Fluttershy inhaled deeply, breathing in the floral scent of the water's perfume. Her eyes were closed and she was relaxedly leaning back as she lounged in a small hot tub with Rarity.
This was something the two girls did every Saturday afternoon; they visited Aloe and Lotus's spa, where they talked and relaxed together. It was easily one of Fluttershy's favorite activities; she loved the water's heat, she loved the privacy, and she loved all the relaxing scents that filled the air around her. It was beautiful and quiet; the only window in this room was a large, domed glass ceiling that arced over the cluster of different-sized hot tubs scattered across the floor. There were several small trees and flowering plants in pots all around the room, as well as a small artificial waterfall flowing from a natural hot spring that poured a steady stream of water into all the baths (there were gutter-like indentations in the floors between the baths designed to guide the overflowing water from the waterfall and distribute it between them).
But of course, Fluttershy's favorite part about her spa trips with Rarity was the company of Rarity herself. Rarity was her single best friend, and they could discuss many shared interests; including fashion, art, theatre, music, and other "high-class" things. For this reason, Twilight was also a rather frequent participant in these trips. Few things could bring Fluttershy so much relaxation as having a quiet conversation about such subjects with her friends at the baths.
Of course, there was one more aspect of Rarity that Fluttershy deeply enjoyed about these spa trips.
Smiling softly and opening her eyes, Fluttershy turned her head down to gaze at Rarity. The young, violet-haired Elf woman was also lounging against the tub's wall, her eyes closed and a contented smile over her lips. As they sat, Fluttershy turned her eyes down to Rarity's naked body, drinking it in with enormous admiration.
This was the one thing that made Fluttershy enjoy Rarity's company more than Twilight's; Twilight was beautiful- no doubt- but there was something almost magical about the elegance and grace that Rarity constantly carried. Rarity's figure was deliciously curvaceous; more so than all their other friends. This, in addition to her lovely pale complexion; full lips; long, well-kept hair; and large, sapphire-blue eyes made her so enchanting that Fluttershy always found it an eagerly-awaited treat to be able to lingeringly gaze at her.
Fluttershy knew that Rarity didn't mind; shortly after they had started going to the spa together, Rarity had caught Fluttershy staring at her. Fluttershy was immediately deeply embarrassed and apologetically promised not to do it anymore, but Rarity simply responded by expressing flattery and inviting Fluttershy to look all she liked. Thus, Rarity had become Fluttershy's only friend aside from Rainbow who was aware of her homosexuality until she had told Pinkie about it.
Fluttershy always took full advantage of her privilege to stare at Rarity's nude figure. It was enormously relaxing; Fluttershy didn't date, and so she was always in a near-constant state of deep sexual frustration. Rarity had once suggested that she should visit brothels to alleviate it, but Fluttershy had replied that she was likely to get emotionally attached to her escorts if she did, which she didn't want to risk. Rarity in turn had suggested that Fluttershy should start dating instead, to which Fluttershy replied that she was too shy to meet new people and that she valued her relationships with her friends too much to pursue romances with them. Thus, Fluttershy contented herself with her spa trips with Rarity and Twilight.
After Fluttershy had reached satiation from gazing at Rarity, she looked up and asked quietly, "How has work been, Rarity?"
Rarity looked up. "Hmm?" she said.
"How is your work going?" Fluttershy repeated.
Rarity grinned. "Funny you should ask," she said. She stood up as she continued, "Come on; let's go get facials. I'll tell you all about it there."
Fluttershy stood, as well, then she and Rarity dried themselves off with towels, bundled their hair up in them, and slipped into soft, fur-lined bathrobes. They then went into the beauty salon, where the twin Human sisters Aloe and Lotus began painting mud over their faces. Rarity received a full mask before cucumber slices were laid over her eyes, but Fluttershy had only her cheeks covered. Once their masks were on, Fluttershy and Rarity removed their robes again before laying across two of the spa's beds to receive massages from the sisters. The pink-haired Lotus gently kneaded Fluttershy's back while a male assistant drummed his hands over Rarity's back.
While they were receiving their massages, Rarity said while her voice shook under the rhythmic thudding on her back, "Finale ordered some of my dresses to sell at his shop in Athens, and he told me that they sold remarkably well there! He even wrote a letter to me telling me that he expected my skills in fashion design to surpass even his within a few years!"
"Oh, Rarity, that's wonderful," Fluttershy softly replied.
"But that's not all!" Rarity continued excitedly. "He also told me that the fashion photographer Photo Finish asked him about me, and he told her that I was one of the greatest emerging talents in the industry! And so now she's coming here to Avalon to personally see my work!"
