Chapter 9: “Note to self: NEVER go on a shopping spree with a supermodel. EVER.”

[6:45 a.m.]

I woke up the next morning that was too early for me, but couldn’t get back to sleep. Thanks to me living with an alcoholic for a dad, I’ve learned to drink plenty of water while moderating alcohol on my less than occasional outings so I wouldn’t get a hangover. Though I didn’t have a headache, I was still pretty tired from the party last night.

Let’s see, we have a day off today right? I could use this day to shop for some attire for work, and probably unpack my things to settle into my new room. First thing though, is probably go to the grocery store to get some ingredients for breakfast this morning, and make up something for Shining’s hangover.

With the plan in mind, I put on some more casual clothes since the last few days: a t-shirt, sweat pants, and sneakers before I grabbed my wallet, and head out while getting a little exercise in the morning with a jog.

[7:25 a.m.]

I came back to the house with the door open so I wouldn’t lock myself out, and not wake Fleur up to let me in. I got into the kitchen with a few bags of groceries, and organized them in the fridge except the ingredients I needed to make Shining’s hangover: skim milk, chocolate syrup, a shot of pickle juice, hot sauce, and pepto bismol. This was something one of my dad’s buddies came up with to not only cure hangovers, but it also helps with stomach aches. Sounds like it would make things worse, I know, but trust me when I say that they look like they had never even went out drinking the night before after downing this concoction.

I took a small jar out of one of the cupboards, and began making the disgusting sounding drink before I closed the lid, and gave it couple shakes to give mix it up real good. I then took a sticky note, and wrote a message to stick on top of the lid.

Down this, and drink water immediately afterwards. Just trust me on this.

Oz

Short, sweet, and to the point. Yes, this concoction will taste disgusting, but sometimes that’s just what makes great medicine.

Once I put the ingredients away, I stepped out of the house with the jar while giving it a couple more shakes before I approached Shining’s condo. Now that it was brighter and I was less tired, I could see that it had very pale, light blue walls, with just the same amount of pigment in lightness for the purple roofs.

You know I didn’t really think about it until now, but the houses around here are certainly bolder when it comes to color compared to back home. It’s different, but probably for the better, since it just seems like everything back on Earth looked kind of pale and dull.

I set the jar in front of the door, and gave the doorbell a ring before I made my way back to my place. If Shining’s hangover was as bad as I thought it was, she was going to get to the door as soon as I got back inside.

Once I took off my shoes, I went back to the kitchen, and got the necessary utensils and ingredients needed to start breakfast.

I recall one of the countries outside of Equestria is called Prance. Since there are things similar to this world compared to Earth’s, would this be considered Prench toast? Have they ever had this before? Eh, whatever. If they liked my omelet, they may like this too.

[8:00 a.m.]

Fleur came down a couple minutes later once she heard and smelled food cooking, wearing the same bathrobe like yesterday, no make-up on, and sported a slight bed head and… Would it be called a bed tail, or a bed butt? I’m sticking with the former, because the other one sounds too inappropriate to say.

“Morning sleepyhead,” I joked. “Had a good sleep?”

“It was nice, but why are you up so early? We don’t have work today, remember?” Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Old sleeping habits I guess. I got up earlier than what was needed, and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I went on a little jog while getting some groceries to make breakfast this morning. Hey quick question, do you call this Prench toast around here?” I asked as I held up Fleur’s prepared breakfast, and the sight somehow made her gasp while her eyes practically sparkled in joy.

“Oh my goodness I love Prench toast!” She exclaimed as she took her plate. “It’s one of my guilty pleasures since I was a little filly. Please tell me you also got some raspberry preserves from the store too?”

“I do in fact. It’s in the fridge,” I said as I pointed back with my thumb.

“… You don’t mind making two more of these do you?” She asked with an almost amusing look of puppy dog eyes that just made my heart melt.

“Sure thing Fleur, no problem,” I replied before Fleur levitated her plate with magic, and gave me a tight embrace while I was still holding a spatula in my hand.

