The morning didn't feel that different to Flash, except possibly he had a little less work to do thanks to everything already gleaming. He got ready for the day, wearing a light blue sundress, a skin tone bra, and a pair of low-heels that he could happily twirl in all day long.

A hurried breakfast of avocado on toast with a big glass of ice tea got them all ready for the day ahead.

Celestia let out a little laugh as Flash spun past her. "Fleurette, you're bouncy today. Here I thought you'd tired yourself out yesterday with all your work."

"We're going to buy dresses!" Flash spun around a few more times, giggling and enjoying the girlish glee of a day packed with anticipation. "Dresses and friends and Mommy and Dommy!"

Luna's stoicism broke when she heard Flash's nickname for her. She turned and looked at Celestia. "How did we get so lucky to find such a precious angel as our Fleur?"

"If I ever find out there was a supernatural force involved, I will have to offer them thanks every day." Standing up fluidly and catching Flash in her arms, Celestia twirled him around one more time before pulling him against her for a hug.

For Flash, this was one of the happiest places he'd ever found in his life. His mommy was wearing heels, which had her tall enough that the top of his head slipped underneath her bust without much squeezing. The smell of Celestia's delicate deodorant (hints of cinnamon and vanilla) she used as well as the slightest hint of fresh clothing and her body had him tingling. Wrapping his arms around her in return, Flash was almost in tears of joy at how perfect this one instant in time was—the only reason he didn't cry was it'd ruin his makeup. "Thank you, Mommy."

With him pressed against her from ankle to chest (hers), Celestia let out a sigh that Flash felt through his cheek pressed against her. "The greatest tragedy in life, Fleurette, is that this moment has to end. But, it is Luna's turn to hug you."

It was tempting to remain clinging to his mommy, but Flash was already looking forward to hugging his dommy. He let Celestia twirl him out from under her cleavage and over to Luna, who was still sitting so that Flash landed on her lap with his head tilting back against her bust.

Luna's scent was vastly different. As she toyed with his ears, Flash leaned against her and inhaled. Where his mommy was light and soft, his dommy was dark and strong. Coffee was one scent he'd always associated with Luna. She had hints of coffee now, but there was a similar intensity like dark chocolate. With his head resting on her breast, he closed his eyes and listened to her heartbeat and the sound of her breathing.

"Well, that's it then," Luna said, reaching up behind Flash's exposed ear and gently rubbing it like she would a cat's, "today is called off. I have my little Fleur to take care of and now I can't possibly move without disturbing her."

"Such a shame." Celestia's voice was closer to Flash now, and when he opened one eye he saw her leaning over him. "I happen to know a pretty girl who would have loved to get some new dresses today."

Flash shivered a little. He'd been so looking forward to the day, but he couldn't let go of Luna's closeness. Her scent, her feel, her dominance— What were a few dresses in sacrifice to this perfect existence? he thought.

"We can return to snuggles when we get home again." Luna booped Flash on the nose with one digit, his cross-eyed confusion broken by the spell her laughter played on him. With one last rub of an ear, Luna set him back on his wobbly feet.

Flash's decision had been made for him. With a regretful sigh at what a whole day on his dommy's lap might have been like, he could now look forward to the day again. Luna had surrendered him to Celestia's car for the drive to Rarity's boutique, and it was on the trip there that Celestia surprised him with a question.

"Would you have given up the day to make my sister happy?"

"The cuddles earlier?" he asked. When she nodded he continued, "Of course I would. If either of you needed a day of cuddles, I'm here to help."

Celestia sighed and kept her silence until she pulled up the car at the curb out the front of Rarity's shop. "Here we are, Fleur."

Climbing out of the car, Flash said, "Thank you, Mommy." Flanked by Celestia and Luna, Flash walked with a confident gait in his heels. He'd been practicing every day, and that had been paying off.

"Darlings! I know I said you were my only guests today, but a fashion emergency always takes precedence. I'll be right with you." Rarity was like a hummingbird of motion. There was a man standing on the other side of the room, and Rarity had all her attention on him. "Just a little more and you'll be perfect, trust me."

Flash couldn't see who it was. With his back to the door, the guy's features were all hidden and no mirror gave him a view of the stranger's face. A weird suspense built. Luna and Celestia had drifted off to look at dresses and left him standing there. Something about the man tickled at memories.

"Thank you so much Rarity. You are a life saver." The guy's voice was deep, but with an edge of scratchiness underlying it. It strummed memories of another, though his voice was deeper than that of the memory.

That's when the guy turned and Flash stared at a ghost. A handsome ghost. Thunderbass looked good, but then, he had been getting doted on by Rarity. A stylish shirt that complemented his eyes, leather jacket that looked fantastic from the front, and eyes that landed on Flash.

He was caught, trapped, unable to look away from that rugged face with its piercing eyes. Flash had been impaled by Thunderbass' gaze and barely even noticed when the guy started walking closer.

"Well, I didn't know there'd be some eye-candy here. I'm Thunderbass." He stopped in front of Flash and raised an eyebrow.

"F—"

"Fleur!" Rarity called out. "Fleur, darling, I'll be ready to take your measurements next."

"Fleur?" Thunderbass asked and nodded. "Yeah, definitely a Fleur. So, you've got Rarity's attention all day?"

The way Thunderbass' eyes drifted down and then back up—lingering both times on Flash's chest—made Flash want to explode if only because of how good it felt that he looked. "Y-Yes. She promised to make me some things."

