> The Problem With Pets
>  by Dusk Melody
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue - Lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a typically beautiful sunny Saturday morning in Ponyville. The weather pegasi had worked hard and cleared the azure blue sky. Ponies went about their business; families had picnics in the parks, merchants opened their stalls in the marketplace. Everything was right in the sleepy town. However, the sunny day didn’t do anything to brighten the mood of the six ponies assembled in the Castle of Friendship. Twilight Sparkle looked worried as the Cutie Map flashed up the Badlands. “Oh no!” she fretted on her throne, “It looks like we’ve got a long trek ahead of us…”

“Um…all of us?” whispered Fluttershy, eyeing the map nervously. While she was no stranger to friendship missions; she preferred being sent to Las Pegasus or the Kirin island, not somewhere like the Badlands, of all places.

“All of us!” said Rainbow Dash determinedly. In stark contrast to her friend, who was trying hard not to hide behind her pink mane, the sky blue pegasus was hovering in the air she was so excited already. “Look, all of our cutie marks are showing there. And we need to look out for each other if we’ve got to go into the Badlands.” She could hardly wait to get started.

Fluttershy just shivered at the name and wished that her friends would please stop saying ‘Badlands’. Rarity reached over and placed a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. “But what about the pampering party we promised our pets this weekend at Fluttershy’s cottage?” asked the unicorn with a delicate toss of her mane, “My darling Opal will get all in a huff if I let her down, and she will be insufferable for the whole week, I just know it!”

“And my poor little Gummy will cry crocodile tears,” squealed Pinkie Pie, “He’s been telling me all week how much he’s looking forward to it!”

“And besides,” Rarity added with a well-rehearsed and overly dramatic huff, “I hate epic adventures! They’re murder on my coat and they play havoc with my mane!”

“I guess I’ll have to stay behind and pet-sit,” Spike offered helpfully – and hopefully – he had no desire whatsoever to leave the lush crystal castle and his four-hour bubble baths to go adventuring in the Badlands. The Dragonlands were bad enough and that was where he was from! 

“No, we’ll need you with us Spike,” Twilight said, damning the little dragon’s only hope of escape to a comfortable pillow for the rest of the day, as well as Rarity’s hope for an adventure free near future. “I suspect this curse of the statuettes mystery might be really challenging and, if I’m right, we all need to stick together, especially in the Badlands.”

Silence fell across the assembled ponies sat on their respective thrones in the Castle of Friendship’s map room. Each pony stared intently at their glowing cutie marks hovering over the Badlands. Across Equestria, ponies had been popping into miniature figurines of themselves for no apparent reason. The ‘curse’ as it had become known, had no discernible pattern. 

Young, old, stallion, mare, poor, rich, earth pony, pegasus, unicorn, all had been affected over the past two weeks. Most of the time, the popped back to normal after an indeterminate amount of time – some took minutes, some took hours, a few took days – but they all remembered nothing of their ordeal.

Now, at last, the Elements of Harmony had been summoned.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea, y’all!” piped up Applejack, “Why don’t we ask around Ponyville for some fine ponies who’ll look after our pets for us while we’re gone?”

“Sounds like a plan,” smiled Twilight. As it happened, the head mare of the School of Friendship had just some ponies in mind. Stonecutter and Cloudburst, an earth pony and pegasus respectively, had been best friends since they had been foals. Sparkler, admittedly, was a unicorn new to town but she had excellent test results at her school. They would be perfect. And it was a Saturday, so their studies wouldn’t be affected! It was a win-win for everypony! 


~ ~ ~          ~ ~ ~          ~ ~ ~


Ponyville sucked.

Sparkler knew this as soon as she opened her eyes in her bedroom and saw the three spiders on her ceiling. The bright yellow mare had been enjoying a dream filled with textbooks, new scrolls and an untouched ink well when the morning sunlight had invaded her bedroom and woke her up. Screaming like a terrified filly, the sixteen-year-old unicorn grabbed her fluffy white bathrobe and ran out onto the landing. "Stupid damn mud bowl of a town!" she cursed Ponyville under her breath. So scared was she that she didn’t even bother to put on her slippers, instead she stood bare-hooved on the upstairs landing, trembling hands tying the bathrobe around her slim waist.

Downstairs in the kitchen of the two-storey house, Corona had been about to cook breakfast for herself and her daughter when she heard the scream coming from her room upstairs. The middle-aged unicorn gave a short giggle before calling out, "Everything okay, sweetie?"

"Mom!" In a bad mood, Sparkler stomped downstairs, her poorly tied bathrobe flying open to reveal her pink bunny pyjamas, "There are spiders in my room!" There were always spiders in her room. Thanks to having a thatched roof, like almost every damn building in this hateful town. If it wasn’t spiders, it was some bug or other.

Swallowing her chosen retort before it could leave her lips, Corona rolled her eyes before she said, "Sweetie they are harmless. They are probably garden spiders." Unfortunately, this morning routine was not unfamiliar. The middle-aged orange unicorn sighed and smoothed her mane behind her ears. It seemed the pancakes would have to wait a moment.

"I don't care!" Sparkler pouted and hugged the robe around her slim frame, "you know how much I hate creepy crawlies!" shuddering at the memory of her three latest invaders, she sat down on a chair in the kitchen.

Corona did her very best to not get annoyed. Even so, her petulant daughter was fast getting on her last nerve. "Well, you need to get used to them.” She stated in a very motherly matter of fact manner, “Especially as one of the teachers at your new school teaches animal and critter care.”

"Stupid Ponyville..." Sparkler muttered sullenly but not quite under her breath, "I miss home! There weren't any bugs in Canterlot..."

As she had been interrupted in the process of making breakfast for them both, Corona set the freshly mixed batter to one side beside the hot stove before saying, "I know, okay? I know you hate it, Sparkler. But I just couldn't afford to live in Canterlot. And this place is super friendly. Just give it a chance, please."

"I know, mom, I know," she sighed, not looking up. She really hadn’t intended to piss off her mother. It was just, hard, since everything had happened. "Mudtown is cheaper than home since the div...since daddy...I’m sorry."

Moving around the kitchen, which even the optimistic Corona had to admit wasn’t nearly as modern or as nice as the one they had left behind, the older unicorn hugged her daughter. The move had been a hard one, there was no denying it. "It’ll get better,” she said gently, “All new starts are hard." 

"I'm sorry, mom," she looked up at her mother with an adorable pout on her face that Professor Rarity would have been proud of. "If I make us some coffee, can you get rid of the creepies from my room, please?"

Sighing, Corona nodded. Sometimes it was better to compromise. Otherwise her daughter would be sleeping on the couch again in the living room for two days like last time. "I'll just go and put them outside." She said before going upstairs.

In Sparkler’s distinctly pink and Princess-style bedroom, it was as she suspected. The three ‘monsters’ were laughably tiny and, lighting her horn in her glowing green aura, Corona gently levitated them in her magic. Heroic task completed, she straightened her pyjama top and headed back downstairs so she could safely deposit them a good distance from the house.

Pointedly, in the kitchen, Sparkler looked away as her mother de-spidered her bedroom. Instead she busied herself with making the morning coffee and pretended that spiders didn't exist. Not in her world anyway. The coffee was another reason she hated this miserable town. The circle on the stove under the kettle took forever to heat up. The kettle took an age to boil. The whistle was infuriating. 

Everything just sucked.

As she came back in, Corona almost purred with delight when she smelled the coffee waiting for her in her ‘number 1 mom’ mug that had been last year’s birthday present. "Mmmmm thank you for making the coffee." She said, turning her attention back to cooking the breakfast. She needed those pancakes! Thankfully the stove was still hot, so she poured the batter of eggs, milk and flour into the pan and began cooking at last.

"Anything for my saviour," Sparkler beamed, setting the steaming hot coffee on the breakfast table. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was only just eight in the morning. "You're up early, for a Saturday." She eyed her mother suspiciously even as she breathed in the scents of coffee and blueberry pancakes that filled the kitchen. That at least was like home.

Corona had been dreading this moment. She had promised her daughter a spa trip later that day but, of course, the universe hated her, didn’t it? Almost as soon as she had gotten up, she had received a message from her new boss. For what felt like the hundredth time already, she sighed, her ears pinned down to her scalp. "Mr. Rich called me into work today. We'll have to go to the spa tomorrow instead," she said sadly.

"Oh, come on!" Sparkler cried and threw her fork down and banged the table, for the moment ignoring the freshly cooked pancakes that her mother had just placed on a plate before her. This was just yet another indignity of this crappy town. Her mother had to work as a maid! A maid of all things! "I've been looking forward to the spa all week!"

"I know you have,” Corona had braced herself for the outburst, and she wasn’t disappointed. “But you know he also pays well. Another maid called in sick. I'm sorry, we can go tomorrow I promise." She said in an effort to diffuse the situation before it grew into yet another row.

"But it's supposed to be our day!" Sparkler whined, and then, she let out a thunderous “Aaaaacho!” which was followed up by three more equally loud sneezes. Looking around the room through suddenly teary eyes, she saw the window was open. Damn her allergies! As if she needed another reason to dislike Ponyville.

"I know. And tomorrow is going to be it." Corona stated firmly in a manner which said that was that. She wasn’t in a position to turn down extra hours, especially not at the rate Filthy Rich paid. And he paid well. "Did you take your allergy medication?"

"No, obviously," the bright yellow mare muttered, levitating her meds over to her from the sideboard in the kitchen. A task that took her two attempts because her magic kept fritzing due to her sneezes. 

"I'm sorry sweetie, I really am. I promise I will make this up to you tomorrow.” Eating her own pancakes, Corona had an idea. It was underhanded, perhaps. It was definitely sneaky. But, she was almost out of options. So, with fork in hand, she deployed her secret weapon. “How about when I get home tonight we get ice cream?"

When she had stopped sneezing and the fast-acting meds had taken effect, Sparkler wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded her head. "I want chocolate flavour.”

“Of course.”

“With caramel.”

“Goes without saying.”

“And chocolate chips.”

“Naturally.”

“Deal!”

Finishing up her breakfast, Corona knew she had at last won the battle for that day. Getting up from her chair, she bustled into the living room and started to get dressed in her maid’s uniform. ‘Uniform’ made her snigger. Her dress, while not revealing to the degree of the more adult ones on sale in more…select shops, still showed off more of her body than was decent, at least by Canterlot standards. 

As she watched her mother pulling up her white stockings and slip on her black horseshoes, Sparkler asked, "Um, mom?" she tentatively fidgeted her yellow fingers together, "It's market day and um, if you're going to be out all day, can I have my allowance, please?"

For a moment, she was tempted to say no, but as she pulled down the black maid’s dress in an attempt to get it down past her ass cheeks – an attempt that was futile, thank Celestia she had underwear on! – she decided against it. "Yes, I don’t see why not. Just don't spend it all in one place." She said as she went to her purse.

Now it was Sparkler’s turn to sigh. "I won't, I promise." The young mare had that look on her face, the one she always had when she was faced with the prospect of going outside. She didn’t like ‘outside’. Outside in Ponyville was dirty, and noisy, and full of ponies who she swore had never heard of things like decorum and personal space.

"Good!” Corona said, giving her daughter the modest two hundred bit allowance she was owed for a week of good homework grades. "I hope you have fun. Maybe you can try making some friends here?"

"Uuuuugh!" Sparkler snorted as she ate the last of her pancakes, "What IS it with this place?” she banged her hand on the breakfast table, upsetting the salt and pepper pots, which she caught in her telekinetic field. “At least in Canterlot ponies left you alone, but here everypony wants to be your friend! Like that annoying pegasus from school, Cloud...thingy, invading my space all the time!"

Corona heard her complaining about the ponies in town, which caused her to roll her eyes and count backwards from ten to one, four times. Ponies just did things differently here than they did in Canterlot, and that was that. "Well it wouldn't hurt for you make friends here," she said while heading toward the door, "I'm going to be late. See you later sweetie. I love you and I'll see you later today." she said as she quickly nuzzled her and levitated her long dark brown coat around her shoulders. She didn’t care if it was summer, there was no way she was walking through town in her maid’s dress, with her chest all but hanging out like her behind. 

"Ponyville sucks!" Sparkler yelled to the now empty house. By Celestia she hated this dirty backwater of a town. “They don't even have proper roads!” she fumed to herself as she got busy washing the breakfast dishes with her magic and her hands.

“Seriously,” she grumbled sourly, “How hard is it to make proper paved flat smooth clean roads!” For a neat freak like her, She hated the dirt roads. “Great…now I’m talking to myself!” Once the dishes were clean and the worktops wiped down to her satisfaction, which was to say they were gleaming clean with not a mote of dust or dirt anywhere, she went to the shower.

Of course, the shower took a lifetime to warm up. Of course, it did. Everything else was an inconvenience, why should the shower be any different. In there, as she soaped up her hands and ran them over her naked body, she couldn't help but think of Stonecutter. Blushing, the unicorn realised that her hands were wandering to places they shouldn’t be wandering to. It happened every time she thought about Stonecutter.

Sparkler thought about Stonecutter a lot. 

She thought about the earth pony so much that she had to be careful with her underwear afterwards. Her mother still washed her clothes, after all.

Stonecutter wasn't just her classmate at the School of Friendship, she was her sexy classmate at the School of Friendship, though the thought of doing something about it gave her cold chills. Thankfully the warm shower eased those chills. As did her wandering hands. 

Just picturing the earth pony made her core quiver. She loved her fat pudgy belly, how round it was and how it stretched her school shirts just so. She loved her breasts, which were honestly huge. Sparkler had no idea how big they were, but they put her B cups to shame. Next was her ass. Oh, Celestia her ass. It was sweet torture watching it jiggle with every step the tall mare took.

With her shower completed, and left wetter between her legs than when she started, Sparkler got dressed in her Saturday clothes, which were a white shirt, light blue sweater with the school logo on its breast and a plaid skirt as well as knee high white socks and last but not least, her black horseshoes.

She had her allowance, and she knew what she wanted to buy; namely a new telescope to replace the one that the oafish moving ponies had broken in the van. Maybe the market would be fun, after all. Maybe she would bump into Stonecutter. 

Maybe today she would come out and confess her feelings to her.

Maybe.


~ ~ ~          ~ ~ ~          ~ ~ ~


"Damn it, CB!" Stonecutter exclaimed, snorting an exasperated gasp of breath through her nose. Again. The tall slate grey earth pony looked up from the white garden table she was sat at in her backyard. She had been trying to do her homework, for the third time that morning, when a lightning bolt had landed a few feet away. Also, for the third time that morning. "Will you knock it off?"

Circling above her best friend, effortlessly flying on her wings, a pale blue pegasus giggled like an overgrown filly. "Oh, come on, Stone!” Cloudburst did a perfect backflip, “You don't need to study anymore! You already know all that stuff." Idly, she clapped her hands together and, using her magic, she produced another lightning bolt that landed close to where the first had on the grass.

"CB, if you get another bolt on my momma's lawn, I swear to Luna I'll clip your wings!" she yelled back, trying to lay protectively over Professor Rainbow Dash's essay that she had spent all morning putting together. It didn’t help that thanks to her friend’s ‘help’, it had taken so long.

Realising her chubby friend was serious – clipping wings was a serious threat – Cloudburst eventually stopped doing what she was doing, namely loafing about in the air. "Finnnnneeee! Party pooper. So, which assignment are you doing?" She asked as she floated down to the ground.

"Professor Dash's Rainbow Falls loyalty essay, when she had to choose between representing Cloudsdale and Ponyville at the Equestria Games." Stonecutter moved a seat out for her best friend to sit on and she poured her a glass of chilled lemonade. "Why aren't you working on Professor Applejack's essay?"

Cloudburst groaned, "I already know what I am going to write, so I don’t need a lot of time to get it done.” She said softly, shrugging her shoulders. That, and she saw no need to bother herself with schoolwork when she could be playing in the sky.

"Featherbrain," Stonecutter snorted. "Don't come to me on the morning of school again asking me to help you out." She took a sip of her own lemonade, which was as a cold hand across a fevered brow, "So why're you bugging me? I thought you were hanging out with Seafoam today?” 

Cloudburst blushed, her pale blue hand brushing across the turquoise collar that she wore around her neck – it was an almost permanent accessory now, she had worn it every day over the last six months. She loved and adored her hippogriff with all her heart. "Eh,” she breathed airily, “Master said I could do my own thing today,” she said while sipping her lemonade happily. She decided to tease her friend, if she couldn’t play. "What about you? Any colts or stallions you like?"

Stonecutter's slate grey cheeks immediately coloured up in a huge, intense, deep red blush at that. Suddenly all thoughts of her homework evaporated from her mind like water through a sieve. "Um...well, um, ah, well..." she muttered, staring down at the paper. Unfortunately, the paper remained silent and didn’t offer the answer to her situation.

"Ooh tell me!” Cloudburst squeaked happily, it wasn’t often she saw her friend all flustered like she was right then. She was determined to make the most of it. “Tell me! Tell me!" she said, getting closer and closer across the table with each word.

Unusually, Stonecutter didn't say a word, but her blush got more and more intense by the second. Internally, she was wresting with a hard choice. 'Do I tell her or not?’ she asked herself. While she hadn’t ever hidden her sexuality, she hadn’t exactly screamed it from the rooftops either. Who she fancied was her business. ‘Can I trust her? She is my best friend...'

"Hey,” even the usually dense pegasus could tell her friend was struggling with something, “is everything okay? Is it someone like Smolder?" she asked, now eager to be the first to get some gossip. Not that she gossiped. Much. Hardly ever. All the time.

"It's not a dragon," Stonecutter replied so very quietly, staring down at her unfinished Loyalty paper.

"Who is it then?" She asked eagerly, so eagerly she fluttered her wings and lifted off from her chair by a clear few inches.

"Promise you won't make fun of me?"

Now, Cloudburst was a teeny bit offended. She had never, ever made fun of her best friend. She had always defended her against the plotholes that bullied her for her weight. "Stone,” her voice was as serious as she could make it, “I promise I won’t do that. I'm just very curious to know now." 

"It's a mare," Stonecutter admitted at last, her cheeks blazing red. 

"Ooh who is it?” Cloudburst didn’t care in the slightest her friend had just said she liked mares. So, what, right? You do you, that had always been the pegasus’s outlook on life. She wore a collar and called her coltfriend Master, who was she to judge anypony? “Is it me?" She asked playfully, her head tilted to side.

"You're straight, CB," she gave her friend a sour deadpan look. Stonecutter didn’t know why she was making a bigger deal out of this than it needed to be. "No, it's not you. It's...Sparkler."

"I know sillyhead. But it would be flattering." Cloudburst had to admit, even though she was straight, she was jealous of her friend’s rather generous breasts. Who wouldn’t be when she herself was flat as an ironing board? Her ears perked though when she heard that. "Oh, the new girl, miss grumpy pants?" 

Stonecutter nodded her head. "Yeah, that's the one. Cut her some slack though, I hear she's had a bit of a rough time lately." 

"I know. I wanted to throw her a party, but she wasn’t all that happy with the ‘Welcome To Ponyville’ one Professor Pinkie Pie threw her."

"I overheard her talking with counsellor Starlight,” Stonecutter admitted like it was something scandalous. “Something about her daddy leaving them, that's why they're here in Ponyville."

"Aww that's so sad. Poor thing…” Cloudburst’s ears pinned back to her head and then, in what was typical for her, they shot up again along with her wings. They did that when she was excited. “We should be her friends! That way she can smile more! Might get you two closer…" she giggled brightly and a little suggestively.

"Good idea CB, for a featherbrain," the slate grey earth pony gently nudged the pegasus in the shoulder. This gentle nudge almost sent the mare falling from her chair. Still, her friend’s idea had a degree of merit to it. "What say we stop the homework, go call for her, and have a shopping trip at the market?"

Taking the momentum from the ‘gentle’ nudge, Cloudburst took to the air and flew lazy figure eights above the table. This was why she wore yoga pants. Nothing for anypony to look up when she was flying. "What is with ponies thinking we’re feather brains? Our feathers are on our wings not inside our heads!" she giggled, moving forward to land on her hooves.  

"I know your test results, remember?" Stonecutter snickered, closing up her papers and taking them back inside her parents’ house. Like all Ponyville houses, it was white walled, black timbered and with a thatched roof. As it was a weekend, her parents were out. "It's Nightmare Night next week,” she said, thinking ahead to what they could buy at the market, “You know what you're going as?"

"Aww thanks for that. Aren't they great? F is for Fantastic Flyer, after all." Cloudburst just burst out laughing when her friend gave her the most severe glare she could muster. “And yeah, I'm going to dress up as Captain Celaeno, from the movie."

Stonecutter rolled her eyes at her best friend. "I still can't believe Applewood made a movie out of the attack on Canterlot! But seriously, Celaeno, again?" she winked, "I know what I'm going as."

"What she was awesome in her role as the captain!" Cloudburst countered. The fact that she had gone dressed as the pirate for the last four years straight was neither here nor there. Celaeno was awesome and that was that! "Who are you going as, then?"

"A cow," Stonecutter answered with a straight face as she put her school stuff away in her bag in the living room. "Momma gave me my allowance before she and daddy went to Appleloosa for the Cowboys and Buffalo weekend." She smiled at that. Her folks were always off doing crazy stuff. Last week had been skydiving from an airship, the week before had wild river rafting. Not to mention the time they had barrel jumped from Rainbow Falls. As for her, she was happy with a hammer, a chisel and a block of stone.

Far from being put off though, Cloudburst’s eyes were wide with delight. With her eyebrow raised, she asked, "Really? Can I ask what the idea for that was?" She then nodded at her friend’s suggestion, "That sounds good to me and a lot of fun too."

"Well," Stonecutter smiled, jiggling her hefty breasts – she just loved the way her friend’s eyes tracked the movement of her melons back and forth. She wondered if she could hypnotise her with them. "I already have the build for it. Besides, I've seen a good suit in Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargains."

Cloudburst nodded, subconsciously she wiped the drool from her chin. Like, really? Did her tits have to be that big? Really? There wasn’t even a bit to share out when she was being made? Anyway. "Well, where should we go to find her?"

"Sparkler? I don't honestly know.” Stonecutter really wasn’t sure. She was only just aware of where she lived. “We can try at her home?"

"Sounds good to me. Let's go then, slowpoke!" Spreading her pale blue wings, Cloudburst zipped up her School of Friendship hoodie and took off, swooping out of the house and climbing up into the air.

"Hey, wait up!" running out of her house, Stonecutter grabbed her everyday backpack from beside the back door and, making sure she locked up behind her, followed after the flying mare. She didn’t try to keep up, she didn’t have the build to run.

"Come on, we got a mare for you to impress!" Cloudburst yelled behind her, not even trying to be subtle about it as she barrel rolled through the skies above Ponyville. Noticing though that the earth pony was being left behind, she turned back and landed in front of her. 

"CB, please, not a word to her okay? Let me do it in my own time?"

"I promise I won’t say it to her. She'd be worse than a stubborn neat freak if she wasn’t interested in you." Cloudburst admittedly didn’t know much about the unicorn, but she did know she was a book smart neat freak. Considering Stonecutter was as messy as they came when she was sculpting, she knew this would be an interesting pairing.

"Come on then, let's get going. How about the three of us go to the Hayburger, my treat, then we do some epic shopping?"

"Sounds good to me." Cloudburst said as she bounced excitedly in place by her friend’s side.

"So, CB, how's your momma and daddy doing at the Academy?" Stonecutter asked as they walked through the town.

"They are doing good.” Cloudburst’s good mood seemed to leech from her. At the mention of her parents, Wave Chill and Misty Fly, who were both full time Wonderbolts and lived in the academy, the bouncing mare’s shoulders visibly slumped. “I miss them when they have to be gone for days and weeks at a time," she said softly. Lately she had only seen them at Wonderbolts performances.

Seeing her drastic change in mood, Stonecutter pulled her best friend into a dangerously tight earth pony hug. A hug that threatened to break bones. "I know CB, and I know they love you something fierce." They walked together in silence, eventually pausing at the Goldenoak Library memorial. It was their custom to pause for a few moments every time they passed the remains of the great library tree which had been preserved inside a railing. "When's the next Wonderbolt show?"

"I know and I'm glad for it. And for the fact I'm not sure what I want to do yet." She said softly while staring at the memorial as they pass it, "In two weeks’ time in Canterlot. I've already got the tickets for it. Momma sent me three in the post, I’m sure I can get a fourth."

"Well we'll be there, no worries about that." Stonecutter assured her friend, squeezing her hand just to make sure. Presently, they found themselves outside Sparkler's house, a nice clean white building with black timbers and a thatched roof, just like most of the other houses. This one though had a pretty pink weather vane on top. Without waiting to be told, Cloudburst ran up to the door and she knocked eagerly.

Sparkler was quick to open the door. "Oh!” her green eyes went wide indeed. She had been hoping to bump into her crush, and here she was, on her doorstep! “Oh, hey you two! I um…ah, I…was just…was just going out to the market." She kicked herself. Hard. ‘Real smooth, Sparks!’ 

Fortunately, Stonecutter seemed to not notice her flustered babbling. "Hey, we wanted to invite you out for a hayburger. Want to come with?"

"Oh um..." Sparkler was about to say no, which was her natural defence, when she saw Stonecutter and she decided to take the plunge, as it were. That, and she had already said she was going out, had she not? "Are you going too?"

"That I am," the earth pony beamed, ignoring Cloudburst’s leap of glee.

"Then yes, I'd love to come!" Sparkler, grabbing her own shoulder bag, quickly fell in with the other two ponies. It was a pleasant enough morning; getting to sit and make small talk at the Hayburger joint with Stonecutter enabled her to tolerate the loud noisy presence that was Cloudburst. 

Once the lunch had been eaten and their bellies were full, the three mares went about the arduous task of shopping. To her great delight, Sparkler was able to get a new telescope from, of all places, Astronomy & Pots. Then again, there was a Quills & Sofas here, so who was she to judge? Even though it had left her with just fifty bits of her allowance, she had been able to get a stack of scrolls, quills and ink along with it, so she was immensely happy.

Likewise, Stonecutter had also purchased what she wanted, namely more sculpting supplies. Sparkler had been very interested to learn that was the chubby mare’s talent. Of course, the slate grey earth pony had also taken the time at the fruit stall to stock up on some tasty snacks. In case she got hungry later, was her excuse.

Cloudburst meanwhile had been something of a surprise to Sparkler. While the unicorn had seen the pale blue pegasus as nothing more than crude, crass and annoying at school, having spent a little time with her she found she was all those things and also rather funny. When she had told Sparkler her joke about the alicorn, the griffon and the dragon, the unicorn had laughed so hard she almost peed in her panties.

All in all, it had been a successful sunny Saturday morning. Now though, it was fast approaching noon and the marketplace was starting to fill up. From just having a handful of ponies – including themselves – milling around looking at the stalls, the square was now bustling with creatures of all shapes and sizes: ponies, griffons, hippogriffs, yaks, dragons and even the odd changeling were all parting with their hard-earned money. It looked like the gloriously sunny day had bought out the whole of Ponyville!

Sparkler didn’t like crowds.

Which was unfortunate for her because right at that moment, when the market square seemed at its busiest, Cloudburst’s attention was drawn by a great crowd milling around the large fountain by the town hall. The thing itself was impressive, depicting the six Element Bearers in various heroic poses, hand carved from a single block of stone. What had garnered the pegasus’s attention though was the street performer in front of the fountain.

‘Cosmo the Conjuror’, as the purple robe wearing unicorn had introduced himself, was wowing the audience with stage magic tricks. The assembled crowd were playing their part, oooohing and aaahing at all the right moments, especially when the doves he pulled from his sleeves turned into magical fireworks before appearing whole again in a cage. 

Sparkler, her own talent being the creation of fireworks, had really appreciated that one.

They had just watched Cosmo the Conjuror skilfully conjure apples from thin air and juggle with them before handing them out to the crowd to prove they were real – Stonecutter managed to snag two. She was eating one as she watched the magician pull colourful flowers from his great big floppy hat which, with a tap of his wand, became glittering rainbows above their heads.

In short, so focused was she and her friends on the great act that Stonecutter wasn’t looking at her shoulder bag. That was until she felt it start to get heavier and heavier! “What the…” she muttered, convinced it was part of Cosmo’s act. Shrugging it off her shoulder, the slate grey mare looked inside expecting a shower of sparks or ribbons to pop out. What she wasn’t expecting to see was an adorably cute, white fluffy bunny rabbit with great big black eyes sat in her bag munching away at the fruit she had bought!

“What the hay?” Stonecutter’s surprised yelp had drawn the attention of Cloudburst and Sparkler.

“What is it, Stone?” Cloudburst asked, her eyes reluctantly drawn from the performance. The crowd’s applause telling he she had just missed something good.

“There’s a rabbit in my bag!”

“There’s one on the stage too!” the pegasus snarked, pointing to Cosmo who had just succeeded in producing a rabbit from his large floppy magician’s hat.

“No, there really is, look!” Sparkler pointed out, backing off with a loud sneeze as her sensitive allergies were set off by the furry white invader to Stonecutter’s bag.

“Hey, you, you thieving little bunny…” Stonecutter groused as the rabbit had found its way into her jar of pear butter that she had bought for her pancake dinner later that day, “Get outta there!” The bunny though, while he certainly looked cute, was apparently far from well behaved. When Stonecutter attempted to liberate the pear butter from him, he growled fiercely and, baring his teeth, stared at her angrily.

“I think the bunny’s won,” Cloudburst snickered, much to her friend’s ire. It didn’t help when the pale blue mare began singing “Bunny one, pony zero!” to an accompanying little dance.

Seeing a chance to be helpful, and to maybe strike up a conversation with the earth pony that would lead to declarations of love, Sparkler spoke up. “Come over here, out of the crowd. I have an idea.” By the time they had extricated themselves from the crowd, it was alas too late for the pear butter. It was looking like the fresh strawberries would go the same way too.

“Hurry Sparkler,” Stonecutter urged, “The damn thing’s eating all I’ve got!”

“Just a moment,” she held up her hand in a request for quiet. She had to concentrate. Lighting her horn, she levitated the errant rabbit out of her new friend’s bag. This was a harder task than it first appeared because the foul beast did not take kindly to being separated from his free meal. “Ngggggh!” Sparkler grunted with the effort of maintain her glowing green telekinetic field, thanks to his kicking and thrashing about.

“You did it!” Stonecutter whooped in delight as she zipped up her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder in an attempt to safeguard what was left of her food.

