Spirit of the Forest Issue 2

My Little Pony: Spirit of the Forest #2 is the second issue of IDW Publishing's My Little Pony: Spirit of the Forest comic miniseries. In the issue, the Cutie Mark Crusaders try to shut down production at Filthy Rich's lumber mill to save White Tail Woods from deforestation.

Summary
At the School of Friendship, the Mane Six are having their weekly session of "Teacher Teatime" when the Cutie Mark Crusaders suddenly burst in. They inform the ponies about the situation at White Tail Woods involving Filthy Rich's lumber mill, and Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash offer to help.

At the lumber mill, the ponies meet with Filthy Rich, who assures them that the littering problem has been taken care of and that the lumber mill is completely above board and city-approved. They mention the excess deforesting of the woods and the waste being dumped in the Ponyville River, and Filthy argues further that the woods' lumber holds a lot of quality and sentimental value. When Apple Bloom mentions how much the woods meant to Filthy's grandmother, Filthy seems to get upset, and he quickly dismisses the ponies out of his office.

The ponies turn to Mayor Mare, but the mayor is unable to do anything about it because Filthy's lumber mill was approved long ago and has been a great supplier of lumber to the town. With no other options available to them, Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity express the futility of fighting big businesses but commend the Crusaders for trying their best. The Crusaders refuse to give up, however, and try to come up with another idea overnight.

The next day, the Crusaders go to school, and they still have no new ideas on how to change Filthy Rich's mind. Diamond Tiara overhears their conversation and quickly figures out what they are talking about, expressing her own negative opinions about her father's lumber mill. When she wishes that the Spirit of the Forest were real to get her father to stop, the Crusaders come up with another idea and race off.

Some time later, as Filthy's lumberjack employees continue chopping down the trees of White Tail Woods, a long-necked forest creature—the Crusaders disguised as the Spirit of the Forest—appears to menace them and scare them away. Frightened by the creature's presence, the lumberjacks refuse to work for Filthy any longer, and they abandon their jobs at the lumber mill. Unable to find replacement workers, Filthy is forced to temporarily halt all production at the lumber mill. Several craftsponies in town are inconvenienced by the resulting lack of lumber, but the Crusaders believe saving White Tail Woods is worth it.

That night, the Crusaders—in their Spirit of the Forest costume—are about to scare away another lumberjack, but they get caught in a trap. This turns out to be a trap that Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash set to catch whoever who was scaring away Filthy Rich's employees, and they are shocked to discover the Crusaders were behind it. The Crusaders plead that they were forced to resort to drastic measures to save the woods after failing to change Filthy's mind.

Just then, Filthy Rich arrives to see if whoever scared off his workers has been caught, and he is both shocked and enraged to discover the Crusaders were responsible. The Crusaders try to reason with Filthy, but he angrily tells them off, dismissing the "Spirit of the Forest" as nothing but a fable. Declaring that the lumber mill will reopen the next day, Filthy Rich leaves.

Quotes

 * Rarity It's lovely to have a day in which absolutely nothing unexpected happens!
 * Applejack: Rarity! Why would you say somethin' like that?!
 * Rarity Hm?
 * Applejack: Everypony knows saying stuff like that causes unexpected stuff t' happen! It's a law o' nature! Some creature's gonna come through th' doors with a weird problem any moment—
 * Apple Bloom: HALP!
 * Applejack: —now.


 * Sweetie Belle: We're flustered and consternated!
 * Twilight Sparkle: Ooh! You've been using the thesaurus I bought you, Sweetie!


 * Twilight Sparkle: ...The three of us are gonna be real bored for the next few days, aren't we?
 * Pinkie Pie: Yyyyyyep.
 * Fluttershy: Oh, good!


 * Rarity There must be something the mayor can do!


 * Mayor Mare: I'm afraid there's absolutely nothing I can do!


 * Mayor Mare: If you're interested in getting involved in local government... I have some pamphlets you might—
 * Applejack: Thanks, mayor, but we'll be on our way now.
 * Mayor Mare: ...Nopony ever wants to see the pamphlets.


 * Diamond Tiara: I wish my daddy had never built that mill! He's ruining the woods, and great-grandmama's cabin, all for a few lousy bits! We used to love running around in those woods, looking for the Spirit of the Forest... and now it's like he doesn't even care! He thinks the woods are just another thing to buy and sell!


 * Sweetie Belle: I feel bad for all those other ponies, though. They're just trying to do their jobs... but they can't without Filthy Rich's lumber.


 * Applejack: Didja hear that? It worked!
 * Rarity Your trap went off without a hitch, Applejack!
 * Rainbow Dash: Hey, it was my idea too!


 * Filthy Rich: You thought one o' my grandmama's stories would convince me to shut down? You thought you could stop a factory with a fable? Grow up, girls! There ain't no spirit in this forest!