“Are you sure this is going to work?” Fleur de Lis, made to look like a wingless, jewelry-less Princess Celestia asked as she and Princess Luna approached Canterlot castle.
“I see no reason why it should not. You look just like my sister before she became a goddess,” Luna said.
Yes, and I learned on Sunday that there are contests for the best Celestia look-alike. Not that you need to know that yet, Fleur thought, before saying aloud, “If you say so. Also, my date with Fluttershy at the Caracolant a Cheval is still on right?”
“Yes, I will make the arrangements later. They should not raise a fuss about this being on short notice, seeing as I am royalty.”
“Okay, good,” Fleur said.
“And you will stay for breakfast tomorrow, right?”
“Of course. It's not every day you get invited to eat breakfast with royalty, after all.”
At this point they were about to enter the castle gates, making Luna more glad than ever that unicorns and alicorns didn't actually have the oft rumored ability to communicate with each other via their magic, lest Fleur's cover be blown.
She signaled Fleur to keep quiet until the right moment, then entered the front gates with the white unicorn. When one of the guards moved to stop Fleur, Luna said, “She is with me.”
“Understood.”
Walking into the mostly empty throne room, where Celestia was wrapping up day court, Luna and Fleur approached and waited for Celestia to finish with a pony who was requesting funds to repair a road that had washed out near his home. Since, at this point, they were just finalizing the costs of materials they had no reason to expect this to be a long wait. Fleur was working hard to keep a straight face, afraid she might do something to blow her “cover” and miss out on watching Luna humiliate herself, while the dark alicorn was looking over all the paperwork she had done on Ponyville disaster preparedness, or lack thereof.
After a few minutes of back and forth about the cost of gravel, Celestia was ready for them. Luna approached the throne where she would be sitting in a few hours for night court and let Celestia speak first.
“Ah, it is good to see you again, Lulu. How went your trip to Ponyville?” the white alicorn asked, making Fleur use all her willpower to keep from even cracking a smile at the nickname Celestia gave her sister.
“It was not the easy, pleasant trip that I expected, I will admit, and we will need to follow up on just about everything down the line, but there is another small matter I wish to discuss.” Fleur, at this point, was tempted to use her magic to keep her jaw shut to keep down the urge to laugh.
“Does it have anything to do with this Celestia look-alike?” Celestia asked gesturing towards Fleur.
“Yes. I found her walking around Ponyville, and thought I should bring her to you. She has refused to speak thus far.” Fleur's entire being at the moment was being poured into not laughing.
Celestia shook her head with an amused smile on her face. “Either this is some poorly thought out prank on your part, or you stumbled upon one of my endless professional imitators and didn't realize it. Either way you really need to get out more, Lulu.” She then removed Fleur's colored contact lenses and cutie mark stickers, while casting a spell to remove the hair dye. Seeing Fleur's mane was pretty much unchanged, she tugged on it, thinking it was a wig.
“Ow! That's my mane!” Fleur complained.
“Oh, sorry about that. Regardless, I would like to know who you are and what this is about.”
“Wait, before we continue, are there really ponies who pretend to look like you for a living?” Luna asked.
“Yes. There are even contests to determine the best imitators. I actually entered one a while back, disguised as a pegasus. Placed fifth as I recall. Now if you could answer my question,” Celestia said, sounding as serene as ever.
Fleur really wanted to ask how Celestia herself could place fifth in a Celestia look-alike contest, but decided that answering a royal's question came first. “Well, to answer your first question my name is Fleur de Lis.
“Ah, yes. You recently divorced Fancypants, did you not?”
“Yes, and I would prefer not to be reminded of that all the time.”
Celestia ignored this, waiting for further information on her question.
“Anyway, as to what is going on, Princess Luna suggested the prank idea to me the day she arrived in Ponyville, after noticing how much I looked like you. Before then I had no idea that there were professional Celestia imitators, but when I learned of them, I decided to go along with it anyway, since I thought I could get her to get me and Fluttershy a reservation at the Caracolant a Cheval tonight.”
“Did you agree to this, Lulu?”
“Yes, after I offered them dinner with us instead so I could have a chat with Fluttershy, but she insisted on having dinner at the restaurant.”
“I see. Any other agreements I should know about?”
