yet. Far as anypony else is concerned, we’re jus’ six friends who’ve gone through a serious ordeal together, came out closer, ‘n are now takin’ a healthy interest in each other’s lives. No big deal.”

“And by healthy interest, you mean I want to hurry and jam his dick up my pussy so I can move onto seeing how it feels up my butt?” Rainbow eloquently inquired.

“Also, yes.”

Dusk swore he felt the warming in his cheeks start spreading, and was reasonably certain Rarity was just as aware.

“WaaaAAAhuuuHAAAaaAA!” Fluttershy sang, catching the others off-guard with a voice fit for stage, yet the crass cause made it difficult for the others to not burst out in laughter.

After lingering in the yellow mare’s butt for several more seconds, Pinkie finally pulled free, her long tongue cleaning her face of any lingering sex juices. “Oh, yeah. Worth the wait.” She then noticed the other four very distinctly not fondling one another with their hooves and mouths, asking, “No orgy?”

“Not now, sugar cube. Now that Dusk brought it up, it’s been a long night. Ah say we rest up so we can do things proper later.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever. You slowpokes can rest if you need it,” Pinkie said as she threw Fluttershy’s barely conscious body over her back. “I, for one, have some very important errands to run regarding a certain returning royal.” She fixed her gaze where the alicorns had cast an invisibility spell, staring as though she didn’t care for the petty excuse for a visible obstruction. “The party in Ponyville is starting soon. I recommend you not miss it.”

Author's Note

So, that part with Dusk chatting up Nightmare Moon really got away from me for a bit. I have no idea where it came from and, while writing, no idea where it might go. Was the bad guy going to win after the good guy mellowed her out? It certainly could have gone that way. However, ultimately, I stuck with the episode’s story beats. Besides, it seemed like as good a place as any to drop the reveal of why this is a world of shota colts.

Although, the following bit of flirting should be a reminder to all that the story isn’t quite done yet. The ponies want each other, badly, and have pretty much accepted that the naughtiness is imminent.

Also, the interaction between the royal sisters was just as much of a surprise for me as I hope it was for you. I’m still undecided if I want to make this a longer story, but if I do, I definitely hope to deviate from the show more than MLO. With any luck, this world being so much more drastically different from the show, almost more so than MLO, should make that easier. One can’t exactly mount strangers in the streets in this world, but norms around sexual and social interactions are distinct enough that they should be a lot of fun exploring.

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Chapter 6: An After Party with Dusk’s New Girlfriends

True to her word, Pinkie threw an absolutely fabulous celebration in the town square, where all were free to attend and greet their new queen. Any connections to the recent terroristic threats were glossed over in favor of cake and ice cream.

Barb, having finally recovered, stampeded through the crowd to retrieve her Dusk, whom Rarity tactically tossed in the air to avoid being trampled. After catching him, the drake suddenly resembled a serpent as she seemingly tried constricting the life out of her stallion brother, but Dusk appeared unbothered and let her do her thing.

“You’re filthy,” Barb observed. “What happened, and why is Nightmare Moon suddenly a lot smaller?”

“Iiii am still not clear on the second part,” Dusk admitted. “I’ll tell you the details later, but for now, let’s just say we saved the day.”

“We?”

Dusk gestured to the five mares he’d met in Ponyville. “Barb, I’d like to introduce you to my… girlfriends?” They nodded. “Yeah, these are my new girlfriends, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and—Gah!” he gagged as the drake’s grip tightened.

“Girlfriends? You mean you finally met some ponies you really like?”

“Well, they’ve been talking almost nonstop about the things they want to do with me, and I don’t hate it,” Dusk admitted. Then, on noticing Barb’s happy eyes suddenly droop in slight sadness, he added, “Yeah, it looks like it’s gonna be the seven of us for a while.”

Barb blinked. “Seven?” And she quickly counted the six ponies before her scales fluttered in excitement. “Seven!?”

“It was the only way to get Fluttershy to agree,” Dusk joked. “Also, I apparently need energy drinks to satisfy three of my five pony girlfriends.”

“Ha!” Barb laughed in her throat.

The party continued in relative peace with ponies mingling, asking questions of the new alicorn, and a few were even brave enough to approach Dusk’s group.

One notable case occurred as the festivities began winding down and ponies began leaving. Big Mac approached with calm serenity, unperturbed by the toothy reptile, as he witnessed his younger yet bigger sister bunched up with a bunch of oddballs. “Ya’ll together?” he asked succinctly.

“E’yup,” AJ replied, imitating her brother’s deep baritone.

Big Mac nodded. “Good. See ya’ll at dinner.” And he left.

“A stallion of few words,” Barb observed with a mild chuckle.

“I like him,” Dusk stated as he sat in Barb’s claw, having not left her possessive clutches since the celebration began. It was a little like a booster seat that put him at eye level with his new girlfriends. “Whoa, girlfriends. I never thought I’d see the day,” he admitted. “So, uh, h-how do we do this?”

“To clarify, we’re staying in Ponyville?” Barb asked.

Dusk nodded. “Celestia okayed it. She gave me an assignment to study the magic of friendship, which I know sounds like a bullshit, do-nothing job, but I think she might be onto something. Friendship was what activated the Elements, after all.”

“Where are the Elements, anyway?”

“Celestia sent them to Canterlot for safety,” Dusk replied. “Now, back to my initial question about girlfriends…”

“Do you really not know?” Rainbow inquired. “Didn’t you have, like, siblings who showed you the ropes?”

“This guy has had his nose in a book for as far back as I can remember, with next to zero interest in girls or even friends,” Barb answered. It might have been wrong, but seeing Dusk wither under the mares’ disapproving glares made the drake a little happy, as it meant the little guy actually cared what they thought.

“Well, there are no set rules, per se,” Rarity began. “Dating is more a matter of experience than scholarly pursuit, so I’d better not catch you reading a how-to guide while we’re having dinner at a fancy restaurant.”

Barb snickered. “That’s totally something he’d do.”

“Well, um, not to be rude, but it’s a little easier for the stallion,” Fluttershy quietly added. “You just have to sit back and let us show you a good time. For example, I enjoy starting my mornings with a refreshing nature walk. You should absolutely join me!”

“Okay, no harm in trying,” Dusk allowed.

“And, if you get tired, I could always… carry you,” Fluttershy added while sitting up and rubbing her exposed tummy, blushing. “Obviously, you’re more than welcome to join us, Barb. Although, sorry, but I’m not sure there’s much I can do if you get tired.”

“Hey, no worries. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just sit on both of you ‘til I feel like moving,” Barb assured with a toothy grin.

“Hah, I like this one!” Rainbow said to AJ while gesturing at Barb, only to face her directly. “Also, we’d talked about this last night, but do we have to get your permission, like, every time we wanna do something with Dusk?”

Barb wobbled her head as she thought. “I’d prefer it, but I guess it’d be fine for something small, like a walk in the park. Anything more than that, and you might trigger my draconic greed, and I won’t be held responsible for anything that might happen, especially not any heads shoved up butts.”

Rainbow pointed fervently at Barb and proclaimed, “Challenge accepted!” And everyone laughed.

“Okay, I think I’m getting a grasp for the rules,” Dusk said. “Although, I’ve got one issue. Just because I’m a stallion doesn’t mean I’m deadweight. If you guys need help, I want you to ask.”

“No offense, but Barb’s not the only one who could take you out by sitting on you,” Pinkie informed, wiggling her enormous rump. “What can you do, anyway? She asked, knowing that fancy title isn’t just for show, and she just wants to see her future hubby do some tricks,” Pinkie stated, beaming in anticipation.

Seeing Barb shrug, Dusk decided to give the lady what she wanted. Without leaving the drake’s clutches, the small stallion lit his horn and began packing up the party supplies in areas where ponies had already gone. It had taken Pinkie roughly two hours to set everything up, and would have probably required thirty ponies twice as long to clean it all. However, thanks to Dusk’s magic, every unoccupied bench was folded, every discarded piece of trash tossed in the appropriate receptacle, and every forgotten item of importance returned to its proper owner. By the end, the party was clean, and only Dusk’s group remained as he lay down in Barb’s grasp.

“Okay, I cannot be the only pony wondering what kind of sex spells you know,” Pinkie stated, eyes still wide in awe.

“None,” Barb answered, setting Dusk on her back as she began the trek home to the treebrary, the others following around her. Holding her head high, she proudly informed, “He’s been quite satisfied with just me.”

“Yo, that challenge is still in place,” Rainbow reminded as she hovered above the drake and stallion. “Seriously, though, nothing?”

“Not all unicorns are experts in kink,” Rarity stated. “In fact, most of what I do can be chalked up to simple levitation, not actually any spells specifically for sex.”

“That’s jus’ fine with me. Keep it all natural where possible, Ah say,” AJ remarked. “Though, so long as it ain’t technically sex-specific, there any spells ta keep the li’l guy stiff?”

Intrigued, the corner of Rarity’s mouth curled upward. “Which part of him?”

“The whole thing. Ah wanna try usin’ his body like a double dildo with one ‘f yawl.”

“Tsk-tsk, darling. Such limited imagination,” Rarity gently chided. “Why share him with only one lover when he has four limbs and a head?”

“Ohhh, good idea,” Fluttershy excitedly praised. “You always have the best ideas, Rarity.”

“Thank you, darling. But, yes, it’s true.”

“I think you miscounted,” Barb informed with a grin. “Dusk has four legs, a head, and his fifth leg, so that’s one for all of us at once. Also, Dusk definitely knows a spell for that.” She then added, “Sound good, Dusky-Wusky? You ready to be a six-way sex toy?”

“Uh… c-could we put a rain check on that?” Dusk nervously requested. “I don’t want to disappoint anyone, b-but that sounds like a little much for me.”

“Which is a major thing fer the stallion in a relationship,” AJ stated. “Ya gotta be sure ta tell us yer limits so we don’t end up traumatizin’ ya.”

“Hey, I may be small, but don’t forget I’m still an adult,” Dusk asserted. “I’m not some delicate little colt who needs coddling.”

“So yawl’d be fine if Ah bring out the strap-on Big Mac likes me ta use sometimes?”

Dusk blinked and averted his gaze from the honest question. “Okay, so I might be a little delicate.”

“Darn,” Pinkie huffed and kicked the dirt in disappointment.

Finally, the seven returned to the treebrary. Barb led the way and opened the door, gesturing the others inside before escorting them upstairs to her and Dusk’s room.

“Uh, Barb, why is everyone here?” Dusk asked as his familiar set him in the bed’s center, right in the middle of the assembled ladies eyeing him up like a piece of meat.

“Because you little perverts have been talking about sex almost nonstop since the party started, I can smell the horny, and it’s driving me nuts. So, we’re dealing with this right here, right now.”

Dusk gulped as his eyes scanned from one mare to the next, feeling his pulse quicken as their desire grew almost palpable. Despite seeing them start giggling, he noted how other things had grown, and reflexively covered himself.

“Darlin’, we’ve all seen it. Why so shy?” AJ asked, grinning at the stallion’s cute reactions.

“J-just nervous, I guess.” Dusk gulped again. “I-I’ve n-never done this b-before.”

Frowning, Rarity glanced from Dusk to the drake. “Really? He’s never been with another pony?”

“Just his moms and sisters, but nothing too major. He’s gone the furthest with me,” Barb explained, low-key bragging.

“Ya don’t say.” Rainbow crawled atop the bed, stalking around Dusk and teasing his muzzle with her tail. “So, you’ve never mounted a mare’s butt and held on for dear life?” When the stallion shook his head, the mare’s grin split her face. “Whoa, you really are a virgin, then,” she realized, licking her lips.

Dusk winced and pulled away, but his ears didn’t splay, and his tail didn’t retract. So, while he was nervous, his body language confirmed that he was willing.

“Well, then you’re going to need a mare’s expert guidance to show you what’s what,” Rarity decided as she grabbed Rainbow’s mane and pulled her into an open-mouthed kiss. The pegasus’ surprise was short-lived as she quickly retaliated, wrapping her hooves around the white mare’s neck while overpowering her tongue. Pleased by this, Rarity pulled away just enough for their lips to part, so Dusk had a clear view of their dancing oral appendages.

“Ohhh, look at how their tummies grind together,” Pinkie informed while pointing. “See that? Their nipples got hard after their teats started smashing together. You ever played with a mare’s teats, Dusky?” When Dusk silently shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away now that he’d noticed, Pinkie addressed the other out-of-towner. “What about you, Barbie? Any teat action?”

“Uh, I know the basics,” Barb answered uncertainly, going wide-eyed when the pink mare plopped on her back before the drake, front legs curled up, back legs spread, and exposing a round tummy that tyrannically demanded rubbies despite its owner’s cutesy expression.

“Wanna show me?” Pinkie squeaked, shaking her hips to make her teats wobble.

Licking her lips, Barb reached for the pink masses. Her claws could easily eclipse the mounds, yet that did nothing to diminish how good they felt in her grasp. “S-so soft,” she marveled as she began playing. The drake squished and rolled the bulbs in her grip, loving how the sharp nipples stabbed into her palms. Wetting her suddenly dry mouth, Barb added, “Whoa, these are a lot bigger than I’m used to.”

“You’re welcome,” Pinkie replied, eyes closed as she moaned and squirmed. “B-but don’t just rub. Can’t those claws do anything else?”

“Sure can,” Barb confirmed, grinning as her palms slipped off, only for her fingers to linger and snatch up the nipples, fiercely pinching them.

“Ngh!” Pinkie cried. “H-harder!”

“Hey, if we’re doin’ education, then we can’t ignore the most important part,” AJ declared, making Fluttershy squeak when an orange arm wrapped around her yellow middle. AJ then flipped the pegasus around and pushed her head down, though the pink tail flipped up on its own. Smirking at this, AJ faced the nearly overwhelmed stallion and said, “A mare without class jus’ sits on a stallion ‘til she’s done, ‘n a stallion who don’t know better jus’ lets her. But, if yer wantin’ ta prove yer more ‘an jus’ a toy, then ya gotta put that purty mouth ta work.” Adjusting Fluttershy to ensure Dusk had the best view, AJ spread the yellow mare’s bountiful ass cheeks to reveal her tight pink pucker and dripping pink slit. “Tell me ya at least did some ‘f this,” AJ requested, looking at Barb as her hoof gently rubbed Fluttershy’s marehood.

Barb paused her licking around the pink teats to look up, triggering a disappointed whine from Pinkie. “Yeah, we did. Tell ‘em, Dusky.”

Dusk’s erection had swollen to a painful aching as it pulsed between his legs. He could hardly decide which pair more deserved his attention as he tried processing the words. “I-I kn-know a little about m-mouth stuff,” Dusk stammered as he swallowed, hoof on his cock as he watched Rarity really get into it with Rainbow. The mares’ hooves had grown as persistent as their tongues, exploring one another’s bodies with fervent desire, mostly between their stomachs. “I-I know about the, um, th-the clitoris, a-and how Barb likes it,” he added as he shifted his attention to her. The drake’s lips had parted to begin suckling from the nipples like a newborn foal, making Pinkie thrash and wail in pleasure while Dusk felt his mouth run dry. “J-just like that, actually. Barb l-likes it when I s-swirl my tongue a-and g-get deep.”

“What about this part?” AJ asked, half her face pressing against Fluttershy’s compressed ass cheek so her nose was up against the mare’s drooling nether lips. Lightly licking the honey and humming in delight, her hoof migrated north to prod her helpless lover’s anus, eliciting another adorable squeak. “Ya ever get down ‘n dirty down here?”

“S-sometimes,” Dusk admitted. “Barb is so big, s-so I have to grab her tail.”

“Ngh, I wanna see that,” Fluttershy moaned. “Her tail’s base is even thicker than you, and she’s definitely too tall for your hooves to reach the ground. That sounds s-so haaaught!”

“It fucking is,” Barb confirmed, breathing heavily to assault Pinkie’s sensitive middle with her hot breath. “S-sometimes I get a mirror to watch him work. He makes the cutest faces when he’s determined,” she explained while rubbing Pinkie’s adorably rounded belly with her nose. “It’s the only time he gets more focused than when he’s reading. Of course, there’s no point in a mirror when he mounts my pussy.”

“T-tell us!” Rainbow demanded, momentarily breaking from the kiss before Rarity pulled her back.

“B-Barb’s butt is t-too big,” Dusk stammered, licking his lips as he brought both hooves to his shaft. “I-I know a stallion mounting a mare isn’t supposed to touch the ground. It, uh, i-it’s s-supposed to be s-sexier to show off the size difference, b-but I can’t get a good angle fr-from up there. M-maybe if her butt’s on the ground, I c-can get some leverage, b-but sh-she—”

“I spread my ass!” Barb declared, transferring one claw from Pinkie’s nipple to her winking marehood, while the other shoved a finger in the mare’s mouth like a pacifier, which she happily suckled. “I can’t help it. I pull my cheeks apart, and he fits like a glove, nose wedge right up against my pucker in a full-body butt job.”

It was Rarity’s turn to break the kiss. “D-does he—Agh!?” she cried, unable to finish the question when Rainbow spanked her to make that white plot jiggle.

“Oh, yeah. He knows how to work his tongue on a butthole,” Barb confirmed as her nose trailed up along Pinkie’s stomach, hot breath sending ripples across the pink fur before finally arriving at the mare’s lips. She waited for her lover to open her eyes and smile before snatching those lips in a brief kiss. “Course, he’s a little too good, and I can’t stand it for long,” she added while Pinkie bravely navigated the drake’s sharp teeth to grab her tongue.

“Ya sit on ‘im, don’t ya,” AJ guessed, her free hoof between her legs while her mouth and other hoof attended Fluttershy’s slit and anus, respectively. “Jus’ hearin’ ya talk about it, Ah can’t see anythin’ else happenin’.”

“Got it in one.”

“Nope!” Rarity cut in, her magic slapping Dusk’s hoof from his cock. “Sorry, darling, but you were almost ready to burst, and that’s just poor form.”

“I-it is?” Dusk questioned, panting while slightly offended at being cock-blocked.

“Oh, definitely,” Rainbow agreed, untangling from Rarity as both mares approached the confused stallion. Looming tall over the little guy as they circled him like hungry lions, she added, “Warming up is one thing, but since you’re our stallion, your dick and everything in it belongs to us. That means no blowing your load without our say-so, and especially not by yourself.”

Dusk’s expression strained as his groin ached with need while he processed this new rule. “This never came up with Barb,” he grunted in frustration. “Th-then again, it had kinda gone without saying that finishing in her was the only polite course. I never even needed to masturbate until now because Barb took such good care of me.” Noting the drake’s appreciative smile, he continued. “However, the more I think about it, the more this rule makes sense. Stallions belonged to mares,” he reluctantly conceded. “That’s just how it is, so it made sense that intercourse would include rules that further subjugated the males to the females. Then again, if I had to choose, I’d be lying if I said finishing inside one of my sexy lovers wasn’t the more preferable option. However, I’d have still liked it to be a choice.”

“Then let’s do that,” AJ said with husky breathing. Releasing Fluttershy, she closed the distance and gently pushed Dusk’s chest until he fell to his back. “Ah ain’t gonna lie. Thinkin’ ‘bout mah stallion wastin’ his seed on nothin’ gets mah tail in a knot.” She scooted forward until her marehood hovered directly above the pulsing spear, her ass ready to drop as she stared down at her anxious lover. “But Ah want ya ta want ta do what’s right. So, make the choice. Ah ain’t half bad at butt jobs, so Ah can finish ya that way. Or, ya can choose the way we both know will be best,” she finished, almost nose-to-nose with the smaller pony beneath her.

“Shit, why is that so hot?” Rainbow demanded, her face beside Dusk as she awaited her chance to steal his lips the moment AJ gave her room.

“Because, despite all appearances, Apple Jack knows a lady’s etiquette,” Rarity answered as she sat tall and guided Dusk's hoof to an inch from her twat, letting him decide to close the remaining distance.

“Thanks, Ah guess,” AJ allowed at what almost sounded like a backhanded compliment. However, she was distracted from her ire when she felt movement behind her. Fluttershy kept her chin to the sheets as she zeroed in on Dusk’s balls. The look she gave AJ confirmed that she’d wait until they started, but her swishing tail betrayed her impatience. So, the orange mare grinned and resumed staring at the stallion beneath her. “We want ya, Dusk. ‘N Ah think ya like bein’ wanted.”

Too overwhelmed to move his facial muscles, Dusk noted the almost claustrophobic walls of mare bodies surrounding him. They wreaked of sex and mild sweat, and their combined radiating heat made him feel like he was inside a dry stomach. However, no matter how much he looked into AJ’s eyes, he could find no trace of scheming. There was an utter lack of intent to use him for some grand ploy to advance an agenda. All she wanted was him, and the same went for the others. Having Barb around was also a comfort, as her presence further reassured him that this was more than mere politicking. Finally, realizing that he’d been stuck in his head for too long, Dusk nodded.

AJ dropped her butt faster than she’d intended, hilting Dusk’s cock to the base in one go. His shaft went deep, not as deep as her brother’s, but still pretty damn deep, and it even left a slight bulge in her tummy. AJ clenched her jaw and sucked in a hissing breath as she felt the male’s girth stretch her insides. However, the faint stinging quickly morphed into divine pleasure, further amplified when she wiggled her hips. Both the mare and stallion moaned from the friction, stimulating their most sensitive parts until they finally locked eyes. “Ya ready ta start?”

Dusk groaned. It was hard to not compare AJ to Barb. She was lighter, and her insides weren’t as hot, yet there was a rightness to the way their parts fit so perfectly. Even so, Dusk was further distracted when it seemed the others had assumed they’d already begun. Rainbow started licking the corner of his mouth before slowly turning his head to face her. Her tongue breached his lips with overpowering force and utterly dominated his smaller appendage. She tasted differently from Barb, but not unpleasantly, almost sweeter, and the lack of sharp teeth wasn’t unwelcome, either. Rarity’s wet sex descended upon Dusk’s hoof, enveloping his frog with little effort as she moaned, sliding closer as she pulled him deeper. He watched the white mare’s teats bounce as she bucked, yanking his shoulder as she seemed determined to swallow his entire limb with her lower lips. The swishing pink tail behind AJ confirmed that Fluttershy’s tongue was on his balls as her nose buried between where his base met the farmer’s spread vulva. Her melodious humming was difficult to distinguish over the myriad of moans and wet squishes that filled the room, but was a welcomingly sweet sound to enhance everything else. Likewise, AJ had an involuntary physical response as her marehood winked, gripping Dusk’s length with an upward massage that encouraged him to thrust. However, even amidst so many overwhelming sensations, and despite having never done this before, Dusk hesitated to answer, feeling that something was off.

“Aww, were you waiting for me?” Pinkie inquired as she came into view and plopped her butt between Rarity and AJ. Dusk could only watch with one eye as Rainbow kept hold of his head, but he saw her happy grin morph into a lustful craving as she grabbed his hind leg. Licking her lips, she sampled her treat. Surprisingly, her broad tongue wasn’t ticklish, so she repeated the action. Each time, her mouth dropped further down his appendage, swallowing his limb similar to Rarity, only to pull back as though fellating a cock. “Yeah, I just found my new favorite treat,” she said with an appreciative lip lick.

“You doing alright in there?” Barb asked, her large head hovering directly above the tall cage of pony bodies. “Heh, that’s a good look for you.”

Dusk finally found his voice. “Y-you’re, uh, n-not j-joining?” he asked, mostly to be polite, as he dreaded feeling another body atop his small form. He then winced when AJ added a hip twist to her winking, clearly encouraging him to put his money where his mouth was and start participating as more than a toy.

“Nah, I’ll let the newbies have their fun,” Barb allowed. “Besides, after all these years of resisting, it’s good to see you’ve finally learned your place in the world,” she said with a shit-eating grin.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at the large predator. “I’m going to remember this.”

“Speakin’ ‘f rememberin’, Ah’m pretty sure Ah said Ah’d smack the shit out ‘f ya fer gettin’ down on yerself,” informed AJ as she twisted her hips again. Not seeing Barb’s WTF expression, she elaborated with a hip wiggle, “Ah didn’t say it’d be with mah hoof, though. So, ya ready?”

“I, y-yes,” Dusk croaked, finally signaling the others to start. And boy, what a start, as their initial actions seemed like merely a prelude.

AJ started by raising her butt until only the last inch of Dusk’s shaft remained inside her, and she dropped with a bed-shaking force that made the stallion grunt. It wasn’t long before the mare found a rhythm, showing off her expertise by alternating between drawn-out ascensions and swift drops. Sitting on her back knees, she pressed one hoof to her tummy to show Dusk the bulge he made.

Dusk didn’t know how it happened, but Rainbow Dash lived up to her boast as the fastest in town. He’d closed his eyes to blink, breaking contact with the world for only a fraction of a second. And when his eyes next opened, the blue face he’d been smooching had switched out for a different set of lips. Rainbow’s pussy winked around Dusk’s nose as her hoof pushed on the back of his head, tickling her crotch boobs with his ears. She crowed like a rooster for him to ‘do his thing,’ so he did. The stallion extended his tongue and tasted the mare’s vaginal walls, finding her nectar surprisingly spicy as she humped his face.

“Excellent move, darling,” Rarity praised, having finally consumed Dusk’s entire arm with her snatch. One hoof touched his frog through her tummy, letting him know how deeply he’d gone, while her vaginal walls pulled and massaged his limb. “I’ll admit, I was enjoying seeing you dominate little Dusky’s mouth, and while I’m sorry to see that stop, I can’t be upset at such skill.”

“Ha! You know it, babe,” Rainbow cheered as she lunged forward, stealing Rarity’s lips. “Ya wanna taste?”

Rarity nodded and returned the kiss, casting Dusk in shadow as the mares made out while riding him. Barb had to crane her long neck in search of a hole to watch through, but didn’t seem to mind. After all, Dusk saw her shoulder move in a manner that couldn’t be mistaken for much else. It further annoyed the stallion when he realized Barb wanted him to see, to know that she was masturbating while he was denied the privilege. She might have been his familiar, but she was also like his sister, meaning she had a moral obligation to be a pain whenever it suited her.

Pinkie’s extreme was also fairly straightforward. She’d only pulled Dusk’s hoof in her mouth up to his ankle at first. However, she now felt free to demonstrate her skills and drop her lips to Dusk’s lower knee joint. She only swallowed afterward to show off that she hadn’t until then, her throat muscles pulling his limb into her darkest depths while her tongue savored his flavor. Pinkie never stopped moaning as she rose and fell, dropping a little further each time, her tongue ever exploring her stallion’s tasty limb. She couldn’t wait to have all of him inside her, curled up safe and warm, as she felt his mild weight hang from her middle. All mares loved swallowing stallions, but Pinkie enjoyed eating ponies of all sorts, even gulping down some of the larger mares just because she felt like it. All tasted delicious and felt divine as they wiggled against her tingly insides. And even though Dusk was on the small side, she already knew he’d be a special case, because he was more than just a friend; he was hers. Technically, all seven of them belonged to each other. So, while Pinkie loved the idea of sharing with her new wives, and she didn’t mind how Barb basically got first dibs on the little guy in all circumstances, deep down, her instincts still compelled her to view Dusk Shine as hers, and she couldn’t wait to act on that fact.

That just left Fluttershy, who wasted no time in engulfing Dusk’s balls in her mouth. They were bigger than most stallion’s testicles, suggesting he was from strong stock and could produce many healthy foals once she was ready. The orbs were also pleasantly round as she rolled them across her tongue, moaning as their flavor washed across her taste buds. The experience was enhanced each time AJ dropped down and splashed a little fem-cum on the scene below, which Fluttershy eagerly licked up to blend the flavors into something magnificent. Her tummy rumbled as she imagined taking things a step further, but she hurriedly quelled those desires. Dusk was still a novice, and it would take time before he was ready to satisfy all her cravings. However, figuring there was nothing wrong with a teaser, Fluttershy abandoned her stallion’s testicles, nosed under his butt, pushed his hind legs back a little, and engulfed his cheeks in her maw. She’d always loved eating the butts first, especially with small stallions. Everyone had previously praised the sounds she made, but for Fluttershy, nothing beat the music of a foal with her tongue probing his anus, which she demonstrated, making Rainbow shudder from the vibrations.

If Dusk’s brain hadn’t gone white-hot with pleasure, he might have considered going one at a time with his lovers would have been preferable to a gangbang for his first time. However, because he was too overwhelmed with sexual bliss to think straight, he had no choice but to go with the flow. He moved his muzzle as deeply as he could within Rainbow’s sex, wiggled his limbs in ways that Rarity and Pinkie seemed to like, thrust his hips to match AJ’s rhythm, and relaxed his anus so Fluttershy could explore to her heart’s content. And while he didn’t know why he held eye contact with Barb throughout this ordeal, it still seemed important that he never look away, so he did what made her happy. She might have been a young dragon, but in Dusk’s sex-addled mind right now, she was a mare, and generations of social conditioning (apparently mixed with powerful magic) compelled the stallion to make his mare happy. That she was also his familiar was less than an afterthought.

Finally, as if by magic, it all happened at once. The mares, stallion, and drake orgasmed. Rarity and Rainbow gushed over Dusk’s shoulder and face, respectively, covering him in their sex juices as they climactically cried into each other’s mouths. Pinkie and Fluttershy had been too fixated on their oral work to attend to their pussies, but that didn’t stop them from bursting all over the sheets and down their thighs. As the only pony with a free mouth, AJ’s jaw dropped in a silent scream as she felt Dusk shoot his massive load directly into her cervix. It was hot, thick, and wouldn’t stop. She glanced down, slightly worried, when she saw the swelling in her middle continue growing. However, being filled with such a powerful climax also felt incredible, nothing like her brother or any other male she’d taken. Then again, that should have been obvious, as Dusk wasn’t just any other male. He was hers. That just left Barb as the odd one out, yet still feeling connected as she watched the rapture play out across everyone’s faces. Her heart soared, and her pussy’s dam broke as she watched Dusk’s visible eye roll into the back of his head. The pleasure had taken him, and he hadn’t fought back. He’d given himself fully to the moment and these mares, just as Barb’s mothers promised would one day happen, and it made the drake happy beyond measure to have shared in this moment.

Alas, Dusk hadn’t been able to bask in the moment for long, as he soon passed out. Having so many mares at once for his first time might not have been the best idea, but he’d hardly call it a mistake. While he’d never been dissatisfied with Barb, being with ponies like this filled a hole that he never realized had been vacant. In the brief span between his overwhelming orgasm and his loss of consciousness, Dusk pondered that, of course, these mares weren’t a replacement for his favorite drake, but an addition to his life. While admittedly apprehensive in their first meetings, Dusk had grown fond of the mares over their short time together. And although the thought of spending more time with them and breaking from his routines was frightening, it also excited the small stallion in ways that had only been matched by the announcements of new books in his favorite series.

***

Meanwhile, back in Canterlot…

“I’m-sorry-I’m-sorry-I’m-sorry!” cried the tall pink alicorn as she held Luna’s motionless body in her forelegs. Eyes darting desperately between the blue mare and her white sister, the pink mare pleaded, “I-I wasn’t thinking. Sh-she was so cute, and an alicorn, a-a-and I couldn’t help myself. Then I grabbed her, and then there was a snap, and now she’s not moving. What do I do?” begged the pink mare as she looked around the assembled ponies who stared at her in various states of shock, with most unable to meet her eyes. When none were willing to offer any help, she turned to the one pony she hoped could make everything alright. “Shiny, please.”

A white stallion with a blue mane and a shield on his flanks approached. He was tall for a male, roughly as large as Big Mac, and with just as bulky a frame despite being a unicorn. Standing stoically in his golden armor, the stallion extended a hoof up to Luna’s neck to check her vitals. “Yup, no pulse,” he dryly stated, noting how Celestia buried her face in her hoof.

“N-no pulse!?” screamed the pink alicorn as her own heart threatened to burst from her chest. “Shining, please, you can’t be serious.”

“I’m one of the few ponies here who is serious,” Shining deadpanned to the pink mare’s confusion. “Cady, please, I know you’re smarter than this. See for yourself,” he finished by lighting his horn without casting a spell.

Taking the hint, the pink alicorn cast a sequence of medical diagnosis spells on the immobile mare. One of the first things she found was that Luna’s pulse hadn’t stopped. Instead, it had merely been slowed to almost imperceptible levels by what she realized was a kind of meditation. There was no sign of damage to the smaller mare’s spine, and now that she’d quieted enough to hear herself think, the pink mare also heard snorts, sniffles, and… barely restrained chuckles. Snapping her head in a double-take, it finally clicked in Princess Cadence’s head when Shining Armor nodded at her.

“Bitch!” Cadence growled as she threw Luna to the ground with enough force to crack the tile.

“Ow! There’s no need to be rough,” Luna whined, rubbing the back of her head after miraculously returning to life. “It was just a joke.”

“A joke? I thought I’d killed you!”

Luna rolled her eyes as she stood and smirked. “My, somepony has a high opinion of herself.”

A thud drew Cadence’s attention to Celestia, who had buried her face into the floor like an ostrich to unleash a torrent of guffaws and deep belly laughs. Shuddering in horror as she made a second realization, Princess Cadence looked between the queens of the sun and moon and declared, “Two. We now have… two.”

Rolling his eyes, Shining approached the newest and most naked of the alicorns, and saluted. “Queen Luna, I am Shining Armor, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. It is my honor to meet and serve you.”

“A stallion as captain?” Luna questioned as her eyes trailed across his form. He certainly didn’t look half bad in that armor, even with a physique that matched what used to be a male teenager. He had no collar, but a faint scent drew Luna’s attention from Shining to her would-be killer, and she raised an accusatory eyebrow.

“Shining earned his position strictly through merit,” Cadence asserted defensively. “Do you honestly think anypony would follow him if he was promoted through fraternization with royalty? Maybe that’s how you did it in the old days, but modern times have adopted more civilized standards.”

Luna nodded and faced Celestia, who’d finally come up for air. “This is the adopted daughter you were telling me about? She’s more spirited than you’d led me to believe.” Facing a fuming Cadence once more, Luna stated, “I like it.”

Shining nodded to Cadence. “Princess, I believed you wished to ask about Dusk.”

“Oh, quit using your booty call as a proxy and just ask, yourself,” Celestia huffed. “Honestly, it’s always protocol with you.”

“Only when I’m on duty,” Shining corrected. “However, if you must know, I already miss my brother. You actually behaved when he was around.”

“Oh, I like him, too,” Luna stated. Facing Cadence, she asked, “He’s yours, right? Mind if I borrow him? I usually prefer shorter males, but if he’s related to Dusk, I wouldn’t mind getting a preview of the main event.”

In stark contrast to protocol, Cadence positioned herself between Shining and Luna, her body language saying more than words ever could. Unfortunately, this just made Luna’s grin broaden, which infuriated Cadence to no end.

“Okay, fine,” Celestia huffed as she moved between the alicorns. “Before you actually try killing each other, you’ll be happy to know that everything went better than I predicted. The Elements have new wielders, and they’ve all agreed to be Dusk’s girlfriends.”

