The following morning, Mop Head was sitting alone in the royal dining room, mostly empty as it was relatively early and still dark outside. The glow of the chandelier above illuminated the empty hall. The Head of the "Maids of Honor" was sitting alone, trying to enjoy a light breakfast of some fruit and waffles, with bags under her eyes and her blue striped mane a frazzled mess, looking distraught. As she chomped away, she seemed unable to stop worrying a lot about how they would take down the sirens and save Equestria weighing on her shoulders. Just as she was lost in thought, she didn't notice Soapy bounce over as she chirped, "Morning, Moppy! How ya doing!"
The mare turned towards her friend and flashed her a smile as seeing her best friend always brightened her day and replied, "Hey ya, Soapy… I'm not doing too well."
She then returned to her breakfast and popped a strawberry into her mouth. Despite being somewhat her friend sat beside her and whispered, "So, I assume you're worried about Princess Celestia's announcement, huh?"
"Of course, the sirens are evil and are trying to take over Equestria, and I'm not sure our plan to stop them is going to work."
"I'm sure you can do it; you got this far."
"Only with blind luck."
Soapy shook her head and seemed to get frustrated with Moppy's self-deprecation, snapping, "No, not luck; you're a hard worker, and you never gave up, not when you were a stallion, not when you were demoted into a maid, and not now."
Mop Head looked into Soapy's big blue eyes. She wanted to believe her, but this nagging feeling was in the back of her skull, saying otherwise. The mare then asked, "Do you really think that about me? Or are you just trying to make me feel better?"
"Moppy, since the first day you were turned into a mare, you've persevered through Dusty Shelves, who tried to get you fired multiple times, dealt with horrible stallions treating you like trash, and now you're helping Princess Celestia, who is being brainwashed by sirens. Moppy, you are amazing!"
Mop Head was a bit surprised and overwhelmed by what Soapy just said, and she wanted to say something in return, but as soon as she opened her mouth, somepony shouted.
"Mop Head, there you are!"
The head" Maid of Honor," upon recognizing the princess' voice, jumped onto her hooves and turned around to see Princess Celestia coming towards her with a bright smile; she curtseyed, bending low and using her magic to throw out the end of her dress and replied on queue, "Your grace."
Princess Celestia looked somewhat surprised and replied, "My goodness, your curtsey is perfect."
"Thank you, your grace. I've been practicing."
"Now, to make sure the banquet for the sirens goes off without a hitch, I need you and your maids to make this castle look great and be at the top of your game."
She then took out a massive sack of bits and gave it to her, making Mop Head gawk in awe at the bits; she had never seen so much money in her entire life.
"Now, this is a bonus for you and your maids to be ready for the banquet this Saturday, and for all the extra work you'll have to do. So don't spend it all in one place."
Mop Head's eyes went wide as she cried, "Of course! Thank you!"
The princess nodded, then trotted off, and then Soapy trotted over with her eyes just as wide as hers and just came over, still looking thoroughly in awe at the bits. "Oh, we got to go have a shopping spree!"
Mop Head had to slap herself on the cheek to ensure she wasn't dreaming, but the bag of bits was there. She gulped, wondering what she could do with all this money. Then she slowly turned her gaze at her friend, and a thought crossed her mind. She didn't know what to say exactly, but she had been slowly falling for this cute klutzy mare and wondered aloud. "Better yet, what if, well...what if we um...had a date?"
Soapy blinked as she slowly turned to face her again and squeaked, "Did you say a date?"
Mop Head bowed her head, looking somewhat embarrassed, but she'd already said the hard part, so she continued, "Yeah... I... I've been meaning to ask that since, well, for a while… I'm not sure if you're interested."
Soapy's cheeks started to flush pink, then asked, "Sure, a date! Um, where do you want to go?"
Mop Head paused and tapped a hoof to her chin, pondering the question, then said, "What if we met in the castle gardens for a late-night picnic? We could get all dressed up too!"
Soapy got super excited as she clopped her hooves on the ground in approval, then cheered, "That sounds great! And seeing we have today off, it'll be perfect!"
Seeing her crush being so happy about asking her out was something she did not expect as she felt a sense of relief and joy come over her; she then said, "Yes, tonight will be perfect; I need to take my mind off things just for today."
