[Shining’s POV, 12:45 p.m.]

When we washed off the chlorine and changed into some casual clothes, we went inside Silver Wheel’s carriage and made our way to Figaro’s Pizza. During the ride, I thought about our time at the pool while Ozzy and Fleur chatted.

I didn’t think I’d ever wear a swimsuit like that again ever since my time in modeling was over. Sure, it wasn’t as extreme or out of the ordinary like some I’ve seen, but it was still revealing all the same, especially for my scar. At least I wasn’t growing a muffin top. From what Ozzy told me at the pool though…

When I finally saw the real you, I realized how lucky I am to be friends with somepony as cool, smart, and beautiful as you are.

My face warmed up and I tried not to squirm in my seat, but my tail still wagged against the back.

Dammit, has Ozzy always been so charming with words? Smart was one thing, but beautiful and cool too? I don’t know how things went between him and Claire, but I can see why she would have a crush on him back then. Oh, if only there were pictures of him showing how cute he looked as a tyke. Seeing him now though, getting lean and fit with my training program, especially today when his torso was dripping wet, if I could just get one touch to see how smooth and hard he is, both his upper and lower body—

“Shiny?”

“H-huh? What?” I blinked and shook my head from lewd thoughts.

“Aren’t you coming?” Fleur asked while she and Ozzy were standing outside of the carriage. I peeked out, and saw that we were already at the restaurant.

“O-oh yeah. Sorry, I spaced out.” I stepped out of the carriage, trying to keep my face from warming up again. “What time is it?”

“12:55,” Ozzy answered.

“Shall I come back here at 3:45 to take you to the station later?” Silver asked.

“That will do nicely, Silver,” Fleur answered. “We’ll call you if there’s any change of plans. See you then.” Silver nodded and drove off.

We went inside and to the front where some ponies were running the registers. The place was packed with patrons during the lunch rush, bustling with many conversations going at the same time while the employees were going back and forth with pizzas and drinks to serve. We noticed a couple ponies crowding around an entrance to a separate room, probably used for parties and the like, while three burly stallions in suits were blocking the way inside. Suddenly, three more stallions in suits who were standing off to the side walked in front of us.

“Fleur de Lis, Shining Star, and Ozzy Shore?” one of the stallions asked.

“Um, yes, that’s us,” I answered.

“We were requested to escort you—”

“OH MY GOSH IT’S FLEUR DE LIS!”

“Get behind us! Quick!” We followed the stallion’s order without hesitation before the ponies in the building started to crowd around us. With Ozzy and I on both of Fleur’s sides, the security made a path for us to the party room while we were bombarded by questions and statements from the crowd.

“Hey! That Ozzy guy’s with her too!”

“It is that guy! Hey Ozzy! How do you think your trial with Mascara will go?!”

“Fleur! Are you going to cut any ties with Vogue after what happened to your secretary?!”

“CAN YOU GUYS PLEASE MOVE SO I CAN GET THE FUCKING PARMESAN?!”

We finally made it to the room without a scratch, but panting as if we came out from a marathon.

“Hey you three, glad you could make it,” Spitfire said. “Sorry about the crowd. We tried getting in without being noticed, but they saw right through it.” She pointed over to one of the empty tables where trench coats, fedoras, and sunglasses were hanging on the chairs.

Okay, I probably should have thought of having Fleur out in disguise, but I think the get-up they picked stood out way too much to not look suspicious.

“Sheesh, from the questions the paparazzi was asking, you guys thought I was insensitive?” Soarin asked.

“Oh no, Soarin, we don’t think you’re insensitive,” Claire said. “I think it’s more like you’re not good at reading situations in a room. You probably wouldn’t even notice two elephants in one.”

“Oooooh, she got ya there, dude,” Spitfire said before chuckling.

As much as I didn’t want to be on Claire’s side and join in the laughter, she did have a point. Fleur looked like she had the same idea as she covered her muzzle while Ozzy looked away and cleared his throat. “Anyway, it’s good to see you guys again. Are we still waiting on the pizza?”

“Yeah, we got here earlier ourselves. We reserved the place ahead of time to keep it private, but it looks like the place won’t die down anytime soon,” Claire said as we took our seats across from them. “So how are things going?”

