//------------------------------// // More horn troubles // Story: Crowns and Apples, Butterflies and Lilies // by zyr1987 //------------------------------// t was around ten in the morning when Fleur, relaxing and enjoying a novel outside Fluttershy's house, saw Fancy coming down the path. She shut her book and stood up, saying, “Bonjour, Fancy. What brings you here so early?” “I was hoping you could explain why I got this,” Fancy said, passing a piece of paper to Fleur. Fleur looked it over and realized her assumption that it was the gift certificate for the spa was correct, saying, “Oh yes, I was thinking you could use some relief for your horn after what happened. And embarrassing my dear friend couldn't hurt, I thought.” “And you decided to mail it to me?” “What? I didn't want to go right back to Rarity's shop right after I'd left. I do have things I want to do while here in town, after all.” Fancy sighed and put a hoof on his face before asking, “Anyway, where's Fluttershy?” “Doing some errands in town. She should be back soon. Also, if you want lunch, it's in about two hours.” “Okay. I'll come back, then.” “Before you go, tell me, do you intend to use the gift certificate I sent you?” Fleur asked, a hopeful look on her face. “Yes. Tomorrow, if I don't see you there. I know that's your usual spa day, but I don't feel like seeing you smugly watch my horn get massaged.” “But it would so much fun!” “For you, maybe,” Fancy said, turning to leave again. “Fine, I'll see if Fluttershy will let me come along with her and Rarity on their spa date, if you're so intent on me not going with you.” “I like that idea.” Fleur didn't say anything more, instead turning to head back to her chair. However, as fate would have it, she found a bear standing right behind her, and panicked. She ran off to one side before tripping on a rock and sliding several feet. Instead of getting up, she curled up in a tight ball clutching her head and waiting to die. At the hospital the news wasn't good. Well, at least according to Fancypants, who had realized that the likelihood that Fleur and Nurse Redheart were related was somewhere near zero, despite their near identical color schemes, crushing his very brief dream of dating a relative of Fleur's working at a hospital. For Fleur, the mood was somewhat better, despite what was, in her opinion, a rather overzealous nurse. “I swear, I'm fine. I just scratched my horn,” she said, sounding very annoyed as Nurse Redheart took a close look at said appendage. “Your friend didn't think you were, and we can't be too careful.” “Fancypants is just annoyed because I set him up for a spa day tomorrow. And because he's irritable when his horn aches.” “Yes. I remember him coming in an ambulance. Still, I think he had the right idea bringing you here,” Nurse Redheart said, writing something down. “Regardless, here's a prescription for a mild painkiller for if your horn hurts too much while using magic. Try to minimize magic use for at least a few days, and don't push yourself too hard until your horn feels better, okay?” “Okay, I can do that. Thank you,” Fleur said, flashing a glare at Fancy. “You're welcome. And if you have any further issues, don't hesitate to come back.” As they left, Fleur said, “I should get back to Fluttershy's cottage. She's probably worried about me.” “Mind if I go with you? As I recall, I was supposed to have lunch with you two,” Fancy asked. “Sure. Just please don't bring up what happened at Fluttershy's house. I'm not sure I want to talk about that with her at the moment.” “Well, if you insist.” Ten minutes later, they arrived back at Fluttershy's cottage. Seeing Fluttershy outside, Fleur said, “I'm back, Fluttershy. Sorry about my disappearance. Somepony insisted I go to the hospital after I merely scratched my horn.” “That's okay, I understand. So do you two want lunch?” Fancypants's stomach answered for him, growling loudly. Fleur then said, “Certainly. Do you want any help?” “Sure. If you don't mind.” The two Canterlot residents followed Fluttershy inside and Fleur quickly followed the pegasus to the kitchen while Fancy took to relaxing on the couch. Fleur looked over the ingredients set out and, in a confused tone, asked, “Cucumber sandwiches?” “Yes. Is that okay?” “It's fine. I'm just more used to wearing cucumbers on my eyes than eating them is all.” “Oh,” Fluttershy said. “Anyway, should we get started?” “Oh, of course.” Fleur chopped up a large cucumber and slid over the slices to Fluttershy, who placed them between slices of bread. During this process, Fleur noticed that Fluttershy's hoof kept touching her own as the slices were slid over. When she turned to look, as she slid over the last of the slices, she noticed what she thought was a small