We let love start small
I don’t remember much about the rest of the evening, if I was totally honest. I made it home around sundown and proceeded to get a severe scolding from my mother, one that was softened when I told her where I’d been. She then proceeded to squeal with joy and nearly squeezed my head off, causing me to try and reattach my head rather than heeding her dating advice. Though, if I was truly honest, I would’ve ignored it anyway. Anyone who gets romantically entangled with someone like Estevan is not someone who should be giving romantic advice.
A few days later and I woke up like I’d been hit with an electric shock. It took me a few good moments of looking around that I finally remembered what I was so excited about: Sunset was my girlfriend! She’d finally gotten better and I- we’d be spending our first day at school as an actual couple! It was such an invigorating thought that I leapt out of bed… and smacked my head on the ceiling, so exuberant was my leap. A bag of ice and a dent in the drywall later, I decided to be a bit more reserved in my celebrations in the future.
“Goodness, child, next time you should try to control yourself,” my mother admonished me. “She’s a lovely girl, but this is a bit overexcited, wouldn’t you say?”
I winced as the bag of ice shifted on my bruise, digging a little more pressure in. “Certainly wasn’t my plan to get hurt,” I replied.
“I doubted it was part of the plan,” she countered, eyeing me with unusual concern. “Just remember, when you’re at school… pay attention. Don’t let this distract you from doing well, alright?”
I rolled my eyes as her usual obsession with school came into play once more. “You are never going to let up on this, are you?”
“Not until you graduate and move on to college,” she answered. “And then I’m going to expect you to get good grades there.”
It was a battle I’d never win. I settled for eating my breakfast and getting to leave. I was just about to head out the door when I felt my phone vibrate. I looked down and saw it was a small message from Sunset: Hey, can you meet me in front of school? Be waiting for you!
Oh, how the sight of it alone was enough to give me butterflies. It was such a wonderful feeling to know someone was waiting for me, especially someone like Sunset. I started running as fast as I could, hoping I could get there as quickly as possible-
Wham! I smacked straight into the door and toppled backwards, nearly taking out a small decorative table Mom had set up in the hallway.
“You alright, sweetheart?” Mom called. “What’d you do this time?”
There was no way I would ever admit what had just occurred. I felt my nose, which was throbbing like a motherf-cker, for any signs of breakage and found none. “I’m fine,” I replied a little thickly, my eyes streaming against my will. “Don’t worry, see you later.” Making sure to open the door this time, I departed hastily and set off.
Sunset was indeed in front of school- almost completely centered, to be exact. Standing next to the statue out on the front lawn and giving a rather shaky smile. She looked as pretty as ever, dressed in her usual leather jacket, violet shirt and jeans. It was a look she rarely ever deviated from, but the sight thrilled me nonetheless. This was my girl!
“Hey, beautiful,” I said warmly, sliding in beside her and putting my arms around her. “Doing alright?”
“Yeah, I feel way better. Thanks for that,” she said, looking up at me with those beautiful cyan eyes.
“So, umm, care to tell me why you’re just waiting outside school when we’ve got a little less than ten minutes to get to class?” I asked. “Not usually your thing to be last-minute.”
“Oh, you know,” she replied off-handedly, “just enjoying the… cold and waiting for you, because… you know.”
“Not really,” I remarked. “What’s eating you?”
She gave me a half-smile and said, “Just a little nervous, that’s all.”
“Nervous about what?”
“Well… them,” she answered, pointing right at the school.
She was afraid of what they’d say. The two of us stood there for a minute or two, simply staring at the building in silence. It was a pretty nice place, really. Good teachers, good staff, and it was the first place I’d made real friends. But there were plenty of people in there who were willing to act like jerks, particularly to Sunset. And now, because I was her new beau, me.
I gulped, anxiety twisting my stomach into a knot. I suddenly understood why Sunset had been stalling.
“We have to go in there and face it at some point,” I said with a note of finality. “At least we won’t do it alone. We’ve got our friends and we’ve got each other. That’s got to count for something.”
Sunset gave me a small smile and intertwined her hand with mine, squeezing tight. “You ready?” she asked in a small voice.
“Let’s go,” I said, and we made our way to the front door and pushed it open.
It took about thirty seconds for Sunset’s fears to be justified. As we walked past a few of the lockers, Heartstrings and Bon-Bon shot a dirty look over at Sunset, a typical reaction that they’d given for quite a length of time. However, Lyra’s gaze dropped a bit and noticed the two of us holding hands and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She immediately leaned over and whispered something into her friend’s ear and she, just like Lyra, looked down at our intertwined hands and gawked.
“I think we’re getting a reaction,” I remarked drily.
“Just ignore them, that’s all we can do,” Sunset replied.
Easy words to say. Not so easy to listen to a few moments later when Bon-Bon yelled, “Even if you’re a thug, you can do better than her!”
I remained silent, settling for the simplicity of a middle finger. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get a response.
“Come on, you know better than that!” Sunset said. “Besides, teachers may be watching, you need to be careful.”
“She needed it,” I defended. “Besides, it was fun.”
“Just- just try to let it go, OK?” she asked. “Don’t try to start a fight.”
“Holy hell,” remarked Sandalwood as he caught sight of us. “Canterlot High’s two worst people are a thing? We are all gonna die.”
“Just saying, may be easier said than done,” I said to her through gritted teeth.
I was relieved when we finally made it to class, though with only minutes to spare. We were the last two to arrive so when we walked through the door, every eye was on us- and on our intertwined hands immediately after. A few looked unsurprised, one or two horrified, and the rest just in shock. I looked over at Fluttershy and saw her give Sunset and I a small little smile and wave, a typical gesture from such a sweet girl. Rarity, most unfortunately, was looking at me with such a smug expression that it should’ve been illegal. I decided to ignore her for now and take a seat.