“Excuse me,” came a quiet voice that all three mares recognised instantly as belonging to their Kindness teacher, Professor Fluttershy. It was odd to see her in a white top and green skirt as opposed to her uniform, but it was a Saturday. The yellow pegasus looked extremely happy with herself that she had found the three students that Twilight had mentioned back in the castle map room. “Thank you for rescuing my rabbit, Angel…”

“He’s yours?” Stonecutter asked grumpily, “The da…” she didn’t get to finish her sentence, thanks to Cloudburst practically shoving her fist into her best friend’s mouth. On reflection, it was probably best to not insult their teacher’s pet in front of its owner. Detention sucked.

Fluttershy nodded eagerly, the yellow pegasus either not noticing or not caring what Stonecutter had been about to say in regard to her precious Angel. “He scampered away from me and I’ve been looking for him all over the place!” When Sparkler levitated the rabbit over to its owner, Fluttershy took her bunny in her hands and gave him a welcome cuddle. ‘Precious’ Angel glared at the three mares, making a very rude face indeed.

“You’ve obviously got a way with animals,” Fluttershy continued, a shy smile spreading over her muzzle. This was perfect! “I think my little Angel really likes you.” At this comment, Angel shook his head furiously, still glaring at the three students. Not that Fluttershy noticed.

Personally, Stonecutter thought her teacher had lost her mind, but she chose not to voice her opinion, though she knew perfectly well what she wanted to do with the precious little bunny. A stew came to mind. Fluttershy wasn’t done though. “I think you’re just the ponies my friends and I have been looking for. You see, we’re going away on an important mission, and we need reliable trustworthy ponies like you three to look after our pets while we’re gone.”

At the very mention of looking after six pets, Sparkler popped an allergy tablet like it was a candy. Stonecutter shared a look with Cloudburst and the sneezing unicorn. She was up for it, after all, she had nothing planned for the rest of the day. “Well, I guess we could help you out, Professor.”

Fluttershy’s face lit up like a Hearths Warming tree and, as Stonecutter and Cloudburst shared a fist bump and even Sparkler nodded her head in agreement – though that was because she wanted to spend more time with her crush than she wanted to be with a bunch of…animals. “Thank you, my friends!” the older pony then placed Angel in her own shoulder bag before turning on her hoof, a large yellow wing pointing off in the direction of her cottage, “Come on, we have no time to waste. I’m sure the pets will just love you!”

Sparkler wasn’t at all sure about that but, as she walked through Ponyville with one of her teachers, her crush and now, her grudging friend in the annoying pegasus, she wondered, ‘How hard can it be, just to look after some pets for a while?’
> Chapter 1 - Petastrophe!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Fluttershy’s cottage was located on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Though conversation between the four ponies had been clipped and to the point on the way from Ponyville, the nearer they got to the wild, wooded and mysterious area, the quieter Sparkler became. Every time a bird squawked, or some unseen ‘thing’ made a noise, the bright yellow unicorn jumped. She wondered it if was too late to just go home.

Cloudburst and Stonecutter though were more excited and interested in their destination. Neither had been out this way before – any sensible pony in town knew to avoid the Everfree Forest, it was well known and had a reputation as a dangerous and scary place. Even Cloudburst, who saw rules more as guidelines, knew to stay away from the forest.

Sadly though, for Sparkler anyway, they pressed on. Eventually, they came to a small bridge that crossed over a fast-flowing river, which was the only way to reach the yellow pegasus’s cottage. The moment she saw her teacher’s cottage, Sparkler was amazed. She had been expecting a white walled, black timbered, thatch roofed building like most of Ponyville. What she saw was very different.

The remarkable thing about Professor Fluttershy’s home, as far as Sparkler was concerned, was that it had a roof of green leaves, instead of thatch. ‘It looks like a tree house…or a house made from a tree…or tree fashioned into a house…why?’ the young unicorn couldn’t work it out, so she stopped trying. Much like her approach to Sugarcube Corner that looked like it somepony had loaded a cannon with dessert things, blasted it in the air and it had landed in the shape of a house.

Dozens of bird boxes and bird tables hung from the branches of the roof as well as the branches of the nearby trees dotted around the cottage. It felt like the air itself was alive with the sounds of pretty birdsong. That so much wasn’t bad, Sparkler could tolerate that. Wild rabbits and squirrels bounded and scampered along the path leading up to the cottage, making Cloudburst laugh teasingly at the unicorn when she squeaked as a squirrel got particularly close. “What’s up, Sparks, never seen a squirrel before?”

Thankfully, Fluttershy didn’t have to say anything. Stonecutter, glaring at her best friend, shut the giggling pegasus up. “That’s enough, CB, leave her alone.” The slate grey earth pony completely missed Sparkler’s blush and her accompanying adoring look.

The unicorn was just about to voice her gratitude when Fluttershy hoofed open her wooden front door and turned to the three young mares waiting at her doorstep. “I’m so glad you three agreed to help, you’re real lifesavers!” she beamed that smile of hers that could disarm a manticore and continued, “Come on in, the others are waiting inside.”

Cloudburst, Stonecutter and Sparkler all shared a rather uneasy look at that as they stepped inside the cottage. While they had of course seen their teachers at school, and they had shared the odd ‘hello’ and ‘good morning’ wit them all, this was the first time they had seen them outside of school. It was…odd, seeing them all sat on comfy seats in the cosy cottage like they were normal ponies.

Besides the chairs arranged around the cottage, there were several bed baskets on the floor for when the caretaker’s animal friends came to visit. Just like outside, there were a few birdhouses hanging from the ceiling, each with colourful birds flapping around the student’s heads. The baseboards in the living room were dotted with mouse holes and when a few came out to investigate the newcomers, Sparkler jumped and flinched, inadvertently she clutched at Stonecutter’s strong arm, making both mares blush and look the other way.

What did pique the young unicorn’s interest though was the many and varied books about pets, wildlife and nature that took up space on the various shelves fixed to the walls around the living room. The thing that surprised her the most was that, in spite of all the animals – pests – and birds, the cottage was clean, tidy and did not smell like a litter tray.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, who was sat in a circle with the rest of her friends enjoying a cup of jasmine tea, was the first to step up and greet her three students. While they were each drinking their respective drinks, their pets were playing with themselves on the floor. “We thank you three from the bottom of our hearts for your generous offer to look after our pets while we’re away,” the head mare beamed, “We did promise them a pampering party though, I hope that won’t be a problem for you?”

Just as Sparkler was about to politely refuse and say that it was a problem, Cloudburst ‘helpfully’ fired a broadside across her bows. The pale blue pegasus stuck her hand up like she was in class, “Sure it’s no problem, head mare Twilight!” she ignored the scathing look coming from the unicorn, “How do they like to be pampered?” 

Since she had greeted them, Twilight continued, “This is my pet, Owlowiscious,” the alicorn proudly showed off her pet, a bright-eyed brown owl. “Say hello to our guests, Owlowiscious,” the owl simply hooted and bobbed its head politely. “He’s very well-behaved. He loves being tickled just behind his ear feathers and his favourite treats are chocolate mice.”

Sat at the table beside Rainbow Dash, Applejack downed her coffee and spoke up next, “Say hello to Winona!” the orange earth pony grinned as she reached a hand down and scratched her dog behind her ears. The brown and white dog jumped up playfully at the sound of her name and barked joyously when her owner scratched her. “Give her a bone to chew on and she’ll be as happy as a worm in a barrel,” the orange earth pony smoothed down her blue denim skirt as her dog rolled around her brown boots, baring her belly, Applejack obliged. “Her favourite thing of all is belly rubs, as you might’ve guessed.”

On the other side of the Honesty teacher, Pinkie Pie suddenly leapt up to her hooves, the pink earth pony a vision in a stereotypical explorer’s khaki outfit. “What did you say, Gummy?” she gushed, lifting up her baby alligator to her ear, “You like these ponies? Well, if you like them, I like them!” the alligator, who had not uttered a word, or for that matter even moved, stared blankly at the three students. “Gummy says he likes fish cakes and his favourite game is snap!”

Rarity, dressed in blue cargo shorts and an off-white top, coughed delicately as she placed her teacup down on the table. Curled up by her hooves was a fluffy white cat who sported a purple bow and collar. “Opalescence is extremely sensitive, so you must be careful to take full and complete care of my precious little darling,” the ivory unicorn smiled proudly as she offered her cat a toy mouse to play with. “She will only touch the finest cat treats, and you simply must comb her fur regularly just the way she likes it.”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash, who had decided she had been sat still quite long enough, spread her sky-blue wings and flew over to a tortoise hovering by a wardrobe. Hovering, the students saw, thanks to a whirling helicopter rotor he was wearing. “Hey Tank!” the Loyalty teacher called out, turning her pet to face the three younger mares, “Say hello to your new best friends! Make sure you feed him plenty of lettuce and let him out for a spin once in a while and he’ll be as fine as a new shiny bit.” 

Once everypony else had introduced their pets to Sparkler, Stonecutter and Cloudburst, Fluttershy stepped forwards with Angel held in her arms. “You’ve met my Angel already,” she said with a smile, “I can tell that he really likes you…” to demonstrate how much he really liked them, the white rabbit sneered at them and stuck out his tongue before wriggling out of Fluttershy’s arms. “He’s such a loving little creature, all he needs are a few juicy carrots, his tail fluffed gently and plenty of cuddles and some kind words.” 

Sharing looks ranging from excited to dubious amongst themselves, Stonecutter was about to volunteer some ‘kind words’ of her own for the rabbit who had snuck into her backpack and had been caught eating her snacks when Twilight derailed that train of thought. “Okay,” the head mare addressed her students, “I don’t know how long we’ll be away for – we have to travel to the Badlands, far to the south. You’ll be staying at Fluttershy’s cottage, taking care of the pets until we come back.” The Princess must have read Sparkler and Stonecutter’s expressions because she held up a reassuring hand as she continued, “Don’t worry, I’ve sent letters to your parents.”

Twilight knew, that as Cloudburst lived in her school, there was no need to write her family. She had done, though, as a matter of course. “Now,” she forged ahead as the rest of the teachers each stood and hefted a pack on their back – except Rarity, Applejack carried hers – and got ready, “Make sure they’re well fed and entertained. We promised them a pampering party, so that’s your first job. Also, please, do try and keep Fluttershy’s cottage clean and tidy. 

As the six professors and Spike all filed out of the cottage, Sparkler suddenly realised she could speak. She coughed to clear her throat and said, “Excuse me, Head Mare Twilight?” when the alicorn paused, the last one to leave, the bright yellow mare continued, “Seeing as we’re doing this, will there be an extension on the Kindness essay due in next week?” She was rather pleased at the scathing look that Cloudburst shot her way.

“Of course!” Twilight exclaimed, “All of your homework deadlines will be extended by a week to allow for our absences. Counsellor Starlight will be informed, don’t worry. And,” she smiled at the eager young pony, “We’ll grant you extra Kindness credit for helping us.”

That certainly managed to please the book smart young unicorn. With a cheery wave and a round of goodbyes from the teachers, Sparkler, Stonecutter and Cloudburst were left alone with the pets in Fluttershy’s cottage. Sparkler’s good mood evaporated almost instantly as she sat down on the chair that Twilight had occupied. “Um…” she fished in the air, staring blankly at her friends, “Now what?”

Similarly, Stonecutter and Cloudburst stared at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Neither of them had owned pets before, and all of a sudden, what had seemed like a good idea in the marketplace didn’t seem all that great now they were doing it. While they stared at each other in silence and tried to think of what to do, the six pets quickly became bored. Owlowiscious spread his wings and flew up to one of the bird boxes that hung from the ceiling and perched outside it, content to look down wisely at the newcomers. Still sat by the chair that Applejack had used, Winona scratched herself and let out a bored whine before she hopped up on the chair and laid down. Gummy, immobile as ever, just stared at them with his wide unblinking eyes. Opalescence, far more critical of them, looked the ponies up and down and, having made her mind up, hissed at them in disgust and curled up in a pet bed. Tank seemed to have fallen asleep, while Angel narrowed his eyes and fixed the students with a fierce glare.

“Well…” Cloudburst offered after a few more minutes of silence, “They seem bored?”

“Oh, well spotted, CB,” Stonecutter shot back sarcastically, “I could’ve told you that. Question is, what do we do about it?”

“How should I know?” the pegasus shot back to her pudgy best friend, wringing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, “You’re the one who volunteered us, I thought you had an idea!”

“I always have to have the ideas, featherbrain…”

“Ahem,” Sparkler coughed delicately, effectively cutting off the argument between the two before it could take hold properly. While she wanted to spend time with Stonecutter, acting as a referee didn’t seem like the best way of getting close to the delightfully chubby mare.    

“I guess you have an idea huh, book worm?” Cloudburst asked, only noticing the open book in the unicorn’s hands after she had spoken.

Sparkler fixed the impulsive pegasus with a deadpan glare that could’ve cut through a bank vault were she not so dense. Pointedly she turned the page of the pet care book she had levitated down from the nearest shelf. When she judged she had made her point, she said, “It says here in this book,” she took great care to emphasise the word ‘book’, “That the best way to win a pet’s affection is with their favourite food.”

At the mention of the word ‘food’, Owlowiscious hooted, Angel thumped the hardwood floor with his feet and Winona barked. Even Cloudburst got that message and she conceded that Sparkler was right with good grace. After she had blown her a thunderous raspberry. “I hear what you’re saying, Sparkler,” Stonecutter just loved the pink tinge that coloured the other mare’s cheeks. Damn she was pretty when she blushed, “But it’s only just gone noon, we don’t know when they were last fed.”

Bored as some of the pets, Cloudburst was flying lazy figure of eights around the cottage’s living room. She had invented her own obstacle course flying between the bird boxes. “I think the nerd’s right,” before she could be admonished for calling Sparkler a nerd, she continued, “Why don’t we just give them a snack? Our teachers told us what they like to eat.”

Rolling her eyes at her rather blunt friend – and ponies called her blunt! – Stonecutter had to agree a snack sounded like a good idea. “Well, alright then,” she looked around properly and saw there was a multitude of cupboards spread everywhere in the living room that wasn’t taken up with a pet bed off some sort, no doubt the same was true for the kitchen and other rooms, “Surely we can find something to feed them in all this!”

“Don’t call me Shirley!” Cloudburst squealed happily, ignoring Stonecutter’s groan and she flew through her teacher’s house to the kitchen in search of carrots for the rabbit. She had assumed this would be an easy task. How wrong she was. She found a bag of carrots in the first under counter cupboard she came across in the kitchen, but upon offering them to the bunny, she had to duck as he threw them at her. 

With decent aim, too. 

“Dumbass ball of stupid fur…” the pale blue pegasus, as she returned to the kitchen to continue her search, had to really fight the urge to not fry him with one of her lightning bolts. An urge that became harder when a substandard carrot hit her ass. Much to the other two’s amusement. A quick look in one of the higher up cupboards revealed a large tub with a foal-friendly screw top that read ‘Angel carrots’. 

Looking in there, Cloudburst was rewarded with a bunch of the sweetest looking juiciest carrots she had seen. ‘Jeez, Professor,’ she thought as she took out two and placed them in a bowl, ‘these must’ve cost a fortune at the market…evil rabbit eats better than I do!’ When she presented these carrots to Angel, he did at least grace her with a squeak that sounded like a thank you.

Yes, Angel was spoiled, bossy and short-tempered but, he was also an appreciative bunny. He appreciated the soft thud that the everyday carrots had made when they smacked into the pegasus’s ass. He also appreciated it when she had come back with the good stuff. These pet-sitters had to learn he was picky, and he got what he wanted! It was easier that way. Munching on the sweet delicious carrots, Angel ignored the disapproving look that Owlowiscious shot him from the perch he was on.

“I’ll get Winona a bone,” Sparkler said, though she hoped she wouldn’t have to search through every cupboard in Fluttershy’s cottage. There had to be at least twenty, and that was without counting properly. The young unicorn was just about to admit she had no clue whatsoever when, thankfully, Winona helped her out. 

With a delighted, happy bark, as well as a jingle of her collar, the brown and white work dog showed just how faithful and loyal she was by running over to a low-down cupboard in the living room and pawing at it. Even Sparkler, who was clueless when it came to animals, knew what she was getting at. “Is it in there, girl?” she asked, getting an urgent bark in reply. 

Winona knew full well her bones were in that cupboard! She yipped and whined when the unicorn paused, pawing at the door again to get her message across. When she saw the cupboard opened, she sat eagerly on her haunches, her tail wagging so hard it could’ve cleaned the floor. She stayed sat and even offered her paw by way of thanks when a bone was presented to her. Licking Sparkler’s hand, she took the bone and laid down contentedly in her pet bed. 

“Eeeeeeeew!” Sparkler shuddered involuntarily as she shut the door. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Stonecutter before Cloudburst had a chance to mock her crush.

“The dog…licked me!” she squeaked, shaking her freshly slobbered on hand like it was going to fall off.

Stonecutter shot her best friend a warning glare and got up, crossing the living room in a few strides, she gently held Sparkler’s hand. ‘Oh, my goodness, it’s so soft!’ she thought, feeling a blush creeping over her cheeks. Compared to her spade of a hand, the unicorn’s was dainty. It was perfect. “Come on through to the kitchen, I got this.” 

Sparkler didn’t object as she was led by the hand to Fluttershy’s kitchen. She certainly didn’t object when her crush washed her hand for her under the faucet. She was too busy trying not to swoon. She had gotten a sense of the chubby earth pony’s immense strength and she liked it. A lot. “Um…Stonecutter?”

“Yeah?” she looked the slim unicorn in the eyes, still holding her hand under the running water for way longer than was necessary. 

“The ah…you see, um…I wanted to say…”

“Y-Yeah?” Stonecutter stuttered. ‘She’s gonna say something, I should say something!’ 

“You see um, I um…I think I…” Sparkler wanted to say something, anything, but when she was about to confess her love for the tall pony, her brain betrayed her and instead and her free hand fell onto a bowl of freshly drained lettuce that had been left by the sink. “I think Tank would like this lettuce!” internally, Sparkler kicked herself, hard. ‘You bucking moron! What the hay did you say that for! You’re gonna die a virgin!’

Stonecutter looked like a bucket of cold water had been poured all over her. For once, it wasn’t due to one of Cloudburst’s pranks. The moment completely gone, the earth pony shut off the running water and, drying her hands, she picked up the bowl of lettuce. “Ah, aaah, yeah, I’ll lettuce the Tank…I mean, I’ll give the lettuce. To Tank. Now.” 

As Stonecutter carried the bowl through to the living room, a hovering Cloudburst mimed pointing a gun to her head and blowing her brains out. Shooting the pegasus a non-plussed look, Sparkler responded by flipping her off. Unfortunately, that just made her break out in a fit of giggles in mid-air. “I’ll sort Owlowiscious out!” the pale blue mare called out, still giggling. ‘And ponies call me dense…’ she thought as she opened cupboard after cupboard.

“Aha!” Cloudburst cried out in triumphant glee when, after two tries, she located a box of chocolate mice. Which to get though? That was the question. There were brown ones, white ones and pink ones. At a loss, she decided to take one of each from the box and, closing the cupboard above Sparkler’s head with an unnecessarily loud bang, she flew into the living room. 

Sparkler had the wet sponge held in her telekinetic field ready to throw at her flying tormentor, but the annoying pegasus had already gone. With a sigh, she dropped the sponge into the sink and cursed her brain for saying the wrong thing three minutes ago.

When Cloudburst flew into the living room, she had a scathing comment ready and prepared to deliver. However, when she saw the overweight mare forlornly feeding lettuce to the silent tortoise, her comment took a sideways turn at her tongue, never to return. “Hey, Stone, you okay?” 

“Mmm…” she grunted noncommittally, absent mindedly feeding another green leaf to Tank.

Now bearing a worried look, Cloudburst quickly fed the three chocolate mice to Owlowiscious. A very well-behaved bird, he showed his thanks by hooting and gently nibbling the pale blue mare’s hand. Her task accomplished, she descended to the floor and draped an arm around her best friend’s shoulder. “Stone, it’s okay, honest.”

“Mmm…”

“I mean it, you like her, right?” 

“Mmm…

Cloudburst wanted to scream. “Look, you like her, she likes you. It’s as obvious as my wings. Just…I dunno, try again, when there’s no lettuce around.” Grabbing the half empty bowl from the earth pony before she could feed Tank the whole bowl, she flew back to the kitchen where Sparkler was attempting to find cat treats.

“Gotcha!” Sparkler declared triumphantly once, after searching through a few cupboards, she came up with a bag of cat treats. Alas, in her haste to forget about the lettuce incident, the bright yellow unicorn had snatched up the bag of treats that Fluttershy gave the wild cats outside. As she skipped through to the living room, Opalescence’s treats, in a bag marked with Rarity’s three diamonds cutie mark, remained untouched in the cupboard.

Sparkler was unaware of her error as she entered the living room. Her focus was on Stonecutter’s fat ass that was barely contained within her cargo shorts and her tree trunk like thighs. Namely, as she approached the curled-up Opalescence under the table, she was picturing herself and her head between those massive thighs. She was grateful therefore of the table, so she could hide. “Opalescence,” she said in what she hoped was a ‘come here kitty’ voice, “I got some treats for you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Stonecutter caught the beautiful view of Sparkler bending down to duck under the table that her teachers had been sat around when they entered. The slate grey earth pony was about to look away when she caught a glimpse of white under the unicorn’s plaid skirt. ‘I shouldn’t be looking, I shouldn’t be looking…’ she told herself. 

She didn’t look away though. 

When Sparkler crouched lower to get further under the table because the selfish cat wasn’t in any mood to come to her, Stonecutter got even more of an eyeful as the unicorn’s skirt rode up even higher. ‘Sweet Cadance’s horn and feathers…’ she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the slender toned thighs, the perfect curve of the ass cheeks pointed her way, her legs parted just enough that she got a view of the unicorn’s vulva, clad and outlined in just a thin layer of fabric.

‘Oh, my goodness…’ the more she stared, the more Stonecutter found her attention wandering. She propped her cheek up on the palm of her hand and tried not to drool as she enjoyed the view. 

Stonecutter wrapped an arm around Sparkler's neck, bringing her marefriend into a tight embrace as she tilted her head to one side, kissing the bright yellow unicorn full on the lips. Sparkler returned the gesture, reaching up with her arm and placing her hand on the back of Stonecutter’s head, running it through her mane as she ran her tongue across her lover’s lips, asking permission to enter. 

The slate grey stonemason granted it, parting her lips for Sparkler's tongue as she ran her own over and around it, eliciting a few pleasurable moans from her. A second or two later and Stonecutter took the initiative, thrusting forward with her tongue into Sparkler's mouth, running it around the inside before briefly wrestling her tongue into submission. Finally, the need to breathe forced them to break the kiss, their lips coming apart with a wet smacking noise. 

“Oh my…” Sparkler looked up at the tall mare with a blush colouring her cheeks before lowering her hands down to the hem of the chubby mare’s tee shirt.

Stonecutter smirked as she saw Sparkler's deep blush and likewise, she let her strong hands wander down to grasp the smaller pony’s sweater. After a fumbled attempt at undressing each other where they both tried to lift each other’s top at the same time, the earth pony allowed the unicorn to go first. One hard tug, and her white tee shirt was pulled off, freeing her large fleshy breasts and pudgy round belly. 

Before Sparkler could get her hands on those breasts, Stonecutter hefted the unicorn’s sweater up and over her head, licking her lips when she laid eyes on those perfectly formed B cups. She had never wanted anything more in all the world than to run her thumbs over them, to kiss and suck on her nipples. From the look on the unicorn’s face, she felt the same about her, too. 

Sparkler raised a questioning look to her taller lover, quietly asking if she could. Stonecutter read her expression and nodded, giving her assent. She bit her lip as she saw the slim unicorn’s lips getting closer and closer to her breast. This was it! She was going to do it! They were going to do it! Closer she got, Stonecutter could feel her breath on her skin. She felt a hand go lower down her body over her belly and lower still. Those lips were tantalisingly close…

“Buck!” Sparkler’s expletive brought Stonecutter crashing out of her daydream, snapping her back to reality with a thud as her head slipped off her hand and hit the arm of the couch she had been feeding Tank on. Looking over at the table, she saw the unicorn on her ass scrambling out, shaking her hand. “Stupid damn cat!”

“What’s wrong?” Stonecutter and Cloudburst both asked at the same time.

“She clawed me!” Sparkler wailed like her hand had been cut off, her grievous wound little more than three little scratches on the back of her hand. “I tried feeding her and the ungrateful thing went for me!” Sympathetically, Cloudburst took the sobbing unicorn to the kitchen to clean up her hand and stick a band aid on it, leaving Stonecutter in the living room.

With a resigned snort and her daydream now naught but a fleeting memory, Stonecutter picked up the rejected cat treats and took them back into the kitchen. About to ask how Sparkler was, she caught her best friend’s look and decided this wasn’t the opportunity she was looking for. Going back to the living room, even though she had chosen the right treats, Opalescence was still in a bad mood and hissed at her warningly, though she did eat the offered treats.

Given her friend’s spectacular failure with Professor Rarity’s cat, Cloudburst took it upon herself to find the fish cakes for Gummy. Thankfully, they were easy to find, they were right there looking at her when she opened up Fluttershy’s fridge. It was rather hard to tell though if Gummy was happy or not when the pale blue pegasus offered him the treats in a shallow bowl. The green alligator’s blank vacant stare never changed, but he did snap up the fish cakes when they were placed within range of his toothless jaw, so Cloudburst assumed he was happy.

The relative calm and quiet that extended throughout the cottage following the more or less successful snack time didn’t last very long. Soon enough, the six pets began acting up. Having finished her bone, Winona was now running circles around Sparkler’s legs, almost tripping her up, though the brown and white dog’s energetic barking had her rooted to the spot. 

Gummy had his jaws stubbornly latched onto Stonecutter’s leg and refused to let go, no matter how much the earth pony ‘encouraged’ him. Opalescence yowled and spat and, in her boredom, began scratching at the legs of the table she was sat under. Tank had taken to chasing Cloudburst around the living room, the tortoise’s helicopter blades were bumping into the bird boxes hanging from the ceiling. Even Owlowiscious was playing up, the brown owl deciding to perch on the pegasus’s head and placing his tail feathers over her eyes.

When Cloudburst hit a bird box with a pained yelp, Angel made his bid for freedom by trying to scamper up Fluttershy’s chimney. “What do we do?” Sparkler cried, pinned in place by Winona.

“Well, our teachers did say we had to pamper them,” Stonecutter commented, having just managed to get Gummy off of her leg, “Maybe we should try doing that?”

Agreeing that pampering the pets was a good idea before they turned properly feral and had them all tied up and placed in a cauldron in the middle of the living room – Cloudburst’s imagination was rather active – the pegasus decided to start with Owlowiscious, seeing as how the owl was still using her head as a perch. Reaching up with her hands, she began to tickle him just behind his ear feathers like Head Mare Twilight had advised.

Almost instantly, Cloudburst was rewarded with a happy and contented hoot from Owlowiscious, who showed her how grateful he was by abandoning her head and taking up residence instead on her back between her pale blue wings. “See guys?” she crowed victoriously to her two friends, “I’m a natural! Cloudburst, pet-sitter extraordinaire!”

Not to be outdone, and inspired by Cloudburst’s success, Sparkler announced she was going to play snap with Gummy. “Are you sure, Sparks?” the pegasus ribbed her, “It might be dangerous!”

“Oh please,” Sparkler used one of her mother’s best eye rolls, “It’s a card game against a vacant baby alligator, how hard can it be?”

“I dunno, Sparks, but my money’s on the alligator!”   	

When even Stonecutter let out a snigger at the pegasus’s joke, Sparkler sat down at the table with a huff and reached for the deck of cards decorated with Professor Pinkie Pie’s cutie mark of three balloons. Muttering under her breath but not quite quietly enough, she dealt the cards out between herself and her opponent until the deck was used up. 

Once the cards had been handed out, Sparkler sat opposite Gummy with a look on her face like she expected something to happen. When the green alligator just stared at her and licked his eyes, Cloudburst, who still had Owlowiscious on her back, burst out laughing. ‘Of course, nothing’s happening!’ the unicorn fumed, embarrassed, ‘I’m playing snap with a bucking alligator!’ 

Snorting out a breath of frustration through her nose, Sparkler laid her first card down on the table in front of the alligator. Gummy though must’ve thought it was him to go first and the baby alligator leant forward and snapped his jaws around the unicorn’s forearm. “AAAaaaAAAH!” she screamed, her instinct to expect great pain. 

The unicorn’s embarrassment was only heightened when both Cloudburst and Stonecutter burst out laughing at her misfortune. She continued to not see the funny side of things when even Owlowiscious and Angel joined their amused hoots and squeaks into the mix. “Ugh! Get! Off!” Sparkler shook her arm to no avail. That just made Angel squeak louder and roll around the floor in mirth. “I said. Get. Off!” eventually she lit her horn and used her telekinesis to remove the alligator. 

Recovering from her giggles enough that she could speak, Stonecutter was the first to endure the deadpan death glare from her pretty crush. “I’m…tee hee, I’m sorry Sparks,” the earth pony snickered, “But you have to admit it was a bit funny!”

‘Sparks?’ Sparkler snorted, ‘Who decided my nickname would be Sparks?’ she was about to voice this in the grumpy mood she was in, then she realised, wide eyed, that her crush had nicknamed her! True, Cloudburst had called her Sparks, but she had ignored her and rightly so. But Stonecutter called her Sparks! This served to instantly lift her mood. “All right, yeah, I suppose it was pretty funny.” She conceded with a smile.

“That’s my girl,” Stonecutter said before she realised just what she had said. She quickly followed up with, “Why don’t you play with Winona, try rubbing her belly.” What she didn’t add was her thought that even she couldn’t mess up giving a dog tummy rubs.

“All right, I can do that,” Sparkler duly got on her knees and Winona, who seemed to know what was coming her way, rolled onto her back and exposed her white belly. “You get the cat.” The unicorn pointed to Opalescence as she started to enthusiastically rub the dog’s belly.

Stonecutter groaned internally. She didn’t want the cat. Then again, judging by the look on Cloudburst’s face, neither did she. The two friends shared a look between them and before the earth pony could react, the pegasus had Owlowiscious back on a bird box’s perch and she had grabbed Tank. “Dibs on the tortoise!” she yelled, flying outside.

“Fine, featherbrain…” Stonecutter sighed, and she just caught Angel who had been trying to hide the grooming kit that Rarity had left under one of the couch cushions. True to form, the fluffy little deviant just stuck out his tongue and blew her a raspberry before hopping off to see what other mischief he could cause. 

