However, The Giant Posters Are Readily Available
Fleur's horn wasn't a sharp one. There were gentle ridges spiraling along the length of something not quite bone, but their edges were smooth. For the most part, she was thankful to have such a horn: she could still poke and prod when she needed to, delivering the impact of a desperate charge on a single unbreakable point remained an option, and she never had to worry about accidentally cutting somepony through making just the wrong movement -- although one of the rules for unicorns practicing their first kisses was to be fully aware of just where your partner was: tentative explorations in dark places frequently ended with blackened eyes.
Admittedly, there had been a few times when she'd regretted that lack of edge. A horn unsuitable for cutting could be used for many other things, especially in the bedroom (although the typical positioning tended to be awkward at best) -- but there had been moments in Fleur's life when it still felt as if one extra weapon could have made a difference. And in the days which followed Fluttershy inviting her into the cottage, she began to wish for a way to sharpen that horn, at least when it came to the absolute point. Make it suitable for, if not cutting, then gouging. Because horns never transmitted the force of impact to their owner's skull, they were denser than the majority of known substances and so could theoretically work their way through any number of things, and Fleur knew her horn was stronger than the wood which made up the examination room's walls.
So in theory, at any time when Fluttershy was out of the immediate area, a sharpened horn could go to work on the cottage. Gouge a passage out, one chip at a time. Of course, there was the matter of smuggling the ruined wood out, but Fleur could easily start wearing saddlebags as a matter of daily course. Hiding the increasing hole, at least on the examination room side of the escape plan, was simply a matter of choosing the right anatomical poster and doing all the work beneath it. But under one of the other hooves, that wasn't going to do anything to block off sight on the exit side. Additionally, the cottage was riddled with holes anyway: tiny passages which the smaller residents used to move between rooms. For Fleur to open any extra travelway would be to issue an open invitation for so many residents to visit, and Fluttershy would eventually start to wonder why chipmunks kept falling out of that one wall.
(Admittedly, just about everything stayed out of the examination room: the residents seemed to understand when Fluttershy needed both privacy and the chance to work in peace, at least for that single form of labor. So the chance of having that kind of reveal occur was actually rather low. Still, it only took one rodent, or perhaps a single lapine who'd just decided it had found an interesting means of revenge...)
Those were the kinds of thoughts Fleur tended to have during the quieter moments in the examination room, because all of them were easier than thinking about what she was actually doing. The things she had done so much to escape from, systemically being brought back to her. And she had to stay, in the name of not wasting time...
"Needle," Fluttershy softly said, the gentle tones at a pitch which was strictly softer than it needed to be: the drugs had done their job, and the little bear cub on the table wasn't going to wake up from mere speech. "One of the pre-threaded ones -- oh, there he goes..." She smiled at the near-infant as he wriggled in his sleep, claws weakly swiping at the air. "Can you hold him again?"
She'd released her field to allow Fluttershy full cleaning of the shallow wound which ran through the fur: fields were only truly solid when the caster wanted them to be (and some knowledge of shield workings helped there, knowledge which Fleur didn't have) -- but it was still best to avoid trying to apply anything through them: in particular, liquids could become entangled with the borders. "Yes." And for that matter, she could fetch the needle at the same time: it took a spectacularly low field dexterity not to manage that. "What keeps the thread clean until you use it?"
"Some kind of minor working on the spools," Fluttershy told her. "It drives the price up, but it means one less thing to sterilize before I stitch. The needles... those were a gift from..." and that visible eye briefly closed "...somepony I knew. He gave me a few things, when I was just starting out, because he knew they would help. They're always sterile, no matter what happens. But they do need to be sharpened every so often. And..." She took a slow breath. "...they're getting thinner at the tips. I can see that sometimes. It's been years, and... they'll break, eventually. But for now... I can still use them." She leaned towards the flexible mouth guard which had been placed on the edge of the table, started to work her jaw into it --
-- paused. Pulled back, just enough to look at Fleur.
"...unless you want to stitch?"
No. Fleur shook her head.
"...do you know how?"
Yes. "I can make an emergency repair to a dress if something happens during a party," Fleur said. "A small one, and most of the time, when it comes to trotting around a party in something damaged, I'm better off getting out of the dress. But I'm guessing stitching cloth is a lot different from stitching skin."
