[Fleur’s POV, 12:15 p.m.]

I thought about what Shiny had told me as we made our way to a restaurant in town for lunch. I was honestly surprised how close she got with Ozzy in her own special way. She even showed him the room and the chemise her mom got for her birthday. It wasn’t like I was competing with her since we agreed to try being in a herd with Ozzy, but I was at a standstill when it came to how I would show as much intimacy with him as Shiny did.

One of the downsides of being a model is having an image so grand that the majority of others think they aren’t worthy to be in my presence. And the ones who do have the guts to make the first move always turn out to be total jerks. Sadly, I remember Ozzy telling me one time that he falls in the former category when it comes to dating me. I found it quite incredible that the first time we met, he may have treated me the same way he treated everypony else when he didn’t know I was a model. As soon as I told him, snap, I was put on the high pedestal in his eyes. Sure, we may be close friends now, but he wouldn’t even dream of being in a relationship with me because he doesn’t think I fit well with him.

Is he worried about my image among my peers? My career as a model? Is my beauty intimidating enough for him to not be comfortable with me somehow? How does he act around other humans back on Earth? I should worry about having Ozzy see me as any other pony than a famous model right now. It’s what I’ve wanted since he moved in with me, and I’m not sure if he ever knew that.

“Fleur?” Ozzy asked, making me almost jolt up in attention.

“Y-yes, Ozzy?” I asked.

“Are you alright? You’ve been kind of quiet since the carriage started moving.”

“Oh I couldn’t be better! I was just thinking of how much fun we were going to have today… buddy!” I awkwardly gave a bad punch to Ozzy’s shoulder while grinning, only to be given a raised eyebrow in response.

“I’m… looking forward to today as well,” he said before looking out the window.

Smooth, Fleur. Not only was that painful, but now you just made yourself even more uncomfortable to be with. Celestia give me the strength to make it through this day.

We finally arrived at the restaurant, thanked Silver for the ride, and checked ourselves in up front. We were seated at one of the more secluded tables in the back while the front of the place was a little busy during the lunch rush. It wasn’t as high class and extravagant as other places like The Golden Crown, but I figured Ozzy may be more into a more laid-back establishment. We ordered some good wine to start off before our waitress left, leaving Ozzy and me to look through our menus for what to eat.

Alright, Fleur, here’s your chance. We’re at a casual restaurant, you’re going simple with a sky blue tank with jeans, and you’ve got your makeup, mane, and tail styled as usual. Just perfect enough for Ozzy to feel relaxed, have a good time, and not have any hints that this is a date of any kind. Time to work your magic.

“So your stay with Shiny went well last night, Ozzy?” I asked with a smile.

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” he answered before putting his menu down. “I feel like I know her much more now than I did since we first met.”

“She mentioned you saw her special room. What did you think?” The waitress came back with the wine and two glasses before she poured our drinks. We gave her our orders for lunch before she walked off.

“Honestly? I can see why she doesn’t usually have other ponies over.” He looked down on the table as he took a sip of his wine. “Putting something together so personal that she’d go in to put new awards and photos of your successes and experiences... she may have gotten over it after a little while, but I can’t imagine what she was going through every time she sees what she once had, especially if someone reminded her of it. Knowing how much that incident years ago changed so much for her… we may have had something tense during breakfast, but I just couldn’t stay mad at her for long after seeing her room.”

“Shiny told me a bit about that incident this morning,” I said. “Could you explain what happened?”

“Well long story short, Shining got me into this method she came up with that could help her get along with stallions better when it turns out I was just… arousing her, I guess,” he explained while looking to the side. “I wasn’t too thrilled about it at first, but I gave her a chance to explain herself, which included how she perceived me since the first night we met. Though it was blunt, I sort of appreciated her honesty.

“As she spoke, she mentioned how she wanted to even out her treatment with me since my first day by punishing herself with said method, which I still found pretty dumb.”

“How?” I asked.

“She thought she should punish herself by not… releasing her tensions and just leave herself unsatisfied,” he answered before taking another swig of his wine. “I may not know how lady parts work in a physical level, but if it’s anything like blue balls, I know I wouldn’t want to put myself through that. I swear, she takes things so seriously! She’s too hard on herself. I know she meant well, but I’m fine with just an apology. Nothing more, and nothing less. I’d rather get apologies out in the open and move on rather than just hold onto the grudge.”