Opalescence, while she was still rather disgruntled from the faux pas with the cat treats, at least had the grace to recognise that it had been the earth pony who had delivered the correct ones to her. As such, when she started to groom her fur, she didn’t instantly attack her and sink her claws into her hands. This proved to be a good move as, as big and strong as she was, Stonecutter was surprisingly adept with her hands.

While Sparkler was rubbing Winona’s belly – the brown and white dog having found her way onto the unicorn’s lap in the process – she found her mind wandering as she watched her big sexy crush gently comb Opalescence’s white fur. 

Her mind wandered to a very good place indeed.

Sparkler had just opened her eyes. She could tell by the smell that she was laid in her own bed, her pink Princess style bed. It was the middle of winter and her duvet was half off of her and half on the floor. Why then, if there was a thick layer of snow outside and a gale blowing, from the sound of it, didn’t she feel cold?

The answer came to her along with a wide smile. The weight pressing on her back, the beautiful mass she could feel pinning her in place face down on her bed belonged to none other than her marefriend, Stonecutter. Far from being crushed, she loved the feel of the naked earth pony.

Sparkler sighed happily. She’d never, ever get bored of waking up to those large fleshy breasts, or her big round belly or her thick thighs all squishing into her back. What she loved most though was the feeling of her body warmth seeping into her, keeping her warmer than a thick sweater or her duvet ever could. If this was heaven, she had died a very happy mare.

What made her even happier was that magical moment when Stonecutter woke up. Just like she always did, she leant forward a teeny bit and began to lay soft delicate kisses all the way up her left ear. Starting at the base, she would kiss her way to the tip and nibble her way back down. Sparkler could pretend to be asleep on the upward journey, but not the return trip.

By the time the chubby mare started to lick her way up her horn, all pretence at sleep would be abandoned, gentle snores being replaced by lewd mewling moans and purrs. Not that she was going to tell her special somepony to stop. Every morning she was woken up like that, and it was amazing…

“Hmmm…” Sparkler found herself moaning and pressing her slender legs together as she enjoyed the pleasurable sensations coursing through her mind straight from her horn to her core. “Oooh yeeeeah…just like that…”

“Angel!” Stonecutter’s cry brought Sparkler’s fantasy daydream crashing back to reality with all the force of a waterfall of cold water thundering all over her. “Hey, Angel!” Blinking herself back into the here and now, she quickly saw what the issue was. Having groomed Opalescence to the cat’s satisfaction, the earth pony had obviously attempted to fluff up the rabbit’s tail just like Professor Fluttershy had told them to do.

Unfortunately, Angel had not taken too kindly to being left until last. The fluffy white bunny had chosen to show his displeasure by blowing an extra big raspberry at all three of them – Cloudburst had, while Sparkler was lost in her fantasy, bought Tank back inside and set him down on the floor. With a look of fury, he hopped up high into the air, landing on one of the many bookshelves on the wall. Determined to show these pet-sitters just who was the boss, namely, him, he went to the end of the shelf gave Fluttershy’s copy of Mage Meadowbrook’s ‘A History of Natural Cures’ a hard shove.

What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion, just like a scene from an Applewood movie. 

The heavy book hit the next one in line with a loud thudding sound and that one hit the next. The line of neatly arranged books toppled over like dominoes. The book at the end of the shelf fell to the floor and, with laser guided accuracy, landed on Tank, who had been dozing contentedly on the floor. The force of the impact set off the motors of his helicopter blades. Out of control, Tank flew around the living room, hitting every single bird box before smashing through the large window and hurtling off into the sky.

Alarmed by the smashing of the window, and the glass shattering everywhere, Winona gave a bark of panicked surprise and she jumped straight through the open window in an effort to both rescue Tank and get away from any more falling books. 

Startled from his perch on one of the bird boxes by Tank’s errant hap-hazard flight and the buzzing and chirping of the angry birds flitting around the swinging boxes, Owlowiscious let out a terrified screech and, in a desperate attempt to get away, the brown owl flew up the chimney in a cloud of soot, which made Gummy sneeze loudly.

The baby alligator’s strong - but thankfully toothless - jaws clamped shut on Opalescence’s tail, which had been waving right in front of him. The cat, who had been thoroughly content and happy thanks to Stonecutter’s grooming skills, shrieked out a loud, panicked yowl and she leapt up, her claws tearing into the curtains of the window nearest to the earth pony, the one that Tank hadn’t smashed through. 

As Gummy bit down harder and harder, Opalescence tried harder to get him off of her tail, to no avail. She shredded the curtain to such a degree that she ripped the curtain rail down, which knocked a cupboard down straight towards the slate grey mare who seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move. 

Several things then seemed to happen all at once. 

“Look out!” Cloudburst cried, when she saw the large heavy cupboard falling with its doors open towards her best friend, she acted. Swooping down from where she had been trying to round up the frightened birds, she gave Stonecutter a hard shove, sending her out of the away. The pegasus realised, too late, that she was now in the path of the falling cupboard, which fell on her, trapping her inside.

Sparkler, who had been chasing Opalescence and Gummy around the living room, tripped over the book that had landed on Tank and started this whole chaos and she went falling head first into the fallen curtains. Inadvertently, Cloudburst’s hard shove sent Stonecutter flailing into the same curtains that Sparkler was trapped in.

Seeing his opportunity, now the pet-sitters were all trapped, Angel scampered from the cottage with a victorious squeak. His plan had been a success!

Now. It is a little-known fact – amongst non-pegasi, anyway – but it is a fact nonetheless, that all pegasi are, to a greater or lesser degree, that all pegasi are claustrophobic. As it happened, Cloudburst was very, very claustrophobic indeed. No sooner had the cupboard fallen on her than the scared pegasus began flailing around inside the confines of the furniture.

“AAaaaAAAaaAAAAGH!” she screamed, trying to force her way out. So scared was she that she didn’t realise the doors were facing down on the ground. She thumped the back, scraping her knuckles on the backing of the cupboard. “Help me! Get me out!” try as she might though, she couldn’t heave up the cupboard.

Trapped in the curtains, struggling to get out, Sparkler caught Stonecutter’s eyes. The large earth pony was caught above her in a facsimile of her daydream, but this wasn’t as much fun. “Hey, Stone, is she okay in there?” she asked as she heard futile punches rained on the cupboard.

“No, she isn’t,” Stonecutter replied, “She won’t admit it, but she hates small enclosed spaces. She hates them real bad. They freak her out something awful.” 

“Oh…” the unicorn’s eyes went very wide indeed. As much as she found the pale blue mare annoying as all Tartarus, she really didn’t dislike her enough to wish that on her. She had her own fears, like losing her connection to her magic. “Hang on, Cloud, I’ll try and help!” the bright yellow unicorn lit her horn and tried to use her telekinesis to lift up the cupboard.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the rest of the curtain gave way and Stonecutter landed fully on top of her, the shock disrupting her spell. “SOMEPONY HELP ME!” Cloudburst screamed, the poor mare absolutely terrified in the dark confines of her prison. Every time she tried to get free she hit a wall with her arm, leg or wing. “PLEASE HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE PLEASE!”

Hearing her best friend in such hysterical distress, Stonecutter had only heard Cloudburst scream like that once before and that had been when, as foals playing hide and seek, she had got trapped in a closet. “CB I’m coming, hold tight!” the slate grey earth pony then used her prodigious strength and ripped the curtain apart, freeing herself and Sparkler.

“Hang in there, CB, I’m here!” Stonecutter crouched beside the cupboard. When she heard the pleading sobbing cries coming from inside, chills went up and down her spine. Hooking her hands around the edges she easily hefted the heavy cupboard off of the quivering pegasus without so much as breaking a sweat.

Once she was freed of the cupboard, Sparkler scooted over and hugged Cloudburst as tight as she could, closely followed by Stonecutter. Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, between them they managed to calm the frightened mare down. It was a measure of her new-found friendship that Sparkler didn’t laugh at her, instead she bought her a glass of water and comfortingly she rubbed her back.

“Oh. My. Goodness…” Stonecutter murmured as she took a moment to survey the devastation in Fluttershy’s cottage left in the wake of the rampaging pets. Her teacher’s home was a complete and utter mess. Besides the collapsed curtains and the fallen cupboard, there were ornaments, cushions and tipped over chairs strewn all over the floor. One of the windows was smashed were Tank had flown through it and there was soot from the chimney everywhere. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was animal treats scattered all over the floor and the cat flap in the door was hanging loose.

In short, the place looked like a bomb had gone off. If the Professors came back now they could forget the extra credit, they’d most likely be expelled. That though wasn’t the worst of their worries, as Cloudburst noted when she had dried her eyes and got her breathing under control. “Um…guys?” she asked in a hesitant voice, “Where are the pets?”
> Chapter 2 - No Whining For The Win
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Um…guys?” Cloudburst had asked in a hesitant voice, “Where are the pets?” 

It only then dawned on Sparkler and Stonecutter that the devastated cottage was empty but for them. As if to emphasise this, the cat flap that had been hanging loose then fell off with a clatter of plastic on wood that sounded like a cannon blast in the silence of the aftermath of the pet’s rampage.

Sparkler, who was still helping her crush, Stonecutter, calm Cloudburst after her ordeal in the fallen cupboard, was at a loss. With wide eyes, she too had noted the absence of her teacher’s animals. “Oh no…” she muttered over and over again as she took in everything that had happened, “We’re going to be arrested, or imprisoned,” she trembled, “Maybe even exiled!”

“Calm down, Sparks,” Cloudburst said after she had sufficiently recovered enough to stand up, though her ultramarine blue school hoodie was considerably dirtier than it had been before, “We won’t be arrested or exiled just for this, besides, it could be worse…”

Sparkler began to tremble anew. “You don’t mean…they wouldn’t…e-expel us, would they?”

Stonecutter had to laugh at the slender unicorn’s fretting. “Girl, you really need to work on your priorities,” she giggled, even more so when Sparkler huffed and stuck her tongue out at her. ‘That said though,’ the earth pony thought to herself, ‘if we don’t find them soon, our teachers will be upset with us, especially if they’re hurt and banged up…’ she was about to voice this thought when she saw Sparkler levitate over three sturdy looking house brushes. “Um, what are you doing?”

The bright yellow unicorn paused in mid brush stroke, her brush having cleaned a path through the soot covering the floor. “What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m cleaning!” Sparkler didn’t see why she had to explain her actions, it was obvious. She sent a brush to Stonecutter and Cloudburst in turn. “I suggest you two do the same.”

“Ah…Sparks?”

Sparkler looked at the pale blue pegasus like she had three heads when she noted she wasn’t cleaning, just standing in the messed-up living room looking at her like she was mad. “What? Why aren’t you cleaning?”

“Sparks,” Stonecutter said gently, setting the brush that had been magicked over to her against the cupboard that had held Cloudburst captive, “It’s good you’re cleaning and all, but ah, don’t you think we should go and find the pets first?”

“What?” Sparkler looked like Stonecutter had just slapped her hard across the face with a wet fish. “But…the cottage…it’s…it’s a mess…” she fidgeted with the brush in her hands like leaving the mess uncleaned would cause her actual physical pain.

Cloudburst let out an exasperated snort through her nose and, marching over to the unicorn, took the brush from her and threw it on the couch. “Leave it, neat freak. We’ll sort this mess out later. The pets are more important than some dirt on the floor.”

“I am not a neat freak!”

“Oh yeah?” Cloudburst smirked and, with her hoof, scuffed the pile of soot that Sparkler had swept up over the unicorn’s left horseshoe and her socks. 

“Hey!”

Cloudburst laughed when Sparkler obviously flinched. “Not a neat freak my ass!”

“Take that back!”

“Will not!”

“Will too!”

“Make me, neat freak!”

“I’ll make you, featherbrain!”

“That’s enough, you two!” Stonecutter exclaimed, stomping her hoof so hard into the wooden floorboards that she made a dent in Fluttershy’s floor. She had to step in, because Sparkler had her horn lit and cloudburst had electricity sparking at her clenched fists. The last thing they needed was a fight. 

Cloudburst had heard ‘that’ tone in her best friend’s voice many times in the past. It was the tone that said enough was enough. She relaxed her hands, the lightning dissipating into the air and her wings returned to their resting state on her back. After a moment’s deep breathing, she extended her hand. “I’m sorry, Sparkler. Are we cool?”

Sparkler looked at the extended hand like it was going to zing her if she shook it. Stonecutter’s stern expression did give her reassurance though. Cancelling her spell that she had prepared, she shook the pegasus’s hand. “Yes, we are ah…as you say, cool.”

“Alright then,” Stonecutter huffed, the blunt mare not bothering to hide her annoyance with the other two, walked over to the front door and hefted her bag onto her shoulder. “Now, if you two are done pretending to be foals, we should go and see where the pets have got to.”

“Yes ma’am!” Cloudburst gave Stonecutter a mock salute that made Sparkler giggle – but only when the stocky mare’s back was turned. “It’s best not to argue with her when she’s in that mood,” she smiled and, getting her own bag, she followed her best friend out into the afternoon sun.

Sparkler, who had been admiring Stonecutter’s fat ass as it wobbled in her shorts with every firm step she took, was the last out. Like the others, she too had her backpack with her and she blinked in the sunlight after being inside. She had hoped, as it had only been thirty minutes since they had scarpered, that the pets would be easy to find.

She could tell though by the look on Stonecutter’s face that wasn’t going to be the case.

The slate grey earth pony mare had a very grim look on her round face indeed. “So, Stone, what’s the damage?” asked Cloudburst.

Snorting out a frustrated sigh, Stonecutter pointed all around them. They didn’t have to look very hard, the evidence of the six animals’ departure was everywhere, and you didn’t have to be a skilled tracker to find it. A trail of sooty bunny footprints led from the front door, down the path and, to Sparkler’s dismay, southwest into the Everfree Forest.

Alligator tracks went from the house to the bridge that spanned the fast-flowing river that ran past the cottage. Near the cottage’s garden, snagged on a bush, was a purple bow that no doubt belonged to Opalescence. Not only that, but a trail of soot left by Owlowiscious led east, also into the Everfree Forest. To add to the three mares’ misery, in the distance, deep inside the forest to the south, a cloud of smoke rose up into the sky and, to the west, they could just about hear the howl of a very sad dog.

“Ah.” Was all Cloudburst could think of to say.

“Well, come on then, lets go and get them all back.” Sparkler though didn’t move when Stonecutter and Cloudburst started to walk towards the forest. It was only after a few paces that they noticed their third wasn’t joining them. “What’s the problem, Sparks?” asked Stonecutter, who had been following Angel’s bunny prints. She had some choice words lined up for the delinquent rabbit. ‘Stew’ was at the top of her list.

“In there?” the unicorn asked, pointing a shaking hand towards the dark imposing forest, “You seriously want to go in there?” This couldn’t be happening! This was quite literally Sparkler’s worst nightmare.

“Sparks,” Cloudburst snorted, “It’s only a forest. We’ll be together, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Only a forest!?” Sparkler squeaked, her fears getting the best of her and, as a series of strange and eerie animal noises and bird calls that grunted, squawked and screeched came from the branches and bushes, her knees knocked together. “Do you know how many forests there are in Canterlot? None! Do you know how many dark and scary forests there are in Canterlot? None! Do you know how many dark and scary forests there are with things in that screech at you and crawl on you and eat you? No…”

Stonecutter and Cloudburst were suddenly at either side of the quivering unicorn, each with an arm around her shoulder. The pegasus of all ponies had been the first to recognise the same fear in her voice that she had when thinking about enclosed spaces. With genuine concern, she nuzzled her new friend’s cheek. “Hey, it’s cool. You’re scared, I get it. I won’t take the piss, but we do need to get them back, okay?” when Sparkler nodded, she continued, besides, Stone will hold your hand.

As if prompted, Stonecutter took Sparkler’s hand and wove their fingers together in a firm hold. Purely to comfort her. Of course. That’s all it was. “We aren’t going to leave you, Sparks.” She smiled, leading her very gently towards the dark forest.

“Do-Do y-you pr-promise?” Sparkler asked nervously, to which they quickly nodded. Though her legs were wobbly as jelly, with Stonecutter holding her hand like that, she found it wasn’t so hard to take one step. The second and third were even easier. Before she knew it, she was in the forest. 

Even with Stonecutter holding her hand – which, at any other time, would have made her combust from the power of her blush alone – Sparkler knew within five seconds that she would rather be anywhere else in the world than in the Everfree Forest. Everywhere she looked, there were spooky trees that looked like misshapen monsters towering above them, blocking out the sky and sunlight. It seemed that every branch was a twisted limb bearing a frighteningly clawed hand that reached out to grab her.

As they walked along, every step of their horseshoe clad hooves disturbed the dank forest floor which kicked up the stink of the damp earth and wet, rotting leaves. That wasn’t the worst of it though. One of those claw-like branches snagged on Sparkler’s orange and white striped mane and she almost fainted on the spot because ‘a monster’s got me!’

Not that Cloudburst had it any easier than her two friends. Flying along at a gentle hover above their heads she was soon forced to land and walk when the annoying cloud of insects that buzzed and droned just above them became too thick for her to see where she was going, and she ended up caught in one of those twisted ugly tree’s branches.

Even Stonecutter found some of the going hard, when her hooves were snagged in hideous black thorny vines that actually seemed to move! They crept along slowly in the undergrowth, always ready to send her face first into the dirty forest floor. She was beginning to think this wasn’t such a smoking hot idea after all.

“So, ah, hey, little miss Canterlot,” Cloudburst decided to strike up conversation, as much to distract herself from the fierce, angry red eyes that appeared in every crack and orifice than to distract the unicorn. “How come you live and go school in Ponyville if you’re better than the rest of us?” Though she was intently following Angel’s tracks, Stonecutter was very interested in the answer that might be forthcoming.

“What?” Sparkler exclaimed, “I never said I was…” she trailed off when she saw the pegasus laughing at her and she realised she had been had. Blowing her a rather large raspberry, she replied, “I didn’t want to move here. I had to. My mom and dad got divorced recently and…” she paused when she saw Cloudburst about to interrupt her with the expected follow up question, she wasn’t ready to share that just yet. “It doesn’t matter why. They just did. Anyway. Mom couldn’t afford to live in Canterlot on her own with me, so, here we are.”

When no sarcastic comment came her way, not that she expected one from Stonecutter, Sparkler took a deep breath and continued. "My dad's living in Whinnyapolis now, he didn't want to take me with him. No, I don't want to talk about it, I don't even know her name."

Cloudburst shared a look with Stonecutter, or rather, she would have, but her friend still had her eyes glued to the forest floor following Angel’s bunny prints. That left her to offer words of comfort on her own. Something she wasn’t exactly amazing at. "Ah, jeez Sparks that sucks," the pegasus landed on Sparkler’s right side and took hold of the unicorn's other hand. 

Sparkler didn’t think anything of Cloudburst holding her right hand. It wasn’t hot like Stonecutter holding her left, but it still felt…nice. Like she had been accepted into these mares’ circle. "It's fine, that's the life that daddy wants, without us in it...it’s fine. Really." 

The unicorn’s sad tone suggested otherwise though. As did the moist tears that were threatening to flow down her bright yellow cheeks. Seeing as Stonecutter was still silently steering them along, even the dense pegasus could tell she needed support. "Hey," Cloudburst gulped and prepared to share. "You know, ah, while we're sharing, I um, I kinda know how you feel, Canterlot."

"You do?" Sparkler’s tone went from sad to sceptical. 

"Yeah, I mean, my parents aren't divorced or anything like that, but they're Wonderbolts.” Cloudburst explained, only through a massive effort did she keep her voice level. “They live up in the academy. I only really get to see them when there's a show on in town." Now it was her turn to sound sad and she visibly deflated. She hadn’t seen her parents now in three months. They’d both bailed on her last two harmonica recitals at the Friendship School, as well as her last Cloud Wrangling show up in Cloudsdale.

"Oh, um..." Sparkler went quiet and mulled it over. In truth she didn’t know what to say. What was plain though even to her was that Cloudburst wore her heart and her emotions on her sleeve. She fished for something to say that wasn’t unsupportive. "So, is that why you're here living at the school and not up in Cloudsdale?"

"yeah, kinda. I mean, I go to flight school up there on Thursdays and Fridays, but well, I wish they were around more." Cloudburst smiled then, “Oh hey, you’ll have to come along with Stone the next time I have a Cloud Wrangling competition. It’s kind of like a rodeo for pegasi.”

Recognising the offer and what making it represented, both Sparkler and Cloudburst squeezed each other’s hands and the new firm friends shared a smile as they walk along in the ever-darkening forest. With every step they took it seemed to get darker and darker, until eventually Stonecutter had to stop. "Sparkler, do you mind if you light your horn? I could use some light here."

“Of course!” happy to be of help, Sparkler lit her horn and she directed the light down at the forest floor. Three steps further and she stood on something that made a sickening squelch. With a shudder, she tried to not think about whatever it was used to be. “So,” Cloudburst added, “Tell me about Canterlot. What crazy fun things did you do up on the mountain?"

Sparkler’s eyes lit up. “Oh!” she beamed a smile so wide it could have lit up the forest on its own. “Well, after school and on weekends I used to hang out in the public library, and, if I’d been super good, mom used to take me to the observatory to study the stars!”

Cloudburst gave her a most deadpan look. “No, seriously, what did you do for fun?”

“I don’t understand,” the sarcasm was lost on Sparkler. “I just told you. The library and the observatory. I could lose hours in there, if not the whole day!”

“Really?” Cloudburst’s eyes were wide. “You aren’t kidding, are you?” when Sparkler shook her head, the pegasus asked, “Didn’t you hang out with your friends?”

“Of course, I did, silly! Dusty Tome and Stargazer were great friends!”

“They’re the librarian and the observatory pony, aren’t they?”

At the unimpressed tone in the pegasus’s voice, Sparkler hung her head. “Yes,” she admitted in a very tiny voice. “Yes, they are.”

“Oh jeez…”

“Will you two please knock it off?” Stonecutter stopped looking down and she looked up, though she carried on walking. Though she addressed them both, her stern glare was directed at her best friend. “I’m trying to follow these prints!” Alas, while she was admonishing them, she wasn’t looking where she was going. As they were still holding hands, and following the earth pony’s lead, they all blundered head first into a large patch of clinging thorns!

They didn’t realise their mistake until they were thoroughly tangled up in the thorny briars. Every direction the three tried to go in caused the multitudinous sharp thorns to cling to their manes and tails as well as tear at their clothes. They quickly discovered that they couldn’t go forwards or back without being scratched. “Ow…oow hey! Ow!” Cloudburst squealed. She was well and truly snared; the clinging thorns were all tangled in her hoodie and her wings.

Remaining calm and still, Sparkler didn’t get further tangled up, but she was no closer to getting free, either. She heard Cloudburst struggle and cry out again as the thorns scratched all along the leading edges of her wings and ripped her hoodie. “Cloudy, stop struggling!” 

Thankfully, the pegasus took her friend’s advice and calmed down, though she was now as firmly stuck as Sparkler was. It would’ve been funny, were they not stuck deep in the Everfree Forest. “So, ah, now what?” Cloudburst asked somewhat nervously as she noticed those fierce red eyes had returned, staring at them from the bushes.

Stonecutter had also noticed the renewed attention they were getting, now that they were trapped like bugs on flypaper. This was not good! “Ngggggh…” she grunted with effort and, flexing her strong arms, she found she could move the clinging thorns. Concentrating her innate earth pony strength, she ripped her way out of the briars through sheer force alone. 

Cloudburst tried a similar tactic, but she wasn’t going anywhere. “Hey, Stone, little help?” she asked sheepishly and, pulling bits of the vines from her mane and her top, Stonecutter ripped apart the briars that held the pegasus tight.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll get myself out.” Sparkler groused, lighting her horn. If she was being fair though, the pegasus did need help more than her. As she used her telekinetic power to slowly force the thorns and briars away from her, Stonecutter helped Cloudburst carefully pick all the thorns out of her wings. They paid particular attention to making sure her feathers were free of any impediments.

Now they were free of the thorns, they quickly picked up Angel’s trail. Unfortunately, after a few minutes’ walk, they saw where the trail lead them. “Oh jeez,” Cloudburst groaned. “We gotta go in there?” ‘There’ happened to be a very large, very dark, very foreboding cave. A gaping hole in the side of a cliff face that jutted vertically from the forest floor reaching up who knew how high. “Yeah. We’re going in there.”

Sparkler remembered her friend was scared of dark enclosed spaces. While the cave seemed spacious enough, it certainly was dark. “Hey,” she smiled at her at the mouth of the cave, “Don’t worry, I got this.” The bright yellow unicorn lit her horn like she had done before, the latent magic acting like a lantern. 

“Thanks, Sparks.” Still, Cloudburst held Sparkler’s hand again as they took their first hesitant steps inside. Likewise, Stonecutter took hold of the unicorn’s other hand. As much to reassure herself than her crush. The coldness inside the cave made the three ponies shiver uncontrollably, and with every step they took they huddled closer and closer together.

The magical light emanating from Sparkler’s horn danced on the rocky walls, which gleamed wet and damp in the darkness. Their hoofsteps echoed from the stone floor, adding to the steady drip, drip, drip of water that fell from the roof of the cave somewhere they couldn’t see. The musty, damp air inside the tunnel just added to the sense of oppressive unease. Where it not for her friends being there, Cloudburst wouldn’t have made it this far and she knew it.

Eventually, after what seemed like an age of walking, the tunnel opened out into a large grotto which glowed as though it was lit by a bright starry night sky. “Woah…” Cloudburst and Stonecutter breathed, taking in the beauty, “Where’s that coming for…aaaaaah!” 

“Shhhh!” Sparkler hissed, quickly clapped her hand over the pegasus’s mouth to shut her up, because she had seen what had alarmed the pale blue mare so. The light, beautiful as it was, was coming from a gigantic bear like creature with a transparent body, midnight blue in colour, that shone as though it was made up of dozens and dozens of stars, which it was. 

‘We’re gonna die…we’re gonna die…’ thought Cloudburst desperately as she looked up at the huge monster. 

“Wh-What the hay is that?” Stonecutter whispered hoarsely, the slate grey mare rooted to the spot in fear, and she wasn’t afraid of very much.

Sparkler looked again and saw the single white star on the massive bear’s forehead, not to mention the fierce yellow eyes and sharp, gleaming fangs. The book smart unicorn knew that this creature was, but she had only ever seen one in a book. “Th-Th-That…” she stammered quietly, “That would be an Ursa. An Ursa Minor, to be exact. It’s ah, it’s a baby.”

“A baby?” Cloudburst hissed in panic, prompting Stonecutter to wave her hands in a calming motion to get her friend to shut up, “That…thing, is a baby? It’s bucking huge!”

“That’s a baby, a girl, by the looks of it,” Sparkler confirmed. “The mother, an Ursa Major, can be three times bigger.”

“Buck. That.” Stonecutter had to agree with her best friend’s assessment. She wanted absolutely no part of this beast.

“Oh no, look!” Sparkler hissed, pointing to the Ursa. Despite its scary appearance, the bear had a kind smile on her face and, in her claws, she was cradling a small trembling white animal. Held in the bear’s arms, Angel looked absolutely terrified. Though the rabbit was trying desperately to get free, he was no match for the strength of the Ursa. 

Stonecutter facepalmed. Of course, Angel would be in here. Why not? However, something caught her eye. “Hey, guys, is…Angel wearing a nappy?”

Cloudburst took a closer look, thanks to her keen eyesight and the light given from Sparkler’s horn and yes, the rabbit was wearing a nappy. Somehow, seeing that, the monstrous creature didn’t seem so scary. “And ah, um, is it me, but does that low rumbling sound she’s making sound a lot like a lullaby?”

Sparkler shared an amazed look with the other two mares. “That must be a very young Ursa. If I had to guess, I’d say she was playing with a dolly.”

“A dolly?”

“Yes, featherbrain, a dolly.” Sparkler sighed, shaking her head. “Didn’t you play Princes and Princesses with dollies when you were younger?” the pegasus’s blush was enough to answer her question. 

“So, what do we do?” asked Stonecutter, “How do we get him back?”

“Well, if you tried to take my dollies from me, I’d have pitched a fit,” Sparkler commented. She had an idea the bear would be the same. She was also aware they had to do something and fast, before the mother returned. “We need to find a replacement, something to swap for the bunny.”

“Wait,” Stonecutter smiled, the gears in her head were turning, forming a plan. It was a good plan, too. Just then, Angel saw them for the first time stood at the mouth of the grotto and he squeaked ever louder, pleading for rescue. “I have an idea. Come on, we need to get outside a moment.” Smirking nastily at the struggling bunny, she led them back outside. Let the evil shit think they had left him. He deserved it for causing this crap in the first place.

Back outside the cave, Cloudburst shook out her wings, glad to be out of that tunnel. She fixed Stonecutter with a level stare. “Okay, Stone, what’s your big idea?”

Stonecutter shrugged her backpack onto the ground and, feeling around inside, she pulled out her trusty hammer and chisel. “Simple. Baby bear needs a doll, right? I’m going to make her one.” Determined, the slate grey mare began to hammer a stone block out of the cliff face for her to work on. Sparkler and Cloudburst quickly saw why they had been bought back outside. The noise of hammering was rather loud.

While she worked, the pegasus and unicorn shared a couple of apples lifted from Stonecutter’s pack. “So, Cloudburst started, “How did you know what that creature was?”

“Oh, um, I’ve seen them. In a book,” Sparkler clarified somewhat unnecessarily, “I read about them. They’re quite pretty, once you get over the whole huge, ginormous ‘grrr’ with teeth and claws thing.” Eating her own apple, the pegasus had to concede her point. “And,” she continued, “They’re what got me interested in astronomy. Did you know there really is a constellation in the shape of a bear called Ursa Major and Minor?”

“I did not know that.” Cloudburst admitted, using her wing as a shield to prevent shards of stone given off by her friend’s work from hitting them. “Is that why you bought the telescope thingy from the market?”

Sparkler nodded, though she was rapt, watching Stonecutter work. In sort order, with all the skill of a mason, the earth pony had chiselled out the vague shape of a rabbit from the two-foot block of stone. “Yes, mom and dad bought me a telescope, a big one, for my birthday two years ago. It got broken in the move.”

“Jeez Sparks that sucks, I’m sorry. Least you got a new one today though, huh?” she asked. Sparkler giggled brightly. The small one she had bought earlier that day was little more than a toy, albeit a functional one, that fit in her backpack. Still, it was hers. Something to work up from. “Hey, do you think maybe, sometime, I might have a look through it?”

