//------------------------------// // So much cuddling! How can you resist that?! // Story: Golden Love // by enigmaMystere //------------------------------// Flick quietly makes his way through the town, giving nods to ponies who greet him and hiding grimaces from those who avoid him. “...I didn’t think she got to them this badly,” he mutters, stopping to stare down at his claws. He moves to take another step forward, but he stops. He looks up in time for a party hat to be snapped onto his head and his vision to be filled with pink. “Am I too late? That’s a deep frown if I ever saw one!” Pink is replaced with yellow as a pony is shoved on his face. “Help our birdy buddy, Fluttershy!” "Umm... hello." She says softly. “...hi.” He promptly squawks as a piece of lettuce hits his face, the rabbit responsible standing proudly on the pegasus’s back. “Ooh, so close!” "Angel... we talked about playing with your food." She chides him softly. It gestures to the griffon multiple times, as if trying to tell her something about him. Of course, a piece of lettuce flies into his mouth and cuts him off. “Ooh. That was just like the cloud a few days ago!” Pinkie giggles, holding up her hooves. “Wind, bring me cupcakes!” As expected, nothing comes. “Darn it.” Fluttershy quietly laughs at this, but doesn't say anything. Flick just rolls his eyes playfully. “Maybe you should just make some. You’re a baker, aren’t you?” “Yeah, but I’m not in a kitchen at the moment.” Her hoof rubs her chin. “Maybe I should make a mobile oven?” "As long as it's safe..." Fluttershy quietly adds. "Ooh, that might be a good idea." She grins. "Confetti cannons on the top! That'll be perfect!" She points to her shy friend. "Stay here. I need a cupcake and a blueprint!" The pink pony zooms off fast enough to leave a cloud in the shape of herself, which then also hurries off. The shy mare rubs her foreleg. "Sorry, she just kind of brought me over without warning." He just chuckles and pats her back. “It’s fine. We haven’t really had much time to talk, lately, so I feel this is our best chance of catching up.” He motions for her to walk with him, smiling the whole time. “So, how have your past few days been?” "Umm... fine," She says, walking reflexively, but clearly not expecting this. “Really? I heard that one griffon scared your ducks away.” He gives her a look of concern. “More pressing is that she made you, one of my friends, cry.” "Oh..." She shrinks a bit. "Yes... that happened." He gently embraces her, resting his chin on her head. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to stop her.” He feels her freeze up as she gets even quieter. "I-it's okay..." He flinches and lets go, holding a claw out to her. “Sorry, Miss Fluttershy, I didn’t-“ He cuts off with a squawk as a golden blanket of energy picks them both up and tosses them through a doorway, where they crash into another yellow, winged pony... and a mint green unicorn wearing a uniform. "That's not quite what I meant when I said bring in customers..." Silk sighs. "But your intent was nice." “Sorry,” the unicorn responds from underneath her. Flick carefully gets off the top of the pile, smoothing out his feathers as he glances at the ponies - especially Fluttershy, who had landed on bottom. “Are you ladies alright?” "Yes..." Comes a small chorus as they untangle themselves. “Well... while it was unexpected, I do appreciate getting here.” He glances at a fallen clock. “On time, too.” Silk gives him a quick nuzzle while Fluttershy seems to have tried to hide herself almost entirely in her mane. He embraces the thestral gently before he notices his friend, letting go to look at her. “Miss Fluttershy? Are you alright?” She squeaks. Silk laughs. "Oh, I've seen that before." Flick thinks for a moment. “...is it the store?” There's a tiny nod. “Oh. Oh I’m sorry.” He moves forward and gently grips her, pulling her towards the door. “Here. Move forward and you should be out of here in no time.” "Thank you..." Her ears are red as they stick out of her mane while she shuffles out. Silk sighs softly. "She's one of the ones that would need to be introduced slowly." “Would she even want to wear them?” Flick asks. “She seems like the type who’d have trouble even imagining a stallion or mare like that.” "Precisely." Silk nods. "It'd take time." “...right.” He glances at Lyra, then back to her. “When did you get help?” "When this one decided to get something slightly out of her price range." She grins. "I can be merciful." “...I didn’t think the genie outfit would cost four months of work,” the unicorn mumbles. Of course, she doesn’t know how great her current company’s