Well, I can certainly see Ozzy’s much better at moving on than Solar. Just makes him all the more interesting to be with.

“I’m sorry, I got carried away there,” Ozzy continued before looking back up to me. “After we cleared the air, we hugged it out, all things forgiven, finished breakfast, and just hung out until you arrived. I just had a good time with her altogether. What about you and Fancy? What did you two do?”

“Oh we just caught up on old times, played a few games, and tried to help Fancy start searching for his special somepony,” I answered.

I have to admit though, the last one got really awkward. I had to make sure Fancy was legitimately gay before we started to look into what his interests in stallions were. It included finding some information on sexuality on the internet and… very revealing photos of stallions. I’m personally more into the fit and lean stallions than the muscular and buff kind, and somehow Fancy had the same idea judging by how he saved some of those photos in a file. I have a feeling he’s going to be busy today, and it’s not his job that will occupy his mind. Not that I don’t accept his interests, but I still shudder just thinking about what he’ll do once he finds that special somepony. Getting used to this might be harder than I thought..

“Nice,” Ozzy said. “So what’s the plan for today after lunch? We go back to the modeling business tomorrow, so we might as well make the most out of our time today until our next day off.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said before I took a sip of my wine. “There’s a karaoke night in one of the local clubs that we can go to end off our evening if that suits your fancy.”

“Huh, alright, I could go for some of that. Been a while since I sang in public, though. Wonder if I’m still any good?”

“It’s all in the name of fun, Ozzy. No experience is required. I’m not much of a singer myself.”

“So what are we going to do before tonight then?”

“Fancy gave me two passes to a Wonderbolts show in a couple hours that I thought would be nice to go to. We’ll head home to change and grab dinner after that, and then we’ll head to the club to end the evening. What do you think?”

“Sounds great.”

Our food arrived not too long afterwards, and we began eating. I tried to think of what to talk about next and came up with something that was on my mind for a while.

“Could I ask you something, Ozzy?” I asked.

“What is it?”

“Do you miss not being on Earth? Or at least interacting with another human?”

Ozzy looked up for a moment before taking a sip of his wine. “There are some things I miss, but they aren’t too important to dwell on.”

“Do you think you might want to go back for a visit?”

“Probably for a good reason, but I don’t see myself going back anytime soon. I’d rather not revisit what I had going before I moved here. Plus, if I ever do go, I’d rather have you and Shining along.”

My eyes widened. “Y-you want me and Shiny to come with you to Earth?”

“Sure, why not? I mean, there must be ponies settling on Earth like we’re settling here, and you really just need a passport to jump back and forth if it’s only for a short visit like a vacation. I’d also like to show you two around a little while you’re along. Just having you two nearby makes my visit back not as anxious, and I feel a little safer too.”

He feels safer with us, that means he’s comfortable with me, right? I think my heart’s doing backflips from how happy I am to hear that.

“Well you can definitely be sure we’ll be with you if you decide to go,” I said as I rested my hand on top of his. “If you’re more comfortable like that, then we’d be more than happy to come along, and we’ll be here for anything else you need from us.”

“Thank you, Fleur. That really means a lot.” Ozzy then gave a small smile.

I returned the gesture as we sat there in silence while looking into each other’s eyes. It seemed like everything around us was gone for a moment and we were the only ones in the restaurant, savoring the time we had together like nothing else mattered—

“And how’s everything so far?” the waitress’ voice asked, making us jolt back into reality as we turned to her.

“Oh everything’s fine!” I replied.

“May I interest you in some dessert today?” she asked. “We have our special chocolate shake today that’s twenty-five percent off for cute looking couples.”

“Couples? But we’re not…” Ozzy trailed off before we turned in the other direction and noticed we were still holding each other’s hand. We quickly pulled back and our faces warmed up instantly.

“Um… I think we’ll just take the check, please,” I said with a sheepish grin.

[Ozzy’s POV, 1:45 p.m.]

We finished off lunch with Fleur paying for our meals before we headed out. With only a few hours to spare before the Wonderbolts’ show, we decided to walk off our lunch while window shopping. I couldn’t help but think back to how nice it felt holding Fleur’s hand like that, but I tried not to dwell on it too much as we talked along the way.

