> The Model Caretaker
>  by zyr1987
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Not quite the right hoof
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity was looking over her latest designs when she heard the bell on the door ring. She turned to see Fluttershy standing in the doorway, and said, “Oh, Fluttershy, come in, make yourself at home.”

Fluttershy walked in, and deposited the basket in her mouth at Rarity's hooves. Soon after, a white cat popped out. “Oh, she looks marvelous,” Rarity said on seeing Opal.

“Of course. I couldn't leave the poor thing like that after she got all wet. Are you sure you don't know what happened to her?”

“I'm sure.”

Fluttershy didn't believe Rarity, but was a bit too self-conscious to press the point. Not that she would have to, as at this point a tall white unicorn with a light pink mane and tail and three fleur de lis as her cutie mark walked out of the bathroom. The new arrival said in a Prench accent, “If I recall, you said you accidentally knocked her into your laundry tub.”

“Uh, maybe. I don't remember,” Rarity said, doing her best to play innocent, but instead making herself seem even more guilty.

The newcomer turned to Fluttershy and asked, “Is she really this bad at lying?”

“Kinda,” Fluttershy said evasively.

“I see. By the way, you look familiar.”

“I do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes. I remember pony who looked like you was a celebrity on the modeling circuit a few years back. Lasted about a month, as I recall, then suddenly dropped off the radar.”

“That was her. Fluttershy quit, because the whole thing made her miserable,” Rarity said, happy to change the topic from what happened to Opal.

Fluttershy flinched when she heard this. She never like having her modeling career brought up and just wished everypony would forget about it. Much to her frustration, however, the two unicorns decided to plow on down that road.

“Oh, that's too bad. your style of modeling worked quite well for you. Although... wasn't your modeling agent Photo Finish?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy admitted hesitantly, really wanting to change the subject.

“That explains it. During my brief stint in the modeling business, before becoming a trophy wife, I heard horror stories about how she would heavily promote her models and run them until they were utterly burned out,” said the pink maned unicorn.

Rarity then saw how talking about this was affecting the yellow mare, so she changed the subject, saying, “Oh, but where are my manners? Fluttershy, this is Fleur de Lis. She's staying with me until she can get back on her hooves after what happened in Canterlot."

"What happened?" Fluttershy asked, feeling like she was missing some information she should have had.

Fleur explained before Rarity had the opportunity to. "Fancypants, my former husband, had an affair with a wealthy socialite by the name of Pink Pearls, then outed me as a bisexual when I threatened to reveal this to the other nobles.”

“Why would he do that?” Fluttershy asked, feeling nervous and slightly silly for not having this info.

“Why would he cheat, or why would he out me?”

“Why would he out you? Why would your sexuality matter?” Fluttershy asked, speaking in a low whisper that Fleur struggled to understand. Fortunately the tall unicorn got the gist of it.

“First off, try to relax. I'm not going to be offended by some silly question. And to answer your question, Canterlot high society is notoriously conservative, and being outed as gay or bi is usually enough to get you kicked out of their little groups. He did it because he wanted to discredit me before I could do serious harm to his reputation,” Fleur explained.

Gaining a little courage, and volume, Fluttershy asked, “But why not stay in Canterlot?”

“Simple. There was nothing left for me there after I was outed, which is why I decided to seek new opportunities outside the city.”

“As for why she came here. It's because I'm her friend, and outside of Fancypants' sphere of influence, except in regard to dress sales,” Rarity explained.

“And your shop was only about four hours from Canterlot,” Fleur was quick to point out.

“Well, yes, that too.”

The sound of someone's stomach growling (no one would fess up) stopped further conversation, and after a minute of awkward silence, Rarity said, “Maybe we should get some lunch. My treat.”

Walking out the door, Fluttershy, who was behind the two white unicorns, found herself staring at Fleur's rump. She immediately chastised herself for doing this, thinking Don't even think that, Fluttershy. Even if you were a fillyfooler, there's no way that a high class pony like Fleur de Lis would want to go out with a simple country pony like you. It's a hopeless pipe dream. She then wondered, Why does she make me so nervous, though? I didn't have a problem talking to Celestia, or Fancypants, or any other high status ponies, so why should she be any different?

Fleur's thoughts, on the other hand, were going down a much more upbeat and inclusive line. I could get used to living somewhere like this. Easy access to the latest fashions; no need to maintain that silly, pretentious facade of smug nobility they insist on in Canterlot; a simpler lifestyle; romance for love, not status; and cute ponies everywhere, like that adorable little yellow pegasus behind me. What's not to love?

It took no time at all for her to find something she wasn't going to love, however. Something having to do with her height in relation to the vast majority of ponies living in Ponyville.

“Ow,” she yelped, after knocking her forehead into the restaurant's doorway. An act she repeated when an inattentive Fluttershy walked into her rear.

“Are you okay?” Rarity asked.

“I'm fine, but, obviously, low doorways are going to be an issue,” Fleur said, rubbing her forehead with her hoof, before turning her attention to the small voice behind her that kept apologizing.

“Don’t worry about it. These things happen,” Fleur said, turning to look at Fluttershy with a reassuring little smile on her face, hoping to calm the shy pony down.

Unfortunately, It was obvious that Fleur's attempts to reassure the pegasus weren't working this time. Fluttershy was obviously still very nervous, which left the tall unicorn confused. She turned her head back towards Rarity so Fluttershy wouldn't see this, and ducked under the low door frame, though she didn't get low enough to avoid scraping her horn on it.

Rarity saw Fleur's look of confusion, but made no comment, thinking it would be best to talk to her about anything that might be bugging her in private. Instead, she asked, “Is Fluttershy here?”

“Yes. She's behind me.”

“Oh, okay. Table for three please,” she said to the maitre d'.

After being seated and ordering their food, Fleur asked Fluttershy, “Why are you so nervous?”

“I'm just shy,” Fluttershy said, trying to hide the fact that she didn't actually know why she was so nervous around Fleur.

“Is that the only reason? You seemed quite comfortable when you were alone with Rarity.”

“That's probably because we've been friends for years now, and she didn't know you were there. Trust me, she was much shyer than this when I met her,” Rarity said, finding herself thinking back to that day.

Fleur saw Rarity become lost in memory and realized she wouldn't be speaking up for the moment. Deciding that she wanted to learn more about Fluttershy and try to calm her down in the process, she asked the pegasus, “So what is it that you do, Fluttershy?”

“I take care of animals.”

“What kind of animals?”

“Any kind, rabbits, snakes, cats, birds, bears...” Fluttershy said.

The look on Fleur's face had to be seen to be believed. “Bears? Really?”

“Yes. They're such nice creatures.”

Fleur was now very confused because she had always thought bears were ruthless killing machines. “Nice creatures?” She found herself asking.

“Oh, yes. They love to come by and have tea with me every once in a while.”

“Wait, how are you having tea with bears and not being mauled by them?”

“Well, my special talent is working with animals,” Fluttershy said, hiding her annoyance.

This explained a lot. Fleur said, “After seeing your cutie mark, I thought your special talent had something to do with butterflies, or something like that.”

“No, I'm good with animals of all kinds.”

Rarity, back in the modern world now that their salads had been delivered, said, “She's not kidding. When we went into the Everfree Forest to get the Elements of Harmony and stop Nightmare Moon she walked right up to an angry manticore and got it to calm down.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“And she's still here?” Fleur asked, still in disbelief.

“Yes. It's amazing, isn't it?”

“It's unbelievable. So you take care of these monsters?”

Fluttershy stopped trying to hide her annoyance when she heard Fleur ask this. “They're not monsters.”

Rarity, wanting to defuse the situation before it got heated, said, “You might want to be careful using that word around Fluttershy. She is very touchy about having her animals being disrespected.”

“Oh. My apologies, Fluttershy,” Fleur said, visibly relaxing somewhat and carefully hiding her concern about possibly having ruined any potential friendship she could have had with the little pegasus within an hour of meeting her. Then, deciding to change the subject away from animals which she was less comfortable with than she thought, Fleur asked Rarity, “So how's business been?”

“Fairly slow, since there are no big parties or other events coming up anytime soon, but I'm getting by.”

“That's good to hear,” Fleur said. Having nothing more to say and seeing Rarity wasn't continuing the conversation, she let silence descend on their table after that.

After a minute or so, Rarity asked, “What do you plan on doing now that you've left Canterlot?”

“Try to find a new way to spend my time, maybe settle down with somepony, and definitely relish not being somepony's status symbol. Trust me, being a trophy wife is highly overrated even if your husband is a pony as nice as Fancypants usually is.”

“I'm sure.”

“Also, I won't miss having to keep up the pretentious facade that goes with being the wife of a prominent noble twice your age,” Fleur said.

“Really? How old are you?”

“24.”

“Wow, I didn't know he was that old, or you were that young,” Rarity said, sounding surprised.

“My size belies my age, I guess.”

“It really does.”

Fluttershy, who had been listening to the two of them speak and quickly eating her salad, hoping to get back to her cottage soon, said, “Sorry, I promised Angel I would be back by now,” before slipping out of the restaurant.

“Angel?”

“Her domineering pet rabbit.”

"Oh." Fleur said as she watched Fluttershy leave. She wondered if she was actually leaving because of her poorly chosen words earlier and the fact that things between them had not quite gotten off on the right hoof.
> Building bridges
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fleur de Lis was sitting with Rarity eating breakfast, and reading the morning paper that she had beaten the purple maned unicorn to (the price of taking an hour to get ready for the day, she said), the smallest frown on her face, having just read about a charity set up to help victims of the changeling attack from the year before going under.

She looked across the table to her gracious, if at the moment slightly displeased, host and asked “So, what do you have planned for the day, Rarity?”

“Well, at nine, I have my weekly spa date with Fluttershy, which I was hoping you would come along for and I should get get started on an order I got this morning, but other than that my schedule is completely free.”

The mention of possibly going on a spa date with Rarity and Fluttershy had piqued Fleur's interest. She asked, “About this spa date. Is Fluttershy expecting me to come?”

“No, but I don't think she'll mind you coming along,” Rarity said, snatching the newspaper away from Fleur's magical grasp. Rarity knew that Fluttershy didn't much like Fleur after the pink maned unicorn's ignorant remarks about her special talent, but thought that a relaxing trip to the spa together might be a good way for them to patch things up.

Fleur wasn't so sure, but realized that the worst that could happen was that she would shoot off her mouth again and Fluttershy end up hating her more than she already seemed to. She said, “If you're sure, I'll be happy to go. Celestia knows I could use a massage and a hooficure, at the very least.”

“Wonderful,” Rarity said with a bit too much cheer.

“Yes, wonderful,” Fleur said, doing her best to hide her sudden concern about Rarity's reaction.



As the two unicorns approached the spa, Fleur couldn't resist saying, “Wow, the doors are the right size here.”

“Yes, I'm not sure why Old Ponyville has such low doorways,” Rarity said.

When they entered, they found Fluttershy waiting for them in the lobby. She sat up and gave the two a very obviously forced smile, which they returned with forced smiles of their own while taking a glance at each other as if to highlight the awkwardness of the moment. Still, this didn't slow Rarity down much as she told Lotus, “The usual, and the same for Fleur,” while gesturing towards the taller unicorn.

Lotus smiled, and led the three ponies deeper into the building, always happy to serve her best clients, even if there was some tension between them.


