"And that's what she told me," Sweetie Belle spoke. "So, from the looks of it, karma hit her really hard."
Sweetie Belle raised her head and looked at her sister, Rarity, as she took a sip of her tea and rubbed her forehead.
"Do you think she was lying?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case," Rarity sighed. "Vignette lied as natutally as she breathed, so It's very likely that she just said that to get some sympathy points."
Sweetie Belle lowered her head as Rarity took another sip of her tea.
"And yet..."
Sweetie Belle rose her head again, this time seeing her sister with a conflicted expression.
"I get the feeling she's being honest..."
Vignette stretched as she walked downstairs, having spent extra time making sure to put the more western-themed outfit instead of her regular clothes. Alongside that, she had tied her hair in a pair of short braids, reaching her shoulders.
And then she spotted Big Mac standing at the end of the staircase.
"Oh, good morning, Big Mac," she casually greeted. "How are you doing?"
Big Mac briefly checked Vignette out, and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, this outfit? Applejack chose it for me while my clothes were wet-"
Big Mac moved his hand to Vignette's braids, and gently poked them.
"Oh, the braids! Applejack did them for me. I needed something to further make myself look different, since, you know, people might not like seeing me."
"You fear you'll be bullied and harassed when they recognize you?" Big Mac asked.
Vignette flinched. "I think that's the first time I've seen you say a full sentence."
Big Mac remained silent, still waiting for an answer.
"Yes, I'm afraid that'll happen."
Big Mac gestured Vignette to follow him before he walked towards the door. Vignette didn't have to work at the market with her today, so she saw no problem following the man.
Now that she thought about it, this was the second time a member of the Apple family wanted her for something. Not that she minded, it was the least she could do after they gave her a place to stay, but it was still rather odd, she found.
"We're here."
Vignette snapped back to reality to see she and Big Mac were now standing in front of a gym named "Bulk Biceps Big Bulking Gym."
She was having a real hard time not laughing at the name.
Shortly after, Big Mac entered the gym, and Vignette soon followed, entering just in time to hear quite the thunderous words:
"BIG MAC, MY OLD FRIEND! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"
Vignette shook off the shock from the shout, and she went to Big Mac's side, which was also the point she saw he was talking with a guy with a buzz cut, pearly white skin, and red eyes.
He looked kinda creepy, she mused to herself.
"WHO'S THIS GIRL, BIG MAC?" the muscular man asked.
"Bulk Biceps, this is Vignette." Big Mac was as upfront as ever. "Vignette, Bulk Biceps."
"N.T.M.Y!" Vignette greeted.
Bulk raised an eyebrow.
"Nice To Meet You!" Vignette clarified. "Sorry, I say acronyms sometimes."
"I see. It's okay, I understand," Bulk turned back to Big Mac. "So, why did you bring her here? Wait, let me guess, you wanna help her build some muscle, right?"
"Eeyup."
"Perfect! There's a pair of equipment on the back that's available! You can use those!"
Big Mac nodded and shook hands with Bulk as Vignette glanced between them, trying but failing to come up with words.
Soon after, Big Mac gestured Vignette to come along, and she did, speaking as she followed the guy:
"W.D.Y.S.T.: Why Did You Say That?! I just came here 'cause I followed you, not because I wanted to train!"
Big Mac, however, didn't respond right away. Instead, he remained quiet until Vignette asked:
"You think I need to gain some muscle?"
"You're stayin' at a farm, right?" Big Mac asked calmly. "And just sittin' on your phone all day has got t' be borin' even for you."
Vignette twiddled her fingers. "Truth be told, I've been trying to keep my phone usage as minimal as possible. I just don't feel comfortable with it after... you know-"
"Here they are."
Vignette flinched, and as soon as she raised her head, she saw Big Mac handing her a dumbbell. She grabbed it... and her arms sharply plummeted, the girl managing to muster enough strength to lift the dumbbell back up.
"Too heavy?" Big Mac asked.
"N-No, I-I," Vignette took a deep breath. "Actuallyyeahitsheavypleasetakeitoff!"
Big Mac grabbed the dumbbell back, allowing Vignette to catch her breath and rub her arm.
To add insult to injury, a closer look at the dumbbell revealed it was the smallest size available. Seeing this, she glanced at Big Mac, and frowned as she quickly diverted her attention elsewhere.
"I can try find somethin' better for you later," Big Mac casually remarked, lifting both dumbbells. "But we gotta work on your strength, no questions 'bout it."
Vignette tilted her head. "You're oddly talkative today."
"Eeyup."
"Is there a reason in particular?" Vignette put a finger on her chin. "I mean, are you just shy? Are you reserved with your words? Or do you just not like speaking unless absolutely necessary?"
"Eeyup."
Well, that answer wasn't helpful at all.
"Regardless... I can say that I do like that about you," Vignette smiled. "It means you're a good listener."
Big Mac smiled proudly, though his smile was cut short when he saw Vignette add with a frown:
"Maybe if I was a better listener, things would've gone better."
Big Mac put the dumbbells down and got an idea. "Let's do that, then."
Vignette raised an eyebrow.
"I'll teach you how to be a better listener."
Vignette took a moment to process the statement, but one she did, she clasped her hands and smiled joyfully
Back with Rarity, the fashionista stared at her phone, which had Vignette's contact information on the screen. All she needed to do was push a button and she would call her.
But for some reason, she felt... hesitant about it.
"What are you doing?"
Rarity screamed and nearly threw her phone through the window, only to calm down when she saw Sweetie Belle nearby.
"Don't scare me like that, Sweetie Belle!" she chided. "As for your question, I was about to call Vignette-"
"Call her? As in, on her phone?"
"No, Sweetie Belle, on a banana."
Sweetie Belle lowered her eyelids. "You know, I get you're being sarcastic, but I honestly think you'd have better luck calling her on a banana. I doubt she'll use her phone after what happened."
Rarity slowly put her phone down and intertwined her fingers in thought; partially about how Vignette was feeling about phones, partially about how to contact her now.
"She's living with Apple Bloom and Applejack, if that helps." Sweetie Belle said as she walked away.
Rarity's eyes widened, and she smiled.
"I-dea!"