"T-this is ridiculous."

Fleur giggled into her fetlock. "It cannot be as bad as you think, ma dear. Come come, let us zee our work!" She waved her hoof for flair but Sireen couldn't see it behind the curtain.

"No. I'm not coming out."

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Fine, you have left me no choice!"

Her horn flared up and the curtain was yanked to the side. Sireen 'eeped' and made a mad grasp for the bench in the dressing booth but failed as she was fully encompassed in Fleur's magic field and slid out into the open.

"F-Fleur!" She hissed at the mare. Fleur was reclining on a chaise lounge, sipping a light juice beverage. Next to her were a few trays of light snacks. Crackers, grapes, and veggies all assorted in fancy shapes that the mares could pick apart in their leisure. Right now Sireen felt like a tray of food laid bare before a hungry mare!

Fleur's eyes were traveling up and down Sireen's form with excitement. She was clothed in a dark burgundy, single shoulder dress that faded lightly into a clear, almost see through cloth that helped accentuate her hips, legs, and tail. Her head had a small orange burnt brass circlet and a set of fall orange leaf style earrings. Her front legs had a set of three dark brown glimmering bracelets that interlocked at an angle to each other.

The ensemble looked stunning, but the closed off, defensive posture of the mare wearing it, and her nervous expression as she looked around, failed to pull it all in. Fleur clucked her tongue, set the drink down, hopped off the couch and began walking around Sireen.

"Hmm, vee believe you have ze perfect shape for zat dress, and ze colors don't clash to harshly... but you are lacking somzing... not ze right confidence!"

Sireen watched as Fleur stood next to the smaller mare and gently started nudging her form into a better pose. Magic touching her wings felt so weird! Sireen shuddered and tried to pull away but Fleur gently nipped her shoulder.

"Non no! Try zis, Imagine you are on guard duty, oui? You stand before Princess Luna, full armor, polished and prepared, and you vish to show her you are confident, oui?"

Sireen sighed and looked up at Fleur. "That isn't the same, Fleur, it's my job, I have standards to uphold!"

Fleur giggled again and ran her hoof down Sireen's back, smoothing out the dress. "Is it not ze job of a mare to show her stallion why zey should work hard to please us? A mare should keep high standards as well for her love life! Now, do you want to dazzle your stallion?"

Sireen blushed and thought of Iron. His reaction would be so priceless... but she'd never done this before! Dressing up to show off for her lover? It sounded... well inappropriate! At the same time... She could tell part of her was loving the idea, that part of her wanted to.

A breath sucked its way into her mouth and then was held, before she released it. She took the guard pose, rigid legs, back straight, head up, eyes forward, firm expression.

Fleur immediately clapped her hooves and nodded. "Oui oui! Much better! Already she looks more like she 'az ze confidence!"

Fleur then shuffled around Sireen, adjusting her posture gently. A back leg subtly moved out from under the dress, to show off the side, a wing draped down opposite the leg and in front of her chest, to give mystery, her eyes slowly lidded and fluttered for eye draw, and the head tilted off to the side to show the barest hint of disinterest, and Sireen was a new mare.

Apparently she was a new mare. Sireen simply felt ridiculous.

Several flashes of a camera, a couple sultry poses, giving off more views of her wings, the curves of her form, and maybe two or three very private photos, and Sireen was left rubbing at her eyes after fighting not to blink during the process.

"Why did we need photos again, Fleur?" Carefully, Sireen began dressing down as Fleur reset the camera for the next outfit. They had already done four sets. A winter ballgown, summer Sunday best, spring adventure/travel, and now her fall formal outfit.

Each set had been around ten photos, with the last four always being erotic in nature.

The white mare rolled her hoof as she walked over to a wardrobe rack and shuffled through it. "For ze memory book, oui? Zis will be a good zing to show your stallion, and it vill be a wonderful zing to look back on when vee are older wrinkled mares!" The two were in a large modeling warehouse on the east side of Canterlot, mostly alone. Two or three technician ponies were there as well, milling about in other sections. They let the mares do their thing, save for one time when Fleur grabbed a nearby pony and asked for the camera to be set up. It was an impromptu photo shoot after all and Sireen had not been fully prepared for the onslaught of information dumping that Fleur gave her over the first hour.