"The Photo Finish?" Fluttershy said surprisedly. "How does Finale know her?"
"She's his cousin," Rarity replied.
The girls then got off of their beds and went to the mud baths, where they sat in a tub of green medicinal mud. Once they were submerged up to their necks in it, Rarity continued, "So I've been working all week on composing some absolutely sublime ensembles, and I'm going to present them to her when she arrives!"
"Oh, I'm sure she's going to love them," Fluttershy replied.
After a few moments of silence, Rarity let out a wistful sigh. "The only problem is, I don't have a model yet..." she muttered. "No one I've seen is quite right to showcase my designs...."
"I'm sure you'll find someone," Fluttershy said encouragingly.
Rarity hummed in reply, and they silently relaxed for a few more minutes.
Once they decided that they were finished with the mud bath, Rarity removed the cucumber slices from her eyes, then she and Fluttershy went to the spa's showers to rinse the mud from their faces and bodies.
After Rarity had turned on some hot water in one of the shower heads, Fluttershy closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the warm jets washing the mud down her legs and into the drain. She let out a large, satisfied sigh as she ran her hands down her arms, torso, and thighs, gently stroking the green sludge away. Fluttershy then opened a bottle of fragrant shampoo and poured a small amount into her hands, which she gently massaged into her scalp, keeping her eyes closed all the while.
As Fluttershy was rinsing and combing her hair between her fingers, however, she looked at Rarity and gasped in surprise; she saw that Rarity was smilingly gazing at her. Rarity was running her eyes down Fluttershy's figure, as though she were carefully studying it.
"Uh... Rarity?" Fluttershy said, a deep, burning blush creeping into her cheeks.
"Let's dry off and get dressed, shall we?" Rarity said, continuing to smile as she turned to the faucet and switched the water off. She went to a nearby towel rack and tossed a fluffy pink towel to Fluttershy. Upon receiving it, Fluttershy gently dried out her hair while staring confusedly at Rarity, who seemed far more cheerful than she had been before.
Once Rarity was in her skinny jeans, heeled brown leather boots, black bandeau, and lacy crocheted white sweater, and Fluttershy had slipped into her sandals, miniskirt, and blouse, they returned to the salon, where they sat in adjacent barber's chairs while they waited for a hair stylist to come attend to them.
Rarity continued to silently smile until Stephen Magnet approached her, having just finished another customer's hair. "Hello, girls!" he sang, smiling at her and Fluttershy. "How are things going, Girlfriends?"
"Quite well, thank you," Rarity replied.
"How about you, sweetheart?" Stephen said to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "I'm doing well, too. Thanks, Stephen."
Stephen clapped and turned back to Rarity. "So, just the usual for you today, Rarity?"
"Of course," Rarity replied.
"Alright, then...." Stephen said, turning her chair to face the mirror. "Just a trim and some curling, then."
As he began to measure Rarity's hair between his fingers, Stephen said, "So, how did dinner with Autumn Leaf go?"
"Oh, it went okay...." Rarity muttered. "I think he must have tried to memorize some lines from a joke book right before the date. Not a funny one, either...."
Rarity and Stephen continued discussing their love lives until Stephen finished cutting Rarity's hair, at which point he said, "... and this big, hairy boy comes up to me and asks me for a drink while giving me a once-over! Like, ugh! You ain't getting any of this! Not if I couldn't tell you apart from a warthog! And I don't just mean your face!"
"Oh, absolutely not!" Rarity agreed. "A man should have some class!"
"I know!" Stephen said. "So true! Well, it's time to bring out the curlers. Would you mind if I leave them in while I do Fluttershy's hair, Rare?"
"Of course not," Rarity replied.
Nodding, Stephen began rolling Rarity's hair up in several large curlers. Once they were firmly in position, Stephen walked to Fluttershy's chair, turned her to face her mirror, and began trimming her hair, as well.
After a few silent minutes, Rarity said, "Fluttershy, can I ask you something?"
Fluttershy blushed and flinched, but said, "Of- of course!"
"For my dresses," Rarity said, "I cannot simply have any model. I need someone with great grace, poise, and beauty. The ensembles I've designed for Photo Finish's consideration require a very particular body type; I need someone who is slender, delicate, sweet."
Fluttershy's eyes darted around nervously; she knew where this was going.
"I need someone... like you," Rarity finished, smiling coyly at Fluttershy through the mirror.
Fluttershy looked down at the ground as Rarity continued, "Would you consider modeling for me, Fluttershy Dear?"