The first stop was the steam room where the three mares sat and relaxed on the wooden bench, Rarity purposefully placing herself between her two friends. They made small talk for the first few minutes, before an idea sprang to Fleur's mind. While giving Rarity a preemptive nudge to get her to play along, She said “So Fluttershy, I was thinking about getting a pet and Rarity said you might be able to help me find one.”

Fluttershy's reaction to this, while far from enthusiastic, was much warmer than Fleur expected, considering her reaction to seeing the both of them when they arrived. “Oh? What were you thinking of getting?”

“Well, when I was a filly I had a sweet little black and gray tabby named Max. Adorable little thing,” Fleur said, using her past as a springboard for further improvisation.

“And you want a cat like Max?”

“If you have one, but I'm fine with any pet you can give me as long as it's not as mean and grumpy as Opal.” Fleur was very reassured that Fluttershy didn't get annoyed when she heard this, though the nasty glare that Rarity was giving her did give her pause.

As much as she loved Opal, Fluttershy knew how badly the white Persian reacted when around other ponies so she wasn't particularly bothered by Fleur's remarks about the cat. Of course, even if said remarks did bother her she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to find one of her animal friends a good home, even if it was with somepony she didn't particularly like. She said “Okay, that's good to hear. When you have time, I have a few animals animals you might like at my cottage.”

“Can you tell me a little bit about them?” Fleur asked, realizing that talking about animals would probably be a good way to get Fluttershy to start opening up.

Rarity, despite enjoying the fact that the two pink maned ponies were getting along much better than she hoped, said “Sorry to interrupt, but I believe it's time for us to get our facials.”

As the three ponies moved to the next segment of their beauty treatment, Rarity wondered if the fact that the two other ponies being on seemingly good terms was just a function of Fleur hitting on Fluttershy's favorite subject or if Fluttershy had decided she actually liked Fleur.


As it turned out, the former was the case. After talk of a pet for Fleur died down, Fluttershy, who was obviously trying to be friendly despite Fleur's presence, said less and less, and more and more of what she did say was directed at the purple maned unicorn, rather than the pink maned one, until the point where Fluttershy was only speaking when spoken to.

We pick up the action at the mud bath, where Aloe had just informed her three clients that, since it was only her and Lotus working that day, one pony would have to wait for their massage until somepony else had theirs.

“I'll let you two go first,” Fluttershy piped up before the other two could speak.

The two unicorns, after having heard Fluttershy say this, glanced at each other, looking confused, but, rather than question Fluttershy's quick statement, quickly climbed out and followed the masseuse to the next room.


Now that they were alone, aside from the generally silent earth pony twins massaging them, Rarity decided to ask a question of her new spa partner. “Fleur, do you think you could have told me about your idea for getting a pet before you tried to drag me into it?”

“My apologies. I was just acting in the spur of the moment, and hoping you would play along.”

“So you didn't plan that? Because it sounded an awful lot like you did.”

“No. I just had an idea for how to make Fluttershy open up, and acted on it. You know I would have warned you if I had thought of it ahead of time.”

“Well, if you really just improvised all of that, you should teach me how sometime, because that was amazing.”

“Merci.”

A short silence fell over the room, broken by Fleur who asked, “So, considering how things are between Fluttershy and I, do you think there would be any way for me to actually befriend her?”

Rarity thought for a moment before giving her answer. “Well, she is a sweet and kind mare, who I doubt could hold a grudge for too long. Just give her time and show her the respect she deserves and I'm sure she'll come around.”

“I hope you're right. The last thing I want is yet another pony hating me so soon after what happened in Canterlot.”

“I'm sure, though I don't think getting on her good side is going to be a problem, if you give her some time.”

The two ponies passed the time with small talk, mostly about Fluttershy and Fleur's housing options, until Rarity's massage was done. She got up and walked out to the hot tub to wait for the other two. Fleur stayed behind, because she still needed some time to get the rest of the kinks out of her back.

As Fluttershy walked in, Fleur flashed a friendly smile, which the yellow pegasus responded to by giving Fleur a very subdued and still somewhat forced smile of her own. It's an improvement, at least, Fleur thought, as she watched Fluttershy lay on the massage table next to her. 

However, based on the way Fluttershy was pointedly staring at the wall and making no attempt to speak, Fleur assumed that there was still some bad blood on her part. Deciding to break the ice anyway, Fleur asked, “So, how have things been, Fluttershy?”

“They've been okay,” Fluttershy said, in a tone that said, “I don't want to talk.”

Picking up on this unspoken cue but not wanting to let silence reign, the unicorn asked, “what's the matter? You seemed much more talkative earlier.”

“It's nothing. Really,” Fluttershy said. Internally, she was saying was saying, I wanted to wait so I wouldn't have to deal with you! Why couldn't you be done first?

“It's not nothing. I know that.”

“...I don't want to talk about it.”

“Why not?”

“I just don't.”

“It has something to do with me, doesn't it?”

Fluttershy briefly debated answering the question before saying, “Yes.”

“Is it because I insulted your special talent?”

“Partly.”

Hearing this simply served to confuse Fleur. She thought over all the times that they had spoken before today, trying to find some other time where she may have offended the pegasus. Unable to think of anything, she asked, “So, what else is the problem?”

Fluttershy briefly hesitated before saying, “I hoped you wouldn't come”

“Why? Because of my remarks?”

“Because I wanted to spend time with my best friend and away from you.”

“I see. I guess it would be prudent, however, to point out that Rarity asked me to come because she didn't think you would have a problem with me coming along. If I had known, I would have stayed at the boutique,” Fleur said.

There was a small but noticeable change in Fluttershy's demeanor when she heard this, much to the surprise of the pink maned unicorn. While she did continue to stare at the wall, she did seem to have warmed up slightly when she spoke again. “Oh, I thought you had talked her into letting you come.”

“No. I didn't even know you two did this as a regular thing until she mentioned it this morning.”

Fluttershy didn't respond, but Fleur was starting to become convinced that she was making inroads with the pegasus. Still, she knew not to start counting her chickens just yet. After a few moments of silence, to try to divorce them from the previous subject, she asked, “So, what is it like living in Cloudsdale? I remember Rarity mentioning that you're from there.”

“It's...nice.”

How very vague, Fleur thought. Not wanting to press the point, and earn Fluttershy's ire, she said, “I see.”

After letting silence reign over the room for a few more minutes, Fluttershy decided that, no matter how she felt about her, talking to Fleur would be more interesting than just staring at the wall saying nothing. She asked, “What does your cutie mark actually represent?”

“My mastery and love of Prench etiquette and cuisine. If I recall, you mentioned that yours represented your skill with animals?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.”

A few more moments of silence, before Fleur spoke up again. “So, if you lived in Cloudsdale, how did you discover you talent with animals?”

“I fell, and was saved by butterflies who helped me to the ground and I found it there.”

Fleur was convinced she was lying because there was no way that even a small pegasus filly could be saved by butterflies, but decided that calling her out on it would likely do more harm than good. Instead she went with, “Butterflies? Really?”

“Yes. A large group of them caught me before I fell to my death.”

“But how would butterflies, in any amount, be strong enough to catch even a young filly?”

“I don't know. They did it though,” Fluttershy said.

“And that's how you found your special talent? By being saved?”

“No. There was a large explosion that scared all the animals after I reached the ground. When I tried to calm them down, it appeared.”

“Wow. That's quite the story.”

“It's amazing, isn't it?”

“Oui. Mine is much less interesting I have to admit,” Fleur said.

“Oh? How'd you find yours?”

“Well, I was cooking something for my sick mother one day and practicing my Prench mannerisms when I felt this tingling in my side. I looked down at my flank and there it was, plain as day.”

“That's it?” Fluttershy asked, obviously expecting something more exciting

“Oui. As I said It's a bit dull, but not all of us can have an exciting or terrifying moment where we realize what our destiny is.”

“Yeah, that's true.”

At this point Fleur's massage was done, while Fluttershy still needed a few more minutes. The unicorn got up and walked to the hot tub to meet with Rarity. As Fluttershy watched her leave, she noticed for the first time the white streak running through the other pony's pink mane and tail.


Upon arriving, Fleur climbed into the hot tub and settled in beside Rarity. As she worked herself into a comfortable position that would still allow most of her body to be submerged she said, “Fluttershy told me the unbelievable tale of a horde of butterflies had saved her from falling to her death when she got her cutie mark.”

“I believe it. I've heard of butterflies do some amazing things under her direction, including lifting Pinkie Pie onto my fainting couch.”

“Well, yes, but Pinkie...doesn't make sense.”

“No, she doesn't,” Rarity admitted, “but that doesn't mean Fluttershy is lying. Everything I've heard suggests that she really did fall from Cloudsdale, and, seeing as she was scared, she probably couldn't use her wings to save herself, so something had to have saved her.”

“But being saved by a butterfly cushion?”

“Stranger things have happened, even away from Pinkie.”

“I guess...” Fleur said.

“Just trust me on this. Fluttershy isn't the type of pony who would lie about something like that.”

A brief silence descended over the two, before Rarity asked, “So, judging by her telling you her cutie mark story, I assume that you got her to open up?”

Fleur opted to describe their meeting to Rarity, and when she go to the point where Fluttershy explained why she didn't seem pleased about the presence of a third pony, Rarity facehoofed, cursing herself for doing this to her friends. Almost as soon as she finished, Fluttershy entered the room, though the other two didn't notice this, allowing Fleur to jam her hoof in her mouth once again, though in a way that was more awkward and embarrassing than anything.

“...Oh, and don't tell Fluttershy this, but on the way out of the room I remember thinking 'My those are some lovely flanks, and to think they're attached to a very sweet and lovely mare. Too bad she doesn't seem to like me much.'”

At this point, just a little too late, Rarity noticed Fluttershy in the doorway. She said, “Oh, hi Fluttershy,” and used her magic to make Fleur turn in that direction. Fleur's reaction to seeing Fluttershy in the doorway and assuming (correctly) that she had heard what she had just said was to blush furiously. As for Fluttershy, despite feeling like her body was betraying her as her wings tried to unfurl and various emotions ran through her at the speed of light, she was managing to keep a facade of calm that surprised even her.

“Oh, hi Fluttershy, I didn't think you were quite done yet,” Fleur said, still blushing like a madmare.

The pegasus didn't speak, but began walking towards the hot tub, eyes straight in front of her, never wavering from her goal.

“Well, this is awkward,” Rarity said, not helping things at all.

Fluttershy got into the hot tub, and purposefully sat away from Fleur and Rarity, never speaking, though her facade was starting to crack. Specifically, despite the warm water, her wings started to slowly unfurl, and redness slowly spread over her face while. internally, she screamed at her body for betraying her and making her look like a fillyfooler.

While this was going on, Fleur was slowly starting to get her embarrassment under control. When she trusted herself to speak without getting yet another taste of hoof she said, “Okay, maybe I should have kept my thoughts on Fluttershy to myself.”

“It would have saved you a lot embarrassment,” Rarity said, watching Fluttershy's slowly unfolding reaction. At this point, the yellow pegasus' wings were about halfway unfolded and her face was slightly pink all over, but it was obvious she was now successfully fighting off the embarrassment Fleur's remarks had caused her. Rarity thought Fluttershy's doing a great job of keeping her reaction under control, but why didn't she ever tell me she was a lesbimare?

