[12:50 p.m.]

The girls and I were on our way to the city of Manehattan, taking the Harmony Express train to get there. I was sitting across from the girls in one of the cars while we had lunch we picked up from the station’s deli. I chose an egg salad sandwich, Fleur had a daisy sandwich, and Shining ate a spinach and rose petal salad while all of us had different chips and soda on the side. While I ate, I thought back to the hectic morning we had that came to where we were.

[Four and a half hours ago, 8:20 a.m.]

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” The girls screamed in glee, making me cringe from the high pitch and volume.

“Vogue wants to interview me?!” Fleur asked with a wide grin.

“Yes! I even have the message that I JUST received this morning to prove it!” Shining exclaimed before she plugged the answering machine to the wall, and played back the message that was recorded.

“Good morning, this is the vice president for the Vogue clothing brand, Autumn Winds,” a mare voice in the message greeted. “I’m calling on behalf of our president and CEO, Mascara, who would like to invite Fleur de Lis to an interview to see if she’s fit to not only model for one of our latest designs that’s to be released by this fall, but to even star in a commercial we’re preparing to air for that time. I realize this is a last minute notice, but Mascara is eager to meet with her ASAP. We’ll be expecting to see you two days from today at 3:00 p.m. sharp at our headquarters in Manehattan. We’ll see you then.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” The girls squealed once more while hugging and hopping in joy after the messaged ended, while I plugged my ears from the painful noise.

“Could somepony please tell me who or what a Vogue is before my eardrums explode?!” I demanded loudly before unplugging my ears.

“Vogue is one of the top clothing design brands that exist in Equestria today,” Shining explained while fixing her glasses. “Some of the top designers today work to their very souls over there, coming up with unique clothing lines for mares and stallions to wear for the most exquisite occasions. The pricing for their designs may be expensive, but trust me when I say that their works of art are worth it to wear in public.”

“It’s been our favorite brand to buy since we first saw some of their designs, and we’ve been trying to get in touch with them for years now,” Fleur added in. “We’ve tried to apply any open positions that were available just to get into at least one of their photo shoots. I can’t believe I get to be on T.V. with one of Vogue’s upcoming products!”

“Okay okay, let’s try not to get ahead of ourselves,” Shining said before taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. “I know this is big, but we’re only going for the interview. We can’t say Fleur getting in is a sure thing, but we need to be at our sharpest in order to pull this gig off. Because of how important this is, we’re cancelling all appointments for the week in order for us to focus on this one interview two days from now, and spend the rest of the week waiting for their final decision, and possibly celebrate for the success. We need to put our game faces on, and tackle this head on.”

“I don’t mean to be the devil’s advocate here,” I interjected. “But don’t you think you’re taking this too seriously for just a clothing brand?”

“JUST A CLOTHING BRAND?!” The girls practically screamed in sync at me, with possibly the scariest death glare I’ve seen yet. I could have sworn there were flames of rage burning in their pupils.

“Um… Yes?” I squeaked with a sheepish grin, literally feeling myself shrinking as the girls’ glares looked down, and possibly grew in size above me.

“Okay, clearly you’re not seeing how big this thing is,” Shining said as she got on my laptop on the counter, and typed in something that I assumed would lead to some kind of site. Once she got to where she wanted, she picked it up, and turned the screen towards me. “Let’s see if you can change your mind after seeing this.”

“With Vogue clothing design making yet another big hit with their latest lines for the season,” I read aloud. “Each of the models who’ve starred in their latest commercial have been paid handsomely with the price of…” If my bottom jaw could snap out of my face from how heavy it would drop, that would probably show how fucking shocked I was once I saw the amount of bits paid to the models. “HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT’S A HUGE ASS NUMBER!”

“Still think this is just a clothing brand?” Shining asked as she closed the page on the screen, and my laptop. “You can probably see now how big this thing really is for us, and why we want to make at least one appointment with them, and that was just for the photo shoot. If Fleur gets paid as much for starring in their commercial like the other models in that site page, and splits it between the three of us, that’s still a lot of money for us to get.”

“Just think of all the things I could use that money for to help other ponies,” Fleur said to herself while looking up in thought. “Maybe I could pay for renovations at the local orphanage that needs to be done.”