At one point during our walk, we stumbled across a pet store that ranged from plain to exotic animals. I could tell from the sparkle in Fleur’s eyes when she saw the puppies in the window display that she wanted to go in and at least hold one of them. So we went inside and she did just that after asking one of the employees for permission.

“Aren’t you just the cutest widdle thing? Yes you are! Yes you are!” Fleur said as she held one of the golden retriever puppies. Though the puppy was adorable, the way she baby talked to it was more so in ridiculous levels.

“You know, now that I think about it, if you like pets so much, how come you—“

“ACHOO!” Fleur interrupted. “Okay, I think I had enough, thank you,” she said in a congested tone as she gave the puppy back to the employee.

“Are you allergic to pets?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Fleur sniffled as she pulled a few tissues out of her purse before blowing into them. “Mostly cats and dogs, which just bugs me because I’ve wanted at least one of those for so long.”

“Have you considered an alternative pet?” I asked as I scanned around the store. I saw one particular animal that gave me a wicked, awful idea before I consulted with the employee to help me take it out while Fleur wasn’t looking. “I mean there’s fish, birds, or maybe you’re more into...” I held out the animal in front of Fleur’s muzzle while I was out of her peripheral vision. “SNAKES!”

“AAAAAGH!” Fleur screamed as she jumped back, making me laugh like a madman. “That’s not funny, Ozzy!” Her face reddened while trying to keep a straight face.

“Aw come on, it wasn’t that bad. The snake’s not even that big, see?” I held the albino snake out from a more comfortable distance while it coiled around my arm, sticking its tongue out from time to time. “Look, it’s even white as your fur and has big ruby-like eyes. How can you not be entranced by this little gem?”

“I… suppose it looks at least a little interesting,” Fleur said as she hesitantly held her arm out to the snake. The reptile responded by moving itself to Fleur’s exposed arm and blending itself in her white fur, making her shiver.

“Aww, see? It likes you.”

“If you say so.” Fleur moved the snake close to her enough where she looked into its eyes. “Goodness, the eyes are red as rubies. It’s… incredible.”

“See? What did I tell ya?”

“Kind of ticklish too, wait, what’s it doing?” The snake slithered up to her shoulder, and unexpectedly moved into Fleur’s cleavage. She then started laughing once the snake slithered further into the valley.

“Oh crap,” I said before I reached in and pulled the snake out. Fleur calmed down as she took deep breaths while I gave the snake back to the flustered employee. “Well, that was… unexpected.”

“It was certainly affectionate,” she commented.

“Let’s just move onto someplace else. I think we had dealt enough with animals for one day.”

“Agreed.”

[3:00 p.m.]

We continued our window shopping by just walking along the streets. As we browsed through the shops, I thought about how things were going between me and the girls.

We’ve been friends for two weeks since I came to Equestria, and so much has already happened that I had never expected to get into. I knew when I moved to Equius that there would be chaotic moments like there was on Earth, no matter how different this world was, but during my time here, I’m sure I’ve probably been exposed to more things in my life than most others, be they pony or human. Most importantly, I’m not even sure how often friendships back on Earth would come close to the same degree as I had with Fleur and Shining.

Fleur de Lis, one of the more popular models in Equestria, is not only stunningly attractive and confident, but also outgoing, generous, considerate, and just all-around fun to be with. She brightens me up with her child-like demeanor no matter how tired or down I am, and she makes sure I have as much of a good time in something as she does. Though I have to admit she can get a little pushy while trying to get everyone involved.

Shining Star, now Fleur’s manager after her own time as a model, has her own perks of attractive qualities, all while being loyal, intelligent, expressive, empathetic, and strong despite the hardships she had experienced. She may be a bit too self-conscientious and gets too hard on herself from some the mistakes she made, but it just shows how much she cares for those close to her, and how much she’s willing to do something for them.

