An Unfamiliar Stand off
“I’m going to talk to him.”
“Dude, you're out of your mind; look at his posture, he wants to be left alone.”
“Clyde you really need to spend time away from Rarity, she’s rubbing off on you, and not in a sexual way this time.”
“But he keeps glancing over at Sunset…”
“Soul, your girlfriend is kinda hot, it wouldn't surprise me if more guys stare at- OW!”
A week had passed since school started, and Shuffle had already put his plan into action; shadowing Sunset Shimmer wasn't hard since she really didn't hide from anybody, plus even in this diverse crowd of people, anyone could see her flame-like hair. What shuffle hasn't noticed, however, was another set of boys had been watching him.
Soul grumbled in annoyance as his arm recoiled, giving his friend Night Chase a punch to the arm.
“If I'm not going to go talk to him, then who will? Seriously, there are all these tables he could sit at, and he's sitting alone. Isn't it the Canterlot High way to welcome students with open arms?”
Clyde pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Soul, look, if it helps, why don't I go over and talk to him? From what Artemis said, he shut you down so hard it's hilarious.”
Soul nodded.
Clyde groaned again, got up and went to go talk to Shuffle.
Shuffle turned back to his lunch, whilst trying to focus on what Sunset had been saying; reading lips had come naturally to him since most of the time he would have his music drown out the voices of most people.
“Hey, this seat is taken?”
Shuffle didn't acknowledge the boy as his hand laid on the left side of his face. Clyde tapped Shuffle on the shoulder.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
“Free country,” Shuffle replied, not worrying about what the boy did. Clyde nodded and sat down in front of Shuffle.
“Haven't seen you around Canterlot before, you just move into town?”
“Yes.” Shuffle said absentmindedly.
“Got a name?”
“Yes,” Shuffle replied distantly.
The two sat in silence for a minute.
“Well. What is it?”
“No”
“No?”
“Yeah,”
Clyde was taken aback by the boy's response. Taking a breath, he began to speak again.
“Well, if it helps break the ice, my name is Clyde.”
Shuffle raised his head removing his hand revealing his full face, the left half has a red mark on it and his left eye was bloodshot, but Clyde noticed that this boy had two different colors; he gave a small, quiet gasp, but not enough that Shuffle didn't notice.
“Yes, yes, take it in. I have Heterochromia Iridium.” Shuffle’s reply was tart, but his focus still remained elsewhere.
Clyde took a moment to compose himself. If Rarity had taught him anything, this would be like dealing with a disgruntled customer, which he had already felt plenty, thanks to his girlfriend.
“I don't mean to stare, it just surprised me; besides, it's not like something as small as iris color would dissuade me from talking to someone.”
Shuffle was surprised, that Clyde was able to, not only respond, but apologize and actively continue the conversation.
“Whatever man. Just because you’re sitting here, doesn't mean I want to talk.”
“Dude I'm actually trying to be friendly here, what's your problem?”
“I'm not here to make friends at the moment, sorry.”
Clyde was hurt by his response, but it was true. He sighed again and stood up.
“Well then, sorry for bothering you,” and with that, Clyde left the table.
“So how’d it good?” Night asked.
“It didn't go bad, per se, but that kid didn't like talking. Hell, I didn't even get his name.”
“His name is Shuffle Suite, I talked to him at SugarCube Corner, remember?”
Clyde spoke up after Soul finished.
“Yeah, but he doesn't know that I know his name, and trying to get it out of him was my goal. I wonder why he told you…”
“Probably because Dragon is an idiot and forgot to fix it…” the small group of boys looked at the one who had finished talking.
“What? It's probably true, maybe… it's hard to tell.”
“Treble, are you sure you’re okay? You haven't been the same since we found you outside the school tied up to the flagpole.”
Treble crossed his arms in annoyance, staying silent. The other boys shrugged as the bell to signal lunch period was over, everyone dispersing to class.
The rest of the day was a blur in Shuffle’s mind. Anything the teachers had said was quickly forgotten or not even heard; in his mind, Sunset Shimmer was priority number one, and focusing on school wasn't helping his cause.