Cadence finally smiled and sucked in a happy breath. “G-girlfriends? Wait, what about Barb?”

“She approves,” Celestia matter-of-factly informed.

“Yes!” Cadence pumped her hoof in victory. “Finally. I knew the little guy had it in him.”

Even Shining allowed himself a small smile. “So, does this mean you’ll finally let the rest of us in on your plan, Your Highness?”

Celestia scratched her chin in thought, opened her mouth for several seconds of quiet, and finally answered, “Nope.” A round of groans echoed around the room as the queen’s inner circle expressed annoyance with her enigmatic eccentricities, with some ponies even exchanging a few coins over lost bets. “Sorry, but you know how fortune-telling works. Too many ponies knowing what’s to come risks unexpected alterations. All I’ll say is that Equestria is in for some rough patches ahead, but it’ll all work out.”

“Your confidence is enviable, Your Majesty,” Shining stated with a go-fuck-yourself tone.

Luna snickered some more. “I don’t smell you on this handsome specimen,” she said to Celestia while pointing at Shining. “Might he also have a noteworthy destiny?”

Celestia frowned at her sister. “After what I just said, you honestly think I’d answer that with him in earshot?”

Luna nodded and resumed facing Cadence and Shining. “If you don’t know that means ‘yes’, I’ll be very disappointed in both of you.”

“LUNA!” Celestia roared and tackled her sister. The pair began rolling around the room, trading blows, bites, and grunts while the other ponies backed away for safety.

“There are times when I wish to take pictures of moments like these, memorialize them forever, and send them to papers so Equestria can see who is truly calling the shots in this kingdom,” Shining bemoaned beside Cadence. “All confidence in the queen would fall, and your ascent to the throne would be quite expedient,” he casually explained his blatant plan for treason for all of Celestia’s most capable agents to hear.

Cadence shook her head as she watched the new queen kick the old queen in the teats. “It’d never work. My mother’s mask is too convincing, and the love from the masses too genuine. If I hadn’t seen the truth for myself, even I would think such photos were fake. Besides, I don’t want Celestia’s throne. Have you seen her office? Dusk would have a conniption if he saw that labyrinthine mess, and I’m not too thrilled, either.”

“She’s carefully crafted a system that can only be navigated by a mad genius on par with herself,” agreed Withers, the smartly dressed stallion with a bushy mustache that comprised 20% of his face. Despite being closer to Dusk’s size, he was much older than Shining, as indicated by his deep voice that spoke with the wisdom of the ages. “Equestria is run by crazies, and the only thing that separates us from other countries is that, despite all appearances, our crazy usually knows what she’s doing. Nothing to do but go with the flow, my boy.”

“T-tell me at least heee’s freee,” Luna strained to say as Celestia pulled her into a chokehold. “H-honestly, I-I don’t care anymore. Just give me a dick already.”

A grin spread across Celestia’s face, more toothy and terrifying than even Barb could manage as she whispered into her sister’s ear. “Oh, you want a dick, do you?” Her horn lit as a similar glow manifested between her legs.

“Evacuate!” Shining shouted as chaos erupted around the room, ponies teleporting away, running to the doors, and that one pegasus who made a hole through the wall as she flew away. And while being captain meant Shining was duty-bound to stay behind and ensure everyone else got to safety first, his fiancé had other plans, scooping him up in her magic as she fled through the newly expanded hole in the wall. They’d just barely made it out in time, watching the walls shake while hearing lustful grunts from within the room.

All things considered, as far as Equestria’s ruling elite were concerned, this was a day ending in Y. And as far as the hapless heroes in Ponyville were concerned, this was the first day of the rest of their lives.

Author's Note

And that concludes my lewd parody rewrite of the first two episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The original two-part story is pretty solid, and I see why so many writers enjoy recreating it. It’s a character-driven story, and the characters are so strong and compelling that they can still hold their own even after a bunch of perverted tweaks.

As a discovery-type writer, I don’t know what’s going to happen until seconds before it does, so the sex scene pretty much did its own thing. Overall, while I’d have liked to do more, I’m fairly satisfied. Everybody gets a piece of Dusk, with most girls getting some characterization for liking the little guy. Although, while I’d initially planned to close with some actual vore, describing it seems sufficient for now. Plus, it leaves things open to do more later.

When I’d started, I wasn’t sure how far I wanted this to go, initially leaning toward just the first two episodes. However, seeing as I’ve now reached almost 30K words between six chapters, I’m curious how far this might go. The characters are fun to write, the world is begging to be fleshed out, and I don’t think I’ve seen this premise featured on FiM before, so that’s something. Granted, this story heavily features fetishes that I know aren’t the most popular, but I still want to give it a shot. Although, as I’d previously said, I’d prefer to do more original stories instead of following the episode plots as I did with MLO, but we’ll see.

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Chapter 7: The Ticket to Dusk’s First Mare Mouth

It was another sunny midmorning in Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Jack wore a pair of baskets full of apples on her sides as she casually strolled through the orchard, showing the newbies the ropes. “Thanks again fer helpin’ me out, you two.”

“No problem. I’ve never done this kind of manual labor before,” Dusk whimsically remarked as he looked around, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the orchard.

“Excuse me, manual?” AJ questioned, her eyebrow raised to its maximum skepticism as she eyed the stallion. His horn was lit as a dozen baskets of apples floated around him. “Ya ain’t even walkin’! Honestly, fer a stallion that makes such a fuss ‘bout bein’ on his hooves, ya sure don’t miss a chance ta sit on yer lazy ass.”

“Hey, I thought you said my ass was cute,” Dusk whined from atop his draconic steed.

“Oh, it is. Don’t mean it ain’t also a lazy hypocrite,” AJ dismissively rebuked as she emptied her baskets into their barrels.

“Ugh, fine,” Dusk huffed and slid down Barbara’s side, maneuvering around her half-dozen apple baskets to reach the ground. He stood tall, chest puffed out in pride as he hurriedly walked ahead of the drake to join AJ in dumping his baskets. The short, colt-looking stallion then stared up at the proportionally Amazonian mare, demanding a response.

AJ smiled, lowered her face until she was almost snoot to snoot with Dusk, and booped him with her hoof. “Ah knew ya could do it, sugar cube.”

Dusk’s eyes crossed from the unexpected contact. “Wait… did you just manipulate me into working faster?”

“Call it positive reinforcement,” AJ corrected. “Works wonders when stallions start gettin’ weighed down with excuses.”

“Also, you already volunteered to help, so it’s not like she tricked you or anything,” Barb added, also joining the ponies and undid her baskets to empty them. “Besides, I’m still impressed that you care enough what others think to react like that.”

“That’s why it’s manipulation,” Dusk petulantly argued to the large lizard. “She knows her opinion matters to me, so she leveraged that to manipulate my actions!”

Barb chuckled and shook her head. “Sorry, little guy, but that’s called being in a relationship. It’s how we used to get you away from the books long enough to do your chores, remember?”

Dusk pouted at the irrefutable facts laid before him, hating how he’d been bested.

“If it makes ya feel better, yer free ta do the same with me,” AJ informed.

Dusk blinked. “I-I can?”

“Sure. Ah want ya ta like me, so go ahead. Say somethin’ ta make me do what ya want.”

Dusk fidgeted, nervous about being put on the spot like this. He hadn’t fully acclimated to these informal interactions with his new girlfriends, and still needed to learn the boundaries. So, while it felt slightly condescending how the mare and drake basically set him up to succeed, he had to admit that it was preferable to being left to flail in failure. “W-well, uh, y-your ass is more sexy than cute.”

“That’s fair. Go on.”

“And, uh, I… Oh, I don’t think you appreciate just how comfortable Barb’s back is,” Dusk confidently accused, to the mare’s confusion. “Yeah, Barb is easily the best ride I’ve ever had.”

The drake snickered.

“Not like that!” Dusk snapped. “I meant you’re smooth, easygoing, and—would you stop laughing?”

“Okay, that’s fair,” Apple Jack conceded, approaching the young dragon’s side, whistling. “Whoa, yer a big gal, ain’t ya.”

Barb grinned and lowered herself for easier access. “Yup. Now, get those sexy apple flanks up here so we can see why Dusk wants this so badly.”

AJ nodded and climbed aboard, stopping halfway up and pointing at the drake’s spines.

“Oh, sorry. How’s this?” Barb rolled her shoulders and retracted the sharp bones. “They’ve never been an issue for someone Dusk’s size, but I guess a butt like yours deserves special consideration.”

“Thank ya kindly, ma’am,” AJ replied as she finished mounting. She hummed thoughtfully, moving back and forth in a slow humping motion to test the scaly texture against her rump and thighs. “Hmm, colder than Ah expected, but not half bad. Yeah, Ah wouldn’t mind ridin’ ya every now ‘n then.”

Barb snickered again. “Sorry, but you guys are making this too easy.”

“Nah, Ah set ya up fer that one,” AJ excused. “Well, Dusk, is this doin’ it fer ya?” she asked, shaking her flanks, leaning forward in a sexy pose to tease her boyfriend. Unfortunately, he merely beamed in quiet triumph.

“There, I knew you’d like it.” Dusk lit his horn and retrieved his baskets. “So, shall we continue?” He didn’t wait for an answer before walking back down the path he’d come from, confident he’d learned enough about apple picking to perform the task without supervision.

AJ blinked in befuddlement, taking several seconds before finally finding her voice. “That wasn’t a fetish thing, was it?”

“Apparently not,” Barb sighed in sympathetic disappointment. “Is this doing anything for you, though?”

“Uh… not really, no,” AJ admitted. “Don’t get me wrong. Yer comfy, but mah marehood might get a rash if Ah ride ya bareback fer too long.”

“It’s fine. A butt on my back isn’t that sexy for me, either. I guess a lifetime of doing that with Dusk has left me numb. Still, it was worth a try.”

“Agreed,” AJ said, dismounting. “We’ll jus’ have ta find some better uses fer this money maker ‘f mine.” She aimed her rear at the drake and spanked herself for her boyfriend’s sister’s enjoyment.

Barbara licked her lips at the scrumptious display and, feeling bold after the earth mare’s wink, extended her tongue for a long, broad lick between the orange cheeks. She’d caught sweet mare pussy, bitter ponut, and everything between and adjacent. “Mmm, yummy.” Her stomach rumbled, making her mindful of just how empty she felt, like there was a pony-shaped hole in her body. She’d always filled it with Dusk, but there was no arguing the earth mare would be far more filling. They’d fooled around a little since the drake and stallion moved to Ponyville. However, based on AJ’s bedroom eyes, it seemed they agreed that it was time they took things to the next level.

Then Barbara’s cheeks puffed like she was about to spew. Feeling the telltale signs of something conjuring in her throat, the drake hurriedly aimed her maw upward as AJ ducked aside to dodge any messy fallout. Luckily, the resulting belch of flame merely coalesced into a scroll with the royal seal. “Message from Canterlot,” Barb succinctly summarized before nosing under AJ’s tail and tossing the unexpectedly heavy mare onto her back. “It’s for Dusk,” she added before bounding ahead along the dirt path, forcing AJ to cling to the serpentine neck to keep from flying off.

Dusk had been patiently doing his task for a while. It had been too long since he’d been by himself, so he took some time to enjoy the solitude and repetitive tasks. Thinking back to earlier, he’d been terribly immature about his reaction to Apple Jack’s harmless teasing. Usually, he’d just scold himself for such a lapse. However, recent revelations left him wondering if this might be a side effect of the alicorns’ spell. Did his emotional maturity match his physical appearance? He’d seen stallion behavior all across the spectrum in that regard, so the immediate data was inconclusive. Ultimately, he’d have to confront the queens to get the full picture.

That’s when Barb came skidding to a halt inches from the unflinching stallion, an orange mare clinging to her neck like a poorly tied scarf. “Message from Sunbutt,” she stated after pulling the scroll from her jaws. Checking on AJ, she asked, “You okay back there?”

“Y-yeah. J-just got some insight on what stallions go through when they’re clingin’ ta mah flanks,” AJ explained, trembling as she carefully climbed down.

Barb cleared her throat, sat on her haunches, and unfurled the scroll to read. “Hear ye, hear ye… Uh-oh. I don’t like when she gets all fancy like that.”

Dusk nodded and pointed at a clearing. “Agreed. Aim over there in case you burp up a catapult or something.”

Apple Jack frowned. “Why would—?”

“Because it happened once, and we still don’t know why,” Barb answered before continuing. “Her Royal Highness, blah-blah-blah… Oh, tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala. I guess it’s about that time, huh.”

Dusk rolled his eyes. “Ugh, I hate the—”

“Grand Galloping Gala!” Apple Jack cheered. “Lamb sakes, Ah’ve always wanted to see it fer mahself. Ah hear they’ve got the fanciest grub in the country, but they ain’t got no Apple brand apples. Why, jus’ think if Ah could set up a stall ta… ta…” She trailed off when she saw the others staring at her. “What?”

“A stall?” Dusk questioned. “The Gala is the premier party of the year, attended by only the fanciest of ponies with noses so high up their own asses, you can’t even see their shoulders, and you want to set up… a stall?”

AJ pursed her lips as her eyes went shifty. “Well, Ah was thinkin’ Ah could show those high falutin’ types what good ol’ fashioned country eatin’ is like, but when ya put it like that, Ah guess that’s—”

“The best idea I’ve ever heard!” Dusk finished with a chuckle. “Those self-righteous brownnosers are always looking for the next big thing, and the Gala is notorious for ambitious idiots to try setting some trends, but a stall?” He whistled. “That’d come so far out of left field; I don’t see how it could fail.”

AJ blinked. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Barb agreed. “Trust me; the thing with aristocrats isn’t how good something is, but how much it stands out. A peasant stall set up next to a banquet prepared by five-star chefs will definitely turn some heads. If nothing else, you’ve got instant brand recognition with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the country.” The drake smiled a toothy, mildly frightening grin at the earth mare. “I think you could make bank with this.”

AJ thoughtfully clucked her tongue. “Shoot. Ah always thought it was jus’ a silly dream, but now Ah really wish Ah could go, cuz that sounds fun.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Why can’t you go?” Dusk asked.

“Well, like ya said, it’s a super exclusive event. Ain’t no way a small-town mare like me would—”

“A small-town mare who bonded with an ancient and powerful artifact, which she used to save the world from eternal darkness, and bring back a long-lost alicorn,” Dusk corrected. “Why wouldn’t you be invited?”

AJ blinked again. “Uh, do Ah get a ticket?”

Barb extracted seven golden papers from the scroll. “Let’s see here. One for me, Dusk, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, aaand that’s it.”

AJ narrowed her eyes up at the tall reptile. “Now Ah know ya ain’t tryin’ ta pull one over on me.”

Barb shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t know what to say. There’s only seven tickets; they’ve all got names written on them, and you’re not on the list. See for yourself,” the drake offered, presenting six tickets.

“Where’s number seven?” AJ asked, her tone threatening.

“Don’t ask me. I don’t have it,” Barb denied before glancing at Dusk.

The purple stallion usually had a top-notch poker face, but that had primarily been practiced with strangers and various ponies he didn’t like. It was a different matter when a mare more than twice his height loomed tall and threatening above him, bearing down on the smaller pony with the full might of a loved one ready to spank him because he deserved it.

“Dusk,” AJ whispered into the unicorn’s ear, exhaling heavily to make it twitch. “Are you keepin’ somethin’ from me?” She rubbed her cheek down his short neck in a sensual caress. Keeping her nose low as she pressed the attack, the earth mare eventually reached the male’s haunches. Instead of continuing to his cutie marks, she stopped to blow on the stallion’s sheath, making his little cock poke free. “Ya know it ain’t nice ta do that kind ‘f thing to yer lovin’ girlfriend, right?”

Dusk anxiously shivered. Inhaling, he could smell nothing but the earth mare’s mane, which reeked of sweat and fruit from the hard morning’s work. From Apple Jack’s nose to her shoulders, his puny body was only slightly larger as the two forms pressed together. He felt the strength and warmth in her neck muscles, making his legs weak as he listened to her breathing. The mare continued pelting his privates with her exhales, making him mewl with desire. Finally, he unclenched his butt cheeks, and the last ticket fluttered to the dirt.

Picking up the paper with her name on it, Apple Jack smirked. Glancing from her prize to the stallion she’d thoroughly defeated, she triumphantly told him, “Now that was manipulation.”

Dusk collapsed with a gasp, not realizing he’d been holding his breath for a while. He looked at Barb, who’d clamped her draconic maw shut with her claws to keep the guffaws at bay. He then looked at Apple Jack, her threatening dominance replaced with playful affection, and said the first thing to come to mind. “I s-still don’t see the difference.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll help ya figure it out. In the meantime, Ah think Ah owe ya somethin’,” the earth mare said in a deep, sultry tone as she sat on her haunches and scooped Dusk into her lap, cradling him against her soft fur and strong barrel. “Ah wouldn’t’ve gotten this ticket without you, li’l fella. That means Ah owe ya, big,” she purred, running a hoof along the unicorn’s fully exposed erection.

“I-it was nothing! H-happy to help,” Dusk nervously insisted. He’d already had plenty of sex with AJ and his other girlfriends, but he still got anxious when their amorous moods compelled them to act like mares, so to speak. “Th-that’s just something a g-good boyfriend does, r-right?”

“Maybe, but a good girlfriend returns the favor, ‘n Ah’ve waited fer this long enough.” AJ faced Barb, her eyes wordlessly communicating her desires, to which the drake beamed and nodded her blessing. Now, meeting Dusk’s eyes again, the earth mare laid out the facts. “Yer mah stallion, ‘n it’s high time Ah put ya where stallions belong.”

With no possible way to misunderstand AJ’s intent, Dusk swallowed his apprehension and nodded.

Apple Jack didn’t wait a second long as she parted her lips and slipped Dusk’s nose into her mouth. His chin touched her tongue, and she moaned. Of course, she’d tasted him plenty of times already, but it was different now that they were going all the way. There was a sense of imminent completion and rightness as she pushed on the back of her boyfriend’s head. Her mouth effortlessly stretched around that which it was designed to eat, taking Dusk’s face. AJ had to angle the stallion’s head to the side to maneuver around the horn, but it slipped into her cheek just as easily. Meanwhile, the large mare’s hooves caressed her smaller counterpart’s body. Dusk was so skinny and utterly helpless in her grasp, making AJ moan and drool around her morsel. Centuries of instinct told her that a creature this small, cute, and delicious belonged where she was about to send him, and she was happy to comply.

The stallion kept his eyes closed as the happy sounds vibrated around him, and wet saliva splashed his face. Knowing it was AJ made him love every moment, especially when he felt his larger counterpart’s hooves caress do their thing, teasing his flanks, balls, and cock. Dusk recognized her expert touch, edging him to orgasm without going too far. She didn’t want him to blow his load until his dick was in her mouth, which was fine by him. Dusk wanted AJ to enjoy him, so he humped into her touch, showing his willingness to satisfy her desires. After all, he was a stallion, and stallions loved being swallowed by mares. However, as AJ’s first swallow brought his nose into her throat, he wondered why his girlfriend suddenly gave a surprised squeak, but it wasn’t hard to guess.

Barb had planned to hold back for as long as possible to let the pair enjoy their first time, but she could only resist for so long at seeing her beloved Dusk disappear into the sexy earth mare’s maw. Returning the favor, the drake came up behind the orange mare and lavishly licked her ample ass cheeks. Her long, slender tongue alternated between probing the ponut and penetrating the pussy. The latter was her favorite, as Apple Jack had been utterly gushing ever since she first brought Dusk into her maw. Barb moaned sympathetically; seeing her favorite stallion get eaten got her just as wet. In gratitude, the drake reached beneath the orange mare to fondle her crotch boobs.

AJ began swallowing faster than she’d intended. Barb’s touch was too good, making it difficult for the mare to focus on drawing things out. Instincts told her that she had to finish Dusk before another mare stole him, so she brought his barrel into her mouth. His belly tasted incredible, and she extended her tongue for her true prize a few inches ahead. Apple Jack flicked Dusk’s cock, making them both shiver in delight. He stretched her throat so perfectly as drool dribbled across his back legs and middle. Finally, another swallow brought the stallion’s penis into her hungry hole.

Dusk went off in an instant. He was a little ashamed, but that didn’t last long as the intensity of his girlfriend’s happy scream reverberated around him. She loved his taste, and he loved that he’d made her so happy. Even as his orgasm petered out, the little stallion never stopped humping. The broad tongue was just as relentless as it squeezed his meat pole like a python, milking him for every last drop as the rest of him slipped ever deeper into the constricting throat.

When no more cum came forth, AJ threw her head back to enlist gravity in finishing the job. She swallowed only a few more times before widening her throat enough to let nature take its course. Barb’s snout came into view in time to watch the last of Dusk’s hooves and tail disappear down the earth mare’s throat. Grinning, she closed her mouth for one final swallow, and opened wide to show he was all gone.

Again, driven by horny impatience, Barb attacked AJ’s lips, her tongue invading the smaller female’s mouth to greedily steal any lingering patches of Dusk’s flavor. The earth mare fought back with equal passion, overcome with the need to assert her claim over the stallion. Also, Barb was a damn good kisser. Meanwhile, hooves and claws moved to the orange mare’s swollen belly, pressing firmly to feel the new passenger’s meager squirms.

Dusk was in no mood to wildly writhe as Barb and other mares said they liked. This new belly was smaller than what he was used to with his drake sister, but still more comfortably spacious than the throat. The small stallion wiggled enough to get cozy as he lay on his back atop the wet and squelching stomach lining. He laughed, announcing, “It smells like apples in here.”

That broke the ladies out of their make-out session as they descended into chortles.

“Wh-what a dork,” Barb giggled, not realizing she’d never stopped rubbing faces with the earth mare.

“Yeah, but he’s our dork,” AJ agreed with a purr. Pulling away to meet the drake’s eyes with her own loving gaze, she said, “Thank ya kindly fer sharin’ ‘im.”

Barb shrugged. “I was a little nervous about someone else finally taking him, but as soon as you got started, well, I think I enjoyed it almost as much as you did.”

“That’s a mighty tall claim, sugar cube,” AJ sighed as she contentedly rubbed her hoof across her bloated middle. “Cuz right now, Ah’m havin’ a hard time rememberin’ the last time Ah felt better.”

“Think you can still move?”

“Course Ah can,” AJ indignantly asserted, only to nuzzle into Barb’s chest. “Ah jus’ don’t wanna right now. This is mah first time vorin’ mah boyfriend, ya know. Can’t we jus’ leave it be?”

“Sure, he’s sleeping, anyway,” Barb softly pointed out. The two females shared a quiet giggle as they made themselves comfortable in one another’s arms, basking in each other’s warmth as Dusk squirmed between them.

“Does he always fall asleep after?” AJ whispered.

“Kinda, yeah. Sorry to say, but his endurance isn’t the best right now.”

“Well, since he’s mah stallion now, too, we’re jus’ gonna have ta fix that,” AJ decisively asserted. “We’re gonna train ‘im up ta last.”

“I look forward to it,” Barb giggled, kissing AJ’s cheek as they prepared to nod off.

Author's Note

And here we go, going a similar route as I did with My Little Orgy in dividing the third episode into multiple parts. What can I say? The episode is structured in a way that makes this feel rather fitting. Anyway, Dusk is still acclimating to his new situation, but he’s surrounded by a lot of loving ladies willing to help him through the tough stuff. Also, he’s got instincts that he’s politically opposed to, but when push comes to shove, he’s as helpless as the rest of them.

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Chapter 8: Presents, Parties, and Pudgy Ponies

“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!” announced a raspy voice from up above, breaking the cuddlers from their happy trance. A second later, a blue blur bulleted past the pair, made a loop de loop, and came back to land nearby. Rainbow Dash flipped her mane to the side before addressing the most pressing issue. “Did I hear right? Dusk has no endurance?”

“Huh, wazat?” Dusk asked, frantically shaking awake. “Is Rainbow Dash out there?”

“Yeah, I’m here, and I’m not happy,” the pegasus informed. “I was just flying around, minding my own business, when—”

“You decided ta spy on us?” AJ accused, still cozied up to Barbara.

Rainbow scoffed and waved dismissively. “Pfft. It’s not spying when you’re dating. Anyway, I saw AJ jumping the line to claim Dusk’s first swallow. Mad respect, by the way. I’d have totally done the same if I had the chance, but still, fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too,” AJ cordially replied, hooves still cradling her stomach.

“Anyway, that was hot as balls, but then you go and ruin it by saying, Dusk, my Dusk, out of all things, is a one-pump-chump? Why am I just now hearing about this!?”

“Uh, it wasn’t obvious?” AJ questioned. “Didn’t ya notice he only lasts one ‘r two rounds before he konks out?”

“No!” Rainbow Dash indignantly denied. “Because I’ve been too busy being a good girlfriend and taking care of all my other girlfriends, so we all have a good time, so I never noticed I only get one good stallion fuck per sex.”

“Isn’t that normal?” Barb asked, looking between the mares. “I thought a stallion lasting for three rounds was supposed to be a major accomplishment.”

“Yeah, for regular stallions, but not my stallion,” Rainbow corrected. “Dusk is a national hero who daringly revived an ancient power to face a shadow monster. Shouldn’t that, like, get rewarded with an extra long-lasting cock?”

“Uh… no, and this conversation is making me feel very uncomfortable,” Dusk admitted, his voice slightly muffled from within the orange belly.

“Don’t worry, dude. I don’t blame you. In fact, as your mare, it’s on me to make you the best you can be!” Rainbow proclaimed, striking a heroic pose as though she expected flags to fly in the background.

“First of all, Dusk ain’t your stallion. He’s our stallion,” AJ corrected. “And second, Ah agree with the rest, but yer makin’ a mountain out of a molehill, sugar cube.”

“Wait, how is she right?” Dusk asked.

“Look, darlin’, yer cute ‘n Ah love ya, but let’s be real. You’ve got five girlfriends ‘n a horny dragon all vyin’ fer yer li’l cock. Now, we’re fine with gettin’ off with each other. Like Rainbow said, that’s jus’ what it means ta be a good girlfriend. But a stallion needs ta be able ta satisfy at least half his mares each session.”

“What? That wasn’t an issue before.”

“Yeah, cuz that was a grace period,” AJ said while petting her tummy. “You were a virgin ‘til recently, so we were givin’ ya some time ta ease into things. However, that time’s about over, so we’re gonna have to get you practicin’ on holdin’ out.”

Dusk squirmed and grimaced. “Um, okay. I don’t like the idea that I’m not satisfying you guys, but what’s this training entail?”

“Uh, Dusk, the mares all have wicked-looking smirks,” Barb informed. “Should he be afraid?”

“No, of course not,” Rainbow denied. “We’re just gonna run him through sex exercises until he can last.”

Barb solemnly patted AJ’s stomach. “Sorry, Dusk. It was nice knowing you, but it sounds like they’re going to fuck you to death,” she explained, the corners of her mouth twitching.

“Not funny!”

“It’s a little funny,” Rainbow chuckled. Finally approaching the stallion-filled belly, she pressed her hoof into the pliable flesh, searching until she found the male organ. “Okay, hard again already. That’s better than I thought, but it’s still not good enough. We’re gonna work that little body of yours ‘til—”

“Barb! Would you please tell them my stamina isn’t that bad?” Dusk begged, whimpering as Rainbow toyed with his cock.

“Somethin’ yer not tellin’ us, sugar cube?”

“Don’t listen to him. Dusk is just trying to misdirect you so he doesn’t have to exercise. Go on, fuck him ‘til he can’t move.”

“Barb!”

Barb puttered her draconic lips. “You’re no fun. Ugh, fine. Dusk isn’t actually a one-pump-chump,” she admitted like a scolded child who wasn’t sorry. “His current record is eight times in one go.”

The mares’ jaws hit the ground. “E-eight?”

“B-but what about him passin’ out after only a few rounds?” AJ demanded, earning a shrug from the drake.

“The little guy’s kind of been a nervous wreck since coming to Ponyville. He puts on a good show, but we are way out of his comfort zone, and he’s been working so hard on dealing with the stress that there’s not much left for hanky-panky. Although, good news, he’s getting better. Just a bit more time and TLC, and he’ll be filling you girls like the champ he is.”

“… okay, thank you, but now it feels like you’re going the opposite extreme,” Dusk commented.

“Ugh, there’s just no pleasing some people. You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes.”

Rainbow puttered her lips in disappointment. “Dang it! Well, there go my plans for the week.” She returned her gaze to the orange stomach, easing the pressure off Dusk’s crotch in favor of more gentle strokes. “Barb just promised us eight, and I’m gonna hold you to that. Get me?”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Dusk begged. “Oh, Barb, give Dash the ticket.”

“Fine, but only if you promise to let Dash and the others help you,” Barb bargained. “I think I like watching mares treat you like a stallion.”

“Okay, I’m liking where this is going,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “Also, what’s this ticket thing about?” Upon receiving the golden paper and seeing what it was for, the cyan mare shot into the air, cheering at the top of her lungs about how she would finally meet the Wonderbolts. Then, upon returning to the ground, she batted saucy eyelashes at AJ. “So, good on you for getting Dusk’s first, but you think you can throw a mare a bone and let me have his second?”

The earth mare frowned, her hoof joining Rainbow’s in rubbing Dusk’s member through her stomach. “Seriously, darlin’? Ah just got him, like, a few minutes ago. Ah should get him fer at least an hour.”

Barb grinned like a gremlin. “Or—and hear me out on this—but if you want him so bad, you could always go and get him,” she suggested while tenderly stroking AJ’s rump.

Rainbow turned a lascivious grin on the orange mare. “Well, I’m game if you are, hot stuff.”

“Can’t a mare jus’ have some special, one-on-one time with her stallion?” Apple Jack whined. “We can have that kind ‘f fun later, but fer right now, Ah jus’ want a little tender time.”

“Boo. Boo, Apple Jack. Boo,” Rainbow low-key jeered. “I’d eat you if you wanted to join him in me.”

“Same,” agreed Barbara, running her chin atop the earth mare’s orange rum.

“Okay, first of all, that don’t mean nothin’ comin’ from you.” AJ pointed accusingly at Barbara. “Yer big enough ta swallow all six ‘f us if ya wanted.”

“Never done that many at once, but I’m willing to try.”

“‘N second, which is technically the first, Ah said Ah want some personal time, so Ah’m gettin’ mah personal time, dammit!” AJ stomped her hoof for emphasis.

“Hey, can I get a say?” Dusk asked, shifting his body in the hot, moist chamber as the outside hooves continued molesting him. “Also, can you stop that so I can think?”

“Sorry, darlin’. Yer right. Ya’ll get a say, too,” AJ agreed, pushing Rainbow’s hoof away.

“Tell me you want to keep the fun train rolling,” Rainbow pleaded.

“Rainbow, as soon as I’m out of Apple Jack, I promise you’ll be next,” Dusk assured. “You’re right that I’m dating all of you, so I should make time for all of you to… have… me,” he reluctantly admitted. “I’m still not sure how I feel about being passed around like a piece of meat, but—”

“Delicious meat, so sweet you might as well be candy,” Rainbow interrupted, licking her lips.

“Rainbow just licked her lips,” Barb informed.

“Thank you, Barb. That was very useful,” Dusk sarcastically replied.

“Happy to help.”

“But Apple Jack’s also right. This is my first time in a mare who isn’t family, and that’s something special we should… savor?”

“Oh, that’s a good one. Go with that,” Barb encouraged.

Rainbow whickered in annoyance. “Ugh, fine. I’ll leave you two to your lovey-dovey whatevers, but don’t forget that—”

“Yer next, darlin’,” AJ assured. “Don’t worry, sugar cube. Element ‘f Honesty, remember? Ah’m pretty sure I’m magically bound ta keep mah word. Even if Ah weren’t, it’s still the right thing ta do.”

“Holding you to it, sweet stuff,” Rainbow said before taking off, leaving the others in her dust.

A long silence followed as the mare and drake stared at one another, unsure of what to say.

“So, lovey-dovey whatevers?” Dusk curiously questioned. “Don’t I just, um, sit here while you do stuff?”

“Usually, yeah. Ah’ve got some more apples ta pick. Maybe Ah’ll send a couple yer way. Then again, we could deliver those tickets. Ah’m sure the others’ll be mighty pleased ta get the good news.”

“And it’ll give you a chance to show off,” Barb observed.

“You can do somethin’ fer more ‘an one reason,” Apple Jack defended. Her hoof returned to stroking her stomach, simply loving the feeling of Dusk finally inside her, rather than seeking to frustrate his cock. “Ah jus’ gotta let Big Mac know what Ah’m doin’, ‘n we’ll set off.” The earth mare then inhaled for almost ten whole seconds before unleashing a thunderous yell that echoed across the orchard. “AH’M HEADIN’ INTO TOWN, BIG MAC!”

“GOT IT!” came the reply from the barn.

Barb stuck a clawed finger in her ear hole until the ringing stopped. “Yikes, the lungs on this one.”

“What?” Dusk called, his ears also ringing despite the flesh walls muffling the worst of AJ’s volume.

“Sorry. Ah fergot you two are still new ‘round here.” Apple Jack chuckled as she led the way down the dirt road toward town. “Mah family’s got a lot ‘f land, so we learn ta be efficient when we talk.”

“I get it, but still, yikes,” Barb said with a chuckle. “I’ve seen drill sergeants who weren’t that loud.”

“Speaking of loud, can we talk about Rainbow Dash for a second?” Dusk inquired.

“Really? Ah go through all the trouble of givin’ ya yer first real swallow, ‘n you wanna talk about other mares?” Apple Jack turned her head in a huff, whipping her mane.

“Yes,” Dusk obliviously answered. “Specifically, the way you and Rainbow spoke, it sounded like you swallowing her to be with me was an option. You two must be close.”

At AJ’s dumbstruck expression, Barb merely whispered, “Yes, he really is that clueless.”

Annoyed, AJ decided to not be mad at her stallion. There’d be time for lessons later. For now, he had a harmless inquiry. “Okay, but try ‘n wiggle, will ya. Ah wanna make this a proper vore.”

Dusk didn’t answer, but merely bucked his hips upward. He then turned until his cock was against the stomach wall and began grinding, edging himself while trying to not cum too soon.

AJ stumbled slightly as her eyes momentarily lidded. “Shoot, that’s good!” she quietly grunted before regaining her composure and shooting the snickering dragon a dirty look. “Ya’ll wanna say somethin’?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Barb assured, still snickering as she walked alongside the smaller female.

Apple Jack sighed. “Whatever. Anyway, Rainbow came ta Ponyville a few years back. Got a job with the weather team almost right away. Ah know she seems lazy, cuz she is, but when she decides ta work, she can knock them clouds out in no time.”

“Ten seconds flat,” Dusk quoted. “I take it you respect her work ethic.”

“Tolerate is probably a better word. Mah farm gets the rain it needs, so Ah can’t complain. Anyway, that’s how we met. Ah caught her loafin’ about when she was supposed ta be settin’ up some rain. We got ta arguin’, so Ah challenged her ta horseshoes. If Ah won, she’d have ta get off her lazy butt ‘n do her job.”

