• Published 11th Aug 2014
  • 10,119 Views, 374 Comments

Cafeteria Control - Justice3442



After the student body of Canterlot High is swayed by yet another surprise musical number during lunch, Sunset Shimmer muses the students are easily influenced by songs at this time. Pinkie quickly comes up with a song of her own.

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Chapter 2: Applejack’s Song

Cafeteria Controlling

Chapter 2: Applejack’s Song

-ooooooo-

A few hours after the first bell rang, Sunset made her way to lunch and sat down at the her usual table with the handful of her friends that were already there. Business as usual for her, save that almost the entire school body was wearing pink clothing.

“WHAT THE HELL, GUYS?!”

Also Sunset’s hair was a frazzled mess full of bubble gum.

“What?” Rainbow Dash protested. “You still have almost all your hair!”

“NO THANKS TO ANY OF YOU!” Sunset cried.

“Sorry, Sunset,” Applejack said, “but I couldn’t rightly interfere with a bet. Why, that'd be more dishonest than a snake in…”

“IF YOU MAKE ONE MORE FARM SIMILE, I SWEAR I WILL SET FIRE TO YOUR HOME.”

Applejack paused. “… Fair ‘nuff… Ah wasn’t sure where Ah was going with that one, anyway.” Applejack scooped up a spoonful of some gooey pink unidentifiable substance which had just replaced the gooey brown unidentifiable substance on the menu.

Dash shot Sunset an indignant look. “Look, you could have came out ahead of all this, but you had to put Pinkie in a choke hold and keep all your stupid hair! If you’d just let her eat it all, I would have split the money with you!”

“YOU ONLY BET 10 DOLLARS!” Sunset cried. “AND YOU GAVE APPLEJACK TWO-TO-ONE ODDS IN HER FAVOR! I WASN’T GOING TO LET PINKIE EAT MY HAIR FOR A MEASLY TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS!”

A crisp green bill slowly rose in front of Sunset.

A slightly hoarse, high-pitched voice asked, “Will you let me eat your hair for five dollars?”

One of Sunset’s eyes twitched in irritation. “Pinkie, put that away before I choke you into unconsciousness again.”

Pinkie made a disappointed “Awww…” before placing the bill back in her massive mop of pink curls.

“Besides,” Sunset said, “I don’t get why you’re so fixated on my hair… I mean… Just look at Rainbow Dash…” Sunset motioned out to Dash.

Pinkie obediently turned and looked at Rainbow Dash.

Sunset continued, “… Just look at all the colors in her hair!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Yeah, they are pretty awesome.”

“Can you imagine what eating her hair must taste like?”

Pinkie’s eyes went wide as she inhaled a large volume of air.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hehe… yeah…” Her eyes suddenly went wide as she processed Sunset’s words. “Wait, what?”

“GIMME!” Pinkie cried as she suddenly jumped across the table and pounced on Rainbow Dash, bringing both girls to the floor.

‘CRASH!’

AAAH! Get off of me!” Rainbow cried as she placed her hands on Pinkie’s face and held her away from her hair. Pinkie was unrelenting however, and soon she had slipped past Rainbow’s defenses and was face down in her hair with a mouth full of it.

Sunset smiled to herself then turned towards Applejack. “Want to bet Pinkie gets through three colors before Rainbow Dash manages to push her off?”

“Yer on!” Applejack said.

“Oh… haha… I get it…” Rainbow Dash said as she continued to attempt to push Pinkie off of her. “Yeah not so fun… uhn… when it’s your hair being chewed… Lesson learned… Can you guys help me now?!” Rainbow Dash cried.

“Pinkie, chew harder,” Sunset said.

YAAAAAAAAY!” Pinkie exclaimed. Soon she was face deep in the rainbow color of hair once again. “Oh my GOSH!” she cried as she surfaced from the rainbow locks. “GIRLS, every color is a different flavor!”

“Girls! Girls!” Rarity cried as she ran up with a pink tray with a bowl of rice covered in some vegetables and cooked meat, a pair of chopsticks, a purple juice-box, and an apple. “This is hardly the way one should conduct themselves at lunchtime!”

Sunset scowled at her. “‘At lunchtime’?! Why, was it somehow more acceptable for Pinkie to try eating my hair in the morning?”

“I’m sorry, Sunset,” Rarity said. “But lunchtime is when I realign my ki!” She motioned to herself. “I need a stress free environment if I’m going to be properly balanced for the rest of the day.”