Shuffle raised his hand when there was a lull in his current teacher's lecture.
“May I please be excused? I am not feeling well.” the man waved his hand dismissively and shuffle left the room quickly with his bag.
Shuffle quickly made his way to the bathroom to sit and wait for the classes to end. Next was Gym, and there he could study his target more. After a long wait, the bell rang, and Shuffle was prepared to swiftly make his way to the gym, but something was amiss. As he was about to remove himself from his hiding spot, two female voices decided to come into the bathroom. Shuffle held his breath, noticing something very wrong: there were no urinals. He had accidentally entered the woman's bathroom.
“I'm telling you Sunset, there was something wrong with what Clyde was telling me about that boy, he was staying directly AT you, darling.”
“It's not that I don't believe you Rarity, but getting looks like that isn't something new to me if you don't remember from before the sirens, after the fall formal,” Sunset sighed dejectedly; the memories from the last fall formal still felt painful to remember.
Shuffle took a minute to register the new information. Sunset did something at the fall formal, which upon a sweep of his memory, told him that that was a dance coming up in September.
“What's done is done Sunset, you might have stumbled before we all became friends, but you have gotten better. What was it you said, my past is not today?” Sunset nodded.
“Then take your own advice, don't let your mistakes hold you down, and rise up higher, like the majestic phoenix you are!” Rarity exclaimed, throwing her hands up, trying to encourage her friend.
Sunset laughed as the two embraced.
“Thanks, Rarity, I needed that more than you know. Besides, the boy is in my next class, maybe I can try to talk to him. I'll talk to you later, okay?”
Rarity gave her friend another hug as she turned around to leave. Rarity had moved into one of the stalls. Shuffle quickly made sure to check before quickly exiting the bathroom
Shuffle quickly made his way towards the kitchen, his mind a mess of questions.
What did Sunset do at the fall formal?
What was she going to say to him during gym?
How do Rarity and Clyde fit into this?
Why the hell was he in the woman's bathroom?
Shuffle quickly made his way to the gym. If Sunset was going to approach him, he would be ready.
Too bad this wasn't going to happen, because upon getting near the gym just moments before the bell, the class was met outside of the gym by a female instead of Coach Will like normal. She was wearing a white pair of sweatpants that hugged her lithe figure, her shirt jacket combo had a look or royalty and was a deep blue color, offset by her white pants, but the most standout feature on her was her snow hair, which also had frosted tips on the edges.
“Good afternoon class, my name is Captain Edel Frost. Your teacher Iron Will is an old friend of mine and asked me to come here today to help train you guys in a special class today. Now, if you will go get changed, we shall begin immediately.”
The class separated by gender to go change for this new workout, and as everyone returned the bleachers were collapsed, and there was a massive ring made in the center of the basketball court. Shuffle recognized the arena, and if what he was seeing from Edel’s posture, this was going to be incredibly interesting.
Edel leaned against a tarp covering an unknown object hidden beneath.
“How many of you have ever participated in melee combat?” No one said a word.
“Yeah, I had expected that, so today we shall be utilizing a Japanese style of combat called Kendo.” upon finishing, she removed the tarp, revealing wooden swords and practice gear.
The class “ooh-ed” in curiosity as Edel donned a set of gloves and grabbed one of the bamboo swords.
“If everyone would grab a set of gloves and a sword of their own, we can begin with some warm-up exercises.”
The entire class rushed the teacher, each getting what they need to participate. Shuffle noticed that Sunset was one of the first to grab the gear, which, even though he was watching her, she had this almost giddy look on her face.
Edel spread everyone out in equal squares, making sure no one was going to be injured whilst she was teaching.
“Okay, the first thing I'm going to teach you is proper posture with this particular weapon. Everyone follow me, grasp the near bottom of the handle and the other hand just below the guard, and put your feet shoulder length apart, your secondary behind your primary, just a few inches will do.” The class followed her instruction, a few having to look at others for reference to how their hands had to be.
