Twilight continued to enjoy herself, playing with her breast, squeezing out the warm, fresh cider from them. Sunset smiled, resting on Honeycomb, delighted with the results of her handiwork.

Twilight panted for breath before stopping her display. Blinking and groaning, she took her hands off her breasts and clutched her head. “Ooh … ow. What happened?” She blinked again, trying to process her surroundings. “Where am I?” She looked down at her state of undress. “And why am I dressed like this?”

Sunset Shimmer gave disapproving glare. “What's happening?”

“If I may, mmm, suggest something.” Honeycomb said. “I believe our other friends may have cast a spell on her to make her more, mmm, willing to their, mmm, unsavory intentions.”

“Great. So now what do we do?” After getting so lucky with kidnapping Twilight from Chrysalis and her buddies, Sunset would be upset to lose her prize to something as simple as Twilight waking up from a spell. “I don't want to get into a magic duel with her.”

“If I may,” Honeycomb stood up, “now would be an, mmm, excellent time for me to demonstrate what I'm capable of … to my new mistress.” She turned to Sunset with a warm smile.

Sunset gave a naughty smirk in return. “Mistress approves. Proceed.”

“What?” Twilight asked, with her mind only now clear to process what was going on around here. “Wait, what's going on here? Who are you? What are you doing? Stop!”

Twilight protested and struggled as Honeycomb approached her. "Quit, mmm, struggling." Honeycomb grabbed Twilight by the arm and held her. Honeycomb flicked her index finger and a bee's stinger popped out, closer to the function of a cat's retractable claw than a bee's stinger. With no signs of emotion or sympathy for her struggling victim, Honeycomb injected the stinger into Twilight's breast.

“Stop it!” Twilight wiggled and flailed, but Honeycomb's grip was cast-iron. Twilight lifted her other hand, which acquired a purple glow to it.

Sunset recognized the glow as magic and knew magic was Twilight's forte. She barked out an order to Honeycomb before Twilight could complete her no-doubt devastating spell. “Quick, hold her hands behind her back.”

If Honeycomb had any doubt or resistance, she didn't show it. She grabbed Twilight's other hand by the wrist and went around her, keeping a tight grip on both of Twilight's hands and holding them to Twilight's back. Twilight continued to struggle, but with Honeycomb holding her wrists, she wasn't any sure she could keep any spell she might try from backfiring. When she quit attempting to wriggle her way free, Twilight noticed her captor. “Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset got up from the ground and crossed her arms. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Sunset, what are you doing here?”

“Getting revenge on you.” Sunset pointed an accusing finger at Twilight. “Do you have any idea what you did to me?” Sunset paced around, wiping her hands over her temples. “It took me weeks – years to crawl out from under the pile of rubble you left me under and build my power back up at the school.”

“Power?” Twilight frowned. “But … I thought you were good now. I thought you had changed!” She gave her hands an instinctive jerk, knowing Honeycomb wouldn't release them.

Sunset just laughed in Twilight's face. “Oh, Twilight. People don't change. They just say they have.”

Twilight hardened her gaze at Sunset, which made her step back a little. Sunset still wasn't used to people standing up to her. “You're wrong. Discord's changed. Why can't you?”

“Discord?” Sunset said. “As in, the Spirit of Disharmony? Oh please, Twilight. He hasn't changed, he's just biding his time for the right moment to let loose.” Sunset raised her hands in the air in an emulation of what it would be like when Discord decided to make his move.

“You're wrong.” Twilight insisted. She looked away from Sunset, not wanting to face the reality Sunset was still the small-minded bully she'd always been. “Why now?”

“Pardon?”

“Why take your revenge now? It's been ten, maybe eleven years since I saw you last. Why wait so long? Surely you could have come at any time?”

“I could have.” Sunset admitted. “But like I said, it took me awhile to rebuild my power and reestablish the pecking order in my town. And it is my town. A few years to deal with the trauma of you defeating me, a few years to start rebuilding my empire, another few years to solidify my grip on that empire ...” Sunset made a fist. “Add it all up and it makes perfect sense it took me so long. And you ...” Sunset pointed her finger again with a smug smirk. “Are going to put on a show for me.”

Twilight glared at her. “What gives you that idea?”

Sunset snapped her fingers. Honeycomb reached over and stabbed her finger-stinger into Twilight's breasts again, causing Twilight to moan in pain at the intrusion before it gave it to a curious sort of pleasure as something cool entered her breast.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked through grimaced teeth.

“Injecting you with a special kind of honey.” Honeycomb explained. “It brings a great deal of, mmm, pleasure in addition to making it pour itself out of your breasts.”

Twilight gasped, feeling just what Honeycomb was talking about as a little honey leaked out from her breast. Slowly, over a period of a few minutes, said breast began to grow in size as honey was injected into it.

“Come on, Twilight.” Sunset encouraged, watching Twilight squirm and break into a sweat. “Moan a little. Gasp. Scream for more.”

“N-no.” Twilight insisted through her increasingly labored breath. Screaming and moaning was what Sunset wanted, and Twilight was determined not to give Sunset what she wanted.

“Hmm.” Sunset frowned, running her finger over her chin as she contemplated what to do. “Ah!” She snapped her fingers, having a brainstorm. She went over to Honeycomb and whispered something into the bee's ear. Honeycomb nodded. Sunset walked back to her spot while Honeycomb continue pumping Twilight up.

“Okay, Honeycomb … stop.”

At Sunset's command, Honeycomb jerked her stinger out of Twilight's breast. Twilight breathed a heavy sigh of relief at being allowed to catch her breath.

Her relief was cut short when Sunset followed up with another command.

“Go.”

Honeycomb stabbed the stinger through Twilight's soft flesh again, resuming the injection of cool, golden syrup into Twilight's system.

“Stop.”

Honeycomb stopped.

“Go.”

Honeycomb resumed. Twilight panted and moaned as the honey continued flowing out from her chest. Twilight admired Sunset's deviousness, if only for the intelligence of it. Just giving a constant, continuous pumping was something Twilight could, with time, adjust to. But giving her a little bit of honey, a little bit of pleasure, then stopping and denying her the pleasure before starting it once more only to take it away again was a much more tortuous method and threatened to break her.

“What do you say, Twilight?” Sunset teased. “Had enough? Or not enough, I should say?”

“No.” Twilight continued, remaining defiant. “I don't need it!” In a fit mental state, Twilight would never say this out loud. But she wasn't in a fit mental state, so she didn't have the reserve to keep herself from letting something slip out. Something she would regret saying to their faces. Something she would never forgive herself for saying, if she even realized she was saying it.

