You aren't a bully

by Angrywritingskills


Clothes make the man

“Wait, so you decided not to be the tough girl?” Twilight asked Sunset, not really believing it. To her, Sunset was playing the role pretty well.

“Yeah,” Sunset replied with a shrug. “At least not in the way I think of it. I learned pretty quickly that when you act tough, people want to know how tough. So I came up with a better strategy, you know,” Sunset began looking at her nails, “work from behind the scenes to manipulate others to turn against each other. Then they become weak to my influence. That sort of thing.”

“Wow,” Twilight whistled. “That was oddly specific.”

“What can I say,” Sunset shrugged again. “When you play the villain for so long you get a good idea of what it means to act like one.”

“I guess that’s true,” Twilight sighed. “And what about this 'not hitting a girl' rule? When did you learn that?”

“Argh,” Sunset moaned, trying to concentrate. “His name escapes me. I can’t even remember his face. But a boy told me.”

“If you don’t mind me saying, I think that rule is extremely sexist,” Twilight said with disgust. “I mean come on. Do the people around here really think that girls are these petite delicate flowers that can’t fend for themselves? I’ll have you know that back in Equestria I had to fight a huge Minotaur that had no problem with pile driving my face.” Twilight slammed his hands on the table. “It hurt!”

Sunset couldn’t help but giggled at Twilight. “Oh it’s not like that at all. It’s more of an honor system with the guys here. Trust me; I’ve lived with them much longer than you. They just think that it’s disrespectful to hit someone that is weaker than them.”

“Hmph,” Twilight crossed her arms. “So human boys are like a warrior culture then?”

Sunset’s widened. “You would be surprised,” she said shaking her head. “You would be surprised.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

Sunset shivered. “How about I just continue on? You’ll see what I mean?”

“Alright,” Twilight nodded, “please continue.”

“The easiest place to witness the social groups was at lunch. As you probably already know,” Sunset started.

***

Sunset couldn’t help but notice how noisy it was inside the cafeteria. There was a flurry of constant chattering from the students around her creating a swarm of sound that engulfed the area. Strangely, it made Sunset think of a quieter time back in Equestria, all those days spent studying by herself in a quiet library. Now she was forced to go into a public education system. Yuck! Definitely a step down from being a direct underling to royalty.

She pushed out her thoughts of earlier life and focused on the task at hand. There wasn’t much patience left in her, she wanted answers now.

In front of her, lumbering rather slowly, was her guide to the school. Badger had his focus on multiple things at once. On one hand he wanted to get lunch because he was starving, but he was also scanning the student body in the cafeteria. Lunch was always full of tension amongst the students, there was always this insecurity that all the students shared. Whether it was choosing where to sit or who to sit with, all students at one point shared the anxiety that came with the lunch room. It was especially bad for a bully, their kind have no friends so there is nowhere for them to sit.

Badger led Sunset to the lunch line. Since it was the beginning of lunch the line was rather long, it stretched to the side walls and Badger and Sunset were stuck at the back.

Badger leaned close to Sunset. “Watch this,” he whispered with a smirk. He stood tall and looked down the line. “Follow me,” he said to Sunset and began walking. Sunset followed as Badger walked alongside the line of students waiting for lunch. They got near to the front of the line and stopped there. Badger clamped his hands onto the shoulders of two students..

“Beat it!” he snarled before flinging the two kids out of line. They stumbled, falling over their feet, until they finally halted. Badger gave them one last stare before they finally retreated, going back to the end of the lunch line to start over.

Badger turned to Sunset as they both stepped in line. “See,” Badger grinned, “being a bully has perks.” He looked at a girl that was behind him in line, who had watched everything. With a quick smile, he was able to make the girl very uncomfortable.

“At least you’re using your powers,” Sunset remarked as they moved forward in line.

Badger reached for a lunch tray when he quickly realized something. He retracted his hand.

“Do you have lunch money?” he asked Sunset.

“No,” she replied.

“Darn,” Badger slammed his hand down, “we’re not eating today then.”

He walked out of line and began going towards the tables. Sunset followed closely behind him.

“What do you mean we’re not eating?” Sunset ran to catch up, frustrated now. “I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving.”