“Just the usual stuff,” I answered. “We went through crowds like that a few times over the past few weeks, but other than that, it’s been alright.”

“How’s preparation for the show in Fillydelphia coming along?” Fleur asked.

“We’re doing okay so far,” Spitfire answered. “At this point we just need to polish a few of our stunts, and we’re set to go. We’ll be moving out next week to go over the routines in the city’s coliseum before the show.”

We chatted for the next couple of minutes until the pizza finally arrived, which looked about eighteen inches in diameter.

“Crap, I gotta use the bathroom,” Ozzy said. “Am I going to have to go through the crowd again to get there?”

“Our guys will help clear the way for ya. I gotta take a leak too,” Soarin said before he and Ozzy hopped out of their chairs and left the room. Several mares started screaming for the former as three stallions from security escorted them.

“Those poor boys,” Spitfire said.

“It looks like Ozzy’s doing better than last time we got together though,” Claire commented. “Is he recovering well?”

“He’s doing fine,” I answered before taking a sip from my soda. “I’ve also been helping him get in good shape, which his doctor said was also good for his health.”

“I thought there was something different about him this time,” Spitfire said. “Looks like you know what you’re doing with him and Fleur as far as I can see. Think you can do something to get my guys in shape too?”

“Sorry Spitfire, but Shiny’s ours,” Fleur answered. “The three of us are a working team, and it will stay that way.” Her gaze was focused on Claire as she made that statement.

“I see,” Claire stated. “How valuable is Ozzy to you two?”

“More than you can imagine,” I answered. “He may not know it, but he has done more for us than he thinks. Even after all the hardships he’s been through, he still wants to continue to work with us, and we’re going to make sure he gets the best from us not just as his coworkers, but as his friends too. He deserves at least that much, and we aren’t giving him up to anypony for anything.”

The room was only filled by the bustling crowd outside as Fleur and I stared at Claire. Spitfire’s eyes were wide while Claire’s seemed unwavering. Finally, the latter smiled and closed her eyes.

“I see. That’s all I need to hear then,” Claire said. “Ozzy’s really lucky to have you two here for him. Finally, I can let go of my worries.”

It was our turn to widen our eyes as we glanced at each other, making sure what we heard was right before we turned back to Claire. “W-wait, what do you mean…” I trailed off until the screaming mares outside interrupted once more. Ozzy and Soarin came back in the room while gasping for air.

“Are they...Like that...Everywhere you go?” Ozzy asked in between breaths.

“If you thought...That was bad...Just wait until...I’m in my jumpsuit,” Soarin answered.

They are pretty form fitting, I’ll admit that. I wonder… Nah, even for Ozzy, I don’t think it would look all that great. Almost ridiculous, really.

“Well don’t just stand there, grab a slice before it gets cold,” Spitfire said. The guys nodded and took their seat before grabbing their slices.

“Did we miss anything while we were gone?” Ozzy asked.

“Actually, they—”

“Not very much, just some girl talk is all,” Claire interrupted Spitfire. She then turned to us with a smile. “Isn’t that right?”

“Uh… yes, that’s right,” I answered. Fleur and Spitfire were left with blank faces while Ozzy and Soarin raised a brow at each other. The boys shrugged and went to eating their pizzas while we followed along, doing it in silence while the lunch hour outside the room was still going strong.

[Ozzy’s POV, 1:55 p.m.]

When we were done with lunch, we still had time to spare before meeting Bubbles and Toffee at the station. We told Spitfire our plans when she asked, and offered to hang at her place for a bit until that time came around. There wasn’t much else the girls and I could do, so we agreed. We got there with a special carriage Spitfire called up, which was different compared to other ones I’ve seen. Think of it like a limousine, but Equestrian style. The six of us arrived a couple of minutes later. Spitfire’s house didn’t look as fancy and big as Fleur’s, but still rather expensive like Shining’s.

“How long has it been since you two last came here?” Spitfire asked Fleur and Shining as we took a seat in the living room.

“Quite a while, I bet,” Shining answered.

“It’s a nice place you got here,” I said.

“Isn’t it? I was surprised myself when I first came here,” Claire commented.

