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.”

Author's Note

So we got to meet the famed Fleur dr Lis, and she even gave Chrysalis some inspiration to possibly further her career. Now Adrian's got a new show in the works, Trixie's got a new routine, and Chrysalis has a possibility to be a full-fledged model. Things are looking up for the roomies.

I wonder how Trixie's show will go, though. What do she and Babs have planned. We'll find out in the next chapter.

I apologize for the wait on this one guys. Once May 26th rolls around, I'll be back to my normal writing schedule.

Until next time, keep it sketchy, folks!