There’s no way around it: I didn’t pay attention to a single thing in that class. The entire period was a myriad of distractions, whether it be my fellow students gawking and pointing and whispering at me and Sunset under their breath or Sunset herself. We caught more than a few dirty looks our way, while a few simply looked stunned, if not a little frightened. It was a grating thing to endure. Sunset and I had chosen one another because we genuinely cared for each other. Wasn’t that enough for them to leave her alone?
About halfway through the class, right after Octavia had turned around for about the fourth time to give me a look of deepest loathing, I decided I could take no more. I looked over at Sunset who, unsurprisingly, was looking fairly aggravated herself. She noticed me and turned to give me an inquiring look. “What?” she mouthed.
“Gonna kill something here,” I mouthed back, a strained smile
“You can do it, I promise,” she replied assuredly.
“Gonna crack on some fool,” I pressed.
“You’re doing fine.”
“Someone’s gonna die,” I insisted, my blood pressure spiking as yet another classmate stared at the two of us, anger etched into his face.
Sunset flinched before she could respond, a rather weighty ball of paper smacking her upside the head. Her determined expression promptly slid into a frustrated one and she rolled her eyes, giving her beautiful head a weary shake as she ignored the sniggers of laughter behind her.
“Can I kill someone now?” I mouthed eagerly.
“Just ignore them. Follow my lead, OK?” she mouthed in response.
I sighed and gave a reluctant nod, turning back to face the front of the class and doing my best to ignore the stares and whispers that continued to come our way. After about five minutes or so, I found my eyes drifting back to Sunset and settling there, fixated on her beauty. A soft, goofy smile crept across my lips at the sight of her, content to simply dwell on her forever.
Perhaps feeling my gaze, Sunset turned towards me, caught sight of my stare and asked, “What?”
“You,” I replied silently.
“What about me?” she asked.
“Just enjoying the view,” I answered.
Sunset rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless before motioning for me to pay attention and turning back to the face the board. I, however, was perfectly content where I was and continued to marvel at her. You are so damn beautiful, I thought.
“Excuse me, but you know the rules, young’un,” said Mr. Dust reprovingly. “No talking in this class unless called upon, are we clear?”
My eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as I felt my face almost instantly flush. With every person turned to my general direction, I realized that I had accidentally just said that out loud and now probably looked like a total idiot. Judging by how much Rarity was struggling to keep herself together in that moment, I probably DID look like a total idiot. I shamefacedly mumbled an apology and buried myself in my notes for the rest of the class.
And pausing to gaze at Sunset every few minutes or so.
English class was more difficult than ever before, as the workload and difficulty of the lessons increased, combined with my mind being focused on something far more pleasant. Sunset took her usual place next to me and spent a majority of the lesson helping me along, ensuring I understood the more complex portions and encouraging me as we went along. I did my best to pay attention and listen, but I found myself more often focusing on Sunset and trying to enjoy her more than actually bother with the lesson.
“Now come on, you two, pay attention!” Miss Cheerilee reprimanded, and Sunset and I both looked up from the sheet of paper we’d been working on- Sunset had been writing diagrams and notes to help me, I’d been drawing stupid doodles and love notes to make her laugh. Miss Cheerilee was standing right above us, a small frown upon her face. “I know it’s getting to be that time of year where students don’t want to work very hard, but take this seriously. Much of today’s lesson will be on the final exam!”
“Yes, Miss Cheerilee,” Sunset stuttered embarrassingly, her soft cheeks turning a bright red as she pushed the papers aside.
“Hmm…” Miss Cheerilee looked down at the pair of us, her eyes glancing over the paper and then coming back up to stare at Sunset and I. She raised her eyebrows and gave the two of us a glowing smile before turning around to head back to her desk- but not before giving us a small thumbs-up behind her back.
I stole a glance over at Sunset and flashed a grin. We probably weren’t going to get a lot of support from the student body, but it seemed we had at least Miss Cheerilee on our side.
By the time lunch came around, it seemed the entire school had gotten word of Sunset and I, and the surplus of stares would have made even the most open person cover themselves due to embarrassment. It seemed to me that every single student in the blasted school had gone out of their way to see the two of us head to the cafeteria, intent on seeing if it was true. Or to judge us, we certainly got our share of both.
“I just- I just don’t get it,” Roseluck said as we walked by. “What do they see in each other?”
I tried my hardest to ignore her words, my blood beginning to boil once more. Only a few days into our relationship and already I was struggling hard. I wasn’t sure how much I could take.
“Sunset was a terrible choice, really,” Daisy replied. “…Hmm... could’ve probably gotten better, even with that attitude.”
“She probably used threats again, just like last time,” Lily added, nodding sagely as if she had just dispensed the Wisdom of Solomon. “It won’t last long, I can tell you that.”
I felt Sunset’s hand begin to pull away somewhat from mine, and I turned to see her starting to shrink a little under the pressure. “You alright?” I asked.
Sunset said nothing, looking back and forth between the Flower Girls and the ground, a downcast expression starting to take form.
“Hey, don’t even bother listening to them, alright?” I said firmly. “They ain’t got nothing so they’re gonna be mean for the sake of being mean. Just ignore ‘em, K?”
Sunset looked up at me for a moment and opened her mouth to speak-
“Nope, don’t even think about it,” I cut through. “I’m proud to say you’re mine. I don’t deserve someone like you, and that’s that.”
Sunset recovered a bit to give me a small but determined smile and squeezed my hand in thanks. I flashed a smile in reply and hope that was the end of it.
“Those two, a couple?? Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”
That didn’t take long, I thought. On and on it went as we walked, the murmuring seemingly increasing the closer we came to the cafeteria hall.
“Why Sunset, you mean! Who’s crazy enough to pick a bitch like her?”
“They’ll ruin everything around here-”
“Can’t trust her, especially now…”
“What’ll they do to us?”
“It’s gonna start all over again-”
“We’re all gonna die…”
It was almost more than either of us could stand. Sunset’s head was bowed as we entered the cafeteria, clutching my hand now as if it were a lifeline, or perhaps to help me hold back my now colossal rage. I’m willing to guess Sunset’s hand was probably the only thing preventing me from lashing out and collapsing somebody’s lung. We made our way over to our usual table where the rest of the gang awaited us. It was something I’d been looking forward to, settling in and telling our friends of our relationship, but the rest of the students here had actually won that battle. They’d actually ruined it for us.