“I don't need it! I'm not a junkie! I'm not an addict like Rainbow Dash and Rarity!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. She filed this fact away for further abuse at a later time. “Oh?” Sunset approached approached Twilight and put a finger on her chin. She puffed out her breasts and came closer to Twilight, pressing the ends of their breasts together, as a sort of intimidation/seduction hybrid tactic. “Why don't you tell me how you really feel, Twilight?”

Twilight panted and huffed. Her cheeks were flushed, her face was soaked with sweat, and Honeycomb's intrusions had made her breasts swell up to a size close- maybe even surpassing – Rarity's natural size, as well as matching Sunset's firm bust.

“I feel ...” Twilight panted. “I feel thirsty.” Honeycomb's torment was giving her a dry throat.

This gave Sunset an awful idea. She smiled. “Oh, well, I think I have just the thing for that.” Sunset went back to her and Honeycomb's resting spot and picked up the bottle of corrupt cider. She brought it to Twilight. “It's my own special blend. Open wide.” Sunset lifted the bottle up to Twilight's mouth and gently tilted it forward to pour the cider into her. Twilight's lips found purchase around the tip of the bottle and wouldn't let it go.

“Hmm.” Sunset observed as Twilight chugged the stuff down. “Honeycomb, let her go.”

Honeycomb did as told, releasing her grip on Twilight's hands. Twilight behaved just as Sunset Shimmer expected, grabbing the cider bottle and yanking it from Sunset's hands. Twilight tilted it back and drank almost all of it before stopping it for breath.

“Why don't we just take this away before you choke on it?” Sunset Shimmer gestured, pinching the tip of the bottle with her fingers and gently lifting it out of Twilight's grasp.

Twilight continued to pant, moan, shiver, and shudder. She rubbed her hands against her engorged breasts, made huge from all the honey Honeycomb put into them. “I feel … so … full.” Twilight panted.

“If I may be excused?” Honeycomb asked. “I believe Twilight will obey you now, so I would like to collect honey for the metamorphosis.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Sunset waved her hand to let Honeycomb know she was dismissed, not paying too much attention. “Twilight?”

“Y-yes?” Twilight answered shakily.

“How do you feel?” Sunset cupped Twilight's chin.

“W-wonderful.” Twilight muttered, looking up at Sunset's eyes like they were the most beautiful gem in the world. “I feel so good.”

“Good … good.” Sunset nodded. She lifted the cider bottle up and rocked it back and forth, letting the sunlight reflect off it. “Why don't we have a little fun together, Twilight?” Sunset sipped down the last dregs of cider in the bottle before tossing it to the ground where it shattered.

“Whoa!” Twilight let out a gasp as a spike of pleasure surged through her body. She looked down at her breasts to see a frothy, bubbly liquid oozing out from her chest. “What's … this?”

“That, I believe, is a mixture of the cider and the honey in your breasts.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Since my special blend makes you lactate cider, and Honeycomb's honey makes you lactate honey, you put the two together and voila!” Sunset knelt down. “I wonder what it tastes like?” She leaned forward and gave Twilight's breast a kiss, sucking out the creamy molasses. She pulled out with a bit of the slow-moving liquid still going down her lip.

“Not bad, not bad.” Sunset smacked her lips together.

“Ooh …” Twilight caved into her lust. She knew better, but she didn't care. Honeycomb's nectar had more effect on her mind than it initially appeared to, and she was drunk, and besides, Sunset was a damn good tease. She leaned forward and forced Sunset's breasts into accepting her head.

Sunset was taken by surprise at first, but she relaxed and smiled. “Ooh, you're a bad girl, aren't you? Touching Mistress's breasts without permission … you're going to need to be punished.”

Twilight nuzzled said breasts for awhile before popping her head out. “Punished? Oh! Roleplay! I've never done roleplay with anyone before … sounds like fun. Okay. I'm the bad girl and I need to be punished.” Twilight, accepting the role, got down to her knees.

Sunset blanked out for a moment. “Uh, yes, sure. Roleplay. That's what we're doing.” Sunset, in no way meaning something else. Ditching her jacket, she joined Twilight on the ground before pulling her shirt off over her head, exposing her large breasts, choice of undergarments, (purple) and the fact her breasts were now lactating cider as well.

She placed her hands on Twilight's shoulders. “Now, let's have that fun.” She leaned forward and gave Twilight a deep kiss with her cider-kissed lips.

Back in her patch of the woods, Chrysalis was thumbing through the pages of the book. She may have lost Twilight Sparkle and access to her powerful magic, but Twilight was only ever a secondary prize to begin with.

“Uh.” Trixie noticed Chrysalis holding the book. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to find another monster to summon for my conquest.” Chrysalis held her gaze to the book with a furrowed brow.

Trixie scratched her head. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not think that's a good idea, given what happened with the last monster we tried to summon …”

“Oh, hush. It'll be fine. Hmm.” Chrysalis purred when she saw page with an illustration which caught her eye. “Now these look like they have potential... beautiful but deadly, who uses music to lure victims to their doom.” Raising her hand, Chrysalis read the book aloud and cast the incantation which would summon these beings. Trixie shook her head and looked away, disbelieving Chrysalis could be so stupid after what happened with Honeycomb.

A green fog manifested around Chrysalis' hand. It swirled around her hand before spreading. First across her body before enveloping the forest floor. Trixie shivered, uncomfortable with the fact she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.

Chanting could be heard from inside the green mist. Three voices, vocalizing in perfect harmony, as the green fog faded and Chrysalis' summoned monsters could be seen.

Trixie wasn't sure what to expect. After the Citrus Slime and Honeycomb, these new monsters looked a bit too normal. There were three women standing in front of them, each of them wearing a necklace with a red gem in it. One of them had huge, poofy orange hair and wore platform boots and a spiked hairband. Another wore her purple hair in long pigtails with a tattered jacket, looking distinctly “punk.” The last of them wore a tight sweater-vest with a skirt and a dual-tone blue ponytail.

“Ah.” The one with the huge poofy hair stretched her arms, enjoying her freedom. “It feels so good to be out of that place.” She looked around her surroundings with a smile before noticing Chrysalis. “I take it you're the one who summoned us?”

“I am.” Chrysalis smirked. She liked where this was going.