“Now, we shall start with some basic chops through the target zones.” Edel pulled up a diagram showing the human body dissected in points. “Point one is the head, point two is the neck, three and four are the left and right arm respectively and point five and six are the legs. Now, first is the honor sash, between points three and five and four and six.”
The entire class followed Edels’ instruction. They were quiet as they drilled the basics strikes, thrusts, guards, and parries. Notably, the two whom had the least resistance with this practice were Shuffle and Sunset. After everyone was comfortable with maneuvering, and Edel had made sure that everyone was doing the strikes properly, she guided the class over to the massive ring opposite the gym. Hopping in, she grabbed a mask in her hand and turned to the class as they gathered around the ring mat.
“Now that you've gotten a start of how Kendo works, we are going to have a small exhibition; I need a volunteer to help me as I explain the basics of dueling,” Multiple hands shot up almost as soon as Edel finished her sentence. Taking a moment to look through the class, she eyed each of them before she made her decision.
“Flame hair girl and Blue hair boy with teal highlights, step into the ring please.”
Sunset was ecstatic.
Shuffle was eager but nervous.
Both entered, and Edel gave both of them a mask and some lightweight armor.
“Each participant has to wear this gear, and the objective of this exercise is to land three strikes on their opponent to win.” After the two suited up, Edel stood between them.
“From what I saw just by the basic drills, both of you will do just fine, now bow to your opponent.”
Both bowed simultaneously. Edel moved out of the ring, raising her own sword, a few tense silent moments lingered as Edel slashed her sword down onto the mat, surprising the class, shouting,
“BEGIN!”
The two teens watched each other, slowly circling the mat, waiting for the other to make a move.
Sunset started with a low slash to the legs, trying to score the first point, but Shuffle parried, following with a diagonal slash between Sunset’s arm and leg. She quickly retreated, her hands moving how one would hold a fencing rapier. Shuffle nodded in understanding; the basics weren't going to work on Sunset, so he would have to step it up. One of his hands released his sword as he gave a “Come at me” motion and flourished the blade with the skill that he had been building for years now.
Shuffle was the next to attack as he started with a thrust to Sunset’s chest, though she anticipated this and parried the blow, but was caught off guard as Shuffle sidestepped and quickly reversed the momentum of his weapon, striking Sunset in the stomach, gaining a point.
The two combatants moved away without breaking eye contact, both unwilling to back down from the impromptu challenge.
“Come on Sunset, you can do it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
More and more cheers were given to Sunset. Feeling confident from the cheering, she advanced on Shuffle, swinging her Kendo stick in a sash pattern, but as Shuffle turned to intercept the attack, Sunset performed a feint and thrust forward, catching Shuffle in the chest.
An explosion of cheers erupted for the small victory. Shuffle groaned, annoyed that Sunset was getting praise when he did the exact same thing not moments before.
All went quiet as the two reset their stances. Both glared at each other, and nothing could be heard outside the ring as the two advanced whilst rotating each other. Unbeknownst to them, the teens outside were recording the entire match.
Shuffle swung first, a slash from the left.
Sunset blocks it, countering with a thrust.
Shuffle sidesteps it and brings his sword down, aiming for Sunsets head.
Sunset, running on pure instinct, stepped backward, the strike missing and hitting the mat HARD, the thud resounding for only a few moments as Shuffle pushed forward, bringing his sword back up to catch Sunset, who amazingly rolled out of the way, and quickly returned to her combat stance.
“Impressive…” Shuffle said as he gave his opponent time to regain her composure. A few tense seconds pass again, and the two push each other once more. This would be their final clash.
What followed was ten straight seconds of a rapid series of slashes and parries between the two; the entire class held their breath as Sunset finally pushed through Shuffle’s wall of blocks, a strike coming directly for his midsection, when suddenly Shuffle dropped off his feet, getting a strike to Sunset’s leg, whilst Sunset got a strike on Shuffles leg as well, ending the match.
The entire class was stunned into silence. Sunset was the captain of the Canterlot High Fencing Team, so her tying with this random kid was something no one expected.
