Fleur awoke the next morning, feeling light and refreshed. Going to the guest bathroom, she remembered why when she saw the note she had taped to the mirror: “Date tonight with Fluttershy. 6:00”.
Seeing that, she focused on making herself look completely immaculate. After all, if you get a date with one of your heroes, you must look your best. About 15 minutes later, Rarity came in and said, “Oh there you are. Hurry up or your breakfast will get cold.”
“Sorry. I got carried away. I'll be right down,” Fleur said as she fluffed her tail a bit more.
“You could make yourself pretty after breakfast. Actually, tell you what, I'll take you to the Ponyville Spa after lunch so they can make you look and feel absolutely lovely for tonight. Just come down for breakfast.”
“Fine,” Fleur said.
After heading down to the first floor, Fleur and Rarity sat down to their meal of hay waffles and apple juice. As they ate, Fleur asked, “So, how good is this spa?”
“I go there once a week with Fluttershy and always come out looking and feeling amazing. Trust me, it's quite good, especially for the money.”
Fleur took a second to consider Rarity's looks, and had to admit that she did look great, though not as great as Fluttershy, and wondered how much the spa had to do with that. Changing the subject, she asked, “So when are you going to be delivering those dresses?”
“Tomorrow. I've already sent my clients letters letting them know where I'll be to deliver them. I just wish I could get your dress done before tonight, but I ran out of royal blue fabric and I'll need to pick up some more. I didn't realize I was so low on it.”
“That's fine. I can wear one of the dresses I brought if Fluttershy comes wearing one of her own.”
On the edge of town, in a cottage full of wildlife, Fluttershy was starting her day, As she went about feeding her animals, she was reminded, via a picture of Fleur sitting on her coffee table, of her date tonight. She sat down to her breakfast and decided to see if she could get a reservation at the nicest restaurant in Ponyville: The Alimentaire de Chevaux.
After feeding her animals and herself, she set about deciding what she was going to wear, and making sure she was all brushed out and clean. Makeup would come later and would likely be minimal.
She then headed out to Sweet Apple Acres, wanting to talk to Applejack about her usual apple delivery.
It took her only a few minutes to arrive at the vast apple fields that made up Sweet Apple Acres and another minute to arrive at the farmhouse. She knocked and was greeted by Big McIntosh. She said, “Hi, Big Mac. Is Applejack up?”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, then into the house “AJ, it's Fluttershy.”
Applejack came to the door and said, “Oh, hi Fluttershy. What brings you here?”
“Yes. I wanted to talk about your apple delivery.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. I just need about a dozen less apples next month. Some of my critters migrated north and I haven't been able use the last of the apples you gave me,” Fluttershy said.
“Oh, sure. I can do that. Thanks for letting me know ahead of time.”
“You're welcome.”
“By the way, you have a date with that Fleur de Lis character is tonight, right?” Applejack asked.
“Yes, and I'm looking forward to it.”
“So where do you plan to take her?”
“Well, I'm planning to see if I can get a reservation at The Alimentaire de Chevaux, and hopefully not have Fleur laugh at the name of the restaurant,” Fluttershy said.
“Why would she laugh at it?”
“Because I know just enough Prench to know it means horse food.”
Applejack chuckled and said, “Oh, yeah, that is pretty funny. Still, I don't think she'll make a big deal out of it. Isn't she your biggest fan or something?”
“Yes, but I'm a bit nervous about all of this.”
“Well, I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. Have fun tonight.”
“I will, also do you want me to come by to walk Winona later?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course. The usual time.”
After a lunch of veggie burgers, the first time Fleur had ever tried them, she and Rarity headed to the spa to freshen up, and, for Fleur, to prepare for tonight. When they entered, Rarity remembering their conversation that morning, said, “it may not be as nice as what you're used to in Canterlot, but it's still a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, trust me.”
“I'm sure it is,. Just looking at this place tells me that it's one of the nicer spas I've been in, especially compared to the ones in Manehatten. I'm not sure what it is about that place but the spas are awful.”
“I am glad you approve,” the normally silent Lotus said.
Rarity said, “So am I. Anyway, the usual for my friend and I.”
Aloe, who was obviously in a good mood, especially after she saw who the mare who complimented her spa was, got up and opened the door, letting her two clients in. Their first stop was the steam room, where Lotus poured water over the hot rocks as Rarity and Fleur conversed. Fleur asked, “So, do you have any advice for tonight?”
