Saturday, July 9, 2016

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AUGUST

Today's Horoscope (Virgo): It's not a sin to talk about a growing young woman's body, so long as you aren't being creepy about it.

Morning

Last night before I went to bed, I told Twilight the news about my parents moving to Canterlot. This morning, I let the others know, starting with Pinkie and Cadance.

"So they're just...throwing away everything they have in Seaddle and moving here?" Cadance asks, blinking.

I shrug. "I guess. I mean, they can afford it. They're, well..." I scratch my nose. "They're kinda like you. Both of them."

Cadance wrinkles her nose. "No wonder you throw money around like it's nothing," she says. "I thought it was because they were both college professors."

I snort. "How much do you think that really pays? The interest on Dad's investment portfolio is twice his salary." I shake my head. "They work because they want to. Because what they're doing is what they're passionate about. Mom's an heiress and Dad's a whiz with investments. Money is the last thing in the world they care about." I shrug. "Not that they flaunt it. I mean, we've always lived pretty frugally aside from lots of travel and, y'know, if we want something we just buy it. They're just not—"

Cadance raises a hand. "I know, I get it," she says, rolling her eyes. "You know, it sounds to me like I have more in common with your parents than I thought. Maybe I need to get to know them better." She grimaces. "To be honest, when they were here last, I sort of, well...didn't really make an effort. I was still pissed over that stunt they pulled in April."

"Same here," Pinkie says. "Guess I need to get to know them better too. I mean, now that we'll be seeing a lot more of them around." She winks. "After all, they'll be getting at least one grandkid out of me, right?"

"Let's...not do that right now, please?" I ask with a pained grimace. "I—"

Cadance holds up a hand to stop me. "What's this now?" she asks with a teasing grin.

I groan and scrub my hands down my face. "Yyyyeah my life is one of those harem anime," I mutter.

"You say that like it's news," Cadance smirks. "But seriously, what's this about a ba—"

"You know, I have a whole bunch of friends to catch up with today," I say loudly. "And I'm pretty sure I have some errands to run. So I'm just gonna get out of here like...now."

Pinkie and Cadance burst into giggles as I beat a hasty exit.

Damn pink women...

Daytime

After leaving the dorm without a real destination in mind, I decide to text Octavia and find out what she and Vinyl are up to.

Honestly, if it's at Octavia's house, the only safe one to invite is Rarity.

...who I run right into at Sterling Silver's shop when I drop by to say hi to Sil. "Well, fancy running into you here," Rarity says, raising an eyebrow. "I heard you left the dorm in a bit of a rush this morning."

I roll my eyes. "Pinkie and Cadance were being pink at me," I say. Silver Spoon lets out a giggle. "So what're you doing here?"

"Mother's birthday is coming up," Rarity says. "I'm placing a special order for a pair of earrings for her."

Sterling himself walks out from the back, studying a sheet of paper I recognize as being from Rarity's design book. "This'll be a bit complicated," he says, an excited smile on his face. "It's a good thing you're giving me two weeks to work on it."

"I do hope it won't be too terribly much trouble," Rarity says.

Sterling waves off her concern. "Summer's the slow season," he says. "Honestly, from July through about October, things tend to be a little dry around here. Oh, hello there, Flash!"

I nod in greeting.

"So, Flash, what're you up to today?" Sil asks.

I shrug. "Just keeping tabs on friends I haven't seen in a while," I say. "I'm probably dropping by Octavia Melody's house later to touch base with her and Vinyl Scratch." I study Rarity as I talk. "They're having a couple of other friends from Music Club over, they're spending the day by Octavia's pool, they said I could drop by, maybe bring a friend..."

Rarity raises an eyebrow. "Trying to get me into a bathing suit without Twilight knowing?" she asks teasingly.

I snort. "I was just thinking you'd be the only one from the dorm who wouldn't manage to embarrass Octavia if you showed up with me. I mean, you know how the girls are."

"True," Rarity says. "I mean, I know Octavia's family is prestigious and her house is rather...upscale."

Silver Spoon makes a face. "She lives in the same stuffy neighborhood as Diamond Tiara."

