> Candle In The Wind
>  by Gypsy Writefag
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Candle In The Wind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bell rings. Not for anyone in particular, but for the entirety of the class. Your classmates rush out, their voices echoing down the empty halls. Empty as they are, they are soon filled by countless students. Slowly you walk, with earbuds serenading you each step of the way. Around you are the posters. Every year they're hung up, and every year they spark interest, in particular from the girls. The Trio is, once again, standing right in front of one. You can't help but chuckle; they always were quite easy to entrance.

With biology next on your list, you solemnly walk to your locker. As you're opening it, the beautiful sound in your ears disappear. Cursing silently to yourself, you pull out your mp3 player only to see it run out of power. The bus ride home was going to be a long one. If only your parents had bought you a car like you wanted for your birthday.

Choosing not to dwell on the issue for longer than needed, you grab your book and make for the first floor. You don't make it far, however, as the sound of quiet wailing grabs your attention. Alone in the corridor, you look around for the source, finding nothing. You know exactly where the sound is coming from.

With a gulp, you push the door to the girls' bathroom open and look around. It's completely empty. The crying, however, has gotten louder. You're certain it's from inside one of the booths, thought you wish it wasn't. Principal Celestia was going to have a field trip with you if she found out about this.

"Hello?" you call out as you walk slowly through the room. "Are you okay?"

The voice does not respond; it only keeps crying. While the rational part of your brain keeps telling you to turn around and leave, you swear under your breath and continue on. Past doors on your right and left you go, until the end of the room is right in front of you. Closing your eyes for just a second, you focus on the heart-breaking cries. You turn left and inhale deeply.

"Are you okay in there?" you say quietly. The crying comes to an immediate hold. "Do you need me to fetch Celestia?"

A moment of silence. You wait. The crying turns to hampered sobbing. From underneath the door to the stall, you see shadows moving about.

"I'm... I'm okay." The voice almost breaks, forcing you to stay there. "J-Just leave... Please."

You sigh heavily. "Come on. You're obviously upset. Isn't there anything I can do?"

You look at the door. Incredible amount of obscenities are scribbled all over it, much like the boys' bathroom. Some of the wording surprises even you; you never knew girls would write things like this. It is actually pretty incredible.

The door opens, however, and your attention immediately snaps to what it conceals. As the first parts of her body is unveiled, your eyes grow wide and your jaw drops. Surely this was some sort of joke.

"Sunset? What are YOU doing in there?"

She looks like a mess. Underneath her eyes are strands of eyeliner, and her entire body is shivering. Still your throat feels dry and your heart is pounding. The fact that she's even looking at you without that snarky look is enough to make your stomach flutter.

"H-Hey." She sniffs and wipes her eyes.

You stand there staring at her for just a second. Her body is a temple, and her leather jacket looks as good as ever on her. Despite this, you can't help but feel saddened by the look on her face.

"Uh... Are you okay?" you ask. "Do you need me to get someone?"

Her face drops, and she looks at the floor beneath her. "No, it's okay."

Silence falls over the two of you. You desperately seach for words, but none come to your mind. Math is what you're good at, not this. There's no equations to solve this, no easy way to fix the problem. You need words, not numbers. Words, however, are much more difficult.

"What's up?" Even as you say the words, you start mentally slapping yourself. Is that the best you could come up with? Anything would have been better, literally anything. Speaking with girls shouldn't be this difficult; even if it is Sunset Shimmer.

"I was..." she sighs. She still hasn't raised her gaze. "Flash declined my invitation..."

"Invitation for what?"

Sunset immediately looks up at you. The look she's sporting reminds a lot more of her usual self. The particular 'Are you for real?' look is exactly the one you've seen many times before, but it still sends shivers down your spine.

"Prom... right", you quickly add. "Well that... sucks."

An unusual sound enters your ears; something you've never heard before. Sunset is giggling. She's actually, legimiately laughing. With all of your might, you hold back the immense smile forming on your lips, though it's difficult.

"You're terrible at this", she giggles.

For a moment you watch her. Her lips have turned upwards into a small, heartwarming smile. The butterflies in your stomach were already running rampant, but seeing her like this has turned them into a tornado of incredible proportions.

"Uh", you suddenly say. "Terrible at what?"

She giggles once again. "Never mind." She hops down from the toilet and stands up, wiping her eyes clear of mascara, eyeliner, and tears. "I better get going."

With a silent nod, you watch her as she exits the stall in front of you. Your eyes are plastered to her as she walks through the bathroom and towards the exit. She grabs a hold of the knob and looks back at you with a smile on her face.

"This is the girls' bathroom", she says.

"Yeah." Her eyes are beautiful, absolutely beautiful. They're like something out of a fairy tale, and you can't help but stare directly into them.

"Maybe you should get out?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, sure."

She holds the door open for you. Though quite a small gesture, your heart flutters as you enter the hall. Sunset even stops up out there, waiting around with you. Besides the two of you, the hall is completely empty; classes did start five minutes ago, after all. Mr. Fossil was going to have a field day with you, but even the thought of him unleashing his rage on you isn't enough to get your legs going. Sunset's eyes are far more enticing, and you stand there staring at her.

"Thanks for cheering me up." She lightly slaps your arm and chuckles. As her hand hits you, the world crawls to a halt, and your body starts tingling. Sunet touched you; actually, legitimately touched you. Willingly. This was going to be the best day ever.

"So do you want to go to prom with me?" you blurt out before you can stop yourself. As the last letter exits your mouth, you slap a hand in front of it as your eyes grows to the size of dinner plates.

Sunset watches you with disbelief for a few seconds. Yet she chuckles, as had you told a mildly funny joke. That was a good sign! Or perhaps it's bad. If she is laughing, it means she doesn't take you seriously, or maybe she even thinks you're a joke. Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut? She thanked you; no need to ruin that!