That took the unicorn by surprise. “You want to look at the stars?”

“Yeah, well, maybe they aren’t so lame and boring, y’know, they are part of a big cool bear…”

“I didn’t expect that. And you played with dolls?”

Cloudburst blushed heavily, though it was Stonecutter who spoke up. “They aren’t dolls. They’re Wonderbolts action figures, right CB?” switching to a smaller, finer tool, the skilled artist began to sculpt the details on her creation, adding definition to the ears and face, even a smile.

“Yeah, right, they are action figures! Not dolls…”

“Are?” Sparkler smiled as she watched Stonecutter place two blue gems in the rabbit’s eyes, “Don’t you mean, were?” the pegasi’s renewed blush made her laugh out loud. “Oh, you totally still play with dolls!” 

“Alright,” Stonecutter announced before Cloudburst could recover from her blush and fire back a retort, “I’m done. It’s not my best work, but I think it will do for what we need.” She packed away her tools in her backpack and proudly held the two foot by one foot stone rabbit. 

“It looks brilliant!” Sparkler gushed, rushing over and hugging the fat earth pony, before she realised what she had done, and she broke away with a giddy smile on her face.

“Yeah, ahem, well, all we gotta do now is take it and give it baby bear in there.”

“Back?” Cloudburst spluttered, almost choking on the last bit of apple she had been about to swallow. “We’re going back in there?”

“You don’t have to come, CB. You can stay out here.” Stonecutter gave Sparkler a knowing wink full of intent.

“Yeah,” Sparkler grinned, holding Stonecutter’s hand as they walked back in the cave, “Stay out here, where the Ursa Major is. Mommy will be back soon though, okay?” 

“Wait up guys!” Cloudburst, not wanting to be left outside alone, zipped inside and soon caught up with the giggling pair of mares. 

The trek through the tunnel was a short and uneventful one this time around. Thanks to the light from Sparkler’s horn, they knew where they were going. The Ursa Minor hadn’t moved from it’s spot in the glowing grotto, nor had Angel managed to squirm free. Quietly, since she knew more about the creature than they, Stonecutter gave the stone rabbit to Sparkler, who took it in her telekinetic field.

Unfortunately, the further use of her magic made her horn glow brighter and, as she stepped closer to the baby Ursa, the bear at last noticed the little unicorn. With a defensive growl, she made to protect her cute little dolly. ‘Please let this work…’ Sparkler said to herself over and over again like a calming mantra as she got closer to the enormous bear. Extending her magical aura, she levitated up the carved doll and nudged the bear’s arm.

The Ursa Minor didn’t have to look too hard to see that the offered rabbit was far larger than the one she was currently holding – trying to hold – and that it wasn’t squirming around. With a shrug and a grateful snorted growl, the Ursa gladly allowed the rabbit to leave her clutches in favour of the offered replacement.

Angel, rather very glad to be set free, scampered past Sparkler and he dived into Stonecutter’s backpack so fast he was little more than a furry white blur. Since the bear’s attention was now completely taken by her new doll, the ponies completely forgotten, they deemed it best to beat a hasty retreat. 

“Phew,” Cloudburst sighed once they were out of the cave and heading back to Fluttershy’s cottage, “I am so glad we didn’t encounter momma bear in there!” she then gave Sparkler a fist bump. “You are so cool, y’know, for a Canterlot.”

“You aren’t bad either, for a featherbrain,” Sparkler giggled, having never given or received a fist bump in her life. She was still holding Stonecutter’s hand though. To be safe. She did hop up onto the tips of her hooves and plant a tiny chaste kiss on her crush’s cheek, “You were amazing! That sculpture was brilliant!”

“Shucks,” Stonecutter blushed, though she wore a rather large cheesy smile as the exited the forest back into the early afternoon sunlight, “It was nothing. You should see what I can do when I have plenty of time. Um…this is a crazy idea, but um, when we’re done rescuing the pets, maybe you’ll model for me sometime?”

“I’d love to!” Sparkler beamed, both earth pony and unicorn ignoring the soppy kissing noises their friend was making as she flew alongside them. “Ah,” she pointed to the west, where they had heard the sad howl of Winona, “Let’s go that way!”

Since they had already gone south westward to rescue Angel, they didn’t have very far to go. In silence, they skirted the edge of the forest this time rather than enter it as they followed the sounds of barking and howling. The three at least knew they were heading the right way, because Winona’s desperate yelps were getting louder and louder.

Stonecutter, for one, was quite happy to walk along in silence. The chubby mare was still processing the fact that she had, in the spur of the moment perhaps, asked the mare she fancied to model for her, and she had said yes! ‘Calm down, girl, she only agreed to model for you, she didn’t agree to a date or anything…’ 

‘Yes,’ her horny brain answered, ‘But it’s artistic modelling. You know what that means!’ 

‘Bad brain! Stop it!’ Stonecutter admonished herself, though she couldn’t exactly argue with her own reasoning. She squeezed Sparkler’s hand and was heartened to feel her squeeze back. Besides, there was always the upcoming Nightmare Night to ask her out properly. Still, she was lifted by how well the ‘semi asking her out’ had gone thus far.

“Hey look!” Cloudburst exclaimed when they rounded a particularly large tree on the western edge of the forest they all saw Winona. The brown and white dog was tied to a post outside a tumbledown shack which was situated in the middle of a large clearing covered with the trunks of chopped down trees and dozens of holes dug roughly into the ground.

Howling miserably, Winona looked as sad as she sounded. Flying around the edge of the clearing, Cloudburst couldn’t see any other signs of life, a fact she reported to her ground bound friends. “Guys, I’m gonna go check out the shack, see what I can see. You two get Professor Applejack’s dog.” 

“You know what those are?” Stonecutter asked Sparkler, pointing to the holes in the ground. She had shrinking feeling, one she hoped wasn’t true.

“Um, no, what are they, giant worm holes?” 

Stonecutter shook her head solemnly. “This is a diamond dog patch.” She pointed to the ground where there were three sets of fresh dog prints, much larger than Winona’s. “Those are the entrances to their mines. We have to be real careful, Sparks.”

Unfortunately, the memo about being careful didn’t reach Cloudburst. The exuberant mare flew over to the rundown shack and, in her haste to explore it, she tore the rotting wooden door from its hinges. The clatter of the wood hitting the ground alerted Winona to their presence and she began to bark with joy.

Inside the – being generous, the pale blue mare called it a house – house, Cloudburst was at first appalled by the overpowering stench of wet dog. It permeated everything like a physical presence all its own. Holding her nose, which did very little to help, she took a look around. Three dirty smelly dog baskets, with Rover, Fido and Spot scrawled upon them, were scattered on the floor along with scraps of chewed up bone, a chewed slipper and a large tin full of water.

“Guys!” Cloudburst called out as she flew out of the shack to see Stonecutter and Sparkler quickly untying the happily barking dog, “We gotta bail, there’s diamond dogs…here…” No sooner had she said that than the three dogs, alerted to the intruder’s being there by the barking of their new guard dog, jumped out of the holes and surrounded them.

“Rover!” called out Spot, the smallest of the trio who looked a lot like a bulldog, addressed their medium sized leader with a vicious leer at the trapped ponies, “Pony slaves for the mines!”

Rover shared a glance with Fido and Spot, a nasty gleam in his eyes. “What ponies doing in dog land?” he asked harshly, for the moment toying with Spot’s suggestion. While they would be useful in the mines, the leader of the group was acutely aware of the last time they had tried that when the white one had cried and whined like an old mule. Especially when they had called her an old mule.

Even though they had, not that long ago, encountered an Ursa Minor and lived to talk about it, Sparkler and Cloudburst were, if anything, more scared here. The bear had been an innocent baby, but these were adult dogs with a malicious intent in their greedy yellow eyes. They huddled together and deeply wished they were somewhere else.

It was Stonecutter who found her voice and answered them, confidently, as she was as tall as Fido, the largest of the diamond dogs. “We don’t mean to intrude,” she held the freed Winona safe under her arm, thankfully the had untied her just as the diamond dogs appeared and surrounded them. “We just want our dog. She got lost in the woods.”

“Your dog, pony?” Rover sneered, “She tied to our post. She our dog.”

Stonecutter thought quickly. If this went sideways, she knew from the stories that they’d be ponynapped and forced into the gem mines. “We’re looking after her. She belongs to another pony, Applejack.” When the dogs shook their heads, she continued, “Orange mare, about this tall,” she gestured with her free hand, the one not holding Winona like a Buckball. “Her cutie mark’s three red apples and she wears a hat.”

That description gave the diamond dogs pause for thought. “Orange pony sounds like one who came before,” Fido muttered into Rover’s ear.

“Came to get the white one we took,” Spot trembled, the memory of the ‘white one’ still fresh in all their minds.

“If we anger them, they might send the white one back,” Fido shuddered.

Rover made up his mind. He had no desire to ever see the white pony with the three blue diamonds ever again, or to hear her loud whining irritating voice in his tunnels any time soon. Still, these ponies looked younger. More gullible than those others. “Pony can have dog,” he snapped at last, “If pony pay for dog.”

Sparkler and Cloudburst had no money between them, but thankfully, Stonecutter had a solution. Reaching slowly into her pack, she pulled out a bag of multicoloured gems she carried for her sculptures. She was grateful, while she looked for her gems, that the damned rabbit was still there in her bag. “Here, you can have these,” she threw the bag on the floor at Rover’s paws, the small pile of gems spilling out. 

“Pony has gems!” Spot leapt for them, but at the same time, so did Fido. In the ensuing confusion, the three ponies very slowly backed away until they were on the edge of the clearing. When they judged they were far enough away, they broke and ran, galloping back the way they had come as fast as their hooves – and wings – would take them.

By the time the diamond dogs had managed to share out the pile of gems equally amongst themselves, the ponies were long gone. Not that Rover was sorry to see them go. Better they escape than the white one come again. Stonecutter, Sparkler and Cloudburst didn’t even realise they weren’t being chased. Completely out of breath, they slumped in a gasping, heaving heap on the rough path outside Fluttershy’s cottage back where they had started.

“I think…phew…I think…we…lost…them…” Sparkler gasped in between gulping down huge lungful’s of air. 

“Uh…huh…we safe…now…” Stonecutter breathed, the large mare looking like she was about to pass out. She rolled on the grass beside the path and she ended up with her head in Sparkler’s lap. However, she was too exhausted from running to even blush.

Cloudburst, the fittest among them, bounced on her hooves like she had done nothing more exerting than run downstairs. “C’mon guys!” she grinned happily after the little flying workout session, “Let’s follow the trail of smoke over there!”

Still trying to recover from the run, Stonecutter and Sparkler’s middle fingers let her know what they thought of that. They were happy, for the moment, to lay together in the grass with Winona licking their tired but happy faces.
> Chapter 3 - Tanks for the Assist
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time the diamond dogs had managed to share out the pile of gems equally amongst themselves, the ponies were long gone. Not that Rover was sorry to see them go. Better they escape than the white one come again. Stonecutter, Sparkler and Cloudburst didn’t even realise they weren’t being chased. Completely out of breath, they slumped in a gasping, heaving heap on the rough path outside Fluttershy’s cottage back where they had started.

“I think…phew…I think…we…lost…them…” Sparkler gasped in between gulping down huge lungful’s of air. 

“Uh…huh…we safe…now…” Stonecutter breathed, the large mare looking like she was about to pass out. She rolled on the grass beside the path and she ended up with her head in Sparkler’s lap. However, she was too exhausted from running to even blush.

Cloudburst, the fittest among them, bounced on her hooves like she had done nothing more exerting than run downstairs. “C’mon guys!” she grinned happily after the little flying workout session, “Let’s follow the trail of smoke over there!”

Still trying to recover from the run, Stonecutter and Sparkler’s middle fingers let her know what they thought of that. They were happy, for the moment, to lay together in the grass with Winona licking their tired but happy faces. Roughly twenty minutes later, when Sparkler and Stonecutter had both recovered enough from their run to be able to stand up without breathing heavily and clutching their sides, they were ready to once again venture into the Everfree Forest.

Cloudburst had spent the last twenty minutes busy with her harmonica, serenading the unicorn and earth pony with a love song of her own creation. She had been accompanied in her song by Winona who, every time she paused, would add a howl or a bark. While she had listened to the song, all the time idly stroking Stonecutter’s mane with her fingers, Sparkler couldn’t help but think about the turquoise collar that the pegasus wore around her neck.

Despite her outwardly shrewish demeanour, Sparkler wasn’t a complete prude. Thanks to frequent forays into the more risqué sections of the Canterlot library, she was aware of the collar’s significance and what wearing one meant, plus she had eyes and she had seen Cloudburst and Seafoam together in school. Still, as they began to make their way back inside the wild, wooded area, it intrigued her.

No sooner had they stepped inside the treeline and were again confronted by the spooky misshapen trees that looked like every foals worst nightmare given form, than Cloudburst gave Sparkler the opportunity to talk to Stonecutter about it by flying up and over the trees. Her reasoning was she had to be able to see the smoke billowing in the distance. “I truly do hate this forest, Stonecutter,” Sparkler shuddered away from the claw like branches that seemed to want to reach out and snag her mane and she looked upwards. It didn’t seem to bother Winona who was walking on a makeshift leash by her side. “I was wondering. Why does Cloudburst wear that collar?”

Stonecutter shot a sideways glance at Sparkler, as if she was trying to weigh up how much or how little she should tell her crush. Even though, in the past couple of hours, they had progressed substantially further than mere crushes. Still, it was her friend’s business. “It lets her know that somepony loves her.” She replied eventually.

“How?” Sparkler followed up, not minding in the least when Stonecutter slid her hand into hers and entwined their fingers. She was about to do the same, as it happened. Damn this creepy forest! “I mean, I know she's dating that hippogriff from school, um...Sea...thingy…”  she honestly couldn’t remember his whole name. She doubted she’d shared more than three words with him in the last two months.

“Seafoam,” Stonecutter corrected her quickly, very gently squeezing her crush’s hand in hers. “And what is Seafoam’s fur colour?” she asked as if it was obvious.

“It's turquoise, of course.” 

“And the colour of the collar?”

“Turquoise...” Sparkler thought for a moment on that. As she did so, she glanced up and saw Cloudburst flying happily above them, high in the sky doing backflips and barrel rolls seemingly without a care in the world. “ I mean, I get that, I don't get why she wears it. There must be a significance to it?” Admittedly now, she was feigning a little ignorance. Mostly because when she looked at Cloudburst wearing a collar, she imagined Stonecutter wearing hers.

Laughing out loud for a moment, Stonecutter quickly covered her mouth with her free hand when she saw the frown on Sparkler’s face. “Sorry, I’m sorry, but it is rumoured that Canterlot is the kinkiest city in Equestria.”

“Kinky?” Sparkler blushed very hard indeed. So hard that she completely failed to notice the multitudinous fierce red eyes that stared at them from the low bushes and trees as they walked along the forest trail. “Those may be the rumours,” she sniffed up like a true unicorn should, like one who smelled something rotten from the masses. “I spent my time in the library and the observatory! While it's true there's an adult section, I'm sixteen! I didn't look, well...not much, at least, not often...” 

As it happened, Sparkler had spent an extensive amount of time looking over those books. She had her favourite titles, such as “BDSM Through the Ages”, or “Equestrian Kink”, or “Freedom Through Slavery, A Guide to Bondage” and, in an act of sacrilidge, she had swapped the dust covers with more innocuous titles such as geography or history and sat bold as brass right in the middle of the library and read them. 

Dusty Tome had never suspected a thing. 

It had fascinated her, the whole topic. How one could be free by being bound, how a submissive could give up his or her control but remain in control throughout the whole scene. Yes, the sexual aspect of it fascinated her too, how could it not? But the more she read about dominance and submission, the more that was almost a side story. A garnish to the main dish. What hooked her was the amount of trust and love that existed between the partners. The more she read, the more she wanted it.

It was a shame therefore that she was a super shy allergy ridled book smart nerd who most ponies in Canterlot thought was invisible.

And then there was Stonecutter. The one pony in the world to whom she wasn’t invisible. “Yeah,” the slate grey mare commented, shaking Sparkler out of her reverie, “of course you didn't. You don't know a single thing about being dominant or submissive at all.”

Walking along, her mind not at all focused on the smell of rotting rank vegetation on the forest floor that squelched with every hoof step, Sparkler decided that she would very much like to be swallowed up by the ground at any moment. Right then would’ve been good. It was like Stonecutter could see right through her. “Well, some of the books had some very...graphic pictures, of ropes and things, but I didn't linger reading them in detail, Dusty Tome would've died if she caught me reading those!” 

Looking at her new marefriend, Stonecutter laughed so hard it made her belly and breasts wobble inside her tight tee shirt. She had a – not entirely inaccurate – image of Sparkler sat in the Canterlot library reading up on all the dirty kinky things the books had to offer. “You naughty little filly. Then by that standard, having somepony put a collar on you is pretty tame. Like me putting a grey collar on you.”   

Although, if Stonecutter was honest, and she always was, somewhat brutally so, the thought of wearing a collar of a different colour made her blush hard and stagger a step. When the earth pony winked and squeezed Sparkler's hand, the unicorn was sent into a similar tizzy. Had she not been holding Winona’s leash, she would’ve danced for joy. If she could dance. ‘Oh my goodness!’ she thought, biting her lip as her hand was squeezed. Boldly, for her, anyway, she slipped her smaller hand from Stonecutter's larger one and she ran her fingers along the taller mare's neck. “Perhaps...you'd look great in a yellow one?”

Secretly, inside, Sparkler couldn’t believe she had been so brazen!

Gently, Stonecutter placed her hand over Sparkler's, holding the unicorn’s delicate fingers to her neck. “You think you can find one big enough, Sparks?” 

Secretly, the chubby earth pony was turning sommersaults she was so happy. Not only had she moved things along with her crush, if the current conversation was anything to go by, she had really moved things along! Truth be told, she had always been a little jealous of Cloudburst’s relationship with Seafoam. She knew the sorts of kinky sexy things they did together and she had desperately wanted that for herself. Alas, given her weight and size, she had all but given up on it, but now here was Sparkler all but offering her what she had dreamed of.

“Oooooh I ah, I think I can do that,” Sparkler commented with a soft smile, already picturing her new marefriend looking resplendent in a bright yellow collar.

It took a very concerted effort for Stonecutter to not dance and whoop right then and there in the Everfree Forest. Strangely, she wasn’t concerned about the dark spooky environment, not now she was letting her dirty brain lead her down a very sexy avenue that had her crawling on her hands and knees at Sparkler’s behest. Still, she had to be sure she knew what she was doing. “You think, but why would you want to do that?” she asked in a calm voice.

“Because,” Sparkler said with a genuine smile, “Because I love you, and I have done ever since I came to this mud bowl...I mean, Ponyville.” ‘Well,’ she thought to herself, clutching Winona’s leash for courage, ‘the cat’s well and truly out of the bag now, isn’t it?’ 

Not expecting the book smart mare to be that forward, Stonecutter’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. They had been dancing around this issue since she had asked the unicorn to model for her, but now, there it was, out there. “Wh-What, but, I'm...” she found herself suddenly full of nerves and she looked away, embarrassed, “I’m just a mud pony.” ‘And you are the most beautiful unicorn in Equestria,’ she wanted to say, but her voice betrayed her, leaving her red faced and looking at the ground.

“Yes, you are a mud pony.” Sparkler stopped on the trail and turned to face Stonecutter. “You're a very smart and sexy mud pony.” When she kissed her cheek, she had to go up on the tips of her hooves, even though the taller mare was looking down. 

Though Sparkler tried to lift her chin up, Stonecutter remained resolutely looking at the ground between them. Usually, she had no issues about her body. She was large and fat and that was that. If anypony had a problem with her size, she paid them no mind and moved on. This time though it was different. She was the one with the problem. “There’s nothing sexy about me,” she sighed sadly. Looking down, she couldn’t even see her hooves past her large breasts and her round belly. “But, I wouldn't mind wearing your yellow collar…” 

“Don't you dare talk yourself down!” Sparkler squeaked indignantly and she lightly slapped her marefriend’s fleshy behind. While she was admittedly new to this scene, she wasn’t about to have Stonecutter do that to herself. She had read enough books on the subject to know that a good dominant built up their partner, not bring them down. “I've been looking at this beautiful thing for the past two months.”

Stonecutter managed a thin tremulous smile as her generous butt was groped and fondled. Looking into Sparkler’s green eyes she could see she wasn’t leading her on. “But, I have to ask, if you don't know why CB is wearing a collar, how would you know why I'm wearing one?”

Realising she had to ‘come clean’, as it were, Sparkler took a very deep breath and said, “I sort of maybe 'borrowed' one of my mom's DVDs the other day – she thinks I don’t know about her stash in her bedroom - it was kind of a tutorial demo thing, the pony talked about trust and stuff.” That was rather an abridged version, true, but it was at least the truth. “The dominant pony demonstrated how to care for the sub, how to tie ropes safely and how to make sure both partners have a good time. It was all about love.” 

Stonecutter shook her head. Her guess that Sparkler wasn’t as reserved, prim and proper as she made out was in part correct, it seemed. Not that she minded in the slightest in that regard. “So,” she smiled, wanting to tease, “your question about CB's collar was just an intro to get me in your collar?”

Again, Sparkler’s bright yellow cheeks wore a faint red tinge to them as she considered her answer to that. “Yes, but um, not...entirely.” she realised how much of a non-reply that was and she attempted to clarify what she had meant. “I suppose the better question should have been, do you know what they get up to?”

“That I do.” Oh yes, Stonecutter knew what Cloudburst and Seafoam got up to, alright. “Among the tamer things they do, Seafoam will occasionally lead CB around the Friendship School on a leash attached to her collar. In the cafeteria, he’ll tell her what to eat, what to drink and when. If she’s been naughty he’ll order things for her she doesn’t like. In their dorm room, sometimes she plays the puppy for him. Seafoam loves his pup. Sometimes, in the Hayburger, he feeds her something more than a tofu hotdog.”

Sparkler’s eyes went wide at that. She processed it through her brain for a few moments. “They…They do stuff in the Hayburger?” Many, Many scenarios were running through her mind. Scenarios from the books she had read involving herself and Stonecutter.

The slate grey mare glanced up at her friend flying high above them having the time of her life in the sky. “They do. Risk of being caught adds to the fun. What they do in the Hayburger is nothing compared to what they do on a cloud. But, you have to understand, CB's my friend. When I first saw that collar on her neck, I let Seafoam know what I thought. You may have noticed that CB is a bit naïve?”

That left Sparkler wondering just what they got up to on a cloud, then she thought she’d rather not know right away. She did however make a mental note to ask Cloudburst about it later. In answer to her question though, she nodded her head quickly. “I've noticed she's very impulsive and at times she can be silly and she likes the attention on her.”

“As Wonderbolts, her parents get a lot of attention, but they don't give it. Seafoam and I,” Stonecutter paused and let out a delightful little giggle, “and now you give her that needed attention.” 

With a huge burst of affection, Sparkler squeezed Stonecutter's hand. She had been accepted! Well, more than she already had been, anyway. Like, properly accepted. It made her feel…she didn’t really know. She’d never had friends before, unless you counted Dusty Tome and Stargazer. “I honestly didn't know anything about them until Cloudy told me earlier they were Wonderbolts. Do um, now, don't think I'm prying, but, do they regularly miss her harmonica recitals at school?”

“No, well, not regularly, at any rate.” Stonecutter replied with a very heavy heart. She hated badmouthing anypony, least of all her best friend’s parents, but, the facts were the facts. “Usually at least one would show up, either Misty Fly or Wave Chill. She is rather good with that harmonica. I don't know why they missed the last few, and CB isn't talking about it. I haven't asked Seafoam yet, as she may have told him.”

“That sucks!” Sparkler cried, so loud and so unexpectedly that Winona yelped in panic at the unicorn’s hooves. “I mean, I don't expect my dad to show up, he's in Whinnyapolis, but the Wonderbolt’s Academy isn't that far away, is it?” She saw no reason whatsoever that Cloudburst’s parents shouldn’t show up.

“I just can't imagine my parents away or divorced,” Stonecutter commented after a moment’s silence between them. In response to Sparkler’s unasked question, she continued, “This weekend they're away at Appleloosa for the Cowboys and Buffalo weekend. My momma and papa do all this crazy stuff most weekends. Last month they went barrel jumping over Neighagra falls. The month before that it was skydiving from an airship.”

“Me neither,” Sparkler replied to her marefriend’s first comment. “At least, not until dad met this mare half mom's age…” she ground her teeth together, that familiar rage beginning to brew whenever she thought about her absent father and his chosen floozy.

Fortunately, Stonecutter was rather good at spotting a bad mood and heading it off at the pass before it developed too far. That, and the fact that Sparkler’s horn was crackling gave her a good idea what her marefriend’s mood was like. “It’s a good thing I'm not half your age, or you'd be in trouble, Missy.”

That worked. Stonecutter’s well timed joke made Sparkler burst out laughing, her bad mood evaporating in an instant. “Oh hush, you. Those two are welcome to each other. I got mom and now you and Cloudy!”

“Well, I don't know if I can compete with your mom, but I can toss my weight around.” Stonecutter laughed at her own joke, even more so when Sparkler nudged her in the ribs with her elbow. “Do you like the rodeo? CB just humours me when she comes with.”

“I have never, ever been to one, but I'm willing to go with you.”

“I don't like to talk about CB's parents, that’s her business. If she wants to tell you, she will. But, I go with her every time when she gets tickets in the mail. You should come along too.”

“I'd love to!” Sparkler squealed happily. That also sounded like a date. A future date! That meant Stonecutter wanted to see her, more than once! Then she kicked herself hard when she remembered she had agreed to wear her collar when she could get her one. As they walked along though, she couldn’t help but think where Tank was. They had been walking – and flying – close to an hour already. When she noticed the incredibly scary looking trees, she diverted herself. “So um, Nightmare Night's coming up soon and um, I know I said I'd model for you, and ah, we talked about the collar thing, but um...would you um, like to be my date?”

“It’s a good thing I like skinny mares with pointy heads,” Stonecutter beamed, “Yes Sparks, I’d love to be your date for Nightmare Night.”

Overjoyed that her haphazard way of asking her crush and marefriend out on a real proper date had gone far better than she could ever have hoped, Sparkler blushed like a filly given a lollipop and smiled. “You may have gathered that I'm not really good with...things like this, like spur of the moment 'stuff' like this. I like to be prepared, to know in advance what’s happening.”

“Really?” Stonecutter had to admit that she wasn’t surprised to hear that. Everything she had seen about the bookish mare was consistent with that. Still, she rather suspected most of her standoffish attitude was a smokescreen, a defensive wall as a result of her recent move from Canterlot to Ponyville. She could appreciate that. Everypony had walls. Thanks to her size, she had to put up a façade for the world. “I think you're a lot like CB in some ways.”

“I am?”

Stonecutter nodded. “Us earth ponies just go with it. And you are either putting on a good act, or you're bluffing with your own naivety and your walls keeping everypony at arm’s length.” The taller mare then stopped on the thining forest trail and without warning she pulled Sparkler into a rough forceful kiss. It wasn’t a gentle tender peck on the lips. It was a real kiss that made the unicorn’s knees buckle. “So, I’m calling your bluff, Mistress Sparks.”

Taken aback for a moment by the kiss, Sparkler quickly recovered her wits and, in a flash, recognised she was being called out. It hit her, as she pressed back into her marefriend’s pudgy bulk, that she had been called Mistress! That made her hot as all Tartarus. Mistress Sparks, being a little more forceful, inserted her tongue into Stonecutter’ mouth, determined to own it.  

After a few moments of sucking on her marefriend’s tongue – and having her wide ass groped, Stonecutter eventually pulled back, a trail of saliva linking their tongues. Damn if that wasn’t the best kiss she had ever had. “Let’s ah, um…Let's go find that pet. Tank. Pet. We should totally go find him.” Sparkler nodded quietly and they carried on walking. After a couple of minutes, she turned to the unicorn and grinned, “What do you think about facesitting?”

Unfortunately, just as Stonecutter asked that, Sparkler had taken a deep breath through her mouth so she didn’t have to smell the rather foul stench that had assailed her nostrils from somewhere close in the forest. The effect of that made her cough and splutter like she was choking to death. Which wasn’t far from the truth. “I ah, aaaaack,” she coughed as Stonecutter rubbed her back, “I um, ah, I would dearly love to sit on your face.”

Letting go of Sparkler's hand, Stonecutter laughed as she walked backwards. “And what if I decide to sit on your cute sexy face?” she giggled, enjoying the fresh intense blush that blossomed over Sparkler’s face. Then again, it maybe safer your waaaaaaaaaay!” 

Stonecutter screamed as she fell backwards off the forest trail and she seemed to disappear from view, the slate grey mare swallowed up by the thorny bushes that lined the path they had been walking on. The sounds of a large body tumbling down a short incline filled the air followed by a second scream and a loud gloopy splash. 

“Stone?” Sparkler looked around helplessly, seeing nopony around her. “Stone?” she was suddenly alone on the path with Winona barking by her side. She had been beside her one moment and the very next she was gone, like a teleport. The unicorn looked around in panic and, when she heard the splash, she ran to the bushes. “Stonecutter!”

As it happened, the scream that Stonecutter had made as she fell was loud enough to reach Cloudburst, who had been playing in the sky. ‘Stone?’ she thought, starting a rapid descent, ‘Has Sparks mentioned salad to you? Don’t worry, I’ll get her…’ her thought died though as she descended. When she saw where her best friend was, she burst out laughing. “Bwah hahaha hahaha! Oh Celestia that’s so funny!” 

Trapped in a stinking fetid swampy pool, Stonecutter did the one thing she could think of straightaway. She flipped off her laughing hyena of a friend and then she screamed, “Help!” The more she tried to get out, the foul water rose up around her thighs. She was sinking!

‘Oh no!’ the earth pony thought in panic as she sank a little further into quicksand like muck, the swampy water raising up to her belly. Drowning just happened to be her very worst fear in the whole world. “HELP!” she screamed a second time, futily reaching for Cloudburst flying just overhead. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. She could feel the mud at her hooves pulling her down.

Sparkler foundered at the bushes, not wanting to get tangled in the thorns. “I can hear you! Where are you?”

“She's over here,” Cloudburst yelled, hovering a few dozen feet in front of Sparkler pointing downwards. “She’s up to her belly in a swamp!”

