Chapter Two: Exes Meet Again
Rarity trumped down the hall, the natural light from the many windows along the outer walls making things unbearably bright as she held her face in her hands.
“Why did I do that? Why am I so stupid??” she cried aloud to herself.
She never got the chance to give herself a satisfactory answer, as she collided with some object that knocked her off balance and sent her stumbling backwards until she unceremoniously landed on her butt. Upon re-opening her eyes, her still-blurry field of vision was filled by a blob of denim.
“Hey. A-are you okay?” asked a male voice Rarity instantly recognized.
She looked up and found herself face to face with Flash Sentry, Sunset’s former boyfriend and her own quasi-enemy.
“Oh crap! I-I’m sorry for knocking you down, Rarity,” Flash said with clear trepidation. “Let me, uh, help you up.” He extended his left arm.
Rarity nodded. “Thank you,” she said as she took his wrist and hoisted herself back to upright position. “Honestly, I should apologize for bumping into you.”
“That’s true,” Flash said. “But, to be honest, you… kind of scare me, so I figured I’d apologize first so you wouldn’t, y’know, hit me again.”
Rarity’s face turned from brief shock to saddened guilt. “I’m sorry for that. I’m… sorry for everything. I’m nothing but an idiotic child.”
“What happened?” asked Flash with obvious concern in his voice as he led Rarity over to a quiet corner of the hallway that was not so oppressively bright.
Rarity sighed a long, mournful sigh. When she spoke, her voice was uneven.
“I… I’ve tried. So many times to tell her… how I feel, but… I can’t tell if she’s… deflecting to let me down gently because she’s not interested or… if she honestly doesn’t understand. I…” Rarity trailed off.
Flash pursed his lips as he attempted to understand the situation. “You’re talking about Sunset, right? Even to a dense moron (her words) like me, it’s pretty obvious.”
“Mm-hmm,” Rarity vocalized as she nodded.
Flash sighed. “Look, I’ve known her for a long time, and even though she’s changed a lot since we broke up, there’s just certain things about her that are just part of who she is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Flash said, “She’s the smartest girl you’ll ever meet… in most things… but she’s clueless when it comes to love or any sort of relationship anything. You would – maybe literally – have to smack her over the head seventeen times with some sort of romantic trinket and yell ‘I LOVE YOU’ in her face before she actually got the hint.”
“But… you dated her for a year or so,” said Rarity with a mild degree of surprise.
“That doesn’t mean either of us knew what we were doing; she was just better than me at faking it. And… I really didn’t know what her game was then,” Flash admitted sheepishly. “Knowing her, she probably did a lot of research before deciding to make her move.”
Rarity nodded, having seen Sunset’s work-style not ten minutes earlier. “So, how did your relationship happen? You must pardon my ignorance; I was sort of dealing with my life falling apart at the time.”
Flash regarded Rarity for a moment, then chuckled as he gave her a guilty half-smile. “Y’know, I wish I could say it was because I found out we had things in common or whatever, but it wasn’t. It was, uh…” he trailed off.
“Was what?”
“Um, have you looked at her??” Flash asked, levelling an are-you-blind glare at Rarity.
“…Frequently,” mumbled Rarity as she blushed.
“Then you already know. Sunset’s one of the hottest girls in this city! When she came up to dumb ol’ freshman me and told me she wanted to date, you better believe I said yes!”
“Hmm. I believe that is what Applejack might refer to, in her gauche yet accurate manner, as ‘thinking with the wrong head’,” said Rarity dryly.
“Maybe,” Flash admitted with a shrug, “But you can’t deny she has a pretty face. And a great ass. And that rack, man, she’s flippin’ stacked.”
“Yes. I know. I did all her measurements when fitting her for her current clothes.”
“I know by, well, getting to see a lot of her after our dates.”
Rarity groaned, knowing Flash Sentry had totally ignored all sense of decorum and broken protocol by complimenting a girl’s physical attributes in the presence of another girl. However, since Rarity had long since lost any romantic interest in Flash, she allowed the breach to slide and refrained from attack, allowing the tactless boy to keep his junk.
She then glanced down at her own chest – not small by any means (in fact slightly above average in size for CHS girls), but not nearly as substantial as Sunset’s.