That does sound nice. I’ve passed through it a few times myself, and even with the flowers prettying up the front, the poor building looked like it was going to fall apart any day now.

“Alright, you got me hooked,” I said with my hands up in defeat. “So should we make preparations to leave for Manehattan today?”

“Oh absolutely!” Shining answered. “We’ll need time to make a bunch of phone calls to cancel our appointments. It may not be pretty, but this will be so worth it.”

“Oh goodness, I need to find what to wear for the interview,” Fleur said with a furrowed brow, and clenched fists in front of her. “I’ll need to pull out all the stops on this one in order to showcase myself. I need to get to that right away!” She then dashed upstairs to her room before a loud door slam could be heard from the kitchen.

“I guess I’ll pack my things for the trip as well… Crap! Fleur hasn’t had her breakfast yet!” I exclaimed before I took Fleur’s plate, and ran upstairs. “FLEUR! HAVE SOME BREAKFAST FIRST BEFORE IT GETS COLD!”

[Present time, 1:00 p.m.]

We spent the next few hours making a bunch of calls to cancel all of the businesses we were appointed with for the week, and find the best clothes to wear for the interview while we packed our things. Fleur took the longest to find what she could wear, and Shining and I had to help in order to come down with the final decision. Shining called Silver Wheel to drop us off at the station, and gave him the week off until we got back. It wasn’t until we bid him good-bye until next week at the station before we grabbed lunch, and got in the train car we were currently sitting. It was a pretty hectic morning, I’ll say that much, but that was the first I’ve ever seen the girls so excited. I certainly hope Fleur will get this chance. For a beautiful pony like her, it’s a wonder why Vogue hasn’t called her in until today.

When we finished having lunch, Shining brought up my workout session to Fleur that I didn’t want her to mention.

“So that’s why Ozzy looked so exhausted this morning,” Fleur commented. “Shiny, did you really have to push him that hard? You don’t even know if he has the same kind of strength earth ponies have.”

“Oh trust me, he didn’t,” Shining commented. “But if there was one thing his stubbornness was good for, it was to keep going until his body melted. He may not be strong now, but with me helping him out, he’ll be more than strong enough to be evenly matched with that bastard stallion the other day within a month’s time. We may not get the time to train some more over this week, but I’ll work him over twice as hard when we get back.”

“Gee, I am so thrilled,” I deadpanned in sarcasm.

“Well even with how tough she is with other ponies, Shiny can be a good trainer once you get used to her treatment,” Fleur commented. “She made sure that I get the proper amount of diet and exercise to get the body I have today.”

“… No offense Fleur, but you kind of look delicate,” I said. “Did Shining somehow go easy on you?”

“A little, but she was still firm with my routines,” she answered. “There was also learning self-defense for times I’m out by myself, and practicing my magic to lift heavier objects, so don’t think I need Shiny or a stallion to look after myself.”

“She’s right you know,” Shining added in. “Since she’s got magic on her side, she could probably do more damage with that dick from a week ago than I did.”

Okaaaay, writing mental note not to piss Fleur off along with not letting her cook any meals. Sheesh, what else is there about her I should worry about? Not to mention, it sounds like she and Shining can look after themselves no problem. What did Fancy Pants even want me to do with them if it’s not providing protection?

“Besides, my main training focuses on my body tone and flexibility, which may be completely different compared to what Shiny put you through today,” Fleur said.

“How flexible can you be?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

All Fleur did in response was give me some kind of lusty smirk with half-lidded eyes, and raised eyebrows.

“… Okay, never mind I asked,” I said while looking to the side with slightly heated cheeks as Fleur giggled at my expense.

“I’ll be right back. Gotta use the restroom,” Fleur said before she stood up and walked out of the car to the nearest bathroom, leaving me and Shining alone to ourselves in awkward silence before she spoke up.

“Can I ask you something Oz?”

“What’s up?

“How are you still here?” She asked.

I raised my eyebrow in confusion at the question. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I follow.”

“I mean how are you still working with us? Especially me, from the hard times I’ve given you?” She asked.

“To be honest, you’ve kind of lightened up on those ‘hard times’ you’ve given me since the first day,” I answered. “It’s not as bad as the treatment I’ve received from the managers in my past jobs.”