“Well, can we agree never to speak of this again? So I can at least pretend I didn't embarrass myself this badly?” Fleur asked.

The two other ponies in the hot tub immediately answered in the affirmative, also wanting to put this behind them.
> Needles and pearls
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ow!” Fleur de Lis yelped for what Rarity swore was the fiftieth time.

“Stop squirming,” Rarity responded.

“I will, once you stop trying to sew the dress onto my flank. Again.”

“If you would have just held still, that wouldn't have happened.”

It had been a week and a half since their uncomfortable spa date, and Rarity was making a dress for Fleur to wear to her sister's wedding. Unfortunately, Fleur's twitchiness wasn't making this particularly easy or pleasant for either of them.

“Couldn't you do this on a ponniquin or something?”

“Do you see any ponniquins around here that have anything remotely similar to your proportions?”

Fleur looked around, realizing that there wasn't a single one with proportions that were remotely similar to hers. She sighed and resigned herself to more poking and prodding while making a mental note to see about getting Rarity a ponniquin closer to her own proportions.

Shortly after this, and another yelp of pain or two, the door bell rang, and a butter yellow pegasus carrying a basket walked in. “Oh, Fluttershy. Come in, come in.”

Fluttershy walked to the center of the room and gently set down the basket. Opal popped out of it, reveling in her typical, fluffy glory before glaring at Fleur who had knocked her into the laundry tub when Rarity wasn't looking hoping to get Fluttershy, who she suspected was avoiding her, over. Fleur ignored the cat, instead turning her attention to the new arrival, who was turning to leave.

“You don't have to leave Fluttershy. I can make us some lunch when I finish here,” Rarity said.

“Oh, I don't want to impose.”

“No, it's fine. I was hoping you would get back in time for lunch anyway. Just let me finish up here, then I can get started.”

“Yes, feel free to stay and watch as Rarity finishes torturing me with a-ow!” Fleur said, before being stabbed with the needle again, this time on purpose.

She turned to glare at Rarity who was glaring right back at her. Fluttershy, wanting to dispel the tension in the room, asked in a slightly subdued yet still conversational tone, “So, how's the move going?”

“It's been going smoothly, though Jacques isn't particularly enjoying having all the new furniture moved in.”

“Yes, Jacques doesn't really like large changes to his environment, especially when they're constantly coming. Give him some time, and I'm sure he'll calm down.”

“I'm sure you're right,” Fleur said, then, deciding to run with Fluttershy's immediate focus on the mention of her new cat, “though it would be nice if he would stop clawing the couch.”

“Just tell him to stop and he should.”

“I have and he hasn't. Could you come by later and see about getting him to stop? I'm sure he'll listen to you.”

“I can come by and see if I can help after lunch,” Fluttershy suggested.

“That would be perfect, and while we're on the subject, I'll be in Prance next week for my sister's wedding and I was hoping you could take care of him while I'm gone.”

“I can do that. Just drop him off at my house before you go, and I'll make sure he's well taken care of.”

“Thanks, though I have to ask about your rates,” Fleur said.

“Two bits a day sound fair?”

“That's less than a quarter of what I would pay in Canterlot. Not that I'm complaining.”

In a very unusual move for the disciplined dressmaker, Rarity was too busy listening to the two other ponies' conversation to pay attention to what she was doing and ended up stabbing Fleur in the side. “Ow!” the taller unicorn yelped loudly before trying to take the needle from Rarity's telekinetic hold.

“Sorry, sorry,” Rarity said, taking more care to keep the needle from poking Fleur's now very sore flank.

Fleur resisted the urge to make a snarky remark about this, instead saying, “Just try not to stab me anymore. If only for the sake of my poor flank.”

“I'll try, but if you really want to protect your flank you should stop fidgeting.”

Fleur's response to this was two very exaggerated twitches that earned her another glare from Rarity. She then asked, “So, what do you think of my new dress Fluttershy?”

“It's nice,” Fluttershy said, now taking the time to look it over. It was a simple though pretty blue party dress with silver trim along the borders and a sapphire at the clasp, designed to show her cutie mark while still covering a good portion of her flank.

“I wanted to make something more extravagant, but she insisted I keep it simple,” Rarity said.

“Well, it wouldn't be right of me to outshine Bordeaux at her wedding, now would it? Maybe when I return from Prance, I'll commission something more elaborate. Or maybe not,” Fleur said, while Rarity made a valiant, if doomed, effort not to stab her again while making the last few stitches.

“Done and done,” Rarity said a minute later, “So what do you think?”

Fleur inspected herself in the mirror, doing a few dramatic poses for good measure, and said, “It's perfect. Just the thing for attending Bordeaux's wedding.”

“I'm glad you like it, though I should point out you might still have a few threads embedded in your flank.”

Fleur took the dress off and passed it to Rarity who laid it out so it wouldn't get wrinkled. She then looked at her right flank, and found a few threads embedded just above her cutie mark. Using her magic she pulled those out and tossed them aside before  inspecting the damage Rarity did to the area.

Less than thirty seconds after this the door opened and Rarity stated, “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and-”

“Well, hello Pink,” Fleur interrupted, speaking in a sickeningly sweet tone reserved for those you hate.

Rarity looked at the new guest, thinking she was going to see Pinkie Pie, but instead saw a mare of about forty with a dark pink coat and mane, a slightly heavyset build, a strand of pearls around her neck, and something white on her flank, which Rarity, who was in front of this pony, guessed was a large pearl. This was the sort of pony that if you saw her on the street you probably wouldn't even take a second glance at her, even though she presented an obviously ill deserved air of superiority.

“Well, Hello Fleur. So nice to see the most promiscuous pony in Equestria again,” Pink Pearls said in a very polite tone.

“Yes, I had heard about the mirror shortage in Canterlot. Such a tragedy that you can't look at your own face every morning, isn't it?” Fleur said in the same polite manner.

Pink ignored the jab, instead turning her attention to the two other ponies present. In her politest tone, she asked, “Are these your newest lovers, my dear?”

“No, these are my friends, though I can see how such a concept would be alien to you.”

“Friends, you say? Have you, ah, made love to these friends by any chance?” Pink asked.

There was a flash of anger on Rarity's face, but without missing a beat, Fleur said, “Of course not, though I have to wonder what makes you think that you should make love to your friends. I certainly never thought that you should.”

“Oh, but I thought that's how all, ah, bisexual ponies saw their friends. Am I wrong?”

“Indeed you are, though I'm not surprised. Maybe I can help you get a better understanding of the concept of friendship and what it entails?” Fleur offered, still maintaining her polite tone.

“That will not be necessary, and, either way, I don't think I would benefit from any lessons you could give me.”

“Your loss. By the way, have you broken any homes up lately? Or did you grow a soul after ruining my marriage?”

“It's certainly not my fault you were sleeping around too much to satisfy your husband's needs. Maybe you should have considered that before you went to meet your latest lover,” Pink Pearls politely suggested.

This particular jab seemed to hit a nerve, as Fleur dropped the thin veneer of politeness for just a moment, saying, “I got a urinary tract infection because I tried to satisfy his needs. I think that justifies my not making love to him for a while?”

“Are you sure it was his needs, or was it the needs of numerous other stallions and mares in Canterlot? And have you started taking advantage of that experience here in this little hick town?”

Rather than rise to the insult, Fleur took a second to compose herself and said, “Funny how you apparently came to this 'hick town' as you call it to have a dress made. Care to explain that to me?”

“Just because it has an excellent dressmaker doesn't mean it's not a hick town. You should know that.”

“True, but aren't there excellent fashion designers in Canterlot that you could work with instead, so you don't have to mingle with these so called 'hicks'?”

“None up to the standards I want, unfortunately. Mingling with hicks like that pegasus,” Pink Pearls said gesturing towards Fluttershy, apparently not realizing that she was a Cloudsdale native, “or that orange earth pony who I bought an apple from is a necessary evil for the standards I am willing to pay to meet “

While this was going on, Fluttershy sat and watched, unsure of what to do while Rarity, standing a few feet from Fleur, struggled to keep her composure. Upon hearing this last sentence, though, she decided enough was enough. “I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”

“What? Why?” Pink Pearls asked in utter disbelief.

“Because I refuse to work with those who would insult me or my friends so openly and flagrantly.”

“Fine, but Canterlot will hear about this, and when they do you will never make dresses in that town again,” Pink Pearls said still maintaining her polite tone, before hanging her head high and walking out of the shop with as much dignity as she could manage. 

Once she was out the door, Fleur, with a playful pout on her face, asked, “Did you have to make her leave? I was having such fun!”

Rarity, starting to relax, said,“I'm sorry but I can't stand ponies who would say such things about my friends and will not cater to them, no matter how many bits they offer. If having standards like that costs me business, then so be it.”

“Nice to see that you're still the same pony I met two years ago. And speaking of cost, how much do I owe you for the dress?”

“Because you're my friend, and you just moved in, I'll let you have it for free as long as you don't tell anyone,” the bearer of the Element of Generosity said

“My lips are sealed,” Fleur said.

“So she was the one who Fancypants was sleeping with?” Fluttershy asked after a short lull.

“Oui. I actually caught her making love to him in our bed. It was the worst moment of my life, especially since we agreed to not make love until I had healed.”

“But why her? She has nothing on you,” Rarity said, honestly confused.

“Thank you for thinking so, though I think that he was just looking for an outlet at that point. I know of no stallion or mare with anything near his libido, and since he had gone more than a week without any action, well...” Fleur said.

“So she was just convenient. Is that it?”

“Oui. Well, as far I know. Also, she was the one who managed to talk him into letting Canterlot know I was bisexual, saying that if his affair was discovered, the damage to his reputation would ruin his philanthropic efforts, despite the fact that charities have weathered far worse than their heads being found having affairs.”

“Sounds like a real piece of work,” Rarity said.

“Oh, she is. I knew it the second I lay eyes on her. As I recall, she was flirting with a married stallion at the time,” Fleur said, thinking back to that day.

((Flashback))

It was about three years prior, and Fleur was at a fancy party, having recently moved to Canterlot at Fancypants' suggestion. She was mingling and hobnobbing like everyone else, though she was slightly self-conscious about it because she wasn't quite fluent in equestrian yet.

At this particular moment she was heading to the hors d'oeuvre table for a quick bite, and noting that some pony was openly flirting with Old Money, a married steel blue stallion with a black mane she had had some dealings with since becoming a model and who was hosting this party. One thing that always struck Fleur about him was how manipulable he seemed and as she got closer to the conversing ponies she realized it wasn't just an impression.

“But what if she finds out?” Old asked.

“If it's only one night she won't find out, trust me,” the other pony said moving about in a seductive manner, making her intentions perfectly clear, “And even if she does, she flirts with enough stallions and mares that I doubt she will care.”

“M-mares? Really?”

“Yes, I've seen it with my own eyes. There was this little blue pegasus who came to town that she couldn't seem to resist. The other mare turned her down, but it begs the question: how many haven't?”

Fleur struggled not to butt in on their conversation. She knew Old Money's wife well enough to know that she would always be loyal to her man, and never step out on him, and yet here was this dark pink pony insisting that she would and had.

Old Money looked very disturbed at hearing this. “Oh my. How horrid.”

“Now, knowing that, does the idea of one night with another mare bother you?” the pink pony asked.

