I - Thou Shalt Not Hold Thy Neighbor in Contempt

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Bright lights, abundant sounds, and crowded streets; these things and more were part of the daily routine in the Equestrian city of Manehattan, the most heavily populated city in the country. The city also boasted the most even mix of humans and ponies, making it the most culturally diverse city in the country, as well, and the city that has benefited the most from Equus’s nine years of contact with Earth.

In a small, three-unit apartment building in said city, its three tenants just happen to arrive home at the same time, exchanging glances as they head to their separate homes. These three neighbors, a human, a reformed showmare, and an exiled queen, are quite different, but they all have one thing in common.

They can’t stand each other.

Adrian

I dug my keys out of my pocket as I approached my door, having just got back from a long, but productive day at work. While I loved my job, getting home from work was usually the highlight of my day since I could relax and have some time alone.

Well, not completely alone.

“I’m home Rusty!” I called out as I tossed my backpack onto the couch, kicking off my shoes and turning on the TV. After sitting down and flipping through the channels for a while, a soft thumping sound reached my ears, and I felt the couch cushion beside me sink a little.

“Hey, Adrian,” I heard. I turned and smiled down at the little jackalope. “How was work?”

“It was alright, Rusty. We’re still animating that same fight scene for Gem Quest.”

“Still? How long has it been?”

“Almost a week. It’s the mid-season finale, so we want to make it a large-scale thing.”

Rusty sighed, sinking into the back cushion. “I dunno how you can do it, man. The way you talk about it, animation seems like a really tough job. I’m getting tired just thinking about it.”

“Yeah, but when you see what all your hard work adds up to in the end, it’s all worth it.”

“Hmph. I’m sure it’d be even better if the studio gave you your own cartoon and not have you working on someone else’s.”

“That definitely would be nice,” I chuckled, “but that’s the usual path of an animator. You’re usually working on someone else’s production before you move on to having your own.” I let out a yawn. “Man, I think I might head to bed early tonight.”

Rusty shook his head furiously. “You can’t, man! Equestria’s Next Top Model is on tonight!”

“Aw, damn. That’s right,” I groaned.

ENTM was always somewhat a guilty pleasure for me. I would always watch episodes of the American version with my dad back when I was living at home, and after I finished school and moved to Equestria, I started watching their version of the show, catching up on the seasons I had missed, which was a lot considering that the show’s been around for as long as Equestria and Earth have been in contact.

“I’m still a little pissed that they sent Harmony Charm home last week. It was only because Hoity Toity gave her photo a low score. If it wasn’t for that, she’d still be in!”

“I know, right?” the jackalope concurred. “I can’t believe that they added him of all ponies as a judge! What was wrong with Fleur de Lis?”

“I think her contract expired or something,” I guessed.

“Ugh. Fuckin’ contracts, man.” Rusty said with a humph. “So anyway, I haven’t heard much noise from Miss Magic today.”

“I think it’s because she was out. I ran into her and you-know-who in the lobby downstairs. They got here the same time I did.”

“Please do not mention Bughorse in my presence.”

I’d always laugh a little whenever Rusty called her by that name. It was definitely an accurate description of her.

“I think you might hate her more than I do,” I joked, knowing that the notion was near impossible.

“Um, have you forgotten the fact that she tried to EAT ME!?” he yelled.

“Oh yeah. That did happen, didn’t it?”

My pet gave me a cross look. “You’re an asshole.”

Eh, he was half-right. I’m generally a nice guy unless I’m given a reason not to be. When I’m nice, I’m nice, but when I’m not, one could say that I’d fall into the asshole category.

However, with neighbors like mine, could I really be blamed?

There were three of us total. I lived on the second floor in a large apartment while they lived upstairs in two smaller apartments that were half the size of my place.

Let’s start off with Miss Magic, or rather, Trixie, as that was her actual name. She was a unicorn mare that had a gig as a magician and showmare, as her numerous ads around the city led me to figure out. Apparently, she had become kind of a big deal as far as performers go, and from what I’ve been told, she used to be a travelling magician before coming to Manehattan for a permanent gig, or something like that.

Getting back to my point, Rusty had mentioned that he hadn’t heard much noise from her. You know the kind of neighbor that likes to be really loud in their apartment without a care in either world for the other people living in the building? Yeah, that was Trixie. Not a day goes by where she isn’t causing a shit-ton of noise upstairs. Of course, the first couple times it happened, I kindly asked her to tone it down a little, but then she said something about how “The Great and Powerful Trixie is rehearsing her routine for her upcoming show, and can’t be bothered with petty complaints.”

Needless to say, that mare’s been on my bad side ever since.

As if dealing with Trixie wasn’t bad enough, I had another annoying neighbor upstairs, living right next to her. Rusty prefers to call her Bughorse, but her name was actually Chrysalis, as in “Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.”

Yeah, I know. “What the hell is Queen Chrysalis doing living in Equestria, and in its most populated city, no less!?”

Well, apparently she’s not a queen anymore, if the fact that she doesn’t wear her crown was any indication. I honestly don’t know the full details of her situation, but at least I know that if she harms any Equestrian citizen, she’d get the boot, so that’s reassuring. As you’ve recently witnessed, Rusty had a particular distaste for Chrysalis, because she once threatened to eat him, according to his account. I wouldn’t put it past her to try that, so I took his word for it.

Besides, I had my own reasons for not liking her.

I could forgive her snappy, bitchy attitude. Really, I could, but there is one thing that just really bugged me about her…

Fuck, I walked right into that one.

Anyway, as a Changeling, she has to feed off of love in order to sustain herself, so she regularly brings guys (and sometimes girls) back to her apartment for… nighttime shenanigans, to put it lightly. Now, that wouldn’t be so bad… if she wasn’t so fucking loud!

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve woken up to the sounds of loud moaning and panting, and it doesn’t help that her bedroom was directly above mine. It’s rare that I ever get to sleep without hearing the thumping sounds of her ever-rocking bed!

Just like Trixie, I tried to ask her nicely to keep it down, but all I got from her was a “fuck off” and a door slammed in my face.

Now, I could always tell the landlord, but there was one problem. Trixie and Chrysalis knew that I had a pet, and the landlord didn’t allow pets in the building, so if I sold them out, they’d sell me out.

By now I’m sure you’re wondering why I haven’t moved out yet. Well, there are two reasons. First of all, this apartment building was the closest one to my job that had a vacancy when I first moved to Manehattan, and it’s a lot more convenient for me to walk to work instead of paying for a cab. Secondly, as the first person out of the three of us to move in here, I felt that there’d be a sense of shame in having those two drive me out, like it’d be some kind of loss for me to be the one to leave.

Besides, my place was pretty sweet.

“Okay, this season is total bullshit!” Rusty yelled as he followed me back to my room. “First Harmony Charm, and now Jewel Luster!?”

“I swear, if Hoity Toity is still a judge next season, I might not even watch season ten when it comes out,” I disgruntledly replied.

“I feel you on that, bro. Mark my words, social media is gonna blow up in the next few hours: Jewel was a fan favorite!”

“Well, we’ll have some fun reading the hate tweets tomorrow, but for now, I am burnt out,” I groaned, falling onto my bed while Rusty got into his small bed by my nightstand. “G’night.”

“Night,” he answered with a yawn, getting comfortable under his blankets.

…

thump. thump. thump.

…

Thump. Thump. Thump.

…

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

“Ahhn! Yes! That’s it! Right there!”

Not again…

I took the second pillow beside me and put it over my head in an attempt to drown out the noise, but it was all for nothing, as I could still hear the changeling’s moans of pleasure.

“Oh, fuck! AH! That’s it, baby! Don’t stop!”

I felt my mattress shuffle a bit as Rusty climbed onto it. “Adrian, I’m scared…” he whined, his body wracked with shivers. I couldn’t blame him. Having to hear sex noises every night was a terrifying thing. I gave him my spare pillow for him to use as a bed, and he took his blanket and wrapped himself up, folding his ears over so he could block out as much as he could.

“Hopefully whoever is banging Bughorse right now is one of the quick ones.”

God, I hate my neighbors.

Trixie

Seeing Adrian and Chrysalis the second I got home definitely put a damper on my mood. Arriving at the building at the same time they did had to be some sign of bad luck. Call me superstitious, but The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t fool around when it comes to bad luck.

After crossing paths with my neighbors, I headed towards the elevator, hoping to get some alone time, but as I turned around after entering, I saw Chrysalis walking towards me.

“What?” I thought in a panic, assaulting the “close door” button in hope if it closing in time. “No! Nonononono!!!”

Just as the doors were about to shut, a black hoof entered the elevator, stopping the doors and letting the changeling in.

“Shit!”

I folded my arms as I leaned on the wall, trying not to look at her. “You couldn’t take the stairs?” I mumbled.

The sensation of her gaze almost pierced my skin. “You couldn’t take the stairs?” she snapped back.

I would never, EVER admit this to anypony out loud, not even to myself, but I was scared of Chrysalis. For one, she was a lot taller than me. I was a meager five-foot-seven, while she had to be at least six-foot-two, not including her horn!

Then there was her attack on the city of Canterlot a few years ago. The news of the attack spread like wildfire when it happened, and when I saw what her kind looked like and what they were capable of, I was terrified! Being able to take on the form of whoever they pleased and feed off of the love of others? That’s horrifying! How the princesses allowed her to live in this country is beyond me, but thankfully, since she’s bound by the laws of Equestria, I think I’m safe.

The elevator finally opened as it reached the third floor, and I got out of there as quickly as I could. On top of being a little scared of her, I also didn’t care for her snappy attitude. She was definitely a very unpleasant mare to be around, and I made a point of interacting with her as little as possible.

Once I was safe in my apartment, I tossed my bag aside and took off my jacket before heading to the kitchen. Today’s rehearsal was pretty exhausting, and getting some food was the first thing on my list of stuff to do once I got home. I levitated a bag of potato chips and a bowl over to me while I grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge. Some indulging was earned after today’s rehearsal.

Having a permanent gig in Manehattan was great, without a doubt. Meeting with fans, performing for crowds of thousands, making more than enough bits to sustain myself; it was a dream come true. After I got home from stage practices, however, I would sometimes be a little drained, and I liked to reward myself for my hard work.

“You came a long way, Bellatrix Lulamoon,” I’d always think to myself, although I’d never let anypony call me by my full first name.

“Okay, what’s on TV?” I muttered as I sat on the couch, my freshly prepared bowl of chips following me. There were rather slim pickings this afternoon, with barely any good shows on. I flipped through my channel listings, growing more aggravated with each passing second. “Is there really nothing on?” I groaned before coming across a listing that caught my attention.

“Gem Quest? Why does that sound familiar? Ugh… That’s right. It’s that cartoon that Adrian works on. No, thank you.”

Chrysalis wasn’t the only neighbor of mine that drove me crazy. Adrian was just as bad. That fool had absolutely no respect for my craft! To think that he’d come up to my apartment and ask me to “tone down the volume”! Did he have any idea how a showmare worked!? Trixie was not going to stifle her at-home practice sessions just for him.

And then there was that jackalope of his. I really should use him as a test subject for one of my more dangerous tricks…

Another thing that really bothered me about both Adrian and Chrysalis was the fact that they’d make snide remarks about my eating habits. I’ll admit, I could be a little more conscious about my dietary choices, but that didn’t give them the right to make those remarks! The nerve! The gall! How dare they make such comments about The Great and Powerful Trixie!

Feh, to Tartarus with the two of them. I know I was supposed to try and be nice ever since I reconciled with an old rival of mine two and a half years ago, but trust me, Adrian and Chrysalis are impossible to get along with, and after living with them for the better part of a year, I’ve pretty much given up at this point.

Long story short, I can’t stand my neighbors.

Chrysalis

I watched as Trixie practically galloped out of the elevator, rolling my eyes at her hasty retreat. As opposed to her brisk pace, I casually walked to my apartment door, unlocking it and walking inside my home. After all this time, I had finally gotten used to calling it that, despite the boisterous mare living next to me. Not only was she an annoying braggart, but she was also way too noisy when she was “practicing,” if you could call it that.

I knew that Trixie was scared of me. Even if she was good at hiding it from the naked eye (she was a lot of things, but subtle wasn’t one of them), as a changeling, I could almost taste the fear that was radiating from her.

It was part of the nature of my kind; we were able to sense the emotions around us, and it was as innate and automatic as breathing air. This sense was essential in finding love, our primary food source.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t also eat regular food.

I tossed some leftover mac and cheese from the fridge into the microwave and poured myself a glass of water while I waited for my food to heat up. While we changelings do need love to sustain ourselves, we could still enjoy the pleasures of regular food and drink.

Although that was a luxury that we normally didn’t have.

I shook my head, trying not to think about my old life. I needed to forget about those worthless ingrates. It wouldn’t do me any good, considering they had long since forgotten about me.

However, what I couldn’t forget was the overwhelming shame I felt after facing the royal sisters.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Oh, thank goodness. Some hot food could help me from getting too wrapped up in my memories. With a warm meal in my magical grasp and a glass of water in hand, I walked over to my computer. One thing I appreciated about my new life here was that I had access to a lot of human technology, a major upgrade from the isolationist society that I was once a part of.

As I mindlessly browsed the internet, I noticed that I had received an e-mail, and I was almost certain who it was from. “Let’s see what we got here…" I thought as I opened the e-mail. "Just as I suspected. It’s from Cross Hatch,”

Evening, Chryssie!

I’ve got some fantastic news for you! The school’s been very impressed with your continued availability over the past year, and they’ve decided to increase your pay! You’ll be getting a formal letter from them within the next day, but I thought I’d give you the good news early!

Congrats,
Cross Hatch

A smile grew on my face as a chuckle escaped me. Seeing or hearing from Cross Hatch always made me a little happier. He was my boss at the Manehattan Institute of Art, where I worked as a model for some of their classes. Hatch saw my ability to change my appearance as a gift since their students needed to learn how to draw a variety of body types, plus I got a little bit of nourishment from feeding off of the excess lust from some of the more… “unprofessional” students.

Out of everyone in Equestria, Cross Hatch was the only one I genuinely liked. While all the ponies and humans regarded me with fear and disdain, he accepted me with open arms, and he gave me a well-paying job where my abilities were an asset.

Believe it or not, I actually preferred being at work rather than at home. It was nice to feel appreciated… for once.

I tried not to relive that memory again, but I couldn’t stop myself.

After the botched Canterlot invasion and my subsequent failure to convert Twilight Sparkle, I was deemed “unfit to rule” by my subjects one we escaped from our prison, and I was overthrown. They chose a new queen to take my place while I was exiled from the kingdom to fend for myself. The first few weeks were fine, but as the months went on, it became harder and harder to find someone or something to feed off of. Finally, after a year of being on my own, I did the one thing I thought I’d never have to do.

I went to Princess Celestia.

This was the part that I hated remembering the most, the worst part about it being that I found myself on the floor, bowing at Celestia’s hooves, begging for her sympathies with seemingly never-ending tears falling from my eyes — not from sorrow, but from the sheer humiliation I felt from having to beg for sympathy from somepony who was once my enemy.

To make a long story short, the princess allowed me to stay as a provisional citizen, providing me with a place to stay and some startup money that I could live off of while I found a job. I eventually earned full citizenship after spending a year under constant surveillance from undercover guards, facing the threat of being kicked out if I were to try anything funny. I could still feed, but it had to be done safely and without any harm done to the victim, which took some getting used to.

One benefit that came from this was that while I was under the guards’ surveillance, I was also under their protection. As a citizen of Equestria, provisional or otherwise, no other citizen could bring any unwarranted harm upon me, and when it came to harming a fellow citizen, Equestrian law would get pretty harsh when it was time to dole out punishment.

I kinda respected them in that regard.

As of now, while I did have a lot of privileges and less responsibilities, I’m still wasn’t sure whether or not I could say that I was truly happy with my new life, but there was one thing I knew I didn’t like: my neighbors.

I’ve already mentioned Trixie, but there was also one neighbor that lived a floor below Trixie and I, and that was Adrian. The first time I had actually talked to him was when he came up to my apartment door and asked me to “tone down the noise a little.” I knew that he was referring to me bedding a stallion the previous night, but I could see past his thin veil of cordiality. To think that he’d assume I wouldn’t notice his hidden contempt. It almost made me laugh, to be honest. However, what I really didn’t like about Adrian actually had nothing to do with him.

It was his pet, Rusty, that really pissed me off.

That little abomination had to have been the most annoying creature I’ve ever met. I threatened to feed off of his love one time, and now he thinks I want to eat him! Does he have any idea how unappetizing rodents taste!?

…What?

Speaking of feeding, I could use some love tonight. It’s been a few days since the last time I’ve fed off of somepony, or some human, or some griffon. It all depends on what I’m in the mood for at the time.

I guess I’ll just go with the first guy that hits on me and see where it goes from there.

I settled on an attractive earth pony disguise before getting dressed and heading out for another night on the town, as I walked down the hallway though, I passed by Trixie’s room and over heard her practicing her entrance monologue… again.

“Mares and gentlecolts, ladies and gentlemen, fillies and colts, boys and girls, prepare to feast your eyes upon... The Great and Powerful Trrrrrrrrixie!!!” she yelled before taking a long pause. “No… that’s a little too wordy.”

Ugh… I fucking hate my neighbors.

II - Thou Shalt Not Practice Pyrotechnics

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Adrian

Before I headed into the kitchen, I took a quick look at myself in the mirror to make sure that I didn’t look busted.

I usually wore a beanie when I went out, but it was the beginning of June, and in a condensed city like Manehattan, it tended to get really hot during the summer months. With that in mind, I decided to leave my black hair uncovered. Thankfully, it wasn’t too disheveled. My beard didn’t look to scraggly, either, but I ran a comb through it just so I could tame it a little.

“Looks good enough,” I said to myself before heading out of my room towards the kitchen. When I got there, Rusty had already woken up, and was in the living room on my computer.

“Dude! Twitter is on fire right now!” Rusty called out as I made breakfast.

“Really?” I asked, pouring some pancake mix onto a heated pan. “Read me some of the tweets!”

“Okay… this one says: ‘This show have become a fuckin joke Hoity toity shouldnt be a judge. #BringBackFleur’,” he read. “Ugh, do folks even read their shit before they post?”

“Usually, no. How many pancakes do you want, Rus?”

“…Three? Yeah, make it three,” he answered as he hopped off the desk chair.

“Three it is. I know I’ve said this before, but I’m glad I don’t have to buy overpriced pet food for you. It’s a lot cheaper to just get regular food.”

“Meh, pet food tastes like shit, anyway. I want real food, not a bunch of plants and shrubs that the pet store owner was giving me. Sometimes I think she did it to spite me.”

“No offense, Rusty, but I wouldn’t put it past her. She did say that you were a bit of trouble.”

My pet scoffed at me. “I am not. She was just overreacting.”

“You broke into her locked cabinet and drank one of her potions thinking it was soda,” I reminded him.

“Hey, it was her fault for not giving me enough to drink that day,” he retorted.

“Yeah, but here’s what I don’t get, because I still can’t understand this after a year of having you. How could you think that potion was a soda when you knew the cabinet was locked, and the store owner was a zebra that specialized in potion-making?”

“Look, I don’t really think straight when I’m thirsty, okay? Besides, it worked out for the better, anyway. I can talk, and the potion did taste good, like orange and grape soda mixed together.”

I winced at his description. “That doesn’t sound very appetizing.”

“To you.”

“To anyone.”

“Different strokes for different folks, Adrian.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. The pancakes are ready. You want butter, or not?”

“I’ll go without butter today, thanks.”

“Well, there ya go,” I said as I placed Rusty’s plate on the countertop. “I’m taking my breakfast to go. I want to get to work early and finish that fight scene ASAP.”

“’Kay,” the jackalope yawned, hopping across the furniture to get to the kitchen counter.

“I should be back by three, so there’s some lunch in the fridge for you to heat up, and keep the—”

“Keep the door locked, I know.”

“Glad you do. Catch ya later!” I grabbed my backpack, heading out the door and down the stairs towards the lobby.

It usually took me about ten minutes to walk to work, and today was no different since the city wasn’t that crowded.

Well, not that crowded for someone that’s gotten used to the city life.

“Mornin’, Mr. Lewit!” the doorpony greeted, holding the door open as I walked up the steps towards the door.

“Morning, Coppertone,” I replied, walking into the building. I always felt like smiling whenever I walked past those doors, especially when I see the big “Phantom Foal Studios” sign hanging from the ceiling. As I rounded the corner towards the elevators, my casual pace suddenly quickened when I saw one of them closing. “Hold it open!” I called out in haste.

Thankfully, someone stuck their arm out in front of the closing doors to stop them from closing all the way. A sigh escaped me as I slowed down a little.

“Thanks!” I said as I got into the elevator and rested my forehead on the back wall, my breaths short and tired.

Yeah… I was never the most athletic guy in the world.

“Hey, what are friends for, Adrian?” a male voice asked me.

I looked behind me and smiled when I saw who was talking to me. He was a tall pegasus stallion with a medium brown coat and a short, swept, reddish-brown mane and tail.

“Oh… hey, Cel Shade,” I said, my breath still ragged. “What’s up?”

“I’m just ready to get this fight scene over with.”

“I know that feel, bro,” I chuckled. “We’re almost done, though, and I think we’ll be able to finish it if we get it in gear and haul ass.”

“It doesn’t help that you wasted energy running to the elevator.”

“Ha, ha, ha.”

The elevator finally reached our floor, and Cel Shade and I headed to our neighboring stations.

As we sat down, I fixed a picture frame that was on my desk. Inside was a photo of my parents. A smile grew on my face as I remembered Cel’s reaction when he first saw the picture.

“Hey, remember when I first showed you this?” I asked, holding the framed photo in front of him.

“It’s hard not to when you keep bringing it up,” he retorted.

“Sorry, I just found it really funny when you were so surprised to see that my dad was black and my mom was white. It was like you never saw a mixed-race couple before.”

“Well, when you’ve lived in Cloudsdale your whole life, you don’t get much exposure to the outside world.”

“Well, well. Look who’s here!” we heard from behind us, and we looked to see one of our coworkers approaching. She was a short female diamond dog with platinum blonde fur and blue eyes. The mass of fur on her head was styled into a short ponytail with a side bang. She wore a sleeveless denim jacket over a white longsleeve shirt, and blue jeans; there were two earrings in her left ear that were shaped like bones, and she was carrying a freshly brewed cup of coffee. “Took you guys long enough to get here.”

“Not everyone can wake up as early as you Roxy,” I told her. “It’s almost crazy how you could be so upbeat every day; not even Mondays can faze you.”

She shrugged. “I guess I’m a morning dog,” she assumed before taking a sip of her coffee, letting out a contented hum and wagging her tail as she tasted it. “Ahh, this coffee sure does help, though. I’ll admit that much.”

“Is there any left?” Cel asked.

“Yeah, but it’s the last bit in the pot, so you gotta make a new one,” Roxy answered as she sat at her station next to me.

“Ugh, really?”

“If you had gotten here earlier, this wouldn’t be an issue!” she quipped in a singsong voice, as she slowly spun in her chair.

“Alright, Sapphire Shores, calm down,” the pegasus said with a roll of his eyes, leaving Roxy and me behind as he left to get his drink.

I turned to the diamond dog, taking my travel mug out of my backpack’s side pocket and taking a sip of my own coffee. “See? This is why I make my shit at home.”

Chrysalis

As much as I hate using sayings like this, I woke up feeling fresh as a daisy this morning. Despite how disappointingly short last night’s love session was, my partner still had a sufficient amount to offer.

My partner… aw, shit! Did I forget to send him home last night?

I looked down beside me to see a large, stallion-shaped lump under the covers. Yep, I forgot to send him home. I glanced over at a nearby mirror and saw that I was still in my disguise from last night. After taking a moment to fix my mane a little so that it didn’t look completely disheveled, I gently nudged the sleeping stallion.

“Wake up, love,” I whispered sweetly into his ear.

He let out a loud yawn before turning to look at me, and I put on my best smile for him. “Mornin’ babe,” he said to me.

I let out a chuckle, putting my hand on the back of his neck. “Listen, sweetheart… I need you to do something for me.”

My eyes lit up, changing from a pleasant purple to a glowing green, locking the stallion into a hypnotic trance. “Sure…” he drawled obediently, like the good little toy he was.

“I want you to go home, and forget everything that happened last night. You never met me, and you never came back to my place. Understood?” I received a slow nod in response. “Good. Go on, now, and be sure to take your clothes.”

Without another word, the stallion got out of my bed and walked out, as was the normal routine after the usual session. Other than the frequent nighttime visitors, my place was pretty quiet, save for whenever I’m watching TV or streaming something online.

The shower was my first destination after getting out of bed, and it was probably one of the best parts about the day. The feeling of warm water washing over my body was just what I needed to shake off those last bits of tiredness and feel full awake. After drying off, I headed out of the bathroom to pick out my clothes, stopping in front of the mirror for a moment to check myself out.

I smiled as I eyed my body from the bottom up, starting from my hooves, then moving up my slender, deceivingly strong legs. After being so used to seeing holes in them, most of those holes had closed thanks to the amount of love I had absorbed in the past year, leaving only a few small ones behind. My eyes continued upwards towards my tight butt, passing the roots of my tail and working their way up to my flat stomach. I frowned a little when I saw my admittedly less than impressive bust, but it was nothing that a little changeling magic couldn’t fix when it was disguise time. Lastly, there was my face. It was a shame that I had to disguise it in order to seduce a victim, but whatever gets the job done, I suppose.

”That’s enough admiration for now, Chrysalis,” I thought to myself with a smirk. “You don’t want to be late for work.”

I quickly picked out an outfit, settling on a plain lime-green tank top and dark blue jeans. Wearing such casual clothing was definitely an adjustment at first, but I quickly grew to like it. I considered getting a quick bite to eat from the fridge, but decided that last night’s session—as short as it was—was enough to get me through the day.

The looks and stares that the other citizens directed toward me poked at me like the fingers of annoying little children as I walked through the city. I was certainly used to it by now, and the number of stares gradually dwindled down as time went on and others got used to seeing me around the city, but that didn’t mean that I was at least a little perturbed by their rude, disdainful gazes. You’d think that, in a city as densely populated as Manehattan, others wouldn’t give you a second look, but I guess I’m an exception.

Jeez… If I had been in Ponyville instead of here, the place would turn into a ghost town whenever I’d walk outside.

The contempt that I had gotten from everypony was the reason why I was stuck in my apartment building. I had tried to move out before, but all I got from the other landlords was some bullshit about how “my residence would decrease property value” or something. It pretty much meant that if I lived in their buildings, nopony else would want to move in, and the ponies already living there would move out, thus ruining the landlords’ profits.

Regardless of all the discrimination, though, I’d always feel better once I got to work. After reaching the Manehattan Institute of Art’s main building, I headed into an elevator and took it to the top floor, where Cross Hatch would be waiting for me.

“Chryssie! Over here!” someone called as I walked out of the elevator, and sure enough, the voice belonged to none other than-

“Cross Hatch!” I said happily, the two of us walking up to each other and giving each other a hug.

“How are ya, sweetheart?” he asked, letting me go.

“Same old, same old. Nothing new,” I shrugged.

“Oh, don’t give me that, you minx! You and I both know that you’re more than happy about your you-know-what.”

I laughed. “I can’t hide much from you, can I?”

“Well, considering that I’m your boss, I’d hope not.”

I rolled my eyes. “Real funny, Cross. So, what classes am I modeling for today?”

He took out his phone and looked through a schedule. “Well, as you know, the summer quarter has just started, so the first class that you’re gonna be modeling for is filled with mostly freshmen. Professor Talon is giving them a preliminary assessment to see where the students are at. After that, there’s the juniors’ Observational Drawing class and then some afternoon walk-in sessions.”

“Sounds good,” I nodded. “Which room is the freshman class gonna be in?”

“Room 520,” the unicorn answered. “Oh, and Chryssie?”

“Mm-hm?”

“Go easy on those kids and don’t look too sexy, honey. Remember that most of them are fresh out of high school.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his joke. As corny as it was, it was so bad that it was good. “I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises,” I answered, walking off towards Room 520.

Seeing Cross Hatch in the morning always helped my mood. I don’t think there was ever a day where he wasn’t giving off an aura of happiness. Hell, the stallion practically reeked of it. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, either. His tall, slim physique, pale blue coat and jet-black mane and tail were a combination that’d make a mare’s ovaries explode. I know I wouldn’t mind having him as a long-term partner… if only he wasn’t gay.

Oh well… you can’t have ‘em all, I suppose.

About ten minutes later, I was posed in the center of a classroom filled with seventeen to nineteen-year-olds, stark naked, and disguised as a full-figured pegasus. Professor Talon said something about testing the students with an unusual body type, or something.

I always enjoyed posing for freshmen. Their classes were usually occupied by boys that never got any tail in high school or even seen a girl naked. The lust that leaked off from them served as a delicious snack during work.

Although, while lust was tasty, my true affinity was romantic love. It was really bittersweet, though. While romantic love is the type of love that gave me the most power, it was also the hardest to find. The last time I got a good taste was when I infiltrated the royal wedding, and that was almost three years ago. Lust was my secondary affinity, and that was one of the easiest types of love to find.

Speaking of, I was still enjoying my little meal as I posed for the class, skipping over the kids that were giving off infatuation, which was my least favorite… “flavor,” if you want to call it that. I just found it bland and tasteless.

However, I was particularly enjoying the supply I was getting from this one kid sitting the furthest away from me. I grinned inwardly as I watched the flustered earth pony try to put pencil to paper, and I could see him sweating from here. I wonder if I could get a little more out of him…

The colt looked up from his pad and watched me, and I looked right back at him with a sly smirk. Not only was the surge of lust coming from him very satisfying, but his dumbfounded expression on top of his heavy breathing was the icing on the cake.

Today’s gonna be a good day.

Trixie

I let out a loud yawn as I gradually emerged from my slumber. There were a lot of kinks in my body after sleeping for so long, but a good stretch got rid of most of them. I groggily looked over to my alarm clock and read the time: Three-thirty. A frustrated groan escaped me when I found out that pretty much half of my day was wasted.

“I guess that’ll teach me to stay up ‘til a quarter to four in the morning,” I thought. “Oh well, at least I don’t have a rehearsal today.”

After taking a quick shower, I threw on some clothes and grabbed my phone. I wasn’t in the mood for making myself a meal, so I called the local takeout place, which I had on speed dial.

“What is Trixie in the mood for today?” I said to myself, looking at the takeout menu while the phone rang. “I think I’ll just go with the first thing that comes to mind.”

“Manehattan Mega Takeout,” somepony answered.

“Yeah, can I have… some cream-cheese bagels and some hay fries, please?”

“You want any sauce with that?”

“Um… nah. I’ll take it without sauce.”

“Okay, what’s your address?”

“1213 East 29th Street, Apartment 2.”

“Alright, it’ll take about ten minutes, okay?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

With my food ordered, I headed over to my work desk and opened up my notebook where I wrote down all my ideas for tricks. I liked to mix it up every time I had to change my routine.

“What haven’t I worked with lately…” I wondered, tapping my pencil to the notebook paper, leaving nothing but scattered dots on the page. I had to come up with something amazing. I almost have enough money to move out of this building and into an even nicer one that I’ve had my eye on for a while, so if this trick is a hit, I’ll sell a ton of tickets, enough to get me into my dream apartment… if only it were that easy. “Come on Trixie! There has to be a fresh idea that you haven’t used in a while!”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

“Ten minutes already?”

I got out of my chair, heading towards the door. Maybe a good meal in my stomach will help get the ideas flowing. I grabbed my bit purse off of the nearby counter and opened the door, but my excitement at getting my food turned into disgust when I saw who was delivering it to me.

“Uh… Hi, Trixie,” the delivery boy said to me.

I rubbed my temples as I let out a long groan. “Hello, Larry.”

“Sorry I couldn’t make it to your last show. I had a ticket, but the guards wouldn’t let me in. They said I was on some kind of black-list. I tried to tell them it was some kind of mistake, but they weren’t convinced.”

“That’s what I pay them for,” I thought vehemently. “I thought you stopped working for Manehattan Mega Takeout.”

“No, I was just swamped with schoolwork since the year’s almost over, so I took fewer shifts,” the young human answered. “You know what it’s like to be a high school junior.”

“It’s been nearly five years since I set hoof in a high school, Larry,” I scoffed. “So how much is it?”

“Seven bits,” he answered while I quickly took out the money I needed and handed it to him. “Um… tip?”

“Yeah. Set your standards a little lower, kid,” I told him before shutting the door. “Fuck, can’t he take a hint. I mean, I can’t blame him for being smitten with a mare like me, but the kid should find someone his own age.” I walked into the kitchen and looked in the cabinet, which had a shelf of extra sauce packets that I didn’t use. “Then again, his lack of tact is probably the reason why he hasn’t gotten a girlfriend yet.” I shook my head and focused on what was in front of me. “Okay, honey mustard, ketchup, hot sauce… Wait… hot sauce?”

I looked back at my desk and rushed to my notebook to chase the spark that had ignited in my head.

“Hot sauce… hot… fire… that’s it!”

Fire spells! Not only was it something I hadn’t done in a while, it was something I had never done! This would be perfect!

“Ha! I am a genius!!!”

Adrian

It was quarter to five when I left the studio, and I was on my way back home. With that fight scene finally animated, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I couldn’t wait to take a load off when I got home.

Wait… what’s with all the traffic. Was rush hour starting early?

I continued to walk down the street, and that’s when I saw the smoke. “Oh, shit!” I thought as my walking quickly turned into running, hoping that the smoke wasn’t coming from where I thought it was. Sure enough, once I rounded the corner, I saw two fire trucks in front of my building. From the looks of things, they had just put out the fire.

What the fuck happened? Rusty knows not to use the stove or the oven. How could this fire have happened? I rushed over to a nearby firefighter and got his attention.

“What happened here!?” I asked frantically.

“You live here, son?” the burly earth stallion asked.

I nodded furiously, hoping to get an explanation within the next three seconds.

“A fire broke out in one of the third floor apartments and spread across the whole floor. We arrived in time to stop it from getting to the second floor, though.”

At that moment, I felt instant relief, thankful that Rusty wasn’t hurt, but if that was the case, then where-

“ADRIAAAAAAN!!!”

I suddenly felt something push against the back of my shoulder. “Oh, thank Celestia!” I heard from behind me.

“Rusty?” I asked in disbelief.

“I swear on my life it wasn’t me! I was taking a nap when it happened, honest to Luna!”

I put my hand on his head. “I know, I know. This stallion told me everything.” I turned to look up at the guy in uniform. “Do you guys find out how the fire started?”

He nodded. “The mare living in the apartment where it started told us that it was a fire spell gone awry. The first responders are taking care of her.”

I blinked. “Wait. Did this mare have a blue coat? Unicorn? About yea high?”

“Kinda ‘big-boned’ if you get what I’m saying?” Rusty added.

“Yeah,” the firefighter answered. “Wait, is that thing talking?”

“Trixie…” Rusty and I scowled at each other.

We looked back at the building and saw three more uniformed ponies walking out of the entrance.

“The third floor apartments are mostly torched,” the mare in the middle reported to the stallion in front of me, “but thankfully most of the damage was done to furniture, and we’ve salvaged some of the occupants’ valuables.”

The stallion nodded. “Good. Save the unicorn’s belongings for when the first responders are done with her. Is the other apartment’s tenant here?”

“Yeah. I’ll give them to her,” the mare on the left said before breaking off from the group. While her teammates continued to talk, she sneakily slipped into a nearby alleyway, and seconds later, I saw Chrysalis walking out holding a small box in her hands along with a small bag.

“Did you see that?” I whispered to Rusty.

“Dude, with all this going on and with all the smoke, I can barely see shit,” he quipped.

I sighed and looked back at Chrysalis. While I’m sure her bag probably had her wallet and other stuff, the curious thought about what was in the small box crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly shook it off. There were more important things to worry about.

“Anyway,” the firefighter stallion said, bringing my attention back to him. “Once we get everything sorted out, it’ll be safe to go inside.”

“Okay. Thanks,” I said with a nod.

“So… do you mind explaining how your pet can talk?”

Rusty and I gave him a cross look.

“Right… Not a good time. Sorry.”

It’s been several hours since the fire. Rusty and I were let back into the building after about a half hour, and we’ve been watching TV since we got back in.

“I still can’t believe that just happened,” he said, sinking into the back cushion of the couch.