Rarity said, “Certainly! Anything in particular you want to know?”
“Well, I guess how I should act around Fluttershy on this date? I mean you know her far better than I do.”
“Of course. The main thing I could say is she seems to like your friendly, happy personality, so I would try to play that up.”
“I'm not sure I couldn't if I wanted to, since I'm so excited for tonight. Anything else?” Fleur asked.
“Um, well, I imagine she's going to be nervous about tonight. Sure, she knows she's your hero, but I would still go easy on her, just so she doesn't get too worked up.”
“Okay, I can do that. Anything else?”
“Um, one last thing,” Rarity said as she noticed just how close Fleur was sitting to her, “keep the touching to a minimum, especially on a first date, and no kissing on the first date either,” Rarity said.
“I knew about the kissing, but not the touching I admit. Still, I should be able to handle that.”
“Good,” Rarity said with a smile.
For a while afterward, they simply made small talk until they were getting their massages, when Rarity asked, “So why did you ask Fluttershy out on a date?”
“Um...Well, when I heard she was single I got this idea in my head. I thought I should take a chance, since the worst that could happen is she said no. Which would hurt, but I could handle it. After all, may as well take a chance and be denied than wonder what could have been.”
“I see,” Rarity said, considering her own missed opportunities.
“Actually, now that I think about it, I know somepony in Canterlot you might like. If you want, when I go back, I can get him in touch with you,” Fleur said.
“Is it Prince Blueblood? Because if it is, I will have to decline.”
“I'm not that mean. I was actually thinking of another stallion. Have you ever heard of Lock Tight?”
“No, but I assume he's a locksmith?” Rarity asked.
“Oui. Also, he's the son of one of my uncle's business partners, and a good friend of mine.”
“Well, if you're endorsing him, sure, send him my way. I'd love to meet him.”
“Excellent, I'll talk to him when I return to Canterlot,” Fleur said.
“Thanks.”
A half hour later, they were done with their spa treatment, leaving both mares feeling lovely, while leaving a couple hours before Fleur's date with Fluttershy. Outside, Rarity said, “Since we have some time before your date, why don't we work on your dress some more? It won't be ready for tonight, but maybe it'll be ready for your next date.”
“Sure. Can I get touch up my makeup first, though?”
“Of course.”
Back at the boutique, as Fleur put on her makeup, Rarity got her dress out and looked it over for signs of any mistakes, like dropped stitches. A few minutes later, Fleur came down from the guest room, and took the dress, putting it on, and letting Rarity begin her work.
As she started, Rarity asked, “So, do you still plan on wearing this on your return to Canterlot?”
“Oui. As long as it turns out as amazingly as your sketch suggests it will.”
“It will, don't worry.”
“I'll hold you to that,” Fleur said.
Rarity ignored this and focused on the dress, glad Fleur was being so good about holding still after a few of her other recent clients' fidgeting. After a while of working in silence, she asked, “So, How do you think Fancypants is going to react when he hears you got a date with your hero?”
“Well, he already knew I was a fillyfooler, though he insists on using the term lesbimare, and was rather supportive of my attempts to find another mare to date, but, on the other hoof, he seemed sure that meeting Fluttershy would not end well. So really, I'm not sure. The letter I sent him this morning did mention our date tonight, so he probably knows by now.”
“Well, lesbimare is the polite term for it, I generally only hear fillyfooler used in an insulting context. Also why did he think your meeting Fluttershy would end badly?”
“I don't rightly know. All he said was never meet your heroes, they will always disappoint you,” Fleur said.
“Maybe he was burned when he met his own heroes. I know that's happened to me once or twice.”
“Maybe. He actually hasn't told me much about his past.”
“Maybe you should ask him about it,” Rarity said.
“Maybe I should. I do kind of wonder how he became so important after all.”
Silence descended over the pair again, as Rarity worked on a difficult part of the dress. After a long stretch, Fleur asked, “What time is it?”
“About five fifteen. We still have some time before Fluttershy is supposed to arrive.”
It was almost time for Fluttershy to head to Rarity's and she was checking to make sure all of her animals had been fed after putting on her dress. She topped off the mice's food and got and a few extra fish for the weasels, before being satisfied that all were well fed, being careful not to ruin her dress. She headed up to the bathroom to look herself over before leaving. After making sure she looked perfect, she left the house and headed for Rarity's, flying all the way to keep her dress clean.
