A Place for Us All Book 1- A Place In Your Arms

Over the next several days Shadow Cloud was invited back to the CMC clubhouse. Each day they would wind up napping in his arms on a rotating schedule. The rest was peaceful and rejuvenating for all parties involved, and the one left out never seemed to complain.

However there were days he wasn't invited or was turned away. Turns out the girls were also running a business out of the clubhouse, cutie-mark consultation. Sweetie Belle was the de-facto leader, with the most organizational skills and personable attitude. Applebloom was their residential builder, and seemed to have the uncanny ability to find or make whatever was needed. Scootaloo was in charge of activities, designing the lesson plans for their clients that Applebloom would build.

Shadow Cloud was never invited on those days, but he didn't complain either. He was impressed actually with the girls drive and ambition. It didn't change his friendship with them at all.

What did change however was how they dressed around him. Sweetie continued to don low cut dresses that left her cleavage on full display. AB switched from t shirts to tank tops and the hem of her jeans skirt kept getting higher. Scoots went to tight lycra shorts that hugged her hips and butt, and she always seemed to show more belly button with the smaller tops she wore. Shadow Cloud did notice, no red blooded stallion wouldn't, but he never could quite figure out why without asking them directly, and he didn't want to risk their friendship by being rude.

During one particular week where the fillies were having a difficult time with a client, he was essentially left to his own devices. As he was leaving class for the day. “You! Hey you, mister bat wings!” The voice was high pitched but authoritative. As he turned to the source he saw a short pink filly with gray/purple mane and a little diamond encrusted crown on her head. She wore a pink and yellow spaghetti strap dress that showed off a little cleavage, but most of that was covered by a yellow jacket with poofy shoulders. While it was clear she was short, she wore high wedge horseshoes to make herself taller.

A girl with glasses, gray fur and silver mane in a long braid spoke in a low tone. “Um, his name is Shadow Cloud, Diamond.” This one was wearing flats and a midrange purple schoolgirl uniform. He raised an eyebrow at this one. She was actually taller than the other girl, but appeared shorter thanks to the wedge shoes. She also was clearly more well endowed than her counterpart, but was trying to hide it with her uniform. She was clearly second fiddle to this other girl.

“Thanks Silver Spoon.” She said before turning back to SC. “I've seen you around, but we've never been properly introduced. I'm Diamond Tiara. You've probably heard of me.”

“Don't think so.” Her shoulders slumped at his reply. “But then again I only moved here this year. Sorry I guess?”

“Nope! That's all right!” she straightened, trying to roll with the hit. “That's exactly why I'm here. I was wondering if I could borrow you for a while. I need an outside opinion on something.”

He blinked and shrugged before following. Diamond grinned and leapt into the air as she turned around. Silver Spoon gently took his hand. “Um, hi.” She spoke quietly, “I'm Silver Spoon, Diamonds classmate, partner, and secretary. She's a little forward but she means well. If you need anything, I can take care of you.” She pressed his arm into her chest. “Anything.”

Diamond Tiara placed her hands on her hips. “Silver Spoon, stop making our guest feel unwelcome! I'm sorry about her. As I was trying to say, I'm opening up a new store in Ponyville. Eventually I want to turn it into a chain store, but I need to know my demographic first. That's where you come in.”

“Me? I don't understand.” He was legitimately perplexed.

“Of course you, silly. You're not from around here.” She stopped in front of a construction gate. “But first, welcome to to future home of Tiaramart!” She whirled around her arms spread wide. On the front of the building was the biggest smuggest portrait of the girl he had ever seen. One of the construction workers coughed in the awkward silence that followed. “So, as someone who has not been to Ponyville for very long, I want to know what would make YOU walk through these doors and shop here. It's marketing research.”

He looked back between the girl and the building, and a couple of times at Silver Spoon. “Well for starters, not that.” He gestured to the portrait. Silver Spoon covered her mouth as she gasped.

“Excuse me?!” Tiara huffed, stamping the dusty ground. “Everyone in Ponyville knows my visage and it is a look you can trust.”

“You look like you just got acquitted of murder.” He stated matter-of-factly. Silver snorted behind her hand.

“How dare you!”

“Look I'm not saying you're ugly or anything, you're quite pretty, but that piece up there does NOT inspire confidence. Also if you've been doing marketing research, how come you're not doing what others are.” He pointed to the other stores on retail row. “Do any of them have their faces on their buildings?”

“He does have a point Diamond. Not even Rarity has her face plastered on Carousel Boutique. Also your fame doesn't extend far from Ponyville. No one would recognize your face if we opened up franchises elsewhere.”

“Besides, at this point I have no idea what you're selling. Why would I go into a store just because your face is on it?”

She pouted, trying to make a puppy dog face. “Because I'm pretty?”

“YOU are pretty. THAT is not. If you went by that logic you could plaster Silver Spoon’s face all over the doors and I still wouldn't walk in, and she's as pretty as you.”

“I’m… pretty?” Silver blushed a deep crimson.

“Well thank you for the compliment but I don't hear a recommendation for a replacement.” Diamond huffed, turning away from him, her arms crossed.

“Hmm… Yoink!” He scratched his chin for a second and then plucked the Tiara off her head.

“Hey!” She reached for him and he kept it out of her reach. They both went to the ground with a resounding THUD, and she started crawling on him, pressing her chest and pelvis against him. “Give it back!”

“Give me a minute Tiara. I… um, Diamond, you're kinda rubbing… Diamond this isn't a good idea. I….”