“Well, it happened,” I sighed. “Let’s just be glad that none of our shit got trashed and try to move on with our lives.”

“You’re right… although if one good thing came out of this, at least Trixie and Chrysalis won’t be living above us anymore.”

I chuckled lightly. “If I wasn’t so exhausted, I’d celebrate, but I guess we could hold off until tomorrow.”

Just then, I heard several knocks on my door. While I wasn’t in the mood for visitors, I should at least see who it was. Without even bothering to look into the peephole, I opened the door to see my visitor, and I almost lost it when I saw who was standing outside my door.

“Trixie and Chrysalis?” I thought.

“Adrian,” said Trixie.

“Trixie,” I said back, then I looked over at the changeling. “Chrysalis.”

“Adrian,” she said back.

A few moments of silence filled the air before I addressed the elephant in the room.

“Okay, what the fuck do you two want?”

III - Thou Shalt Not Negotiate With Thy Neighbor

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Adrian

“Well, hello to you, too, Adrian,” Trixie quipped with a hand on her hip. “Is that how you greet all your guests?”

“No, just the unwanted ones,” I retorted. “With that being said, I reiterate: What. The fuck. Do you want?”

“Well, thanks to Trixie, we don’t have a place to live anymore,” Chrysalis explained.

“And?”

The changeling looked to the side and let out a quiet groan. With a slow deep breath, she looked back at me and said…

“We need a place to stay.”

I then noticed that Chrysalis had a backpack on her back, while Trixie had one as well in addition to a small trunk.

“Aaaaaand what does that have to do with me?” I asked. “In case you two haven’t noticed, we’re in Manehattan. There are more vacancies in his city that I can count on both hands.”

“You think I don’t know that!?” Chrysalis snapped.

“You’re not making a very good case for yourself. Just sayin’.”

She rolled her eyes at me. “None of the other buildings will let me move in. If I had my way, I would’ve been out of here a long time ago.”

“Boo-fucking-hoo,” I scoffed, and then I looked at Trixie, “and what’s your excuse, Pyromaniac?”

“I have to pay for all the damages, and the money that I’ll have after all that won’t be enough to afford rent for a new apartment,” she explained.

“So, since we have no other options… we came to you,” Chrysalis finished.

“And why in the hell would I help you?” I asked.

“Because you’ll feel good about helping two mares in need?” Trixie suggested.

Even Chrysalis rolled her eyes at that. “Look, Adrian. If you let us live here with you, we’ll split all the bills evenly, which means less expenses for you.”

“I can afford my expenses just fine, sweetheart.”

“True, but think about the extra money you’d have in your pocket.”

I was going to respond to that, but then I thought about it for a second. “Excuse me for a moment.” I shut the door and looked at Rusty, who was looking back at me with an iffy expression.

“What do you think?” I asked.

The jackalope scoffed. “What do I think? No. No. Hell no. Nein! Infinite amounts of no! Fifty Shades of NO!”

“Okay, okay. I get it, I’m just trying to weigh my options.”

“Consider your… DUDE! Are you fucking serious!? This is a no-brainer. Let ‘em fend for themselves! We’re finally rid of them, and they don’t have a pot to piss in! You said it yourself: you don’t need any help paying the bills.”

“Yeah, but I could definitely use the extra money in my pocket. I could finally get me one of those Cintiq drawing tablets.”

Rusty gave me an incredulous look. “I swear to Celestia, I almost threw this remote at your face. A drawing tablet? You’re willing to live with those two over a fucking drawing tablet!?”

“Well, when you put it that way, it does sound kinda stupid…” I admitted, “but those two have one thing over us.”

“And that is?”

I lowered my voice in case they were eavesdropping “If I don’t let them stay here, they might tell the landlord that I’m keeping you here, and then we won’t have a place to stay. Knowing those two, especially Chrysalis, they wouldn’t think twice about doing it.”

Rusty tried to come up with something to say to that, but couldn’t find a good rebuttal. “…Shit,” he grunted.

“So, I guess it’s decided, then?”

“Well, it’s probably the lesser of the two evils, so… yeah.”

“Okay, then…” I sighed. “Looks like we’re gonna have some roommates.”

“Please don’t remind me. Just go.”

Trixie

“What’s taking so long?” I asked, more to myself than to Chrysalis.

“He’s probably talking it over with that little mutant rodent of his,” she muttered.

“For what? He’s a pet! What say does he have in it? He isn’t even supposed to be living here!”

“Will you shut up, Trixie!?” Chrysalis snapped with a hushed yell, baring her fangs at me. “If the landlord hears you, he’ll kick Adrian out, and then we won’t have any leverage, let alone a place to crash!”

“Okay, okay! Jeez! Just put those fangs away!” I shrieked, breathing heavily.

“Feh, Great and Powerful, my ass,” she mumbled.

“Brute,” I retorted.

“Listen, you little shit! If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t even be in this mess! What dumb breed of bitch would practice a fire spell in an apartment filled with flammable furniture!?”

“I wasn’t thinking about it at the time!”

“Do you ever think about anything!?”

“Piss off, hooker!”

“Bite me, twat!”

Just then, the door opened, and Adrian looked at us silently for a moment. After taking a deep breath, he motioned for us to come inside. Chrysalis and I looked at each other in disbelief for a second before walking in.

“Have a seat on the couch,” he told us, watching as we sat down while he opted to stand with Rusty standing on the coffee table beside him. “I’ve decided that I’m gonna let you guys stay here and split the bills, but there’s something that needs to be established, first.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Ground rules, ladies. Ground rules,” Rusty answered.

Before I could object, Chrysalis covered my mouth with her hand. “We’re listening.”

Adrian and Rusty looked at each other and nodded. “Rule number one,” Adrian began. “This one is about the fridge. We all have to share the space, so don’t buy a ton of food and not leave space for the rest of us… Trixie.”

“Me?” I asked. “Why’d that comment have to be directed at me.”

“Oh, I dunno. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you have the eating habits of an unsupervised six-year-old?”

I heard snickers coming from both Rusty and Chrysalis, as if that little comment was actually funny.

“Rule number two, also concerning the fridge. Only eat food that you bought. Nobody’s paying for anyone else’s meals up in here.”

Chrysalis and I nodded in mutual agreement.

“Rule number three: if a door is closed, then knock. Point blank, period. Rule number four: there are a total of two bathrooms in here, one of which is a private master bathroom that is connected to my room only, meaning that you two will have to share the other bathroom. You can work out the specifics about that amongst yourselves.”

I gave Chrysalis a side-eye. I needed my beauty showers, and I wasn’t going to have her messing that up. I’ll have to talk bathroom rules with her later tonight.

“Rule number five: clean up after yourself. Everyone’s responsible for their own shit in here. If you eat in the living room, you pick up the crumbs. If you spill a drink, you mop it up. If you’ve got dirty dishes, you wash ‘em. If you fill the trash bag, you take it out.”

“We get it,” I groaned.

“Shut up, Trixie,” everyone said.

“What number was I on?” Adrian asked.

“You just said rule number five, so you’re on six,” Rusty answered.

“Right. Rule number six: I have my own washer and dryer, so I don’t have to go to the first floor laundry room. You’re welcome to use it, but take your clothes out when they’re done. I don’t want to have to see wet bras in the washer or dry panties in the dryer. Rule number seven: the TV. If someone’s got a show to watch at a certain time, they gotta let the others know ahead of time, and don’t hog the thing for the entire day.”

Chrysalis and I nodded again.

“Rule number eight: NO ONE is to go into ANYONE else’s rooms or touches ANYONE else’s stuff for ANY reason whatsoever!”

That’s something we could all agree on, but… “Do Chrysalis and I get separate rooms?”

“I’ll get to that later. Rule number nine: Chrysalis,” Adrian continued, causing the changeling to raise an eyebrow. “No bringing any of your ‘guests’ over.”

“So where am I supposed to take them?” she asked.

“They can take you back to their place. Hell, you can take ‘em into a dirty back-alley for all I care, just don’t bring ‘em here.”

The ex-queen scoffed. “Fine.”

“Rule number ten: Trixie,” Adrian said, looking right at me. “No practicing your magic tricks in here. Go somewhere else to do it.”

“Wha? Like where?” I objected. “How am I supposed to practice in-between rehearsals?”

“I don’t give a hot shit as long as you don’t do it here.”

I grunted. “Fine.”

“Did I miss anything, Rusty?” Adrian asked.

His pet thought about it for a moment, but then shook his head. “Nah. I think that’s everything.”

“Okay, then. You two, follow me. I have to show you where everything is.”

He motioned for Chrysalis and me to get up, and he showed us around his place, highlighting the kitchen, our bathroom, the washing machine and dryer, the towel closet, and the guest bedroom; which reminded me of my concerns about the sleeping arrangements.

“There’s one last room in here,” Adrian explained as he led us to said room. When he opened the door, Chrysalis and I were surprised to see that the room was completely empty.

“The guy that lived here before me used this as a workout room, and I didn’t really have much use for it since I already had one guest bedroom and my room is big enough to double as a home studio, so one of you can sleep in here.”

Well, that settled the issue of whether or not I’d get my own room, but I didn’t want this room! With all the payments I have to make, I have to be really picky with my purchases from now on, and I don’t want to have to buy a bed! Not to mention a dresser and a nightstand! Plus I need to buy food, too! Chrysalis will probably want the guest room, too. She can afford to furnish this empty room, can’t she? How am I gonna convince her to take this room, though?

“I’ll take this room,” she said suddenly. “I don’t have much stuff, so I’ll just go out and get an air mattress tonight and hold off on a real bed and other stuff until this weekend.”

“Alright, then,” said Adrian. “We’re all settled in. Just follow the rules, and we’ll all do just fine.”

A relieved sigh escaped me as I walked to my new bedroom, tossing my backpack down onto the bed and setting my trunk aside. After everything that had happened today, I really needed some sleep. The last thing I wanted was to get wrinkles or break out from too much stress. After taking a quick shower, I changed into my sleeping clothes and got into bed.

“This… is gonna take some getting used to,” I thought as I drifted off. “Well, at least the bed’s comfortable.”

Chrysalis

I sat on the floor of my empty room as I emptied my backpack. I wanted to sleep in the guest room, but I felt the desire radiating off of Trixie for that room, and I’d had enough bullshit to deal with for one day. Besides, I couldn’t cause much trouble around here. As much as I hated Adrian and Rusty, staying here was my only option, so if having somewhere to sleep meant following their rules, I had to abide, regardless of how much I didn’t want to.

I sighed as I continued to take everything out of my backpack. With the help of a handy spell, I was able to carry more stuff that would normally fit in a bag this size. I was able to save the essential stuff from my old apartment: a few sets of clothes, my wallet, my laptop, my phone, my chargers, and a small box that I had kept in a hidden drawer in my room. Come to think of it… I never checked to see if the item I held inside the box had suffered any damage.

I held the box close to me, my hand slowly moving towards the top to open it. My heart started beating faster, as it always did whenever I opened the box, because what lied inside would always remind me of a time that I, to this day, kept trying to forget. When I finally opened the box, I delicately picked up the item and lifted it out. Mixed feelings of warmth and fear welled within me as I looked at it.

It was the only thing that I had managed to keep from my past life, and I still don’t know whether my keeping it was a good thing or a bad thing. It reminded me of my former glory, yet it also reminded me of my exile.

Still, I wasn’t going to let those ingrates take this from me, no matter how hard they tried. I could still hear their voices, even after all this time.

“What have you done for us besides fail?”

“We’re tired of you doing nothing for us!”

“What kind of queen lets her subjects starve!?”

The nerve. The absolute nerve of those little…

I shook my head violently, shaking out those thoughts. “Forget them, Chrysalis. It’s been two years. They’ve moved on, and you need to do the same. You’re better off without them, anyway. You don’t have to look out for anyone but yourself. Watching over those peons is the new ruler’s problem, now, whoever they may be.”

I put my item back into the box before tossing it into my bottomless backpack. I then picked up my wallet and prepared to leave the apartment to buy myself an air mattress and some quick snacks to hold me over until I get the chance to actually go grocery shopping. When I passed by the living room, I saw Rusty sitting on the couch, watching TV.

“Adrian left to get copies of the house key made for you and Trixie,” he told me. “He’ll be back before you, so just knock and one of us will let you in.”

I nodded as I opened the front door and walked outside, but just before I shut it, I heard the little creature say the words “Later, Bughorse.”

Ugh… Maybe I should eat the little fucker.

IV - Thou Shalt Not Waste Thy Day Away

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Chrysalis

After everything that happened yesterday, last night’s sleep wasn’t that refreshing, to be honest. Knowing that this was my first morning living with roommates that I hated really put a damper on my mood, too.

Waking up in the morning was probably the worst part of the day for me. It’s too bright outside, and my morning breath would be so bad that it’d make me want to puke. I’d be in full-on zombie mode until I showered, which would always help to get my gears turning, and I would be doing that right now if somepony hadn’t been hogging the bathroom.

I sat with my back against the door, wondering when Trixie would finally get out and let me in, but there seemed to be no end in sight.

“For fuck’s sake, Trixie!” I yelled. “You’re clean enough!”

The sound of the faucet turning off gave me hope, but I shortly realized how foolish I was.

“It wouldn’t kill you to be a little patient, Chrysalis,” she nagged. “Some of us like to clean our bodies thoroughly. Besides, I haven’t been in here for that long.”

“It’s been thirty fuckin’ minutes!” I snapped back, only to hear the faucet turn on again. I shot up to my hooves, gritting my teeth furiously. “Why you… I HAVE A JOB TO GO TO, YOU INCONSIDERATE LITTLE-”

“Whoa, whoa! What’s with all the noise?” I heard from my right. I looked to see Adrian walking outside his bedroom door. It pained me to admit it to myself, but for an instant, I was jealous of the fact that he had the master bathroom all to himself while I was stuck sharing a smaller one with a degenerate like Trixie.

“I have to go to work soon, and I can’t even take a shower!” I answered.

Adrian rolled his eyes as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Trixie’s still in there?” he groaned, and then his volume suddenly increased. “Well, I guess it’s gonna be her broke ass that pays the water bill then!”

The next thing I heard was the faucet shutting off once again and hurried shuffling, and the door opening not fifteen seconds later. “I suppose I am clean enough,” she muttered with an air of fake poise that I could’ve seen even without my changeling senses.

“About damn time,” I grumbled, noticing something out of the corner of my eye; Adrian was standing in the hallway as if he was waiting for something. “If you’re expecting a thank you, don’t hold your breath,” I hissed, only for the human to shrug his shoulders and walk off. As I walked into the bathroom, I was initially relieved that I could finally take a shower, but then a sobering and horrifying realization came over me: I had to wake up even earlier than usual in order to beat Trixie to the shower.

Fuck.

Adrian

I breathed a sigh of relief as I left my building, happy that I could get a reprieve from Chrysalis and Trixie’s bickering. It wasn’t until after I let them live with me that I noticed how similar their voices sounded. When I first heard them arguing this morning it sounded like a schizophrenic yelling at themselves.

Now that I was stuck in this situation, heading off to work was even more refreshing than it usually was.

When I finally got to the studio, I took a deep breath as I entered the elevator and tried to get my mind off of my… living inconveniences. The steady beeping of the elevator as it passed each floor was somewhat therapeutic; the slow rhythm helping to get the stress out.

DING!

I shook my head as I tried to look as not-annoyed as I could, not wanting to worry Cel Shade or Roxy, but as the doors opened, all of those thoughts went out the window when I saw how festive everyone was.

“The fuck,” I thought at first, but then I remembered what had happened yesterday. “Oh right, we finished the mid-season finale for Gem Quest yesterday. Well, this kind of atmosphere is just what I need to get my mind right.”

“Hey, Adrian! You made it!”

I looked over to the crowd and saw Cel and Roxy walking over to me; smiles on their faces and snacks in their hands.

“We thought that all the grub would be gone by the time you got here!” Roxy chuckled as she tossed me a mini bag of popcorn.

“Thanks, Rox. They got any root beer over at the snack table?” I asked. “I could use one.”

“What’s wrong?”

I blinked at the sudden question. “What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’? I just need a drink.”

“Yeah, but when you said it, I felt a disturbance in the force.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re not going crazy on me, are ya?”

The diamond dog let out a hearty laugh, wiping a tear from her eye. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you. I saw what happened in the newspaper this morning.”

“Who the hell reads the newspaper anymore?” Cel asked.

“Well, I wasn’t reading it per-se. I was… kinda-sorta chewing on it… but that’s beside the point!” she whined before looking back at me, ignoring the look of disgust that Cel was giving her. “Anyway, is everything okay, now?”

I shrugged. “Well, the fire started on the floor above me and didn’t spread to my apartment, so that’s something.”

“Rusty’s okay, I hope.”

“He’s fine. To be honest, it’s not the fire that’s got me down, but what happened because of the fire.”

“Go on…” Cel urged.

I sighed. “You know my neighbors, right?”

“Trixie and the changeling queen? What about them?”

It took a second for me to respond, because I still couldn’t believe it myself. “They… moved in with me.”

“What!?” they yelled, their voices barely reaching the volume of the party.

“Why the hell would you let them live with you!?” Cel asked. “I thought you couldn’t stand them!”

“Believe me, I can't,” I reassured her, “but they know that I have a pet in my place and they wouldn’t have hesitated to tell the landlord if I didn’t let them stay.”

“At least tell me you’re charging them rent, or something.”

“Don’t worry, I made it perfectly clear that they weren’t staying for free. They’re gonna be splitting the bills with me, and I laid down all the ground rules.”

“Okay, but are you sure they’re gonna follow them?” Roxy asked.

“Feh,” I scoffed. “I doubt anyone would let Chrysalis live in their building due to her former reputation, and Trixie is too broke to live on her own, so there’s a good chance they will, and as long as they do that, everything will be… bearable, at the very least.”

“Can I get everyone’s attention?”

We all turned towards the sudden voice, and we saw Mr. Render, one of the studio executives standing in the center of the room.

“Now, I’m sure you all know that this is Gem Quest’s final season, and with the mid-season finale out of the way, we’re right on track to finish the series by the time it has to air in October.” We all cheered despite the bittersweet reality that a show that we had been working on for so long was going to be ending. “So, in honor of one of Phantom Foal Studios’ most popular shows, let’s celebrate!”

Everyone raised their glasses in celebration as we all went back to enjoying the party, only for Mr. Render to approach me, Roxy, and Cel Shade.

“May I speak with you three for a moment, in my office?” he asked.

Roxy, Cel, and I gave each other quick glances of worry. “Uh… sure,” I answered as we followed our boss to his office. He opened the door for us, letting us walk in before him and take a seat at his desk as he shut the door.

“What the hell’s going on?” Cel mouthed to Roxy.

“I dunno, but I’ve seen pornos that start out like this...” she mouthed back with a shiver.

“Will you two relax?” I told them. “I highly doubt that we’re here for that.”

Mr. Render finally took his seat behind his desk and looked at the three of us. “So, I’m sure you guys are a little sad that Gem Quest will be ending.”

We nodded.

“I thought so. To be honest, I am, too. That show helped this studio to make a name for itself. It was quite the… gem, if you will.”

We nervously laughed at what we assumed was a joke.

“Once that final season airs, Phantom Foal Studios will need a new hit, something that meets, no, surpasses Gem Quest’s quality and popularity, and that’s where you three come in.”

“Say what?” Cel asked in confusion.

“I see a lot of untapped potential in you three. When you first started working here three years ago, I put you to work on Gem Quest’s second season for a reason. You guys have helped the series look better than it’s ever looked before, and I think that, if you put your minds together, you’ll be just as good at creating your own series.”

Those last three words echoed in my head. Your own series… My nervousness almost immediately turned into excitement once I realized what Mr. Render was getting at.

“We’ll still need the three of you to do scenes for Gem Quest, especially the season finale, but I’m gonna pull some strings for you three in order to make the creation of this new series a priority. It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as the final product wows me. I expect only the best from the three best animators we have,” he chuckled, “but don’t tell anyone else I told you that.”

“We won’t let you down, sir!” Roxy barked happily.

“I know you won’t,” he nodded with a smile. “Now, with that being said, I think I’ve kept you guys away from the festivities long enough. Go out and enjoy yourselves.”

As the three of us left the office, I tried my best to contain my excitement until the door was closed. “Yes! Finally!” I cheered.

“Well, someone’s happy,” Cel joked.

“You’re goddamn right I am! This is our chance, you guys! We’ll be able to have our own show created here at the studio! We’ll be doing more than just animating scenes! We’re gonna have a story that we came up with end up on TV!”

“I’m just stuck on the fact that Mr. Render told us how awesome we are,” the pegasus smirked.

“Yeah, but imagine how awesome we’ll be once we get this new show started!” Roxy chimed in, tail wagging at high speed. “We’ll be going to conventions, doing press releases, signing autographs… it’ll be amazing!”

“First things first, though,” I told them. “We need to come up with an idea.”

Trixie

I’ll admit it, I could’ve been a little more productive today.

While I should’ve been coming up with some ideas for my next routine, I spent the better part of the day sitting in front of the TV. I had to change my repertoire every two months in order to keep things fresh for my audience, and I had about a month left before my next change, and so far, I had nothing. I mean, I thought I was onto something yesterday, but then the fire happened, so it’s safe to say that fire spells are out.

What really bugged me was that I had no place to practice my spells outside of rehearsals. If it wasn’t for Adrian’s stupid rule, I’d be trying out some new magic right now.

“Maybe if I cover my tracks well, he’ll never know...” I muttered to myself. “No one’s around after all.”

“Yeah, no one except me.”

My heart jumped when I heard Rusty’s voice from behind me, and my look of surprise transformed into a disdainful glare.

“It’s only been a day. Have you already forgotten rule number ten?” the rodent asked. “No magic up in this piece, honey, and you'd better believe that Adrian will be the first guy I call when I catch you."

Shit. He was right. Rusty could easily call Adrian from the landline.

"So, are you gonna do something other than hog the TV?" he asked as he hopped onto the coffee table. "I'm sure your 'Great and Powerful' ass has left an imprint in the couch by now."

"Oh, be quiet," I said with a dismissive wave. "I haven't been here that long."

"Sweetheart, it's ten after four."

"What!?" I yelled, shooting up from my seat after looking at the clock on the wall. I knew I had wasted a lot of my day, but not that much!

Just then, I heard the door opening and turned to see Chrysalis walking in, letting out a long yawn. “Ugh… I. Am. Exhausted.”

“Oh yeah. Standing still while others draw you must be sooooooo tiring,” I drawled.

“Shut up, Trixie,” she said back with an uninterested tone. Not two minutes later, she came back into the living room, now dressed in a pale green tank top and black sweatpants, heading towards me. “Make room. I’m watching the TV.”

“Says who?” I objected.

“Says rule number seven.”

“Last time I checked, rule number seven stated that you have to let everyone else know ahead of time if you have a show to watch,” I reminded her.

The changeling merely smirked as she sat on the other side of the couch. “Yes, but the rule also says that you can’t hog the TV all day, and judging from the crater that’s formed underneath you, I think you’ve been here for quite a while.”

“As much as I hate saying this, she’s right,” Rusty shrugged, and I begrudgingly handed the remote over to her. As the former queen smugly changed the channel, the door unlocked once again and Adrian walked in with an idiotic smile on his face.

“Could you dial back the enthusiasm a little,” Chrysalis commented. “It’s flooding my senses.”

Adrian paid her no heed as he jubilantly hummed to himself. “Not even you can ruin this day for me, Chryssie. I am in too good of a mood.”

The changeling shot him a deadly glare. “Call me ‘Chryssie’ again and I’ll slit your throat.”

While the threat surely scared me, Adrian didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. Whatever’s got him in this good a mood must have been something really amazing.

“So what’s the good news?” Rusty asked, hopping over to him.

“I’ll tell you all abou-”

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!

We all turned our heads to the door, alarmed at the sudden and rapid knocks. Adrian looked into the peephole, and let out an annoyed sigh.

“Who is it? The landlord?” I asked.

“No, it’s your little fanboy,” he groaned.

My ears perked and my tail bristled as I jumped out of the couch and ran into the hallway. What the hell was he doing here!? “I’m not here,” I said quietly as I stayed out of sight.

Adrian shrugged and opened the door, and the next thing I heard was heavy and tired breathing. “Where’s Trixie!? I heard about the fire! Is she okay!?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. She’s fine, Lenny,” Adrian answered.

“Larry.”

“Whatever.”

“Well, do you know where she is now?” the boy asked.

“What do I look like, her father?”

“I know where she is,” Chrysalis chimed in.

No. She wouldn’t. She’d better not!

“You do?” Larry asked excitedly.

The next thing I heard was hoofsteps hitting the floor, and I assumed that she was walking over to the door. “Oh, yeah. She still lives in this building. We’re all sharing this apartment for the time being,” she told him, and I imagined an evil grin on her face as she sold me out. "In fact, she’s here right now. Hey, Trixie! Come and say hi to Larry!”

I furiously gritted my teeth, mentally cursing Chrysalis as I tried to come up with an excuse. “I’m a little… busy at the moment,” I lied.

“Well, she can’t see ya, kid. Later,” Adrian told Larry. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” With that, he shut the door and turned to Rusty. “Come on, let me tell you what happened at work today.”

The two of them walked past me and into their room while I stomped over to Chrysalis, who looked back at me with a satisfied smile.

“Chrysalis, you bitch!” I yelled. “What the hell was that for!?”

She shrugged. “I just wanted to see your reaction. Your face turns the cutest shade of red when you get mad.”

“You know what? FUCK you!”

“No thanks, I prefer mares with a little less meat on their bones.”

Just as I was about to zap one of her bug eyes out, we heard three knocks on the door. After looking through the peephole, she turned towards the hallway and raised her voice. “Adrian! It’s the landlord!”

We heard an annoyed sigh before he walked out of his room and towards the door. “Hello?” he answered.

“Good evening, Mr. Lewit,” the old earth stallion said to him. He then looked at me, “Miss Lulamoon,” and then at Chrysalis. “Miss Chrysalis. I’m surprised to see you all in one apartment. You’d think that I’d be rid of at least two of you. So much for that.”

“Someone’s in a crabby mood,” Chrysalis taunted.

“Don’t test me today, missy! I’ve got half a mind to evict you!”

“Hey, I’m not the one who burned the third floor down.”

I groaned. “How long are you gonna keep mentioning that?”

“As soon as I stop smelling the ashes,” she snapped back.

Adrian put both his hands up, one in front of me and one in front of Chrysalis. “Look, Mr. Saddleton, why all the hostility? I haven't caused any trouble in the three years I’ve lived here and I always pay my rent on time.”

The decrepit pony scoffed at him. “You just haven’t fucked up yet. Anyway, I just want to let you three know that I’ll be keeping a real close eye on you, and if I see the slightest hint of shenanigans, it’s out with all three of you!” With that final statement, he walked away, his bitter old bones somehow managing to carry him.

Adrian sighed as he closed the door. “Crazy old fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “Well, that killed my mood.”

“Great. As if we don’t have enough nonsense to deal with," I groaned. "Sweet Celestia, I hate that old coot.”

Chrysalis didn’t look any less displeased than the rest of us. “Hmph. At least we all have one thing in common.”

V - Thou Shalt Not Hold Meetings in Thine Household

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Adrian

Thank God it’s Friday.

While I loved my job, a notion that not many people or ponies could make, I still loved my time off even more; and on Fridays, I got off work two hours earlier than usual. Cel Shade, Roxy, and I were in the employee lounge, eating lunch that we bought from Manehattan Mega Takeout— and after the meeting that we had with Mr. Render yesterday, we were still thinking about our new series.

“Are you guys free after work?” I asked. “I think we should have a development meeting so we can figure out what kind of series we want to make.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” said Cel. “It’ll be better if we put some thought into this outside of work.”

“Alright, then.” I nodded. “So, who’s hosting?”

“Not it!” Roxy and Cel said suddenly, putting their fingers to their noses.

“Oh, come on!”

“Them’s the breaks, man,” Cel Shade shrugged.

“You guys know that my apartment is the worst place to host a meeting right now!” I reminded them.

“True, but if we host it at either of our places, then we have to clean, and I’m not down for that,” said Roxy. “Are you, Cel?”

“Nope,” the Pegasus answered, shaking his head.

“You guys are real assholes, you know that?”

“Nah, we’re just lazy,” the diamond dog corrected.

I sank into my chair, rubbing my temples as I tried to figure this whole situation out. “I hope to God that the place is empty when we get there.”

Trixie

“Consider yourselves fortunate, fair Manehattanites, for you have just witnessed another amazing showcase from The Great and Powerful Trrrrrrixie!!!”

A billowing cloud of smoke appeared beneath me, and I disappeared under its cover, leaving nothing behind as the smoke cleared. While I gave off the illusion that I teleported away, in actuality I simply ran backstage.

But magic, at least the kind that I’m known for, is nothing but illusions, anyway.

I reveled in the applause that I received from my spectators, despite the fact that there were only two of them. “Yeah! Alright, Trixie!” a young voice cheered, and I walked outside to take a bow.

“Thank you! Thank you!” I said graciously before stepping down from the stage.

The filly that cheered for me a moment earlier rushed down to me with an older mare trying to keep up behind her. “Hang on for a sec, sis!” the mare said in exhaustion. “I ain’t as fast as you, y’know!”

The orange-brown-coated filly paid no heed to her older sister. “Oh, c’mon, Sunflower! You sound like Grandma!” I chuckled at her spunky attitude, something that I’ve come to like in the time that I’ve known her.

“So, what did you think, Babs?” I asked.

“It was even better than last time! I can’t wait ‘til the actual show!”

“Good to know,” I chuckled as Sunflower caught up, and then I looked at my watch. “I suppose now’s a good time to get some lunch.”

“Can we go to Big Harry’s Bagels, sis?” asked Babs.

Sunflower thought about it for a moment before giving her little sister a shrug. “Sure, why not?”

The three of us left the theater and took the short walk over to Big Harry’s Bagels, which, despite the name, also served pizza. We were promptly seated when we arrived, and I perused the menu to find something I’d like.

“Ugh, these all sound appetizing, but I’ll have to be a lot more frugal until I get paid after this weekend’s show,” I thought disappointedly. “This is really depressing. If it wasn’t for that stupid fire, I wouldn’t have to deprive myse-”

“You alright, Trix?”

I looked up to see Babs and Sunflower giving me concerned looks.

“Pardon?” I asked, clearing my throat.

“Ya seemed kinda bummed,” said the filly.

“Oh… well, I… haven’t been doing well these past few days,” I sighed.

“Whaddaya mean?”

“You’ve heard about the fire on East 29th Street, right?”

Babs and Sunflower nodded their heads.

“Well, I… was somewhat responsible for that. There was a mishap with one of my spells and long story short, I had to pay for all the damage and I’m now sharing an apartment with two of my neighbors.”

The two ponies’ eyes widened when they heard my story, and Sunflower reached over to place a hand on my shoulder. “We’re really sorry to hear that, Trixie.”

“Thanks. I’m just trying to make the best of it at this point,” I said, feeling a little better thanks to my friends’ support.

“Why didn’t ya ask to crash at our place?” asked Babs.

“Well, I knew that you guys’ place was small, and you already have yourselves and your grandmother living there. If I were to move in, it’d be too much of an inconvenience for you.”

The filly sighed. “Right…”

Sunflower looked at her little sister, then looked back at me with a smile. “Ya know what? We’re payin’ for ya!”

“Wha? Really?” I asked, dumbfounded. “You don’t have to-”

“Too late, Trix,” Babs interrupted. “Sunflower’s already made up her mind.”

I was going to say something, but simply smiled and accepted their offer. “Thank you so much, girls.”

“Aw, don’t mention it!” the sisters said with a laugh. “It’s the least we could do.”

I ended up ordering a small pizza with four bagels while Babs got the same thing and Sunflower ordered breadsticks instead of bagels. As we ate, the conversation shifted back to my financial situation.

“So, ya got a plan for how you’re gonna get back on your hooves?” Babs asked.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie always has a plan!” I boasted. “It’s actually quite simple, actually. You know how I perform at the theater every Saturday and Sunday night, right?”

“Yeah, and you change your routine on the second weekend of every month.”

“Exactly, so after this weekend’s shows, I’ll have a new set of tricks, and if I go the extra mile and make it incredibly amazing, I’ll rake in tons of ticket sales. Once I impress all the patrons on the routine’s first weekend, word will spread and I’ll get more and more people and ponies come to see me, and by this time next month, I’ll have a new apartment! It’s brilliant!”

The girls giggled, happy to see that I had finally cheered up a little, but then a look of horror appeared on Sunflower’s face. “Hold up. Creepo alert.” I was about to look and see who she was referring to, only she stopped me. “Don’t look! Don’t look! Just duck under the tablecloth.”

Without any hesitation, I dove underneath the red tablecloth, taking refuge under its dark cover. Amidst the chatter of the other ponies and people at the restaurant, I could faintly hear hoof… no, those sounded like sneakers. It had to be a human coming over to our table…

Aw, shit.

“Hey, Sunflower,” said the human.

“Hey, Larry,” the unenthused mare groaned.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

“You two know each other?” Babs asked curiously.

“He was one of my old babysittin’ gigs from when I was sixteen,” the older sibling explained.

“So, have either of you two seen a unicorn mare about yea tall with a blue coat and light purple eyes?” asked Larry.

“Nah, can’t say that we have.”

“Hold on, big sis,” Babs interrupted. “I think I saw her headin’ down to the subway. She might be headed up to the north side of the city. You can catch her if you hurry.”

“Really? Thanks, guys!” Larry said excitedly, and I could hear him rushing out of the restaurant, only to trip over something. “Oh! Sorry, sir.”

Correction: someone.

“Alright, Trix. He’s gone,” said Sunflower.

“Thanks for the save, Sunflower,” I sighed, crawling out from under the table and getting back into my chair.

“No problem. Good thing my cousin from Ponyville ain’t here, ‘cause she woulda blown it for us,” she replied, wiping the sweat off her brow. “Now that I think of it, though, you never told me how you got so unlucky to end up as his new target.”

“I first met him after one of my shows a couple of months ago while I was signing some autographs. He’s been following me around ever since. He’s worse than those two Ponyville colts. At least they followed me because of admiration instead of infatuation.”

Babs looked at the two of us with a confused look. “So… did I get kicked outta the conversation? What’s up with that Larry guy?”

“He’s just some snot-nosed kid that gets a little too hung up when he finds a girl that he likes,” Sunflower explains before looking back at me. “As happy as I am to not be on his radar anymore, it sucks that you’re his latest victim.”

“Ugh… he really does sound like a creep,” the filly shuddered.

“Well, get used to seeing ‘im, because I think he goes to the same high school that you’re going to.”

“What!?”

“Oh yeah, you are going to high school, aren’t you?” I asked Babs, momentarily distracting her. “Do you think you’re ready for when summer ends?”

“Not anymore!” she exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t worry about Larry if I were you. He always goes after older chicks,” Sunflower explained.

“You sure ‘bout that?”

“Positive. Not sure why that is, but it just is.”

“I guess that makes me feel a little better…” the filly sighed, and then she looked up at me. “So, do ya have any idea of how you’re gonna make this next routine of yours a success, Trix?”

“At the moment… no,” I embarrassingly admitted, “BUT I assure you that I will come up with something by next weekend! You’ll see!”

“We’ll help out from our end, and try to go to as many shows as we can for the next month,” said Babs.

“Wonderful! If everything works out, this next routine will be my most successful one yet!” I declared proudly, but as confident as I had sounded, behind my smile was a deep feeling of worry.

Chrysalis

Every other Friday was a very special day. It was a day where any and all annoyances and misfortunes of the previous two weeks no longer mattered. It was a day where, if changelings fed off of happiness instead of love, I’d be a walking buffet.

Payday.

Now, I could’ve gone the old-fashioned route and receive a regular old check and cash it at the bank, but going to a bank is a little… difficult for me.

Usually, what happens is that the staff automatically assumes that I’m conducting a robbery. I honestly don’t know what insults me more, the fact that they’re so stupid to assume that, or the very thought that if I were to rob a bank, that I wouldn’t take a more finessed approach. At least more finessed than walking in without even disguising myself as a random pony. I mean, come on! Did they really think that I, who was able to infiltrate the capital city of Equestria, would be that stupid!?

Needless to say, opening my account was a nightmare, but thankfully, I won’t have to show my face there again anytime soon. I try not to use this expression very often, but thank Celestia for direct deposit.