Sunset raised her the index and middle fingers on both her hands up to her temples and began massaging them. “Seriously? You eat lunch with Pinkie Pie and you actually use lunch time as some sort of meditation period to recharge your chi?!”

Rarity frowned and looked down at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who continued to struggle on the cafeteria floor. “Well I must admit, it’s harder to find my center some days more than others. Also, it’s ‘ki’, darling.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “You are such a frickin’ weeb, you know that?”

“Hey!” Pinkie cried as she perked her head up, several strands of multi-colored hair in her mouth.

“YES!” Rainbow Dash cried triumphantly as she quickly got off the floor and rushed around to the other side of the table.

Pinkie continued, “How do you know Rarity is white?”

Sunset stared blankly at Pinkie. “I… Is this a trick question?! Rarity is as white as they come!”

“No, not her skin tone, d’uuuuuh!” Pinkie said. “I mean… It’s not like all the kids here all have natural skin tones! Maybe Rarity is something other than white and we don’t know!” Pinkie giggled. “I mean… do you have any idea how much the internet would flip out if they gave us all normal skin tones?! The entire blagosphere would burn down because of all the flame wars!”

Sunset looked back and forth over the other three people sitting at the table. “Do you girls know what the heck she’s talking about, or do you just sort of ignore it for the sake of keeping sane?”

“Definitely option number two,” Applejack said.

“Oh my, yes,” Rarity said with a nod.

“The second one,” Rainbow Dash said as she attempted to adjust her hair with a hand. She pulled a disgusted face as she pulled back a hand coated in slobber.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way…” Applejack said as a smile slowly spread across her face and she held out a hand in front of Sunset.

Sunset sighed and reached into her coat. She pulled out a black leather wallet, opened it, and pulled a bill from it. She handed the bill to Applejack, who happily accepted it.

“Now if ya’ll excuse me,” Applejack said as she stood up from the table, “I’ve got some business to attend to.”

Sunset gave Applejack a suspicious look at Applejack’s cryptic remark, but something else quickly caught her attention.

Fluttershy walked up, lunch tray in hand, and sat down next to Rainbow Dash.

Sunset took one look at the contents and groaned. “Celery again?!”

Fluttershy bowed her head slightly, causing a little bit of her long, pink hair to fall in front of her face. “Well… er… I mean… I did get two stalks this time…”

“It’s celery!” Sunset cried. “After your body digests it poorly, you’ve barely taken in any calories! Double of ‘almost nothing’ is still ‘almost nothing’!”

Fluttershy looked at Sunset with an almost frightened look. “But… it’s full of vitamin ‘k’!”

“Oh boy!” Sunset said sarcastically. “Looks like your bones will be nice and strong and any wounds you receive will close up nicely. Which is good with all the fainting and falling you’ll be doing!”

Fluttershy whimpered.

Rainbow Dash glared at Sunset. “Would ya cut her some slack? You already picked on her yesterday!”

“SHE’S TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT WHEN SHE’S ALREADY RIDICULOUSLY THIN!” Sunset cried motioning emphatically towards Fluttershy. “I’M TRYING TO HELP HER!” Sunset sighed. “Am I wrong from not wanting one of my only friends to—”

SLAM!

Sunset was interrupted as the doors to the cafeteria were thrown open as Applejack walked in holding her base.

Sunset sighed and raised a hand to her face. “Oh hell…”

“Hey, everybody!” Applejack said. “Are you tired of deciding between too many meal items every lunch?”

The room went silent.

“…”

“… No…?” Someone called out.

Applejack began to strum a few chords on her bass. “Well, I have just the solution!” With that, Applejack broke into song.

“If choices at lunch is something in which you grapple, don’t despair! Just have apples!”

Applejack concluded her tune with a few more strums on her bass, then took a bow as she took off her cowboy hat.

The cafeteria erupted into cheers and applause.

Applejack smiled and put her hat back on, then walked back to the table where all her friends where sitting at.

Pinkie smiled wide as she continued clapping enthusiastically. “Awesome song, A.J.! That rocked.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Heck ya! That was tight!

Rarity swung a fist in front of her chest. “A rip-roaring tune if ever there was one.”

“Yay,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Sunset blinked a few times staring at Applejack. “That… that was it?”

Applejack lifted her right hand and absentmindedly examined her fingernails. “Less is more, sugar cube.”

-ooooooo-

Sunset looked down at her pink shirt and pink skirt and sighed as she walked down the sidewalk. She still wore her same knee-length leather boots and leather jacket and had even made sure the pink shirt still bore her yellow and red cutie mark, but she still shifted uncomfortably under the unfamiliar items.