“You know,” Rarity said. “For the three years that she and I were, shall we say, at odds, I had assumed Sunset wore padding to make her… attributes… seem larger. It was only after measuring her and then seeing her in nothing but her pyjamas that I realized that they were, in fact, very real. Especially since the Fall Formal and that little incident, she actually wears sports bras like Rainbow Dash’s to make herself appear smaller!”
“Well, no matter what you think of her personality, Sunset’s got everything in the body a guy – or a girl I guess – could want, and she knows how to flaunt it when she wants to.”
Rarity narrowed her eyes at Flash, causing him to flinch in anticipation of another slap to the face. “I never figured you to be this shallow,” she said, her tone utterly dismissive of him.
“Hey now,” he cautioned with a wave of his hand. “That’s just how I saw her freshman year, before I really got to know her. Also, you’re no better; you just said so yourself. At this point, I don’t care anymore. I got my own issues to deal with.”
“I can’t believe I actually wanted to date you freshman year,” Rarity groused.
“Wait, what??” Flash asked, dumbstruck.
“Oh yes. Sunset told me – well, heavily implied – that it was in part because of my interest in you that she decided to go after you, as part of her plan to ruin my social life. It’s truly amazing how much things have changed since then. Look at me; I’m in love with my best friend who until half a year ago was my mortal enemy. I’ve become so… twisted,” Rarity said, a bit forlorn.
“My god. I was nothing but a dumb pawn to her.” He sighed. “At least I learned my lesson before it was too late.”
“Please explain?” asked Rarity, extending a hand to him but jerking it back before contact.
“Girl’s a lot more secretive than even you know. One day, when things were already shaky between us because of her… actions, she screwed up and I discovered the truth, so she showed her true colours and dumped me before things got too serious. And before I could dump her.”
Rarity cocked her head, giving Flash a serious look. “So, what is that ‘truth’? You mentioned something very similar when we went to her apartment together. She has alluded to some… thing… as well, but refuses to give details.”
Flash shrugged. “All I’ll say is this: With age comes experience.”
Rarity frowned. “That’s not a good answer. You clearly know a lot more about my darling Sunset than I do. Considering how she already humiliated me in the past, I want to believe there’s no information you could give that would shock me or cause my twisted heart to waver. But I can’t learn if I don’t know what to ask.”
Flash shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I can’t tell you. If I said anything about what I know, it would get a lot more people in this city than just her in big trouble. My conscience is guilty enough right now without putting that on my brain too.”
“What do you mean? What in the world could a boy scout type like you have possibly done to earn guilt?” asked Rarity, incredulous.
Flash sunk his head into his shoulders as much as he could. “I… kinda broke things off with Limestone Pie.”
“Really??” asked Rarity, her voice registering some surprise. “But you two looked so cute as a couple!”
“Well, we had tons of fun jamming together, more than I ever did with Sunset, and I loved being with Limestone, but… the difference in life experience and, well… I just can’t stop thinking about Twilight. I tried to explain myself and let her down gently, but she sorta didn’t take it well. She threw her jackhammer at my head.”
“Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Yeah,” agreed Flash with a shrug. “At least Sunset only hurt people with words… usually.”
“Or lack thereof,” Rarity added glumly.
“Hey,” Flash said as he put a hand on Rarity’s shoulder. “You’ve got an in with her I never did. She actually cares about you. I could tell from how she acted when I blew my stack at her.”
“Huh?” Rarity tilted her head in confusion. “That’s not how I remember it. You were on the warpath and I had to protect her from your brutishness.”
Flash shook his head and smiled. “Maybe, but I saw her put herself between us to protect you, which she didn’t need to do, doesn’t make sense except maybe in her mind, and absolutely isn’t something she would have done back in the day. Still, I guess experience is an individual thing.”
Rarity pouted her lips as she thought about the events of that afternoon, when all brain activity was suddenly interrupted by the infernal din of the ringing of the school bell, followed shortly thereafter by the background noise of hundreds of teenagers and a few faculty members quickly moving through the building.
“Shoot!” Rarity exclaimed. “And here I was hoping to continue our little conversation.”
“Who says we can’t?” asked Flash. “I’m not going to my next class. Why bother? They’re just reviewing stuff I already know. Heck, I may even leave campus. Why not join me in being delinquent?”