“What makes me different from the rest you’ve worked with?” She asked while her head tilted to the side.

“Well you give a shit for Fleur’s and my well-being for one thing,” I replied. “You’ve apologized for the rash behaviors you made; you show me the ropes around the business a lot better than them; and you’re trying to improve yourself for the better after hearing Fleur’s concerns last week. That’s as far as what I’ve noticed, and I find them admirable qualities.”

Shining’s cheeks reddened a little in response before she glanced to the side. “Sh-sheesh, has there really been humans that acted the opposite of what you described me?”

“And then some,” I answered.

“W-well… Don’t take this the wrong way Oz, but even though I may have given you some hard times in the past, a few that were harsher than others… I do appreciate you working hard for us,” she said while crossing her arms and looked to the side. “It’s only been a week since you started, and with some setbacks aside… You’re a better secretary than the ponies I had worked with in the past. Not to mention comfortable to talk openly to that I rarely do with others in public besides Fleur.”

Um… Wow, that came out of nowhere. Wonder how hard that was to say? Especially with me being a guy no less? And she didn’t even need to get drunk to be honest with me this time.

“Uh… Thanks Shining, I think it’s been kind of fun working you two as well,” I said while looking to the side and scratched the back of my head.

“And since I’m starting to get more comfortable around you, I need you to do me a favor Oz,” she said while looking at me directly, and fixing her glasses.

“What is it?”

“Though it’s easier with you, I still have trouble being with other stallions in the work place. I sometimes lash out at some who get on my nerves for maybe no reason at all,” she explained. “I feel I need some kind of incentive, a reminder for me to act better around stallions when I talk with them, and I need somepony I can trust to let me know what I’ve done wrong if I ever get harsh or lash out at them. Do you think you can do that Oz?”

“Uh… Sure if that’s what you want, but isn’t something like this more around Fleur’s territory? Since she’s your closest friend?” I asked

“That’s just it though Oz,” she replied, to which I raised a brow in confusion. “Yes, I’m trying to improve for her sake, but if what you’ve seen and heard from Fleur over the past week says anything, it can be difficult for her to voice her opinions until she’s pushed to the brink like in the dressing room last week. I don’t want that happening again anytime soon, especially if that next time may break things off between us. Plus for what I’m about to ask of you on how to help me with my problem, I can’t really say to Fleur.”

“What may that be?”

“If I lash out at a stallion I come across… I need you to… Tug my tail as a reminder.”

My eyes widened at the request, especially considering what I barely knew about it after accidentally touching Shining’s tail at Fancy’s party.

“Um… Isn’t your tail sensitive?” I asked. “Doesn’t it hurt when I tug it? Let alone just touching it?”

“Tugging somepony’s tail can be quite… Interesting at times, depending on the time and place,” she explained while glancing to the side. “I haven’t had a pony, especially a stallion, done it to me willingly for quite some time because it makes me feel… Something I shouldn’t be at certain times, and I’d get brasher than usual with stallions that have tried without my consent.”

Okay, that sounds worrisome. I’m not sure if I want to step into any boundaries that could get me in a worse condition than the dick that came on to Fleur last week.

“And you expect me to go along without worrying about the last part because…?” I asked.

“You don’t seem like somepony who would take advantage of others’ kindness and generosity for their own gain or amusement,” she explained. “If I really want to change myself, I need the right motivation from the kind of pony I’m trying to get along with, and not lash at. If I had Fleur did it, then I’d automatically give in easily since she’s the reason I’m doing this. With you, I’d consciously make the effort of not lashing out, and try to change for the better with the other stallions. In fact, if I ever do lash out at you unreasonably, especially if I rebutted after the first tug on my tail, give me two more consecutive ones since you’re putting in the time to do this. Does that make sense?”

“… You know you don’t have to go this far to try to improve yourself right?” I asked.

“I feel I haven’t made much progress over the past week, and this is the only option I can come up with,” she answered. “I also believe this is a good way for the two of us to gain more trust within each other. You put your trust in me to improve myself while I try not to get brash on you, and I trust you to not misuse my consent for your personal amusement while giving me your unbiased opinion on what I did wrong. Now, can I trust your sense of judgment for this task?”