Soapy bounced over, fixed her mane with a comb, and said, "Oh yes, your mane is a mess! Come on, let's get you all cleaned up!"
Soapy then took her friend by the hoof and led her upstairs for a much-needed makeover, with Moppy still not wholly believing what just happened and wondering if she really could.
Later that morning, Mop Head led her fellow maids to the middle of the shopping district, which was already bustling with ponies going about their day. The mares were all standing in front of her (with the five newbies looking nervous, being naked in their mare bodies) and standing in the shopping district. The maid cleared her throat and exclaimed, "Alright, everypony, listen up!"
All the former guards were looking towards the head maid with unbridled attention, with many still looking concerned and worried about what she would say. However, they needed clarification as they were in the middle of the shopping district in Canterlot. Mop Head then cleared her throat and said, "Now, Princess Celestia, for our trouble in making sure the banquet for the sirens goes smoothly, she has given us a massive amount of bits in advanced!"
The rest of the maids all looked at each other with worried looks on their faces as they weren't sure how to take the news. Some of them looked eager, but Amber and Stormy were somewhat concerned as the red-headed pegasus slammed her hoof down and shouted, "Do we have to spend all the bits now!?"
"No, of course not, but she does advise it would be a good idea to stock up as it would be busy for us getting the castle ready for the banquet. Also, since we have the day off, let's have fun, as we'll be busy for the rest of the week. So please take this time to relax and enjoy yourselves!"
"Yes, mam!" The crowd of mares shouted back; they then began talking amongst themselves as they talked about what they'd be doing with their share. Mop Head then bowed her head and cleared her throat as there was a minor rather embarrassing issue she and a few other mares were dealing with and meekly replied, "Furthermore, we also are going to need somepony to get us some meds for our heat cycles!"
Everypony got quiet real fast, and then Mop Head pulled out straws. "Whoever pulls the smallest straw has to buy them!"
Many started to grumble, but from the lack of "neighs," she could tell she wasn't the only one having her first period. So one by one, they came up and drew the straws from a cup that Mop Head held out, and then as they compared, Stormy groaned as she saw she drew the shortest straw and slammed a hoof onto the and shouted, "Buck! Can we do a redraw!?"
Soap Suds hopped over and nuzzled her, "Don't worry, I'll accompany you."
"You better," Stormy grumbled under her breath and just looked off with a pout.
"Now, the final order of the day: go out and have fun! Destress and relax!"
"Understood!" Everypony chirped as they all started to trot off to go shopping, seeming to be relatively happy upon hearing this.
"Where are we going?" Lemon Heart whined as her sister led him through the streets; she mentioned something they needed but wanted to keep it a secret.
"Oh, you'll see so enough," Sea Star snickered as she continued to lead Lemon Heart along, who was bowing her head a little as she was not used to being looked at by other stallions. She moved some of her orange mane from her face and kept her eyes to the ground.
Lemon Heart looked up to see her "sister" was bolder than she remembered when she was a stallion; she had so much more life with her bouncy, cute blue mane. If she were a stallion, he would say she looked rather attractive, making him more self-conscious, wondering how pretty he looked.
They trotted through the streets for some time, and Lemon Heart gave her "sister" a suspicious look as she followed her when they left to go shopping. Sea Star's playful smirk made her look like a normal-looking clothes store; it was rather fancy, and she scoffed, "Clothes! I don't want clothes!"
"Well, we are here for some specific article of clothing."
They went to the back of the store, and there were bras with many mares rummaging through them, some of them pregnant or carrying young foals.
"Bras!?" Upon seeing where they were, Lemon Heart whined and was surprised his "sister" would bring him here!
Looking nervous, Sea Star bowed his head and whispered, "Well, your teats are rather massive. I doubt you want them bumbling around as you go about your duties?"
"Don't say that out loud!" Lemon shouted, looking around as other mares started to snicker.
"Oh, stop fussing as everypony else is concerned. You're just a mare." Sea Star chirped as she trotted off to help pick out some cute bras for her sister. Lemon Heart noticed many mares were pregnant and whined, "You mean my teats are as big as some mare with a foal?"