It surprised Flash how much lighter his voice sounded. For a moment he was worried that he'd have to adjust to speaking this high around people in future, but then it hit him—this was his normal speaking voice. A little voice inside him (though not so little anymore) let out a squeak of glee at that.

"Cool. Very cool. She's the best at what she does, you know? I was in high school with her, and she was the hottest girl there." Smiling, Thunderbass went on, "I wouldn't mind seeing what she has planned for you. Send me your number?"

He'd want pictures, Flash realized. Thunderbass was asking him for pictures as if he was really a woman he wanted to see pictures of and it was too much and Flash, before his brain could catch up, pulled his phone from his purse and rattled off a set of numbers for Thunderbass. When Thunderbass did likewise, Flash entered the contact details and, without thinking twice about it, held up his phone and took a picture for the profile.

Then, as Thunderbass lifted his phone and did likewise, Flash thought he was going to explode. It was too much for him. He couldn't stop all the fantasies he'd had of his crush… crushing. Holding him, talking to him, not just being firm but taking charge.

Flash could smell Thunderbass' aftershave drifting to him, now. The scent was bold and Flash found himself a little light-headed at the masculinity it held. Musk, sharpness, and a deep earthy tone packed around Flash's head like a thick fog, further decreasing his ability to think about anything but his fantasies of Thunderbass.

The beep of Thunderbass' phone announcing a message broke the spell on Flash. He blinked a few times while Thunderbass read the message.

"I hope I'll see you later. I gotta go. Send me some pics." Giving Flash a wink, Thunderbass walked toward the door. "Thanks, Rarity! I owe you one!" He had to dodge around a rush of femininity into Rarity's domain. Rainbow, Sour, and Fluttershy all walked in talking among themselves, not noticing as Thunderbass left.

"Fleur!" Rainbow rushed over to Flash and gave him a hug. "Are you as excited as— What's up?" She'd cut herself off short at the confused look on Flash's face.

"I just— That guy just now—" Flash was slowly getting out of his stunned brain-freeze to realize he had the attention of all three women who'd just entered. "That was my high school crush."

Rainbow turned and looked, but Thunderbass was already gone. "Wasn't he in your band in CHS?"

"Yeah, but we weren't— I don't think he's into guys." It was hard to get the words out, stark reality as they were. "Was I leading him on? We exchanged numbers and everything. He wants to see pictures of me in dresses from today."

While everyone seemed unable to get their words out quickly enough, it was Fluttershy who cut to the chase. "He seemed nice. If he likes you, what's wrong with showing him more of what he likes? You can stop things if it gets too heavy. This is you, Fleur; who you are."

The sense in Fluttershy's words cut through Flash's panic like a knife. He centered himself, closed his eyes, and slowly let out a rising squeak of excitement, culminating in the words, "He's so hot!"

Flash noticed Rainbow and Sour look at each other, grin, and then turn back to look at him. "I get it. You don't like guys."

"I do." Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Flash and gave him a hug.

Sour looked about to say something biting, but then she got a big grin instead. "It's not that we don't like guys so you shouldn't. You were— Do I have to say it?" She looked at Rainbow, who nodded. "Ugh. I'm taking all this out later. You were so cute when you said that."

Snorting a laugh, Rainbow tilted her head toward Sour. "And, since it's her saying it, you gotta know how cute that was. Look, not even a trace of sarcasm!"

Pantomiming strangling Rainbow, Sour surrendered to the inevitable and kissed her girlfriend.

The whole scene, of his friends being friendly and supportive, was like a cozy blanket wrapped around Flash. He was about to ask Fluttershy if she was having any luck with love when Rarity swept into their midst.

"Now that we're all here, queue up and let me get your measurements. I have dresses ready to go with approximate sizes to match each of you, but these things cannot be left to chance." Rarity fixed Flash with her eyes. "You first, dear. Come along, don't be shy."

Still feeling bubbly after the meeting with Thunderbass and Fluttershy's reinforcement that there was nothing wrong with it, Flash followed Rarity into a fitting room. The room was curtained off, and far larger than he'd have expected. "Sorry if I'm nervous."

Waving away Flash's worries, Rarity drew her tape measure, a pencil, and a notepad from hidden pockets on her dress. "Quite alright. I heard your little encounter with the hottest young model in Canterlot."

Gears turned and a little of the fog of enjoyment fled Flash's mind as he joined dots. "Thunderbass?"

"Yes, Thunderbass. He got noticed about a year ago now. It's been a whirlwind for the poor dear, but he's keeping afloat." As she talked, Rarity started taking measurements. "Is this how much you usually pack?"

Flash realized she was looking at his chest. It was odd for him to have attention drawn to the fact he filled his bra, but he had to be truthful about it. "Y-Yeah. I'm getting better at it, but this is as much as I want to go."

"They look delightful." Rarity wrapped the tape around Flash's chest, measuring his cup and then band. "He's terribly rugged, too. That's what's in right now. For his next shoot, he was saying, he needs to grow some stubble."

"He, uh, is into all that?" Flash bit his lip and moved as Rarity guided him, trying not to blush as she assembled all the measurements of him that there were to measure.

"Thunderbass?" Rarity laughed. "Darling, you remember the young man you played guitar with, surely?" When Flash nodded, Rarity let out a laugh. "You're blushing, dear. Anyway, he is still that person. It's all show, after all. His job is to be what the photographer wants. When he's away from the camera, though, he's far more himself."

