[Ozzy’s POV, 9:55 a.m.]

“Alright, so to start off, I want to apologize for keeping what we’ve just experienced last night from you two,” I said. “I wasn’t exactly sure how to tell you two because, well… you saw it yourself, not my finest moment, and I didn’t want that to scare you away somehow. You two made staying here worth it despite the occurrences so far, and… I don’t think I’ll ever be this content with myself again if I lost you two. Can you forgive me?”

We were in the hotel’s restaurant to have a small breakfast for the day after we changed into casual clothing. When we woke up the first time after that nightmare, Fleur said we were going to have a lot to discuss about what they saw before we went back to sleep. So I’d like to get some questions out of the way before we meet Bubbles and Toffee for lunch, and possibly continue the conversation on the ride back if there are any more concerns that needs to be put on the table.

“I suppose you had your reasons for keeping something like that from us, as it seemed to be quite the experience you’d rather not look back to,” Shining said before fixing her glasses. “Speaking as somepony who has gone through a traumatic experience myself, and didn’t tell you about it until a week after you came on board, I can empathize with you making sure we’re ponies you can trust before disclosing such information. So apology accepted, and I forgive you.”

“Thank you, Shining,” I said before I turned to Fleur.

“I’m just glad that so-called brother of yours is behind bars,” Fleur commented. “I’m on the same boat as Shiny here, but I do have some questions I’d like to ask.”

“Ask me anything,” I replied. “It may be the therapy I went through after the incident with my brother, but I feel calmer talking to you two about this now that it’s out in the open.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Let’s see, where do I start?” Fleur asked as she looked up in thought. “I just want to be sure, but you and your father haven’t spoken to each other since you left, correct?”

“That’s right. The same goes for Robert after he was taken away,” I answered.

“What was your relationship with your father like before then?” she asked.

“If I had to say one word to describe it, it would be ‘distant,’” I answered. “He’s been an alcoholic for as long as I could remember, and I could barely tell when he was sober enough for us to share more than a few words before we went our separate ways. Other than what he is and what he did for a living, I don’t know much about him on a personal level, if at all. I don’t even know what he’s been doing since I moved out.”

“When did you and Robert start your fights?” Shining asked.

“I think it was sometime in Junior High for him while I was still in Grade School,” I answered. “That was when he started to become more of a delinquent and things escalated from there. Dad tried to step in from time to time, but he pretty much gave up on it after it kept going.”

“How long was your brother sentenced to prison?” Fleur asked.

“For all the lives the heroin took, his buddies received fifteen years while Robert had ten extra for all the abuse he brought onto me, plus the attempted murder.”

“Wow… twenty five years?” Shining asked.

“Twenty two now,” I corrected. “But yeah, even if he was let out, there’s no way he can get into Equestria with his criminal record.”

“Thank Celestia for that,” Fleur said while rubbing her temples.

“And your mother’s… gone, right?” Shining asked.

“Yeah,” I answered. “I was pretty young when that happened though, so I didn’t remember her very much before the car accident. I think it was sometime afterwards that Dad started drinking.”

“So… did you have adult supervision of any sort?” Fleur asked with folded ears.

“There were Dad’s occasional drinking buddies, a few nice neighbors who’ve helped me learn to take care of myself, and my school counselors, but that’s really it.”

Fleur and Shining looked at each other with concern written on their faces.

“But that’s all in the past though,” I continued before they turned back to me. “Like Princess Luna said, I shouldn’t let it hold me back while I make my own path to happiness. I’m here now, and I’m leaving all of the bad times in my life back on Earth. I’m going to get rid of those nightmares like I did before, and I’m going to try to get over my insecurities as I try to make something out of my new life here.”

The girls smiled a little at me after I finished. “Don’t forget you have us behind you as well Ozzy,” Fleur assured. “As your dear friends, we’ll do anything we can to help you.”

“I’m especially going to help you put some meat on your bones, Oz,” Shining commented as she gripped her flexed arm with a smirk. “With that and some fighting tips, you’ll be as tough as an earth pony. I guarantee it.”

“I’m holding you to that,” I replied. “No matter how many times I looked back on it, I still couldn’t believe I had beaten up Robert like that.”

“Where’d that strength come from anyway?” Fleur asked with a confused expression. “After seeing that last night, if you were sober when we run into that stallion again last week, I think you might have stood a chance against him.”

“Maybe,” I replied as I looked at my hands. “When that last fight with Robert happened… I don’t know. I think I snapped, driven by my fear, anger, and desire to live. It was like all the things Robert pounded into me for so long built something inside until it just exploded. I didn’t care how I had to do it, but I just wanted him to stop making my life a living hell… and boy, did he stop.” I looked up to the girls as I set my hands down on my lap. “I don’t think I want to go back to feeling like that again, to be honest. I want to defend myself, sure, but I don’t want to go overboard with it either, you know?”

“I understand,” Shining answered with a nod. “Sometimes I think my way of venting my anger by beating up a punching bag with Puff’s face on it isn’t very healthy either. It helped me, sure, but it just led to me getting angry every time I saw his poor excuse of a face. Don’t worry though, Oz, we’ll figure something out.”