“Speaking of Claire, she’s told me quite a bit about you, Ozzy,” Spitfire said.

I raised a brow at her and Claire. “Really?”

“She hadn’t told me anything about your relationship with her until after our night out a few weeks ago,” Spitfire answered. “I have to say, it may be kind of mushy to me, but I still think it’s kind of cute.”

“Spitfire, stop,” Claire whined as her face turned red. “That was back then. The two of us are just good friends now, nothing more.”

“That’s right,” I added in. “I think I can speak for both of us that we’ve matured enough to move on.”

Especially after what we discussed that night.

“Anyway, there’s something I’d like to know that’s been bugging me,” Soarin said. “Shining, you mentioned during dinner the other night that you’re trying to treat stallions better now, right?”

“That’s right,” Shining answered.

“What made you do it?” Soarin asked. “Knowing how you were before then, you would give us guys from the team a hard time just by talking to you and Fleur here. Like our ex-teammate, Jetstream. The same day we kicked him out, you came up to our practice stadium and kicked his balls from out of nowhere. What was that all about?”

I looked over to Shining with a raised eyebrow. “Is that true?”

She sighed and took off her glasses to clean the lenses. “Yes, I admit that actually happened, but I did it for a good reason.” She put the glasses back on and turned to me. “Jetstream sent me what may be the raunchiest, most disturbing letter I’ve ever read, probably thinking his fame as a Wonderbolt would be enough for me to go along with it just from getting his attention. His handwriting, how he wrote it, even the letter itself, as if he got that crumpled up, coffee stained paper to write on was just demeaning, disgusting, and downright insulting. I mean, ‘I wanna go balls deep in yo sweet ass an fuck you silly’?”

“I don’t blame her for reacting like that,” Spitfire said while pinching the top of her muzzle. “I’ve had multiple complaints from the mares in our team about Jetstream’s behavior. He even tried to make a move on me. I wouldn’t allow such unacceptable behavior in my team, so I had him blacklisted from ever coming near any of us again.”

Somehow, I want to do more than let him off with some sore balls and a restraining order. If anybody ever talked to Shining or Fleur like that, I’m not going to let that slide.

“Ozzy? Are you alright?” Fleur asked with a hand on my shoulder. I looked down and noticed I was giving my jeans a death grip. I relaxed my hands and the rest of my body while sighing.

“I’m alright, don’t worry,” I said.

“So anyway, yes, I gave a hard time to those kinds of stallions for good reasons,” Shining continued. “But at the same time, I scared away the good ones that didn’t have any ill intentions because of my skepticism. That was until Ozzy here barged in. Not only did he put up with my harsh treatment, but he even helped me in my time of need despite that.”

“Shiny may still be working on it, but I can tell she’s slowly going back to being the friend I used to know and love,” Fleur added in with a smile. “I couldn’t be more grateful for what Ozzy’s done for us, and I’m glad that out of all the stallions that exist, I ended up with one that isn’t even from this world to save me from that runaway carriage a month ago.”

“Please, you’re giving me too much credit,” I said with my cheeks heating up. “I’m just glad I even came here and met all of you.”

“Well, any friend of Fleur’s is a friend of ours,” Spitfire said as she put a fist to her chest with a smile. “If you ever need anything, we got your back.”

“That goes double for me,” Soarin said with a nod.

“And you’ve got me too, of course,” Claire added in with a smile.

“Thanks guys. I appreciate that,” I said with a small smile of my own.

“Oh look at the time. We should be heading out soon,” Shining said. “I’ll let Silver know we’re here.” She got up and went to another room as she called Silver.

“So when will you guys be coming back from Fillydelphia?” I asked.

“We’re going to hang around after the show, so probably about two and a half weeks?” Spitfire said.

“We’ll let you know when we get back,” Claire said.

“Silver should be up front in a couple minutes,” Shining said as she came back in the room.

“Guess we should get going then,” Fleur said.

“It was nice talking to you guys,” I said as we exchanged fist bumps. Claire gave me a hug instead along with Fleur and Shining, who looked a little surprised from the gesture.

“Don’t be a stranger and give us a call sometime when we get back,” Claire said to Fleur and Shining. “I’d like to make good friends with you two if that’s possible, maybe have a girl’s night out or something sometime?”