"Of course not! Our mom had big ones, and she had to wear them all the time way, even after we were born. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but you must learn to live with them for a few days."
Lemon Heart was now self-conscious of her "crotch teats," looking downward to see two massive bulbs around her underbelly. "Did Princess Celestia do this to me!? Am I a freak?"
"Well, like I said, it could be genetics or a side effect of the spell, but don't think of it as bad, ok? No one is judging you." Sea Star chirped. She then took out some fluffy yellow bras and asked, "So you wana to try some on?"
Lemon Heart sighed, "Why not?" she took them and then asked, "Um…c…can you help me?"
"Oh, sorry, sure!" Sea Star responded as she was escorted to a changing room in the back. Sea Star helped her strap the bra over her nether regions, ensured the fabric was snug over the bulbs, and tied a bow around the base of her tail to keep it from falling off. She was then taken to a mirror, and she looked over herself, admiring how the fabric held her teats together so they wouldn't bounce as she walked, as it was rather painful when they did that.
"See, told you you'll like it," Sea Star teased and kissed her. Lemon Heart then looked down and saw her sister had a crotch bra as well. "So, I see we have the same problem?"
"Yes, unfortunately, I think our mom is to blame," Sea Star admitted. "I don't think the other mares have the same problem as we do."
"You better not tell Mom about this! She'll probably force us to have foals!"
"Of course not; in a week, we'll be back to stallions; as far as she'll be aware, this never happened, and instead of being guards, we'll be making tarts and brewing tea for the princesses. How does that sound?"
Lemon Heart looked downward, her cheeks flushing pink, and stammered, "It...it sounds good, thank you. I don't think I could've done this by myself."
Sea Star hugged her sister and rubbed her back, "Hey, it's ok, I'll do anything for you."
They then went to the front desk and paid for their clothes, and then Sea Star asked, "Now I'm hungry; want some tea and pastries?"
"You read my mind!" Lemon Heart squealed and followed her sister out of the shop.
Meanwhile, Amber found herself in a shop full of makeup and smelt heavily of perfume, which permeated the entire store with its suffocating aroma. The brown-coated mare looked rather pouty and didn't want to be here. Meanwhile, Silky Apron looked rather smug as she said, "Now I know what you're going to say. But I started to get into makeup, and I think you'll look amazing with some on."
Amber just rolled her eyes and looked away while grumbling under her breath. "Whatever, you can buy as much makeup as you want, but I'm not putting any of that crap on my face."
"Oh, come on!? Stop being such a party pooper!"
Silky took her friend by the hoof and led her through the store. They looked over the various lipsticks, first with Amber picking out some fiery red-looking ones, some mascara, and powder for their cheeks.
They then trotted towards some lovely-smelling hair spray and perfume. Silky loved going through the perfume bottle, levitating them towards her, and spraying herself with some. Amber trotted behind, picking out a bottle that had a pleasant smell of a spring morning. Silky then continued to lead her friend through the aisles as they picked up a few extra items, such as mane spray and some cute hoof polish of various colors. The two then went towards the cash register after paying for their makeup, perfume, and other feminine products they picked up. Silky then pulled her friend to the side and chirped, "Hey! Hold still!"
She then applied lipstick over Amber's lips while the pegasus shook back and forth, trying to avoid the makeup. But Silky gave her a stern look and snapped, "Just stop! We'll eat together, and you want to look stunning, right?"
"I don't care ab-"
Before Amber could finish, the lipstick was applied along with the mare shouting, "fi…fine!"
Silky then took a tiny brush to apply the mascara under Amber's eyes, darkening them and some blush to her cheeks. After that, the red-haired mare was sprayed with perfume and her mane with hairspray. "There! You're looking so cute!"
Amber still felt somewhat irritable and grumbled, "Sure I do."
"Oh, come now!? You look adorable."
Amber eyed herself, seeing her eyes looking bolder with fake eyelashes; she did look rather cute and sexy, and she was still feeling uncomfortable looking like this and cried, "You may like this girly stuff, but I'm still not used to it."
Silky lowered her head, "Sorry for getting carried away, I just…well…I just wanted you to express yourself."