“Thanks, Shining,” I replied with a small smile.

[12:15 p.m.]

Once we finished our breakfast, we went back to our room to clean ourselves up and pack our things to prepare for our departure. We decided to leave the stuff in the room and have lunch with Bubbles and Toffee first before we come back and check out. I was glad we decided to have a light breakfast, because it sounds like we were going to an Italian restaurant for lunch… or should I say Itailian, and they can get pretty filling.

We took a taxi carriage over to Tortellini’s as I looked out the window for anything suspicious. I wasn’t joking when I told the girls I felt something very off since we first arrived in Manehattan. If that bad feeling in my gut and Fleur’s encounter with Solar are connected, then I needed to be on my guard… but then I realized something so simple I felt completely stupid for not thinking about it sooner.

I’ve never even met Solar Flare, and I don’t even know what he looks like. I could have looked him up on the web myself, but since it was something personal from the girls before they opened up to me, I didn’t want to feel like I was intruding into other ponies’ business.

“Hey, Fleur?”

“Yes, Ozzy?”

“Just in case I somehow run into Solar Flare, what does he look like?” I asked.

“Well he’s a pegasus for one thing,” Fleur explained. “He has yellow fur, white spiked mane and tail, amber eyes, and if he’s in little enough clothing, he has a pair of sunglasses with light reflecting on its lenses as his cutie mark.”

“Pegasus, yellow, white, amber, and sunglasses. Got it,” I replied.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, but humans don’t have cutie marks right?” Shining asked.

“That’s correct,” I answered.

“So how do you know when you’ve found your special calling or talent?”

“As far as I know, just trying out a lot of things until we come across something we like. Some of us stick to one thing for the rest of our lives, others may get tired of it after a while and look for something else. It’s really a never-ending game of trial and error. The closest thing on our bodies that might represent ourselves in a way would be tattoos.”

“Tattoos?” Fleur asked.

“It’s like an artificial cutie mark,” I clarified. “Instead of it appearing out of nowhere like cutie marks, tattoos are etched into the surface of the skin with needles and different colors of ink.”

“That sounds… painful,” Shining commented.

“Yeah, and not only does it cost a lot of money, but it could take hours and more than one visit to the tattoo parlor before you get exactly what you want,” I continued, making the girls cringe from the thought. “They don’t just get them on the shoulders and hips like ponies do either. They can be on our backs, chests, arms, legs, and some can even go hardcore and get their whole BODIES tattooed.”

“Dear Luna,” Fleur commented as she and Shining shivered in their seats.

Okay, this is starting to get fun. I can’t just stop here.

“And you know what’s truly horrifying about tattoos?” I asked.

“There’s more!?” Shining asked as her irises shrunk to pinpricks.

“Oh yes,” I replied. “Over time, tattoos can get droopy as people age, making them not look as good as when it was applied, and you can never… wash… it off…”

“YOU CAN NEVER GET RID OF THEM?!” Fleur yelled.

“Oh don’t worry, you can get rid of them,” I answered, and the girls sighed in relief.

And now for the painfully ironic twist.

“It’s just that you have to do it with laser surgery, and that costs more money than getting the tattoos.”

“L-lasers?” Shining asked. “L-like the ones from Guardians of the Galaxy?”

“Something like that,” I answered. “But from what I heard, the lasers are small, and they shoot continuously as it slowly goes all over the tattooed area to remove it, making the process so excruciatingly painful, you wish you’d never gotten the tattoos in the first place. And that’s why I didn’t bother thinking about getting one.”

The girls trembled in their seats as they sweated bullets on their fur. “O-Ozzy?” Fleur asked.

“Yes Fleur?” I asked as innocently as possible while trying to hold in my chuckles.

“I think I’m happy I got my cutie marks on my butt without pain,” she proclaimed before I lost it and laughed hysterically on the floor.

Wow, I feel so much better than I did last night. My god, that was a load off.

I calmed down as we arrived at the restaurant. After I paid for the ride, I stepped out first while the girls followed, still a little shaken up from the tattoo thing. When we got inside we told one of the hostesses about Bubbles and Toffee waiting for us, and she directed us to the couple that were sitting at table far into a corner. They were both in casual clothing; Bubbles with a button up tee and signature shades, while Toffee had a pale yellow top and her mane was straightened so it stretched just past her shoulders.

“Oz!” Toffee exclaimed before she got up and gave me hug that felt more like a vice trying to snap me in half. “Bubbles told me everything that happened yesterday. I am so sorry you had to go through all of that you poor thing.”

“It’s… alright Toffee,” I wheezed out. “You’re… crushing me.”

“Uh, Toffee, I think Oz would like to be free now,” Shining suggested.

“Oh! Sorry about that, I get a little carried away with these things,” Toffee replied as she loosened her grip, and I drank the sweet oxygen that I was lacking.

Dear Luna, that was painful. That earth pony strength isn’t something to laugh at.

“Please, have a seat. We only got here a few minutes ago ourselves,” Toffee said before we complied. I sat between the girls while Bubbles and Toffee sat across from us before we ordered our drinks and looked through our menus.