“How was I able to get a great friend and secretary such as yourself?” Fleur asked.

“Quite frankly, you should probably thank the carriage for that one. Now grab what you need before the food gets cold. I got hot water prepared for tea as well,” I informed.

“Thank you dearie,” she replied before going to the fridge, grabbed the preserves, and prepared her tea. When she took her first bite after spreading the preserves, her eyes widened. “Ozzy, you will prepare Prench toast for breakfast every day from this point on,” she playfully ordered before I chuckled a bit.

“Now now Fleur, we can’t have you eating too unhealthy, but thanks for the—“

SLAM!

“OZ!”

A loud shout along with the door slam interrupted, making me and Fleur flinch in shock. We turned to the door, and saw that it was Shining coming towards me. I didn’t have time to react before she grabbed the collar of my shirt, shoved me to the sink and got up close to where I couldn’t look away from her eyes unless I wanted to get hurt.

“Shiny! What’s the meaning of this?!” Fleur asked.

“Oz, I want to know what the fuck you just made me drink. Spill it. Now,” Shining ordered.

“I-it was something I learned to make from one of my dad’s friends back on Earth,” I explained quickly. “Ch-chocolate milk, pickle juice, hot sauce, and pepto bismol. I don’t know why, but it always seems to work for hangovers that I thought might help you from all that you drank last night, and I’m sorry if that wasn’t a pleasant experience, but it was the best thing I could come up with at the time, and please don’t hurt me.” I then gestured to the stove where two more slices of egg soaked bread were cooking on the pans. “I’m making Prench toast!”

The kitchen was silent except the sound of bread cooking filling the air as Shining kept staring at me in close proximity. “Are there any side-effects after drinking it?” She asked.

“No! I wouldn’t make it for you if I knew the side-effects besides the bad taste was so severe!” I defended quickly before I shut my eyes tightly.

A few moments past while I was at the ready to take whatever beating Shining was going to throw at me. I suddenly heard a sigh before the gorilla-like grip on my collar was released, and I was dropped back to the floor. When I opened one eye, her back was facing me as she cleared her throat. “Yes, well… I feel much better after drinking that crap you gave me a couple minutes later. Sorry for the intrusion,” Shining said before I noticed Fleur was giving her some sort of death glare, as if demanding her of something with such passive-aggressive vigor. “… And thanks,” Shining added in.

“Well I’m certainly glad to see you’re feeling better,” I said with my voice shaking before I tried to breathe to calm myself down.

‘Feeling better’ may not even be the half of it. It was like she was at full strength, ready to pound me into submission.

“Honestly Shiny, was that outburst really necessary?” Fleur asked with a raised brow. “What did you even think Ozzy was doing when he gave that… Unique drink to you?”

“I thought he was pulling some sort of sick prank!” Shining defended. “I woke up with a pounding headache from the doorbell, walked to the front without changing out of my dress from last night, found nothing but a strange jar of liquid with a note that said, and I quote, ‘down this, and drink water immediately afterwards, just trust me on this,’ with Oz’s name signed at the end.

“I had no idea what it was, but I thought I’d change into some more comfortable clothes before I tried it. I almost literally barfed from the foul taste after drinking it whole! I had a glass of water prepared before that, and I chugged it down soon afterwards, only leaving me very pissed that Oz had me drink something that tasted like freakin’ sewer water with no idea if there was going to be some backlash! How could I have not confront him for something like that?!”

“Well, Ozzy wrote in the note to drink water soon after the concoction yes?” Fleur asked.

“… Yeah?” Shining responded with uncertainty.

“Then he must have already known how terrible it would taste before even making it for you,” Fleur concluded. “If you thought Ozzy was pulling some sort of prank, wouldn’t he have worded out the note differently to make it so? Or even make a completely different concoction that would make your hangover even worse than it already was? Did you really think Ozzy’s the kind of person to go that far after just getting the job that you gave him yesterday?”