It left Flash a lot to think about. His crush was a male model. It was weird, in a way, that one of them left school and became the symbol of masculinity and the other became the opposite. Flash blushed more, remembering the aftershave Thunderbass'd worn. "He gave me his number."

Smirking, Rarity crouched down to measure Flash's legs. "Lucky you. Any plans for it?"

"He wanted me to send him a picture wearing a dress you'd made for me." Doing his best not to squirm, and failing, Flash endured Rarity measuring his lower body. "C-Can you make one that makes me look…"

"Sexy? Fleur, everything I make will do that. You want to know what will make him go a little off the deep end for you?" Flash's all-encompassing attention was enough for Rarity to carry the conversation. "Short skirt, tight top, and a little extra lipstick would get his immediate attention, but you'll want to follow up with something classy. Fleur, darling, put your future in my capable hands and I assure you, you'll be getting texts back from him by the end of the day."

Blinking in surprise, Flash couldn't stop himself from hugging Rarity. Squeezing her as tight as he squeezed his eyes closed, he said, "Thank you."

Rarity hugged back, giving Flash a demure pat on the back. "You're very welcome, dear. Could you send Rainbow in next?"

Letting go at last, Flash felt renewed. Rarity was a great friend, and he vowed to bake her something amazing to show her that. When he left the changing room, he saw all the others glance over at him. "Rainbow, you're next."

The look of uncertainty that flash across Rainbow's face made Flash quirk an eyebrow, take her arm, and lead her off slowly in the direction of the fitting room Rarity was in. "What's wrong?"

"It's kinda a big step for me too, Fleur. This isn't exactly walking into a store and buying stuff. Rarity puts effort into clothes and I don't want to— I don't want to disappoint her by not wearing them." Gesturing to the doorway ahead, Rainbow said, "It's another step, and after so many that have gone so well I know it's stupid to worry, but it's a bigger step than most."

Flash could see exactly where she was coming from and put a reassuring arm around Rainbow's shoulders. "Absolutely. I felt the same way—still do—but Rarity is making these things for us because she cares so much. You don't have to always wear them. We could totally have a weekend party in our old things for a day, if you want?"

The offer seemed to knock Rainbow out of her mood. "Fleur, you'd really do that for me?" When Flash nodded, Rainbow shook her head and put her own arm around him. "No. I don't want to put you through that—I don't think I want to put myself through that either. Let's wear our latest things then, instead?"

Flash's heart soared and he might have made an excited squeak at the idea. "That sounds so much better!"

Reaching up, Rainbow brushed a lock of her hair aside. "Thanks, Fleur. I think I've got this now."

Luna put her hand on Flash's shoulder as Rainbow entered the fitting room. "She needed a little motivation?"

"Just a bit. Rainbow needs to be told it's okay to be a girl. I know Sour Sweet does that, but sometimes she needs another girl who isn't her dommy to say it." Leaning into Luna's touch, Flash let out a happy sigh. "I'm glad she didn't call my bluff."

"You're a good friend, Fleur." Squeezing Flash against her side, Luna turned them both back around. "Sour was telling me about an interesting toy she's been using to help make Rainbow's life more interesting. I have to wonder if getting you some panties with remote control bullet vibes might be a good idea."

Out in the open, with several of his friends present, Flash could do nothing but blush, even though he was sure no one heard her. "C-Can we talk about that later?"

"I was teasing. But, of course, we will talk about it later. Pinkie arrived while you were busy, and she was telling everyone about her new boyfriends."

"Plural?" Flash asked.

"Mmhmm. It turned out having a girlfriend and a boyfriend wasn't enough for her. She's insatiable or, so I hear." Rejoining the group, it was Fluttershy that was now talking.

"… Maud wouldn't stop taking pictures. It was so embarrassing." Gathering her hands in front of her, Fluttershy wrung them. "Oh, look, Fleur is back. Everyone, pay attention to her now. Please?"

Things turned more relaxed for Flash. It was all socializing and sharing stories of recent events in their lives. One by one they were each called in to get measured up by Rarity. When Rainbow returned, she stuck close to him until the big event.

Celestia, the last of those to be measured, had been out and socializing for some time before the music kicked in. The lights lowering, a puff of artificial smoke drifted out over the floor of the boutique. Bright lights flashed to life, pivoted, and homed in their beams of primary colors until they washed Rarity with a combined white light that made her glow like an alabaster goddess come to the shop.

Holding up a microphone, Rarity tossed her head to the side. "As promised, despite the short lead-time, I have created perfection!" Along with her shout, Rarity threw her free hand in the air and cast her own brand of magic wide.

When Rarity's arm came down, pointing at Rainbow, Flash couldn't help but stare at her. Rainbow wasn't wearing the casual shirt and skirt she'd entered in—she was wearing a long dress that hung to her ankles, showing off a sparkling pair of heels under it before it settled into place better and stole all sight of her feet.

Makeup, hair, and even accessories were taken care of with the blast of magic. Flash was left staring in jealousy as Rainbow turned with the rhythm of the song and showed off her dress to everyone.

"If you think that's the extent of my power," Rarity said, her hands starting to glow again, "then you haven't seen anything yet, darlings."

Next was Flash's mommy. This time he actually saw the dress fly off the rack and slam into its intended target. From there, though, a blinding light hid Celestia within its nimbus before revealing her in an alabaster ball gown that cupped and displayed her ample assets then folded in pleats and frills all the way to the floor. Her hair had been loosed from the simple tied-back look to be done up in a circlet of braid around her head—then tumbling like a waterfall over her back.