“Uh… We’ll think about that,” Shining answered while Fleur blinked.

Wonder why they seem so caught off guard about Claire’s invite? Do they really see her as stranger and more alien than they think I am?

I then heard the sound of a carriage parking from outside of the front door. “That’s our ride,” I said. “Have a safe trip to Fillydelphia, and good luck.”

“Thanks. We’ll see you later,” Spitfire said. Fleur, Shining and I went out of her house and into Silver’s carriage. We then made our way to the station to get ready for Bubbles’ and Toffee’s coming back from vacation and the “special news” they have in store for us.

[Fleur’s POV, 4:05 p.m.]

We arrived at the train station moments later and walked inside. While we waited for Bubbles and Toffee to return, I thought about today’s events, specifically our discussion with Claire.

That friendly gesture she showed us… It seemed so genuine, like she really did want to get to know Shiny and me a little more without using that knowledge against us. What did she mean when she said she can finally let go of her worries? Did she not have any intentions to get Ozzy back at all? What did he and Claire even talk about that night?

Suddenly, noises of a steam engine and brakes were heard from a distance as the train slowed to a stop. The doors opened and ponies started to move in and out of the train. The four of us stood up and tried to look for any sign of Bubbles or Toffee until I saw a burly, dark brown stallion coming out with a mare that had a lighter shade following him.

“I see them!” I exclaimed as I waved my hand in the air. “Bubbles! Toffee! We’re over here!” The other three mimicked the gesture until we got their attention. They walked up to us with smiles on their faces and luggage in their hands (well, Bubbles’ hands anyway).

“Fleur! So good to see you!” Toffee greeted as she hugged me. Many exchanges of hugs and handshakes were going around after that.

“So how was your vacation in Manehattan?” I asked.

“It was wonderful. We had enough time to do a lot of things,” Toffee answered.

“You can say that again,” Bubbles said.

“So what’s the special news you mentioned you have for us?” Shiny asked.

“Before we get to that, I need to let you guys in on something,” Bubbles said as he furrowed his brow. “During our stay, I had one of my agents go around the city for any signs of you-know-who. There haven’t been any reports of him since you three left.”

“So he did follow us back to Canterlot,” Ozzy said as he looked down and frowned.

“Son of a bitch,” Shiny muttered.

“There haven’t been any sightings of him on this end either,” I said. “Fancy said this morning he’ll need a few of the agents to come with him to Baltimare for a charity event, so we’ll only have one of them be on the lookout for him for a while.”

“We also agreed that if there isn’t any suspicious activity after the trial with Mascara, we’ll call off the lookout and move on,” Shiny added in. “If he really did forget about getting back together with Fleur, then we can get back to our normal lives.”

“Alright alright, enough with the serious talk,” Toffee said. “It’s time we get to more important matters.”

“So what’s the special news you have for us?” I asked.

“Well… you could say that Bubbles and I will be getting a new addition to the family soon,” Toffee answered with a smile.

Shiny and I gasped. “Oh my gosh… you don’t mean?” Shiny asked.

“That’s right… I’m pregnant,” Toffee announced. The boys plugged their ears before Shiny and I screamed.

“I can’t believe this! You’re having a baby!” I exclaimed.

“Was that part of why you had to extend the vacation? To get the pregnancy results?” Shiny asked.

“That’s part of it, but uh…” Toffee chuckled while blushing a little. “Bubbles here was such a trooper, the poor thing needed to recover until he was able to walk normally again after my heat ended.” Ozzy shivered from head to toe while he gulped.

Poor Ozzy. The three of us will have to talk about what we’ll have to do when our heat comes around so he doesn’t get caught in the crossfire.

“Age must be catching up to me if I was… occupied, from something like that,” Bubbles said while looking to the side and scratched his head.

“So that’s what Fancy meant when he said to pass along his congratulations,” Shiny commented. “Wait, he congratulated me too. What did he mean by that?”

“I guess you could say that’s the second part of our special news,” Toffee said as she looked up to Bubbles, grabbed his hand, and smiled as they turned back to Shiny. “Bubbles and I have talked it over, and if you’re interested, Shining, we’d like you to be our foal’s godmother.”