Amber paused, seeing how she was making Siulky feel bad, making her feel guilty for what she said. The mare let out a sigh and relented, "Well…I… I'm not totally against it; you know me by now."
Silky beamed at her, then said, "Hey, if you're uncomfortable, just let me know. I just wanted to try something out with you."
"Right, well, how about we do our makeover after we eat, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan; let's go out and get something to eat. I'm starving!" the gray-coated mare cheered as she tugged her "friend" towards Restaurant Row. Amber had to admit she liked shopping for all this girly stuff, and she did look good with some mascara. She also couldn't help but see that Silky seemed to enjoy being a mare, almost like Mop Head. He should try convincing him that his friend should stay this way even when he himself turns back to a stallion. Also, seeing how much Silky wanted to make him feel comfortable and change him, he wondered if they were more than friends.
It was about midday, and Mop Head trotted through the streets of Canterlot, heading to the new boutique Rarity opened up a few weeks ago. Along the way, she turned to see that Orange Julius was following her, looking downward with an embarrassed look on her face. The head maid paused and asked, "Orange, I hope you're okay with tagging along. If this is too uncomfortable, please let me know."
"It's really fine, but I don't know why you needed another mare to come with you or a dress in the first place."
"Well, I uh…um...need one, and I just needed another mare to come with me to give an opinion. You don't have to buy anything yourself."
"Ok, but why me?"
Mop Head blushed and whispered, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you seem to enjoy being a mare, and I thought you might have a good eye for fashion."
"What!? No…I… I'm…"
Mop smirked as she watched Orange trying to explain why she was against being a mare but seemed unable to explain why. She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine, you have a point."
"Ok, now come on, let's get some cute dresses together. It'll be fun!"
Hearing Mop Head say "dresses," Orange blushed, indicating she would pick one out for the new maid. Inside, the boutique was clean and orderly, with rows of dresses ready to order lined up on cloth lines. Then they came inside and saw a tall light blue unicorn with a striped mane and tail with bright orange eyes. She waved a hoof and welcomed them with a smile. "Hello! Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! How may I help you?"
Mop Head paused, being a bit overwhelmed by the display of lovely gowns around the place, and stammered, "Well, I just came for a …a dress. I have a d…date."
Sassy gave her a smirk and exclaimed, "A date! How wonderful!? Well, lucky for you, today's been slow, so I'll personally find your outfit."
She then took her to the backroom to get her measurements. Then she went over her body extensively with measuring tape as Orange Julius stood by and watched.
As Sassy went about her work, she asked, "Now, what is your name?"
"Oh, me, I'm Mop Head."
"Oh, that's an interesting name. Is that what your parents called you?"
"Actually, um…I did pick it out myself."
"Oh, I didn't mean to be rude; there's nothing wrong with it,"
Sassy then looked over at the shy orange-coated mare and asked, "What is your name?"
The orange-coated mare was a bit more hesitant to talk, looking downward as she mumbled, "It's Orange Julius."
"Oh, what a lovely name. Well, if you want a dress, just let me know, ok?" Sassy then took out a lovely teal-colored dress with white frills around the ends and started to dress over Mop Head, affixing a cute blue bow into the back of her tail.
Mop Head was stunned seeing the cute gown around her body. It looked abit like her maid's unfirm but much more frilly. She couldn't help but admire the pretty dress that covered her petite form and matched her coat and mane so well, and whispered, "This is beautiful."
"You think so. Are you sure you don't need any adjustments?"
Mop Head twirled in her new dress and squealed, "Yes! This is amazing! I love it!"
She turned to Orange Julius, who seemed unable to keep her eyes off her. Mop Head bounced over and asked, "Do you want a dress too? I'll pay for it out of my cut of the bonus, Ok?"
The new maid seemed to really want one but seemed somewhat nervous and whispered, "Would that be okay?"
Sassy threw a hoof and encouraged her to come over. "Of course, come over here, darling."
The orange-coated mare then slowly trotted over with a blush on her face and went to the same pedestal as Sassy took out her measuring tape and went to work getting her measurements. She then turned to Mop Head and asked, "So, you mentioned a date?"
"Yes,"
"Are you going to give details? I might make some small talk. This could take a while."
Mop Head gulped as she scratched the back of her mane and stammered. "Well…it's uh… with a maid named Soapy Suds."