Dusk nodded as he continued grinding himself within the stomach, enjoying how the slippery flesh walls slid against his sensitive member. He’d even found a few rough patches to hold his hooves for added leverage, allowing him to move with more force within the sauna-like environment. Dusk paced himself to keep from getting too dizzy, but the ongoing stimulation made it difficult to hold back. Even the way the stomach walls rubbed his butt and balls had a pleasant tingle. “I see. Was she bitter about losing?”

Apple Jack chuckled. “Actually, it was a tie. No matter how many games we played, neither of us could best the other.”

“But the farm got its rain in the end, right?” Barb asked. “You had to have won eventually.”

“Nope,” AJ proudly declared. “We must’ve gone through ‘bout twenty games. At some point, it stopped bein’ ‘bout the rain. We jus’ wanted ta see who was the best. Also, it was pretty fun.” She laughed. “Finally, it was almost a minute ta quitin’ time fer her, so she called a timeout ‘n set everythin’ where it needed ta be, lickety-split. Course, we couldn’t play with it rainin’, so we agreed ta pick things up later ta finally settle the score.”

“So, did you ever find a winner?” Dusk asked.

“Well, Ah like ta think we’re both winners cuz at the end of the day, we each found a new friend,” Apple Jack answered with wistful romance. “Also, the games are mostly a warmup ta fuckin’ at this point, so it’s hard ta keep score, hehe.” The mare’s laughs slowly morphed into moans as her eyelids fluttered. They’d entered the town boundary, yet Apple Jack found it difficult to focus. Dusk’s rhythmic motions were too intoxicating. Something about his little body rubbing against her stomach walls seemed to satisfy an itch she never realized needed scratching.

“Whoa, there,” Barb cut in, grabbing the mare and altering her trajectory away from a tree. “You alright?”

AJ blinked as though waking up from a dream. “Huh? What happened?”

Barb chuckled. “Dusk, call a doctor. I think you got this mare drunk.”

AJ rapidly shook her head and slapped her cheek. “Ah’m up. Ah’m up! Ah’m awake. It’s all good. Whoa-ho-ho,” she sighed, shivering. “Never felt like that ‘efore.”

“Really? Not even with your brother?” Dusk inquired. “I mean, you have—?”

“Course, Ah vore mah brother,” Apple Jack tiredly asserted. “Ah jus’ let him out ‘f mah butt a few minutes ‘efore you two showed up. It’s just—Ngh!—he never made me feel like this.” Unable to press on, the mare took a break, sitting on her haunches to caress her tender tummy. “Oh, now Ah’m wonderin’ what it might be like ta have ya both inside me.”

“Veto!” Dusk urgently asserted. “I hereby invoke my right to veto!”

“Oh, come on,” Barbara encouraged. “I got a good look at it, and Big Mac’s dick isn’t that big. I’m sure you could—”

“No!”

“Why’s he so squeamish?” AJ asked.

“Dusk asked Celestia about futas once. So, the queen set up a line of royal guards, both mares and stallions, for a demonstration. All Dusk had to do was watch. Five minutes in, and he passed out from shock. Traumatized him for life.”

“Is the queen that big?” Apple Jack asked in awe, mouth slightly agape.

“Not usually. It’s more how brutal she can be,” Barbara corrected, chuckling morbidly. “You’d think she’d want to ease the little guy into things. Instead, she scared the little fella away from dicks, possibly forever.”

“Bummer. Not you, though?”

“Nah. I was a bit bigger than Dusk by then, and already twice as tough. It was a good show, honestly. A shame Celestia had to blow a potentially good thing because she couldn’t keep her libido in check for a few minutes.”

Apple Jack sighed sympathetically as she rubbed her belly, imagining the good times the purple unicorn and her brother could potentially have, especially inside her. “Yeah, shame.”

“Are we talking about futas?” Pinkie chirped as she bounced up to the pair, only to freeze when her eyes landed on the orange belly. “Wait, is that Dusk!?”

AJ smirked, impressed. “Yeah. How could ya tell?”

Pinkie pointed at the dragon. “Why else would Barb be sticking to you like glue with Dusk nowhere in sight?”

“Right, dumb question,” AJ conceded. “Anyway, yeah, we were. Apparently, Celestia traumatized Dusk into bein’ scared ‘f dicks that ain’t his.”

“Aww, that’s so mean,” Pinkie whined. “With two unicorns in our herd, I was hoping at least one would know the futa spell. I mean, what’s even the point of being a unicorn if you can’t use sex magic?”

“Okay, we need to settle a few things,” Dusk asserted. “First, saying unicorns are just for sex is wholly inaccurate and disrespectful.” He had no idea all three ladies snickered at his expense as he continued. “Second, magic to grant someone a penis isn’t sex magic, but body modification, which is an entirely separate branch of—”

“No one but you cares, pal,” Barbara interrupted, yawning up against AJ’s middle so Dusk could hear.

Dusk snorted indignantly. “And thirdly, someone give Pinkie her ticket.”

“Oh, right. Nearly forgot,” AJ said, retrieving the tickets from her saddle bags. “Here ya go.”

Pinkie’s jaw hit the floor upon reading the ticket. “THE GRAND GALLOPING GALLA!” she cheered, jumping around and singing about all the fun she planned to have at the most famous party in the country.

“Goodness, darlings. What’s all the commotion?” Rarity inquired, tuning out Pinkie’s antics as she zeroed in on the orange belly bulge. “Wait, don’t tell me that’s… that’s…”

“No, it’s someone else,” Barbara replied before lightly elbowing AJ’s stomach. “Dusk, tell her you’re someone else.”

“Tell who? Who else is out there?” questioned the encased purple unicorn.

Gasping, Rarity threw herself at AJ, clinging to the swollen stomach like her life depended on it. “Oh, darling! How you positively radiate with beauty. Hmm, such a fine shape; round, but still showing off just enough details, especially where it counts.” She pressed a hoof under the imprint of Dusk’s cock for emphasis. “Yes, and a good tightness, too. I’d say… room for at least a whole other mare in there,” she assessed, her eyes trailing up to meet AJ’s flummoxed expression. “Dearest Apple Jack, would it be too much to ask if I could—?”

“Sorry, Rars. Already promised Rainbow Dash next.”

“Oh foey,” Rarity pouted, still clinging to the earth mare’s stomach. “Still, Dusk, this is a big step for you, yes? I’m so proud,” she cooed while lovingly nuzzling her cheek to the stretched skin and its contents.

“Ngh! Th-that feels e-even better!” Dusk moaned as the flesh walls embraced him more tightly while Rarity’s hoof paid special attention to his tender bits. “Ngh! Er, Aaagh!” he gasped, back arching as he released his climax into the pool of stomach fluids. His legs gave out shortly after, and he fell forward, uncertain where his face landed relative to his own cum.

“Tee-hee, did I do that?” Rarity tittered with faux innocence.

“Damn straight, ya did,” AJ confirmed, panting as fluids trailed down her inner thighs. “Ngh, dammit, that felt good!” Still overwhelmed with horny energy, she grabbed Rarity by the neck and forcibly pulled the white mare into a kiss. The fashionista squeaked in surprise, but did not resist, allowing free access to her mouth as the mares’ tongues traded spit.

“Dusk, your girls are making out,” Barb narrated, intently watching as she ground her thighs together. “You got them so horny, they’re eating each other’s faces in the middle of town. Everyone’s looking,” she exaggerated. Most ponies, especially the mares, only paid the scene a second or two of rubbernecking before resuming their errands. A filly asked what was happening, to which her mother answered this was just what happened when stallions went inside mares and made them feel good.

Dusk gave a mewling whine, hating the idea of being the center of attention. More importantly, despite his recent orgasm, his cock wouldn’t soften. He could hear AJ and Rarity sucking face over the din of the earth mare’s innards, and it sounded as hot as the stomach felt. Were they being this loud on purpose to tease him? Part of Dusk hoped so, as while he didn’t like strangers staring at him, knowing his girlfriends were keeping him in mind while enjoying each other was oddly flattering.

“Hey, can I get in on this?” Pinkie asked, finally ceasing her singing to stand before her white and orange lovers.

“As hot as that sounds, I think we’re gonna need to put a raincheck on this,” Barbara cut in, lowering her long neck to block the pink mare’s access.

“Aww, why not?” Pinkie whined.

“If this goes on much longer, I think we run the risk of crossing some lines and getting ticketed for indecent exposure,” Barbara explained half-jokingly.

“There is nothing indecent about mares openly expressing their love for one another!” Rarity indignantly huffed as one hoof resumed stroking AJ’s stomach. “Especially when they’re enjoying their plus one.”

Apple Jack sighed in disappointment and reluctantly pushed the white unicorn away. “No, she’s right. We’re already pushin’ it with jus’ you ‘n me, but with Pinkie in the mix? Filly, you know what’s gonna happen.”

“Oh, poo,” Rarity huffed and kicked the dirt. “You’re no fun today.”

“Hey, speaking of tickets,” Dusk spoke up, finally relieved from the ongoing erotic pressure. “Barb, you got the stuff?”

“Yup,” Barb confirmed, retrieving the tickets. Pinkie still hadn’t retrieved hers, and it was the fashionista’s turn to gush.

“Aaah! Are those what I think they are?”

“Yes-yes-yes! They’re tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!” Pinkie cheered, snatching hers and dancing in place. “And Dusk is inviting all of us!”

“Wait, how did you know you’re all coming?” Dusk asked. “Barb, did you show her the rest?”

“I mean, heh, why wouldn’t you invite all your girlfriends to the biggest, most fantastic party of the year?” Pinkie asked as though the answer were obvious.

Rarity nodded. “Indeed. I know you still have trouble with social cues, Dusky, but even you must understand the faux pas of only inviting some of your herd to such an event. I enjoy drama as much as the next mare, but that’s just needless conflict.”

“Uh, yeah, okay, I can see the logic,” Dusk conceded. “Well, yeah. You’re all invited. Although, technically, it’s not my invitation. Celestia sent these. Put your names on them and everything, too.”

“Sounds like somepony’s trying to drop a little hi~int,” Rarity sang, taking her ticket and marveling at it for a moment. “Ah, the Gala. You know, I’ve designed ensembles for the Gala every year, but I’ve never had the opportunity to attend. Oh, the society, the culture, the glamor! Truly, it’s where a mare such as I belong. In fact… hehe. No, I shouldn’t.”

“But Ah get the feelin’ yer gonna anyway,” Apple Jack dryly assessed.

“Well, it’s always been my fantasy to meet my special somepony at the Gala. Such a grand concentration of culture and class is bound to feature more than a few eligible bachelors. Of course, meeting the stallion of my dreams on an epic quest to save the world makes for a much better story to tell my foals, I’ll admit. Even so, could you tell me a little of Celestia’s nephew, Prince Blue Blood? You know, just to indulge a mare’s curiosity of what could have been.”

“Oh, Blue? He’s an asshole,” Dusk bluntly remarked, his head swiveling as he heard an odd sound. “Did anyone else hear glass breaking?”

“Ah think that was Rarity’s dreams,” Apple Jack jokingly remarked as she eyed the distraught marshmallow mare.

Rarity shook her head in disbelief. “A-an asshole? No, not Blue Blood. Is he not the picture of high society grace and culture?”

“Yeah, an asshole,” Dusk repeated. “Okay, how am I still hearing glass breaking? Is someone throwing stones at windows or something?”

Pinkie inhaled in delight. “Wait, you hear it too? Finally, I’m not alone!”

“Putting a pin in that for later,” Barbara remarked as she stuck a claw under Rarity’s chin to lift her tearful face. “Hey, for the record, Dusk means that in a good way.”

“He… what?”

“Blue Blood’s like if Dusk had my spine,” Barbara clarified. “He’s willing to play the aristocracy’s games, but he’s also not afraid to call out the douchebags when they deserve it. Good guy, that one.”

“Honestly, watching him tear down other nobles is one of the few things that makes the Gala tolerable,” Dusk clarified.

“Uh, should we be worried that the biggest hater ‘f Canterlot high society is comin’ from a stallion who’s basically lived it most ‘f his life?” Apple Jack asked.

“Just temper your expectations,” Barbara advised. “The Gala can be… quite the experience for first-timers. Still fun if you keep a positive attitude, though.”

Rarity cleared her throat and straightened her posture. “Well, I thank you kindly for the invitation and advice. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go home and… process some things.” She then turned and walked away.

“She means she’s got a date with a tub of ice cream,” Pinkie whispered to AJ’s belly.

“Ohhh, now Ah’m picturin’ Dusk covered in ice cream,” AJ groaned, licking her lips. “Stars above, what are you doin’ ta me, colt?”

Having not made it too far, Rarity rushed back to AJ’s side. “Darling, do you not know? Is this your first tummy date with a stallion?”

Apple Jack’s eyes became shifty. “Uh… maybe?”

“Oh, goodness! Why didn’t you say so earlier? More importantly, why are you in town of all places?”

“Well, the tickets are—”

“Screw the tickets!” Rarity snapped. “A mare’s first vore with her stallion is a special occasion, perhaps even more special than their first lovemaking. To have him so utterly inside you, in your full-body embrace, and feeling every ounce of his movements… Why, it’s… it’s the very height of intimacy! You should be lounging in your room, savoring every microscopic sensation as you both become acclimated to feeling one another on such a level. Or, if sitting around isn’t your thing, you have a perfectly good orchard to walk through.” She then shot a glare at the dragon. “Honestly, Barbie-Warby. I expected better from you.”

“Hey, no one told me about this romantic crap!” Barb defensively raised her claws against Rarity’s devastating scowl. “I just thought vore is vore, and sex is sex, right?”

“Ah think Rarity’s jus’ got higher standards than the rest ‘f us,” Apple Jack reasoned, touching her hoof to her chin. “Although, Ah can’t say Ah hate those ideas.”

“I like the ice cream one,” Pinkie chirped, licking her lips. “Just me, a belly full of Dusk, all the sweets we could eat, and a smoking hot draggie to cuddle with. Now THAT’s how you spend a Friday night,” she concluded, winking at the drake.

“Okay, this is getting to be too much for me,” Barbara declared. “Let’s hurry and give Fluttershy her ticket so we can do all this other stuff.”

Apple Jack nodded. “Agreed.”

“Um, excuse me,” a familiar quiet voice called. “A-are you girls doing something fun?”

“Great timing,” Barbara chuckled, nudging AJ’s belly. “Hey, Dusk, guess who just showed up.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she hurriedly closed the distance and began nuzzling the orange mare’s middle.

“Okay, not that Ah hate this, but all this attention is gettin’ a little awkward, like Ah’ve got an ‘open access’ sign on mah belly or somethin’.”

“Now you know what it’s like being a stallion,” Dusk dryly remarked.

“Oh my stars, it’s really you!” Fluttershy cheered in a library-appropriate volume. “I’m so happy for you. Both of you,” she added while meeting AJ’s eyes. “This must be such a magical experience. Oh, I can’t wait until it’s my turn. Um, not that I want to pressure anypony or anything,” she apologetically amended.

“Well, it’s not bad pressure,” Dusk allowed, returning the yellow mare’s cheek nuzzle through the flesh wall. It was nice having someone not go straight for his cock. “A-anyway, Celestia sent me tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala. One for each of us. Although, now that I think about it, all that noise and crowds probably aren’t your thing.”

“The Gala!? Oh, goodness! Of course, I want to go.”

“You want to go?” Rarity skeptically questioned.

“Well, not to the party. I’ve always wanted to visit the private gated garden that surrounds the dance,” Fluttershy elaborated. “The flowers are said to be the most beautiful and fragrant in all of Equestria, and that will be the only night they bloom all year. And that’s just the flora! The fauna is said to be the greatest collection of exotic animals in the world. Oh, it’s always been my dream to go.”

“Well, here’s your chance,” Barbara confirmed, offering the final ticket.

“Oh-hoho, thank you!” Fluttershy rushed to assail Barbara’s beak with kisses. By the time the mare finished and actually took the ticket, the drake was left dizzy and barely able to stand as she wore a goofy grin.

With all the mares getting their tickets and the chore finally concluded, everyone decided to part ways. Rarity, in particular, was insistent that Apple Jack get some much-deserved alone time with Dusk. Meanwhile, even though the Gala was still months away, the others were too excited by the news, and felt the need to return home for some early preparations. And since the treebrary was much closer, Apple Jack decided to head there for her leisure.

Author's Note

Without the artificial dilemma of not having enough tickets, this episode doesn’t have much in the way of conflict. Therefore, since I've opted for the characters to have a bit more common sense, causing them to solve most issues before they become problems, I’ve got to find other ways to pad things out. (Although, given how I’ve written Celestia, she’s probably the sort to purposefully not send enough tickets just to stir some drama. Oh, well.)

One of the biggest pet peeves I have with harem stories is how the girls are single-mindedly focused on the guy and barely interact with each other apart from competing for his attention. That’d be dull even if it hadn’t been done to death a million times already. I much prefer when everyone can get along, and the girls also show affection for each other. The anime Girlfriend Girlfriend was a step in the right direction, but I positively adore the character interactions in 100 Girlfriends, as the harem feels more like a proper friend group/family. That’s generally what I aspire to depict whenever I write harems, and this case is no exception.

Dusk might be in the center of this mass of ladies, but he’s not the sole focus. The girls already like each other. Even if they might bicker or some pairings might not yet be as romantic as others, there’s still general affection between them. They know they’re on their way to forming a polyamorous marriage, which is the standard in this culture, so everyone’s putting in the effort to make everyone else feel loved. However, with that said, while group interactions are good, the pairings also deserve special attention, which you can look forward to in the next installment.

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Chapter 9: Wholesome, Cuddlesome, Objectification

Arriving at the treebrary, Barbara hurried ahead to the kitchen, her claws clacking against the wood floor. “Just prepping some snacks,” she called. “Feel free to make yourself comfy in the bedroom.”

“Hmm, don’t mind if Ah do,” AJ agreed, ascending the stairs. “Oops. Hehe, sorry,” she said when her belly bumped the first step. So, she had to arch her back a little to climb the rest. As she did, she walked with an added swagger in her step, swinging her belly from side to side so she could feel Dusk sloshing around. “Hmm, that’s nice.”

“Feels like I’m in a hammock,” Dusk noted, unbothered as stomach juices splashed around his face and body. Staring into the darkness at what he was fairly sure was the valve to the esophagus, the little stallion leaned forward and rested his snout on the orifice. “Have you ever been vored before?”

“Oh, plenty when Ah was a filly,” Apple Jack answered. Reaching the bedroom, she carefully hopped onto the bed and sat upright, leaning back so her engorged belly rested between her spread legs. “Not so much no more, though,” she added, stroking the stretched globe of fuzzy flesh. “How is it in there?”

“Hmm… hot,” Dusk murmured. “Not too hot, but sauna would definitely be a fitting analogy. My fur is soaked in sticky goo, and even before you started using your hooves, I could feel the walls massaging me.”

“Cuz mah body loves ya,” AJ snickered.

“That’s actually part of the digestive process,” Dusk corrected. “See, the body is a little confused at what’s happening right now. Normally, the stomach’s undulating walls are meant to grind digestive enzymes into the food to help break it down. However, since I’m magically protected, the result is a cozy little massage.”

“Eh, Ah like mah version better,” AJ dismissed, once more using her hooves to experiment with different actions on her stuffed middle. She giggled as she watched her belly compress under her hoof’s pressure, only to bounce back. Almost everything had a slight jiggle, and absolutely everything that touched Dusk felt divine. “Hmm, Rarity had the right idea. Who knew a bookworm would make the perfect loungin’ food.”

“Hey, I’m not food,” Dusk whined.

“Says the li’l guy in mah belly,” AJ chuckled. “So, out ‘f curiosity, how does yer girlfriend compare ta the others who’ve vored ya?”

“Hmm, different, but in a way that’s hard to describe. The smell, texture of the stomach walls, and even the taste are all pretty similar.”

“Taste?”

“I can’t keep my mouth closed forever, you know.”

“Hehe, true. Anyway, go on,” the earth mare encouraged, still rubbing herself and eyeing how her stomach gripped around the contours of her stallion’s body. The sight was enough to spark a tingle between her legs, but she chose let it simmer without touching it, at least, for a bit.

“Well, I guess you’re more like Barb than my other family,” Dusk explained, not realizing the dragon had just entered the room and oblivious to Apple Jack encouraging the reptile to remain silent. “You’ve got less space than her, but I can tell how sturdy you are.” He tapped a hoof to the back of the mare’s abs. “It makes me feel safer than a softer mare, but not quite as good for napping. Although, still doable.”

“How ‘bout how Ah’m like Barb?” AJ asked.

“Well, I guess it’s more like a mood or context. When my moms and sisters ate me, I liked it, but it always felt like kind of a chore. Whenever any of them were in a bad mood or did something that deserved rewarding, the nearest stallion was usually conscripted to ‘do his duty.’ Ugh.”

“Ah take it that never sat right with ya?”

“I mean, I didn’t hate it. They all had such nice bodies, inside and out. Heh, my sisters especially liked sitting on me, or using these things called panties to hold me between their butt cheeks while they walked around and did stuff.”

“Oh, Ah’ve heard of those,” Apple Jack interrupted. “Ah think Rarity sells ‘em. They any good?”

“From a stallion’s perspective, they’re alright,” Dusk replied. “They make it easy to hump a mare’s backside without falling off. Although, my dame didn’t like them much. She said they made ponies lazy, letting stallions not develop a proper grip while enabling mares to get away with not having a plot with enough size to be gripped.”

“Yeah, Ah heard the same. That’s why Ah never tried ‘em.” Glancing at Barb, who’d been waiting in patient silence for a while, Apple Jack repeated, “So, what about Barb?”

“Well, with Barb, it never felt like a chore, even when it was. One of my moms would say that I hadn’t been inside her in too long a while, and that stallions shouldn’t let their mares feel neglected, even if they weren’t mares.” He laughed. “They’d say that even if I’d just been inside her an hour ago. It was always annoying when they didn’t share information and coordinate like they ought to. Like, my moms would just arbitrarily declare that I needed to service a random mare in the family because she or they simply felt like I should. It was so irritating, and nothing could make them see reason. But, when it was with Barb, it wasn’t as bothersome. If she wanted to eat me, sit on me, or even get rough and use me as a living sex toy, I didn’t mind… because it was her.” Dusk paused as realization hit. “She heard all that, didn’t she?”

“Nah, had something in my ear,” Barb replied, craning her draconic neck so her large head hovered directly over the orange stomach, enabling her to exhale grand gusts of hot air that rippled across the earth mare’s fur. “Say it again.”

“Why bother? You know what I mean,” Dusk retorted, flustered.

“Yeah, but I still like hearing it,” Barbara purred, gently resting her chin atop the orange pudge as the rest of her climbed onto the bed and curled protectively around the mare while setting a tray of goodies on the nightstand. Then, staring at AJ with one eye, her lips curled in a toothy grin as she said, “So, AJ, how does it feel to not be a chore?”

“Honestly, kinda mixed,” Apple Jack admitted. “On the one hoof, it’s nice hearin’ how much mah stallion loves servicin’ me. On the other hoof, Ah’m worried if that’s how mah brother sees me.”

“Whatever you do, don’t directly ask him about it,” Barbara informed. “Healthy communication between loved ones is never a good idea. It’s far better to let things fester in silence, or maybe come up with some overcomplicated scheme that’s likely to end in a big old mess. Either way, whatever you do, don’t be direct. And especially, don’t do it in a way that maximizes his comfort, like while he’s inside you or something.”

AJ furrowed her brow. “You usually give advice like this?”

“Basically. It’s what’s gotten the best results out of this one,” Barbara replied, rubbing a claw along the earth mare’s middle.

“Noted.” AJ nodded, turning her attention back down to her stomach, cradling it in her loving arms. “What about you, Dusk?”

“What about me?”

“Well, Ah don’t know. Ya feel like doin’ anythin’ right now?”

“I’m honestly good with anything right now, but thanks for asking. Except for Barb, mares mostly just use me like a toy. D-do you ever do that with Big Mac?”

Apple Jack shrugged. “Sometimes. Well, probably a lot more than Ah should.”

“Why, though?” Dusk questioned. “When more than one mare is doing stuff with me, they always communicate to make sure they’re on the same page; the only time I’m brought up is when they talk around me or at me, like I’m just an object. Why is that?”

Apple Jack sighed. “Honestly, Ah don’t know. Ah mean, Ah get it, but Ah don’t know why. Stallions are jus’ different like that. When there’s a mare ya like, yer supposed to sweet talk her, take her on a few dates ‘n show her a good time. But with stallions… Ah don’t know, but every crush Ah’ve ever had, Ah jus’ wanna lick ‘em all over ‘n smother ‘em with mah body.”

“Same premise but different actions,” Barbara interrupted. “Speaking as an outsider, it seems like courting the different sexes follows the same basic idea, but with wholly different actions. A mare’s idea of sweet -talking a stallion usually involves projecting power by boasting all the ways she wants to dominate him. And when it comes to showing him a good time, most mares default to licking, sitting, or just pinning him under her body while she plays with him,” Barbara analytically explained.

“Celestia,” Dusk scoffed.

“What was that?” Apple Jack asked, concern heavy in her voice. She liked Dusk and dearly wished for him to like her back. However, while his behavior and views were part of his charm, they frequently left her at odds with how she’d been raised to treat a stallion. Even now, after the little guy admitted how much he preferred her stomach over the mares in his family, Apple Jack couldn’t help but worry she might have accidentally crossed an unseen line.

“Nothing,” Dusk replied with a defeated sigh, shifting around in the belly to make himself comfortable.

Reading Apple Jack’s expression, Barbara added, “For the record, you still like it when AJ and I play with you, right?”

“Well, of course I do,” Dusk replied, confused as to why Barbara would even ask such an obvious question. “Barb, you’ve been with me for all the best parts of my life. And AJ, we haven’t known each other as long, but I still cherish you, and I’m having a hard time imagining a future without either of you. The same goes for the others. I want to be with all of you forever.”

“You just have issues with how mares keep objectifying stallions,” Barbara concluded, staring pointedly at the earth mare.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, Ah’ll do mah best, but Ah can’t promise it’ll never happen,” Apple Jack admitted. “Even now, the more we talk about it, the more things Ah wanna try with you. Panties shouldn’t be an issue if we don’t use ‘em too often, right?”

“They also make things for the teats called bras,” Barbara playfully informed. “Even if yours aren’t that big, it seems mares get a real kick out of sticking a stallion in there. Although, I hear it’s even better if you’ve got a good-sized rack,” she added, reaching to caress one of the apple picker’s crotch boobs as her chin remained on the orange belly. Then, remembering the tray, she plucked one of the orange slices and dangled it over AJ’s nose. “Say aaah.”

Apple Jack eyed the fruity treat with a half-smiling smirk before chomping it in one bite and sealing her lips around the dragon’s fingers. She suckled the digits sensually and swallowed the slice whole, barely feeling the tiny thing tumble down her throat. Instead, the earth mare focused on the claws’ firm sharpness, tenderly poking the tip with her tongue. “Hmm, that’s different,” Apple Jack muttered, nuzzling the fingers between licks. “These things must come in handy, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Barbara agreed, grabbing a whole peeled orangee for herself and similarly chomping it, not even causing a visible bump when she gulped. Her other hand kept two fingers for AJ to suckle while the rest tenderly scratched the earth mare’s neck, making her purr. “Yeah, I know what ponies like.”

“Buck, this is wonderful!” Apple Jack groaned, leaning into the drake’s touch. “Like a magic brush that knows jus’ where ta—NGH!” She yelped when Barbara abandoned the earth mare’s muzzle and let her dexterous digits delicately glide down her neck. AJ shivered as wave after wave of tingles shot through her body until her head collapsed against the pillow.

“I felt that,” Dusk announced, grinning after the stomach walls underwent a sudden tremor, clench, and a final gasp of relaxation. “Barb used her claws, didn’t she?”

“Nnngh,” AJ murmured, only half-conscious.

“Yikes, and I didn’t even go near her marehood… yet,” Barbara informed with a chuckle while eyeing the plump, orange backside.

“Barb,” Dusk warned. “Remember what Mom said about when a mare isn’t conscious enough to enjoy it.”

Barbara rolled her eyes. “Spoilsport. Anyway, I think we should—” The drake’s neck suddenly shot upward as she went still like a guard dog sensing an intruder. “Someone’s at the door,” she announced, slowly rising to a more defensive position over AJ and mentally weighing defensive options, eyes narrowed. Then, as quickly as the tension appeared, it relaxed when familiar voices hit her ears. “Dusk, you’ve got company.” She then loudly called, “We’re upstairs. The door’s open.”

A short time later, a small commotion gathered outside the bedroom, followed by four familiar flustered faces entering to behold Barb cuddling around AJ.

“I’m not usually into the cutesey shmultzy shmaltzy stuff, but fuck, that’s hawt!” Rainbow blurted.

Rarity fanned herself with her hoof. “Oh, most certainly. I realize we’ve yet to work out a sleeping schedule, but I propose we go in pairs. If I can’t have Dusk in me, I would simply love to wake up to such a divine view!” she finished, drooling slightly.

“AJ, how do you feel?” Fluttershy asked in her standard low volume, only getting a soft murmur in reply. “Oh, you look so positively cozy with a warm body inside and out. I could almost shout with joy.” She then inhaled for three whole seconds, only to unleash an “eeeee!” that wouldn’t have startled a mouse.

Then Pinkie manifested between Barb’s tail and AJ’s round rump, rubbing her back against the former like a cat with a back scratcher while possessively gripping the latter against her front. “Oh boy, it’s been forever since I got to be the meat in a proper butt sandwich. Dusk, you don’t know how lucky you are to be a stallion. There’s no shortage of butts good enough to squish you, but mares, especially the earth kind, have to constantly be on the hunt for the quality stuff.” She then faced the drake. “Thanks for lending me your butt, Barb.”

Barbara stared in confusion as the pink pony ground her back perfectly against the drake’s nether lips and sphincter for a pleasant but not overly stimulating tingle. “Please ask next time, but no problem. This is nice.” She tightened her tail’s grip around AJ to press her sensitive bits more firmly into the other earth mare. Afterward, she faced the remaining three. “Bed’s got more room, ya know.”

That was all the invitation the others needed, practically pouncing onto the mattress while being mindful of AJ’s rest. Naturally, the orange mare was the center of the cuddle pile as everyone fawned over the belly bulge, asking Dusk how he liked the experience.

It annoyed the stallion a little to repeat what had already been discussed, but he patiently sped through the old details while feeling half a dozen hooves stroking his front. Dusk lay in AJ’s belly with his stomach facing away from her spine, meaning it wasn’t long for the other mares to find his penis. Of course, it took even less time for them to abuse this privilege as four hooves competed for access, stroking him to hardness through the moist, fleshy walls. Dusk couldn’t help but hump into the touching appendages, loving the texture as it ground against his member.

“Uh-oh, I think he likes it,” Pinkie warned while beaming, her gaze flittering between the other mares and drake. “Hehe, you guys know what you’re doing.”

“I should think so,” Rarity haughtily agreed. Her horn lit, followed by the other empty-bellied mares yelping as something poked under their tails. She grinned as they settled into the feeling and shot her various looks of horniness. “You’re welcome.”

“Hey, don’t act like you’re a big shot just cuz you’re literally horny!” Rainbow challenged, wings outstretched as she slipped her feathery appendages beneath Rarity and Fluttershy’s tails.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, darling,” Rarity cooed, wiggling her rump around the firm and dexterous feathers, loving how the soft texture stimulated her nether lips. “Hmm, in fact, I’ve always had a fascination with pegasus feathers.”

“Um, Dusk, is this okay?” Fluttershy asked, bringing another hoof to press under the little stallion’s balls.

“Aaagh!”

“Nah, he hated that. Never touch there again,” Barbara advised, barely able to keep the grin from her face.

“Oh! Oh gosh! I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy whimpered, retracting her hooves. She tried fleeing, but a feathered wing, scaly tail, and magical aura collectively held her at bay.

“Dude, Flutters, she was fuckin’ with ya,” Rainbow informed, chuckling before facing Barbara. “Gotta be careful with her. She’s more sensitive than Dusk is right now.” She emphasized by prodding harder into the crotch bulge and triggering another groan.

“Yeah, but that’s why we love her,” Pinkie added, throwing a hoof around Fluttershy’s neck and pulling her down to join in hugging AJ’s grand glutes.

“Well, this is a first,” Apple Jack muttered, yawning. “Ah take a quick power nap ta sleep off mah stallion food—”

“S-still not food,” Dusk weakly protested.

“—‘n here Ah find mahself at the bottom ‘f a cuddle pile.” She blinked and looked around, taking account of all present while they touched her. “What do Ah gotta do ta make this a regular thing?” she asked, wiggling her rump beneath the pink and yellow mares.

“W-well, R-Rarity mentioned a sleeping schedule,” Dusk informed, recovering from his nut while hooves continued assailing his rod.

“Guess which part of that he’s more excited for,” Barbara playfully invited.

“On a related topic, thank you again for inviting us to the Gala,” Rarity began. “However, given that this is such a high-class event, I feel that we’ll need to do a bit more than a mere sleeping schedule.”

“Like what?” Rainbow asked, still massaging her neighbor’s tail holes.

“Well, as the Royal Protégé, Dusk will effectively be presenting us as his fiancés at this prestigious event. To put it simply, that’s quite a big deal,” Rarity elaborated. “Not to mention, we’re the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony, which will also make this our personal debut on the royal stage. We must be ready to present ourselves with the decorum due to our station.”

“So, what? Wear fancy duds?” questioned AJ.

Rarity scoffed. “More than that, darling. Dusk is a very important stallion, and we must demonstrate our ability to—”

“Is this just a roundabout way of saying you want to vore me?” Dusk interrupted.

Rarity whickered in annoyance. “I was getting to it.”

“What’s going on? What’d I miss?” Pinkie asked, looking around.

“High society jerks like to see and be seen,” Dusk explained in annoyance. “They take what should be simple events dedicated to one thing, and refocus the attention onto themselves. It’s a stupid game they play, and I really don’t want to get involved.”

“But Dusk, I wish to open a shop in Canterlot one day,” Rarity whined. “I can’t make a bad first impression by letting them think I neglect my stallion.”

“By voring me?”

“… among other things, yes.”

“Wait, why’s that a big deal?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, I get why that’s a big deal in general, but why at the Gala? Can they, like, tell or something?”

“Yeah, they can tell,” Barbara confirmed. “There’s a certain kind of flirting that’s expected from herds at events like this, and these guys know when someone’s putting on a show vs. the real deal.” She forlornly sighed. “Dusk, I’m afraid Rarity’s right. You’re gonna have to get vored by your remaining fiancés, but that’s just the start. They’ll expect you to be intimately familiar with each other’s bodies. We’re talking about holding you between their butt cheeks while they walk, shoving you tail-first in their pussies so only your head is poking out, getting their throats so used to you that they can swallow you with the same effort as a grape, and so on.” Barbara somberly shook her head as the arousal of five mares tickled her nostrils. “So, do you think you’ll go down easier with mustard, catchup, or ranch dressing?”