Shiny widened her eyes and covered her mouth while the rest of us turned to her in shock. “Y-you want me… to be her godmother?” she asked with a crack in her voice.

“We wouldn’t have asked you if we didn’t think you were up for it,” Bubbles said. “You, Fleur, and Fancy are pretty much family to us, and we’d like our foal to be surrounded by good ponies as yourselves to look after him or her. We knew how much you wanted a foal of your own before… well, that, and we thought you might like to be the next big thing with this opportunity.”

“Well, Shining? What do you think?” Toffee asked.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Shiny answered before tears started to stream down her cheeks. Silver passed a handkerchief to her, and she cleared herself up while I held her glasses with a smile and a few tears breaking out of my eyes as well. When she calmed down, she passed the handkerchief back to Silver, and I gave back her glasses. With a few sniffles, she slipped them back on and looked to the spouses with a smile. “Just call me Aunty Shiny.”

[6:00 p.m.]

We had dinner to celebrate Bubbles’ and Toffee’s foal. There was a lot of talk about what to name him/her, when we would hold a baby shower, and even finding a new home that’s large enough for a nursery. Ozzy, though he was smiling and nodding during the conversation, was unusually quiet. His eyes looked… sad, for some reason, as if he was trying to fight so hard to not let it show while something was hurting him inside.

After we made our goodbyes, we were on our way back home. Ozzy still had that same look as he gazed out the window.

“Ozzy?” I asked. He turned to my direction; his expression didn’t change. “Are you alright? You were pretty quiet this evening.”

“I’m okay,” he answered.

Shiny furrowed her brow. “That didn’t sound all that convincing. Is there something bothering you?”

He sighed and looked down on the floor. “I was just thinking… how lucky you two are.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You two have so many ponies who loved and cared for you throughout your lifetime,” he said. “Even at the lowest of times, you had those ponies to come help you get through them all.” He looked back out the window. “I wondered… how things would have been for me if I had at least a little of that back on Earth.”

Then it hit me: Ozzy’s cold, harsh reality that he went through back from his world. Not only from how his brother treated him, but how little Shiny and I knew about his father and mother when they should have been there for him. She and I looked at each other with folded ears before we looked down on the floor, and the carriage went silent throughout the rest of the trip.

“Excuse me, Ms. De Lis?” Silver asked from the driver’s seat.

“Yes, Silver?”

“Were you expecting any company today?”

I raised a brow. “No, I wasn’t. Why?”

“There’s a carriage parked in front of your home.”

The three of us exchanged confused glances as the carriage came to a stop. When we stepped out, there indeed was a carriage parked up front. Its door opened before we attempted to approach it. My eyes widened as a white human male was stepping out of the carriage, wearing a navy blue and white suit attire with shined black shoes, gelled hair, and a metal suitcase. He walked up to us and turned to Ozzy while he squinted at him.

“Hello, Ozzy Shore,” the man stated.

“Wait… Have we met before?” Ozzy asked.

“We have,” he answered. “Charles Gullivan. It’s been a while, but you may remember me from our time in court.”

Ozzy’s eyes then widened. “Now I remember… You were my attorney in that trial concerning Robert.”

His attorney? Wait, is this the one who defended Ozzy for… that incident a few years ago?

“That is correct,” Charles answered. “How have you been? You look like you’re doing well.”

“I’m… doing okay,” Ozzy answered. “What are you doing here, and how do you know where I live?”

“I stopped by your old apartment, and your roommate told me you moved here. Gathering legal information from another world was certainly tedious, I’ll say that much,” he said. “I think you understand as well as I do what measures we go through in order to gain permission to travel between them. As for why I’m here…” He paused to sigh while closing his eyes. His eyes opened and looked into Ozzy’s. “Ozzy Shore… It is with great displeasure to inform you that your father, Richard Shore, has passed on. I’m here to represent him with his will.”

Author's Notes:

For those of you who thought, "Oh hey! It's Phoenix Wright!" Nope, Charles Gullivan

So Ozzy's father passed away... That's certainly a bomb that dropped alright. What will develop from here? Until next time,

This is Dudeler, signing off.