Ugh… Just thinking about that phrase puts a bad taste in my mouth.

As I walked back to my building after a busy day at work, I checked my bank account on my phone. After taking a moment to admire the significant increase in my balance, I checked my account activity to see just how much extra money I got thanks to my new raise.

“A ten percent increase?” I thought. “That’s rather generous of them. Why do I get the feeling that Cross Hatch had something to do with this?”

I chucked to myself as I arrived at my building, ignoring the glare that I was getting from Mr. Saddleton as I crossed the lobby on my way to the stairs.

“Now that I have all this extra money, this weekend would be a good time to buy some furniture for my bedroom,” I thought as I reached my door fumbling with my keys, “although I could use a night out on the town tonight. A nice celebratory love session would do me some good.”

I opened the door to see that the living room was empty. I at least expected either Rusty or Trixie to be camped in front of the TV, but instead the couch remained unoccupied.

Not that I’m complaining.

I levitated a bottle of water out of the fridge as I looked at the clock above it. “Four-thirty… I think I’ll head out around nine or so,” I thought. I headed back to my room, gulping down swigs of water as I walked down the hallway, only for my ears to perk up as I passed Adrian’s room.

“Hm?” I muttered, inching closer to the door. I lightly touched my ear to the door and heard several voices coming from inside, including Rusty and Adrian’s. Did they have guests over? I tried to focus on their voices in an effort to hear what they were saying.

“Okay, so we’ve got some character designs, but what kind of setting are we gonna have?”

“Well, Gem Quest had a heavy Lord of the Rings-esque fantasy style to it. There were a lot of darker colors, too…”

“In that case, why not go for something completely different, then? Instead of a fantasy theme, we could go with a stylized futuristic feel with a brighter color scheme? If an action series is what we’re going for, then this kind of setting will lend itself to some over-the-top scenes.”

“That’s a good idea, Adrian. You know what this story really needs, though? A jackalope. Preferably a talking one.”

“Can you be serious for at least one minute, Rusty?”

“What the hell are they talking about?” I thought. “I know I’ve heard the name Gem Quest before, but I can’t remember where I heard it…”

I shook my head and kept listening, Adrian’s voice being the next one I heard. “Well, we’ve at least made enough progress to know what kind of series we’ll be making. Next time we meet we’ll start working out character personalities and backstories.”

“Sounds good,” said a female voice. “See ya later, Adrian!”

“Yeah, see ya,” said a male voice, and I heard the two of them approaching the door.

I briskly walked away from Adrian’s door, casually making my way to my own bedroom, and I heard the door open before I made it inside. A scent of fear similar to Trixie’s hit me; they must me staring at me.

“It’s rude to stare, you know?” I quipped, glancing back at them for only a moment. I was slightly surprised that one of them was a diamond dog. My assumption was that Adrian was meeting with either ponies or humans. Even in a racially mixed city like Manehattan, diamond dogs were still a minority.

A scared whine escaped the canine. “You heard ‘er, Cel. Quit staring!”

“Eh? You were-”

SMACK!

After the stallion had some sense knocked into him, he and the dog quickly left the apartment, shutting the door behind them. I let out a grunt and locked the door with my magic before walking into my room. I changed out of my clothes, threw on an oversized t-shirt, and lied down on my air mattress with my laptop in front of me. While the mattress wasn’t uncomfortable by any means, I certainly wasn’t going to miss it once I bought a real bed.

“I could catch up on my show before I head out to the club,” I thought as I went to my usual streaming site and pulled up the latest episode, which I missed three days ago. I got comfortable under my blanket as the recap from the prior episode played.

“Previously on Equestria’s Next Top Model…”

Yeah, I watch that show. Sue me. I mean, I’m a model, too, so it wouldn’t hurt to watch the show to learn a thing or two, right?

I cringed when the recap highlighted Harmony Charm’s elimination. I was still rather sour from it, and it gave me yet another reason to hate Hoity Toity. Seriously, why is that stallion a judge?

A sigh escaped me as I muttered, “I really hope Fleur de Lis comes back.”

VI - Thou Shalt Not Ask Thy Neighbors For Favors

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Chrysalis

I didn’t even bother to avoid the glances as I walked through the furniture store. Their gazes would be averted the instant I glanced back, and parents would take their children by the hand and rush them down the aisle away from me. I wondered if they knew how annoying that was; to be constantly stared at every day as though the ones watching you were expecting you to do something bad, keeping their mouths shut while their eyes and actions made it more than clear what they thought of me.

Can’t a changeling catch a break?

I wasn’t in the best of moods, either, as last night was incredibly frustrating. Jewel Luster’s elimination on the ENTM episode I watched was just the start of it. I was a little… okay, very pissed off about it, but then I said to myself, “You know what, Chrysalis? It’s okay. Once you get to the club tonight, you’ll forget all about it.” While I did end up forgetting about the elimination, it was only because I became more occupied with something else, once I reached the nightclub.

I couldn’t get a love session from anyone!

Okay, maybe I should rephrase that. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get one, but rather because everyone I was interested in wanted to go back to my place and not theirs, so thanks to Adrian’s ridiculous rule, I got no love last night!

I let out a sigh. “It’s okay, Chrysalis,” I thought. “So you didn’t get lucky last night. No big deal. You’ve gone months without love. Sure, it’s a little frustrating, but you’ll just have to set your standards a little lower next time, and go after the ones that don’t get much sex at all. You could easily coax them into taking you back to their—”

“Um… Is there anything you’re looking for, miss?”

I looked behind me and saw a young, white-coated minotaur who, thanks to his horns, was just below my height. There were a few pimples on his face, and judging from his youthful appearance, he had to have been around seventeen or so. Despite his stocky build, he was shaking like a leaf.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, what did you ask me?”

“I asked if t-there was anything you were l-looking for.”

I glanced behind the kid and saw several of his coworkers trying to hide behind a large wardrobe. Ignoring them and focusing on the minotaur in front of me, I walked over to a nearby bed. “I’m looking for a bed that’s a little smaller than this one,” I told him, spreading my arms out to show him how much smaller I wanted the bed.

“Oh… Y-you need a queen-sized bed, then.”

Go figure.

The boy led me over to the store’s queen-sized beds, showing me all the different ones they had. “Y-you can try them out, if you like,” he told me.

I shrugged my shoulders and laid on the different beds, testing them to see which one was the most comfortable for me. I ended up settling on a soft, modestly designed one, and when I looked at the price tag, I made my decision.

“I’ll take this one,” I told the employee.

The teenage minotaur nodded and cleared his throat. “Okay, um… do you want a truck to deliver it to your home, or do you have your own way of getting it there? I-It’s no extra charge if you go with the delivery.”

“Delivery,” I answered bluntly.

He nodded, and quickly ran off to get someone to ring up my purchase while he got a delivery truck ready for me. From there, it was just a matter of paying for the bed frame and mattress, and taking the ride home after the truck was loaded.

When I got back to the apartment, I told the earth stallion driver that I’d be carrying my stuff up to my apartment myself, which he quickly accepted.

“If you say so, ma’am,” he said with an unnecessary bow. “Thanks for choosing Silk Feather Furniture. We hope to serve you again.”

“No you don’t,” I thought bitterly as I lit up my horn and carried the boxed bed frame and the mattress with me. The hardest part was maintaining my concentration as I trudged up the stairs with my items in tow. “And to think that if I had gotten some love last night, I’d have some extra energy to pull off a quick disguise and be in and out of that place without any looks.” I rubbed my forehead, attempting to soothe myself and keep my focus. “Ugh, I said that I was going to forget about that didn’t I?”

I reached into my pocket as I made it to the second floor, my bed and mattress still floating behind me as I dug around for my apartment key. As I unlocked the door, I could faintly hear music coming from inside. There was no doubt in my mind that Trixie was parked in front of the TV again.

To my surprise, however, it was actually Adrian and Rusty who were watching TV, and as I brought in my stuff I took a look at what they were watching. Whatever it was, it had just ended, and I was immediately put off by the corny retro dance theme that played during the credits, and the lyrics didn’t make it any better. The credits rolled over some footage of a cartoon that, despite my lack of exposure to these types of shows, looked obviously dated. What really made me raise an eyebrow was the flying, blue-skinned human with green hair that was styled in a way that I’ve rarely seen, and I highly doubted that light blue was on the spectrum of human color.

Conclusion: it was the corniest thing I’d ever seen.

“Are you fucking serious?” I asked, getting the boys’ attention.

“What?” Adrian asked back, looking at me as though there was nothing even remotely strange about what he was doing. “You thought cartoons was just my job?”

“What are you doing watching a kids’ show?”

“Hey, don’t insult Captain Planet,” he warned. “That’s my childhood right there!”

“If that atrocity was part of your childhood, I almost feel bad for you.”

“Piss off, Bughorse!” Rusty snapped. “That show is the shit!”

I shook my head. “You know what? Just forget it.”

Adrian and Rusty looked at me and shrugged. “Wanna watch another episode?” the rodent asked.

“Sure!” said the human.

I rolled my eyes and walked back to my room, my mattress and bed still floating behind me. I had more important things to concern myself with than Adrian’s childish pastimes. I had a bed to put together.

Ugh… this was not going to be fun.

Trixie

I looked at my reflection in my vanity mirror as I turned and posed in front of it, making sure that I looked good for my show tonight. I’ve worn different ensembles during my time as a showmare and each one I donned, especially the ones I’ve worn in recent years, had a perfect balance of elegance and sex-appeal. My current outfit consisted of a purple, sleeveless, collared shirt with a cape attached to the back of it, along with with matching bell bottom pants and a large hat adorned with beautiful stars.

“Looking good, as always,” I said to myself with a proud smile before undressing. As I took off my performance outfit I made sure to hang it up nicely on my closet door before throwing on a t-shirt and some sweatpants.

An uneasy feeling suddenly welled in my chest, and my legs began to shake as I thought about tonight. I hadn’t felt this sensation since my first few shows, and I wondered why it decided to return now of all times. I sat in front of my vanity, rubbing my temples and taking deep even breaths.

“What do you have to be nervous about, Trixie?” I thought to myself. “You’ve been doing this for years. Performance magic is your bread and butter, and Manehattan loves you! Even with everything that’s happened lately, there is no reason for you to be this stressed!”

I let out a sigh and looked at the numerous picture frames that were on the dressing table. I made it a personal tradition of mine to frame a photo of myself at one of my shows every year since I first started. A light chuckle escaped me as I looked at the different outfits that I had worn over the years, some of which looked better than others.

The one constant however, was my lucky gem.

I looked over at my current outfit as it hung from the closet door, where the bright blue gemstone hung proudly at the front of its collar. “I’m going to need my good luck charm now more than ever,” I thought.

There was nothing I wanted more than to move out and find my own place to live. I was so close to having enough money to move into one of the more luxurious apartment buildings in the city, but that fire was a major setback, and now I had to work harder than ever just so I could move into a decent apartment. I turned back to the mirror with renewed determination. “If I want to be out of here in a month’s time, I’ll have to pull out all the stops in my next routine. I can only live here for so long. I need to aim for a packed house at every show! Every ticket sale counts!”

I blinked. Every single ticket sale did count. The sooner I raised enough cash to move out and sustain myself, the better… which meant that it didn’t matter who attended my show. I got out of my chair and headed out of my bedroom, all the while wondering to myself…

“What the fuck am I about to do?”

I started by walking up to Chrysalis’s bedroom door, giving it three gentle knocks. I needed to make as good an impression as I could.

“What?” I heard from inside.

“It’s Trixie,” I said. “Can I talk to you in the living room for a second?”

“I dunno. Can you?”

“I’m serious, Chrysalis.”

I heard her let out an annoyed groan before she opened the door. “Fine, just make it quick. I’m really busy right now,” she said as she shut the door behind her.

As we walked down the hall, I heard the TV playing in the living room. “Good, Adrian must already be in the living room,” I thought. Whatever he was watching, though, it sounded really retro.

We found Adrian and Rusty sitting on the couch, glued to the TV as they said the lines of the show like they had committed it to memory.

“By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!”

I glanced at the TV to see what they were watching, and I raised an eyebrow. “What the-”

“Don’t even ask,” Chrysalis interrupted, shaking her head. “It’s not worth it.”

“What do you two want?” Adrian asked with an annoyed tone.

“Not the two of us. Just Trixie,” the changeling corrected as she took a seat on the neighboring couch. “Alright, sweetie. Let’s make it short and sweet.”

My eye twitched for a moment, but I took a slow, deep breath and ignored the snide remark. “Adrian… Chrysalis… I want to ask a favor of you two.”

They both gave me suspicious looks, and Rusty got off the couch and hopped out of the room, shaking his head. “One less thing to worry about,” I thought.

I shook my head and focused my attention on my roommates. “I really need to boost my ticket sales for my shows, so I was wondering… if you two would attend tonight’s performance and tell your friends at work about it on Monday?”

Despite the odds, I silently prayed that they’d say yes, shutting my eyes in anticipation as I awaited their answer, my ears at attention.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Wha? Are they… laughing!?”

I opened my eyes and saw Adrian and Chrysalis lying on their backs in laughter, tears streaming from their eyes as they ridiculed me. The very sight made me clench my fists and grit my teeth. “And what, may I ask, is so funny!?”

Adrian struggled to respond as he continued to laugh. “You really think,” he gasped, “that we’d spend good money… watching you do cheap parlor tricks?”

“What!? How dare you!? My magic is more than just cheap tricks!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, honey!” Chrysalis chortled. “If others are really willing to pay money to see you prance around doing middle-school level magic, more power to you.”

“I don’t have to take that from somepony that’s had more nuts in her than a Snickers bar!” I snapped, stomping my hoof.

“You’re not making a good case for yourself, y’know,” Adrian smirked.

“Oh, and speaking of Snicker bars, you might wanna lay off the chocolate unless you plan on buying a new outfit,” Chrysalis commented before bursting into laughter again.

“Well, look at it this way,” I argued. “The sooner I raise enough money, the sooner I move out!”

Silence.

Adrian turned his head toward me in interest. “Come again?”

“That got their attention,” I smirked. “I’m trying to raise enough money to move into a nicer place, but I’m really short on bits thanks to that fire. All I’m asking is that you attend tonight’s show and tell your coworkers how much you liked it, even if you end up hating it. It’ll build up excitement for my next routine, and if all goes well, I’ll be out of here in less than a month!”

My roommates thought about it for a moment before Adrian spoke up. “I’m not sure if the payoff is big enough. We’re talking fifteen bits and several hours of my life that I’m never getting back.”

“You’re definitely gonna owe us both after this,” Chrysalis added.

“Hold everything! I have an answer!”

The three of us looked down the hallway and saw Rusty hopping over with a small dry-erase board held up by his antlers.

“The fuck is this?” Chrysalis asked, eyeing the board with a quizzical look.

“This, Bughorse, is what I hereby dub The Favor Chart!” the rodent declared.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Explanation please.”

“But of course, my heavyset friend. As you can see on the chart, there are three columns, one for each of you,” Rusty took the board off of his antlers and motioned for us to gather around the coffee table while he took out a red marker. “Now, Adrian and Bughorse, let’s say that you decided to throw Miss Magic a bone and go to her show tonight. She will then owe you each one favor, so let’s write that down on the chart.” He then grasped the marker and aimed to my column on the chart with both paws and started writing. “Owes one favor to Adrian… and one favor… to Chrysalis. There ya go!”

“So basically this keeps track of whenever one of us owes a favor to someone else?” asked Adrian.

“Exactly!”

“That’s… actually not a bad idea, Rusty,” Chrysalis admitted.

“Why thank you.”

“Well, there you have it,” I said, trying to circle back to my request. “If you two do this for me, then I’ll owe you one favor each. Deal?”

Adrian and Chrysalis looked at each other with unsure faces before looking back at me. “Deal,” they said somewhat reluctantly.

I let out a relieved sigh. “Good,” I said as I walked out of the living room and headed back to my room for a good nap. “Oh, and make sure to disguise yourself, Chrysalis. I don’t want you scaring off my audience.”

“Y’know, a ‘thank you’ would be nice!” Adrian called out.

Adrian

Several hours had passed, and I was just about ready to leave for Trixie’s show. While it was far from a formal event, I figured that I could put some more effort into my outfit instead of falling back on my laid-back casual style of dressing. I ended up settling on a red and black striped long-sleeved shirt with a grey pair of jeans. For once I decided to go hat-less, so I took extra care to comb my hair. I glanced at my phone, checking to see if I still had time.

Seven o’clock PM.

The show started at seven-thirty, and Trixie had left an hour earlier to get everything ready. “I guess it’s best to go now before the line for tickets gets long,” I said to myself as I walked out of my room. “Chrysalis!” I called out. “It’s seven o’clock! Let’s go!”

“Chill out ‘Dad,’” she answered as she walked out of her bedroom, disguised as a pale green unicorn with a curly white mane and tail with black streaks. She made herself shorter than me by a few inches, on top of giving herself bigger boobs.

“Well, looks like somepony’s trying to compensate for something,” I joked as I grabbed the air in front of my chest with a smile.

The disguised changeling gave me a less than amused look. “Fuck off,” she said, shoving me aside as she passed me by. “Your hair looks stupid, by the way.”

“Piping hot comeback, Queenie,” I scoffed, and then I followed her toward the door. “We’ll be back in a couple hours, Rusty,” I said to my pet.

“Alright then. Enjoy yourselves,” he said, bidding us goodbye.

“Not likely,” Chrysalis and I answered before closing the door.

As we walked towards the stairs, I could hear frustrated grumbling coming from beside me. Glancing over to my right, I saw Chrysalis looking down, cursing under her breath. “This is such bullshit. I can’t believe I have to waste my magic disguising myself for this show.”

That was… weird of her to say that. With how often she goes out and sucks out love from others, you’d think that she’d have tons of magic to spare. Besides, she could probably find someone to bed at the show anyway.

“What are you looking at!?” she snapped, and I realized that I’d been staring at her the whole time I was thinking. I quickly looked away from her, nervously clearing my throat, and I got a strong “hmph” from her in response.

I should remember not to look at people when I think about them.

“Ladies, gentlemen, mares, and gentlecolts, prepare to feast your eyes on the one, the only, the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Chrysalis and I rolled our eyes as the announcer introduced Trixie onto the stage. “I still can’t believe the ticket lady thought that we were here on a date,” the changeling muttered.

“Just get over it,” I said. “It’s not like she’ll remember us anyway. Besides, you’re in a disguise, remember?”

“My pride still hurts.”

I shook my head as I looked down at the stage from our nosebleed seats. Pillars of smoke emerged from the stage, creating a thick haze that made it hard to see. The next thing I heard were hoofsteps that were made louder by the microphones placed on the stage. A strange silhouette appeared in the middle of all the smoke, and it became more defined with each hoofstep, looking more and more like a unicorn.

The shadow let out a light chuckle before speaking. “Look at all those smiling faces,” it said. “You all must be expecting quite the show.” The rest of the audience let out loud cheers, only for the shadow to chuckle again. “Well, that doesn’t sound very convincing. Are you ready to see a show, or aren’t you?” What followed was a roaring cheer from everyone, and the shadow let out a hearty laugh. “Well, then. It’s only fair that I give you what you want!”

The smoke suddenly began to swirl around and get sucked into some kind of vacuum, and as we saw more and more of the stage, the vacuum turned out to be Trixie’s hat.

“Hello, Manehattan!” the unicorn yelled to us as the rest of the audience yelled back. “I hope you all aren’t allergic to cats, because Trixie has brought in someone to help with her first trick!”

Just then, a large cage was wheeled out onto the stage with a large sheet covering it. Chrysalis and I heard several Oohs and Aahs from around us as everyone wondered what lied within the cage. With a smug grin, Trixie removed the cloth from the cage, we all gasped when we saw what it was.

Even I was shocked.

“Well, at least she’s brave,” Chrysalis shrugged. “I didn’t think she’d do a trick with a manticore.”

“Don’t be alarmed, folks,” Trixie assured. “This manticore poses no threat to either Trixie or any of you. This cage is more than strong enough to contain this ferocious feline. There is absolutely nothing to worry abo-”

CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK!

The sharp, ear-piercing sound of bending metal made us all cover our ears, and I looked up to see the manticore pulling the bars of his cage apart, letting out an angry roar.

“Uh-oh… I-I mean, this is nothing!” Trixie boasted as she lit up her horn, backing away nervously. “The great Trixie has vanquished much stronger creatures.”

“Will she shut up and do something!?” Chrysalis asked to no one in particular. “Manticores don’t take their time devouring their prey!”

“Why did she even think to use one in the first place!?” I added.

“Um… nice manticore…” Trixie said nervously. “Y-you don’t want to hurt me, do you?” The monster let out another roar in decline, scaring the unicorn out of her wits. “SECURIT—”

Before she could finish her cry for help, the manticore pounced on Trixie, landing somewhere offstage. Terrible shrieks and cries of pain were all I could hear as the creature tore into her, and a pool of blood began to spill onto the stage.

VII - Thou Shalt Not Mourn Thy Neighbor's Demise

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Chrysalis

Gasps and shrieks were heard all around the theater as the pool of Trixie’s blood spread across the stage, and to be completely honest… I was sca- I mean, shocked.

Yeah, shocked.

I mean, sure, I couldn’t stand Trixie, but it’s not like I wished death on her… Okay, maybe I did once, but that was almost a year ago, and it was just one time! It’s not like I meant it! She was annoying, bratty little bitch, but she didn’t deserve to get mauled by a manticore!

Hit by a speeding cab, maybe, but not a manticore attack!

On top of that, why am I feeling so strongly over somepony’s death? It definitely wasn’t a concept that I was a stranger to; I’ve witnessed my ex-subjects suffer much worse fates during my time as queen. A manticore mauling was nothing to me! Why was I so affected by this, and why over Trixie!?

My senses were flooded with the overwhelming fear that was practically pouring out of the audience members around me. I looked over to my right and saw that Adrian was practically speechless, and I could sense that he was feeling just as sc- I mean, shocked as I was. As much as Trixie annoyed us, we… we felt sorry for her.

Bleagh! Just admitting that made me want to lose my lunch!

I held my head down and shut my eyes tightly. “Okay, whatever higher power is up there, I take back every bad thing I’ve said about Trixie! She’s not that bad of a mare! I really mean it!”

“Ugh! Look at the mess you made!”

My eyes opened in shock. Was that… who I thought it was?

I looked down at the stage and saw ripples in the pool of blood coming from offstage, and I could make out some light splashing sounds, and somepony that I never expected to see walked out onto the stage.

“Trixie was planning on having a nice glass of wine after the show, and now you’ve gone and spilled it!” the blue unicorn said sternly as she carried a small cat in her arms. “Now Trixie will have to miss her celebratory drink and clean up this mess! That’s a bad kitty! Bad kitty!”

The cat let out an ashamed “meow” as Trixie carried it back to the cage where the manticore once stood. She then lit up her horn and moved the cat into the cage with her magic before it suddenly grew in size. A pair of wings sprouted from its back, its tail turned into that of a scorpion, and a long, flowing mane grew from its head.

“Now fix this cage!” Trixie ordered. The manticore nodded meekly and bent the cage bars back into place. “Good, now I don’t want you causing any more trouble, got it?” The manticore nodded as Trixie wheeled his cage off the stage.

My eye twitched as I saw the scene unfold in front of me, and as my mind processed what happened, I grew angrier by the second. I didn’t know what was worse: the fact that the whole thing was an act, or the fact that I fucking fell for it!

“The hell’s wrong with you?” Adrian asked.

“That bitch tricked me!” I snapped back.

“Well… yeah. It’s a magic show. What did you expect?”

“Oh, don’t act like you knew it all along,” I scoffed. “I saw that scared face you were making, and I could practically taste the fear coming off of you.”

“Pfft! You must be delusional,” he denied.

“Is that why you’re gripping your armrests so tightly?”

Adrian blinked and looked down at his hands, which looked like they had been glued onto his seat, only to take them up and fold his arms. “Like I said, you’re delusional,” he insisted, not even bothering to look at me.

“You aren’t fooling anypony, Lewit,” I muttered as I looked down at Trixie, who had just finished getting rid of the spilled wine.

“Now, with that out of the way, are you all ready for the rest of the show?”

Despite the scare that they were just put through, the audience cheered louder than ever before in anticipation for the rest of Trixie’s act.

The smug unicorn gave us all a big grin. “Now that’s what I like to hear!”

“You two have been awfully quiet for this whole ride,” said Trixie. It had been a while since the show ended, and she, Adrian, and I all caught a cab back to our apartment. “Why the silent treatment?”

Adrian and I didn’t say a word. We simply stared out of our respective windows while Trixie sat between us.

“There’s no shame in admitting that you enjoyed the show, you know,” she chuckled.

I growled and turned to look at the unicorn. “I just want to know where you get off scaring us like that!”

Trixie’s ears perked at what I said. “What was that?” she asked, putting a hand up to her ear. “Did you just say you were scared?”

“She said it, not me,” said Adrian.

“Wha- I said no such thing!” I objected.

“Oh, you don’t have to hide it Chryssie!” Trixie laughed as she pulled Adrian and me closer to her. “You don’t know how touched I am to know that you two care about me!”

“Y’know, I just realized,” I grumbled. “There’s something I haven’t said to you in a while.”

“And what’s that?”

“Shut up, Trixie!” I snapped, only to get a laugh from her in response as she let me and Adrian go.

“Don’t you think that little stunt of yours might have traumatized a kid or two?” the human asked.

“Not at all,” the unicorn said with a dismissive wave. “I’ve performed tonight’s routine several times before, and it was actually really popular with the younger audiences.”

Adrian shook his head. “Man, nothing scares kids anymore. This generation is all kinds of fucked up.”

“Seriously…” I concurred. “I suppose we can’t blame you for wanting to make a profit out of it, Trixie.”

“It’s about time you two recognized my brilliance,” she chuckled.

“Don’t push it,” Adrian and I warned her.

“Oh, and what happened to all those snide remarks about how I’d look in my outfit?” she continued. “I guess I don’t look as bad as you two thought I would, huh?”

“I’m about three seconds away from tossing you out the window,” I threatened.

“I don’t think she’d fit,” said Adrian. “Even if you can get past her bloated head, there’s no way her ass could fit through these windows.”

“Point taken.”

Trixie folded her arms and let out a “hmph”. “You’re the last person that should be talking about large heads, Adrian. I just can’t wait to debut my new routine next weekend and make enough money to move out, then I can be around people and ponies that will support me.”

Adrian opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head. “Nah, I’ve made enough fat jokes for one day. Maybe tomorrow.”

The taxi finally pulled up in front of our building, and the three of us chipped in to pay the fare. As we got out of the cab, I heard the driver let out an exhausted sigh and say “They don’t pay me enough for this shit,” before driving off.

When we got up to our apartment, I went straight to my room to unwind. “Trixie is really gonna owe me after this,” I groaned. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but the Favor Chart that Rusty came up with was actually a good idea. I’ll just have to come up with a really good way for Trixie to pay me back.

“I’ll think about it later, but for now, I need some rest,” I thought as I undressed myself. After taking some sleeping clothes out of my dresser, I passed by the mirror to take a look at myself. I was still in my unicorn disguise, and once I changed back to my regular self, I smiled, relieved to see my real form.

Still, I was pretty much the only one that preferred it to be this way. I was proud of who I was, that much was certain, but having everyone look at me like I shouldn’t be proud was starting to… get to me, especially when Manehattan had all sorts of women and mares that were loved regardless of how they looked, even Trixie. As much as I made fun of her… I was a little jealous. I never realized how many fans and admirers she had. She had always made a big deal of herself, but that was because she was a big deal, to an extent.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t much to speak of. Not anymore, at least.

My eyes went up and down the length of the mirror as I took note of my skinny form. Despite all the jokes I made about Trixie’s weight, it wouldn’t have hurt for me to have a little extra in certain areas.

“I wonder… if using my shapeshifting didn’t require any magic, would I just stay disguised for the rest of my life?” I asked myself. “It really would make life a lot easier for me, but do I really just want to blend in?”

I continued to stare at my reflection, still unsure of the answer, and my eyes eventually focused on my legs. Something was… off about them.

My eyes suddenly widened as I realized what was up.

“Shit! I forgot to look for someone to bed tonight!” I cursed inwardly. “And just when I was about to get rid of these holes in my legs, too! With all the magic I use transforming at work, I might run myself dry!”

I resisted the urge to kick myself as I threw on my oversized shirt and got under the covers of my bed. “I might have to ask Cross Hatch for fewer shifts.”

THE NEXT DAY

Adrian

“Okay… sketchbook?”

“Check.”

“Story notes?”

“Check.”

“Concept art?”

“Check.”

“Laptop?”

“Check.”

“Okay! That’s everything, Adrian. You’re all set to go!”

I smiled and nodded at Rusty as I pulled out my phone to text Roxy that I was on my way to her place.

“Hold up, you actually did forget one thing,” Rusty said before I left.

“Really? What’s that?”

My pet jumped onto my backpack and unzipped it, jumping into the open space. “Me!”

I chuckled. “You’re lucky this bag is big enough to hold you.”

“All your sketches and stuff are in a binder, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good, don’t wanna poke any holes,” Rusty said as I reached behind me and zipped the bag up, leaving a little hole open to give him some air.

“Okay, we’re all set,” I said, walking out of the apartment and down to the lobby. Just as I was about to exit the building, I heard a voice from behind me.

“Well, good afternoon, Mr. Lewit.”

I put on my best fake smile as I turned around and looked at the stallion addressing me. “Afternoon, Mr. Saddleton.”

“Quite rare that I see you actually going outside. What’s the occasion?” my landlord asked, his passive aggression more obvious than Waldo at a nudist beach.

“I’m headed to a meeting. Now, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m running a bit late, so I’ll see you later.”

“A meeting, you say?” he responded as I turned around. “I didn’t think someone who did nothing but draw kids’ shows all day would have meetings. You’d think that kind of thing would happen in a more important profession. Well, you have a good day, Mr. Lewit.” I stopped dead in my tracks as those words hit me, and my backpack started to shake, something that Mr. Saddleton noticed immediately. “What’s going on in your bag?”

I started to walk out the building, not even bothering to look at him. “You’re just seeing things, old man.”

Once I was outside, I waited until I rounded the corner to unzip my bag. “What the fuck is his deal!?” Rusty shouted as he poked his head out. “I swear to Celestia, he’s lucky that he was talking to you and not me! I would’ve cut ‘im with my horns!”

“Just forget about it, Rusty,” I sighed as I waited at the stoplight for the “walk” sign to light up.

“Dude, I know you’re not taking what that old fart said seriously!”

I shook my head. “I’m not, I’m not. It’s just that the whole notion of art not being a ‘real’ job was something that every artist has to deal with, and hearing someone make fun of what you do kinda gets to you after a while, y’know? I may not be working a typical nine-to-five office job, but what I do is still important isn’t it?”

“Is it impor- Why are you even asking yourself this question!?” Rusty asked as we crossed the street. “You’re working on one of the most popular animated shows ever, and you’re about to create your own! Not only that, but you’re making good money out of it! You’re living the geek’s dream right now!”

I smiled. “You know what? You’re right. I can’t let that old coot get to me. Thanks, Rusty.”

“Hey, someone has to knock some sense into you when you’re having your ‘depressed, moody human’ moments. No one likes a depressed, moody human. Now put some pep in your step, ‘cause you really are running late.”

“Right,” I chuckled. “The last thing I need is to perpetuate the stereotype of black people always being late.”

“So I was thinking that the story would have a balance of funny moments and emotional moments. What do you guys think?” Roxy asked.

“It’ll be a challenge to pull off, but if we do it right, the show will be that much better,” I said. “I mean, if Avatar can do it, we can do it too, right?”

“Avatar? You mean the movie with the blue people right?” Cel Shade asked, only to get unamused glares from me, Roxy, and Rusty. “Kidding, just kidding.”

“Make a joke like that again, and I’m kicking you out of my house,” Roxy warned him.

“Damn. Tough room.”

The diamond dog shook her head. “I think now’s a good time for a break.”

“Did someone say ‘break’?”

Just then, and elderly diamond dog wearing a green dress and glasses walked into the room with a large plate in her hands. “I’ve made some yummy chocolate chip cookies for my hard workers!”

“Thanks, Grandma!” Roxy said as her grandmother handed her the plate of treats.

“Don’t mention it, sweetheart. Let me know if you kids need anything else, okay?”

“Sure.”

With that, Roxy’s grandma left the room while Roxy carried the plate of cookies over. “You know, back when Adrian and I first came here, I was against the idea of your grandma giving us treats like we were little kids, but I’m not gonna lie, she makes some bomb-ass cookies.”

“And don’t you forget it,” she smirked as we all took a cookie.

Rusty looked up at me. “Hey, Adrian, this might be a good time to…”

“Oh yeah,” I nodded. “Cel, Roxy, I need you to do me a favor.”

They looked at me with curious faces. “Which is…” they said.

“I had to go to one of Trixie’s shows last night and I’m supposed to tell you to go and support her and stuff so… go support her... and stuff,” I explained.

“I know you did this on the condition that she pay you back, right?” Cel Shade asked.

“Of course.”

“Thanks to my awesome, Favor Chart system!” Rusty boasted.

“I dunno, Adrian.” Roxy said uneasily. “Is it really worth it?”

I stayed silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. “You promise that what I’m about to say never leaves this room?” I asked. Cel and Roxy nodded as their ears perked, and I let out a long sigh. “It actually is worth it.”

“Say it ain’t so!” Rusty fainted.

“Really?” Cel asked. “This sounds… weird, coming from you.”

“I know, but the show was actually pretty good. I didn’t walk out feeling that my money was wasted, so that should say something, right?”

“Well, what was it like?” asked Roxy.

“Let’s just say that her opening trick will leave you speechless,” I said, not wanting to spoil it for them. “Tonight’s the last night of that routine, though, so you’ll have to go tonight if you want to know what I’m talking about.”

“Wow, you must have really liked it, then,” said Cel.

“Yeah, it was cool,” I admitted, “but there’s no way in hell that I’m gonna let Trixie know that. She’ll never let that go.”

Roxy chuckled and looked down at Rusty. “You okay there, buddy?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine,” he groaned. “You think your grandma could get me a glass of water?”

VIII - Thou Shalt Not Be Stressed

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Chrysalis

“Alright, I’ll see you later, Professor Perspective,” I said, waving goodbye to the teacher as I left her classroom. As soon as I walked into the hallway, however, my façade of happiness instantly went down. It had been three days since Trixie’s show; I still wasn’t able to get a love session with anyone, and the fact that I had to continuously use my shapeshifting magic on the job wasn’t doing me any favors. I felt lightheaded all day, and when you throw in the occasional stomach pains, it’s a wonder how I’ve been able to last this long without passing out.

“At least I made it to lunch…” I thought as I made my way to the school café. “I don’t know how long I can survive on just regular food and drink. This dry spell is literally killing me…”

“Chryssie!” an upbeat voice called, and I turned around to see Cross Hatch. A sigh of relief escaped me as I waved to him. He always had a way of making the day a little more bearable, no matter how bad it was. “How’ve you been?”

“Well, to be honest, I’ve been better,” I chuckled. “Haven’t been feeling one-hundred percent lately, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” I quickly ordered my food before turning back to Cross, who looked at me with some concern.

“Now that you mention it, you are looking a little under the weather. You sure you’re okay, Chryssie?” he asked.

“Trust me, I’m fi-” *cough* *cough* “-ine, Cross Hatch.”

The stallion narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look ‘fine’ to me.” I opened my mouth to object, but instead I fell into a hacking fit, covering my mouth so as not to be rude. “Alright, that settles it, you need some time off to recoup.”

“Wha? Oh, no, Cross Hatch, I’m just fi-”

“No you aren’t, Chrysalis,” he interrupted sternly. “I don’t believe in someone overworking themselves. Your health should be the top priority. Go home, take the rest of the week off, and don’t worry about making up the time. Consider this a paid vacation, you’ve earned it.”

I didn’t bother responding. Cross Hatch was usually a very relaxed stallion, but there were these rare moments where he showed his serious side, and there was no changing his mind once he got to that point.

“Well, if you say so…” I sighed as I got my food and coffee. “I guess I’ll see you next week then… Thanks, boss.”

Cross nodded with a smile. “You’re welcome, Chrysalis. Whatever it is that’s got you so sick, I hope this time off will help.”

“I hope so, too,” I chuckled as I left the café. “I really hope so…”

Adrian

“Backslash!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”

“GAME! The winner is… SHULK!”