She gave an even heavier sigh and shook her head as she walked onto the CHS campus, noting every student seemed to be munching on an apple or some sort of baked good, no doubt, made with apples.

“HEY! IT’S SUNSET SHIMMER, AGAIN!”

Sunset once again froze in place next to the large horse statue as a crowd formed a semicircle around her.

“Hey! It’s cool, alright!” Sunset opened her jacket slightly so everyone could better see what she was wearing. “I have pink on! No need to go spastic with gum or anything!”

“SHE’S NOT EATING ANYTHING APPLE-RELATED!” someone cried in an accusatory tone.

“Okay… just… what?” Sunset said in disbelief. “You’re all harassing me because I’m not eating an apple at this very second?”

“LET’S ASSAULT THE APPLE HATER!”

“Snip!” Sunset cried. “Please! Don’t—”

“Yeah! With apples, even!”

“Snails! Stop being such a follower and just a do what I—” Sunset’s eyes went wide as everyone lifted apples and an assortment of baked goods up. She threw her hands in front of her and waved them about. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Everyone chill for a second! Someone just hand me an apple and— OWCH!

A big green apple bounced of Sunset’s forehead.

Sunset rubbed the area the apple had just hit. “Not what I meant…”

“GET HER!”

“NO, WAIT! AHHHHHH!” Sunset cried out as she was suddenly pelted with apples and baked goods as the students around her let loose their conveniently hand-sized items at her. Soon the crowd had finished with their apple assault and parted. Sunset merely knelt on the ground with her face pressed to her thighs, covering her head with her arms as best she could.

Sunset looked up, her face and clothes covered in crushed apple as well as pastry that had been thrown at her. Tears streamed from her eyes. “But… but… I would have just eaten something if someone gave it to me… hic…

“Well, well, well… Look what the angry orchard dragged in.”

Sunset looked up to see Adagio, Aria, and Sonata standing above her and grinning wickedly down at her, or rather, Adagio and Aria grinning wickedly down at her. Sonata just looked like she was happy to be outside.

Sunset made a phlegmy sound as she wiped her arm under her nose and rose to her feet. “Uhg… What are you three psychos doing here?” she asked as she brushed apple and pastry mush off her face and jacket.

Adagio put on a fake taken aback expression. “Why Sunset, I’m hurt!” Adagio said as she motioned to herself. “And after we hit it off so well yesterday.”

Sunset sighed. “Right, sorry. Just having a bad day here… and it’s barely started even. I guess I shouldn’t take it out on you and—”

‘Hit it off’?” Sonata cried. “I thought you said we might have to do something about that ‘stupid preppy Shimmer girl’ if we ever want our plans to succeed!”

Adagio tensed her fingers and held her palms upwards as she made a face at the sky as if asking it ‘Why?’

“And the after that pink-haired girl made a song about wearing pink, you said we definitely had to do something about her and her friends!” Sonata added.

Aria glared at Sonata. “Ulg! Why do we even let you outside?!”

Sonata grinned. “Because you have no choice now that I figured out how locks work.”

Sunset shook her head. “I’m not sure why I keep trying to be nice to everyone… All my friends are crazy… Most the school still despises me… And now that some new students have come along, they turn out to be as crazy as I was when I first got here! SERIOUSLY!” Sunset cried as she gave the girls a serious look. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to be nice allmost the time?! I’m trying… I’m trying so flippin’ hard, but does the universe throw me a bone?!” Sunset looked up at the sky and held her palms upward. “NoOoOoOoOoOoOo! The universe is just going to rain garbage on me! I mean, WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT DO I HAVE TO VOLUNTEER FOR TO MAKE PEOPLE STOP HATING ME?! HOW MANY SCHOOL EVENTS DO I HAVE TO HELP AT UNTIL IT STOPS?! I JUST…sniff” – tears began to stream down Sunset’s eyes— “I JUST… I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THEY WISH I WAS DEAD! IS THAT REALLY SO MUCH TO ASK?!” Sunset suddenly covered her face with both hands as she broke into loud, pained wailing. “WHOUAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAHOUAAAAAAAAAAA!

The other three girls just stood and stared at Sunset, unsure of how to respond. They turned and looked at each other. Sonata’s eyes grew wide and puppy-doggish. Adagio puffed out her lower lip ever so slightly. Even the almost continually grumpy Aria pursed her lips into a sad frown.