Sassy was taken aback by what she said and, with a smirk, replied, "Oh, you're into mares, are you?"
Mop Head seemed to get a little nervous as this was the first time she expressed this side of her as she continued, "Well, yes, she, in particular, has been a dear friend of mine since I became a ma-" The mare squeaked putting a hoof over her mouth.
Sassy then gasped and exclaimed, "Oh, you're one of those guards I heard that was demoted to a maid?"
"Yes…" Mop Head squeaked, feeling embarrassed for letting that slip from her mouth.
Sassy then turned to Orange, who was sweating bullets as Sassy smirked and asked, "And I assume you one too."
"Yeah, so what," Orange whispered angrily.
Sassy then rummaged through the dozens of gowns and continued, "I don't mean to be demeaning; I'm just surprised. Are you two getting more comfortable in your new hooves?"
"Yes, well, I intend to stay like this permanently," Mop Head replied happily. "Sorry about earlier. I'm not entirely comfortable letting ponies know about me being a stallion."
"It's wonderful, darling, and what about you, Orange?"
"I plan on turning back to a stallion, but I wouldn't mind indulging in some feminine activities."
"Well, there's no judgment from me regardless of what you choose."
She then took out a beautiful firey red and orange dress that matched Orange's mane and coat and dressed her to see how this "maid" was mixed with the two colors at the ends of the fabric, poofy fiery orange sleeves. Sassy finished her outfit with two orange bows in her braided mane and a big one around the base of her tail. After finishing, Sassy stepped back to admire her work as Mop Head went wide-eyed at how cute Orange looked in her new outfit and commented, "Wow, you look absolutely amazing."
Orange blushed, looking at her reflection for the first time that day; her nervous expression turned into a smile as she whispered, "I guess so…"
"Guess so? Darling, you look so cute!" Sassy chirped as she trotted around her and admired the outfit.
Orange was also impressed, twirling about and seeing how she looked from various angles. "It does look good…… I'll take it!"
"Wonderful! Let's get you ringed up at the counter."
She then led the two to the checkout counter, where Moppy happily paid for their dresses. The two maids trotted out from the boutique, still wearing their new dresses. Orange then whispered, "Moppy, thank you…I…I don't think I could ever have done this if you…"
"Orange, it's ok; I know you still see yourself as a stallion. And if you're worried about the dress. When you turn back to a stallion, you can return the dress or give it to somepony else. So let's just relax and have fun, ok?"
"Ok…"
"Alright, now I'm starving. Let's meet up with the others at our favorite sandwich shop. My treat!"
"Moppy! You don't have to pay for everything!"
"Trust me, it's ok! I want you to be comfortable!" Moppy chirped as she dragged Orange through the streets towards Restaurant Row.
Meanwhile, as the rest of the maids were finishing their shopping sprees, Stormy was grumpily trotting through towards a local pharmacy. The place was small, with various ponies looking through the rows of pristine white aisles, with rows of shelves filled with all kinds of medical and hygiene supplies, pills for colds, headaches, and then the "heat cycle pills" as she and others mares started to get antsy with their "heat cycles" maybe it was the reason why she was getting pissed off all the time. The mare was escorted by Soapy Suds, skipping alongside her, looking as cheerful as ever. She still looked embarrassed and angry, seeing they were in the feminine hygiene product aisle. She said, "So, I assume you're having your period?"
The pegasus bowed her head, cheeks flushing red, and grumbled, "Yes."
"Oh, it's ok! That's why we're here, so don't be ashamed," Soapy explained. "As a mare, it's just something you'll have to get used to…but hopefully for not too long."
Stormy mumbled curses as she followed Soapy and led her into the pharmacy. They then went to the aisle full of tampons and other feminine hygiene products, picking some out. Then Soapy picked out some birth control pills, and then Stormy squeaked, "Wait, we don't need that!?"
"Hmmm, trust me, if one of you has sex, it's better not to be too careful; I doubt any of you want to endure being pregnant," Soapy commented.
Stormy paused, knowing Soapy was right, and she nodded and said, "Alright, let's pick up a few pills."