Rusty groaned. “Okay, Adrian. What the fuck?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“I almost never beat you in Super Smash Bros, and you were using Kirby! Kirby is your best character, and I just murdered you! Seriously, what the actual fuck?”

“I dunno, I’m just… out of it,” I answered half-heartedly.

“Well, you better get back in it. Your boss gave you, Cel, and Roxy the day off so you guys could have more time to think about the new show,” Rusty reminded me.

“Says the guy that wanted me to play Smash with him.”

“Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like a good video game session, Adrian.”

“Normally I’d agree with you, but Smash is just not doing it today,” I sighed.

Rusty rubbed his chin, eyeing me up and down. “Is it Smash… or is it you?”

“Please don’t try to be profound. It’s not your thing.”

“I’m serious, Adrian. It’s starting to look like all this work you’ve been doing with this new series is starting to tire you out.”

“Can you blame me?” I asked. “I have to make a series that has to be better than Gem Quest was, and that show was a powerhouse! I mean it’s nice to know that Mr. Render thinks that Roxy, Cel, and I can do this, but that belief also gives us, or at least me, that sense of pressure to perform, especially when he said that we were the three best animators the studio had.”

“They say that staying on the top is harder than getting to the top,” said Rusty.

“Again, profound is not your thing.”

Just then, the door opened and Chrysalis walked in with a look on her face that was just as tired as mine. We eyed each other, and usually one of us had some smartass comment to make, but I just… wasn’t feeling it today. I turned back to the TV while she walked into the hallway towards her room.

“Damn, you really must be stressed,” Rusty commented. “Y’know what? I’ll pick a shit character for this next match.”

“DONKEY KONG!” the game announcer yelled.

“Ugh! Will you two please keep it down!?” we heard from the hallway.

Rusty scoffed and repeatedly pressed the A button on his controller.

“DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DO-DONKEY KONG!”

We then heard hoofsteps coming our way before Trixie showed herself. “Some of us are trying to get some work done! I’m trying to think of tricks for my next routine and I can’t think straight with all the racket you’re making!”

“Can you not yell?” I asked with a twitching eye. “I’m right here. Inside voices, Trixie.”

“Alright, house meeting!” Rusty suddenly announced!

Chrysalis, Trixie, and I all sat in the living room with Rusty standing on the coffee table in the center.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that there’s been a lot of stress between the three of you, lately, and to be completely honest, it’s starting to annoy me. So, since we have the entire afternoon off, I suggest we all blow off some steam with a nice trip to the bowling alley. Sound good?”

The first one to say something was Trixie. “Well… I suppose that a little fun would help me relax,” she admitted.

“And I might be able to find someone to bed while I’m there…” Chrysalis added.

“And schooling you two in a game of bowling should help me feel a little better,” I finished before receiving glares from both mares.

“Ha! You think that you can beat the Great and Powerful Trixie at bowling? Ha! That’s a laugh!” the unicorn boasted.

“It would be nice to see you two squirm in defeat…” the changeling said, more to herself than to us.

“Have you even bowled before?” I asked.

“Feh! I’ve ruled over an entire kingdom and won many battles. A simple game is foal’s play!”

“We’ll see if you’ll be singing the same tune once we hit the lanes!” Trixie said as she got up and headed to her room. “We’ll go as soon as I get changed!”

“Hmph! This should be fun,” Chrysalis chuckled to herself, before getting up and leaving as well.

Rusty looked at the two mares and waited until they left before letting out a laugh. “Ha! Worked like a charm!”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

“I knew you guys wouldn’t resist the chance to show each other up in a competition, and you took the bait!” he snickered, puffing his chest proudly. “I knew that the possibility of one of you beating the other two at something would be the perfect de-stressor!”

“You clever bastard,” I smiled. “We’ll be back before eight tonight, right?”

“Of course! ENTM is on tonight! I’m not missing that!” Rusty looked at the TV for a second, then looked back at me. “Wanna squeeze in one more match while they get ready?”

I shrugged. “Sure. Why not? I have more than enough time to serve you some Kirby.”

Rusty smiled and picked a different character before starting the match, and the announcer yelled “3… 2… 1… GO!!!”

Trixie

“Let’s establish this right now,” Adrian said as we all put on our bowling shoes. “No magic. Period.”

“I’m not gonna need magic to beat you two,” Chrysalis scoffed.

“Says the mare that’s never played the game before,” I commented, rolling my eyes, then looking down at the shoes I rented, pulling a face of disgust. “I can’t believe that somepony thought it was a good idea to have patrons wear shoes that have been on somepony else’s filthy hooves.”

“They clean ‘em,” said Rusty.

“A two-second spray of Febreze doesn’t count as cleaning, rodent.”

“Well, you could always not wear the shoes, slip on the lane and crack your head open,” he quipped, then looked up at Adrian, only to get no response. “Aw, come on. It’s not my best, but that deserved a chuckle at the very least.”

“Meh, it was alright,” the human answered vacantly.

“It was actually pretty bad,” Chrysalis added.

“Well, it feels nice to not be bashed for once,” I thought with a relieved sigh.

Rusty let out a humph before hopping over to our lane’s scoreboard and typing in our names, putting Adrian first out of favoritism and Chrysalis last so she could at least see how the game worked before she tried for herself.

“Watch and learn, ladies,” Adrian bragged as he picked up his ball and approached the lane. Chrysalis watched him closely as he got ready. I would be, too, if I were her. If she wanted to beat me, she’d have to take as many notes as she could, especially considering that Adrian and I had to explain the rules to her on the way over here.

The human took a deep breath before taking his first step, bringing his arm back before swinging it forward, sending the ball down the lane. He seemed pretty confident in himself at first, but that confidence broke once we saw the result of his throw.

Seven-ten split.

“Not a good way to start the game,” Rusty mumbled.

“Well, now I know how not to throw the ball,” Chrysalis snickered.

“Yes, that was quite the lesson, Adrian,” I said with a laugh.

“I’d like to see you do better,” he challenged me as he used his second throw to knock down one of the remaining pins.

“Fine, since you asked, I will,” I smirked, picking up my ball and walking to the lane, shooting Adrian a look as we crossed each other. “Magic isn’t the only thing I’m good at,” I said, tossing my ball down the lane. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the ball roll down the center of the lane, but then it started to drift to the left.

“Wha-? Nonono!” I thought in a panic. “Don’t- Just go- AGH!”

I hung my head as the ball ended up knocking down only three pins, and they made a dull, pathetic sound they made as they fell.

“You have no idea how much good this is doing for my self-esteem,” I heard Chrysalis say.

“I can still pick up the spare!” I snapped as I got my ball back. I focused my eyes on the seven remaining pins, taking a calm, deep breath and taking a slower approach to my second throw… which was a mistake. The ball ended up rolling at a snail’s pace down the lane, eventually ending up in the gutter.

It was painful to watch.

The looks of mockery on Adrian, Chrysalis, and Rusty’s faces only made it even more aggravating. “Looks like somepony can’t put her money where her mouth is,” the changeling laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, go shove it in your leg holes,” I grumbled, stomping back to my seat.

“Looks like it’s my turn,” she smirked as she got her ball and got ready to take her shot. Unlike Adrian and me, she didn’t take any time before throwing her ball, and we didn’t really take her seriously.

“She’s not gonna make it,” he said, and Rusty and I nodded in agreement.

Chrysalis, however, turned around confidently and walked back to us without even looking to see if she knocked down any pins.

I folded my arms, leaning back in my chair and grinned at her. “You’re not gonna knock down any pins like tha-”

“STRIKE!!!”

The scoreboard suddenly flashed as a little cartoon played on the screen, showing a set of bowling pins exploding.

Chrysalis looked down at me with a satisfied look on her face. “You were saying?”

I gritted my teeth, my nostrils flaring as I looked at the scores, the painful reality that I was dead last hitting me like a freight train. However, I was not going to let that stop me. “It’s only the first frame, Chryssie. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Fifty.

After nine long, painful, embarrassing frames, my score… was fifty. I realized around halfway through that this was less of a game between the three of us, and more of a game between just Adrian and Chrysalis. I was just extra.

It was Adrian’s turn, and he had already gotten two consecutive strikes in his final frame. Throughout the whole game, the lead was going back and forth between him and Chrysalis, and while Adrian was currently in the lead, Chrysalis still hadn’t taken her turn, so he needed as big a lead as he could get. When he made his last shot, he ended up knocking over seven pins.

“Good enough, man. Good enough,” Rusty said as his owner came down and sat beside him.

“Just skip my turn,” I said with a dismissive wave, and Rusty tapped the “Skip” button on the scoreboard screen to fulfill my request. “There’s no point in me going at this point.”

“Good, now I don’t have to wait to win this game,” Chrysalis boasted as she practically strutted over to the lane, bowling ball in hand.

“I doubt that you’ll win this, Bughorse,” said Rusty. “You’ll need a turkey to win.”

“Why the hell would I need a bird?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Is that some kind of bowling-speak for ‘good luck’?”

I rested my fingers, on my temples, trying to take in the stupidity of what I just heard. “It’s when you get three strikes in a row.”

The changeling gave us an incredulous look. “And they call it a ‘turkey’? That’s fucking stupid! How on Equus did they make a connection between bowling and birds!?”

“Just throw the damn ball!” Adrian interrupted.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and turned around to face the lane. Again, she took no time in her approach and simply threw the ball down the lane.

Strike.

She whistled musically as she got her ball back, walking up to the lane again and taking her second shot.

Strike.

I looked over at Adrian and saw that he went from slouching back in his chair to intently watching Chrysalis in the desperate hope that she would somehow mess up. It was hard to believe that the changeling was doing so well in her first game without using magic, and as much as I wanted to say that she was cheating, there wasn’t a single hint of magic to be seen.

Before taking her final shot, Chrysalis looked back at Adrian and winked at him. “Good game,” she said, focusing her attention back on the lane and making her last roll.

“CLUCK-CLUCK-CLUCK!”

We looked at the scoreboard and saw a turkey walking across the screen with bowling pins following it. “WINNER! PLAYER 3!” an automated voice announced as Chrysalis happily walked over to us.

“Not so bad for somepony that’s never played the game, huh?” she asked, blowing nonexistent dust off her fingers. “Looks like you two weren’t as good as you thought.”

I looked up to the ceiling with a sigh. “Well, at least the game was kinda fun.”

Chrysalis nodded in agreement. “I’ll admit, the rat had a good idea for once.”

Rusty cleared his throat. “First off, don’t talk like I’m not here. Secondly, I’m not a rat!”

We all had a laugh as we took off our bowling shoes. While I did lose the game by an embarrassing landslide, I still had a rather fun time.

“Hey, Trixie!” a young voice said behind me.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I thought vehemently. I turned around to see Larry coming towards me and my right eye began to twitch at the sight of him.

“I didn’t know you bowled,” he said with a smile as he sat next to me, and I moved one seat over.

“Well, I don’t. Not very often, at least,” I told him. “You’ve met my roommates, Adrian and Chrysalis.” They both gave uninterested nods at the boy, who didn’t really pay much attention to them, either.

Larry shuffled a little in his seat. “So, I’ve been wondering… you’ve been kinda distant lately…”

“Lately?” the four of us answered with equal amounts of confusion.

“Is it because you’re dating Adrian?” he finally asked.

“WHAT!?” Adrian and I blurted out, and everypony turned to look at him before going back to their own business. Meanwhile, Chrysalis and Rusty fell to the floor in fits of unrestrained laughter.

“You mean you guys aren’t dating?” Larry asked for clarification.

“Fuck no!” the older human asserted.

“Well, can I ask you something, then, Adrian?”

“I know I’m gonna regret this, but what is it?”

“Um… how do I put this? How can you live with two pretty mares and not want to date at least one of them?” Larry asked. “I mean, you may not like Trixie, but there’s still Chrysalis.”

The changeling blinked, not knowing what to say to that.

Adrian gave Larry a serious look. “One word, kid. Standards. I have them. Since we’re asking questions, though, what’s with your little obsession with Trixie?”

“What do you mean? Look at her! She’s so pretty! She has a nice, soft-looking mane, and her body is so… perfect.”

“And…”

“And?”

“There’s no other reason why you like her?”

“It’s the only reason I need, isn’t it? And if I like her so much, why doesn’t she like me?”

Adrian groaned, putting a hand to his forehead. “Okay, Leroy-”

“Larry.”

“Whatever. I’m gonna keep it one-hundred percent with you. This is honest guy advice right now. Here’s the problem: you’re not looking at Trixie as an actual mare. You’re looking at her as just something that you think is pretty. A girl isn’t obligated to like you back just because you like them, and you can’t look at them the way you look at Trixie. What if she was you sister? What if Chrysalis was your mother?”

“Oh, man… If I had a mom or sister like that, I would be in so much trouble.”

“The fuck?” Chrysalis and Rusty said as they looked at each other.

“Some of us don't have any females in our apartments, and you have two! How is it fair that you get to live with them, and not even do anything with them?” Larry asked. “That’s selfish, if you ask me.”

“You’re missing the point, kid. They aren’t things that you can just have. If they don’t want you, they don’t want you. Deal with it. Bottom line, you need to control yourself, ‘cause both Chrysalis and Trixie are gonna grow old, they’re gonna get all wrinkly and shit, and the bigger the boobs a woman or mare has, the more they’re gonna sag as she gets older. Look at Trixie; I guarantee you that in a good fifty or sixty years, she’ll be able to get a mammogram and a hooficure at the same time.”

“Hey!” I interjected, only for Adrian to hold his hand up in front of me before continuing.

“Just keep that little tidbit in mind. If you wanna find someone you’re compatible with, which, knowing you, is probably no one, just look at a girl as an actual person or pony with a brain of their own, ‘kay?”

I was surprised at what I was seeing. As unsuccessful as it was turning out to be, Adrian was trying to get Larry off my back.

“I dunno… That sounds hard…” the boy said, unsure of himself.

“Ugh, this kid is a lost cause,” Adrian said under his breath.

“Alright, Larry. How about this?” Chrysalis spoke up as she got onto her hooves. “C’mon, kid. Walk with me. Talk with me.”

Adrian and I watched them suspiciously as they walked off and rounded the corner to one of the hallways.

“Wait… isn’t that the hallway leading to the bathroom?” Rusty asked.

It took a few seconds for the bulbs to light up in our heads.

“Tell me she’s not…” I said with dread.

Adrian had the same look of horror on his face. “I… think she is…”

We sat there awkwardly for a good three minutes before we heard Chrysalis and Larry come back. “Now shoo.”

“What did you do, exactly?” I asked.

“I got Larry off your back for two months,” she answered. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m guessing I owe you another favor now?”

She shook her head. “I did this as much for myself as I did for you. I don’t need that kid coming back to the apartment and harassing the rest of us just because he’s obsessed with you.”

“Well, thanks anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Chrysalis looked to her left for a moment, then looked back at us. “I’ll be back. I gotta see if they sell breath mints at the snack bar.”

Rusty shuddered. “Aaaaaagh! Too much information!!!”

Chrysalis

It’s been several hours since we’d gotten back home. I felt somewhat refreshed after consuming some of Larry’s pent up lust, and I’ve been eyeing the clock, waiting for eight-o-clock to come around. At around seven fifty-eight, I left my room and headed to the living room.

“An episode of ENTM will be a great way to end the day,” I thought, but when I reached the living room, Adrian and Rusty were already sitting in front of the TV.

“Sorry, Bughorse, but we were here first,” said the rodent.

“Well, I have a show to watch,” I told them. “I barely use the TV, anyway, so I can at least have one hour-”

“Previously on Equestria’s Next Top Model…”

What?

I looked at the TV screen and saw a recap of last week’s ENTM episode. Were Adrian and Rusty really watching it, too?

“I can feel you judging me, and I don’t like it,” said Adrian.

“N-no… This was actually the show I wanted to watch,” I said, and they both gave me a surprised look. “What? It’s a show about models, and I’m a model. Is it that unusual?” I sat down on the opposite end of the couch and watched as the theme song played. “I hope tonight’s episode is good. Last week’s elimination left a bad taste in my mouth.”

Rusty chuckled. “You sure that wasn’t from that dick you sucked earlier?”

I gave him a deathly glare. “Unless you want to spend the night in my stomach, I suggest you shut the fuck up.”

The rodent gulped and looked back at the TV in fear. “Yes, ma’am.”

IX - Thou Shalt Not Lament

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Adrian

“Will Primrose and Ivory Shine please step forward,” Prim Hemline announced.

The two mares in question walked up to Prim, holding each other’s hand in shared nervousness.

“Two beautiful young mares stand before me,” she continued, “but I only have one photo in my hands, and this photo represents the mare that is still in the running towards becoming Equestria’s Next Top Model. I will only call one name, and the mare that I do not call must immediately return to the Top Model house, pack her bags, and go home.”

Rusty and I sat at the edge of our seats, hoping that Primrose would survive this week’s elimination. She was one our remaining favorites of the season, but seeing as how Hoity Toity favored Ivory Shine, we were unsure of her fate.

“It’s interesting that you two stand before me,” Prim said, eyeing the two mares with a neutral expression, “because each of you has what the other one needs.” She looked at the mare on the left, an uncharacteristically curvy pegasus with a coat that was white with a hint of brown, and a dark brown mane and tail that was cut short. “Let’s start with you, Ivory. From week one, you’ve delivered stunning photos and have won best photo several times, but at the go-see challenge this week, you booked only one out of five clients, and the judges have talked to you before about how there’s a lack of personality and presence when you walk into the room.” The pegasus looked down in shame as Prim continued. “Is your portfolio good? Absolutely. Undeniably so, but what good is that for a model when she doesn’t have the charm she needs to book a job?”

“Just send the bitch home already,” Chrysalis whispered desperately, only for Rusty to shush her.

Prim then looked at the mare on the right, a thin, magenta-coated earth mare with a long, flowing, yellow mane and tail with pink streaks. “And then we have you, Primrose. You won the challenge this week and booked all five clients. They thought that you brightened up the room when you walked in, and you have a near flawless runway walk, but your photos aren’t as strong as Ivory’s. They’re good, yes, but not as good or as consistent as the mare standing next to you. So, who stays in this competition? The mare that lacks consistency, or the mare that lacks charm?”

My leg started to shake as Rusty and I leaned forward, our hearts pounding in our chests as we waited for Prim to reveal the last photo. The mare took hold of it slowly pulling it up from behind a folder and turning it over to reveal who would remain in the competition.

“Primrose.”

All three of us jumped out of our seats, cheering in excitement. “YES!!!” I yelled while Rusty was jumping on the couch cushion. Chrysalis and I hugged each other as we jumped up and down as well, sharing in our excitement.

Wait… what?

The changeling and I looked at each other once our enthusiasm simmered down, and we quickly let go of each other, turning our backs on one another.

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see that,” Rusty chuckled.

Chrysalis grunted and walked back to her room. “Same time next week, I guess…” she said before shutting her bedroom door behind her.

“So, Adrian, you ready to get back to work tomorrow?” my pet asked.

I took a deep breath and gave him a determined smile. “Definitely! Cel and Roxy better be ready, ‘cause I’m ready to make this series happen!”

There was a fire in my eyes as the elevator reached the studio and opened its doors. I tightly gripped the folder in my hands, walking over to the meeting room that Mr. Render had set aside for Roxy, Cel Shade, and me.

“What’s up, bitches?” I announced as I walked in.

“Uh, excuse me, but I find the term ‘bitch’ to be very offensive,” Roxy said sternly, only to crack a smile a second later. “Man, I cannot say that with a straight face!”

I smirked. “I know you well enough to know when you’re messing with me, Rox.”

“Plus there’s the fact that you call me a bitch literally every other day,” Cel commented.

“Oh, right.”

“Well, enough of that. I’ve got something to show you guys,” I said, dropping the folder on the table. “I’ve been working my ass off last night and I’ve finalized most of the character designs with colors and everything. I’ve also been writing some notes on how the story could go.”

Cel Shade picked up some of the notes I took, looking through them in astonishment. “Dude, did you get any sleep last night?”

“Barely. I’m running purely on coffee and adrenaline right now!”

“Really?” Roxy asked, her ears perking up and her mouth contorting into a smile. “You think you can tell me how you make your coffee? I gotta take Grandma to bingo tonight and I need something to help me stay awake.”

“Maybe later. Right now, let’s look over all that we have so far and get crackin’!”

Trixie

The hot water trickled down my coat as it fell from the showerhead, soaking my mane and causing it to fall over my eyes. I simply stood still, taking in the comfortable heat of the water before grabbing my soap.

“I really needed that break yesterday,” I thought. “Who would’ve thought that Rusty would be the one to suggest it… I should be thankful, though. I think I’m going to make some progress in planning my next routine now that I’ve blown off some steam and cleared my mind.” As I continued my shower something felt… off, for lack of a better word. “Chrysalis should be banging on the door and rushing me out by now. Did she oversleep or something?”

Deciding that I was clean enough, I shut the shower off and wrung my tail out with my magic. With my curiosity getting the better of me, I headed to the living room instead of my bedroom. To my surprise, I found Chrysalis sitting on the couch in her sleeping clothes, watching TV.

“Shouldn’t you be busy getting ready for work?” I asked.

She looked up at me with a disgusted expression. “Shouldn’t you be busy running up our water bill?”

“Hmph. Touché, Queenie.”

“You mind not calling me that?” she asked. Suddenly, I heard a loud whistling sound coming from the stove, and Chrysalis got up to turn it off. “I’m past that point in my life.”

I tilted my head. “Really? You had an entire kingdom bowing to your hooves and you don’t miss it at all? Regardless of… past events, I’d assume the life of a changeling queen would be luxurious.”

She scoffed at my question, pouring freshly prepared tea into her mug. “You call being the monarch of a bunch of ungrateful little shits ‘luxurious’? Trust me, sister, that job is a lot more trouble than it’s worth. They don’t appreciate you when you do something good and get on your ass whenever you make the tiniest slip-up, whether it’s a failed invasion or an ‘i’ that wasn’t dotted.” She sighed and blew on her tea. “I’m much happier here than I ever was in my own kingdom.” Her eyes suddenly widened when she took her first sip.

“Bad tea?” I asked.

“No, I just… never thought I’d hear myself say that.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, especially considering the fact that you’re living with roommates that you claim to hate with a passion.”

“Oh, trust me, I can’t stand you or Adrian, but I’ll take dealing with two assholes over dealing with thousands. It’s the lesser of the two evils. If you were a queen, you’d understand.”

I paused for a moment, thinking about what she said. “Actually, I do… sort of.”

“Prom queen doesn’t count, sweetheart.”

“No, I mean, I’ve been an actual queen before.”

“Sure you have.”

“I’m serious, Chrysalis!”

She merely chuckled. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why don’t you tell me all about it?”

“Ugh, where do I start?” I said, walking to the dining table and taking a seat. “It was an entire kingdom of Diamond Dogs.”

“Oh, Diamondia. No wonder I haven’t heard of you being a queen there. A lot of the other kingdoms and nations just ignore them and let them do their own thing. Not a very smart bunch.”

“That co-worker of Adrian’s doesn’t seem like that, though.”

“Hm… I suppose that there are exceptions to every group.”

I shrugged. “Well, long story short, while my experience with them wasn’t a lot like yours, I can see how that life can be… less than desirable.”

“That’s the understatement of the year,” Chrysalis said, taking another sip of tea. “I’ve found that being the best worker is a lot better than being the manager, at least for me.”

“Wow… that’s heavy.”

“Yeah, well, so are you.”

I furrowed my brow, unamused at her little joke. “Ha ha. Very funny. If this whole modeling thing doesn’t work out, you’ve got a good chance at becoming a comedienne.”

“Why, thank you, Trixie. I do try to keep my audience roaring with laughter,” she said facetiously, letting out exaggerated chuckles.

“Speaking of roaring, what was with all that noise last night?”

“Noise?”

“I heard a bunch of cheering while I was in my room last night. What was that all about?”

“Ooooh. I was just watching one of my shows last night, and I took a particular liking to the ending, is all.”

“Yeah, but I heard Adrian and Rusty, too. I thought all they watched was cartoons.”

The changeling shrugged. “Well, it turned out that they had at least some taste.”

“Still, what show were you watching?” I asked.

“Equestria’s Next Top Model,” she answered shamelessly.

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t look at me like that. Is it that unusual for a model to watch a show about modeling? Besides, it’s a good show. I mean, it was better when Fleur de Lis was a judge, but still, good show.”

“I’ll take your word for it…” I said uneasily.

There was an awkward moment of silence in the room, and it was strange because as Chrysalis and I were talking, I somewhat felt it coming before it happened. In fact, I was surprised that it took this long for the elephant to get in the room. I’ve never held an actual conversation with Chrysalis before. Well… not one that hadn't devolved into name calling and nasty insults. It was rather unusual for us to be talking like this, and I wondered why it took this long for us to run out of things to talk about. I always thought that we never had much in common.

“Can I ask you something, Trixie?” Chrysalis suddenly asked.

“Um… okay,” I answered.

“Didn’t you think it was strange, what Larry said to us yesterday?”

I pulled a confused face. “Everything that boy says is either strange or creepy. You’ve got to be more specific.”

“When he said that Adrian was living with two pretty mares.”

“Well, he thinks we’re both pretty,” I answered bluntly. “What more is there to it?”

“That’s just it. He said that both of us were pretty. I thought he’d say just you.”

Instead of understanding what she meant, I only grew even more confused. “So… why was it strange that he said both of us were pretty?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “You know what? Forget I said anything.”

“Okaaaaay…” I said, getting up from my chair. “I have to work on this next routine, anyway. I’m almost done and I want to get it finalized in time to do a few rehearsals before this weekend.”

Chrysalis didn’t say anything as I left the living room, and as I made my way back to my bedroom, I kept thinking about that last question she asked me. It was such an odd thing to ask, like she’d never been called pretty before. I mean, if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to get love from anyone.

“Ugh, what am I worried about her for, anyway?” I thought. “I’ve got a routine to plan.”

Chrysalis

I almost regret wasting the entire day watching TV.

Almost.

Do I wish that I had done something more productive with my day? Absolutely, but really, what was there for me to do? I didn’t really have anyone to go out with like Adrian and Trixie did, and I’d usually spend my weekends running errands or going out to clubs to try and find someone to bed, but with the luck I’ve had lately, I’ve been feeling less and less inclined to even try. I never realized how many guys and girls preferred going to their partner’s place for a one-night stand.

Although it does make sense in retrospect. It’s less trouble to get out of someone’s house than it is to get someone out of yours.

Still, I was beginning to worry. I hadn’t gotten a love session in a week, and it was starting to show. I glanced down at my legs, taking notice of the numerous holes that were starting to grow, and I noticed that my mane and tail were a paler shade of green than usual. In my days as a queen, a week-long dry spell was nothing, but I had gotten so used to frequent love sessions over the past year that a week without one was a lot more detrimental than it used to be.

“I’m going through withdrawal,” I thought grimly.

The fact that I had to use my changeling magic every day at work didn’t help matters much, either. Doing several transformations in one day required a lot of energy, and it was gonna take more than blowing a teenager for three minutes to give me enough to meet that demand. How long was that little bit of lust that I had gotten from Larry going to last? Certainly not enough to get me through the next work week if I don’t get any sessions in by then.

Long story short, I was fucked because I couldn’t get fucked.

“Ugh… Why did I have to grow a distaste for admiration?” I lamented. “That’s, like, the easiest form of love to get, and it had to be the least delicious one to me.”

I continued to brood over my shitty situation until I heard the front door unlocking. My ears perked and I tilted my head over, looking out the corner of my eye.

“Oh. Hey, Adrian,” I said lazily.

“What? No sarcastic comment?” he asked.

“You aren’t worth it…” I grumbled.

“Okay, what’s got Little Miss Chryssie all in a tizzy?”

“Hmph.” I sat up and looked at the human. “Well, if you must know, aside from Larry, I haven’t had a single love session in a week, and I’m running dry thanks to someone’s stupid rule!”

“Ah, yes. Rule number nine. Well, it’s good to know that you’re abiding by the rules.”

I gritted my teeth, getting more and more annoyed with his ignorance. “Yeah, and I’m getting sick and missing work because of it, jackass!”

He gave me an unfazed look. “Am I really hearing this from Ex-Queen Chrysalis? The mare that kept me awake night after night with her loud-ass ‘love sessions’? The same mare that could turn a straight mare into a lesbian? Don’t pin this on me, Chryssie. If the ponies and people at the nightclubs aren’t horny enough for you to take you back to their place, then you aren’t trying hard enough, so stop blaming your problems on me and get your shit together!”

Why that little bastard. How dare he speak to me like that!? He doesn’t know anything about me! He was in no position to tell me what to do! He… he…

He was right.

I’m the former queen of the changelings, dammit! I could bed anyone of any species if I want to! I can easily get over this stupid dry spell. As much as I hated to admit it, Adrian helped to remind me of something that I had forgotten.

I’m the best fucking seductress Equestria has ever seen!

Without a word, I walked past Adrian and headed down the hallway. “Where are you going?” he asked.

I looked back at him with a determined grin. “I need to pick out an outfit, ‘cause I’m going out tonight!”

X - Thou Shalt Not Fall Into Desperation

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Trixie

“Draw two, fat-ass.”

“Draw four, rat.”

“Fuck, I was hoping you didn’t have a draw card.” With a sigh, Rusty picked up four cards from the deck and passed his turn.

“Uno,” I said with a smirk as I dropped my second to last card. There’s nothing like whipping ass in a card game to celebrate a newly written routine.

We then heard a yawn coming from the hallway, and Adrian soon walked in, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Morning,” the jackalope said to him.

“Morning, Rusty,” he replied, walking towards the kitchen.

I focused my attention back on Rusty, who was nervously looking at his hand, wondering what to do next before he finally made his move. “Okay… uh… Skip!” he said, dropping a red “Skip” card, making it his turn again. “And… another skip!” He dropped a yellow skip card, giving himself a third turn. “And now… Aha!” The jackalope dropped a wild card and began to think about which color he’d make it.

“Better choose carefully, Rusty,” I thought with a devilish smile. “If you end up choosing the color that I have, I can play my last card.”

“Um…”

“Red, blue, green, or yellow? What’s it’s going to be?” I asked.

“Shut up, Trixie! Lemme think!” he snapped, scratching his head as he thought it over. Suddenly, he looked up at me for a few seconds before looking back down, and his worried expression slowly turned into a sly grin. “Blue.”

My eyes widened as I looked down at the green card in my hand. “Shit,” I muttered as I drew a card from the deck.

Rusty sighed, dropping three blue fours. “Aaand Uno.”

I slouched back in my chair as I drew another card, still not getting one that I could play. “Lucky little-” I held that thought when I saw that an unusual shadow was being cast over me. I turned around, looking up to see Adrian looking down at me. “You little cheaters!” I yelled.

He gave me a look of faux innocence. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“This is not what I want to wake up to…” Chrysalis groaned as she walked in, her pace matching that of a zombie.

“You came home last night?” Adrian asked. “I thought that you’d be at some random guy’s house.”

“Yeah, you would think that, but I had no luck. Looks like that little pep talk you gave me ended up being worthless.”

“Pep talk? That wasn’t a pep talk.”

“Hmph, and to think that I considered thanking you, but now I think I’m gonna take it back.”

“Oh, no! Chrysalis isn’t gonna thank me! My life has no meaning anymore!” Adrian cried, dropping to his knees and wiping away fake tears.

The changeling narrowed her eyes and used her magic to throw a couch pillow at the human, only for it to miss.

“How could you not hit a target with a head that large?” I asked.

“Shut up, Trixie!” they both snapped.

I shrugged my shoulders and turned my attention back to the game, tuning out Adrian and Chrysalis’s bickering. “I can still beat you, even if you did cheat.” I told Rusty.

“We’ll see about that,” he said, fanning himself with his one card.

I looked at my hand; I had three cards left, and thankfully I had two cards of the same number. I played them both, calling “Uno” and hoping that the last card in Rusty’s hand wasn’t playable. A look of horror spread across his face, the realization that he couldn’t play his card hitting him hard enough to cause a concussion. With a defeated sigh, he reached for his deck to draw another-

“Ha! Psyche! Gotcha, bitch!” he yelled, playing his final card and dancing around the table. “I win!”

“You wouldn’t have if you hadn’t cheated,” I reminded him, only for the little rat to scoff at me.

“All’s fair in Uno and war,” he grinned, puffing his chest.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

“Who the hell could that be this early in the morning? On a weekday, no less?” Adrian asked as he walked up to the front door and looked through the peephole. He then jerked back suddenly and signaled for Rusty to leave the room and hide, which only meant one thing.“Mr. Saddleton?” Chrysalis and I asked, hoping that we were wrong. Unfortunately, with a nod of the head from Adrian, our fears were confirmed.

Adrian cleared his throat and opened the door to greet our elderly landlord. “Morning, Mr. Saddleton. What brings you here?”

“Cut the crap, Lewit. I heard a fourth voice,” the old stallion said with an accusatory tone.

“You were listening in on us?” I asked, feeling somewhat violated.

“No, I just happened to be around.”

The three of us looked at each other with expressions that all read one thing: “Is this guy serious?”

“Regardless, there’s no policy against having guests over, even when it’s overnight,” Chrysalis defended.

“Of course you would know that,” I mumbled.

“True, but there is a policy against pets!” said Mr. Saddleton.

“So, let me get this straight… You’re saying that you have reason to believe that I somehow have a talking pet of some kind?” Adrian asked.

“That is exactly what I’m saying.”

“Have you gone senile?”

The stallion folded his arms and smiled. “Okay, then. If this fourth guest isn’t a pet, then how about I meet him?”

The three of us froze for a second, wondering what to do. “Uh, suuuuuuure,” said Chrysalis. “I’ll go get him.”

“You think I’m stupid? You’ll just come out in one of your disguises! I want this guest of yours to come out now!”

Just then, we all heard a voice that we weren’t expecting to hear. “Sorry, man! I’m in the shitter!” Rusty called from the hallway. “Kinda overloaded on breakfast and it went right through me!”

The next sound we heard could only be described as “horrifyingly disgusting”.

“Uh… well, then… carry on, I suppose,” Mr. Saddleton said, promptly excusing himself from our front door. A collective sigh of relief escaped all three of us as we closed the door.

“Good thinking, Rusty,” Adrian said as his pet hopped out from the hallway with a weird device in his paw.

“Thanks. I’m just glad we finally put this sound effects machine to good use,” he smiled, blowing on it like a freshly fired revolver.

“Oh, thank Celestia those sounds were fake,” I sighed. “The last thing we needed was you stinking up the house.”

“Says the mare that stuffs anything edible down her throat. Your digestive system is probably cooking up an A-bomb as we speak.”

Chrysalis shook her head at the comment and looked at Adrian. “I’m surprised that you were able to lie to Mr. Saddleton that well. You sounded rather convincing.”

“Is that a compliment?” he asked.

“An observation,” she corrected.

I rolled my eyes, walking back to my bedroom to get ready for my rehearsal today. As I was picking out my clothes, my phone began to ring, and I levitated it over to my ear while I continued to look for something to wear. “Hello?”

“Heya, Trixie!”

“Oh, hello, Babs. How are you?”

“I’m doin’ great! I was just wonderin’ if ya made any progress with that new routine o’ yours.”

“As a matter of fact, I finished writing it last night and I’m getting ready to head to the theater to do a run-through of it.”

“Really? Awesome! I’ll ask Sunflower if we can meet ya there! I can’t wait t’ see whatcha got!”

“And I can’t wait to show you,” I chuckled. “See you later, Babs.”

“Later, Trixie!” she replied before hanging up. I couldn’t help but laugh a little as I put down the phone. That little filly always managed to make me smile, even on the worst days. It was almost embarrassing how much she admired my shows, in a good way, of course.

I wondered if there was a way I could show my appreciation…

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Adrian

“My hands hurt, my eyes hurt, my everything hurts,” Cel whined, hunching over a keyboard and typing away.

“Quit complaining, Cel Shade! It’s no picnic over here, either!” Roxy barked as she and I worked. After making so much progress yesterday, the three of us drafted scripts at home and worked them into one final script this morning. Cel was currently busy typing it out while Roxy and I took care of the storyboarding; I handled the characters, and she handled the backgrounds.

“Okay, here’s the last scene, Roxy,” I said as I slid a sheet over to her. “Once you work in the backgrounds, we’ll be done with the storyboards.” I then looked over my shoulder. “How’s that script coming along, Cel?”