I gotta say, this is certainly a tall order coming from Shining of all ponies, and she looks serious about it from how she’s gazing at me with those eyes of hers. It’s going to feel weird to do something like this, but if this is something she wants to do…

“… Alright, I can do that. You can count on me,” I answered with a nod.

Shining then gave a sigh of relief, and fixed her glasses before coming back up with a small smile. “Thank you. I’ll especially need this for the interview since we’ll be with a large company like Vogue.”

“Sorry for the wait,” Fleur apologized as she came back from the bathroom, and took a seat next to Shining. “Did I miss anything?”

“Nah. Just getting to know each other,” Shining answered.

“Yup,” I added in, going along with the lie.

“I’m glad to see the two of you are starting to get along. To be quite frank, you sometimes bicker like an old married couple would,” Fleur giggled as Shining blushed at the concept.

“A-as if I’d go out with somepony like Oz here,” Shining argued while looking to the side as she crossed her arms.

Okay, this was too good to pass up. It’s practically begging me to take advantage of this.

“Really now? Oh what a shame,” I sighed in fake disappointment. “And I was going to treat us to dinner and a movie too. Oh well, if I’m not good enough for you, maybe Fleur would like to join instead.” Shining then turned to me with widened eyes, and cheeks that were still flustered.

“Oh! Do you think we could go see that Guardians of the Galaxy movie?” Fleur played along while Shining turned to her then. “I’ve been wanting to see a human movie for quite some time, especially with something unique as this. That talking raccoon seems quite a delight as a character as well.”

“But… But I like the raccoon…” Shining mumbled with her ears folded.

“I don’t see why not. I’m eager to see that movie myself,” I replied. “Then after the movie I’ll treat you to a nice massage to end the evening.”

“Ooo~, I’d love to have some of that,” she cooed. “Maybe I’ll return the favor with a little ‘happy ending.’”

“Okay stop stop stop! I do not want to hear anything further than this!” Shining exclaimed with her head completely red while covering her ears before Fleur and I chuckled at her embarrassed expense.

[4:15 p.m.]

We arrived at the station in Manehattan a few hours later. Once the train came to a stop, the three of us grabbed our things before we walked out of the train car, and practically bombarded with many ponies that were bustling around the station.

Sheesh, this looks more packed than the station in Canterlot.

As we tried to squeeze through the crowd, a young looking pegasus stallion bumped into Shining (albeit abruptly) before getting past us without a word. Shining turned to him with gritted teeth, and a frustrated glare.

“HEY! You’re supposed to say ‘excuse me’ when shoving yourself into ponies like that! Watch where you’re going jackass, or I’ll teach you the lesson myself!” Shining exclaimed with a shaking fist. The stallion’s irises shrunk to pinpricks before he dashed of at an incredible speed, leaving Shining gritting her teeth while Fleur sighed, and looked to the side.

“Ozzy, could you please watch my things for a little bit? I need to use the restroom,” Fleur said.

“Sure,” I replied as I grabbed a hold of her luggage, and she left to the bathroom’s direction, leaving me alone with Shining who was still glaring in the stallion’s path of departure.

Oh boy, that was uncalled for. Okay Ozzy, time to see if she follows through with this, or come out with a new shiner trying.

While I was close enough to Shining, I reached down to her tail that was twitching in annoyance before grabbing it still, and giving it a slight tug. Her body tensed up, and shivered as she gasped in response. She then turned to me with flushed cheeks, but still maintaining that glare of hers.

“A-are you kidding me?!” She snarled. “If you thought that was too far, then you’re a bigger dumbass than—Ffffffff!“

With my hand still holding her tail, I gave her two more consecutive tugs like she would tell me to do if she argued, which got her to painfully bite her lower lip. I knew her tail was sensitive, but what came next was surprising to me. Not only did her cheeks flared up redder than before, she buckled her knees, and tried to stifle some sort of whining sound she made in her throat. She had her hand gripping the shoulder part of my shirt as she tried to keep herself standing. She just looked down without saying another word. Her lower regions were still shivering a little before I let go of her tail. After that, she started to pant harshly while I saw beads of sweat rolling down her face. It was very unusual, as if she just came out from a very long jog out in the summer heat.