“A swamp!?!?” Sparkler used her telekinesis to force the bushes aside so she could get down the incline. It wasn’t hard at all to see where Stonecutter had fallen. The large mare had left an obvious trail. Very gingerly she made her way over to the edge of the swamp and she saw her marefriend sinking. “Oh sweet Celestia, why did you have to find a swamp!? It’s a swamp!”

“I know it’s a bucking swamp!” Stonecutter shot back, all the time desperately flailing her arms and, lost in the throes of her hysterical terror, she was soon up to her large fleshy breasts in the disgusting water. Then, something big swam past and between her legs and she screamed all the more.

Watching, Sparkler knew what was dragging her down. “Stone! Stay still! Stop struggling!”

Cloudburst had watched enough. The impulsive pegasus swooped down until she had a hold of her best friend’s grasping hands. “I’ll get you out, Stone!” Flapping her pale blue wings as hard as she could, she tried to pull her up. Alas, thanks to her not being all that strong herself, added to Stonecutter’s weight and the suction of the mud, she only managed a few inches. “No need to panic!”

“I'm not panicking!” Stonecutter screamed back in obvious panic, which only got worse when the few inches she had risen from the swamp was swallowed back up. “I'm...I'm...I got nothing. Flap harder CB! Pull!”

“I uuuugh…bucking Tartarus!” Cloudburst exclaimed as she flapped her wings harder and harder, all the while getting nothing for her efforts. “I can't! It's like trying to lift a house!” she cried in frustration.

On the edge of the swamp, Sparkler fretted, the unicorn hopping from hoof to hoof. She knew what she had to do, but she had never lifted anything the size of the earth pony before – and, well, alive, for that matter. Now, between Stonecutter’s ineffectual struggles and Cloudburst's lack of strength, she trapped mare was down to her nipples. “Pull or you're not getting my porn collection!” she hollered in an attempt to spur the pegasus on.

That spurred Cloudburst on. The pale blue mare gave one last heroic effort to get her best friend out of the swamp but, just like before, she got nothing but a few inches before she had to let her go. “Damnit!” she had wanted that collection, too. 

Sparkler couldn’t watch any longer. She knew they’d get nowhere trying to pull her marefriend out that way. Making up her mind, she put the horde of buzzing insects out of her mind and yelled, “Cloudburst, get away, I got this. Stone, I need you to stay as still as you can, okay?”

Stonecutter didn’t like the sound of that at all. “What?” she yelled back, “Are you crazy!?”

“I think she's crazy,” Cloudburst waved away the buzzing cloud that swarmed around her head, “I think the bugs have finally broken her.”

“Trust me!” Sparkler stomped her hoof into the firm ground, making swamp filth spatter over her horseshoe and dirtying up her white knee length socks. “You have to trust me!”

Closing her eyes, Stonecutter took a deep breath and, deciding to trust her marefriend, she stopped flailing about in the rancid swamp. The moment she did that, she seemed to stop sinking, her bulk somewhat buoyant. That gave her reason to further trust her. “Cloud, please get out the way!” When the pegasus hovered over and gave her room, Sparkler lit her horn and concentrated harder than she ever had before. The unicorn extended her telekinetic field out to the earth pony and surrounded her in her green aura. Smiling, she could feel Stonecutter’s body with her magic. Very gently, in perfect control, she started to lift her up and out of the water.

As soon as she felt herself start to rise up, Stonecutter opened her eyes in disbelief. She was floating! Actually floating! Stunned, she stared at Sparkler but she said nothing. The unicorn had a faraway look to her green eyes. She was concentrating on moving the air around the large hefty mare rather than the mare herself. She was starting to sweat with the effort as she floated her over the swamp and onto the firm ground.

“Holy crap, she's doing it!” Cloudburst squealed in surprise, having never seen this before. Grinning at Stonecutter, she began to sing ‘I’ve never seen an elephant fly’, which earned her a rather loud raspberry and made her burst out laughing before she could finish her song.

As soon as Stonecutter felt her hooves touches down on the bank of the swamp, the large mucky pony fully intended to rush her saviour and give her a bonecrushing Pinkie hug. Sparkler must have noted this because she smiled and held her marefriend at arms length in her fading green magic. “If you hug me before I clean you up then I will thoroughly enjoy spanking you.” 

The dominant way she said it, coupled with the deadly glare, earned Sparkler best blush to date from Stonecutter.

Hovering at the edge of the swamp, Cloudburst giggled. “Ooooh looks like somepony means it too Stone!” she laughed properly as the magic at last faded away. “I bet she'll have you in a collar in no time flat!”

“CB,” Sparkler shot the pegasus that same ‘Mistress Sparks’ look, “would you please go up and find the smoke trail while I clean up my mucky pet?”

As Cloudburst laughed, and Sparkler called her ‘her pet’, Stonecutter suddenly found her hooves very interesting indeed. The pale blue pegasus gave Sparkler a salute and flapped her wings. “You got it, Sparks!” Ascending back above the trees, she quickly made herself scarce. Once she was safely up above the trees though, she got out her phone and sent Seafoam a text, filling her Master in on all the new happenings.

Rolling her eyes, Sparkler tied Winona’s leash to a low branch to stop her running away and she unshouldered her backpack. “Luckily,” the bright yellow mare smiled, “I have more than one grooming kit in my bag. I think I’ll need them.”

Still smiling sweetly, Sparkler took Stonecutter’s backpack from the dirty mare’s shoulders when she saw that Angel was kicking up a storm inside. Retrieving the demonic rabbit from the bag, the unicorn gave him her very best ‘Mistress stare’ dead in his black eyes. “Zip it, furball, or we'll take you back to the Ursa.” As a peace offering, she offered him an apple from her pet’s bag.

Pouting like a foal denied his favourite treat, Angel nonetheless took the apple and turned his back on the pet-sitters. Stonecutter at last found her voice while the bunny started eating. “Wow…Sparks, you're really strong!”

“That’s Mistress Sparks, to you,” Sparkler smiled at the adorably cute look her pet was giving her. ‘Oh yes,’ she thought, ‘I can get used to getting that look…’ Searching through her own bag, she took out three of her five grooming kits and two bottles of tap water. “But thank you. I've practised my telekinesis,” she looked through her kits, wondering where to start. “Now, let's see what I can do with you, hmm?”

“Um,” Stonecutter looked down at her dirty blue tee shirt, cargo shorts and her socks. “You could make me less green?” 

“Yes, I definitely need to make you less…green. And less smelly.” Looking the large dirty mare up and down, Sparkler’s gaze was drawn to and held by the earth pony’s large and impressive breasts. The swamp water had made the tee shirt material cling tight to her white bra underneath. She licked her lips. “Hmmm...strip.”

Startled, Stonecutter looked around, her blue eyes wide as saucers. “What, here? Somepony might see us!”

“Did I stutter?” Sparkler levelled that stare at her pet again, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. It was painfully obvious they were alone in the forest. “Besides, who else is here besides us? Strip. Tee, shorts and socks. Off.”

Glancing around again, Stonecutter whimpered, “There’s Winona and Angel, and CB might come back!” Almost on cue, the bunny began laughing at her.

Now, Sparkler did roll her eyes. She was quickly having enough of this nonsense. Her glare alone told the rabbit to shut the hay up. The incessant insects and the filth were getting her to the end of her rope. “I want her to come back. She can run those dirty clothes of yours through a cloud and clean them while I clean you. Now. Strip off before I strip you off.”

“But...” despite her reticence, the slate grey earth pony gripped the hem of her school tee shirt and pulled it up over her belly which jiggled when it was freed. “But...Mistress…” she had never, ever felt so conscious about her weight before in her life. Pulling off her shirt, standing exposed in her bra, which had been spared the swamp thanks to her top, she felt very fat indeed. “I'm...” blushing hard under Sparkler’s scrutiny, she removed her horseshoes and her socks before succumbing to her embarrasement and, turning around, she unfastened her shorts and dropped them with the rest of her clothes on the ground. 

She had fantasised about being naked with Sparkler, but not like this.

“You're what?” Sparkler, seeing how extremely nervous her marefriend was, dropped the whole ‘Mistress’ thing for the moment and she stepped up behind her and very lightly she hugged her belly. The unicorn only just managed to get her arms all the way around her. In short she was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.

Stonecutter let out a sigh. Her shoulders slumped and she felt fatter by the second. “You know, Sparks, I learned a long time ago not to care what others think of me, so tough for them, but...I do care what you think about me.”

Sparkler felt such a swell of affection for her marefriend right at that moment. Not being great with ‘heart’ things, she struggled at first to find the right words to say. She did know that she had to say something, though. “Stonecutter? You know how you love skinny mares with horny heads?” she asked, squeezing her prodigious love handles before her hands wandered northwards, “I rather like my mares big and chubby, with big…” she gently groped her breasts, feeling them yield under her fingers as she kissed the back of her neck.

All at once, thanks in no small part to where Sparkler’s hands were, Stonecutter felt herself relax and, as much as she wanted to drop her panties and remove her bra, she settled for being happy her dirty stuff was on the floor. “Thank you, Mistress Sparks, I know you’re being honest with me.”

“Always, my big sexy pet…”

Just at that moment, when she was about to kiss the back of her neck for a second time, Cloudburst swooped back down. “I found the trail...trail...am I interrupting, ah...do you two want some time alone?”

“Don't be dirty, CB!” Sparkler blushed because, as it happened, she really did want to have some alone time with her mare, a lot of alone time, if the truth be told, but not like this and definitely not by the side of a filthy, mucky, disease ridden swamp in the Everfree Forest surrounded by a billion insects! She levitated the soiled clothes to her. “Now, be a dear please and run those through a cloud for me.”

“Ewww!” while she wasn’t a neat freak by any means, Cloudburst held the clothes like they’d give her every illness known to ponykind. “Sparks! They are like all icky!”

Sparkler rolled her eyes at the whining mare. “Please? Unless you want to carry Angel…”

Cloudburst absolutely did not want to carry the rabbit. “Yeah, yeah, laundromat service coming right up.” Winkling her nose in disgust at the smell from her best friend’s clothes, the pale blue pegasus flapped her wings hard and she shot upwards into the sky. Fortunatelty, there was a cloud not far away from where she was.

“Thank you!” Sparkler called, not sure if Cloudburst heard her or not. Shrugging, she got all her cleaning things ready on the ground. “Now, my mucky pet, turn around please.” When Stonecutter did turn around, she didn’t even bother to cover up. There was too much of her to cover up. Her clothing had protected a lot of her, mostly her legs, her lower arms, face and mane needed attention.

Sparkler looked at her arrayed cleaning products and she discounted the dandy brush. It’s long stiff bristles was only for removing dry surface dirt. In favour of the body brush she went straight for the water brush. Her target wasn’t that dirty. “You are just the prettiest mare I've ever seen!” Sparkler smiled and, using one bottled water to wet the earth pony’s mane, she began to clean her.

Stonecutter was a good subject. The earth pony didn’t put up a fuss as Sparkler ran the mane brush through her sandy brown mane. The bits of dirt and swamp came out easily with little persuasion. “Thank you for saving me, and for this.” She said quietly as her mane was rather expertly groomed. She didn’t really care for grooming much, but this was enjoyable, at least.

“Pish, it was nothing. I couldn't leave you in the swamp, could I?” Sparkler smiled as she sprinkled water over her Stonecutter’s dirty fur. That done, she used the water brush to clean the slate grey fur. It was a pleasure to see the dirt become clean. “And, if you are to be my pet as well as my marefriend, I simply will not have you mucky!”

“I would have died out there if not for you.” Stonecutter replied as she felt her dock and tail being cleaned with a wetted sponge. It felt…odd, having somepony else clean her, intimately like that. It was a nice odd. She flexed her dock and lifted up her tail. Were it not for her white panties, she would have displayed herself to Sparkler. To her Mistress. “I think being groomed is a small price to pay.”

“Telekinesis is a foal's trick, but I am pretty decent at it,” Sparkler said without a trace of bragging. The fact that Stonecutter had lifted her tail for her didn’t escape her. Kneeling, she moved her face close as she dared to her pantie clad ass and admired the view, etching it onto her memory for later. That done, she used a fine tail comb to properly groom her tail clean. “Besides, I love you, Stonecutter.”

“I love you too, Mistress.” The words were out of Stonecutter’s mouth before her brain had properly alerted her to what she was saying. ‘Oh well, the cat’s out of the bag now…’ 

Sparkler didn’t answer her straightaway, mostly because she was so happy she was crying and she didn’t trust her voice at that moment. The bright yellow mare allowed that statement to linger in the air while she brushed the last vestiges of dirt from Stonecutter’s beautiful tail. It was only when she heard the earth pony draw in breath to say something that she answered her. “Well,” she placed a delicate little kiss just above her tail, “I should hope you do, because I love you too, my pet.”

Thoroughly cleaned, or as clean as she could be in the middle of the forest, Stonecutter turned around. There was a mixture of joy, happiness, relief and hope all across her face. “Do you mean it?” she asked as she watched Sparkler put away her grooming kits back in her backpack.

When Sparkler stood up, even though she was almost a head shorter than Stonecutter, her determined look made her seem bigger. “Yes, I mean it. You are a cute, sexy mare,” she took a step forwards, “You are my beautiful pet,” she reached behind the earth pony and delivered two stinging spanks to her ass cheeks that made her yowl. Sparkler placed a finger on her lips. “One was for getting dirty. Two was for doubting me…”

She then reached around with her other hand and smacked the other buttock hard. “Ooooow!” Stonecutter squealed, “W-What was that one for?”

“Three was for doubting yourself.” Sparkler replied sternly before smiling and tenderly kissing her lover’s lips. “I won’t have it, understand? 

“Yes Mistress, I understsand,” Stonecutter grinned as a warm and fuzzy feeling flowed from her spanked behind through her body, nestled in her heart and stayed there. She was a very happy pony indeed right at that moment. She was even happier when Cloudburst bought her clothes back, freshly cloud laundered and air dried. While not perfect by any means, they were at least clean and dried sufficiently that she didn’t smell like a swamp anymore.

Once she was dressed, Stonecutter and Sparkler made their way back up the little incline that the earth pony had fallen down and they set off south, following Cloudburst’s lead in the sky. Without any further mishap, they eventually arrived at a great mile long chasm that split the forest apart like an enormous three hundred foot deep open wound. When they stopped on the edge of the rocky crevasse, Cloudburst came down and joined them.

Looking down into the great ravine, the three mares immediately saw the source of the smoke they had been following there. Roughly halfway down the left wall of the chasm, opposite the one they were stood at, was Tank. The hapless tortoise was dangling precariously by the strap of his aviator goggles which were caught on a jagged piece of stone that jutted out from the cliffside.

“Well damn,” Cloudburst commented, “The poor guy must’ve crashed into the cliff…”

“Oh really, Sherlock,” Stonecutter snarked, “What gave it away, was it the fact he’s hanging from his goggles or the thick black fumes coming from the broken rotor thing he’s wearing?”

Cloudburst stuck her tongue out at her best friend but her flash of anger quickly became a giggle when Sparkler spanked her mare’s ass once. “Manners, pet.” While Stonecutter and Cloudburst had a silent war of mouthed words and looks, the unicorn continued, “Now, the question is, how do we get to him? The cliff looks like it can be climbed, but he’s very far down…”

“Um…duh?” Cloudburst spread her wings and gave them a flap. “I’ll fly down. Get him. Fly back. Easy.” 

“Woah there!” Stonecutter yanked hard on her friend’s dark and light grey striped tail with her strong hand, almost ripping out a few tail hairs from her dock. “Not so fast, missy. Don’t you see the caves dotting the cliff there? Those are quarray eel caves for sure or I’m an alicorn.” 

Cloudburst took a closer look down the ravine and saw what her friend had pointed out, in particular she noted the cave right next to where Tank was hanging. “Oh yeah, I saw those, totally.” The fact that she had not seen those didn’t stop her from whapping Stonecutter with her tail. It hurt! “But still, it’s our best shot at getting him back. I mean, no offense Sparks, but I can’t see you mountaineering down there.”

Unfortunately, Sparkler had to agree. “Well, you make a good point, CB, but you will be careful, won’t you?” she had become rather attached to the pale blue mare, as annoying as she was.

“Pfft,” Cloudburst waved her hand in the air and took off, “I got this, just you watch!” 

“Be careful you featherbrain!” Stonecutter held Sparkler’s hand, squeezing it until the unicorn let out a pained meep. She could barely watch as her best friend flew down into the wide chasm. When she got near the opposite wall, almost on cue, a rather large and ugly quarray eel emerged from its cave. 

“Buck!” Cloudburst yelled in fright as the large burgundy coloured head with a mouth full of teeth and jaw big enough to swallow her whole snapped at her. Instinctively she rolled to the right, flapping her wings hard to put as much distance between them as she could. She could practically hear the gasp from her friends up on the edge of the cliff. On reflex more than anything else, the pegasus clapped her hands together and sent a lightning bolt back at the eel that wanted to make her its dinner.

Hit squarely between the eyes by the bolt of electricity, the stunned eel screeched in pain and retreated back into the cave from which it came. “And good riddance, you ugly bucker!” This wasn’t such a smoking hot idea as it happened, because an eel emerged from a cave some twenty feet below her, attracted by the noise.

“Oh buck…” Stonecutter and Sparkler said together, “She’s gonna get eaten!”

Cloudburst was thinking much the same thing at that precise moment. Deciding to get a shift on, she flew over to where Tank was hanging and saw the strap was well and truly snagged on the rock. She could be there Celestia knew how long getting that free and there was a cave right beside them. The very one Stonecutter had pointed out. “Damnit…” she hovered back a few feet and, smacking her hands together, she aimed a lightning bolt straight at the piece of stone. 

Several things then happened in the space of a few short seconds.

The jagged piece of rock exploded in a shower of stones and pebbles that caused a small avalanche as they bounced and rolled down the chasm.

Tank, now freed, began to fall without his rotor to make him fly.

Cloudburst let out a whoop of victory. 

The biggest quarray eel that the three mares had ever seen in their lives – and they’d only seen two – emerged from its cave about fifty feet directly below where Tank had been hanging, alerted by the falling rocks and the whooping pegasus. Seeing the falling tortoise, it opened its huge cavernous maw, ready for a snack.

“Oh nononono!” Cloudburst didn’t pause to think, she dived after the falling tortoise, heading straight for the eel’s open mouth. “C’mooooooon!” she urged herself to fly faster, harder than she had before and, just as the eel was about to snap its jaws closed, she caught Tank in her arms and rolled upwards and to the right. The quarray eel, whose jaws snapped at thin air where a second ago had been lunch, lost two teeth from smashing them together and went back in its eelpit.

“She did it!” Stonecutter and Sparkler both hugged and kissed each other with relief.

“Told you I got this!” Cloudburst gloated as she landed back safely with her two friends and Tank held under her arm on the edge of the cliff overlooking the chasm.

“Damnit CB don’t you ever be that reckless again!” Stonecutter pulled her best friend into a bonecrushing hug, followed shortly after by Sparkler who, like her marefriend, was very pleased to see the pegasus still with all her limbs attached and in one piece.
> Chapter 4 - All's Well...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do I have to get in a boat?” Sparkler whined when they had made it all the way back to Fluttershy’s cottage now with three of the six missing pets in their possession. Having decided that they should follow the alligator’s foot prints next, they had been led from the ruined cat flap to the edge of the river that ran past their teacher’s house. “Specifically, do I have to get in that boat?”

The boat in question was a small white rowboat on the near bank of the river that looked, on first inspection, like it had been built before Princess Luna’s banishment. It also only looked just big enough for the three of them, and that was if they got really familiar with each other. 

“Well,” Stonecutter said, thinking out loud, “Gummy’s tracks end there, and this river heads south into the forest. The alligator must’ve jumped in the water. If that’s the case, he was swept downriver, because the current’s going too fast for him to swim.”

“Look at it this way,” Cloudburst offered, “At least you won’t get attacked by timberwolves or diamond dogs or quarray eels while you’re in the boat!” 

Sparkler rolled her eyes at the pale blue pegasus. “Stop right there, CB. If we have to listen to how you narrowly escaped the jaws of the world’s largest quarray eel just one. More. Time, I swear I’ll levitate you back to the chasm and throw you in!” 

“Whaaaaaaaat?” Cloudburst went for an innocent smile. She failed miserably. “I’ve only mentioned it once or twice…

“Try seven times.” Stonecutter interjected quickly, cutting her best friend off before she could build up a head off steam. Again. While she was of course very happy and relieved that Cloudburst and Tank were safe, hearing about it all the way back for the past hour had been a little grating.

“Whatever,” Cloudburst shrugged, “This little guy likes hearing the story, don’t you, buddy?” she reached over her shoulder to her backpack where Tank was poking his head out and scratched under the tortoise’s chin. He rewarded her with a slow smile and a nod of his head.

“He doesn’t count,” Sparkler shot back, “His opinion is biased.”

“Yeah well, I deserve a medal for doing your pet’s laundry,” Cloudburst shot back, loving the deep crimson blush that spread over Stonecutter’s slate grey cheeks at being reminded of her mishap with the swamp and at being called out as not only Sparkler’s marefriend but her sub. “Seriously, you were only in the water a few minutes, how could you get that mucky in a few minutes?”

Stonecutter gave her friend the most deadpan look she could muster. “It was a swamp, CB. Not a swimming pool!”

“Yeah, yeah, I get that, but I swear, that’s the last time I’m hand scrubbing the gusset of your shorts!” Cloudburst retorted with her arms crossed over her flat chest. “I swear there were more than just swamp stains there.”

“Why you featherbrained…”

“Mudpusher!”

“Girls!” Sparkler interrupted the argument before it could get out of hand with a very stern glare to them both as well as a short sharp slap to Stonecutter’s vast behind. She couldn’t handle raised voices, not since her parents’ split. It upset her so bad it set off her allergies which had, until then, not been so bad. Besides, they were setting Winona off too, and barking gave her a headache. “Bickering will not help us get Gummy back. We need a plan.”

“Sorry CB,” Stonecutter was the first to apologise.

“Yeah, me too,” came Cloudburst’s reply, both mares hugging it out on the riverbank.

“As far as I can see,” Stonecutter said after she had released a gasping pegasus from her tighter than necessary hug, “We get in the boat, let it take us downstream, we’ll end up wherever Gummy is, then we rescue him like we did the others. Easy!”

“Yeah, how hard can it be?” Cloudburst added, earning her an eye roll from the other two. Sparkler didn’t look convinced. The white rowing boat looked like it might break apart under a light breeze, let alone a trip down the fast flowing river. Even the pegasus noticed her hesitance. “Look, if you want, why don’t you two take the boat with Winona and the rabbit and I’ll fly alongside with Tank?”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Sparkler had to concede that the pegasus had made a valid point. “Besides,” Stonecutter added, “The afternoon’s wearing on, Sparks, we need to get these pets rounded up sharpish before it gets dark. We don’t want to be roaming the Everfree Forest in the night time.”

“I don’t want to be roaming the forest at any time!” Sparkler snapped, although, she knew her marefriend was right. She didn’t have to check her watch to know it was four in the afternoon. The lengthening shadows all around them told her that much. And they still had three of the six pets to find and get back. The bright yellow unicorn looked around for another solution, any other solution, but none presented itself. “Fine. Let’s get in the damn rowing boat and get this over with before I change my mind.”

Walking down the wet grassy riverbank, Stonecutter pushed the wooden rowing boat into the water and she held it secure in her hands while Sparkler got in. Quickly, the slate grey earth pony joined her, and she sat on the seat at the back of the boat. “You okay, Sparks?”

Gingerly, seeing as how she had Winona on the leash around her hooves, Sparkler turned around in the boat and she sat herself down between Stonecutter's open legs, her back to her marefriend's front. She was not all that confident, not at all. She had never been in a boat in her life. She could swim, in a swimming pool, with properly appointed supervision and safety measures in place, but not in a flowing river. “I ah...I don't think I like this!”

Hovering over the water by the boat, Cloudburst made sure Tank was secure in her backpack and snickered, “Don't tell me you're allergic to the water now, too, little miss Canterlot?”

Stonecutter gave her friend the sourest look she could manage and, in an attempt to be helpful, she squeezed her thick thighs closer together around her Mistress, gripping her with her legs. “Are you feeling safer now?” she asked, taking up the oars. Though she quickly realised all she needed to do was steer the boat rather than propel it.

At first, Sparkler wasn’t sure. The river was fast moving, and she was buffeted around, mostly the back of her head into Stonecutter’s large breasts. That was something she liked, at least. “Oh yeah,” she said, her hands that were gripping the sides of the boat lessening, her knuckles had been white. “Safer. Much. Very much safer!” 

“So, hey, Stone, you two a proper thing now or what?” Cloudburst asked as she flew alongside the boat. It didn’t take much effort for her to match her speed to that of the rowing boat. The pale blue pegasus would flap her wings a couple of times, glide for a short time, then repeat. 

“Thing?” Stonecutter raised her eyebrow at her friend. She knew full well what she meant, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t tease both Cloudburst and her marefriend. She rather liked Sparkler when she blushed. She looked cute. And, if she earned a spanking later, so much the better. “Like what, a pony with eight legs and a horn?”

“You know what I mean,” Cloudburst grinned and gave the couple in the boat the most salacious over the top wink that either of them had ever seen. The suggestive gestures she was making with her hands, miming a set of scissors was completely unnecessary. Didn’t stop her making Sparkler blush though. Her point made, she pulled her treasured harmonica from the pocket of her school hoodie and played them a love song as she flew along.

“Sure, she can play that harmonica and fly, but you watch her try to walk and chew gum.” Stonecutter giggled, happy to listen to the music her best friend played. She had given her the harmonica on her twelfth birthday four years ago now when she had shown a talent for it back in Old Cheerilee’s school. Cloudburst had treasured it ever since, cleaning it, caring for it, it looked like new.  

Sparkler joined in with her marefriend’s giggles as she relaxed back into the soft folds of Stonecutter's round belly, using her fleshy breasts as a head rest. Yesterday, even that morning, she had merely fantasised about doing such a thing. Normally she would be blushing like crazy, but after what they had been through so far, she felt more confident that normal. “You know, you are very comfy, pet. I could get used to this.”

“She makes for a fine couch!” Cloudburst commented, swooping down low beside the boat. Though the river had meandered its way back into the forest, it wasn’t as dark here as it had been the other times when they had gone in after Angel and Tank due to the ribbon of water splitting the trees. 

“I wore that one time!” Stonecutter groused, the earth pony huffing with temper. She wanted to cross her arms over her chest, but she couldn’t because she’d end up choking her marefriend out. “One time!”

Bursting out into fits of giggles, Sparkler ended up swaying the rowing boat side to side, so low that a little river water splashed into where she was sitting. “Oh! Oooooh! Wo-Woah...my goodness...” she meeped, having only just got used to the rocking motion of the boat, the unicorn really didn’t like this!

Smirking, Stonecutter squeezed her thick tree trunk like thighs tighter around the fretting unicorn, but she kept the boat rocking. “Is something funny, Sparks?”

“Please stop!” Sparkler squeaked in fright, her belly feeling rather upset with the constant rocking and rolling of the boat. “Please! I-I’m gonna be sick!” Unfortunately, over Winona’s pleasured barking and Cloudburst’s laughter, Stonecutter didn’t hear her pleading. “St-Stoooooop!” her gut felt very poorly indeed and, sure enough, after a few more moments of that, the inevitable happened.

“UUuuuuUUUUUUERGH!” Sparkler leant over the side of the rowing boat just in time as the vomit rose in her throat and she emptied the contents of her belly into the fast flowing river. “GuuuuUUUUUUH!” she stayed hung over the side, the last of her chunks leaving her mouth. When she sat back up, she looked more green than yellow.

“Are…you okay there, Sparks?” Cloudburst asked worriedly after she and Stonecutter shared a concerned look between them. 

“Ye-Yeeeeeeah…” Sparkler groaned, feeling like she could easily throw up some more. Thankfully, she did not. Instead, she turned a deadpan look at her pet. “I’m so spanking you when we’re done getting the pets back to the cottage.”

“You…are?” Stonecutter asked somewhat nervously.

“You better believe it. You’ll be lucky if you sit down in a week.” Sparkler snorted as she resumed her seating position between the slate grey earth pony’s legs.

“Whoop!” Cloudburst cheered beside the boat, “You go girl! Wear that ass out!” 

Sparkler chose to ignore the sour look that Stonecutter shot the pegasus. “And you can hush,” she said calmly now she felt her belly settling down, “I can inform Seafoam, you know.” That effectively shut Cloudburst up. She had been told to be a good girl today when her Master had allowed her the free time, as long as she behaved herself. Now that had been dealt with, Sparkler did feel secure between Stonecutter's thighs. “Now, if you please, I’ll just go back to imagining you as a couch. I assume it was a Nightmare Night costume?”

“To be fair, it was more of a love seat,” Stonecutter replied with a nod of her head.

“Totally a couch.” Cloudburst was aware she wasn’t helping. Not that she cared all that much. Flying along the river through the Everfree Forest it felt the safest she had been thus far. 

“Did anypony sit on you?” asked Sparkler with interest. Like Cloudburst, she was most relaxed now, floating along at the river’s pace. No critters, bugs or insects bothered her at that moment. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could almost be back on her floaty in the swimming pool of her old house in Canterlot.

That was the past though. No sense dragging it back up.

“No, but Mr. Davenport complimented my outfit.”

“So...” Sparkler tried to return the conversation to the topic at hand. “Nightmare Night? Shall we make it a date?” she asked before she lost her nerve. That was a very real possibility. She was amazed, if she was honest with herself, that she had been this brave so far. Then again, it seemed resting her head on her marefriend’s huge breasts did her good.

“She could be a foot stool this time!” Cloudburst crowed, earning a solid blush from the tall earth pony. 

Leaning back in the boat, Sparkler tilted her head upwards and she kissed Stonecutter's cheek. “You can be my footstool, pet, after we have a date. What are you going as, anyway?”

Stonecutter’s blush stayed firmly in place when she thought about the black and white cow costume she saw in Barnyard Bargains. “I ah, well, let’s say I've found a really moooving costume.” 

“I’m going as Captain Celaeno!” 

“She goes as Celaeno every year since the movie was made about the Storm King’s invasion,” Stonecutter rolled her eyes as Cloudburst stuck out her tongue in her direction, “And you, Sparks?”

“Princess Celestia,” Sparkler replied, “You see, I was working on the costume anyway, for a school project in Canterlot, then we had to move, so if I’ve got it, I may as well use it.” The bright yellow unicorn sighed, “I um, I don't usually bother with it, Nightmare Night I mean. After all Stargazer didn't care what I'm dressed as at the observatory, but my mom was all ‘go for it, go make friends!’”