“A night in a royal suite and breakfast with us tomorrow morning?” Luna said.
“On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that Fluttershy has helped save Equestria more than once?”
“I think I can agree to that though their dinner will be on your tab, Luna.” Luna didn't seem fazed by this, probably because she was a rich mare even before her banishment, and her bits had been collecting interest for one thousand years. “By the way, where is Fluttershy?” Celestia asked
“Probably in the market, helping Rarity pick materials for her nature themed fashion line,” Fleur offered.
“And does she know about all of this?”
“Yes.”
“I see. And why do you want to go to the Caracolant a Cheval?” Celestia asked.
“I want to go on a date with Fluttershy at the fanciest restaurant in Canterlot. And troll some snobs, but mostly the date.”
“I see, and now I'm curious about how long you two have been together.”
“Our first date was last Saturday, and this will be our second,” Fleur said, hoping that Celestia wasn't about to bring some sort of hell on her head.
“And how did that first date go?”
“Once Fluttershy was comfortable with the fact that she was on a date with another mare, it went quite well.”
“I see.” Celestia then turned to one of her guards and said, “Please go down to the marketplace and find Fluttershy, I would speak with her about something.”
Fleur watched as the guard left in earnest, worried about what was about to happen. This, combined with being within a few feet of both rulers of Equestria and royal guards who stood ready to execute any order the princesses saw fit to give, caused her to start fidgeting again.
Both princesses noticed this, but Luna said nothing, since she was still chewing her humble pie. Celestia, on the other hoof, had to ask, “Is something wrong, Fleur de Lis?”
“I'm a bit nervous because I don't know what this is about or whether I'm going to be thrown in the dungeons or not.”
“Why would I do that? I was just hoping that, since Fluttershy is in town, she could take care of Philomena while she goes through her rebirth.”
“Her what now?” Fleur asked, her mind going to rather unpleasant places.
“Philomena is a phoenix, and dies and is reborn every few years. She showing signs that it's about that time again, and I have some trade meetings coming up, so I can't take care of her myself while this happens.”
“Oh. So how often does she need to be reborn?”
“Once every two or three years, though she is always the same bird when she comes back.”
Shortly thereafter, the royal guard had brought Fluttershy and, for some reason, Rarity with a large number of shopping bags to the throne room. Rarity, who had been in on the prank, was the first to speak. “Fleur, why do you look like...yourself?”
“Because trying to trick an immortal goddess apparently doesn't work as well as I'd hoped. Now if she didn't pull my mane, I might have had fond memories about this anyway.”
“Well, I hadn't realized that you had the exact same color mane as my younger self, and thought it was part of the prank. Again, my apologies.”
Luna was standing silently and stoically, still smarting a bit from her prank blowing up in her face. Fleur noticing this, asked, “Is everything okay, Luna?”
“So this is what humble pie tastes like,” Luna said, finally metaphorically swallowing her slice.
Celestia smiled, making a mental note to watch for anything Luna might try to make up for her failure to embarrass her.
“Should we move our stuff to the suite,” Fluttershy asked.
“In a second. Before I forget, Fluttershy, do you mind watching Philomena for me? She's about to go through her rebirth, and I'm going to be too busy to watch her.”
“You want me to take her back to Ponyville?”
“Please,” Celestia said.
“I can do that. You want me to bring her back to Canterlot when you're ready?”
“No, I'll come by Ponyville to pick her up. You should only need to take care of her for a week or so.”
“Okay,” Fluttershy said.
“And one more thing. Is it true that you went on a date with this unicorn last week?”
“Yes. And Luna was supposed to get us a reservation at a fancy restaurant tonight.”
“Not so much a reservation as a walk in,” Luna clarified.
“Thank you, that is all I wished to know.”
“So, can we unpack? We really should get ready for dinner tonight,” Fleur asked.
“Yes. Lulu, since this was your idea, can you take them to the suite they'll be staying in?”
“Of course.”
“Wait,” Rarity said, “Let me go get their luggage first.”
“How about this? You know where the tower suite is, right Rarity?” Luna asked.
“Yeah. That's where they'll be staying?”
“Yes, assuming it is not taken,” Luna said.
“It's not. Don't worry,” Celestia said.