It isn't. It's almost exactly the same...
"...it -- isn't, really," Fluttershy said. "There's less variety in some of the stitches, but..." She put the mouth guard on, leaned her head in, carefully worked until the wound had been pulled shut, then backed away and removed the protection. "...there. A friend taught me that one. She only uses it on cloth, but -- it holds some kinds of wounds closed better than the standard medical stitch, especially with the cross-hatching. It's also harder for him to bite out if he manages to get through the bandages, and it makes an interesting sort of scar when it heals, but..." Her right forehoof gently stroked the cub's forehead, and the little bear softly grunted. "...he doesn't worry about that kind of thing. A colt might think that kind of scar was cool, and he... doesn't think about it at all."
Thinking about such things seemed to be Fleur's exclusive domain. Dreaming about them.
There was a single day remaining before Fluttershy's first date. They had started with three. And Fleur was no longer losing time to waiting in the pasture. Instead, she was working. She had hours with Fluttershy, time spent in the same room, an endless flow of passing minutes for them to discuss...
...illnesses.
Wounds.
The location of that suddenly crucial book in the basement library, which was supposed to be on the third shelf along the west wall, right near the badger's nest, and if Fleur could just trot down and get it, Fluttershy couldn't stop what she was doing right now, and oh, be careful about the badger, she's an absolute sweetheart, really, but you're a stranger to her and it always takes her a little while before she warms up to anypony new...
(Which had naturally led into a very brief talk on the subject of did-something-happen? immediately after Fleur had nearly charged her way through the door, twelve books trailing in her field because the thing to do had clearly been to just grab everything in the general vicinity and let Fluttershy sort it out.)
Oh, and every so often, they got to talk about dating and social interaction, which generally went on until the next patient came in. But Fleur used those times, along with seizing every chance she could find for a subject change, no matter how tangential it might initially seem. Anything was better than thinking about what she was doing. Than remembering that doing anything was a mistake, a mistake Fluttershy now expected Fleur to make on a daily basis...
The pegasus began to apply the dressing, and Fleur took it as a cue. The previous subject had been stitches...
"You have a friend who sews?"
Fluttershy nodded. "...it's what she does for a living. Part of it, anyway. The practical part."
"Is it more or less exciting than apples?"
The pegasus had to think about that. "...um... well -- the way she treats just about everything, it's more stressful..."
Some time had passed since the party, and one of the two days had been a market one, with the settled zone hosting multiple temporary booths in the town square. Passing through during the setup phase had allowed Fleur to spot the earth pony who just might be another Bearer, and... well, she'd actually been somewhat impressed: the lightly-freckled features had been attractive ones, and the blonde mane and tail strands were exceptionally thick. The mare's build had been muscular enough to attract those who found that kind of strength appealing -- while lacking the near-repulsive overdevelopment of, say, Snowflake. And it was hard for a pony to consistently pull off a hat: in fact, for the majority of wearers, there was frequently some difficulty in simply keeping the thing on. Applejack's basic look was rustic, something which would never fit in within high society and likely didn't want to make so much as a token effort -- but it was also oddly warm. The mare had put Fleur in mind of a low-crackling fire, something where ponies got as close as they could to bask in the gentle heat -- while trying not to forget about the pain which a single flying cinder could inflict.
(She'd had to perform most of her initial evaluation through a rapidly-growing crowd: the mare had also turned out to be extremely popular -- although from what Fleur had overheard, that status was a seasonal one, and most of the ponies had been approaching her to find out just when that particular season was expected to begin.)
"...it does get kind of exciting on the Acres around cider time, though," Fluttershy decided. "...sometimes it's a little too exciting." A soft sigh. "I told Rainbow I don't want to go this year. I still want a little cider, and I asked Applejack to save some for me. It's easier for her to do that now, with the family making more. But... the line which forms the night before, that's its very own party, and during the day, just waiting... it's too much time away from the cottage. It's hard to be away for that long."
There had already been times when it was hard for Fleur to get all the way down the hall to the bathroom. "It's not a reason to cut your date short," she reminded Fluttershy. "The cottage is being taken care of." Snowflake had apparently volunteered.