She stopped reaching when she felt his bulge against her thigh, gasping with her eyes wide. “You really do think I'm pretty.” She gave him a peck on the cheek, causing Silvers fur to bristle slightly. She got off him slowly, giving his erection a quick squeeze before standing up and helping him do the same. As he stood, his package was in plain view to Silver Spoon before he could adjust his pants. There was practically steam coming from her ears she was so red.

Shadow Cloud coughed, trying to calm himself down. “As I was saying.” He held the Tiara in his palm gently. “Tiaramart. The Diamond standard in quality.”

“Oh.” It dawned on Silver Spoon first. “Oh I like that! It makes for a great slogan too. Plus it's using your cutie mark Diamond, so it's still identifying you, and it's a logo that's easy to identify at a glance. It checks off all my boxes.”

SC gave her the crown back. “Yeah, I guess, but I'm not sure how much I want my butt on a building. The only ones I mind seeing that are mom, dad, and you Silver Spoon, and especially you Shadow Cloud.” She blushed, twirling her finger in her hair, saying the last bit under her breath.

“Wait you have a crown in the shape of your cutie mark? Doesn't that mean you've had your ass on your head this whole time?”

Silver Spoon couldn't hold it in, sputtering before laughing so hard she had to hold her sides. “He's got you there Diamond! Oh Faust that's too damn good! Now that I think about it, what about the uniforms?!” She continued to laugh as Diamond turned a deeper shade of red, out of embarrassment or anger, it was impossible to tell.

“Okay, that's it, we're heading to change the design! Come on schlong goblin.” She grabbed his wrist. “You too, princess giggle fit.” They didn’t wind up going far, bringing them to the front door of a white and purple carousel. “Rarity, are you in?” She opened the door and called out.

“Just a minute, darling, just finishing up a seam.” The unmistakable call of the seamstress and element of generosity rang out. “Oh, Diamond Tiara, hello dear. Come to check up on your order?” The mare in front of him made Shadow Cloud swallow hard, her pure white coat covered her long slender legs, tucked away in a purple pencil skirt with a slit in the side, a diamond on her belt. Her top matched her coat so perfectly it looked like she was completely nude, aside from the ruffles. She may as well have been, as she filled out the loose garment with huge firm globes of breast flesh, showing absolute cleavage down to her belly button. “Goodness, and you brought Silver Spoon too, you must be here to talk business.” She sat down at her desk, making sure to avoid giving any look down up her skirt, before putting on her red-rimmed glasses.

“Yes, well. *ahem*” She coughed “Due to some… revelations brought by a one Shadow Cloud over here, I’m going to have to take my tiara off of the uniform.”

“Shadow Cloud…” She eyed him directly and he froze up. “Sha-! Oh my, so you’re him?! Goodness, I should have realized earlier Darling, I’m so sorry. So tell me,” A glint washed over her glasses as she winked at him. “Do you have a tuxedo yet?”

“Huh? A tuxedo?” He tried to look away from her. It was hard to do so, considering that the room was plastered with her accomplishments, photographs, magazine covers, each having some form of Rarity and her huge tits in the shot. “I’ve never had a reason to own one.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Well you never know when you might need one for a… special occasion.” She chuckled a little.

“Rarity, focus please?” Diamond’s face impeded her vision of the stallion. “Is it too late to take that out of the design or no?”

“Oh no, fortunately you’re good on time, Darling. The fabric hasn’t come in yet. I ordered the finest just like you asked.”

“Wait, I just realized something.” Shadow Cloud walked up to the table, unwittingly getting an eye full of Rarity’s bosom in the process. Prying himself away from them he locked eyes with Diamond, who knew he was looking, and wasn’t very happy about it. “You’re getting your employee uniforms made here? Sweetie told me that all your work is dry-clean only.”

“Quite.”

“And your point is…?”

“Okay, try to follow me here.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Imagine if I was wearing one of these uniforms, moving large, heavy boxes. Getting it all greasy and sweaty by the end of the day. Are you seeing this scenario?”

The three mares were breathing heavily, Silver Spoon whimpering in the background. “Oh I’m seeing it. I’m definitely seeing it.”

“Okay, so all that sweat, grease and grime is not going to come out of something that is dry-clean only, at least not cheaply. How much do you plan on paying your employees anyway?”

Diamond Tiara shook herself out of her stupor, and wiped off the drool at the corner of her mouth. “Well, I’m sorry, but I won’t comment to a stranger about how I run my business.” She huffed.

“Silver?” He turned to her.

“Ten bits.”

“Silver!”

“Per hour?”

“Per week.”

“SILVER SPOON!”

“Per WEEK?! I spend more on fruit juice in a week than that! And you expect them to pay dry cleaning for a weeks worth of uniforms?!”

“Wh-what’s the big deal? They can just get more money from their parents like I do.” Silence hung in the air. “What?”

“Say that sentence again, slowly.”

“I said they can just get more money from their par-ooooooooooohhhhhh. You know I might not have thought through this very well. Rarity, I’m sorry, but I’m probably going to cancel my order. Silver Spoon, come on, we need to head back to the drawing board. Sorry to leave you like this Schlong Goblin, but we’ve got work to do!” Diamond Tiara’s embarrassment was on full display as she quickly grabbed Silver’s wrist and dragged her away like a kite in the breeze before the door shut with a jingle of the bell.

Both Rarity and Shadow Cloud stared at the door, trying to comprehend what just happened. “So… you just lost me a sale.”

“I kind of did, didn’t I? I wish there was something I could do to make up for it.”

“Oh, but there is Darling!” He turned to her, and immediately recoiled by her toothy grin on her face as she pulled her tape measure taut. “Spread ‘em, Schlong Goblin.”

“Eh? EEEEEEHHHHHH?!”