"You mean the same neighborhood you wanted us to move into?" Sterling asks, raising an eyebrow.

"In any case," I say, "yeah, I'm stopping by, but, uhh..." I cough. "Gonna be the only guy there. At a pool party. With four gay girls."

"Ouch," Sterling says.

Rarity rolls her eyes. "I take your point, darling," she says. "Very well, I'll accompany you, provided we stop back by the dorm to pick up bathing suits."

"Or just go buy new ones," I say. "I, uhh...was gonna do that anyway, specifically to avoid tipping any of the girls off that I was going to a pool party."

"Wow, you're gonna be in so much trouble later," Silver Spoon says with a teasing grin and a giggle.

"Not if he has more witnesses," Rarity says with a Cheshire smile and a significant glance from Sil to her dad.

Sterling chuckles. "Yeah, I think I can manage the shop alone today," he says. "So long as this pool party full of gay girls won't molest my little girl."

"Wah!" Sil cries, her eyes wide as she flails her arms comically.

I laugh. "Nah, they're not the type. Actually, it'll probably be pretty boring. Or relaxing."

Sil makes a show of pondering that, then shrugs. "Yeah, okay, I'm in."

Rarity finishes up her business with Sterling, then the girls get into the SUV with me, and I drive to an outlet store that sells swimwear. It's not exactly the kind of high-end place I know Rarity would prefer to shop—and probably Sil too, for that matter—but we're just going to a small get-together at a friend's house, so all that really matters is having a swimsuit. I grab the first pair of plain trunks in my size I find, as well as a pair of flip-flops. Rarity buys a purple bikini and matching beach sandals, and Silver Spoon buys a navy blue one-piece with sporty white stripes and a pair of plain flip-flops. Once we're all set, I drive to Octavia's place.

I pull up and park on the street, then text Octavia as we head for the front door. A few minutes later, Lyra opens the door, wearing a sarong and a loose pink blouse over her light silver bikini. "Hey guys!" she says cheerfully. "Come on in! I'll show you where to get changed, then we can all go on back." She eyes Silver Spoon speculatively. "I don't think I know you."

"This is Silver Spoon," I say. "Her dad owns that silver shop over on Thiessen."

"Oh, that place!" Lyra smiles. "Well, any friend of Flash's! Come on in." She leads us upstairs and directs Rarity and Sil to Octavia's bedroom and me to the guest room. It doesn't take long to change; I leave my clothes in the guest room, then head down and wait. A few minutes later, Rarity and Silver Spoon join me and Lyra in the foyer, and Lyra leads us through the back to the patio.

Out back, Bon Bon is doing laps in the pool, dressed in a two-tone one-piece that matches her hair. Octavia and Vinyl are lounging on pool chairs under an umbrella. Vinyl is wearing a modest purple-and-white striped two-piece. I never actually noticed before, but Vinyl doesn't really have much of a figure. Octavia, on the other hand, is all curves, and the plain black high-cut one-piece she's wearing shows it. A portable stereo is tuned to the Top 40 station.

"They're here!" Lyra calls happily before ditching her blouse and sarong and jumping into the pool with Bon Bon.

"Hello, Flash!" Octavia calls, waving.

"Hey, dude!" Vinyl adds, grinning.

"Hey," I call back, pulling one of the plastic chairs from the patio table over by the pool chairs and sitting down. Rarity goes straight for the third, unoccupied pool chair; Octavia passes her a bottle of sunscreen, and she starts lotioning herself up.

Octavia turns to Silver Spoon, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you one of that Diamond Tiara girl's friends? I do remember seeing you at her house a few times."

Sil grimaces. "We're...not friends anymore," she says. "I got tired of her attitude."

Octavia nods. "Good for you," she says. "I strongly dislike that girl."

"Which girl?" Vinyl asks. "That shrieky little bitch down the street?"

"That would be the one, yes," Octavia says.

"Ugh, yeah. She's a bitch." Vinyl stretches. "So, who else came with you, Flash-man?"

"It's just me, Silver Spoon, and Rarity," I say.

