As the lunch bell rang, the students of Canterlot High filed out of their classrooms and down the halls to the cafeteria. The sounds of chatting all around, Rainbow Dash zipped through the crowd, weaving in and out until she reached her locker. Though she sometimes had lunch at the school, she had brought her own today - a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a few extras such as baby carrots. But there was one more thing as well, a surprise for her friends - she had brought homemade chocolate chip cookies to share.
Leaving her backpack and schoolbooks in her locker, she took the lunch and the cookies (both within one bag) and headed to the cafeteria. Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were already sitting at their usual table, having brought their own lunches, too. Twilight, Sunset, and Rarity were waiting in line for lunch, but would be along soon. Rainbow joined the group at the table.
“Hey, everybody! What’s up?” Rainbow said, taking out her sandwich. She took a bite.
“Not a lot,” Applejack said, taking a ham sandwich out of her own bag. “Well, other than, you know, classes and studying. Are you ready for the English test tomorrow?”
“Oh, that? Yeah, piece of cake!” Rainbow said. Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded in agreement, Pinkie eating her own sandwich of some sort and Fluttershy drinking apple juice from a juice box. She didn’t seem to have taken her own main course out yet.
“Anyway...hey, what did everybody bring for lunch?” Rainbow asked. She figured she’d let everyone else answer and then she’d surprise them by pulling out the cookies. Pinkie would probably be especially excited.
“Uh...well, I’ve got this...uh...ham sandwich,” Applejack said. She held up the sandwich, a little confused as to why Rainbow had asked when she was looking right at it. Then she took a bite.
“I’ve got a sandwich, too!” Pinkie said, and she held it up. “It’s got peanut butter and jelly and banana and Nutella and I sprinkled some cinnamon on top!”
“That sure sounds like...something,” Applejack said.
“Well, I’m glad you like it,” Fluttershy said.
“I have salisbury steak and tater tots,” Sunset said, joining the conversation as she sat down at the table with her own school lunch. She had only guessed the topic of discussion, but was fortunately correct.
“What do you have, Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked.
“Oh, me? I have a BLT,” Fluttershy said.
“A what?” Rainbow asked.
“A...BLT?” Fluttershy said. “And this apple juice.” She held up the juice box.
“What’s a BLT?” Rainbow asked.
“You don’t know what a BLT is?” Sunset asked.
“Oh, well, it’s a -” Fluttershy started to say, beginning to pull a sandwich from her bag. She was across the table, so Rainbow couldn’t quite see anything from the angle she was at.
“Wait, let’s see what she thinks it is,” Applejack said, a lighthearted chuckle in her voice as she reached her hand over and put it on Fluttershy’s bag. Fluttershy stopped taking out the sandwich.
“Uh…” Rainbow hesitated. “It’s a Big...Lettuce...Tower. Yeah, that’s it. Angel made your lunch for you, right?”
“Um...no,” Fluttershy said. “But you did get one part right. It’s -”
“Big Licorice Thing?” Rainbow asked.
“No,” Fluttershy said. “Um...you were...closer before.”
“Baked Lasagna Tower?” Rainbow continued. “Braised Lamb Tempura? Oh, I know - Burnt Lemon Twist!”
“Um...no, no, and no,” Fluttershy said.
“Not even close,” Sunset added.
Rainbow thought for a moment. What had she said when she got one part right? She couldn’t remember.
“It’s okay. I’ll just tell you,” Fluttershy said. “It’s -”
“No, I’m almost there!” Rainbow said. “It’s, uh...Brittle...Little...Turnips?”
“No,” Fluttershy said sadly as her stomach growled. She was hungry, and most people were already eating by now. The lunch line was almost through. Rarity joined them at the table, her tray featuring salisbury steak and tater tots just like Sunset’s.
“Hello, darlings,” Rarity said as she sat down. “Why the long face?” she asked Fluttershy.
“She brought a BLT for lunch, but she hasn’t started eating it yet because Rainbow is trying to guess what it is,” Sunset said.
“And she’s not having any luck!” Pinkie Pie said. She had finished her own sandwich by now.
“She...doesn’t know what a BLT is?” Rarity said. “I mean, I would have thought…” She trailed off.
Rainbow sighed. “Okay, give me a hint,” she said to Fluttershy.