Shining opened her mouth to answer, but paused as she made second thoughts. She then sighed a breath of defeat while pinching the space between her eyes behind the glasses. “Yes,” she replied.

“Well I’m quite surprised at you Shiny,” Fleur scolded while crossing her arms. “I think you just lost Prench toast privileges this morning because of giving poor Ozzy such a scare.”

“Now now, let’s not get too harsh Fleur,” I broke in between them. “I’ll admit, having Shining read it to me now, I can understand how vague I wrote that message, so it’s partially my fault for not explaining it in further detail. I can understand how worried she can be for having no idea what she drank, and even more that something might happen to her, and I apologize for bringing up such a scary misunderstanding Shining.

“Also, you have to understand Fleur that Shining needs some time and effort to not lash out at guys as much as she used to. She and I came to a common ground yesterday after what happened in the dressing room, and decided to start things over with a clean slate. It was my idea that she came to you talking about whatever you two discussed afterwards, and you saw for yourself how thankful she was for that yesterday before the party. Now I’m not sure how badly she treated the stallions before I came along, but don’t you think just having Shining drink something I gave her, having no idea what it was, but only have a note that said ‘just trust me on this one’ to go by is a right step to that direction?”

Fleur’s and Shining’s eyes widened at me after I finished my speech. They then gazed at each other with looks of guilt painted on their faces while their ears folded. “I suppose he’s right,” Fleur admitted. “You’ve been at this for five years up to now, and after what you been through, I guess it’s going to take more time than what I had anticipated for you to start getting comfortable around stallions again. I only wanted to help out by getting you to dance with him last night, but I didn’t think you’d end up drinking yourself under the table, and getting a hangover afterwards. I’m sorry that I pressured you that far Shiny.”

“But if you hadn’t told me what you confessed in the dressing room yesterday, I’d probably still be giving Oz as much of a hard time as before, maybe more this morning,” Shining added in. “Up until then, I didn’t realize how much that had concerned you so much when I’ve just been so busy keeping you at a good condition for your modeling career. So I’m sorry that I worried you that much for so long. I still want to change my ways, I really do, but like Oz said, I need some time and effort to make it possible.”

“Why don’t we just put that little outburst behind us, and just… Take this one step at a time. Alright?” Fleur asked with a smile.

“I’d like that,” Shining replied, returning the gesture before Fleur got up, and the two of them hugged it out. I relished the heartwarming moment that was going on before Shining made a couple whiffs of air through her nose. “Is there something burning?” She asked.

I raised my eyebrow, took a few whiffs, and agreed that something was actually burning before I came to a horrid realization. “OH NO THE PRENCH TOASTS!” I exclaimed before I got to the stove and turned off the flames. The egg soaked bread that was on the pans were sizzling loudly while it looked totally black. I sighed a breath of relief knowing that I didn’t cause some sort of fire before I took the spatula and practically chipped them off the pan before throwing them away. “Sorry about that. Do you mind waiting a little longer so I could get some new ones ready?”

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Fleur said with a smile.

“I’d… Like to try some too if it’s not too much trouble,” Shining added in with a sheepish grin.

“No problem. I figured you might want some to get that awful taste out of your mouth,” I replied as I cleaned the blackened crumbs from the pans before I started preparing two new slices of egg soaked bread.

[8:30 a.m.]

“Oz… You’re going to make Prench toast every morning from now on, because this is just that delicious,” Shining professed as three of us ate our freshly cooked Prench toast (or French toast in my case).

I chuckled at the order Shining gave before I spoke. “Fleur pretty much said the same thing before you got here. As much as I’d like to, I still need to keep your health in mind. Plus I’m pretty sure that Fleur having three raspberry spread Prench toasts every morning will go straight to her thighs.”

“Hey!” Fleur protested with a pout before Shining and I chuckled from the playful insult.

“But seriously though, thanks for the breakfast even after that little outburst earlier,” Shining thanked.

“A little outburst?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Okay okay, it was a big outburst that wasn’t needed, and again I apologize for that.”