“That just seems… wrong. Not the skipping class part, but the idea of you as any sort of delinquent.” Rarity said with a grin.
Flash chuckled at that. “You have a point. I suppose I’ll stick around for now,” he said as they both sat against the inner wall. Then he levelled a serious look at Rarity. “By the way, I’m sure Sunset already told you she’s exempt from exams, right?”
Rarity nodded. “Yes…?” she said, curious where this line of conversation would lead.
“Did you also know Sunset never goes to class? Seriously. Have you ever seen her anywhere in this building besides the hallways, cafeteria, library, or science labs? Do you know anyone who actually has a class with her?”
Rarity sat there for a long moment, her eyes widening at the realization at her answer to his question. “No…” she whispered.
“Then there’s no harm in us sitting here for a few more minutes so I can say what I need to say,” Flash declared, his voice echoing down the quieting corridor.
“And what, pray tell, would that be… hun?” asked a familiar female voice, several yards away but approaching, footsteps on the tiles echoing down the hall.
Rarity and Flash both turned their heads to see Sunset Shimmer walking towards them, all of her materials stuffed into a brown backpack slung over both shoulders. Though it was difficult to tell through the bright light, she appeared to be grinning. Eventually she reached the two. Unwilling to sit down because of the burden on her back, she towered over them until they attempted to stand. Sunset helped them both up, then gave Rarity a mischievous grin.
“Really, Rarity? This lug?” She thumbed toward Flash. “Sure, he’s nice enough – maybe a bit too nice for his own good – but I really don’t think you’re his type. He kind of has a fetish for girls who used to be horses.”
“What?!” Flash and Rarity both asked in unison.
“No! No! Absolutely not!” exclaimed Rarity, waving her hands.
“Gee, thanks,” Flash mumbled, causing Sunset to giggle as Rarity interjected.
“I mean… Sunset, Flash was just trying to talk me through some of my problems.”
“Leaving aside my shock at Flash being able to talk anyone through anything, does that mean you two are finally getting over your little tiff? That’s good at least,” Sunset said.
“Aaannd here come the cuts, as usual. So, I guess I’ll be on my way,” said Flash. “What I was going to tell you, Rarity, before we were interrupted, was this: Just keep trying. I know you can do it.”
Rarity smiled. “Thank you, Flash. And… once again, I’m sorry for slapping you before.”
“Hey, I’m man enough to admit when I deserve it. I deserved it,” he said.
“Isn’t this just a wonderful reunion?” Sunset asked sarcastically.
Flash pointed a what-the-hell glare at her. “Sunset, why do you have to be like this whenever I’m around? I admit it’s actually kind of refreshing compared to seeing you completely broken and sitting like a half-dead lump on your own couch, but still…”
“My best friend has a huge crush on someone in this school (thank Celestia it’s not you), and it’s my job to make sure the object of her affections is worthy of her,” asserted Sunset, her fist clenched in determination.
Rarity and Flash both stared at her, utterly dumbstruck, mouths agape.
“You really don’t get it,” Flash mumbled.
Rarity quickly jumped in to change the subject. “Sunset, dear. How goes your research on drafting that paper or whatever it was you were trying to do?”
Sunset wobbled her head vaguely. “Eh. Okay. I think I’ve made a little more headway at remembering things. With any luck, I’ll be able to write it while you all are in finals.”
“Um, Sunset?” Rarity asked tentatively.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Is it true that, in addition to being exempt from finals, you don’t have to be in class right now? That you can simply leave the school at will?”
Sunset looked shocked for a moment, her eyes darting from side to side to make sure no staff or hidden microphones were recording her this time. “Yes,” she whispered.
Rarity blushed slightly as she readied the next part of her conversation. “So, um… would you like to leave school? I… was thinking it might be a good idea for me to take you up on your tutoring offer. Something tells me you’d be much more effective than the actual teachers.”
Sunset smiled at that. “Well, not to brag…”
“Woah now, Rarity,” Flash said. “Skipping class and chilling in this hallway is one thing, but leaving campus? That’s not something a good girl like you ought to do.”
Rarity glared at him, dumbstruck. “Hypocrite much?” she asked before Sunset placed her hand on Rarity’s shoulder.
“Unfortunately, the doof’s got a point,” Sunset said. “Those truant officers are complete and total fascists who arrest first and ask questions later.”