“Then please, allow me to speak on behalf of my comrades when I say thank you.” She approached Chrysalis, got on one knee, and took Chrysalis' hand to kiss the back of it. Chrysalis was pleased. The woman rose and bowed. “My name is Adagio Dazzle.” She gestured to the others in turn. “These are my cohorts, Aria Blaze -”

“'Sup.”

“And Sonata Dusk.”

“Hiiii.”

“I'm sure you read the book, but we're sirens.” Adagio Dazzle said. “We feed off love, adoration, the absence of love, and conflict. Our singing can lull the most weary of souls to deep sleep.” Adagio Dazzle flashed a wide smile. “So knowing all this, tell me. What can we do for you?”

Chrysalis smiled and nodded, pleased with Adagio's subservience – especially after what happened with Honeycomb. “I'm trying to raise an army – an army of seductive creatures, like yourself.”

“Guilty as charged.” Aria said with a husky voice, causing Trixie to blush.

“To plunge Equestria into a brainwashed, dominated love frenzy.” Chrysalis said. “You see, my subjects – Changelings – feed off the love of others. And Equestria has more love in than any land I've seen, so to have their subjects under my thumb would be good for my Changelings' food supply. And there's a little bit of personal revenge in there as well.”

“Hmm.” Adagio cupped her chin and nodded. “Well, given that we feed on love, and your Changelings feed on love, I think it would be mutually beneficial for us to work together.” Adagio showed her boldness by putting a hand on Chrysalis' breast.

“Glad to hear it.” Chrysalis said, not at all offended. Though her expression soon changed to one of frustration. “There is … one thing.”

“Yes?”

“I have enemies.” Chrysalis said. “Princess Celestia's student, Twilight Sparkle, her friends, and Sunset Shimmer. They're strong and smart – enough to ruin my plans. Twilight Sparkle has already ruined one plan of mine already.” Chrysalis her fist into her palm. “I need a way to deal with them.”

Adagio Dazzle rubbed her chin and smiled. “I have just the thing. From what it sounds like, there's three sides involved in this – your side, Twilight's side, and this Sunset Shimmer's side. There's three of us.” Adagio gestured to her cohorts.

“Where are you going with this?”

“Unless they know more than we realize, Twilight's friends and Sunset won't recognize us.” Adagio said. “So we split up, one of us to a faction. It's our M.O. Find a social circle, schmooze our way into their good graces, then work to bring them down from within. It's a great way to play up conflict, one of our food sources. And by the time they realize they've been played, it'll already be too late. And as long as we avoid being seen together, no one will be the wiser.”

“It's deceptive. It's manipulative. It's two-faced. I love it! Spoken like a true Changeling.” Chrysalis hooked her arm around Adagio's shoulders and pulled her closer. “Something tells me, Adagio, this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

Adagio gave Chrysalis a longing gaze. “And maybe more.”

At Rarity's Boutique, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara were sitting across the table from each other, giving each other odd stares as though they were looking at aliens on display in a pen. They had been enemies for a long time, and for Rarity to just … take up Diamond Tiara like she did was an idea which took some adjusting.

Sweetie Belle took a sip from the coffee which had been brewed for them. For both of them, it was their first experience with drinking coffee.

“So this is what coffee tastes like ...” Sweetie Belle took a look at her cup.

“Weird, right?” Diamond Tiara said, trying to break the ice.

Sweetie Belle nodded. Which Diamond Tiara thought frustrating – she was trying to get Sweetie Belle to engage her in a conversation. The awkward silence was only broken more by the sound of Rarity footsteps emerging from the doorway.

“Girls ...” Rarity said, looking so elegant in her white dress. “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to go outside for awhile. I'm expecting some … unwanted company, and I don't want you to see me lose my temper.”

The girls nodded and pushed their chairs out and stepping out the door. Rarity let out a sigh. She didn't want kick them out, but she also didn't want them to see her lose her temper and lash out against Silver Lens. But she was about to be glad she did.

Rarity was expecting Silver Lens to come in, sit them both down, and start asking questions in an attempt to tack a mental sickness onto her.

She was not expecting Silver Lens to come bursting through the door, ragged and out of breath and making a grab for the nearest counter to support her weight.

“Rarity … I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen -”

Before Rarity could get a chance to figure just what Silver Lens was babbling about, Shining Armor and two Royal Guards barged into the room. Shining Armor pushed Silver Lens away, knocking her to the ground, and marched up to Rarity. “All right, you milk-filled monster, where is she!?”

With a shocked, slackened jaw, Rarity looked at Silver Lens, crawling and on her hands and knees before turning her gaze up to Shining Armor. Shining Armor seemed 1.5 times larger than normal. She couldn't believe someone who would treat a woman like he did Silver Lens was someone Twilight Sparkle loved and admired.

“I'm afraid I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, darling.” Rarity told him, crossing her arms. He might be bigger, he might have been a Captain of the Royal Guard, but Rarity would not be intimidated by someone who roughhoused a woman so.

“Where's Twiley!?” Shining Armor bellowed. “She's disappeared. No one's seen her, and you're our best suspect!”

Rarity sputtered and coughed. “Wha – how am I your best suspect?”

“Ten years ago, during the incident with the Slime, you kidnapped Twiley while she was supposed to be recovering.” Shining Armor said. “You kidnapped her and took her to the cave where you hiding out. So what we've figured out is that, with you taking heat for what you did to Applejack, you kidnapped Twilight for leverage.”

Rarity blinked, trying to process the level of ignorance and stupidity it took for Shining Armor to come up with this absurd theory.

“First.” Rarity said. “I have no idea where Twilight is. Second, strained my relationships may be, Twilight Sparkle is still one of my best friends and I stand nothing to gain from kidnapping her. Third, your theory is a load of crock meant to justify your irrational desire to harass me because you haven't forgiven my actions from the past. There are plenty of others who have more to gain from kidnapping Twilight than I do – Discord, Sunset Shimmer, The Flim Flam Brothers – and yet you decide the prime suspect is me!? I don't think so! You've decided to convict me on evidence so flimsy you can't even pretend to call it “circumstantial!””

Shining Armor and Rarity stared each other down. Shining Armor, in his enraged, big-brother protective state, was too angry to process Rarity's logic and decided he wasn't going to put up with Rarity's defiance. He snapped his fingers. “Cuff her.”

“What? Let go of me!”

The two guards approached Rarity. One of them grabbed her by the arms while the other lifted up her leg and slapped a golden brace embedded with gems on Rarity's ankle.