A few minutes later, they had arrived at he tower suite and Luna said, “When you two are ready to head out for dinner, come find me. I should be in or near the throne room,” before turning and leaving. The two looked around the room, Fleur enjoying being back in a place filled with luxury and opulence, and Fluttershy simply marveling at the beauty of the room. Of course, shortly thereafter, a bit of awkwardness ensued as they noticed that there was only one bed.
Now they had considered this possibility, and thought about having one of them stay with Rarity, but neither of them was willing to pass up a chance to stay in a royal suite. Realizing that they were going to have to share the bed (and neither of them was ready to do the dirty deed yet), they quickly came to an agreement: they would share the bed, but if anypony started with any shenanigans, she would sleep on the floor, and if both them started, one of them would lock herself in the bathroom so they wouldn't do anything they would regret, body aches be damned.
Soon thereafter, Fluttershy took a trip to the toilet, while Fleur looked about the room. With white and black marble floors, blue blankets and silk sheets on the bed, and purple walls, the place was beautiful, and big. In fact, the bed was big enough for three, which Fleur was thankful for, especially with her tall frame and habit of tossing about in her sleep.
When Fluttershy left the bathroom, Fleur entered and took care of her own business, taking some time to admire the opulence of the bathroom once she was done with her business. When she heard Rarity coming in with their luggage, she quickly returned to the main room to meet her fellow unicorn.
“Thanks again for getting all of our stuff, Rarity,” she said.
“No problem. What time are you going to dinner?”
“When we go meet Luna. She said she'd wait for us in the throne room, though I think she can wait an hour or so for us to get ready.”
“Do you want any help?” Rarity offered.
“No, I think I can help Fluttershy get her dress on, but I must thank you again for making me a new one on such short notice, even if I have the scars to prove it,” Fleur said, glancing at her flank.
“It's not my fault you squirm so much.”
“But it is your fault that you get so stabby with that needle.”
Rarity simply rolled her eyes and said, “If you need my help, you know where I'm staying.”
.
“Of course,” Fleur said as she watched Rarity walk out the front door. She then turned to Fluttershy and said, “Shall we see if we can't get that dress on you?”
“Okay,” Fluttershy said in a neutral tone, before pulling the dress out of its bag.
“You're going to have to talk me through this, since I've never put clothes on another pony, let alone a pegasus.”
Fluttershy lifted her wings up to the proper angle and explained what to do, and Fleur had the pegasus in her dress with very little fuss, though Fluttershy was quick to point out that Fleur was going to have to take it off for her. The pegasus then headed into the bathroom to get made up, while Fleur got her own dress on. As she did this, she realized that she hadn't taken any time to actually see how Fluttershy's dress looked. Well, she would get the chance when she was all made up.
Fleur looked at her dress after she put it on. Said dress could only be described as very, very extravagantly Prench, almost to the point of being aristocratic, with royal blues and white highlights throughout and fleur-de-lis dotting various points. And this was after she asked Rarity to tone it way down from its original design, which looked like a dress that could have been worn by a member of the long dead Prench royal family. Still, she liked it enough that she wasn't going to complain about its excessive regality.
When Fluttershy exited the bathroom, Fleur entered with her makeup kit in tow. Fluttershy didn't pay attention to Fleur's dress, and hadn't yet seen it, so, when she realized this, she was a bit annoyed with herself. All she knew was, knowing Rarity, it was probably somewhat extravagant and Prench. After Fleur closed the door, Fluttershy pulled out and put on her leggings, another part of her nature themed dress (and one she could put on herself), which was essentially a stylistic update from her Grand Galloping Gala dress. Having nothing else to do while waiting, she checked her wings to see if they needed any preening. After tugging a few rogue feathers back into place, she waited the last few minutes it took Fleur to get all made up by staring at the bathroom door and thinking about the date.
She remembered that Fleur had said that the Canterlot elite had little respect for anypony who was attracted to members of the same gender, and they were going into a place where they were guaranteed to be surrounded by members of said elite. Despite the fact that their date was being set up by one of the rulers of Equestria (and on her tab, no less), Fluttershy couldn't help but worry about the reactions they would get from the other diners, especially if Fleur decided to draw attention to them in an attempt to troll the elite. She decided to discuss this with the unicorn once she was out of the bathroom.