“Yeah well,” Badger took a seat down at an empty table, as did Sunset, “now you understand why bullies are always taking lunch money. We need it to survive. It’s more of a necessity than a luxury.”

Badger placed a hand over his stomach. It was beginning to growl and it would growl all day until it was sated. The noise would be paired with the pain which felt like a hole boring into Badger’s stomach. But the pain would come later, for now it would just be the sound.

“Grrrrr,” Badger growled, “Grrrrrararar,” he was trying to match the sound of his stomach, “Grrrrrrrooprrr.” He still had a ways to go.

Sunset peered at Badger. “You know,” she squinted her eyes, “if you want lunch so badly, then why don’t you take it now?”

Badger looked up at Sunset. “Grrrrrrrruoh?”

“Just go and take from the students that already have lunch,” Sunset explained. “Look,” she pointed to a nearby table, “those two girls just sat down. If you hurry you can get their lunches before they start to eat.”

“Oh,” Badger stood up, “okay.”

He began walking over to the table while his mind buzzed with thought. Why hadn’t he thought of such a genius idea? It made perfect sense. It he couldn’t get money then he could fall back on this idea. It was halfway through the year and only now did this possibility open up for him.

Bounding over to the table Sunset had specified, he reached over and grabbed the two trays from under the two girl’s noses.

“H-hey!” one of the girls protested. “Those are ours.”

Badger turned to the girl, his huge form looming over her. He didn’t recognize her but he did recognize what she was. She was one of the more well off kids in the school. Compared to Badger’s lifestyle she was considered wealthy. So Badger felt no remorse for taking their lunches.

When he set his eyes on the girl that had spoken, she started to cower a bit.

“You’re a rich girl,” Badger shrugged and began backing away, “Just get another. Or don’t. Wouldn’t want you and your friend here blowing up like balloons at the Thanksgiving parade. Actually, I think you’ve already started.” After that he turned around, leaving both girls feeling very self conscious.

Looking down at the two trays, he quickly decided which one he should give to Sunset. One had an actually meal while the other was just a salad. Sunset was getting the salad since she needed to keep that figure. The last thing Badger wanted was for those gorgeous hips of hers to go to ruin. And that flat stomach and all the other things he liked about her.

Badger sat back down with Sunset and pushed her tray to her.

“You know, you could make a good bully,” Badger commented. “You’re smart, which bullies aren’t, but you know how to be mean. So that’s a plus.”

“Hmph?” Sunset grumbled her mouth full of food. Badger stared at her. Human beings use utensils, it was common courtesy. Sunset Shimmer had plunged her mouth into her salad and ate it like some kind of beast. Badger decided to just ignore it.

Sunset swallowed with a loud gulp. “I don’t want to be a bully like you.” She rolled her eyes. “If the other bullies are like you then I’ll get the reputation of being a dense idiot.”

She went down and swallowed another pile of leafy greens. Badger started working on his own meal. His overwhelming hunger helped him to finish his lunch rather quickly, and with a quick gulp, Badger downed his milk. He looked back at Sunset who was staring at him with a skeptic stare.

“What?” Badger barked.

“You eat like an animal,” Sunset scorned.

Badger couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You used you face as an eating utensil!” he wailed. “Don’t be criticizing me when you got lettuce all over your face.”

Sunset touched her face and peeled off a leaf. When she realized her predicament she began to blush and wipe her face with her hands. Badger rolled his eyes at her, stood up, and walked away. He returned quickly with a handful of napkins. He placed them in front of Sunset who started to ferociously rub her face with them. Badger noted how she didn’t say thank you.

“Now,” Sunset, regaining her composure, placed the napkins down, “what can you tell me about the social groups here?”

Badger looked around the cafeteria, gazing at the different tables. He searched them, examining each student. To him they were all pretty much the same. They had money and Badger wanted that money. It was just that some prey is easier to catch than others.

“Okay,” he looked at Sunset, about to tell her, but he paused.

“Is there something wrong?” Sunset said, clicking a pen.

“Are you taking notes?” Badger asked, bewildered.

“Yes,” Sunset twirled the pen around in her fingers, “your point?”

Badger winced. “You really are a nerd,” he said. “Are you bad at social interactions or something?”

Sunset glared at Badger, her eyes piercing his soul. “It’s none of your business what I do,” she pointed her pen at him.