"...I know."
"And the next thing we have to take care of is your dress," Fleur continued.
"...I don't understand why I have to be wearing something..."
"Has Caramel seen you wearing clothing before?"
The pegasus nodded. "...winter garments. Just -- things to keep me warm."
"It's not the same. He sees you without clothing every time he comes here. He's used to seeing you with fur and feathers on display. But the instant you hide anything, using something which seems as if it was only created to be removed -- take something away from sight for even a second, and ponies want to look. Even when they've seen what's underneath a hundred times before, one moment of concealment can make them curious all over again. It's reminding him of why he originally looked at you to begin with."
Which, now that she thought about it, looking at the manefall which obscured so much of Fluttershy's face...
"So you need a dress," Fleur concluded. "A new one."
"...I have a lot of dresses," Fluttershy softly insisted, smoothing out the edges of the bandages. "A -- lot."
Which created what Fleur considered to be a natural question. "Why?"
"...I -- get gifts," the pegasus eventually said. "From my friend who sews. All the time. It's usually dresses, but there's also spa visits. She... thinks we both need a lot of spa time, even though it's hard for me to get there. To try and relax, and that's hard for both of us -- but it can be a little easier together..."
A cold possibility sent its first waves of ice towards Fleur's heart.
No. No, that is impossible. I'll believe another stallion flying with half-amputated wings before I let myself believe that.
But she would have to ask. This time, there was no way to avoid asking...
"...I think the dresses would cost a lot, normally," Fluttershy went on. "Not as much as they would in Canterlot, because she says price points are important when you're trying to distinguish yourself from the crowd. But... a lot. She sort of --" the blush was beginning to rise again "-- makes some of her display pieces based on my build. And then she gives them to me, and I can't sell them because they're gifts and there aren't many ponies who'd buy them because there aren't a lot of pegasus mares with my... type of body. Hardly any. But she keeps making them, because she says I'm an inspiration, and..."
Her head dipped. The incredible tail seemed to droop under its own weight.
"...I have a lot of dresses," Fluttershy softly finished. "I have a room with nothing but dresses -- and usually some kittens: they like to curl up there. Dresses and kittens. There's so many dresses, I don't know if I could ever wear them all..."
Fleur managed a nod, and then said what she'd been planning to say anyway. "But we're going to get you a new dress."
The one visible eye blinked. "...why?"
The true answer was a rather simple one: Because I can't invoice the palace for something you already own. As far as Fleur was concerned, Celestia could cover both any and every expense which could be tied into Fluttershy's new social life. (She'd already picked up a bundle of suitable cosmetics, and the bill had been sent to Canterlot while the receipt's ink was still drying.) But it was something she couldn't tell her charge, and so she went with "First date, new life, new dress. The cost will be covered, Fluttershy: it's not going to take any bits away from the cottage." Instead, it would be taking bits out of the national budget, which struck Fleur as being considerably more important to deplete. "So -- and I know this is going to be hard for you, but Snowflake's already shown he's willing to help you with this -- I thought we might take a day trip tomorrow. Catch the first train out of Ponyville and be in Canterlot when the shops open." The titanium would track that -- but her charge would be right next to her. "I know some very skilled designers."
"...but..." A typical protest, even if Fleur wasn't entirely sure just what Fluttershy was currently protesting. "...but..."
"Very skilled," Fleur repeated. There had been a time, early in her Canterlot career, when she'd had to fight for access to the best of them. Once her reputation had started to spread, it had shortly been followed by the much more enjoyable period where those same ponies considered the benefit of having her appear at a major gathering in one of their creations, which had quickly turned into having them fight over her.
Of course, Fluttershy's 'type' phased out of style a couple of years ago, so some of them would take one look at her tail and then pretend it, and her, don't exist. The mere thought disgusted her: all kinds of beauty existed in the world -- with much of it being evaluated by ponies who could perceive, at most, just one. But I think I know just who we can go to. And since price is no object...
The real challenge -- other than convincing Fluttershy to stay away from the cottage for what would ultimately amount to a full day -- would be getting something picked out, modified, and ready in time for the date, especially with the various temptations of Canterlot --
-- all right, Fluttershy's probably immune to the temptations of Canterlot. Or afraid of them, which in this case is just about the same thing. But Fleur still hadn't received any of her things in the mail, and if there was any chance to check on her former residence...