Fleur really couldn't blame her for the confusion though. The original plan had been to go clothes shopping in town, not modeling. When Sireen had expressed her interest in increasing her nonexistent wardrobe, Fleur had gotten some hair-brained idea to bring her to the studio for a secret gift she could give Iron Crest. Things had gone rather side ways after that, but in a mostly fun way.

Stallions apparently loved it when a mare dressed up for them, Sireen had heard from many guards in the day platoons that a mare or stallion in shiny armor was just as fun to see in the bedroom as it was outside. She blushed as errant thoughts jumped around in her mind. Would Iron like to see her lying on the bed, slowly removing her armor for him? She wasn't sure but it sent a flutter of excitement through her body.

Fleur approached and gently removed the earrings and circlet, placing the items in a trunk meant for clothing that needed washing, and then handed Sireen one more. This ensemble was a solid white dress, with small green crystals and a soft golden threading that ran throughout the whole thing. The train of the dress made Sireen think of wedding dresses, but then to her surprise, Fleur unclipped it and added a different train, using buttons that were deftly hidden in the fabric.

The new fabric went from flowing snow white, to a deep crimson red. Fleur then levitated over a pair of socks for her front legs that had the same gradient of colors.

... And a set of silver armor?

Sireen looked over the collection of items, and tilted her head in curiosity as Fleur guided her to the changing room. "What is this one called?"

Fleur hummed with a smile as the bat pony disappeared once more behind the curtain. The shifting of fabric and the clink of armor blended together as Fleur paced outside, biting her lip with a blush. She was really liking the outfits on her friend, but she kept trying to keep things fun and not get...frisky.

"It iz called robe de guerrier. Originally we sought to find a griffoness who could wear it, as it iz from their cultural history, but ze griffons are hard to come by, at least in ze modeling world." She scuffed her hoof and frowned at a mark on the floor. "Such a pity too, griffon hens have the natural beauty of felines, and the confidence of predators, ze walk very smoothly for the camera." She shook her mane as a shiver of excitement raced up her neck. "it iz like water in a solid form, to see them strut across a runway."

Sireen huffed behind the curtain and Fleur heard her shake and grumble at something. "S-so why not hire a changeling? Can't they imitate the pose and personality of a griffon?"

Fleur frowned more, bobbing her head left and right. "Erm, yeees, but ze changelings are not exactly on great terms with ze griffons, they 'ave not had as much exposure between cultures. Finding a changeling zat has experience as a griffon for prolonged periods of time iz... a tall order."

Sireen drew the curtain back and stepped out with a muttering of frustration. Fleur turned to look and had to fight back a giggle.

"Well I think you'll need to find a griffoness, cause I don't think I am the proper size for this ensemble, Fleur."

The dress drooped excessively over her body in loose folds that made her look like white pudding flopped over itself in folds. You couldn't even see her legs, there was just too much extra fabric! The armor was far too slack and definitely too big. The chest piece was meant to contain a lot of feathers and thick fur, things the bat pony mare certainly lacked. Then the extra arm guards were clanking on the ground around her hooves, while the socks were just scrunched up and bunched against the leg pieces.

Sireen started giggling and Fleur did too. The two mares laughed as Sireen started stepping out of the over sized outfit. "I think I might have grabbed ze wrong size zat time, my friend!" Fleur chuckled and quietly collected the pieces of the outfit as Sireen removed them.

The items were folded and placed in the trunk and then Fleur lay down on the chaise lounge again while Sireen stretched.

"Oof, trying on multiple pieces of clothing is actually rather taxing, I never figured it would be a mental slog." The batpony sat down on the ground slightly off to Fleur's right, and flexed her wings. "You do this on a constant basis?"

Fleur nodded, stealing some grapes and crackers from the tray. "Ze life of a model is ever changing." She said with a wink.