“N-no, I guess not.”

((end flashback))

“Seriously? Openly flirting with a married pony?”

“Oui. Ironic, really, when you consider that, to her mind, promiscuity is one of the greatest insults one could give,” Fleur said.

“And she doesn't seem to hold bisexuals in high regard, either,” Fluttershy said.

“No. She's of the belief that all of us are promiscuous homewreckers who are not to be trusted. Or could you tell?” Fleur said.

“It was pretty obvious.”

“Fortunately, very few of the Canterlot elite are that far gone, though it must be said that most of them do agree with her to varying degrees. Just one more reason I'm glad I don't live there anymore.”

“But surely you must have hated it there even before Fancypants cheated on you,”  Fluttershy said.

“I didn't actually. That's the beauty of hindsight. I didn't realize how little I actually had in common with them until I left. Sure the fashion and the glamor were to die for, but, looking back, I don't think it was worth betraying my very being for.”

Rarity, remembering what she was going to do before the arrival of their guest, said, “Anyway, I think I'll get started on our lunch. A salad with almonds and croutons sound good to you two?”

Getting an affirmative answer, she went to the kitchen to prepare their meal, leaving her two friends alone together for the first time since their time on the massage tables (the generally silent Aloe and Lotus notwithstanding).

This lasted about thirty seconds, however, before Fluttershy excused herself, saying she wanted to help Rarity in the kitchen. Fleur let her go choosing to take the time to thoroughly inspect the damage to her flank and ignore her stomach in the meantime.

When Fluttershy asked if there was anything she could do to help, Rarity directed her to the tea kettle which was now whistling. After Fluttershy took it off the stove and got Rarity's tea set out, the purple maned unicorn asked, “Have you forgiven Fleur for her remarks at the restaurant?”

“Mostly, why?” 

“I think you should go on a date with her,” Rarity said, getting right to the point. This was the first time she had the opportunity to speak to the pegasus alone since Fleur arrived and she wasn't going to waste a moment of it beating around the bush.

If Fluttershy hadn't put the tea set down on the counter before Rarity suggested this it would now be in a million pieces on the floor. Utterly bewildered, all she could articulate was, “Wait, what?”

“Oh come on, think about it. She obviously likes you, and you like mares-”

“I am not a fillyfooler!” Fluttershy said louder than she meant to. Loud enough, in fact, for Fleur to hear her clearly despite being two rooms away and to catch both Rarity and Fluttershy completely by surprise.

The tall unicorn, curious about the commotion, walked as quickly and as quietly to the kitchen door as possible, staying out of sight when she arrived. “...and regardless, the word you're looking for is lesbimare,” Rarity was saying as Fleur go into earshot.

“Well, I'm not one.”

“Then how do you explain your reaction to Fleur's, ah, thoughts about you on our spa date?”

“Didn't we agree never to speak of that again?” Fluttershy asked.

“We did, didn't we? Either way, my point still stands.”

Fleur briefly considered intervening on Fluttershy's behalf at this point, but thought it would be better to let her handle it herself instead of letting the two other ponies know she was eavesdropping.

“My body acted on its own. Doesn't make me a lesbimare.” If only it were that simple. In truth, Fluttershy had no idea where she was sexually anymore, and it all started with that moment. Of course she wasn't ready to admit as much, wanting to get a handle on her sexuality first, but she knew Rarity's suspicions had some grounding.

“Or you're just in denial,” Rarity suggested, realizing too late just how she sounded.

Fluttershy glared and said, “Rarity!” 

“Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But if you were a lesbimare, would you consider going out with Fleur?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy purposefully delayed answering this uncomfortable question by pouring tea into three of the cups.

“Well?”

“...maybe,” she finally said. 

Rarity was not expecting this answer. “What do you mean, 'maybe'?”

“I haven't had any reason to think about it before.”

“I see,” Rarity said.

Since the unicorn wasn't asking her any more uncomfortable questions, Fluttershy took the opportunity to take the tea to the dining room.

Fleur heard the light footsteps heading in her direction and immediately tried to find a way not to get found out and have to explain herself. However, in keeping with her recent streak of luck, Fluttershy found her before she could even attempt to come up with a plan. Thinking fast, she said, “Oh, Fluttershy I was coming by to, um...see if lunch was ready.”

Fluttershy immediately figured out she was lying, mainly because she looked like a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. Even so, she said nothing, electing to let Fleur off the hook this time, though the tea set in her mouth probably contributed to this decision.

When Fluttershy moved to put the tea set on the table Fleur intervened, saying, “Let me get that for you. I wouldn't want you to spill.”

Fluttershy mumbled a quick thanks and took a seat once the tea set was in Fleur's grasp. As Fleur moved the tea set to the middle of the table she started doing dramatic poses to work off the tension that she had felt when she got caught (a trick she had learned during her modeling career). 

Fluttershy, thinking Fleur was doing this to seduce her, pretended to ignore the unicorn though she did steal a quick glance at the tall unicorn, who immediately smiled at her, causing her to blush a bit. Fleur then sat down and waited for lunch to be served.
> A Royal Appearance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fleur de Lis' train arrived back in Ponyville at 4pm on Wednesday, after her week in Prance and, as much as she loved her home country, she was glad to be back home. When the doors opened on the train cars, Fleur quickly exited from her mostly empty car, where she had sat bored for the last hour, and found herself face to face with six ponies of varying familiarity and a baby dragon.

One of them, a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, said, “How did you score such a hot flank, Fluttershy?”

“We're not together at the moment, Rainbow Dash,” Fleur said, noting that Fluttershy's response was to glare at Rarity. Who else would Rainbow Dash get that idea from? she thought.

“So that means you're available?”

“Yes.”

“Wanna go on a date with me, then?” Rainbow asked.

“How about this? I will go on a date with you if, and only if, Fluttershy gets a week alone with Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again without letting out a single sound.

“Well, now that that's taken care of, I have to ask about the big welcome party.”

The purple unicorn Fleur knew as Twilight simply gestured to her right and when Fleur looked she saw a tall, dark blue pony wearing black regalia and silver horseshoes approaching the group. When she realized who she was looking at, she hurriedly went into a bow.

Luna watched Fleur's sudden, violent bow in bemusement, but said, “greetings, my friends.”

The six ponies and one dragon who were waiting for her warmly returned her greeting and she turned her attention to the unicorn they had been speaking to not ten seconds prior and who looked like she could be seriously hurt if she stayed put.

She tapped the white unicorn's foreleg and said, “you may want to move your tail.”

It took a second for Fleur to realize that the princess was speaking to her. When she did, she looked back to see why she would make such a suggestion and saw that her tail was still in the train car, along with part of her luggage. Feeling embarrassed, she sidled over a few steps and, seeing that none of the six ponies waiting to welcome the princess were bowing (though Fluttershy did seem a bit uncomfortable), decided to see if she could get away with not bowing down to her either despite being very nervous about it. She also asked, “If I may ask, what is one of the rulers of Equestria doing in a little town like Ponyville?”

Luna didn't seem at all bothered by the sudden lack of reverence from the tall unicorn if her body language was anything to go by, and her tone was even when she responded. “I am simply here to ensure that Ponyville is adequately prepared for a potential disaster after seeing what happened in San Bermaredino as well as take the time to get to know the local citizenry better.”

Despite being in Prance at the time, Fleur was well aware of the earthquake that leveled half the city and the wholly inadequate contingency and relief plans being implemented in response. Still, something bugged her. “Why send a princess when you could send lower level officials to do this for you?”

“Because it is nice to get out of Canterlot every once in a while, and if it involves helping Equestria, all the better.”

Fleur, still nervous, said nothing. Speaking up instead was Twilight, who asked, “You know your way around town right, Luna?”

“For the most part, yes, though if I need directions, I can ask one of the locals for help.”

“Assuming they don't run off screaming again,” Rainbow said.

Fleur, taking advantage of Luna's unhappy pause, said, “Anyway, I think I'll be going. Fluttershy, could you bring Jacques to my house around seven?”

“Of course. He'll be happy to see you.”

“And I him. I should have your bits ready then as well,” Fleur said, before quickly slipping off.

“Jacques?” Luna asked.

“Her cat. She asked me to take care of him while she was in Prance.”

“I see.”


An hour later Fleur was mostly unpacked, and decided to take a break and return her books to the Golden Oaks Library. As she passed through downtown Ponyville, she saw Luna exiting a candy shop with a good sized bag of what she assumed to be sweets. She quickened her pace, hoping the ruler of the night wouldn't catch sight of her, or, if she did, deign to speak with her.

Much to her, frustration, however, Luna did catch sight of and start walking towards the pink maned unicorn. Resigned to her fate, Fleur slowed her pace and put a neutral expression on her face, praying that she didn't say anything stupid to the Princess of the Night.

“Greetings. I believe we met at the station?” Luna asked.

“Yes we did, your highness.”

“But I don't believe I caught your name.”

“I'm Fleur de Lis,” Fleur said.

Luna took a second to note the triple fleur de lis adorning Fleur's flank, then said, “Ah, I remember you now. I believe I heard that you had divorced your husband recently?”

Fleur didn't question how Luna had figured this out, since their divorce had become the talk of the whole city before she left and she was sure that it would even get back to the princesses eventually. “Yes. The reason given, as I recall, was irreconcilable differences, but the real reason was he had had an affair, which he really wanted to cover up.”

“I see. Have you thought about trying to correct the record?”

“No. I'm past that now, and I doubt that such a request would go anywhere anyway.”

Luna, deciding that it would be best to leave it at that, remained silent.

“By the way, what's in the bag?” Fleur asked, noting that it was almost as big as Luna's head.

“Gumdrops,” Luna said tilting the bag towards Fleur, “would you like some?”

“No thank you, but I must admit, I never thought you would be a sweet tooth,” Fleur admitted.

Luna popped a few of the candies into her mouth before saying, “We have our weaknesses. 'Tia's is pastries, and mine is candies.”

“Does Princess Cadance have one?”

“Beauty products,” Luna said.

“Something she and I have in common, I guess.”

“So you are trying to look like my sister then?”

“Trying to look like...huh?” Fleur asked, thinking she had misheard the princess.

“You look like 'Tia did before she became a goddess. Just lighten your eyes a few shades, dye the streak of white in your mane pink, and change your cutie mark and you would look just like her. Actually that gives me a great idea for a prank.”

“Does this prank end with me being executed?”

“Do not worry, I know 'Tia would not punish you for pretending to be her for a bit for the sake of harmless fun. If you do not mind coming to Canterlot for a day, I could fill you in on all the details on Saturday,” Luna said.

“I'll consider it. By the way, shouldn't you be checking on disaster preparedness, instead of following some random pony to the library?”

“I am also here to get to know the citizenry if you will recall. Also, note please item two,” Luna said as she took out and unrolled a long scroll.

“Check on Twilight Sparkle's mental health and take necessary precautions to avoid a repeat of the 'Smartypants incident.' I don't get it. What was the 'Smartypants incident'?”

“I do not have all the details but she apparently enchanted an old doll with a 'want it, need it' spell and caused a riot over it in an attempt to create a friendship report for my sister. 'Tia was not pleased.”

“Wait. So Twilight really is Princess Celestia's student?” Fleur asked.

“Indeed she is.”

“And is she really a bearer of an element of harmony?”