"Ooh, Rarity's here? What're you wearing?" Vinyl asks teasingly.

Octavia rolls her eyes. "Ignore her, Rarity," she says.

"She's wearing the second sexiest bikini I've ever seen her in," I say helpfully with a grin.

"Oh man, how I wish I could see that," Vinyl says. "You know, I used to kind of have a thing for you, Rarity. Before I fell for Tavi, I mean."

Rarity blinks. "I...err...well. Thank you. I think?"

"You and Fluttershy too," Vinyl continues. "You're the hottest chicks at CHS after Tavi."

Octavia facepalms. "I am dreadfully sorry," she says. "I'm afraid a certain medication Vinyl takes makes her just slightly...well...drunk."

"Oh come on, I'm fun when I'm drunk and you know it," Vinyl says.

"You're gropey when you're drunk," Octavia mutters. After a moment, she blushes and adds, "Which, I must confess...is rather fun."

Boy am I glad I bought some loose swim trunks...

"So how come you didn't bring Twilight and Pinkie?" Vinyl asks. With a saucy grin, she adds, "Already tired of them and doin' Rarity and this other girl?"

"Most definitely not!" Rarity protests, her cheeks flaming. For her part, Silver Spoon just looks mortified.

"I just ran into these two in town," I say. "I'm really just going around saying hi to some friends I haven't seen much of lately."

Silver Spoon blinks. "Uhh...we've seen each other like, a lot this summer," she points out. "Up at Sweet Apple Acres, remember? And I come by the dorm a lot to see Apple Bloom and—"

"Well yeah, but I was passing by, y'know? Didn't think it'd hurt to stop and say hi."

Lyra raises an eyebrow. "So exactly how did you run into Rarity in town when you live together?"

"I was ordering a present for my mother from Mr. Silver when Flash stopped in," Rarity says. "I assure you, it was pure coincidence."

"And as for why I didn't swing by and pick up Twi and Pinkie, well..." I shrug. "If I brought Pinkie, things would get really wild and really X-rated in a hurry."

Vinyl cackles. "Sounds like a blast to me!"

Octavia wrinkles her nose. "Thank you for not bringing Pinkie," she says. "I'm afraid I would get into a great deal of trouble if the place was trashed by a wild party."

"And Pinkie doesn't really know how to throw any other kind," Rarity says. "Oh, don't misunderstand, she's a wonderful friend and I do love her dearly!"

"But somehow, we'd all end up naked if she was here," I say.

"I don't have a huge problem with that," Lyra says with a grin.

"Lyra! Honestly," Octavia says, her face turning red.

"And Rarity just happened to have a really sexy bikini with her?" Bon Bon asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Nah, we stopped by a store on the way."

"See? Simple explanation for everything," Lyra says. "Not everything is all conspiracies and secrets."

Bon Bon rolls her eyes. "Don't start," she warns before flopping back into the pool and doing a lazy backstroke.

"What was all that about?" I ask. Vinyl makes a frantic "don't go there" motion—a bit too late.

Lyra makes a huge show of rolling her eyes. "Bon Bon's getting a little too into spy thrillers and stuff lately. She's starting to see conspiracies everywhere. Thinks she wants to be a secret agent."

Bon Bon and Lyra get into an argument which turns into an epic splash fight, while the rest of us just stare in awe. There are only three pool chairs, so Silver Spoon pulls up one of the patio chairs and sits next to me. "Are your friends always like this?" she asks.

I shrug. "I'm not usually around those two for more than an hour or two a week at school, so I don't really know if this is normal or not."

"It's normal," Vinyl says in a bored tone. "So, what've you guys been up to lately?"

Rarity, Sil, and I take turns telling them all about Canterlittle and Sweet Apple Acres. "Wow, sounds like a busy summer," Lyra says.

"Yeah, but we're probably staying put at home for the rest of it," I say. "I mean, I've got summer tennis practice coming up, Rainbow Dash has all her sports stuff going on, plus my parents are moving to Canterlot, so I'll probably be busy helping them get settled in once they find a place."

"Whoa, seriously?" Vinyl asks. "So are you like, moving out of that sweet harem you're living in?"