Then there’s the qualities they both share, like being supportive, kind, and how personal they get with me through physical interactions like sitting close together, hugging, and snuggling. I’m not sure if I was ever that comfortable going past that physical boundary back on Earth, but being in this environment with the two of them was starting to grow on me, filling something inside that I didn’t know I needed after being without it for so long. Just knowing how comfortable I am with these two mares takes the cake while some of their more alluring features are the icing on top of it. Their big, colorful eyes; their well-maintained figures; the scent and warmth that radiates from their fur and mane when I’m close enough; their well-endowed breasts despite their differing sizes; and finally the seemingly sculpted and firm posteriors while their tails swayed side to side as they walked, making them all the more hypnotizing to see. Even now, the images of both the girls’ behinds in panties riding up is still burning vividly into my mind. I’m constantly debating whether I should try to ignore and forget about it, or just relish in it and even go so far as imagine what they look like without the garments while bending down—

“Ozzy?” Fleur asked. “Ozzy, are you alright?”

I blinked as Fleur’s voice pulled me back into reality, not even noticing we were in a bookstore until then. “H-huh? Oh, sorry, I’m fine. Just a little lost in thought.”

A very vivid, lewd thought… Shit, I think I went a little too far with that one. Hope Fleur doesn’t look down.

“Well I found a few interesting books I’d like to buy while I’m here,” she said. “I’d like to pay for these before we get to the Wonderbolts show. Is that alright with you?”

“Y-yeah, sure. I’ll meet you up front. I gotta use the bathroom.”

“Alright, don’t take too long then.” She walked up front with a few paperback books in her hand while I tried to assess where I was.

I noticed one of the covers on the shelf before I pulled it out and read the title.

The Modern Poni Sutra… Why do I feel I should buy this? Even if I want to, I can’t let Fleur or Shining see it. I can’t imagine what they’d think if they did… Maybe I’ll see if I can order a digital copy, or at least have it delivered through amazon or something. I mean, I may not be into dating right now, but if I ever get to that point, it would be nice if I had some knowledge of this stuff to prepare myself, right?

With the plan in mind, I put the book back on the shelf before I went to the bathroom to do my business after my erection went down (that I pray no one else noticed), and met back with Fleur up front who already had the bag of purchased books in her hand. We then left the store and headed to the stadium.

[5:00 p.m.]

“That performance was just incredible,” I said as we walked through the stadium lobby. “We have similar air shows with jet planes back on Earth, but they aren’t nearly as nimble and agile as the Wonderbolts’ maneuvers.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Fleur said with a smile. “Fancy helps fund their group, so he gets passes for the season. We like to come here from time to time when we aren’t too busy.”

“Huh, so does the team know you two then?”

“Very much so. Shiny, too. Would you like to meet them?”

“Can we?”

“Of course! Fancy even gave me these so we’re allowed in the back.” Fleur pulled out two Wonderbolt lanyard straps from her purse that had a card reading ‘backstage pass’ clipped on it.

“Nice! Let’s get going then,” I said, giving a small fist pump. Fleur gave me one of the passes before we wore them around our necks. She led me to the back of the stadium where we had to show our passes to security as we passed by.

We then got to a door where a lightning bolt with wings was displayed where another security pony stood guard. Fleur walked up to the stallion first before he turned and widened his eyes.

“Fleur de Lis? Is that you?” the stallion asked.

“That would be me,” she answered with a smile. “My friend and I would like to come and say hi to the Wonderbolts if they aren’t too busy.” Fleur and I held up our passes to show proof of our entry.

“Hold on a moment.” The stallion knocked on the door a few times before he peeked inside. “Excuse me, but Fleur de Lis and a human are outside and wondering if they could see you.”

“Fleury?” a gruff, but feminine sounding voice asked. “Send them on in!”

“You’re good to go,” the stallions said with a smile before he opened the door further and I followed Fleur inside. The moment she stepped inside, my ears were bombarded by a loud shout as I made my way into the room.

“FLEUR!” the Wonderbolts in the room cheered. They were all still in their blue jumpsuits with the yellow lightning bolt stretching down their front, but their masks were removed.

“Hey guys! Great show out there!” Fleur said.

“Fleury! Good to see ya!” a yellow mare with a fiery mane and tail said while she hugged Fleur. “It’s been ages since you came here. How’s your brother?”

“He’s doing great, thanks. He says hi too.”

“And who’s the human behind you?”

“This is my trusty friend and secretary, Ozzy. Ozzy, this is—“

“WHOA! HOLD UP!” the light blue stallion with a darker shaded mane interrupted before he walked up to me. From close proximity, he was about a head taller than me. “Ozzy, as in Ozzy Shore? Aren’t you the same human from the news yesterday? The one that crazy bitch almost raped?”