blush. She ignored it, assuming her achy horn was causing her mind to play tricks on her. She set aside the remainder of the cucumber and watched as Fluttershy finished making the last sandwich. After the plates were set out and Fancypants called to the meal, they sat down and began eating. Shortly into the meal, Fancy said, “So, Fleur, how did you manage to help with lunch without your horn?” “I did use my horn, despite the dull ache, but only for the knife. I don't trust my hooves when using sharp implements anyway, and my horn doesn't hurt that much.” “If you say so.” “Speaking of horns, how is yours feeling?” Fleur asked, before taking a large bite of her sandwich. “Still hurts too much to use it, but it doesn't feel like my brain is being pulled through it anymore.” “That's good to hear.” Fancy then turned to Fluttershy and said, “By the way, I don't think Fleur ever told me how you two met.” “Um, at one of the fashion shows I was part of while I was a model, she decided to introduce herself and we started talking. She decided she wanted to stay in contact and got my address and that's how we became friends.” “That's the short version,” Fleur said, “though it only left out how I began talking to her because of how miserable she was and I only asked for her address because I wanted to claim to be friends with Equestria's top model and because I didn't want to drop out of contact with her regardless.” “That explains a lot. Especially your yelling to the high heavens about having befriended Fluttershy,” Fancy said. “Her doing what?” Fluttershy asked, obviously a bit disturbed. “Don't ask,” Fleur said through a mouthful of cucumber. After swallowing she changed tact, saying, “Actually, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was actually a good way to make a foal myself. Especially since news got out that you quit a few days later.” “She still hasn't fully lived it down,” Fancy said. “Just as Fancy hasn't lived down accidentally calling the Prench ambassador a giant walking trashbag in Prench instead of a most honorable pony. How he did that, I have no idea,” Fleur said. As Fancy tried to hide his embarrassment behind his sandwich, Fluttershy nodded in acknowledgment, but said nothing, allowing silence to descend over the table, only broken by the sounds of chewing. Eventually, after finishing the last bite of her sandwich, Fleur spoke up again, asking, “So do you have your eye on anypony, Fancy?” “How do you mean?” “I thought that after our breakup you would go looking for a new marefriend.” “Well, after spending so much time with you as my marefriend, I'm going to have a hard time finding somepony else that I can be truly happy with. That's why I haven't been looking for somepony else quite yet,” Fancypants said, before biting into his second sandwich. “I see.” “What about you? Do you have anypony in particular in mind?” “Non. I haven't been looking either, I admit, though mostly because I'm focused on spending time with my dear friend Fluttershy,” Fleur said Fancy nodded, then took another large bite of his sandwich, noticing that Fluttershy and Fleur had finished their own meals. After he swallowed, he asked, “What about you, Fluttershy? Are you in a relationship?” “N-no. Not right now.” “I see.” Silence fell again and Fancy used the lack of conversation to quickly finish his second sandwich. When he finished, he stood up and said, “I should get back To Rarity's shop. She's probably worried about me.” “Okay, see you later,” Fleur said. “Bye,” Fluttershy said. A short time later, Fancy arrived back at Rarity's shop, and found its owner coming towards him. When she reached him she said, “Where have you been? I thought you were just going to be gone for a few minutes, not two and a half hours!” “Sorry. I took Fleur to the hospital after she tripped and scratched her horn, and the doctor's visit took much longer than I expected it to. By the time we left, it was about noon, when I had planned to go to Fluttershy's home for lunch anyway.” “I see. Still, you could have come by to let me know what was going on when you left the hospital at least.” “I know, and I'm sorry I didn't,” Fancy said, closing the front door behind him. “By the way, how is Fleur?” “Laying off her horn a bit and annoyed with me for dragging her off to the hospital, but otherwise not much worse for wear. Also, before I forget, since I don't want to be at the spa at the same time as Fleur, and she knows it, she wanted to know if you would be okay with her joining you and Fluttershy at the spa, the day after tomorrow.” “Of course. I'd love to spend some more quality time with her. I'll let her know the next time I see her,” Rarity said, before seeming to remember something. “By the way, does this mean you're