“Fleur, I’ve let your brother know about the Solar situation before the incident yesterday,” Bubbles explained, making the three of us look up. “He sent three of my guys here almost immediately. You won’t see them, but they’ll be following you back to Canterlot after this. They’re actually outside right now.”

“Thank you for doing this, Bubbles,” Fleur said with a small smile. “I’m sorry I had to interrupt your anniversary vacation with some work.”

“Oh don’t worry about that, baby,” Toffee intervened with a wave of her hand. “You and Shining are practically family to us. We’d drop everything we have to see if you two were okay. Ain’t that right, Bubbles?”

“Mhm,” he replied. “Fancy also called up Silver to pick you three up at the station later today. He wants you to call him when you get back home too. ”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Fleur replied.

Gosh, it’s really something to see how much they all care for Fleur and Shining. Fancy and Fleur’s relations aside, it’s like they really are one, big family.

Once we got our drinks and ordered, I excused myself to use the restroom. After I did my business and cleaned myself, I left the bathroom and—

“Oz.”

“GYA!” I yelped as I jumped back in shock from Bubbles’ face appearing out of nowhere. “Crap, ya scared me. Is there something you need?” I asked as I caught my breath.

“I’d like to have a word with you outside,” he answered. From the tone of his voice and his face with those shades, it sounded more like an order than a request.

“S-sure, lead the way,” I replied before I followed him out front.

Crap, I bet he’s going to chew me out for being such a pussy yesterday. Makes sense, since he was there hearing the whole thing along with the girls. He probably didn’t want to do it earlier because of the other ponies in the room and decided to do it now in private. Well, you gotta respect his sense of decency, I’ll say that much.

When we got outside, we took a seat at one of the vacant outdoor tables that were off to the side. Once I got myself comfortable and prepared for the worse, Bubbles cleared his throat before he pulled out a folder from his shirt. “First off, you and the girls are appointed to be in the Royal Day Court for Mascara’s Trial four weeks from today at 3:00. This is the information you need to give to Fancy so he can turn it over to the attorney selected for the case.”

I blinked a few times in confusion as I took the folder, and inspected the contents inside. “Uh… thanks, Bubbles, but how does the ‘Royal Day Court’ work?” I asked.

“How do trials back on Earth go?” he asked while keeping his stoic expression.

“Um… a prosecutor presents the opening statement for a case to the jury, a defense attorney says a few things, then there’s evidence being presented along with witnesses explaining the event in their own perspective. The jury then decides whether the defendant is guilty or not, and the judge makes the closing statement that includes the defendant’s final declaration before adjourning court. It usually takes a few days, and there’s some details I left out, but that’s pretty much the best summary I can give you.”

“Mm,” Bubbles hummed. “Well the Royal Day Court works pretty much the same way as yours from Earth, only there’s no jury, it usually lasts only one session, and Princess Celestia herself is the judge.”

My eyes widened at the last statement. “P-Princess Celestia runs the court?” I asked. “D-does Princess Luna run the Court too?”

“Yes, except it’s called the ‘Royal Night Court’ in her case,” he answered. “It’s part of their duties as rulers of Equestria. They take a couple hours out of their time to listen to our cases, and on occasion, a noble’s bill they want to pass into law. It takes a long time to plan an appointment as there are only so many interpersonal problems the princesses can resolve in a matter of hours, although sometimes they’ll request more time to think on an issue.”

Yikes, that’s got to be excruciating. And they’ve been doing that for a thousand years? I’ve got to give them props for their commitment in keeping their subjects safe.

“Going back to the current case,” Bubbles continued. “You and Mascara will be in the same room as the trial progresses, and with some well-known ponies on your side, she won’t have much of a chance to seduce her way out of it.”

“There will be security to oversee it right?” I asked.

“Of course. There will be guards to protect the princess, and some will escort Mascara inside.”

That’s a relief. Just the thought of being in the same room with her now makes me tense.

“Now for the other thing I brought you out here for,” Bubbles said.

Oh boy, here it comes.

He reached into his pocket for a wallet before pulling out two cards, and handing them over to me. “This is… your business card,” I said. “And… a psychiatrist named Doctor Mindset?”

“I’ve seen many different ponies in crazy situations during my time,” he said. “I was a part-time social worker while I did my time in security. Some ponies can be fragile enough to crack into social anxiety from cases like what you almost went through. I may not know how you fare now since you dodged it yesterday, but directing ponies to the professional help they need is part of my job. Since you’re also working with Fleur and Shining now, I figured giving you my contact information would be a good idea in case of emergencies, especially with Solar Flare possibly on the move. Any questions?”

I sat there trying to drink in everything Bubbles had just explained to me. It was completely different than what I was expecting, and it was because of that that I needed to ask, “Why are you doing this?”

Bubbles raised a brow above his shades. “Elaborate.”

“Why are you helping me?” I asked. “You could have sent somepony else to give me all of this information since you probably don’t like me enough to do it yourself, you barely know me, and I’m a completely different species from another world.”

“Does this face look like somepony who doesn’t like you?” Bubbles asked as he pointed his same, stoic expression.

… Was that a trick question?