“This bracelet is enchanted.” Shining Armor said. “It has tracking spell cast on it so we can know where you are. Go outside of Ponyville, and it'll send an alert and you'll have guards on you in minutes. Silver Lens will keep an eye on you and make progress reports. Come on.” Shining Armor snapped his fingers and led his guards to the door.

Rarity, shaken and taken aback, collapsed onto a nearby chair. She held a hand to her forehead before lifting her head up. “Shining Armor?”

Shining Armor, with some reluctant, stopped and turned around.

“I won't forgive you for this. As soon as someone finds her, I'll tell Twilight Sparkle everything.”

“Hmph.” Shining Armor left with his guards.

Rarity examined the tracking bracelet on her leg. After doing so, she got up from her chair and offered a hand to Silver Lens. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah ...” Silver Lens said. Rarity helped her to stand up. “Rarity, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for -”

Rarity held out her hand. “Save it. I don't want to hear it. As far as I'm concerned, coming into my home like this … putting me under “psychological observation” … you're as guilty as Shining Armor.” Rarity turned away and walked into the other room.

Silver Lens watched her go. She took off her glasses and wiped them before putting them back on.

“Well … off to an excellent start.”

Out in the forest, Spike was made to sit up against a tree. He didn't know why, he just knew “Rarity” told him to, so he did. From across the way, Sonata Dusk came sashaying out from the woods.

“Hello, Spike.” Sonata Dusk said to him. Spike greeted her with a nod in her direction. “I'm Sonata Dusk, and I'm going to take care of you today. Here's the plan. I'm going to take you back to Ponyville to your friends so they'll think I'm trustworthy. After that, well … I'll siphoning out their love for each other until they're so busy bickering they don't see Chrysalis coming. But not before I have a little fun with you first.”

“Okay.” Spike agreed, his words bland and his voice monotone.

Sonata made her way up to him, getting cozy in his personal space. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. She pulled away, putting a thumb to his cheek. With a smile, she vocalized into his ear with a stream of “aaah aaaah aaah's” and “ooh ooh ooooh's.” The pendant on her neck produced green mist which trailed to the ground and swirled around Spike's legs. Spike registered her singing and gave a blissful smile as he was put under her spell. Sensing his love for her increase, the green mist rose up Sonata's legs and traveled back into her pendant. With his love filling her pendant with energy, it was no surprise to Sonata when her bust gave a bulge, stretching out and expanding to the point a button popped off and went flying.

“Aaah.” Sonata closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure. She looked at her increased breast size with a proud grin. “You see that, Spike? You did that. Your love for me did that. Do you like it?”

Spike nodded.

“Let's go a step further.” Sonata said with a sultry flair. She pulled him into another kiss and reached towards his pants. She was groping for the zipper when Spike pulled away, muttering something.

“Rarity … Rarity.” He said.

“Oh, still in love with Rarity, huh?” Sonata chuckled. She stopped trying to undress him. “Okay.” She patted him on the cheek. “We'll work up to it. Now come on, little half-ling. Let's get you home.”

Leading him along like a owner walking their dog, Sonata Dusk led him out of the forest's edge before realizing she had no idea where Ponyville was.

“Spike, which way to Ponyville?”

“Um ...” Spike looked around, struggling to think while under the lingering effects of Chrysalis' spell, not to mention Sonata's own. “That way, I think.”

“Good, good … who'll be up to see you come home?”

“Pinkie Pie's a good bet … she's usually up all day. She lives at Sugarcube Corner.”

“Good, good ...”

With Spike providing directions, Sonata Dusk had no trouble locating Ponyville – and Sugarcube Corner. She waved her hand, glowing green with magic, which reduced the effects of her spell on Spike, granting him more autonomy. Couldn't have Twilight's friends see him as a mindless slave if she was going to earn their trust, after all. She knocked on Sugarcube's door and was greeted by Pinkie Pie.

“Yes?”

“Yes, hello!” Sonata Dusk waved at her. “I'm looking for friends of Twilight Sparkle? I have something I think belongs to her.” With a wry smile, Sonata gestured to Spike.

Pinkie Pie gave a great big smile and engaged Spike in a crushing hug. “Spike! I'm so glad you're okay! We were soooo worried about you, especially after Twilight disappeared!”

“Twilight's gone?” Spike asked.

“Yeah. She disappeared right after you did. But don't worry, Shining Armor's working reeeaally hard to find her and I'm sure she'll pop up in no time! Why don't you come in? Applejack's here, and I'm sure she would be delighted to see you.”

Pinkie moved to let them inside. Applejack was drinking a float, but she rose up at the sight of Spike.

"Spike!" Applejack ran up to him and gave him a hug. "You're okay!"

“Yeah.” Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“We couldn't find ya, for some reason.” Applejack said. “Pinkie tell you Twilight's gone, too?” Spike nodded. “We all got real worried about both of y'all, but if you're okay, then maybe Twilight is too.”

“Maybe she just got lost somewhere.” Sonata Dusk said with a shrug.

Applejack gave Sonata a curious gaze. “Spike, who's your friend?”

Sonata bowed. “My name's Sonata Dusk. I saw Spike in the woods and offered to help him get home.”

Applejack got up from her seat and shook Sonata's hand. “Well, thank y'all kindly, Sonata Dusk. Ah don't know what we woulda done without ya.” She looked at Spike. “What were y'all doin' in the forest, Spike?”

Spike scratched his head. “I don't remember.”

“Ah well. The important thing is, yer safe now.”

“Yeah ...” Sonata chuckled, her pendant sparkling in the light. “Safe ...”

Applejack noticed. “That's a nice pendant ya got there, Sonata.”

“This?” Sonata gestured to it, cupping her fingers around the necklace to protect it. “Oh, it's nothing special … why don't we talk?” Sonata took a seat next to Applejack's empty stool. “I would just love to learn all about you.”

In her neck of the woods, Sunset Shimmer was sitting against a tree with a sleepy Twilight Sparkle spread across her lap with Sunset's blazer on her to keep her warm. Sunset smiled to herself, basking in the afternoon sun after a day well spent on dominating Twilight. Sunset was about to nod off herself when she felt Twilight fidget.

Sunset chuckled. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Did you get a good nap? Hmm?” Sunset was puzzled when Twilight's answer was to raise her hand in front of Sunset's face.

It became much less puzzling when a disruptive spell burst from Twilight's hands, blowing Sunset clear and burning the tree they were on beyond the point of saving.