“Uh…” I tensed up while my eyes wavered around the area, getting more anxious as I was the center of attention from the rest of the ponies in the room.

“I thought he looked familiar,” one of the mares said.

“I heard he also saved Fleur from a crazy carriage a few weeks back too.”

“Seriously? He doesn’t look all that well-built.”

“He’s kind of cute though.” Everyone in the room turned to the white mare with the messy curly blonde mane in question. “What? Am I not the only one who thinks this?”

“ENOUGH!” the yellow mare yelled, silencing everyone the room as Fleur rested a hand on my tense shoulder. “Look, you made the poor guy a wreck, especially you, Soarin.” She furrowed her brow to the blue stallion while practically stabbing his chest with her finger. Though she was half a head shorter, the guy practically shrank from the mare’s loud, drill sergeant-like volume and glare looking down on him. “You don’t just bring up a question like that to anypony out of the blue. You apologize to our guest right now, and I expect ten laps around the stadium tomorrow. You got that?”

“Y-yes, Cap,” Soarin said before turning to me while scratching the back of his head. “Sorry about that, that was uncalled for.”

“It’s fine,” I replied, a little more at ease with the help of Fleur’s touch.

“And I apologize for the team’s outburst,” the yellow mare said. She approached me and held out her hand with a smile. “Name’s Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts.”

“Soarin, Assistant Captain,” the blue stallion added in while following the same gesture.

“Pleased to meet you,” I answered as I shook both hands respectively. “Just want to say that I enjoyed the show. It’s my first time here.”

“Glad you liked it. I make sure the team does their very best in every performance,” Spitfire said. “You know, it’s funny that you’re Fleury’s secretary. We actually have a human secretary of our own who joined in about a month and a half ago.”

“Really? What happened to your last one?” Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow. “What was her name again?”

“Pepper,” Spitfire deadpanned. “She… almost sold a picture of Misty in one of her less than proud moments before Fleetfoot stopped her.”

“I swear, that’s the last time I’ll ever get drunk with a pineapple in the room again,” a creamy yellow pegasus mare with a mane of two streak teal shades said, who I assumed to be Misty, while rubbing her eyes

What the heck could someone do with a pineapple while drunk? I’ve heard some crazy drunk stories, but this is definitely something I haven’t come across that I’m not sure I want to hear.

“Anyway,” Spitfire continued. “We fired Pepper soon afterward, and we got a response from our new human secretary after we sent the word out.”

“She’s totally awesome too!” the white mare said. “Fast-paced, on the dot, super organized, and is just sweet as pie!”

“Pie sounds really good right now, specifically apple,” Soarin said.

“Oh, like the one that orange mare from the triple G sold ya?” a light blue, white maned mare asked him. “If you ask me, I’m pretty sure that’s not the only kind of pie you’d like to have in your maw.”

“Shut up, Fleetfoot. If you had a taste of her pie, you wouldn’t want any other for the rest of your life.” The other Wonderbolts chuckled.

“Your human secretary sounds nice though,” Fleur said. “Could we meet her?”

“She should be back any moment with refreshments,” Spitfire said before a few knocks were on the door. “That must be her. Come on in!”

The door opened, and a girl with straight, light brown hair that stretched just past her shoulders was seen as she walked backwards with a tray of water bottles. Something about the hair sparked something in my head, as if something long forgotten finally clicked.

“Sorry for the wait, guys,” the girl said. “I had trouble getting the water here and…” The two of us froze in place once she turned to my direction.

When I saw her milk chocolate brown eyes, a memory that I thought I had forgotten smacked me in the face like a ton of bricks, making my whole body tense up while the hairs from the back of my neck stood on end. It looked like she felt the same way as her arms gave out, dropping all the water bottles on the tray to the floor, silencing the room.

The very first human that I saw since I moved to Equestria was someone I thought I’d never see again: the little girl from elementary school was standing before me.

“O-Ozzy?”

“C-C-Claire?”

Author's Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhMvKv4GX5U

And that's all I have to say in the matter. Keep on the look out for the next chapter. Until next time,

This is Dudeler, signing off.