“If I was outside, I’d slap you for that,” Dusk growled, his ire showing through AJ’s belly bulge.

“And I’d take you to the market while it’s packed, sit you on my tongue, and lick your itty bitty peeny until you came for everyone to see,” Barbara matter-of-factly threatened before glancing between the mares. “For the record, only I get to do stuff like that cuz I’m his sister. If any of you tried that, I’d shove you so far up my pussy and hold you there until a shell formed, and I’d have to lay you as an egg.”

“That can happen,” Flutterhshy confirmed in a whisper, looking a bit too eager as she explained.

“Challenge accepted!” Rainbow proclaimed.

“Same, but can we skip the public humiliation part?” Pinkie asked. “I just wanna see what it’s like being an egg.”

“Anyway!” Dusk cut in. “Rarity and Barb are right. The papers will be there, and I don’t want to give those tabloids any excuse to badmouth you guys. So, we should… I guess…”

“Do the thing we were planning to do anyway that’s already an accepted and expected social custom that Rarity accidentally made weird?” Pinkie rapidly asked, not needing to take a breath afterward.

Rarity pursed her lips, but said nothing.

“Well, I’m into it,” Barbara announced. “However, sorry, Dusk, but I’m not gonna let this be scheduled. Your first time with a mare ought to be special and spontaneous. Planning for it at the end of a date is one thing, but I’m not gonna let you set these mares in a line and pass you along.”

“I-I wasn’t gonna do that,” Dusk guiltily stammered.

“He so was,” Barbara countered, addressing the mares, making them giggle.

So, it was agreed. The Royal Protégé and his herd would prepare for their royal debut at the Grand Galloping Gala… with vore and other kinky activities. And to seal the deal, Dusk dictated a letter from inside AJ.

“Dear Queen Celestia

I’ve learned that one of the benefits of friendship is sharing one’s blessings. However, sometimes, supply does not meet demand, and there aren’t enough blessings to go around. In this case, my (incredibly desirable and positively scrumptious) body. In a market, this would normally lead to competition over limited resources. However, within the social contract known as a herd, great strides must be taken to ensure equitable distribution of resources so no one feels left out. As such, we are currently working out a loose schedule to nip this problem in the bud, ensuring my herd is presentable for the Grand Galloping Gala. Thanks again for the tickets.

Your Faithful Students Sincerely

Dusk Shine

***

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Of course, Dusk would make a schedule.”

“Well, obviously, but can you blame him?” Cadence reasoned, cuddling beside the larger alicorn in bed while stroking her fiancé-filled stomach. “Most stallions only start with two or three mares in their herds, but Dusk skipped straight to five. The little go-getter.”

“Don’t forget Barb,” Shining reminded.

“Barb was implied,” Cadence countered. “You’d need an industrial-grade crowbar to pry those two apart.”

“Which is another issue I’m hoping to amend,” Celestia added, looping an arm around Cadence to tease the pink mare’s plump plot. “Ideally, Barb will learn to trust the others enough to start making some distance and living more independently.”

“Great idea, Your Majesty. Your keen insight and forward thinking never fails to impress and surprise,” Shining sarcastically praised.

Celestia quirked an eyebrow and faced Cadence. “Was that a back-hooved way of saying he’s surprised I had a plan at all?”

Struggling to not smirk or snicker, Cadence averted her eyes. “No c-comment.”

“Uh-huh,” Celestia flatly confirmed. “It’s nice to hear my Captain and future son-in-law thinks so highly of me.” Her horn lit, conjuring a phallic construct that unceremoniously breached her daughter’s anus and elongated until it reached the stallion in question, repeating the deed and earning a squeaky yelp. “Anyway, things should be simple in this early stage. We can only hope Dusk is ready for the challenges ahead.”

“Such as the pink one?” Shining asked. “Dusk sent a picture of his new mares, and that pink one has me wary. The pink ones are always a hoof-full.”

Celestia looked at her pink daughter, expecting her to clench her stomach or anything else to retaliate against her mouthy stallion and put him in his place.

Cadence merely shrugged. “What? He’s not wrong.” Her grin was of the shit-eating variety.

Celestia merely nodded. “I’ve taught you well.”

Author's Note

This installment ran shorter than expected, and I almost didn’t include the friendship lesson. Luckily, the canon lesson wasn’t too dissimilar from how I wrote the chapter, so it all worked out with a little rewrite to match Dusk’s voice. The ending bit with Celestia was also fun, and is likely to become a standard feature. I’m not sure how much I’ll stick to the episodes, as I’m kinda more preoccupied with exploring everyday life in this AU Equestria. Anyway, more vore and shota fun ahead. I’m not sure how long this ride will last, but I’m keen on making it as enjoyable as possible.

Also, for anyone curious, I went back and removed the warnings in the chapter titles. This story is all about the sex and vore. Even if it doesn't happen, it's being discussed. So, if that bothers you, no amount of warning will protect you.

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Chapter 10: Everyday Chores with Fiancés

“Thanks again for being my model, darling,” Rarity cooed as her magic stitched the fabric around the purple stallion, keeping her eye keenly on her work at Carousel Boutique’s creation station.

“Uh, n-no problem, Rarity,” Dusk awkwardly replied. He was held to a mannequin’s robust backside by a pair of pearly white underwear. The plastic material was hard and coarse against his back, yet the shape accurately represented how the average mare’s ass cheeks were each roughly Dusk’s mass. It was like fitting a round peg into a square hole, giving the little stallion a newfound appreciation for mares’ soft butts now that he knew about the alternative. “This is, um, m-more fabric than I expected from you.”

Rarity tittered and flirtatiously fluttered her eyelashes. “Oh? Did you think I’d restrict myself only to lacey thongs to accentuate a mare’s curves and her stallion’s bits?” She lowered her nose to the purple unicorn’s trapped bulge and heavily exhaled, knowing he could feel her warmth.

“Nnngh…” Dusk nodded.

“Well, as much as I enjoy such aesthetics, I’m afraid the thinner strings grow terribly uncomfortable for the stallions after too long,” Rarity lamented as she resumed working. “So, I aim to find a suitable middle ground between function and fashion. Many mares enjoy wearing underwear for its own sake, but if we’re being honest, the real point is to act as a carrier for their stallions.”

“What about bras?” Barbara asked, curled up in the room’s center as she watched her stallion whimper. It went without saying that Rarity got off on restraining the little guy. Mares dominating stallions was just part of nature, and was frequently seen in most aspects of everyday life. Dusk knew what he was getting into when he’d volunteered to help the gorgeous white mare, and despite his whining, the erection stretching the fabric suggested he didn’t hate the experience. Likewise, Barbara didn’t mind seeing Dusk made to squirm by someone who did it out of love. It made her tingly.

“I’m afraid bras aren’t nearly as popular, darling. Not as visible, you see,” Rarity lamented. “Panties make a statement. They draw the eye to a mare’s curvaceous plot, accentuating its grandeur by showing off its ability to hold her stallion. Truly, there can be no greater mark of a mare’s femininity!” she boldly declared. “Bras, by contrast, have yet to find much appeal beyond a niche crowd.”

“Speaking of niche, it looks like those could use a net or something to catch all that pre,” Barbara observed, indicating the steadily growing stain around the purple unicorn’s erection.

Rarity went wide-eyed. “Ideaaa~” she sang before throwing herself around the drake’s neck and furiously kissed under her jaw. “Oh, Barbie-Warby. You brilliant thing, you.” She then stripped the underwear off the mannequin, setting Dusk atop its cheeks as she took the fabric to her sewing station. “Most mares prefer to have their stallions facing inward, for reasons I hope are obvious,” the fashionista distractedly explained. “However, there are plenty who prefer holding their stallions in other ways, but they don’t because most underwear seldom accommodates for the stallion’s inevitable ejaculation, which creates unsightly stains.” Rarity’s volume grew low as she began muttering, saying something about a pouch and becoming utterly engrossed in her work.

Dusk sat awkwardly atop the mannequin’s plastic cheeks, crossing his legs to hide his boner from Barbara’s intense, predatory stare. “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” Barbara asked, licking her lips.

“That. You’re giving me that creepy look like you want to eat me.”

“But I do want to eat you,” Barbara matter-of-factly countered. Parting her jaws for Dusk to see inside, she flexed her fangs and coiled her tongue as saliva dripped from the roof of her mouth. “I want to roll your little body around my mouth like a piece of candy, lick every last square inch of your helpless body, especially the salty bits, and finally, send you down where all naughty little stallions belong.” She traced a line from her chin, down her throat, and finally ended with crossing an X over her stomach.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at the drake. “Ya know, just because you’re my sister, that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to mess with me.”

“Ahem,” Rarity daintily cleared her throat. “For the record, yes, it does, but don’t tell my sister I said that. Only we older sisters have such a responsibility.”

“A nice idea, but I’m afraid you’re both wrong,” Barbara politely countered. “The messing goes both ways. Besides, I might not look it, but I’m actually the younger one.”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. Terribly sorry, but I forgot.”

Barbara shrugged. “No problem.”

“Well, you understand, of course,” Rarity continued, never tearing her eyes from her work. “Just look at you, darling. You’re, well, a magnificent specimen, and not just because of your size. The look in your eye sends chills through ponies, both for good and ill. Your claws are a similar paradox, designed to rend flesh from bone, yet make for unparalleled back scratchers. However, at present, I find myself fascinated with your tail.”

Barbara curiously eyed her snake-like limb as it weaved across the floor.

“Is it because the tail compensates for her lack of a butt?” *Thud* “OW! Gah!” *Thud* “Oof.” Dusk’s question was followed by a yarn ball to the face, knocking him from his perch, where he landed on the floor in an undignified position, head down and back end standing tall in an upside-down sit.

Barbara merely smirked in triumph.

“In a manner,” Rarity confirmed. “The shape of Barby-Warbie’s tail appears to hinder the development of the same caliber of posterior typical of ponies. No offense, darling, but in terms of cheek volume, Rainbow Dash has more of a butt than you.”

Barbara clutched a claw over her chest. “Okay, that hurt.”

“Indeed, but therein lies the fascinating element. The tail actually compensates for your lack of ass, acting as a limb and enabling you to hold your stallion where he belongs,” Rarity excitedly praised, holding up her finished work. “Ah, there we go. Now we just need to—Dusk! What are you doing on the floor?” she asked while staring intently at the space exposed beneath his tail.

“Questioning my life choices,” the stallion groaned, rubbing his forehead. “Also, I’m questioning why a ball of yarn isn’t softer.”

Rarity noticed the errant sphere nearby, checked on Barbara to find the drake guiltily averting her gaze, and deduced the truth. “Well, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t play with my work materials. If you want to be treated as a stallion instead of a colt, I expect you to act like it,” she lectured, lifting Dusk in her magic and setting his back against the mannequin’s butt.

“I-I wasn’t playing. It was—”

“Now-now, no fussing,” Rarity gently chided, slipping the garment up the mannequin’s legs and over the adorable male. “Just hold still and… there!” She let the elastic band snap into place over the purple unicorn’s snoot, trapping everything below his nose beneath the fabric. “There, how’s the fit?”

Groaning, Dusk wiggled, noting several changes from before. “The band isn’t slipping.”

Rarity proudly held her head high. “Indeed. The cut ensures a snug fit around a stallion’s face, just like this, but it should be equally comfortable around the neck if the mare so wishes.”

“Ah, I see. So, I only get to be in the sun if my mare lets me,” Dusk sardonically dismissed.

“Don’t be like that, darling. Unlike you, most stallions don’t have over a ton of teeth and scales for protection, and quite appreciate the security that comes from being in a mare’s possession.”

“My brother doesn’t,” Dusk argued.

“And who is your brother?”

“Shining Armor.”

Rarity blinked. “Shining Armor? As in… Captain Shining Armor from Made in Manehatten’s sexiest stallions of the year?”

“Uh… maybe?”

“He’s made the top-ten list for the last six consecutive years. That’s your brother!?”

“Hey, he’s my brother, too,” Barbara reminded, purposefully grinning a grin that would make lesser-willed beings wet themselves. “Our family is fun.”

“I… I see. Putting a pin in that for later,” Rarity decided, recomposing herself. “Anyway, anomalies aside, most stallions enjoy and appreciate how mares care for them. However, while I admit that we can get a little… carried away sometimes, it’s usually with the best of intentions. I simply wish for my garments to ensure our stallions are as comfortable as possible while in our care. On that note, how does your penis feel?”

Dusk wiggled some more. “Well, it slipped into a slot.” He grunted thoughtfully and added, “What the buck is this stuff made of? Is this some kind of special fabric, or maybe enchanted?”

“Sort of, and definitely yes,” Rarity beamed, positively giddy at seeing her efforts be recognized. “A thicker weave does not merely allow for a container for a stallion’s ejaculation. Too much will inevitably stain through anything, assuming added steps aren’t taken,” she cryptically explained.

“Added ste—” Dusk quickly resumed wiggling his hips, this time paying special attention to how the soft material slid across his penis. “Wait, is that a spell matrix?”

“Hehe, yes!” Rarity cheered. “A rather low-level one, at that. It creates a protective film between the fabric’s inner layer and your family jewels. This way, you can cum as much as you like without ever leaving unsightly stains that makes the mare look like she wet herself.”

Barbara finally stood, the floor creaking under her tremendous weight as she approached her bound brother and sniffed his bulge. “Whoa, that’s some fine weaving, but isn’t this kind of thing, like, insanely expensive?”

“The price depends on the quality of the magic used,” Rarity corrected. “If you’ll recall, I said this one was low-level.”

“Yeah, but what about duration?” Barbara inquired. “Low-level stuff only lasts, like, a day, and that’s if you’re super careful. You’d have to constantly replenish the spell, and who’d want to do that?”

“Barb, it’s sewn into the fabric,” Dusk reminded. “The spell will hold so long as the weave isn’t undone. And since it’s low-level, that means there’ll be less strain. So, something like this could probably last a few months.”

Barbara whistled.

It was all Rarity could do to keep herself from hopping around the room like Pinkie. It was one thing to talk shop with other seamstresses and fashion enthusiasts. However, to the surprise of many, Rarity was quite an adept magician, and it had been ages since she got to chat with peers who understood the magical complexities of her work and didn’t immediately dismiss it as a waste of effort. Dusk and Barbara were such beautiful and precious treasures. With that said, it wouldn’t hurt to look into getting the other sibling in on the fun.

***

Later, Dusk sat atop Barb’s back as she carefully weaved through the streets. Ponies were getting used to having a small, horse-sized dragon in their midst, but most still gave her a wide berth. That was fine with the drake, as she enjoyed the space. She definitely wasn’t jealous of mares bumping hips as they passed one another in a nonverbal greeting. No, she definitely didn’t feel jealous or excluded. Rather, Barbara was just glad that most of the weird looks had stopped.

“Let’s see, here,” Dusk muttered. “Modeling for Rarity, check. Being Rainbow’s post-workout masseuse, check. Baking with Pinkie, check. Helping Fluttershy feed her animals… which turned into herding them back in their cages after someone blew fire and freaked them out…”

“I sneezed. Sue me.”

“Check. That just leaves Apple Jack with—why isn’t there anything listed?”

Barbara chuckled. “Ya know, most folks would probably pick up on that detail first instead of going down the whole list.”

Dusk looked at Barbara as though the drake had called his mother a skinny twig with no ass. “Approaching the list out of order completely derails the entire point of having a list in the first place. You know that!”

“Yeah, I know it,” Barbara agreed, snickering. “I know it cuz you won’t shut up about it cuz you’ve got a list fetish.”

“It’s not a fetish!” Dusk barked louder than he’d intended, catching attention he did not desire. “I-it’s just an appreciation for things being orderly. Anyway, back to the question.”

Barbara shrugged. “Don’t know. Big Mac just said to come over once we were done with everything else to ‘look at something.’ By the way, the guy had an accident and broke some ribs.”

“Ribs, huh? Did a mare squeeze him too tightly or something?” Dusk joked.

“Yeah, probably.”

“… what?” Dusk deadpanned.

“Yeah, I asked him exactly that, and he got all quiet, like he was embarrassed. So, maybe. Why?” Barbara asked. “Afraid of what a big and tough farmer might do to a fragile little nerd like you?”

“No, I trust Apple Jack,” Dusk asserted, sounding slightly annoyed that he needed to justify such a thing. “Big Mac is a handsome stallion. It’s more likely that a suitor got too rough. Although, most injuries like that happen around the pelvic region.” Dusk shook his head before getting lost in thought. “Anyway, I’ve helped everyone else with their chores. I’m sure Apple Jack has something we can do for her.”

“Well, I can think of something you can do,” Barbara replied with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Dusk rolled his eyes. “Doubtful. Being vored by her twice before anyone else has had a turn would be blatant favoritism, and Apple Jack seems too sensible to invite that kind of trouble.”

“Eh, too bad. I liked seeing you as an orange bulge. We’ll see if any other colors are available,” Barbara coyly remarked as they departed the town outskirts, heading for the orchard. “The quiet’s nice out here.”

Dusk nodded, regarding the many trees and occasional critter. “I will not miss city noise. Give me gentle bird chirps any day.”

“You should tell Fluttershy that. I bet she’d get a real kick out of it.”

“I don’t see why. That just seems like common sense,” Dusk countered. “Just because she has a fondness for animals, that doesn’t mean she’ll one-dimensionally respond positively to anything animal-related. She’s more than that.”

“Oh yeah? So, you wouldn’t go gaga if you found out she or the others had a list fetish like yours?” Barbara inquired.

Dusk turned his head and huffed. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response… Also, do you hear something?”

“No, I feel it!” Barbara growled as she saw a dust cloud approaching, sending tremors through the dirt. “Stampede!” she growled, squaring her shoulders and lowering her head. The young drake could sprint short distances, but had little experience running otherwise. She wasn’t confident she could escape a sizeable herd of what appeared to be cows. However, since letting Dusk get trampled also wasn’t an option, the only choice was to stand her ground, inhale, and prepare her mightiest flaming roar. Then, just as the drake’s chest had inflated like a croaking frog, the dust cloud suddenly halted, settled, and the view became clear.

“Apple Jack?” Dusk questioned, watching his fiancé lasso the lead bovine. “What’s going on?”

“Sorry. Neighbor’s herd got spooked. Ah was in the area, so Ah decided ta help,” the farmer replied, petting the cow to settle it before seeing who else was there. “Good thing Ah did, too. Ya’ll might’ve scattered the herd ‘n sent ‘em everywhere.”

“Well, I wasn’t about to run from cows,” Barbara replied with indignant pride.

Apple Jack chuckled and yawned. “Well, Ah should get these babies back ta where they belong. Where you folks headed, anyhow?”

“Your place, and—are you okay?” Dusk inquired, leaning forward from Barbara’s back for a better look. “You look… off.”

“Well, Ah just wrangled a stampedin’ herd. Mah mane ain’t exactly in top form,” Apple Jack dismissed, fluffing her golden locks.

Deciding to not approach and risk spooking the cows again, Barbara leaned forward. “No, Dusk’s right. You’ve got bags under your eyes big enough to carry a colt.”

“What? No way.” Apple Jack vehemently shook her head, only to yawn again. “Ah… Ah’ve jus’ been workin’ a li’l harder than usual. Big Mac is out ‘f commission fer a bit, so Ah’ve been takin’ his share ‘f the work.”

“Big Mac said he wanted us to look at something,” Barbara whispered out of the corner of her mouth and gestured her head AJ’s way.

Nodding, Dusk dismounted his sister and approached the orange mare for a closer look. “Yes, definitely sleep-deprived.”

“Oh, shove it,” Apple Jack groaned, pushing hard enough against Dusk’s chest that she sent him skidding backward several yards, seemingly not even noticing as she yawned. “Ah jus gotta… gotta… What’re yawl doin’ out here again?”

After returning to his prior position, Dusk answered, “This was the day I scheduled to spend helping my fiancés, and now that it’s your turn, I think you might need a sleeping potion.”

Apple Jack rolled her eyes, lowered her head to be in the short stallion’s face and aggressively snorted. “Buck that. You got any idea how much work Ah gotta do?”

“Not a clue,” Dusk admitted. “Although, I know our other friends are mostly finished with their respective tasks. Maybe—”

“Ah. Don’t. Need. Help,” Apple Jack huffed, baring her teeth in an expression that was usually followed by soiling oneself after Barbara did her thing to anyone that threatened her stallion. Luckily, the drake still kept her distance.

Instead, Dusk merely planted a quick peck on AJ’s lips, shocking the wrath out of her face. “I never said you did. Although, maybe someone”—he said over his shoulder—“ought to check on the others while I scope things out at your place. You are on my list, after all.”

Drearily blinking in confusion, AJ eventually sighed in defeat and offered a shoulder for her stallion to climb. “Well, Ah guess that’s fine. Hop aboard.”

Dusk did, finding a comfy spot near the orange mare’s shoulders that enabled him to hold her head. He then wiggled his butt atop the farmer’s back in the way he knew generally made mares happy. “Alright, onward,” he declared before sharing one last nod with Barb.

The drake disappeared back into town, leaving the ponies to handle the cows.

“So, you’re working extra hard to cover for Big Macintosh?”

“E’yup,” Apple Jack replied.

“Your current exhaustion suggests this is a hefty amount of labor. That’s quite unusual for a stallion of any age, even an earth pony,” Dusk noted.

“He’s got legs, so he uses ‘em,” Apple Jack matter-of-factly replied, seemingly moving on autopilot as she led the cows. “Bein’ a stallion ain’t no excuse fer a free ride.” She then looked at the purple unicorn, smiled, and winked. “Unless they’re cute enough.”

Dusk blushed. “W-well, er… If it’s not too personal, how was Big Macintosh injured?”

“Foursome,” Apple Jack plainly blurted.

“A f-foursome?” Dusk stammered, shocked by the upfront admission.

AJ chuckled. “Yeah, but he ain’t likely ta tell ya. Dern fool don’t like admittin’ he’s a glass canon. Boy’s hooves can crack a tree in two if he ain’t careful, but he can’t take a hit ta save his life.”

“Even so, most mares are usually mindful of how delicate some stallions are that it’s insulting,” Dusk remarked. “Just what was happening that resulted in him being injured?”

“He won’t say. Proud li’l dummy. Ah’m mostly speakin’ from experience, but Ah don’t know fer sure,” Apple Jack replied. Finally, they reached the cattle’s owner, and the mares exchanged pleasantries, leaving Dusk mostly ignored until AJ set off for home. It was just the two of them now. “Yer fidgetin’.”

“I… yes. It just now occurred to me that we’re all alone.”

“Ya mean ya don’t have Barb to look out fer ya,” Apple Jack deduced.

“… that too.”

“Don’t tell me ya think Ah’ll gobble ya up again when the others ain’t even got a turn yet. That’s a headache Ah’d rather not deal with,” she dismissed.

Dusk nodded. “That’s exactly what I told Barb. Your manners and background would never allow you to break protocol like that.”

“Implyin’ ya know there’re mares in our herd that’d definitely take advantage of ya right now,” Apple Jack inferred.

“Y-yes…”

“Not to mention, we’re kinda in a honeymoon phase, but sure enough, we’ll reach a point where we don’t keep track of who’s done what,” Apple Jack continued. “Meanin’ Ah’ll be free to help mahself ta ya whenever yer in reach. How’s that make ya feel?” she asked. Apparently, teasing her stallion helped replenish the exhausted mare’s energy. “Feels warmer ta me.”

Dusk crossed his legs and adjusted his position to keep his genitals off the mare. “W-well, I think I’d prefer sticking to a schedule as much as possible.”

“Cuz you’ve got a fetish fer schedules ‘n lists?”

“Wh-what? No! Did Barb tell you that? She’s just making stuff up to tease me.”

“Maybe, but Ah guessed that, mahself. Ya ain’t hard to figure out, Dusky.”

Dusk sulked as the arch to Sweet Apple Acres came into view.

“Hehe, yer cute when ya pout,” Apple Jack stated as she crossed the threshold, only to realize something. “Say, why’d ya send Barb away, anyhow? Ah appreciate that ya trust me, but what’s she doin’ without ya?”

“Incommiiiiing!” Rainbow screamed while whizzing inches above the pair’s heads.

“Gah! Son of a—Rainbow!?” Apple Jack exclaimed. “What in tarnation are you doin’ here? We ain’t got horseshoes fer… later?” she stated, sounding uncertain as her tired brain struggled to recall the precise date.

Rainbow beamed as she hovered nearby. “Well, if you must know, I was invited. We all were.”

“All?” AJ faced the entrance, finding the three remaining mares and the drake crossing onto her land like they owned the place. Barbara met the farmer’s gaze with a smug challenge, daring the orange mare to tell her to leave. Instead, AJ’s eyes fell onto Dusk as he tried averting his gaze to look innocent. “What’d you do?”

“Goodness, you really do look tired,” Fluttershy assessed, getting inches from AJ’s face to see the mare’s disheveled state. “When’s the last time you slept?”

AJ shook an irate hoof in the yellow mare’s general direction, missing by a whole yard. “Agh, ain’t none ‘f yer busy-nass.”

“Hehe, that long, huh?” Pinkie asked.

“Goodness, darling. Just look at the state of this place.” Rarity stood near a clutch of buckets arranged under trees. Some were upside-down, others had spilled half their contents, a couple were just fine, and one was on top of the tree. “You really need some—”

“Ah don’t need help!” Apple Jack angrily shot back, moving so suddenly that she lost her balance and fell to the ground. “Ow…”

“I vehemently disagree,” Dusk stated, now sitting on AJ’s side.

“Well, who asked ya?” Apple Jack grunted, still in the dirt. “This is mah farm, makin’ it mah problem.”

“Darling, be reasonable,” Rarity countered. “We’re your fiancés, meaning we’re to be a herd someday. That means helping each other in times of need.”

“AJ, I know you’re probably tempted to show off how big and tough you are for Dusk, but I’m pretty sure he already knows,” Fluttershy reminded.

“It’s true,” Dusk confirmed. “Even like this, I’m pretty sure she could kick my ass if she put her mind to it.

“Exactly,” Fluttershy agreed, only to bashfully backtrack. “I mean about him understanding and not thinking less of you for being in over your head. You shouldn’t ever kick a stallion’s—er—butt under any circumstances.”

“Heh, unless it’s your brother, right?” Rainbow chuckled, casually swimming on her back through the air as Fluttershy did not protest. “Quit being such a stick in the mud, AJ. If you saw any of us looking like you do now, you’d probably tie us to the nearest bed ‘til we got some much-needed zees. And if we had a rope strong enough, I’d do that right now. Instead, how about letting the ponies and dragon who love you lend some help?”

Rarity’s mane bounced as she looked around. “Pinkie, don’t you have anything to… say?” she asked, finally spying the pink mare kicking a tree and carrying buckets full of apples on her back.

“What? She’s gonna give in eventually. Might as well get started. Besides, I don’t want Granny Smith yelling at us for being lazy and leaving a mess.”

“Good points all around,” Dusk noted. “Barb, did you have anything to add?”

“I kinda liked Rainbow’s rope idea. How about I sit on her so she can say she didn’t let us help? We forced it on her,” the drake explained with a toothy grin.

“Ugh, no, that ain’t necessary,” Apple Jack groaned. “You’re all right. Ain’t no way Ah can do this on mah own, so… p-please help.”

“Literally already started!” Pinkie called.

And the mares, stallion, and drake did their part to finish harvesting the field. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity carried the buckets to the cart, which Barbara pulled at record speeds to and from the storage area. Rainbow got a kick out of harvesting apples the earth pony way, while Dusk flexed his magic by levitating apples from a dozen trees at a time. Together, they finished a week’s worth of work before sunset. Meanwhile, AJ got some much deserved rest, including some bonus cuddle time with Dusk afterward. Luckily, her grip was relaxed enough for the stallion to dictate a letter.

Dear Queen Celestia

Apple Jack is a stubborn ass in the best sense of the term. It seems I’m not the only one making lists to help others with their various tasks (which the little freak finds totally hot, by the way :p). However, this proud mare has had trouble accepting help from others. Luckily, she appears to have accepted our feelings to return the favor, enabling us to pick up the slack. I rather enjoy the prospect of ongoing manual labor (even though I’m a dork who uses magic every time). However, I mostly enjoy the sensation that comes from helping a friend I dearly care for, and I think that’s at the heart of any true friendship: a desire to help and a willingness to accept help.

Your Faithful Student

And his helpful editor

Dusk Shine

***

Later, at Canterlot Castle…

“Shiny, are you crying?” Cadence asked, pressing her nose into her fiancé’s cheek as he attempted to pull away.

“N-no. Shut up,” Shining profusely denied, keeping his face away from view. “I’m not proud of my little brother for finally stepping out of his shell at all.” Suddenly, a pink hoof wrapped around the little guy’s barrel and pulled him close, followed by a pink nose nuzzling his neck.

“We’re all proud of Dusk, Shiny,” Cadence lovingly cooed.

“So, these friendship letters are to be an ongoing feature?” Luna inquired. “To what end?”

Celestia shrugged. “Honestly, no idea. I just know they’re going to be important eventually.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Thine premonitions art ever an aggravation.”

Author's Note

It took me longer than I liked, but I finally finished this installment. It definitely could have turned out better, especially with how I cut all of AJ’s bungles while helping the others. I also feel like I’m giving too much attention to AJ in general. Hopefully, I can remedy that the next time around as the spotlight shifts to other ponies in the herd. Now, I just have to decide how to handle these additional characters.

Chapter 11: A Captain’s Duties

Shining Armor was a stallion of considerable notoriety. Besides being the first male Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard in centuries, his fiancé was none other than the ravishing goddess, divinely dubbed Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence to her friends. If that weren’t enough, Shining had to deal with the additional title of being the brother to Dusk Shine, Element Bearer, and hero of the land. Luckily, Shining’s reputation as a competent leader was already well established, saving him from having to live in his little brother’s shadow. Even so, that was only a small reprieve in the maelstrom that was his life.

If Shining Armor had to describe his role as a Captain in one word, it would be paperwork. Most foals envisioned the rank and title as spearheading glorious attacks against vicious monsters, but Shining’s obligations demanded that he battle his weight in paperwork every week. This division needed these supplies at this specific time. Why were those supplies not delivered? File the paperwork to launch an investigation. What did the investigation find? File the paperwork to deal with it, and then file more paperwork to declare the matter resolved. Seriously, that last part shouldn’t have taken more than one sheet of paper. Even with a small army of assistants, it still took the colt-sized stallion almost the full day to complete his tasks, and that was assuming he wasn’t called somewhere to stand around and look important while the enemy papers built their strength in his absence.

Of course, the end of the work day did not mean the end of his obligations. Shining liked to set an open-door policy with his troops, wanting them to feel free to approach him with whatever they needed. Sure, it added to his workload, even after his shift ended, but he believed it was better than being aloof and indifferent to his subordinates’ needs. As a result, Shining had amassed a great deal of popularity among the troops in an amount of time that made even celebrities envious.

The doors to his office opened, and Shining used his magic to move a stack of papers aside to see who would dare approach unannounced. “Gleaming?”

“Captain, Lieutenant Gleaming Shield, reporting,” she replied, saluting. She had the exact color scheme as her twin. However, as a mare, she was naturally several times larger. She had more mass in a single, luscious ass cheek than he did in his whole body, a fact that she enjoyed reminding him of at every opportunity. “The Princess requests your company.”

Shining groaned. “Now? My shift literally ended five seconds ago. Can’t she wait until I get home?” Shining whined, the sight of his sister causing his guard to drop and a little of his coltish behavior to come out where his assistants could see. “What could she possibly—Wait, which princess? Remind me, is Luna a queen or a princess?”

“Your fiancé, Sir,” Gleaming confirmed, saying the last word in a way that any sibling would recognize as meaning Dork, or some approximation. “Princess Cadence wishes to see you in her private quarters, and she asked that you make haste. The matter seemed quite urgent.”

Shining didn’t need to look around to know his assistants all wore lascivious smirks. When one was engaged to the Alicorn of Love, certain things were assumed. Worse, most of those things barely came close to the real deal. “W-well, I-I suppose I mustn’t keep her waiting,” Shining stammered as he hopped to the floor from his mare-sized chair and walked around the desk twice his height.

“Should I carry you, then?” Gleaming asked with a shit-eating grin, earning a glower from her twin. “It was only a question.” She stepped aside and motioned for the smaller pony to take the lead, as befit their difference in rank. Her brother walked a mare step ahead of her and to the left, meaning his little legs had to move several times faster just to keep up with her slightly hurried pace. Once the doors closed behind them, Gleaming elaborated, “Honestly, you can be so stubborn sometimes. Mares carry stallions. No pony’s gonna think less of you for it.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it,” Shining dismissed, not even looking at his twin. “I’m a stallion, meaning I have to be better than the best to receive the same treatment as my peers.”

“Yeah, maybe at first, but that was back in the past. Ponies respect you now. Not only did you fix almost every problem with the supply chain after the old Captain stepped down, but you’ve also never lost a sparring match. Mares respect a stallion who can kick their asses.”

“Respect and reputation are fragile things. They can take years to build, but only seconds to destroy. One misstep could ruin me.”

“With all due respect, Sir, if your reputation could survive this, you might be a secret immortal,” Gleaming rebuked while levitating a poster beside her brother’s face.

Shining didn’t look. He fought with every shred of willpower in his tiny body to not look, but that didn’t stop him from seeing it. One of the less enviable aspects of his popularity was discovering that hundreds of ‘motivational posters’ had been distributed among the troops, supposedly to boost morale. At least, that’s what the paperwork insisted after Shining investigated, discovering the even more abhorrent sight of his signature applied perfectly to every sheet in the multi-page application.

“I swear, for the life of me, I don’t remember approving these,” Shining sneered through a clenched jaw.

“Is it so surprising?” Gleaming asked, bringing the poster close to her snoot for inspection. “Everyone says mares are the vain ones, but maybe stallions also have a deep-seated need to strut their stuff. Either that, or you’re a secret exhibitionist. I think Cadence would be fine with either,” she remarked while looking at the image of the blushing white colt with a blue mane, frowning in defiance while using his helmet to cover his crotch. “I swear, pouty never looked so buckable.”

“That’s not even me!” Shining snapped. “It’s not me, and you know it. Everyone should know it. I couldn’t make the photoshoot, so they hired lookalikes to stand in for me and do those… poses.”

“The likeness is passable, Sir,” Gleaming gently countered. “You can barely tell they used magic to buff out these twinks, but I think my favorite is the one where they didn’t quite get all of his tail. There’s a little dash of red that really draws the viewer’s attention to how tightly and desperately it clings between his cheeks to hide the goods. Seriously, these colts, the makeup team, and the director all need raises.”

Hearing Shining huff, Gleaming smirked at her brother, knowing that he could sense her teasing smirk even without seeing it. Being the big twin had its perks. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous. Soldiers come in, think they’re gonna get their boss looking all coltish and cute, only to get some little wannabe pretty colts to fap to instead. Would you rather it be you?”