“Eh, it’s in the past,” I replied with a shrug.

“Speaking of the past, do you two know what happened sometime after my dance with Oz last night?” Shining asked with a confused eyebrow. “I remember going to the mini bar, but my memory got fuzzy after that. I didn’t do or say anything embarrassing did I?”

“Uh, nope, nothing at all,” I lied.

I’m not sure how she’d react if I told her how she might have taken my virginity (though it wasn’t said, but heavily implied) if she had met me long before last night, and I’m not going to find out anytime soon.

“If anything you just kind of passed out on the carriage floor on the way home,” I continued.

“Oh goddess, I guess I did go a little overboard last night huh?” Shining asked with a hint of red in her cheeks. “I must not have been a pretty sight then was I?”

“Not really. In fact it was kind of cute how your ear and tail twitched while you were out,” I replied.

… There might have been some truth there, I don’t know why I said it was cute, but I didn’t want to see Shining looking so shameful of herself.

It seemed to have worked, as Shining’s eyes widened at the compliment while her cheeks reddened brighter than before. “… C-cute?” She asked.

“I’d have to agree with Ozzy on this one,” Fleur added in. “You were like a cat high on catnip, and off to dreamland. But I must ask though, why did you drink so much after that dance? It wasn’t that bad of an experience was it?”

“N-no no! It’s not like that!” Shining defended while waving her hands out front. “It was awkward at first, yes, but I… Kind of liked it as the dance went on.”

“So what was with rushing out of the dance hall to the bar then?” Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I… Had a lot going on in my mind, and I needed to calm down,” Shining answered.

“Let’s just move onto something else. I don’t want to feel like we’re interrogating her,” I commented. “Since we have a day off today, I was thinking I could go around the city finding some new clothes to wear for work. I only have the one suit jacket I had on me last night, and I’d like to get a few more with slacks and shirts for variety, plus shoes that are comfortable to walk in if they have any that’s suitable for humans yet. Other essentials that I need for settling into my new home would be nice to get as well, and I’ll need time to get myself unpacked in my new room.”

When I finished, I realized Fleur had a steadily growing smile and sparkle in her eyes as I spoke, while Shining grew more in fear and dread before she turned to her friend. “Fleur, you better not say it—“

“SHOPPING SPREEEEE~!”

“Aaand she said it,” Shining concluded before flopping her head to the table.

“Am I missing something here?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m going to change and get ready right away. Shiny, you change into something casual as well, and call Silver Wheel to pick us up. We leave in 45!” Fleur exclaimed before she got up, and dashed upstairs.

“… Okay, so you two are coming with me to shop for clothes. It can’t be that bad can it?” I asked.

“… You’ve never went shopping with a girl before have you?” Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh… No? Never dated a girl to shop with before remember? I never had a mom to take me shopping either. I pretty much had to find my own clothes to buy,” I answered.

“Let me tell you something about girls and shopping around here,” Shining said. “When they have the time and money, besides me, it’s pretty much every girls’ past time, especially when they have boys with them. They pretty much take hours, going from store to store, finding whatever attire and accessories that look cute or on sale, and trying them on to see if they fit, look good, and have second opinions from the guys who are with them before they decide to buy it or find something else. Finally they pay everything up front before moving on to the next store, having the guys carry all of their stuff.

“Now with our friend Fleur here?” She asked while pointing her thumb upstairs. “She can get pretty overboard with how much she buys. It’s what I like to call ‘binge shopping’ when it comes to her, buying more things than what’s needed, and probably never wears at least half of what she bought.”

“… She has a walk in closet, and I saw for myself how packed to the brim it was with clothes,” I pointed out. “What does she do with all that she doesn’t wear, or gets bored with?”

“She has what we’d like to call a ‘seasonal closet clean up,’” Shining answered. “Every three to four months in the year, or transition between seasons, she goes through her closet finding whatever clothes she likes to keep, or tossed to a pile that gets donated to charities.”

“Well that’s certainly nice. At least they won’t go to waste,” I commented.