Once Fleur was out of the bathroom, they took a second to admire each other's dresses, which both obviously liked the other's, though neither said anything. They then quickly exited the room and, on the way down the long staircase, Fluttershy explained her concern.
“Well, unfortunately, we're going to be drawing a lot of attention to ourselves simply because we're a same sex couple eating at the fanciest restaurant in Equestria. It's not something you see everyday,” Fleur explained.
“Eep!”
“I wouldn't worry too much, though. The worst we should have to worry about is annoyed looks and a few whispered insults. They know better than to be direct with their hatred, especially when something they don't like is happening with the blessing of a princess.”
This didn't do much to reassure Fluttershy, who was still nervous about the whole thing, but she decided to hide that fact for the moment, not wanting to be the one to ruin Fleur's plans for a fun night.
When they met with Luna, she made a strange request of the two ponies. “If you wouldn't mind, I would like to join you two for dinner tonight.”
“Why?” Fleur asked.
“As 'Tia said, I could stand to get out more, and I would never miss an opportunity to make the nobility look silly.”
“Well, if Fluttershy doesn't mind...”
Fleur and Luna then turned their attention to Fluttershy, who really hated being the center of attention like this. She said, in a nervous voice, “Okay.”
Fleur noticed the pegasus' nervous reaction and said, “Fluttershy, she doesn't have to come along if you don't want her to.”
“No, I don't mind. It's just that she just makes me a bit nervous.”
“If you say so,” Fleur said.
As they left, Luna said, “I have a question about these upper class ponies, Fleur de Lis.”
“I'm listening.”
“How much do they respect 'Tia and I?”
“That's half the fun of getting you involved. They respect you utterly, and if you were to be seen endorsing something they utterly hate, well, if I'm honest, I'm not sure what they would do. We'll find out tonight, though,” Fleur said, relishing the idea.
“That gives me an idea, if you want to hear it.”
“Still listening.”
Luna explained her idea to her two companions, who both agreed to it, though Fluttershy didn't seem completely thrilled with it.
When they reached the restaurant, Luna approached the maitre d' and said, “I would like a table for three, please.”
“Sorry, but we do not take walk ins.”
“Not even when one of the walk ins is Princess Luna?” Fleur interjected.
This caused the maitre d' to look up and when saw who he was speaking to, he looked thoroughly embarrassed, saying, “Oh, my apologies, madame. Right this way.”
“Thank you, my good sir,” Luna said.
They were led to what was known as the alicorn table where only princesses and their guests were allowed to sit. Next to the table stood a giant, very gaudy statue of Princess Celestia and, on the other side a spot where, when it was finished, an equally large, equally gaudy statue of Luna would stand. The table was in the center of the room, putting the three diners in full view of everyone in the restaurant. This was a setup Fleur hadn't counted on, but one which made her attempts to troll the other diners that little bit easier. They sat down in the circular booth with Fleur sitting between Luna and Fluttershy
“Now, what would you ladies like to drink?”
“We would love a bottle of Chateau 987, if you have any available,” Fleur said, before the other two could speak.
“Certainly, I will return with it shortly.”
Luna looked at Fleur. “Chateau 987?”
“A very good, very expensive red wine. I didn't think they had any, actually, since only a few hundred bottles ever left Prance.”
“Well, then we shall have to enjoy it, won't we.”
“Yes we will,” Fleur said, before turning to Fluttershy. “So, how do you like this place?”
“I love it. It's so...posh.”
“I'm glad to hear you say that. I was afraid I might've gone overboard.”
“Oh no, it's lovely, although I don't think we're going to be able to get more upscale than this,” Fluttershy admitted.
“No, that's true. Not that I mind less extravagant dates.”
At this point, the waiter returned with the bottle of wine Fleur had requested and uncorked it for the trio. “Thank you monsieur,” Fleur said.
“My pleasure. Now, are you ready to order?”
The three of them placed their orders, and, when the waiter left, Luna, referencing the plan she came up with earlier, asked in a whisper, “So when do you want to do it?”
“How about after dinner, but before dessert. If I'm right, that's when it will be busiest, and, honestly, if we're going to do this, I want this to be the talk of the town.”
“I like your thinking, Fleur de Lis.”
Fleur simply smiled and poured their wine.