"Trust me, this might be a bit embarrassing, but it would be much more painful if you have to abort a baby you don't want," Soapy added as she had her followed through the aisle, picking some other random knick-knacks, toothpaste, some hoof cream, and a couple of hoof files. Stormy seemed to look around once in a while, seeing most of the other mares in the aisle not paying them any attention and feeling somewhat embarrassed, "y…you don't think that it's rude or weird I'm um doing this right?"
"Of course not! It's just buying stuff!"
"But…you know I'm still a stallion…"
"Well, yes, you are, but biologically, you're a mare, and we're just making sure you and your fellow former guards live comfortably until you're back to normal. If you're too uncomfortable with this, I can wrap up buying the stuff?"
Stormy got a bit furious as she didn't want to be called out for being uncomfortable when she tried to be polite and snapped, "No, of course not! I just…just making sure you're comfortable with me!"
"I am! Don't worry about it, ok? Heck, I'm going out on a dat-" Soapy placed a hoof over her mouth as Stormy's eyes widened, "Wait, you're going on a date with one of us?"
"Oops, um…oh, look at the time! We better wrap this up and not be late!"
After they paid for their items and were leaving the store, Stormy bowed her head and mumbled, "Thank you…"
"Hey, no problem!" Now come on, I'm starving!" Soapy squealed as she took Stormy by the hoof and dragged her off to Restaurant Row.
Later that evening, Moppy was out in the castle's gardens wearing her beautiful new gown and looking nervous as she crossed through the massive palace gardens. The stars above shined lovely, and the ground was covered in a silver glow. She was much more relaxed than this morning, having a fabulous brunch with her fellow former guards; they then went out dancing as well. She was tired from all her excitement, but Moppy was determined to go through with this date. Then she came upon Soapy sitting in the middle of the garden with a picnic blanket and wearing a cute, frilly, bouncy blue and white dress. She waved a hoof, and her eyes widened as she saw her date, "Wow!? Moppy, you look um…"
Mop Head paused, somewhat speechless herself seeing how gorgeous Soapy looked, and then the mare cleared her throat and finished, "Beautiful."
Moppy squeaked upon hearing this, threw a hoof over her face, and cried, "Really!? You think so!?"
"Yes, you look amazing; that dress is just so…so...you!"
Moppy paused and then trotted over and laid down next to her date, and then they continued to eat the tiny sandwiches and drink some wine. As they had their meal, they were silent throughout, seeming both a little nervous to speak. Soapy eventually broke the silence and asked, "So you're feeling relaxed now?"
"Yes, very much so. Orange Julius and I had a great time at the Carousel Boutique that opened up in Canterlot and bought some lovely dresses."
"I see that your outfit is so stunning!"
"I love yours too; it's so fluffy!" Moppy chirped as she poked the poofy fabric of Soapy's dress. She giggled and smacked her date's dress. "Not as fluffy as yours!"
The two hugged, then they returned to their meals, ate for abit longer, and drank most of the wine. Later into the evening, Soapy got abit serious and asked, "So, after all this siren business is over, you going to stay like this?"
Mop Head didn't hesitate as she nodded and replied, "Yes, I already said it before; I am a mare and want to stay as one."
"Ok, I was just wondering…"
After they finished their meal, Soapy crawled over towards her, and the two lay together under the stars and then asked, "When did you come to this conclusion?"
Mop Head paused and pondered for a few moments, then whispered, "I don't think there was a single moment; being mare just felt more natural to me."
"Right, and when did you fall for me?"
"Um, would it be embarrassing to say the second we met? I know we were only friends back then, but I've had a crush on you for some time."
"Really?!"
Mop Head was more embarrassed but expressed all these hidden feelings and continued, "Yes, really, your charm, your klutziness, your adorable smile…"
Soapy started squirming and cried, "Ok, stop embarrassing me!"
The big, bouncy, white-coated mare climbed on top of Moppy with this look in her eyes, and then they started making out. Then, afterward, they just stared at each other with a look of love and affection. Mop Head then whispered, "Guess that makes it official…"
"It sure does," The two hugged and started to make out underneath the stars, with Mop Head feeling much more confident about taking down the sirens and saving Equestria. She had to do it to save the kingdom or Princess Celestia and her new mare friend.