"No, I'm staying at the dorm," I say, ignoring the 'harem' crack. "It makes more sense for me to stay where I am right now. I'll see my folks more often, though."

"Miss Scratch," Rarity says testily, "would you please not refer to Applewood Dorm as a harem?"

Vinyl shrugs. "Hey. You've got one guy living there and most of the hottest girls at CHS, and don't act like stuff ain't goin' on."

"Vinyl! Please do not insinuate such things!" Octavia hisses, scandalized.

"What? Dude's got two girlfriends. That right there is—"

"Man, this station blows," Lyra says loudly as she climbs out of the pool and starts messing with the radio. "I'd rather hear Flash play than listen to this crap."

"Yeah, I could listen to Flash just run through some practice riffs all day," Bon Bon agrees.

"Shame I didn't think to bring my guitar to a pool party then," I say lightly.

"Oh hey, that's no problem," Vinyl says, instantly forgetting her argument with Octavia. "There's a whole music studio full of instruments here."

I blink. "Really?"

"Well, I am training to be a professional musician, as is Vinyl," Octavia says. "And my mother values...well, you know."

I frown. "Well, yeah, but it's all chamber music and orchestra stuff, right?"

Vinyl smirks. "Used to be. Things have changed."

Octavia blushes. "I've...been learning to play bass," she says. "Also, Vinyl plays some guitar. She's not anywhere near as good as you, of course, but..." She looks at Vinyl. "Well..."

Vinyl seems to have sensed her gaze. "Sometimes samples just don't cut it," she says. "Gotta be able to lay down live tracks to get a mix just right."

"Well hell, set this boy up with a guitar!" Lyra says.

"Oh...well..." Octavia frowns. "If...only if he wants to, I mean. I wouldn't want to impose..."

"I don't mind," I say. "Actually, I could use the practice. So much has been happening this summer I've been slacking off badly, and that ten days we spent up at Sweet Apple Acres didn't help."

"Yeah, gotta shake the rust off, huh?" Vinyl says with a grin. "I feel ya."

"Very well then," Octavia says. She heads into the house; several minutes later, she returns with a middle-tier Strat copy and a bulky tube amp, as well as a big orange extension cord.

"Crap, Tavi, you should let Flash help you haul that out here!" Lyra says.

Octavia grunts as she sets down the amp. I get up and walk over to relieve her of the guitar, slinging it on and plugging it into the amp while she plugs in the extension cord. "I need the exercise," she says. "My arms are getting flabby."

"Bullshit," Vinyl says. "There's not an ounce of fat on you. At least, I haven't found one."

I have to agree with Vinyl. There's no fat anywhere on the girl...

Octavia turns around and sees my gaze, then gives me a mild frown. "Well?" she says impatiently. "I didn't bring that out here for you to look cool."

"Right!" I tune the guitar, then adjust the amp. "What do you wanna hear?"

"Something classic," Vinyl says. "I hear the tubes humming, so make it something dirty."

"Gah!" Silver Spoon cries, covering her face.

I roll my eyes. "Not that kind of dirty," I say. "In music terms, that means...well, I'll show you." Mentally reviewing the riffs, I start playing the standby anthem of cowboys and rebels everywhere. I play a couple more songs, then switch to one that has a 'clean' sound. "See?" I ask Sil as I finish.

"Yeah, I think I get it now," Silver Spoon says. "I never really thought all that much about music before. I don't really know anything about rock, either."

"Everyone at the dorm is used to it now whether we want to be or not," Rarity says. "Between him and Rainbow Dash, it practically never ends." She's smiling as she says it, so I know she isn't complaining.

"Rainbow Dash plays?" Vinyl asks.

"I've been teaching her, yeah," I say. "I'd have asked her to join Music Club, but you know how busy she is with sports. She's got a pretty sweet guitar of her own." I play a couple of loose riffs. "Now that I think about it, we haven't jammed in a while."

"Anyone else at the dorm play?"

"Not that I know of," I say. "Applejack thought about it, but she has bass player hands, really. And with everything she's got going on, I think she honestly never really thought about it again. Some of the girls are pretty good singers."