Fluttershy, on the other hand was a bit nervous about their whole plan, which had drifted back to the forefront of her mind. To distract herself from said thoughts, she focused the meal she ordered, a rose and lily salad, described as being made with only the finest ingredients which, considering where they were eating, was quite believable.
“Fluttershy,” Fleur said, breaking the pegasus' reverie after several minutes.
“Yes?” Fluttershy asked, taking a second to properly return to reality.
“Food's here.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said, slightly embarrassed.
“The rose and Lily salad?” The waiter asked.
“That's mine.”
“The flower, vegetable stew?”
“That would be mine,” Fleur said.
“And the onion daisy soup?
“That is mine,” Luna said.
The waiter placed the last dish in front of the princess of the night said, “please enjoy your meal,” before leaving. Fluttershy noticed that, to her annoyance, the meals were on the small side for whatever reason.
As soon as the waiter had disappeared into the crowd of diners, Fleur said, “I think I've seen your dress somewhere before, Fluttershy. I just don't remember where.”
“I wore one almost like it to the Grand Galloping Gala two years ago.”
“Wait, wasn't that the one where somepony somehow knocked down the pillars in the ballroom?”
“Yes, and the one with the animal stampede,” Fluttershy said.
“I had heard about that but I was still on the modeling circuit, so I was forced to miss it. Probably for the best”
“Probably,” Fluttershy said.
“And, since I was sleeping, I seem to have missed out on all the fun,” Luna said
“Celestia never told you what happened?” Fleur asked.
“I never asked. I probably should when I get back.”
“It's quite the story,” Fluttershy said, avoiding mentioning her involvement in the animal stampede.
“I'm sure.”
Wanting to change the subject and try to get a cheap laugh out of Luna, Fluttershy asked Fleur, “By the way, how many times did Rarity poke you with her needle when she made you that dress?”
Realizing what the pegasus was up to, Fleur said with a smile, “More than I care to count, if I'm honest.”
“Wait, I thought Rarity was an excellent dressmaker. Why would she poke you with her needle?” Luna asked.
“She is an excellent dressmaker most of the time, but for some reason, when that needle gets near my flank, all bets are off. Fortunately, this time she managed to avoid stitching the dress onto said flank, though I still got a few new scars from the whole ordeal.”
Luna, already chuckling a bit at the mental image, said, “She actually stitched a dress onto you?”
“Yes. While trying to add some embroidery, she managed to put some stitches through both the dress and my flank. She says it's because I moved into the needle, but I think she did it on purpose.”
“Well, considering how much you were complaining when I came by,” Fluttershy said, obviously enjoying this conversation and forgetting that she was surrounded by ponies who didn't hold a lot of respect for her.
“Okay, I may have brought it on myself a bit,” Fleur admitted, “That's still no reason to jam a needle through my flank.”
“Rarity apparently disagreed,” Luna said.
Fleur simply shook her head and took another sip of her wine. When she answered Fluttershy's question, she hadn't counted on embarrassing herself like that, though she knew that it was her fault for bringing up the whole “Stitched to my flank” incident.
The three of them ate silently for the next few minutes, Luna obviously still amused about the story of the making of Fleur's dresses. Fleur, on the other hoof was chuckling at herself for bringing up her stitched flank. Lastly, Fluttershy was quietly hoping Fleur wasn't angry at her for bringing up the needle prodding incidents, though still amused by how they went.
Fluttershy finished her food first, and waited patiently for the others to do so. The other two noticed this and wondered if they should keep eating or save room for dessert, and speed things up. They looked to see what the other would do, then the smell of Fleur's stew made her realize just how much she was enjoying it, and she went back to eating, to Fluttershy's temporary relief. The pegasus took another sip of her wine and watched the other two, trying to think of a way to restart the conversation. Nothing came to mind, however, leaving her at the mercy of the eating speed of her marefriend and the princess of the night.
Their plan involved something Fluttershy wasn't completely comfortable with, and in front of ponies who wouldn't enjoy seeing it, but she had agreed to it, and she wasn't going to back out now. To distract herself from this, she thought about how their relationship had evolved. Not a month and a half ago, she had thought that Fleur would never go out with a country pony like her regardless of whether she was interested in mares or not. Two weeks after that she was sure that she had no romantic interest in mares, despite Fleur having an interest in her and, a week later, Rarity suggested they go on a date, which she yelled down, being secretly confused about her sexuality. Despite all these bumps in the road, they were now together, having their second date in the fanciest restaurant in Equestria with a princess, and her tab, in tow.