“Have you calmed down enough?” I asked, which Shining just turned to me, nodded silently in response. “Okay. While it’s true what that stallion did back there wasn’t nice, getting aggressive over it like that wasn’t necessary in the slightest. There’s either ignoring it and move on, or talk it out calmly with him. Does that make sense?”

She swallowed a little to keep her mouth from drying out before answering. “Y-yes… S-sorry for calling you a dumbass back there.”

“Are you feeling okay? You don’t look too hot,” I said as I rested my hand on her back in comfort.

“I-I’ll be fine… I just need some time to get myself back in full swing. Thanks for following through with that favor I asked of you.”

“No problem. Just try to watch yourself next time alright? I’m kind of worried how doing this will affect you in the long term, and I’d rather not risk hurting you because of it.”

Her eyes widened while her cheeks reddened once more before glancing down. “W-well as long as you don’t pull hard enough to tear the hairs out, I’ll be fine,” she answered. “Most ponies get this way when their tails get tugged like earlier, but they recover shortly afterwards.”

“Alright, if you say so. Just let me know if it somehow gets out of hand alright?”

“I’ll keep it in mind, thank you.”

“Um… Did I miss something?” A third voice asked.

Shining and I turned to it, and it was Fleur with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head. We then looked at each other, and noticed that Shining still had her hand gripping the shoulder of my shirt, while my hand was still on her back, leaving us in an awkward position to somepony just walking in. I tried to quickly come up with something that goes along with this before answering.

“Shining almost slipped and fell face first on the floor,” I responded quickly. “Some idiot spilled some drink that made the floor slippery, and I caught her just in time before she hit the ground.”

“Y-yes! And I’m just pulling myself back up with his support,” Shining played along before she cleared her throat, stood up straight, and fixed her glasses. “I’m okay now.”

“Well that’s certainly a relief,” Fleur sighed with a hand to her chest as she grabbed her luggage. “Shall we get going then?”

“Sure. We should check in at a hotel first before we do anything else,” I said as we started to leave the station. “It may be best if I checked in a room for myself while you two take one next door.” Suddenly the girls stopped mid-step, and stood there staring at me blankly with confusion. I glanced back and forth between the two before I raised my eyebrow with confusion of my own. “… What?”

“Why?” Fleur asked.

“Why what?” I asked.

“Why would you stay in a room by yourself?” She asked.

“Uh… Because I thought you girls might want some privacy?” I asked. “You know, since I’m a guy?”

“Oz, let’s not get things too complicated,” Shining sighed while fixing her glasses. “We’re staying here for a week at most, and hotel lodgings are pretty expensive around here. It’s best that we poll our bits together to share one room to stay in over the week.”

“So… You don’t have any problems with me staying in the same room with you two?” I asked for certainty.

“Nope. I’m good,” Fleur answered.

“Me too,” Shining added in.

Sheesh, I didn’t think they’d be so chill about this, especially Shining of all ponies. Maybe I'll just change clothes in the bathroom while I wait for the girls to finish with theirs. That’s the only thing I’m concerned about in terms of privacy.

“Alright, if you say you’re okay with it, then I won’t argue,” I said.

“Excellent. Let’s get checked in, and we’ll grab some dinner before we settle for the night,” Fleur suggested.

“Sounds good,” I responded before the girls took the lead, and called a taxi carriage over to pick us up. Once the girls started to get inside, I suddenly felt something heavy that was weighing on my shoulders, as if there was something… Or somepony, was giving off bad vibes that affected everything around it, including me. I quickly turned around, and didn’t see any suspicious ponies that were lingering, save for a couple that just stared at me in curiosity before turning away, and went back to their businesses.

“Everything okay Ozzy?” Fleur asked, snapping me back to what I was doing while my eyes were still being attentive to what was around me.

“… Yeah, I’m good,” I said before I put my luggage in the trunk with the girls’ things, and I got inside before the driver took us away.

… Was I just imagining things, or was somepony watching us back there? Seeing how Manehattan has a striking resemblance to our Manhattan, I’ll have to keep in mind that the structures may not be the only things that are similar around here like on Earth. If all the movies and shows I’ve seen that took place in New York are any indication, I’ll have to watch my back along with Shining’s and Fleur’s. No friends of mine are getting hurt on my watch, no way no how.

[8:30 p.m.]