Badger just shrugged. He wasn’t looking to argue with the girl. In fact, he was happy to just have a conversation with her, no matter how weird it was. She was hot.

“Look around,” he made a sweeping motion with his arm, “notice anything noticeably different about each kid?”

Sunset peered at the students. “No,” she answered.

Badger groaned. “I thought you were smart. Look again,” he ordered, “notice how they dress?”

Sunset did look again, this time focusing more. At first she didn’t really see what Badger meant, but after looking longer she began to notice a pattern.

“Everybody dresses in a theme,” Sunset stated in amazement, and wrote in her notebook.

“Yep,” Badger nodded, “the way kids dress is how they are classified. It’s all in the clothes. You dress like a jock, you are a jock. You dress like a nerd, and guess what? You’re a nerd.”

“What are those other there?” Sunset asked, pointing with her pen.

Badger looked over to where she was pointing. “Oh those are the eco kids. Tree huggers, they love nature. Next to them are the fashionistas. They’re a bunch of spoiled rich kids. Mostly girls.”

“And those?” Sunset pointed to another table.

“Rockers, or band geeks as they should be called,” Badger stated. “They think they’re cool but they’re really lame.”

“And them?” Sunset pointed to yet another table. This time Badger grinned in excited me.

“Those are the ROTC Nazis,” he chuckled. “They’re hilarious to watch.”

As he said that, all of the ROTC Nazis stood up simultaneously from their table. In unison they pushed their chairs in and got into two file columns. Then they marched away, singing a cadence as they went.

“See?” Badger giggled. Sunset shook her head at the ridiculousness and went back to her notebook. She still had one question, however.

“Alright last one,” she pointed to another table. This one made Badger frown in bitterness.

“Oh, them,” he muttered, slouching down in his seat.

The table Sunset had pointed out was filled with five freshmen girls. Despite their relatively short time at CHS, they were already making an impact. Badger recognized this as a threat. And for a bully like him he had a reason to be skeptical.

“That’s an anomaly,” he pointed at the table. “That right there shouldn’t exist.”

“What is it?” Sunset asked, looking at the five girls.

“It’s mixing of the groups,” Badger spat, “and we can’t have that. It’s unnatural. See it creates a negative effect.” Badge began making circles on the table with his finger. “When the groups hang with each other they began to protect each other. When they do that it makes it hard for bullies to get money from them.”

“That does sound bad,” Sunset agreed. “So united they stand, and divided they fall.”

“Kind of,” Badger answered. “Just look at the two pink haired ones,” Badger pointed and Sunset looked. “There were once outcasts. They didn’t belong to a group. One of them was too crazy and the other was too shy. Nobody liked them. And if you don’t have friends then you’re an outcast. That’s another group.”

“What changed?” Sunset asked.

“A phenomenon,” Badger cursed. “Someone took a liking to them but it didn’t go as planned. Usually kids are initiated into a set group but this was different. This group is a combination of multiples. Why they did it, I have no idea.”

“But is it a direct threat?” Sunset asked, getting increasingly interested.

“Well,” Badger looked over, “at the moment, no. But if it spreads, then it’ll be a problem.” He flicked his head at the table. The girls seemed to be really enjoying themselves despite being so different. “One of those girls is an aggy. That’s short for agriculture. Another is a jock. Both of them are groups we avoid bullying.”

Badger looked at the table again. All of those different girls seemed so happy together. It made Badger sick because it violated everything he had been taught.

“Stop,” Sunset held up her hand. “Bullies avoid certain groups?”

“Of course,” Badger replied. “Some people are just too troublesome to bully. We mainly focus on the physically weaker students. Like the techies.” Badger motioned his hand to another table. This table was full of students with hunchbacks and calculators in their hands. There seemed to be doing homework.

“The correct terms are nerds or geeks. But some students insist on calling them techies. I don’t know, maybe it gives them a clearer conscience,” Badger shook his head as he watched the nerds finish all their homework in record time.

“I still don’t understand,” Sunset looked at Badger. “You’re a bottom feeder just because it’s too hard to after the real game. Why don’t you just suck it up and go after the more rewarding targets?”