“I’m… almost… done!” he exclaimed, sliding the keyboard to the side and resting his head on the desk. “Ugh… what time is it?”

I glanced at my watch, “Four-thirty.”

“So, now that we’re done with the storyboarding and scripting, we’ll need some voice actors,” Roxy explained. “I’ve got two brothers with some good vocal range, so they’ll be able to do most of the male characters, but I don’t know any girls that I’d consider for the female roles.”

“I think I know somepony that can do two of the voices at most, but we’ll need more than that,” said Cel.

Hm… more female voices? “I think I can take care of that,” I told them.

“So if that’s taken care of, can we go home now? I need rest…”

“Alright, you big baby. We can go home,” Roxy groaned. “See you guys tomorrow, kay?”

“Yeah, see ya,” I said as the three of us let the office. I was happy that I waited until now to use up that favor Trixie owed me. Now I can put it to good use.”

“I just hope that she’s a decent actress.”

Chrysalis

“GRGLGRGLGRGLGRGLGRGL!”

I spat the mouthwash out into the sink just as my tongue was about to burn, taking in short breaths to keep it cool. I was getting ready to go out again, but as time went on, I wondered if it was even worth it. With all the bad luck I’ve had, every attempt felt more and more like a lost cause, but what choice did I have?

I looked up at the mirror mounted over the sink and was almost disgusted at how horrid I looked. Permanent bags were beginning to grow under my eyes, and wrinkles had formed under my cheekbones. My mane was even more of a rat’s nest than it was before, having become an even paler green than it was yesterday thanks to the magic I used up last night trying to maintain my disguise.

Seeing how sickly my appearance had become was both depressing and infuriating.

“Fuck this,” I growled as I turned away from my reflection, giving up on my effort to try and find someone at the club, however, the problem still persisted: how was I going to get some love in my system before my condition got any worse?

I walked out of the bathroom and headed to the living room, hoping to drown my sorrows in some mindless television, only to find that Trixie was already watching it.

“Okay, I guess I’ll just marathon old seasons of ENTM, then,” I thought before I heard the front door opening and Adrian walking inside soon after.

“Good, you’re home, Trixie,” he said. “Where’s Rusty?”

“He said he was taking a nap,” she told him, “and why is my being home a good thing to you?”

“It’s a shocker, I know, but listen. I’m gonna need that favor you owe me.”

“Favor?” I mouthed to myself.

“I’m working on a pilot for a new series I’m developing with two of my co-workers and we need some voice actors,” Adrian continued.

“I dunno… Is this going to be a long-term commitment?” Trixie asked.

“Not at all. We just need to do some test recordings to see which character we want you to play, and once we’ve cast you and recorded all of your lines, we’ll get permanent voice talents for the actual series if it gets picked up.”

The unicorn shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice anyway. At least this’ll clear one of the favors I owe.”

“Perfect. We haven’t decided on dates and time for the recording sessions, and not every voice actor has to be there on the same day, so just let me know what days work for you.”

Trixie nodded. “Sure. Now that I think of it, this may be a chance to flex my acting talents.”

“I hope for the show’s sake that you actually have talents to flex,” Adrian commented.

“That’s it!” I thought. “The Favor Chart! I could use the favor Trixie owes me! If I play my cards right, I just might get Adrian, too.”

“Hey, guys,” I spoke up, getting their attention. “There’s something I need to ask.” I walked over to the one of the couches, taking a seat and preparing for what was to come. It was only then that I realized what I was really about to ask them.

“What am I thinking!? I’m about to ask my roommates to have sex with me! How could I ever think of something so stupid? These two are the last people or ponies I’d ever sleep with! Have I really gotten this desperate?”

“So, are you just gonna sit there, or…” Adrian asked, wondering when I was going to say something.

“Okay…” I said with a sigh, swallowing my pride for the sake of my health. “So, you guys know that I’ve been having some trouble getting any love sessions since this whole roommate deal started, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my appearance has been suffering because of it.”

“Yeah…” Trixie said warily.

“Well, it’s not just my looks that are getting worse,” I continued. “I don’t know how long I’ll last before it becomes even more life-threatening than it already is, and I doubt that I can get any medical help since there aren’t really any doctors that know much about changelings, so you can see how… unfortunate my situation is.”

I looked up and saw the way my roommates looked at me. It was as if they’d figured out where I was going with this and were just waiting for me to confirm it. Seeing their faces caused several chills to run up my spine, and I wondered again if I was making the right call here, but I’ve gone this far, and I couldn’t turn back.

“So… I know this is a lot to ask of you both, but my condition is only getting worse and this is the only option I have left, so I was wondering if you could do me this favor and… sleep with me tonight.”

I didn’t dare to look at them as my question hung in the silent air, and I half-expected them to outright reject me.

“You… can’t be serious…” Trixie said in awe.

“I know, it’s a huge thing to ask, Trixie, even if you do owe me a favor, but I really don’t know what else to do.” I looked up at Adrian, who seemed even more unsure and looked like he was leaning more towards a no. “Adrian, I know you don’t owe me anything, but if I have the both of you help me, the magic I’ll get will last a lot longer than it would if I just had one partner.”

He took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know, Chrysalis…”

“If you do this for me, I’ll help out with your voice acting problem. Hell, I’ll do another favor for you. I just really need you to help me.” I glanced over to Trixie. “I need both of you to help me. I… I’m begging you.”

My roommates looked at each other with uncertainty, and my hands shivered as I waited for their answer, hoping that despite everything, they’d show some mercy.

“Trixie…” Adrian said. “Can you cast a soundproof spell so Rusty won’t hear us?”

What?

“I can manage that,” she answered.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You mean…”

“We’ll help you out this one time,” Adrian finished.

“One is all I’ll need,” I sighed. “Thank you guys so much!”

Trixie sighed. “Don’t mention it.”

“Ever,” Adrian stressed.

Despite how obvious it was that their decision to help me was a reluctant one, I still felt a huge weight lifted off my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was relief or gratitude, but whatever it was, it felt good.

Adrian, Trixie, and I agreed to have our session at eleven tonight, after Rusty had fallen asleep. It was ten fifty-five, and I sat on my bed nervously as I waited for Adrian and Trixie to come knocking.

I kept thinking back to when I first asked them to help me several hours ago, and I still found it hard to believe that I ended up that position again, a position where I found myself begging for mercy from someone that I never thought I’d be begging from. Those four words Adrian said to me were especially painful.

“I don’t know, Chrysalis.”

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to repress the memory of the last time those words were said to me, but it eventually came back, and I remembered every agonizing second.

“I don’t know, Chrysalis,” Celestia said. “While I do feel sorry for you, I’m not sure if allowing you to live here would be a wise decision, especially considering our history with you. It’s only been two years since the royal wedding, so letting you stay in Equestria is a rather risky decision, as it could cause a panic.”

“Please, Princess!” I pleaded, calling her by her title rather than her name for the first time. “I am weak and without an army! I assure you that I have no power! I don’t care what I have to do! I just need somewhere to live! I promise, I won’t harm any of your citizens, I swear!”

“And what of your feeding habits?” Luna inquired. “Changelings need love to survive, correct. How do we know that our subjects won’t suffer from you feeding on them?”

“The process is completely painless, I assure you. No one will suffer in any way,” I explained.

The night princess turned to her older sibling. “I’m not sure about this sister. Discord was one thing, and I’m still not even sure if we can call his reformation a success, but can we really trust her?”

While Celestia marinated on the thought, I remained on my knees in the throne room, tears dripping from my eyes as I hung my head down. All that remained on my person were the tattered rags of a once gorgeous dress that I happened to be wearing on the day of my exile, and the one item that I managed to keep when they ran me out.

It was the most pathetic, shameful position I’d ever been in.

Celestia must have been laughing on the inside. Why wouldn’t she be? Why wouldn’t she find amusement in seeing the mare that once threatened to take over her country bowing to her hooves and begging for mercy? She didn’t feel sorry for me in the slightest. Had I finally gone mad enough to think that Celestia would want to even consider giving me a chance?

“Here’s what I’ll do, Chrysalis,” she said, and my ears perked up, surprised that she even gave my plea a serious thought.

“I will make arrangements for you to live in Equestria, and I will provide you with the necessary funds to sustain you for a short time while you search for employment.” she explained. “However, let me make it perfectly clear that, for now, you are merely a provisional citizen. You will be under constant twenty-four hour watch by my top surveillance agents for one year, after which you will be granted full citizenship. If they sense even the slightest threat, or if you break even the slightest law, they will have full authority to apprehend you and you will be punished to the full extent of Equestrian law. Is that understood?”

I tried to answer, but at that point a wave of emotions overtook me, and the drips of tears became small streams. All I could do was stay there, bawling my eyes out. I was too distraught for words.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of knocking on my door. I got up and clutched my bed robe nervously, hoping that I could get something out of them despite my appearance. I had just enough magic to make myself look less disgusting, but not enough to create a complete disguise.

When I opened the door, I saw Adrian and Trixie standing on the other side, averting their gazes from me. “Hey...” they said to me.

I shuffled uncomfortably as I stepped aside and let them in, shutting the door once they were inside and watching as Trixie cast the soundproof spell.

“Yeah… hey.”

XI - Thou Shalt Not Kiss and Tell

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Chrysalis

My eyes slowly fluttered open as I woke up. A ray of sunlight hit me, forcing my eyes closed for a second, and I glanced over at my window where the sun was peeking through the small space between the partly closed curtains.

“Fuck you, Celestia,” I thought vehemently.

A chill ran up my spine as I was suddenly hit with a puff of warm air. Looking down at my waist, I saw Trixie’s blue arms wrapped around me. I could feel her soft belly expanding and contacting against my lower back, and she was mindlessly mumbling something that I couldn’t make out.

“Probably dreaming about food, knowing her.” I rolled my eyes as I unwrapped her arms and pushed myself forward, only to bump into Adrian, whose back was turned towards me as he slept.

My eyes focused on the black hair on his head. Last night and this morning aside, the only other time I’d seen him without a hat on was when he and I went to Trixie’s show last weekend. The look on his face seemed… bothered, his closed eyelids occasionally tightening every ten seconds or so, and my curiosity was aroused.

“What I wouldn’t give to be Luna right now.”

I slipped out of the bed and stretched my arms out, letting out a long, but quiet yawn. Deciding that I needed to take a shower, I made my way out of my bedroom and towards the bathroom, levitating my bathrobe out of my closet and towards me with my magic. When I reached my bedroom door, I looked back at my sleeping roommates. My eyes drifted over to Trixie, who had repositioned herself and clutched my pillow to make up for my absence. Her tail swished back and forth over the edge of the bed, its legs having been broken thanks to last night’s session.

“She’s gonna pay me back for that. That was a brand-new bed, for pony’s sake. You think she’d be more careful with all that weight she has.”

I shook my head. Was that last notion really necessary? To be completely honest, she really wasn’t all that fat. Sure, she had a little “extra” in certain places, but she was still a healthy girl. My eyes traced the contours of her curvy, sleeping figure, envy bubbling within me. I instinctively crossed my arms when I saw her breasts, which were squished together as she slept on her side.

I sighed as I put on my robe and walked out. “She really doesn’t know how lucky she is.”

A stray lock of hair fell in front of my face as I closed my bedroom door. I tried blowing it away and back into place, but it ended up falling back again. “Stupid mane,” I grumbled, walking into the bathroom and towards the mirror, shutting the door behind me. “This always happens after a session. I can never get my mane… right… after…”

My sentence trailed off when I got in front of the mirror, my eyes widening when I saw my reflection.

I can’t remember the last time I saw my mane this green. I ran my fingers through it, and instead of the dry feeling that I would have expected a mere twelve hours ago, it felt smooth and silky, my digits passing through it effortlessly. “Wha-?” I mumbled, staring at my reflection, dumbfounded by the mare looking back at me. Then I wondered, if my mane was this healthy, then what about…

I placed one hoof on the edge of the tub and moved my robe over to expose my leg. To my surprise, all the holes in it had closed. I couldn’t remember the last time my legs were this healthy!

It didn’t make any sense, though. I mean, lust was my second favorite form of love, but I’ve had plenty of threesomes before and I’ve never gotten this much energy from those sessions. I tried to think back to last night, replaying the events in order to find something – anything – that would explain this.

“Let’s see… they did tell me that it’s been a long time since both of them have had sex,” I thought. “Perhaps all that pent up lust was enough to do this to me.”

Settling on that assumption, I took off my robe and stepped into the tub, closing the curtain and turning the water on. After a quick shower, I dried myself off and put on my bathrobe before walking out to find Adrian, awake and fully dressed, on his way out of my bedroom. “Morning,” he said to me.

“I honestly thought you’d be the first to wake up,” I answered. “Don’t you have work today?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “but I don’t have to show up until later. We’re just running auditions in the recording studio today.”

“That reminds me, when do Trixie and I need to be there for our recording session?”

Adrian shrugged. “Whatever day and time works for you both. We can figure that out later when I get home. Cel, Roxy, and I will just record the other voice actors on the days that you and Trixie can’t be there.”

“Okay, then.” I chuckled a little. “You know, I didn’t expect you to be this relaxed. I remember you telling me last night that you never had sex with someone you didn’t love. Was that all just bullshit?”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t. I just I knew what I was getting into before I knocked on your door. I just told myself that since it didn’t mean anything to either of us, it didn’t count.”

He said that, but I still felt an emotional disturbance in him. It was mostly confusion, with a hint of regret, but I got what I wanted, and after I do him his favor, we’ll be even, so that’s all that matters...

Right?

“Oh, and Chrysalis?”

My ears perked up in curiosity. “Yeah?”

“You’re strong enough to cast a soundproof spell by yourself now, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, in that case, as long as you make sure none of my stuff gets stolen… I guess you could have people over for your… ‘sessions,’” he said, air quoting that last word.

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? What made you change your mind?”

“I figured that if it’s that hard for you to find a partner willing to take you back to their place, I could bend the rules a little, just so long as you keep it to a maximum of twice a week. That should keep you sated, right?”

Twice a week, huh? I could manage that. I gave the human a nod. “It should.”

“Good, At least this way you won’t get so sick that I have to have sex with you again.”

Why is it that every time I assume he’s being nice, it ends up being something that, at the end of the day, is for his own benefit? Oh, well. That didn’t mean I had to stoop to his level.

“Well, for what it’s worth, you weren’t as bad as I thought you were going to be,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, at least I didn’t have to coach you.”

“Thanks, I guess,” he replied, unsure of what to say. He looked straight at me for the first time this morning before turning away. “You look a lot better,” he told me before walking into his room.

“What?” I asked, but my only reply was the sound of Adrian’s bedroom door closing.

That was rather unusual for him. When he said that, I felt a strange feeling of sincerity coming from him. Getting a genuine compliment from Adrian, or most anyone, for that matter, was a rare occurrence for me.

I folded my arms. “Hmph. I guess that’s the closest thing to ‘thanks for the sex’ that I’m gonna get from him.”

I then heard a loud yawn coming from behind me. “Oh, goody. The Great and Powerful Trixie awakens,” I thought with a sigh.

The unicorn stretched her arms as she sat up, her eyes opening slowly. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” I said to her, and her eyes widened when she saw me.

“Wha? Chrysalis!” she gasped, covering herself as best as she could.

I rolled my eyes. “Will you quit the conservative act? I’ve already seen everything you got. There’s no point in hiding it.”

She looked away from me, her cheeks growing red. “Could you not remind me about last night? It’s bad enough that I had to live through it once. I don’t want to have to remember it.”

“You’re acting like you didn’t enjoy it,” I scoffed. “From the way you were carrying on, it sounded like you loved every minute of it.”

“It was just the heat of the moment. It’s over now, so we don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

“It would’ve been over faster if somepony didn’t take forever and a half to take off her clothes. Seriously, what were you so afraid of? You said it yourself: it wasn’t your first time.”

“I know that,” she snapped, levitating her clothes over to her. “It’s just that with the way you and Adrian harass me about my physique, I didn’t want to open myself up to more jokes at my expense.”

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Well, having you two constantly doing it gets to me after a while, okay?”

I felt waves of embarrassment and vulnerability radiating from Trixie, and it was the first time I’ve seen her like this. Seeing her actually be honest with her feelings was surprising, to say the least.

“Well, I guess Adrian and I do get a little harsh with our comments sometimes,” I sighed. “Admittedly, it was a lot easier when we were neighbors, but now that were roommates, making fun of you is becoming tired.”

“Is that your way of saying sorry?” Trixie asked, pulling up her sweatpants. “I can never tell with you.”

“That s-word isn’t in my vocabulary, sweetie.”

She gave me an unamused look. “I suppose that’s the best I’m gonna get from you.” She put on the rest of her clothes, save for her underwear, which she levitated towards her and stuffed into the pocket of her hoodie.

“Well, just know that there are some mares out there that are more insecure about their bodies than you are about yours,” I told her, my gaze shifting to the side.

With a grunt, Trixie got up and made her way out, glancing up at me as she passed me by. “At least now you’re a lot easier to look at.”

“Y’know, when Adrian said it, he was a lot nicer.”

The unicorn ignored me as she walked back to her room, and I closed the door once she was out. Despite the snarkiness of her last comment, I still felt that strange sincerity that I sensed from Adrian. I say strange because within that sincerity I sensed something else, but it was so small that I couldn’t make out exactly what it was.

“I really wish I knew what that little hidden emotion was,” I thought. “I could’ve sworn I felt it last night, too, but with all that was going on I couldn’t focus on it.” Even as I recalled last night’s events yet again, even remembering when I sensed that other emotion, the memory wasn’t fresh enough to help much.

I shook my head, deciding that it wasn’t important. If I ever sense it again, I’ll know what it is. There was no point in obsessing over it.

What mattered was that I was able to get my fill last night and then some, and with Adrian easing up on that little rule of his, I could have a partner over whenever I ran low, and I will never have to ask him or Trixie to have a session with me ever again.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Adrian

“If you want this mission to be a success, you’re gonna need a team.”

“Don’t worry chief, I’ve got two agents in mind that I know will be a huge asset.”

I pressed a button on the soundboard, interrupting the dialogue for a moment. “Okay, guys. Can we run those last two lines again? They sounded a little off.”

The two diamond dogs behind the microphones nodded and reread the lines while Roxy, Cel Shade, and I sat in front of the soundboard. This was the first of many times that I’ve asked the two actors to repeat a set of lines. My mind kept getting distracted every so often, and I was only able to keep my focus for about a minute at a time.

Last night… it was my first time doing something like that. I mean, I’ve had sex with my previous girlfriends, but this was the first time I’ve ever had casual sex and my first threesome. For someone like Chrysalis it was most likely a normal night, but for me, it felt a very strange. Doing it with someone I didn’t love was… weird. I mean, it felt good, but at the same time I couldn’t wait to get my rocks off and get it over with.

Ugh… why is sex so complicated?

“So, whaddaya think?” Roxy asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. “They’re pretty good, aren’t they?”

“They aren’t half bad,” said Cel. “Magnus would be good as the younger male characters while Memphis has the bass in his voice to play the older ones.”

“They make a big sister proud,” Roxy sighed, wiping away a fake tear. “What do you think, Adrian?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“Magnus and Memphis. Do you think they’re any good?”

“Oh, yeah. I think we can use them. You were right about them having decent range. We could probably get them to voice two characters each, maybe three.”

Roxie and Cel gave each other concerned looks, then Roxy pressed a button on the soundboard. “Good job, you two. That’s it for today,” she told her brothers. “Wait outside and I’ll be out in a couple minutes to take you home.”

“Okay, Rox,” Memphis said as he and Magnus walked out of the recording booth and through the exit to the hallway. The second the door closed, Cel and Roxy’s gazes immediately shifted towards me.

“Alright, Adrian. What’s going on?” the pegasus asked.

“What are you talking about?” I asked back.

“You’ve been really out of it today. Usually, you’re the most focused out of all three of us.”

“Not to mention the fact that your scent is a little off today,” Roxy added.

I raised an eyebrow and leaned back in my chair, taking offense to that comment. “I’ll have you know that I took a thorough shower this morning,” I said with a raised finger and thought “I had to, considering what I went through last night.”

“It’s not that you smell bad, Adrian,” the diamond dog corrected. “I mean you smell like there’s a hint of someone else’s scent on you.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Really? I thought the shower got rid of the scent! Damn that canine sense of smell!”

Cel gave me a smug smirk. “Your face says it all. Hey, Rox, think you can get a lock on whose scent it is?”

“I’m a dog, not a magician. I can’t tell whose scent it is unless it’s from someone I know,” she told him.

“Well, maybe it is from someone you know.” Cel’s ears then twitched in excitement. “Oh! Maybe it’s Kayla, the griffon that works on the Power Ponies cartoon, or maybe it’s one of those cute zebra twins!”

Roxy rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess it’s worth a shot,” she sighed, rolling her chair over to mine.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I missed the part where I agreed to this!” I objected, rolling my chair away, only to hit a wall.

“Chill out, Adrian. Don’t make it weird.”

“You’re trying to sniff me and I’m making it weird!?”

Roxy held my arms tightly, trying to hold me in place as I struggled to squirm out of her grip. “Just… hold… still!” she pressed her nose to my chest, taking in a couple of whiffs.

“Well? Anything?” asked Cel.

“I’m getting something, but… hold up…” Roxy took in one long, deep sniff and her tail suddenly pointed upwards. “I’m picking up two scents that aren’t his!”

“Well, well, Adrian,” the pegasus laughed. “I never pegged you as the type to partake in a ménage à trois.”

She took a couple more whiffs of me, trying to figure out who they belonged to. “They smell familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. Whoever they are, they don’t work here at the studio.”

I let out a relieved exhale, feeling lucky that she hasn’t ran into Trixie and Chrysalis enough times to distinctly remember their-

“Wait! I think I got it!”

Fuck.

“It’s… no way!”

“What? Who is it?” Cel asked.

Roxy sat back in her chair and turned to him with a horrified look on her face. “It’s Trixie and Chrysalis…”

“You’re shitting me!”

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Mister Lewit,” Roxy said, looking at me with narrowed eyes. “The three of you hate each other! What reason could any of you possibly have for wanting to sleep with each other?”

“You two aren’t gonna drop it until I spill, aren’t you?”

“Nope,” they answered. Shaking their heads.

“Ugh… I thought so…”

Trixie

Babs sighed with satisfaction, wiping pizza grease off her fingers with a napkin. “Gee, thanks for taking us out, Trixie. You didn’t hafta do that.”

“It’s the least I could do for you guys,” I smiled. “You’re the two greatest supporters of The Great and Powerful Trixie! This outing my way of thanking you for being there for me, especially this past week.”

“Don’t mention it, Trix,” Sunflower said with a dismissive wave. “You’re like a sister to us, ya know?”

“Yeah! A sista’ from anotha’ mista’!”

We all had a good laugh at that. Sunflower and Babs really did feel like sisters to me, and spending time with them helped me keep my mind off of last night as the waiter waked over to us. “Are we all good here, ladies?” he asked.

I looked over at Babs and Sunflower. “You two want any more slices?”

They looked at each other, then back at me, and they shook their heads. “Nah, we’re good,” Babs answered.

“We’ll take the check, please,” I told the waiter, and he nodded his head before walking off.

“So, are ya ready for tomorrow’s show?” Sunflower asked.

I looked at her with a determined grin and nodded. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is always ready. My new routine is sure to draw in the masses, especially with my last-minute addition,” I then looked at the young filly. “Right, Babs?”

A fire burned brightly in her eyes as she looked at me, a huge smile on her face. “Right!”

XII - Thou Shalt Not Suffer Boredom

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Adrian

“No, no, no. Dark Zodiac was definitely the biggest bitch on the show,” I said.

“Are you kidding? Steel Heart was the biggest bitch, hands down,” Chrysalis countered. “She wasn’t that bad when she first appeared in the third season, but when they brought her back for the All-Star season, she went full bitch mode.”

“But Dark Zodiac spread those rumors about Garnet Star being bulimic and almost got her eliminated.”

“Yeah, but Steel Heart preyed on every other mare’s insecurities and got inside their heads. Half the mares that got eliminated during her seasons would’ve stayed longer if she wasn’t there fucking shit up.”

“Okay, then. How about this: we’ll stream some episodes of Dark Zodiac and Steel Heart at their bitchiest and see who’s right,” I proposed.

“What are you two doing?”

Chrysalis and I looked towards the hallway to see Rusty hopping over to us. “We’re trying to figure out who was the biggest bitch on ENTM.”

The jackalope raised an eyebrow. “You mean besides Hoity Toity?”

“Oh yeah,” said Chrysalis. “He is a real bitch, isn’t he?”

“Since when do you two have casual conversations like this, anyway?”

The changeling sighed. “We don’t, normally, but-”

“We’re just so boooooooored!” I blurted out.

“Yeah… that.”

“Could you two, perhaps, not whine like little foals,” Trixie said from the hallway as she walked into the living room. “Move, rat,” she spat as she passed Rusty.

“Well, excuuuuuuse you, Miss Magic,” he grumbled.

“So what are your plans today, Trixie?” Chrysalis asked as she flipped through the different ENTM seasons with the remote.

“Meh, I’ll just sleep in until my show tonight,” the unicorn answered, reaching into the fridge for a carton of grape juice.

“Dark Zodiac was in season… six, right?” the changeling asked me, and I nodded in confirmation.

Rusty just watched us as we all wallowed in our collective boredom, an awkward silence in the air, save for the clicking of the remote and the sound of Trixie pouring her juice.

“Okay, I’m gonna address the Trixie in the room,” my pet sighed.

The unicorn in question looked back at him quizzically. “What do you mean ‘address the Trixie in the’… Oh, fuck you.”

“Anyway, it’s pretty obvious that you guys have pretty much nothing to do today. I’ve been watching you for not even two minutes, and it’s already driving me crazy. We live in Manehattan, the belly of the beast, the city that never sleeps! There is literally no reason to be bored here, so I say we hit the streets and find something to do!”

We all looked at each other, thinking about the proposition. The last time we all went out together, it did help to ease the stress I was feeling that day. Maybe going out again would help with my boredom. “Alright, I’m in,” I said, getting up from the couch and stretching my arms.

“Eh, fuck it. I’ll go, too,” Chrysalis shrugged as she got off the couch. “What about you, Trixie? You in or out?”

She flipped her matted mane in an attempt to seem aloof. “I suppose I could join you guys, but I have to be home before five so I can get ready for my show tonight.”

“Perfect! A half hour is enough time to get ready, right?” Rusty asked.

“Perhaps, if Trixie doesn’t take forever and a day in the shower,” Chrysalis quipped, and Trixie stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

“Well, we’ll make it an hour, then, so we’ll leave at eleven-thirty,” I said, and Chrysalis, Rusty, and I walked back to our rooms.

“I still say that Steel Heart is the bigger bitch,” the changeling muttered.

“Can we kill it with the whole ‘bitch’ thing?” Rusty groaned. We’re not even a thousand words in and we’ve already said that word eight times.

An hour later, Chrysalis, Rusty, and I waited at the door for Trixie.

“So I guess you were able to make it to the bathroom first,” I assumed.

“Of course,” she huffed, folding her arms. “If you think I’m gonna wait for the little princess to finish her half-hour bathing routine, you must be crazy!”

I chuckled. “Well, when the bills come, the water expenses are all hers.” I glanced over to Chrysalis, looking at what she was wearing. She had on a white pair of pants and a light green shirt with short sleeves. She had a few bracelets on her left wrist, and her mane was styled differently than normal. “Hm… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you rock a ponytail before.”

She grinned with pride. “Well, now that I’ve been restored to my true beauty and then some, I thought that I’d style my mane more often.” She ran her fingers through her ponytail. “The last time it was this lush and silky was when I fed on Emperor Incitatus a couple hundred years ago.”

“Damn, you’re old…”

“Pfft, age is meaningless. Celestia is older than me, and she’s got guys your age falling over her left and right.”

I sniffed the air for a moment. “Is that salt I smell? That’s not very healthy, you know.”

“Whatever,” she said, lightly shoving me.

“So what was this ‘King Ignatius’ like?” Rusty asked.

“Incitatus,” Chrysalis corrected. “He was, by far, the worst victim I’ve ever had. Nothing else came close to how much of a pain he was. He would never stop talking about his ‘amazingness’, and with the way he acted, I was surprised he was able to get a mare to accept a marriage proposal from him.”

Rusty looked up at me. “Reminds me of someone we know, huh, Adrian?”

I chuckled as Chrysalis continued her story. “He was a real heavyset stallion, too. The guy had waaaay too much muscle. He always insisted on being on top, but there was no way in Tartarus that I was letting that happen. It was probably the worst two weeks that I’ve ever had undercover. I’d take you and Trixie over him any day.” The changeling’s eyes widened as she said that, and Rusty gave her a confused look.

“Say what?” he asked.

Chrysalis cleared her throat. “I was speaking hypothetically, rodent. Trust me, Incitatus was that bad.”

“Ooookay, then,” Rusty said suspiciously.

“Trixie is ready!” a voice announced suddenly as the unicorn in question strutted out of her room with a purple tank top and blue jeans.

“About friggin time,” Rusty sighed.

I left the building with my roommates and pet in tow, making no effort to hide Rusty since Mr. Saddleton wasn’t in the lobby on account of it being the weekend. I was hit by the warm summer air as I stepped outside, and it felt great against my skin. The city was bright and bustling, as it always was this time of year, and I wondered what we’d all do first.

“I guess we could start with lunch,” I suggested.

“I like the sound of that,” Chrysalis said, and the four of us made our way to the restaurant district of the city, with Rusty hanging onto my shoulder.

As we walked through the congested streets, I noticed quite a few pedestrians looking in our general direction with wary faces. I then looked to my left and saw a disturbed look on Chrysalis’s face, her eyes to the ground and her hands in her pockets. At that point I put two and two together and realized what was going on.

Trixie, on the other hand…

“What’s got you so worked up?” she asked.

“Answer me this: how would you feel if everyone that you passed by looked at you in fear and disgust, even though you haven’t done anything?” the changeling asked back.

“Oh…” Trixie looked away, regretting that she asked the question in the first place. She cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject. “So, uh, which place should we pick when we get to the restaurant district?”

“I dunno,” I answered as we turned a corner. “We could just go with a gut decis-”

THUD!

Trixie

As soon as we turned the corner, Adrian clumsily bumped into a mare walking in the opposite direction. He staggered back, Rusty flying off his shoulder and into Chrysalis’s arms.

I shook my head. “Nice going, klutz.”

“Shut up, Trixie!” he snapped with a hushed voice. “I feel bad enough as it is!” He then turned around to look at the mare he bumped into. “I’m so sorry, miss. Are you oka-oh my God…”

“I’m just fine, hon,” the mare replied with a chuckle. She was a tall unicorn that almost reached Chrysalis’s height, her near-white coat resembling Princess Celestia herself. She had a long mane and tail that were both in two shades of pink, and wore a long blouse that matched her hair perfectly, along with a pair of black pants. She adjusted the light purple bag hanging over her shoulder, looking at Adrian with big, pale-violet eyes and a warm smile.

“No way…” Rusty said. “That’s not-”

“F-F-Fleur de Lis…” the human stuttered.

“That’s me,” the mare giggled.

“Fleur de Lis! As in ‘ENTM judge’ Fleur de Lis!?” Rusty asked in disbelief.

“Yeah…” Adrian said absentmindedly as he looked up at the regal mare.

“I’m surprised,” Fleur giggled. “Most human Top Model fans stick to the original American version of the show. I’m flattered.”

“Are you kidding? We’re HUGE fans of ENTM!” Rusty exclaimed, hopping out of Chrysalis’s arms and onto Adrian’s shoulder.

“Aww! What a handsome little jackalope!” Fleur gushed, scratching the rodent’s chin. “I didn’t know they could talk.”

“Well, I’m a special case.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “It wouldn’t kill you two to turn down the fanboying a notch or three.”

“Says the mare who’s wagging her tail like an excited puppy,” I scoffed.

Her eyes widened and she looked back at her tail as it was swishing back and forth. “Dammit,” she muttered.

“Well, since you seem to know me, may I know your names?” Fleur asked.

Adrian cleared his throat, hopefully getting all the stupid out of his system. “Uh, my name’s Adrian, this is my pet, Rusty, and these are my roommates.” He gestured toward Chrysalis and me as he introduced us, and Fleur approached us with a smile.

“I’m Trixie,” I said politely, shaking the model’s hand and holding back my surprise at how smooth they were.

“Ah, yes. I think I’ve seen some of your posters around the city. You’re a showmare, right?”

I smirked. “Why, yes I am. How nice of you to notice.”

“In that case, I’ll have to attend one of your shows while I’m here.” She let go of my hand and walked over to Chrysalis, surprisingly unfazed by who she was. “Nice to meet you,” she said, offering her hand nonchalantly.

“Uh… likewise,” the changeling said uneasily, accepting the handshake. “You’re not… scared of me?”

“Why would I be scared of a regular mare? Sure, you’re taller than me, but that’s a pretty silly reason to be scared of somepony.”

Chrysalis got a light chuckle out of that. “Heh, good one.”

That was strange; from what she told me, changelings could sense emotions, so if she had to question Fleur’s lack of fear, then she must truly not be afraid.

“You know,” Fleur said with a finger on her chin, “I was on my way to get something to eat, and I wouldn’t mind having a few others join me. It’s much better than dining by myself. What do you say?”

“We’d love to!” Adrian and Chrysalis answered instantly, their enthusiasm making their idol chuckle.

“Lovely! I know a great place that I’m sure you all will love!” She then turned to look at Rusty. “They don’t allow pets, though.”

The jackalope seemed to deflate upon hearing that. “Really?” he asked.

“Hang on, I think I have a way to get around that.” Fleur flipped her bag open and cleared some space before approaching Adrian. “May I?” she asked, holding her hands out to carry Rusty.

Adrian nodded as the mare picked Rusty up and placed him in her bag. “Ooh, comfy,” he said as the cover of the bag was flipped over him.

“I’ll try not to jiggle you too much, hon,” Fleur said with a wink. “Now, let’s head off, shall we?”

Fleur ended up taking us to a modest restaurant and was able to get us a booth at the top floor. Our seats were right next to the window, giving us a lovely view of the city. Chrysalis and I sat on one side while Adrian and Fleur sat on the other, with Rusty still sitting in Fleur’s bag, out of sight from any passing employees. We had already ordered our food and we got to learn a little more about the mare while we waited.

“You know, I’d never expect a supermodel to come to a common restaurant like this,” said Adrian.

Chrysalis nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I thought that you’d want to go somewhere that was more… high-class.”

“I get that a lot,” Fleur chuckled, “but I honestly prefer eating in places like this a lot more. Besides, those ritzy spots barely give you anything to eat. Six courses in Canterlot’s finest restaurant add up to one entrée here, and it’s nearly ten times as expensive. Why would I pass up the chance to eat more and save a few bits?”

“But don’t you have to stick to a diet, or something?” Rusty asked.

“I’ll let you in on a little something that they don’t tell you in the ads: cheat days are actually good for a diet. I’d go into all the specifics, but I don’t want to bore you guys.”

“Well, Miss. De Lis-”

“Please hon, call me Fleur,” she insisted, looking down warmly at the jackalope.

“Okay, Fleur. I was wondering why you weren’t a judge on ENTM this season.”

“If you don’t mind him asking,” Adrian added quickly, looking down at Rusty with a stern face. “We understand if you don’t want to bring up work at the table.”

“Oh, it’s not problem at all,” she laughed with a dismissive wave. “It’s not some big dramatic thing, contrary to what social media would have you believe. I just felt like I needed a break from my job, so I took some time off while this season was filmed.”

“A vacation? Where?” Chrysalis asked. “I can’t think of a place where you could take time off and no get rushed by fans and paparazzi.”

“Have you heard of a place called Bali?”

“Bali?” Chrysalis and I repeated.

“I’ve heard of it,” Adrian spoke up. “It’s on Earth, in Indonesia.”

“Ah, yes…” Fleur swooned. “It was the most beautiful island I’ve ever visited. The crystal blue waters, the lovely people, the gorgeous beachside villas, it was definitely the best four months I’ve ever had.”

“So what brings you to Manehattan, then?” the human asked.

“I’m just here for a meeting with the agency I’m currently signed to, after that, I’m heading down to Coltifornia to shoot the next season of ENTM.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Chrysalis sighed. “This season’s been a nightmare with Hoity Toity taking your place.”