“I tried finding the ones who put that application together, but they hid their names too well. If I ever get my hooves on them, I’m going to shove their asses on Celestia’s horn and make her cum so hard she blasts them into the sun,” Shining growled, hatred flickering from his body like a flame.

“Okay, first of all, that’s bucking hot,” Gleaming began, storing the poster in her saddle bags. “Wrong, but hot. And second, you know Celestia started this tradition centuries ago. So, unless you plan on shoving the queen’s horn up her own ass—which sounds bucking amazing, by the way—I’m not sure what throwing a tantrum is gonna accomplish. Uh, Sir? Shiny? Are you even listening?”

Shining gave no response. The hate exuding from his form had coalesced into more than a mere magical aura as he aimlessly marched on. Now, even non-unicorns could see the black tendrils flailing like snakes around him. A pair of passing soldiers saluted, but said nothing that might draw the Captain’s attention, fearing the wrath of his bad mood.

However, Gleaming knew this was far worse than that. Her brother’s skills extended beyond paperwork and one-on-one duels. His magical prowess had been the strongest their family had ever seen, being downgraded to second after Dusk’s power was revealed. There were laws that forbade unicorns like these from getting this angry, as the devastation they could unleash would be horrific. And while she was bound by law, Gleaming still respected Shining’s dignity. So, she waited until there were no witnesses to loop a hoof under her brother’s belly and tackle him into a closet.

Acting quickly before he could cast, Gleaming smashed her lips into Shining’s with all her might. Her tongue wasted no time in penetrating her brother’s mouth to dominate his much smaller taster. Meanwhile, she used magic to relieve the small stallion of his cumbersome armor, granting her hoof access to his balls and sizeable schlong. The other hoof kept the stallion pinned to a height ideal for access. Gleaming used the soft part of her hoof to apply tender pressure to her brother’s privates while she roughly handled his lips. Shining might put up a tough front, but he was still a pony. He had needs like everyone else, and Gleaming had been managing her twin’s needs for their whole lives.

Sure enough, the mare’s efforts soon bore fruit as the radiating black flames slowly abated. Shining relaxed, giving himself into his sister’s impassioned kiss while she teased his groin. The lower attention was just enough to get him hard without letting him get anywhere close to climaxing. The familiar flavor of the mare’s saliva helped in easing his nerves. However, Shining Armor was never one to be passive for long.

Leveraging his back against the wall, the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard pushed his muzzle between his sister’s lips. Her breath smelled like daisies, and her tongue retracted from his mouth to lick around his snoot. Shining also pushed his (relatively) large cock into his sister’s hoof, trying to take control of his arousal. However, just as he started to find his rhythm, a flash of green light drew the twins’ attention to the closet’s ceiling, where a single scroll fluttered lazily to the floor. It had Cadence’s personal seal.

With her hooves occupied and mouth still around Shining’s muzzle, Gleaming caught the scroll and hurriedly opened it with her magic, holding it so they both could read.

‘Gleaming, your tardiness has been noted, and I can only hope your vigilance has acted in time. Alas, I fear that my negligence is to blame. I took my attention off my dear Shiny for too long, allowing his stress to build. I’d hoped you could discretely bring him to me in time so I could relieve him. However, given that you are not here and I’ve yet to notice any explosions, I’m choosing to believe you did your duty as a sister. If so, you may ask me for anything as a reward. And if this message is too late, then Shining can take solace in knowing measures have already been taken for his sister’s afterlife.

Sincerely

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’

Pausing as they read, Gleaming eventually pulled her mouth off Shining’s nose, leaving it covered in saliva. “My afterlife? C-can she do that?”

“Alicorns are supposedly goddesses, but they’ve always been frustratingly evasive whenever asked about such details,” Shining huffed, lowering his eyes in shame. “I can’t believe I let myself get that far.”

“You? I’m the dumbass who started egging you on!” Gleaming countered. “Uh, can we please not tell Cadence about that part?”

Shining huffed again, getting his breathing under control. “Honestly, I don’t think you did that much.”

“What, really?” Gleaming asked, taken aback. “As a big sister, I gotta say, I’m a little insulted. Getting a rise out of you is basically my life’s passion, arguably on par with my cutie mark.”

“And dealing with your bullshit is mine,” Shining replied. His twin’s face was still close enough, so he pulled her into a hug and squeezed like her skull was a stress ball. Of course, she let him, even licking his belly fluff in a maternal gesture. “Truth be told, today has been a series of nonstop little annoyances that piled into a massive heap. Late shipments, unexplained tardies, and so on. Yours was merely the last straw.”

“That’s still pretty damn insulting, you know,” Gleaming replied. Pulling Shining from the wall with her hooves, she slid her back against it into a sitting position and held him in her arms. “Knowing my poking fun at your sex appeal was no more annoying than some jerk not explaining her tardy… Well, it makes me feel the need to step up my game.”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

“And I’d prefer not blowing up. So, I think I’m gonna ask for special permission from the princess. Next time you’re at the brink of blowing your top, I’m gonna blow my sisterly love all over your face until you settle down.”

Shining groaned as he made himself comfortable in his sister’s grasp. Her strong arms were as comforting as ever. “I want to protest, but I know it’s pointless. It’s practically a foregone conclusion that Cadence will grant such a request. Additionally, having you act on a royal decree should mitigate, if not outright cancel out any damage to my reputation. I hate it, but it sounds like the best available solution.”

“Funny how she took the time to write all those words, though,” Gleaming noted, still hugging her brother. “I mean, if time was of the essence, shouldn’t she have teleported in and dealt with you herself?”

“Knowing her, she sensed that you had already begun relieving the worst of it, and just wanted to be a little cheeky.” Shining chuckled dryly. “I wonder if I should tell her she’s starting to take after Celestia.”

Gleaming chuckled. “And I thought being your sister was bad, but that’s how you act with the mare you’re gonna marry? Yikes. I’m glad we’re not engaged.”

“Don’t be gross, Glee,” Shining dismissed, finally relaxing his hooves and ending the hug. “You might not believe it, but I have some standards.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe it, Shy,” Gleaming agreed, removing the small pony from her muzzle and setting him between her legs. “So, how ya feeling? Can ya make it to the Princess of Love, or do you need to pop off with me, first?”

“I think the worst has passed,” Shining admitted, catching his twin’s barely noticeable disappointment. “Then again, if you need a little attention…?”

Gleaming beamed. “Well, what I really wanna do is put you on my back and parade you around like the good old days, but we don’t have that royal permission thing yet, so I doubt you’ll go for it.”

“Logical,” Shining agreed.

“On the other hoof, Cadence promised me a reward. Anything I asked. Sounds like a mighty tempting offer, wouldn’t you say?”

Shining frowned in confusion. “What could you ask as a reward that she wouldn’t give you for free? In case you haven’t noticed, she’s not exactly prudish with ponies she likes, and she most definitely likes you.”

“Yeah, she does!” Gleaming cheered with a broad grin. “Remember what happened two months ago?” She whistled. “I was walking funny for almost a whole week.”

Shining chuckled softly. “That is significantly less impressive when one finds out you kept visiting her every night throughout that week. As I recall, you only recovered because Celestia called Cadence away for a private meeting.”

Gleaming blinked. “In what way is that less impressive? I went six straight nights with an alicorn without going insane or dying. I’m freaking awesome!”

“Those rumors are grossly exaggerated. Cadence is good, but I doubt she can drive a pony insane.”

Gleaming snorted incredulously. “Seriously? You don’t think the Princess of bucking Love doesn’t have some super-duper sex magic to drive ponies bonkers if she really wants to?”

“I feel like we’ve become side-tracked,” Shining informed, glancing at his armor pieces scattered across the floor. “If you can be discrete, I know one way you could carry me to Cadence.”

***

Moments later, Gleaming Shield departed the closet, looking none the worse for wear. Her armor was neatly in place, her posture left no room for criticism, and one would have needed a thermal imager to detect the faint warmth in her cheeks. Truly, even an extended glance at the mare would reveal nothing out of the ordinary. Her tummy didn’t even have the tell-tale signs of a colt inside. Unless somepony had seen her and Shining enter the closet together, none would suspect he was still with her as she dutifully marched to Cadence’s room.

“This isn’t what I had in mind,” Shining grumbled as the mare’s anal muscles contracted tightly around his small and easily swallowable form.

“Not my problem,” Gleaming cheerfully remarked, casting a low-tier glamour to hide her mouth movements, the voices from her body, and the noise of clinking colt armor from her saddle bags. “Having you up my plot means no one can see your little bulges in my tummy. Hah, would you listen to me? Dusk and Barb aren’t even here, but I’m still saying it.”

“I can tell you cast a glamour,” Shining curtly reminded as the soft and squishy muscles undulated around his body. It was like the pull of an esophagus swallow, but not strong enough to actually send him deeper into the mare’s gut. Instead, it was more like a firm massage that seemed inexplicably targeted on his erection. “Why not just extend that to your belly?”

“Too obvious. Too much magic in the glamour gets it noticed by more adept unicorns,” Gleaming dismissively explained as though her twin didn’t already know. “Not a problem in civilian life, but this is the castle. If a guard goes strutting around with a suspicious glamour, well, you know the protocol.”

“You’ll be dispelled and possibly detained, making us even later,” Shining conceded. “I can almost hear Cadence’s mocking laughter.”

“Also, she might withdraw my reward,” Gleaming added. “So, I think we all agree that it is in everyone’s best interest for the Captain of the Guard to make himself nice and cozy in his sister’s asshole,” she explained with a grin that was practically begging to be punched. “By the way, why aren’t you wiggling?”

“We’re supposed to be discrete, remember?”

“Pssh! Look who you’re talking to. I can handle one measly colt getting his rocks off in my big, round, perfect plot.” Despite Gealming’s boasts, she hoped Shining didn’t call her bluff. Truthfully, she was still a little worked up from the closet, and having her beloved brother wiggling even this much in her sensitive colon left her at risk of walking funny. Mares always walked funny because of the colts they vored, but such things while on duty were against regulations. Granted, breaking the rules just made everything more exciting, but that also added to the problem of the mare’s arousal. Each step caused Shining to shift, even if only a few centimeters, and the friction sent waves of pleasure through the mare. This was bad. She needed a distraction. “Hey, have you heard anything new from Dusk and Barb?”

“Cadence has shared Dusk’s weekly reports, but only Barb has bothered with personal letters.”

“Shame on her,” Gleaming chided. “She should really—Wait, I was gonna say something about making Dusk write more letters, but that makes it sound like she’s being held accountable for him. Is that sexist?”

“A little. However, in Dusk’s case, I think it’s fair. You know how he gets,” Shining replied, also grateful for the distraction as the soft anal walls sensually undulated against his male meat. He needed to avoid all sexy thoughts, lest he trigger a premature ejaculation in his sister’s ass. Not only would he spray himself with his own seed, but Cadence would have more than words for his failure to deliver her favorite treat.

“She’s really like his other half, huh? Kinda like you and me?” Gleaming mused.

“Just because you sleep with my future wife, that hardly makes our situations similar. My impression is that Barbara will join Dusk’s herd, which I suspect we all saw coming.”

“True,” Gleaming agreed, chuckling.

“As for us, you’ll eventually have to find a different stallion to start voring,” Shining firmly reminded.

“While also true, it kinda sounds like you’re implying that I’ll ever stop voring you. Happy to disappoint if that’s what you were hoping for, but that ain’t happening, Shy. No matter what my real herd is like, I’m gonna be gulping you down for the rest of our lives. And if they’re the kind of ponies that are worth herding with, they’ll likewise maintain happy and wholesome relationships with their families.” She giggled. “Oh, do you think Cadence will be open to an orgy with all our herds? Mine, yours, and Dusk’s? We could swap stallions and have all kinds of fun with fun with Barb and your former babysitter.”

“She wasn’t my babysitter!” Shining snapped, momentarily losing his composure. He could almost feel Gleaming’s triumphant grin as she once again proved how easy it was to get under his skin. “She was Dusk’s babysitter. I merely… supervised.”

“Is that what you call staring at her ass when you thought no one was looking?”

“Glee!”

“What? It’s not like I didn’t do the same. You’d have to be nuts to ignore an ass like that. Speaking of which, we’re here.”

“Finally!” Shining groaned, prepping himself for expulsion from his sister’s backside. He heard the doors open and close, but suspiciously felt no clenching from her rectal muscles.

“Your Highness,” Gleaming greeted with a respectful bow, and turned to present her booty. “I’ve brought the goods. Also, your boyfriend.” She gave her white, rounded booty a tantalizing jiggle for emphasis.

Cadence snorted a laugh as she sat on a plus-sized butt cushion at her expensive and elaborately crafted tea table. “Well done. Please, have a seat.”

“Just me or both of us?”

Cadence shrugged. “Whichever you prefer.”

“Cadi!” Shining shouted.

“Goodness, did you hear something?” Cadence asked, looking around as her ears flicked. “It sounds like an ungrateful little colt is failing to show his sister proper appreciation for her brave and selfless action.”

“Hehe, yeah. So selfless that it’s a miracle my thighs are still dry,” Gleaming joked as she sat beside the much larger pink mare. “You know, I’ve always been on the bigger side as far as unicorns go.”

“Indeed. You’re practically built like an earth mare,” Cadence agreed while blatantly eyeing up the scrumptious white snack.

“There aren’t that many creatures that make me have to crane my head back to look them in the eye,” Gleaming continued, flirtatiously batting her eyelashes at the alicorn. “Lucky for me, they’re all a bunch of smoking hot babes, so I don’t mind putting in the extra effort to look.”

“Hehe, flatterer,” Cadence tittered. “What about you, Shiny? Do you also feel blessed to be surrounded by such large and attractive females?”

“I would be if I could see any of them.” Grunting and no longer seeing a need for discretion, Shining twisted his body, building up tension like a clenched spring, only to release and violently twist, sending shockwaves of friction through Gleaming’s anal passage, making her gasp and fall over.

“Ch-cheater!” growled the white mare as drool dribbled around her chin.

“Not true,” Cadence authoritatively countered. “As a stallion displeased with his position, he has every right to make his complaints known in whatever way he chooses.”

“Hey, I thought you said I could keep him,” Gleaming whined, her heart sinking as she felt Shining gearing up for another strike.

“I said the choice was yours. I never said I’d save you from making the wrong one,” Cadence explained with a sinister, sadistic smile.

“Buck it! Fine, you can come out!” Gleaming fretfully cried. Luckily, Shining didn’t release his anal attack, but remained prepped to do so. Not wanting to provoke the tiny terror, the mare adjusted her position with her head down and ass high in the air, pointing at Cadence. Even if she was in distress, that was no excuse to overlook common courtesy, especially to royalty. Gleaming clenched her anal muscles, even pulling one cheek aside to maximize the princess’ viewing pleasure. Grunting, she felt her pucker dilate as her brother’s snout poked out. Her voice occasionally hitched as she felt Shining impatiently work his hooves to help himself out, erratically touching her rectum in ways that made it hard to focus. However, Gleaming dared not voice any protest, especially not in front of these two. A mare had to protect her pride, after all.

“Welcome back to the land that doesn’t smell quite as much like ass as where you came from,” Cadence invited with open arms, tittering as a smaller, more masculine-shaped version of Gleaming’s head poked out of her own pucker.

“I swear, I’m going to go back in time, find whoever planted the idea that you were funny in your head, and strangle them,” Shining growled. His head wagged as he threw his whole body into lurching motions. Eventually, he wiggled far enough out to free a leg, so he pressed his hoof into his sister’s tensed, muscular ass cheek. He didn’t notice how the flesh compressed under pressure, and he definitely didn’t mentally remark on how the level of compression denoted that Gleaming’s booty had a near-perfect ratio of fat to muscle, making it one of the most prime plots of land in Equestria. No, Shining definitely didn’t care about any of that; his sole priority was pulling himself free.

“Such an eager little poop trying to be born,” Cadence joked, making Gleaming snicker.

“All mares think they’re funny, but your joke library is grossly undersized,” Shining grunted, now using two hooves to pull free. He’d managed to pull out to his waist, only for the butt cheeks to crash shut around him, once more sealing every part of his little body below his snout, but the Captain remained unfazed. “Birthing little poops, you must appreciate this extra shade, let’s play dentist, and that’s just what I’ve observed in the last hour.”

“A mare asked you to play dentist?” Cadence asked, slightly surprised.

“No, I overheard my door guard talking about her little sister getting her cutie mark.” Shining grunted again, but his sister’s ass cheeks were pressed tighter than her colon, granting him precisely zero wiggle room. Despite his efforts being so thoroughly frustrated, the little stallion was merely annoyed. After all, this was hardly the first time he’d been in this position. “That little sister has now set her eyes on a colt in class.”

“That’s usually how it goes,” Cadence mused. Standing on her long, elegant legs, the tall mare gracefully strutted toward the white unicorns, batting bedroom eyes as she noticed the moisture pooling around Gleaming’s hooves. “Most fillies take their cutie mark’s appearance as the signal to start hunting boys. However, it distresses me to see that, in some cases, fillies develop an obsession with their brothers, thereby neglecting more proper romantic pursuits,” she stated while observing the white snoot poking out of the great white ass cheeks.

“I said something similar earlier,” Shining added, keeping his tone even. “Out of all my siblings, my twin is the only one without any herding prospects. Even our little brother has more girlfriends than her.”

“Hey, are you two colluding to get rid of me?” Gleaming accused.

“Simply stating observations,” Cadence casually dismissed as her hoof tossed her mane to the side. Lighting her horn, the alicorn formed a tactical wedge between Gleaming’s clenched cheeks, creating a tube straight to her target. She then demonstrated her earth pony strength by wrapping one hoof around the white mare’s waist, magically discarding most of her armor, and lifting her butt closer to face level. Licking her lips as she beheld the small stick extended from within the mighty cheeks, Cadence left her fiancé to his assy prison while she dove in and wrapped her lips around her beloved’s cock. Her pleasured moans sent rumbles through both twins’ bodies.

“Gah! Hey, no fair,” Shining grunted, resuming his escape efforts. “You can’t do this while I’m—nnngh!—t-trapped!”

“Can’t is a pretty strong word,” Gleaming giggled as she felt the pink, slender snout press between her cheeks. Even while being held almost upside-down in the alicorn’s powerful grip, the white mare kept herself steady to avoid interrupting the alicorn’s fun. Besides, it gave Gleaming a chance to be belly-to-belly with a princess. Their teats weren’t aligned, but it still felt pleasant to grind hers against the pink mare’s soft and supple chest. “Clearly, Cadi isn’t familiar with that one.”

“I certainly am,” Cadence refuted, her voice taking on an ethereal warble despite her lips remaining thoroughly occupied with her fiancé’s penis. “I simply choose to ignore silly things.”

“L-like my request for—ahhh agh—a-agencyyy,” Shining groaned, fighting to hold back his orgasm, but Cadence was too good. Her tongue swirled his shaft precisely how he liked, and her magic pulled double-time as a tender grip encased his little balls, juggling them.

“You are a pretty silly guy,” Gleaming teased.

“No, that part is fine,” Cadence countered, sounding regal and composed despite her panting, lustful expression being mostly hidden within Gleaming’s butt. “Aspiring to be more than your station is commendable, and makes you very attractive. No, the silly part is telling me to not do something we all clearly enjoy when it serves no purpose to hold back.”

“Gaaah!” Shining gasped, feeling his cum erupt from his shaft, only to be immediately vacuumed away by the alicorn’s ravenous and lustful hunger.

Gleaming also moaned, feeling a small, sympathetic orgasm that added to the pool of sex juices around her hooves. Hoping her brother and future sister-in-law could smell it, she finally relaxed her butt and released her twin.

Shining fell forward like a helpless ragdoll, right onto Cadence’s shoulder. Mindful of her loving eyes upon him, the stallion hurried to regain control of his breathing to avoid looking weak. However, that didn’t stop the mare from cradling him in her arm like a newborn while gently setting Gleaming down. Shining fought the temptation to nod off to sleep in the pink mare’s loving care. Lucky for him, he had practice with being stubborn.

“Why keep fighting? I hope it’s not to impress me,” Cadence said as she carried her stallion back to her cushion, surprising both twins when she didn’t set him on it before sitting. “I know you’ve had an emotionally trying day. Why not let me be a mare and ease my stallion’s woes?”

“I think Gleaming already handled the worst of it. She’s pretty good at taking care of me,” Shining shamelessly admitted. He might have been a stallion striving for respect, just like Dusk, but these mares were family, and even the strictest and most impassioned ponies had to at least let their guard down around family.

“Practice makes perfect,” Gleaming agreed, walking over and planting her butt on Cadence’s seat, brushing cutie marks and making both mares shiver with naughty delight. Gently, she pushed until the alicorn gave her room, and the white mare pressed against the pink mare’s side as they both stared lovingly down at the white stallion.

“I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I’m getting you a boyfriend,” Shining grumbled.

“Oh-ho-ho; sounds fun. Can I help?” Cadence eagerly asked.

“You might as well just surrender,” Shining warned upon seeing his sister’s impertinent expression. “The alicorn of shipping has set her sights on you. Speaking from experience, you can trust me when I say there is no escape.”

Snorting, Gleaming pulled away and cast defiant sneers at the ponies taking a needless interest in her perfectly healthy and not-at-all-lacking love life. “Challenge accepted!”

Author's Note

In this installment, we introduce Gleaming Shield. While usually the name of Shining Armor’s sex-swapped alter ego, I thought it’d be fun to have both characters coexist as twins. Sexual dimorphism still ensures there’s a massive size difference between the pair, but apart from that, they’re virtually identical.

For Gleaming’s personality, I took Barbara as a base, but made her more playful. Shining is much more emotionally well-adjusted, so he doesn’t need as much protection as Dusk, freeing Gleaming to have more sisterly fun at her brother’s expense. And by sisterly, I mean covert and overt flirting, as she’s horny as Hell for the little guy. However, that’s perfectly normal and wholesome in this world, so no one bats an eye. At least, as long as they keep things professional while in public. Then again, the word ‘professional’ probably has a slightly different meaning in this Equestria than in the real world.

Further, this is our first time seeing Cadence as the only alicorn in the room. Despite being the straight mare when the others are around, she’s free to let her hair down and be more playful when she’s objectively the most powerful being in the room and effectively free from all consequences. Also, when she’s around those she trusts. That’s also a big part of it. She’s definitely not a secret super-villain scheming in the shadows and waiting for her moment to strike. At least, no more so than the other alicorns.

Lastly, I want to clear something up in case there’s any lingering confusion. Celestia and Luna are the top rulers of Equestria, making them queens. Cadence is physically powerful, but has fewer stately obligations, so she’s still just a princess.

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Chapter 12: Pranks, Ponuts, and Paunches

“You should have seen it. Rainbow Dash was, like, ZOOM!” Pinkie excitedly exposited while lifting her forelegs and rushing around the bench where Dusk sat, quietly reading.

“Neat,” the stallion distractedly replied, only catching every other word as the pink mare recounted their blue fiancé’s latest exploits while simultaneously exploring the types of whistling noises she could make. Dusk occasionally looked up, not to better focus on the story, but to study how Pinkie’s body jiggled during her dramatic poses. She was tied with Fluttershy for the biggest, juiciest ass in the friend group, which bounced magnificently as she darted around. The same went for her teats, which looked mighty enticing as potential pillows.

It was exhausting just watching Pinkie do her thing, yet Dusk toyed with the theory that she might have limitless energy. It was a daunting thought, as such a thing meant that any sexual encounter between them would inevitably lead to her using his tiny body as a dildo instead of a partner. Such things were common, as mares surpassed stallions in most physical categories, especially stamina. Just as mares had a duty to protect stallions, stallions were expected to satisfy their mares, even after total exhaustion. However, Dusk did not dread this idea as he did when other mares had outright stated their intent to use him as such. Perhaps it was all this talk of Rainbow’s accomplishments, but Dusk felt a slight stirring to meet this challenge and give this lovely mare what she deserved.

“Oh, speak of the devil!” Pinkie chirped as a familiar blue body flew overhead. “C’mon, I’ve got an idea for something fun!” She bit Dusk’s tail and tossed him over her back like a sack of potatoes, likely intending to carry him on her shoulders. Instead, she overshot, and the stallion fell too far back. Luckily, employing dad-like reflexes, Pinkie backed up with her ass cheeks wide apart, closing them with a meaty *plop* around her boyfriend’s smaller body. Giggling as she felt him squirm within her crack, Pinkie declared, “Hehe, you feel funny. Anyway, hang on!” And she took off.

“Gah, what’s happening?” Dusk groaned as only his snoot, eyes, ears, and horn had escaped the confines of Pinkie’s ass. Luckily, he’d managed to hold onto his book as she ran. Impressively, despite how much the mare’s cheeks had bounced before, being held within their soft grip was a surprisingly smooth ride. Unsure what else to do as he watched the world whizz by, Dusk teleported his book back to the library, deciding to trust Pinkie and stick around to see where this went.

Dusk heard Pinkie call to Rainbow, but it seemed like the blue mare hadn’t noticed. So, Pinkie picked up the pace. With nothing better to do, Dusk ruminated on the softness of the mare’s cheeks. This was quite the comfortable ride, all things considered. Luckily, his cock remained in its sheath and undisturbed by the grinding cheeks, as he was not in the mood for sex right now. Then he felt Pinkie come to a skidding halt, and a *thud* followed.

“I was just gonna tell you to watch out for that mountain,” Pinkie informed as Dash slid down the rocky face and ingloriously plopped before her.

“Ugh. Look, Pinkie, I’m in the middle of something. So, could we just… not today?” Rainbow pleaded.

“But Dash, I only wanted to—”

“Not now!” Rainbow barked before taking off into the sky, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.

“Aw, phooey. Got away again,” Pinkie whined.

“Why are you chasing Rainbow Dash, anyway?” Dusk asked. “Not to sound conceded, but since this was your turn with me without Barbara, I sort of expected your focus to be on, well, me.”

“Hehe, don’t be silly, Dusky. Of course, I’m thinking about you. I just got this great idea to make our day even better, and Rainbow Dash is the perfect mare for the job. You just stay comfy while I get her,” Pinkie explained, also taking off.

Dusk merely sighed and let the mare do her thing. He considered bringing back his book, but without knowing Pinkie’s plans, he didn’t want it to get damaged. Besides, despite the volume of Pinkie’s tail, she was running fast enough that it mostly stayed up, giving the small stallion a relatively unobstructed view of the world from her ass. It seemed like no one noticed him, which was fair. Pinkie’s rump was big enough, and so little of him was exposed that most would never expect she had a whole body hidden within her crack. Mares were such funny and fascinating creatures.

The journey took them to Sweet Apple Acres, where Dusk watched Pinkie bounce behind the barn and announce, “High!” Although he couldn’t see her, Rainbow then screamed, followed by a *whoosh* as she took off again, and the pink mare resumed her casual bouncing through the orchard. Apples were strewn about, no doubt jostled loose from Rainbow’s speedy retreat, yet Pinkie maintained her casual hopping, seemingly not bothering to match the speedster’s speed.

The next thing Dusk knew, his carrier had climbed the Treebrary’s side and into the branches. “High again!” Pinkie greeted, triggering a scratchy scream as Rainbow zipped away. Dusk’s expression remained neutral as the pink mare hopped across the hills. He busied his mind by imagining what things must be like from the other side. Was Pinkie going out of her way to do things to frighten the speedster, or was Rainbow simply not in the mood to deal with Pinkie? Dusk sympathized with the latter, as his full-figured fiancé could be a lot to handle sometimes. However, surely his cyan fiancé was expending far more energy than it would take to simply hear Pinkie out. It was amusingly illogical, and Dusk wondered how long this might last.

A second later, Pinkie adjusted her butt muscled to fully engulf the stallion between her cheeks. This was followed by a splash. Impressively, Pinkie’s butt remained airtight, not letting a single drop of moisture bother the stallion as he felt her legs kick in a swimming motion. Finally, he heard the mare say, “I need a favor.” Rainbow screamed yet again, only to make a grumbling sound that Dusk couldn’t quite hear. “I totally promise it’ll totally be worth it,” Pinkie cheered.

Finally, the pink mare emerged from the water, sat on the dirt, unclenched her cheeks, and deposited the stallion on the ground. Dusk looked around to get his bearings, instantly feeling chilled and missing the ass’s cushiony feel.

“Dusk?” Rainbow asked, perking up after her defeated slump. “When did you get here?”

“I was there the whole time,” Dusk replied, pointing at Pinkie’s ass.

Rainbow smirked. “Well, damn, Pinkie. You should have just said you had the cutie with you.” She eyed the stallion with bouncing eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have had to fly all over Ponyville if I knew you wanted to—”

“We’re not doing nookie,” Pinkie cut in, surprising the others. “We can later, but I know something else we can do that’s just as fun.”

Rainbow’s brow furrowed as she stared in disbelief between the purple and pink ponies. “Better than sex? Filly, are you high? Cuz, if you are,”—she leaned forward and whispered where Dusk couldn’t hear—“I’m willing to buy.”

“Don’t worry, Dashy. This’ll be even better!” Pinkie declared.

“So, you were in her butt the whole time, huh?” Rainbow asked.

“Yup.”

“How was it?”

“Eight out of ten. The ride was smooth, and the view was nice, but the onboard entertainment left much to be desired,” Dusk deadpanned.

Rainbow snorted a laugh. “Shit, dude. You’re funny.”

“I was just stating facts.”

“And that’s why it’s funny!”

***

Later, outside Town Hall, Dusk sat properly atop Pinkie’s back and watched her give directions as Rainbow set up a cloud near the entrance. He kept quiet, curious about where this was going. He watched Barbara emerge with satchels full of scrolls he’d sent her to collect. Pinkie then waved at Rainbow, and the pegasus kicked the cloud, triggering a lightning bolt and startling the drake. Barbara’s scales bristled as she bore her teeth and crouched into a pouncing gesture, only to stare curiously at the familiar faces surrounding her. However, before the drake could ask what was up, she hiccupped, releasing a small burst of green flame.

“Hehe, haha! Oh, Rainbow Dash, we startled Barbara into getting the hiccups!” Pinkie guffawed.

“Hehe. Good one, Pi—hic—nkie,” Barbara chuckled with a deep, beastly growl. “I really should have—hic—known something was—hic—up when I—hic—smelled you—hic. Oh, hey—hic—Dusk.”

“Hello, Barb,” Dusk politely replied, glancing between Pinkie and Rainbow as both mares chuckled. “What was this, exactly?”

“Damn, Pinkie. I didn’t know you were into pranks,” Rainbow added between chortles.

“Hehe, of course. It’s all in good fun,” Pinkie giggled. “And you know how much I looove having fun.”

“Speaking of fun…” Rainbow quickly kicked the cloud again, triggering another bolt.

“Hic… hic,” Dusk hiccupped, triggering all three ladies to resume laughing at a higher volume. “This is—hic—funny?”

“Hey—hic—Dusk,” Barbara called, holding an armful of scrolls. “Check th—hic—is out.” She aimed her face at the scrolls and hiccupped a large plume of flame, causing the material to disintegrate. “Guess where—hic—those went.”

Despite himself, Dusk snorted a surprise laugh. “Ce—hic—helestia,” he chortled, picturing the clutch of papers dropping suddenly on the unsuspecting queen, hopefully interrupting something moderately important.

***

Pinkie explained her intent to teach Dusk some social skills through pranks, and Rainbow was more than on board. Starting with their fiancés, they began their exploits by delivering a bouquet of flowers laced with sneezing powder to Rarity. Her sneezes were dainty, ladylike, and relentless. When it was Apple Jack’s turn, Dusk volunteered his magic to help paint every apple in the orchard in a different creative pattern. When AJ began chasing them, aggressively throwing apples in her pursuit, Dusk caught himself grinning in excitement. Other pranks around town varied from the classic ding-dong-ditch, to teleporting dildos onto seats before someone sat down. The book-smart stallion appreciated being included in the fun, and everyone’s reactions ranged from laughing on the good end to, at worst, rolling their eyes in annoyance. As Pinkie said, it was all in good fun. However, when it looked like their next victim would be Fluttershy, Pinkie quickly aborted, saying their yellow friend was too sensitive and would get her feelings hurt. She said this as much to Rainbow as Dusk, ensuring both parties understood that fun had its limits.

Dusk nodded, appreciating the nuance behind the silliness. “This was an interesting lesson. However, while enjoyable at times, I’m afraid pranking isn’t quite my thing, so to speak.”

“Eh, it’s cool. It was nice just hanging out,” Rainbow said, affectionately patting the stallion’s back. “Huh, who knew just doing stuff with a guy could be this much fun.”

“You’ve never done things with stallions?” Dusk asked.

“Not stuff-stuff. Just, ya know, stallion stuff,” Rainbow explained, somewhat apologetically, as she indicated her wagging rump.

“Ah, I see,” Dusk deadpanned.

“Hey, don’t make it weird or anything,” Rainbow defensively countered. “Most guys aren’t as cool as you. They’re not willing to step out of their comfort zones and try new stuff. Like, there was this one guy on the weather team I thought was cool, so I asked to hang out. He was a good flyer, so I thought we could do some laps around town, but he got ‘tired’ almost immediately and just wanted to spend the whole date humping my ass,” she huffed in disappointment. “Don’t get me wrong. He was good and all, but… ya know…”

“She’s got a point,” Pinkie apologetically added, addressing the stallion on her back.

“Yeah, I know,” Dusk sighed in defeat. As much as he hated how mares pushed stallions around, there was no denying that stallions were just as much part of the problem. Most stallions Dusk talked to would whine and vent about their treatment, but at the end of the day, they were into it. The Royal Protégé would be lying if he denied wishing Pinkie would carry him in her butt some more, and even his brother’s favorite topic—second to the military—was all the things Cadence did to him. It seemed the Queens’ plan was thoroughly implemented, creating a system where all parties genuinely enjoyed participating as intended. He was merely an anomaly. Was the one sane person in a madhouse the true crazy one?

“Hey, you look like you need to get out of your own head,” Pinkie chided. “Hey, Sugar Cube Corner’s just up ahead. Let’s replenish some calories,” she summarily decided before marching in, carrying Dusk as Dash followed. “Howdy ho, Mr. Cake!”

The stallion was disproportionately tall while his body remained small and colt-like. His face was unusually angular with hard edges, making him look much older than he was. Despite his height, the stallion still had to stand on a platform set behind the counter so he could address the customers. “Hello, Pinkie. How’s my ray of sunshine doing today?”

“Fantastic! I just went on a pranking date with two of my most favoritest ponies in the world. You know Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah, he does,” Rainbow low-key boasted.

“Of course I do,” Mr. Cake politely agreed before facing the other stallion.

“And this is Dusk Shine, the Royal Protégé and my fiancé. We met while saving the world.” Pinkie turned her body so the stallions could reach across the counter to shake hooves.

“A pleasure to meet you, Dusk. I’m Carrot Cake.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, Mr. Carrot. I don’t normally see stallions at the register, especially not alone,” Dusk noted, looking around.