“You obviously don’t know the game,” Badger shot back. “Some of these kids will fight back or just not respond at all, which means we get nothing. We bullies always learn it the hard way. When you act tough, people want to know how tough.”

“Hmph,” Sunset huffed. After that she decided not to pursue that topic any longer. Instead she found her eyes drifting around the cafeteria again. Now she was able to tell the differences of the groups that were hanging around. She didn’t know their names, but at least she could tell them apart. Although, there was one thing she didn’t get.

“Where are the bullies?” Sunset asked, grabbing Badger’s attention.

“The bullies?” Badger swung his head around, looking around the cafeteria. His kind was nowhere to be found. Eventually he just shrugged, not being able to find what he was looking for. “Figures they’re making themselves scarce today.”

“So they’re not here?” Sunset asked.

“Yep,” Badger replied. “Most bullies don’t come to lunch unless they’ve got money. And even if they do, they usually eat in the staircases or in the halls.”

“Why?” Sunset asked.

“They know they’re not welcome at lunch,” Badger told her. “Bullies always sit alone. We don’t make friends in what we do. Aren’t you wondering why we're sitting alone now?”

The thought had never crossed Sunset’s mind. She was more focused on learning about the student body than caring about interacting with the student body. However, upon looking around, she seemed to notice that some of the kids were giving her hostile looks. When she made eye contact they went back to their own business but the damage had already been done. Sunset hated them already.

“Badger,” Sunset said to get the boy’s attention, “tell me how a bully dresses.” She wanted to be able to identify one if she saw one. So she got her pencil ready and looked into her growing list of notes.

Badger looked down at his own clothing. “Look at me,” he said and Sunset look up from her notebook. He motioned his hand over himself. “This is how a bully dresses. If you want to be a bully, you have to look the part. That means dress mean and look like you’re dangerous.”

“Interesting,” Sunset muttered and continuing writing in her notebook. “Where’d you get those clothes anyway? You kind of stick out like a sore thumb around here.”

Badger coughed. “Thanks for noticing.” He looked down at his getup. The main part of his ensemble was a large oversized black hoodie which he wore every day. It went all the way from his shoulders to right above his knees. In fact everything he wore was very baggy. He wasn’t very proud of it but it’s just how he was expected to dress. All bullies dressed similar to this. Look as threatening as possible, that was the goal.

Although most students though Badger looked more like a well used bean bag chair than anything threatening. He wasn’t aware of all jokes that were made behind his back.

“These are hand-me-downs,” Badger explained, stretching out his hoodie. “I’m not a rich kid like most here.”

“Uh huh,” Sunset murmured, still writing in her notebook.

“It’s true!” Badger insisted. “I have nothing, and kids here have all they could dream of.” Badger looked over at Sunset and realized she wasn’t paying attention. Instead she still had her head in that notebook of hers.

“Watcha doing there?” Badger leaned across the table to observe Sunset’s work. But he was briskly denied when Sunset put her arm in front of her notebook to block his vision.

Badger couldn’t see what Sunset was writing, but if he did he would see a detailed list of clothing that the students around school were wearing. He would also see a sketch that Sunset had starting drawing of Badger himself. It was relatively under detailed but captured the basic elements of his wardrobe choice. Underneath it she wrote the word, outcast.

Badger returned to his seat and moped. He was bored. The only thing that was keeping him around was Sunset. He was constantly reminding himself that he was talking to a girl. It was awesome.

“Badger,” Sunset spoke, looking up at the boy.

“Yes,” Badger replied, eager to have a conversation with her.

“How would you say I dress?” Sunset motioned a hand down her body.

Badger couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A girl was asking him to check her out. It was a welcome wagon to just stare at her.

“Well uh,” Badger thought on it while, he looked directly at Sunset. She looked back with an eyebrow arched up.

“I’m waiting,” Sunset said impatiently.

“Well to tell the truth,” Badger started, “you dress like a bully.” Badger looked for a harsh reaction but Sunset just seemed to nod in agreement. “I mean you dress like a bad girl,” Badger explained. “Not that I know what a bad girl looks like. I only know from things like movies and posters.”

“Oh,” Sunset smiled devilishly. “So you say I look like a girl from a poster?”

Badger, realizing he had been caught, blushed a bit. “Y-yeah you do.”