Sunset winced in pain; Kendo was fun, but she would definitely stick with fencing. Shuffle rubbed his leg, surprised he tied with Sunset, but oddly humbled from it. But this raised another question: the Sunset from Vanhoover wasn't one for something like Kendo.
Shuffle finally realized something after this match. He needed to talk to her, immediately.
The class moved on, congratulating the two on an amazing match, and continued watching the class perform matches, some lasting only a few minutes, and others only lasting moments.
Edel signaled the end of class, all of which separated back to change into their clothes. Shuffle was the first out of the gym, waiting aside for the flame-haired girl.
Not even a few minutes later, she came back out of the gym, all alone.
Shuffle approached Sunset as she reached her locker. “Now or never Shuffle, time for the truth,” he said softly to himself.
“Hey Sunset!” he said quickly getting her attention.
“Yes, um, do I know you?” She asked.
“What was that in Gym?” Shuffle questioned.
Sunset stood confused, “I'm sorry? I was just doing what I had always practiced, I've been fencing since I was young. I'll admit, you had me on a run for my money, though…”
Now it was Shuffle that was confused. “No, you haven't, I've known you since you were eight, you have never touched a weapon in your life, it was ‘Uncouth’ and ‘Idiotic’,” Shuffle said.
“Why did you follow me from Vanhoover, Shimmer?” Shuffle asked.
“Vanhoover? Kid, I don't even know your name! I've lived in this town ever since I moved here!” Now Sunset was getting annoyed. Who was this kid?
“Don't lie! Does the name ‘Terra Quake’ mean anything to you?” Sunset’s eyes visibly bulged out; that was one of the colts she manipulated back in Equestria.
“How do you know that name?!” she asked, visibly worried. She noticed that something was off about this boy; not only did she notice his iris were two different colors, but behind them, she could physically see something she hasn't seen in a long time: anger, pure unadulterated anger.
“That was one of my best friends a few months ago, but thanks to your little manipulative ass fucking seducing me into betraying his trust was a grave mistake I will never live down, and something I will not allow to happen again. I don't know how you got all of these followers so quickly, but know this, no matter where you go, no matter who you manipulate, I will find a way to show all of these people here just what you truly are, nothing but a monster, and the name’s Shuffle Suite; you would be wise to remember it.”
Shuffle pointed at himself and then her and stormed off.
Sunset, on the other hand, slid down the locker in tears, the painful memories of the domination of her old school in Equestria playing in her mind, but there was something that confused her as well. The incident with Terra happened years ago, but she had never met a Shuffle Suite. At least, not that she could remember. All she knew was that she needed to find her friends and her boyfriend; Soul could help her figure this out.
Shuffle felt so good, finally confronting Sunset was euphoric, if not therapeutic, months of ire let out in a single burst.
Shuffle quickly returned home after the confrontation, feeling energized from what happened. His mother was nowhere to be seen, so he decided to retire to his room and get to work on another plan. By late evening, Shuffle finished his objective, just in case Sunset chose to retaliate against him.
“Ball’s in your court Shimmer, let's see what you'll do,” Shuffle laid back in bed, assuming that Sunset wouldn't have anyone she would be willing to confide in.
Sunset’s Apartment
Sunset sat on her couch, surrounded by her six best friends (and boyfriend), all-enveloping her in a group hug. It had been a few hours since Sunset and Shuffle had their “talk”, clearly shaken up from it, each one of her friends and Soul was trying to piece together this new possible villain.
“So, basically, you think this Shuffle boy has you confused with another Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, but how can that be possible? I'm the only Sunset Shimmer in this world.”
“That's the thing, Sunset,” Applejack interjected, “Remember during the Friendship games when we thought this Twilight was the princess from Equestria? It wouldn't be too hard to think that there would be another you somewhere in this world.”
Applejack’s thought process was true after all since Twilight had just been a stone's throw away from where Princess Twilight had come to stop Sunset from taking over CHS.