“That can be a problem sometimes though,” Shining sighed frustratingly while rubbing her eyes. “She’s kind of a pack rat when it comes to clothes, and she can get pretty difficult letting some of them go. That’s why I have to help her out so she doesn’t carry something she doesn’t wear for at least two years.”

“What was the longest time she kept something?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“… Six years, and she didn’t realize how some don’t even fit her anymore,” Shining answered.

… Yikes.

“Anyway, as I said before, she goes overboard with her shopping, and guess who gets to be the lucky stallion to carry all of her things?” Shining asked with a devious smirk.

“… I’m going to be put through hell am I?” I asked.

“After this? You’d wish you were locked up behind the gates of Tartarus,” she answered. “Come to think of it, I think I need to find some new things for my wardrobe as well. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for the day. We’ll discuss your payments as our new secretary later in the evening.” She then leans over the table into my personal space, giving me the most devilish smirk I’ve seen from her yet. “You better prepare yourself Oz… If you thought yesterday was crazy, today’s going to be something else. Soon you’ll share the same fate of every guy that has gone shopping with a girl tenfold.” She then walked over to the door with a cheesy evil laughter villains from cartoons usually make before she left the house.

I didn’t realize it until I got a good look at her, but she was wearing a fitting tank top with a pair of yoga pants that accented her cello-like figure, especially her well sculpted legs from the hooves up. Her round, yet firm ass was also hypnotizing to watch as their cheeks shifted in a figure eight, while her tail swayed from side to side.

… If part of what the girls want to buy is similar to that… Somehow I think the struggle today will be worth it… Though I have no idea why I’m thinking this as a good thing. Ugh, what’s going on with me anymore? One minute I was practically scared of Shining pounding me to a pulp, and the next I’m seeing a different side of her that’s attractive when she’s not in her skeptical mode. Then there’s Fleur that I practically drooled over at the soap photo shoot yesterday, and her open, perky personality’s drawing me in as well. I need to talk to someone, or somepony, about this, and get a second opinion on whatever I’m feeling around them is normal for someone like me.

With the note in mind, I cleaned up the aftermath of the morning’s breakfast before I changed from sweatpants to jeans, and cleaned myself up enough to look presentable. I then took my wallet and phone before I went back downstairs, and waited for the girls.

[9:55 a.m.]

We arrived at Canterlot’s main shopping district, with Silver dropping us off at a store for home essentials that I requested. When Silver opened the door for us, I stepped out first before Shining followed with a sleeveless indigo top, matching purse, black jeans, and her mane let down. Fleur came out last with a casual, daytime, sleeveless dress that was light yellow, had a white purse, and was wearing the same sunhat and shades as yesterday while sporting an eager grin to start her ‘shopping binge.’

“So I’ll be back here at 1:30 to pick you three up yes?” Silver asked.

“That’s right Silver,” Shining answered. “Come back with the S carriage as well please. We’ll be having a lot of things with us when we’re done.”

“What the heck is the S carriage?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“The Shopping carriage is what we use for carrying large amounts of luggage and items to store Oz,” Silver answered. “Shopping spree today Ms. De Lis?”

“That’s right~,” Fleur sang.

“The S carriage it is then. And Oz?” Silver asked me.

“Yeah?”

“… Good luck out there,” he said with a thumbs up.

… Somehow I feel like he wants to tell me something else that’s similar. Like ‘from all of the stallions that have braved this quest, we wish you safe travels,’ and just the thought alone makes me worried.

“Have a nice morning you three!” Silver exclaimed as he got back on the carriage, and drove off, leaving the three of us to ourselves.

“Alright, since I’ll need some big sized essentials from this store, we’ll stop here last to shop,” I said. “Besides some work clothes, I don’t think I’ll need much else to buy. I’ll just get what I need last, and follow you two around since you know your way around here more than I do.”

“Hope you can carry a lot of weight Oz, you’ll probably need it,” Shining pointed out.