hearing is. "Hun, you pay for quality. You could have just done a few accessories, but for the whole thing, well, you get the whole price." Silk supplies simply. “...right.” She gives a nervous smile and moves to do inventory. "Plus, it is partially magical." She adds, mostly to Flick. “Magical? In what sense?” He gently nudges her, guiding her towards the back room. "Well, it has a light fog enchantment for effect, mostly things like that." “...see, what you made me think at first was that it allowed the granting of wishes.” He scratches his chin. “Wait, what if someone has breathing problems? Wouldn’t that cause an issue?” "It's activated things, but it's just water vapor, nothing bad." She replies. “Oh. Yeah, that doesn’t sound too bad.” He nods, then faces her. “Anyways, what exactly did you need my help with?” "Just a little modeling for different body types, nothing complicated." She smiles. “So you want me to try modeling for griffons?” He thinks for a bit, then nods. “Yeah, I could do that. If you try on one outfit for me afterwards.” He playfully sticks his tongue out at her, then starts sorting through the clothes rack closest to them. “...what’s with this skin tight suit?” He tugs a little on the outfit in question, the shiny fabric stretching slightly. "Some ponies are into it." She shrugs. "I cater to wants." “And I cater to needs.” He places his claw between her wings and gently scratches. “Do you need anything, Silky?” Her wings shift a bit as she feels this. "I need you to get in the back while I brief Lyra on what she'll do while I'm back there too." He leans close, breath tickling her tufted ears. “And after that?” She giggles, eyes half lidded. "Well, we'll see how good you do." He nods, pecking her cheek before slipping into the back. Silk clears her throat, going over to Lyra. "Now, this is one of the reasons I was happy to have you work here part time: it allows me to get things done in the back. Any important questions come up, feel free to come back and ask. I'm expecting a mostly normal day, so just ring everything up, remember tailoring is available, and finally: be sexy. Any questions?" She nods, then holds up a hoof. “How do I be sexy?” "Feel sexy. Wearing that helps." She motions to her uniform. "Everyone can be sexy, they just need to feel that they are, then accentuate." “...is that part of why you let him flatter and touch you?” She asks, rubbing her chin as she walks to the front to get a customer. "I let him because I'm courting him." She corrects her. "Besides, flattery isn't a bad thing." “I heard he flatters a lot of ponies.” She peeks at the front, then turns back to her, whispering. “I also heard he likes to rub ponies everywhere. Is that true?” "He's touchy... but it's not bad. He's also a masseuse at the spa, so I think some rumors are getting mixed." She answers. “He was cuddled up against Applejack the other day,” she points out. "She's courting him too, though, well, he's courting her." She corrects herself. “He left Twilight’s place after three hours there.” She thinks a bit. “He was just cuddling Fluttershy. Isn’t he their pet?” "Wait... what?" Silk looks concerned now. "Flick is a pet?" “That’s the rumor, anyways.” "I don't understand... how would they even think that?" Lyra can only shrug. "I might have to look into that..." She rubs her chin. "But for now, you have the store." “Right. I need to see to the resident egghead.” She smiles and disappears through the coat rack. Silk blinks, peeking around to verify who it is. She finds the mint unicorn talking to a chestnut stallion. "Huh..." She shrugs, heading to the back. She’s barely two steps inside when she’s hugged from behind, a familiar beak nuzzling just behind her ear. She giggles. "Well, hello to you too." “Yep.” He plants another kiss on her head before he lets go. He walks in front of her with all the poise expected of the butler he’s dressed as, giving her a respectful bow. “How may I be of service, Lady Silk?” She makes a peculiar purring sound. "Well now... you seem to fit that outfit rather well." “Thank you, my lady.” He smiles warmly at her. “It pleases me to know that... uh... I pleased you?” He frowns as he goes over his sentence again, grumbling quietly. “Role playing is hard.” "It takes a practice." She smiles at him. "But for now, you can take a break from it." “Thank you.” He loosens the bow tie, sighing. “That was starting to get uncomfortable.” "I didn't mean take it off, but I suppose that part isn't vital for what I need you for." “...oh.” He glances down at it. “The rest won’t be as tight around my throat, right?” "Hun, things can be adjusted." “...so ties