“You're wrong.” Twilight said, getting to her knees, still a bit weak. “People do change. Discord's changed.”

Sunset grimaced and took up a battle-ready stance. Fists alight with power, she hurled a fireball at Twilight. Twilight erected a forcefield which stonewalled the fireball before returning fire with a magical bolt which sent Sunset flying into a tree.

Sunset groaned as she sunk to the ground. She watched Twilight come toward her, closing in for the kill. This is why she wanted to avoid any magical confrontation with Twilight; she knew Twilight's magic had improved beyond what Sunset could match.

Standing feet away from Sunset, Twilight raised her hand over her head, ready to send out a spell which would take care of Sunset for good. Whether it was going to kill, paralyze her, or just teleport somewhere she couldn't hurt anyone, Sunset wasn't sure.

She didn't have to find out. Sunset saw a green mist creep in around the edges of the forest, which was followed by soft, melodious singing.

“And I would wait a year/and I would wait ten/because I hope to my lover's face again ...” The voice sang.

Twilight was affected by the singing, Sunset could tell. The magic gathering in Twilight's hand dissipated and she began to wobble on her feet.

Sunset saw her mysterious savior step out into the open. A punk-looking girl with her hair in pigtails. She grinned at Twilight. She put her hands on her hips, not needing any pose or posture to deliver her pitch-perfect notes.

“I'll wait by the seashore/if I have to wait ten years or more/and I will stand on the beach alone/just to see my lover coming home.”

Out of nowhere, compelled by an unseen, undetectable desire, Twilight sang with her. “And I would wait a year … and I would wait ten ...”

“Because I hope to see my lover's face again.” The mystery woman approached Twilight, grabbing her by the wrists the way she would for a tango.

“I'll wait by the seashore if I have to wait ten years or more …” Twilight continued, looking at the woman with half-lidded eyes.

“And I will stand on the beach alone …”

“Just to see my lover coming home.”

“I'll wait a year/I'll wait ten/ I'll wait on the beach, to daylight's eeeend … because I know I'll see my lover's face agaaaain.” Twilight's eyes closed and she slumped into the woman's body. The woman lowered her to the ground.

“How … did you do that?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“I'm really good at singing people lullabies.” The woman answered, offering Sunset a hand up. “Name's Aria Blaze.”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“I know. I've heard about your work, Sunset.” Aria paced around Sunset, the way a lion circles prey. “I'm a big fan of yours … the way you take control of people … the way you don't tolerate anything from anyone.”

Sunset chuckled. “Well, what can I say? I've always had a bit of an independent streak. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well … I want to join you.” Aria Blaze said. “I want to be your ally.”

“My ally?” Sunset crossed her arms, thinking this too good to be true.

Aria bowed. “Your groupie. Your servant. Your apprentice. Pick your poison.”

Sunset rubbed her chin. The idea of taking on an apprentice appealed to her massive ego. It would certainly show Celestia a thing or two – and Aria had used her powers to save Sunset with no apparent benefit to Aria other than just saving Sunset. “Okay, Aria Blaze. You can be my apprentice.”

“Yes.” Aria pumped her fist. She grinned. She had known Sunset for all of three minutes, but she got a feeling Sunset would be a great ally for her own plans …

“So, Sonata, what do you like to do?” Pinkie asked as she served Sonata a shake.

“Oh, well … I'm really into singing.” Sonata took a sip from the drink. “What about you two? Anything you like to do?”

“I love making people smile!” Pinkie put her hands together. “And Applejack's super into farming.”

Applejack chuckled. “Wut can I say? Born to farmers, raised a farmer, and if I ever have kids, they'll farm too.” Applejack took a closer look at Sonata and frowned.

“Something wrong?”

“Nuthin' … just … Ah see y'all got a large bust, there. It's um … sounds a mite bit crazy, but Ah have an issue with large busts.”

Sonata chuckled. She reached over and patted Applejack on the shoulder. “Oh, don't worry, Applejack. I'm sure you've just got a delayed growth spurt. Someday, you'll have a large bust too!”

“Uh-huh. Yeah, sure.” Applejack glanced sideways away from Sonata. Sonata didn't know what Applejack was referring to. She wasn't here for the events of the last few days. It was a miracle Fluttershy hit on idea of going to see Zecora, and Zecora diagnosed it as Poison Joke, giving Applejack some of the cure for the Poison Joke.

“Oh, make sure to drink plenty of milk, too! I've been told that helps.” Sonata said. She was trying to be helpful- she had no idea this suggestion would set Applejack off.

“Milk … milk, milk, milk.” Applejack slammed her cup on the ground. “That's all anyone ever talks about round here nowadays.” She stormed out the door.

Sonata put her fingers to her lips. “Oh my. Was it something I said?”

“Er, yeah.” Pinkie said, wincing a bit. “She's had a rough couple of days. Don't take it personally.”

“Hmm.” Sonata turned to Spike. Spike took a sip from his drink and turned to Sonata.

“Thanks for bringing me back home, Sonata. I'm not sure what I would have done without you.”

“Don't worry about it! It was nothing.” Sonata smirked.

“And, uh … you're ...” Spike's voice gave way to mumbling.

“I'm sorry?”

“You're kind of cute.” Spike said out loud, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

“Aww.” Sonata put her hands over her chest. Her heart melted at Spike's compliment. Sonata was a seductress by nature, but something about Spike's shy manner touched her in a way she wasn't used to. “I think you're cute, too, Spike.” Sonata took a swig from the float Pinkie gave her and got up. “Okay. I'll see you around. I promised some friends of mine I'd meet them soon. Bye!” Sonata waved and went out the door.

“Bye!” Pinkie waved back. She looked to Spike. “She seems nice.”

“Yeah ...”

“Oooh.” Pinkie flashed a naughty smirk. “I see where this is going. You like her, don't you?”

“What? No! My heart belongs to Rarity.” Spike beat his chest to prove his point. He gazed at the door where Sonata had been moments prior. “Although … she did save me … and she is really cute.”

Sonata Dusk hurried back to the forest where she met Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze. All three of them were sporting enhanced busts, full of the love they had inspired for themselves while out. They discussed their plans and agreed to meet up back here where they could exchange the love with each other.

“Hey.” Sonata huffed and puffed, resting her hands on her knees. “Sorry I'm late. Those girls just wanted to talk FOREVER.”

“It's fine, it's fine.” Adagio assured her. “I had quite a bit of fun with Trixie while you were gone. Who do you get your love from, Aria?”