"I... I don't know...." Fluttershy said. "I mean... I don't like being watched, or judged, or-"
"Oh, don't worry, Darling!" Rarity said reassuringly. "It's just for Photo Finish! And it's only one time."
"Oh, yes, Darling!" Stephen added. "You'll do fantastically! You'd be a natural!"
"I... I don't...." Fluttershy said anxiously.
"Oh, please, Fluttershy?" Rarity said. "Oh, please, please, pleeeeease?"
As Rarity begged, her words grew gradually more high-pitched and imploring, and she finished by giving Fluttershy a wide-eyed, pouting look in pleading. It was absolutely adorable, not to mention dead sexy, and Fluttershy found herself utterly defenseless against it and ultimately unable to say no.
With a sigh, Fluttershy softly smiled and said, "If it matters that much to you, I'll do it."
"Oh, thank you, Fluttershy!" Rarity cried, running forward to embrace her. Fluttershy intensely blushed as she did this.
Meanwhile, Stephen smilingly stepped away from them, saying, "Hold your horses, Rare! I'm not done doing her hair yet!"
"O-of course!" Rarity stuttered embarrassedly as she stepped back. "Sorry, Stephen!"
Stephen went back to Fluttershy and returned to trimming her hair. As he finished up with it, Fluttershy anxiously gazed down and took a deep, wavering breath.
Rarity carefully pinned the bodice together at Fluttershy's sides. This was a very tight-fitting dress, and so Rarity had to custom-fit it to Fluttershy's figure.
It was a very showy, flamboyant ensemble; Fluttershy was wearing a deep purple dress with pink fur lining and edging. Many semiprecious gems were embroidered into the fabric, and on Fluttershy's head was a large headdress of feathers that were also pink, matching the dress's fur edging.
After sliding the last pin into the dress, Rarity slowly began stitching its side together, saying, "You're doing wonderfully, Darling! I've never had someone sit still so well!"
"Oh. Well, thanks, Rarity," Fluttershy replied with a soft smile.
"Oh, no, it is I who should be thanking you!" Rarity cried. "It means so much that you're willing to do this for me!"
"I don't mind," said Fluttershy.
After only a few more minutes, Rarity tied off the last stitch and magically cut the end of the thread away. "There," Rarity said, standing back and admiring her work. "You look fabulous, Fluttershy Dear!"
Fluttershy's smile widened a little and she blushed. Receiving such compliments from Rarity could make most anything worth it.
"Yes, that seems to fit perfectly," Rarity said, circling around Fluttershy. "All that's left now is your makeup."
Fluttershy nodded, then Rarity went to her kitchen to retrieve a chair. Once she had brought one, Fluttershy sat in it while Rarity went to her bedroom to get her makeup kit.
Once Rarity had returned, she opened her purple makeup tote and began pulling bottles and brushes out, commenting, "I know you don't like wearing makeup, Fluttershy Dear, but I won't put on very much; you have such a lovely face already that we'll need just a little to enhance it...."
Fluttershy's blush deepened. The best thing about Rarity's compliments, Fluttershy thought, was that she could tell they were genuine; after all, Rarity's primary concern at the moment was making her look as nice as possible for their upcoming photo shoot.
Rarity applied a light amount of blush, some light blue eyeshadow, some mascara, some eyeliner, and peach lipstick to Fluttershy's face. Upon completion, she smiled, slid back, and said, "There; you're ready."
Fluttershy and Rarity stood up, then Rarity turned Fluttershy around to face a mirror. Fluttershy blinked surprisedly upon seeing her reflection; Rarity had made her look absolutely stunning.
Fluttershy softly smiled. "Oh, Rarity!" she said. "You did a wonderful job!"
"Many thanks, Fluttershy," Rarity replied.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Ooh!" Rarity cried excitedly. "I think that's her now!"
Rarity quickly walked to the front door of her shop, then opened it.
The woman who stepped in was short, stern-faced, and bespectacled; she wore a pair of hot pink-tinted sunglasses, high-heeled black boots, and a black-and-white striped minidress with padded shoulders. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, and she wore her white hair in a short, bobbed cut. The Mark on her thighs was an aperture of purple and pink triangles, reminiscent of the lens of a camera.
"Photo Finish!" Rarity said with a small curtsy. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Hmm," Photo Finish said, looking around the shop. "Very... quaint," she commented. She had a thick accent that Rarity guessed was from somewhere in the northeastern Central Pillar.
Once Photo Finish had entered, she was immediately followed by an Elf woman who wore a pantsuit with a black necktie and carried a large suitcase.