“You know my dad was a truant officer before he was promoted,” Flash snipped.
“And I rest my case,” Sunset retorted. “Speaking of which, does Deputy Chief Bash Sentry still have that ‘Arrest and/or Shoot On Sight’ order against me?”
Flash shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe.”
Rarity stood still for a moment, looking from one to the other, flabbergasted at their exchange. Then, with a look of determination, grabbed Sunset’s arm with both of her hands. “Let’s go anyway,” she said, pulling her as they left Flash standing in the hallway.
“Later, you two,” he said, his voice slowly fading as the distance increased. “Take care of each oth…” The final words were cut off to the girls’ ears as he turned toward a separate stairwell. His denim jacket billowed in the wind of the recently activated HVAC unit’s vent.
“Rarity, what has gotten into you?” Sunset asked, attempting to regain control of her movement as they quickly descended the stairs, stopping briefly at Rarity’s locker to select her necessary textbooks.
“Sunset, I am quickly coming to a crossroads in my life,” said Rarity as she shut her locker door.
“Yes,” Sunset agreed, “All of you are. Next year is your government-mandated ‘Determinative Year’, where you choose your ‘Track’ and thus the course for the rest of your life: Spend a year cramming for entrance exams for University, start prepping for acceptance to a vocational school or CanComCol, or decide to go NPD – Not Pursuing Degree – leave school a year early, and spend that time volunteering or doing menial crap work like… I dunno, working for Big Beulah (I don’t recommend that, by the by).
“That’s… not quite what I meant, though that has been on my mind lately as well,” Rarity admitted as they reached the end of the hall.
“So what is it, then?” asked Sunset gingerly. “You know you can tell me, right?” She briefly placed her hand on Rarity’s shoulder.
“Well, it’s just… I… you… we…” Rarity sputtered as she desperately tried not to blush, pressing her index fingers together in nervousness. Sunset cocked her head in confusion but let it pass as she bade them continue.
They made more seemingly random turns through the building until they reached a lonely poorly-lit hallway filled only with some grubby lockers, a disused janitors’ closet, and a set of grimy green double doors along the far wall. Rarity followed Sunset’s line of sight to the doors before staring at her with an innocently blank expression.
“The alarm on these doors has been busted for years. Easy escape. Do you see anyone?” Sunset queried as she scoured the surroundings for invisible hidden cameras despite knowing CHS had none, and she in particular needn’t bother.
“No,” Rarity answered, then allowed herself a mischievous grin. “Let us, as they say, blow this Popsicle stand.”
“Do you want to open a door or should I?” Sunset asked, unintentionally posing to Rarity what she interpreted as a character challenge.
Rarity stood still and silent for a moment. Then, with a determined countenance, pushed open the door just enough to let the sunlight briefly intrude and give them room to slip out, before it quickly shut again.
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*facepalm* holy shit she is dense as a fuc*** rock, good luck rarity.
Awesome chapter I really loved the little banter between rarity and flash and this little backstory to their relationship we got <3 thanks for the chapter!
Yeesh, Sunset and Flash get along as well as cats and dogs. Lets hope Rarity can finally get through to the knucklehead that is Sunset and relationships.
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I can neither confirm nor deny. As for Sunny & Flash, can you really blame them for acting how they do?
I have but one complaint about this series you've worked so hard on!
And that is that I can't read all of it quite yet ^^'
I love the way you've characterised and developed over all of these stories, and you're still doing a great job here.
Keep it up! <3
This chapter provides an important life lesson. Don’t anger anyone who owns a jackhammer.
Maybe if Rarity borrowed Limestone's jackhammer, then she could get the hints through Sunset's head. Maaaaaybe...
No your not rarity. Your a good person who cares a lot about those you care about love.
I feel like only half of that is true/useful.
She probably did.
She does. 😏
Interesting. 🤔
https://m.Oh my god! 😨
Yep, it's unlike her to use violence.
What!?!?!?! She's lying!!!! Oh that sweet son of a.
Uh oh! 😬
Wow, and for a second I thought it was a lie from flash but it isn't. I'm very disappointed with you sunset. 😠
Says the one who wanted to do it himself earlier.
She was so close to dating i love you.
They're so gonna be in trouble later on, I just know it!
PERVERT!!!!
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I have tons of questions
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