“You had the ‘lettuce’ part right,” Fluttershy said.
“Okay, then...um...lettuce...Boozy Lettuce Tart!” Rainbow said.
“Was...was that a real guess?” Applejack asked. She had stopped eating her own sandwich, having decided to wait until the guessing game was over and Fluttershy could eat, too. After all, it was sort of her fault that it had started in the first place. “We aren’t even old enough to drink yet. And why would she bring that to school?”
“Uh...no. I was...I was joking,” Rainbow said, and she blushed.
“Really, it’s okay, Rainbow. You don’t have to keep guessing...” Sunset said.
“Brisket with Lettuce Toppings! Buttermilk Lettuce Teriyaki! Blueberry and Lettuce Toast!” Rainbow shouted, standing up and leaning forward with her hands on the table. A few of the other students around the cafeteria glanced over at their table, then turned back to their own food and conversations. Mr. Cranky Doodle, one of the teachers chaperoning the lunch, shook his head and put his finger to his mouth to indicate that she needed to be quieter. Rainbow sat back down.
Twilight finally joined the table, once again with salisbury steak and tater tots. “Is Rainbow trying to guess what a BLT is?” she asked, having heard the commotion a few moments earlier.
“I’m going to get it!” Rainbow said. “Was it any of those last things I said?”
“Well, ‘toast’ was kind of close. It is a sandwich,” Fluttershy said. “But it’s not toasted.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere!” Rainbow said. “Alright...uh…” She trailed off, thinking about what her next guesses should be.
Fluttershy glanced around at the rest of the table. Everyone else was eating aside from Applejack, who was waiting for her, and Rainbow, who was too distracted by the guessing game. Twilight noticed Fluttershy’s furtive glance at her tater tots.
“Here,” she said, holding out a few napkins. “Now that Rainbow knows it’s a sandwich, you can wrap it in these so she can’t see what’s in it. Then you should be able to go ahead and eat.” Knowing Rainbow, she wouldn’t want to give up until she got it right, but that seemed like a good solution for everybody.
“Thanks,” Fluttershy said, and she did. Applejack resumed eating her own sandwich.
“Beans, Lettuce, and Tangerines?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy, who was now chewing her sandwich, shook her head. Rainbow sighed. “Am I at least right that it’s three different foods?” Fluttershy nodded. “Bologna, Lettuce, and Tomatillos?” Fluttershy shook her head again. “Boysenberries, Lettuce, and Tomatoes?”
Fluttershy swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “Tomatoes was right,” she said.
“Yes!” Rainbow said, pumping her fist. One more to go. “Alright, somebody give me another hint.”
A moment of silent contemplation from the group, and then Sunset pointed at her hair.
“Is that the hint?” Rainbow said, tilting her head in confusion.
“Remember that nickname people used to call me?” Sunset said. Now Fluttershy also looked confused.
“Uh…” Rainbow said. Then it clicked. “Bacon Hair! Bacon! Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomatoes! BLT! That’s it!”
“What? No,” Fluttershy said. “It’s not bacon.”
“Wait, what?” Applejack said. Now the entire group was confused.
Before Rainbow or anyone else could protest, Fluttershy unwrapped the napkins from her sandwich and lifted the top piece of bread to show what was inside.
“BEETS?” Rainbow said. “I was so close! That would have been my next guess.” She sighed. “Oh, well.”
“Beets, Lettuce, and Tomato? Huh,” Sunset said.
“It’s good,” Fluttershy said, taking another bite.
A buzzer sounded to announce that there were only five minutes left in the lunch break.
“Oh, I almost forgot! I brought cookies for everybody!” Rainbow said, and she handed them out. "Sorry there aren't any beets on them." She winked at Fluttershy, and everybody thanked her for the treats.
Keeping their eyes on the clock, all of them quickly finished their lunches in silence and then ate the cookies. The school-lunch-eaters turned in their trays.
“Anybody want to meet after school to study for tomorrow’s English test?” Twilight asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Rainbow said. Though she’d called it a ‘piece of cake’ earlier, a bit more studying wouldn’t hurt. Everybody else nodded in agreement.
They decided on 5 o’clock at Twilight’s house, the bell rang, and they all went back to class.
The End