Once we checked in at the hotel, and dropped our things in our room, and we went out for dinner not too long afterwards. As we ate, we discussed about how things may go with Fleur’s interview with Vogue. They talk and discuss with her, we bring some photographic samples of her best modeling moments to sell herself more, and once the interview’s over, they’d take about a day or two to decide whether or not she’d see fit to work with them. I asked at one point if they’ll give her another chance to do a photo shoot or commercial recording after they made their decision. Shining answered that whether or not they’re in, they could be put in what they would call a reserve list, where some models would be put there for future appointments if they’re booked on the current roster. It’s also used for models that the company would be interested in working with again in the future if they were impressive enough the first time. If the models turn out to be total bitches before or after the photo shoot or commercial, chances are they may not get an opportunity like that again. With Fleur being the way she is, even if they somehow can’t put her in for the upcoming commercial, there’s a good chance she may be put on the reserve list for a later time, as far as what Shining had said, and that can be as much of a victory as any.

Once we were finished with our meal for the night, we went back to our hotel room to settle for the evening. The room they gave us was pretty comfortable. Though there were two beds, there was a couch that unfolds into another one if there were more than two guests… It didn’t look all that comfortable once I set it up, but I’ve slept in worse. There was also a small table with a few chairs to sit; a bathroom with a large tub; a container to keep ice stored along with a couple glasses; a small fridge with small drinks and snacks inside while the list of prices for consumption were on top (which were ridiculously expensive might I add); the place had free Wi-Fi for us to gain access to; and of course any room is incomplete without a T.V. and D.V.D. player against the wall. Altogether, it was like any other hotel room.

“Is it okay if I take a shower first? I’ll be quick and sure to save some water,” I said.

“I don’t have any problems. Shiny?” Fleur asked her.

“I can wait,” Shining answered.

“Alright, be back in a bit,” I said before I grabbed my change of clothes and bathroom essentials, and went inside.

I came back out about ten minutes later with a plain t-shirt, some boxers, and night pants over those. It was a good thing I brought the latter with a second set. I’m not sure how things would be if I was basically in my underwear in the same room with the girls. I tried to not have too much of a hot shower while I cleaned myself as well, it was practically lukewarm.

“Huh… So that is what you sleep in?” Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah… Any problems with this?” I asked, and the girls just shrugged in response.

“I’m heading in next,” Shining said as walked inside with her own essentials, leaving me and Fleur sitting next to each other on her bed.

“Soooo… How’s your eye?” Fleur asked.

“It feels okay. Plus with the color gone, putting on make-up won’t be necessary anymore,” I answered as I lifted my glasses, and touched my eye that was hit to demonstrate. It was still a little sensitive, but better all the same.

“Can I ask you something Ozzy?” Fleur asked.

“Sure.”

“This morning when you went to the gym… Was it because of what happened last week?”

I sat there speechless, surprised that she was able to figure that out so quickly.

“Guess I can’t hide anything from either of you girls,” I lied, as there was still the nightmares I haven’t revealed yet.

“You know we’re capable of protecting ourselves right?”

“I know that now, but I just felt so pathetic since that fight,” I said as I looked down at the floor. “Even over the past week, I still feel like I haven’t done much as your secretary and friend. I’m supposed to be helping you two, yet it’s like it’s becoming the other way around. I don’t know, I feel like I’m not putting in as much work into the team as I should.”

“Dearie, believe me when I say that you’ve helped us more than you think,” Fleur responded. She then surprised me by leaning against my side, and laid her head on my shoulder. “Since you’ve came around, though I know we can’t keep living in the past, I feel like things between me and Shiny are slowly going back to where they were before, and I couldn’t be any happier. So many things have happened since I broke up with Solar Flare, and I didn’t realize how much that would affect Shiny and me.”

“You broke up with him because he slept with other mares right?” I asked. “Was he always like that?”

“Sadly, no,” she answered. “He and I go way back since our time in Canterlot High, where we hooked up not too long after I gained my cutie mark.”

Ah, high school romance, the least successful relationship in life out of all others, at least as far as I’ve noticed.

“He and I were good friends before that, and he had big dreams of becoming a movie actor,” she continued. “He was the sweetest stallion I’ve ever met, and when I told him how I wanted to be a model, not only was he thrilled, but he was determined to keep our relationship strong past high school, and become one of Equestria’s biggest power couples… Sure, we've gotten there briefly, but thinking back on it now, he may only thought of how much fame we would get as a power couple, instead of just loving me for who I was like he did before. It might have been a hint of what was to come later.