Luna was next and, like her sister, Flash's dommy was decked out in a perfectly color-matched dark blue dress, but her hair wasn't piled up, instead she had it fluffed out to its maximum body and tumbled down her shoulders and back. When she looked down at him, Flash's breath caught in his throat at the hungry expression in her eyes—directed at him.

A quirk of Luna's eyes was all the warning Flash had that he was Rarity's next target. Her magic hit him, displacing his own clothing and replacing it with soft silk, lace, and a huge frilly dress. The term fashiongasm rushed to the forefront of his mind as he felt his hair redone into far more flowing waves than he had possessed moments earlier. He gained earrings, a broach that sat at the peak of his chest, and long gloves that clung to his arms from the tips of his fingers to just past his elbows. Another surprise had been the shoes. Flash could feel tall heels under his dress now bearing his weight. He was so thankful that he been practicing with bigger heels so that he didn't immediately panic at the more precarious footwear.

More blasts of magic around him as others were "delivered" their new outfits barely drew Flash's attention. The dress he wore clung and gripped him in ways he'd never felt an outfit do before. It wasn't that it was well-made, it had been carefully made specifically for him. It didn't fit like a glove—it fit like a second skin.

"I hope you like them, darlings. I'd been working on these pieces and only required minimal alterations to perfect them. Now that I have your dimensions, I can make you each a wardrobe to stun and amaze. You will be magnifique!" Wearing one of her recent creations herself, Rarity managed a hip-swaying walk toward her friends. "Now, with the hard part of the day completed, who would like to discuss what creations I'll be working on?"

"Fleeeeuuuuur!" Rainbow rushed over to Flash and then froze to look him over. "We look like princesses."

Flash hugged Rainbow as they both made excited, monosyllabic noises. He could scarcely keep his emotions in check. He wanted to dance and twirl and stare at himself in a mirror for an hour—but right now he had more important things to do. "I didn't know we'd be getting underwear too."

Smirking, Rainbow pushed her chest forward as best she could—which was more than usual. "I didn't either, but whatever this bra is, I want ten of 'em."

Taking that moment to look down at himself, Flash was surprised to see his own chest was a little more proud than before. He blushed at the thought of this being his new normal and, like Rainbow, decided he'd need to find out where to get the bra Rarity had used. He even felt a pad offering him its protection.

"How are the two cutest girls in Canterlot liking their new clothes?" Sour Sweet asked, her tone indicative of the latter part of her name. "That woman is a genius and a sorceress." When both Flash and Rainbow stared at her, Sour rolled her eyes. "She totally rocked that piece of lint on her shoulder, too."

Laughing, Rainbow slid conspicuously to Sour's side and kissed her cheek. "You're doing way better with that."

To Flash's eye, Sour looked like she was going to argue about her apparent softening, but then she let out a breath and smiled. "She really is. I remember back when I first met you in Canterlot high. The Shadowbolts couldn't beat us except when you opened your mouth."

Sour looked ready to argue, then laughed. "Guilty as charged. I've mellowed, I know, but sometimes I still get the urge to cut loose on someone."

"You should 'cut loose' on me more often," Rainbow said. "Sorry, Fleur, I get carried away sometimes."

Laughing, Flash shook his head. "It's cute. You're both crazy for each other."

"Rainy gets a little self-conscious sometimes. It was weird to see her get shy when she's such a hellcat of confidence about everything else, but I guess I'm used to it."

Flash could see Sour tighten her grip around Rainbow's waist, pinning them hip-to-hip. "Maybe she likes the attention you give her when she acts like that?" Tilting his head down, Flash made a point of looking at Sour's grip.

"Huh." Sour looked down at how she was holding Rainbow. "We'll have to talk about this later, Rainy."

Giggling, Flash got a kick out of the pair's antics. It was curious for him to see how the games they were playing with each other worked both ways, even if Rainbow was the submissive partner. "Oh, I need to take a photo to send to Thunderbass."

When Sour held out her hand, Flash looked at her curiously.

"Where's your phone?" Sour asked.

"Oh. Uh…" Fishing the device from his purse, Flash unlocked it and handed it over. "What are you—?" He cut off as Sour aimed the camera at him.

"Okay, let's get this rolling. Blow me a kiss. No, cuter. There. Now give me a twirl. Laugh. There, now lean forward a bit."

Caught off-guard, Flash followed the instructions and, after a few, started to giggle on command. She was goading him, he knew, but it was silly and fun. All throughout the stream of commands, his phone's picture taken sound played on repeat. The final picture was halfway between his side and his back, and he looked over his shoulder and blew a kiss at the camera.

"Aaaaaaaand… got it. Okay, Rainy, you pick two you like, then Fleur can pick two she likes. We'll send all four to this hottie—plus two that I pick."

Flash's eyes were as big as saucers at the news. Four of the images of him wouldn't even be ones he picked. He trusted Rainbow and, when he thought about it, he trusted Sour too. Waiting for his turn to select some images, Flash had to wonder how it had come to Sour dictating the rules. Then he remembered how dominant she was.

When Rainbow passed him his phone, Flash realized he had no clue what she'd selected since Sour had taken the pictures. He flicked through the photos, marveling at the cute girl in them. She bounced, smiled, laughed, and her dress was amazing; he knew full well it was him, but that didn't stop the sense of wonder he always felt at seeing himself in the third person.