"I can ask him on my way home tonight," Fleur finished. "I'm sure he'd take on a few more cottage hours for you. If he isn't available, then we can go into your closet. But right now, I think your first date calls for a day trip into the capital."
"...but... my friend... she makes dresses, it's what she does and... if bits are going to be spent... she gives me so much, I hardly ever get to give anything back, she's always looking for excuses to spend on me -- Opal doesn't need half as much grooming as she gets, I tell her that, but she just keeps bringing her in..."
Opal.
The chill increased, wrapped itself around her hooves, coated Fleur's heart in ice.
I've heard that name before.
She brought it up. Of course she brought it up, because she just had to let everypony know that she was so unusual, she'd taken in a predator as a pet. She...
There had to be a joke which was too cruel for the world to play on her and Fleur, frozen within a cage of growing horror, distantly wondered exactly what that jest was.
She can't be. It would have been the only names she didn't try to drop, the thing which might have actually gained real status for her, something which could have kept going after he took his attention off her, because there wasn't a pony in the world that knew who any of them were yet...
Which was admittedly a good reason for not dropping those names: nopony would have known they were worth picking up. They'd just been told that she was staying at the palace, and...
...there's a very good reason for her to have known Celestia.
No. Not this. I've been through enough already. This has to be the line. It has to stop here...
"...if we buy in Ponyville," Fluttershy decided, "I can give her something back. A real purchase! And she always has a few things which would fit me, because of those display pieces. And she's really good at working on things in a hurry --" hesitated "-- sometimes. When it's only one or two pieces. And nothing else is going on... and we all sort of... just leave her alone to work, because if we don't, then..." The blush was deepening. "...we just let her work now. It's... easier that way."
"Your friend does all this professionally." No, Fluttershy had already said that...
"...as a designer." A brief pause. "...well, that's part of it. She designs, but she also has to sew all of her own work. She does nearly all of the dyes, and she finds the gems she uses herself. Plus she has to run the shop all by herself, because part of how she keeps her costs down is by not having anypony else work there." And a slightly longer one, as the bear cub began to release a gronking series of little snores. "...unless we have a mission. She can either ask the palace to cover a typical period of sales, or to put somepony into the shop until she comes back."
The ice felt as if it was just about binding her jaw shut, and Fleur had to force her frozen tongue into movement. "So this friend is a Bearer." The words had been casual. She hadn't had the strength to make them into anything else.
"...yes." That with a faint note of surprise, as if her charge had been mildly shocked by just how much she'd revealed.
"Who runs a shop in town. Which sells dresses." And the occasional saddlebags, which had been very highly recommend by several of the locals.
"...yes. A high-end one. It's just not as expensive as it would be in Canterlot, because she saves a lot of money by finding her own gems --"
three blue gems on each hip
"-- and she passes that along to her customers, to try and lure some of them out of Canterlot. It's taken a while, but... the mayor said she's starting to become a foundation in town, something other shops could try to build on --"
"-- Rarity," Fleur said, because the true appellation wouldn't have gone over well. "Your friend's name is Rarity."
Fluttershy blinked.
With both hope and a touch of pride, "...you've been in the shop?"
"Not yet," Fleur softly replied as she looked ahead to the shadow of a Boutique which darkly loomed over her very near future. "We've... already met."
That bitch.
As assigned terms went, it had more or less been a constant. She had just about never thought of the white unicorn in any other way, and most of the exceptions had been the times when Fleur had been working to add the status of victim. She'd used the name, of course: it was a little harder to spread gossip through the strata of Canterlot society without one. But now she needed to add a new term to the original, a permanent one, just one more bit of proof as to how determined the universe was to punish her when she'd done nothing wrong, had been setting up that particular piece of pain for years...
A poseur. Somepony who likely only possessed whatever expensive pieces she might possess through the twin arts of rummaging and haggling, at least for those things which hadn't simply fallen off a train. Just another rural mare trying to climb her way up a social ramp made of glitter, something which would collapse at the impact of the first solid hoofstep -- or kick. Fleur had known all that about her on sight -- and now there was one more thing to know.