aren’t meant to be that tight?” He slips it off his neck so he can stare at it. "Right. It's probably not adjusted for..." She rubs his neck feathers. "All this." “...probably not.” He nods, then rubs her chest fluff in turn. “It’s not as though you ponies are lacking, of course. Mine’s just... a lot more prominent.” She giggles. "Yes, that's fair." She takes the bowtie, loosening it expertly. He watches, taking a step closer so he can see. She does it simply by adjusting a few doubled parts so it comes out more, holding it up to him after. "Want to try again?" “...only for you.” He sticks out his tongue and tries it on once more, thinking a bit. “...think I should try Big Mac’s voice?” Of course, he remembers that she doesn’t know his talent, and plants his face in his claw. “Dang it.” She blinks. "What do you mean?" He sighs and speaks, noticeably over an octave deeper. “Nothin’ much, Miss Tease. Just a little voice thing.” Her head moves back in surprise. "Oh... oh my. Well, I didn't expect that." “...does Big Mac’s voice make yer heart race? ‘Cause you’re blushin’ somethin’ fierce.” He gives her a cheeky grin, stepping forward enough to press his forehead to hers. "I..." she gives a small gulp. "It was just strange you having a deeper voice." She quickly composes herself, giving him a grin. "But, good to know." He pulls back, raising an eyebrow and dropping the accent. “Know what?” He awkwardly clears his throat to try and get it back to its normal pitch. She nuzzles his neck briefly before passing by him. "Things. Speaking of which, before we get started, did you know there's apparently a strange rumor about you?" Flicks groans, rubbing between his eyes. “Let me guess. I’m the plaything of the whole town, now?” "... okay, I'm starting to think you started this rumor. It's not quite that." “Good. Never should have made that joke with Apple Bloom.” He sighs, then sits down. “Okay, so at first I was kidding with Jackie’s little sister, saying that Jackie was my mistress. She took that to mean pet, so she went around telling everyone. Then, when they saw me spending time with Twilight, they assumed I was also her pet, and things spiraled down from there.” "Oh... yes, that is what I heard." She nods. "It was a bit startling." “Yeah, I can imagine.” He scratches his head. “Could you imagine if they knew it all started with me? I don’t think I’d ever live it down...” "Yeah... plus it's one of those rumors where most of the adults know the true meaning." “Yep.” He stares out towards the store floor. “I really hope no one actually believes that...” She shrugs at that." I only just heard it so I can't really tell you." “Right...” “Hey boss?” Lyra pokes her head through the doorway. “There’s a new rumor, one that says Applejack is the head of a herd? Is that even a thing?” She looks to Flick. “...what? You can’t blame me for that one.” He shakes his head. “We aren’t even technically a herd yet until everyone agrees... and I think that now includes Rainbow?” Lyra, hearing this, falls onto her side in shock. "Told you." Silk winks at her. “...have you two kissed yet?” She scrambles to her hooves. “Can I see your first?” Silk blinks. "I knew you had a kink." She blushes bright red. “Kink? What kink? Who said anything about a kink?” She thinks a bit. “...oh right, Doc said that he thought the place was somewhere to get a suit. I sold him a long scarf.” "I was wondering who'd find a use for that..." She nods. “...so you’re just gonna ignore her protesting too much?” Flick whispers, beak still close to Silk’s cheek. "I got what I needed to know." She winks at him. “...oh, I see.” He nods, watching Lyra leave. “...do you think she is disappointed?” "Nah, if she's the type that likes to look, she can make do with the imagination fodder that is my store." “True...” He considers her a moment more before kissing her cheek, turning to face the inventory. “What else am I to try on?” "Now hold on, we need to finish this one first." She chides him softly, bumping him towards a raised dais with her head. He acts as though she’s pulling teeth, even as he stands on the small section of raised floor. “Oh, if you insist, Miss Silk.” He looks at her, smirking coyly and going back to a smooth bass. “How would you have me?” "Repeatedly." She says with a smoldering gaze. He blinks a couple times. “...well, I mean, griffons do have better stamina than ponies, from what I understand, so... maybe? I’m not that experienced.” "We'll just need to have you practice then." She laughs, checking how a few places fit on him. He lets her do so, feeling the cloth get pulled away from where it was pressing on his wing