Fluttershy was in the kitchen, making dinner for two. She sighed softly, looking at the pink mare currently flitting about her living room. Screwball just wouldn't take no for an answer, especially after finding her unfinished manuscript.
"I can't believe you're the Lemon Tart!" Her guest turned and smiled at her...or maybe at her fridge. Her head was pointed between the two locations. "You are an amazing writer, especially when it comes to clop!"
Fluttershy glanced at Screwball, frowning slightly. "...I'd like to change the subject...um, I mean, if that's alright with you..." She stared at her hooves, as if she could imagine herself into invisibility. "...and...the second thing I want you to do...is to never mention this to anypony else...please?"
Screwball saluted, a goofy grin on her face. "No problem, Lemon!"
She winced, shaking her head fervently. "...p-please...call me F-Fluttershy..."
The beanie-wearing pony continued to flit about. After a moment, she pulled out a record and put it on the Victrola.
"IF THERE'S A NEW WAY, I'LL BE THE FIRST IN LINE. BUT IT BETTER WORK THIS TIME!"
In a fit of panic, Fluttershy grabbed the record and flew up into her room, leaving behind a confused mare.
Screwball looked at the stairs, then at the vegetable soup still on the stove, then back at the stairs. "...so...is dinner ready?"
The grey mare slowly trot out of the forest, squinting as the sun shone directly in her eyes. "...is it really that late? Vinyl must be starving. Only Celestia knows how she fed herself for three weeks."
She turned to the blue unicorn behind her, a soft smile on her face. "Would you like to come over to my place? I'm certain I can make you a lovely meal." She wasn't blind; she saw how skinny she was.
The mare stared at her new earth pony friend, a look of awe and fear on her face. "T-Trixie is thankful, Octavia." She smiled nervously.
Octavia giggled, a hoof covering her mouth. "Don't worry, Miss Lulamoon. I won't hurt you."
"I - Trixie wasn't worried about that!" She blushed, shaking her head to rid it of their incident with a manticore.
Octavia smiled knowingly, heading off in a seemingly random direction. "Please follow me, Miss Lulamoon. Everything is alright."
Trixie stood still for a moment longer before trotting after the musician, the promise of food all the motivation she needed.
Vinyl sat on her couch, idly poking a hoof at the sandwich on her plate. I just know something will happen as soon as I try to eat this. She stared at it for a little while longer before shaking her head, lifting the delicacy with her magic. Might as well get this-
"Miss Scratch!"
Called it. She glanced over at the two fillies sitting on the other side of her coffee table. Lemonade table. "So, I take it you girls want to know who won?"
"Well yeah!" The pink filly flipped her hair over her shoulder, as if that would help her point. "It's been over, like, a week, now! It's the next month, even!"
The other one glared at her rival, annoyed. "So how'd yer tryout go?"
She waved her hoof dismissively. "They said I was too young. The nerve of-" She stopped, looking up at the shocked unicorn in front of her. "...oops."
Vinyl's eye twitched slightly, trying her best to figure out just how to cope with this new information. She sighed, taking out her phone and navigating through it.
"Who won, Miss Scratch?" The yellow filly was bouncing in place, excited and hopeful.
Vinyl chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Be patient, Applebloom. I'll tell you it eventually!"
She frowned, leaping over the table and placing her face right in front of the DJ's. "But Ah want it now!"
She just looked around the little Apple's head, finishing her mental tally. "Okay, AB! You win!"
"Thank ya!" Applebloom looked up, smiling brightly. "So, who won?"
Vinyl stared at the filly for a few moments. "I just said you won."
"Yeah, and you'll tell us who won, right?"
Vinyl facehoofed, sighing softly. "...Applebloom, I'm saying that you're the winner of the battle..."
"I can't believe this!" Their attention was drawn to Tiara, who was positively livid by then. "Her first part stank! How could she win?!"
The DJ shook her head. "She brushed off that part about her mother and came back with a vengeance."
Tiara scowled, turning to Applebloom. "Fine! You can have him! I don't care anymore!" She turned and stomped off, brushing past a tan colt as he flew into the room, snapping pictures as he went.
Vinyl blinked, turning to the yellow filly next to her. "...dare I ask what that's about?"
Applebloom just blushed, looking at the colt as he flit about. "...it's nothin', really..."
The sound of an opening door soon greeted their ears. "Vinyl, I'm back! And I brought a friend!"
The two mares walked into the room. The blue unicorn with Octavia glanced at each of the ponies, curious. That is, before her eyes landed on the colt.
She stared at him, taking in details that others would have dismissed as commonplace. She saw his camera and his cutie mark of a feather, before resting on his face. Her own twisted into a look of surprise, then horror, followed almost immediately by the most rage anypony there had ever seen. Her hair even began to look like it was smoldering.
"YOU!"
I'm sure you all know where this is going. :p Oh, and to the one person who recognized the "I'm On a Boat" reference last chapter, you get a pony. ^w^
"When E says 'you get a pony', that probably means you get to choose a pony that appears in an upcoming battle! Of course, he can still decline, if it contradicts one of the 'rules' he has set."
^ This.
I hope you all enjoy the next chapter, and have a nice day!
Enigma out.~