Sireen rolled her eyes at the pun. "Okay, I deserved that one. Still, I would think that constantly donning outfits and taking pose after pose for the camera would deter you from doing it for fun, doesn't it get boring?" She reached over and stole a couple bites of food as well.

Fleur rest her head on her hooves and her ears wilted a little, her eyes drifted to the side. "I suppose it does a little, at times. I have hobbies though that I do as well, It helps curb ze boredom ven it strikes. In a way I guess it iz similar to your job. Can you not say zat guard duty gets repetitive?"

Sireen nodded. "Yeah, I mean, all jobs are gonna have dull moments, but I meant that you are on your day off, and we were originally going to go shopping, not modeling. So... why bring me to your job?"

Fleur watched her quietly for a moment and then smiled. "I'm seeking to show you zat I am like you. I want to relate to my friends."

Sireen blinked, tilting her head while nibbling on a cracker. "Oh?"

Fleur stood and hopped off the couch, and sat with Sireen. She swung her hoof between the two of them. "You and I are rather similar. We hope for bonds zat are... more then just fleeting. Vee vant them to last, to grow, and not fade vith time. I read in Princess Twilight's book of friendship, that to do this, vee must become relatable to one another."

Fleur brought her hoof up and waved it at the studio set up and the area around them. "To do zis, I shared my job vith you. I vanted you to see me as I am in this scenario, because as a guard you do similar actions. You dress up in ze proper attire, you take specific poses for certain situations, and you have dull moments. Now you and I can relate to one another's job life." She blushed and looked to the side, "I was also able to help you vith a fun gift for your partner, who I know you love deeply."

Sireen shared in the blush and rubbed her foreleg. "He is a wonderful partner so far, I do love him."

Fleur looked at Sireen and seemed to want to speak but then halted and stayed silent, choosing to fill the silence with a sip of her drink. Sireen noticed and wiggled her hoof at the mare. "Fleur, I appreciate that you did this with me, and I had a lot of fun, but I also have noticed this entire time that you are holding back from saying more."

Fleur frowned, lowering her glass and her gaze. "Ever ze perceptive guard, I suppose I wasn't as subtle as I 'ad hoped. Please understand though, I did not vish to make things uncomfortable on our first hang out. Fancy told me to 'tone it down', for your sake."

Sireen frowned and swiveled her ears to the side, "Tone what down? The flirting? Really it doesn't bother me that much, you just surprised me is all." She shuffled her wings and gently punched Fleur's shoulder. "Honestly I can't really say I've had a mare try to flirt with me until now, especially one of your caliber, so it's new is all."

Fleur smiled gently and nudged a piece of fabric along the rack with her magic. "I appreciate zat, Sireen. It is a little more than zat though. I am a mare who 'as attraction to both mares and stallions, and you, you are very attractive to me. Fancy didn't vant me to push you away because I want...
things."

Sireen frowned lightly, "I know you want a foal..."

Fleur bit her lip and blushed. "Not... just zat." Standing, she slid the rack of hung clothing to the side, before shaking her mane and tail out briskly. "Vell! I could use a good walk, would you like to do some shopping next?"

She didn't give Sireen a chance to answer, as she walked over to one of the technicians and began coordinating the clean up of the set. Sireen kept frowning. Fleur was very attracted to her then, but was afraid to try anything.

She's probably been holding back this entire time. That attraction could complicate things with Iron Crest, but she wasn't willing to give up on the attempt made by the mare and her husband for friendship. They had a sound reason, and she kind of liked the idea of helping in that way. She also knew Iron had enjoyed his time over at Fancy Pant's house.

If he could get out and spend more time with his fellow stallions, he might feel more comfortable in the future to such ideas. The stallion had regaled her with his horrible first attempts at pool, some of the stories he'd heard, and even was attempting to go back a second time later in the week. All of this, he'd done with a genuine, excited smile.

Yes, maybe she needed to give it time, focus on the close to home things first, and then revive the topic, but definitely not now. Iron had a lot to work on internally and that was important. She smiled at Fleur and gently closed the lid on the used clothing trunk. With a confident stomp of her hoof, she chirped as Fleur returned.