“Ahh~, it feels like it’s been so long since I last shopped. I can’t wait to see what new things they’ll have on this beautiful day,” Fleur commented. “Let’s get this shopping spree started everypony!”

You know I’ll bet Shining just told me what she said earlier to scare me. I mean going shopping with girls can’t be that bad can it?

[12:15 p.m.]

I take that question I had earlier back now. I was wrong. Oh so horrifyingly wrong. The long wait time while the girls tried clothes on, the long walks throughout the stores, the questions that are too difficult to answer like 'does this make my butt look big?' My whole body’s screaming at me in protest from all the weight I had to carry up to now, and the exhaustion that’s taking its toll on me. How did guys with girlfriends put up with this kind of cruel and unusual torture?!

The three of us were at a local restaurant in the shopping district where we were having a lunch break. At my sides were a bunch of bags that weighed up to probably 80 pounds total that I had to carry half on each arm like a walking coat hanger. My arms were having trouble just trying to help me eat a green salad I was having for lunch, while the girls had different kinds of their own.

“Aah~, I think I’m through with my shopping spree for the day,” Fleur proclaimed while stretching her arms like she just got back from a workout that she never went through. Unlike me where I may need more than a couple stretches to get back in full swing.

“I believe what I bought today seems adequate as well,” Shining added in. “Got some nice new sets for work, and some clothes for my off days as well.”

“You mentioned earlier how shopping isn’t one of your past times like most other girls,” I pointed out. “Why is that exactly, and why pick today to shop for new things?”

“I haven’t had as much concern over what I wear as I used to Oz,” she answered. “When you work as a manager for a supermodel, there isn’t very much time to wear as much stylish clothes as you used to. Of course there are some days however where you’d like to try something new for a change, and today seemed like a good day to find things to spice up my wardrobe.”

Let’s not forget how you’re making joy out of my misery in carrying your stuff around the city you evil, conniving... Somehow cute-looking fiend.

“Anyway, since we’re done with our shopping, we can focus on what you want to buy Ozzy,” Fleur said.

Good, ‘cause I’d like to buy what I need and get this day done and over with.

“That would be much appreciated, thank you,” I replied, my thoughts saying otherwise.

Once we finished our lunch, I followed the girls to a place called Stallion’s Warehouse, with their new clothes in tow. When I walked inside, there were many different varieties of suits in sets on display, jackets by themselves, dress shirts, and slacks in different sections of the store.

“Ooo~, I think this one might look good on you Ozzy. What do you think?” Fleur asked as she pulled out a set from a rack that was near us. It was an indigo suit with a light blue undershirt, plus a tie that was black with white dots spread around it.

Huh, I guess this looks pretty good… HOLY SHIT this looks expensive! I only got enough on me for so many clothes! I still need to get essentials for my room as well!

“Uh, Fleur, while I do agree this looks nice, I don’t think I can get this,” I replied.

“Why not?” Fleur asked with her head nodding to the side in confusion.

“I only have so much money on me to buy what I need,” I answered. “I can’t really pay for this when I want to buy enough to get around work. Heck, just looking at the prices on the items individually around here is too expensive for me to buy.”

Just having me to explain that to Fleur who probably has little idea on what living in the working to middle class life is like is kind of irksome to be honest. Sure she might be giving what old clothes she doesn’t wear to charity, but she’s been throwing all that money around like it’s nothing when it could be used for so much more.

“What do you mean it’s too expensive for you to buy when I’m paying for it?” Fleur asked bluntly.

At that moment, I was almost caught off guard enough to drop all the bags I was carrying, along with my jaw to the floor. “… Huh?”

“I’m with Oz on this one with the same response: huh?” Shining added in.

“You didn’t think me shopping for myself was the only reason why I wanted to come along did you?” Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll admit, it’s quite a pain carrying all of the things I bought around when there’s other places I want to visit, and I can only levitate so much with my magic. I appreciate you putting up with it over the past few hours Ozzy, so this is not only my way of saying thanks, but you could say it’s an employer providing their workers the required materials they need for the job. Like some uniforms associates wear in the businesses they work. I recall the stores provided them the shirts while they find the slacks and shoes needed to go along with it yes?”