“Uh…”

Bubbles sighed as he took off his shades and rubbed his eyes before looking back at me. “I realized we didn’t exactly start off on the right hoof, and I apologize for that. Being skeptical while keeping up a tough-looking image like mine is part of my job. Over time, Toffee and I have watched over Fancy and Fleur like they were our very own ever since their parents passed away. Same goes for Shining. They’ve all grown up to be fine ponies, and I know I can’t protect them from harm forever. Heck, Fancy kept on telling me to retire soon so Toffee and I could start a family of our own… in fact, that’s actually part of why we’re on this vacation.”

“I’m not following you,” I commented.

“We’ve held it off because of our busy lives, and have handled Toffee’s heat cycles quite well for some time,” Bubbles continued. “But she and I have talked it over, made sure we were ready, and her next heat will be coming up anytime now.”

“… You took the week off so you can start making a family.”

“Exactly. Once Toffee gets closer to conceiving, I’ll be retiring to help look after her and the coffee shop she runs back in Canterlot.”

“So how do I play a part in this?”

“I had an odd dream last night,” he confessed. I raised an eyebrow at that statement. “It’s still hazy trying to recall it, but one thing that stood out the most was you knocking out one of the guards to get Shining free so you two would save Fleur in her home from some sort of hostage situation.”

Wait… did he somehow see that nightmare the girls and I experienced last night? How’d that happen?

“I’m not sure if that was some sort of sign, and I didn’t buy into it at first, but I had a small feeling that you would do anything to keep the girls safe the moment I first saw you,” he continued. “That still held true when we met again at the spa. Sorry about the ‘putting out’ thing by the way. That was just a bit of a joke.”

I didn’t think this guy even had a sense of humor.

“Uh… no problem,” I replied. “But how can you think that after saving my ass from Mascara yesterday? I mean I’m sure you of all ponies knew how pathetic I was in there, especially if you heard everything from the recording.”

“First off, can you keep a secret Oz?”

I raised an eyebrow in response. “Uh... sure, Bubbles.”

He grabbed his wallet again, and dug deep to pull out an old, small photograph before presenting it to me. The scrawny brown colt that was in it had a bit of a black perm going on, braces in his sheepish smile, and was wearing a polo shirt with shorts. “This is me before I earned my cutie mark,” he said, and I put everything I had in my power to hold myself from bursting into laughter.

Don’t laugh don’t laugh don’t laugh oh sweet mother of Celestia don’t you fucking laugh if you want to live Ozzy.

“And you *snrk* want to show me this b-because?” I asked before I bit down the insides of my cheeks.

“This is to remind me that not everypony had enjoyed the tougher times of their lives,” he answered before putting the photo back. “I was pushed around from time to time back then, but I didn’t let it bother me too much. When I saw somepony in trouble by those same bullies, however, I had to step in to give them a good wallop before things got worse. I was beaten up in the end, sure, but I was also proud because I protected somepony by putting myself in harm’s way, and the pony I saved couldn’t have been more grateful for the help. That was when I got this.” He rolled up his sleeve, and presented his cutie mark of what looked like a police badge with a cobra coiled in a circle with its flared head at the center. “From that day on, I worked myself to get strong enough to handle any kind of situation while protecting ponies, which led to me getting jobs in security.”

“Okay, I give you high respect for that, but that still doesn’t explain your certainty that I’d protect the girls,” I pointed out.

“That’s why I brought this to say otherwise,” Bubbles said before pulling out a tape recorder from his pocket and pressed play.

I’m afraid I’ll have to decline Mascara. You can try to bribe and convince me all you want, but nothing will ever make me let Fleur de Lis and Shining Star go for my own benefit, as they’re worth more than anything you, or even the Princesses of Equestria can offer. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going back to my dear friends now. *click*

Bubbles put away the tape recorder before turning back to me. “Though things didn’t turn out very well in the end, just hearing this part played back to me confirms your dedication to the girls, and I know you can get strong enough to look after them to make up for it. Now, can I trust you with the girls?” He put on his shades, got up, held out his open hand towards me, and made the very first smile I’ve ever seen from him.

I couldn’t help but smile a little from that, and the tension in my shoulders loosened as I got up and gave Bubbles a firm handshake. “You can count on it Bubbles.”

“Good. And, uh… besides the trial and contact information, keep what happened here between us, especially the foal thing. I want that to be a surprise to the girls and Fancy once we seal the deal if ya know what I mean.” He chuckled a little while he gave me a good punch to the arm.

Though it wasn’t intentional, I tried to keep the slight pain not present in my face as I laughed nervously. “Yeah, best of luck on that. I’m sure you’ll make a great dad.” I felt a tinge of pain inside of me from that statement for some reason, and it wasn’t the punch on the arm Bubbles gave me that was stinging.

“Now how about we get back inside and grab some lunch? I’m sure the girls are worried about what we’re up to.”

“Sure thing,” I replied before I put everything in my shirt pocket and followed Bubbles back inside the restaurant.

[Meanwhile, Shining’s POV, 12:45 p.m.]

“I certainly hope Ozzy will be okay with him,” Fleur commented sometime after Bubbles left the table. “He gets pretty tense when he’s around somepony like Bubbles.”