The poses he'd made, at Sour's direction, looked less forced than he'd feared, and he was soon lost in picking the best ones. It was a hard choice. He'd narrowed it down to the final one, looking back over his shoulder, or an earlier one in the set where he was twirling a little and his dress was billowing around him. And that's when he reminded himself that he could pick both. "Okay."

So he did. He marked both and passed his phone back to Sour before he realized he could have sent them himself.

"Good girl," Sour said, giving Flash a pat on the head that made him blush.

Rainbow laughed at the little incident. "I swear, Sour, if I left you alone too long, you'd have a dozen cute girls in collars. Life isn't Pokémon."

"I mean, you say that, but collars can be like pokéballs. Rainchu, I choose you!"

The bright and happy look that Sour gave Rainbow reinforced Flash's assessment that the pair were crazily into each other.

"Okay, that's sent. Here's your phone back."

Taking his phone back, Flash saw there was a sent message to Thunderbass' number. He opened it to see what she'd sent. They were great. Besides the two he picked, were cute and sexy pictures of him showing off his dress. "These are great. Thanks."

Opening her mouth, Sour froze and then let out a sigh. "Rainy, I need a hug."

Rainbow moved fast, magically fast, and wrapped her arms around Sour, then pressed her ear close to Sour's mouth.

Flash had seen the reaction before. Sour's urges to blurt put-downs wasn't going to stop any time soon, and sometimes he got to see the struggle that went on behind her happy face. "Sour, you can say it if you need to."

Sour's eyes locked on Flash's and she shook her head.

"I got this, Fleur," Rainbow said. "Besides, she's already said it. You're as pretty as a button."

Slumping in Rainbow's arms, Sour looked down at the floor. "The worst part about it is the happier the situation, the more intense my need to put someone down."

"So," Flash said, working his way into the logic, "it means you're having a great time?" The sheepish nod Sour gave him earned her one of his best hugs, sandwiching her between him and Rainbow. "Good."

He didn't linger too long, but he was more than happy he could show Sour how he felt. "So, what are our plans now? Hugging is fun and all, but I want to do something that will make Sour scream obscenities at me."

Rainbow laughed and leaned her head on Sour's shoulder. "She's got you there, Sour."

"I'm supposed to be all mean and dominant, but then I let you two get all girly and I can't help but just—just want to giggle and hang out and have fun. And then my downer side hits and I want to be all 'Ugh, why do I even bother with this when no one likes you, Sour?'"

"That voice lies a lot, huh?" Flash asked.

"Yeah. I want to go get the greasiest food ever and devour it—and to hell with the consequences—but it's not safe to do that in these." Sour gestured down at their dresses. "So, do you want to go get some vanilla shakes?"

"I'll have to make sure it's okay with Mommy and Dommy," Flash said, blushing. He caught a hint of a smile on Sour's face as he turned to walk over to where Celestia and Luna were talking to Rarity. Waiting for a lull in the conversation, he shifted from foot to foot a few times.

Flash was caught by surprise, literally, when Luna placed her hand across his back and onto his opposite shoulder so she could pull him against her side. Turning, she leaned down to him and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"We were going to go out for drinks. Is it—?"

Luna's chuckle broke Flash off from what he'd been asking. "Go along with your friends, Fleurette. Don't make a mess on your new outfit, though." She leaned a little closer. "Or I will have to punish you."

"We're going to get vanilla shakes. It will be easier to wash out." It dawned on Flash then that it was exactly why Sour had suggested it. "Or maybe I will be bad so you can punish me."

Eyes widening, Luna scowled at Flash. "You better not or—" Closing her eyes, Luna visibly calmed down. "I can come up with a reason to punish you, Fleur, but please don't ruin your new dress."

The sincerity in Luna's voice prompted Flash to reassure her. "I don't plan to. I—we—sent some pictures to Thunderbass. I hope he likes them." The last few words had tumbled out without him realizing he was going to say them. "I-I mean, he probably didn't recognize me from high school. I wouldn't even recognize me from high school. Did he really think I was cute?"

"I wouldn't doubt his sincerity, Fleurette. You are cute and, you're right, you aren't the same person you were in high school." Luna put her arms around Flash and pulled him into a hug. "Go and have fun, but remember that I'll be waiting."

Flash hugged Luna back and found himself trapped in her embrace until she was done hugging. Not that he minded. When she finally released the pressure, Flash gave her one last squeeze. "Thanks."

Fleeing from Luna, when she pinched his rump, Flash laughed as he ran to catch up with Rainbow and Sour at the door. "Where are we going?"

"Zwooop." Pinkie Pie slid along the floor and only stopped when she bumped into Flash's side. "I heard a little birdy say you are going for shakes!"

Rainbow was first to respond to the imminent advance of condensed pink. "Yeah, Pinkie. You wanna come too?"

"Well, since you asked. Hey, and I know this little place that—" Reaching for the door, Pinkie executed an expansive gesture to throw it wide. "… that I—"

"We know you run the Sweet Snacks Cafe," Sour said, "but are you sure we should go somewhere you work? Won't it be… awkward?"

"It'll be fiiiiine. I promise I won't even sing." Pinkie, Flash could see, held one hand behind her back and he was sure she had her fingers crossed. "Also, free drinks?"

Sour tapped her chin and then nodded. "Hmm, you're on, but I'm going to order crazy complicated shakes."