"Vere is ze model?" Photo Finish said, turning to Rarity. There was a tinge of impatience in her voice.
"Oh- here!" Rarity said, running to Fluttershy's side and indicating to her.
Photo Finish hummed and stroked her chin as she gazed at Fluttershy. "Hmm...." Fluttershy darted her eyes around nervously and began to tremble under Photo's intense stare.
Then, without warning, Photo shouted, "Flash, my camera!" causing Fluttershy and Rarity to jump in surprise.
The Elf woman quickly knelt to the ground, flipped the suitcase's latches open, and pulled out a camera and tripod. She handed them to Photo, who set them up and began adjusting the camera's lens as Flash produced a flash-lamp from the suitcase, as well.
As Photo finished setting her equipment up, Flash snapped her fingers and began conjuring flash powder into the lamp. Rarity stepped away from Fluttershy and stood at Photo's side, then Photo cried, "Yes! Let us capture... ze magics!"
Photo removed her sunglasses, folded them, and slid them over her blouse collar as she lowered her eye to her camera's viewfinder.
Rarity brought her fingers to her cheeks and smiled, urging Fluttershy to do so as well.
Fluttershy smiled and placed her hand under her chin, but Photo cried, "No!"
Fluttershy looked down despondently, causing Photo to softly smile and mutter, "Yes...."
Flash ignited the flash powder in her lamp, and at the same moment Rarity heard the click of Photo's camera shutter. She blinked surprisedly, wondering how Photo and Flash were able to wordlessly act in such perfect synchronization.
Flash refilled the lamp, then Photo shouted, "Next!"
Fluttershy struck a confident pose, but again Photo shouted, "No!"
Fluttershy looked away, softly whimpered, and held her arm, and Photo grinned even more widely. "Yeeeesss...." she said as she snapped another picture.
Rarity watched Fluttershy continue to pose worriedly, and noticed that her friend seemed to be growing more and more distressed every moment. However, the more distressed she got, the happier Photo seemed to be. After taking about a dozen photos, in which Fluttershy was always showing some form of anxiety, dejection, or distress, Photo shouted, "Enough!" as suddenly as she had called for the camera, to which Flash swiftly packed the lamp, tripod, and camera back into her suitcase.
Photo Finish absentmindedly inspected her nails for a few moments, to which Rarity apologetically turned and mouthed to Fluttershy, "I'm sorry."
"It seems I have found some new talents zat vill shine all across ze vorld!" Photo cried, more happily than Rarity had expected. Rarity turned surprisedly to Photo, who continued, "Ja, girls, here is vat I sink; you must come to ze town park zis evening, vere ve can explore more of your inner potential! Yes, I, Photo Finish, am going to make you shine all across ze vorld!"
Rarity gasped elatedly, then Photo spun around and walked back out of the shop, crying, "Come, Flash... ve go!"
They departed quickly, and once they were gone, Rarity turned to Fluttershy. "Did you hear that?!" she cried excitedly. "Photo Finish is going to make me shine all across the world!"
"That's wonderful, Rarity," Fluttershy agreed, nodding.
"I'm so dreadfully sorry about this shoot," Rarity said, frowning. "If I'd known that she behaved like that...."
"It's alright, Rarity," Fluttershy replied. "I'm just glad I was able to help you."
"Well, at any rate, you shan't have to do this again," Rarity continued, removing Fluttershy's headdress. "It was more trouble than it was worth, and I'll find another model so you won't have to do this anymore."
Fluttershy blinked, then asked, "Will you be able to find someone else who can model your dresses?"
"Yes," Rarity said. "I doubt I'll be able to find someone as perfect as you, though."
Fluttershy lightly blushed, then stuttered, "W-well, if that's the case, I c-can do this for y-you again."
Rarity's eyes widened. "Really, Fluttershy?" she said surprisedly. "You'd really be willing to go through all this again?"
"It's not so bad," Fluttershy replied with a soft smile. "Besides, if it will help you, it'll be worth it."
Tears welling in her eyes as she smiled gratefully, Rarity stepped forward and embraced Fluttershy. "Oh, thank you, Fluttershy dear!" she cried. Fluttershy hugged her back, and after a few moments, Rarity stood back and held her by the shoulders, saying, "Don't worry, Fluttershy; as soon as this is over, I'll be sure to make a line of dresses that will be better suited on somebody else. You won't have to do this ever again."
Fluttershy grinned. "Thanks, Rarity," she said.
Rarity then walked back to her clothes rack and began pulling more dresses off to inspect them, saying, "Let's get you in something else before we see Photo, alright?"