“Trust me, hon. I know. To be honest, I didn’t think the fans would miss me that much.” Fleur paused and took a sip of water. “It’ll be good to be back on the judging panel again, but that’s enough about me. What about you guys?”

“Huh?” we all asked.

“Well, I’ve practically talked your ears off about my job. It’s only fair that I let you all get a word in about what you do.”

Adrian and Chrysalis were caught off-guard by that; who would expect a supermodel to be interested in what us “commoners” did for a living? My roommates seemed exited to chat with her about it, but I wasn’t as enthusiastic. Just who did this mare think she was, patronizing us like that?

“Well, Adrian here is an animator at Phantom Foal Studios!” Rusty boasted.

“Is that so?” Fleur asked.

The human blushed. “Yeah, but it’s not that cool.”

“He’s one of the main animators for Gem Quest! Plus he’s working on his own show, too!” Rusty added.

Fleur’s ears perked up. “Really? My niece loves Gem Quest! I’m sure she’d love to know that I had lunch with someone that actually worked on the show. You wouldn’t mind if we made a little video message for her before we leave, would you?”

“N-not at all,” Adrian stuttered, a goofy grin on his face.

The mare smiled and looked across from her. “What about you, Chrysalis?”

She cleared her throat before answering. “Well, I work as a model for the Manehattan Institute of Art.”

I saw a bright twinkle in Fleur’s eyes the moment she heard that. “Really, now? For how long?”

“Just over a year. I’ll admit, I did use some of the tricks I saw on ENTM. The S-curve is my personal favorite.”

“Mine, too! It’s pretty much my go-to pose for an editorial shoot. You know, I did sense a little model in you when I first met you today, but I wasn’t totally sure. You really should look into auditions for some of the agencies around here. The high fashion world is always looking for models that have unique looks.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Oh, stop.”

“I’m serious. In high fashion, the most desired looks are the ones that are considered ‘unconventional’. I mean look at me. Most unicorn mares are really curvy, but I’m more on the slim side, like a pegasus.”

Adrian and Chrysalis eyed Fleur’s body, taking notice of her trim physique. I rolled my eyes at her obvious ploy to get attention. How much more admiration could she want? She was a supermodel for Celestia’s sake! I began to zone out as their conversation continued, deciding that listening any further would only frustrate me more.

“So, Trixie, when’s your next show?”

“Huh?” I asked, glancing up to see Fleur looking at me with her usual inviting expression.

“I asked when your next show was,” she repeated.

“Oh, um… I’m actually going to be performing tonight and tomorrow night at the East Side Theater. I normally perform on weekends.”

“Well, you can expect to see me there tomorrow night. I’ll even bring some of my friends.”

Hm… Fleur de Lis attending one of my shows? This could be the type of signal boost I needed to increase my ticket sales. As much as the mare annoyed me, I wasn’t going to reject something like this!

I nodded politely with a small smile. “That would be very nice, Fleur.”

“Great!” she chimed. “Now, if you all will excuse me, I have to go to the little fillies’ room.” Fleur scooted out of the booth and walked to the hallway leading to the bathrooms. With her gone, I looked over to Adrian and Chrysalis with a raised eyebrow.

“You know, if you two needed more water, you could always ask a waiter.”

“What?” Adrian asked. “Why would we ask for more water?”

“Because you both looked pretty thirsty when you were talking to Fleur a minute ago.”

“Oh, shut up, Trixie!”

“I can’t believe you two, gushing over a pony like that. What’s so great about her, anyway?” I heard Chrysalis snicker, and I gave her a nasty glare. “What?”

“We’re sowwy, Twixie,” she said, pouting her lips and holing my chin with her hand. “We didn’t know you were feeling neglected. Adwian and I should’ve been more sensitive.”

“W-Wha? Are you insinuating that I’m jealous of her!?”

“You said it, not us,” Adrian quipped.

Why that little- “This is ridiculous! Me? Jealous of her? For what? Why would I want you two’s attention? Whenever I had it, all you ever did was make fun of me for one thing or another. If anything, I’m happy you guys are ignoring me. You’re giving me a much-needed break!”

Chrysalis chuckled with an evil grin and leaned in closer to me. “That’s a lie, and you know it. Don’t forget that I can sense emotions, and right now, you’re practically drenched in it.” My breath got caught in my throat as she stared at me with her piercing green eyes. “Admit it. You don’t want to share the attention. You want it all to yourself, don’t you?” She leaned over to my ear and whispered softly. “You poor, poor thing. What will you do when you move out?”

My heart pounded rapidly in my chest, my breath became shallow, and I couldn’t form words for the life of me. “I… I…”

Suddenly, Chrysalis pulled back with a surprised look on her face. What she was surprised at, I didn’t know.

“Damn, Chrysalis. You didn’t have to go that far.” Adrian said.

“Yeah, what was all that for?” Rusty added.

The changeling looked away and cleared her throat. “S-sorry.”

My breathing slowly went back to normal and I shifted in my seat to get comfortable again. “Hmph. You’d better be sorry.”

Chrysalis

Trixie was relatively quiet for the rest of the meal, a heavy blush on her cheeks as Fleur, Adrian, Rusty, and I chatted while we ate. It wasn’t long before the bill finally came. We all reached for our wallets to pay for our meals but then Fleur stopped us.

“Don’t worry. This one’s on me,” she said.

“Oh, we can’t let you do that, Fleur,” said Adrian. “We’re fine splitting the bill.”

“No we’re not,” Trixie interrupted.

Adrian and I glared at her, but then we heard a chuckle from Fleur.

“You three are too cute,” she sighed as she slipped her credit card into the bill and handed it back to our waiter. “Are you always like this?” she asked as he left to swipe her card.

“Yes,” Rusty answered from inside her now closed bag, “and it drives me friggin’ insane.”

“You say that like you never add fuel to the fire,” I snapped.

“Oh, zip it, Bughorse.”

Fleur giggled. “I’m glad I ran into you guys today. This was much better than the boring lunch I would’ve had by myself. Consider my paying the bill as a way of thanking you for that.”

“Um… you’re welcome?” I said.

After the bill was paid and Fleur’s card was returned, we walked outside and were hit with that warm summer air again. As Adrian and Fleur filmed their little message for her niece, I thought back to when I was teasing Trixie at the table. As I whispered in her ear, I was hit with that weird emotion once again. It was only for an instant, and I was barely able to get a taste of it before it was washed away in a torrent of embarrassment. The taste of that emotion was still fresh on my tongue, even after all the food I ate shortly afterward. It tasted fresh, pure, untainted, and most of all, familiar.

But there was no way. There was no way Trixie could have given off that emotion, and there was definitely no way that she and Adrian were giving it off the other night when we… Ugh! I don’t even want to think about that! The fact that I had gone so low that I had to ask for sex from those two still irritated me!

There had to be some other way of explaining it. Maybe there was some other kind of love that I’ve never encountered before, one that was near identical to romantic love, but that taste… that taste was unmistakable…

No! I refuse to believe it. They couldn’t possibly feel that way. Not about me.

“Chrysalis?”

I looked up. “Hm?”

Fleur was standing in front of me, reaching into her bag for something. “I have a card from my agency that I want to give you in case you ever want to contact them. It’s up to you, but if you ask me, I’d say that you have a good chance at being signed. You’ve already got some professional experience under your belt.” She finally found the card and handed it over to me. “Besides, I don’t think it’d hurt to at least try. The worst they could do is say ‘no’.”

I stared at the piece of paper in her hand, wondering if I should take it, but I eventually let out a long sigh and accepted it. “I’ll think about it,” I told her. “Thanks, Fleur. It’s nice to run into a pony that wasn’t scared to death of me. I really needed that.”

“No problem. I’ll see you guys around,” she smiled as she walked off, “and I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night, Trixie!”

We all waved goodbye and watched as Fleur walked away, going about her business.

“Cel and Roxy are never gonna believe this…” Adrian sighed.

I looked again at the card Fleur gave me, contemplating whether or not I should schedule an audition. I was happy with where I was at; being an art school model paid well enough, and I was by no means in a financial crisis, but I had to admit that the idea of going further was rather enticing, to say the least.

“Maybe I should ask Cross Hatch what he thinks about this,” I thought. “I wonder if he feels the same way about my chances as Fleur does.”

“Well, we could walk around some more, but I think this was enough excitement for one afternoon,” Trixie said. “Besides, I want to get enough rest before my show tonight.”

We all nodded in agreement and headed back to the apartment. As we all settled in, Adrian informed me and Trixie about our first recording session.

“Roxy, Cel, and I have a studio booked for Tuesday and Thursday at five PM. Is that cool with you guys?”

Trixie and I nodded in confirmation.

Rusty hopped to Adrian’s room to take a nap, and with him gone, I began to wonder if I should address what I felt during my session with Adrian and Trixie. Was it a good idea? What would happen if I brought it up? How would they react?

“Adrian… Chrysalis…”

I looked over at Trixie, who was leaning on the back of the couch, arms folded. “I just want to say, while the way you two fawned over Fleur was annoying, this afternoon was… kinda fun.”

Adrian rubbed his arm uncomfortably. “Yeah, it kinda was. I mean, it’s not every day you run into a celebrity like that. It’s even rarer for them to invite you to lunch. I don’t think I’d mind doing this again.”

I sighed. “We did have a good time, didn’t we. I guess living with you two isn’t that miserable. I mean, you’re both idiots, but I respectfully tolerate you guys.”

“I guess that’s a good way to put it,” the human concurred.

“The feeling’s mutual,” Trixie smirked, then she began to walk to her room. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need some rest. I’ve got a big show tonight!”

As she shut her bedroom door behind her, Adrian looked over at me and asked. “Wanna settle that debate on who’s the biggest ENTM bitch?”

“…Sure.”

XIII - Thou Shalt Not Miss Thy Neighbor

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Trixie

I took a deep breath as I sat in my dressing room chair, looking at my reflection in the mirror. As usual, I looked gorgeous in my costume, and it was only a matter of time before I graced the stage and attended to my adoring fans. My new routine was planned out and I had practiced it as much as I could in preparation for this premiere. Even as I sat there, mere minutes before showtime, the entire routine played through my head as I went over every last detail. I had to wow every single attendee that was here; it was my duty as a showmar-

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Who is it?” I answered.

“It’s Babs!” I heard from outside.

“Just a second!” I hopped out of my chair and walked over to my door, letting the filly in.

“Hey, Trixie!” she said as she gave me a big hug.

“Hello, Babs. Are you ready for the show?”

“I’m more than ready! I can’t wait to show ‘em what we got! Sunflower got me this cool outfit, too!” She let go of me for a moment to show off her ensemble, a white shirt with a burgundy jacket over it and matching pants, and a gold eye mask with a matching cape on her back. “Whaddaya think? Cool, right?”

I chuckled. “Very.” Babs’s excitement felt like a breath of fresh air to me, her eagerness to go onstage and impress the crowd making me less anxious, which I really needed. “It’s good to see that you aren’t nervous.”

Oddly enough, the filly shook her head. “Nah. I’m nervous, alright, but it’s the good kind o’ nervous, y’know what I mean?”

“I know it all too well,” I smiled, “I’d muss up your mane a little, but we don’t have time to fix it back.”

We both had a little laugh at that, and I looked down at Babs with a sense of pride. Even if magic didn’t end up being her special talent, I still felt happy that she was so enthusiastic to share in something that I was so passionate about.

“Five minutes to showtime, ladies!” the stage manager called out. “We got a full house tonight!”

“Here we go, Trixie,” said Babs. “You ready?”

“Ha!” I scoffed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is always ready!”

My little assistant giggled as we walked out of the dressing room. “Just checkin’”

We made our way to the right wing of the stage, the sounds of the audience getting seated filling our ears. I felt a wave of ease wash over me as I heard the ambience of pre-show chatter coming from the house. I could only imagine what their expectations were. Were they returning fans? Newcomers? Locals? Tourists?

Well, whoever they were, and whatever they’re expecting, those expectations are going to be blown out of the water.

Still, I felt that there was something missing for some reason. Like the stage manager said, there was a full house tonight, so what more could I possibly ask for? I’m making major bank tonight, and I’ve got one of my closest friends by my side, so why do I feel-

“Ladies, gentlemen, mares, and gentlecolts, prepare to feast your eyes on the one, the only, the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

I shook my head. This was no time to get distracted. I needed to be on top of my game, and there was no room for error here. I cast a quick smoke spell on the stage, moving in under its thick cover while Babs stayed behind and waited for her cue to join me. As the smoke thinned, I strutted to the front of the stage, lighting up my horn and blowing the smoke away.

My smile grew bigger as I took in the audience’s cheers and applause. “Welcome! Welcome! Trixie assumes you’re all here for a show, huh?” They roared in response, and let out a hearty laugh. “Wow, looks like The Great and Powerful Trixie has a lot of guests to entertain. How could she possibly do that all by herself?” I tapped my hoof in fake thought for a moment. “Looks like Trixie is going to need a little assistance.”

I glanced offstage at Babs, who nodded at me once we made eye contact, giving me a thumbs-up as a signal that she was ready. I lit up my horn once more and enveloped her in a magical aura.

“Luckily, I have somepony that’ll help me put on the best show for you all, so if you’d please, please give a warm welcome to my assistant, Babs the Brilliant!” My horn sparked and the filly appeared beside me, and she was greeted with praise from the house. “Now that you’re here, Babs, why don’t you help me out with my first trick?”

“Sure, Trixie!” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Great! Now, stand perfectly still.”

Babs nodded as I focused my eyes on her, using my magic to suspend her in the air. With her floating freely above the stage floor, I cast another spell to trap her in a bubble. “How does it feel in there?” I asked.

“Pretty cool,” she said, still floating inside the bubble. “I bet ya can’t lift me, though!”

I smirked as I walked over to her. “Oh really? Is that so?” I grabbed the bubble, and lifted it with ease, the spell making her light as a feather. “It’s a good thing you didn’t put bits on that bet!” The bubble spun and spun on my finger, and Babs struck a few poses as everyone oohed and aahed at the spectacle.

“Why should you have all the fun, though?” she asked. “I’m sure these folks would like to give it a try, too.”

“You know what? You’re right.” I grabbed the bubble with both hands and tossed it out to the audience, and they all stood up and bounced Babs around while the spell kept her in the bubble’s center.

I couldn’t have the filly getting hurt.

“Don’t leave me out,” I said as I surrounded myself in my own bubble and launched myself towards the crowd. I reveled in their joy as they bounced Babs and me around, and eventually, our two bubbles headed towards each other.

Just as I planned.

We nodded at each other as our bubbles came closer to colliding, and once they met, they fused into one big bubble as Babs and I caught each other, dancing in suspended motion while the crowd continued to bounce us around. Eventually, we headed back to the stage, and I popped the bubble once we were safely on the floor.

The audience roared with applause as Babs and I bowed for them. “Looks like they really liked that one, Trixie!” Babs smiled.

I flipped my mane and laughed. “Ha! If they liked that, then they’re going to love what we have planned for them next!”

As the show continued, Babs and I garnered more and more cheers, but while it did feel great to bask in their admiration, their growing excitement only made me more nervous about the finale, not because I was afraid of disappointing my fans, but because I didn’t want to mess up the spell and injure myself.

“Alright, everyone! The Great and Powerful Trixie apologizes for having to bring this magnificent show to a close, but all good things must come to an end.”

“Hang on, Trix!” Babs interjected. “I’m sure there’s one more trick you can show ‘em before we let ‘em go. You wanna end this off with a bang, dont’cha?”

“I don’t know…” I said with false uncertainty. “Trixie doesn’t think they’re ready for something so spectacular.”

“Well, I think they are!” The filly then looked out at the audience. “Whaddaya think, guys? Ya think you can handle what Trixie’s got for ya!”

Our fans responded loudly, whistling and stomping as they demanded for a worthwhile finale.

“Trixie can’t hear you~” I sang, only for the crowd to double their efforts in coercing me.

“Sounds like they’re ready to me,” Babs nodded.

I shrugged. “Well, since they were so insistent….” My horn lit up as I closed my eyes and concentrated as much magic as I could into this next spell. After a few moments, I felt a tingle on my back, and judging from the sounds of awe I was hearing, the spell must have been working. Before long, I had sprouted two large, beautiful butterfly wings on my back, and I spun around and struck a few poses so everyone could take in their beauty. It was a simple spell, really.

Well, simple for a unicorn at my level.

I looked up to the theater’s roof, where most of the lights were hanging. “Okay, so the wings are sensitive to intense light,” I thought. “All the necessary precautions have been taken. The stage crew is using their low-intensity spotlights, and I’ll still try not to fly in front of them, just to be safe. Everything is gonna go wrong.”

What? I’m a stage pony. We’re superstitious like that.

My new appendages fluttered as I began to hover off the floor, and I soon took flight into the house and gracefully soared over my admirers, their awestruck and dumbfounded gasps helping to boost my ego. I was careful to not fly directly in front any of the lights, lest my wings evaporate.

As much as I enjoyed the attention, I wasn’t about to be distracted by it.

After about a minute, I flew back to the stage, where Babs was waiting for me, and for my big finish, I lifted her up into the air, carrying her bridal style and hovering a few feet over the stage. “Thank you, one and all!” I said as we both bowed our heads.

“We hope you enjoyed the show!” my assistant said as she waved goodbye to the audience before I flew backstage, landing safely on the ground.

“You hear that, Babs?” I asked. “That’s the sound of a show well done.”

“That was amazin’!” the filly yelled in a burst of excitement. “I can’t wait for tomorrow night!”

I smiled and ruffled her hair. “It’s good to know that you’re already ready for the next show. I couldn’t have done it without you, Babs.”

“Don’t mention it, Trix. Don’t forget, you’re like a sister,”

“From another mister.” I finished, letting out a long sigh.

Babs tilted her head and looked at me, ears laid back in concern. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” I answered, shaking my head. “Just a little tired, is all.”

“If you say so…” she said, not seeming very convinced.

We then heard someone clear their throat, and we turned to see the stage manager approaching us. “Miss Seed?”

“Yeah?” Babs answered.

“Your sister’s here to see you, she’s waiting for you at your dressing room.”

“Really? Sweet!” She turned back to me. “I’ll catch ya later, Trix!”

“Sure,” I nodded. “Thanks again, Babs.” I watched as she went off to see her sister, who more than likely wanted to congratulate her on the amazing job she did.

“Well, that’s one more show in the bag,” I said to myself as the stage manager left. “If I keep getting full houses like this, I’ll be out of the apartment in no time.”

Funny. That notion should make me feel a lot happier, but to be honest, it didn’t, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. The whole reason why I put so much work into this new routine was so that I could get out of that place as soon as possible, and judging from tonight’s turnout, I was well on my way to achieving that goal.

So why am I not more excited about that?

I pondered the thought as I made my way back to my dressing room, but then a sudden whistle made my ears perk up. “Hey, Trixie,” a voice said, and I turned around in disbelief of how familiar it sounded. Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed, and my eyes widened when I saw who was approaching me.

“Adrian? Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis

“Surprised to see us?” I chuckled.

“W-What are you two doing here?” the unicorn asked, her cheeks a rosy shade of pink as she turned away.

“Well, Chrysalis and I settled our little debate and we had nothing better to do,” Adrian explained.

I snickered. “I told you Steel Heart was the bigger bitch.”

“Can we not do that now?” He said with an annoyed glare before turning back to Trixie. “Anyway, we figured it wouldn’t hurt to help you get the bits you needed, so we decided to come to tonight’s show.”

Trixie turned up her nose in an attempt to hide the embarrassment that was practically leaking off of her. “Well, that explains why you came to the show, but how did security let you backstage?”

“One look at the changeling queen and they let us in without any questions- OW!”

“Former changeling queen,” I corrected as I let go of the human’s arm.

“Jeez, did you really have to pinch me for that?”

“So let me guess,” said Trixie. “You’re here to make fun of me again, aren’t you?”

Adrian shook his head. “Nah. As much as we’d hate to admit it, you put on a really good show. I didn’t think that non-winged ponies could use magic to grow wings. I guess there’s a spell for everything.”

“And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was nice of you to share the spotlight with that little filly. I thought you’d hog it all to yourself, but you two worked really well together.”

Trixie’s embarrassment began to simmer down as she looked at us with a surprised look on her face. “Really?”

“Really,” said Adrian. “Hell, maybe we’ll come again one of these days.”

Trixie smiled and walked up to us, my nostrils twitching as I caught a whiff of the emotions she was radiating.

“Hm… gratitude… pride, of course… a tiny hint of uncertainty, and- What the-”

I looked down and saw Trixie wrapping Adrian and me in a tight hug, and uncomfortable shiver running up my body as I was pressed against my roommates’ bodies, feeling Trixie’s warm, soft coat against my exposed arms.

“Thanks,” she told us. “I’d like that a lot.”

Adrian and I looked at each other in a mix of confusion, discomfort, and slight panic. “Um… Trixie?” the human asked, only to be met with a content hum from the mare.

My nostrils twitched once more as that Trixie’s emotions were practically shoved in my face thanks to how close she was to me. Making the most of it, I helped myself to some of her more positive feelings…

Until that taste hit me again.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” I blurted out as a squirmed out of Trixie’s forced embrace. “I may not hate you anymore, but I still have boundaries.”

She blinked. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s fine, just… Let’s just not ever speak of this again, okay?” I asked.

“No argument here.” Adrian agreed.

“Right…” Trixie nodded. “So… since we’re all here, wanna just share a cab home?”

I looked away with my arms crossed and my mane obscuring part of my face. “Yeah, whatever.”

I sat alone in the coffee shop, my mind wandering as I waited for my order. I kept fiddling with the business card Fleur gave me, twirling it around in my hands as I occasionally looked at the number and address printed on it. Was it really worth it to try my hand at an audition with this agency? I know Fleur said that the high fashion world loved looks that were different, but were they ready for somepony as different as me?

“Um… Chrysalis?”

I looked up and saw one of the employees with my drink in hand, and I took the cup from her with my magic, not even bothering to get up. With false hope, I glanced at the side of the cup, wondering if they spelled my name right this time.

The cup read “Crisalless.”

I shook my head. “I swear, it’s like they’re not even trying.”

“Pshh. You should see how badly they butcher my name sometimes.”

My ears perked up as I heard Cross Hatch’s voice, and I turned around and gave him a smile. “Hey, Cross. I didn’t see you at work today.”

“All the department chairs were in an all-day meeting,” he sighed. “Honestly, there is nothing I find more dull than that. On the bright side, you’re looking gorgeous. Looks like that time off did wonders for you.”

“Heh, you have no idea,” I said, twirling some of my mane with my finger. “So, you came to grab a quick after-work coffee, too?”

“Of course. After what I’ve been through, I’m going to need the strongest drink they’ve got,” he chuckled.

“Yeah… right…”

“Something wrong, Chryssie?”

“I’m fine,” I half-lied. “I just have a lot of things on my mind, right now.”

My boss sighed as he took a seat. “Okay, tell Papa Hatch all about it.”

“You do know I’m older than you right?” I smirked. “Like, way older.”

“Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Well, I ran into Fleur de Lis a few days ago, and when I told her about my job, she recommended that I do an audition at one of the high-fashion agencies here in Manehattan, the same one that signed her, but I’m not sure if I want to go through with it.”

“Really? I haven’t talked to Fleur in a while. How was she?”

I gave him an unamused look. “Cross…”

“Sorry, sorry. Not important. So, you don’t know whether or not you want to give this opportunity a shot.”

“Pretty much,” I nodded. “What if they don’t give me a chance because of… you know…”

“Well, you won’t find out if you don’t even try, Chryssie. This is a great opportunity!”

I sighed. “I know, I know, but they could easily turn my away, and if they did, this place must see about a thousand models a day, what chance do I have of-”

“Look, Chrysalis, I don’t think you realize how big of a deal this is,” Cross interrupted. “You didn’t get a card from just any agency. You got a card from ElitEquestria. They only give their top models cards to hand out to those who they think have the right stuff. The fact that you’re holding that card right now is proof of how much of a chance you have.”

I looked down at the card, still feeling a little unsure. “I dunno… You really think I have that big a chance?”

“I know you do,” he said without a moment of hesitation. “Besides, the worst they can do is say no.”

“Hm… Fleur said the same thing,” I thought.

“It won’t hurt to try, Chryssie,” the unicorn said with a calming smile. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Sure,” I nodded as Cross Hatch got up and walked to the end of the waiting line. I got up as well, taking my drink with me as I left the shop and headed back home.

It was a ten minute walk back to the apartment, and I had downed three quarters of my drink by the time I made it to the door. I was greeted with a half-hearted “Hey” from Adrian as I entered, and I walked over to my room with Cross Hatch’s words still fresh in my mind.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he and Fleur were both right; the worst they could do was say no.

I set my cup down on my desk and took out my phone, dialing the number that was on the card. I nervously held my breath as the phone rung, my heart beating faster with each passing second, until suddenly, there was an answer.

“ElitEquestria Model Management, how may I help you?”

I silently inhaled before I spoke. “Yes, I received a card from one of your models, and I was hoping to schedule an audition…”

XIV - Thou Shalt Not Fear Rejection

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Adrian

I sat at the dining table as I mindlessly surfed the internet, trying to kill time as Chrysalis and I waited for Trixie to get ready.

“Every time we have to go out,” said the changeling. “Every. Fucking. Time.”

“Well, like I said, the water bill’s all hers,” I shrugged.

“True… Doesn’t make it any less annoying though, considering we still have to wait on her.”

“Uh-huh…” I said blankly as I kept browsing, until a particular article caught my attention. “Hey, Chrysalis, c’mere.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “I swear, if it’s one of those stupid cat videos, I’ll-”

“No, it’s not that. They posted a preview for tonight’s ENTM.”

She suddenly dropped everything she was doing and rushed to my side, pulling up a chair. “Play it.”

I clicked the video and the first thing we saw was the remaining mares in the competition being visited by Prim Hemline.

“So, how are we all doing?” she asked.

“Good,” the mares answered.

“Now, I know that the competition has been pretty tough for all of you, especially last week, but there are six of you left now, and from here on, it’s only going to get tougher. The judges and I are going to be a lot harsher on you, and it’s up to you to take your talents to the next level. So, I’m going to need you all to pack your bags, ‘cause you’re going to-”

“Catch an all-new episode of Equestria’s Next Top Model! Tonight at 9PM Eastern, only on Starshine Network!”

“Aw, come on!” Chrysalis complained. “I hate when they do that!”

“That’s previews, for ya,” I said. “They always stop right before they say something good. Well, wherever they go, we’ll find out tonight. I was wondering when they’d go abroad this season.”’

Chrysalis scoffed. “Fuck this season. I’m waiting for next season. I almost wish Fleur hadn’t told us that she was coming back to the show. Now we have to wait for this season to end, then they have to film the next season, then we have to wait for it to air, which probably won’t be until the end of the year. It’s torture!”

“Seriously…”

“I’m ready!” Trixie announced as she finally walked into the living room, with Rusty following close behind.

“About time,” I muttered under my breath as I shut my laptop and put it in my backpack. “Hop in, Rusty.”

“So what is this recording session going to be like?” Trixie asked.

“Well, we have the studio for about three hours tonight, so we’re just gonna have you read a few lines and we’ll see which characters suit you best, then we’ll record some scenes if we have the time,” I explained I zipped up my bag and slung it over my back with my pet in tow.

“Well, this is an excellent opportunity to flex my acting chops,” the unicorn boasted.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Pfft. You can’t flex what you don’t have.”

“And you’re any better?”

“Honey, my acting skills have destroyed kingdoms. They’re leagues better than yours.”

“Can we continue this riveting conversation after we leave?” I asked, unlocking the door and walking out.

Chrysalis

“Fuck, it’s hot,” I panted as I tied my hair up in a bun. “You could cook eggs on the sidewalk in this heat.”

“Oh, quit exaggerating, Bughorse,” Rusty said, his head poking out of Adrian’s backpack. “It’s not that hot.”

“You really think I’m exaggerating?” I asked, pointing across the street.

He looked in the direction I was pointing and saw two foals on the sidewalk with two eggs frying on the hot concrete.

“You think they’re ready yet?” one asked.

The other shook her head. “Nah, give ‘em another minute or two.”

“Okay, fine. Maybe it is a little sweltery,” the jackalope conceded. “I’m just surprised Miss Magic isn’t complaining, considering how much body heat she retains.”

“Hey!” Trixie shouted.

“Lay off, Rusty,” Adrian scolded. “The fat jokes are getting a little old.”

“Besides, she isn’t that big anyway,” I added, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trixie blush.

“Okay, what the hell is going on with you three?” Rusty asked.

“What?” we asked back.

“What do you mean ‘what’? The three of you have been really chummy the last couple of days, and it’s freaking me out! How are you guys suddenly friends!?”

“Ugh! Friends?” Trixie gagged. “We may be a little nicer to each other, but we’re anything but friends.”

“We just decided not to be at each other’s throats anymore,” I explained.

“It became really tiring,” Adrian added. “It was different when we were neighbors and only saw each other occasionally, but when you’re living together, that shit just gets exhausting.”

“Uh-huh,” Rusty said, skepticism still radiating from him. “Something’s going on, and I’m gonna find out what.”

I chuckled. “Some of Mr. Saddleton’s crazy must’ve rubbed off on you.”

We all had a good laugh at that, except for Rusty, who furrowed his brow in frustration, “Fuck all of you.”

We eventually made it to the studio and headed upstairs to the recording stations, where Adrian’s friends were waiting for us. Unsurprisingly, I was hit with a wave of fear as we entered the room, with a little bit of surprise mixed in.

“Uh… Adrian, I know you said that you had two actresses in mind, but I didn’t think you meant these two,” the pegasus said.

“Is there a problem?” I hissed.

The diamond dog quickly covered her friend’s mouth. “Nope, no problem. No problem at all. Nice to have you here, Queen Chrysalis.”

Adrian cleared his throat and shook his head. “Ix-nay on the een-quay,” he mumbled to her.

“Uh-I mean, Chrysalis,” she corrected.

“Hmph. Likewise,” I said with a disinterested look.

“So, no one is gonna introduce me?” Trixie asked.

Adrian groaned and rubbed his temples. “Guys, you know Trixie. Trixie, these are my friends, Cel Shade and Roxy. So, now that introductions are out of the way, let’s get started.”

“What do you mean it’s my fault? I’m not the one that released a deadly virus into the network! That was all you!”

I recited my lines as I read them on the paper, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Trixie and I had been at this for about an hour, taking turns with each female role as Adrian and his friends commented on our performances. Trixie and I couldn’t hear their comments from inside the recording booth, but I watched their lips closely as they conferred.

“That was pretty good, but I’m wondering how it’ll sound if she was more aggressive and less snarky,” Cel Shade said.

Adrian nodded in agreement, and then he held his finger on one of the many buttons on the soundboard. “Okay, Chrysalis, could you read that last line with a more aggressive, accusatory tone?” he spoke into a small microphone.

“Sure,” I answered, taking a deep breath and channeling my inner aggression. “What? What do you mean it’s my fault!? You’re the one that released a deadly virus into the network! That was all you!”

My three listeners looked at each other and smiled, collectively nodding in approval. Adrian pressed the button again and looked up at me. “That was really good. Nice work, Chrys.”

I blinked at the name he called me by. “Chrys?” I thought. “Where does he get off calling me that? Although, that compliment did feel nice… I’ll just let it slide for now, I guess.”

Adrian looked down at Rusty, who was giving him a suspicious glare. “What?” his lips said.

“Nothing,” Rusty replied with a passive aggressive look.

I heard snickering from beside me, and I looked to my left and saw Trixie having a little laugh. “What’s so funny?” I whispered threateningly.

The unicorn tapped her cheek a few times.

“Is there spit on my face?” I wondered with a raised eyebrow as I placed a hand on my cheek, and my eyes widened as I felt how warm it was. The mirth emanating from Trixie became all the more apparent at that moment once I realized the cause of it, and I tried my best to shake it off and keep my head focused on the task at hand.

I leaned into the microphone. “So, do I keep going from where I left off?”

Adrian shook his head and pressed the button once more. “Nah, you’re good, just give us a few minutes.” He turned and started conferring with his friends, and as I read their conversation, my mind began to wander a bit.

Now that I had given it some thought, I realized this was the first time I’ve ever seen Adrian at work. I mean, I knew what his job was, but unlike Trixie, I never had the opportunity to actually see him on the job. I silently watched him and his co-workers, and as they talked, I could sense the waves of excited anticipation they were giving off, even from behind the thick glass window.

“This is going great!” said Roxy. “At this rate, we’ll be done with the recording in no time!”

“I can’t wait to see the look on Mr. Render’s face when we show ‘im this bad boy!” Cel Shade grinned. “This is definitely gonna top Gem Quest!”

“Yeah, but I’m a little worried…” Adrian admitted, and as he did, I sensed a small current of insecurity and uncertainty. “Who knows how many shows Mr. Render has seen and turned down? He’s set a really high standard for us, so I can’t help but feel a little nervous.”

I blinked. I never thought of how much Adrian had riding on this, and what kind of people or ponies he’d have to impress. Even if he put all he had into this project, it was all up to one executive to decide whether he succeeded or failed.

Just like me and my audition.

It was at that point that, for the first time, I actually felt sorry for Adrian. This was more than just a hobby to him; it was a passion, something that he poured his heart and soul into, and he didn’t want the hard work that he put towards this go to waste.

But then, to my surprise, I saw him crack a smile.

“It’s the good kind of nervous, though,” he said. “Yeah, Mr. Render may hold us to a higher standard because of how highly he thinks of us, but it only makes me want to try harder to impress him.”

My eyes widened in surprise. From my experience with others, I’d expect him to want to give up. I’ve seen stronger guys crack under the pressure to perform, but Adrian was turning that nervousness into something positive, and it baffled me that he was able to do that knowing how much pressure he was under.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Trixie asked.

“…I don’t know,” I lied.

Trixie

“Thanks again for helping me out with this pilot, guys,” Adrian said as we walked into the apartment. “You saved me a lot of trouble.”

“Eh, don’t mention it,” Chrysalis said with a dismissive wave. “It was kinda fun. I’m actually looking forward to the next session.”

“I’ll admit, I did enjoy lending my beautiful voice to the production,” I added, and then I heard a weird noise that sounded like a mix between a chuckle and a snort. I looked over at Adrian’s backpack with narrowed eyes. “What’s so funny, rat?” I asked.

“’Your beautiful voice?’ Seriously, Trixie, get over yourself!” he replied.

“Well, it was good enough to get the job done,” his owner said as he set the backpack down and the floor and unzipped it, letting the jackalope out, “and that’s all I needed.”

“Hmph. Why, thank you, Adrian. It’s nice to know that someone appreciated my efforts,” I smiled, flipping my mane nonchalantly. “So, the next session is Thursday afternoon, right?”

“Yep. We should be able to get all your lines done by the end of the week,”

“-and once that’s taken care of, the Favor Chart will be cleared.” Rusty finished.

“You know, to be honest,” Adrian shrugged, “I kinda forgot about that thing.”

“You aren’t the only one,” I commented.

Chrysalis nodded. “Yeah, we all have more important things to worry about than keeping track of favors.”

We all murmured in agreement, and then a dead silence fell over the room. I noticed Rusty shifting his gaze between Adrian, Chrysalis, and me before letting out a yawn. “Well, I dunno about you guys, but I’m beat. I think I’ll turn in for the night.”

“Yeah, sure,” Adrian said absentmindedly as his pet hopped away, his absence not helping to break the awkward tension.

“Hey…” Chrysalis suddenly spoke up. My ears perked up as I looked over towards the changeling, who was slouching on the couch, looking up at the ceiling fan as it spun. “I’m about to ask you both something, and… just promise me you won’t laugh, okay?”

Adrian and I looked at each other in concern, wondering what Chrysalis wanted to ask us. “Okay,” we agreed.

She sat up and let out a long sigh before finally looking at us. “Do you guys think that I could go further with this whole modelling thing?”

“You mean, like magazines and stuff?” I asked.

She nodded.

“I think you have a pretty good chance at that,” Adrian said bluntly. “I mean, you can practically be any mare they want, and they’d always be satisfied.”

Chrysalis shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I know I can be whatever they want me to be. Hell, I’ve been doing that at my current job for the past year. I was talking about actually modelling as, you know… myself.”

Adrian struggled to form words after that. “Oh, well… Oh…”

“Not as easy of a question now, is it?”