“If I may, Applejack darling, this boy just sounds like another brute that just wants to dredge up an old wound. From what Clyde told me earlier, Shuffle was very… ‘coarse’, for lack of a better term. Maybe if you choose to ignore him, the problem will go away; it's not like he can do anything to you at school, and he doesn’t know where you live.”
“Rarity, you're so full of it. I say we beat the answers outta the chump!” Rainbow Dash countered.
“Silly Dashie, don't you all see what's going on?” Pinkie started.
“All this boils down to is Shuffle having some unresolved issues with his old friends, and he just needs some closure.” The entire group stated at Pinkie.
“And how did you come up with that theory?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I may have read the synopsis of Shuffle’s story, and this was the outcome there, so logically, I’m pushing the plot towards the conclusion that the writer above is trying to get to.” Pinkie put her hands behind her back, smiling widely.
“I don't think that's what's going to happen Pinkie,” Fluttershy spoke up, the first time for the night.
“Whatever the case is, this is an issue that cannot be ignored, so at least until this blows over I would much rather not have it escalate,” Sunset said.
Soul had been quiet the entire conversation, the pieces finally coming together in his mind.
The unwillingness to talk to anyone, how he mostly ignored both himself and Clyde and the loner attitude, someone had hurt him to the point that he was bound to freeze out anyone who tried to form some kind of relationship with him.
Sunset turned to her boyfriend who looked lost in thought.
“Soul, you okay babe?” Sunset asked.
Soul shook his head. “No, this whole situation is so new to all of us… usually, anyone that comes to CHS is so willing to make friends. The only other that was like this was Warhawk. It's disheartening, ya know?”
Sunset snuggled into Souls’ side.
“I know how you feel, this isn't much different than when The Dazzlings first appeared, but hopefully this time we won't have to deal with it as we go. C'mon girls, let's turn in tonight, we can figure this all out tomorrow.” everyone nodded and dispersed, the entire group decided that staying with Sunset would be the best thing to do tonight, and everyone had a change of clothes for the next day, courtesy of Rarity.
A few hours had passed since the entire gang turned in for the night, in Sunset Shimmer’s bed lay herself and her boyfriend, who was out cold. Sunset, on the other hand, wasn't finding peace in the embrace of sleep. Carefully, she got out of her bed, retrieving the new journal that Princess Twilight made for her.
“Maybe Twilight can help…” she said silently, before rejecting the thought. After all, she WAS a princess in Equestria; she probably had enough on her plate to handle. Sunset sat her desk looking at the blank page.
“One note, just advice, there's no reason to pull her away from her duties.” picking up a pencil, Sunset began to write.
Dear Prince Cel
Dear Princess Twilight
Dear Twilight
Firstly I would like to apologize for writing so late, but I'm having a minor crisis that won't leave my mind. There is this boy named Shuffle Suite, and today I was verbally attacked by him. The thing was, he claimed I had done some really messed up things to him; this isn't what has me worried, but if there really is another Sunset out there doing all of these hurtful things to pony people, how should I go about trying to fix what another me had done? Any information you give is greatly appreciated. Once again, sorry for the late night message.
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
P.S. If you can, there is a stallion named Terra Quake that I did some really nasty things to, if you could please pass along an apology for me, it would mean the world.
Sunset sighed as she closed the book. It gave her peace of mind that if something were to happen, at least Princess Twilight could help, if need be…
Meanwhile
While all of this was going on, Soul had rolled over, grabbing his phone after Sunset left. Soul sent out a giant group text to every one of his friends.
Tomorrow, EVERYONE, meet me at the usual table, no exceptions. We need to discuss this Shuffle Suite situation.
With that, he put his phone back down, rested his head back down on the pillow and fell back asleep.
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Whoa, now things are getting interesting.
typos
"today I was verbal. attacked by him."
"D8nalky"
"ty8ng"
9092624
I looked for the ty8ng error can you point it out, please,
9092750
"The entire class was stunned into silence, Sunset was the captain of the Canterlot High Fencing Team, so her ty8ng with this random kid was something no one expected."
is the full sentence
9093493
Ok thanks dude
9093579
np