joints. "You're a little more bulky than I had accounted for, but that's why these are easily adjustable." She comments as she does so. Her vision slowly gets fuzzier as she looks at him, enough to make her blink a few times. She finds the holes around her wings are exactly where they were before she started adjusting things. She shakes her head a bit, huffing as she goes to adjust them again. "Let my mind wander I guess." It happens again, and this time his wing rubs her eyes to try and help. When it pulls away, the hole is now too far the other direction. She narrows her eyes, waving her own hoof in front of her face. "That's... hmm..." He turns to her, curious. “What’s wrong? You seem a little unfocused.” "I don't know. I keep thinking in working on the wing holes, things go a little blurry, then they're at one end or the other." She looks concerned. “...try one more time. Maybe it’ll fix itself?” He turns to face her left, letting her get at the one that’s not properly fitted. She sighs, trying again. After looking at it for a few seconds, the haziness does not come back, and the clothes stay as they are. She lets out a breath. "Good. I was worried for a moment." He nods and turns so he can properly hug her, nuzzling her cheek. She smiles, nuzzling in return. "Now, any comments on the suit?" “...well, I feel like a proper butler, but I’m not sure what fantasy this is meant for.” He pulls away and walks in a circle, letting her see it from almost every angle that didn’t require her to move. "Well, the thing is, this is a special suit, that has quick removal parts." “...okay, but it still begs the question of how a butler fits into one’s fantasy.” "It's the equivalent of the common maid fantasy." She says, not sure what the problem is. He stares blankly at her. “...I’ll be honest, I don’t know what that means.” She blinks. "You've never imagined a mare in a cute or sexy maid outfit?" “Mares are plenty cute without outfits,” he points out, eyeing her. “Though I won’t deny that your designs emphasize that trait.” She huffs, but smiles. "Alright, I see a demonstration is in order. Stay right there." She grabs a pile of folded garments from a cubby and goes behind a privacy screen. Despite the urge to peek, he stays where he is, claws tapping against the platform as he counts the seconds. After a while, she announces. "Now then, behold." She walks out, now clad in the sort of black based, white laced, cleaning attire tuned specifically to invoke certain thoughts in those interested in females. She does a little pose for him, offering a wink. She’s on her back in a second, the griffon hugging her and nuzzling her neck. It appears he enjoys her outfit. She laughs, patting his head. "Whoa there, boy." “No. You’re too cute to not cuddle.” He settles himself on top of her as he continues to hug and snuggle her body. "... not typically what this position or outfit is used for, but this is nice." She admits. Lyra enters the room as he settles in, pushing Twilight in front of her. “Hey boss, Twiggle’s looking for something and I have no idea what she’s talking about.” "I umm..." she pauses, confused as she sees them, Silk now trying to gently push Flick off her. He lazily rolls off her, acting much like a cat sunning himself than a griffon. “...hey, Twily... where’s Twiggles?” "... who?" Asks the now completely confounded mare. “Twiggles.” He gestures vaguely towards Lyra. “She said someone with that name, but I only see you three. Near impossible to miss cute mares like you...” As Silk giggles, Twilight blushes. "Oh... I didn't notice she called me that." He glances back and forth between the two of them. “...were you two friends? That seems like an odd nickname for it to come from nowhere.” “She used to be lanky during her growth spurts, and the nickname stuck.” Lyra shrugs. “...I’m sticking with Twily. It’s cuter.” "Please do... I think I've mostly tuned out Lyra's nickname for me." She says. The mint green unicorn frowns. “...does that mean you don’t like it?” While she’s distracted, Flick silently rolls over to the clothes rack. "I'm used to it." She clarifies. "I don't mind it." “...well, that’s something, at least.” She smiles, jumping back when Flick pounces on Twilight and yanks a librarian outfit on her in one go. "Yeep!" She tries to flinch but it's too late. “There!” He gently places her between himself and Silk. “Now they can see you as being the adorable pony I know you are.” "I... umm..." She looks herself over in the soft shirt, sweater vest, and matching skirt complete with glasses. She is promptly cuddled by the griffon, who happily nuzzles her cheek. “...are your outfits