"Yes! I need to extend my wardrobe, so lets do some shopping!"

Fleur whinnied in excitement and reared up, bicycling her hooves. "Yes! Vee shall storm ze boardwalk like soldiers to war, and vee shall do it in style!" She then startled Sireen by grabbing her in her magic and pulling her along in a surge of energy.

"F-FLEUR!?"

"VEE GO!"

For all her time knowing of Fleur De Lis, Sireen Wind felt the mare exuded an air of calm, poise, and grace. She was always cool headed, perceptive, and fluid in her motions. She had to be, no model worth their salt could act differently! Even as her understanding of the super model deepened because they were now friends, Fleur still felt like a mare with a solid foundation under her hooves, both physically and mentally.

She was in a word, safe.

This was SO NOT TRUE when shopping was involved. Fleur was the most dangerous mare Sireen had ever laid eyes on. Clothing got utterly destroyed under her critical gaze, the seams of poorly made clothing practically unraveling as she examined each piece. Other shoppers were merely removable obstacles to nab a good sale, making Sireen seriously question what was considered legal application of magic in public areas when unicorns were involved, and prices were reduced to paltry amounts just by her waltzing into an establishment.

Her status alone drove the store owners to simply give Sireen the same treatment as they smashed through store after store, devouring price reduced items, snagging sales right before they closed, and in one case, completely emptying an outside cart of assorted hoof made kitchen products that a neighponese crafts Kirin had created from wood he'd imported from his homeland.

The poor stallion was still staring slack jawed at the massive bag of bits Fleur had bluntly dropped into his hooves- probably more bits than he ever thought he'd hold- when they passed him and his now barren cart by twenty minutes later. He seemed to be thoroughly confused by the series of events that had led to his cart being sucked dry. Fleur had also shown her talent in magical spell work that day, and several times. In the case of the Kirin's products, she'd bought all of them, and then rapidly one by one sent them through a small portal that after inquiring, Sireen had been informed led straight to her foyer at their house. Apparently Fleur had done a few months at the School for Gifted Unicorns and the spell had been her masterpiece.

Their butler constantly checked the foyer to put away any items that appeared. Likewise, anything Sireen purchased was sent through the little portal hole, so that they didn't have to carry the stuff around. It was something Sireen thought was very nice to have at her beck and call. All in all they had tackled twenty-four stores in under two hours, and nearly cleaned out seven establishments of their best products, before Fleur showed any signs of slowing down.

When this did eventually happen, a little nudging towards a cute little café worked. The place, called the True Brew Café, ran by a kind stallion named Frothy Brew and his family, was perfect for their break, and Fleur loved it. A cup of cappuccino in her hooves, a plate of biscuits to nibble on, and some peace and quiet really helped her shopping nerves settle. Sireen had giggled as the almost frazzled mare had obliterated four biscuits and two cups of coffee, before a sigh of content had escaped her lips.

The pair of mares fell into a shared state of relaxed peace there after. Quiet little sips and crunchy nibbles of biscuits as their only conversation.

Sireen took to watching the patrons of the shop wander in and out of the space, noting how the diversity in the store was far more noticeable than in other parts of the city. Changelings for one, seemed quite comfortable here. several were in booths, grouped together in chitter chatter only they could understand. A few of them were even Royal Guards, their shiny gold armor helping accentuate their vibrant coats. She also spotted a couple young griffon hens, one large lion eagle female with purple coloration in her three head feathers, and the other a darker blueish coated smaller female with a Griffonstone mail carrier back slung around her hip. The two of them were nestled away in a corner booth, holding claws and softly giggling as they attempted to share a biscotti stick at both ends, Sireen blushed and averted her gaze as their beaks interlocked at the end in a kiss.

She looked back to her friend and found a gentle smile gracing Fleur's lips as she watched the city outside their window. "It iz wonderful, non? To live in a city where vee are able to be ourselves, to openly show zat vee care for one another?" Fleur whispered. Sireen wasn't so sure Fleur had been speaking to her, the words were murmured at the loudest. She watched the model sip her drink, the steam wafting up around her muzzle to make Fleurs eyes shimmer lightly.