Sunset smirked. “Thanks,” and she leaned back in her seat. Badger’s admiration was doing wonders to boost her ego.

“So,” Badger said to try and make himself feel less awkward.

“So,” Sunset said, “Are there any girl bullies around?”

Badger was caught by surprise. He snickered as he tried desperately not to laugh. “That’s hilarious! A girl bully! No never, that would be terrible.”

“And why’s that?” Sunset leaned across the table and glared at Badger. Under other circumstances Badger would have shied away, but now he was in his element. Bullying was one of the things he knew a lot about.

“Because,” Badger stared. “There are no girl bullies. You have to be a boy.”

“What?” Sunset shrieked. “That’s sexist!”

“It’s the truth,” Badger replied, knowing now he had her on the ropes. “There are no girl bullies here. We’re all guys because we can do it the best. Look at me,” Badger held his arms out, “I’m huge. And I’m only gonna get bigger.” He pointed at Sunset. “Now look at you. You’re a puny girl that is short and frail. Heck, even a nerd could stand up to someone like you.”

Sunset never looked angrier. Badger had found her weak spot, being called weak.

“Weren’t you the one that said I could make a good bully?” Sunset questioned.

This caught Badger off guard. He thought back. “Yeah I did say that but I meant if you were a boy you’d make a good bully. You’re just a girl so it doesn’t count.”

“But I’m just as strong as you,” Sunset insisted. “I beat you in a fight.”

“Yeah, okay,” Badger laughed. “Did you forget that I let you with so I could look at your underwear?” He looked up to see Sunset was red with anger. This only made the bully laugh harder.

“Keep laughing,” Sunset spat. “Because I plan on ruling this school one day, and when I do I’ll make your life unbearable.”

This caught Badger’s attention. “Y-you?” he said between laughs. “Don’t make me laugh. Wait. I already did.”

“Doubt all you want,” Sunset crossed her arms. “I’ll do it one day. And that day is soon.”

“Hmmm,” Badger grunted, he was calm now. “Well, I’ll have you know that right now someone already rules the school. So get in line.”

“What?” Sunset’s eyes widened. “Who?”

“A bully, actually,” Badger smiled. “He’s a big senior and he decides who lives or dies.” Badger chuckled a bit. “In a figurative sense anyways.”

Sunset glared at Badger. “So, what? Are you saying that I have to beat this senior for control of the school?”

Badger laughed at this. “Beat him? You can’t beat him. He’s about five times your size and it’s not because he’s fat.” Badger shook his head, almost pitying Sunset naivety. “Besides we’re just freshmen right now.”

“What does that suppose to mean?” Sunset snarled, angry at Badger for his sudden condescending attitude. It reminded her of her old mentor.

“It means we’re freshmen,” Badger clarified. “Freshmen are the little guys that are new to the pond. The other grades don’t take us seriously because we’re too new. We have no credibility.”

“I don’t understand the problem,” Sunset growled. “I’ll show them that I mean business. No matter the cost.”

“Ha!” Badger sneered. “Yeah right. Listen, let’s say you somehow dethrone the current ruler of this school. Even if you did then someone other than you would take his place. That’s because you’re a freshman and have no right to rule the school.” Badger paused. “Also you’re a girl and I’ll be surprised if any guy would listen to you.”

Sunset remained silent for a while. When she did speak it was harsh. “And you’re certain of this?” Her hands gripped the edges of her seat, turning her knuckles white. She was trying not to blow her top.

“Certain?” Badger snorted. “Absolutely. It’s called discrimination, Sunset Shimmer. Everyone does it, especially me. You just gotta learn to live with it.” Badger leaned back in his seat. “Maybe you will get to eventually have some influence in this school. It isn’t a bad goal. I tried too.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “You tried to rule this school?” she asked, intrigued.

“Oh yeah,” Badger nodded. “I tried to make a name for myself here too. Make no mistake, I’m a newbie here too. My bullying career only started earlier this year. But you learn a lot after your first couple rounds. Lots of doors open and lots of doors close. The way I figure, if I make it to sophomore year I can finally get on the playing field. You have to be at least a sophomore to be considered relevant.”