“Uh… I suppose, but this isn’t a service-industry type of job I’m working in Fleur,” I pointed out. “And while I do appreciate it, I can’t have you buy—“

“Ah bup bup! Not one more word out of you Ozzy,” Fleur interjected while putting a finger to my lips. “It’s my money to do as I please, and it’s my decision to do this for you. Let me take care of the work-related essentials, and you can buy whatever other things you need, alright? Now as a supermodel with good tastes in fashion, I’ll find some jackets, dress shirts, and slacks that will suit you, and I do believe this place can special order the kind of shoes you need from Earth. We’ll take care of that last before we go back to the home essentials store we were dropped off so you can get what you need for your room. Just give this set I have here a try in the fitting rooms, and I’ll find some others that could also work. Don’t wait up!” She handed the suit set to me before she walked off to browse and find what clothes I should wear, leaving me with my jaw still dropped to the floor.

“You know, I found it odd that she finished her shopping with less things than usual. I guess now I can see why that was,” Shining asked.

“This is less?” I asked with a raised eyebrow while holding up the bags I still had in my arms.

“I’ve known her to be quite a generous pony, but I didn’t think she would go this far,” Shining continued.

“… Fuck, now I feel like crap, and it’s not the weight I’m carrying that’s making me so.”

“Elaborate.”

“I thought she wanted to come along for her own needs, and when she asked why I couldn’t buy the set she showed me because of how expensive it was… For a moment, I thought she was one of those high class people back on my world who have no idea what those in the working and lower class like me would do to make a living, and how much we value money for our own priorities. Most of the rich back on my world would only think of themselves, living the life of luxury with overly expensive things that might not even be needed, and even if they got everything they wanted, their greed would only cloud them into thinking they ‘need’ more, and getting money in ways that would be considered despicable to the human eye. They wouldn’t care what would happen to people like us who’ve been working for most of our lifetimes to get by, and some may not even spare a penny for a cause that would benefit the many. It has brought up an ideal where it’s ‘every man for himself,’ and cause such competition to reach the highest point of success that almost everyone would dream of.

“Politicians, government officials, and celebrity icons, those are the kind of people that would make so much money for themselves, and throwing most of it away over ridiculous things that would end up on the news. A rich person using their money to help others and special causes like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres is almost a godsend in my eyes. It’s part of why I want to live in a lifestyle that isn’t full of luxury and riches, so that I wouldn’t be corrupted by the greed, and end up like the bastards and bitches that end up in the news for the wrong reasons. And for a moment, I lumped Fleur de Lis with one of them, the first friend I’ve ever made since coming to Equestria, and now I’m getting sick in my stomach for thinking like that.”

Shining and I stood there in silence for a moment while Fleur was outside of the hearing range, still looking for the clothes she’s willing to buy for me to work in as her secretary.

“I can’t deny the fact that there are ponies here that think and behave the way you describe,” Shining said. “But let me ask you this Oz, why do you think Fleur wanted to become a supermodel?”

That question baffled me speechless. I’ve wondered why she wanted to become a model for a bit, as somepony who would go so far as posing naked in front of the cameras for some advertisements, subjecting herself to sexual objectification that I’m currently ashamed of looking at her in such a… Guy-like manner in such a situation. Even so, I still don’t know why she became a supermodel in the first place, and if this was really something she wanted.

“I… Don’t know Shining. I honestly can’t think of any reason,” I replied.

“Remember how Fleur told you how she only got through high school with ‘passable’ grades, and wondered how things would be if she pursued a higher education?” She asked.

“I… Recall that, yes.”

“Getting good enough grades to graduate wasn’t the only thing she was struggling with throughout high school,” Shining said. “She was one of the few ponies who didn’t get their cutie marks until at a later age than most. Getting our cutie marks is a very important moment for all of us, as they not only display our special talent, but it’s a symbol that represents our entire being. Unfortunately when there are some ponies who still don’t know what their special talent is enough to not get a cutie mark, they can be considered as social outcasts, and if high school life is similar back on your world, you can probably understand how much of a rough time Fleur had.