just cute to him, or something?” Lyra asks Silk. "I'm starting to wonder..." She admits. "It might take going full lingerie." She can see him flinch slightly at the word. "Okay, that is not the part of you that should twitch from that." She huffs. “...I’m trying to avoid that for the pony I’m holding,” He quietly remarks, soft enough that even Silk can barely make out the words. Her ear twitches, but she nods understandingly. “...should she be that red?” Lyra asks, pointing at the librarian’s face. "He makes her like that." Silk says casually. “...does that mean she likes him, or...?” "Lyra, she joined us in a lunch date yesterday." She says bluntly. “But did she know it was a date date?” she rebuts. "... I thought so." she looks unsure now. They watch him kiss her forehead, and bear witness to the lack of an immediate reaction from the lavender pony. They then see a small smile form. Lyra can’t help but grin at this, reaching over and patting Silk to make sure she’s not the only one seeing it. She hears a giggle and a nod from the mare as yes, she sees it. “...should we get her in lingerie, now?” Lyra whispers to Silk. "Tempting as that is, I did invite him for business reasons first." She says with a small pout. “...they could both model,” she points out. "You said Twilight came for a reason too, right?" “Yeah, but she was speaking in big words I couldn’t understand. It was like she didn’t want me to know what she wanted.” "I could see that." “...can you ask her for me?” She nods, walking over. Flick, hearing her approach, carefully loosens his grip on the unicorn, enough so they both could comfortably look at her. "So, you came here for a reason, right Twilight?" Silk asks. Twilights face goes back to red and she mumbles incoherently. Flick gently taps her nose to make her muzzle scrunch up. “Do you want to keep it private?” "It's... you'll find out eventually." She says as she nods. “Will I like it?” Flick asks, smiling warmly. "Its for the experiment." She clarifies. "So I think so." “Good.” He kisses her cheek and turns to Silk. “What else do you want me to model?” "Try these." She says, one ear cocked to a quietly whispering Twilight while she hands him some... less than whole chaps. He tilts his head, but takes the clothes and starts changing. Lyra immediately bolts from the room before she can see anything. Twilight turns to the wall, whispering to Silk as she writes a few things down. Something catches on her horn, and she finds herself looking at a dangling bow tie. Twilight blinks before turning a bit more red, much to Silk's giggling. The shirt lands between them right before Flick says, "Why do I wanna say yee haw?" She turns to see. "Because I think you like to get in character." He’s looking over his shoulder at them, trying to reach back and tug the end of one leg down a bit. “Seems a little short.” "Well, that's why we're trying these things on, to find out quirks like that." She purrs at the sight. He slowly nods, glancing over at Twilight. “Any thoughts?” She's turned away, a hoof on her muzzle. "It's very... effective." He notices a trail of red running down her foreleg from her hoof. “Should we make adjustments now or later, Silky?” Silk gently nudges Twilight towards the door. "Give this note to Lyra so she knows what to get you." With a nod and a small wave to Flick without looking at him, Twilight leaves. "Seems that was a bit much for her." The other mare comments. “It was?” He starts moving in a circle, stopping once he’s gone one and a half turns. “I don’t know how. Does she have a thing for cowponies?” "Look so you can see your backside in the mirror." He glances back at the mirror. “...why is it lifting my tail?” "It's also accentuating your derriere." She explains. "And bulge." “...this seems a bit much,” he says. “At least to me.” "It's for certain types." She clarifies. "All the things I need you to try on aren't always going to be to your taste, but good news is that you don't have to have them on long." “Okay... so may I take this off?” He asks, shaking one leg. "Let me just..." She writes down a few things. "Okay, go ahead." He uses his wind to turn her around. She promptly hears the clothes hit the floor. “...my tail seems stuck.” She laughs. "Need some help?" “Not unless you know how to lower tails... and promise not to stare at a... certain part of me.” "The first, yes, the second... well, I'll try my best." “...okay, then.” She turns around, getting to work as she gives him a small nuzzle. "Mares have this problem too sometimes, clothes can do that." “...mares aren’t as obvious when it happens,” he points out. "I meant tails. What are