“Yes, along with, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.”

Fleur was too surprised by the revelation that she was friends with three of the six greatest heroes of Equestria to respond, which Luna seemed not at all bothered by. When the unicorn felt a force a force gently trying to override her hold on her books, which she assumed was Luna. She let the force take over and watched as the princess took the books and looked at the blurbs on the back.

Luna, slightly surprised that all of the books, despite all being romance novels, each had a completely different theme, gave them back to Fleur and asked, “Why did you pick those novels in particular?”

“I wasn't being particularly picky about what I read. I just wanted a way to pass the time on the train,” Fleur half-lied. She was also trying to make sure that there wasn't a uniting theme somepony could pick up on and use to make assumptions about her aside from “reads romance novels,” though she had thrown in a stallion on stallion novel just to muddle things a bit.

“I see. I must ask, though, how long of a train ride is it to Prance?”

“18 hours, which is why I was in the sleeper car,” Fleur said, seeing that they were only a minute's walk from the library and she might be able to just drop off her books and worm her way away from the apparently very social Princess of The Night.



Meanwhile, in her cottage, Fluttershy was restlessly pacing about the living room wondering what to do about Luna coming by the next day. The princess still scared her a lot, but she could deal with that, if she wasn't around for too long. However, Luna was probably going to be around for hours judging how prepared the city was for something aggressive and/or hungry coming out of the Everfree Forest, and, seeing as Fluttershy was one of the first lines of defense, Luna would probably need to do an extensive interview with her about said preparations, which suited Fluttershy not at all well.

Because of all this, Fluttershy was almost looking forward to returning Jacques to Fleur, despite having a sneaking suspicion that the tall unicorn wanted her to come over for other reasons than just returning the cat. They had corresponded by mail while Fleur was in Prance, and the exchange had made her consider Fleur a friend, but that didn't necessarily mean she wanted a relationship with the other mare. Not while she remained unsure of her own sexuality.

She briefly wondered why it was so hard to identify exactly where she was sexually. She guessed that it was partly the fact that during her time at Flight camp many students were bullied by students and teachers alike if they were perceived as being gay. Since she didn't want to draw any more attention of that sort to herself, she thought she might have suppressed anything to do with homosexuality, and only now was it resurfacing. However, since she barely remembered her time at flight camp, and what she did remember (aside from the memories of meeting Rainbow and getting her cutie mark) made her think she didn't want to remember the rest, she had no way of knowing if this was the truth or a giant pile of horseapples.

Breaking her out of her troubled thoughts was a knock on the door. When she opened it she found a yellow earth pony filly with a red mane and tail standing on her doorstep. “Hi, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, hi Apple Bloom. What brings you here?”

“Applejack asked me to come get you. Some varmints have invaded the apple fields again and we need your help to drive them out.”

Fluttershy was relieved when she heard this. This sort of thing happened a few times a year, and never took more than an hour or two a day for about a week to fix, meaning she could keep herself busy for a while and still have time to get Jacques back to Fleur's place on time. She said, “Of course. Just give me one second and we'll be on our way.”

“Alright.”



As Fluttershy worked her way through de-bunnifying Sweet Apple Acres, Fleur had been bribed into staying with the princess who had a slight reputation for being hotblooded, and, it was rumored, tried to cancel Nightmare Night forever due to a personal affront towards her.

Of course, Fleur was now wondering whether that pony and the pony that Fleur was actually dealing with were the same one. Having been offered a large meal of salad and soup, she decided to stay a while. When we pick up with them, Luna and Twilight have just finished a discussion about whether Twilight's mental health actually needed checking, to the satisfaction of neither pony, and now silence hung over the table.

Fleur broke the lull by asking Twilight, “So, what is it like to live with a baby dragon?”

“Spike's great to have around once you get past his laziness and eating habits, and he's quite handy, but he has caused a few issues here and there.”

“Like his greed-induced growth?” Luna asked.

“You heard about that?”

“Of course. It is not every day that a greedy dragon rampages through Ponyville, after all.”

Fleur had also heard about it, but didn't quite believe that something so bizarre could actually happen. Now that it had been confirmed by the roommate of the dragon who had apparently gone on the rampage (roommate simply being the word she settled on to describe their relationship), she now wondered how many of the other wild events that had supposedly happened in Ponyville were true. She wasn't going to ask about that right now, however, preferring to sate other aspects of her curiosity. “And yet, despite that, Spike seems fine,” she said.

“Spike reverted back to his baby self when he saw he was holding Rarity in his tail, and Fluttershy and Rainbow saved them from falling to their deaths,” Twilight explained.

Fleur asked the obvious question. “Why was the realization that he was holding Rarity cause him to transform back?”

“Simple, he has a crush on her.”

Ignoring the fact that a simple crush wasn't quite enough elaboration on why Spike transformed back when he realized he who was holding, Fleur asked, “Wait, a dragon has a crush on a pony?”

“Yeah. It doesn't seem any more unusual than a mare having one on an another mare half her age, if you ask me,” Twilight said.

“If you are referring to me, Twilight Sparkle, I'll have you know that I am only 24 years old.”

Fleur was annoyed when she said that, but the look that came over Twilight's face when she heard this was almost too much for the white unicorn. Doing her best to keep herself from laughing, she took a long sip of her tea and awaited the purple unicorn's response.

“Oh. Sorry. It's just you're so tall, I thought that...”

“Don't worry about it. I'm just tired of everypony assuming I'm in my thirties or forties. So, who spilled the beans?”

“Rainbow said Rarity told her something to that effect.”

Unseen by either unicorn was that Luna's horn had ignited and the door to the kitchen was moving about when she asked, “So who do you have a... what is it a crush?”

“Yeah. Basically a romantic attraction that isn't quite love,” Twilight explained.

“So who do you have a...crush on?”

“...Fluttershy.” Fleur had temporarily forgotten that Luna was present when she was dealing with Twilight's insinuation that she was older than she was, and was now resigned to any punishment that the princess might issue for wanting to fillyfool with an element bearer.

If Luna was at all bothered by the idea of two mares being romantically involved, she wasn't showing it. She asked, “Does she know?”

“I think she figured it out after I made some rather, ah, inappropriate remarks about a part of her anatomy when I thought she was out of earshot.”

“And how do you know she heard you?” Twilight asked.

Fleur described the encounter in as little detail as possible while still giving them an idea of what happened, as she did agree never to speak of that incident again, even though she knew that Rarity had already broken that agreement.

Before either other pony could comment on this, however, a loud crash could be heard from the kitchen doorway. All three ponies turned to look, seeing Spike soaking wet and with a bucket on his head. “Luna!” he said, sounding distinctly displeased at the now laughing princess. Twilight and Fleur both couldn't help but giggle at the prank that Luna had pulled on the hapless dragon.

“What? Did you really expect me not to do something after your little stunt during my last visit?”

“But that was six months ago!”

“What is six months for a pony who has lived for twelve hundred years? Regardless, I must have some fun while I am here, no matter how serious the visit,” Luna said.

“And the princess has a funny side. Okay, this is not what I had expected out of my day,” Fleur said, speaking before thinking again.

“Well, I can't be serious all the time. It would drive me insane!”

“So, on the subject of sanity, how did you stay sane while you were trapped in the moon?” Twilight asked.

“Ah, I was only conscious a few hours every couple years, I believe as a safeguard against that. Still it was not very easy to endure, I must admit.” Twilight and Fleur gave no response, Twilight because she was now planning to ask a question of Celestia, and Fleur now processing the idea that Luna really did spend 1,000 years in the moon.

Spike, taking advantage of the break in conversation as he dried himself off, now asked, “Anyway, what do you three want to drink?”

Fleur, snapping out of her confused reverie briefly considered asking for red wine, but realized that Twilight probably wouldn't have any with a baby dragon in the house, so she let the other two make their choices first to get an idea of what Twilight did have.

“Apple juice, please,” Luna said.

“Tea for me,” Twilight said.

Fleur decided to follow Twilight's lead, and picked tea as well, though she wondered why Luna would pick something like apple juice. Slowly, she realized that the longer she spent with Luna, the more she found that her assumptions about the princess were way off.



Lunch went by with no more soaked dragons or anything of the sort, though a few tales of Twilight's adventures were told, and soon Fleur was home, finishing her unpacking then relaxing for a while, having no more commitments for the day other than Fluttershy coming by with Jacques. She counted out 28 bits and put them in a bag, knowing full well that Fluttershy was only charging her 14. This was, in part, because her divorce settlement had left her a reasonably rich mare, which is how she owned her house outright, and could plan on opening a Prench restaurant down the line. However, her attraction to Fluttershy didn't hurt either.

Relaxing did leave her bored and fidgety after a while however, causing her mind to inevitably wander back to the yellow mare coming by soon. She considered what a relationship with her might be like, and thought of various activities they could pursue together. This did have the effect of making her realize how the size difference between them could affect things. Certain activities were going to be impractical to pursue, and others like hugging and dancing could be a bit problematic. There were other activities, however, that probably wouldn't be too difficult, though there was only one that Fleur thought the size difference would make easier: pony-back rides. 

She suddenly found herself imagining Fluttershy straddling her back like a foal would do their parent during a pony-back ride, and yelling, “Onwards my steed!” Shaking that bizarre and disturbing image from her head, she stood up and headed for the kitchen, wanting to try the wine Bordeaux had given her.

As she moved to the kitchen, she glanced at the clock and realized that Fluttershy would be arriving any minute. She pulled out a wine glass, popped the cork on one of the dozen bottles she managed to talk her sister out of, and poured herself a tall glass. As she moved back to the living room to relax with her wine, a knock came at the door. “Coming!” she said, setting the wine glass on the coffee table.

She opened the door to reveal Fluttershy with a basket in her mouth. The same basket, in fact, that Fluttershy typically used to take Opal back to the boutique. She said, “Oh, come in, Fluttershy,” she said, standing aside to let the shorter mare in.

Fluttershy walked in and deposited the basket on the floor, and not five seconds later a short haired tuxedo cat jumped out of the basket and looked around.

Fleur asked,”Were you a good boy, Jacques? Were you?” to which the cat started purring in response.

“He was very well behaved. Didn't cause a single problem,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

Fleur then turned to Fluttershy and said, “Thank you for taking care of Jacques for me, though I should admit that I also asked you to come over because I wanted to tell you how I feel, but, since I realized that words haven't been my strong suit as of late, I've decided a more direct approach would be better.”

Even as Fleur moved towards her, Fluttershy knew what was coming, but her curiosity about what it would be like kept her from stopping it outright, and her trepidation kept her from hurrying it along.

Fleur noticed the conflicted look on Fluttershy's face, but decided to press on, putting a hoof under Fluttershy's chin and maneuvering her face to face her own, before pressing her lips against Fluttershy's in a tender kiss. Holding the kiss as long as she dared, she savored every sensation, and noticed with silent glee that, while the pegasus wasn't kissing back, she also wasn't pulling away either.

When Fleur did break the kiss, it was with a loving smile on her face, and, just under the surface, both hope and nervousness. She watched Fluttershy's face as it slowly transitioned from the conflicted state from before to an expression of confusion and nervousness. After several long seconds, the yellow mare asked, “why me?”

Fleur took it as a good sign that Fluttershy hadn't rejected her outright but wasn't prepared to let her guard down. Keeping the loving smile on her face, she asked, “why not?”

