I just wanted to go to Equestria!

by Ditz

A Colorful Reminder

“And stay out of trouble… that goes for you, Mr. Lime. Don't think that this is permission to do whatever you want.”

Shimmer and I both nod, with my nod being more of a shrug than anything, but Celestia seems to take it as is, and returns to her so-called work just as I close the door to the office, leaving me alone with Sunset for pretty the first time in days.

“Well, might as well not leave long legs down and give you the full tour, right?” I give my thoughts. It'll be long enough to avoid ONE class period, so who am I to complain?

“Okay!” Shimmer agrees with a ve surprising chipper attitude. “I just can't believe the principal let us take off for the first hour!”

I shrug. “It's nothing that some good ol' nepotism can't fix, now, how about we get to it?”

A vague path planned out in my mind, I begin showing her around. It doesn't turn to be much of a drag, since Sunset is always eager to listen to my voice, so that's a plus… and that's not really a thing I ever expected to think of her, especially after meeting her that first day.

“R-really?” Shimmer's hand shakily reaches for the book, slowly gripping it (and boy, do I mean slowly, my hand is starting to ache) before softly hugging it near her chest, giving me a look that suggest her being happy about it… yeah, not falling for it, Shimmer, even if you are on that bed.

Shimmer's father slowly approaches me, the stern look now replaced by a soft gaze. “Lemon, would you be willing to do that for her?” I turn back and forth, back and forth, looking at both of their damn faces. Can I really say no now that I'm in this position?

“Eh, why the heck not?”

“… And finally, we are here at the gym, the place where you sweat, where you jog… where you jog as you sweat!” I explain, the thoughts of very sticky aftermaths hunting my memories. “We should be done after this, really…”

“Um, Lemon?”

“What is it?” I reply just a bit peeved. I just lost a joke, and for that, she must die… or at least be reprimanded.

“Sorry! It's just that I already know of the gym, I mean, Ms. Tr- er, Trixie already showed me the place, yeah!” she explains with a bit of a shaken tone — then again, it's Trixie.

“Then the tour is done, and that just means we have… like thirty minutes till next class. Wow,” and hey, my phone hasn't let me down before, so why should I doubt it now? “Well, how about we go relax before I show you to your class?” I suggest. As any good leader would know, if you don't abuse your power at least once, you are doing it wrong.

She accepts the idea quick enough, and we are well on our way out a nearby door, coming out to the soccer field where the woman's team seems to be doing their own thing. We make a beeline towards the nearest bleacher, where we sit do to watch them do their thing, and just plain relax before class.

“Um, Lemon?” Sunset calls, pointing to a teacher who is fast approaching us.

“Lemon Lime,” coach Spitfire says my name with the intensity of a snitch catching someone on the act… what act? Heck if I know, it's the first thing that came to mind. “I hope you have a good reason for being here, because if you don't…”

“Here,” I waste no time, reaching into my pocket and showing her the permission slip specifically written by Celestia, which tells her it's enough. Maybe. Her snorting can mean so many things.

“Let me see that!” Spitfire says, snatching the note from my hand and giving it a good look before giving it back. “Fine, it checks out, but I'm watching you!” she walks a few steps, stopping near Sunset. “Sunset, I'm happy to see you back in school, if you need to talk or anything like that, you are always welcome in my office.”

Sunset nods slowly, giving her a weak grin in return.

“W-what?” yeah, no way I'm going to believe that was Spitfire. The real one has been kidnapped, and I'm okay with it.

“What am I doing?” Sunset whispers, if by whisper, I meant loudly states. I'm only saying so because she appears surprised that I heard her. “I-I'm sorry! I was just thinking out loud!”

My eyes couldn't roll any harder. “Sunset, what's wrong?”

“No! I…” she stops, sighing in defeat and effortlessly giving up. “I'm not sure if coming back was a good idea.”

Here we go. “Sunset, we talked about this, you gotta face this!”

Her hands move about, showing her exasperation. “Well, I'm not sure if I want this when people like Trixie and Flash act so strange towards me… especially Trixie,” she slams her hands down on the seat, taking a deep breath, what did Trixie do? “And then I was getting looks, and from the few people who weren't in class! H-how will it be when I have to be on my own? Are they going to run? Are they going to retaliate? What?”

Oh boy. “Sunset, you are probably the nicest I've ever seen you be, you aren't a jerk anymore.”

"I'm not nice..." she turns away, slowly muttering. "Besides, how am I supposed to show that I'm better when even your friends were doubtful?"

I place a careful hand on her shoulder, softly rubbing it. “You'll just have to do it, but hey, you won't be alone! I'll be there as long as you need me, remember most of our classes are the same.”

Quick to move, she wraps herself around me in an awkward hug. “Thank you, I mean it… other than my family you have been the most helpful and understanding despite everything. I can't believe you would trust me just like that."

… Right, just like that...

“Maybe I shouldn't be doing this… or maybe I should. I shouldn't be here! Oh man, what am I getting myself into!?” I look at the door again, the door that may change my life, the door that holds th-

“Oh, Lemon! I'm glad you came,” greets me the formally dressed figure of Shimmer's father, suddenly opening the door. “I knew I heard something out here.”

