The three mares looked at each other with a blend of emotions. "I am feeling it." Rose reared onto her hind legs briefly, coming down with a clop. "Look at me, all stoney." She nosed against Daisy, then Lily. "So great! We're still, you know, us, but more than that."
Daisy bobbed her head. "I like it."
"With you." Lily turned to Tree. "What do you think? Like?" She twirled in place to show it all off.
Tree clapped softly, seated on her haunches. "Very good. Now we all are presentable. I told you it wasn't so bad. How does it feel?" Each mare gave a soft nod. "Good. I admit, I was a little worried you'd be used to not having clothes."
Rose stuck out her tongue at that. "I've worn clothes before! Still, thanks, for caring and all." She trotted up to the counter and dug out a bag of coins in her teeth to set down. "Here you are."
Tree hurried up and floated out the proper coins for the confused shopkeep. "They're new."
"I've heard of them." The male shopkeep tucked the coins away. "But it's nice to meet them. Enjoy the clothes!"
Tree went for the door, flower mares trailing behind her. "I admit, it is less awkward now."
"Less awkward?" Rose slipped past Tree to the outside world. "Were we upsetting you?"
"Yes." Tree stepped to the side, her magic holding the door long enough to let the others escape the store. "Being naked is a sign of depravity, or crudeness. I know you're from another world." She threw a hoof wide. "Which is why I didn't bring it up, or harp on it. But this is so much better. There are things that don't need to be shown off."
Daisy squinted at Tree, standing on the branch outside. "What are you talking about?"
Tree applied a hoof to her face. "Of course..." Equestrians had little to show off. "I do not understand the nature of your world, so let me wail at unknown if I must. But, as Everglow ponies, dress the Everglow way." She reached out to brush at Lily's dress gently. "Besides, it looks good on you."
Lily grinned as wide as she could. "Doesn't it?! I really like it." she danced in place with a clop-clop. "Now that we look the part, what can we do?"
"What you did before, mostly." Tree inclined her head slowly. "They weren't keeping you out. You're cute. You're still cute. They didn't want you to be sad, so they were quiet about it. Now you can be cute and not raise awkward questions. That's a step forward, don't you think?"
Rose skipped along the thick branch. "Well, now it's time to test. Let's see if fashion translates into better sales from the average flutter." The others cheered as they marched back to work.
"Why can't you send a message again?" Spike was rolling a hand as he floated along on his small wings. His Everglow form hadn't returned to him, as nice as that would have been. "It'd be a lot faster, right?"
"Yes..." Twilight took a long step over some rubble in the gloomy lighting. "But the spell was made specifically for cross-world communication.
Soft Mane laughed as she followed Twilight. "And you're in the same world, that's a kick." Though it was gloomy, she seemed to be able to find her way forward without a delay in her steps, making her seem far sharper of eyesight than Twilight despite her dulled eyes. "Still... Everglow. It's been a while... I wonder if they're less prickly about satyrs these days."
"Lovely." Twilight scrambled up onto a pile of stones. "If we had appeared in a more hospitable place... Can you tell where we are?"
"Underground." Soft shrugged expansively. "Beyond that..." She did a slow circle in place with a clopping each time a hoof came down. "The... architecture doesn't look pony'sh, so not that?"
Spike flew to her side. "Great. So it could be about anything. You feel alright?"
"Thanks for caring." Soft ruffled the top of Spike's head. "I'm fine. Pretty sure I'll keep being fine, minus some fierce beast." The area shook as a great roar shook the air and the ground. "Speaking of which..."
Twilight channeled her magic quickly into an Everglow spell, forming a bubble around herself and the others with a pop. "Stay together!" Not that they had a lot of choice in that. "Hopefully it will just go--"
The creature smashed into the side of the bubble, clawing it with its great paw-like hands, teeth snapping at the force field it couldn't get through, though the cracks and wobbles forming in it implied that wouldn't stay true for long.
Spike yelped in fear, ducking back. "By Celestia! What is that thing?!"
Twilight worked her hooves in a pattern as her horn glowed in subtly different colors. "Trouble. Spike, time to work."
A cacophony of hooves came closer just before a wet slick as something crashed into the creature, driving it sideways away from the bubble as a familiar pony came into view, shaking her lance free of the ichor on it. "Is that you? By the sun, why are you in here?!" Fast Shadow had arrived, the athletic earth mare that sparred with the roaring beast with hoof strikes and lance jabs, ignoring any mortal peril in favor of the battle. "Give me some, ooo, backup! A wizard is just the thing behind a fighter."
Twilight banished the bubble with a new pop, the magic falling away and leaving her exposed, but it meant the creature was just as open to being struck by her own magic. "Soft, get to safety."
"Not happening." She brought her hands together, weaving with new magic. "Let's take care of this."
"They're probably enjoying the sights." Rose was looking out over the city from the stand. "Seeing all sorts of exotic things and having a great time!"