"I used to play piano, but I haven't practiced in ages," Rarity says.

"You know, though," Lyra says as she spreads out a beach towel on the patio and sprawls out, "I can totally picture Flash as the front man for one of those hair metal bands, you know, the ones from back when our parents were kids?" She grins. "Grow out your hair, tie a bandana around your head, put on some ratty denim, you'd look just like the guy from Rodentt." I snicker and start shredding the solo from the only Rodentt song I even know. Lyra laughs, then turns to Rarity. "Hey, can you hand me my phone off the table there? I'm gonna order pizza. That cool, Tavi?"

"I don't mind."

"Don't get any of those disgusting banana peppers!" Bon Bon calls from the water.

"I won't, I won't." As Rarity hands her the phone and lays back down on her lounge chair, Lyra starts tapping and sliding the screen. "It's on me, don't worry. Who wants what? Would a large supreme and two medium be enough?"

"It'd almost be too much," Vinyl says. "Tavi doesn't exactly eat much and I get the feeling Rarity doesn't either."

"I think it'll be just about right," I say. "It doesn't matter if there are leftovers, somebody'll eat 'em."

"Okay, gonna get a supreme, a medium meat combo, and...how about a medium veggie?"

"Sounds good to me," Bon Bon says.

"Anything is fine," Rarity says. "Oh, but I'll chip in, my purse is out in the car..."

Lyra waves her off. "I've got like, a couple dozen free pizzas coming my way," she says. "I won a thing back in March."

"Lucky!"

Lyra finishes ordering, then sets the phone aside. "Forty-five minutes, it says." She lies back, folding her arms behind her head. "Told 'em to come to the back gate."

Vinyl snickers. "The driver's gonna be in for a heck of a show," she says. "Speaking of which...hey, Flash-man, wanna do me a solid?"

"What's that?" I ask, setting the guitar aside and standing up to stretch.

"Eyeball Tavi and give me the straight scoop," she says. "I never got to see her in a swimsuit before I went blind, and hands and my mental images can only tell me so much."

Octavia splutters. "Vinyl! Don't...!"

I cough. "Umm...I don't think that would be...appropriate." I can feel my face flaming.

Rarity rolls her eyes. "Yes, definitely not, especially given the way you were ogling her rear end earlier."

"I was not!"

Rarity raises an eyebrow at me.

"I noticed, okay? That's different from ogling. Besides, why would I need to ogle Octavia when I have two girlfriends?"

Rarity's eyebrow arches higher. "You ogle me all the time," she says. "And Rainbow Dash. And Fluttershy. And don't think nobody noticed you ogling Vice-Principal Luna that one time."

Lyra sits up, raising an eyebrow. "Luna? Seriously?"

"Gah!" I sit down and put the guitar back in my lap, furiously strumming some off-key chords.

"Duuuuude," Vinyl says, grinning.

Octavia's brow furrows. "The two girlfriends thing aside, I honestly did not take you for a pervert," she says.

"I'm not a pervert!" I protest.

"No, you're just somewhat oversexed," Rarity counters.

"Wow, this is getting interesting," Bon Bon says, leaning against the edge of the pool and grinning.

"Come on, lay off," Vinyl says. "Dude's surrounded by hot chicks 24/7, what do you expect?"

"Exactly!"

"Still, Luna?" Vinyl asks. "That's messed up."

"Sure, say that when you've seen her lounging around playing video games," I mutter.

Rarity grimaces. "Well, that's a fair point," she admits. "Whenever she used to stay over at the dorm, Vice-Principal Luna had a habit of wandering around in rather short, tight shorts and a tank top. Without underwear of any sort."

Octavia, Lyra, and Bon Bon all stare, wide-eyed, at Rarity. "Hooooly crap," Lyra says.

"You're kidding," Bon Bon breathes.

"Wow, your dorm really is some kind of real-life harem anime," Vinyl says in an impressed tone.

"It...yeah, it really kind of is," I say.

"I'm kind of glad I'm not part of that harem," Silver Spoon says. After a pause, she pales. "Oh god, I am, aren't I? Is that why I saw Twilight giving me the evil eye sometimes when we were at Sweet Apple Acres?"