A few minutes later, and 15 minutes early, Fluttershy knocked at Rarity's front door, and Rarity said, “That must be her.”
Fleur then disappeared, partly completed dress and all in a flash of light, teleporting quietly to the guest room, just as planned. Rarity then opened the front door. “Oh, hi Fluttershy. You're here to meet Fleur, right?”
“Yes. Is she here?”
“Yes, she was getting ready last I saw. I don't think she was expecting you this early, though. I'll go get her. Feel free to make yourself at home in the meantime.”
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, entering the boutique and sitting down on a nearby cushion.
Quietly cursing her inability to teleport like Twilight and Fleur, Rarity made her way up to the second story, and knocked on the guest bedroom's door, saying, “Fleur, Fluttershy's here.”
Fleur called, “Just a minute!” before opening the door and asking, “Is she wearing anything?”
“Remember the dress she wore the first day you arrived?”
“Of course, how could I forget? That's what she's wearing?”
“Yes, that the one,” Rarity said.
“Excellent. I have the perfect dress in mind, then. Just give me a minute to put it on.”
“Of course. Take your time.”
A few minutes later, Fleur came out, wearing a surprisingly simple light blue dress, and looking over Fluttershy's own choice of clothes. “Bon, I'm not outdoing you.”
“Bon?” Rarity asked.
“Good in Prench. So shall we head out, Fluttershy?”
“Of course,” Fluttershy said, making her way to the front door. Fleur followed her, and Rarity noticed that the taller unicorn's eyes seemed to be firmly locked on a certain (covered) part of Fluttershy's anatomy.
Actually what Fleur was focusing on, or so she insists, was the back of Fluttershy's head as she was following her. Once they were out the door, she picked up her pace to get next to Fluttershy, and asked, “So where are we going?”
“The Alimentaire de Chevaux,” Fluttershy said, doing her best not to cringe.
“The Alimentaire de Chevaux...did someone have a bad sense of humor? Because you know what that means right?”
“Yes, but even though the name is silly, the restaurant is actually pretty nice.”
Fleur didn't say anything in response, instead electing to wait and see how silly this restaurant would be.
After a few seconds of silence, Fluttershy, obviously a bit uncomfortable, asked, “um, if you don't mind me asking, why did you ask me out?”
“Rarity asked me that earlier actually, though it is a fair question. The reason I asked you out was because I heard you were single and I decided to take a chance on you being willing to date a unicorn mare. Also, I'm curious. Why did you say agree to a date?”
“Because you've been so nice to me and you were the one to give Mr. Bun back to me and I didn't want to make you feel bad.”
“Saying no wouldn't have made me feel bad. Honestly, I was halfway convinced you were going to turn me down,” Fleur said.
“You were? Why?” Fluttershy asked, turning down the street with the restaurant at the far end.
“Because I didn't know if you had any romantic interest in mares, and even if you did, I didn't really expect you to have any interest in me in particular. Obviously you did, though.”
Fluttershy didn't respond, but she did quietly wonder why Fleur would think she wouldn't be interested. Sure I had my eye on Rainbow, but Fleur gave me Mr. Bun back and has been so nice to me, why would I turn her down? A minute later, she stopped and said, “Here we are, the Alimentaire de Chevaux.”
Fleur looked at the restaurant, thinking, Hmm, not the nicest restaurant I've ever seen, but it is far nicer than I thought a restaurant in a small town like Ponyville would have, while giving an approving nod for Fluttershy's benefit.
They went inside, an Fluttershy said to the Miatre d', “Um, I have a reservation for two at six. Should be under Fluttershy.”
The Maitre d', obviously trying not to look like he was staring at Fleur (and, judging by Fleur's eye roll, failing miserably), looked over the reservations and said, “Ah yes, here we are. Please follow me,” while gesturing with his forehoof.
He led them to a table for two by a large window and, after they sat down, presented them with menus before asking, “Now may I get you two anything to drink?”
“A glass of red wine for me,” Fleur said.
“Apple cider, please, if you have any,” Fluttershy said.
The waiter wrote this down in his notepad and trotted off. After he disappeared from sight, Fleur said, “You weren't lying when you said the restaurant was fairly nice. I like it. Even if it isn't like those in Canterlot, it's far better than I expected from the name.”