Right then the bell rang. Badger stood up immediately with Sunset Shimmer quickly stuffing her notebook into her backpack. Again Badger walked with the girl, a little bit closer than last time. They were some of the last students out of the cafeteria so the hallways outside were slowly dissipating with students.

“What’s your next class?” Badger asked Sunset as they walked down the hallway.

“It’s chemistry,” Sunset said, remembering her schedule from looking at it earlier.

Badger cursed himself for not having that class currently. “Do you need help finding your next class?”

“Sure, why not?” Sunset shrugged.

The two began heading in the direction of the science wing. The halls were clearing out which meant they were going to be late. They were in the administrative hall, named so due to the administration having lots of offices in the hallway, when a booming sound was heard behind them.

Sunset quickly turned around to see what the noise but was quickly slammed into the lockers behind her.

“Get back,” Badger said briskly, pinning her against the lockers with his arm. His actions had gotten her out of the way of two students that came tumbling down the halls. They were the ones that made the loud noise.

The two students had gotten each other into a stalemate, both holding each other tight. One was clad in black while the other could easily be identified as a jock. From the heavy grunts and wounds on their faces, it could be determined they had been going at it fiercely for a while. And they both showed no signs of stopping.

The kid clad in black seemed to be getting the upper hand as he pushed the jock back, causing him to shake violently. When it seemed like the jock was starting the buckle the tables turned. Using the force the black clad kid was exerting, the jock was able to swing them until he rammed both of them into the lockers. From there the jock pushed with all his might to get his opponent to his knees.

But the black clad kid had no intention of letting himself be put into this situation. So, using all his strength, he pushed the jock off of him, successfully ending their holds on each other. Now they both raised their fists to fight a different style. The jock threw the first punch.

“Who are those guys?” Sunset whispered quietly to Badger. She was scared out of her mind but had no intention of showing it.

“I don’t know the jock,” Badger whispered back, equally as quiet but not nearly as frightened. “But the one in all black is the senior I was telling you about.” Sunset threw a surprised look at Badger. “His name is Warden, by the way.”

Warden ducked and effectively dodged the jock’s fist. Then he quickly jabbed the jock with his own fist. This sent the jock’s head back with a grunt and Warden used the time to kick the jock in his sides. By now the jock was disoriented and Warden bought himself a window of opportunity. He grabbed the jock by his wrist and using his other hand, went to town on the jock’s face.

Every blow made the jock slowly start to lose stability. Warden continually punched and punched, throwing his back into it. Eventually the jock collapsed with Warden still gripping his arm. Warden gave the jock a quick kick and determined he was out for a while. But it wasn’t over.

There was still fight left in Warden and for whatever reason he wanted to really make the jock pay. So using both hands he lifted the jock in the air. When he got to the point of maximum distance between the length of his arms and the floor, Warden threw the jock to the floor. There was a sickening crack as the jock’s body hit the floor.

It was over after that. Any remaining students quickly vacated the halls. The only remaining people were Sunset, Badger, and Warden. Warden still looked angry but conceded his victory. He began walking away, passing Sunset and Badger. He gave them a nod as he passed.

But before Warden could walk any further, the sound of a door slamming open got their attentions. In the doorway across the hall, stood a tall woman, looking directly at Warden. Badger recognized it was none other than Principal Celestia and he knew that Warden was going to be in deep trouble.

From behind Celestia ran out Vice Principal Luna, the cohort to Principal Celestia. She hurriedly headed over to the incapacitated jock and knelt down next to him. From out of nowhere suddenly came a gym teacher. Together they hoisted the jock off the ground and began hauling him to what could be assumed would be the nurse’s office.

Celestia stood in the doorway of her office, her foot tapping against the floor. “Warden, in my office NOW!” She screamed.

Warden rolled his eyes and marched over with nothing but an irritated groan. He disappearing into the office and Celestia closed the door behind him.

The only ones left were Sunset and Badger. Both of them instantly traumatized from the ordeal.

“And that,” Badger pointed, “is why bullies only take from the weak.” He breathed heavily. “Anyone else tries to fight back.”

“I see that now,” Sunset gulped, amazed by the vicious display of brute force. “That was insane.”

“No,” Badger shook his head. “It was just another day in the life of a school bully. It’s nothing personal. Remember that, it’s nothing personal.”

And Sunset would.