“Twilight Sparkle. You know, Chrysalis made her sound like such a big deal, but once I got close enough to her, she was all over me.”

“And you, Sonata?”

“Spike.” Sonata moaned at his name. “His love was good.”

“Excellent.” Adagio tapped her fingers together. “I can't wait to try it. Hold hands, everyone.” Adagio reached out and the three of them held hands together in a triangle. They vocalized, green mist flying out from their necklaces and encircling the three of them.

This was what they did. How they functioned. They gathered the love they could inspire with their singing and stored in their pendants – or their breasts – and let it out together in a communal feeding. Each member contributed to the pot, to which they all ate from.

“Oooh.” Adagio moaned. “Ooh, that's good.” Adagio's hand made its way up Sonata's arm and to her bust. As a sign of their close, open relationship with each other, the three of them had no trouble reaching over and groping each other and other intimate signs of affection.

“Mmm.” Sonata reached over and put a palm to Adagio's chest. Adagio let out a sharp moan before reaching over to Aria, who drew away from her touch.

“Aria?” Adagio asked. “Aria, you're not letting me touch you. What's wrong?”

Aria remained silent. She looked away.

“Aria Blaze.” Adagio said. “This is supposed to be community feeding. You can't keep it all for yourself. That's selfish.”

Aria sighed. “I'm just not in the mood today, Adagio.” She shook her head and moved closer. “Fine. Just get it over with.”

Adagio and Sonata put their hands on Aria's chest, but Adagio continued to frown. “I'm worried about you, Aria.”

“It's fine. It's nothing.” Aria insisted.

Soon after this exchange, the green mist disappeared – as did their large busts, emptied of the love which they had been storing. Adagio congratulated her girls on a job well down and dismissed them, sending them back to their respective “factions” before said factions got suspicious.

Adagio herself returned to Chrysalis, whose nose was buried into the book in her efforts to find another creature to summon. Adagio put a hand on her hip and cleared her throat. “Ah-erm.”

“Oh.” Chrysalis looked away from the book to acknowledge her. “You're back. Did you get a good meal?” She went right back to nosing the book.

“I did.” Adagio said. She walked towards Chrysalis, shaking her hips in an unsuccessful attempt to catch Chrysalis' eye. “You know, Chrysalis, it's good we decided to team up.”

“Yes, yes.” Chrysalis' attention was still on the book.

“We're a lot alike, you and I. We both feed on love. We both crave power and demand attention. And we're both drop-dead gorgeous.” Adagio struck a pose, running her hands through her hair.

“Yes.” Chrysalis took notice of the compliment.

“Oh, Chrysalis ...”

Demonstrating the levels of her sheer boldness and audacity, Adagio looped her arm around Chrysalis' neck and jerked so Chrysalis would face.

“Didn't anyone ever teach you not to become a shut-in with books? Honestly, have you learned nothing from Twilight?” Adagio reached up and closed the book before pushing it out of Chrysalis' hand. Before Chrysalis had a chance to feel indignant, Adagio forced a deep kiss on her. Chrysalis received Adagio's affection with open arms, digging her hands into Adagio's back and letting Adagio lower them to the ground.

Bushes rustled around them as Trixie appeared. “Chrysalis? The Great and Powerful Trixie ...” Trixie trailed off as she saw what Chrysalis and Adagio were up to. “Can wait for you to finish.” Trixie sank into the bushes, meaning to give them their space. But something about their sultry, yet graceful motions attracted her. So she stayed and watched as the two of them ravished each other.

Rarity curled up at her dining room table, hands on her head as she took in her situation. Night was falling on Ponyville and she was alone at the house. Silver Lens had taken Rainbow Dash away for some reason and Rarity decided not to go with them. She didn't trust Silver Lens.

Right now, she didn't trust anyone but Rainbow Dash.

The emptiness of the house getting to her, Rarity sighed. She sat up and looked away. Feeling the need to relieve her stress somehow, she got up and walked towards the fridge. She opened the door and pulled out a milk carton, behind which were several bottles labeled “White Poison.” Rarity shook her head at the sight. Ignoring them, she set the milk carton sideways on the table. She got out a butcher's knife from her drawer.

Holding the knife in both hands, Rarity plunged it into the side of the carton. This – this thing – this milk was the cause of all her problems. She experienced a much-anticipated sense of catharsis as she mutilated the half-gallon container. The pop it made when the knife cut through it, the drops of the milk leaking out from the cuts … seeping down the side of the table and to the floor like the blood of an animal freshly killed by its predator.

“Rarity?”

Rarity turned to see Diamond Tiara in the doorway. She didn't realize she had returned.

“What are you doing?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“I ...” Rarity stuttered. She looked at the knife, soaked with milk and looked down the mess she made on the table. Her grip on the handle getting shaky, Rarity stabbed the knife into the table before she dropped it on her foot. “I don't know.”

“Is this another one of those “nice people” things that I don't understand?”

Rarity chuckled. “No. Oh, if only it were something that simple ...”

There was a gentle knock at the door. Rarity looked to see Silver Lens standing there, looking more than a bit concerned.

Silver Lens cleared her throat. “May I come in?”

“Do I have a choice?” Rarity's voice was a snarl, more animal than human and full of fury.

“There's always a choice.” Silver Lens tried to say with a smile, but it faltered.

“No.” Rarity grabbed the handle of the knife. “There isn't. Not for me.”

“Hmm. Patient shows signs of pessimism and nihilism ...” Silver Lens said just loud enough for Rarity to hear – to get a response out of her. See what she did.

Rarity did nothing more than shoot Silver Lens a murderous glare. She let go of the knife and walked towards the door. “Where's Rainbow Dash?”

“Hi!” Rainbow Dash appeared next to Silver Lens. “I was waiting for Silver Lens to say it was safe to come in. I heard a weird popping noise. Is everything okay?” Rainbow Dash saw the cut-apart milk carton. “Ooh.”

“Yes, everything's fine.” Rarity said in direct contrast to the presence of a butchered milk carton and soaked knife on the table. No one could tell whether she was lying, in denial, or trying to communicate in secret with Rainbow Dash using code words only the two of them knew.

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash chuckled uneasily, slipping into the room. “Diamond, why don't you help me clean this up?”

“Okay ...”

As Rainbow Dash moved to get a washcloth, Rarity couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her. “You've been gone a long time, Rainbow Dash.”