Swept along with the others, Flash piled into Pinkie's car for the drive to Sweet Snacks Cafe. "You had your fingers crossed before," he said, and got a conspiratorial grin from Pinkie. "I won't say anything to them, though, don't worry."

"It's okay if you need to. That just means I'll have to sing extra good." Pulling into the back of the themed diner she worked at, Pinkie cleared her voice and started practicing scales that were a full octave higher than anyone had any right to be able to sing.

Sour pulled up with Rainbow and together they got out and approached Flash and Pinkie. "I thought you said you wouldn't sing?" Sour asked.

"She had her fingers crossed, Sour," Rainbow said. "Pinkie always does stuff like that."

"Whaaa?" Pinkie batted her eyelashes innocently. "I'd never do anything that devious. Anyway, let's go get shakes!" Taking Flash's hand, she gave him a reassuring grin. "I promise we'll make something amazing for you, Fleur!"

Flash was carried along in Pinkie's energy, like a shiny blue bauble paraded by a magpie. Through the rear entrance, they went via the staff area and into the main area of the diner.

The place was busy. There were plenty of highschoolers, a few people in business shirts and ties, and a whole table of guys that Flash took notice of, then quickly looked away from. "Is there room for us?"

The look on Pinkie's face told everyone there wasn't. "Ugh. Candy corn. The place is full up." Looking around, she huffed again. "I'll get Sugar Blast to get a spare tab—"

"Hey, babes, we were going to leave soon anyway."

All of Flash's attention snapped around to the guy. He stood over six feet, had broad shoulders, and wore the local college's shirt tight over his muscles. His inner boi was trembling with excitement at seeing this picture of masculinity—and being referred to as a "babe."

"Yeah. Pinkie, you're always giving our team freebies. Take our table," another of the guys said.

"Aww," Pinkie said, all-but pouncing at the two big college hunks. "You guys don't have to do that. You know I love giving your whole team victory chili after each game you win!"

"Exactly! It's become our post-game ritual for the defensive team." Having said this, another of the footballers got a hug from Pinkie that looked like it hit harder than he expected. "Anyway, we gotta go."

Pinkie Pie seemed unwilling to let them leave until they'd each kissed her cheek—she'd said it was for good luck, but hadn't said who was getting the luck. After a waitress zoomed over on roller skates and cleared down the table, Flash, Pinkie, Sour and Rainbow slipped into the booth seats with the old-style leather covering.

The waitress who'd cleaned the table down sped over on her skates and stopped. "Hey, boss! What can I getcha?" The dress she was wearing was the uniform of the place, and it was a classic style that screamed early American diner. Her name tag read: Sugar Sweet. "Oh my word, where did you girls get those dresses? They look amazing!"

That Sugar looked around all of them, including him, filled Flash with confidence. "We got them from a friend, Rarity."

"Fleur's being modest. Rarity made them for us," Rainbow said, giving Flash a reassuring grin. "We're just taking a break from fitting, and she let us wear these out."

"Wait, Rarity? You mean the seamstress in Carousel Boutique? I heard she does great work, but this is something else."

It was all casual girl talk, from what Flash could tell, and he was utterly invested in it. Discussing clothing and shoes had become something that was part of his life. Rainbow's chats about fashion had resulted in them both learning a lot more than they ever believed existed, and after some testing of it with their partners, he was sure they could both hold their own.

"Anyway," Pinkie said, "we'll each take a super-triple-vanilla 'shake with bonus ice cream—to start."

"Can I have a slice of apple pie with some vanilla ice cream with it?" Flash asked.

Pinkie's answer was to put her arm around Flash and squeeze him into a hug. "Of course you can, Fleur! This is all on me." She nodded to Sugar. "Actually, get a slice of that for everyone."

With Sugar skating off back to the kitchen with their order, Flash felt his phone vibrate and heard its message tone for someone in his contact list texting him. Fumbling for his purse, he pulled his phone out and woke it up.

"Daaaaamn. You look smoking in that. Rarity's work is the best, but you make it look amazing."
—Thunderbass

"Who's it from?" Rainbow asked. When she leaned closer, she gasped. "Flash, that's your new crush, right?"

Not knowing what else to say or do, Flash nodded. Then he realized he actually didn't know what came next. "What do I do?" Inside he was panicking to a greater excess than he showed. A guy just called him smoking and amazing. A guy he liked and was crushing on just called him smoking and amazing. Flash was amazed his hands weren't shaking.

"Text him back. Ask for a pic," Pinkie said.

Sour groaned and said, "Too ambiguous. He could send anything from his license photo to a dickpic."

"Exactly!" Pinkie nodded, letting her expert opinion on the topic of interpersonal communication shine. "There is no better way to judge a person than to ask them for a picture and let them figure out what they'll send."

It sounded to Flash like the kind of mind-game his high school friends, the hetero guys at least, always said was girls not communicating. He pondered if he should perpetuate the stereotype or break from it. He decided on both.

"Well, you've seen mine. Can you share some pics of yourself you like? Something hot, something cute, and something in between," Flash sent.

"Oooh," Pinkie said, leaning over to read the screen. "That's a good way to ask. I'll have to remember that one."

With his heart feeling lighter, Flash leaned sideways a little against Pinkie. "I used to have a big crush on him."

"'Used to'?" Pinkie asked, the quote laden with implications.

Not bothering to hide his silly grin, Flash sighed. "Okay, so I might have gotten myself all kinds of crushing again. He's hot."