At that moment, my mind went back to something Chrysalis said to me the morning after I had sex with her and Adrian:

“Just know that there are some mares out there that are more insecure about their bodies than you are about yours.”

Was this what she meant? Was she really talking about herself back then? I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of Chrysalis being insecure about, well, anything.

“How did this even come about, though?” I asked. “What got you thinking about your modelling career all of a sudden?”

“Remember when we ran into Fleur last weekend?”

I nodded.

“Well, she thought that I’d be great for high fashion, and she referred me to her agency, which is apparently a big deal, and I set up an appointment to meet with them this Saturday, but I’m not sure what they’ll think when they see me. I mean, Fleur did say that high fashion agencies loved unusual looks, but… I don’t know if they’d like something this unusual.”

“You don’t want them to assume the worst from you because of your looks,” Adrian surmised.

“Well, what’s there to be worried about?” I asked. “If you have experience, and you were referred to them by a famous model, then why is there any doubt?”

“I know, but... I’m not used to being in this kind of situation,” Chrysalis explained.

Adrian raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she was getting at. “Meaning?”

“Just… try to look at it from my point of view. Everything I’ve ever had was even given to me or taken by me. I’ve almost never had to ask anyone for anything, and I’ve never had to deal with rejection. It’s a really uncomfortable position for me to be in, knowing that my future depends on the decision of one pony. Having to ask you two for that favor was one thing, but I haven’t felt this nervous since…” she trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

“Since when?” I asked, letting out an annoyed grunt.

“Let’s just drop it Trixie,” Adrian sighed. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then she doesn’t want to t-”

“Since I asked Celestia to grant me citizenship,” she finally said, and another awkward silence fell over the room. Adrian and I both knew that Chrysalis’s past was not something that she liked to talk about, and we were taken aback by the fact that she brought it up herself.

She took a deep breath before continuing. “I just… I just hate having to leave my future up to someone else. It makes me feel like… like I’m not in control.” Her volume dropped to a barely audible whisper. “I don’t like feeling like that.”

There was yet another long pause before Adrian spoke up. “Well, Chrysalis, I can understand how you feel. Look at me, my entire livelihood depends on whether or not my boss likes my ideas, so I’m almost in the same boat.”

“You don’t seem too bothered by it, though,” she sighed. “I don’t see how you can deal with it.”

“Well, it’s true that there’s a lot of pressure when someone has that much influence on your career, but I’m never gonna find out how well I could do if I don’t try.”

“Yeah, but what happens if your boss says ‘no’? Wouldn’t that bother you at all?”

“Of course it would,” he replied. “Anyone would be bothered by it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. At least I know that I tried.”

“Besides, think of it this way,” I added. “You gave them your name when you made the appointment, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, by now they probably already know who you are, and you still have the appointment, so you probably have a better chance than you think you do.”

She stopped to think for a second, and then she looked at us with a smile. “Heh, I guess you’re right… I guess you guys are good for more than just a quick lay.”

“AHA!”

All of a sudden, Rusty hopped out of the hallway and pointed an accusing finger at all three of us. “I knew it! I fucking KNEW IT! I knew you something went down between you three!”

“Shit…” Chrysalis muttered.

“What the fuck, Adrian?” the rodent asked. “What the actual FUCK!? You smashed Chrysalis and Trixie? What happened to your self-respect, man!?”

“You were interrupting a really heartfelt moment, Rusty,” Adrian said.

“Fuck your heartfelt moment!”

The human rubbed his temples. “Ugh, you wanna talk about this in our room?”

“Fine, but we got a lot to talk about!”

Adrian rolled his eyes and picked up his pet, taking him back to their room. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“I guess I’ll turn in, too,” I said, letting out a yawn as I followed Adrian down the hallway before heading to my room. “Jeez, that rat is something else…”

I undressed myself and pulled an oversized T-shirt out of my drawer, the garment going down to just above my knees when I put it on. Before I got into bed, I took one last glance at a large jar sitting on my nightstand. It was about halfway filled with bits and had a label reading “New Apartment: Jar #3”.

“I’m so close…” I thought. As Fleur promised, she did show up at Sunday’s show which also sold out, and thanks to her endorsement, I could expect a few more sold out shows.

So why was I not more excited about that?

This is what I’ve been working for since the fire, and this boost in sales was going to get me towards that goal faster than ever, but for some reason, that wasn’t making me feel as good as I thought it would.

“What is wrong with you Trixie?” I scolded myself. “You’ll finally be able to get out of here and have your own place again. This was the plan from the beginning. This was what you wanted!”

And yet, the thought of leaving actually made me feel… bad.

I thought about what my new apartment would be like, and how quiet it would be living by myself. In the time that I’ve been here, I’ve gotten so used to having someone to talk to. Sure, most of the conversations weren’t very pleasant, but they were conversations nonetheless. Say what you want, but you couldn’t say this place wasn’t lively.

Adrian and Chrysalis were, admittedly, growing on me, too. They definitely weren’t as bad as I thought they were, and they even started being more considerate when it came to their remarks about me. While it was a little mean of them to focus all their attention on Fleur when we went out last Saturday, they did come to see me at my show that night and supported me… Agh! What am I saying!?

There’s no way… Do I actually like living here?

XV - Thou Shalt Not Open Old Wounds

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Adrian

“What the fuck were you thinking!?”

I rolled my eyes as Rusty yelled at me, throwing a fit over the fact that I slept with my roommates. I looked down at him as he punched me repeatedly in the leg, trying his hardest to hurt me, but with little luck.

“Will you relax?” I asked, picking him up by the antlers, only for him to swing a kick at me. “Agh! What the hell, man!?”

“Hold still, dammit!” he said. “I can’t kick you if you move your head!”

I rolled my eyes as I dropped him on the bed. “I really don’t see what the big deal is,” I told him as I dug through one of my bedroom drawers.

“You don’t see what the… DUDE! Do I have to spell it out for you!? It’s Trixie and Chrysalis! Remember? The same Trixie and Chrysalis who used to live upstairs and bugged the shit out of us? The same Trixie and Chrysalis that blackmailed us into letting them move in? The same Trixie and Chrysalis that you’ve been butting heads with for the last year? Ring a bell!?”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” I asked, taking out a pair of flannel pants and putting them on.

“Last time I checked, no one goes from hating each other to fucking each other in less than two weeks!” he snapped.

“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

“Alright, then. Explain it to me. I got time.”

I groaned and walked over to the bed, taking a seat next to Rusty. “Remember how much Chrysalis was complaining about how she couldn’t get any love?”

He nodded. “Yeah…”

“Well, it was getting to the point where it started to affect her health. Did you notice how grey her hair was getting and the wrinkles she was getting on her face?”

“I try not to look at her more often than I have to.”

I shook my head. “By then she didn’t have enough magic to disguise herself and try again for another victim, so she asked me and Trixie to help her out.”

“And you just said ‘yes’?”

“What was I supposed to do!?” I snapped, glaring angrily at Rusty as I gritted my teeth. “I may not have liked her, but I wasn’t gonna let her die!” He flinched at my sudden outburst, falling back onto the bed in shock. I felt a tinge of guilt when I saw that scared look in his eyes, even if it lasted for just a second. “Sorry…”

Rusty shook his head. “No, don’t be. I was being a dick.” He sighed. “I dunno, the idea was just… a lot to take in, but I didn’t even think about how you felt. From what you just said, it seemed like you didn’t really have a choice. Jeez, it probably wasn’t very fun, either. Chrysalis’s snatch probably had teeth on the inside, or something.”

I chuckled. “Well, if it did, I didn’t feel any. Honestly, they aren’t that bad.”

The jackalope opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself and thought about it for a second. “Um… were you talking about them in bed or… just them in general?”

“Well… both, actually,” I admitted. “Trixie’s really sensitive under all that bravado, and Chrysalis isn’t as cold as she lets on. They both had their own problems that I could kinda identify with, and we all realized that going at each other’s throats all the time wasn’t really worth it.”

“So… you’re friends now?”

I lied back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know what we are. I know I don’t hate them anymore, and we are getting along for the most part, but there are times where I feel… really weird around them. I don’t know if it’s the good kind of weird or the bad kind. It’s all really confusing.”

Rusty looked back at me, unsure of what to say, but then he gave me a smile and hopped over to the side of my head. “Well, however you feel, it’s only right that I try and be a little nicer to them, too.”

I smiled back at him and patted his head. “Thanks, buddy. That means a lot.”

“Hey, don’t mention it. As long as I’m your best friend, we’re all good.”

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

I sat up and looked at my bedroom door. “It’s open,” I called.

The door opened and Chrysalis stood outside, leaning against the door frame. “Hey, ENTM is about to start,” she told us. “You guys gonna watch?”

I shot out of my bed and onto my feet. “Oh, shit! I totally forgot about that!”

“Well, we better hurry. It’s eight-fifty-eight,” she said, and the three of us headed to the living room and switched the channel over to Starshine Network.

A FEW MINUTES EARLIER

Chrysalis

I sat in front of the TV, looking through the channel listings to see what was on, and so far, my search wasn’t going too well.

“Boring, shit, stupid, boring, boring, shit…” I droned as I went down the list. “Unbelievable. Over six-hundred channels and not a fucking thing to-”

I stopped the cursor at Starshine Network, where they were showing last week’s episode of ENTM. “Wait… today’s Tuesday, isn’t it? What time is it?” I thought as I glanced at the TV’s clock.

Eight-fifty-six.

“The new episode was going to start any minute. Adrian might want to watch, too, assuming he’s done getting yelled at by that rat.” I giggled at the thought at the little mutant chewing out his owner as I made my way to their room, but before I knocked on the door, my ears twitched as I caught a bit of their conversation.

“Honestly, they aren’t that bad,” I heard Adrian say.

“They? Who? Me and Trixie?” I pressed my ear against the door and listened further.

“Um… were you talking about them in bed or… just them in general?” Rusty asked.

“Well… both, actually. “Trixie’s really sensitive under all that bravado, and Chrysalis isn’t as cold as she lets on.”

A light blush burned onto my cheeks.

“They both had their own problems that I could kinda identify with,” Adrian continued, “and we all realized that going at each other’s throats all the time wasn’t really worth it.”

“So… you’re friends now?”

A short pause.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what we are. I know I don’t hate them anymore, and we are getting along for the most part, but there are times where I feel… really weird around them. I don’t know if it’s the good kind of weird or the bad kind. It’s all really confusing.”

I stepped back when I heard Adrian say that. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one that felt strange around my roommates. Granted, my sense of it was more literal, but even he could feel something. I looked over my shoulder towards Trixie’s room and began to wonder: did she feel it, too?

“Bah! That doesn’t matter. I can’t waste my time dwelling on this. My show’s about to come on.”

After a few knocks on the door, I heard Adrian call “It’s open.”

I opened the door with my magic and played it cool, not wanting to arouse any suspicion. “Hey, ENTM is about to start,” she told us. “You guys gonna watch?”

My focus kept shifting between the TV and my own thoughts as the show went on. The episode was nearly over, and the judges were deliberating over who to send home this week. I felt awkward the entire time we watched the episode, and I kept debating with myself over whether or not I should talk to Adrian about what I heard.

I glanced at Rusty while his eyes were glued onto the screen. “If I do talk to Adrian, now wouldn’t be the best time.”

“They better not send Primrose home,” said the rodent.

“I dunno,” Adrian shrugged. Most of the judges liked her photo the best, but Hoity Toity liked the Comet Tail’s photo more.

“That jackass has been jerking over that mare all season,” the jackalope scoffed. “Besides, he’s the only one who thinks that, so Primrose has to win best photo. Majority rule, and what-not.”

“True.” The human then looked over to me. “What do you think, Chrys?”

That nickname again. I did my best to hide my embarrassment and thanked the heavens that humans couldn’t sense emotion. “Well, I-”

“Shhh! Hold that thought! The elimination’s starting!”

The six remaining contestants walked back into the room, standing by the wall opposite the judges. As always, Prim Hemline stood in front of the judges’ table with a set of photos in her hands while the other judges sat silently at said table.

“Six beautiful young mares stand before me,” she began, “but I only have five photos in my hands, photos that are screengrabs of your commercial you shot this week, and these photos represent the five of you that are still in the running towards becoming Equestria’s Next Top Model. The first mare that I’m going to call has performed the best this week.”

We all tensed up as Prim slowly revealed the first photo.

“Primrose.”

“Oh, thank God,” Adrian sighed, slouching back in the chair.

Primrose walked up and graciously accepted her photo before stepping aside as Prim Hemline continued the call-out. “Ginger Snap.” A light brown, freckled mare with a curly mane and tail blinked in disbelief and stood still for a half second before walking up to receive her photo. “You’ve improved a lot this week. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you,” the young mare nodded with a small smile.

“The next name I’m going to call is… Comet Tail.”

A pale blue mare with a pure white mane and tail came forward.

“Ember Whisp.”

The nervous, red-orange mare with black hair stepped up to Prim, leaving two mares left.

“Moon Beam and Black Velvet, please step forward.”

The two remaining mares gulped and walked together, stopping right in front of Prim.

“Alright, guys. Predictions?” Rusty asked as Prim talked to the two mares.

“I dunno. It’s a real toss-up,” Adrian said. “Moon Beam’s commercial shoot went perfectly, but she sounded really robotic. Black Velvet had a lot more personality, but she ended up having to read cue cards to get the lines out.”

I squinted my eyes as I thought it over for a while. “Moon Beam’s getting the boot.”

“How do you figure that?” Adrian asked.

“It’s true that Black Velvet struggled with her shoot, and professionals prefer these things to go quickly; time is money, and all that. Still, with Moon Beam’s monotone in her commercial, it gave the impression that she didn’t want to be there, at least Black Velvet was trying.”

“Yeah, but you can’t just assume that Moon Beam doesn’t want to be there just because of the way she delivered her lines,” Rusty argued.

“Doesn’t matter,” I quickly countered. “The industry is all about perception, they go by what they see, and if they don’t see it, they don’t believe it.”

“But… shit, you have point,” he surrendered. “You really do know this business.”

I accepted the nice ego stroke as our attention shifted back to the TV. “So, who stays in this competition?” Prim Hemline said, and a low, tense tune played, a faux heartbeat thumping in the background. While it was quite corny, I still leaned forward in anticipation as there was a small part of me that wondered if my prediction was wrong.

Prim grasped the final photo and flipped it over, revealing a dark purple crystal mare with a jet black mane. “Black Velvet.”

“Huh, you were right,” said Adrian. “Well, fuck me.”

“I thought she already did,” Rusty snickered.

The human rolled his eyes. “Ha, ha, ha.”

I let out a loud yawn. “Well, that’s another episode down. See you two in the morning. I’ll check out next week’s preview tomorrow.”

“Later,” they both said as I got up and headed back to my bedroom, changing into my sleeping robe once I shut the door behind me. Another yawn escaped me as I climbed into the bed, my eyes slowly closing as sleep eventually took hold of me.

The sound of a distant crowd reached my ears, rousing me from my slumber. With tired, baggy eyes, I glanced at my door and let out a low grumble. “Does Adrian really need to have the TV up so loud when he’s playing video games?” I thought. “Hell, doesn’t he have work today?”

I got out of my bed, and as I got closer to the door, the noises from the crowd became louder, and when I grabbed the doorknob, I felt the door rumbling slightly. “The fuck is going on out there?” When I opened the door, instead of seeing the hallway, there was just a black void. Suddenly, I felt someone push me in, and as I stumbled and tried to maintain my balance, I heard the door shut behind me.

“What the-” I said, turning around only to find that my bedroom door was no longer there, and I was left alone in the black, empty space, still hearing the distant crowd. “What in Tartarus is going on?”

“Give it back.”

My ears perked up and my tail straightened out, hairs bristling at the tip. I could feel my heart beat a little faster as I looked around. “Who said that?”

“We want it back.”

The crowd became louder and I could see many pairs of eyes looking at me, eyes that I recognized. I winced as more voices began to yell at me.

“You were unfit to rule us!”

“We’re glad you aren’t queen anymore!”

“All you’ve done was sit and watch us suffer!”

“Give it back!”

“Why you little…” I growled. “I was the best thing that’s ever happened to you! If it weren’t for me, you’d all be scraping to get by! I was responsible for all of our victories!”

“And all of our failures! Countless, countless failures!”

My head began to ache and I fell to my knees, trying to shut the voices out. “Shut up!” I yelled.

“Give it back!”

“You can’t have it!”

“Hand it over!”

“Quit it!” I shouted. “I want nothing to do with you! Just leave me alone!” I shut my eyes, tears threatening to come out, and I tried as hard as I could to fight them back, but then I felt a sudden shortness of breath, and I when I opened my eyes to gasp for air, I found myself lying in my bed, still in my bedroom, lying on my stomach and breathing heavily.

“Ugh… damn it…” I mumbled tiredly as I rolled over to my left. “Where’s Princess Luna when you actually need-AGH!” As I turned, I fell out of the bed, landing on my back and hurting one of my wings. “Owwwww…” I groaned, my head resting against the foot of my nightstand. With blurred vision, I looked up and saw… something hanging over the edge of the top of the nightstand. As the image cleared up, I realized that it was my alarm clock…

But that realization was a little too late.

“AGH! FUCK!” I screamed as the clock landed square on my snout. I shot up and covered it with my hand, hissing at the pain and hoping that no one heard me. With my snout still throbbing, I walked over to my closet, opening it up and moving all my clothes out of the way with my magic. “Just to be sure,” I thought.

With everything else out of the way, I reached into the back of the closet and pulled out my little box. I gave it a little shake and let out a sigh of relief. “Phew. Good, it’s still in here. Still… I should check to make sure it’s okay-”

I flinched as I suddenly heard several hard and hurried knocks on my door. “Chrysalis, are you okay? We heard you yell,” Trixie called.

“I’m fine,” I answered. “The door’s open.” I stood still, looking at the small box in my hands as my roommates entered. “Sorry I woke you guys.” No response. Instead I felt waves of concern and slight fear. I looked over at Adrian and Trixie to see that they were staring at me. “What?” I asked.

“Your snout’s bleeding,” the unicorn answered bluntly.

I blinked and lightly felt my snout, a warm, green liquid staining my fingers. After contorting my face in disgust, I looked back at Trixie and Adrian. “Why so shocked, though? Have you never seen blood before?”

“The blood that we’re used to is red, not dark green,” the unicorn quipped.

I rolled my eyes.

“Trixie, the medicine cabinet in the guest bathroom should have a first aid kit in it. Could you get it?” Adrian asked.

“Sure,” she nodded before walking off to the bathroom.

“So, I take it I didn’t wake Rusty?” I asked Adrian.

He shook his head. “Nah. He’s a pretty heavy sleeper. He’d probably sleep through the Canterlot Invasion-”

I glared at him.

“Oh… sorry,” he said, a stream of embarrassment flowing from him.

“Well, it makes me feel a little better knowing he didn’t mean it,” I thought.

He looked up at me and rubbed his arm apprehensively. “So… what happened?”

“I fell out of bed and hit my snout pretty hard.”

“Did you have a bad dream or something?”

I tensed up and clutched the box harder. “Yeah…” I looked at Adrian and saw his eyes looking down at the box, a moderate curiosity emanating from him. Before either of us could say anything, though, Trixie returned with the first aid kit.

“Here you go, Adrian,” she said, handing the kit over to him. “I also got a cloth for Chrysalis.”

The human opened it up and took out a small spray bottle. As he set the kit down, Trixie approached me and wiped the blood off my face with the damp rag. I squirmed when I felt its cold touch, my wings flittering as a cold chill ran through me. “I can do it myself, you know. I’m a grown mare.”

“Just shut up and let us help you,” Trixie said as she wiped my face clean and moved aside.

“Hold still,” Adrian told me as he held up the small bottle of medicine and sprayed it twice on my snout.

My eyes widened as I felt a burning sensation in my nostrils, my yell of pain held back by my closed lips. “Rrgh! What the fuck is that stuff!?” I hissed.

“Relax. It’s just a magic spray medicine to treat bleeding,” he explained. “It should stop in a couple minutes. Besides, if it burns, that just means it’s working.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Trixie asked as Adrian put the medicine away.

For a moment, I hesitated to answer, and I clenched the box again. “I… yeah.”

I caught a whiff of curiosity coming from the unicorn, only hers was stronger than Adrian’s. “What’s going on?” she asked. “You look a little frazzled. Is there something you want to talk about?”

Once again, I failed to give a straight answer. Was I really considering telling them? Confiding my insecurities about my appearance was stressful enough, and it hadn’t even been twelve hours since then. Did I really want to open myself up even further than I already did?

“Let’s not pressure her, Trixie,” said Adrian. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, she doesn’t want to-”

“Fine,” I said, making a snap decision. “We’ll need to take a seat, though. It’s kind of a long story.” We all took a seat on my bed, and set the box down in front of me as I took a deep breath. “In my dream, I was hearing the voices of my old subjects. They kept telling me to ‘give it back’ to them.”

“Give what back? The box?” Trixie asked.

I nodded my head. “They kept demanding me to give it to them, like they deserved it, like they were the ones who forged it themselves.” The rage bubbled inside me, and my breathing became heavy. “They had no right to take what was rightfully mine!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Adrian interrupted. “What are you even talking about? What’s inside this box that’s was so important to you?”

“A lot of the stuff you’re saying is going over our heads,” Trixie added. “We’re a little confused right now.”

I let out a sigh. Of course they were. They’re totally in the dark. If I wanted them to understand, I had a lot of explaining to do.

I lit up my horn and opened the box, reaching inside and delicately pulled out the small ornament inside. The material was black and smooth, and it was decorated with round, green bulbs at the points. While seeing and holding it felt good, I’d never place it on my head again.

“They wanted my crown,” I told them. “It was the only thing I managed to keep after they exiled me.”

“Exiled you?” my roommates asked in disbelief.

“I just assumed you just left because you didn’t want to be their queen anymore,” said the human. “I didn’t think that they actually kicked you out?”

“How did it happen?” the unicorn asked.

I set the crown aside as I explained what had happened that day, the memory unfolding in my mind as I told the story.

It was two years ago, and my subjects and I had settled into a barren city, an old conquest from my early years as queen. After the Canterlot Invasion, I tried and failed to convert Twilight Sparkle, making two consecutive defeats. We weren’t in the best of times, but we’d been through worse, and with time, we’d surely bounce back.

Along with my guards, I stayed in the castle at the center of the city, and I paced around the throne room, trying to plan our next move. “Perhaps Equestria’s capital city was too ambitious,” I said to myself as I glanced out the large window at the north wall. “We should probably shift our focus towards smaller, developing nations, preferably one that’s already been weakened. Neighgypt might be a good place to start, considering they’re still recovering from a civil war. Hm… I should ask Chitin Chalice what he thinks.” I then heard several knocks, my attention now focused on the throne room doors. “Who is it?”

“It’s Chitin Chalice,” a voice on the other side answered. “Permission to enter, my queen?”

“Granted.”

The two large doors slowly creaked open and my head general walked in, the same stern look on his face that he always had. There were also five soldiers behind him, each of them among the best stallion and mare changelings my forces had to offer.

“Ah, I see you brought company,” I smiled. “Perfect, you’ve saved me the trouble of fetching you myself. I’ve come up with an idea for what we’ll do once we recover, and I wanted to run it by you and get your thoughts.”

“Actually, your highness, we have a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed,” Chitin said, retaining his stoic expression. Outside of battle, he was quite hard to read, his spirit hardened by his time as my head general, and I always had a hard time figuring out what was going on in that little head of his.

This time, however, something just didn’t feel right.

“Oh? And what would that be?” I asked cautiously.

“During our imprisonment at the hands of Twilight Sparkle, I discussed this matter with the other soldiers, and we’ve come to a decision.”

“That decision being?”

Chitin took a look back at his comrades, and then back to me. “We no longer want you as queen.”

My ears twitched as I heard that, and I wondered if I had gone insane for a second. “Excuse me?”

“It was a unanimous decision. Your numerous failed conquests have given us reason to believe that you are past your prime and thus unfit to rule. We believe that it is time for a new queen to take your place.”

While I maintained my composure on the outside, I was absolutely insulted! Me? Unfit to rule? How dare they make such a claim! My inner rant was interrupted by the scent of repressed anger, a scent coming from the soldier to Chitin’s left.

“Is there something you wish to say, Amaryllis?” I asked. “If so, you may as well say it now, since we’re all airing our grievances,” I couldn’t help lacing a bit of a venomous tone in those last few words.

“Only because you asked, Chrysalis,” she answered, intentionally putting emphasis on the fact that she omitted my title.

“That’s Queen Chrysalis to you, soldier,” I promptly corrected, raising my voice only ever so slightly.

“You’re no queen of mine!” she snapped, stomping her hoof hard enough for the impact to echo across the room. “You’ve long since outlived your usefulness! You’ve failed us two consecutive times, and our population has dwindled! It’s gotten to the point that we all have to serve in the army! We used to be able to have our less capable changelings live without having to fight, but now we all have to go!”

I continued to hold back my anger at her outburst and stared her down. “You should all be honored to fight for your kind.”

“Not when we have kids out there in the line of fire! My youngest son was sick and still had to participate in the Canterlot Invasion, and he was nearly killed! We’re the weakest we’ve ever been thanks to you! It’s time for a new queen!”

As she continued to berate me, I sensed similar emotions coming from the soldiers surrounding her. It seemed Amaryllis wasn’t the only one that had issues with me.

“You seem to have forgotten who led us to victory in our invasion of Timbucktu. Here’s a reminder: that was me. I was responsible for many of our successes.”

“And you’re also responsible for just as many failures! These past two defeats were only some of many! Our only conquests over the last hundred years have been of small, insignificant cities! We were once a force to be reckoned with, but now you’ve been queen for too long! It’s high time you stepped down!” At that point, the other soldiers joined in.

“What have you done for us besides fail?” one shouted.

“We’re tired of you doing nothing for us!” another added.

“What kind of queen lets her subjects starve!?” yelled a third.

“Silence! All of you!” I commanded. “You all have got some fucking nerve speaking to me like that! You’d better watch that tone of yours, you ungrateful little-”

“ENOUGH!” Chitin interrupted, and everything fell silent for a moment before he spoke up again, his voice returning to its usual calm tone. “This does not have to be a violent confrontation. My Queen, all we ask is that you step down from your position and allow the six of us to rule in the interim while we choose a new queen.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Hpmh. And if I refuse?”

“Then we will have to use force.” Despite Chitin’s emotionless stare, I could tell that he was serious. His skills in battle almost rivaled mine, and with five other high-level soldiers backing him up, I wasn’t sure if I’d actually win. “It does not have to be this way, however. Again, we only ask that you step down. Nothing more, nothing less. You may still serve as an invaluable member of the new queen’s council.”

“Wow. What an honor,” I said rolling my eyes. “So that’s it, then? You want a new queen? Fine. If all the work I do isn’t going to be appreciated, then it’s not worth exerting myself.” I removed my crown and held it in my hands. “There. I’m not queen anymore.” I raised an eyebrow when Chitin Chalice reached his hand out. “What do you want? A handshake?”

“No, ma’am. We want the crown.”

I scoffed and had a small laugh at that. “You’re joking, right? This is my crown.”

“The crown belongs to the queen, ma’am, and you no longer hold that position,” Chitin objected.

“This crown belongs to nopony but me,” I said back, raising my voice. “I fashioned it myself. It is a symbol of my leading us to victory in Timbucktu and belongs to me and only me. You can easily make one for your new queen.”

“Hand over the crown, Chrysalis!” Amaryllis shouted, and at that point, I had enough of her.

With a growl, I fired a small blast at the mare’s leg that was strong enough to bring her to her knee, but not strong enough to kill her. “Listen here, you little shrimp! I may not be your queen anymore, but I’ll be damned if I let you mouth me off like that! I’m keeping this crown, and that’s that! You got me? I’m not gonna say it aga-AGH!”

I yelled in pain as I felt another magic blast graze my arm, and I looked up to see Chitin’s horn glowing. “I tried to hold them back Chrysalis. I told them that we could resolve this amicably, but if you won’t give us the crown, then we’ll have to take it.”

“It’s not yours to take!”

“Have it your way, then.” He looked back at the other soldiers with a cold look in his eyes. “Get her.”

Without a word, the soldiers ran at me, and I used a quick teleportation spell to zap myself out of the palace.

Little did I know that there was a mob of angry subjects waiting for me.

“Shit!” I thought as I flew up and flew as fast as I could, holding the crown close to me and doing my best to dodge the incoming blasts.

“And that’s pretty much how it happened,” I finished.

“So that’s why you get mad whenever someone mentions that you used to be a queen?” Trixie asked.

I nodded. “I’m done with them. I have a new life now, and I’d never openly admit it before, but… I feel so much better off here. Even with all the stares and whispers, at least I had others that actually cared about me, like my boss and, well… even you two.” I then sensed feelings of embarrassment coming from the two of them.

Trixie cleared her throat. “Well, um… can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I know that crown means a lot to you, but if you’re trying to leave your old life behind… then why keep it? I mean, I get the sentimental value and everything, but if it keeps reminding you of a part of your past that you want to forget, then is it really worth it?”

The question caught me off-guard for a moment, and I actually thought about what Trixie told me. Had my crown really become more of a painful reminder than a valuable trophy? Was it worth having it haunt me like this?

“I’m sorry if I overstepped any boundaries,” the unicorn apologized.

I shook my head. “No, Trixie. You’re right. The longer I hold onto this thing, the more it’s gonna remind me of my past. I… I don’t need it anymore.” I got out of the bed and headed to the door. “It’d help a lot if you two came with me. I could use some support.”

They both nodded and followed me out, heading out of the building and to a nearby alley. With Adrian and Trixie standing by my side, I used my magic to levitate the crown over a trash can standing by the alley wall. With one long, drawn-out breath, I focused the magic holding the crown up, the intense energy causing it to melt. We stood in silence as the crown deformed into a bubbly mess, dripping down into the trash can.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Why do you ask?”

“You’re crying.”

“Huh?” I felt my face and felt tears running down my cheeks. “Oh… sorry.” I wiped my face as the last bits of the crown were melted away.

“Don’t be,” said Adrian. “Tell you what. How about we all go out Friday night? We’ll be done with the recording that day, so it’ll be like a celebratory thing.”

I chuckled a little as we walked back into our building. “Sounds fun.” As we walked back to the apartment, I felt my chest become a lot lighter, a huge weight being lifted off of it. “You know, I might not have thought much of you two a first, but you turned out to be pretty good friends… I mean, assuming that we are friends.”

They looked at each other, then looked back at me with a smile and said “We are.”

XVI - Thou Shalt Not Go Clubbing

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Trixie

“Fine, how about a deal? I’ve got the technical skills and you got the brawn, so what do you think about teaming up?” I read. “We’ll get a team together and contain the virus before it causes too much damage. You in?”

“Hmm…” Chrysalis replied, pausing as the script told her to. “As much as I hate cleaning up your messes… I’m in.”

“Aaaaand we got it!” Adrian said as Chrysalis finished her line. “We’re done! That’s a wrap, folks!”

A collective sigh left all of us as Adrian and his friends slouched in their seats. “Now we just need to finish animating and show the pilot to Mr. Render,” Cel Shade said.

“So, are you going to need us again when the show gets picked up?” Chrysalis asked as she and I walked out of the recording booth.

“Nah. Once this show goes into full production, we’ll be able to get professional voice actors, so you guys don’t have to worry about having to make time for this again,” Adrian explained.

“Hm, it’s a bit of a shame. I was just starting to enjoy this. Maybe I’ll get into the voice-acting scene if this whole modelling thing doesn’t work out.”

“Well, when you decide on the cast, just make sure you pick someone that can hold a candle to my performance,” I said, flipping my mane.

“Didn’t you have to redo, like, half your lines today?” Rusty asked.

“Okay, maybe I’m not absolutely perfect, but I have a distinct, unique voice that only I possess.”

“Weeeeeell…” Roxy drawled. “To be honest, your voice sounds a lot like Chrysalis’s.”

“Oh, thank God someone else said it!” Adrian groaned. “I thought I was the only one that noticed!”

“Huh, they do sound alike, don’t they?” said Cel Shade.

Chrysalis turned to me with an unconvinced look. “What are they talking about? We sound nothing alike.”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “Anyway, are we still going out to celebrate tonight?”

“Uh-huh. I was thinking about hitting the Mellow Manticore. They got good drinks and the DJ is pretty good.” Adrian then looked over to Roxy and Cel Shade. “You guys coming, too?”

Roxy’s ears fell back as she averted her gaze from him. “Sorry, Adrian. I gotta take my Grandma to Bingo Night tonight.”

“And I really want to take a long rest after all this work, so I’m going into hibernation for the weekend,” Cel added.

“It’s okay, though. You guys have fun,” the diamond dog smiled. “We’ll get together with you some other time.”

“Well, I guess it’s just us tonight, then,” Adrian said, a little disappointed that his friends couldn’t join us. “We’re gonna head home. See you guys later.”

Roxy and Cel Shade bid us farewell as we left the studio, with Rusty once again riding in Adrian’s backpack. “So… what am I gonna do while you guys are out?” He asked.

“You say that like you’ve never been home by yourself before,” Chrysalis noted.

“I can only play so many video games and watch so many movies, Bugho- I mean… Chrysalis.”

“Hmph. Nice save.”

“Anyway, you guys seem even chummier than before,” Rusty continued. “You guys didn’t screw each other again, did you?”

My heart skipped a beat and my fur stood on end as I glared at the little rat. “Don’t say that out loud, you little shit!” I told him with a hushed yell.

“So you did?”

“No!” Chrysalis snapped. “Adrian, I know he’s your pet, but can I please kick the shit out of him?”

“I’ll give him a good bop on the head when we get home,” he replied.

“Oh, come on,” Rusty groaned “I mean, now that I’ve thought about it, it’s not as bad as I originally made it out to be. It’s actually pretty convenient. Adrian and Trixie get some occasional relief and Chrysalis gets to absorb love without having to bring someone else home. It’s a win-win, so long as you keep it quiet-OW”

The little jackalope whimpered as he rubbed the spot where Adrian’s fist hit his head, and Chrysalis and I got a little giggle out of that.

“That’ll teach him,” I thought with a satisfied smile.

“Hey, we’re coming up on our building,” Chrysalis said after we had our laugh.

Rusty nodded and ducked into the backpack, and Adrian zipped it up as we reached the building’s entrance.

“Maybe if we’re lucky, Mr. Saddleton isn’t in the lobby,” I said, but when we entered the building, the first thing we saw was the old stallion filling out some papers at the lobby desk.

“Looks like we have some shitty luck,” Chrysalis muttered.

“He might not see us if we move quickly and quietly,” Adrian whispered.

We took light steps, hoping that the old coot’s hearing was as bad as we assumed it was. It worked out well at first, but then we heard him clear his throat.

“Good afternoon, you three,” he spoke.

“Fuck,” we said under our breath as we turned to see him approaching us, turning back the knob on his hearing aid.

“Clever bastard,” I thought.

“In case you’re not aware, the rent is due Sunday,” he told us. “As usual, I’ll be coming by in the morning to collect-”

“We know how it works, Mr. Saddleton,” I interrupted.

“Really, Miss Lulamoon? That’s quite a surprise. I distinctly remember you paying your rent late for the first three months of your tenancy here.”

“I paid it, didn’t I?”

“I’m just surprised he could remember that far back,” Chrysalis quipped, and we all have a laugh at that.

Unfortunately, that included Rusty, too.

Adrian’s backpack shook a little as the jackalope chuckled inside, and I could see Adrian tense up a little when he felt it. “Well, you’ll get your rent money on Sunday,” he said.

The old stallion raised an eyebrow at us and leaned to the side, trying to see behind Adrian. “What’s going on back there?” he asked. “That backpack’s looking awfully big.”

“Well, considering that I’m coming back from work, that’s not unusual, y’know.”

“Plus there’s the fact that it’s, y’know, none of your business,” Chrysalis added.

I glanced towards the elevator and focused the magic in my horn, conjuring an aura around the “up” button and pushing it. After a few seconds of Mr. Saddleton going back and forth with Chrysalis and Adrian, we heard a loud “DING!”

“Well, looks like the elevator’s here,” I spoke up. “While it was great seeing you, Mr. Saddleton, we can’t miss our ride.”

The three of us slipped back into the elevator, a collective sigh of relief escaping us once the doors closed.

“That was way too close. Thanks, Trixie,” Adrian said, still trying to catch his breath. I couldn’t help feeling a little proud of myself for concocting such a brilliant escape plan.