Fleur, I’m pretty sure everypony gets tense around somepony like Bubbles.

“There’s no need to worry about him girls,” Toffee said. “I made myself perfectly clear last night that if he gets too hard on the poor guy, he ain’t getting any of this for the rest of our vacation.” She moved her hands over her curves to make her point. “Plus, he’s really a nice guy once you get to know him.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him,” Fleur commented.

“Anyway, enough about that. Shining, I have to say you’re looking amazing today since we last met in person,” Toffee complimented.

I couldn’t help but heat up a little after hearing that. “Y-you really think so?”

“Of course I do,” Toffee replied. “Bubbles himself told me how incredible you looked last week at Fancy’s party. He said he hadn’t seen you that happy for years and I can agree now that I’m looking at you. I’m sure something amazing happened that got you like this.”

“I-I don’t know,” I replied as I looked to the side. “I don’t feel that much different as far as I can see. I guess something did come up, but I wouldn’t call it amazing.”

“Really now?” Toffee asked with a raised eyebrow. “Tell me, what kind of things do you think have changed in yourself?”

“Well,” I said as I looked up in thought. “I suppose I’m a little more relaxed from the lighter workload since Oz keeps our appointments and activities on agenda; the two of us make sure everything’s on track while keeping Fleur in good condition; even some of his cooking has gotten the both of us more energetic since he keeps our diets in check—”

“Sounds like more things have changed for you than I thought,” Toffee interrupted with a coy smirk.

“What more is there to feeling healthier than usual?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You keep mentioning Oz for one thing, and as far as I remember, you can’t even stand being in the same room with a stallion,” Toffee explained.

“S-so?” I asked, feeling a little tense and warm in my cheeks as I looked to the side with my arms crossed. “Oz is a good secretary. Sure he’s patient, kind, and loyal, but it’s not like I like him for always putting us first before himself or how kind of cute it is when he gets shy around other mares—“

SMACK!

I clapped my muzzle shut as Fleur stared blankly at me while Toffee smiled wider with smugness. My entire head heated up to my ears.

FUCK!

“I think somepony’s got a crush~.” Toffee sang before turning to Fleur. “And I think you’ve got somepony on your mind as well.”

“Who? Ozzy?” Fleur asked. “He’s nice, but I don’t have a crush on him.”

“Mmhmm, and I’m sure your blush from his appraisal back at the spa was just the bath’s heat,” Toffee said.

“O-of course!” Fleur defended. “Speaking of heat, you would not believe how forward these mares were with Ozzy after you and Bubbles left. I thought they were in heat themselves, and that was just from seeing his cute nipples—“

SMACK!

It was Fleur’s turn to be cornered as her face turned red as well. Toffee’s eyes widened for a moment, probably because of the nipple comment, before she smirked once more.

“So human males have nipples, huh? Guess that explains why Oz had his arms over his chest the whole time we talked,” Toffee commented. “I figured something was up when both of you were cheerier than usual. So, the two of you like Oz, then?”

“I guess,” Fleur sighed in defeat.

“But neither of us can go out with him right now because of how uncertain he is with mares thanks to Mascara,” I pointed out.

“That, I can understand,” Toffee said. “But what’s going to happen once he’s ready to see other ponies? We aren’t going to have a problem like back in Junior High are we?”

“Don’t remind us,” I deadpanned.

“That was a tough time for both of us,” Fleur added in.

“While I do think that colt was some idiot to turn the both of you down for somepony else, have either of you two ever thought about giving forming a herd a try?” Toffee asked.

“I was… uncertain of the idea really,” Fleur admitted. “It’s not that I dislike the concept, but having a stallion to myself just seemed more appealing to me. Plus, I always thought mares in a herd would always fight over each other to get their stallion’s attention, like what we did back in Junior High.”

“Ah, but that was before you even knew about herds back then, right?” Toffee asked, which made both of our eyes widen. “Tell me, how many successful, happy herds have either of you seen in Canterlot?”

“None, but that’s usually because there were hardly… any herds in the city at all,” I pointed out.

“When I was still living in Trottingham, herds were about as much of a common thing as drinking coffee. Same goes for same-sex relationships,” Toffee explained. Two friends of mine and I were in a herd with a stallion one time before I met Bubbles. The three of us were pretty much the party bringers everywhere we went, and we were all having a good time no matter what the occasion. So guess what happened when we made a herd with one stallion after a while?”

“The three of you got into a fight for him?” Fleur asked.

“Not even once,” Toffee answered. “We were actually having a splendid time before we realized how much of a prick that stallion was because of how badly he treated everypony around him. None of us wanted anything to do with him, so we ditched him and still had great times with each other as always. I still try to keep in touch with my friends today.

“Fast-forward to when Bubbles and I got together and moved into Canterlot; not only were there very few herds, if any at all, but I didn’t see many same-sex couples either. There were more snooty ponies there than I could count, and even when some were in a relationship, they didn’t seem to be as happy about being together as us.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve seen some same-sex couples in high school move out of Canterlot because of how the majority despises the idea. Herds, too,” I commented.

“Mother and Father weren’t exactly fond of those concepts either, now that I think about it,” Fleur added in as she looked up.