"I vish for this to never change." Sireen looked to where Fleur was looking, not surprised to see she was watching a zebra mother across the street, shopping bags on her back expertly balanced, even as two little striped colts ran around and through her legs with child like glee as they chased one another. The mother grinned mischievously and nipped the ear of one of the colts, making him stop in his tracks, and thusly, his brother ran smack dab into his back end and the two toppled end over end.

The mother laughed, and the kids flailed apart and ran around anew. Sireen shared Fleur's smile. "Yeah, it really is."

The biscuits were finished in short order, and Fleur stretched her front legs out across the table, intentionally it seemed, for she rested them on Sireen's. Sireen lowered her cup of coffee to stare at Fleur's hooves for a second, and then she looked to Fleur with a brow raised. Fleur merely kept smiling.

"It iz also wonderful to have a close friend for once." Fleur hummed. She withdrew her hooves and made gentle circles on the table top with one. "The model world iz one of competition, vile some of the other models have tried to make friends vith me, I have not successfully kept them close." She looked a little sad at the admission, but also bolstered by it. "I seek to change this, I vant to keep our friendship strong. So any time vee hang out, let's try to do things ze other likes as well, oui?"

Before Sireen could reply, Fleur set her cup down and put her hoof down on Sireen's again. "So, after vee finish up here, vat do you vant to do, Sireen? Money is not a problem!"

For a few moments Sireen had no reply. She tried to think of something, but just came up blank. It wasn't because she had nothing to offer, she was merely so content in the moment, that her mind had completely relaxed. There was no stress. No obligations to rush to, no dire thing in need of fixing.

Sireen had time to herself for once and it wasn't while on duty... "Um," she rubbed the back of her neck, running her hoof through her mane as she tried to think of something that would be fun for both of them.

Then her hoof stopped in her mane, the hard keratin of her hoof meeting the softness of her mane hairs. That was an idea.

"Um, I've never been to a spa before, and done the whole package thing. Hoof care, mane n tail, I hear the massages are pretty good, do you want to maybe—"

Sireen's words died on her tongue as she beheld the shaking and super happy-hooves squishing her face-mare across from her. The amount of squealing Fleur emitted after that sent shivers down Sireen's spine.

"EEEEEE YES! Yes! Let us go to ze spa! I know just zee place!" Fleur dropped her cup to the table with a rather painful clank of porcelain, and dove for the exit.

Magic once more wrapped around Sireen's form and she flailed helplessly out of the booth for her coffee cup.

"F-FLEUR WAIT!"

"NO TIME! VEE GO!"

Sireen thought Heaven was some rare, briefly grasped moment in life that left a pony changed and for the better. She would be mostly right if she were religious, but she wasn't.

Spas were the closest she'd ever come to, to questioning if Heaven and Tartarus were real. Because as the spa ponies worked the kinks and aches out of her body, Sireen was having doubts about her faith, and her ability to form coherent sentences under their touch.

"Is it all feeling okay, ma'am?" A voice whispered on the wind to her ears.

"Mmguffaaaaa." She mumbled as the mare above her worked her wing primaries into the space between her shoulders. She was limp as a wet noodle and happier then a clam.

How can a clam be happy anyway? Are they able to even articulate emotions? How can we as ponies contemplate such nonsense when massages are all we need to be truly happy.

"I'll take that as a yes then, though I must admit, ma'am, I've worked on several soldiers in the Royal Guard, and you are among the tightest muscled I've dealt with in a while, do you not come here often?"

"Neffa ben." She mumbled into the pillow. Consciousness was trying so hard to run away. "Gon com bec..." She garbled.

A nasty kink in her back was loosened and Sireen growled in pleasure as relief shot up her spine, her wings spasmed in agreement. "Oohhgafffa..."

Next to her on another table, laying on her side, Fleur laughed and shared in the bliss as a young stallion contorted her hind leg into a strange position and small gentle pops arose from her joints. "Ooooh oui oui, I come 'ere every Saturday, so if you vant a day to relax, vee can do zis together from now on, yes?"