That bitch is a Bearer.
For a moment, she expected Moon itself to laugh at her, a cosmic mirth raining down from the very sky. Fleur, the subject -- and target -- of every joke the world could play. Instead, the temperature dropped a little more, and a chill autumn wind reinforced the cold within.
How do the Elements choose? What's the criteria for becoming a Bearer? Are there any? You have to show a virtue, and somehow Magic and Honesty are two of them. Laughter is something worth having. But then there's Fluttershy, Fluttershy who can barely talk to ponies most of the time, whose contribution to a combat mission might just be curling up into a ball for a monster to trip over, and now there's that bitch! Honesty as one pony virtue and Lying for another: that's what passes for Equestrian Harmony! What's the supposed virtue for the flying ego, if that's the remaining Bearer? Self-Interest? Land Swooping, or at least Party Food Theft to pass for it in an emergency? Ability To Make Everything About Her? It can't be that last, because that bitch already has it covered!
Actually, it was easy to see how the Elements chose their Bearers. They picked their ponies based on a single supposed virtue: their ability to torment Fleur. Oh, and apparently the most powerful devices known also had the ability to see into the future, because the Nightmare's return was more than three years in the past now and those Elements had still known they had to set everything up for Fleur's sentence well in advance. Which meant the things would have been aware that her efforts would come to nothing, years would turn into ash, she would have been destined to fail, to be sent into Ponyville with no end to her sentence in sight...
(She knew she was taking things too far in her stalking rage, deliberately exaggerating the truth in order to make herself angrier still. The Elements did not exist solely to torment Fleur. At best, it was their secondary function.)
And she would be in the presence of that bitch early in the morning, because Fluttershy, faced with the teacher-suggested, almost-ordered choice of a Canterlot day trip or simply spending locally, had -- put her hoof down. It had been a remarkably soft impact and Fleur suspected there were ants who hadn't picked up on the reverberations, but a hoof had come down. If bits were going to be spent, then Fluttershy wanted her friend to receive them. It was that or go into the closet, and since Fleur herself had originally been so insistent on a new dress...
She's going to remember me. Of course that bitch would remember her. Fleur, based on a considerable quantity of evidence, believed herself to be rather difficult to forget. Did she ever put anything together about why her little ramp just about collapsed? What has Fluttershy told her about me, if that's anything at all?
She gives Fluttershy gifts. Dresses which can't be resold. Sales which would make Fluttershy's life so much easier... Fleur had been spending a lot of time in the examination room, and it had allowed her to hear some of what happened immediately beyond it. Clients came in with their companions and bits. Many of them left the same way. And that bitch was gifting Fluttershy with useless, undoubtedly ugly dresses...
(Her hooves were hitting the path with an increasing amount of impact. Dust spiraled up, dirt settled into her fur. She barely noticed, and couldn't bring herself to care.)
Gifts. She'd planned for that much, at least when it came to Caramel. But with that bitch...
Fleur was heading home under Moon. Except that she didn't have one. There was a residence which she was renting, and blankets which she curled up within. Home had been Canterlot...
...Canterlot wasn't home.
Canterlot had been a base of operations. The best place to try and secure her future. It hadn't been a home any more than her rented house was, and calling Ponyville any level of home was just a singularly unfunny joke which she'd failed to play on herself. Home was... a distant shore, one which rested on the other side of an ocean of uncrossable time.
She could gaze across the waters any time she wanted to, and so never did. And to actually venture within... she would drown.
Fleur didn't have a home. She had a prison cell where invisible walls pressed against her fur, one where the sentence could never be appealed, there was no way to overrule a judge who made her own laws, the date would fail, she had planned for the first date but every date would fail because she was dealing with Fluttershy and her tiny allotment of time would run out in a settled zone which existed for two things: as the home of the Bearers, and its much lesser-known purpose of torturing Fleur.
The sentence had potentially been for life: she'd recognized that early on. She was finally starting to realize she'd been wrong. It was for death...
A shadow loomed on her right: Moon's light partially blocked out by something which was still pretending to be a fully secure structure, just as much as it was pretending to be something other than a corpse. Fleur was sick of things which tried to present themselves as anything other than what they were...