Soon thereafter, the other two were finished with their meal and the waiter came by with the dessert menu. This time it was Luna ordering for the three of them, picking a large chocolate cake.
When the waiter disappeared into the kitchen, with their empty plates, it was time for the plan to go forward. Fleur and Fluttershy scooted right next to each other, so that their sides were touching, wrapped their forelegs around each other and gave each other a great big kiss, in full view of all of the other diners, causing quite the stir.
Many ponies simply stared at the two, slack jawed, while others looked back and forth between them and Luna, expecting her to stop them, or at least be in some way offended. However, contrary to their expectations, she just sat and watched, obviously not taking the slightest issue with their blatant display of love.
Fluttershy couldn't help but feel the stares being directed at them, but was too focused on the kiss to care at the moment. Fleur, on the other hand, was reveling in both aspects. The kiss was just as wonderful as she had expected it to be and all the attention focused on them simply made the spotlight-loving pony enjoy the moment that much more.
After what couldn't have been more than fifteen seconds, they broke the kiss, yet still held each other close with loving smiles on their faces, both of them having genuinely enjoyed the moment. This was as far as it was going to go, but it was more than far enough to create a large paradigm shift, though of what sort nopony would know for at least a few days. A second or two later, though, reality breached the pegasus' mind and she scooted from Fleur's side and tried to make herself invisible.
Luna was the first to speak after they broke the kiss, saying, “It is very nice to see that you two are so happy together, though maybe you shouldn't be so blatant about it next time. I mean, you have drawn quite the audience.”
Fleur, looking around with a smile that said, “what? You have a problem with me kissing another mare?” said, “Maybe you're right, but, since if one of us had been a stallion it would have earned little more than a few looks, I see little reason why this should be seen as anything stranger than that.”
At this point, the plan was starting to derail from Luna's perspective, though Fleur, who wanted to take a bit more of an aggressive approach to this, thought it was all going according to plan. Still, the next thing the alicorn said served to get her to back off some.
“Well, maybe, but is that really worth getting us thrown out over? I promised 'Tia I would bring her some cake, and I would not see us thrown out before they have it ready for us.”
“Okay, point taken. Still, I do think they're being a bit prudish about this.”
A few seconds later, a stallion from a nearby table approached Luna and asked, “Is there nothing wrong with the fact that two mares just kissed right in front of you?”
“I see nothing wrong with it, no, and I am certain my sister would agree with me on that.”
Mumbles broke out through the restaurant, and it was obvious nopony was quite sure what to make of Princess Luna's statements in support of same sex relationships, or Celestia's apparent, unspoken support for the same. Within seconds the atmosphere shifted from disturbed to very confused
Fleur, a smile on her face, whispered to the other two, “That went better than planned. I almost wish I could stick around for a few days to see what comes of this.”
“I will send you a letter when I hear what has become of this,” Luna whispered back.
“Please do.”
The waiter brought their cake a few moments later, and, unlike their meal, it was fairly big. They sliced off three large pieces, and dug right in, with Fluttershy, who wanted to leave as soon as possible after the big kiss, eating with the most gusto. Fleur on the other hoof, went with a much more ladylike approach, eating small bites and taking a bit of time to chew. This was mostly to remind the surrounding ponies that just because she was with another mare didn't mean she wasn't a lady, though indirectly messing with Fluttershy a bit for bringing up the needle and her flank didn't hurt, even if she had helped bring that on herself by bringing up certain details.
Soon they were done with their meals and ready to head out. Luna said to send her the bill, and she would pay it as soon as she received it. The three chatted a bit on the way back to the castle, before Luna broke off from the group to prepare for night court, expecting to hear at least a few diners complaining about what had happened at the Caracolant a Cheval.