Nodding, Fluttershy began stripping her current dress off as Rarity retrieved a tight, glamorously white pantsuit from the rack and said, "This one's a little more masculine, but I think you will be able to pull it off."
Once Fluttershy was in the suit and a pair of white heels, she went with Rarity to Avalon's park, where Photo Finish had set her camera up again so that it was pointing at a cherry tree. When she saw Rarity and Fluttershy approach, she cried, "Ah, zere zey are! Zis shall be perfect!"
Photo smilingly walked towards them, but flinched and frowned when she saw clearly what Fluttershy was wearing. "Vat?" she said. "Oh, no, no, no! Zis girl must be in somesing simple! Somesing reminiscent of Spring!"
"Oh!" Rarity said. She turned to Fluttershy and said, "Y-yes, I agree! I think I have just the thing! I'll be back soon, Fluttershy dear!"
After Fluttershy nodded in reply, Rarity began running back to her boutique to get another dress.
After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy jumped as Photo Finish suddenly cried, "Vell?!"
Fluttershy astonishedly turned to her, stuttering, "Huh? W-what...?"
Photo pointed at her. "Flootershy, is it? Vat are you vaiting for?!"
"W-what...?" Fluttershy repeated.
"Vell, take it off!" Photo cried exasperatedly, waving her hand impatiently.
Fluttershy's eyes widened and she anxiously took a step back. "W-what? Take what off?" she said.
"Your outfit, Honey," Flash said flatly. "We haven't got all day. Chop-chop."
A bead of sweat rolled down Fluttershy's head and she intensely blushed. "My- my outfit?" she said quietly. "W-why?"
"Photo Finish's time is very valuable," Flash replied. "She can't waste a second of it. Get out of that suit so you can change into your dress immediately when your designer comes back."
"B-but...." Fluttershy stammered, beginning to tremble. "C-can't I... um... go inside to change...?"
"Vat are you afraid of?" Photo scoffed derisively. "Vat's wrong wis out here?"
"Th-there are people here...." Fluttershy said, gazing around at the other Beings in the park. "I don't want them to look at me-"
"People are going to be looking at you anyway," Flash replied monotonously. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Just do it."
Swallowing, Fluttershy trembled as she slowly pulled down her jacket's zipper. Once it was undone, she quietly whimpered and stood absolutely still for a moment before hesitantly and slowly took it off, leaving her torso uncovered.
"Good," Photo said, taking the jacket from her. "Now, your trousers."
Trembling intensely, Fluttershy brought her shaking hands to the zipper at her crotch and slowly undid this as well before stepping out of her shoes and sliding her trousers down to her ankles.
As the now-naked Fluttershy gave the pants to Photo, as well, she heard a boy shout from behind her, "Hey, look over there, Onyx!"
"Yeah! What a babe!" she heard another boy reply.
They then began whistling at her, and Fluttershy turned to look at them, to which the first boy cried, "Cute little ass you've got there,Sweetheart! Nice tits, too!"
Fluttershy's entire face flushed scarlet as she crossed her arms over her chest, causing the boys to burst into laughter. She ashamedly looked away and shook violently as she felt embarrassed tears threaten to roll from her eyes.
Shortly thereafter, Rarity ran back into the park with an airy light green dress and a pair of pink slippers in her hands, crying, "Sorry, Darling! I've got them right here!"
However, when Rarity saw the intense embarrassment in Fluttershy's face, she stopped and concernedly asked, "Fluttershy, are you alright, Honey?"
Fluttershy whimpered in response.
"Put on zis dress," Photo commanded, and Fluttershy snatched it away from Rarity before sliding into it as quickly as she could.
"Ah, perfect!" Photo cried happily once she was in it. "Just splendid! Now, for ze magics!"
As Photo walked to her camera, Rarity turned anxiously to Fluttershy and said, "I'm so sorry, Fluttershy dear, I didn't know-"
"It's alright," Fluttershy said, forcing a smile and willing her voice not to break. "I'll just make sure I bring a screen to the next shoot-"
"Out of ze frame!" Photo shouted at Rarity. "Ve must not vaste any more time!"
Nodding, Rarity stepped away and watched Fluttershy as she began to pose at Photo's command. As she began snapping photos, Photo cried, "Yes, zis is perfect! Sat dress brings out Flootershy's inner grace just beautifully!"
As they were shooting, Fluttershy cast an anxious glance at Rarity, and fought to keep herself from crying; after all, this was for Rarity. If Fluttershy had to endure humiliation and suffer through the lewd gazes of hungry men to make her best friend happy, so be it.