“Well, you're a beautiful high class mare and I'm just some country pon-”

“Fluttershy, really. First, as far as I'm concerned you easily rival me in terms of looks, and secondly, I'm not all that high class anymore, in case you couldn't tell,” she said, gesturing to her somewhat modest accommodations.

“I guess.”

“And thirdly, how could I turn down such a nice pony? I mean you gave me Jacques for free even though I had blatantly, if accidentally, insulted your special talent, and thoroughly embarrassed both of us, and never seemed to charge Rarity for grooming Opal."

Fluttershy said nothing more, but the nervousness etching her face stayed put, even as the confusion evaporated.

Fleur noticed this but decided to stick to her plan, thinking it wouldn't to any harm. She asked, “So, how about a date?”

Fluttershy didn't answer, and, in fact, had basically shut down in response to the question. In fact, if one were to walk into the room right at this moment, and was told that she was a statue, one would almost believe it, if not for the slowly unfurling wings. Wings that had been unfurling since their lips met no more than a minute before.

Fleur, who was still paying attention to every detail and every move from Fluttershy, saw this and made a quick decision. “You know what, while you think about that, I'll go get your bits for you,” she said, quickly turning around and heading for the kitchen.

Right when Fleur left her sight, Fluttershy looked around the room. For what she didn't know, but she needed to find something. Soon, her eyes fell on the glass of red wine Fleur had left on the coffee table and she quickly rushed over and drank the whole thing down in a few quick gulps.

It wasn't quickly enough, however, to keep Fleur from seeing this little spectacle. Rather than get angry, however, she simply asked, “I came on a bit too fast for you?” while moving the gift she had intended to give the other mare back to the counter.

Gasping a bit after chugging down the beverage, she said, “Yeah.”

“Okay, I'll tell you what. Think about my offer for a date tonight, and come by tomorrow with your decision. Also, bring your saddlebags. I'll have a little gift for you,” Fleur said, depositing the bag of bits in Fluttershy's basket.

“Okay.”



Princess Luna was spending the night taking care of her inspection duties, and, at the moment, looking over a curved cliff-side road that had no guardrail. Silently cursing whoever thought that was a good idea, she made some notes while scanning the dreams of the ponies of Ponyville, finding a few troubled sleepers, including that white unicorn she had met earlier in the day. Curious, she entered said pony's dream.

Quickly transforming into her mist-like state upon arrival into Fleur de Lis' dream, Luna pressed herself against the ceiling and took stock of her surroundings. She was in a hallway behind the mare in question and surrounded by plush carpets and lavish fixtures. Despite this, a sense of dread permeated the atmosphere as Fleur walked forward, her gaze never wavering from the door in front of her.

As Luna followed the unicorn, she started hearing voices moaning and cooing with obvious pleasure. She thought why would she dread walking in on two ponies having sex so much?

When Fleur reached the door, she opened it, revealing a stallion and a mare in bed, obviously having sex. She recoiled with shock, before yelling Fancypants' name and something in a language Luna didn't recognize, though she assumed it was Prench. Apparently Fancypants had no trouble understanding her, however, as he said, “Listen, I can explain!”

More Prench yelling followed, along with few bolts of magical energy directed at the two lovebirds, before the world dissolved into chaos.

When it reformed, the unicorn found herself being insulted and berated by a number of obviously high class ponies who were steadily closing in on her. When they reached her, everything dissolved to black, and Luna was brought back to reality, the dreamer having awoken. Luna, now a bit shaken up, made a mental note to ask Cadance how best to approach this particular dreamer's issue.



The next morning, around nine, the door to the Carousel Boutique opened and shut, causing Rarity to start welcoming whoever had entered into her shop before seeing who it was. “Oh, hi Fluttershy.”

“Hi. I just stopped by to drop off a gift Fleur wanted me to give you when I went by her house,” Fluttershy said, before pulling out two bottles of wine, while leaving two more in her bag.

“Oh, give her my thanks, will you? And thank you for bringing-wait. What were you doing at Fleur's place?”

“Um, she asked me on a date last night, then, when I couldn't give an answer, said to get back to her today with my decision.”

“And what did you tell her?” Rarity asked, her anticipation rising.

“That I would go.”
> Dresses and dates
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy was finishing moving the last of the rabbits from the latest hidey-hole they had found in Sweet Apple Acres. She knew she would be coming back tomorrow to continue the job, but for now she had other things to focus on, like her date tonight. 

Applejack came by with some apple juice for the pegasus and asked, “About done?”

“Almost. Just moving these last few. What time is it?”

“About four thirty”

“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said.

“What time is your date with Fleur?”

“Six, but I want to be early.” She left unmentioned the fact that that she needed to get her dress on and her bits together before she left.

“While we're on the subject, I meant to ask, are you sure about this date?” Applejack asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It's just that you two are...never mind.”

“We're what?” Fluttershy asked.

Applejack sighed and decided to be blunt about it. “It's just that she's so much older than you. Don't you think you should go out with someone who's a bit younger?”

“She's only 24.”

“Oh, She is?” Applejack said, obviously embarrassed

“Yes, and she gets rather annoyed when ponies think she's older,” Fluttershy said before gently coaxing the last rabbit into leaving.

“Anyway, same time tomorrow?” Applejack asked, handing over a few bits for Fluttershy's service.

“Of course. I'll see you then,” Fluttershy said.

“And have fun on your date tonight.”

“I'll try.”

At this point, a blue figure emerged from one of the trees and flew off after Fluttershy, leaving a blanket and pillow behind. Stopping next to the yellow pegasus, the figure asked, “Wait, you got a date with that unicorn from the train station? And it's tonight?

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you tell me? I thought I was your best friend!”

“I thought you would be mad,” Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash.

“Why would I be mad? Because she turned me down?”

“Well, yes.”

“Oh, come on. You know I would never let something like that get to me. Also why didn't you tell me you were into mares?” Rainbow asked.

“You never told me you were either.”

“I didn't?”

“No,” Fluttershy said bluntly.

“Oh, heh, I guess I didn't. Anyway, where are you taking her?”

“It's a secret,” Fluttershy said, wanting to keep Rainbow from watching her date with Fleur.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Rainbow said, “Could you at least tell me how it goes?”

“Sure. Just come by my cottage tomorrow.”

“Will do, and have fun tonight.”

“I'll try,” Fluttershy said.



Fleur, in the meanwhile was busy finding ways passing the time until the date, which, for a formerly high class fashionista like her, meant shopping was very high on the agenda.

As she looked over a selection of jewelry, she heard somepony say her name. When she turned to look at the source, she found herself face to face with an unhappy looking Princess Luna and immediately assumed that the alicorn was angry at her. “Y-yes, your highness?”

“I would like to have a word with you. In private,” Luna said.

“What about?”

“You shall see.”

“Does this have anything to do with your anger?” Fleur asked.

“No. My frustration has nothing to do with this,” Luna said, reassuring her.

“Um, how does taking this to my home sound?”

“That would be perfect.”

As they walked to Fleur's home, the unicorn asked, “So what's made you so grumpy?”

“You know of the Ponyville Dam, I presume?” Luna asked.

“Yes. Small dam blocking off the Ponyville river. Why?”

“It has developed a large crack, for what is apparently the third time in two years. Also, there are no plans for a long term repair or replacement of said dam,” Luna said.

“Wow.”

“And, to make matters worse, there are currently no evacuation plans or early warning systems in case the dam does break. And seeing as the lead engineer is the most incompetent worker I have ever met, I do not think she will have any such plans ready for submission before I leave for Canterlot.”

“You're joking. No evacuation plans?” Fleur asked, shocked.

“None whatsoever. It is amazing how incompetently emergency preparedness has been managed here in Ponyville. Wading through the mess has made me desire a stiff drink.”

“That's comforting.”

“Fortunately for the town, I have put a spell on the dam that should keep it from deteriorating further for at least a year. Unfortunately, I do not think that will be long enough,” Luna said.

“Can we talk about something else, now? I've heard enough about our non-existent disaster planning for one day.”

“Honestly, so have I.”

“Anyway, welcome to my humble home,” Fleur said as she unlocked her front door.

Luna stepped through the doorway after Fleur and looked around. Jacques cautiously approached and sniffed the princess' hoof, unsure of what to make of this new visitor. When the alicorn did nothing in response to his presence, he got bored and hitched a ride on his warm owner's back, purring contentedly. Luna watched wordlessly as the unicorn went into her kitchen and pulled something from the icebox.

“Would you like some wine? I have plenty,” Fleur called from the kitchen.

“Please.”

As Fleur walked out of the kitchen with two wine glasses Luna asked, “Why is your cat riding you?”

“I think Jacques is just cold and rather affectionate. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?”

Before speaking, Luna took her glass of wine and drained half of it in one gulp, much to Fleur's annoyance. To her, good wine, such as the wine she had given Luna should be sipped and savored, not guzzled down. Once the wine had calmed her down a bit, the princess said, “I have watched your dreams these past days, and they are plagued by nightmares.”

“Wait, you can look into my dreams?” Fleur asked, feeling slightly violated.

“Indeed I can. It is an ability that comes with being the guardian of the night, and a method to ensure my subjects' sleep remains peaceful. If their sleep is not peaceful, then I intervene to help make it so.”

“And what have I done to warrant your attention?”

“I do pay special attention to those who are close to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, since if they are worried about something happening with their friends, it could negatively influence the effectiveness of the elements,” Luna explained.

“That makes sense I guess,” Fleur admitted, “but I assume you can't just go directly to everypony who's had a few bad nights, so what do you do when you can't meet with them directly?”

“I can appear within their dreams, if necessary. However, I prefer to meet in person, if possible, as a dream based appearance can backfire and cause further issues.”

“Oh, I see. Anyway, what did you see in my dreams?” Fleur asked, not completely convinced that Luna wasn't lying towards some end.

Luna described the nightmares she encountered in Fleur's mind, which made the unicorn go wide-eyed in amazement. “So you can see my dreams!”

“That is what I said. However, since I am not well versed in the realms of romance, I asked for Princess Cadance's advice in helping you solve the underlying issue causing your nightmares and allow you to return to restful sleep.”

“And she said?” Fleur asked, amazed by the fact that royalty had taken such an interest in her.

Luna pulled a letter from under her wing and hoofed it to Fleur, who read it with great interest, but found herself disappointed by its contents. “Basic, vague, and open-ended, I should have known,” she snorted in frustration.

Luna ignored her frustrated outburst, not really having any other options for helping her at the moment. Instead she said, “by the way, I believe I saw the stallion you were having nightmares about at Rarity's shop.”

“Yes, I saw him there as well. I meant to have a chat with Rarity today, but I have no desire to speak with him again.”

At this point, a knock came from the door, which Fleur magically opened, revealing a monocled white stallion with a blue mane. “Fancypants, what are you doing here?” the house's owner asked, annoyance dripping from every word as she resisted the urge to hurt him.

“Rarity told me to come here and apologize to you for something before she would give me the dress I ordered for my sister.”

“Yes, I believe you know what she wants you to apologize for. Now be a good boy and tell Princess Luna exactly what it is.”

Fancy now noticed the third pony present in the room, and saw just how unhappy she was with him. “Ah, yes. She believes I had an affair with a mare by the name of Pink Pearls and outed you to protect my reputation.”