“Personally, I think most of the ponies in Canterlot think that way because they want to be part of the ‘in’ crowd, and the peers’ thinking became their own without realizing it,” Toffee commented. “Take your brother, for instance, Fleur. From how well-known he is around Canterlot, how often does he get asked about his view on relationships from his so-called peers?”

“Actually… not once, as far as I’ve heard,” Fleur admitted. “I haven’t even asked him about it myself, yet I’m curious to why I’ve hardly ever seen him with other mares anymore.”

“Now take a look at each other,” Toffee requested. “Would you still let a stallion get in the way of your friendship after that little fiasco from Junior High?”

Fleur and I turned to each other with patient expressions. I thought back to everything I’ve done with Fleur, but when I did, I couldn’t help but feel ashamed for some of the things I did, especially back in Junior High.

“You know… sometimes I wonder how I’m still your friend at this point,” I said, which made Fleur’s eyes widen. “You’re beautiful, wealthy, and you could probably hire a better manager to help you model than somepony like me. You were beautiful even back in Junior High, and you were liked by almost everypony in the school. I… was kind of jealous of that.” I looked to the side with shame. “Nopony would want to date a filly with brains during that time, but I still wanted to make the best out of what I had. So I kept doing what I did because I knew my smarts were the only things superior to yours, especially when I helped you with your homework.

“Then there was that colt I had a crush on. I may not have had the kind of beauty like yours back then, but I was determined to let him know how I felt so I could see for myself whether I was actually beautiful. When you told me you had a crush on him too… I guess I felt threatened to lose to you at something again, and that was why we had that bout.” I turned to her with folded ears. “It wasn’t until after that colt left with somepony else that I realized I almost lost my one and only best friend because of my damn insecurities in myself. I guess I didn’t think about forming a herd with you because I feared that stallion would probably love you more. Not only did I not want what happened at Junior High happening again, but I didn’t want to feel… inferior, that I would just be the third wheel in the group. Looking back on it now… I guess that doesn’t make me as good of a friend as you deserve to have.” The table went silent for a bit, except for the sound of food being set on the table by the servers that we ignored. Once they left though, Fleur’s expression turned more… determined, if I had to describe it. I couldn’t tell, but she looked like what she was about to say next would be important.

“You may not have known this, Shiny, but back in high school, some asked me why I didn’t stick with more beautiful, better friends instead of being with somepony plain like you. Some of them asked the same thing after we graduated, especially about finding a better manager.” I looked to the side with ears folded, as they might have been right about that. “But no matter how many times it was asked, I always reply with, and I quote, ‘you must need better glasses than Shiny’s, because when I look at her, I see the most beautiful and amazing pony I’ve ever come to know, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have her as my best friend and manager.’” My eyes shot wide open as I looked back to her, and she rested a hand on my shoulder with a small smile.

“I apologize that I made you feel that way for quite some time, but believe it or not, I sometimes envy you too. Your brains were part of it, but you’ve seen for yourself how authoritarian my parents can be, right? Even when you helped me with homework, when I made a decent grade, they would wonder if I could have done better. I felt like my best effort was never good enough for them. Your mother, on the other hand, was always proud of you no matter what your grade was, and you even helped her take care of Sparkling and Shooting on top of it. I’ve always admired your drive, enough to inspire me to do the same no matter what Mother or Father would have said otherwise.

“I think the main reason why I haven’t thought of forming a herd with you after Junior High was so you could have your own stallion to tell you how beautiful you are like I do, and give you the love you deserve to receive. You’re a very important pony in my life, Shiny, and I don’t ever want us to separate for anything, for as long as life can keep us together.”

“Fleur…” I tried not to make a scene in the restaurant as I quietly sobbed into Fleur’s shoulder while she rubbed my back.

“Shhh… it’s okay Shiny, there’s no reason to cry,” she whispered before grabbing her napkin, taking off my glasses, and dabbing the tears out of my eyes with a smile. When she was done, she cleaned my lenses before putting them back on my face. “So, are we okay?”

I sniffled before fixing my glasses and smiled in return. “Yeah, we’re okay.” We then wrapped each other up in a tight hug.

“Well, I’m certainly glad you two got that settled,” Toffee commented with a smile before we pulled off and turned to her. “Going back to what I was talking about before, sometimes it couldn’t hurt to give something a try before deciding if it works for you. From what I can see, Oz is a sweet guy, and from what I heard, he cares about your friendship with each other very much, probably enough that he doesn’t want you two to fight and break up over him. You two don’t have to form a herd, but keep in mind that it’s an available option to consider, and don’t let those snooty ponies back in Canterlot derail your thinking. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “Thank you for telling us this Toffee, and… could you...?”

“Lips are tightly sealed, baby,” Toffee responded before zipping her mouth shut to demonstrate. “Now, where are those boys? It shouldn’t take them this long to—there you guys are.” Bubbles and Oz came back from… whatever they were doing, and took their respective seats in the table. “I was starting to get worried. Things didn’t go too badly out there did it?”

“Nah, Oz and I are cool now. Ain’t that right?” Bubbles asked Oz.

“Yeah. We got everything cleared up,” he answered.