going to use the gift certificate she sent you?” “Yes. Apparently it will be a good way to ease the pain in my horn, if Fleur is to be believed, and I don’t like lying to her, regardless.” The next day, Fancy woke up, and shuffled to the bathroom. Wiping his face and horn down with a wet cloth he wondered what Rarity was making for breakfast and hoped the pain would finally recede enough for him to use his horn again soon. He also cursed the fact that horns were slow to heal. Still, he judged by the current pain levels he could get some magic use back in a day or two, if he took some aspirin beforehand. He made his way downstairs to the dining room, where he smelled the fragrant aroma of cinnamon. Rarity saw him and said, “good morning, Fancy. I stopped off down at Sugarcube Corner and they were having a special on cinnamon rolls, so I picked us a few.” “They smell delicious.” “They are. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes are amazing bakers. Try one.” Fancy took one, bit a large chunk out of it, and savored it as it melted in his mouth. Rarity asked, “What do you think?” “Absolutely delicious.” “So when do you plan on going to the spa?” “I was thinking after lunch, since I doubt it'll be very crowded then,” Fancy said, before taking another bite of his roll. “There's not going to be anyone there at all on a weekday, trust me. It's why I prefer to go with Fluttershy in the middle of the week. She doesn't like spending long periods in crowds after all.” “If you say so. So what sort of service can I expect for the price Fleur paid?” “What was it, 35 bits?” Rarity asked. “Yes.” “For that much, you're getting some of everything, actually. Facial, mud bath, full body massage, steam room, hot tub, the works. It's their most expensive package, in fact.” “All that for less than 40 bits?” Fancy asked, surprised. Rarity immediately realized that he was more used to Canterlot prices. “Yep. Ponyville is nice, but it isn't exactly a rich, high class town like Canterlot is, and prices tend to reflect that.” Fancy simply shook his head in amazement before finishing his cinnamon roll. After a moment, Rarity asked, “So, why do you think Fleur set up an appointment at the spa for you?” “If I know Fleur, and I do, it's probably because she both cares about me and likes to see me squirm. There is nothing in the world that makes her happier than making me feel better and embarrassing me at the same time, except getting a fabulous new dress in the process of doing that.” “And yet you dated her for a year.” “The caring usually took precedence to the embarrassing. Usually. I admit it didn't help that she focused on embarrassing me exclusively. Said it helped keep my ego in check or something, but those times when she just wanted to make me happy with no embarrassment or strings attached, and those times where she gave me the cold, hard truth regardless of how it would make me feel, those were the moments I lived for,” Fancy said, taking another cinnamon roll. “You still miss her.” “Yes but I'm getting over her. Especially since she seems intent on annoying the heck out of me, at the moment.” “I wonder what Fancy's doing right now,” Fleur said, reveling in the wonder of jellied toast, something that, according to her agent, she wasn’t supposed to have due to all the carbs in it. “Probably negotiating some deal with Rarity for her fashion business.” “Probably,” Fluttershy said, nursing her own toast and staring at her plate. “Hey, what's wrong? What happened to the happy, perky Fluttershy I know and love?” “I don't want to talk about it.” “C'mon, tell me Fluttershy, I'm your friend. Maybe I can help,” Fleur offered, looking a bit concerned. “That's okay. I'll handle it.” “Fine. But if you want to talk about, I'm here for you.” Fluttershy nodded, and went back to her toast. Fleur, confident that she wasn't going to get anything about what was bothering her, did the same before deciding to compliment said meal. The ensuing conversation is esoteric and boring enough that it will not be reproduced here. Suffice it to say, Fleur really likes wheat toast with grape jelly. Later, back in Fancy's world, he was looking for something that would make Fleur both happy and embarrassed for a reasonable price. This last part wasn't a problem seeing as he was in Ponyville, but the enjoyable and embarrassing part was proving a challenge. His first thought was a sex toy, but he realized Fleur would react badly to getting one as a gift, especially if given in front of Rarity and Fluttershy as he had planned. No, he needed something that she would adore at first sight, with an embarrassing show of affection at receiving it. As he was looking over a selection of flowers, he had the perfect idea. He bought a few