“It is the nicest restaurant in town.”
“I can tell. Anyway, what are you going to have?”
“Um...I was thinking the tomato tulip soup with breadsticks,” Fluttershy said.
“That sounds delicious, though I have to admit I'm not a fan of tulips.”
“And what are you getting?”
“Uh...” Fleur said, looking down at the menu again. “The ratatouille looks good.”
Flutterahy nodded and looked back down at her own menu, waiting for the waiter to return with their drinks. A moment later he did so, before asking, “Are you ready to order?”
“Oh, yes,” Fleur said. “I will have the ratatouille, s'il vous plait.”
“Of course, and you, mademoiselle?” the waiter said to Fluttershy.
“Um. The tomato tulip soup with breadsticks, please.”
“One ratatouille and one order of tomato tulip soup with breadsticks. Okay. I will bring your meals out as soon as they're ready.”
“Merci,” Fleur said.
As the waiter walked away, Fleur asked her date, “So I was wondering, how did you find your talent for animals? Rarity mentioned you grew up in Cloudsdale, and I don't recall many animals that high up.”
“Well, um, I met all the animals after I fell from Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy explained, wondering is she really going to believe this?
“You fell from Cloudsdale? How does that happen?”
Fluttershy told the tale of how she was being defended from bullies by Rainbow Dash, internally cringing at the memory, and how she fell from Cloudsdale after starting the race the blue speedster was running. She then described how she was saved by butterflies and met all the animals on the ground. Fleur seemed almost disbelieving at first, before her expression softened and she said, “That is one of the more out there things I've heard, I admit.”
“It's true. You can ask Rainbow if you don't believe me.”
“I didn't say I didn't believe you, I just said that it was one of the more unusual things I've heard.”
“Oh,” was all Fluttershy said. Judging by the long swig of cider she took right afterward, Fleur guessed she was a bit uncomfortable and decided to help her calm down.
She took a minute to get her thoughts in order then said, “Before I forget again, I'd been meaning to ask you how you always manage to look so amazing all the time. I don't think I've ever seen you look bad even during my visit here.”
Fluttershy seemed to guess what Fleur was up to, but still visibly relaxed, and Fleur smiled a bit internally. Still it took her a second to speak, and it was to say, “Um, it just stays this way most of the time, even when Rainbow Dash dragged me out of bed to get cider with her once it was just like this. And if it ever does get messy, my animals and Rarity are happy to help straighten it out. And I don't think I've ever seen you look anything but lovely yourself.”
“Thank you for thinking so, but I do have magic to help me out. I can just cast a simple spell to keep my mane in place before I go to bed and never have problems with it again. I was at a loss for how you did it, since you don't seem to have unicorn magic. Unless you're secretly an alicorn?” Fleur said with a chuckle.
Temporarily preventing further conversation was the arrival of their food. The waiter asked, “the ratatouille?”
“That would be mine,” Fleur said.
The waiter placed the dishes and bow in front of their respective owners and said, “enjoy your meal,” before leaving.
Fleur gave him a quick thanks before turning back to her date and asking, “Can I steal one of your breadsticks?”
Fluttershy passed one over, and watched Fleur take a big bite of it, as she said in a slightly hesitant tone, “I still can't believe that one of Equestria's top models would want anything to do with somepony like me, let alone give me back one of my prized possessions and ask to go out with me.”
“Why is that? You were Equestria's top model once upon a time, back when I was basically a nobody, who happened to be fascinated by you.”
“Um, because you're so amazingly famous and beautiful, and I kind of imagined you being...stuck up and snobby like some of the models I met.”
“I can see that, unfortunately. I have to work with those same models you describe, and I can see how the perception they bring would skew your views towards me. By the way, was it some or most?” Fleur asked, spearing a piece of eggplant on her fork.
“...Most.”
“That sounds more like what I've dealt with,” Fleur said with a sardonic smile.
They spent the next half hour talking about various things and overall getting to know each other better before they finished their food and the bill came. Fleur paid most of it, though Fluttershy insisted on paying for at least part of it, despite being on a much smaller budget.
On the way out, Fleur said, “That was fun. we should do it again soon.”
“We should,” Fluttershy said, “does next week sound good?”
“That sounds perfect. I think I can set something up for us in Canterlot, if you don't mind going.”
“That sounds nice, actually. I'd love to go.”