With an internal sigh of relief from Fleur and me, we got to chowing down our lunches.

[Ozzy’s POV, 8:30 p.m.]

Bubbles and Toffee were generous enough to pay for our lunch before we all said our goodbyes and went back to the hotel. We double-checked everything in the room to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything before we checked out of the hotel and went to the station.

Once we got on board at 3:00, I explained to the girls about the trial four weeks from then, the folder of information I needed to give to Fancy, and the phone numbers Bubbles gave me. The girls were glad to hear me making an appointment with Doctor Mindset once we get back into full swing, as I’ll need to make those visits for those nightmares and my incident with Mascara. We decided to stop by Fancy’s place to drop off the information tomorrow as we’ll be very tired from the trip once we get back. The next four hours after that went from idle chit chat to watching a movie from Netflix on my laptop. I was honestly surprised the girls didn’t have much else to ask about my experiences from Earth, but I guess they learned all they needed to know back from breakfast.

We arrived in Canterlot at 7:30, and Silver was out front waiting for us. We packed our things in the carriage after our greetings and went to a small restaurant to grab a late dinner before heading home. Fleur called her brother to let him know we arrived safely and made an appointment to meet with him tomorrow, which he gladly accepted. When we arrived and thanked Silver for the ride, we all bid good night before heading back to our respective homes for the evening.

Fleur unlocked the door before the two of us walked inside and took a moment to savor the feeling of being back in our house.

“Ahh~, home sweet home,” Fleur sighed.

“Yeah. It’s good to be back,” I added in.

“Well, I think I’m going to freshen up and call it an evening. Could we possibly have Prench toast for breakfast tomorrow Ozzy?”

“Sure. I’m starting to miss home cooked meals anyway. So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, you will.” We then had a warm hug while I saw Fleur’s tail wagging cutely, probably excited for tomorrow’s breakfast. “Have a good night, Ozzy.”

“You too, Fleur,” I replied before we broke off, and she went up to her room first before I went to my own.

I decided to unpack everything tomorrow before I cleaned myself in the bathroom, got into a change of clothes, and took a moment to savor the familiar feeling of being in my own bed again before I drifted to sleep.

[Shining’s POV, 9:15 p.m.]

I took a nice, long shower after I set my things to the side in my room, too tired to deal with unpacking tonight. Once I was finished and dried myself off, I examined my figure in the mirror, the scar on my lower abdominals drawing attention away from everything else. I was always afraid that scar would be the biggest flaw, the biggest turn-off of my appearance to everypony else in a room, whether they be stallions or mares, and I’ve made sure to pick the clothes I need to hide it in public. I haven’t even worn a bikini in a public beach ever since that incident. I felt a little down about it before I thought back to what Oz and Fleur told me over our stay in Manehattan.

I’m not sure if this will lighten the mood, but I’m just going to put it out there and say that you looked really amazing Shining.

What Fleur said to me during lunch today definitely stood out to me. I was surprised by what went on behind my back, but not very much considering how I was back then. It’s because of that I’m still getting a nagging feeling in my head that said otherwise.

“You heard Fleur and Oz said, right? They think you’re beautiful, amazing even,” my reflection said.

“I guess…”

“Come on Shiny, accept the compliments for once. Heck, tell yourself how beautiful you are. In fact, tell yourself that right now.”

“R-Right now?”

“Right now. Just say it with me. ‘Shining Star, you’re a beautiful mare.’”

“I feel silly doing that.”

“Come on, you’re by yourself in your own home. Nopony’s around to point and laugh at you, and nopony will ever have to know. It’s just you and me. Now come on. Say it.”

I looked to the side with my cheeks warmed up.

“Say iiiit,” my reflection persisted playfully.

I hesitated a little before I glanced back at my reflection who had a small smile. “Sh-Shining Star… you’re a… beautiful mare.”

“There. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“I… guess not,” I replied as I put my nightwear on.

“Just keep telling yourself that once a day, and soon enough you’ll know you’re beautiful no matter what anypony else says.”

“If you say so.”

“And Oz will rut you silly as well.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I deadpanned.

“Eh, suit yourself. Now finish everything else here and get off to bed, ya big worrywart.”

I did my business before I brushed my teeth and left the bathroom, too tired to worry about having that conversation with myself again. I set my glasses on the nightstand before settling myself under the covers, feeling strange that I was going to sleep by myself again. I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt when I slept with Oz over the past few nights. Though I was partially curious how it would be if it was just Oz and me in the same bed, having Fleur in it as well kind of made it better in a way. Then I thought back to what Toffee told Fleur and me back at the restaurant today.

You two don’t have to form a herd, but keep in mind that it’s an available option to consider, and don’t let those snooty ponies back in Canterlot derail your thinking.

I think Fleur and I cleared up some of our misunderstandings with each other and the concept of herds, if not all. Maybe I’ll talk to her about it at some point to see what she thinks of it now. In the meantime, though, our first priority is making sure Oz is in a healthy condition, both in body and mind. Perhaps during that time I’ll try to have us get to know each other more so I can see if he’s really somepony I’d want to date… and vice versa. To start it off, I think I might have an idea on what I should do for him to make up for that kick two days ago.