Adagio walked up to Sunset and put a hand on her shoulder. “Uh…Wow… Look… This crying is actually making us feel a little bad here… So erm… If I gave you some money right now, would you stop so this whole exchange becomes a lot less awkward for us?”

Sunset uncovered her face, tears still fell from her eyes and even a little bit of snot hung from her nose. She ran her jacket covered arm under her nose. “How much you got?”

Adagio looked over at Sonata. “Sonata?”

Sonata smiled and reached into her jacket, pulling out a wallet that she handed to Adagio.

Sunset wiped a hand across her face, clearing away her tears. “Wait, you let the air-head carry the cash?!” she asked in disbelief.

Adagio simple looked at the wallet as she opened it up and pulled a crisp $20 bill out. “She’s the only one whose outfit actually has pockets.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you, oh I don’t know, just dress like normal people then?!”

Adagio shot Sunset a glare.

“Hey!” Aria cried. “Do you want to get paid to stop your pathetic crying or not?! Because I’m starting to feel a lot less bad here.”

Sunset began tearing up again and even managed a few more pained cries. “Whouaaa…hhhehh… sniff… hhhehh…

Adagio nodded. “Better,” she said as she handed Sunset the bill.

Sunset quickly ran her arm over her face and dried her tears again before shoving the bill in her jacket. “How’d you three manage to make the students assault me with gum for not wearing pink and pelt me with apples and stuff anyhow?”

“‘Make?’” Adagio said as she gave Sunset a devious grinned. “Oh Sunset, why would you even suggest something as outlandish as us being able to ‘make’ people do anything?”

“Yeah!” Sonata said speaking up. “It’s not like we incite agitation in other people through our songs and magical gems!”

Adagio gritted her teeth and turned to face Sonata as she quickly crossed her arms into the shape of an ‘X’ several times.

“What?!” Sonata protested. “I said it’s ‘not like we incite’ so we’d totally be in the clear and she’d suspect nothing!”

“Oh my gosh, Sonata!” Aria cried. “Just drown while drinking from a water fountain already!”

“HA!” Sonata replied. “Jokes on you! I always remember to wear my arm floaties when I drink from water fountains!”

Sunset sighed. “Not sure if you guys noticed, but it seems getting the student body to do what you want through the” –Sunset air quoted— “‘magic of song’ isn’t exactly some big accomplishment around here.”

Adagio narrowed her eyes at Sunset. “Oh we noticed, and we intend to do something about it.”

“How? By getting the student body to harass me?” Sunset asked. “That’s barely a change to how they already act around me. And even if you do somehow take me out, you’ll never be able to deal with my friends.”

“My, my,” Adagio purred with a devious smile, “you’re so confident in them.”

Sunset shook her head. “No, I mean, you won’t be able to deal with how bat-guano crazy they all are! These girls grow long pony tails and their ears change into horse ears when they play instruments! Then they just go on about their days as if it’s no big deal! Heck! Rarity just wants to figure out how she can accessorize better for when they all start floating in the air and their flippin’ bodies transform!”

Adagio suddenly looked at Sunset with great interest. “Horse ears you say…”

“She did! She did say!” Sonata cried pointing at Sunset. “They must be the source of the Equestrian magic we’re looking for!”

Adagio gritted her teeth and cringed slightly.

Aria wheeled on Sonata. “Sonata!”

“Yes, Aria?” Sonata asked with a sweet smile on her face.

I hope you die before your wedding!

Sonata frowned. “I’m not getting married…” Her eyes widened. “Or am I?”

Sunset smacked a palm against her face and shook her head. “Oh hell… Did mom shove you three through the portal because you were all too insufferable to keep back home?”

Adagio raised an eyebrow. “Mom?”

Sonata gasped. “She must be Celestia’s daughter!”

“Sonata!” Aria snarled.

“What?!”

“You are just so, so dumb!” Aria cried. “I have no idea how you even remember to keep breathing!”

Sonata stuck out her tongue. “Takes one to know one!”

Adagio sighed. “That was a nice secret plan we had once…”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “If you say so…”

Adagio looked at Sunset. “So… If you’re really Celestia’s daughter, how come we’ve never heard of you?”

Sunset cringed. “I’m not actually Sunbutt’s daughter… I… Look it’s complicated, alright?”

Adagio squinted at the symbol on Sunset’s chest. “Wait… Is that your cutie mark?”

Sunset glanced down briefly. “Yeah… So?”

“So you’re telling me you’re not Sunbutt Jr.?”