Shit. “Y-yeah! I'm here, sir!”

“Come on in!” he invites me in by using his bear-sized hand to force me into the cave of his home. The fact that this is a hotel room doesn't make me any less fearful.

He wastes no time showing me through the lavish room, down the hall of the surprisingly big space where various boxes lie, they probably have whatever items were left from that fire which still happens to be an enigma… one of those lying behind the door we just stopped at, I take it.

His fist stops near the door, hovering in place as he turns towards me. “If you do something to her, remember that I'm a cop,” he whispers before knocking on the door as if nothing had happened.”Honey, you have a visitor!”

I hear rattling in the room, suddenly joined by a brief 'ouch' before footsteps run near the door, and lo and behold, there is Sunset Shimmer in her pajamas... okay wait why is she in her pajamas.

“Alright, play nice you two,” the man says before leaving, though I'd swear I saw a threatening look somewhere in that face of his as he closed the door. I think I just got bad cop'd'.

Putting that aside for the moment, I take a seat on the comfy carpet, getting a look of the silent Shimmer innocently sitting on her knees, and... is her hair shorter? I hadn't noticed because she had bandages all over before, but she must have cut it. Ah! Why should I care? Let's get this over with. “Hey, what's up?” I start simply enough to kick up a conversation.

…

…

…

Oh my god. “Sunset?”

…

“Oh,” I mumble, noticing Shimmer's face which just happens to be glowing red, sweat falling down profusely and her mouth twitching very slightly, almost as if it wanted to move. To add to the sight, her hands are just as damp, clutching the knees of her pants. Okay, she isn't fooling me, but I give her points for authenticity.

“Ouch!” she cries out, unexpectedly falling to the side.

“Shimmer!” I am quickly on top of her, trying to find out what the hell she is tricking me with. “Hey, what's wrong!?”

“I-I…” she tries to say, but she is barely able to.

“Go on, tell me!” I hurry her. I'm actually starting to get worried here.

“I got a..." she mumbles into silence, making it impossible to understand.

"Care to run that by me again? This time with audio," I suggest.

"I... I got a cramp!"

“Wait, what?” I look at her face for confirmation, looking possibly redder than before, squinting in the agony that cramps actually bring.

“Ouuuuch…”

“… Oh my god,” I blurt out before bursting into full blown laughter, unable to hold back after this ridiculous farce.

“D-don't laugh!” she whines, trying to awkwardly push me. “Whoa!”

“Oh crap,” I blurt out as she ends up pushing harder than expected, falling back with me, and awkwardly ending up on top of me. “Geez, Sunset are you…” I shut my mouth, suddenly feeling the shaking of her body. Carefully, I look up, noticing Shimmer's tightly closed eyes tearing up. "S-Shimmer?"

Instead of replying, she mutters to herself. “I messed up nonononononononono.”

… Oh god, she is actually…

Letting go of my doubt, I let my hand fall on her head, patting it in a clumsy attempt at comfort. I have no idea what I'm doing, but it seems to actually work when her body loosens and she just lays down there. On top of me. Sunset or not, but boobs, man.

Man, wouldn't it be funny if her dad suddenly c-

“Honey? I heard something. What's wr- WHAT!?”

OH FUCK OFF!

“Oh great, it's you,” I hear someone say, so I look to the side to find, well, who else but sporty, sweaty Rainbow Dash giving us the sting eye. “Looks that I can't avoid your face even when I'm practicing.”

“What do you want, Dash?” I groan, refusing to roll my eyes because she doesn't deserve the luxury. She isn't worth listening to.

She shrugs, edging closer to us. “Oh, I don't know… maybe I'm just wondering what you are doing with this bitch at your side.”

Ignoring the fact that she just did that, she did it! She got my attention. “Dash, I suggest you shut up,” I growl, looking towards Shimmer who seems clearly affected by Dash's words.

Dash scoffs. “Or what? Is she going to screw up my life? Is she going to look dirt on me like she did with Lyra?” hold on, how does she even know?

“Bet you didn't know I knew, huh? Did you think people wouldn't suspect you?” she continues, now turning her focus on Sunset who looks down to the floor, just to avoid Dash's piercing glare. “Why aren't you saying anything, damn it!?”

“I-I'm sorry, I don't know what to say…” Sunset replies calmly.

It is at this moment that I notice the other girls stopping their sportsball to stare, talking amongst themselves in low voices, something clear due to the numerous unintelligent murmurs that reach my ears. Dash turns to momentarily glare to the crowd before returning to Sunset, growling with pitiful annoyance. “How about you drop the innocent act!? You aren't like this! You never were! You are a terrible person!”

I jump on my feet, stepping between them. “How about you back off?” I ask, poking her shoulder before I can even notice what I'm doing. She doesn't take it well as her sudden shoving suggests, she was thankfully not too forward because I at least avoided to trip.

“Don't touch me, you two-timing creep!” she shouts, raising her fist with a very clear intent to connect with my nose.

“Stop! Please, don't hurt him!” Sunset jumps in, holding back Dash's arm.