“Please tell me you’re not going to let them take this away from you,” Rarity protested as we sat down, her eyes boring into Sunset. “We’ve been waiting to see you two finally come together and now you’re going to let these ruffians and fools ruin your happiness?”
Sunset said nothing, simply stirring in her seat and avoiding the diva’s gaze.
“She’ll listen to you, say something,” Rarity insisted, now turning to look at me. “You’re not going to let them take this away from you, are you?”
“Don’t look at me, I just wanna beat the hell out of them,” I replied. “Anyone who talks about her like that obviously deserves it.”
“Prob’ly not the best idea, sugarcube,” Applejack cautioned. “Now come on, ignore ‘em and tell us how it happened. I assume t’was when you skipped school when she was sick?”
I tore myself away from glaring daggers at the others and nodded, beginning to recount the tale. The story helped my anger cool and I began to smile once more, even Sunset relaxing and putting her hand on my knee as I gave every detail. Rarity was her usual overly romantic self, nearly crying as I told of when I watched over Sunset as she slept.
“So sweet,” she said wetly, taking a handkerchief to her eyes and dabbing away.
“Rarity, you watch way too much soppy stuff, watching someone sleep is not romantic- it’s just weird,” Rainbow protested.
“But it’s so chivalrous!” Rarity cried.
“Nah, it’s just kinda creepy.”
“Did you really watch me sleep?” Sunset asked, a playful smile across her lips. “I think I’m with Rainbow Dash on this one, that’s a little weird.”
“What? I have said it before, I like the view,” I countered.
Rarity sighed as Rainbow gave an exasperated groan. “Oh, that is terrible. Please tell me you two aren’t gonna become some gross, lovey-dovey always cuddling sort of couple, are you?”
“I’m the practical one, not the hopeless romantic,” Sunset said. “You’re talking to the wrong person.”
“Hey, I wasn’t being stupid, I was being honest,” I said as Rainbow’s eyes settled on me. “Please, just look at her for like five seconds. I think I’m justified in looking at her, don’t you?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes in disgust as Sunset laughed and gave me a playful shove that nearly threw me off my seat.
“What was that for?” I asked indignantly of her.
“You sound like a complete idiot,” Sunset chided, though her eyes were shining with happiness. “Just… thanks.”
“Well, we’re all very glad for the both of you,” Fluttershy remarked sweetly. “We knew you two cared about each other very much, and I think it’s a wonderful decision you both made. You work so well together, and you bring out the best in one another. I’m sure you’ll both make each other very happy.”
For being the quietest girl in school, her words were enough to make Sunset and I blush, but I felt my insides glow with happiness as I stole a glance at Sunset. This was my girl, this was my girl! I felt like screaming it from the rooftops wherever I went, so great was my joy.
Everything was brought down to earth the moment Pinkie Pie began to jump in, blasting off into her usual hyperbole and smattering on about a myriad of random ideas regarding me and Sunset. The others began to pay attention to her and listen to her manic monologue, allowing the two of us to focus on something that had been in the back of my mind all morning long.
“Rainbow,” I said quietly, barely audible over Pinkie’s words. “Listen, I just wanted to say…”
Rainbow’s eyes filled with the dim glow of pain as she looked at the pair of us, her eyes eventually coming to rest on me. “It’s alright, really,” she said quietly. “I’m over it, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Rainbow, are you- are we going to make things hard for you?” Sunset inquired. “You’re our friend and we don’t want to hurt you in any way…”
“It’s OK,” Rainbow insisted, a distant smile trying to form. “I’m happy for the both of you- I really am. You two go great together.”
Sunset gave Rainbow a grateful smile and I gave a slow, thankful nod. Rainbow, to her everlasting credit, was showing us a lot of kindness. She could have still been pretty bitter, heaping insults on Sunset due to her feelings regarding me. After all, Rainbow was the only person legitimately burned by our relationship, she had a little justification. All of it went to show just how decent were the people I was surrounded by.
All too soon, it was time to leave our little haven of a table and return back to the rest of the school, where all the fools and jerks and scum would be on us once more, pestering and taunting my girl. I felt apprehension course through me as I rose up and went to my next class, which I would not be sharing with Sunset, who instead had Home Ed. while I had Algebra. I was uneasy about it, worrying how the rest of the school would treat her. I could handle anything they threw at me- the best this place would do to me now was whisper and taunt, lest I answer with a right hook. But Sunset? She was despised in a way I never could be, and though I had warned off the likes of Brad and his group of fools, I wasn’t certain that others wouldn’t try to fill the void now that I’d made her a target again.
The last of my classes went by quickly enough, and I found myself relatively ignored. I caught a few people staring at me, but a savage glance or a middle finger was enough to make them turn back around. Perhaps it showed me a poor sport, but I enjoyed the amount of fear people had for me. Some may dislike me, even hate me, but no one dared try anything against me.
I leapt out my seat the moment the bell rang, practically crashing through the door to race off and find Sunset. When I did find her two minutes later, I instantly saw tear tracks running down her beautiful face, a distraught expression plastered onto her face.
“Whoa- hey, what happened?” I asked worriedly, rushing up and taking her hands in mine. “Are you alright, did they hurt you?”
Sunset shook her head mutely, desperately trying to gain control of herself. “I’m- I’ll be fine, I promise,” she said, her voice watery. “It’s not-”
“It’s not something I’m gonna let just fly by,” I said determinedly. “Uh-uh, you tell me what happened right now. Who was it?”
Sunset sighed, wiping her tears away. “Octavia, as usual,” she answered. “Lyra, the rest of that group.”
Octavia! I felt a fire erupt in me, a dormant flame that resurged at the mention of her name. For far, far too long had Octavia been a problem for me here in this school, whether it be against me or against Sunset, and now it was too darn far. I was right sick of her and it was high time I put a stop to it.