you thinking about?" She teases. “Tails. Guys get extremely embarrassed when that happens,” he points out. “Especially since it’s sort of a mare thing, generally.” "I suppose that's true." She nods, tugging the garment over the tail. They manage to get it off and his tail lowers itself, no longer forced up by the garment. As she puts the garment away, she comments. "Very nice, by the way." He gives her a flat stare as his wings stretch down slightly. “So you were staring.” "Hun, I don't have to stare to see that. It is bright red after all." His face soon manages to match said color. “...well, yours is the same color of your wings. Hard not to notice when you flashed it at me at least once.” She actually blushes at that. "So you remember." “...it’s memorable.” He blushes softly and looks to the side. “...so is purple your skin color, or...?” "It's a tone, don't expect me to shave so you can be sure." She says, walking over with a sway in her maid skirt. He sighs and shrugs helplessly. “Fair enough. Maybe I can find out later on.” "I'm sure you will, you keep this up and you'll have all the looks you can get." She says sultrily, giving him a nip on the neck with her fangs. Now very flustered, he reaches out a claw. Her rump is immediately gripped and she is spun like a top. "Yeep!" She blushes, looking at him and wondering what he's going to do. He catches her, stopping her motion as he hugs her back to his chest. He gives her a playful nip to her ear. She giggles. "So you do that, too." “Your ears are irresistible,” he whispers to her. "My ears?" She questions. “Well, all of you, but your ears have that extra, adorable quality to them.” He kisses behind one of them. She giggles. "Why thank you, it's true only one tribe has them." “I think we could find another, somewhere...” He chuckles, squeezing her tighter. “Doubt they’ll be as adorable as yours, though.” She doesn't seem to mind. "How nice. I see you pillow talk well." “...is it pillow talk if I truly feel that way?” "Sweet somethings, then." “I’ll take it.” He nips her ear and lets go. “Anyways, that next outfit?” "Mmhm." She nods, going over to the pile. "Let's see..." She can feel him adjusting her skirt for her. Then comes the loud smack to her rump. "Yeep!" She rears up in surprise, wing flaring out at the same time. “...that wasn’t me.” He slowly steps back from her. Light snickering is heard from the doorway. Her head snaps to the doorway. The chortles immediately stop, and she sees no one. She flaps her wings a bit before settling them. "Keep this up and I won't be as lenient in your uniform choice~!" “Get him to rub your flanks, please?” The voice responds, and a small mirror floats into view. She narrows her eyes. "Are there customers in the store?" “No. Just me and Bon Bon.” "... are her thoughts on all this?" “...I don’t know.” She sees the turning of her head in the mirror. “What do you think of this, Bon Bon?” "I'm wondering why you're trying to show me this when I came to ask you about dinner." She hears a response. “...um...” Flick reaches toward Silk and pats her back. The two don’t see, however, as the mirror flips away from the back room. She shakes her head exasperatedly, looking to Flick. “Let their minds do the imagining. They don’t get to see us cuddling.” He pulls her to his chest and nuzzles at her mane. "We're supposed to be working..." she mildly protests. “We are. I’m, uh...” He thinks for a second before he starts massaging her shoulders. “Working your body. And you’re working that outfit.” "Not what... I meant..." she almost purrs as she rolls her shoulders. “Well then I’m afraid I’ll have to continue until you explain what you meant.” His claws slowly work down her sides. She shivers. "I brought you here to... test out new male lines... and adjust them based... on feedback and observations... maybe jump you after." “There. Was that so-” He jolts away from her, blushing brightly. “W-what was that last thing?” She turns with half lidded eyes and growls alluringly at him. “...how many outfits are left?” "A half dozen." She smiles. “Right. Let’s get through them, get a couple more outfits on you, and get back to cuddling.” He nods to himself and starts undressing her. She wiggles her hips for him. "Undressing me? How forward." He gives her a playful smack as he pulls down the skirt. “Quiet, you, or I’ll take my massage to Applejack... she’ll be busy, but I can work with that!” She lets out a little yelp, not actually hurt. "So you can stand up to it." “Stand up to what?” Flick sets her outfit to the side, then looks at the clothes rack expectantly. Surprisingly, he gets no answer to his question.