I roll my eyes. "Twilight's being ridiculous about the whole 'little loli friend' thing," I say.

"OH DEAR GOD SHE ACTUALLY SAID THAT?!" Lyra gasps, laughing.

"First I've heard of it," Rarity says curiously.

Silver Spoon turns red. "L-little loli friend?" She shakes her head. "Oh my God..."

"Well, you are pretty cute," Lyra says in a teasing tone. "You even look kinda like you might be Flash's type."

I hold up a hand. "Let's...not ever go anywhere near this topic again, ever," I say.

"Yeah, let's...let's not," Sil says. After a pause, she adds, "A-am I, though?"

I sigh. "Maybe if you were a few years older," I admit.

Rarity smirks. "Maybe not even that," she says teasingly.

"Okay and this is where we end this conversation," I insist firmly, cranking up the amp and playing an angry riff. The girls all laugh, except for Silver Spoon and Octavia. The former is redder than a tomato, and the latter simply looks mildly annoyed.

"So seriously," Vinyl says after they sober up. "Your dude thoughts on Tavi's hot bod."

I glare at her, but all the girls—even Octavia—are watching me expectantly. I sigh. "Well, what can I say? She's got great curves, she's got a nice C-cup rack going on, good muscle tone, she's pretty much equal to Rarity on the hotness scale."

"Oh come on, give me more detail," Vinyl whines.

"I'd rather not," I say, giving Octavia a sheepish, apologetic smile. For her part, Octavia tilts her head at me curiously.

"You can tell my bust size just by looking? Even when this swimsuit is rather...restrictive?"

I shrug. "Most guys can. Besides, dorm full of girls, sizes ranging from A to D, seen most of them naked or in swimsuits at some point or other. You learn."

"Except for when to keep your eyes to yourself," Rarity says dryly.

Vinyl frowns. "D? Who the hell in your dorm is a D?"

Crap!

"I think he meant Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna there," Rarity says, frowning at me. "Although I have to wonder when he would've had a chance to—"

"Walked in on Celestia in the bathroom by accident one time," I say.

"Ouch. Dude. Harsh."

"Eh, she was pretty cool about it, thank God." I cough. "So anyway, yeah, I've, uhh...learned."

"Learned to knock before opening the bathroom door?" Bon Bon asks teasingly.

"That too."

"Still, you didn't say anything I don't already know," Vinyl complains. "I was kinda hoping for, y'know—"

"Oh come on, I'm not going to offend a friend of mine—your girlfriend—by eyeballing her like a piece of meat," I say. "Especially not when I'm surrounded by girls and have two girlfriends at home and I really don't want to die if this gets back to them."

"All you need to know is he's sporting a rather prominent erection and trying to hide it behind your guitar," Rarity says, giving me a catty smirk. "And don't try to deny it, darling. I've been around you at enough beaches and swimming holes to know when you're pitching a tent." Vinyl cackles. Octavia blushes furiously. Silver Spoon makes a strangled noise.

"So what about the rest of us?" Lyra asks, grinning broadly.

"So hey, that pizza sure is taking its time, huh?" I exclaim, clapping my hands together.

"Hey Rarity, you got any naked time stories with Flash-man?" Vinyl asks.

I cringe. This will not end well...

Rarity coughs. "Well...if you must know—and this does not get out, understand—I have, in fact, had sex with Flash. Once."

Everyone falls silent.

Vinyl's jaw drops. "Seriously?"

"Was that before Twilight?" Lyra asks, eyes wide.

I clear my throat. "After, actually."

"Dude, you cheated on your girlfriend?" Vinyl asks.

"Not exactly," I say with a grimace. I glance at Rarity. She shrugs helplessly. Taking turns, we explain what happened during Spring Break—the awkward truth or dare game, and the aftermath in which I wound up having sex with half the dorm. By the end, every single face is beet red.

"Well, Flash, you...certainly do get around," Octavia says, fanning herself.

"I never took Twilight for the kind of girl that'd be that...permissive," Bon Bon says.