“Hey, go on home, I’ll call you later, alright?” I said, kissing her forehead. “I’ve got stuff to do here.”
“No, don’t- come on, please don’t get yourself in trouble for my sake,” Sunset protested, grabbing hold of my arm as I started to walk off. “I’m not worth it, alright? It’s not a big deal, they’re just words.”
“You have been, are, and always will be worth the trouble,” I replied sharply. “And it is a big deal, because what hurts you hurts me. Do you not get that?”
Sunset gave me a pleading look with those beautiful eyes, so filled with sadness and utter defeat, the look that tore me apart every time I caught sight of it. No one else had seen that joyful light, that bright spark of hope and warmth that could burn so brightly within her. No one except me. Instead, they brought her to this: heartbreak and depression that I could rarely penetrate and override. I had to do something.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said seriously, and walked off into the throng of people, leaving Sunset shaking her head behind me. She was too kind for her own good- or too ashamed of her deeds to understand my actions. I couldn’t stand for it.
I found Octavia exactly where I thought I would; holed up near the western exit of school, eagerly conversing with some of the young boys who caught her fancy- or vice versa. She was still easy to consider highly attractive, with her knee-length boots, long hair and super-short skirt, looking like she had just come walking right out of the 60’s. She’d be pretty if she wasn’t such a vile human being.
“Hey, Tavi, quit your flashin’ and get over here,” I called. “I got a score to settle with you.”
Octavia looked over at me and gave me a scathing look. “I don’t have time to bother with you,” she said arrogantly, tossing her hair aside and returning to her conversation with a guy whose name I didn’t know.
“Yes, I know you must be busy conducting business, I’ve heard the going rate is five dollars for a night,” I yelled, making sure as many people as possible could hear me.
That got her attention, as well as the attention of about twenty people in the general vicinity. Octavia gave me a look filled with such loathing that it was obvious she desired nothing more than to flatten me.
“There we go. Now that I’ve got your attention, why don’t you come over here and talk to the one person around who doesn’t want your pussy?”
It was immensely satisfying to see her squirm with anger, seeing as there was nothing she could really do about it- she wouldn’t dare fight me. Nonetheless, with so many people around us, she couldn’t back down, and came walking over to me and faced off from me, her hands on her hips.
“Well?” she challenged.
“Well, I sure ain’t here to throw money at you,” I said. “Now tell me why the hell you were picking on my girl today.”
“Your. Girl,” she said slowly, looking stupefied. “Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more foolish… when I first heard, I actually hoped it wasn’t true, but now… you really are the most colossal idiot I have ever met.”
“Yes, I’m an idiot, for caring about a decent girl instead of one who dresses like they’re for sale- oh wait, you are!” I replied tauntingly. “Now you better cut the crap and start rethinking your priorities, cause I’m sure not gonna let you do whatever you want to Sunset, and I’m just gonna guess that you want to live through life without a set of permanently broken bones. So, what are we gonna do?”
Octavia glowered at me before giving a wicked smile, glancing around at the gathering crowd before going back to me. “Please, like you’d actually live up to your words,” she countered scathingly. “For your own sake, you might as well just leave her, she’ll do the same to you.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, feeling more than a little surprised that she was still fighting back.
Octavia gave a great, exaggerated sigh and gave me a mocking look. “You may be stupid, but not even you should be stupid enough to trust her. She won’t ever care about you, she’s not capable of it.”
I stared, a pulsing sensation starting to blur my brain. “You better start being real careful ‘bout what you say next, girlie,” I growled.
“Why should I? I’m only telling you the truth,” she replied. “Sunset Shimmer- she’s a monster. All she’s capable of is hurting and stealing and causing pain. All you are is her next chew toy. There’s nothing good about her, except maybe her body- which I’m sure you’ve violated by now.”
“How dare you!” I snarled. “You disgusting hypocrite, trying to call Sunset a whore when you’d suck a crusty old man’s cock for a couple of quarters! I heard what you did for Snips and Snails last week, no wonder everything that comes out of your mouth is disgusting.”
“She’s playing you like I play a cello,” Octavia warned. “You aren’t loved by her, and never will be. Do the best thing for her and cast her aside. Even you can do better.”
“Can do better,” I echoed incredulously. “This coming from you. You better start rewinding that tongue of yours before I cut it out- pretty sure that’d put a dent in your business.”
Octavia gave a false, mocking laugh, comfortably surrounded by her friend, admirers, and regular folks who had simply stopped to see the commotion. “You won’t do a thing about me,” she said sneeringly. “You may be a pervert and a fool, but you have some sense of ‘honor’ about you. You wouldn’t harm a girl.”
I stood there and felt my argument sputter and turn into rage, unable to do a single thing to stop her. She was right, dead right. As much as I oh so desperately wanted to clock her and shatter a few of her ribs, I couldn’t. I just wasn’t capable of that kind of destruction anymore, not over something like this. I was stuck.
“All she’ll do is hurt you,” Octavia said coldly. “She’ll always be a monster, and there’s nothing you can do to change that. You’re wrong about her.”
“You’re wrong,” I said, my words sounding rather pathetic. “She’s more than any of you ever knew. She’s better, far better a person than you could ever hope to be. You’ll see.”
“Oh, I’ll see,” Octavia called as I stalked off, taking joy in my futility. “I can hardly wait for the day she strikes again.”
You ever feel like a whole week consisted of the same day, over and over again? Almost like your whole life just stuck on repeat, enduring the same trials and tribulations for an endless cycle until you go mad. That was my week, an endless wave of taunts and annoyance, all directed at a girl I cared about more than just about any person on the planet.