“Fast forward to after graduation, he got booked on his first movie that became a big hit, and I was getting a good start on my modeling. We may have been busy, but we’ve tried to get together when we were free. Overtime though, he was changing. He had a growing ego that he didn’t have before, started to drink more to the point that it was becoming a concern, and thought he was living the life of everypony’s dream: making big money, gaining fame, and of course, dating a hot celebrity. That’s what most of the press was saying, but we haven’t spent as much time together as we used to, and being in a relationship was becoming more than just a label than really working to make what we had was real.”

Hold on… Drinking to the point of concern… Have I heard of something similar before?

“At some point, we stopped seeing each other for a time, and I was getting fed up on the lack of attention,” Fleur continued. “So when I came up to him, I found him in our room, on our bed, banging another mare, having the time of his life. That was when I realized the Solar Flare I once knew was gone a long time ago, and everything around me just shattered. He and I had a fight after I kicked the mare out, and I could tell he was out of it from the alcohol, as he was more abrasive than usual. Soon after I broke things off with us, I packed my things and left as well that same night, staying with Shiny for the time being until things got better.”

“You mentioned breaking up with him pretty much changed everything for you and Shining, did something happen after that?” I asked.

“… There was, but I promised I wouldn’t tell anypony until Shiny was comfortable enough with them,” she answered. “Let’s just say that what happened afterwards made me feel like I was the one that changed her life forever, and even though she said it wasn’t my fault, I still feel guilty for it. It was sometime afterwards that Shiny started to change as well, and I was worried I would lose my best friend like my coltfriend. Though losing Solar Flare hurt me, I don’t know what I would do if I lost Shiny…” It was then that my shoulder started to get damp, and I heard sniffling sounds coming from Fleur.

All I did was hug her close to me, and she continued to sob on my shoulder while I sat there in silence.

After a couple minutes, Fleur calmed down, and she stopped her sobs. I reached to pass her a box of tissues, and she took some out before pulling back. Once she dabbed her eyes dry, she noticed how her eyeliner stained the shoulder of my shirt from her tears. “… Sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s no problem,” I said while I patted her back. “You feeling okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” she responded before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. “Anyway, going back to what we talked about before, you’ve helped Shiny to start slowly becoming as happy as I remembered since you first came in, and I can’t express how grateful I am for you making that possible. So don’t think you haven’t done much for us, as you’re already doing much more than you realize.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” I replied with a small smile.

“It’s quite funny when you think about it though,” Fleur commented. “None of this would have happened if I hadn’t seen Solar Flare that day, the one stallion I didn’t want to see ever again. I didn’t think running into him would lead me to getting tackled by a better stallion.”

“Heh, that is kind of funny,” I said before the two of us chuckled at the irony.

Not too long later, Shining came out of the bathroom with not only a damp mane, but also wearing a pair of violet pajama shorts that hugged her form comfortably, and a white tank top. What amazed me was how well her legs were sculpted, even up to her thighs. Not to mention though it was barely noticeable, but I could see something poking out from under her top where her breasts were. Two of them in fact, that looked to have the same size as a golf ball, and slightly erect as if the sudden change in temperature caused them to get that way, and sensitive if I touched one of them. It was almost just as hypnotizing when they bounced as she walked.

She sighed in content before she finished brushing her mane, and went to work on her tail as she sat on the bed across from us. “A shower after a long day was just what I needed,” Shining said

“I guess I’m up then. Be back in a bit,” Fleur said before she grabbed her things, and started her shower last.

“What’s with the stain on your shirt?” Shining asked as she pointed to said stain on my shoulder.

“Uh… Fleur was just having a sad moment, and I just did what I could to comfort her,” I answered.

“What was she crying about?” She asked with concern in her eyes.

“She was telling me about how things went with Solar Flare before they broke up,” I replied.

Shining’s concern quickly changed to anger, spite, and a tinge of fear as she furrowed her brow, and looked to the side. “I see… Did she—“

“Fleur didn’t tell me anything about your side of the story,” I interrupted, having her widened her eyes as she looked back to me. “She said she wouldn’t say until you were comfortable enough to talk about it yourself, but she did mention about how she still felt guilty about what happened after the break up.”