It took less than eight seconds to enter the mill.
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Okay, Triptych was awesome, but it'll be nice to get back to the comedic one. Thanks!
That cliffhanger!
I am soo waiting for the Rarity + Fleur Meeting! And I don't think Rarity remembered her... Gonna check the story if I want to make sure, but I think she didn't...
If the next chapter is Discord and Harem Fantasy, I'll ROFL. 'Cause that's just so funny!
Fleur is so self-absorbed!
But yeah, the Elements' origins are a mystery? And Discord / The Princesses, might be the best source of info...
What happened to Fleur's stuff??
Fleur STILL thinks she "did nothing wrong"? she apparently thinks Blackmailing numerous stallions is normal? and she's so completely wrong about Rarity...i certainly hope Rarity puts her in her place!
and it the cruel joke finally dropped, but we have yet to see the punchline and I am giddy with anticipation
So... if I'm following this right, one of Fleur's concerns is that that Fluttershy might be gay? Or am I completely reading this wrong? (Yeah, I know that doesn't really fit with the premise of why/how Celestia sent Fleur but it would make her job that much harder...)
8766840
It's less that Fleur thinks it's normal for ponies to blackmail one another, & more that she doesn't see herself as capable of doing wrong. Blackmail is perfectly fine in Fleur's mind...so long as it's Fleur doing the blackmailing. To Fleur, I think crimes exist in at most two levels; crimes against decency, and crimes against Fleur's interests. Fleur would commit the first in her own mind if she were to willfully sabotage Fluttershy's chances of finding actual love; Rarity already committed the latter without realizing it when she piqued Fancypants' interest. The ironic thing of it is that Rarity likely thinks well of Fleur, being utterly oblivious to Fleur's loathing for her. Also, I suspect that Fleur may well find herself grudgingly respecting Rarity's artistic talents, as Fleur would be one to know fashion (or she might stubbornly deny Rarity's skill out of spite).
8766881
...no? This story follows many conventions of the Triptych Continuum, despite not actually being part of that setting. Within the Continuum (and established by Celestia in Chapter One of this story), there exists the Most Special Spell, which allows two mares to have a female foal; indeed, the existence of this spell & the logical consequences of it having been in use for centuries is the Continuum explanation for why there appear to be more mares than stallions in MLP.
It still suprises me how Fleur doesn't just say 'screw it' and up and kill ponies. How much of her history before she was a escort does Celestia know? And if it's that bad would Celestia regret it?
8766881
Fleur's angry about Rarity, who she hates, being a Bearer.
She's gonna lose her
when she finds out Rarity is Generosity.
8766947 Oh, no. She's going to lose it when she finds out Rarity is a (censored) talented designer who sews with gemstones, and that Fluttershy has a closet full of dresses which (if rendered down into raw gemstones) would pay for every scrap of medicine she would ever need and a vet building to boot, with enough left over to make a fabulous gown for Fleur, just because.
Just like finding out that Princess Twilight Sparkle lives on a librarian salary, minus book purchases, leaving loose change at the end.
Just like finding out that Pinkie Pie is not just a scramble-brained poofy party pony, but has records on *every* citizen of Ponyville, and is able to do stunts that boggle the most brilliant minds.
Just like finding out that Rainbow Dash is an anchor of responsibility to her friends, and is willing to break the laws of nature if it will help them in the slightest (or if it would be cool).
She already knows more or less about Applejack. Element of Dishonesty, meet the Element of Honesty. Result-Sparks.
"hard for both us"
"hard for both of us"?
For a mare clearly gifted with intelligence, Fleur can be remarkably dumb.
Or ignorant. Perhaps because willingly parting with something without expecting anything in return is a foreign concept to her.
It is starting to dawn on Fleur that prison may have been "the soft option"
My memory and grasp of history aren't the best.
But do we know if Rarity has any negative feelings towards Fleur?
It seems like... well... I'm imagining Fleur trying to hide her anger and put on a nice face while Rarity's working on Fluttershy's dress and apologising for having caused Fleur any possible difficulty.
8766990
That rumbling you're hearing is the unsteady roots of Fleur's entire world view. When the crash happens, and it all comes tumbling down, it will be SPECTACULAR.