Sunset looked down at her shirt again and her face flushed red. “Look, just drop it alright! The point is I know where you’re from and I know quite a bit about your evil plan…”

Aria sighed and glanced at Sonata. “Gee… I wonder how that happened.”

“For realzies, right!?” Sonata cried. “She must be like… the world’s greatest detective, or some junk.”

“Oh, please,” Sunset said. “Sonata may have given me the lion’s share of info, but she’s hardly the only one to blame.”

Adagio sighed. “Dang it, Aria!”

“ME?!” Aria cried as she pointed to herself. “You think this is my fault, too?!”

“Well, you are an idiot,” Adagio said. “And it not like you making such a big deal out of everything Sonata says doesn’t draw even more attention to it.”

Sonata chuckled as Aria let out a frustrated growl.

“Actually,” Sunset said, “it was all three of you.”

“Oh puleeease,” Adagio said dismissively. “You can’t expect me to believe you picked up anything from m—”

Sunset pointed behind the three. “Oh look! Equestrian magic!”

“WHERE?!” Adagio cried as she and the other two girls turned and looked with excited, slightly wicked expressions.

Sunset folded her arms across her chest as a smug, self-content smile spread across her face.

Adagio sighed as she continued to stare off into the empty campus of CHS. “You said that hoping we’d do exactly what we just did, didn’t you?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Sunset answered.

“Ooooooh!” Sonata cried. “She is good!”

The three turned back to face Sunset, Adagio and Aria’s faces had flushed red. Sonata just looked impressed.

“Look girls,” Sunset began, “believe it or not, I know a lot more about what you’re going through then you think. Why don’t you just come clean with me and my friends? They’re insane, but they usually mean well enough… I’m sure between all nine of us, we can work something out without ridiculous songs and, more importantly, me getting assaulted every morning.”

Adagio narrowed her eyes. “And if I say ‘no’ and we continue with our”—Adagio air quoted— “‘evil plan’?”

“Oh sure!” Sonata said. “Just tell her everything, why don’t you?!”

Aria grit her teeth as she closed her eyes and brought her fingers up to her temples.

“What are you doing?” Sonata asked.

“I’m trying to hate you to death!”

“Oh!” Sonata said. She smiled. “Let me know if it works!”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know,” Aria replied.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Then you’ll fail and it will probably suck big-time for you. My friends already tangled with a bitter, irate, testy, cold-hearted opponent and her two moron minions before and they apparently came out with magical powers from the whole thing! Not to mention that time they were at least up against one person who wasn’t a complete moron.” Sunset sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but why not try giving the... cough… give the… hack…” Sunset’s light orange skin began to turn slightly green.

“Not that I care,” Adagio said, “but are you feeling nauseous?

Sunset leaned down slightly, prospering an arm against her leg while she held the other one up. “I’ll be… be… fine… but you three should give the … cough… cough… give the… hack… cough… ” Sunset eyes went wide and teared up a little. She took a few deep breaths then quickly said, “…magicoffriendshipachance!” Sunset covered her mouth and puffed out her cheeks as she stifled more hacking coughs.

Uh… Sounds horrible…” Adagio said.

“Yeah,” Aria agreed. “Like maybe worse than Sonata even!”

“Girls!” Sonata cried as she bent down. “This place has free ground muffins!” She declared as she surfaced with a half-squashed apple muffin with a bite mark taken out of it.

“I stand corrected,” Aria said as Sonata began munching on her mushy muffin.

Sunset took a few more deep breaths and stood back up to her full height. “It is pretty terrible, but it beats the hell out of the alternative. Like… it literally does that.”

Adagio smirked. “I think you’ve been misled on how to use the world ‘literally’.”

Sunset lowered her eyebrows slightly. “Oh, I know what I said.”

Adagio’s smirk vanished. “Look, we didn’t come to this school to hunt for scraps!”

“Oh my gosh!” Sonata squealed in delight. “They’re growing apple fritters here too!”

Aria crossed her fingers and closed her eyes. “Oh please get a bacterial infection and die… Oh please, oh please…”

Most of us didn’t come to this school to hunt for scraps,” Adagio corrected. “If getting what we want means some sort of magical showdown, then so be it… Come on girls…” With that, Adagio and the three girls turned and walked away.

“FINE!” Sunset shouted after them. “I can use a few more people the school hates at least as much as me! Go ahead! Fall on your faces! I’ll be the first in line to point and laugh this time!”

Sunset watched as the girls made their way to the school. She sighed and shook her head.

“This is going to suck!