flowers to snack on, then quickly headed back to Rarity's boutique, smiling all the way, When he made it back, he said, “I think I have an idea for the perfect gift for my friend Fleur.” “And that would be?” “The most beautiful, elegant dress you can make, and I can pay for. She always gets giddy over clothes, and I want to embarrass her a bit with that fact. Just keep it quiet, I want it to be a surprise.” “Of course. I love the idea. Does 250 bits sound reasonable?” Rarity asked. “250 bits? Sounds a bit low.” “I'm counting on Fleur wearing by dress and giving me some free advertising, but I can charge you more if you want.” “That's okay,” Fancy said. “So, do you know Fleur's measurements?” Fancy gave them to her, as well as telling her what Fleur liked in her dresses. When he finished Rarity said, “I can have a couple of designs ready by dinner. Speaking of meals, do you want lunch?” “Of course.” “And don't forget, after lunch, you have the thing at the spa.” “I know,” Fancy said, “I just wish I forgot. So, uh, what are we having?” Fluttershy was feeding her animals before lunch, trying to keep her mind occupied, trying not to think about the images that kept floating into her head. As she flew up to the tree to feed the birds in its branches, she glanced down at Fleur, who was helping out, mainly by spreading out seeds for the ground dwelling birds and pouring food for the dogs, cats, and mice. Basically anything she could do without having to handle dirty or smelly foods, which annoyed Fluttershy a bit. Even so, she couldn't help but blush a bit after stealing a glance at her supermodel friend. She waited a second for the flushing in her cheeks to pass than landed near Fleur, making sure she was spreading the seeds out enough and not putting out too much, both typical newbie mistakes. “So, how'd I do?” Fleur asked. She looked over Fleur's handiwork and said, “Very good. Much better than yesterday.” “Merci. I aim to please. So, what's left to do?” “Well, I need to check on my animals who need medical care. If you want, you can help.” “Just tell me what to do,” Fleur said. “Okay just...” Fluttershy said before going into a short explanation that Fleur listened to intently, then leading Fleur inside. Once inside, they quickly worked through the animals needing medical care, changing bandages, giving medicine, checking healing, etc. It only took a few minutes before they were done. After that, Fleur asked, “Want help with lunch?” “Sure, if you don't mind.” After lunch, Fancy headed down to Ponyville's spa to fulfill the appointment Fleur had made for him. When he arrived, he was rather surprised and annoyed to find another pony waiting in the lobby. Specifically, it was a freckled orange mare with a blonde mane and tail and a stetson hat. The same freckled orange mare, in fact, as the one he had met at her apple stand a few days before. Not having a good excuse to leave, and get an earful from Rarity, he bit the bullet and sat down next to her. The mare, whose name he now remembered as Applejack, said, “I didn't figure you for the spa type.” “I'm not. Blame Fleur for setting me up on a spa day. I admit, I didn't expect you to be the type, either.” “I wasn't, until Rarity dragged me down here after I complained about being sore from a long day of apple buckin', a year or so back. Ever since then I've been comin' down here twice a month durin' applebuckin' season since I feel so relaxed and ready for more applebuckin' after.” “So why are you sitting here in the lobby, rather than getting your massage treatment?” Fancy asked, looking around the lobby. “They're havin' lunch. They'll be back in a few minutes and I have nothin' better to do today. By the way, why did Fleur set you up on a spa day?” “I'll tell you what I told Rarity, she wants to help me with the pain in my horn, and if she can embarrass me a bit in the process, all the better so far as she's concerned.” “Is that why you broke up with her? The embarrassment, I mean,” Applejack asked. “No. We broke up because we drifted apart. We're still friends, and regardless, I'm planning my revenge.” “Which would be?” “It's a secret,” Fancy said, as a blue pony with a pink mane and a white headband appeared at the receptionist’s desk. Applejack walked up to the desk and said something he couldn't hear. The blue mare disappeared and the door opened as a pink mare with a blue mane and white headband appeared behind the counter. Fancy approached her, gift certificate in hoof, and said, “my friend gave me this as a gift.” “Would you like to redeem it today?” “Yes, please.” “Okay, please come with me,” the mare said, moving to open the door. Fancy wen through the doorway and suppressed a cringe, hoping no more customers came in while he was there.