"Twilight's...complicated," I say. "She's picked up some interesting habits from...certain pink women who shall remain nameless."

Lyra laughs. "It's always the pink ones, isn't it?" She shakes her head. "So is there anyone at that dorm you haven't slept with?"

"A few," I say. "Obviously not Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle—"

"And you'd better not ever, either," Rarity says threateningly.

"—and I honestly just don't even think of Applejack that way at all."

"But the rest?" Vinyl asks. "Even Fluttershy?"

Oh crap.

"Oh, he's certainly had a dalliance with Fluttershy," Rarity says saucily. "But that happened at Canterlittle, not at Haytona."

I stare at her. "H-how?"

Rarity snorts. "Please, darling. We all know."

I groan and bury my head in my hands.

"Oh, don't act like it's the end of the world if people know you slept with Fluttershy," Rarity says airily. That's easy for her to say. Fluttershy's never kicked her in the face before...

"Actually, that's pretty impressive," Vinyl says. "You've done two of the three hottest girls at CHS, I'm a little jealous."

The gate buzzer rings, and a voice yells out. "Pizza's here!" Lyra exclaims excitedly, springing to her feet and rushing over to the gate. We all turn and watch.

Curiously, the pizza delivery driver is one of Trixie's bandmates. That reminds me, I need to check in with Trixie pretty soon too...

Octavia rounds up some paper plates from the house while Lyra hands out the sodas she ordered with the pizza. Soon, we're all sitting around the patio table eating pizza and talking about things that, thankfully, have nothing to do with my sex life. After that, Silver Spoon decides to go for a swim, as does Octavia; Vinyl takes the guitar and starts practicing a bit, while I sit and chat with Lyra and Bon Bon and Rarity sunbathes. We hang out for a couple more hours before we all dry off and go inside to change. We thank Octavia for inviting us over and Lyra for the pizza, and then I drive Silver Spoon home before returning to the dorm with Rarity.

"That was an interesting little pool party," Rarity says when we turn onto the road back to the dorm.

"Yeah. Interesting," I mutter. Rarity giggles.

Evening

The moment I enter the dorm, I feel an oppressive aura of death weighing me down.

Twilight and Pinkie are waiting for me at the third floor landing, arms crossed. They glare imperiously down at me.

"Flaaaaaaaash..." Twilight growls.

"You went—" Pinkie picks up.

"—to a pool party—"

"—full of girls—"

"WITHOUT US?!" they cry in unison.

I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. "How?" I ask flatly.

"Lyra," Twilight says. "And don't change the subject."

"Look," I say. "I just wanted to drop by and say hi to Vinyl and Tavi. I didn't really plan to stick around for long. Then I ran into Rarity while I was dropping in to visit Silver Spoon, and things just—" I gesture vaguely. "Snowballed."

"Yeah, I'll bet you got snowballed," Pinkie says grumpily.

"You can ask anybody who was there, nothing happened," I say testily. "I just dropped by a friend's house with two other friends and stuck around for some swimming and pizza."

"But you didn't invite us," Twilight says with a pout.

Yeah, and it's a good thing I didn't after that stunt Vinyl pulled.

"Because the only kind of pool party I want to have with you two is the kind that they have to condemn the pool after," I say, sticking out my tongue. "Now drop this, please? You know, I can spend time with friends without you girls once in a while."

Twilight flinches. Pinkie ducks her head.

I instantly feel like a jerk. "Look, I'm sorry—"

"Nah, you're right," Pinkie says.

"I guess we just got jealous because Rarity and Silver Spoon got to go with you and we didn't," Twilight says.

"Trust me, it wasn't your scene." I shift my weight. "Umm...let me up the stairs, please? You know we've got a battle tonight, right?"

The girls step out of the way and let me up. As I pass, Pinkie wraps her arms around me and kisses my cheek. "You'd better not die tonight," she whispers ominously.

Twilight kisses my other cheek. "If I get Charmed, I know what I'm cutting off," she whispers.

"I'm making Fluttershy turn you both into cats," I mutter as I head to my room, followed by the girls' explosive giggling.