“Enough!” Spitfire shouts, popping out of the wall of girls. “I will not tolerate this attitude in my class! Lime, Dash, to the principal's office!”

Both Dash and I turn to her in shock. “What!? But…”

“No buts! Both of you, now! And no funny business Rainbow Dash, or no amount of excuses will convince me to avoid benching you. Understand?” she goes straight for the ultimatum. “Now go! I'll inform her that you will be showing up.”

Using Spitfire's focus on Dash, I turn to Sunset, who watches the events unfold with a shocked expression, so I pat her shoulder, getting her attention. “It's okay, I'll see you in class later today, I promise.”

She smiles briefly, nodding quietly before Spitfire pushes both Dash and I into the building, and together, we walk down the hall in complete silence in what feels like a hundred minutes march, arriving at Celestia's office to wait for what feels like… waiting for to be called by the principal on opposite sides of the door? I don't really know, I'm way too angry to even think of something clever.

“What is your problem?” I ask Dash as quietly as possible in my frustration.

“Your face.”

“Yeah, mature,” I snort back.

“No, literally your face is my problem. Looking at it makes me sick!” ouch… I mean, I hate this Dash with a passion, but wow, that really stung.

… Now to hope what happens next is just words. “Just why? Whenever we talk you are always giving me crap for no reason. What gives? What am I doing wrong?”

She stares into the distance, answering without looking at me. “You want to know why, huh?”

Reluctantly, I nod.

“Ha, I bet you forgot how you made Pinkie Pie feel when you hooked up with Trixie, didn't you?” she starts, going straight for the low hanging fruit.

Groaning, I jump on my defence. “First of all, there was more to it than that, okay? And second, you hated me months before that!”

She groans back, deciding to finally look at me as she talks. “Whatever, I already knew it was going to happen anyway, because I knew you had a thing for both."

Her words manage to get a blush out of me as I ask. “W-was I that obvious?”

“The whole school knew! So what makes you think I didn't?” ignoring the urge to retort with something hurtful, I let her continue. “Besides, I already knew you two would totally end up together," she shrugs.

Okay, now I'm confused. “What do you mean 'you knew'? How would you know that?”

Just then, her face contorts into a scowl, her anger further emphasized by her clenching fist. “Dude, do you think you are the first person Pinkie Pie got attached to? Just how vague are you?”

Her words nearly make me trip in place. It makes sense! But I never thought about it, I mean, even as cute as she is, in the time I've known her, she has never shown any sign to have had any other ones… no, wait, there is a time! It's small, but I recall it...

“Er… Do you want to maybe… Hang out? I don’t know anyone here and well… You know?” I asked.
“Oh, w-well,” I raise a brow, Pinkie Pie stuttering at the option of a new friend? “I mean, sure! Yes!”

A later memory resurfaces, the image of a despaired Pinkie Pie on that hospital bed, practically begging to not be left alone… could that be why she really depends on others as well?

“I bet you feel like an idiot now!” Dash talks again. “And guess what? I know it'll happen with you too! You are totally gonna get with Shimmer and abandon Pinkie Pie, just like you did with Trixie! And you are going to hurt her again!” she finishes, barely holding back the anger in her voice.

“Who do you think you are?” is my response, which I continue because she is not stopping what I'm about to say. “I don't owe you an explanation! I don't owe you anything!” I cut the distance between us, standing uncomfortably close to her. “I know you don't think I will, but know that I really do care, and I promise you that I'll do anything to not make her sad,” I finish, extending my hand to her. “Can you at least trust me on that?”

Rainbow gazes silently for a few seconds, then suddenly, raises her hand.

I can't help but smile. “Thank you, I'm glad you und-” I stop short, as her hand swiftly smacks against my shoulder, forcing a pained grunt out of me. “Aah! What the…?”

With a wry smile of her own, she says. “So what? You thought that was all you needed to do to gain my trust? As if!” she remarks just as Celestia's voice calls her to enter. “You are gonna have to do better than that to trick me like you did my friends, idiot,” she whispers as she heads inside.

I watch the door close after her, and I sigh, letting my body slide down to the floor with one thought in my mind.

“For a second there, I was kinda hoping it would be.”

Author's Note:

Two weeks! Man, does it feel good to actually have something out relatively soon.

Being said, hope this can be enjoyable for you guys to read, and till next time!

Comments

[Ditz]

7174961 Well, I have been doing that with Lemon, since the first time he and Dash met, he was terrified of her. It's a progression I haven't shown a good transition of, and I'm sorry about that.

[FanOfMostEverything]

The loyal do not abandon their allies readily, and for that reason, they do not form alliances readily either. Betrayal and the suspicion thereof will not endear anyone to Rainbow Dash, no matter the universe. Still, at least she's explaining her reasoning in a way that even Lemon can't miss. Boy's so obtuse, he's almost a straight line...

Also, there's no way Celestia is going to be pleased next chapter. What did she just say, Lemon?

[DarkHooves]

She shrugs, edging closer to us. “Oh, I don't know… maybe I'm just wondering what you are doing with this bitch at your side.”

"Don't ask me. She just showed up while I was just hanging out with Sunset."