Stonecutter leant forwards and very gently kissed her new marefriend’s ear. “Your mom was right, my love.” 

“Totally!” Cloudburst encouraged, “Your mom’s a smart pony, Sparks!”

“But…” Sparkler huffed, “But that means going outside...with other ponies. And crowds. I don't like outside. Outside is noisy and dirty and messy and full of...creatures.”

Still with her muzzle close to Sparkler’s ear, Stonecutter said, “MooOOoo!”   

“Although,” Sparkler was in danger of becoming permanently red rather than yellow. This was mostly because now she was imagining her pet wearing a very tight spandex cow suit that showed off everything. And then her imagination lead her to milking her cow and then she had to stop her imagination because she was outside and not in her bedroom. She did have her hands on Stonecutter's thighs, caressing them gently. “I suppose outside does have its good bits…”

Having sat back, Stonecutter leant forwards again, this time targeting the unicorn’s other ear. “Inside has its good bits too...” 

“Oh my…” Sparkler fanned herself with her hand while Cloudburst made some very obvious gagging sounds at all the lovey dovey schmaltz going on. “I think I'm finally going to enjoy Nightmare Night!”

After roughly fifteen more minutes on the river, the waterway opened out onto a small lake bordered by pebble strewn rocky banks with overhanging, gnarled trees all around. In the centre of the lake was a little green island that was covered in trees, shrubs and bushes. Some bore fruit while others had thorns and brambles the size of daggers. Just as they were taking in the view of the island, a loud panicked screech from above them made them look upwards. “Oh…oh my gosh!” Cloudburst had to stuff her hand in her mouth to keep from laughing. “What the hay is that thing?” 

That ‘thing’, as it turned out, was a rather large bird of prey with an impressive six foot wingspan. The bird’s pale grey plumage and black wings certainly were impressive, though what had drawn the three mares’ attention was the very large, very bright green Mohican-style crest that adorned the bird’s bald head.

“It’s a mohawk,” Sparkler supplied offhandedly like she saw one every day.

“A what, now?” Stonecutter asked, completely mystified.

“A mohawk,” Sparkler explained. “There’s a couple in the Royal Menagerie in Canterlot. We used to go on school trips and…oh! Look!” she exclaimed, pointing at the outlandish looking bird, “There’s Gummy!” 

“You gotta be kidding!” Cloudburst exclaimed, for, hanging stubbornly onto the mohawk’s black tail feathers, was Professor Pinkie Pie’s pet alligator. “No wonder the bird’s screeching. The question is, how in the wide world of Equestria are we gonna get him back? I can’t zap it, I’ll hurt Gummy, and I’m not getting too close to that beak…”

“You don’t mind getting close to Seafoam’s beak…” Stonecutter put in with a giggle. 

While they looked upwards and stared at the circling screeching hawk, the answer came to Sparkler in a flash of inspiration. “I’ve got it. I know exactly what to do. We need to make Gummy laugh.”

Stonecutter and Cloudburst both looked at the unicorn like she had taken leave of her senses. “Um…say what, now?” the pegasus asked, beating the earth pony to the question by mere seconds.

Sparkler looked from one mare to the other and saw nothing but blank expressions on their faces. The book smart mare couldn’t understand it at all. It was so obvious, why were they being so slow? “I said, we need to make Gummy laugh. That’s how we rescue him and save the mohawk’s tail.”

“Um, Sparks, don’t go thinking that I’m doubting you,” started Stonecutter, “But why exactly do we need to make him laugh? How’s that supposed to help?”

The bright yellow mare facepalmed in the boat so hard she almost rocked it over. She realised she’d have to explain it. “It’s really very simple. Remember the Ursa Minor?” she asked rhetorically. The nods she received told her that they did. “How did we get Angel back?”

“Stone here made it a dolly and gave it to the bear,” Cloudburst answered. She had been there, she knew that.

“We were kind, don’t you see?” more blank looks stared back at her. Sparkler snorted through her nose. “Angel is Professor Fluttershy’s rabbit, she’s the Element of Kindness, and we were kind? Do you see?”

Dots began to connect themselves to more dots in Stonecutter’s mind. “The diamond dogs. When we went to get Winona back, I was honest with them, and Professor Applejack’s the Element of Honesty…” she looked wide eyed, the obvious pattern emerging now. 

Sadly, it wasn’t that obvious. “Huh, I thought we got Winona because Stone threw them a bag load of gems and we ran away,” Cloudburst opined, somewhat ruining the moment.

“Anyway!” Sparkler ignored the pegasus, “When you rescued Tank, you were brave and loyal. Just like whom?”

Even Cloudburst saw the connection now. “Just like Professor Dash! I’m as awesome as the most awesome teacher ever!”

Stonecutter and Sparkler both shared an eye roll at their exuberant friend. “So, you see?” Sparkler pressed on, “Professor Pinkie Pie is the…”

“Element of Laughter!” Cloudburst finished the unicorn’s sentence for her, earning herself a very, very upset glare that did not go away too soon. “Alright, making him laugh. I got this!” the pale blue pony flapped her wings hard and flew up to where the mohawk was circling around trying, without success, to get the alligator off its tail.

After trying several of her very best jokes and getting nothing, Cloudburst was about to give up when she had an idea. “Hey, Stone,” she called out to the boat below her, “Do you know what this is?” 

“What is it, CB?”

“It's astounding…” Something in the way her best friend sang that line made the slate grey earth pony facepalm and groan. “Time is fleeting! Madness takes its toll…”

“CB, really? Is this the time for that?” when Sparkler looked at Stonecutter and mouthed ‘what’s she doing?’ the earth pony just said, “Watch, you’ll see.”

Cloudburst continued, now she was doing the strangest dance in mid-air that the unicorn had ever seen in her life. “But listen closely...c’mon Stone, give me the line, Magenta, but listen closely…” she repeated, gesturing for her friend to feed her the next line to the song.

“Not for very much longer!” Stonecutter blushed, particularly as she realised exactly what Cloudburst was up to, and the prospect of performing last year’s Friendship School play in front of her new marefriend horrified her. “You go, Riffraff!”

Cloudburst, now fully immersed in her role, did indeed ‘go’. “I've got to keep control!” she sang, dancing so outlandishly in the air that the mohawk hovered in place to watch what the strange pony was doing. “I remember doing the time-warp, drinking those moments when the Blackness would hit me, and the void would be calling...”

Stonecutter, watching below, was ready for her next part. Taking a deep breath, she sang, “Let's do the time-warp again!” she then nudged Sparkler and gestured for her to join in, and they both sang, rather awkwardly, “Let's do the time-warp again!”

“It's just a jump to the left,” Cloudburst called out in a loud voice, making the aforementioned jump.

“And then a step to the right!” Stonecutter yelled back, by now getting into the performance as well.

“With your hands on your hips,” Cloudburst had her hands there ready, and in the boat, so did Stonecutter and eventually Sparkler as well, who was convinced they were both crazy ponies. “You bring your knees in tight,” sang the pegasus and earth pony together now, both of them doing the dance, “But it's the pelvic thrust, that really drives you insane! Let's do the time-warp again!”

Gummy was already cracking a smile when Cloudburst finished the first chorus, but when Stonecutter, who was enthusiastically doing the dance managed to capsize the boat and send both her and Sparkler into the lake, the little green alligator was laughing so hard he released his vice like grip on the mohawk’s tail. Fortunately, Cloudburst was ready to catch him and, by the time she had him secured in her bag, Stonecutter had pulled a very grumpy looking Sparkler from the water and they were back in the boat along with Winona, who shook herself over the two wet mares and made Sparkler even more grumpy than she already was. 

Seeing the sort of mood that Sparkler was in, Cloudburst thought it prudent to stay up high for the flight back to Professor Fluttershy’s cottage. Gummy agreed with her and stayed in her bag. Tank was content to stay on her back. Stonecutter had obviously elected to row back seeing as they were going against the current. Judging by the look on Sparkler’s face, it would be a long trip back. As she flew along in the late afternoon sun, her phone rang. Taking it from her pocket, the caller ID said it was Seafoam. “Hey Master!”

“Hey baby,” the turquoise hippogriff smiled in their dorm room, relieved to hear his pet’s voice. “Are you still doing that pet thing?”

“Yeah, they kinda got away from us. Literally, as it happens.”

“Um, so, you're not at Professor Shy's house?”

“We were,” Cloudburst admitted, “It was alright at first. We were looking after them okay...ish, then her evil rabbit went nuts and made a scene. The cottage went crazy! I ended up in a cupboard!” 

Seafoam could hear the shudder in his special mare’s voice. He knew well how she felt about enclosed spaces. “Woah, in a cupboard? So, you’ve obviously calmed back down from that. Was it before or after your post that Stone and, um, what's her name hooked up?”

Hearing the love and concern rife in her sexy hippogriff’s voice sent a huge swell of affection coursing through the pale blue pegasus’s body. Only he could make her feel like that. “I’m okay. Stone got me out. She lifted the cupboard off of me. Sparkler helped calm me down. She's actually kinda cool, for a book worm.”

Cloudburst took a moment to check on the pets she was carrying. Thankfully both were just fine so, she turned her attention back to her phone. “They were flirting all morning. They finally hooked up about two hours ago. One minute they were walking holding hands, next thing I see they're kissing!”

“I remember you saying that Stone was looking for somepony like me,” Seafoam commented curiously. She had mentioned in the past that she wanted a dominant partner of her own. “Do you think she’s going to find that in, um, Sparkler? Odd name, that.”

“Oh she already has!” Cloudburst had been waiting on tenterhooks to tell ger Master this little piece of gossip. “Get this, about an hour Stone slipped and ended up in a swamp! Little miss Canterlot neat freak only levitated her out and ordered her to strip off. Then she said if she hugged her before she cleaned her up, she'd enjoy spanking her!”

“Good for Stone!” Seafoam exclaimed. For the moment he didn’t question the whole ‘fell in a swamp’ bit and he abandoned his desk in favour of the double bed he shared with his pet. “So, do I need to go to Kinks and Flowerpots to see if they have large collars of a certain colour?”

“Oh yes please! That'd be so awesome! Can you get the biggest brightest yellow one you can find?”

“Can do,” Seafoam acknowledged with a satisfied sigh as he laid back on the bed. He rather fancied he wouldn’t be going very far into their flowerpot department later on, though he was sure they’d have a BDSM ‘starter kit’ in stock. It was the least he could do. “So, where are you now if you aren’t at Professor Fluttershy’s?”

“Um...right now?” Cloudburst had been somewhat dreading that question. She knew her lover was very protective of her. “Well, at this moment, I'm above a river in the Everfree Forest heading back to Professor Shy's place. I just grabbed Professor Pinkie's alligator from a mohawk!” when her statement was greeted with silence, she continued, “Oh! Oooh! You should've seen me about an hour ago, Master, I was so awesome! Professor Dash's tortoise was trapped in a chasm, and I saved him!”

“What in sweet Celestia's name are you doing in the Everfree Forest!?”

The pale blue pegasus held her phone away from her ear when Seafoam shouted at her. He didn’t raise his voice very often. When he did, it was because he was worried about her. “Rescuing the pets, I told you Master. The rabbit made a scene, we got trapped in the cottage, they scarpered. So, we went to get them back. Simple!”

Seafoam didn’t think it sounded all that simple. He resolved to punish his pet for making him worry. ‘Worry more than I normally do, any way…’ he thought with a smile all over his beak. “Where's the adult in this group?”

“They're in the boat below me. Stone can't really talk though, she's busy rowing back up river.”

He rubbed the bridge of his beak between his thumb and forefinger. “When are you getting back, 'cause I'm a missing you and my paddle is missing its target.”

“Uuuum...I'm not sure,” Cloudburst checked her watch and saw that it was not that far away from five in the afternoon and there was two pets to go yet. “We still need to get Professor Rarity's cat and Headmare Twilight's owl. I'm hoping we’ll be back at the cottage before it gets dark,” she blew him a kiss down the phone, “I'm missing you too.”

“If you get killed out there, I'll dig you up and spank you!”

Cloudburst rolled her eyes down the phone and she made sure he heard it too. “I'm not getting killed, baby. I was way too fast for the eels. But you're welcome to spank me anyway…”

“Eels?” Seafoam interrupted her with a concerned squeak.

Lost in her head of steam as she was, Cloudburst didn’t hear the alarm in her coltfriend’s voice. “We were stood on the chasm and I was like 'I'll get Tank' and then I was like swooping down, and then this eel stuck his head out, and I was like roll to the right, yeah!” she got more and more excited and animated as her description of her daring rescue progressed. In her mind she was there again in the moment. “And then I shot a bolt at it, then I freed Tank, and another eel came out, and I was like, super swooping down and I got him just in time! It was so cool!”

Seafoam facepalmed on their bed. Shaking his head he was once more reminded that his idea of exciting and cool was vastly different to hers. That was why he loved her so much. “Yeah, okay,” he sighed, “I think I'll have a bit of a lie down and you take care of the Professor's pets. Yeah, I'll do that.”

“I'm so getting spanked, aren't I?”

“Yes, you are so getting spanked.”

“Yay!” Cloudburst giggled, sometimes it was worth making him worry about her. The punishments she received as a result was proof, if any were needed, of how much he loved and adored her. “So, how's your day been without me? Whatcha been doin?”

Seafoam let out a deep exasperated sigh, looking over at the stack of textbooks on his desk. “I'm so bored I'm studying.”

“One of us has to be clever, my love,” Cloudburst did have a thought though, as she flew along over the rowing boat down below her. Sparkler was smiling again, so something must have happened that she missed. “I’ve got something for you to do, if need saving from the books?”

The turquoise hippogriff didn’t like the sound of that. One could never really be too sure with Cloudburst if it was a genuine request or a set up to a prank. His paddle arm almost wanted it to be the latter. “What?”

“We ah, kinda left Professor Shy's place in a bit of a mess,” Cloudburst started somewhat hesitantly. She knew that Seafoam would always help her and her friend out if he could, but there was always a price that the pet had to pay. Not that she minded in the slightest, of course. “If you felt like being the best coltfriend and Master ever, it could do with a clean?”

Seafoam almost fell off the bed when he heard that. “For you to say 'messy', it would have to be a total disaster, CB.” Living with Cloudburst in their dorm room at the Friendship School was like living with a walking flying tornado. More than once the dominant hippogriff had to employ some corrective measures to get to clean up after herself.

She really couldn’t argue with that, though after the last two hour paddling session when she had been bent over the end of the bed and tied down, she had done better picking up her stuff. “Weeeeeeell…” she said innocently, at least this mess wasn’t her fault, “One of the windows is totally smashed, there's soot and pet food everywhere, the door's hanging off and the curtains are down.”

“Fine, fine. I'll see if I can get Blackbeak to help. You can sneak off to Cloudsdale and get us a case of beers.”

“Oooh yes!” Cloudburst liked Blackbeak. The griffon was like an older brother to her and his coltfriend was a gem too. “And, we can have a picnic at the Professor's place when we get back! There's plenty of food and we were told we can stay there until they get back from sorting out this problem in the Badlands.”

“Okay, yeah, the statuettes thing. There are reports that ponies all over the country are turning into them and then turning back after an hour or so. But sure, I'll grab him and we'll head over there now. He might bring Cloudy Skies with him too, so I know there will be one good cook there.”

“Hey!” Cloudburst protested, though there wasn’t much fight behind her objection, “I'm not 'that' bad...and...after we get back, why don't you stay over with us? There’s plenty of room at the Professor’s place, and we can have some fun upstairs after the picnic.”

“Would that Sp…Spaa…the yellow one, be on board with that?”

“Sparkler, Master.” Cloudburst corrected him gently, “And yes, I told you, she's cool.” A sudden thought occurred to the flying pegasus then as they rounded a bend in the river, Fluttershy’s house coming into view as they passed a row of overhanging gnarled trees, “We can give the newbies a masterclass!”

Seafoam was more than up for that. He did like Stonecutter. He wouldn’t say they were super close, but he knew her well enough to call the chubby earth pony a friend. He respected her immensely, particularly how protective she was of his special mare. Cloudburst was naïve, and Stonecutter knew how devoted the pegasus was to him. And how that could be abused in the wrong claws. He had assured her that he was the right claws. “Fine, I'll include Dom training for free. As long as I see her spank Stone's ass.”

“Deal! Oh, hey, I better go, we're close to the cottage. Before I do, have you heard anything from mom and dad?” 

Seafoam hated the hopeful sound in his pet’s voice. He hated it because he knew he’d have to crush that hope. “I haven't checked messages lately, but not that I know of. Sorry, CB.”

She had been expecting it, sure, but the news still came as a body blow straight to her gut. There was a Wonderbolts show in Ponyville in two weeks time. Usually she had her free tickets by now. “Pfft, fine, whatever,” Cloudburst tried to put a brave face on it, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “It’s not like I was expecting anything.” A blatant lie, she hoped he wouldn’t call her out on it. “Fine. I'll um, message you later when I know more what's happening, alright?”

“All right,” Seafoam chose to let the fact she had so obviously lied to him pass. He knew as well as she did that there was a Wonderbolts show coming up. He’d seen the fliers advertising Misty Fly and Wave Chill’s new stunt. He also knew he’d gain nothing by forcing the issue. “I'll call later if you don't.”

“Take care, baby.” Cloudburst put her phone away when Seafoam hung up, he knew she liked to have the last word. Flying lower as she got closer to her professor’s cottage, she landed on the ground just as Stonecutter hauled the white rowing boat back up onto the grassy riverbank. 

After eating a light snack of apples, bananas, pears and oats taken from their three backpacks and washing it down with the bottled water that Sparkler had, the three mares recharged themselves under the late afternoon sun. They made sure the four pets had their share, but the meal was eaten in silence. Cloudburst had her ‘parents are crap, don’t ask’ face, so the other two didn’t ask. Something she was grateful for.  

“What do you say we follow that trail?” Stonecutter suggested when they had eaten their fill and sated their thirst. Feeling reinvigorated after almost a full hour of rowing back up the river, she pointed out the purple bow that Opalescence had been wearing on her head that was snagged on a bush near where they were sitting. A little further away, she could see a blue opal that had been adorning the collar the cat wore laying in the middle of a narrow path that lead southeast back into the forest.

“Sure, back into the forest, why not?” Sparkler sighed, resigned to the fact that they were once more going back into her favourite place in the whole world.

“Hey guys, if you don’t mind, I kinda wanna be on my own for a bit, okay?” 

“Okay CB,” Stonecutter knew better than to argue with her best friend. She’d come round in her own time. It was useless to push. Getting up, she held out her hand for Sparkler to hold. “Keep us in sight though, alright? We don’t want to be lost from each other.”

“Yeah, okay Stone.” Cloudburst made sure that Tank and Gummy were secure before she took off, shooting straight upwards into the sky that was now a definite orange as the sun started to get lower and lower.

Sparkler once again had Winona on her leash and Angel, for the moment, was content to hide away in Stonecutter’s bag, the threat of the Ursa never far from the rabbit’s mind. “Just two more to get and we can relax!” the unicorn smiled. Holding her marefriend’s hand tightly, she barely gave notice to the spooky trees this time.

“Yeah, can you believe CB's dance got the alligator to laugh like that?” asked Stonecutter somewhat rhetorically. She was about to say something else when the slate grey earth pony saw another shining blue opal laying in the middle of the narrow path. “Hey, look,” she picked it up and added it to the one she had picked up before. “That looks like what was on the cat's collar.”

Sparkler moved closer to her lover, pressed in by the trees encroaching upon the path. “Is the cat trying to get rid of the evidence or leaving a trail, do you think?”

“I think Opalescence is leaving us a trail, whether she meant to or not. What do you think, Winona?” When she sniffed the opal and then the part of the path it was laying on, the brown and white dog barked happily, straining at the leash to get to her fellow pet. “Well, that’s good enough for me!”

Sparkler rolled her green eyes, “If you go to the dogs, we'll have issues.”

“Will we?” Stonecutter giggled and squeezed the unicorn’s delicate little hand. “I haven’t seen you take a pill in a while, how're you doing with all the bugs and stuff?”

If she was honest with herself, so much had gone on and happened in the last few hours that she hadn’t been thinking about her allergies or her phobias. Like a typical Canterlot unicorn, she sniffed with her nose in the air. “If there is a bug, it is your job to remove it. Dead or alive.”

“Yes Mistress,” Stonecutter grinned and brushed her hand over Sparkler’s shoulder, dislodging a woodlouse that had hitched a ride. “Is that my only job, your personal bug remover?”

“I don't have a full stock of your skill set yet, but I do hope horn massages are one of them.”

“I'm sure I can learn.”

“I’m sure you can, too.” Sparkler was sure and certain that Stonecutter was not the stereotypical big dumb pony. Far from it. “And I expect you keep up your own personal appearance. You shall be as clean and presentable as you can be at all times. From what I saw of you earlier, you keep yourself trimmed, which I like, and once I got your mane cleaned, I could tell you kept it clean.”

Stonecutter blushed heavily at that. She hadn’t realised that she had shown off quite so much of her most intimate area when she had been cleaned by the side of the swamp. “That I can do. I might need a gentle reminding from my Mistress though, if I happen to have stone dust in my mane.”

Sparkler was sure she could do that. She was doing that in her mind right at that moment. “I like clothing that accentuates your curves. Your shorts really show off your thighs and your legs, but I think a tee one size smaller should look good on you.”

“You really think so?” Stonecutter looked down at her belly. The tee she was wearing was tight over it, though that may have something to do with it being dunked in a swamp and cloud laundered. She could only imagine how tight a smaller size would be. 

Smiling, Sparkler placed her free hand on Stonecutter's belly. “I do think so. I bet you look really nice in a two piece…”

Stonecutter’s intense blush returned in full force, the slate grey mare’s cheeks turning very red indeed. “I-I h-haven't worn a swimsuit in ages, Mistress…” it had been an unequalled disaster and she had been laughed out of the swimming pool. Since then, she hadn’t even tried to wear anything like that. “Like I said before, I don't care what other ponies think. I care what you think.”

“I think I want to see you in a tiny two piece and me putting on the lotion…” Sparkler had to remover her hand from Stonecutter’s belly then because there was a fair amount of drool coming from the corner of her mouth that needed wiping away. 

“I have one, in my closet. Mom bought it for me a couple of years ago. It's still in its wrapper.” Seeing as they were alone on the narrow path, and that she had already seen it, the earth pony smiled and lifted up the hem of her stained tee shirt, exposing her belly. “Just for you, Mistress.” 

Before she placed her free hand back over her pet’s exposed belly, Sparkler bent and picked up yet another blue opal. They were at least on the right track to finding the cat. “I also expect you to make a sculpture of me. As a reminder of who owns your collar.”

“I'd be honoured to sculpt you. I'll even wear the two piece while I do it.”

Sparkler then got up on her hoof tips so she could whisper in Stonecutter's ear, “That will be more than I'll be wearing.”

Now, she was the one drooling. “Re-Really?”

“I'm not one to make idle statements. Just don't ask about my boasts!”

Stonecutter quickly kissed Sparkler’s nose and then her lips. “I like that. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Always the best way.”

“So,” Sparkler started once the kiss had been broken and they started to walk the path once more, “I don't know all the BDSM stuff that Cloudy does, obviously, but I know that if there is something you don't want to do, you need to let me know.”

“Do's and don'ts,” Stonecutter acknowledged with a smile, “I get you. No treadmill or Running of the Leaves,” she giggled, “Seriously though, I'll have to have a think on it because, you may have noticed, I'm not all that experienced myself, y'know, physically, I mean.” In fact she wasn’t experienced at all, outside of her right hand and the occasional movie when her heat kicked in.

“Running of the Leaves, what’s that?”

With a deep sigh in her voice, Stonecutter replied, “It's an annual race held in Ponyville every year before the weather pegasi bring on winter from Cloudsdale. Ponies who take part run through all the woods in town and the thundering of their hooves shake the leaves from the trees. I don't bother with it.” She hadn’t bothered with it since her weight began to pile up. Getting laughed at for coming last three years in a row twenty minutes after everypony else had finished wasn’t her idea of a fun time.

Sparkler shook her head. “Small towns are strange. Really, strange.” She then shot her pet a sly smile. “Still, I could take a front row seat to watch you on a treadmill for a few minutes.”

“How strict you are, to punish me so severely!” Stonecutter raised a dramatic hand to her forehead and she giggled, hoping that she might be joking about the treadmill.

“Putting you on a treadmill is severe punishment?” Sparkler asked, raising her eyebrow curiously. In her mind she was imagining how jiggly her marefriend would be on a treadmill, tied to it so she couldn’t get off unless she allowed it. It was a most pleasant thought and was now her favourite fantasy. “It would be a pleasure for me to watch you jiggle…I mean, run. For now though, spanking is my personal limit. Like I said, I've read a lot on the subject, and I saw one of mom's videos.”

“That sounds good to me. Start small and go from there together,” she kissed Sparkler's hand and, after picking up another opal, they walked together in silence, both mares content for the moment to share each others’ company. Presently, after a further thirty minutes walk, the narrow path opened out into a small forest clearing. In the centre was an ancient looking stone well. A few feet away from the well was the crumbling rotted remains of what once was a wooden hut, the occupants long since gone.

Stepping up to the well, Stonecutter and Sparkler saw that the edge was made up of a low stone wall that had been expertly dry fitted together with some considerable skill. A slate roof, covered in what may have been centuries of moss, sheltered the well from the sky. There was an old, rickety looking wooden handle attached to a wheel over the well that had been, at one time, used to raise and lower the rope that dropped down into the depths of the well. 

Looking down over the wall of the well, Stonecutter peered into the darkness. She couldn’t make out the bottom, it was too far down. She also couldn’t believe that the old and frayed rope was still there. It looked to her like it might snap at any second. While the shadowy walls of the well disappeared deep underground, she could hear a faint meowing coming up from the darkness below. “Yeah,” she said, turning to Sparkler and Cloudburst who had landed beside her, “Opalescence is down there, alright.”

“Hey,” the pale blue pegasus spoke up, pointing to the board attached to the front of the well, “What’s that?”

“Hang on, I’ll have a look,” Sparkler lit her horn and used her magic to scrape away the cobwebs and the dirt that covered the face of the board. Once that was done, she could just about see some words written in an ancient equine language she thought looked familiar that formed two paragraphs.

“What the hay does that say?” Cloudburst looked over Sparkler’s shoulder but the words, faded by time, were incomprehensible to her.

“I have no idea, CB,” Stonecutter commented, “They make about as much sense as one of your essays that I have to sort out for you.”

Before Cloudburst could retort with a well timed raspberry, Sparkler held up her hoof for quiet. “It’s written in Old Ponish.” That dated the well to back beyond Nightmare Moon’s banishment, almost back to the unification of the tribes. It was inconceivable it was this well preserved after all this time.

“You can read Old Ponish?” asked the other two mares as one being.

Sparkler blushed. “There’s not much to do in the royal library besides read. Yes, I can read it, just about. Give me a moment.” When they grew quiet, she studied the first few lines of text. “I think it’s a warning of some kind. It says this is a magic wishing well…”

“A magic well?” Cloudburst interrupted with a laugh, “Really?”

“Really, now shush!” Sparkler turned her irriated gaze back to the wooden board. Now she thought about it, she could sense an old magic in the ground around the well. From the look on Stonecutter’s face, she knew the earth pony could feel it too. Old, ancient magic. “It says here that a long time ago, when the Sisters were young, ponies would come to the well and drop in gold bits, asking for wishes. At first the well granted those wishes, but, as more and more ponies came, it began demanding more and more offerings before granting them.”

“Wait…the well got greedy?” Cloudburst asked, shuddering when she heard Opalescence’s frightened meows.

“Yes, that’s what this says,” Sparkler sighed in frustration. “Now, it says the ponies couldn’t afford the offerings and they gradually stopped coming. Over time, the well was abandoned and the Everfree Forest grew around it.” She was about to read the second set of text when the faint words shone with a bright golden light. When they all looked again, the words were clear as day and written in current Equish for them all to read.

“I am a well of wishing and I wish you well,
You seek a pretty purring pet which down me fell.
My depth is great and my sides are steep,
What I have taken is mine to keep.
If you wish to save your feline friend,
With me your trinkets will have to end.
I wish for gold aplenty or a favourite toy.
A treasured necklace that brings you joy.
The most secret of recipes or a pair off rings,
What it is doesn’t matter, these are just things.
What I truly wish and will bring me great bliss,
Is for you to give me that which you’ll miss.”

“So…all we have to do is chuck some stuff in there and we get Opal back?” asked Cloudburst, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a handful of bits from her allowance that Seafoam had given her that morning.

“No.” Sparkler shook her head. “It’s not that easy. See the last bit? It has to be something that we’ll miss.”

“Pfft, it’s a well! How’s it going to know the difference between a gold bit and whatever else we throw down?” before they could stop her, the impulsive mare threw five gold bits into the well and tried to turn the handle to raise the bucket. Unfortunately, it was so old and rotted that it broke the instant she tried to use it. 

“So, now what?” Stonecutter asked, feeling hopeless.

Sparkler rolled her eyes at the other two mares. “We have to give it things that are important to us!”

“Those bits were important to me!” Cloudburst protested, “I could’ve bought some salt lick with that!”

Sighing in annoyance, more so at discovering that her new friend had such a bad habit, Sparkler reached inside her bag and, reluctantly, she pulled out her new brass telescope she had bought at the market earlier in the morning. “Sparks,” Stonecutter was wide eyed, “What are you doing?”

“Being generous, don’t you get it? Professor Rarity, Generosity?” she explained likes she was addressing young foals. “CB, give it your harmonica, Stone, your sculpting kit.”

“What?” Cloudburst angrily flared her wings, “No way! I love that harmonica! It…it was my birthday present…”

“It’s okay, CB, I can get you another one, don’t you worry.”

“Not like this one!” Cloudburst took out her treasured instrument, “Stone gave it me when I was twelve, when mom and dad started doing regular Wonderbolts shows together, y’know, when I started seeing less and less of them.”

“I know, CB.” Sparkler held her telescope with a heavy heart. “This was to replace the one that daddy gave me, my last birthday before he split with mom.”

Stonecutter’s hands were trembling as she held her sculpting kit. “Momma and papa gave me these tools at my cutecinera. I did this sculpture at Cheerilee’s school and got my cutie mark for it.”