Sunset, to her credit, pushed through with an extreme amount of grace and kindness to her fellow students, not once lashing out with any semblance of anger or frustration. Unfortunately, she was still too ashamed of her past misdeeds to keep her head held high. It was torture for her to push through the rest of the week, enduring far worse than what would ever be directed at me. Most just called me “thug” or “fool” at best. But Sunset? It was as if all the claws came off again, with so many students harassing her incessantly, more than once pushing her to tears. She was brave, but they gave her no time to recover and calm herself. Most days ended with her walking home alone whilst I got into a shouting match with a student, infuriated by their cruelty.
By Thursday I had decided I could take it no more and needed to do something. Heeding some quiet advice given to me by Rarity, I made an appointment with Principal Celestia for Friday afternoon in the hopes that maybe there was something that could be done about it all.
Sitting there at the reception desk felt like eternity, watching Secretary Raven type away in an endless, droning monologue of pressed plastic. Occasionally she would eye me, ensuring I was staying out of trouble, but more or less paid attention exclusively to her computer, jotting away the countless files that needed to be sorted. It was all so boring I nearly fell asleep.
There was a muted voice over the small intercom and Raven called over to me and said, “Principal Celestia will see you now. Go on in.”
“Thanks,” I said eagerly, jumping up instantly and rushing on in to find Principal Celestia sorting away some sort of file which, after a quick examination, looked to be my own.
“I’ll admit I’m certainly surprised to see you like this,” she said. “For you to ask to meet me wasn’t anything I expected.”
“It’s sort of important, ma’am,” I said, taking a seat and setting my backpack aside. “You see, I’ve got a bit of a problem.”
“So I’ve heard, as your shouting matches with my students have reached my ears more than once,” Principal Celestia said drily. “I hope you haven’t been trying to break our agreement from the start of the year.”
“What? No, it’s something different entirely!” I objected. “It’s about Sunset, I need your help.”
She gave me a look of genuine surprise, her slightly suspicious expression fading away. “Oh? Is she the one who’s-”
“No, ma’am, she’s my girlfriend,” I replied. “But… people have been a little unpleasant about it…”
“Hmm…” Principal Celestia mulled it over for a few moments and said, “Would you wait a few minutes? I think Vice-Principal Luna should be here for this as well.”
“Oh, um… OK,” I said uncertainly as she made the call, feeling as if I was about to lose control of this conversation. I had only encountered Vice-Principal Luna once or twice during my time here, and she had always come across as very strict to me. I hoped this wasn’t a bad sign for my appointment.
About five minutes passed and in came the VP, looking down at me with the same look of surprise that Principal Celestia had shown. “I didn’t expect you to be here,” she remarked lightly. “What seems to be the matter?”
“I think we’re about to hear the story behind the school’s latest drama from the source, Sister,” Principal Celestia said before turning to me. “Please, tell me everything.”
I started from what had begun on Monday when we had first arrived, detailing every word and encounter Sunset and I had been forced to endure, making sure to drop a few names along the way. Celestia and Luna listened intently, writing down a few notes every now and then for future reference, but generally keeping their eyes fixed on me.
“Well then?” Vice-Principal Luna asked after I finished. “What is it you want us to do?”
I stared at her. “Can’t you make it stop? They’re driving her to the breaking point every single day and it’s stressing her out to even come to school, and it’s pushing me to where I’m gonna start throwing punches. Isn’t there something you can do?”
Principal Celestia and her sister looked at each other mutely, a single glance communicating everything they needed with one another. I felt a sensation of dread begin to claim me as I saw it…
“Are… are any of the students laying hands on her?” she inquired.
“No,” I answered slowly.
Vice-Principal Luna gave a low, unhappy sigh and said, “Well you see, there’s only so much we can do, then. We can issue warnings about harassment, bullying, or maybe try a few other things, but…”
“But by law, unless they’re causing physical harm to a student, there’s truly little we can do. There’s no real anti-bullying legislation that allows us any sort of power,” Principal Celestia finished. “I wish there was something else I could say.”
I was angry enough to not go down without a fight. “Come on, there’s got to be something! Harassment laws, anything! You can’t just let this happen!” I pleaded.
“Are they threatening her in any way?” Luna pressed. “Anything to suggest physical harm? Something that could suggest real danger?”
“N-no, they haven’t,” I replied, losing momentum for a second. “But- there has to be something you’re able to do!”
“Truthfully? There’s not much we really can do,” Principal Celestia said tiredly, sinking into her seat. “As teachers, we are bound by a lot of law and regulations as to what we can and cannot do. We can reprimand and stop what we see, but when it comes down to it… our hands are very much tied.”
“So you’re going to do nothing,” I said incredulously.
“We’ll keep an eye out as much as we can,” Luna said, “And I’ll speak to the rest of the staff to watch for any trouble, as their presence will at least subdue it somewhat. Is there a teacher whom you trust with this?”
“Umm… yeah, Miss Cheerilee, she’s on our side.”
“You may want to try and talk with her as well,” Luna suggested. “She’s as legally bound as we are, but her feet are more on the ground and in the midst of the student body than my sister and I. She’ll be able to help you in ways we cannot.”
All in all, it wasn’t much. I was angry that there was nothing I could do to stymy the situation, and frustrated that this had amounted to essentially a waste of time.
“I wish there was more we could do. Truly,” Principal Celestia said. “You may not have known it, but I have been keeping close watch of you since your first day here.”
I looked up at that one, feeling rather surprised. I hadn’t even noticed.
“I was worried about you, to be truthful,” she admitted. “I was worried that your past history would prevent you from finding success here, but instead you made wise choices with your friends, and they have pushed you –perhaps without you even knowing it- to better standards, to which you now hold yourself. I am both delighted and impressed by how far you have come, and I wish the two of you the best of luck.”
“I’ll keep a close watch out for any signs of trouble,” Luna added. “And I am sorry there is not more I can do.”
I gave a sigh of frustration, rubbing my eyes. “Well, thanks anyway,” I said tiredly, rising from my seat and departing.
I found Sunset and Applejack waiting outside Principal Celestia’s office, looking at me with expectant eyes. As I shook my head, Sunset’s shoulders began to sag once more and my farmgirl friend shook her head ruefully.