Nodding in agreement, Pinkie opened her own phone and scrolled to a search page, then typed Hot Guy Underwear Ad. When Thunderbass' ass in a pair of clinging boxer shorts was the first hit, she giggled. "The internet has spoken."

Flash, though, had forgotten how to understand words. He stared at Pinkie's phone and, for a few moments, all sounds around him became a soft background hum of noise. The first sound to register as anything but muffled noise to Flash was Pinkie saying, "Couldn't you just press your cheek to those and never move again?"

Nodding, Flash recovered from his moment of mental derailment with more grace than he'd thought possible. "Yeah. The rest of him is nice too." It was purely lip-service to the ideal of not judging someone entirely by their butt.

Leaning in again, Pinkie whispered, "Thinking about the front, are we?"

Blushing anew, Flash squeezed his eyes closed, but it was too late. "Well, I wasn't." Pinkie's giggling lasted all the way until their food and drinks arrived. A big slice of apple pie and three scoops of vanilla ice cream was set before everyone, accompanied by their shakes too. Reaching out, Flash pulled his drink closer and lifted the straw to his lips—just as his phone buzzed for his attention.

"Aren't you going to check that? It could be Thunderbass," Rainbow said. "Or it could be Celestia or Luna."

Flash knew, without a doubt, he was being baited. He stopped sucking on his straw and grinned across the table at Rainbow. "Not their message tones. It might be Thunderbass, though." Returning to the wonderful and light shake, he woke his phone up with a tap, entered his pin number, and checked his messages.

"Something cute," the message read. The picture was of Thunderbass falling over with a surprised look on his face, though under him was obvious padding like it was a stunt he'd been doing. It was cute, Flash decided, mostly because of the goofy face Thunderbass was pulling.

Leaving off his drink, Flash bit his lower lip. "Damn, he's hot even when he's being cute."

"What were you doing?" Flash sent back to Thunderbass, then started on his pie. The utensils they'd gotten were slender, parfait spoons, but Flash was perfectly happy eating with one of the delicate tools.

The pie was delicious, and he squeezed his eyes closed to focus his senses on it more. Identifying the spices, but not the type of apples used, he pouted. "Pinkie, can I have the recipe for this?"

"On one condition." Pinkie gestured at Flash's phone. "Fleur, you're gonna show me your pictures, riiiight?" She even managed to bat her eyelashes at him a few times.

"The things I do for baking." Flash picked up his phone and sent the images to Pinkie. "Just don't send them to anyone else." While he tapped, another message arrived.

"I was supposed to be shot through the heart by a glance from another underwear model. It was a thing that never got released. Okay, let's go right to hot. What about this?" Eyes widening, Flash's mind took a moment to understand the image fully.

Flash noticed that Thunderbass was lying down on his back when the shot was taken. On a bed, Flash was sure.

Thunderbass had a modern patterned shirt on but only half buttoned, with a tie loosely looped around his neck, and the camera angle had a swell of white along the bottom of the picture. When he figured out that swell was because the camera was held below his groin, all the blood in Flash's body ran to his face.

Picturing the pose and the camera position, it wasn't hard to imagine himself in the camera's place, prowling up Thunderbass' body to peek over his package.

"Fleur?" Pinkie snapped her fingers between Flash and the screen of his phone a few times. "Fleur? Are you in there?"

Jerking back from the shock of his little fantasy being interrupted, Flash quickly blacked the screen on his phone. "Huh?"

"Hmmmmmmmm…" Pinkie loomed closer to Flash as she drew out the exclamation. "Oh! Here's your recipe. Sugar dropped it off for you a moment ago."

Barely gaining enough sense of mind to realize he'd asked for it, Flash took the offered note. "Oooh. I see now." It was a blend of apples, and Flash would keep the secret until the day he'd die. "I, uh, got another picture from him. The hot one."

"Am I allowed to see?" Pinkie asked, clearly doing her utmost to be restrained and not intrude.

"I… uh… think…" Flash didn't get through another ellipsis before Pinkie patted him on the head, scattering the words that he was trying to put together.

Taking her hand back from the flustered boi, Pinkie said, "It's okay. I'm sure this one was 'specially for you, Fleur. It's nice?"

"Muscles," Flash said, nodding his head. He couldn't help but giggle when he realized how he was acting. "He's soooo hot."

Pinkie nodded, in apparent agreement with Flash. "You know what would make him look hotter though, Fleur?" She waited until after he shook his head to finish, "You, draped over him."

Flash was back to blushing-giggling as his mind built up images of himself doing just that. It made him squirm, too, because he couldn't help but think that even as he would be touching Thunderbass, Thunderbass would be touching him. "Help, Pinkie, I can't stop thinking about him."

His phone beeped again in time for Pinkie's giggles. Pausing before he opened the message, Flash had a little more of his pie, savoring the delicious taste of the apples and pastry before opening the image up—and then he cracked up laughing.

The third, supposedly hot/cute picture, had Thunderbass sitting on his bed with the same old guitar he'd played during the stint in Flash's band as the only thing maintaining his modesty. He was looking up at the camera, giving Flash a wink.

It was like in a movie where everything is normal but suddenly—the plane loses cabin pressure and everything is chaotic with panic rife.

Does he know?

The question rattled around in Flash's head, gaining speed while he stared at the picture. On the wall behind Thunderbass, a band poster hung—Flash's old band's poster that they'd made for the fake battle of the bands. He bit his bottom lip as he noticed more things in the picture that reminded him of high school.