“Oh, I have one wife in back prepping a new batch of muffins. I’d normally have somepony—”

“SomeONE,” Dusk curtly cut in, confusing the yellow stallion.

“Don’t mind him. Dusk has a bug up his butt about all this weird stuff. He doesn’t get out much,” Rainbow explained.

“R-right. Anyway, you’re right that I’d usually have, er, another pony up here to help. I’m mostly the pretty face who sells the product. Unfortunately, my other wife, Cup Cake, is still in bed, suffering a bit of morning sickness.”

Pinkie gasped in glee, inhaling for thirty seconds straight as the corners of her mouth threatened to reach beyond her face, only for a blue hoof to suddenly jam in her mouth.

“Pinkie, we knew this already,” Rainbow deadpanned. “No need to throw a happy fit every time someONE brings it up,” she said, looking Dusk dead in the eye.

“Hehe, I know, but I’m just so happy,” Pinkie giggled. “The Cakes are like a second family to me, and I can’t wait for the little ones to get here so I can be Aunty Pinkie!”

“Well, since this is my first time hearing about it, I suppose congratulations are in order,” Dusk said with a polite bow. “Your foal is lucky to have a father with such a strong work ethic.”

Carrot Cake beamed in pride. “Thank you. You’re right that it’s important for stallions to take a more proactive role in our herds. My father taught me that, and I intend to pass those lessons along to all of my colts.”

Dusk grinned, about to heap more praise onto the yellow stallion.

“It’ll be especially fun teaching the little rascals how to please a mare with more than just his dick,” Carrot explained with paternal pride. “Not to mention the wiggling. No colt of mine is going to just lie back and take it without wiggling.” Then, his vigor faded. “Say, what’s the matter with him? Was it something I said?” he asked, gesturing to Dusk’s glum expression.

“Like I said, the little guy gets bugs up his butt about stuff,” Rainbow repeated. “So, we’re trying to help him work through it.”

“Well, that sure is thoughtful,” Carrot offered. “If you want my advice, nothing clears a stallion’s head like a little sex.”

“Not gonna argue, but what do you mean by a little?” inquired Pinkie.

Carrot wore a chipper grin as he answered, “Well, you’re the mares. That’s for you to decide.”

Dusk fell forward, lifeless, and face-planting into Pinkie’s mane, which must have been even thicker than it looked, as it effortlessly muffled his aggravated screams.

Pinkie quickly ordered some coffee muffins before escorting her herd-in-the-making upstairs to her room, closing the door behind her as she set her stallion on her bed. “Feeling alright, Dusky?”

“Dude looks like he just lost all will to live,” Rainbow observed as the stallion stared blankly up at the ceiling, so she gave him a muffin.

“You heard what he said, right?” Dusk disinterestedly muttered, accepting the muffin before taking a quick bite. “‘That’s for YOU to decide.’ He said it so casually, too, like the idea of a stallion setting the pace was unthinkable to him.”

Sharing concerned expressions, the mares climbed onto the bed around Dusk, surrounding his diminutive form with their overshadowing bodies. Common sense dictated that actions like these were supposed to keep stallions calm. However, with Dusk’s numerous peculiarities, it was sometimes difficult to tell.

“Yeah, that was a little cringe,” Rainbow agreed, also nibbling her muffin. “Reminds me of that guy I told you about. A good lay, but not so great at the other stuff.”

“Stuff-stuff,” Pinkie repeated, giggling as she engulfed her muffin in a single bite. “Not like you, Dusky. All you do is stuff-stuff. It’s like you’re one of the gals, but short, hehe.”

“I see what you’re saying, but I have no idea how to feel about that,” Dusk admitted, taking another bite as he felt the caffeine begin kicking in. “Does my desire to be more than a sex toy truly make me mare-like? Does it then follow that I’m… unstalliony? Is that even a word?”

“I don’t know about what is and isn’t a word, but you wanna know something I like about you, Dusk?” questioned Rainbow, not waiting for an answer. “You don’t give a rat’s ass what others think about you. You just wanna spend your me-time doing your own thing without bothering or being bothered by others. What they do in their me-time is their own business, and you keep your thoughts to yourself unless asked. Honestly, I wish more ponies could be like that. Not just stallions, but ponies in general,” she admitted, affectionately messing his mane with her hoof.

“Y-you mean it?” Dusk timidly asked, blushing.

“Of course, she does!” Pinkie cheered. “What Carrot does works for him, but that doesn’t make you any more or less you. You’re already more than a sex toy. You know how to do stuff-stuff, and that’s the best kind of stuff anypony can do.”

“AnyBODY,” Dusk corrected, earning a boop to the snoot.

“Hush, you. I’m trying to cheer you up,” Pinkie teasingly chided.

“Right, carry on.”

“Uh… I think that about covers everything. Dash?”

“Nah, you’re right. You’re cool and fun to hang out with just as you are; you’re more than a sex toy, aaand… Uh, sorry if this is a bad time, but being more than a sex toy doesn’t mean you can’t also be a sex toy, right? Like, letting the stallion set the pace sounds super fun and kinky, but you’re not opposed to doing things the old-fashioned way, right?” She anxiously wiggled her hips in anticipation as her gaze crawled over the stallion’s exposed belly. “No offense, but you looking all super cute and helpless is doing things to me.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna say anything, buuut…” Pinkie trailed off, licking her lips.

Dusk’s cheeks flushed a dark shade of pink. He hadn’t noticed before, but at some point since climbing on the bed together, the mares began releasing pheromones. Their tails kept flicking to waft the smell around the room, enticing each other and all stallions in range. The stallion underwent an involuntary physical response as his cock poked from its sheath to shyly greet the world. The hunger in the mares’ eyes was undeniable.

Dusk swallowed nervously and curled his legs to his belly. “Y-ya know, I’d n-normally curl up against Barb whenever strange mares looked at me like that.”

“You can still do that, right?” Pinkie cooed, gently nosing Dusk’s hind legs apart to reveal his little cock and balls. “Call Barb if things get out of hand. Or just tell us to stop,” she vowed while nosing his little orbs, making him shiver.

“Yeah, but I’d rather you didn’t,” Rainbow added, applying a long, broad lick from Dusk’s neck to his eye. “You taste good, Dusky. And I know I said that I like how you don’t care what others think, but I want you inside me so badly right now, and I hope that makes you happy.”

Dusk swallowed again and nodded. “I-it… d-does,” he admitted, allowing Pinkie to finish separating his back legs. He then felt something hot, wet, and tight engulf his stallionhood. Everything from his taint to the top base of his cock disappeared within the pink mare’s maw as she hungrily slurped, sucking on him like candy. Dusk squirmed, trying to bring his forelegs forward to push on the pink fluff’s head, but something grabbed his wrists as a shadow eclipsed from above. The stallion strained to open his eyes, beholding a grand cyan booty hovering overhead. The cheeks were smaller than Pinkie’s by a wide margin, but no less appealing to stare at, especially how her ponut twitched, and marehood winked in anticipation.

“Good, cuz I care what you think about me, too,” Rainbow elaborated, positioning her muscular legs to either side of Dusk’s shoulders as her tail reflexively flicked to waft her scent in her lover’s face. “You wanna get in this booty?”

Feeling his mouth run dry, Dusk merely nodded.

“He’s nodding,” Pinkie said, taking her mouth from the sweet and salty cock for a second before returning with gusto.

Chuckling with a mischievous grin, Rainbow declared, “Well, pucker up, buttercup!” She dropped her ass on her stallion’s face with a single swift butt bomb. Dusk’s snoot wedged perfectly between her cheeks, with his nose lining up perfectly with her ponut. Rainbow bit her bottom lip and wiggled her hips around her prize, loving how her crack contorted to hold his head.

Deciding to stick to his guns regarding stallions being equal participants, Dusk yanked his hooves free of Rainbow’s grip and blindly groped around her thighs until he found her flower. She was moist, and just touching it was enough to cause a small gush of fluid, but Dusk had set his mind to full focus mode. Virtually nothing could break his concentration in this state as he applied more pressure to Rainbow’s pedals. The sounds he triggered suggested she liked it.

Pinkie enviously watched Dusk’s hooves work on Rainbow. She’d thought she won the jackpot by getting their stallion’s dick first. However, despite this being her day with the genius idiot, she didn’t mind sharing to make her friends happy, especially if it meant participating. So, since Dusk had agreed to let Rainbow vore him, Pinkie decided it was her role to prime them. To that end, she opened her mouth as wide as possible, engulfing her little lover’s legs up to his flanks, and reforming the seal with her lips while pushing forward. Her tongue became divided between her stallion’s scrumptious butt and flavorful balls, but she maintained focus by imagining where this would all lead to.

Dusk reflexively humped into Pinkie’s mouth as her maw engulfed most of his lower half. His legs became tightly constricted within the wet chamber as she pushed him forward. Simultaneously, Rainbow’s ponut twitched, widening without complaint as it engulfed half his face in one go. The smell was bitter, and the inside was dry, yet the anal entrance somehow aroused the stallion more than the pink mare’s mouth, making his member pulse against the tongue. Pinkie moaned, sending vibrations through Dusk’s lower half as Rainbow’s wrinkled pucker swallowed around his head.

“Ohhhh, fuck yeaaah!” Rainbow hissed, carefully falling onto her back to avoid hurting the stallion in her rectum. Her body slightly sank into the sheets as she kept her rear legs open and receptive for her present. However, seeing Pinkie’s cheeks bulge with Dusk’s back legs made the ordeal even hotter, so she brought her hoof down to rub circles around her clit. “Hehe. Y-ya know, I almost sent you up my t-twat, but thiiis seemed way more memorable for our first time,” she groaned, loving every second of her colon stretching to receive Dusk’s body. Rainbow was no novice to anally voring stallions. She’d had guys bigger, smaller, and even oddly shaped like Carrot, but none made her eyes roll to the back of her head like Dusk did.

Liquids trailed down Pinkie’s thighs as her eyes darted between Rainbow’s aroused expression and her winking marehood. The flashes of pink amidst the soft blue made her own sex feel like it was on fire. Luckily, she’d prepared for such emergencies and used her hind leg to kick a switch on the bedpost to produce a dildo shaped like a bound stallion. Grinning, the earth mare angled her ass upward until the tip poked her nether lips. She cried in bliss around her spit-soaked mouthful as the dildo sank to the base in a single swipe. Meanwhile, Pinkie never stopped crawling forward, pushing against Dusk’s ass with her tongue as more of him sank into Rainbow’s hole. Giggling at the notable and bumpy bulge this produced, the pink mare brought a hoof down on her lover’s middle, trying to boop Dusk through the flesh.

Dusk felt it. First, the boop, but more pressingly, he was now more inside Rainbow than Pinkie. The pink mare’s dripping maw slowly slid from his flanks, yet she kept her tongue in prime position to access his tender bits for as long as possible. He’d do the same if their positions were reversed. Finally, Pinkie’s lips met Rainbow’s butt cheeks, sealing the stallion from the outside world as they toyed with him for a minute. Rainbow altered her flexes to push and pull Dusk while Pinkie matched Rainbow’s rhythm in a kind of mutual tug-of-war. It felt good just to slide the wrinkled anal flesh across his body, so he assumed the mares received similar enjoyment. Then, just as that became slightly dull, Pinkie finished the job and pushed the rest of Dusk inside.

Pinkie kept her mouth on her blue friend’s ass for several seconds after Dusk’s hooves vanished. Rainbow’s happy moans were too cute to pass up. Not to mention, the cyan speedster’s gushing orgasm was fun to taste as it sprayed over her pink face. However, as Pinkie’s hoof remained over the pegasus’ middle, her attention was drawn to other things they could do together. So, the pink mare released her oral grip on the anus, and slowly crawled over the cyan mare’s middle, mindful to press their bellies together to maximize how Dusk felt. Finally, she reached Rainbow’s snoot, with the blue mare only just now coming down from her orgasmic high and looking surprised to see the familiar face.

“Heh, you’re heavy,” Rainbow breathlessly noted, her relatively lithe pegasus body almost utterly eclipsed beneath the earth mare’s mighty bulk. The only parts still visible were her head and a pair of cyan hooves poking out from beneath the pink ass.

Pinkie beamed and kissed between Rainbow’s eyes. “Is that a stallion in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

“Can it be both?” asked Rainbow, trying in vain to lift her head up for another kiss. “Also, your nipples are digging into my legs. Fucking maniac,” she chuckled.

“Well, that’s what you get for running away,” teased Pinkie, now licking Rainbow’s face as though the mare was a stallion. It would be tricky to swallow the speedster, but not impossible.

“Heh, yeah, sorry about that,” Rainbow replied, unbothered by the odd treatment. She didn’t mind if it was somepony like Pinkie. “What about you, Dusk. You doing alright with this?”

“I-I must a-apologize,” he groaned. “I-I wished to squirm more, b-but everything is too tight.”

“Hah! He said your stomach is tight,” Pinkie joked.

“No, he said my ass is tight. My stomach is only tight cuz your fat ass is crushing it,” Rainbow countered. “Seriously, girl, what do you eat? Your body’s, like, perfect.”

“You’re perfect, too,” Pinkie encouraged. “Just look at all that muscle. You’re a mare built for speed. I’m a mare built for cuddles. We’re differently perfect.”

“Speed, huh? Yo Dusk. Care to spill how Pinkie kept up with me all morning?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Dusk admitted, doing his best to wiggle within the stomach’s undulating confines. The friction of the undulating, moist muscle still felt good against his skin, and he hoped the same went for Rainbow. “She just bounced where she wanted to go. Didn’t even bother stopping to look around. You might be easier to track than you think.”

“Aw, poo,” Rainbow grumbled in good humor, unable to do much more than stare up at Pinkie’s face. “Guess I’ll have to work on that. Anyway, about that cuddle body…”

The mares and their vored stallion stayed in bed for the next hour or so, leaving instructions for Carrot to inform any interested parties that they were indisposed. Most took the hint and left it at that. Barbara demonstrated why doors were more of a suggestion than a hindrance to her, casually breaking the lock as she made herself comfortable beside the bed and rested her large head on Pinkie’s back.

Author's Note

The first half of the griffon episode turned out better than I’d expected. I even got it all done in one day, impressively enough. Dusk is a naturally antisocial character, so it makes sense for Pinkie to want to include him in what could generously be called a sociological experiment. Having Pinkie carry Dusk around was surprisingly fun to write, as he’s basically people-watching from his perch, and including him in the prank spree was simpler than expected. Finally, there was Rainbow’s first-time voring Dusk, which I think turned out pretty well and gave all parties equal screen time and participation.

This story is coming along smoother than I feared. Here’s hoping that lasts.

Chapter 13: Brushing off the Griffon

Another day had come and gone, sending Dusk back with Barb. He’d insisted on building breaks into the schedule, no doubt anticipating that some of his ladies—namely, a certain pink earth mare—would tire him out. Pinkie considered this flattering and silently vowed to live up to her cute boyfriend’s high expectations. Until then, even if Dusk wasn’t available, she still wanted to continue the fun train she’d started with Dash. So, wearing her silliest assortment of facial wear, the pink ponker casually skipped to her blue friend’s cloud house.

“Rise and shine, Rainbow Dash. It’s a brand new day, and—you’re not Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie noted as an avian head poked over the side. “Huh, is somepony playing a guitar?” she asked, wondering where the threatening music had come from.

“Mornin’, Pinks,” Rainbow greeted, flying down to join her pink friend. “Gilda, this is Pinkie Pie, one of my fiancés.”

The griffon flew down and landed with a heavy thud a short distance from the ponies. White feathers adorned her avian head, contrasting nicely with the soft brown fur on her feline body. As with most flyers, her shape was built to be more aerodynamic, meaning she sadly lacked the prestigious posterior proudly presented by most ponies. She was bigger than Pinkie, but proportionally, her ass seemed even smaller than the speedster’s. Gilda flipped her short, feathery hair back in what was probably meant to be a cool gesture as another guitar strum echoed over the open meadow. “Hey, ‘sup.”

“Huh, there it is again,” Pinkie noted, looking around. She then shook her head, remembering her manners to focus on what mattered. “Ooh, a griffon. We don’t get many of you around here. Nice ta meet ya. The pleasure’s all mine,” she greeted, extending a hoof to shake.

Gilda eyed the appendage like it was covered in used needles. “Yeah, I’m sure it is,” she dismissed, not noticing Pinkie’s eye twitch.

Meanwhile, Dash scowled. “Gilda, we talked about this. Pinkie’s cool, so be nice.”

Gilda rolled her eyes and finally accepted the shake. “Well, if Dashy vouches for ya, I guess that counts for something.”

“Yup,” Pinkie agreed, noting the griffon’s light grip and the tension in her claws. “You’re not used to socializing with ponies, huh?”

Gilda’s fur and feathers bristled as her head lowered to an aggressive stance. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Gilda,” Dash warned, positioning herself between the two.

“That most griffons I meet tend to be pretty standoffish and don’t get along well with ponies,” Pinkie continued, seemingly oblivious to the large predator’s pouncing posture. “Griffon culture tends to prioritize self-reliance and stoicism, meaning you’re discouraged from asking others for help. So, it’s a bit of a clash when you interact with ponies, as we tend to view your behavior as pretty abrasive, making it tricky to get along.”

Gilda blinked several times in silence before shooting Dash an accusing scowl. “What else did you tell her?”

“Dude, you literally showed up this morning. I haven’t had time to tell anypony anything,” Rainbow reminded. “Pinkie just knows stuff.”

Snorting again, Gilda relaxed her aggressive posture, but still kept her head low enough as a general warning of alertness. “Whatever. Is there a reason you’re here?”

“Well, as Rainbow Dash said, we’re fiancés, which means I’m entitled to sixty-nine her whenever I feel like it, and she’s morally obligated to let me.”

Gilda blinked again and stared in disbelief at Rainbow. “Is that true?”

“Not how I’d put it, but basically, yeah,” Rainbow confirmed. “Why? Ya jealous?” she asked, turning her body to the side to teasingly bounce her bottom.

“Oooh, so you have that kind of relationship,” Pinkie realized. She then batted her eyelashes before mirroring Rainbow’s body language, except her bouncing bottom had enough weight to make sounds. “Well, any friend of Dashy is a face I’d be happy to sit on.”

Gilda’s white facial feathers shifted through several shades of pink and red. “I-I-I… Fuck, we literally just met.” She then faced her blue friend. “Seriously, Dashy, what’s the deal with this mare? Is she, like, in an early heat or something?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and approached Gilda’s side, throwing a hoof over the larger creature’s shoulder before gesturing at the ponker. “Nah, that’s just Pinkie. She’s showing what we ponies call… interest,” she whispered breathily into the griffon’s ear.

“Wait, in me?” Gilda asked in disbelief. “Aren’t you, like, freaked out by all this?” She clicked her beak and flexed her razor-sharp avian claws. Then, as both ponies began snickering, she asked, “What? What’d I miss?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Rainbow chuckled. “Just the part where these asses have sat on a dragon’s scaly mug.”

Gilda scowled. “Okay, if you’re gonna lie, it should be something plausible.”

“No, I’m serious,” Rainbow argued. “Her name’s Barb. She’s, like, the familiar to Dusk, that stallion I told you about. The one we went on the adventure with to stop Nightmare Moon? I could’ve sworn I told you this already.”

“If you did, it was probably after we’d had a few shots,” Gilda conceded. “You know I can’t remember shit when I’m drunk.”

“Well, apparently, I’m not much better,” Rainbow apologetically allowed.

“And if you still don’t believe it, we can take you to her,” Pinkie offered.

“T-to the dragon?” Gilda stammered.

“Well, I think the term is drake,” Pinkie elaborated. “She’s pretty young and only about a third bigger than you. Though, I should warn you, don’t go posturing at Dusk with her around. That’s, like, her one rule. She’s usually pretty laidback and fun, but make her think you’re threatening her Dusky, aaand…”

“Just don’t do it,” Rainbow finished, shaking her friend’s back. “C’mon, Gil. It’s me. We’ve been cool since we were little, and I’m telling you, these guys are just as cool. Just give ‘em a chance.”

Gilda apprehensively swallowed. “D-do we have to see the d-dragon right now?”

“Nah, we can save her for later,” Pinkie allowed. “Until then, we can always prac~tiiice,” she sang, once more shaking her rump.

“Uh, D-Dashy said she’d take me for a morning fly to stretch our wings and see the sights,” Gilda hurriedly cut in, launching into the air.

Rainbow Dash sighed and smiled apologetically at Pinkie. “So, that was Gilda, my friend from camp. She’s… an acquired taste, but she’s really great once you get to know her.”

“Taste, huh?” Pinkie pondered. “I know griffons aren’t as sexually open as ponies, but she acted like she really didn’t see that coming. Has no pony flirted with her before?”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, not really. Between the attitude and the sharp parts, most ponies give her a lot of distance.”

“You know I can hear you, right?” reminded Gilda, hovering a few yards above the ponies.

Pinkie whistled. “Nice teats.”

Gilda clamped her hind legs together. “Whatever. J-just hurry up and meet me in the clouds, AWAY from all these weirdos.” She then flew into the cloud layer, disappearing from sight.

“Eh, I gotta go after her. Don’t need her sulking. We’ll catch up later, okay?”

“Yaperdoodles,” Pinkie confirmed, saluting.

“Also, don’t follow us. Gilda needs some time to unwind. You know how introverts are.”

“In need of their heads shoved up a mare’s pussy and/or plot?” Pinkie inquired with a grin.

“Pinkieee,” Rainbow warned.

“Oh, fine. I’m gonna go tell Barb there’s another carnivore in town so she doesn’t freak out and light the sky up with green flame.”

“As awesome as that sounds, thank you,” Rainbow replied, finally taking off after Gilda.

***

About an hour later, the flyers had barely spoken a word to each other—at least, words that weren’t boasts. They primarily showed off different aerial stunts, either trying to top each other or just showing off something cool or silly. Finally, they’d burned off enough energy to settle on a nearby cloud to rest.

Snuggling up to Gilda’s side, Rainbow noted the welcome contrast of the soft fur atop the muscled physique. “So, how do you like Ponyville so far?”

“It’s… not as stupid as I thought,” Gilda conceded, wrapping her lion tail around Dash’s backside.

“Whoa, high praise. You either really like this tiny, Podunk town, or Pinkie made quite an impression on you,” Rainbow teased, leaning into the griffon’s personal space.

“Shut up,” Gilda grumbled, pulling her head away and staring blankly at the town below. “So, are you really engaged?”

“Believe me, I’m as surprised as you. I never thought I’d find a stallion I actually clicked with, but here we are,” Rainbow admitted. “The other mares aren’t half bad either.”

“Mares, right,” Gilda huffed. “So, who besides that pink one?”

“Well, there’s Fluttershy. You remember her, right?”

Gilda perked up and swiveled her head to face her friend. “Fluttershy? Seriously?”

“Okay, that one can’t be that much of a surprise,” Rainbow countered. “My parents always figured she’d be my ticket into a real herd someday, and I couldn’t really argue. You know how nice she is to cuddle.”

“I-I… remember,” Gilda allowed, averting her gaze. “She was so fat and slow, always slowing us down.”

“Uh-huh,” Rainbow replied, motioning with her hoof for Gilda to continue. “And?”

“And… when I had that accident that almost tore my wing off, she splinted it and stayed with me while you went for help,” Gilda reluctantly conceded.

Rainbow beamed in satisfaction. “And remember what happened next?” She snickered. “I think it was about a week after. Those bullies called her a chicken wing for coming in last place. Hehe. You kicked their asses so hard, your foot got stuck in one of ‘em. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Y-you had t-to go to the infirmary t-to pull it out!” she guffawed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“She is, though,” Gilda huffed. “She’s fat, slow, and her wings are more for show than anything, but that doesn’t give jackasses like them the right to say it.”

“You say fat, but I say cheeks for weeks,” Rainbow countered, still chuckling. “You should tell her that when you see her.”

“Why? She knows what I mean.”

“Yeah, but she’d reaaally appreciate it if you just came out and said it,” Rainbow reasoned before leaning up to whisper in the griffon’s ear. “She might even put ‘em to use like she used to.”

Gilda’s head feathers pomphed, making it look like her head and neck had doubled in size. Indignant at Rainbow’s chuckles, she hurriedly used her claws to flatten her fluff. “Y-yeah, so, wh-what about the others? You made it sound like there were more.”

“Well, there’s Rarity, a drama queen and dressmaker.”

“And you two haven’t killed each other because…?”

“Because I’m too busy getting a good sweat out of Apple Jack. She’s an earth pony, but she’s got legs like yours, and a kick just as tough.”

Gilda scoffed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Also, Barb, the dragon,” Rainbow continued with a shit-eating grin. “She’s also one of the creatures I screw around with.”

Gilda shook her head in disbelief as she stared at the speedster. “You really have no fear of predators, do you?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh, you guys aren’t as scary as you think you are. Deep down, you’re just a soft little kitten needing some TLC,” she cooed, scratching under her friend’s chin.

Gilda purred for a second before realizing she’d gotten too comfortable and swiped the hoof away with her knuckles. She’d learned to do that after too many accidental scratches when they were little. “A-and the d-dragon?”

“Oh, she’s a literal raging inferno. Seriously, she lets Dusk get away with literally anything, but one wrong word out of me, and she’s got this look that makes me think she could end me and not feel bad about it,” Rainbow explained, shivering while smiling. “Kinda like how your mom used to look at us when you were little.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “I could have gone without the reminder you had a crush on my mom, freak.”

“Hey, who’s the bigger freak? The freak or the freak that gets turned on just from sitting beside the freak?” Rainbow shot back. “Yeah, I feel the heat from back there. You can’t fool me.”

“I-it’s not you,” Gilda impotently denied. “I was just, uh, w-watching the weirdos down there.” She indicated where several mares had encircled a lone stallion and herded him into an alley for some raunchy fun.

“That?” Rainbow scoffed. “If that gets you horny, you’re more repressed than I thought, cuz that is about as rare as a thatched roof around these parts.”

Of the dozens of buildings in her purview, Gilda counted two without thatched rooves. “Well, we just treat our males differently.”

“Yeah, you sell ‘em to the highest bidder,” Rainbow recalled. “Hey, don’t look at me that way. I ain’t judging. If it works for you guys, cool, but ponies are fine with how we do things. Well, except for Dusk. He’s not like other guys. He’s got enough backbone to stand up to a mare.”

Gilda scoffed. “Somehow, that’s the least believable thing I’ve heard so far. The only time I’ve seen stallions show any backbone is when they’ve got at least three mares behind them.”

“Well, Dusk usually has Barb, but even when she’s on the other side of town, if he believes in something, he’ll put his hoof down,” Rainbow described with a wistful smile. “He’s great in the sack and an absolute snack, but even when he’s not servicing, he’s fun to hang out with. Like, he’s a total nerd that goes on these long tangents about whatever, but even when I have no idea what he’s saying, he’s passionate enough that I kinda wanna know.”

As the rainbow-maned mare stared off at nothing, Gilda’s predatory gaze narrowed to scan every inch of the pegasui’s form. Studying her old friend’s body language, it became increasingly difficult for the griffon to deny what she saw. Rainbow Dash, a mare that used to have greater respect for literal dildos than living stallions, had fallen for a guy. It was heartbreaking in ways Gilda didn’t want to admit, so she hardened her expression to her usual tough girl persona. “Whatever.”

***

“A griffon, huh?” Barbara pondered as she stood in the treebrary’s doorway.

“Yup, that’s exactly what I’ve been explaining to you over the last minute or so,” Pinkie happily chirped. “She’s a liiitle rude, but she’s Rainbow’s friend, and we’d appreciate it if you didn’t, ya know…”

“Fry her up like a holiday bird?” Barbara finished with a flat smile.

“Yeah, exactly that… What?”

Barbara face-palmed. “Seriously, do you really think I’m that much of a loose cannon? That I’d just go around spitting fire the moment someone looks at me wrong?”

“Uh…”

“When was the last time I blew fire at someone just for pissing me off?” Barbara angrily demanded. “Name me one time!”

“Two days ago, when those fillies made that colt come up to you and say that sex with dragons must give everyone a friction burn,” Dusk deadpanned as he sorted through his books. “Their parents complained about their scorched manes and tails.”

“Okay, those bullies had it coming,” Barbara defended. “Plus, the colt hugged me after, so I think that settled who was in the right that time.”

“Four days ago, when that cabbage cart got out of control and you picked a fight with the owner,” Dusk added.

“Ahem,” Barbara scoffed in disbelief. “I stopped that thing from running ponies over, and the jerk had the nerve to threaten to sue me for damages. Besides, those eyebrows were stupid.”

“Five days ago, with the fireworks.”

Barbara guiltily rubbed the back of her long neck. “Okay, I may have miscalculated on that one, but in my defense, Rainbow was very convincing.”

“She bribed you with gems.”

“The point is I’m not some crazy animal just waiting for the next trigger to set me off,” Barbara huffed in frustration.

“I know you’re not,” Dusk neutrally replied. “You might have a bit of a temper, but you do more than most to keep yourself in line, and your standard temperament is perfectly socially acceptable.”

Pinkie blinked. “Wait, are you messing with her? You were just arguing that—”

“No, he wasn’t,” Barbara sighed in defeat, hanging her head and burying her face in her palm. “I said to name times I used my flame on others, so Dusk got to naming. That’s my bad for not phrasing it better.” She shook her head before resuming facing Pinkie. “Anyway, we’ve had griffons in Canterlot before. They mostly keep their distance, but have always been pretty cordial whenever they need to talk with Dusk about stuff. Just tell this girl to mind her manners, and there shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Oh, so, you won’t be needing these?” Pinkie asked, presenting a bucket full of gems… that almost instantly disappeared from her grasp. “Hey, where’d it go?”

“Next time, just lead with the bribe,” Barbara said around her mouthful, face buried in the bucket as her mighty jaws crunched through the minerals.

“Okay,” Pinkie accepted before happily bouncing away.

Now by themselves once again, Barbara continued digging through the bucket, seemingly not looking where she was going. As such, her happily wagging tail accidentally swiped above the table, narrowly missing where Dusk had gathered his research for his latest project. This prompted the stallion to throw himself onto the assembled materials, protecting them with his magic. Some papers had been slightly jostled, but there would have been no damage, even without the magic. However, with her eyes still obscured, Barbara then slapped the spikey end of her tail to Dusk’s backside. It wasn’t hard enough to break the skin, only to send a message.

“You knew what you were doing,” she accused, grinning with her face half-buried in the bucket.

“You can’t prove anything!” Dusk shot back, rubbing the sore spot.

***

Following their talk in the clouds, Rainbow stuck by Gilda’s side as her semi-official handler and potential translator as they descended to the ground.

“So, what’s there to eat around here?” asked the griffon as she surveyed the market. “Something that isn’t green?”

“Well, how about a stallion covered in chocolate? I know I can’t say no to that,” Rainbow proposed with a cheeky grin.

“I mean actual food. Isn’t there somewhere I can get some meat around here?”

“Oh! Oh-oh-oh! I know!” Pinkie declared, manifesting out of thin air before injecting herself between the winged ladies.

“Gah! Holy fuck!” Gilda ascended into the clouds like a startled cat. “Pink? What are you doing here?”

“If you mean in Poniville, I live here, silly,” Pinkie happily replied. “If you mean here, specifically, same as you. Lookin’ for some chow. Unfortunately, if you want meat, you’ll have to go elsewhere. Not many farmers selling—as one griffon put it—the flesh of stupid lesser beasts,” she said, deepening her voice to sound extra aggressive.

Gilda grumbled as she resumed her spot on the ground. “Is there actually an elsewhere, or are you saying I need to leave town to get something decent?”

“Well, not quite leave town, but she lives on the outskirts,” Rainbow answered. “I know this one mare who stocks up on every kind of food there is, including meat.”

Gilda huffed. “A fat ass, I assume?”

“Oh-oh-oh!” Pinkie excitedly chirped. “If it’s the mare I’m thinking of, then yes, she’s got the fattest of asses. I mean, obviously, mine’s just a teeny bit bigger, but hers is nothing to scoff at, either,” she added, letting a bit of mare pride show.

Rainbow nodded. “Yup, definitely a fat ass. C’mon, I’ll show you the way.”

Gilda blinked as the gears in her mind whirred. “Wait, y-you mean her?”

“No, silly,” Pinkie cut in. “Not her. Her,” she said, pointing to Fluttershy escorting a family of ducks through town. She did so by walking backward while maintaining eye contact with the mother duck. It went without saying her path took her straight toward Gilda, granting the griffon a prime view of some of the juiciest, most scrumptious slabs of meat on the continent.

“Uh, Gilda, you’re drooling,” Pinkie pointed out before facing Dash. “Does she have a crush on Fluttershy or something?”

“That’s not for me to say. Well, Gilda?” Dash inquired, waving her tail before the griffon’s face to snap her back to reality.

“Hmm? Wha? Where’d I go just now?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle this,” Rainbow offered, intercepting Fluttershy to whisper in the yellow mare’s ear.

Everyone’s favorite butterball then snapped to face Gilda with enough force to make an audible crack. Now staring at the griffon with adorable determination, Ponyville’s newest visitor was suddenly struck with indecision about whether or not she should flee. Alas, she waited too long, and Fluttershy made the decision for her, shooting across the market like a bullet and impacting the griffon’s muscled chest with the force of a tossed pillow, yet her grip was like iron.

“Gilda! Oh, I’m so happy to see you,” Fluttershy whisper-shouted as she clung to the griffon’s side and nuzzled her neck. “It’s been so long. Goodness, you’re so thin. When’s the last time you ate?” she fussed like a doting grandmother.

Gilda was used to dismissing the affections of others. In her experience, most ponies were fakers who judged her just for being a griffon. Fluttershy was just as judgmental, but with the opposite intent, as she generally preferred non-ponies. She was also one of the most sincere entities Gilda had ever encountered. So, when the usually quiet mare began listing off all the ways the griffon had failed to take care of herself, saying things that would normally result in a broken nose, Gilda was powerless to do anything except bow her head in humble acceptance. Apparently, years of dealing with Fluttershy had given Gilda the opposite of resistance to her charms.

So, after the yellow mare confirmed that Dash would handle the ducks, the larger yet normally more timid pony grabbed the griffon’s claw and dragged the defeated predator back to her cottage for a decent meal and some proper grooming.

As the rest of the Ponyville market continued staring in stunned speechlessness at the absurdity they’d just witnessed, one brave soul saw fit to give a voice to everyone’s thoughts. “So, was it me, or do we all wish we were Gilda right now, so Fluttershy would feed and pamper us?” Pinkie asked, earning unanimous confirmation from the crowd.

***

“Hey, I said no bows,” Gilda growled. She’d been aggressively sat in front of a mirror with a bowl of chili in her lap. The meat had sufficiently placated her enough for the yellow mare to do as she liked.

“No, of course not,” Fluttershy agreed as she dragged a comb through the griffon’s fur. “That messes with your usual coolness. Hmm, I don’t have any gel, but luckily, your head feathers hold their shape just fine. Although, I hope you’ll let me dress you up a bit after the party. More lemonade?”