“Let’s just get this over with, before I change my mind,” Sparkler stepped up to the well and dropped her shiny new telescope into the dark depths. She was rewarded, almost instantly, by words of thanks from the well written magically on the board as well as a strange gurgling sound that was the water level rising. Opalescence’s meowing became clearer as she was brought up with it.

Sighing deeply, Stonecutter approached the well and with a heavy heart like Sparkler, she dropped her prized sculpting kit into the well. She too was rewarded with fresh words of thanks written on the wooden board. Seconds later and the gurgling sound of rushing water could be heard again. Looking down into the well, she saw Opalescence sat in the bucket, but too far down for her to reach. “Go on, CB. Your turn.”

“I…I can’t…” tears were streaking down her cheeks at the prospect of giving up her harmonica.

“It’s okay,” Sparkler placed her hand on Cloudburst’s right shoulder, “We’re here for you, CB.”

“And we love you, featherbrain.” Stonecutter rested her hand on her best friend’s other shoulder with a soft reassuring smile, she gestured to the well and the forelornly meowing cat.

“Fine…” before her resolve failed her completely, Cloudburst stepped up and dropped her harmonica into the well. She didn’t see the message of thanks that the well gave her though, because as soon as she let it go, she pulled away from her friends and, sitting on the grass, she wrapped her wings around herself and cried like a foal.

As much as Sparkler and Stonecutter wanted to go and comfort the pitifully sobbing pegasus, they couldn’t, right away because the bucket was raised all the way up revealing a very upset, very cold and very soggy Opalescence. Once the earth pony picked her up out of the bucket – Sparkler refused on principal to touch her until she was dry – the writing changed yet again on the board. 

“With gifts and daring you have saved the cat.
It yowled and complained like an aristocrat!
Now leave me ponies, to my treasure hoard,
To my lonely existence, silent and bored.
Nopony ever visited for the longest time,
It makes me wonder why I bother to rhyme!”

“It’s lonely?” asked Sparkler incredulously as she took a dried Opalescence from Stonecutter and began to groom the disgruntled white cat while the earth pony tried valiantly to calm her still crying friend on the grass. 

“Yes,” came the quick reply on the wooden board.

“You want company, is that what all this was for?” Sparkler wondered why she was conversing with a well but, on reflection, that wasn’t the strangest thing she had done that day. Her main focus though, as she groomed and combed the cat, was to make her look a bit less like a wrung out dishcloth.

“Yes…” this time the reply was slower in coming, like the well was wrestling with some inner turmoil, “Please.”

Sparkler’s first instinct was to tell the well where it could go, how far it could go and even draw the thing a diagram showing it how to get there. But, as she carefully combed Opalescence’s fur, getting a purr of gratitude from her, the unicorn was struck with a great degree of sympathy for the well. She knew what it was like, having no friends. “Why should we help you?” she asked, wary, “You’re a mean, greedy well!”

“I am…I am so-so-sorry.” 

It sounded like that was a word the well hadn’t used in a very, very long time. Sparkler saw that Stonecutter had managed to calm Cloudburst and was now hugging the mare tightly. Grooming the cat, the unicorn was reminded of her recent friendship lessons, in particular generosity and forgiveness. “What if, once a month, we came back, and paid you a visit?”

“I should like that, very much, young pony.”

Stonecutter, cradling Cloudburst in her arms, looked at Sparkler like the unicorn had finally gone stark raving bonkers. However, she cut across her before the earth pony could say anything. “Very well then. In four weeks from today, we will come back. We’ll have a picnic here in this clearing and spend the whole day with you. What do you say?”

The wishing well, for its part, didn’t say anything. Sparkler though felt the magic in the area change, the aura felt different. The wheel turned under its own volition and the bucket descended into the depths of the well. With a loud gurgling noise, it raised up a few moments later bearing the three things the mares had given to the well. “Guys, look at this!” Sparkler looked incredulous, when she lifted up her telescope, it was clean, dry and pristine, like no water had touched it at all.

Similarly, the sculpting tools that Stonecutter had given were not just returned but they had been cleaned, as had Cloudburst’s harmonica. Everything was in better than new condition. “Pegasus,” the well had written, “This is for you, as you gave the most precious gift.” 

Though she was still sniffling and rubbing her snot covered nose on the back of the sleeve of her school hoodie, Cloudburst tentatively looked into the bucket. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “This…is this for me?” when she received a ‘yes’, she reached in and reverently picked up the old, old General Firefly Wonderbolt doll with shaking hands. “Thank you!” 

Each mare then placed their hand on the stone wall of the well and they introduced themselves one after the other, each making the promise to come back in four weeks. The well sent them one last message, a simple ‘thank you’, before it bid them a good day. What was left of the day, anyway. As they turned and walked back along the path, going back the way they came – Opalescence, still a little grumpy, was hiding away in Sparkler’s bag, seeing as how she was the only one not carrying a pet – they failed to notice the fiery, predatory, red eyes that stalked them.

The timberwolf was hungry.
> Chapter 5 - Blue Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Run! Sparkler run!"

"I am running!"

"Run faster!"

"I can't!"

"CB! Look out for that tree!"

"Buck!" Cloudburst just managed a swerving roll to the left that cleared a large gnarled tree in front of her that had come from nowhere by mere inches. Stonecutter’s warning had come just in time to stop her flying head first into it. "It's gaining! Run you guys!" she had chanced a look over her shoulder and saw the timberwolf just a few feet behind them

"What do you think we're doing!?" Sparkler screamed, her lungs and calves burning with the effort of galloping through the forest, Winona was pulling her along on the leash, which didn’t help. 

Stonecutter, galloping alongside her marefriend, could feel the wolf's hot breath on her ankles. The chubby mare was red faced and panting hard. She wasn't built to run, let alone gallop at full tilt over uneven ground. Every thundering step she took she was scared she would stumble and fall. Every bramble and briar they than through snagged her socks and her tee shirt.

"AAaaAAAH!" Sparkler screamed. The bright yellow unicorn had hit a stone hidden in a bush and stumbled forwards in mid run. She would have fallen flat on her face if Stonecutter hadn't scooped her up in her arms. That made the earth pony even slower as she was hindered with not only carrying Sparkler but Winona as well. More scared than she had ever been in her life, she crashed through the undergrowth, Sparkler's magic moving a low branch out of their way.

As hard as they were running though, Stonecutter could feel a stitch coming in her side, her legs were cramping up. Her breath was coming in short ragged gasps. The snarling timberwolf would be upon them in seconds. "CB, do something!" she screamed in abject terror, narrowly ducking under a head height branch that, had she hit it, would have knocked her senseless on the forest floor.

"Like what?" the pegasus screamed back, only just swerving around a bunch of hanging thorny vines that threatened to entangle her. She was beyond scared. What could she do against a timberwolf? Tickle it with her feathers? Tell it a joke and hope it laughed so hard it forgot to eat them?

Sparkler, held bridal style by Stonecutter in the slate grey mare’s strong arms, looked over her pet's shoulder at the pursuing timberwolf and wished she hadn't. Until fifteen minutes ago she had never seen or heard of a timberwolf, now the feral beast was chasing them down! As she stared into its ghostly glowing green eyes, she saw, in her panic, the creature was actually made up of wood that looked alive. There were twigs and branches with fresh looking leaves all over it. ‘Duh…timberwolf. Made of timber. Fresh living wood…’

Terrified though she was, Sparkler’s brain was working hard as Stonecutter fled at her top speed, the large mare crashing through the brush heedless of the multitudinous scratches and scrapes they were earning as a result. Her eyes went wide as a plan came to her. "CB! Aim a lightning bolt at it!"

"What?" she screamed back, "What good will that do? It's a bucking tree!"

"Just do it!" Sparkler yelled, "Your most powerful lightning bolt, now!"

"But I'll need to stop and aim!"

"Trust me!"

"You're crazy!" The very last thing Cloudburst wanted to do was to stop and aim. In the path of an onrushing timberwolf.

"CB!" Stonecutter could barely breathe anymore. She guessed she had five minutes running left in her before she was spent. The wolf was gaining, it would be on them at any second. "Do it! Please! I can't run much more!" Tears streamed from her eyes. Every single muscle in her thick legs was screaming out in pain, begging for her to stop.

'I'm gonna die...I'm gonna die...' Cloudburst thought as she stopped and hovered in place. Rubbing the palms of her hands together, she frantically began to generate the static electricity. Harder and harder she rubbed, she felt the energy build inside her, she could feel it in her very bones. Her hands began to glow an electric blue colour as the charge built up in her forearms. Still she rubbed harder until her hands glowed white.  

The timberwolf ran straight at her now, seeing as she was closer to it than the earth pony and unicorn. 'I'm gonna die...Master's gonna spank me so hard!' All thought escaped her though as, when the wolf was scant feet away, she aimed her palms at the creature and released the highest level lightning bolt she had generated in her life. The level ten thunderbolt hit the wolf square in the face, above its nose and between its glowing green eyes. In a micro second, the wood was heated to forty thousand degrees and in that instant, all the moisture trapped just under the bark boiled and expanded, causing the creature to explode in a shower of head sized chunks of wood and razor sharp splinters.

'I'm gonna die!' Cloudburst saw the debris coming at her moving in slow motion, but she hadn't the time to get out the way. She just had the time to process the fact that she had escaped being eaten alive by a timberwolf only to be shredded. The pegasus lifted a wing in front of her face and scrunched up her eyes. At least it would be quick.

‘Please let it be quick,’ she thought, begging to anypony who could hear her. All she heard though was several loud thunks and lots of smaller impacts. When she realised that she wasn’t dead or cut to ribbons, she opened her eyes. Cloudburst saw a large tree branch floating in a glowing green aura. On the other side, imbedded in it, were the chunks and splinters that otherwise would have cut her apart. She turned to see Sparkler huddled with Stonecutter behind a hefty boulder with her horn lit.

"You...you saved my life!" she hovered over to them and staggered to her knees. "You knew that would happen, didn't you?"

"Kinda..." Sparkler dropped the branch that had shielded Cloudburst and panted for breath, "I remembered science class...about why you never take shelter under a tree during a lightning storm…h-hey!" she squeaked as Winona, still held in Stonecutter’s arms, broke free from the exhausted earth pony’s grasp and started to lick Sparkler all over the unicorn’s face. 

“Aww don’t take on so,” Stonecutter, still breathing heavily, panted beside her marefriend. “She’s just saying thank you, that’s all. I think I’ll take her lead.” Sparkler, who thought Stonecutter meant Winona’s leash, was rather surprised when the slate grey earth pony wrapped her up in a bone crushing hug, planting kisses all over her face.

“Yeah,” Cloudburst joined in, “I’ll get some of that action!” When Stonecutter let her go, the pegasus stepped up and hugged Sparkler with not just her arms but her wings as well. She then reached into her left wing and, with a hiss, pulled out one of her primary feathers just where they transitioned to the secondaries and presented it to her new friend. “Thank you, for saving my life, Sparks.”

Sparkler didn’t know what to do or say. She took the offered feather and placed it reverently in her bag, content to blush like a tomato. Fortunately, her marefriend broke the silence that had grown between them. “Um…guys?” the earth pony spoke up, “Where in the world are we?”

They all looked around themselves. They had ran at full gallop and flew at top speed for over twenty minutes. In that time they had crashed through underbrush, twisted and turned, changed direction many times in an attempt to throw off the incessant timberwolf. The realisation slowly dawned upon them one by one that they were hopelessly lost. There was no path where they were for them to follow, no trail, no clue which way to go next. Each of them offered a shrug of their shoulders.

“Hey,” Cloudburst said after a few moments of oppressive silence, “Do you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Stonecutter asked before being shushed by her marefriend. All she could hear was the blood still thundering around her ears and her own heavy breathing. It was at times like this she cursed herself for being so overweight and out of shape.

“I hear it…I hear it!” Sparkler’s eyes went wide. At first she thought the sound was just a trick of the forest, but the more she listened, she heard what she was sure was making the pegasus grin. A frantic hooting sound was coming to her ears from not very far away at all, if she was any judge. It was Owlowiscious, she was sure of it! 

Now, even Stonecutter heard the hooting sound. She shot a disbelieving look to Sparkler and Cloudburst. “What?” she asked defensively when they answered her look with incredulous ones of their own. “No way are we that lucky as to stumble on Professor Twilight’s owl all the way out here like that…”

“Lucky!” Cloudburst exclaimed, interrupting her best friend, “Do you call almost being killed to death by a timberwolf lucky?”

“You’re alive, aren’t you, featherbrain?” Stonecutter snarked, “I’d call that pretty lucky.”

“Girls!” Sparkler cut across the both of them, before it could get out of hand. The bright yellow unicorn was in no mood to referee a slanging match between the two best friends. Not while they were still lost in the heart of the Everfree Forest, anyway. “Science saved us, not luck.” She put her hoof down.

“Yeah, ‘science’,” Cloudburst added finger quotes to the last word, “and my lightning bolt…”

Sparkler cut her off with a look that could have stopped a charging Ursa in its tracks. “It. Was. Science. Got it?” She put a finger on Cloudburst’s collar and then flicked her nose. “Now, we should get going. Next time it could be something bigger and more dangerous than a timberwolf that chases us. I want to get out of here before the next time.” With that, she took Winona’s leash in her hand and started to walk through the shrubbery towards the sound of the hooting.    

As they walked along through the thinning shrubbery and rotting mass of leaves that made up the forest floor towards the sound of the hooting, Stonecutter sighed. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I’ve had enough of this bucking place…” Sparkler and Cloudburst both muttered their agreement to what the earth pony had just said. All three of them were on alert for a manticore, or a cockatrice or chimera or whatever else this damned forest would throw at them. A few more steps though and Winona began barking, pointing her nose at something on the ground.

Warily, in case whatever it was might burst forth from the rotting mass of crap and eat them all alive, Cloudburst investigated what the brown and white dog had found. What she had found both surprised and elated her in equal measure. “Hey guys!” she called out, picking up the object and holding it victoriously in the air, “Look at this!”

What ‘it’ was, was a feather. A brown feather. A brown feather that was covered in soot. For the first time since leaving the wishing well, Sparkler smiled. “That’s got to be from Owlowiscious!”

The other two mares concurred, for they were both greatly heartened by the physical evidence of the last pet. They were convinced the hooting had to be him, and what was more they were closer than ever! Like they had been given an adrenaline shot, they picked up the pace. They no longer cared about the brambles and shrubs they crashed through, they wanted this whole thing over with. 

On they walked, negotiating their way over and around low branches and sharp thorns. The closer they got to the hooting sound the more of the soot covered feathers they found, convincing them further that they were on the right trail. Presently though, they emerged from the dark twisted trees into a wide shadowy glade.    

Parting the low branches framing the entrance to the wide glade, the three mares saw that the space was empty but for two things; an extremely tall and ancient looking oak tree, its gnarled and twisted branches extending out from its trunk, and the ground which was covered from the base of the tree with a mass of beautiful blue plants. The plants – blue petals, blue leaves and blue stalks streaked with dark blue veins - covered the whole of the open ground from the tree out almost to the edge of the glade where they were standing. 

Flying repeatedly into the trunk of the large tree, hooting crazily like he was drunk, was Owlowiscious, the poor owl looked cross-eyed and dopey, a lot like Cloudburst looked when she was confronted by a math test. A fact that Stonecutter was quick to point out to her best friend. And her best friend was quick to raspberry her in return. “So, seriously,” the earth pony spoke up, “How do we get him back?”

“What do you mean, how?” Cloudburst looked at the overweight mare like she had grown three heads. “I’ll just fly there and grab him. Easy!” she spread her wings and prepared to demonstrate just how easy it would be when Sparkler surprised them all.

“I have had it with this place!” the bright yellow unicorn threw Winona’s makeshift leash at her marefriend, who caught it in her fumbling hands. “To Tartarus with this forest and everything in it!” Cloudburst and Stonecutter glanced at each other like Sparkler had gone mad. “I. Have. Had. Enough!” she then ran at a canter out from the trees and headfirst into the mass of blue plant. “Bugs! Spiders! Rotting plants! Dirt! I’ve had enough!” she punctuated each word with several running steps towards the tree.

“Stone…your Mistress has lost it…”

“Yeah, I’m beginning to think you’re right, CB,” Stonecutter looked worried at her best friend. She had wanted to stop, think, make a plan, just Sparkler had done every time so far, but she was as stunned as the pegasus beside her when she saw the unicorn just blunder off into whatever the plants were. “Hey! Hey Sparks!” she called after the running unicorn to no effect, “Come back would you?”

“Sparks!” Cloudburst yelled, snapping her fingers and sending a low level lightning bolt over her head to get her attention, “Wait up! Come back dummy!”

The insult did it. Halfway to the oak tree, Sparkler stopped and turned around, anger all over her face. How dare she, Cloudburst of all ponies, call her a dummy? “What!?” she screamed back, stomping her hoof on the ground. Alas, this was a grave error. Unbeknown to the unicorn, and in fact the other two, the plant was poison joke. Stomping her hoof into them, Sparkler had unwittingly released thousands of the plant’s pollen into the air. The longer she stood amongst them, the longer she breathed in the air, the more she was being affected.

“Come back! We need a plan!” Stonecutter yelled, not wanting to touch the strange plants.

“I’ve got a plan!” When Sparkler turned back to face Owlowiscious, who was still flying drunkenly around the tree, the unicorn lit her horn and she attempted to levitate him to her with her telekinesis. However, what happened was that several Catherine wheels and roman candles burst from her horn and erupted in a shower of light in the shadowy glade. “I um…I didn’t mean to do that!”    

“Sparkler!” Stonecutter was worried now. “Get back here!” 

“Y-Yeah…yeah, I’ll come back…” She wanted to put one hoof in front of the other. What actually happened was she found herself walking sideways left to right. Like she was drunk, none of her steps corresponded to where she wanted to go. The more she tried to concentrate and walk straight, the more crazy it looked. “I…I got this!” She tried to levitate herself, which sent three enormous rockets exploding into the sky like it was the Summer Sun Celebration.

When Sparkler tripped over her hooves and fell face first into the mass of blue plants, Cloudburst had seen enough. “I’ll get her, Stone. Don’t worry.” Spreading her wings, the pegasus took off like she had wanted to in the first place and she flew over the poison joke. She covered the distance to the oak tree in no time at all and, in a deft movement, she grabbed the errant owl and, on her way back, she swooped down low and grabbed Sparkler’s hands, half carrying, half dragging her back to the edge of the glade. “There, told you it was easy!”

“Sparks, are you okay?” Stonecutter asked as she carefully helped her marefriend up to her hooves.

“I’m fine!” Sparkler giggled stupidly and lit her horn again, which caused another bright shower of fireworks to light up the sky and the surrounding wood. “They pretty!” Cloudburst, as it happened, was having her own issues. Though she had caught Owlowiscious, Owlowiscious it seemed did not want to stay caught. The more the owl tried to stay still, the more he flapped his wings in an effort to break free of the pegasus’s grasp. 

Fortunately, for the three mares, Sparkler’s light show had not gone unnoticed. A shadowy figure, who had been walking abroad in the forest that she called home saw the bright display and, in a curious mood, she had gone to see what the source was. Even in the Everfree Forest, unexpected fireworks were an unusual sight. What greeted Zecora when she emerged from the trees and lowered the hood of her cloak surprised the zebra to no end. “What have you foals done?” she called out to them, it only took her a second to see the strange reactions and the blue plants and add things up, “Poison joke is no fun!”

“Look at me!” Sparkler cried, before shooting off more fireworks and giggling like an idiot, “All the pretty colours!”

“Zecora! Ma'am,” Stonecutter recognised the zebra straightaway. She had taught some classes at the Friendship School when Professor Fluttershy had been unable to. She had always liked what she saw as an eccentric older mare – her stripes and gold rings were rather exotic – but right then she could’ve kissed the friendly face as she held onto Sparkler’s waist. “We ah, we didn't know it was poison joke!” 

It seemed obvious though now that the zebra had named it. Of course it was poison joke.

“Will you hold bucking still?” Cloudburst grunted, only barely managing to hold onto Owlowiscious at the same time she was keeping her pack with Opalescence and Tank inside, on her back.

“Why are you in the woods so late?” Zecora asked as she stepped into the diminishing light of the day and wrapped her travelling cloak around her body, “Are you trying to seal your fate?”

“We were getting our teachers' pets back,” Stonecutter explained, like her best friend, she was having difficulty keeping Angel and Gummy in her bag while at the same time holding Winona’s leash and keeping Sparkler on her hooves. “We're staying at Professor Fluttershy's place pet sitting till they get back from the Badlands.”

Suddenly, Sparkler laughed loudly as her horn erupted like it was a sparkler fountain. “Look, see? Sparkles, get it?” she nudged Stonecutter suggestively, “I'm a sparkler!”

“You're a pretty firework, baby,” though she rolled her eyes, Stonecutter looked worried. She was at a total loss on how to make her marefriend better. “Ma'am, can you help? She got a heavy dose...of whatever those plants do.”

“The yellow pegasus is far from this wood. Follow me if you could. Bring the owl that can't fly. Down from up there in the sky. Bring the pony light show. I will show you were to go.” It was obvious to Zecroa – it was obvious to a pony with no eyes – that the unicorn was in a very bad way.

“Damn it, Stone, she reminds me of that bucking well...” Cloudburst said out of the corner of her mouth to her friend as they carefully skirted the very edge of the shadowy glade where there were none of the pretty but dangerous blue plants.

Stonecutter tried to walk normally with Sparkler by her side but the stricken unicorn’s steps were still uncoordinated and all over the place. She seemed incapable of walking in a straight line. She supposed, were they not lost deep in the Everfree Forest, that it would be funny. After a few steps of this she lost all patience and she picked up her marefriend like a bride and she just carried her. It was easier. “Tell me about it, CB.”

Quietly, Zecora led the three effortlessly through the forest to her hut. It appeared to the three following the zebra that she followed no path, or wasn’t led by any direction that they could see, but she got there to her home. “Come inside and close the door,” she said once she entered her large tree home, “I’ll see what I can do and more.”

“It's a tree.” Cloudburst stated the rather obvious, looking up at the overgrown mass of branches and leaves. Not warm and welcoming like Professor Twilight’s tree had been, this was as twisted and scary as every other tree in the forest.

“So?” Stonecutter shot her a look, “There's no timberwolves in there, so who cares if it’s a tree?”

“Good point. Well made.”

Shaking her head at her best friend’s apparent foolishness, Stonecutter followed Zecora inside the hut. “We really appreciate this, ma'am, you're a real lifesaver.”

Inside, Zecora had her back to the three young ponies, the zebra searching a windowsill and an adjacent shelf for some strange and no doubt exotic ingredients to aid her unexpected guests. “Much easier to do when you're alive still. Let me look for some herbs on my windowsill.”

“Wow…” Cloudburst was struck otherwise dumb as she looked around amazed at the inside of Zecora's house. Her eyes were drawn everywhere at once to the enormous black cauldron in the centre of the large open plan room, to the many shelves with all manner of weird and wonderful things inside, to the quite scary looking tribal masks propped up along the walls. In the circumstances, ‘wow’ seemed to convey her awe. 

Stonecutter too was looking around at, well, everything. She was honestly scared to even look at most of the things in the jars in case they were still alive. “Do not touch anything, CB,” she warned. She knew what her friend was like.

After consulting her book, ‘Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls That Are Simply Super’, Zecora gathered the necessary ingredients for the poison joke antidote. “I hear many animals not yours in fear,” she said as she placed certain herbs, plants, and flowers that were also found within the Everfree Forest around the cauldron, “How did they happen to be here?”

“So ah, that poison joke, you called it? What does it do?” Stonecutter asked, the earth pony looked worried at the stricken Sparkler whom she still held in her strong arms. “Is she gonna be okay?”

While Zecora was working, Cloudburst told the zebra the story of how Professor Fluttershy got them to pet sit while the six Professors and Spike went on a Friendship Quest to the Badlands sent by the Cutie Map. The pegasus told her how Angel made the scene he had and all the pets had ran off and how they managed to get them all back. Zecora listened attentively, not saying a word until the story was told. “Poison joke is a plant that wants fun. The cure will remove the effects when done.” She then prepped a large pot of water – smaller than the main cauldron but still large – and lit a fire, she placed it beside its large neighbour. She then added the crushed herbs and flowers until it turned blue. “Poison joke is a small flower that is blue. This water is the same hue. Wash your friend hoof to horn. She will be as good as she was born.”

Stonecutter, who hadn’t let go of her marefriend and Mistress since she picked her up after she got a face full of the plant’s poison pollen, bowed her head to Zecora and, gratefully, she said, “Thank you ma'am.” She then kissed Sparkler’s forehead, below her horn. “Come on, babe, we'll get you right, you’ll see.”

“I can do blue!” Sparkler cried, heavily under the influence of the poison joke, lighting up her horn and bathing the whole of the large room in a neon blue light.

Once the antidote was ready, Zecora decanted a generous amount of it into a large container and Stonecutter carried it and her marefriend off to a side room that the zebra indicated was the bathroom. The earth pony was grateful of the privacy. She hated to imagine a sober Sparkler’s reaction if she discovered she had been stripped and washed in the cauldron. “Come on, let's get you clean…” 

As she watched the other two leave the large central room for the bathroom, Cloudburst offered up the still madly flapping owl. “Shall I just dunk him in the pot, miss?” she asked, not really knowing what was expected to do now. She was just grateful that the rest of the pets were behaving themselves, though she was sure that was more to do with the intimidating surroundings.

“While that may be fun to see. Another solution I have for thee. Hold the owl over the pot. I will pour the potion, it's not hot.”

“You got it!” Cloudburst giggled, noticing that all the pets were not only being very well behaved but were all sat in a row along one wall. “You know, that's the best they've all been all day long!”

“They know more than you what I can do,” Zecora commented, laughing heartily as she gave the pets a very knowing look, “Many wise ones fear my zebra voodoo.”

Involuntarily, Cloudburst shuddered as Owlowiscious was cleaned. “Yeah, but you're cool,” she said, watching the antidote seep into the bird’s feathers. Almost instantly, he calmed down and began to hoot normally, not like he had been when he was flying head first into the oak tree back in the glade. “I mean look at all this stuff!”

“This is the magic of life. Through it you can cure strife.”

“I won't pretend to know what that means, but I know it's awesome. And so are you, to live out here.” Cloudburst could think of a thousand and one other places she’d rather live, even Whinnyapolis, where you weren’t in danger of being eaten alive by manticores, chimeras, timberwolves, magic bears and Celestia knew what else as well as plants and insects designed to debilitate and most likely kill you as well. Not her idea of fun.

“You can let the owl go,” the zebra mare nodded, “He will join them that I know.”

Just as Cloudburst let Owlowiscious go, and the brown owl did indeed flutter over and join the other five pets, the bathroom door opened and Stonecutter carried Sparkler back into the large main room. The bright yellow unicorn was all cleaned up and cured, following the very thorough strip wash in the tub that her marefriend had given her. “Thank you, ma'am,” Stonecutter nodded to Zecora, who was now busy feeding the well behaved animals, “I think she's all better now.”

“Miss Zecora?” Cloudburst laughed, hovering in the air she pointed at Sparkler who was trying valiantly to hide her face in Stonecutter’s hefty bosom, “You got anything to cure her blush?”

“We will never talk of this again!” Sparkler squeaked, her yellow cheeks a deep tomato red, because of her recent predicament, Cloudburst’s teasing and last but not least, where her face currently was pressed.

“No, oh Mistress of the Pretty Colours!” Cloudburst bowed low to Sparkler, making the poor unicorn squeak all the more and Stonecutter to give her friend a warning glare to stop teasing.

With an amused look on her face, Zecora turned and addressed Cloudburst now that the six animals were all happily eating the feed that the zebra had given them. “If I did, would you give it an apply?” she asked with a devilishly bright twinkle in her eye, “By the tongue below the eye?”

“Not me!” Now it was Cloudburst’s turn to blush hard. “She hasn't got the equipment I like. Stone might though,” she tried to banter her way out of the moment, before she remembered she had to call Seafoam. Her Master would be angry with her if she left it so long that he had to call her. “Hey, do you mind if I make a call real quick?

“Miss Zecora, ma’am?” Stonecutter spoke up, “I don't mean to impose, but it's dark out, can we please stay the night?” She looked down at Sparkler in her arms and both mares shared a look between them that they both recognised. Neither of them wanted to be outside in the Everfree Forest at this time of day. If they were honest, neither of them wanted to be out there in the daylight, let alone now.

Zecora thought it over for a brief moment. She could lead them out, but even for her, the forest was a dangerous place at night. It would be doubly so if she had to keep looking over her shoulder to check on her three wards. “You should stay the night. Outside is a terrible fright. I have a phone the over on that post. You can call who will miss you the most.”

“Thank you,” when Cloudburst walked over to a quiet corner of the large open room though, she used her cell phone to call Seafoam’s number rather than the antiquated looking telephone bolted to the post. This was because the pegasus had never seen a rotary phone in her life and she had no idea how to operate it.

“Yes, thank you!” Stonecutter exclaimed, not caring how relieved she was sounding, “We had a hard enough time finding our way during the day. I'd hate to go and do it at night…”

“The path I know and could go. With you three though, we'd be to slow.”

At last, Stonecutter set her marefriend down in a low stool by the cauldron, because the fire was very warming and welcome. She looked at her and gently she stroked her mane. “How are you doing, my love?”

“I'm doing very well, thank you.” Sparkler replied, the unicorn sat up bolt straight, her tone short and snippy. “I’m afraid I've had a slight memory lapse since getting the owl back,” she looked Stonecutter dead in the eye, that dominant tone back in her voice. “Which I don't need to be reminded about. Understand?”

Smiling, Stonecutter kissed Sparkler’s lips. “I understand, Mistress. Are you hungry?”

“Hey Foam,” Cloudburst greeted her stallion with a kiss which she blew down the phone line, “miss me?”

“Yes,” Seafoam replied, a grunt of annoyance in his voice, “every moment I'm here cleaning up your mess. It’s dark,” he looked out of the recently repaired window of Professor Fluttershy’s cottage and the hippogriff shuddered at how dark it was outside, “where are you?”

“It wasn't my fault this time!” Cloudburst protested, “We're at Miss Zecora's hut in the forest. She's letting us stay the night.”

Seafoam was at least placated by that. “You mean that crazy zebra that talks like a rapper all the time?”

“Yes Master,” Cloudburst giggled, “the cool zebra, that's the one.” She then took a deep breath before delicately broaching the rather iffy subject that threatened to become an elephant in the room. “Sooooo, how goes the cleaning over there? You guys having fun?”