At which point, since this is an 'earn your happy ending' sort of story, having become close with the Element of Kindness will be a very good thing. Especially when she breaks down and actually starts sharing her traumatic history. Fluttershy will be able to help her move past it and heal.
I’ll wager that every gift from Rarity that isn’t winter practical is MENT to be scavenged to pay Fluttershy’s bills. The gems are probably easily removed without damaging the dress. Rarity would be overjoyed to have to ignore some missing gems, if it went to Fluttershy’s bills.
*furiously scrolling* where's the rest??
But really, nice chapter. I'm supremely excited to see the next. Every new installment makes me more hype than the last to see how this all shakes out. I enjoy Fleur a lot even though she's selfish and completely unable to see herself doing any wrong. It's the anticipation of her downfall due to these traits and how she develops in response that keep me engaged.
8767155
:See what I have to work with? I keep giving her gemstones in the dresses, ones that she KNOWS can be removed without affecting their style... I've even tried just HIDING bits in her house, but she keeps giving them back to be... I'm unsure how she knew to give them back to me!
I'm imagining Rarity taking Fleur aside while Fluttershy is dressing herself..
⚜: -Vindictive Horse Thoughts-
Funny as always.
The dramatic irony's thick enough that Fleur's horn couldn't cut it. Now that the realization has hit, it will be a test to see if Fleur can smile and nod her way through a trip to Carousel Boutique, or if her preconceived notions will have her lashing out against what she sees as an embodiment of everything that she's suffering through in Ponyville. And that's before the question of whether Rarity recognizes her, and what she may think of her.
Still, if Fleur can endure, she may find herself rethinking some of those notions. Assuming she can.
As for the needles... Yeah, there are going to be some extremely mixed feelings there. Pinkie may be in a similar situation, though his gifts to her may have been much more consumable.
excellent chapter. Does Fleur think Rarity won't let Fluttershy sell those dresses away because they're gifts? Because it's pretty obvious that it's Fluttershy unwilling to sell gifts
She keeps returning to that mill. I think that mill will someday be her home.
The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!
Funny, the first time we see Fleur (in canon, that is), she's the one doing all the posing, as if for flashbulbs that don't exist...
8768677
In other words, it'll become a Fleur mill.
Hahahahaha, good luck with this one, Fleur.
Retail sales development is important for a small town economy with hopes of urban growth.
8769036
Boo! You made me smile with that horrible pun and I hate that!
I hope we get back to Discord and the Harem Fantasy book soon! I can't want to see what chaos might ensue if/when Discord finds out about Caramel and Fluttershy seeing each other again...
Thanks for making the newest chapter! I really enjoyed it!
8766881
Actually, in this universe, that's not a problem at all; there's a magical spell which can allow lesbian mares to conceive biological daughters with each other, which is actually part of the reason why there's a distinct slant in the gender ratio in favor of mares. Possible gender of partner is really no problem for Fleur at all.
Man, methinks the good Fleur is projecting on Rarity.
Good chapter, like all the previous ones. Not much else to say, except that I'm happy to say that your particular brand of cringe is not the worst. Normally I can't stand cringe comedy, makes my toes curl in discomfort, but this is absolutely hilarious.
Looking forward to more. Happy writing.
8766813
I don't understand all why she is going into the mill. She has a perfectly habitable abode to go to, she's not trying to hide from a nearby predator, like before with the Timberwolf.
9661421
The mill is an abandoned warped old building that works for no reason and that no one visits and no one wants. I believe thats how she secretly sees herself which is why before her party when she was really trying not to think she refused to enter the mill.
8988615
Uhm....I'd call Rarity a social climbing poseur. (Look at Best Night Ever, her behavior towards Blue Blood just because he's a prince).
Of course, there's a great deal more to her than that, she's not JUST a social climber.
That mill is totally going to be where Fleur hides when the last, climactic crash occurs, and where Flutters is going to find her to put her back together, isn't it?
Fits so perfectly with a "cringe" rom-com.
How can Fleur possibly be this clueless? Not about the identity of the Bearers, but just the identity of the Elements.
It took less than eight seconds to enter the mill.
At this point I'm thinking she's going to turn it into a personal fortress