“Um, yes, thanks,” Gilda allowed, handing the glass to the mare to refill. “Wait, party?”

“Pinkie’s going to throw you a welcome party,” Fluttershy happily replied. “More ice?”

“Uh, no, but how did you know? I don’t think I heard her say anything.”

“Oh, that’s just Pinkie Pie. She throws everypony a party when they first come to Ponyville. It’s her thing, just like how my thing is caring for all the adorable creatures of the world.”

“Okay, first of all, call me adorable in public, and I’ll fart in your face,” Gilda threatened, frustrated when Fluttershy merely laughed. “And second, what’s the deal with that rabbit?” she asked, gesturing to the fluff ball making eyes at her.

“Oh, that’s Angel. He gets a little jealous when I show attention to others.”

“He’s looking at me like he’s saying he’ll get me if I’m ever alone.”

“Oh, you speak bunny?”

“No, I… Wait, he really said that?”

Fluttershy pursed her lips as her eyes shiftily darted around the room. “Uh, so, what brings you all the way to Ponyville? Besides Dash, I mean. I assume you two got some flying in before settling with us grounders?”

“That’s about it, I guess,” Gilda admitted as Fluttershy continued brushing her. “I just wanted to say ‘hey’ to some old friends.”

“Not in Cloudsdale or Griffon Stone?”

Gilda shook her head. “Not the kind of friends I’m looking for.”

That’s when Fluttershy nuzzled her head beneath Gilda’s chin, imitating a feline’s chitter to indicate trust and relaxation. It wasn’t long before Gilda joined her, leaning into the mare’s touch to savor her softness. “You want cuddle friends, don’t you?”

Gilda tried to growl and display more aggressive body language, yet her damnable body betrayed her by maintaining a show of relaxation. She could feel herself inches from rolling over and showing her belly to this accursed, fat slowpoke. “Other griffons don’t really get it, and I can never figure out how to tell ponies what I want without scaring ‘em off.”

Fluttershy nodded, moving the emptied chili bowl aside to fully engross herself in the griffon’s lap. As expected, Gilda wrapped her strong, protective arms around the butterball. “I wish I knew what to tell you. All I can say is that, so long as you’re here, Rainbow and I will take care of you.”

Gilda hated how reassuring that was, and her pride prevented her from asking her other best friend to resume the brushing.

Author's Note

Unsurprisingly, this episode wound up being a three-parter. Gilda is such a fascinating character with a lot of story potential. However, I’m set on not incorporating her into the main cast this time, so I’ve got to work fast. For now, we get some insights into who she is and how she interacts with others. Specifically, her roaring at Fluttershy in the episode should not have happened, as they ought to know each other through Rainbow Dash, who would have put an end to such behavior years ago. Also, if Fluttershy has a thing for animals like dragons, she’d surely be aggressively affectionate to a griffon. So, I gave the characters reasons to not act stupid, resulting in making Gilda a bit of a tsundere.

You’re welcome.

Chapter 14: Brushing Up The Griffon

Later, Gilda arrived at Sugar Cube Corner with two winged escorts. Upon crossing the threshold, her shy demeanor instantly morphed into an aggressive bravado as she turned up her beak at anyone who made eye contact. As a result, only a few partygoers approached.
“Gilda, yes? A pleasure to meet you, Darling. You may call me Rarity.”
“I… hey,” Gilda awkwardly replied, shaking the white mare’s hoof.
“Oh, I see Fluttershy got her hooves on you. You lucky devil, you. I know better than most what a divine touch that mare possesses. You’re easily the most fetching creature here.”
“Uh… thanks,” Gilda replied, rubbing the back of her head and allowing herself a small smile.
“Howdy do! Nice ta meet ya,” Apple Jack exuberantly greeted. When Gilda timidly offered her claw to shake, the earth mare showed off her tribe’s trademark strength with a mighty show of force. In response, Gilda leaned into the action, matching the orange mare’s grip. “Hah! Them’s some mighty fine claws ya got there. Hoo-we! Right near shook mah arm out ‘f its socket, too. Not bad, Missy. Ah tip mah hat to ya.”
“Oh, so, you liked that, huh?”
“Sure did. Ya can tell a lot about a pony from her hoof shake. Same applies ta a griffon, ‘n Ah can safely say yer a gal Ah wouldn’t mind havin’ help me on the farm.”
“That’s a good thing,” Fluttershy translated.
“See, Gil? I told ya these guys were cool,” Rainbow boasted.
Gilda’s smile broadened. “Yeah. I guess so. I-I-I…” she trailed off, feathers seeming to suck in, making her look smaller as she couldn’t tear her eyes from the newcomers entering from the back. “D-d-d-d…”
“Yo, Dusk. I told you not to bother combing your mane today, and look what happened,” Barbara snarkily remarked to the stallion on her head as her long neck loomed high over all others. “This griffon is downright smitten with ya,” she laughed.
“Barb, lower your head. You’re intimidating her,” Dusk curtly ordered.
“Yeah-yeah, whatever. You’re no fun,” Barbara grumbled, lowering her head to an inch below Gilda’s. “Better?”
Gilda suddenly found her voice again. “I… Yes. Erhem. Y-you must be B-Barbara and Dusk. I-I’ve heard a lot about you two.”
“Well, I hope we lived up to the expectations,” Barbara replied with a toothy grin.
“Barb, be nice,” Rainbow chided, positioning herself between the larger creatures without a shred of fear. “Gilda’s my friend, and we just spent, like, half an hour working up the nerve to get her to come to this party, so don’t screw it up.”
“Half an hour?” Barbara scoffed. “All for little ol’ me?”
“Nah,” Pinkie said, cartwheeling into the conversation. “At first, I just thought she had some cultural misunderstandings. However, upon further examination, I think she might also have social anxiety on par with Dusk.”
Barb’s mocking smirk dropped like an anvil, and she slowly adjusted her great heft to turn sideways within the store’s limited space. “Hey, wanna climb on my back?”
“I… wh-what?”
“It always gives Dusk a boost to see the world from up here. I know you’ve got wings, but it couldn’t hurt, right?” Barbara offered.
Growling, Gilda’s feathers ruffled as she aggressively lowered her head and backed away. “Th-this is some kind of trick, isn’t it?”
“I can assure you, it isn’t,” Dusk said. “Barb merely wishes to show you—”
“I don’t care!” Gilda roared, bringing all chatter and music to a dead silence. Looking around, breathing growing heavy and rapid, she angrily shook her head. “I knew it. I knew this was a bad idea. I always screw it up with these damn ponies,” she muttered, marching toward the door as other partygoers kept their distance. “I should never—YOW!” she shrieked. Turning around, she found her tail in a familiar yellow mouth. “What the buck was that, fatso!”
Fluttershy’s expression was cold and stern, yet her knees trembled. “You are not allowed to leave the party like that.”
“Excuse me?” Gilda demanded, feathers and fur bristling. “You’re seriously going to tell me what to do? You!?”
“Gil,” Rainbow began. “You need to—”
“No, shut up! Everyone just shut up! I can’t take this anymore!” Gilda cried, her eyes starting to water. “I-I just—”
“We should go upstairs,” Dusk offered from Gilda’s side. The little stallion was no taller than the griffon’s knee, and her claws were roughly as long as his skinny forelegs. Regardless, there was not an ounce of fear in the little guy’s aggressively neutral expression as he endeavored to push the predator along his intended path. “We could go much faster if you moved your legs.”
Gilda blinked at the sheer audacity of this guy. Were it any mare or griffon, she might toss him across the room and run. However, because the other mares and drake were positioned nearby and staring intently at her, the griffon was not confident she could flee fast enough. More pressingly, the stallion showed no signs of fear in his body language, nor did he so much as glance at his protectors to show he was counting on them to protect him from his own stupidity. The stallion merely stared at her, blinking yet determined.
“I… o-okay,” Gilda finally conceded, letting the stallion take her talon and lead the way as his entourage followed.
***
The six ponies and drake gathered on one side of Pinkie’s room while Gilda took up the other side. Dusk even took the extra measure to open the window. “Winged creatures often become anxious if there isn’t a clear exit. Additionally, this will let you leave without going past the other party attendees,” Dusk stated with clinical coldness.
“Y-you’re really not scared, are you?” Gilda marveled.
“Of course I am,” Dusk declared. “You were in an agitated state, and someone could have gotten hurt. The mares only added to that irrational agitation, and I don’t need to say what would have happened if Barb had interfered. So, I gave you an opponent you’ve been socially conditioned to not harm—myself—in hopes of defusing the situation. However, there was a 30% chance my plan would fail. For that possibility, I was certainly afraid.”
“You see why I like him, right?” Rainbow asked. “I don’t see how he can move with balls that heavy weighing him down.”
“So, what’s the deal here, anyway?” Gilda asked, some belligerence returning to her voice. “Trying to use me to show off to your ladies?”
“No. When Pinkie mentioned our commonalities, I also saw our similarities in your reaction to an uncomfortable social situation. I’ve lost track of how many times Barb has rescued me from such predicaments, and I wondered what it was like to be on the other end for a change.”
Gilda snorted. “I don’t need saving.”
“Then what do you need? Would some sexual release ease your nerves?” Dusk plainly asked. “You appear to be well-groomed, and I know two of the best groomers in town.” He gestured at the yellow and white mares. “Alternatively, given that you are Rainbow’s friend, by the transitive property, that makes you my friend as well. And as my friend, I am obligated to let you use my body to satisfy your carnal desires.”
Gilda blinked in shock. “Okay, that was either the worst pickup line ever… or you’re crazy.”
“How was that a pickup line?” Dusk innocently asked. “I’m merely stating the facts that circumstances obligate me to make myself available to appease your…” He trailed off and faced behind him. “What’s so funny?”
Pinkie shook the giggles from her system and approached Dusk. “What Dusky’s trying to say is that we’re not mad. You had a bad moment, but you’ve got friends to help. So, what can we do?”
“Friends?” Gilda asked in disbelief. “I’ve only just met most of you. What? Are you gonna invite me to your place to make a pie or some shit?”
“Oh, I could go for pie,” Pinkie chirped. “Got any spare apples, Apple Jack?”
“If it was anypony but you, Ah’d take that as an insult,” Apple Jack replied, smirking. “But, since it’s you, Ah guess Ah might—”
“AnyONE,” Dusk cut in.
“Oh, don’t you start,” Rarity chided. “We’re trying to defuse a delicate situation. There’s no need to be a stickler over silly words.”
“Sorry, but anyone?” Gilda repeated.
“Dusk has a thing about saying ‘one’ or ‘body’ when most ponies say ‘pony,’” Barbara explained. “It matters to him that non-ponies feel included.”
“Oh…” Gilda stared blankly at the stallion, unable to make sense of what stood before her.
“It’s okay to be afraid, Gilda,” Fluttershy offered. “I need to be told that more than most, so you shouldn’t be ashamed of having your own fears.”
“Shouldn’t I, though?” Gilda questioned. “I’m a griffon. I can’t afford to be afraid of anything, especially not some lame pony party.”
“Loud noises and strangers wanting to make awkward conversation,” Dusk listed. “I’m not the biggest fan of parties either, but Pinkie loves them, so I attend for her sake. Also, I have Barb with me, while you had Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Why didn’t you lean on them when things got overwhelming?”
“That ain’t exactly Gil’s strong suit, either. Gil’s too proud for that,” Rainbow admitted, moseying over to press sides with her pal. That lasted only a minute before the hybrid pulled away. “Gil?”
“I-I don’t… This is t-too… I-I just… Gah!” Gilda hissed, snapping around to face the window. Her wings flared, and she readied to pounce, fleeing this social nightmare forever.
“Pride…” Pinkie thought, eyes widening with realization. “That’s it. Barb, grab her!”
“What?”
“Just do it!”
Unsure what else to do, Barbara trusted Pinkie’s judgment and lunged for the avian. She struggled, squawked, and tried using every sharp implement to repel the larger female. However, the only thing stronger than the drake’s scales was her grip, and Barbara had the griffon pinned in mere seconds. “Guess who I used to spar with back at the castle,” she triumphantly hissed in the griffon’s ear.
“I assume you have some sort of plan, Pinkie?” Rarity warily asked, finding her pink friend whispering into her yellow friend’s ear.
Nodding, Fluttershy approached Gilda’s front, locking eyes as the drake held the avian head in place without touching her beak. Breathing to calm herself, the yellow mare dropped down to the griffon’s level and said, “You’re powerless. We’ve captured you because we’re stronger. We…” Trailing off, she looked to her pink friend for guidance.
“We’re stronger, tougher, there are more of us, and we’re just plain better,” Pinkie chirped in her usual upbeat tone. “We caught you cuz we’re your superiors. You deserve to be caught. Don’t ya think?”
Finally, Gilda stopped struggling and surrendered into Barbara’s grip.
Receiving a nod from Pinkie, Fluttershy resumed her speech. “I’m sorry, but since we’re s-stronger, I-I can…” She strained, finding the words too mean. However, with an encouraging pink hoof on her shoulder, she found the courage to say what needed saying. “Y-you don’t choose what happens next. I do. S-so, um, h-here it is.” Fluttershy pressed her lips to Gilda’s beak. Her nimble tongue expertly navigated the sharp bits to avoid any accidental cuts. She even pressed near the tip to indicate her desire for entry. Surprisingly, Gilda obliged, allowing Fluttershy’s tongue to mingle with hers.
“What the buck am Ah lookin’ at?” gawked AJ.
“Hierarchal power consolidation,” Dusk answered. “Griffons have a strong pack instinct. However, while modern culture generally represses it, it’s still there and can be triggered with various social cues.” Looking at Pinkie with an impressed smile, he said, “You tricked her instincts to view Barb as her pack alpha, making her complacent with whatever requests were made by her new pack. To what end?”
“If Gilda was too proud to rely on her friends on her own, I figured we’d try treating her like a stallion instead,” Pinkie explained.
“You acted for her benefit against her will,” Dusk interpreted, facing the griffon with new understanding as she continued making out with Fluttershy. “Interesting.”
“So, I should have just shoved her head up my pussy when she was starting to panic?” Rainbow wondered.
“No, silly,” Pinkie dismissed. “She’d throw you off like a bad hat. Gilda’s problem is that she craves a pack, but she’s been taught that getting one is a weakness, so it’s got her all discombobulated. The only way for her to get what she needs is to be given it by force.”
“Just like a stallion,” Dusk thoughtfully noted, imagining Barbara holding him down while strange mares had their way with him. The idea made his stomach queasy, but it also made his little cock twitch. Like Gilda, he’d also been betrayed by his instincts. “Gilda, would you like to get up now?”
“I… s-sure,” the wren dizzily answered. Not surprising, given the intensity of Fluttershy’s kiss. Barbara carefully disentangled herself from the smaller creature, allowing her to stand. However, when it looked like Gilda might fall, Fluttershy jumped in for support, and the wren did not pull away. “Okay, that was… something.” Staring curiously at the nefarious pink mastermind behind the ordeal that still left her chest full of tight knots, Gilda asked, “So, i-is that it? Am I… cured or whatever?”
Pinkie merely shrugged. “I’un’ow.”
“There is no cure for social anxiety, especially not when cultural conditioning goes against engrained instinct,” Dusk authoritatively informed. “Most likely, you’re experiencing a phenomenon akin to a post-orgasmic high. It will pass.”
“So, I’ll be an asshole again? Then… what was the point?” Gilda demanded, sounding disappointed.
“There is no cure, but treatments vary, depending on the individual,” Dusk continued. “Broadly speaking, socializing with trusted friends is crucial. In your specific case, I suspect shows of playful aggression will yield desirable results. Rainbow, if Gilda needs a hug, pull her into a choke hold and noogie her into submission. She is not willfully accepting an act of kindness, but merely playing along in submission to those she recognizes as superior.”
“Wait, I thought you said this is gonna wear off,” inquired Barbara. “Not sure if you noticed, but this chick ain’t no pushover. She could kick Rainbow’s ass if she really wanted to.”
“Debatable,” Rainbow countered.
“So, am I just gonna have to keep dominating her?” Barbara asked, giving the griffon a curious look. “If so, I can’t say I hate the idea. That’s a pretty nice body I get to hold.”
Gilda blushed and fought the urge to roll over, exposing her belly.
“Don’t need to,” Pinkie confidently asserted, moseying up to the larger creature with a smirk. “Gilda, you’re in Ponyville now, and us ladies like to show each other a little courtesy now and then, if ya get my drift.” She turned her body to the side and invitingly shook her rump. “It’s just common manners.”
“R-right,” Gilda acquiesced, lowering her face between the pink cheeks to lick the earth mare’s slit.
“Fascinating. She didn’t even look at Barb,” Dusk observed, causing several mares to chuckle. “What? What did I miss?”
“Hehe, sorry, li’l guy,” Apple Jack began, pulling the small stallion to her side. “Yer a guy, so it probably ain’t obvious, but we mares learn mighty quick as fillies what bad manners gets ya. First time Ah ever disrespected mah Pa, Ma kicked me outta the house like she were shootin’ fer the shot ta win the big game. That was also the last time Ah disrespected mah Pa.”
“My moms didn’t need to do anything,” Pinkie informed. “They just stared into my soul like they were trying to pull it out with sheer willpower. Anyway, long story short, when our cousins came to visit, my sisters and I played nice with the little ones.”
“Unlike you ruffians, my mother raised me to be a lady of refinement,” Rarity convincingly lied. “I was a good filly who knew better than to start a fight I couldn’t finish, and especially not with boys.”
“The strongest call the shots,” Gilda plainly added, pulling away and licking her face clean of the clear juices as Pinkie’s legs buckled. Swallowing, the griffon faced the dragon and said with a respectful bow, “Thank you.”
“No prob. I was happy to do it.” Barbara playfully flicked her forked tongue.
“So, is that it then?” Gilda asked.
Pinkie rose from the floor like a zombie, scooped Dusk up under his belly, and casually chucked him in the air. The stallion wildly flailed as he came down at an arch, landing squarely on Gilda’s back. “You, guard that at the party,” Pinkie instructed, gesturing from the griffon to the stallion. “Ponies can approach and talk, but no touchy. Got it?”
“I… think so?”
“Yipee!”
So, the party pony and company returned to the event downstairs, reinvigorating the celebration just as the other attendees had started leaving. Gilda didn’t say much to anyone new, but as she guarded Dusk, the duty gave her more genuine confidence than her usual false bravado. At least she didn’t growl at anyone. All things considered, the party was a decent success. Also, for helping Gilda finally break out of her shell, Rainbow and Fluttershy promised to do unspeakable things to Pinkie’s body after everything died down.
After this, Dusk returned home and asked Barbara to take a letter.
Dear Queen Celestia
Today, I met Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s mutual friend, a griffon named Gilda. Pinkie’s observations of her having idiosyncrasies similar to mine have provided insight into what I might be like without my support system. Rainbow and Fluttershy excellently embodied their respective elements of loyalty and kindness, giving Gilda everything they could. However, she was reluctant to accept their help due to bizarre and unhealthy contradictions in griffon socialization. Despite this, they pressed on as good friends, as we all did. Ultimately, we did not solve Gilda’s problems, but we may have set her on the right path.
Ironically, the key that ultimately got the ball rolling was to remove Gilda’s agency and treat her more like how ponies treat stallions, if only temporarily. Reflecting on this, I am surprised to admit a bias favoring such a policy. Though I am loathe to admit it, it appears there may be a deeper merit to how stallions are treated. Regardless, Gilda has decided to return to Griffon Stone and bring this new practice of tough love with her. Hopefully, the younger generations will positively respond to pony-style forceful cuddles.
Your Faithful Student
Dusk Shine
***
Later, on a balcony in Canterlot Castle, three mares enjoyed their afternoon tea.
“So, what do you think?” Celestia asked, handing the letter to her sister.
“Hmm, curious. How couldst thou allow griffons to so languish under thy tutelage?” Luna haughtily asked.
“Beg pardon?” inquired Cadence.
Celestia also appeared momentarily confused, only to realize the truth and laugh. “Oh, we never conquered the griffons.”
“You what!?” Luna and Cadence shouted in unison.
“Don’t get your panties in a tizzy,” Celestia dismissed while mixing several sugars into her cup. “But, before my little sister’s little tantrum, we might have been toying with the idea to… perhaps… annex Griffon Stone.”
“Why?” Cadence demanded, aghast.
“Didst thou not read the letter? The nation to the west is dreadful,” Luna informed. “Adolescent dragons ‘played’ there for sport, terrorizing the population into utter misanthropy.”
“We stopped the dragons, but the cultural damage had been done,” Celestia continued. “Unfortunately, a westward expansion into the mountains would have been a logistical nightmare in its own right. Then somepony had to go and get possessed by a demon… again.”
“Again?” Cadence asked, horrified. “H-how ma—”
“That would be mine twelfth endeavor,” Luna humbly admitted, sipping her beverage. “And before thou sayeth anything, we retained far more control than past attempts. Soon, We will be the ones possessing them!” She triumphantly threw a hoof in the air.
“At least give yourself a century to rest before you try that shit again,” Celestia groaned. “My visions show the next few years to be turbulent enough without having to kick your ass again.”
“So, now that We hath safely and gloriously returned from our sabbatical, where do we stand on conquering the griffons?” Luna asked.
Cadence sank into her seat with an atrocious posture. “Faust, almighty! Equestria is run by mad mares.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Celestia jokingly dismissed. “Developing eccentricities is inevitable with immortals. I’m sure you’ll be singing a different tune once you reach your first century.”

Author's Note

I was struggling toward the end, not to get content out, but to keep Gilda from sticking around. There wouldn’t be much for her to do, so I needed to wrap up her arc as quickly as possible. And yes, the moral is freaking bizarre, but I think it fits the setting quite nicely. If a friend won’t accept help, force ‘em, preferably with sexual coercion, because that’s just how things roll in this world. It was also tricky to make Pinkie the hero instead of Dusk. He might be the main character, but the cast should be an ensemble of equals as much as possible.Lastly, reading this and the first part in one sitting, I realized how much I put into describing body language. And ya know what? It’s fun. It makes sense that different species might rely more on nonverbal communication, so fleshing out everyone’s reactions through posturing was a neat experiment. I think I’ll do more.

Chapter 1: A Mission to Ponyville

Dusk Shine had his nose buried in a book, as per usual. Most ponies in the library merely needed cushions to sit on, but this purple unicorn needed a stool. This wasn’t unusual, given that he was a stallion. And because he was a stallion, despite being the same age as most of the ponies in Canterlot’s Royal Library, Dusk stood roughly at the same height as most of his quadrupedal peers’ shoulders, putting him slightly below average for one his age. For some of the taller ponies, he only had to duck his head a little to walk beneath them without notice.

However, there were a couple unusual things about Dusk that caught ponies’ eyes. The first wasn’t merely that he was a stallion, but a stallion in such a prestigious institution. While he’d long ago learned to tune out most gossip, his flicking ears occasionally picked up ponies questioning why a male was here. He clearly had a cutie mark, marking him as an adult, so he likely wasn’t a foal waiting for anyone to pick him up. Ponies unfamiliar with him openly wondered why he wasn’t at home, taking care of the household chores and, most importantly, attending to his mares. The more brazen among them questioned what the colt-looking stallion’s butt tasted like and how big his penis might be. Luckily, ponies that gossiped too loudly were promptly silenced by the second unusual thing about the purple pony.

Barb was a slightly lighter shade of purple than Dusk’s fur, with green spines along her scaly back and a soft green underbelly. Being a female, she naturally stood taller than the average male, except she stood out more for being nearly twice as tall as most mares when on all fours, and even taller if she reared up on her back legs. Sporting such an intimidating height with a bulk to match, she wasn’t afraid of using the ignorance of others to her advantage by facing anyone whose words annoyed her and curling her lip up in a soft snarl. That either shut ponies up or sent them outright running in fear, much to her amusement.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Dusk chided, never tearing his nose from the book that so engrossed his attention.

“Do what? It’s called a smile, bookworm,” Barb shot back, her tail curling protectively around the little stallion’s stool. “Ya know, it’s that thing you do when you find a book that you haven’t reread six times already.”

“You’re scaring them,” Dusk rebuked.

Barb’s draconic expression scrunched in a scowl. “Since when do you care what losers like them think?”

“I don’t, but it gets annoying when I say hi to someone, only for them to run away when they see you.” Another unusual, but less obvious detail about Dusk was how he used non-species-specific pronouns. He said it wasn’t for Barb’s sake, but merely a disagreement with language vernacular being needlessly specific. However, few believed him, especially not the young drake. “That makes it super hard to negotiate for the stuff I need.”

Barb rolled her eyes and chuckled as a clawed hand gently patted Dusk’s back. Their size difference was painfully apparent, as the drake’s talons could effortlessly scoop up the little pony and carry him off to who-knows-where whenever she liked, which had been necessary on a few occasions. “Of course, ever the pragmatic one,” she sighed, somewhat disappointed. Dusk was an oddball. Even among stallions who aspired to be more than mere house-husbands, he had numerous idiosyncrasies that put most ponies off, leading to few relationships that could be called positive, let alone friendships. It worried Barb that the precious creature she so valued might never connect with other ponies.

“Hmm, the Elements of Harmony?” Dusk pondered aloud, finally looking up as he scratched his chin. “Where have I heard that before?”

Seeing a look of determination don on her master’s face, Barb closed the comic she’d been reading and stood on all fours, ready to run. Sure enough, the moment Dusk closed the book with his magic, the little stallion took off with a gallop, his drake familiar in hot pursuit. Barb’s legs were longer, and she had no issue keeping pace, so she ran a little ahead as a deterrent for any pedestrians to clear the path. There were advantages to being the biggest, baddest babe on castle grounds, second only to the one who wore a crown. However, there were yet those bold enough to stand against the miniature stampede, forcing the pair to skid to a halt.

“There you are, Dusk,” greeted Precision Pen with an almost convincingly warm grin. Her mane was shades of black and gray, her fur was silver, and her cutie mark was an inkwell pen. She was flanked by her three flunkies, whose names Dusk couldn’t remember, but their smiles were far more strained as they kept wary eyes on Barb. “I just wanted to double-check and make sure you were coming to my party this afternoon.”

Dusk blinked up at the mare as his ears folded back before his eyes fell to the ground. “I-I never said I w-was c-coming.” He flinched when Precision’s squad snickered.

“Well, I had assumed you would. After all, it’s not like you had any other plans,” Precision countered, head held high with the confidence befitting her family lineage.

“I-I had plans,” Dusk stammered. “B-but that’s ch-changed. I-I have to—”

“Reading by yourself is hardly what most ponies would call a plan, little one,” Precision said with maximum condescension. “Just look at you, shivering like a homeless peasant in winter. You’d be so much more confident if you had a few strapping mares to take care of you, you know.”

“I-I can t-take care of m-myself.”

Precision snorted a laugh. “A stallion by himself? Such silly ideas you have, little one.”

“I take care of him,” Barb intoned, her voice deepening to dangerous levels as her head fell to just above a pouncing posture.

Precision’s nose wrinkled as though detecting an offensive smell, never sparing a glance at Barb. “My point, exactly, little Dusk. You can’t even properly train your familiar, so how can you expect to look after yourself?”

“I heard he’s still a virgin,” said the red mare to Precision’s left.

The blue mare on Precision’s right added, “I wouldn’t believe it if it were anypony but Dusk. He’s such a cutie; it’s all I can do to hold myself ba—” She suddenly stopped herself when she noticed Barb’s razor gaze trying to set the hapless pony on fire with her mind.

“Which just further proves that you need mares in your life to look after and protect you,” Precision continued, not noticing that she had one less flunky to back her up. “No pony would proposition you or try to feel you up if they knew you’d already been claimed, especially by a pony of such high standing as myself.” She put a hoof to her chest like she was giving a speech after winning an award.

Dusk muttered something almost inaudible, with only his resentful tone being clear.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” Precision inquired, her patience slipping.

“I said, ‘If you were so great, how come you don’t have one of these?’” Dusk reached into his saddle bags and extracted a golden badge that shined with magical light, though he kept his eyes down the entire time.

Precision’s eye twitched, yet her smile held. “Yes, it’s true; you have some impressive magical potency for coming from such a minor house. However, wouldn’t it be better if, instead of wasting time with dusty old books, you applied that aptitude to something important?” She turned her body sideways and wiggled her rump in what was meant to be an enticing manner. “For example, servicing your mares as stallions are meant to. It’s not like you’re good for anything else.”

Unable to take it anymore at seeing Dusk’s eyes water, Barb reared on her hind legs and mightily loomed at her full height, casting an all-encompassing shadow on the three mares. She then fell forward, colliding thunderously with the ground as her head snapped forward like a striking snake, and unleashed a devastating roar that blasted back the mares’ manes. This roar lasted for several terrifying seconds before Barb snapped her jaw shut to behold two dead-eyed, comatose mares where a pair of bitches used to be. The third spot was filled with open air as the last one fled, leaving a trail of urine in her way.

Barb snorted in satisfaction at her work before craning her long neck to face Dusk as her tail curled around him in a protective wall. “You okay?”

Dusk sniffled a second before wiping his eyes. They were still a little puffy, but he’d always been quick to recover from moments like these. So, now that the strangers were effectively absent, the little stallion forced himself to stand tall before his drake, slipped the badge back in his bags, and said, “W-we have work to do.” And he marched forward, slowly, to not leave the drake behind.

Of course, Barb was quick to follow, knowing that he needed her to finish his recovery. Although she accidentally knocked over the unconscious yet still-standing mares, to which Dusk gave no comment. Eventually, they arrived at the old observatory that had been converted into Dusk’s private room, a privilege shared by no other student. There were also advantages to being the queen’s favorite.

Dusk quickly began sifting through the walls of shelves in search of his target, with Barb only learning what that was from listening to the colt-looking stallion’s mutterings. Dusk muttered more things about Nightmare Moon, which Barb dismissed as an old fairytale, but the purple stallion remained determined. He was convinced that this legendary monster’s return was imminent, and demanded that Barb take a letter. The drake wore saddlebags loaded with parchment and quills for precisely these occasions, after all. Dusk dictated the letter, which Barb sent directly to the queen through her green dragon fire. However, the wind was knocked from the little pony’s sails almost immediately upon reading the unusually prompt response.

***

Later, Dusk was in maximum sulk mode as he and Barb rode in a pegasus-driven chariot out of Canterlot.

“My dearest Dusk, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying. So, I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location, Ponyville. And I have an even more critical task for you to complete. Make some friends,” Barb read for the third time, trying to coax Dusk out of his funk. “She’s right, you know. As the Royal Protégé, she was due to send you on another errand like this eventually.”

“Ugh, there’s no time for errands when I’m right, and Nightmare Moon’s return is imminent!” Dusk whined as the chariot descended through the clouds and the small town of thatched rooves neared.

“Well, at least you’ll be staying in a library,” Barb pointed out.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll check on the preparations as fast as I can, and then resume my research to prove to Celestia that I’m right and Nightmare Moon is returning.”

“And?” Barb added, waving her clawed hand leadingly.

“I’ll do my duty with the preparations, but the fate of Equestria does not depend on me making friends,” Dusk whined, only to catch his drake quirking an eyebrow at him. “What’s that look for?”

“You just jinxed it. You realize that, right?”

Dusk’s eye twitched. “Bookworm’s Theory of Improbability was never proven with concrete evidence, only coincidences that were highly circumstantial.”

“Yeah, but weren’t most of those with ponies on important magical quests?” Barb reminded as she helped Dusk out of the carriage before tipping the flyers as they departed. Ponies of all sorts milled about with their miscellaneous errands, predominantly mares, as per usual, with many sporting large, pregnant-looking bellies. As expected, most paused to at least side-eye the dragon the size of a small food cart and her pony companion. “Ya know, quests like stopping the return of an ancient evil?”

“Ugh, you are insufferable when you get like this,” Dusk whined as he trotted beside Barb, craning his neck to look up at her triangular face.

“What? So convinced that I’m right that I won’t listen to anyone else? Man, it must suck for anyone who has to deal with that,” Barb retorted with a wry grin. “Then again, maybe you’re just too scared to face the one challenge you’ve never overcome. Social activity~” she said in a wobbly, spooky tone. “This isn’t Canterlot, so you ought to at least give these new ponies a shot.”

“Oh, fine! If it’ll shut you up, I’ll try.” Dusk then saw a pony heading in their general direction. She had a curly mane and tail that, when combined with her fur, radiated with almost blinding pink energy. Determined to prove his point, Dusk swallowed his anxiety, puffed out his chest in a show of boldness, and extended his hoof. “H-h-helll-o m-m-misss,” he stammered.

“Smooth,” Barb muttered.

Gasping so hard that she sucked in enough air to attain lift, the pink mare stared in horror at the pair before suddenly zipping off to parts unseen with sufficient speed to knock Dusk off his hooves and into his drake’s claws.

Dusk could practically see the gears grinding in Barb’s brain as she guiltily averted her gaze. No doubt, she blamed herself for intimidating this stranger, even if unintentionally. Sure, they’d both written off most ponies in Canterlot as being jerks, but the young drake clearly hated the idea of isolating the purple pony. So, after righting himself, Dusk summoned the authoritative dignity befitting his birthright and said, “Stupid country bumpkins. They see a grown stallion outside the house, and they freak the buck out.” Huffing, he marched ahead a few steps before stopping to face Barb. “Well, are you coming?”

Grinning, Barb nodded and followed, her leg ‘accidentally’ nudging Dusk almost enough to be suspicious. The drake then read from the letter directing them to start with the mayor’s office. The building was easy enough to find, and, as expected, a stallion and a drake waiting in the lobby were an eye-catching sight, to say nothing of when Dusk flashed his golden badge. At least they didn’t have to wait long to enter the mayor’s office.

“Greetings, uh… S-Sir Royal Protégé?” the pony behind the desk questioningly greeted. She had tan fur with a white and gray mane that made her look older than she was. The label on the desk read Mayor Mare, and she took a second glance at the badge to confirm its authenticity before glancing at the parties wielding it. Adjusting her glasses, she said, “I-I beg your forgiveness, Sir Royal Protégé, but when I got word that the queen was sending such an important pony to inspect our town, I was expecting a… you know…”

“A mare,” Dusk flatly finished, his social awkwardness consumed by protocol and duty. “And you can just call me Dusk. It’s less of a mouthful.”

“I… yes, Sir Dusk,” Mayor Mare replied, hoping she didn’t look as awkward as she felt and forcing herself to not look at the drake. “So, uh, y-you’re here by yourself?”

Barb cleared her throat, reminding all that a creature larger than most furniture was in the room.

“I-I mean, you know, n-no escort?” Mayor Mare asked, sweating bullets as she stressed to find the right words to avoid causing any more offense.

“I don’t need a mare to walk around and hold my hoof all day,” Dusk huffed. “I’m a grown-assed stallion, an adult, and Barbara, my bodyguard, is the only help I need. However, have you made arrangements for where I’ll be staying during my… stay?”