“You at least tried,” Applejack said.
“You shouldn’t have. Really,” Sunset said, looking up at me. “It’s just words, they don’t mean anything.”
“Yeah, and that’s why they leave you in tears,” I said angrily, feeling all the more frustrated by her depression. “Sunset, I- how was I supposed to just let it go? I nearly maimed Brad and Wil because they carved you like a piece of meat, you really expected me to let this fly?”
“I know, but…” she ran her fingers through her hair again and again, more upset and racked than I had seen her in quite a while. “Oh, there’s got be something we can do! Can’t we just disappear away from here, just leave this stupid school and get away from it all?”
“Uh… yeah, y’all can,” Applejack said slowly, staring at the two of us. “What, did y’all think you’d be stuck here, in school, for th’ rest of y’all’s lives?” Come on now, you shoulda been thinkin’ beyond that.”
It was such an obvious conclusion that I couldn’t believe neither of us had realized it. As Sunset and I looked at each other in growing embarrassment, the truth hit me like a bag of rocks. It was the weekend! School was done for the week, we had the whole city to escape into, and we knew exactly where people would be heading to! We’d been so consumed with everyone else’s actions that we didn’t even bother to think what we could do.
“I… I feel kinda stupid,” Sunset said sheepishly, pulling at her hair. “Why didn’t we think of that? Or even just go run off somewhere during the week? We always could have!”
I didn’t even bother to respond. I didn’t have a response worth giving, I felt so stupid.
As the pair of us stood there in embarrassment, Applejack gave me a rather dry look of incredulity. “Seriously?” she asked, giving me her usual disbelieving look. “Y’mean to say neither of you took the time to consider that? Ah thought that’d be what would keep y’all going till the weekend.”
“Well…” Sunset and I glanced at each other sheepishly. What could we possibly say?”
“Well? What’re y’all waitin’ for? Go!” our friend urged, literally pushing us to run. “Gowon, get outta here! See y’all later!”
“Jeez, come on, let’s go!” I said to Sunset, and the two of us dashed down the hall, out of the school’s front doors and as far away as we could manage until we had completely lost sight of it.
“We can be… so stupid…” Sunset panted, a smile of laughter easily visible on her lips. “Let’s not get wrapped up like that again, alright?”
“Couldn’t agree more,” I replied. I didn’t really have much to say, as I felt like everything had already been said. Now was the time to start a plan, start thinking about-
“So, umm… where were you thinking of going tonight?” Sunset asked shyly, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. “I mean, I know you weren’t planning anything, but if there’s still time…”
Umm. I gulped and looked away, laughing slightly under my breath. Truth be told, I’d been so preoccupied with protecting Sunset from the others that I hadn’t thought of anything. Suddenly, all the expectations and demands of a relationship came crashing down on me as I came to realize how much time, effort, money, and so much more would be demanded of me. Had I truly understood what I was getting into?
“Hey, it’s alright! No pressure,” Sunset said reassuringly, squeezing my hand. “It’s not really a big deal if you can’t think of anything, but AJ’s right. It’d be nice for us to get out and away from our usual hangout places, you know? Help us relax.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said uncertainly, my mind trying to latch onto an idea, anything…
Sunset, perhaps knowing I was panicking, looked at me and said, “Why don’t I just come by and visit for a while? We grab a movie and just relax at home? Sound good?”
She was trying to make me feel better for not thinking of an idea and I was having none of it. “No, I’ll think of something, just gimme a sec,” I replied, panicking as I couldn’t get my mind together. I had to think of something, this was our first date! It had to be something special, unique!
“I’ll call you tonight,” Sunset said, kissing my cheek and waving goodbye, her warm smile the last thing I saw before I began heading home.
A walked back home this time round, mulling over various ideas: They were usually pretty good ones, but the problem was always that they were typical teen hangouts, which meant we’d run into people from school there. Not what I wanted at all. What was something that I could do that would be something Sunset would always remember? I went to what I knew she liked: books. Lots of books. A bookstore visit? No way, far too simple. Try again.
Wait, don’t let that thought go, I said to myself. Hmm… books. She loved research and science stuff, but Sunset also loved stories, to read tales and novels. Maybe there was something in there somewhere. Who was her favorite author?
As I was walking along, I saw an ad posted onto a nearby telephone pole, advertising for a theatre series of old plays that would be in town for the next couple of weeks. I initially just gave it a passing glance, but promptly paused and wheeled about to take a look when I saw one of them was a story she had mentioned to me several times before- The Tempest.
I stared at the poster eagerly, mentally noting everything I’d need to know. Tickets weren’t pricy at all, easy and affordable, and the theatre hall wasn’t too hard to get to at all. In fact, there was a small coffee house nearby for when it was all over…
I think I had my idea.
I stood outside the theatre in the blistering cold, the temperature having dropped rapidly as the sun fell, only intensified by the rising winds. I’d promised to meet her here before the show, since I didn’t have a car and the last chance for a bus was about an hour before the play would begin. I was shivering like mad, though I wondered if it was more nerves than it was the cold.
I glanced over my shoulder at the line of people heading to go on inside, bundled up in thick coats that somewhat shielded them from the howling wind: seniors, married couples, and the occasional lone artist that was there to critique the performance. There were a few college-age folks here and there in the crowd, but it was obvious Sunset and I would be the two youngest people here.
I felt a shiver run through me, built up more from energy than the weather. I was so excited that this was actually happening that I wasn’t even that nervous- a sensation that quickly dissipated the moment I started thinking about it. I really didn’t want to screw this up. I really liked Sunset, and she was far better a person than I ever could have hoped for. I know that some people would always try to downplay relationships, saying that “there are always more fish in the sea,” but I didn’t think that was fair. I had a chance for something really good here.
“Hey,” said a voice behind me, accompanied by a light tap on the shoulder. I turned around to find Sunset, dressed comfortably in a plaid shirt, her leather jacket, and nice jeans, topped off with a cute scarf wrapped around her neck. It was the first time in a while I’d seen her wear something other than her usual outfit.