“She may not know what she wanted to do, or what she was good at, but she had a certain idea on what kind of pony she wanted to be. She looked up to Princess Celestia and Fancy Pants very highly, because they use their wide range of knowledge to help give other ponies a chance to live happy, fulfilling lives. She wanted to help ponies probably as much, maybe even more so than her brother, but she feared she doesn’t have the kind of knowledge, brawns, or skills in magic to do so. The only thing she had was her beauty, both inside and out.

“It wasn’t until one day however, when she came across a patch of lilies in the school’s garden with a magazine in hand. She likes how the flowers give everything around them a sense of joy, ease, and beauty, so she took it upon herself to help take care of them so they can keep doing what they do best. When she came across those lilies, her favorite kind of flower, with a magazine she was reading through at the time, something clicked that gave her an idea as she looked at the models in some of the advertisement pages for certain products. Up to that point, though it was nice to look beautiful herself, she didn’t see very much value in it. But she then came up with the idea of how she can use that beauty to help other ponies. Making lots of money that she could use to donate to causes that needed to be filled at the time.

“So she did some research, talked to some ponies that are good in the business with the help of her brother, and snagged an opportunity for a photo shoot. It was a big success, as how she struck those poses in front of the cameras was like second nature to her. When she received her paycheck, she used most of it to put into her first project that needed financial aid.”

“What was that?” I asked, my interest in this topic piqued to the brink.

“Putting up a garden for a local orphanage to grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers that included her favorite kind,” Shining answered with a smile. “When it was a success, the kids were thrilled to see how amazing it looked, and Fleur was proud that she helped made that possible… That was when she got her cutie mark. The three lilies symbolize how they not only inspired her to make that goal possible, but her desire to spread the joy of beauty with her own. That’s why she became the supermodel you see today, and being the manager to help a mare make such goals possible is what makes my job worthwhile.”

My vision was starting to get blurry before something wet streamed down my cheeks. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, trying not to make a scene in public.

“Dammit… Why’s she even helping me though?” I asked. “If she’s helping those that are less fortunate, she should focus more attention on them, not me. I don’t deserve such kindness and generosity.”

“Perhaps it’s because she sees a little of herself inside of you,” Shining answered. “I may not know much of you yet Oz, but so far you seem like someone who tries to earn what he wants through honest hard work instead of underhanded schemes. You don’t want to burden others with your troubles, and when there’s a problem set in front of you, you put to solving it as first priority without a second thought. You’re pretty much helping other ponies in your own way, and Fleur acknowledges that part of you.”

“I… Don’t feel like I’ve helped very many so far Shining,” I confessed. “I can’t think of anything I’ve done that levels up to what Fleur had accomplished. What have I done that’s even considered helpful to other ponies at all?”

“Well… There was staking your life in saving Fleur’s from the carriage, you’ve helped me start to rethink what I’ve been doing in the last five years working as her manager, and you helped mend my friendship with her more than once since you joined in. I think that certainly counts as something, don’t you think?” Shining asked with a smirk before she walked off to where Fleur was, leaving me standing still, not realizing how sore my arms were getting after holding them up for so long. After a few moments, I walked over to the fitting rooms with the girls’ bags in tow, and much to think about in my mind.

Author's Note

For those who haven't looked onto my blog post, I apologize for bringing your hopes up like that. I accidentally clicked the publish button when it still needed to be proofread, and as soon as I realized that, I had to unpublish it as fast as I could.

Anyway, I hope this chapter was to your liking. Looks like there's more to Fleur than meets the eye here.

And yes, even though I'm not a christian, I do believe Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres are godsends to today's cruel condition on humanity, and if you say anything negative otherwise, I will deal with you personally in the most mature, politically correct way possible.

Have a nice day.