“And what parts of this are not true? She has had vivid dreams about discovering you in bed with a pink mare, then seeming to be cast out of Canterlot, which I have seen with my own eyes,” Luna said.

“How have you seen these dreams?”

“I am the princess of the night, and dreams are among my realms. Your former wife's sleep has been troubled these past nights, and I entered her dreams to find out why. That is when I encountered these nightmares.”

Fancy, realizing the jig was up, said, “Okay, you caught me. Just understand that I did it to protect my philanthropic efforts. I wish I hadn't had to, but it was the only way for me to keep helping ponies in need.”

Fleur responded with, “ Viola Heartstrings' affair didn't set her back for too long, as I recall.”

“Who?” Luna asked.

“She's a famous classical musician, and friendly rival of Octavia. A few years back her husband caught her having an affair and went public with it. Her reputation was badly damaged among all segments of society, but she recovered and is almost as popular now as she was before the affair. Also, I believe that this is despite the fact that she has a lesbian niece who lives here in Ponyville.”

Fancypants just stood there unable to say a single word to the two unhappy mares in front of him. He knew that he had no justification for throwing his former wife under the carriage at this point, and, regardless, he was not exactly comfortable around the royal pony who had graced Fleur with her presence for reasons unknown to him.

After a few seconds of waiting for a response, a sly grin formed on Fleur's lips as she said, “I see you have no defense left for you actions.”

“No. I don't. I'm sorry Fleur, I threw you under the carriage to save my own flank, when I should have handled things better.”

“Thank you for apologizing. Now, please leave and don't let me see your face ever again.”

Fancypants didn't put up any resistance to this request, turning around and leaving without so much as a word.

“That was harsh,” Luna said.

“Maybe, but seeing him fills me with anger. Best to keep him out of my sights,” Fleur said as she checked the clock. “Oh, I should get ready for tonight.”

“Your date with Fluttershy?”

“You know?” Fleur said, nervousness lacing her voice

“It is the talk of the town. Well, along with my arrival,” Luna explained, having calmed down greatly from her initial arrival, though her wine was completely drained at this point, whereas Fleur had only drank a quarter of hers.

Fleur took a sip of her wine before saying, in a desperate attempt to change the subject, “speaking of your arrival, when was friendly Luna replaced with grumpy Luna? I miss her.”

“I like to relax, but when I am performing my non-dream based duties I feel it is best to do so with as serious a mindset as possible, both for the sake of professionalism and to ensure I do not miss any details. Also, dealing with that idiot mare of an engineer has left me in a less than agreeable mood.”

“Ah.”

“Regardless, I wanted to ask you about this date.”

Fleur took a long sip of her wine to calm her nerves before speaking. Talking to royalty about her date with a pony of the same sex was not what the Prench mare considered a relaxing activity. She then asked, “So what do you want to know?”

“Well, first I should mention that I am simply curious about your reasons, and have no wish to condemn you for your decision, so you can stop being nervous any time now.”

Fleur responded by trying to calm herself, to no avail, which bugged Luna, but she plowed on.

“On that note, I would first ask you how you managed to get her to agree to this.”

“Ah, I may have made a few lucky faux pas in getting her to agree. Looking back, being so, ah, forward was probably not a good idea, and yet here we are,” Fleur said, thinking about how amazed she was how well kissing the shy pegasus apparently worked in getting a date with her.

“Faux pas?”

“Prench for false step. It means I messed up.”

“I see,” Luna said. “My next question is: why did you want to go on a date with her?”

“Ah, well, she is a kind and beautiful pony, though some of her animals scare me.”

“I see. Anything else?”

“Erm...her helping save Equestria several times didn't hurt, and the fact that I'm sure she'll be loyal to the end if it does work out was a pretty big factor, mainly because of what Fancypants did to me.”

“Is that all?” Luna asked, apparently quite satisfied with her answer.

“Yes,” Fleur said looking at the clock again, “And I really should start getting ready now.”

“What time is your date at?”

“Six, but I'm expecting her to come early,” Fleur said.

“Okay. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to hear about it tomorrow.”

“If you want to, come by the Carousel boutique tomorrow at noon, since I'll be there telling Rarity about it anyway. Maybe then you can also tell me about this prank you're planning for your sister.”

Luna had nearly forgotten about that, but didn't show it. “Of course, I will have the details tomorrow. Regardless, I hope you have a nice night,” she said as she slipped out the front door.

“I hope so too,” Fleur said, not caring that Luna couldn't hear her.

She headed to her bedroom, where she had laid out her dress in anticipation for tonight, and noticed a dark stain on it. She brought the dress up to her snout and sniffed it, immediately realizing that Jacques had peed on it. She turned to her rider and said, “Jacques, I'm ashamed of you.” When he gave her an inquisitive look, she pointed to the stain on her dress and said, “I was going to wear this to my date with Fluttershy tonight, but you ruined it!”

Jacques hung his head in shame, trying for pity points, but Fleur was having none of it. She grabbed him in her magic and said, “Since you ruined the dress I was going to wear tonight, you get to spend the night outside. And Fluttershy is going to hear about this.”

The cat was now in a state of absolute dread. He tried to squirm out of his master's magical grip, but to no avail. Eventually he gave up and went limp, at which point Fleur opened the back door and deposited the cat on her patio, closing it behind him.



Five minutes after Luna left Fleur's home, on the outskirts of Ponyville, Fluttershy was trying to deal with a frustrating issue regarding the dress Rarity had made for her.

Now, before we continue, a quick word on pegasus anatomy and clothing is warranted. Pegasi, as you no doubt realize, have wings, and said wings generally sit on the outside of whatever they happen to be wearing. Now, the thing is, to get a piece of clothing over a pegasus' wings, said wings must be pointed at an upward angle, so that they can be put through the wing holes. When you consider the pegasus anatomy, it becomes obvious that this is extremely difficult to do while positioning the clothes in the right spot without help. Various designers have come up with solutions to allow a pegasus to put on his or he own clothes without outside help, such as, say in the case of a bathrobe, cutting it so that you can use velcro to get your wings through the holes without having to point them skyward, then seal it up behind the wing.

The problem was, in her excitement for making a dress for tonight's date, Rarity forgot to implement such a solution in Fluttershy's dress, meaning she was now trying to get it on with the help of her animals, and having absolutely no success.

“Oh, try moving it a bit up and to the right. No, that didn't work, maybe a little back. No?” She had been trying to get her dress for half an hour now and her wing muscles were getting very sore from holding her wings erect like that.

Wondering whether or not it was worth all this trouble, she told her animals to set the dress aside for the moment, so she could rest her wings and went about getting everything else ready for the big night. She was still nervous and somewhat self-conscious about going out with another mare, especially one who was a whole head taller than her and who had once assumed she took care of monsters, but had decided to make the best of it. After all, what could one date hurt?

She first went about counting out her bits, thirty five in all, thanks to Fleur's overpaying her. Hoping that dinner wouldn't cost more than that, she went to her vanity and brushed out her mane and tail while testing her wings to see if they were ready for another attempt to put on the dress. Deciding that a few more minutes wouldn't hurt, she looked up at the clock and saw she had about 20 minutes before she would have to leave. Happy about this, she made a quick round of her house, making sure the animals had their dinner and thinking about tonight.

Once this was done, round two of Fluttershy v. Dress, the fight of the night, got underway. She called over her a few of her birds to help and stuck her wings up again. Once again, however, the effort was in vain. The biggest problem was the holes were only just big enough for her wings to go through, meaning that if they were more than a bit off, said wings weren't going through. Not helping was the fact that small birds aren't the most precise beings in Equestria, especially when carrying a load weighing about as much as them combined. There were other animals who were better equipped to help out, of course, but they weren't at her cottage at the moment, and she wasn't going to go find them just so they could put a dress on her.

Eventually she ran out of time. Laying the dress on the bed again, she grabbed her bits and, having nowhere else to put them, tucked them under her wing, before heading out the door into the very chilly evening air, hoping she wasn't going to make a foal of herself tonight.



Fleur was now somewhat nervous, because she expected Fluttershy to come by for their date dressed to the nines, and here she was, quite naked thanks to Jacques' bladder. This, annoyingly, exaggerated her ever present need to fidget and move about. It did comfort her slightly that she was only going to embarrass herself rather than have Fluttershy join in on the mild humiliation, but she still didn't enjoy the idea of making a bit of a foal of herself again.

To try to calm herself, she went over the advice Rarity had given her after she heard about the date, which amounted to not getting touchy-feely with Fluttershy and not posing and drawing attention while with her, both things she rather enjoyed doing while with Fancypants, but both things that Fluttershy would likely be uncomfortable with. This didn't help calm her however, so she went with posing for an invisible audience to relax and pass the time.

Eventually, there was a knock at the front door. She opened it to reveal Fluttershy, also not wearing a dress. Fleur didn't comment on this yet, instead saying, “Hello, Fluttershy. Just give me one second and we can be on our way.”

Fluttershy nodded in acquiescence and stood in the doorway. When Fleur turned around, the pegasus noticed that the unicorn's cat wasn't in his usual spot on her back. She asked, “Where's Jacques?”

“He's out back, as punishment for wetting my dress.”

“Oh my. That's terrible.”

“Speaking of dresses, I would have thought Rarity had made one for you tonight,” Fleur said.

“Oh, uh, I couldn't get it on.”

“Why not?”

Fluttershy quickly explained the problem of wings and dresses to Fleur, who was a bit surprised and embarrassed. When she was a model, all unicorns and most earth ponies put on their own clothes unless they were particularly elaborate, but pegasi always had assistants dressing them. She had assumed that this was some weird racist holdover from a less understanding time, and had never considered the possibility that that was the most practical (and, sometimes, only practical) way for them to actually get clothes on. 

Feeling a bit silly about this, she grabbed her own bits, assuming that Fluttershy, who she understood generally had money issues, would expect her to pay for tonight's dinner, and unaware that she had set aside a goodly amount of bits for tonight as well. Putting her bits away, and coincidentally leaving Fluttershy unaware that she had them with her, she said, “Well, let's be off.”

On the way to the restaurant, Fleur noticed Fluttershy seemed a bit self-conscious, and asked, “What's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why are you so nervous?”

Fluttershy took a few seconds to screw up her courage before admitting, “I'm kinda nervous about dating another mare.”

Fleur didn't have an immediate response to this. She had suspected that Fluttershy, who had come out as bisexual only a few days prior, might not be entirely at ease with this revelation just yet.  However, being a bit too optimistic, she hadn't counted on this affecting their date in any way.

After a second of thought, and very briefly considering breaking one of the cardinal rules of unicorn magic by casting a calming spell on Fluttershy without asking, Fleur tried to reassure the pegasus by saying, “I know the feeling. My own coming out nearly caused me a nervous breakdown after the fact.”

“Really? What happened?”

“Well, it's a long story for another time. Suffice it to say, I don't think we're going to encounter any issues from any Ponyvillians, simply because we're together, a luxury I lacked when the younger, more hormone-addled me came out in one of the more conservative parts of Prance.”

“Unless they think you're in your thirties of forties again,” Fluttershy pointed out, still feeling self-conscious about being with Fleur, though the unicorn's words, along with her lovely Prench accent, were starting to have a calming effect on her.