“Hey!” I said, giving her a warm hug. “You look really cute, I like it.”
“Really?” she asked, looking somewhat surprised. “I just kinda threw it all on, I was just grabbing things since we didn’t really have time.”
“Yeah, I’m serious, it’s a good look for you,” I insisted as we walked inside, flashing the tickets to the staffer near the entrance. “I like it a lot.”
Sunset gave a small yet happy smile, glowing with pleasure. “Thanks. I dunno, I’ve never tried it before, it feels weird for me to dress like this. It’s all different.”
“Different works for you,” I replied, and she glowed even more brightly. I loved to see her wake up like this, her joyful spirit pushing through the depression and frustration that typically antagonized her.
As we went into the theatre itself and took our seats, Sunset slowly fell into her chair and looked around. By the slow, methodical sweep she was performing, it was easy to see that she was looking out for people from school. Coming up empty, she said, “Wow, we’re probably the two youngest people here,” she remarked.
“Yeah, I saw that, too,” I replied. “Out of all the things for teenagers to do, I doubt this is gonna be on the list for a lot of people at school.”
“I can’t believe you even thought of it, honestly,” she said. “Not that I’m complaining, I love Shakespeare!”
“Well, it’ll at least be a way for us to relax. And if it comes to it, we can get a nap out of the deal,” I remarked.
“Oh come on, how can you not love The Tempest? It’s one of my absolute favorites!” she protested, looking almost scandalized. “He was so talented and clever, and it’s a really funny one, too!”
“I’ll have to take your word for it, it’s all a bunch of old English to me,” I said.
Sunset was about to say something in reply, but as the lights dimmed and the stage lights brightened, she brought a finger to her lips and turned to face the front, her expression excited and eager.
I watched her for a few minutes as the show began, smiling softly as she became wholly absorbed by the play, enraptured by the performance before her. I loved seeing her like this, so happy and alive, so free of the usual troubles that followed her around. Away from school, from the others like Octavia and Brad, she was so… free. Free to come alive and be herself and be happy without any thought of worry.
I turned to watch the show and, for the first time that day, felt truly happy. I hadn’t done too badly after all.
“Come on, you’ve got to tell me why,” Sunset pressed. “How can you say you don’t like it? They’re so well-written!”
“I told you, it’s way too hard for me to understand, all that funky way of talking,” I replied, taking a drink from my Colombian styled coffee. “I’m not saying it’s bad, I just don’t get it. Course you do, you’re really smart.”
“You don’t have to be really smart to enjoy Shakespeare, you just have to listen to it for a little bit, I promise!” Sunset said. “If we go see King Lear next week, I promise I’ll help you understand it, it’s a really good one.”
I gave a small laugh and rolled my eyes, mildly exasperated by her enthusiasm. “Sure, why not? Whatever makes you happy.”
We had retired to the nearby roastery once the play was over, taking shelter from the fierce winds in the warmth, kindly provided by the heating system and the hot cups of coffee that sat on the table before us.
“What makes you so interested in the guy’s stuff, anyhow?” I asked curiously. “I know you really like his plays but I’ve never asked why.”
“Because they’re so well-written, and so clever and thought-out, even some of the really silly ones,” she answered, before faltering slightly and adding, “And… well, I read them when I was a kid, and I guess… well, they remind me of home a little.” Sunset looked around awkwardly and took a sip of her coffee, her smile now having disappeared.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen her do this; mentioning home always brought her to a more somber mood for whatever reason. I was to have no part in it tonight, however.
“It’s weird,” I remarked.
“What’s weird?”
“That even though you and I have been talking to one another for months now, I don’t really know a whole lot about you. I mean, I know a lot of your interests and what you do with yourself, but I don’t really know… you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, setting down her coffee to look at me.
“Well, like your home life, for example,” I offered. “You’ve never told me about your family or where you’re from, or anything about your past at all, really. It’s like the first time you ever started existing was the day I met you in that bookstore, all those months ago. Though I know a lot about you, I don’t really know you very well at all.”
“Hmm… I guess that’s sorta true,” she said, swirling her coffee around. “You’re kind of the same way, too. You’ve been a little more honest about it than I have, but I don’t really know much about you, either.”
“I’m not really proud of my old habits, Sunset,” I explained. “It’s not a pretty backstory.”
Sunset mulled that over for a bit before saying, “Well… I don’t have a nice story, either. I’m probably not great at talking about myself, but I’ll try. For you.”
That was a big deal, coming from her. Sunset pretty much was sealed shut when it came to her past, so I was rather touched. I wanted to respect that trust she had in me by not overwhelming her. Maybe just starting simply was best.
“What’s your favorite color?” I asked.
“Huh?”
“I’m serious,” I said. “What’s your favorite color?” You’ve never told me, so why not ask now?”
Sunset laughed a little before saying, “Green. It’s green.”
“Cool. Why green?”
Sunset looked down at her drink and said, “I guess cause it makes me think of the grass and the trees, and they always turn green and pretty when Spring comes around… I just, I dunno… What’s your favorite color, then?”
I thought about that for a moment, looking at her. “Yellow,” I answered.
“Why yellow?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, really. I like it when it’s warm instead of cold, and… I always think of the sun when I think of warm. So now, I guess I think of you, too.”
Sunset rolled her eyes, but she looked pleased all the same. “Hmm… Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah, sure, go on ahead,” I answered.
“What’s your favorite movie? You’ve got to have one.”
I felt myself instantly go red at that one, as I knew the answer full well. “Umm… hehe, it’s, uh…” Sunset noticed my embarrassed hesitancy and leaned forward, looking excited. “Well, I guess it’s…”
“Well?” she asked eagerly.
I gave a sigh and muttered quietly, “The Incredibles. By Pixar.”
Sunset burst out laughing, nearly kicking over the table and spilling our drinks everywhere. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t expect that at all! Why that one?”