“What can I say?” Rainbow Dash picked up the milk carton and tossed it into the trash. “Silver Lens showed me a few things.”

“Did she now?” Rarity crossed her arms and glared. Silver Lens stood there, unmoving and nervous.

“Pardon me.” Rarity moved past Silver Lens. “I need some air.” The bracelet only kept her from leaving Ponyville, after all. There was nothing saying she couldn't leave her own house, despite how much it felt as though something or someone was saying those exact words.

Seeing Rarity take a knife to a milk carton, of all things, and stab it until it was no longer functional, Silver Lens began to re-evaluate her stance of Rarity …

I was wrong! She IS dangerous!

Pushing Rarity from her mind, Silver Lens looked at Diamond Tiara and noticed how downbeat she was. Taking up a chair at the table, Silver Lens motioned for Diamond Tiara to sit next to her.

“Diamond Tiara, what's wrong? You look upset. Care to talk to me about it?”

Diamond Tiara made an uncertain noise.

“It's okay, Diamond Tiara. I'm a counselor.”

Diamond Tiara hesitated for several minutes before agreeing. “Okay.” She sat next to Silver Lens.

Silver Lens took Diamond Tiara's hand and gave a comforting, firm grip. “Now, tell me what's upsetting you.”

Rarity wandered through the dark, empty streets of Ponyville. Something was pressing on her mind. Gnawing at her.

Why was Rainbow Dash gone so long? What could Silver Lens have shown her which convinced Rainbow Dash to stay out as long as she did?

Rarity froze. A terrible possibility opened up in her mind. She didn't think it was possible, and if she was in a better frame, she might realize how ridiculous it sounded. But after everything which had been going between Suri coming to Ponyville, Twilight disappearing and her being put on parole, anything seemed possible.

She wondered … if Rainbow Dash had cheated on her with Silver Lens. If it was true, then there was no one left in the world who Rarity could trust. Were the “few things” Silver Lens shown something to do with Silver Lens' chest?

Why, though? Why would she DO such a thing? Was Rarity not good enough to her? Not kind enough? Did she make Rainbow Dash drink too much of her milk and Rainbow had become sick of it? Or did she not give Rainbow enough, and this was Rainbow Dash's way of rebelling?

“Oh, darling ...” Rarity placed a hand over her face. “Tell me, what did I do to deserve this? What did I do?”

“I dunno.”

Rarity whipped around. “Sonata Dusk.”

“Rarity.” Sonata Dusk said, walking towards her with an arrogant, haughty stride.

“Hmm. Yes, well, thank you for saving Spike, but what are you doing here?”

“Me?” Sonata Dusk gestured to herself. “I came to see you.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Why?” Rarity didn't take her eyes off Sonata when Sonata began to walk around her in circles.

“Oh, no reason.” Being an expert on the subject Rarity could tell Sonata was lying and not even trying to hide it. “I just heard a teensy little rumor about you I'm dying to know if it's true or not ...”

“And what … rumor would that be?” Rarity's voice was strained, attempting not to show her frustration with Sonata's coyness.

Sonata, the brazen little girl, reached out and groped Rarity's breast, squeezing until a wet spot appeared on her dress. “So it is true! You do have milk in your breasts!”

Rarity smacked Sonata's hand away and pointed a finger. “Don't test me, Sonata Dusk. I'm not in a good mood and I will gladly put you in your place if the situation calls for it.”

“Oh, you don't want to be angry at me, Rarity.”

Rarity scoffed and laughed. “And how is that? You put your hands on my breast – on my person, without my permission or consent. I'd say I'm well within my rights to be angry at you!”

“You know who you should be angry at? You should be angry at Applejack. She told me.”

“Apple … jack?” Rarity's voice broke, her heart was devastated. Hadn't they patched things up? Talked things out? Weren't they making progress on repairing their relationship?

“Yup. She told me about the milk and how did you all kinds of naughty, filthy things with it.” Sonata needled the point in.

Rarity turned away, holding her hands to her forehead like it would push this unpleasant reality away. “But … why? Applejack, weren't we getting along? Weren't we … healing?”

Seeing Rarity turned away from her, Sonata saw her chance. Waving her hands, she sung under her breath. The green mist formed around their feet. The idea being it would increase Rarity's anger and sense of betrayal and cause her to hate Applejack more, feeding Sonata with the conflict.

Something unexpected happen. Sonata and Rarity both felt sharp pains in their heads. They cried out in pain and grasped their heads. To Rarity, it felt like something had been trying to get inside her head and been repelled back with force. To Sonata, it felt like she had slammed into an iron wall.

“Are you ...” Rarity stammered, turning back to face Sonata. Sonata whimpered and stepped away. Sonata didn't know Rarity made such a complete 180 from the helpless wanderer she was when Sonata found her, but she did. Now, with a hunched posture and bloodshot eyes, Rarity looked like a dangerous madwoman ready to strike.

“Are you trying to get into my head?”

“Uh … No!” Sonata tried to lie her way out.

“Hmm.” Rarity must have felt forgiving, because she didn't call Sonata out this time. “Good. Because I assure you, Sonata Dusk, trying to get into my head would be a grave mistake … now, I'm going to give Applejack a piece of my mind.” Rarity stomped off into the darkness of the night.

As she was left alone with her green mist, Sonata wondered how Rarity resisted her spell. How her mind deflected the attempts of Sonata's magic to infiltrate it.

“How?” Sonata wondered. She didn't know – Rarity didn't know. But it had something to do with Rarity's experience with the Pipe Slime. It had given her a sort of acquired immunization to magic which affected her mind.

Meanwhile, Applejack was doing some late-night tidying up on the farm. She was unaware, across town, an angry Rarity was making a beeline towards her.

She was carrying an empty bucket of feed back to the barn when a strange sight caught her eye. There was a woman who had features of a bee going around, sticking her fingers into the flowers which grew around the outskirts of the farm.

“Uh … hey?” Applejack called for her attention.

“Mmm?” The woman turned to her.

“Could Ah, uh, ask wut yer doin' there on mah farm?”

“I am, mmm, harvesting the pollen of the flowers. I, mmm, hope this is not a source of distress for you.”

“Uh, no.” Applejack said.

“I will take what I can from these flowers and be on my way.” The bee-woman said.

“Uh … all right, I guess.” Applejack was still a bit befuddled. But she knew there were plenty of things in Equestria she hadn't seen. This bee-woman didn't appear to be hurting anyone and her family wasn't going to use the pollen for anything, so she let her be.