Lily shrugged softly. "Well, we have a nice city and having a good time. So it's a tie?"
"A tie," agreed Daisy with a firm nod. "At best. And we have a new stand. Let's see Twilight manage that." All three laughed at the idea of a business saavy Twilight.
Rose waved it off. "Let's not get mean about it. Twilight's very good at a lot of things... just not this." She ran a hoof along the delicate frond of a flower. "We all have our specialties. If we needed help, you know she'd be there, probably with a book... or three."
Lily left the other two gabbing about Twilight to smile at a potential customer. "Welcome to the flower stand! How can we make your day a little more colorful."
The butterfly spread his wings. "That's exactly what I want! My mother is visiting. She doesn't that often... Um... You're new to Flutters, right? This is... actually the first time I met her."
Lily blinked with confusion. First time?! "How is this the first time?"
He blushed softly. "It's normal for us. I know it isn't for ponies. They don't even tell us who our parents are usually... But I was really curious, and she allowed it, and I want this meeting to go perfectly! I bet she's a great person." He began to clap excitedly, and nervously. "What is the best flower?"
Lily glanced back at her flowers. "I want to help you, and I will, promise, but I need to know more, and want to know even more! Let's start with your mom. Do you know what she likes, or looks like? We can work with either."
"That's the problem." He sagged in place. "First time meeting her, remember? All I know is she's a butterfly, like me." He spread his brilliant wings for inspection. "Maybe she looks like me? I can't promise that... I don't know what she likes, except she had a least one child." He pointed at himself emphatically if it wasn't obvious he was that child.
"I get that..." Lily kept her eyes on her would-be customer. "Now... I'm behind the times on this. All flutters do this?"
"Huh? Oh, yes." He bobbed his head. "If we have a child, we give them to the creche." He pointed off into the city. "They know how to raise children right, and that's their job. They raise them with love and care. Some parents stop by more often than others... mine, um... Maybe she did? She didn't have to tell me... This will be the first time I know she sees me." He bounced in place on nervous legs. "I have to get it right!"
"Of course." Lily snapped a stem and brought the flower attached over. "This one matches your colors, and if your mom looks like you... Even if the color isn't perfect, the style is on point, and she probably matches at least one or the other."
The flutter clasped the flower between his hooves. "It's lovely... I'd like three sets, each in a vase. Can you do that?"
"What's this?" Rose popped in from behind Lily. "Three. Did you want bunches or bouquets?"
"There is a difference," added Daisy, having joined the conversation.
"This is for his mother." Lily waved at the nervous flutter. "Definitely bouquets, in the nicest vases we have." The other two saluted and dashed off to make that happen. "So... how does that work? You just... give up your child and walk away?"
"We give them the best chance. Flutters are neat, don't get me wrong, but we get distracted pretty easily..." He worried his hooves together. "So having people who are good at foalraising do the, uh, foal raising just makes sense. Our taxes help keep them stocked with supplies and well trained caretakers, so our kids are happy." He thumped himself on the chest. "I was happy! But I'll be happier meeting my mother. I hope we get along..." He wrapped his arms around the vases as the flower mares hurried to bring out the collection. "Take the coins."
Lily went in for his pouch and nuzzled into it, soon drawing out the coins in her teeth that she dropped into her waiting hooves, even if she had to cradle it carefully on her non-sticky hooves. "There we go. Sorry for the questions. I'm not trying to judge, it's just weird, from our... That still sounds bad."
Rose nudged Lily to the side. "I hope your meeting with your mom goes well. Bring her by if she feels like it and we'll greet her too."
"That sounds lovely." He lifted into the air and drifted off slowly with his prize. "Thank you all!"
Daisy shook her head. "I know you're curious, but you were just making him more nervous. "
Rose chuckled as she sat nearby. "He wasn't hurt and he left happy. Don't hassle Lily about it."
"But she's not wrong." Lily rubbed at her cheek awkwardly. "I was a rude tourist... Hey, wanna learn more about that?" She angled her head. "Explains why I haven't seen a lot of little flutters around. They must be hiding in that big daycare they have." The rubbing turned to pressing her cheek from both sides. "Oh wow, imagine how cute they are!"
Daisy burst into giggles. "They may kill us on sight if they manage to be even cuter than flutters already are."
The three joined as one with giggling thoughts of little flutterponies looking at them with big innocent eyes. "Done." Rose turned to the stand. "We're going. We're going to see the flutter foals, and may Celestia have mercy on us."
Lily raised a hoof. "Tomorrow though. It's already late in the day."
"Yes, yes, tomorrow." Rose waved it off with a soft snort as she began closing up the stall. "Tonight we rest, for tomorrow, we may die."
Daisy rolled her eyes. "Probably not. We may pass out though." That was a thing the flower mares were known to do when surprised too badly.