“I dunno, I just like it a lot,” I said sheepishly, feeling myself grow all the more red. “Well… I always wanted to be a superhero as a kid, then I’d be able to stop bad guys like my Dad. I saw the movie when I was really young, and it just stuck with me. I wanted to be the guy that saved the day.”
“Well you’ve certainly saved the day for me. More than once,” Sunset said, and I could feel myself go a deep crimson. “That’s… I swear, that whole tough-guy gangster act you had was all just for show. Inside you’re just this sweet guy who’s always looking out for somebody else.”
I shrugged, unable to think of anything else to say. “What’s yours, then? Which movies is your favorite?”
“Oh that’s easy, The Lord of the Rings,” Sunset answered, her eyes positively shining. “It’s just so beautiful and grand, and it makes me go and read the books themselves so I get to enjoy them even more…”
The rest of our evening went in the same fashion until it was time to go. As we waited for the cab to arrive so I could take Sunset home, we simply talked, asking each other questions as we grew to know each other a little more. We never went very deep, just asking silly questions about pointless things: favorite foods, favorite breed of dog, night owl or early bird- stuff that really didn’t matter but meant everything.
When the cab finally arrived, Sunset laid her head on my shoulder and rested for a while, simply enjoying a small moment with me. I reflected on our night and realized that we had found our niche, our way of escaping the world. We didn’t need the glitz and glam, the energy that the rest of our peers craved: all we needed was something that made us happy, and one another. It was weird, but it was us, and that was something I was happy about.
Our first date had been a simple affair. No frills, no grand gestures, just a quiet theatre, a nice play, and each other. Simple, but it had worked. And now, as we came to Sunset’s apartment, I could hardly wait for the next one.
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
1,064 users online
2,145,871 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Hey, letting the characters do their own thing is a good thing. And it's always good to see this story continue, it's fantastically written.
One question, however...will this eventually lead into a version of "Rainbow Rocks", or are you going into a totally different direction? No objection either way, of course, I'm just curious.
6999409 Rainbow Rocks is going to be included in here, as it was part of the canon before I began the story. Anything that came after I began, however, doesn't exist.
...But the question still comes back to "How will they survive the school week?" Because I have a few ideas. One is that they literally can only listen to each other, using a pair of earbuds playing music or something. The other is that they can keep all their stuff on them (which is a good idea anyway - much more difficult to prank) and just slip from class to class.
The last idea is the most difficult but the one with the most reward. He actually convinces them that she is no longer a bitch. He has plenty of evidence going for him, and if he manages to present it in the right manner, just may convince enough of them that she is no longer a she-demon that those that will never find anything in their hearts for her except hate lose all their steam and must go back to simmering quietly, or pranks if they're stupid.
6999581 Well therein lies the issue. They can escape somewhat, but there's a limit to what they can do. They have to be there, so they're going to have to endure it, even if only somewhat. It'll be an interesting dynamic moving on.
Sunset, however, is a much bigger problem, as she's got some issues to sort out. That's something I've been thinking of for a while, and is probably going to cause some frustration later on.
6999459 Hmm. Works for me.
Glad to see a chapter from this story. The date between Sunset and the guy was very sweet, plus it's nice to see that Cheerilee supports them and the guy is willing to protect Sunset from people, but man is Octavia being such a bitch.
6999699 It's a nice twist on what most of the fandom see of Octavia. Most have her as this graceful, albeit somewhat snobby musician. I have her as a slutty bitch. Yay for something different!
And yeah, Cheerilee surprised me. She might get more screen time in this than I first thought, as Sunset and the MC seem to trust her a lot.
7000391 Wait, slutty bitch? Has Octavia done anything slutty in the story so far? Also, question. Why has she been such a bitch to the protagonist after her original operable as all he did was look at her skirt and then in the subsequent chapter she pretty much treats him like scum.
7000406 1. There's been hints of it throughout that she dresses for attention.
2. Because she's a hypocrite. She has to start it up, not anyone else. I never really intended for Tavi to be a likeable person in this story, and she's got a fair amount of unredeeming qualities.
Welcome back mate oorah from Japan
7000710 And a Hooah from the Southerwestern US. Hope to someday PCS out that way.
7000752 hell yeah man maybe I'll see you out here
The entire Octavia scene I was like "Damn Tavi, u just got roasted."
7001322 I love doing insulting back and forths. So entertaining.
7012983 yes.
Bro, keep doing what your doing. And good luck out there.
7013876 Thanks, man!
Oh, and if things go well, expect a new chapter this week!
7013913 And why the Sex Tag?
7022573 Why? Because it gives me a little more room to work with their relationship and allow more unpredictability to make its way through. I don't really know what they're gonna get up to, though my understanding of the MC and Sunset suggests possibilities. Truth be told, I don't know what they'll do.
7022655 I ask that question half jokingly and half curiously but I don't mind it. If there's gonna be some sexy time, there's goona be some sexy time. I was also a bit suprice to see the tag there.
7022694 I was just as surprised as you are. I may have mentioned this before, but this story was originally projected to be just ten chapters TOPS. We've far exceeded that and we're probably just past the halfway point now. Everything about this story has surprised me, from its popularity, the length, and who the characters are. The tag's there because Sunset and the MC are -at least to me- living, breathing people. They think, they speak, they act of their own accord. What they choose to do, whether actually have sex, talk about it, or simply have real intimacy, I never know until it happens. It's there because the story is meant to be a snapshot of "real" life- and sex is part of life. What that means for this tale is entirely up to them.
Though for right now, I'd say the two of them aren't emotionally mature yet to have reached that point. If they can make it far enough, it'd be interesting to see what they do.
7022740 Well said Bro. I'm eager to read the next chapter.
I NEED MOAR!!!!
Is The incredibles really that embarrassing to have as a favorite movie?
7066928
Yes. There's better superhero movies out there, such as The Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Iron Man 1, 2, and 3, Ant-Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk...See what I mean?
No, not really. Also, how did sunset find out rainbow had a crush on him? Also, what’s home ed?