Just then, I heard a soft laugh coming from Chrysalis, and I glanced over to see her looking down at me with a knowing grin. Great, she must have sensed my pride.

However, to my surprise, she didn’t call me out on it. She just kept that grin on her face until we reached the second floor. To be honest, I didn’t think she was able to exercise restraint. She usually just popped off at the mouth the first chance she got.

Then again… Adrian and I do the same thing.

Chrysalis

It was going on eight-o-clock, and I looked through my closet in search of something to wear.

“Black, green, black, green, black, green… Ugh, I really need to broaden my wardrobe,” I said to myself. I eventually decided on a dark green top with black skinny jeans, then looked at myself in the mirror. At the risk of sounding conceited, I looked pretty fetching. I could easily conjure up some new clothes and a new appearance if I just used my magic, but-

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Come in,” I called.

The door opened and Trixie walked in, trying to reach for something behind her back. “Could you help me out, Chrysalis?” she asked. “The zipper at the back of my top is stuck, and my magic can’t pull it up.”

“You can fake your own death, but you can’t pull up a zipper?” I smirked.

“Just help me, please.”

I sighed. “Alright, get over here.” Trixie walked over and turned her back towards me so I could get the zipper unstuck. To my surprise, it was a bit of a struggle, and as I tried to pull it up, I felt waves of sadness and embarrassment coming from the unicorn. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just… wondering if I’m too big to fit the top,” she answered, her face going red.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, squashing her concerns right then and there. “The zipper is just caught in the fabric.” I fidgeted with the zipper a little, eventually getting it unstuck and zipping it up for Trixie. “See? Perfect fit.”

“Thanks,” she smiled, looking at her reflection. “Do I look alright?”

I sighed. “You look just fine. Don’t worry about it. You may have a little ‘extra’ on you, but it’s not worth fretting over. The phrase ‘more to love’ exists for a reason.” a mischievous grin grew on my face as I lowered my muzzle down to her ear. “I mean, Adrian didn’t seem to care about your size when he was rutting you.”

Trixie let out a squeal of disgust and moved away from me, shivers running up her spine. “Chrysalis!”

“He just grabbed those thick ol’ hips and went at it,” I continued. “Even I was surprised. He just kept going, and going, and going. That boy gave you the work! I was starting to worry that you wouldn’t be able to walk the next morning! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Adrian has a secret fetish for chubby mares.”

“Quit it!” Trixie yelled, covering her ears.

“Sorry, I can’t help it!” I said in-between bursts of laughter. “I already held back one smart remark in the elevator. You can’t expect me to hold them all back!”

“That would be asking too much of you, wouldn’t it?”

“Come on! Be a good sport, will you?”

Trixie grunted and folded her arms. “Honestly, I don’t see how you can be so nonchalant about sex.”

“It’s just us talking, Trixie. We were both there. There’s no need to be all bothered about it.”

“Wasn’t choosing Adrian and me a last resort, though? Don’t you feel at least a little embarrassed?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, at first, but to be honest, when I look back on that night, as awkward as it started, it wasn’t that bad, plus we all stopped hating each other eventually, so it’s whatever.”

Trixie stared at me with a confused look. “I’ll never understand you.”

“I guess not,” I shrugged. “Come on. Adrian’s probably ready to go by now.”

“Wait, you aren’t going to disguise yourself?” Trixie asked.

I shook my head as we left the room. “Nah. Not tonight. If I want to get that job at the modelling agency, I’ll need to get comfortable with being seen as myself. Besides, I don’t need another love session just yet. You and Adrian gave enough to last me for quite a while.”

As we walked down the hallway, we saw Adrian and Rusty talking in the living room. Succumbing to our curiosity, Trixie and I did a bit of eavesdropping.

I wasn’t particularly proud of that… oh, who am I kidding? I didn’t give a shit.

“Once we get back, you and I are gonna have a little video game marathon as our own celebration,” said Adrian.

“Promise?” Rusty asked.

“Of course. Now, I refilled the snacks in the cabinet, and I put the house phone where you can reach it in case anything happens.”

“I know the deal, Adrian. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be a good owner if I didn’t make sure every time.” Adrian ruffled the fur on Rusty’s head. “I’ll see you later tonight, okay?”

The jackalope nodded.

“Trixie! Chrysalis!” Adrian called out “You two ready yet?”

I snuck back a couple feet and called back “Just about!” I waited for a few seconds before walking out into the living room with Trixie. Adrian was checking his pockets to make sure he had everything, and Rusty was watching TV.

“Alright, let’s go,” the human said as he got his apartment key and opened the door. Before we left, he looked back at his pet and said “See you later Rusty.”

With the door closed, Adrian turned around and looked at me with a curious expression. “No disguise tonight?”

“Nope. No sessions tonight,” I told him. “Just a night out with… huh, I’m still getting used to calling you two friends.”

“Don’t force it,” said Trixie. “It’ll grow on us eventually.”

“It should be right around the corner,” Adrian said as he led us down the block. “It’s got pretty dim lighting, too, so I don’t think we’ll cause much of a scene.”

We were about to round the corner when my ears suddenly twitched. I could hear hurried footsteps around the corner and I let out an annoyed sigh. “Hold on for a second,” I said, halting the others as the footsteps came closer.

Suddenly, two teenagers, a unicorn and a griffon, came running around the corner, barely dodging us as they ran for their lives.

“I thought you said that spell was fool proof!” the griffon yelled.

“I didn’t think they had one of those scanner things!” the unicorn yelled back. “Only the high-end Upper East Side clubs have those!”

Trixie looked at the two boys with a confused face. “What… just happened?”

I scoffed. “A couple of teenagers trying to sneak into a club, that’s what.”

“Jeez, kids these days have no finesse when it comes to fake ID’s,” Adrian lamented.

“You’re tellin’ me.” We all blinked at the sudden voice we heard from behind us, and we turned to see a pink, freckled mare with an orange-brown mane and tail approaching us. “Then again, it was a bit easier for us t’ get by back then.”

“Sunflower!” Trixie squealed as she rushed over and hugged her friend. “What brings you here?”

“Oh, I’m just havin’ a little night out for myself. Babs is with our Aunt an’ Uncle Orange.” Sunflower glanced at me and Adrian, then looked back at Trixie. “Gee, Trix. When ya said that you were on good were friends with your roomies, I didn’t think y’all were that friendly.”

“Believe me, I never thought we’d be this friendly, either, but they’re alright.”

Adrian and I rolled our eyes at each other.

“Well, since you’re all here, I’ll ask the bartender t’ hook you up. He and I go way back,” said Sunflower.

“All the alcohol I want at no cost? Consider me interested,” I smiled.

“Can we, like, actually go in now?” Adrian asked. “I don’t think they’re gonna bring the party out here anytime soon.”

“Yeah, yeah, hold your horses,” Trixie told him with a dismissive wave.

The human furrowed his brow. “I’m gonna ignore the irony in that statement.”

Okay, so far so good.

We’ve been in the club for all of five minutes, and I’ve only caught a few whiffs of fear here and there. Nothing to be totally concerned about.

Then again, I’ve pretty much stayed in the same spot the whole time.

“Is this what you normally do when you got to places like this?” Adrian asked over the music, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Well, I… uh…”

“I’m just teasing,” he grinned. “I kinda felt the same way the first time I came to Equus.”

“What do you mean?”

“I kinda felt out-of-place at first, but it got easier once I started talking to others. Even if you have to fake it, approaching folks with a good vibe makes it easier for them to get used to you,” he explained. “C’mon. Let’s go get a drink. Trixie and Sunflower are already at the bar.”

I nodded and followed him to the bar, taking a seat next to Trixie. “Look who decided to come out,” she joked. “I was considering ordering a drink for you.”

“Cut me some slack, will you?” I huffed.

“Aww, can’t handle it when somepony teases you?” she gave me a devious smile. “Guess the shoe’s on the other hoof.”

Damn. She had me there.

“Yo! Charlie!” Sunflower called. “Can we get some drinks over here for our friends?”

The minotaur bartender walked over to her with a smile. “Sure, Sunflower,” he said. His gaze then turned to me, Trixie, and Adrian, and he gulped when he saw me.

In an attempt to make him a little more comfortable, I gave him a small wave and smiled. “Hi,” I said to him.

My happy greeting seemed to calm him down, as the fear emanating from him went down a little bit. “W-What can I get for ya, miss?”

“I’ll take a vodka. Straight,” I said. I thought about batting my lashes a bit, but I decided it’d be going overboard.

“Gotcha.” He turned to Adrian. “And for you, sir?”

“Uh… Let me get a beer,” he answered.

“Any brand ya want in particular?”

“Surprise me.”

“Alrighty, then!” Charlie said as he went to get our drinks.

Adrian looked at me and Trixie. “So, can we all agree to not try and get wasted tonight? I don’t wanna have to carry anyone home.”

I then felt Adrian and Trixie looking right at me. “What’s with the stares?” I asked.

“You’re the one drinking straight vodka,” Trixie answered.

“I know what I’m doing,” I huffed. “Changelings can’t get drunk off alcohol. Love, on the other hand…”

“Really?” Sunflower asked, ears perked up in interest. “Has it ever happened to you before?”

“Once. It happened after one of my early conquests. We had some citizens leftover with a lot of love to spare and I may or may not have gotten a little carried away. Don’t remember much of it, but when I came to, I was spooning one of my generals, and he was shivering a little. He didn’t wanna talk about what happened. So yeah, that’s my drunk story,” I shrugged.

Sunflower chuckled. “Well, I got hit by a farm cart once. I was visitin’ Ponyville with Babs this one time and I kinda underestimated my cousin’s hard cider. I was fine, but the cart… eh, not so much.”

Our heads turned to Adrian, who shrugged and decided to spill his story. “I went over my limit at a bachelor party about two years ago. I woke up in a nursing home next to one of the Saddle Arabian dancers. She kept texting me for a few weeks after that, so I assume something happened.”

Hm, so Trixie and I weren’t his first mares? That’s somewhat disappointing.

“You’re up next, Trix,” said Sunflower. “We all shared our stories. Now it’s your turn.”

The showmare let out a hearty laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you all, but I don’t have a story to share. The Great and Powerful Trixie has never been inebriated before, and she takes pride in that fact.”

“Ha! Bullshit!” the earth mare laughed, only to receive an angry grunt from the bartender as he gave me and Adrian our drinks. “Heh… My bad, Charlie.”

Even I could tell that Trixie was lying. If her overcompensating words weren’t an obvious sign, her slight nervousness definitely was.

“Anyway,” Sunflower continued, “You ain’t foolin’ a soul, Trixie. I remember when I took you out for your twenty-first birthday last year and you got so shitfaced-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Trixie interrupted.

“Somepony took her new privilege a little too far, huh?” I teased.

“You have no idea,” said Sunflower. “Don’t worry, though. I know when to cut her off so she doesn’t lose it again.”

“Pfft. Whatever,” Trixie grumbled.

Over the next few hours, Adrian and I got to know Sunflower a bit more, and I became more and more comfortable around everyone, even Charlie.

“Need another vodka over there, Chrysalis?” he asked as he served another customer.

“Yeah, on the rocks this time!” I called back. I tapped my empty glass to the beat of the music as I watched the crowd on the dance floor. Trixie was mixed in with the dancers, having left the bar a while ago, with Adrian and me opting to stay behind.

“Y’know, I never saw Trixie as the dancing type,” Adrian commented. “Then again, the alcohol probably loosened her up a little.”

“Speaking of dancers,” I said, an evil smile growing on my face, “that Saddle Arabian dancer from your bachelor party story. Was she pretty?”

“Uh-huh,” he answered. “She was real easy on the eyes.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have a picture of her, would you?”

“It’s probably buried somewhere in my phone’s pictures. Why?”

I chuckled. “Well, if you want, I could always turn into her for you. I’m sure you’d love to re-live that night sober, just to know what you missed.”

I waited eagerly for his flustered response, but after a few empty seconds, I looked at him to see that he had his brow furrowed in thought. Was he actually considering it!?

“It does sound interesting…”

“That is not what you’re supposed to say!” I snapped, gritting my teeth and slamming my fist onto the bar.

“What?”

“You were supposed to go ‘Quit it, Chrys! Get your mind out of the gutter! We’re in public!’ You know, stuff like that!”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, sorry to disappoint you.”

“Hmph. You’re not as fun to tease as Trixie is,” I huffed, taking a sip of my drink. My ear twitched as I head a few giggles coming from Sunflower. “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry,” she said, trying to hold back her laughter. “It’s just that you guys’re hilarious! I didn’t think you’d be so funny! We gotta hang out more often!”

Adrian and I looked at each other and smiled, then turned back to Sunflower. “Sure,” he said. “We’ll take you up on that offer.”

Just then, Trixie walked over to us, beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks and a smile on her face. “Phew, what time is it?”

I took a moment to check my phone. “It’s going on 1-o-clock. You guys want to head home?”

“Yeah,” Adrian yawned. “I think I’m ready to head back.”

“Me too,” Trixie nodded.

“Well, if you guys’re gonna go, I’ll get going myself,” Sunflower looked over at me and Adrian and gave us a smile. “It was nice meetin’ ya!”

“You too,” we nodded as we all got up and left the club.

Adrian

“That friend of yours was really nice, Trixie,” I said as we walked up the stairs, digging into his pocket for the key.

Trixie nodded. “Isn’t she, though? I should have you guys meet her little sister one of these days, too.”

As we reached the door, we could faintly hear the TV inside. “Rusty’s still awake?” I asked out loud. “Huh, I thought he’d be in bed by now.” I opened the door and the three of us walked inside to see that Rusty wasn’t in the living room; the TV was just on with no one watching it.

“Well, I guess our power bill just went up a few bits,” Chrysalis quipped.

“Rusty knows to turn the TV off before going to bed, though,” I said, getting a little suspicious.

“Well, maybe he just forgot this time,” Trixie shrugged.

“Maybe…” I walked down the hall to my bedroom and opened the door, heading straight to Rusty’s bed…

And he wasn’t there.

“Okay, Rusty! This isn’t funny!” I called out. “Where are you, man?” With each passing second, I grew more and more nervous, and I walked out into the living room and looked underneath all the furniture. “Dude! Quit fucking around! Where are you?” I headed to the kitchen and looked in all the cabinets. “Come on, I must be losing my mind!”

“Adrian, calm down,” Chrysalis said, trying to get me to relax. “Check your phone. Maybe he called while we were out.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay.” I took out my phone, and sure enough, I had one missed call. “It says that he called two hours ago.”

“Did he leave a message?” Trixie asked.

“Yeah, hold on a sec.” I opened the voicemail and put it on speaker so we could all hear.

“YOU HAVE -ONE- UNHEARD MESSAGE. FIRST UNHEARD MESSAGE:”

Rusty’s voice came up, but it was rushed and quiet. “Adrian, you gotta come home quick! Mr. Saddleton came in and he’s searching the house! I was able to get away and hide and I’m gonna stay here for the rest of the night in case he comes back again.”

Okay, good. He’s in the house somewhere.

“If I’m asleep when you come back, I’m in the closet in our bedroom-”

“Ha! I knew it!”

Our eyes all widened as we heard that shrill, aged voice.

“Hey! Lemme go!” We could hear Rusty grunting and squirming in the background as his captor spoke.

“You’ll get an official eviction notice tomorrow.”

“END OF MESSAGE.”

We were all shocked, each for different reasons. Chrysalis and Trixie, for one, were furious.

“Why that ancient, bony old… AAAGH! He can’t do this to us!” the unicorn yelled.

“He can’t just walk into our apartment unannounced like that! There’s got to be something against that in the leasing agreement! This is bullshit!” the changeling added.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t even move, let alone speak.

“…Adrian?” Trixie said to me, taking a moment from her rage to look at me.

“Damn it,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I should’ve paid attention. If I had answered the phone when he called-”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“Chrysalis!” Trixie scolded.

“I’m only telling the truth,” the changeling stated before looking down at me. “Look, Adrian, there’s nothing you could’ve done. Even if you’d answered the phone when he called you, you wouldn’t have gotten back here in time to do anything about it, and you couldn’t have known that Saddleton was gonna do what he did. None of us could have.”

“Chrysalis, you’re not helping-”

“Let me finish,” her attention then turned back to me. “While we couldn’t have done anything to prevent this, we can still fix it. As much as I can’t stand Rusty, he’s important to you, so I’m gonna help you get him back. Besides, I did say that I’d owe you an extra favor, didn’t I?”

I looked up at her. “Really?”

“I’ll help, too,” said Trixie. “Saddleton crossed all of us, and this was the last straw.”

I nodded and picked up my phone again and dialed a number. “Who’re you calling?” Chrysalis asked.

“If we’re gonna get Rusty back, we’re gonna need some help.”

XVII - Thou Shalt Not Stage a Breakout

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Adrian

“So he just broke in and took Rusty? That’s fucked up!”

“We’re all aware of how fucked up it is, Cel Shade,” Roxy said. “The question is how we’re gonna get him back.” She looked around the room, then back at me. “Where are Trixie and Chrysalis?”

“They’re getting ready to go,” I answered.

“To the police station?”

“Hell, no! We’re gonna find where that old bastard took Rusty and get him back ourselves! Why do you think I asked you two to wear black?”

“So you think we’re gonna find him that easily?” Cel asked. “This is Manehattan, not Ponyville. How do you expect to-”

“Just trust me, okay?” I interrupted. “I have a plan.”

“Why can’t you just call the cops on him and press charges?”

“Fuck that, Cel. Before they can even search Saddleton’s place, they have to get a warrant, then I have to hire an expensive lawyer and possibly go to trial.”

“Plus, since you had Rusty in the first place, Saddleton has a case,” Roxy added.

I nodded. “What she said. I’m not going through all that legal bullshit. I’m taking Rusty back, and I’m doing it tonight!”

I heard a few soft chuckles coming from the bedroom door, and I turned to see Chrysalis standing in the doorway, her black shirt and pants making me think she was naked for a second. “I didn’t realize I was rubbing off on you this much, Adrian.” She walked to my side with a satisfied smirk on her face. “I wouldn’t say I’m displeased, though. As a matter of fact, I makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like a proud mother.”

“That’s probably because you’re more than old enough to be my mother,” I scoffed.

The changeling narrowed her eyes at me, giving me an unimpressed scowl. She then looked at Roxy and Cel, who were trying to hold in laughs. “Not. One. Chuckle,” she warned.

“Okay, I’m ready!” Trixie called out before coming into the room, also dressed in black.

“Perfect,” I said as I picked up my pet’s bed and carried it over to Roxy. “Alright, Rox. You should be able to get a good whiff of Rusty’s scent from this.”

The diamond dog nodded and leaned forward, taking a few long sniffs of the bedsheets. “Okay, I got the scent,” she said, lifting her head up. “Now let’s see if I can catch a trail… Found it!” she suddenly exclaimed as her body stiffened and her tail stood at full attention. “C’mon! We gotta go before I lose it!”

With the first part of the plan set into motion, we set out to find where Mr. Saddleton took my pet and complete Operation: Rescue Rusty.

Hey, I take this shit seriously.

Trixie

The trail of Rusty’s scent led us to a quiet uptown neighborhood, where we stopped in front of a modest, two-story house. Moving as quietly as we could, we snuck into the bushes just outside the left wall of the house.

“He’s here,” Roxy said, narrowing her eyes at the front door. “I’m sure of it.”

“Perfect,” Adrian nodded, then turned to his pegasus friend. “You’re up next, Cel. Go check the upstairs windows and see if you can find Saddleton. Chrysalis will check the downstairs windows.”

Cel Shade and Chrysalis gave a silent nod before splitting up, with Chrysalis’s body distorting and shrinking as she changes into a less conspicuous form.

“A mosquito?” I giggled. “How fitting.”

“Consider yourself lucky I don’t carry malaria,” she spat as she buzzed away.

“Now we wait for them to come back, and we’ll move on from there. So far, so good,” Adrian sighed.

“Wait a sec,” Roxy said, turning to Adrian with a raised eyebrow. “Even if we do break Rusty out, what are you gonna do then? The first thing Saddleton’s gonna do is blame you guys, and you don’t really have a place to hide him in the apartment.”

“Don’t worry about that. Chrysalis will have that covered.”

“She does?”

Just then, we heard the sound of wings flapping as Cel Shade descended to us. “Okay, I found him upstairs. He was locking his closet door when I saw him, and he’s headed downstairs. That must be where he put Rusty.”

We then heard a faint buzzing sound as Chrysalis came back to us. “He just went to his living room. He’s plopped in front of the TV right now,”

Adrian nodded to the changeling. “Then you’re up next, Chrys. You’re going to-”

“Seduce Saddleton, I know,” she interrupted. “I pretty much expected it.”

“Wait, why is banging the landlord necessary?” asked Roxy.

“When I used to have… ‘companions’ over, I’d cast a little hypnosis spell on them after they’re spent and too tired to resist. That way, I don’t have to deal with them again,” Chrysalis explained.

“So if you did that to Saddleton…” Cel thought out loud,

“Then I can make him think that everything that happened tonight was a dream, including when he kidnapped Rusty,” the changeling finished. She then lit up her horn and changed into a short, curvy pegasus mare with a pale maroon coat and a white mane and tail. She seemed a little aged, judging from the slight wrinkles on her face. “This mare in particular should catch his eye.”

“Is it someone he knows?” asked Roxy.

“It’s someone he knows of, yes,” Chrysalis answered, walking off with an extra swing to her hips as she headed to Saddleton’s front door.

“That leaves you and me, Trixie,” said Adrian. “Cel’s gonna carry you up to Saddleton’s bedroom window, and you’re gonna undo the locks with your magic. Once you’re inside, he’ll take me up there, too. Roxy will stay down here to catch Rusty while Cel watches the stairs. If Saddleton, for whatever reason, starts to head there, Cel will fly up and let us know.”

I nodded as Cel Shade flew over to me, picking me up bridal style and flying me up to the window. As we got closer, I narrowed my eyes at the lock he was using. “Sheesh, with the rent that withered old horse charges us, you’d think he could afford magic-proof locks,” I scoffed. “I’ll have this window open in no time.”

I lit the window up with my magic, concentrating specifically on the lock at the bottom. It took a little fidgeting, but I soon heard the satisfying click of an undone lock. With a triumphant smile, I opened the window and Cel carried me inside.

“Now where is that closet Cel was talking about?” I thought, as I looked around the small bedroom. I eventually spotted a closet door on the far right wall, and I stepped lightly so as not to make any noise. I leaned towards the closet door, pressing my ear against it so I could hear what was inside. “Rusty? Are you in there?”

“Trixie? Is that you?”

Bingo.

“Yes, it’s me. We came to get you out of here,” I told him.

“’We?’ Does that mean Adrian’s here, too?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his sudden joy. “Who do you think planned this whole thing? In fact, he’s on his way up now.” I looked back at the window and saw Cel Shade helping the human into the room.

“He’s in there?” Adrian asked.

“Yes. Just give me a moment to pick this lock,” I answered, concentrating my magic on the closet door’s keyhole. “Okay, this one might take a while.” I squinted my eyes and focused more magic into the lock, which was more complex than the one on the window. After a minute or two, I heard another pleasant click as the door unlocked. “We’re in. You can do the honors, Adrian.”

He took my offer with a smile and opened the closet door, and I could see his eyes brighten like stars once he finally saw his pet again.

“Adrian!” the jackalope cheered from inside a small metal cage. “Thank Celestia! This closet smells like baby powder and cough medicine.”

“It’s good to see you too, buddy. Now, let’s get outta here. We’ll bust open the cage once we’re out and home free.”

Rusty shook his head. “You can’t! This thing’s attached to the floor!”

“This sicko does this often enough that he has a special cage in his closet? How comforting,” I groaned.

“You think you can work that lockpick magic again?” Adrian asked me.

“Pfft! Of course. I’m the Great and Powerful-”

“Less bragging, more picking!” Rusty interrupted.

I grunted and looked back at Adrian. “He’s lucky we’re friends,” I told him, then turned back to the cage and once again concentrated my magic on yet another lock. I slowly worked the magic through, sweat rolling down my forehead as I focused as hard as I could on breaking this thing. I was already taking more time than the last two locks combined, my horn started to sting a little, and Adrian anxiously tapping his foot wasn’t helping things, either. “Look, I know this is taking a while, but just give me a few more minutes, okay. This is a tough lock to crack.”

The only response I heard was a deep breath, and the incessant tapping soon stopped. With my head clear of distractions, I kept at the lock, inching my magic trough, little by little, until…

CLICK!

Finally…

I sat on the floor for a moment to catch my breath, the three consecutive lockpicking spells wearing me out a bit. I watched in tired happiness as Rusty jumped into Adrian’s arms the second he opened the cage. Even though Rusty wasn’t my favorite guy in the world, it still felt good to see him and Adrian reunited like this.

I came out of my thoughts when I saw Adrian offering me his hand. “Does the Great and Powerful Trixie need some help getting up?” he asked.

I chuckled. “A little, perhaps.” I took his hand and he pulled me up to my hooves before we both left the closet.

“Roxy’s waiting to catch you outside. I gave her the spare key so she can take you back to the apartment as soon as she has you.”

“Well good luck, you guys, and thanks again,” Rusty said as Adrian dropped him out of the window.

I meandered around the bedroom, my eyes focusing on a picture frame standing on Saddleton’s nightstand. The mare in the picture resembled the one Chrysalis disguised herself as; same maroon coat, same white mane and tail, only this mare looked much younger. There also seemed to be something scribbled on the lower right-hand corner.

“To my biggest fan…” I read, squinting my eyes as I struggled to read the mare’s chicken scratch, “XOXO, Sonia Sugarcube.”

Huh, I guess Chrysalis did have it handled. Still, how did she know-

“Get ready, Trixie,” Adrian called. “Cel’s gonna come up any second now.”

“Coming,” I answered, turning around to meet him by the window, only to feel a chill run up my spine as I felt my tail drag something off the nightstand. “Shi-”

CRASH!

Before I could even reach to grab whatever I had knocked over, the sound of shattering glass filled the room, and my state of mind changed from calm to panicked in a split-second.

“What was that!?” Adrian asked with a hushed yell.

“I-I don’t know!” I stuttered. “I just turned around and something fell!”

“Dammit! Okay, Cel’s coming up now. You go out first!”

“Me? But-”

“We don’t have time to argue about it, Trixie! If we don’t hurry up now, we’re both screwed!”

There was no point in going any further. I nodded in understanding and rushed to the window, where Cel Shade had just arrived to carry me down, but…

“Cel! Fly away. We’ll jump out!”

“What? Trixie, are you crazy?” he asked.

“It’s not a long fall. We’ll be fine. Just go! At least if we get caught, you won’t get caught with us!”

Cel Shade opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly changed his mind and turned around, flying as fast as he could and leaving me and Adrian alone to get ourselves out. “Now let’s get out of here before-”

“AHA!”

SEVERAL MINUTES EARLIER

Chrysalis

I patted my mane as I rang Saddleton’s doorbell. I was almost certain that he wouldn’t resist having Sonia Sugarcube in his home. Whether it was from the way he’d constantly hum her songs whenever I passed by him in the lobby of my building, or from those vintage music magazines I’d see him read every now and again, it was clear that he had a thing for this mare, which made it all the easier to bed him.

Or, in the case of this plan, couch him.

I could hear the stallion’s footsteps approaching the door, and I cleared my throat as he opened the door.

“Do you have any idea what time it… Oh my…” His eyes looked like they were about to pop out any second, and he struggled to form words. “Are you… Sonia Sugarcube?”

“Why, yes I am, love,” I chuckled, perfectly imitating the mare’s Trottingham accent. “I’m terribly sorry to trouble you at such an inconvenient hour, but I can’t find my way around here. I’d really appreciate you letting me stay here for a moment while my chauffeur comes for me.”

“Oh! Of course! P-please, come in!” He quickly moved aside so I could enter, and as I passed him, I was hit with the sickening odor of… that form of love.

“Infatuation… Why, just why did it have to be infatuation?” I asked myself. “No, no, it’s fine. If I can handle a little of my least favorite flavor from a few college students, I can certainly endure it from an old stallion.” All the while, my face carried a false smile as I walked into Saddleton’s living room. “I just need to turn that infatuation into good old lust, and we’re set.”

“Could you give me the address for this house?” I asked. “I’d like to let my chauffeur know where I am.”

“Sure, Miss Sugarcube.”

“Please, love. Call me Sonia.”

Saddleton let out a foal-like chuckle. “If you insist, Sonia. 1129 Bridle Drive.”

“Fantastic. I’ll just send over this address and he’ll be here posthaste,” I said taking my phone out and pretending to type a message, when in actuality I was just typing random words.

…Okay, not totally random. It was just the phrase “Fuck my life” three times.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Sonia, what brings you to Manehattan?” Saddleton asked.

“Oh, I’m just visiting some old friends of mine,” I answered.

“Well, do you, by any chance, remember me at all?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Remember you?”

“Well, I should have expected that. It was about sixty years ago. You held a concert at my university and signed a picture for me. I told you that I was your biggest fan.”

“Oh, yes! Now I remember! It’s all coming back to me, now,” I lied, letting out a laugh. “You were quite the handsome stallion back then.” I glanced at him with half-lidded eyes. “As a matter of fact, you still have that… strapping young charm about you, Mister…”

“Saddleton. Oswald Saddleton, and thank you.”

“Ugh. Oswald Saddleton? Oh, your mother must have hated you.”

“If you’d excuse my boldness,” he continued, “you’re quite alluring, yourself.”

“Oh, stop, you charmer!” I giggled, trying to stop myself from gagging at the infatuation emanating from the stallion in front of me. Don’t get me wrong, I was more than willing to do what I had to do for the sake of this plan. Hell, I was used to it.

It’s just that, in this case, I’d prefer not to.

“I’m starting to regret not getting to know you all those years ago,” I sighed. “Makes me wonder what would have been.”

CRASH!

I winced as I heard a harsh sound upstairs. “Oh, come on! Really?”

“What the hell?” the stallion muttered under his breath. “Ahem. Excuse me, Sonia. I need to go check on something upstairs.”

“Oh, can’t it wait, Oswald?” I asked. “I was enjoying our conversation.”

“I know, so was I, but I really need to see what happened up there.”

Dammit, you stubborn old bastard!

“I’m certain it was just the wind, love,” I insisted. “Now please, can’t we just make the most of the short time we have?”

“I’d love to, Sonia, but I-”

Before he could get another word in, I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close to me, reluctantly pressing my body against his. Things were getting desperate, and while I wanted to lead into his bedding, it was time for me to get more aggressive.

“Oswald, take me!” I pled.

“W-what!?” he stammered.

“Come! Let’s do what we should have done decades ago! Make me yours, Oswald!”

It was then that I began to feel the lust starting to build up, and I let out an internal sigh of relief. I could finally follow through and hold up my end of the…

Wait… where did the lust go?

“Hold on a second! You’re not Sonia!” Saddleton said, pushing me away.

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“The real Sonia Sugarcube was a classy lady! She would never throw herself at a stallion she just met! You’re that slutty tenant of mine, aren’t you?”

I growled and stomped over to him. “You better watch who you’re calling a slut, you shriveled little… shit.” I mentally kicked myself when I realized that I had blown my cover.

I am sooo off my game…

Mr. Saddleton rushed to the stairs, and at this point I hoped that his old bones would collapse on themselves in his haste, but I had no such luck.

I just hoped that at least Adrian and Trixie were able to get away.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and flew up the stairs, only to find Saddleton standing in front of his bedroom doorway. “AHA!” he yelled, pointing inside. “Knowing you three, I should have expected you’d come back for your pet!”

“This didn’t have to happen, Saddleton!” I heard Adrian yell back. “You didn’t have to break into our apartment and kidnap Rusty!”

“He’s right!” I said, walking past the stallion as I entered the room, standing by my roommate’s side. “You had no right to come into our apartment unannounced!”

“Looks like you three have forgotten how things work, so let me remind you,” Saddleton grunted. “You’re renting space from property that I own. Your rent money goes to me! You know the rules: no pets, and according to the lease agreement that all three of you signed, I reserve the right to enter any unit and conduct an inspection with or without your consent!”

“That may be true,” Trixie said, “but I read that lease agreement front to back, and you violated it, too!”

He chuckled. “Oh, really? Tell me then, Miss Lulamoon, how did I violate it?”

“According to the article on unit inspections, the agreement states that you, the landlord, would give tenants fair notice of any and all inspections at least three days in advance.” Trixie lit up her horn and made the contract appear before here, conveniently turned to the article she just referenced. “A good showmare always reads her contracts at least twice.”

With the tables turned, I decided to take over from here. “So, it seems we’re at an impasse, Mr. Saddleton. Yes, we did break the contract, but it seems you did so, too. I’m sure that if we were to, say, take this to court, it would be quite interesting. I wonder who the jury would favor. Would it be the tenants who kept a harmless pet, or the landlord that not only committed an act of breaking and entering, but also what could be classified as a kidnapping? Quite interesting, if you ask me.”

He said nothing.

“Even if you were to win, though, let’s be honest,” Adrian added. “Who would be willing to rent an apartment from a landlord that has no qualms with breaking and entering?”

I could feel it. The sweet scent of defeat radiating from Saddleton. He was the one backed against the wall now.

“…Fine,” he grumbled. “You can keep the little rat, but if he ever causes any trouble in my building, it’s out with the three of you, you hear me?”

“Hmph. Loud and clear. I’m glad we could reach an understanding, Mr. Saddleton,” Adrian smirked.

“Yeah, whatever. Now get out of my house.”

“Gladly,” we said as we walked past our landlord and down the stairs with victorious smiles on her faces. We’d done it. While things did take a turn for the worse for a moment, we were still able to come out on top in the end.

I almost forgot what it felt like to win.

We finally made it back to the apartment, and by then we were all ready to head to bed. When I unlocked the door and walked inside, I saw that Roxy and Cel Shade were still here. “You’re back?” the pegasus asked. “Thank Celestia. I thought that Saddleton caught you for a second.”

“He did, but we were able to strike a deal with him, thanks to our little legal expert here,” Adrian said, patting Trixie on the back. “We can keep Rusty and stay in the apartment.”

“Phew. That’s a relief,” Roxy sighed. “Rusty’s in your room, sleeping. The poor thing was exhausted.”

“Yeah, so are we. I really gotta thank you guys. You really came through for me tonight. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Don’t sweat it, man!” Cel Shade said as he got up from the couch. “You know we’re in your corner. We’ll see you later, okay?”

Adrian nodded as his friends left, shutting the door behind them. He then turned to us, looking at us with a smile.

“Save us the mushy thank-you speech,” I joked. “You’re welcome.”

“Well, good, ‘cause I wanna go to bed,” he yawned.

“Me, too. I’ll see you guys in the morning,” Trixie said tiredly.

“Hold on,” I said. “One more thing before you two head off.”

The looked at me inquisitively as I reached my arms around them, pulling both of them close to me and letting out a long, relaxed sigh.

“Um… Chrysalis?” Adrian asked.

“Shhh… Just stay quiet,” I whispered, petting Adrian’s head. “I need to get the taste of infatuation out of me.” I turned to look at the unicorn at my right side. “Hey, Trixie, have I ever told you how hot you look in black?”

Her face turned beet red as I slurped up her momentary arousal. I could always count on her to get flustered at the slightest insinuation.

I was definitely getting used to having these two around. If I knew things would be like this, I would’ve had my apartment burned down a lot sooner.

I…

I want this to last forever.

Hate Thy Neighbor

by Sketchy Changeling

I - Thou Shalt Not Hold Thy Neighbor in Contempt

II - Thou Shalt Not Practice Pyrotechnics

III - Thou Shalt Not Negotiate With Thy Neighbor

IV - Thou Shalt Not Waste Thy Day Away

V - Thou Shalt Not Hold Meetings in Thine Household

VI - Thou Shalt Not Ask Thy Neighbors For Favors

VII - Thou Shalt Not Mourn Thy Neighbor's Demise

VIII - Thou Shalt Not Be Stressed

IX - Thou Shalt Not Lament

X - Thou Shalt Not Fall Into Desperation

XI - Thou Shalt Not Kiss and Tell

XII - Thou Shalt Not Suffer Boredom

XIII - Thou Shalt Not Miss Thy Neighbor

XIV - Thou Shalt Not Fear Rejection

XV - Thou Shalt Not Open Old Wounds

XVI - Thou Shalt Not Go Clubbing

XVII - Thou Shalt Not Stage a Breakout