“Y-yes. We got word only an hour ago, but we’re still setting up the Ponyville library for you. We call it the treebrary,” the mayor laughed weakly. “Here are the directions, and everything should be ready in another hour or so.”

Dusk nodded. “Good. Now, give me the lists of ponies and locations of interest,” Dusk demanded, holding out his hoof.

Glad for a way out of this conversation, the mayor handed over the relevant documentation and wished the pair well before making an excuse to be anywhere else.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Barb said as they headed down the dirt road to their first destination.

“It could have also gone worse,” Dusk countered. “At least she didn’t talk down to me or point at her belly. I hate that.”

“You don’t hate it when your moms or I do it,” Barb reminded, nosing Dusk’s side.

“That’s different. You guys don’t talk down to me like I’m somehow broken just because I like stretching my legs outside, or that I’m not married yet.”

“Well, maybe this next place can be a chance to fix the second one,” Barb suggested as they arrived at the gate to Sweet Apple Acres. “The list says this place is handling food. It couldn’t hurt to find a mare who can cook.”

Dusk sighed and hung his head. “Let’s just get this over with.” Entering the property, the red barn in the distance was almost entirely eclipsed by the fields of apple trees. Most had been stripped bare of any fruit, but the closer they got to the farmhouse, the more apples they found. Finally, hearing a disturbance, Dusk spied a pony. She was an orange earth mare in a Stetson hat with three apples for cutie marks. She ran right up to a tree, bucked it with her back legs, and sent every last apple tumbling into the wooden buckets below. As she did, Dusk found himself studying the contours of her body. This mare had remarkable muscle definition, especially around her backside, and the way she delivered each kick without damaging the trees showed an even more impressive level of control.

It was Barb’s turn to use her years of learning Dusk’s mannerisms to look into her compatriot’s mind. Although, that was hardly necessary, as the male’s involuntary physical response to watching the mare work was enough for her to guess what was on his mind and smirk. “She’s cute.”

“Sh-shut up,” Dusk grumbled. Stepping away from Barb and toward the farmer, he got into his authoritative headspace, held out his badge, and said, “Greetings, miss. My name is Dusk Shine, and—”

“Well, howdy do, li’l fella,” the mare warmly said while shaking the smaller pony’s hoof with a level of strength Dusk wasn’t used to, not noticing how Barb’s spines bristled and her eyes narrowed into slits. “Mah name’s Apple Jack, ‘n it’s a pleasure ta make yer acquaintance. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do love makin’ new friends, especially li’l cuties like you.”

“F-friends?” Dusk questioned, his authoritative mask faltering as Barb assumed a more relaxed stance.

“Absolutely.” Apple Jack stepped back, her smile faltering when she noticed Barb, and whistled. “Boy, howdy, Ah bet you’ve got an appetite.”

Barb blinked. For as much as she lectured Dusk about needing to socialize, she was unaccustomed to being addressed so directly by a stranger. “Uh, sure, I guess.”

Dusk cleared his throat. “Ahem. Excuse me, but I’m on royal business,” he said while presenting his badge. “Specifically, I’m here to inspect the food for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Apple Jack whistled again. “That’s an impressive lookin’ badge.”

Dusk braced himself for the mare to say ‘for a stallion,’ but it didn’t come.

“Ah assume ya’ll wanna sample the food.”

“Uh, sure, that’d be great,” Dusk agreed, noting his lack of stutter. Also, his hoof had an unusual, somewhat earthy stink on it. He assumed it was the earth mare’s sweat and, much to his confusion, sniffed a second time with greater force. He then realized both Barb and Apple Jack watched him do so and blushed, forcing himself to not run behind the drake to hide.

Suddenly, Apple Jack ran to a nearby assembly of benches and rang a triangle. “Soup’s on, everypony!” she called, her summons bringing forth a small army of apple-flanked ponies. They then grabbed the purple pony and drake, plopping them on a recently set picnic table before filling it with a small mountain of food, Apple Jack announcing their names as they did.

While Dusk missed most of the names, what caught his attention was the number of males out in the open, almost all of whom were taller than him. Granted, just about every stallion wore a collar with his wives’ cutie marks, but even the colts were allowed out in the open. And even if they didn’t stray too far from the mares and fillies, the sight still struck Dusk as remarkably forward-thinking. However, even seeing so many enlightened ponies wasn’t enough to quell the purple stallion’s growing nerves from having so many strangers smiling at him.

“W-well, it, uh, l-looks like you have everything handled here,” Dusk said, stepping away from the table. “B-but I really m-must be going. Barb and I—Barb! What the buck!?” Dusk snapped upon seeing his drake companion’s head buried in the pile of apple-themed foods, ravenously devouring everything in her long neck’s reach. She looked up and smiled apologetically, sharp teeth riddled with mutilated pastries.

“Hoo-wee! Ah like a gal with a big appetite!” Apple Jack cheered. “What about you, li’l guy? If ya take care ‘f yerself, ya’ll might grow up big ‘n strong like mah big brother, Big Macintosh.” She gestured at a red stallion with his orange mane and tail cut short. He was only a few inches shorter than Apple Jack, a remarkable size for a stallion, to say nothing of his earth pony bulk. Similar to Dusk’s eldest brother, this guy almost looked like a genuine adult, instead of a colt with a cutie mark. The resemblance to the much taller Apple Jack was uncanny, but not as much as the guy’s lack of a collar.

Dusk stared in awe, needing a second to process how another stallion his brother’s age had gone unmarried. Then he slapped himself, sensible. “A-anyway, w-we really should be going. We’ve got—”

“Ain’t ya’ll gonna stay fer brunch?” Big Mac asked, his puppy-dog eyes shimmering as his lips puffed in an adorable pout. It was a cheap trick that males of any age liked to employ to manipulate others.

Dusk always found this act degrading, as it played into the stereotype of all stallions being nothing but taller foals in need of coddling. However, for as much as he hated it, between the red stallion’s adorable performance, everyone else’s disappointment upon hearing him wanting to go, the food’s enticingly sweet-smelling aroma, and the orange mare’s come-hither eyes, the purple unicorn’s resolve faltered. “Well, m-maybe j-just a bite.”

The Apple family cheered, and the guests from Canterlot ate.

Author's Note

Thus ends the first part. I decided to throw AJ’s introduction on top of the Canterlot portion because it would have been too short otherwise, but I think it works. I’m spoon-feeding the world-building regarding how the rules for this reverse gender role world works, so your questions will hopefully be answered in the next installment. Although, getting the audience curious enough to ask would certainly be a treat. Why is Dusk depicted as standard-sized when he’s coltishly small, how absurd is it that Big Mac is described as abnormally tall despite being shorter than AJ, and why is Barb so damn big? Again, most of these ought to be answered next time. The only thing I’ll clarify is yes, I turned Dusk’s introversion up to eleven to emphasize how he gets along with the local mares compared to his fellow Canterlites.

Also, I’m proud of how I depicted Twilight and Spike’s relationship in MLO, and I’d like to recapture that. So, let me know if I succeeded, or if you have any other thoughts on anything else.

Further, this story is still new and in need of fresh ideas, so I welcome all suggestions and requests for what to do in the future. Obviously, not all will be accepted, but I'd still like to hear from my fans.

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Chapter 2: Meeting the Mares of Ponyville

“Uuugh, pie,” Dusk groaned as he slowly walked, head hung low. His stomach bulge was even greater than Barb’s, proportionally speaking, of course.

“I don’t know why you’re so glum. That was great!” Barb cheered. Prancing in circles around Dusk, her tremendous tummy wobbled with every hop. “Those ponies were so friendly. Not one of them looked afraid of me. Also, that orange mare was pretty cute, huh?”

Dusk sighed and rolled his eyes, ignoring his stomach pains. “They were just being nice because of the badge, Barb. Granted, it’s commendable that they put politics and making connections over prejudice, but I wouldn’t go overestimating a bunch of small-town yokels.”

“Not even ones with flanks strong enough to crush boulders?” Barb pressed, turning Dusk’s facial fur from purple to crimson. Barb merely laughed and pulled out the mayor’s parchment. “Deny it all you want, but I can tell. Anyway, the next thing on the list is the clouds. Hmm, a pony named Rainbowdash is supposed to keep things clear, but just look at that.” She gestured up at the abundance of white obscuring the blue sky.

“Oh, goodie,” Dusk grumbled. “Now I have to deal with some lazy-assed good-for-nothing who can’t even—Gah!” A rainbow blur came out of nowhere and impacted the purple unicorn’s side, knocking him into a mud puddle. Blowing bubbles in the muck, Dusk looked at what had hit him, finding a cyan pegasus mare with a raggedy rainbow mane lying on his back. Sure enough, once the mare realized she was on top of a stallion, her forelegs wrapped around his barrel.

“Hehe, sorry, little guy. I guess I didn’t see ya,” the mare said, almost gyrating as she cuddled the smaller pony against her. Her teats meshed against his backside as she buried her nose in his mane. Only the mud stopped her from licking his cheek as she inhaled his aroma and began grinding her hips. “You must be new around town. I don’t remember cuddling you be—”

“GRRR!”

“… oh.” The mare finally noticed the third wheel, and her tail reflexively tucked between her legs.

Barb was in full attack mode, spines bristling, slit eyes almost red with rage, and teeth bared as she fell into a pouncing stance. “Let. Him. GO!”

“Whoa!” The muddy mare shot several feet in the air, hooves held high in surrender. “Easy there, big girl. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just an accident, and, ya know, once a mare gets ahold of a cutie like that, we do what comes naturally.” When this well-reasoned and fact-based argument failed to quell the drake’s anger, the mare tried another approach. “Here, let me fix it.” She promptly retrieved a cloud heavy with water, positioned it over the purple unicorn, and bounced atop it until she triggered enough of a shower to wash off the mud. Then, moving too quick for the drake to strike, she formed a twister to instantly dry the stallion. “There ya go, my patented Rain-blow dry. No-no, don’t thank me. You’re quite welcome.”

Still growling, Barb positioned herself between Dusk and the new mare, never tearing her eyes off the rainbow pattern. “You alright, Dusk?” she asked out of the corner of her mouth.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before,” Dusk sighed in surrender. This was just what happened when mares got ahold of unattended stallions. While annoying and somewhat socially discouraged, it was far from illegal. However, while brushing himself off, Dusk was particularly perturbed by how the mare stared at him with watering eyes. “What’s that look for?”

Without warning, the cyan mare fell over backward, laughing hysterically. Things got worse when Barb glanced back to see what the issue was. Her draconic wrath instantly evaporated, starting with a cheek-puffing chuckle and then morphing into full-on guffaws. Bobbing his head a little, Dusk found his mane and tail had become obscenely poofy and deepened his scowl at those laughing at his expense.

“Let me guess. You’re Rainbow Dash,” Dusk dryly inquired.

The mare instantly recovered from her laughing fit to strike a pose. “The one and only. Why? You’ve heard of me? Interested in a date? Well, I’m not saying I’m not interested, but I’m a little busy with the Summer Sun Celebration and all.”

“Busy, huh?” Dusk remarked, sighed, and adopted a more diplomatic approach. “My name is Dusk Shine, and I’m here to oversee preparations for the Celebration. That includes ensuring the skies are clear, which I see has been neglected.”

“You?” Rainbow incredulously asked.

“Yes, me. Got a problem with that?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh, whatever. Anyway, I’m busy practicing. I’ll do the clouds later.”

“Excuse me? What could you be practicing for that’s even remotely as important as—?”

“The Wonderbolts!” Rainbow cheered, going off on a long, excited rant about how she planned to show off for them tomorrow.

Thusly, finding his adversary’s weakness, Dusk adopted a mischievous grin. “Oh, please. I doubt THE Wonderbolts would be interested in a pegasus that couldn’t even keep the skies clear for one day.”

Rainbow regarded Dusk with a’ the-fuck-you-say?’ expression. “Hey, I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat.”

Dusk smirked as Barb did the same. “Prove it.”

Challenge thoroughly accepted, Rainbow lived up to her boast, kicking clouds into disintegration almost too quickly for Dusk to track. As she did, the stallion once again found himself enthralled with the mare’s technique. Like Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash demonstrated an impressive blend of precision and power, but also speed. Dusk thought back to the mare holding his back and nuzzling his mane, only to realize that he wasn’t as upset as he usually was when mares breached Barb’s protection and invaded his personal space. Rainbow’s touching felt a lot gentler than most mares, and something about the way she cuddled him made his loins twitch as he watched the last cloud disappear. ‘Why do so many mares in this town seem to have a talent for hitting things in their sweet spots?’

“What’d I say?” boasted Rainbow as she hovered before Dusk, her task complete. “Ten. Seconds. Flat. I’d never keep Ponyville hanging.” Seeing how the stallion and the drake’s jaws had dropped in awe of the amazingness that was Rainbow Dash, the mare chuckled. “Haha, you should see the looks on your faces. I can’t wait to hang out more.” However, just when she was about to fly off, she stopped, spun around, and pointed at Barb. “Hey, sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Barb.”

“Barb. Cool. I’ll remember that. You’re a tough-looking gal. I wouldn’t mind wrestling you sometime, if ya know what I mean.” Rainbow winked before flying off, leaving the guests from Canterlot utterly flummoxed.

“D-did she just make a pass at me?” Barb wondered aloud. “Huh, that’s different.”

Dusk eventually blinked back down to earth and regarded the drake. “You looked ready to kill her a second ago.”

“Yeah, but, like she said, it was an accident. Also, I think she was into me,” Barb explained in a mild state of shock at the revelation. Then she snickered. “Sorry, but you seriously need a comb or something.”

Dusk rolled his eyes and marched ahead, biting back the urge to argue that Rainbow had really been interested in him. “What’s next on the list?”

“Decorations in the Assembly Hall, which is apparently distinct from Town Hall. Weird,” Barb answered.

“I’ll bet it’s just the rec center that they renamed to sound fancy,” Dusk postulated as Barb pushed open the building’s doors to behold a sea of ribbons, artistic tapestries, and a tasteful amount of royal imagery.

“Yes, I’d say the decor is coming along nicely,” Dusk appraised.

“Beautiful,” Barb said in awe.

“Indeed. The banners are—”

“Not the banners,” Barb cut in and gestured ahead. “Her.”

The unicorn sorting through ribbons on the stage was sheet-white, her royal violet mane done up in a quaff that screamed refinement, as did everything else about her. Her posture, makeup, and even her feminine hums as she worked were the very picture of regal grace. Being from Canterlot, Dusk and Barb were used to ponies presenting themselves as important for big shindigs and other such events. However, this mare had yet to notice them, and with no one else in the vicinity, she clearly wasn’t doing this for an audience. The only conclusion was that this was just how she was; a refreshing change of pace from the try-hards back in the capitol.

Feeling his mouth go dry, Dusk cleared his throat to get the mare’s attention. “Excuse me, miss.”

“Not right now. I’m in the zone,” she dismissed, barely paying the stallion a fleeting glance.

While Dusk was used to being ignored, he could at least appreciate a mare too preoccupied with work to bother with trivial socializations. Now this was an attitude he could get behind, and not just because her behind had such a splendid and round shape that—Whack! Dusk slapped himself, sensible, and looked anywhere else, only to catch Barb looking as hypnotized as he’d been. But, alas, the stallion could not bring himself to scold his familiar for falling into the same trap as him.

Finally, the mare selected the perfect ribbon, muttering, “Rarity, you are a talent.” Then, facing the newcomers, she said, “Now, how can I help yo—AHH! Goodness, darling, whatever happened to your mane!?”

“Oh, this? It’s a long story,” Dusk dismissed. “I’m just here to check on the decorations and get out of your hair.”

“Out of my hair?” Rarity asked. “What about your hair? No-no-no, this simply won’t do.” Approaching the pair, she caught them off-guard by addressing Barb first. “My, but aren’t you a fine specimen. I take it you’re the keeper of this strapping young lad, Ms…?”

“Hmm? Oh, uh, Barbara. B-but friends call me Barb.”

“Barbara, like those lovely spines of yours? Oh-ho-ho. Graceful yet deadly, like the thorns of a rose. I love it! Anyway, my name is Rarity, and your stallion is in a dreadful state. Might I make him look as presentable as he deserves?”

“Uh, y-yes, by all means,” Barb allowed with a goofy laugh. Since stallions seldom went out alone, it was common manners to address their accompanying mares and ask permission before getting too involved. Most ponies overlooked Barb for being a drake, so to be regarded as Dusk’s rightful guardian by such a lovely mare was not only a pleasant detraction from the norm, but it left her giggling like a schoolgirl.

Before Dusk knew it, he’d been herded off to Rarity’s shop, Carousel Boutique. It was a clothing store with garments as refined as their tailor, who was presently focused on cleaning her fellow unicorn while finding just the right outfit for him. Much to Dusk’s relief, this impromptu game of dress-up avoided anything undignified, such as overtly foalish attire or worse. Even the act of putting Dusk in the various outfits only had slightly more touching than was absolutely necessary. All things considered, the ponies of Ponyville were remarkably well-mannered if nothing else. Then, at one point, Dusk mentioned that he was from Canterlot.

“Canterlot!?” Rarity exclaimed. “Oh, I’m so envious. The glamor. The sophistication. I’ve always wanted to live there. You simply must tell me all about it. Oh, we’re going to be the best of friends, you and I,” she finished by throwing a leg over the stallion’s side and nuzzling his cheek.

Thinking back as hard as he could, Dusk couldn’t recall ever showing Rarity his badge. She seemed to have no idea who he was or his (undesired) importance in the royal court, so she wasn’t trying to make a political connection. Come to think of it, Apple Jack had the same casual friendliness during their interaction. Did none of these ponies intend to use Dusk in their twisted political schemes? Did they even have political schemes? Had he not been overtly disrespected for being a stallion since meeting the mayor? And, more importantly, why did the mares around here smell so pretty? Dusk glanced at Barb to silently beg for help, but the drake appeared utterly smitten with the fashionista’s grace.

Noticing this, Rarity batted her eyelashes at the deadly creature smiling at her with predatory teeth, and she said, “That goes for you too, Barbie-Warby. Perhaps I can take you both out for dinner sometime? Hmm, I’ll need to find a perfect outfit for the occasion, though. Wait here. I’ll be right back.” And she disappeared into another room.

“Quick, let’s get out of here while we can,” Dusk said, grabbing Barb’s tail as he attempted to run, getting nowhere fast. “Barb? Barb! Snap out of it!” When Barb failed to snap out of it, Dusk used his magic to manifest a paddle, with which he delivered a single swift swipe upon the drake’s derriere.

Barb whirled around, teeth bared and ready to help her assailant find out after they’d fucked around. However, all she found was Dusk, utterly devoid of fear and causing her wrath to almost instantly fizzle into confusion.

“Good, you’re awake. Now, hurry up before she tries dying my fur a new color.” Dusk once again tried pulling the drake’s tail to no avail. Instead, the annoyed drake whipped the small pony onto her back and trotted out of the store, looking back with forlorn eyes.

“What is with you today?” Dusk demanded as he rode atop the drake to the town’s scenic outskirts.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Suddenly, you’re going all googly-eyed at every mare that smiles at you.”

“Oh, like you haven’t?” Barb shot back. “Rarity’s wasn’t the only plot I caught you staring at.”

Dusk blushed while shaking. “Well, excuse me for being short. I can’t help looking at what’s on my level.”

“Then why get so defensive?” Barb asked with a wry grin. “I’m not ashamed of where my eyes have been wandering. Although, if you want an excuse, try admitting you’ve got stallion urges.”

Dusk crossed his forelegs and turned away in a huff. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t? So, that’s not a boner rubbing on my back?” Barb queried, laughing when Dusk hurriedly tried adjusting himself and nearly fell over. “Come on, just admit it.”

“Admit what? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Admit that you’ve finally met some mares that aren’t self-absorbed bitches, and you like it.”

Dusk grumbled a second before conceding. “Okay, fine. Have most of the ponies we’ve met in this town been unusually nice and polite to me? Yes. Do I appreciate this refreshing change of pace? Absolutely. But that doesn’t—”

“You’ve also barely stuttered any.”

Dusk blinked several times as his brain rebooted. “Come again?”

“These girls keep flustering you out of your formal voice, but you’ve hardly stuttered any,” Barb elaborated, her grin broadening. “Dusk, you’re actually talking to ponies!”

Dusk was rendered silent, unable to think of an argument. It was true. He’d actually held semi-casual, non-work-related conversations with ponies who weren’t family or part of Celestia’s inner circle. That hadn’t happened since, well, Barb’s egg hatched, and Celestia took an interest in him. While others had been rightly intimidated by the regal alicorn, Dusk had found her surprisingly easy to talk to, and the same went for three of the last five ponies he’d encountered in this nowhere town. “What’s happening in this place?”

Then, as if in answer, the pair caught wind of an elegant and harmonious bird choir. One look from Dusk told Barb to check the list, which she showed to the stallion some called her master, but she’d always thought of as a companion. Sure enough, music was next, so the pair snuck into some nearby bushes to observe without being seen. The pegasus had a long pink mane with butter-yellow fur. Her voice was positively angelic and even more melodious than the birds she tenderly instructed. Also, she had a pretty great butt, the kind that neither of the two would mind sitting on their faces.

Suddenly, Barb decided to test her hypothesis and threw Dusk out of the bushes, inadvertently frightening off the birds.

At the drake’s urging, Dusk resigned himself to abide by Barb’s whims, figuring she wanted to test his stutter or something. “Um, hello,” Dusk greeted as gently as possible. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle your choir. I just wanted to say they sounded beautiful.” So far, so good. He was using full words. However, the yellow mare averted her gaze and scratched her hoof at the ground, making Dusk’s heart flutter from a cuteness overload. “My name is Dusk Shine, and you are?”

The mare muttered something inaudible.

“Sorry, what was that?”

The mare muttered something inaudible again, backing up a little.

“Didn’t quite catch that.”

The mare squeaked and backed up further.

Dusk’s heart and legs melted into jelly as he felt for this mare. He saw in her eyes the same apprehension that beguiled him whenever he was forced to interact with strangers. He’d never imagined meeting a kindred spirit in a mare of all things. The stallion just wanted to take this mare somewhere secluded and quiet where they could talk about their inability to talk with others. He didn’t even mind the inherent paradoxical nature of his desire. Dusk just wanted to sit with the mare, connect with someone who really got him, maybe touch her mane, and possibly feel her hot breath pelting his face as she—WHACK! Dusk smacked himself, startling and confusing the pretty mare, leaving a sizable bruise on his cheek.

“Well, uh, I s-see your birds are back.” Dusk gestured awkwardly at the tree. “So I guess everything’s in order. Keep up the good work.”

Not looking the little guy in the eye, the mare squeaked appreciatively. Then her eyes widened when she saw the drake’s serpentine head poke out from behind the bushes to congratulate Dusk. “A baby dragon!” she exclaimed in joy, dashing past Dusk in a blur before skidding to a halt before Barb. “Goodness, I haven’t seen a baby dragon in years! Oh, and you’re so big, but still so cute,” she cooed.

Barb blinked, blushing as she was taken aback by the mare’s words. “Uh, no one’s called me cute in a long time, but why’d you call me a baby?”

“Well, it’s rather obvious,” chuckled the yellow mare, low-key bragging. “Firstly, your snout is quite short despite your size, a common characteristic across numerous species to distinguish the youths. Secondly, dragons don’t grow wings until they’ve reached adolescence. Hmm. Your calm behavior suggests this isn’t a greed-induced growth.” She touched her hoof to her chin in deep thought before finally looking Dusk in the eye, and her expression lit up again. “Oh, I see. It’s not traditional greed. You’ve just grown big enough to protect your hoard,” she concluded, pointing at the purple pony.

Dusk blinked, just as shocked as Barb, but with an added blush. “H-how did you figure that out so fast?”

The mare shrugged. “Well, I’m a bit of an animal expert, and I’ve read all I can about all the amazing creatures of the world, but dragons have always been especially fascinating. They’re naturally greedy beings prone to acquiring whatever they value in a hoard, which doesn’t necessarily have to be gold and jewels. Dragons have also been known to hoard books, pillows, clocks, and mates. Although, I’m guessing you’re more like family than a mate.”

“Dusk hatched me, but his parents helped raise me, so he’s kinda like my older brother,” Barb confirmed.

“Oh, that’s so precious,” gushed the mare. “And you grew out of love and the need to protect your precious family. It’s just like something out of a fairytale. Oh, I’m sorry, but I didn’t introduce myself yet. My name’s Fluttershy. What’s yours?” she asked the drake.

“Me? Oh, ahem,” Barb cleared her throat. “I-I’m Barbara, but most call me Barb. Ya know.” She turned her body sideways and bristled her back spines, showing off rather than in aggression. “Cuz of these.”

“Hehe, that’s too precious,” Fluttershy tittered as her examination continued. “Hmm, and you look so healthy, too. Such exquisitely full flanks. I can tell you’ve been eating well,” she added while side-eyeing Dusk. She stepped closer to the drake and conspiratorially whispered, “Tell me, just between us girls, do you like him going in the… other way?”

Barb and Dusk blushed, making Fluttershy giggle some more. Sharing a look, it was clear they were both awed and a little frightened by how much this mare had figured out so quickly. However, fearing what else this beautiful and intelligent mare might discern, Dusk ran around to Barb’s side, giving Fluttershy a wide berth. “S-sorry, Ms. Fluttershy, but we—”

“Oh, you can just call me Fluttershy,” she intoned while batting her eyelashes seductively at the odd pair.

Dusk slapped a hoof to his chest when it felt like his heart had briefly stopped, only to go wide-eyed when Barb reacted similarly. ‘This mare is going to kill us with cuteness!’ he thought. “Yes, Fluttershy, good. You’ve been very nice, and I think you’re very pretty, but—”

Fluttershy’s encroachment finally ceased as she backed up and averted her gaze, her long pink mane partially concealing her face as her prior shyness returned. “Oh, um, y-you think I’m pretty?”

‘Too much cuteness!’ Dusk internally screamed as he hopped on Barb’s back, scaled up her neck, and pressed his face between her eyes. “We have to get out of here before the cuteness overwhelms us!”

Seeing Dusk’s panic snapped Barb back to her senses as she nodded and took off, leaving the heart-stopper behind. They didn’t stop until they’d reached Ponyville’s tree-shaped library near sunset, both panting from Barb’s sprint and Dusk hanging on for dear life. The pair then collapsed in exhaustion near the door, taking a moment to recompose themselves.

“S-see what I mean,” Barb said between gasps. “Th-these ponies can be nice.”

Dusk huffed dismissively. “Y-you’re just saying that because her encyclopedic knowledge of dragons rivals mine, and that turns you on,” he accused.

“Oh, hello, Pot. Kettle called. He said you’re a damned hypocrite,” Barb playfully shot back.

“Wh-whatever,” Dusk grunted, finally getting back on his wobbly legs. “Sh-she wanted me to go in the… o-other way,” he stammered, his blush returning with a vengeance.

“You don’t sound too upset about it,” Barb observed, nosing the pony’s side so that her snout grazed his hanging erection. “You’re little stallion must be so happy. It never gets to come out this much.”

Dusk’s face scrunched in impotent rage as he couldn’t think of a proper argument. “Sh-shut up,” he groaned as he staggered past the drake and opened the door into the dark abode. “It doesn’t matter. Nightmare Moon is returning, and we can’t afford to let ourselves get distracted by—yipe!” he winced as Barb roughly yanked him back by the tail. “What was that f—?” he tried demanding, only for the drake to slap a large claw over his mouth.

“I smell you,” Barb called into the darkness, lips curled and teeth bared. “There’s no point trying to sneak up on us.”

Dusk sat still in the drake’s large claws, unconcerned that such sharp talons could easily rend his flesh from his bones if Barb so desired. Such a thought never entered his mind, as he was too focused on staring into the same darkness. Sure enough, he saw movement in the shadows. Had a rival house sent someone to this backwater town to abduct him? It wouldn’t be the first time. Although to ensure things went differently from last time, Dusk lit his horn so Barb couldn’t hog all the fun to herself.

“Ah, pooh,” whined a mare as the lights suddenly came on, revealing the library was filled to the brim with ponies as confetti and balloons fell from the ceiling. Standing center-stage was the pink poof from earlier, looking a tad glum. “Note to self. Dragons make throwing surprise parties difficult. Anyway, surpriiise!” she cheered, unleashing her high spirits at full force. “I threw this surprise party just for you two. The surprise part didn’t pan out—great nose, by the way—but I hope you’ll enjoy the festivities. When I saw you, I realized you were new in town and probably didn’t have any friends. So, I went around to all the ponies in town, asking if they wanted to meet the stunning new bachelor and his smoking hot dragon babe sidekick. Speaking of which,” the pink mare nodded to Barb. “The name’s Pinkie Pie. May I invite you and your stallion to my little soiree?”

Barb pursed her draconic lips as her aggressive posture relaxed, and she set Dusk on his hooves, though the little introvert kept close. “Uh, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“That’s great! You two looked just so glum when you showed up. I couldn’t stand it.” Pinkie then lowered her head to Dusk’s level as her eyes grew focused. “Although, now that I get a better look at you, you strike me as more of the introverted type.”

Dusk was taken aback. “Y-you can tell that?”

Pinkie proudly nodded. “Sure can, so don’t feel obligated to mingle too much. I know how exhausting that can be for you guys. My sister, Maud, is the same way. She’s the bookish type, so I think you’d like her since you’re the bookish type, too. I mean, how could you not be. You’re living in a library, for crying out loud! Hehe!”

“That’s, um, v-very considerate of you,” Dusk replied after finally catching the pink mare between breaths. Her mouth ran a mile a minute as she excitedly bounced around, following him and Barb while other ponies mingled, but kept a respectful distance. As an earth pony, Pinkie had a fuller figure than most. However, unlike Apple Jack’s muscle, the thickness in this mare’s flanks was more of a pudge, not that there was anything wrong with that. Pudge was soft and pillowy, perfect for resting your head after an exhausting day. Not that Dusk had ever done so, of course! He just heard what other ponies said. Regardless, the more this one talked and bounced, the more the stallion’s eyes were drawn to her bubbly backside, perhaps the biggest and juiciest he’d ever seen, at least, for a pony that didn’t have an arguable god-like status. However, amidst the chatter of the ponies in the background, Dusk eventually realized that Pinkie had stopped talking at some point, and he caught her catching him staring.

“Like what you see?” Pinkie asked, enticingly shaking her balloon-emblazoned rump at the purple pony. “You can touch it if you want. I don’t mind. Of course, if we get started, I can’t promise I’ll be able to stop. You’re just too adorable, like an innocent, bookworm virgin whose naïve about the ways of the world, and in need of a mare’s gentle guidance.”

“Gentle? Ha!” crowed a familiar rainbow-maned mare as she hovered overhead. “Sex is like getting in a cold pool. Best to just jump in and get through the hard part all at once. Then you can have all the fun you want,” she added while suggestively wiggling her eyebrows.

“My, such crassness is unbecoming of such a fine gentlecolt,” added Rarity as she stepped into the scene.

“Oh yeah? And how would you do it?” Rainbow Dash challenged.

“Firstly, I’d inform the stallion’s guardian of my intentions,” Rarity replied, fearlessly walking under Barb’s arched neck, only to gently flick the drake’s nose with her perfumed tail, rendering the powerful female momentarily dizzy. “Obviously, I’d ask her to join if she so desired. While the size difference may be tricky, I must admit, I find the challenge rather enticing.” Then her gaze fell upon Dusk. “Of course, then I’d properly woo the stallion, turning him to putty in my hooves. We’d have a nice dinner, get to know each other, and then…” Rarity suggestively licked her lips while batting her eyelashes.

“Good call on invitin’ Barb inta the mix, but we ain’t talkin’ a proper courtin’,” Apple Jack interjected, coming up behind Dusk and startling him. “Sorry ‘bout that, li’l fella, but that jus’ proves mah point. Yer a bundle ‘f nerves. Best cure fer that is a ride in the hay, ‘n’ Ah got the sturdiest ride in town, not ta mention the softest lips.” She emphasized with kissy faces that made Dusk’s knees weak. “No need ta tie yerself in knots with plannin’ anythin’ beyond that.”

“Oh, are we talking about getting it on with the cute new guy?” Pinkie asked, literally jumping in. “Oh, boy! Well, he’s an inexperienced virgin, so the mare will have to take the lead, which is okay. I’m good at helping stallions get where they need to go. Mares too. Just anypony, really. Although, this big dragon body is giving me ideas. Just look at that long neck, those sharp teeth, strong legs, and, of course, the booty that’s almost bigger than me.” She then turned around and frowned at her own butt. “Sorry, girl, but it looks like we’re no longer the biggest in town. Don’t worry, though. I promise I’ll make it up to you by discovering what a dragon’s tongue feels like. Oh, a dragon and a stallion would be double the fun!”

“Um, ex-excuse me,” Fluttershy inquired, keeping her head low as she approached Barb, her volume much softer with so many eyes upon her. “Ms. Barb, could I ask you something?”

Barb lowered her head to Fluttershy’s level, grateful to finally be addressed directly while the horny ponies made her hips grind to stifle the building heat. “Sure, ask away.”

“W-well, since dragons have many of the same instincts as ponies, and with you being so close with Dusk, I-I was wondering if you, um, kn-knew what would make him happy?” Fluttershy’s straightforward question caused the bickering mares in the immediate vicinity to go quiet.

“Shoot, Ah should’ve thought ‘f that.” AJ face-hooved as the others made similar responses. “Course, the sister would know a thing or two.”

Barb scratched the back of her neck and averted her gaze, blushing at being called Dusk’s sister. “I-I don’t know. I’ve, ya know, never really talked about this kind of thing outside the family. Although, I guess I should set the record straight and say I’m Dusk’s familiar, not his sister, and he isn’t a virgin.”

“Tsk-tsk,” Rarity politely tutted. “Begging your pardon, Barbie-Warby, but everypony knows it doesn’t count within the family.”

“Yeah, that’s just practice for the big time!” Rainbow hooted.

Barb simply stared. She’d heard that line before, but never paid it much mind. However, if it was truly the standard that sex didn’t count within the family, then how did she fit into this?

“Speakin’ ‘f big, where’d the li’l guy go?” Apple Jack inquired, prompting the others to look around, but there was no purple stallion to be found.

Author's Note

This wraps up the main body of the first episode, with something of an interlude to follow before we get the big arrival of you-know-who. I really enjoyed expanding on Dusk and Barb’s characters, having her act like the protective older sister archetype despite being younger. Hopefully, Fluttershy’s explanation for the dragon’s bigness is sufficient to satisfy readers. However, in truth, I just wanted an excuse to make the dragon assistant big, as it’s a dynamic I’ve rarely seen with variations of these two.

The same hope applies to my portrayals of the mares. Most interpretations of a male Twilight with five female friends has them being varying degrees of flirty, so I cranked it up a tad for both comedy and world-building. After all, this is a reverse gender role world, so the ladies pursuing the guy is kind of a given, but it was also fun describing the protocol that ought to be followed with Barb. Few do, making this encounter special enough to flummox her as much as Dusk.

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