“Yes, I had forgotten about that little issue. Thank you for reminding me,” Fleur said, sounding slightly annoyed. Whether it was at the fact that many ponies thought she was much older than she actually was or that Fluttershy had reminded her of such that annoyed the Prench mare, Fluttershy didn't know, but, if only for the sake of keeping her hopes up, she assumed the former. At this point they were getting close to the restaurant Fluttershy had reserved for them, and the pegasus picked up the pace a bit, trying to get there early.

Fleur wordlessly followed suit, noticing that the pegasus had relaxed somewhat, but was still not quite where she would like her to be emotionally. She had one overriding goal for tonight: get Fluttershy to give her one big, happy smile, and she knew the first step towards that end was to get Fluttershy to relax.

When the restaurant came into view, it took some effort on the part of the unicorn not to chuckle at the name: The Alimentaire Cheval.

She also noticed that, while the restaurant was classy enough that wearing a fancy dress wouldn't be out of place, it wasn't so posh that going without clothes would be considered a faux pas either.

Fluttershy turned to look at Fleur, offering a small smile in response to Fleur's big friendly one, before leading her to the front of the restaurant where they met the maitre d', a white unicorn stallion with a black mane, mustache, and tail and a bowtie as his cutie mark. He said with an impeccable Prench accent that matched Fleur's perfectly, “Welcome to the Alimentaire Cheval. How may I serve you ladies this fine night?”

“We have a reservation for two, at six. Should be under Fluttershy,” Fluttershy said.

After taking a second to find the reservation he said, “Ah yes, right this way please.” The two mares followed the maitre d' to a small booth on one side of the restaurant, where they sat down and received their menus, Fleur positioning herself to look smaller and less imposing than she actually was, thinking it couldn't hurt. “Now, what may I get you two for drinks?” he asked.

Fleur looked over the drinks list, and said, “I would like some red wine.”

“Certainly. Any specific vintage, madame?”

“No thank you, and it's mademoiselle, s'il vous plait.”

“Sorry, mademoiselle.”

“That's okay.”

The waiter then turned to Fluttershy, who said, “I'll have the apple cider.” Certainly not a very Prench drink, but, seeing as it was a local favorite, nopony was going to say anything.

“Certainly. I shall be right back with your drinks.”

“Mademoiselle?” a confused Fluttershy asked, as soon as the waiter disappeared.

“The proper term for an unmarried mare in Prance. Married mares are referred to as madams and unmarried as mademoiselles.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe I should teach you Prench someday. It is a beautiful language,” Fleur suggested.

“Maybe,” Fluttershy said vaguely, looking over the menu. She was happy to see that the food and drink, while a bit pricey, wasn't unreasonably expensive, and all of it sounded so good. Despite this, she was able to make her decision just in time for the waiter to return, though she let Fleur order first.

“Have you made your decision?” The waiter asked.

“Yes, I will have the ratatouille,” Fleur said.

“Very good, and you, mademoiselle?”

“The tomato lily soup, please,” Fluttershy said.

“Excellent, I will return with your food shortly,” the waiter said, taking the menus. As he left again, Fleur said, “This is a lovely restaurant, even if the name of it does mean 'the horse food'.”

“It does?”

“Oui, though I'm sure it sounds much classier to those who don't speak Prench.”

“Oh, my. I wish I knew that before,” Fluttershy said, and Fleur now realized that, just like her, the pegasus felt like she was the one who would have to work to convince the other mare to go along with the relationship. Of course, Fleur had been the pursuer all along, which made her wonder why Fluttershy would think she had to impress her.

“Don't worry about it. It's just funny is all.”

A silence descended over the table, which Fleur took advantage of to take in her surroundings. She saw that throughout the restaurant there were couples of all varieties. Most were stallions with mares, but there was a smattering of couples consisting solely of stallions or mares, and any pony race combination you could think of was represented outside of anything x alicorn. Also, coming from somewhere in the restaurant, there was a beautiful, haunting tune being played on a harp. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant, aside from the mild, yet continuous awkwardness at her own table (which was more the fault of the unicorn at said table than anything), was a very pleasant one, and as Fleur looked around, a small smile formed on her lips. Her reverie was only broken when Fluttershy asked, “Is the name really that funny?”

“Oh, no. I was actually appreciating the pleasant atmosphere of this place. I can see why you chose it.”

“Actually, Rarity suggested it. I've never been here before.”

“You haven't?” Fleur asked, honestly surprised. She would have thought that Fluttershy would have at least scouted out the place beforehand.

“No, I only stopped in once to make the reservation.”

“Even so, it's a very lovely restaurant, even if the name is a bit silly.”

Fluttershy didn't respond, but the self-conscious little smile emerging on her face did tell Fleur that she was getting somewhere.

At this point, their food was served. Fleur looked on, hungrily as her vegetable stew was placed in front of her, while Fluttershy showed more restraint, but was obviously ready to eat as well.

Not long after, Fleur was chewing on a piece of eggplant while watching Fluttershy eat her soup. The soup was a fairly large one, which she guessed had something to do with the size of the flower petals (she was partly correct, the restaurant was also known for serving large portions), annd was happy to see the other mare was somewhat more relaxed than when she had arrived at her home earlier in the evening, but frustrated by the fact that she still seemed somewhat self-conscious. She thought, in Prench, Patience, Fleur. Patience. Don't do anything foalish.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was a bit more focused on her food than her date at the moment. She had always loved lilies, but they were rather expensive in Ponyville, and because she had to set aside a lot of bits for all the food, medicine and various other supplies she used to take care of her animals, this meant that they were a rare treat for her, usually reserved for birthdays and holidays, and an opportunity like this was not to be passed up. She savored each mouthful for several seconds, making her date very curious.

“How's the soup?” Fleur asked.

“Delicious.”

“You mind if I try some?”

Fluttershy pushed the bowl a bit towards Fleur as affirmation, and the unicorn, for the first time since grabbing her bits, used her magic, though only to take a spoonful of the soup. “Yes, that is quite good.”

A short silence descended over the table which Fluttershy used to eat a few more spoonfuls of soup, before asking, “What's it like in Prance?”

“Where I come from, it's quite lovely, but, as with every country, there are areas that are best avoided, including parts of Pearis. Also, the fashions are just as beautiful as those you find in Canterlot, and the countryside more beautiful than anywhere I have ever been.”

“Sounds like you love your home country.”

“I do, and I miss it sometimes, but I love Equestria almost as much, and since I have so many of my roots planted here now I see no reason to go back,” Fleur said. “By the way, you never told me about your life in Couldsdale.”

“...I don't like to talk about it,” Fluttershy said, sounding rather sullen.

Brilliant, Fleur. What a great subject to bring up, the unicorn thought, realizing she had made a faux pas, though in her defense, she had little idea that Fluttershy didn't like to talk about her life in the clouds. Backpedaling a bit, she said, “I understand. Forget I asked.”

“That's okay,” Fluttershy said. A few seconds later, she asked, “How do you like living in Ponyville?”

“I like it. Maybe not as fashionable as Canterlot, or Pearis, but, at the same time, the atmosphere isn't rife with pretentiousness either, and the most adorable pegasus I've ever met lives here.” Fleur said, using thinly veiled flattery to try to make up for bringing up Cloudsdale.

It did help, though not quite as much as she would have hoped. When Fluttershy asked, “Do you really mean that?” her voice had lost most of its sullenness, but hints of old pain remained.

Fleur gave a reassuring smile and said, “Absolutely.”

This was more than enough to get Fluttershy out of her funk. Now in a slightly elated state, and slightly buzzed from the cider, Fluttershy gave a small smile and said, “Thank you. That means a lot coming from a lovely unicorn like you.”

Fleur managed to suppress the urge to squee in a very unladylike manner at hearing this, instead settling for making her smile a bit larger and happier as she speared an onion with her fork. Yes, she thinks I'm lovely! Maybe this will work out after all!, she thought.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was thinking, how did I let that slip out? You and your big mouth, Fluttershy., then she got a look at Fleur's reaction, and thought, Well, at least she seemed to like hearing me say that. Taking a long drink of her cider and hoping she didn't end up drunk, she considered her next move. Even though she thought things were going very well, she was still nervous (though doing an uncharacteristically good job of hiding it). Even so, because the date was going so well, she decided it couldn't hurt to try being a bit more bold than just calling Fleur lovely.

Taking a second to collect herself, Fluttershy quickly decided to build off her last statement. Drawing on her courage, she said, “It still seems amazing to me that somepony like you would want to go out with somepony like me, though.”

Fleur shook her head in amazement, saying, “C'mon Fluttershy. I think I said this before but I honestly had far less reason to expect any opportunity for romance with you than the other way around, because of some of my insensitive remarks. And I've never been the snooty pie in the sky type, even if I do revel in my beauty and expensive tastes a bit.”

The memory of Fleur's insensitive remarks stung a bit, but never reached Fluttershy's face, instead another small smile crossed said face, which helped to mask her continued, if slight, nervousness. She took another long drink of cider, emptying the glass, and, since she didn't want to risk getting drunk, chose to leave it empty. She then said, “We all make mistakes.”

Fleur opinion of the other mare, already quite high, improved another notch when she heard this. Silently joking to herself that she was probably talking to a changeling pretending to be the yellow pegasus, she finished the last of her wine then continued chatting with Fluttershy about this and that for the rest of their dinner.

When the waiter came with their bill, Fleur was a bit disappointed, as the date was coming to a close and she hadn't gotten that big, happy smile she wanted. Without looking at Fluttershy she pulled out her bit bag with her teeth and looked across the table to see Fluttershy now had her own bit bag in her mouth.

The absurdity of the situation, mixed with the embarrassment both of them felt for thinking that the other pony expected them to pay and the comical looks on each others' faces (with the bit bags still in their mouths serving to heighten the effect), was too much for either of them, and they both burst out in a fit of giggles.

Fluttershy recovered first, but the comedy of the situation kept the big, dopey grin on her face, which Fleur loved seeing. She set the bits on the table and asked, “Why did you bring your bits? I thought when you asked me to set this up, you would have had me pay.”

“Well, the thing is,” Fleur said, between continued fits of giggling, “I thought that, since I was the richer mare, you would have expected me to pay.” He r giggling redoubled from the absurdity, before she said, “I think next time, I'll pay so we don't end up embarrassing ourselves like this again. Not that it wasn't funny.”

Shaking her head at the overall silliness, Fluttershy took this as a cue that she would be paying tonight, and grabbed the bill. Fleur was tempted to stop her and pay herself, but decided not to intervene unless the yellow mare didn't have enough bits. Fortunately, the bill was only thirty bits, with a three bit tip, meaning Fluttershy wasn't about to embarrass herself by coming up short, so she emptied her bit bag on the table, and put two bits back in.

The two of them walked out of the restaurant and found themselves looking at a light blanket of snow. Fleur asked, “Was it supposed to snow today?”

“I dunno, I didn't check the weather.”

“Neither did I. Well, it's not the first time we made foals of ourselves tonight,” Fleur pointed out, getting another chuckle from Fluttershy, “anyway, we should do this again soon, don't you think?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, having found herself hoping for a second date, “When at?”

“I'll talk to Luna, and see if we can't set something up in Canterlot when she goes back. If not, does Thursday night sound good? I'll be happy to make the arrangements.”

“That sounds perfect.”
> Not quite to plan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“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.