Fluttershy and Fleur de lis headed up to their suite, smiling at how things went (with a touch of relief also showing on Fluttershy's face, now that she was well and truly out of the fire). Since it was only seven, they had a few hours before even early riser Fluttershy was to go to bed. When they reached their suite, Fleur helped take Fluttershy's dress off her and let the pegasus go into the bathroom to wash her makeup off. She took her own dress off, laying it out on the bed, and headed back out, not bothering with her makeup, since it was like a second skin to her. They had agreed to do their own thing at this point, with Fleur visiting Rarity at her hotel, and Fluttershy spending some time with the animals in the castle garden, before they came back around eight thirty, since their breakfast with the princesses was at seven thirty the next morning.
Fluttershy came out of the bathroom, and headed out the door herself, going straight to the garden where she had chased the animals from (and into the ballroom) during the Gala two years before. Fortunately, she had only been banned from the Gala for that stunt, allowing her to come and go from he garden as she pleased the rest of the year by virtue of being a hero. Unlike the Gala, and like the garden party the year before, the animals flocked to her, leaving her enjoying herself for the next hour and a half.
Fleur, meanwhile, was traveling to Rarity's hotel room. The hotel wasn't particularly high end, especially when compared to the suite that the taller unicorn was sharing with Fluttershy, but it was still quite nice. She knocked on the door to Rarity's room, calling out, “Rarity, it's me, Fleur.”
A few seconds later Rarity opened the door, asking, “So how did it go?”
“It's quite the tale, but I would say it went over very well.”
“What do you mean it's quite the tale?”
“Well, first off, Luna talked us into letting her come along, then came up with this brilliant plan to troll the other diners, who were certain to be among the very elites who shunned me previously.”
“What did she propose?”
“That Fluttershy and I share long kiss in the middle of the restaurant. This went over as well as you might expect, though I don't regret doing it.”
“How did you walk out alive?”
“Okay, it wasn't that bad, but we did attract a number of completely blindsided stares from ponies who had never seen anything approaching a gay relationship. I admit, I found it hilarious.”
“I can see why you might find it funny, but, if I'm honest, I never took you for a gadfly.”
Fleur smiled at this implication, but said nothing. Rarity filled the silence by asking, “So how much trouble did Fluttershy's dress give you?”
“Because she talked me through it, none whatsoever. Next time we go somewhere that fancy, though, please try to remember she can't exactly dress herself without some measure to get her wings in their holes.”
“Oh no, I've learned my lesson. It was a bit silly of me to not do that I admit. By the way, how about the rest of your date?”
Fleur told Rarity everything that happened during their date, with Rarity offering commentary at points, and when she finished, Rarity asked, “So, are you planning on having a third date?”
“Of course, though it won't be nearly this fancy or attention grabbing if I have anything to say about it. Also, I still have a little bit of wine from our dinner, if you want it. I've had enough alcohol for one night.”
“Sure, let me get a glass.”
Fleur then produced a clean glass from the restaurant, which was one of those establishments that let customers keep their glassware.
“Oh, thanks. By the way, what kind of wine is this?”
“Chateau 987, a one thousand bit a bottle, very fine red wine, and you know how much I love my red wine.”
“Of course. What else should I have expected from you drinking on a princess' tab?” Rarity said.
“Could have been worse. I can think of ten more expensive wines off the top of my head.”
As Rarity enjoyed her wine, she and Fleur discussed their plans for the next couple of days bfore Fleur left saying she needed to get to bed early enough for tomorrow's breakfast.
When she arrived at the suite Luna had set them up with, she saw the bathroom door closed, and heard the shower running. She debated showering in the morning, but the fact that her face was still all made up put a stopper to that plan. She pulled over a cushion and sat on it, waiting for her turn in the shower.
A few minutes later, Fluttershy stepped out of the shower and climbed into bed, ignoring Fleur, who entered behind her. The unicorn took the time to wash her body and face, dried off, and joined Fluttershy in bed.
The unicorn, on a whim, decided to see if she could get away with something, since it wasn't inherently sexual. She scooted closer to the pegasus, wrapped her forelegs around her chest, and pressed herself against Fluttershy's back. Before doing anything with her head, she waited to see if Fluttershy would try to squirm out from under her grip. When she didn't, the tall mare lay her head on top of Fluttershy's own and started drifting off.
Fluttershy, for her part, didn't mind the physical closeness, especially after the long (if enjoyable) day and with a pony she had grown to like as much as Fleur de Lis. As soon as Fleur settled down, the pegasus also found herself drifting off into the land of sweet dreams.