Until then though, I should get some sleep… anytime now… fuck, this lonely feeling’s not letting me sleep. What should I do to tire myself out?

I sat up from the bed and frowned in thought.

I really don’t feel like unpacking my things right now to pass the time. What if I used one of my toys to help me relax a little? Though I’m not sure how long that would be, and changing the sheets would be another chore I’d need to do tomorrow. Ugh! Should I just walk over to Fleur’s place and sleep with Oz? But how weird would that get in the morning? Sharing the room at the hotel was one thing, and we were all pretty emotional the previous night to the point where he didn’t mind it at all, but we’re back home now, and I’m not even sure if he’s up for it. Is he having trouble sleeping like I am? Does he need some personal space? What about… you know what? Fuck it. I’m frustrated enough about this, and I need to vent. Time for another round with Dummy Puffy.

I got out of bed and looked down at what I was wearing, which was a tank top and panties. Not minding the lack of clothing, I walked out of the room to my personal gym to hopefully tire myself out.

[Fleur’s POV, 10:00 p.m.]

… I don’t like this, not one bit. I’m finally back in my own bed, which consists of the finest quality of mattresses made in Equestria that would make an Ursa Minor doze off to sleep the moment it lays down on it, and yet I can’t even do the same after being under the covers for an hour. The beds back in the hotel were nice, but they couldn’t compete with mine in terms of comfort… yet somehow being in those beds with Ozzy and Shiny gave me the best sleep I had for quite some time.

That talk with Shiny and Toffee certainly opened my eyes today, though. I didn’t realize how much Shiny struggled with her self-image when I’m always in the spotlight, and she calls herself a bad friend? I’m not sure if I could fare any better. Not only that, I didn’t realize how much just living in Canterlot, especially with Mother and Father when they were around, would affect my perspective on unique relationships like same-sex couples and herds. I don’t hate my parents for that—I’ll always love them whether or not they’re still here with us—but… their views on those subjects has certainly made me awkward about them, especially with the same-sex thing since I haven’t even told them about my experience with Shiny. In fact, how did Fancy handle it? I mean, I’ve seen him with a few marefriends before, but it wasn’t until after he broke up with his third that he stopped seeing anypony else. Does he feel lonely right now? He’s getting close to thirty already, and I think it’s about time he settles down with somepony so those charities he goes to wouldn’t be as tiresome as he makes them out to be. I’ll have to have a chat with him on that soon.

Going back to my case, though, after hearing how well being in a herd went for Toffee for a time, I suppose there are successful, happy relationships like that in other places in Equestria, perhaps in foreign countries across Equius as well. She did have one point though; I can’t really be sure I don’t like the concepts of herds unless I get a better idea of how they work, and getting involved in one would be a part of it. I’ll need to talk to Shiny about this later on, but there’s no need to rush into it right now. As much as I’d like to give dating Ozzy a try, and I suspect Shiny might think the same thing, I know he’s not ready to get into it himself yet. The best he can do right now is take on this dilemma at his own pace, and we need to do what we can to help when he asks us.

With that thought cleared up, now there’s just the issue of falling asleep like I should… I wonder if Ozzy wouldn’t mind me snuggling with him again? He was okay with Shiny and me doing it last night, and we actually asked to do it that time instead of just sleeping into it. I’m not exactly in very pretty nightwear attire right now… well, I wouldn’t call it nightwear when it’s really a white tank top with pink panties (I didn’t really think too much on what I should wear from how tired I was), but Ozzy has seen me in more risqué outfits, so I don’t think it should be that big of a deal, right? I’ll just go ask if he’s okay of me sleeping with him tonight.

I sat up before I got out of bed and walked down the dark hallway before reaching Ozzy’s door. I quietly opened the door and gently shut it behind me before I tip hooved to a sleeping Ozzy on his bed.

Once I got close enough, I gave Ozzy some gentle prods on his shoulder. “Ozzy… Ozzy, are you awake?” I whispered, with no response from him to answer. “I can’t sleep… do you mind if I stay in bed with you tonight?” Still no answer. “Thanks, Ozzy. I’ll just step inside then.”

I carefully pulled the sheets up before I went under them. Minding my horn, I aligned myself to where my head rested on his moving chest, my legs crossed with his while my tail coiled around one of them, and my arms resting comfortably around his body. Unexpectedly, he moved slightly in his sleep enough to where he pulled me into a closer embrace, and I couldn’t help but sigh in happiness from that.

“Thanks for putting up with me tonight. I’ll be sure to pay you back somehow,” I whispered before I closed my eyes and hummed in content.

“Goodnight Ozzy… Welcome home.”

Author's Notes:

Next chapter the trio will be making a visit to Fancy's mansion. What awaits for Ozzy in the coming events? Especially with news of his near-rape experience spreading around? Hi-jinks will ensue, you can be sure of that.

Also a question to you guys. How would you guys feel if I made what I'd like to call a Bonus Chapter of the trio taking a trip to the beach? Maybe another on how Bubbles and Toffee's vacation is going back in Manehattan? Tell me what you think in the comments, and I'll be sure to plan my next move from there.

Until then, this is Dudeler, signing off.