"Oahgawyas!" Sireen moaned loudly as the mare worked her wing tips and hooves farther down Sireen's back and took care of several aches and pains the stairs had caused her days prior. Finally she fell silent as the mare stopped. Several muffled moans and whimpers of pleasure came from the batpony, and the massage mare frowned. She leaned under the table and grimaced at Sireen before looking over at her fellow masseuse.

"Can you pass me a towel? She's drooling."

Fleur burst into giggles.

The walk back to Fleur's house thankfully was assisted by the tall white mare hailing a carriage to take them back. Sireen was certain she would have tarnished hers, Fleur's, and the Night Guard's reputation if she'd tried to walk all the way home.

Kissing the cobblestones with one's face repeatedly and sticking one's rump in the air with a flagged tail and flared wings due to over exposure to pure bliss, while understandable, is a really bad visual image to present to the public. Thankfully she had a wing mare to rescue them both from such a disaster.

Fleur had giggled the whole way to her house, poking fun at Sireen for the hilarious sounds she'd made and the apparent proposition to come home with her, that she'd given the pegasus mare who'd worked on her. Sireen hadn't cared. She'd barely had enough consciousness to keep her head up on the ride home. Fleur had then allowed her to lean against her side as the pair went inside the big mansion, dodging around the bajillion bags and shopping items the butler still was going through.

Sireen had been deposited in a guest bed, covered in blankets, and given time to work off her state of bliss. While Sireen would have loved to later tell others how she valiantly fought off the sensations and pleasure of the massage in a heroic effort to show her strength as a guard, things went south the moment her head hit the pillow, and dreams found her without much effort at all.

Several hours later she slowly woke to an amber glow lit room around her, and in front of her, sitting on the bedding, Crisp Words of all ponies. He was staring at her, his big childish eyes inches from her face in scrutiny. He poked her nose with a hoof gently.

"Are you dead? You better not be dead, I have it in your crayon hoof writing that you signed a contract of 'not allowed to die' while you're my mom, and a contract from me is a permanent—EEP!—"

Sireen unceremoniously grabbed him around his midsection and snuggled him into submission in her arms and wings. "Come here ya scamp." She purred and pushed her snout into the mane atop his head, preening and nibbling the tussled hairs back into order as the foal in her arms closed his eyes and hummed in happiness.

"Mmm, hi mom." He murmured. "Did you sleep well?"

Sireen paused in her preening and simply kept her snout buried in his mane, sniffing her son's scent. Screw bloodlines, he was hers. "Mmm I did, scamp. Where is Fleur?"

She blinked in realization and then slowly and lazily looked around the room. "For that matter how are you here? Where is your father?" He certainly wasn't in bed with her, and that was a tragedy in and of itself!

Crisp wriggled around so he was facing her and nuzzled up under her chin, making her purr more. Crisp nipped and nibbled her neck for a moment before closing his eyes and sighing in content as her wings closed around him. He liked feeling safe in her wings.

"Mm, he picked me up from school and the butler pony was sent to find us. Fleur said you were sleeping and Fancy invited him over for another hang out with his work buddies."

She hummed. "Ah... good then, I can nap some more." Crisp seemed to agree.

"I wanna stay here too. I tried to join dad, but the butler sent me up here instead, said I shouldn't disturb the adults while they play with their balls downstairs."

Sireen nodded, half awake. "Mm, thats ni—"

She sat bolt up in bed, flinging him onto the comforter. "HE'S DOING WHAT!?"

Crisp shook himself and looked up at his sleep addled, slightly disoriented mom in confusion as she flailed out of the bed sheets and clumsily tore towards the door. He tilted his head as she vanished down the hallway, and then curled up in the warmest spot where his mom had been, it was still toasty and smelled like home with a hint of 'fancy'. Pulling the blankets over himself, he nuzzled the pillow and mumbled.

"Adults are weird."

Author's Note

Yes crisp they are weird, and I hope you never become one!

On a side note, happy holidays all you pones, griffs, bugs, n others!