She sighed as she rubbed her eyes under her glasses. “I thought we went over this back at the hobbyist shop last week, but I guess I can’t blame her for still feeling that way.”

“You don’t have to tell me what happened back then if you’re not comfortable yet,” I said. “This sounds like a touchy topic, and I’d rather not push it until you’re ready.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you Oz.”

Still though, I’m seeing some kind of connection. If Shining and Fleur were talking about the same pony, then Shining must know about Solar’s drinking problem Fleur mentioned. And whatever happened after the breakup somehow ended with Solar sent to prison for five years, Shining changed from whatever kind of pony she was before, and Fleur feeling guilty about getting her involved… Oh and somehow Shining’s coltfriend left her after that while we’re at it. God, I’m starting to hate this Solar Flare the more I keep hearing about him. I don’t care if I do end up getting beaten again. If I somehow come across him one day, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.

“I’d have to agree with you about whatever happened not being Fleur’s fault though,” I commented, trying to get these hateful thoughts out of my head. “I’m sure what happened after that break up was completely out of her control, and something nobody ever suspected to happen.”

“You couldn’t be more right on that,” she said. “I’m just glad I’m finally starting to move on from it like Fleur had. I just hope things will turn out at least a little of what we had before… I kind of missed it.”

“Believe me, Fleur wishes the same thing,” I said with a small smile. “And I’ll help out however I can, like going through that… Thing you want me to do.”

“Uh, yes… The thing,” she replied with a slight blush while looking to the side, and crossing her legs.

“That reminds me, what happens if you, well… Lash out on a stallion if I’m not around?” I asked.

“I’ll be truthful in my experiences with them to you,” she answered. “If you see that it wasn’t acceptable behavior, you can tug my tail the number of times I did wrong while you were out. You’ll do that in someplace private of course.”

“That sounds reasonable,” I said. “So what are we going to do tomorrow since the interview won’t be until the day after?”

“I guess we’ll take some time to rehearse for when the time comes,” she answered. “After that, we’ll just have to try to do what we can to relax while we mentally prepare ourselves.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense,” I said before I looked up in thought, and tried to come up with some ideas for tomorrow.

A couple minutes later, Fleur came out of the bathroom, and my eyes widened at the sight. Instead of some casual nightwear like Shining’s, Fleur came in with something more alluring. She was in a light pink, silk chemise type of nightwear where the skirt part was just starting to get high enough to worry about discretion. It also showed a good amount of cleavage that gave a little bounce as she walked. I know I’ve seen Fleur in much more risqué attire before, but seeing her with just me and Shining in the room made me more nervous than being surrounded by other ponies in a studio.

“I wish I had more casual nightwear like Shiny’s, but this and the purple one were the only ones I found that weren’t too risqué,” Fleur said. “This doesn’t bother anypony here does it?”

“Uh, nope. Not at all,” I replied, trying to keep myself calm.

“You’re fine Fleur, don’t worry about it,” Shining said with a wave of her hand.

“That’s a relief,” Fleur said as she walked over, and sat back next to me. The close proximity in her change of clothes was making me shudder slightly more from nervousness. “Anything I missed?” She asked.

“We’re just coming up with a way to spend tomorrow before the interview the day after,” Shining answered. “We’ll be rehearsing a little for it first, but I thought taking the rest of the day to try and relax would help us prepare ourselves too.”

Right, maybe if I try to keep my mind on that, I can try to distract myself from my arousal. I gotta come up with something quick before things get awkward. Okay, try to think Ozzy, what would be a fun and relaxing to do with three people? Or two ponies and one human in this case. Come on, think…

Think…

THINK!

“Do you two want to go out tomorrow?”

Author's Notes:

BRAIN BLAST!

...

What? Someone was going to say it sooner or later, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, congratulations, you're probably too young to read this story in general.

Anyway, what the heck went through Ozzy's mind when he said that? How will the girls react to such a vague, yet general question? What in the world happened after the break up? Let's see what's in store for Ozzy tomorrow in the next chapter.

Also Rocket is most badass character in GotG

This is Dudeler signing off.