“Cloudy Skies is a task master!” Seafoam exclaimed, before a deep sigh left his beak, “Blackbeak and I have the living room almost clean. Cloudy is in the kitchen. How...on earth did you…oh never mind, I'll pretend you just changed to get it this way.”

Cloudburst blew a long raspberry down the phone. Just because she was notoriously messy, just because when she changed the bedsheets the dorm room looked like a bombsite, just because she had more clothes on the floor than in her closet, was no reason to assume it was her fault. “Blame the bunny. That's what we're going with. Did you get the things we were talking about earlier?”

Seafoam had a wide grin on his face when he answered her. A grin that carried down the line. “I got the whole kit in canary yellow.”

“Awesome. Did you bring our toys, too?”

“We're in Professor Shy's house. I only bought our starter kit too, less the collar you're wearing.” 

Cloudburst wasn’t phased in the slightest. Sure, she would’ve liked to have more of their stuff to play with, but anything was better than nothing. “I'm sure we can do a lot with that. Now, I haven't forgotten about the trip to Cloudsdale for the beers.” She supposed she did owe her stallion and her friends – ‘brothers’ a crate of beers for helping them out and cleaning up their mess.

“I'll believe it when I drink it.”

“I haven't!” she protested, though not very vehemently, “I was gonna go after I get off the phone to you.”

“Stay safe out there,” Seafoam warned immediately, hardly giving her the chance to finish her sentence before he jumped on her. “I can get a buzz anytime.”

“I've done night flying before, it'll be fine.” Though she rolled her eyes in such a way that he could hear it down the line, she followed it up with a blown kiss. She knew he had her best interests at heart. He looked after her and he took care of her. She was as much his world as he was hers. “I love you, Master.”

“Loves you too, pet.”

When the call was ended, Cloudburst put her phone away in the pocket of her hoodie and she announced to the room as a whole, “Guys I just gotta go out for a bit. Master needs a beer run.”

Zecora didn’t like the sound of that in the slightest. “There are more than creatures that crawl and creep. Some can fly or do a giant leap,” she warned, for against such a creature, her aid would be essentially worthless. There was precious little she could do against a flying manticore or bugbear.

“It's cool,” Cloudburst nonchalantly waved her hand in the air. “I'll be fine.” 

“Are you sure, CB?” Stonecutter really didn’t want her best friend going outside in the dark. She was dead against her night flying in general, but leaving the safety of the zebra’s hut for the danger of the Everfree, even for a few seconds, sent shivers down her spine. “I was going to cook for us all…”

“Well, save me some.” Cloudburst shrugged her shoulders, “You always do enough to feed Ponyville in any case, there'll be leftovers. There are always leftovers.”

Sparkler though wouldn’t be easily dissuaded from the argument. “Why could you possibly need to go out now?”

“Master wants a beer run,” the pegasus answered simply in the manner that said that was that and there would be no further discussion on the subject. “He likes the Cloudsdale beer the best.” Therefore, it was simple in her mind. She had been asked to get beer, she would get beer. Easy.

“This is a reason?” Sparkler asked, blinking her eyes incredulously, “Miss Zecora, do you have wine?” she asked in the hopes it would get the impetuous pony to change her mind. 

“My jungle juice is quite good,” Zecora had a wicked twinkle in her eyes, “Sure to get you in the mood.” 

Sparkler decided not to ask again. “A bottle of red would be good, CB. Ah, safe flying, out there.”

“You got it, Sparks. Wine for you, two cases of beer. Tell you what, I'll drop off the wine when I get back from my run, then I'll fly over to Professor Shy's place. I got a feeling Foam wants me tonight,” she gave them all a very salacious wink just so that they all knew exactly what she meant. “I'll be back soon guys. Don't worry about feeding me Stone, Foam will feed me later.”

“You be careful!” 

Cloudburst waved her hand at her best friend and lifted the hood of her school hoodie up over her head. “Will do!” She was out the door before she had finished speaking, so eager was she to spread her wings and get a really, really good flight done. 

Sat imperiously on her stool, Sparkler waited a few moments to speak until she was sure Cloudburst was gone. Not that she didn’t like her new friend, she did, a lot, she just didn’t want to lose face. “I'm doing alright, pet.” She nuzzled Stonecutter’s arm, “I just never felt so weird in all my life. So, you have food, Zecora?” she asked when her belly rumbled. 

“I have many a tasty treat. You'll find them all fine to eat. But best you close your eye, before you give one of them a try,” Zecora giggled to herself at her own joke, because she knew full well that zebra cuisine was not for most equine tastes. This was demonstrated when she showed Sparkler the meal worms, locusts, crickets she had in her stores and Sparkler got a distinctly green look to her face.  

Stonecutter giggled like a filly. “I’m sure they'll be fine once I cook them up, Mistress,” she nuzzled Sparkler’s cheek, who remained looking unconvinced. “Ma'am, may I cook for us all? Consider it my thanks for letting us stay in your house.”

“You cook zebra food?” when the earth pony shook her head, Zecora continued, “That won't be good. I have Ponyville fare. That I'll let you dare.” She then showed her the 'tame' food she had in her store cupboard.

Looking over what Zecora offered, Stonecutter grinned as she thought of Sparkler’s green face. She decided to take the zebra’s warning and play it safe. “I think the pony stuff you have will be just fine, ma'am. I can make us a meal with this.” As Stonecutter helped herself to the parsnips, cauliflowers, broccoli, carrots, peas and beans, Zecora nodded and she went outside into the relative safety of the grounds of her hut to take care of what she was doing when she first saw the fireworks, namely planting some seeds and using some odd coloured mulch in her garden.  

While she was cooking the hearty and filling casserole – she found the cauldron and fire very easy to work with, having cooked extensively at home for her parents and herself, Stonecutter looked at Sparkler, studying her carefully. “Are you feeling better? I can get you a water if you want?”

“Is there only water in it?” Sparkler asked nervously, furtively glancing around the hut like any one of a number of imagined horrors would leap out from wherever they were hiding and pounce her.

Misunderstanding what she meant, because she was busy chopping up the vegetables for the casserole she was going to make, Stonecutter said, “I'm sure I can find something stronger, if you prefer?”

Quickly, Sparkler shook her head. “I'm not trying that jungle juice! I just want to be sure that something wasn't swimming in that 'water'.”

Looking around in Zecora’s fridge, Stonecutter giggled as she held up her prize. “It's fine, it says drinking water on the bottle, see?” she showed it to the fretting unicorn and, when she got a nod of approval, she pours it into a glass and passed it over to her marefriend before adding the ingredients to the boiling water in the pot. 

Lighting her horn, Sparkler cast a simple telekinesis spell – after her experience with the poison joke, it was all she felt confident casting – and levitated the glass of water and the bottle over to her. Pointedly, she made sure the bottle's seal hadn’t been previously broken before she drank the water. Keeping her voice low, she said, “Doesn't this place creep you out?”

Busy at the pot, adding in seasonings that she had taken from her bag, you never knew when you’d need food, and tasty food was the best food, Stonecutter shrugged her shoulders. “Not really. Like I said earlier, earth ponies tend to go with the flow. After making a dolly for an ursa minor and asking you out, and getting dunked in a swamp, talking to a magic wishing well and being chased by a timberwolf, this place isn't so weird.”

Blinking her green eyes once then twice, Sparkler blushed, “Well when you put it that way…” still, she was a Canterlot mare at heart. Had somepony told her several months ago that she’d be in a hut like this, she would have laughed in their face. She was only just getting used to Ponyville. “Just don't open the freezer. I don't need to see a leg with a cutie mark.”

“You do know that's all just a myth, right?” Stonecutter, stirring the water, was rather surprised. What should’ve taken the better part of three hours to cook was already looking about there, after just a little over thirty minutes. Shrugging, she put that down to the wood that was burning under the pot. She’d never seen blue, green and bright red flames before.  

Sparkler waved a hand dismissively in the air. She’d seen enough enchanted fire at the school in Canterlot to really notice this one. “Myth, rumour, common Canterlot gossip…right now I don’t really care. She hasn't taken an axe to us, and I'm just talking to calm myself down.” Had she been back at home, she would’ve made herself a stress salad and curled up on her sofa.

Watching her carefully, Stonecutter could tell a mare on her ragged edge when she saw one. After all, she had comforted Cloudburst enough times when her parents had no-showed one of her harmonica recitals often enough. She could see that Sparkler was only barely keeping it together. ‘It’s understandable,’ she thought as she filled three plates until they were heaving with food, ‘For a neat freak like her who’s scared of bugs, she sure has had a lot to deal with today…’ Working quickly, she set the steaming plates on the table. “Come on, sit with me, Mistress. I’ll keep you safe. Miss Zecora, ma'am, food's ready!”

Walking over from the stool she had been perched on like the floor was on fire, Sparkler inhaled the heavenly aroma and almost instantly she began to feel better. “This does look good, pet,” she smiled and gratefully nuzzled her submissive marefriend’s cheek, “Thank you.” 

“You have made such food with great care,” Zecora said appreciatively as she came back in from outside and sat down at her table. She then cast an amused look at the young unicorn, “I couldn't find my axe, do you know where?”

Sparkler’s groan could be heard from outside. “You heard that didn't you?” By way of reply, the zebra just smiled and ate.   

Sat in between Zecora and Sparkler, Stonecutter burst out laughing at their host’s joke, but she stopped abruptly when she saw the fuming deadpan look on Sparkler’s face. “Ahem. Sorry, but that was funny, Mistress.”

As Stonecutter wiped a tear from her eyes, Sparkler fixed her with a most unamused look. “Sorry, I'm trying to figure out the funny part, pet.” 

“When you open your mouth to speak, Humour out of it does leak.” Zecora snickered in between mouthfuls of one of the best casseroles she had ever tasted. She fancied that the earth pony’s skill with food was why she was the size she was. Sparkler just facepalmed and decided that eating was the best way to silence.

Stonecutter, still chuckling, decided it was worth a spanking from her Mistress to enjoy the joke. “When you've been living in mudtown a bit longer you'll loosen up, Sparks.”

Rolling her eyes, Sparkler shovelled a large spoonful of the amazing casserole and looked away to see all the animals are also eating, and doing so quite peacefully, apparently without any supervision or direction from Zecora or Stonecutter or herself. Indeed, Opalescence and Winona were both curled up asleep. “How did you do that?” she demanded, waving her hand at the pets.   

“I know recipes to share,” Zecora answered mysteriously, “Now they eat with great care.”

“Well, I was totally going to take all the credit for them behaving, but it seems even the demon rabbit knows when to behave himself. Like in the middle of the Everfree at night,” Stonecutter put in, never once stopping in the decimation of her meal.

Sparkler sniffed, “You need to tell us what pet food you use.” 

Playfully, Zecora shook her head. “Yes, pet 'food' you might say. None of them want it that way…” the zebra thoroughly enjoyed the faint and green look on Sparkler’s face.   

While Sparkler had decided that her food and the space immediately in front of her was her whole universe, the other two silently ate as well. When they had all eaten their fill, Stonecutter had fourth helpings, because she wasn’t letting go to waste and even Sparkler had two servings, the earth pony gave her Mistress a casserole flavoured kiss. “I have the dishes!”

Imperiously, Sparkler waved a hand. The meal had gone a very long way to making her feel a lot like her, again. “Do carry on, pet.”

While Stonecutter carried the dirty dishes to the sink, Zecora went and got two large comfortable looking sleeping pads out of her storage cupboard complete with blankets, sheets and pillows. “Out here you will have to sleep. My room to myself I will keep.” Not long after that, as Stonecutter was arm deep in soap suds, Cloudburst reappeared. She explained that she had flown to Ponyville, got a fast cab to Cloudsdale and back and that she wasn’t staying. She dropped off the red wine for Sparkler and bade her friends her farewells, before leaving the hut and getting back in the taxi that would take her to Fluttershy's place and to Seafoam.

Practically licking her lips, Sparkler used her magic to open the wine. “Are you having some with us, Zecora?” 

“I will drink with you this wine. I'm sure what she bought is fine.” What with having a meal like that casserole cooked for her and now free wine, the zebra supposed she should have visitors more often.

“You can be sure CB got the good stuff, ma'am!” Stonecutter, just finished with the dishes that were now draining beside the sink, dried her hands and helpfully she provided wine glasses from one of Zecora’s cupboards without being asked. She was quite happily nestled in her subspace and she didn’t want to leave. 

Sparkler, who was fully recovered now from her misfortune with the poison joke both physically and more importantly, mentally, watched her marefriend carefully. As she seemed content in her submissive role, so to was she feeling more and more dominant. She supposed it was a shame they were in Zecora’s hut. While she wanted to do more, all she intended to do was sleep really close to her pet. When she sipped her wine, she agreed it was a good red. She drank in silence and smiled deeply when Stonecutter joined them at the table.

After the huge bottle of wine was at last gone, Stonecutter yawned a very big yawn, stretching her arms out in a manner that pulled her tee shirt tight across her belly and large chest. Wow…I'm beat!”

Yawning in a similar fashion to Stonecutter, Zecora stood up and stretched. “The food was good and the wine fine. Now off to the bed that is mine.” Giving them both a good night, the zebra walked out of the only other door in the room at the back of the hut.

When they were alone, Sparkler removed her horseshoes and her white socks, closely followed by her ‘Saturday clothes’ of plaid skirt and blouse. Neatly, she folded everything so that her clothes had nice crisp corners and she placed her bundle by her pillow. Winking at her marefriend, she moved the sleeping pads next to each other and used the blankets for one cover and got in. “Don't dally, pet.”

Standing by the improvised double bed, Stonecutter quickly stripped down to her panties and bra. There was none of the hesitance and blushing that she demonstrated at the edge of the swamp. She pulled her clothes off and, letting them fall in an untidy heap on the floor, posed for her marefriend, fat pudgy belly, wide ass and not to mention her ‘generous’ chest. “No Mistress. No dallying.”

Once Stonecutter was in the bed, Sparkler very gently placed her delicate hand on her marefriend’s arm. “Face me.” On her side, the large mare rolled over until they were muzzle to muzzle with each other. Sparkler then gave her a light, chaste kiss. Smiling coyly, the unicorn then rolled over to face away and she pushed her back against Stonecutter's front. She could feel her curves pressing into her body and she loved it. “Keep me safe.”

“As long as I have strength in my arm, I promise you'll be safe, my love.” Stonecutter promised, kissing the back of her marefriend’s neck, she snuggled in as close as she possibly could and, as they drifted off to sleep, she proved to be an excellent big spoon.
> Epilogue: Breakfast at Fluttershy's
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I have brought you through the forest safe and sound,” Zecora stated as she led Sparkler, Stonecutter and the six animals with them to the very edge of the Everfree Forest. The zebra lifted her hand and shielded her eyes against the light of the warm Sunday morning sun. “While it was nice I must turn around. Try to keep the pets from further harm, so their owners will not raise alarm.” With that, and without further ado, she waved her hand and turned back into the dark shadowy depths from whence they had come.

“Good bye ma'am!” Stonecutter waved to the departing zebra and she took Sparkler’s free hand in her own. In her other hand was Winona’s leash as well as the tether that prevented Tank from flying off and away from them. Angel was, once more, in her backpack. “You know what? I am so glad to be out of that forest!” she exclaimed, taking a moment to fill her lungs with fresh, bright, clean morning air.

“I'm just glad I'm not fearing for my life!” Sparkler smiled. Like her marefriend, she was revelling in the air outside of the forest. That, and the lack of a cloying, unbearable sense of dread that hung in there like the cloud of insects over their heads. She had Opalescence and Owlowiscious on leashes and Gummy in her bag. However, when the two young lovers began to walk up the rough dirt path back to Professor Fluttershy’s cottage, Stonecutter had not taken more than two steps before she started crying. She wasn’t just crying, tears were streaming down her chubby face like waterfalls, the stress of the recent situation getting to her at last. Unprepared for that, Sparkler stopped and stared at her before wrapping the larger mare in a tight hug with her face buried between her hefty breasts. “I’ve got you. You're safe now.”

Stonecutter didn't cry very often, hardly ever, even, but she was crying now. Her chest heaved, her shoulders shook and all her emotion came pouring out. “I'd…I’d,” she sniffed up her tears, but more came in their wake, “I’d have been wolf chow if it wasn't for you, Sparks…” she eventually managed to get her sentence out, though she was sobbing and hiccupping around every word.

Sparkler was quite happy with her face buried between her crush’s heaving chest, but, she supposed she should comfort her. It was easy for her though. She just compartmentalised everything that had happened in her logical, organised brain and dealt with it later. “If you weren't carrying me, I wouldn't have thought what to do. That let me tell CB what to do and how to save her from doing it.”

Stonecutter thought about it, and she didn’t have to try very hard, she could feel the timberwolf’s breath on the back of her legs, she could hear the snapping of the underbrush as it relentlessly pursued them. “I just dread to think how that could've ended without you there. I never would have thought of that.”

“That's why we are a team!” Sparkler said with a reassuring smile on her face. She was well aware, just like the other two were, that they had been seconds of time and a bad decision away from death. “We each do our part, and your part is to be extra snuggly.” The unicorn had her hands gently squeezing the earth pony’s pudgy belly, “Oh, and real strong and talented.”

Stonecutter blushed hard at that. “Ha, strength...” she smiled, though there was a hint of sadness to her voice that matched her tears, “I love how smart and in control you are. It’s very sexy.” 

“Yes,” Sparkler laughed, “I’m very controlled when I'm not in a total panic, or when there aren’t icky bugs everywhere, or some other gross thing all over me,” she giggled in an attempt to lighten the situation.

“Then, I'm there to remove the bugs so you don't panic.” The large slate grey earth pony wiped her eyes and sniffled, feeling incredibly silly all of a sudden. “I'm sorry, Sparks, I don't cry very often.”

“When you were carrying me, that was really nice.” Sparkler lifted herself up onto the very tips of her hooves and she placed a tender loving kiss on her lips. “I felt safe and calm so I could think. When you were holding me in bed, I felt safe again.” Again, she kissed her marefriend, “If you need to cry, you can get my shoulder wet anytime, okay?”

“Th-Thank you…” Stonecutter smiled finally, wiping away the last of her tears, “I might have to take you up on that, Mistress.”

“I'm sure I'll take up being carried by you.” Sparkler did love being carried by her lover. There was just ‘something’ about being held in those amazingly strong yet gentle and loving arms that made her feel like nothing in the world could hurt her.

Wordlessly, Stonecutter bent down and, in just her free arm, scooped up Sparkler as effortlessly as if she was picking up a bag of feathers. After the unicorn had let out a squeak of surprise, Stonecutter adjusted the way she held her so that she was holding her like a bride. “Back to the cottage then, Mistress?”

“Tally Ho my faithful steed!”

Stonecutter rather enjoyed that. The image of her wearing a saddle for her lover to sit on and ride her like the steed she was flashed through her mind and made her flush. “Yes Mistress!” she then marched back towards the cottage in the distance, carrying Sparkler with one arm like she was no weight at all.

“So,” Sparkler started, her yellow face very much bright red because her cheek was pressed right into her marefriend’s breast, each hoof step bouncing it just slightly, “do you think CB got the place cleaned up, or do you think she just made a bigger mess last night?”

“If Seafoam is there, I know he got it cleaned up all good and proper.” Stonecutter spoke with surety as she opened the little white gate and walked up the garden path to the cottage. She didn’t know Seafoam all that well, but she knew enough that when asked, he would drop whatever he was doing to help out. She liked that about him.

“Are you going to carry me across the threshold?”

“Yes Mistress, I do believe I'd like that a lot…” then, it was Stonecutter’s turn to blush when she realised what she had just alluded to.

Sparkler giggled, because they were both blushing like love sick foals. “This might become a habit…”

When she reached the repaired wooden door, Stonecutter appreciated the work done before she knocked on. The door looked good as new, literally there was no sign that it had ever been damaged in the pet frenzy the day before. “Well, I’ll say this much, they fixed up the door real good.”

“Just open it,” Sparkler giggled at her own naughty suggestion, “You never know, we may catch them doing something!” Liking the way her marefriend thought, Stonecutter giggled and, not waiting for an answer, pushed the door open and carried Sparkler inside. Unfortunately, the only thing they caught Cloudburst and Seafoam doing was sharing a coffee in the kitchen. There were a few empty beer bottles on the coffee table in the living room, evidence of the night before. Upon closer inspection, the living room looked immaculate, like nothing untoward had ever happened. To their delight, the kitchen was in just good a shape. “Any coffee left for us?” she asked hopefully, then she whispered to her marefriend, “Put me down please.”     

When Stonecutter set Sparkler down on the floor, the bright yellow unicorn immediately got busy helping to get the six pets unpacked or unleashed as necessary, leaving the earth pony to look around and get a good sense of the repairs that had been done. “You even mended the window! Wow Foam, you did good!”

“He did very well, Stone,” Cloudburst gave her friend a very salacious wink that was full of meaning that nopony in the room missed for a micro second. “I'll get coffee, Sparks!”

“During the clean-up, did you find the food that the pets really like?” Sparkler asked the hippogriff and pegasus after she was sure the six animals were safe and secure in the living room. Plus, she was sure they weren’t going to do another runner after being threatened so effectively by Zecora.

“Oh, yes, we did!” Cloudburst exclaimed when Seafoam quietly tapped the back of her hand, giving her permission to speak. “Master noted all the best stuff is marked with the different Professor's cutie marks. How about that?”

Sparkler facepalmed as she walked into the kitchen. She had noticed the tap to Cloudburst’s hand though, how easily he dominated her without saying a word, how she submitted so willingly. The way Stonecutter did to her. “Huh…about how we didn't do that to start with…” in her defence, she had been otherwise distracted the day before.

“Well, we weren't really paying attention...” Stonecutter put in, in an attempt to explain away the rather obvious glaring error that they had all made. Like Sparkler, the earth pony had noticed the intimate gesture between the dominant hippogriff and the submissive pegasus, but she had seen it that many times before that it didn’t phase her.

“You were too busy looking at Sparks's ass you mean,” as she had spoken out of turn, Seafoam gave her a lift reprimanding tap to her behind. As Stonecutter mumbled something indistinct, the pegasus helped her with the coffee.

“Some asses are harder to find,” Sparkler commented as she walked into the kitchen proper and she sat at a vacant chair opposite Seafoam at the breakfast table. She stared openly at Stonecutter’s fat rear that was barely contained in her cargo shorts and licked her lips. “I like them easy to find so I can spank it. Right Foam?”

Poor Stonecutter was bright red in the face as she and Cloudburst both set down four freshly made coffees down on the breakfast table. The pegasus though had a spring in her step that made them think she was using her wings when she wasn’t. “He knows where mine is at all times,” Cloudburst grinned, before sitting down beside her lover. 

“Yes,” the turquoise hippogriff rolled his eyes at his pet and held her hand firmly, “It’s always behind that mouth of hers.”

Cloudburst affected a most affronted expression on her face and she fanned herself with her free hand. “I’ll have you know I've been a good girl, well, since I woke up…” With her face still beet red, Stonecutter elected to just sit and take a sip of her coffee. Giddy as a foal on Hearths Warming morning, Cloudburst kissed her Master’s beak and whispered, “give them the thing!”

“After.” Seafoam tapped the back of Cloudburst’s hand. “Did you two get breakfast at Zecora's?”

Shaking her head ‘no’, Sparkler shuddered involuntarily at the memory of the failed breakfast attempt earlier that morning. “I looked in her zebra cooking bin. I decided I wasn’t eating there in that hut.”

“That would be a no,” Stonecutter giggled, recalling how green her marefriend turned back in Zecora’s hut.

Cloudburst couldn’t resist a tease, whether it earned her a spanking or not. Definitely worth it. “Did you nearly have a boat incident again, Sparks?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

To that, Sparkler just gave Cloudburst an unamused deadpan look that could’ve felled a charging manticore. “Right,” Seafoam announced in an attempt to break the silence, though that was ruined slightly by the hungry rumble that came from the unicorn’s empty belly. “One breakfast, coming right up!”

Stonecutter was eminently grateful that he hadn’t ordered Cloudburst to make the breakfast. As much as she loved her best friend, and she did, a lot, the pegasus could not cook to save her life. “Thank you, Foam,” she said after sipping her coffee in time with a loud rumble from her own belly.

“Did you two have a good night?” asked Cloudburst, trying to talk her way out of the faux pas she had made just a few moments ago.

“Zecora's place is nice and cosy.” Sparkler squeezed Stonecutter’s hand and the two mares shared a lingering half lidded look between them. Both recalled waking up on the floor of the zebra’s hut having laid on the two sleeping pads pushed together to make a double ‘bed’ of sorts, with the unicorn drooling on Stonecutter’s chest.

“Certainly was cosy under that blanket, wasn’t it?” the earth pony fluttered her eyes at Sparkler. She hadn’t minded in the slightest where her marefriend and Mistress’s head had ended up.

Sparkler blushed hard and shifted just slightly on the stool. “I did stay warm all night.”  

“I'm sure you did,” Seafoam grinned as he looked through Fluttershy’s kitchen cupboards for inspiration. Not seeing anything immediately leap out at him, he decided to fall back on an old favourite. “Pancakes good for you all?” he asked hopefully, seeing that his teacher did have blueberries, chocolate chips and syrup.  

“Yes please,” Sparkler would have quite happily eaten the pancakes from the hippogriff’s bare hands she was so hungry.

“Oh Celestia yes!” Stonecutter would have eaten from a dog bowl if she was made to wait any longer. “Yes please!”

“Did you sleep well, CB?” asked Sparkler as she took a long sip of her coffee. She was pretty much sure that with just them two in the cottage, there may not have been much sleeping going on. 

“Eventually, yes, thanks Sparks.” Cloudburst just left it at that. As she rested her hand on her belly, she knew, as did Seafoam, that something else had happened last night, but she didn’t want to talk about that just yet. She wasn’t ready, and she was very glad that her partner had respected her decision to remain quiet for now. ‘Until we’re certain,’ she had said.

‘Until we’re certain…’ Cloudburst held her hand where it was while her lover cooked away at the stove. She ignored the delicious scents coming from the pan. She didn’t really need to wait. She had been in heat. She knew. She was just too nervous to tell her friends. And Seafoam knew that too.

“You didn't...”

Cloudburst was shaken from her reverie and she glanced up at Stonecutter, a flash of a grin playing across her muzzle. “We did, three times!”

“You must have been a good filly, if you're sitting okay…” Sparkler said, making Seafoam laugh out loud as he added the blueberries and the chocolate chips to the two frying pans he had on the go.

“Well,” almost on cue, Cloudburst shuffled on the stool she was sat on. “I did receive a little spanking last night…” 

“My pet has some coming, but I've reduced the total.” Said Seafoam from the stove. The pancakes were coming on nicely, but that wasn’t the entire reason that he had reduced his mare’s spanks. There was no way he was going to risk hurting her or…anypony else, for that matter. They meant more to him than that. “She is a comfortable ride, Sparkler.”

“Ride?” Stonecutter asked, spurting her coffee everywhere as her mind went in all manner of dirty directions at once.  

“Ah!” Sparkler exclaimed as drops of snorted coffee splashed over her tee shirt, “Get your feather brain out of the gutter!” At that, Cloudburst finally lost it in fits of giggles and, laughing so hard she fell off the stool she was sat on and she had to use her wings to hover in the kitchen. Likewise, Stonecutter laughed, snorting her coffee all over the table this time. In contrast, Sparkler quietly rolled her eyes. “Maybe I should do stand up?” 

Still giggling, Stonecutter wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, much to her marefriend’s distaste, “But I am comfortable, at least when I woke up on top of you,” she then kissed Sparkler’s lips, which the unicorn didn’t find distasteful in the slightest.

“I like his mind just where it is, thank you!” Cloudburst snickered, eventually she stopped laughing enough to land on her hooves.

“No comment,” Sparkler’s tone was snippy, but there was a smile on her face when Seafoam delivered two plates piled high with pancakes which he set on the breakfast table along with knives, forks and the maple syrup. “Food!” the unicorn let out such a squee that she clapped her hands excitedly. “Pony food! Actual pony food!” 

Stonecutter very nearly dived in headfirst into the plate of pancakes that had been placed before her like a gift from Celestia herself, but at the last minute she stopped herself and showed restraint, she picked up the knife and fork. Cloudburst found that highly amusing. “You got her trained already, Sparks!”

Sparkler did not look up from her plate. “Eating.” Her arm was like a mechanical excavator, each time it was thrust into the food she shovelled so much pancake into her mouth that her cheeks bulged. Since Stonecutter was also busy eating her share of the pancakes, Cloudburst just sat and hugged her Master’s arm. “Well,” the unicorn said thickly when she had finally finished, “I do hope that the Professors are back soon. Thanks for helping us out, Foam.”

“I hope so too,” Cloudburst spoke up, her head resting on the hippogriff’s shoulder, “The taxi driver last night on the way to Cloudsdale said a couple of his fares had turned into statuettes while they were in his cab.”

Sparkler shuddered, “If I turn to stone please keep the birds off me.”

Unusually, Stonecutter finished last. She hadn’t been beaten in an eating ‘race’, not that it was much of a race, because Sparkler had utterly demolished her. She was really that hungry. “You have my word, my love.” 

“Good thing you didn't turn into a statuette when that timberwolf was chasing us,” Cloudburst opined, still nestling into Seafoam’s arm.

“I heard all about that.” Seafoam smiled, lovingly he caressed his marefriend’s mane. He genuinely couldn’t imagine his life without her by his side. The thought of losing her made him feel sick to his stomach. “If you turned to stone, they wouldn't eat you.” He managed to smirk, masking his feelings, “Might use you as a piss post though.”

Cloudburst caught the look that Seafoam shot her and, looking down at her hooves, she just blushed. The beet red blush did not go unnoticed though and Stonecutter giggled. “You did that last night too, huh?”

“Ewwwww!”

“Each to their own, my love,” Stonecutter frowned ever so gently at her marefriend though, when she stood up, she kissed the back of the unicorn’s hand. “I got the dishes!”

“Can we show them yet?” Cloudburst asked Seafoam excitedly the very second the dishes landed in the sink. 

The hippogriff shook his head slowly. He did so enjoy making her wait. “Yes, only when the dishes are done.” 

Sparkler, who thought that was an inside joke, waited patiently. Cloudburst though bounced happily like a filly on Hearths Warming morning and rushed to help Stonecutter with the dishes. “Heh, you're keen, CB, something up?”

“You'll see! Plus I was kinda happy to stand up.” The pegasus washed while her friend dried. “My tush is a teeny bit sore.” She was so excited to show off what they had bought, now that the problem with the pets had been put to bed at last.