Applejack continued with the bucket, meaning to put it away in the house until it was needed again. She heard something rustle in the grass. She looked over her shoulder, but the bee-woman was gone.

“Hmm.” Applejack exercised caution, walking to her house at a slower pace. Something was out here, she could feel it.

She could also feel when a slimy tail shot out from the night air and coiled around her waist, binding her arms. She dropped her bucket and was lifted up into the air.

“What – hey! Let go of me!”

“Mmm, mmm, mm! What do we have here?”

“What?” Applejack was surprised at the face of her attacker. “Hey, aren't you that model from Canterlot?”

“I aaam!” Fluer-De-Lis drawled. “Rarity kept me from finishing her induction once already. Sooo … I decided to come here and do it to her friends instead!”

“Induction?” Applejack struggled in Fluer's coils, trying to squirm her way out from the appendage. But it was strong. It held together a molecular cohesion which refused to break, no matter how hard Applejack tried. Like trying to punch through jell-o.

“Quit sssstruggling!” Fluer-de-lis said, lifting Applejack up. “You're not gonna manage anything but tire yourself out.” Fluer-de-lis lifted her dress and connected her tendril to her breast.

“No.” When she saw Fluer-de-lis lift her tendril, Applejack's resistance faded as a trauma relived itself inside her mind. The incident with the Pipe Slime, with Rarity … where she was pumped so full of milk … she couldn't bear to live through it again. “Please, stop! I'm beggin' ya, please. Please, don'- MMFP!” Applejack's cries were silenced when Fluer-de-lis stuck the tendril into her mouth. As per the normal routine, milk flowed through the slimy tube from Fluer's breast into Applejack's mouth. Applejack's tastes buds were soon washed over with the aroma of Fluer's milk.

Fluer-de-lis popped the tendril out from Applejack's mouth, spilling a little milk on her face. Fluer brought her face down to Applejack's. “What do you say, Applejack? Had enough?”

“I've had too much already, ya varmint!”

“Oooh ...” Fluer made a noise of disappointment. “Not the answer I was hoping for.” Fluer wrapped her tendrils around Applejack in a great big hug and lifted Applejack higher.

“Hey … hey! Wut are ya doin'-” Applejack protested as Fluer foisted Applejack onto Fluer's breast. Applejack resumed her attempts at struggling, but Fluer's tentacles held her too tight. She was helpless to do anything as Fluer's breast poured milk into her. Fluer breathed and moaned, taking in deep breaths and exhaling, allowing the milk to flow freely.

Applejack swallowed the milk and guzzled it down – it was either swallow or suffocate. Given the choice, she was going to swallow. As she swallowed, Applejack's body lost tension and began to relax. She closed her eyes and opened them again, her eyes turning glassy and unfocused.

Seeing the change in her eyes, Fluer-de-lis smiled. She pulled her breast out of Applejack's reach. “What about now?”

Applejack blinked, trying to focus. “Mm …”

“Hmm?” Fluer-de-lis tilted her head. “I can't hear you.”

“Mm-more.” Applejack moaned, breathing heavily. “I want more.”

“Now what's what I wanted to hear.”

Fluer-de-lis curled her tendrils around her breasts and squeezed them together. She inserted the tips of both into Applejack's mouth and let her milk spill out from both at the time, flooding Applejack's tongue with the taste of her new addiction. While Applejack was distracted with feeding, Fluer's tendrils split off. Two tinier tendrils appeared and worked their around the larger ones until they could reach Applejack's chest. As the Citrus Slime had done to Fluer-de-lis, the little feelers forced their way inside Applejack's breasts through the ducts meant for natural lactation. There, they vibrated without stopping to trigger, to trick Applejack's mammary glands into opening themselves and beginning the production of milk. Applejack's breasts grew up and out, filling up with milk in what felt like seconds.

By this point, Applejack's stomach was filling up and milk was splashing all over her face – it was hard to keep up with the rich output of two breasts, let alone ones as large and full as Fluer-de-lis'.

Fluer-de-lis separated Applejack from the source of her nourishment, teasing her a little more. With Applejack hooked, Fluer-de-lis relaxed the grip of her tentacles. “What do you think, Applejack? Good stuff, right?”

Applejack panted and moaned, desperate to have more. She wasn't done. She would never be done. She wanted more - she needed MORE! Panting, Applejack lifted up hers and rolled over her chest, bending down to suckle the milk out from her breasts. She moaned, enjoying the wonderful taste of milk raising up from her own breast into her mouth.

Fluer-de-lis cooed. “Oooh. Would you be willing to share a bit?”

Applejack nodded. Giving herself a few more strong suckles, she let her breast pop out of her mouth. Fluer-de-lis rose Applejack into the air and turned her over, holding her upside down so Applejack could reach over and suckle Fluer's milk out while Fluer suckled Applejack's upside-down hanging chest. Applejack's spare breast dropped milk to the ground as she shaken and stimulated. The two of them engaged in a symphony of moaning and milking.

“Mmmm ...” Fluer moaned, enjoying the taste of Applejack's milk. A few drops trailed down Fluer's chin. But it was still nowhere near the amount of milk on – and in – Applejack.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

Fluer-de-lis was blasted by an intense powerful spell. It blew her back some distance, dropping Applejack to the ground. Fluer-de-lis growled at Rarity.

Rarity was unafraid and hurled spell after spell at Fluer, pushing and throwing her back. Fluer-de-lis raised her arms to block the incoming barrage, but it was still too much for her. Rarity cast her spell and ripped chunks of the earth out from the soil and tossed them at Fluer, caking her with dirt and conniving her to retreat. She turned around and slithered away into the night. Rarity let her go, more concerned with her friend.

“Applejack!” Rarity cried out, rushing to her friend. Applejack was oblivious to her, too busy suckling herself for milk. Rarity collapsed next to her, forgetting about the things Sonata said. “Applejack … oh, Applejack, I'm so sorry.” Ignoring Applejack's indecency, Rarity pulled her into a hug and cradled her body, even while Applejack continued to nurse herself. Tears rolled down Rarity's cheeks, eventually dripping onto Applejack's shoulders. “If I could have been here sooner … I could have fought her off. I'm sorry, Applejack. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry ...”

Author's Notes:

In my original plan, Twilight would have pieced together that Applejack's cider issue was Poison Joke-induced, and then they would have seen Zecora. But once I got around to writing this chapter, the parts and pieces had moved so to make that plan unfeasible.