Then he saw it. It was tucked between Thunderbass' fingers, one edge pressed to the thick strings of the guitar—one of Flash's old guitar picks. It ended up taking Flash quite some time to acknowledge that Thunderbass was naked in the picture.

"Uh, Fleur, are you going to finish that?" Rainbow asked.

Snapping his attention back to reality, Flash's fingers were a blur—exiting his message app, locking his phone, and speeding it toward his purse. "Huh?"

"Your ice cream has melted and your pie is getting cold."

"Oh." Flash's panic subsided. "Uh…" Getting to work with his parfait spoon, he delivered the cooling pie to his mouth, but had to give up on the ice cream. With a sigh of happiness at the delicious pie having finally been consumed, he attacked his shake again.

Sipping on the drink, he was aware of a dampness in his panties. Leaking his heavenly juices freely, he hoped the pantieliner would do its job.

"Are you girls all done with those?" Sugar asked, doing a little twirl on her skates to show off and make her dress flare out.

Flash nodded, and along with others passed his plate along to Sugar. He managed to empty the last of his shake, too, and passed the cup over. "That was really nice. Thank you!"

Whisking away the plates and cups, Sugar gave them a last wave as she twirled around between the table and the kitchen doors.

"So…" Pinkie let the word hang in the air, and when no one else seemed inclined to say a word while it dangled, she waggled her eyebrows at Flash.

"Okay, the last one was nude." Flash was absolutely unsurprised at the three stares he got.

"Alright, Fleurette!" Sour was the first to recover and seemed to be genuinely supportive. "How big is he? Is he a grower, or a shower? Are those buns real or does he wear something under his boxers to keep them plump?"

Rainbow elbowed Sour. "You don't even like guys. Why would you look at his ass for?"

"It's tight. Not as tight as yours, but you have the tightest buns I have ever seen on a girl." The last Sour practically purred at Rainbow, who was smirking. "So, details!" Turning her head back to Flash as she spoke, Sour bared a big smile his way.

"He had a guitar hiding everything you'd want me to tell you. He shows more off in those ads he does." Was Thunderbass sending a message to Flash? Either he held a lot of memories about their time together at CHS or Thunderbass knew who he was. But did he? The question would eat away at him until he figured it out.

Part of Flash giggled like the cute boi he was at the idea he would have to spend a lot of time viewing that image.

His phone interrupted him before he could continue, though, and this time the message tone was one of the important ones. "H-Hang on, I need to check this."

"Let me know if you need a pick-up, dear. Luna has announced she will be getting us some movies to watch and popcorn. It looks like we'll be having a girls night in. I don't have the heart to tell her we could just watch whatever it is she hires from that new streaming thing I signed up to." It was from Celestia.

"I gotta go soon. My mommy and dommy have organized a movie night for the three of us." With Luna picking the movie, Flash knew it would hardly be a chick flick. She liked her movies historically accurate and with plenty of violence. It would be fun, but not something he could glean fashion ideas from.

Pinkie let out a soft little squeak. "I wish I had a big, soft, mommy to snuggle up to. Instead, I have to be the mommy sometimes. It's still nice, buuuuut… Go on, Fleurette. Tell her you're ready to be picked up."

Flash's fingers were dancing over the keyboard on his screen, telling Celestia, "I'm ready now if you want to come get me. We are at Pinkie's diner."

"Thanks for the fun," Flash said, now feeling a little awkward about eating without paying for it.

Leaning over, Pinkie caught Flash's jaw with her fingers, holding him in place with the slightest of touches. Leaning forward, she pressed her nose to his and wiggled it side to side. By the time she pulled back, her smile was huge. "Aww, any time you want to have lunch, just send me a text! I've always got time to sit down and chat with such a cutie."

The gentleness Pinkie showed for that moment reminded Flash of what she'd said earlier, that she played the part of a mommy for someone, sometimes. Sliding sideways, Pinkie slipped out of the booth to let him past. "Thanks!"

What Surprised Flash was when Sour got up and walked over to him—and hugged him. Obligingly, he hugged back, but it wasn't the kind of possessive hug she used on Rainbow, and certainly not the domineering attention she'd slathered him with at the tennis game.

"You take care, Fleur. I'm sure Rainbow will need some hugs and a bit of friend time tomorrow. I'll chat with Luna about it. You just—just keep being the cutest damn boi I've ever met. Also, one of the cutest girls. I hope you have a great night."

Practically airborne with good vibes, Flash nodded and then gave in and kissed her cheek. "You too! I hope you don't make her too sore, though." The last bit he said with a low tone, but Flash loved seeing Sour blush—and grin—at it. Louder he said, "Bye, everyone!"

Dancing his way to the door, he looked outside and couldn't see Celestia's car. He didn't have long to wait, though he did notice several people, guys mostly, turning to look at him as they passed in their cars. It only boosted his confidence higher.

When Celestia pulled up at the curb, she leaned out the window and looked around as if lost. "Excuse me, Miss Angel, have you seen a pretty young woman named Fleurette around here?"

Giggling, Flash circled around the car and, careful of his dress, climbed in. "Mommy! I'm Fleurette."

Sparing her boi a kiss on his forehead, Celestia checked Flash had buckled in before putting the car back in gear. "So you are! Are you ready for a big night of watching terrible rom-coms?"

Flash nodded and squirmed in excitement. He couldn't think of a single thing in life he wanted more.

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