"Thanks for cheering me up."

She smiles one last time before turning around to leave. You stare at her as she walks down the hall, your heat fluttering and your mind berating you. She looks back one last time before disappearing around the corner. Dumbfounded you stand there, watching the empty air for a while. Minutes, perhaps even longer. That was Sunset Shimmer, and you actually spoke to her as an equal.

You sigh as a smile forms on your lips. Nobody could ever reach her level of beauty or uniqueness, even if she did do some very questionable things during her time at the highschool. Enslaving every student wasn't exactly nice, but everybody makes mistakes, and you'd be the first to forgive her.

With a goofy smile on your face, you look at your watch. Panic grips you, and you immediately turn 180 degrees and start running. Mr. Fossil is going to flip his shit, but rather that than spend another day in detention.

The remainder of the day plays out much like you imagined. Classes come and go, with biology being the most eventful. After public humiliation, however, it becomes quite a usual day. Not normal, but usual. The feeling in the pit of your stomach keeps the day from being normal, as do the thoughts in your mind. You're sure your friends noticed, but that doesn't matter. They aren't the ones who spend a whole ten minutes with the most perfect of girls.

Days pass. Classes come and go. Each day is more or less the sams. Books are read, subjects are taught, and your mind is constantly on the goddess of the highschool. The weather gets warmer and the trees start growing leaves. The skaters come out in full force, and the football team is extatic. It's a spring like any other. Usual, predictable, but better. Much, much better.

"Anon!"

You're snapped from your daydreaming by the sound of your teacher's voice. Every eye in the classroom is on you, and you suddenly feel how dry your thoat is.

"Yes?" you croak, forcing the most innocent of smiles you can muster.

"If you do not wish to participate in this class, you're welcome to go to principal Celestia's office."

Snickering erupts from girls scattered around the classroom, but you pay them no mind. You simply stare at your teacher and nod furiously, still sporting the fake smile. A few seconds pass, with her staring right back at you. Drops of sweat form on your forehead, and your heart skips a beat as she squints.

"Moving on", she finally says and looks to her book. You sigh quietly with relief before covering your face in your hands. Not daring to risk your luck, you open your notebook and pick up a pen. The words on the pages only make you wish you hadn't opened it, however.

'Ask her to prom. Ask her to prom. Ask her to prom.'

Your eyes stare at the words, reading them over and over. Each time only strengthes the thought in your mind. Prom night is only two days away. Just another two days. Then, just a few months more of highschool and it's off to college. Everyone has a date, at least as far as you know. The girls won't shut up about theirs at least. Neither will the guys who managed to get the higher ranking girls.

There's still some left, but there's only one you want. The mere thought of asking her out fills you with fright. What if she says no? It'd be the most humiliating thing to ever happen in your life. You'd end up coming alone, like you were just another one of the social outcasts. Nobody would take you seriously after that. Nobody.

But if you don't ask her out, then what? Sure you could ask someone else, but it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be Sunset. Might as well not go if it isn't her. It's the biggest party of the year, though. Not going to that would be the most idiotic move you could ever make. There's only one option.

The bell rings, and you look up in sudden confusion. Most of the class is already gone, including the teacher. You quickly and carelessly throw your things into your backpack before leaving the room. The first thing you see as you exit is her. You stop in the middle of the hall, staring right at her.

She's by the lockers with her five friends. You know all of them. Well, you know their names. The only one you've ever spoken to is Fluttershy. Nice gal, just a bit too pro-nature and all that. She also has a terrible habit of blushing whenever you even look at her. You always knew she was shy, but it was far more ridiculous than you thought.

Inside your mind, the words repeat, over and over. None of them have noticed you, they're all talking and laughing. Sunset has the most beautiful laugh of them all. It's heart-warming, and your heart jumps inside your chest every time your hear it. It's like listening to the most beautiful of music, being serenaded with the sound of angels.

Inhaling deeply, you puff yourself up and step forward. Today is going to be the day, no matter the potential humiliation. It'll be a simple yes or no, and you're not letting anything get in between you and her. It's just one quesiton, and if she says no, at least you'll have a night all to yourself.

With each step, your body starts shivering. Shivers run down your spine as you approach the amazing woman that is Sunset Shimmer. You shake them off with each heavy breath. The distance between the two of you is getting shorter. A few more steps, and you'll be right in front of her, ready to ask, ready to receive the answer of your highschool career.

Each of the six girls turn their heads as you get close. You immediately feel your legs wobbling, and your throat becomes dry. The athletic one is sporting that arrogant smile she always wears. You always thought she seemed annoying. As she's staring right at you, she leans to her side and whispers something in Fluttershy's ear. The pink-haired girl blushes heavily, like she always does. Something is seriously wrong with her.

Deciding not to back off, you turn your gaze towards the only one who matters. The moment your eyes meet hers, she smiles. A tornado starts up in the pit of your stomach, whirling around inside all of your body. You've seen her arrogant, condescending smiles, but this isn't the one. It's a genuine, happy smile. You can't help but return it, and you step forward just a tad more quickly.

You immediately stop walking as a fragile, shivering girl is pushed out right in front of you. You almost lose your balance, but manage to avoid impact with Fluttershy. She's cowering in front of you, her eyes wide and legs shaking. Peaking to your left, you see the athletic chick waggling her eyebrows at you. What the hell is wrong with her?

"Um, Anon?" Fluttershy squeaks.

Looking back at the girl in front of you, you almost feel bad for her. She looks more scared than a kid in a haunted house. Sunset is behind her, and you really would like nothing more than to talk with her, but your good-hearted nature get the better of you.

"Uh, yeah? What's up?"

Fluttershy opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. Poor thing is shivering and shaking uncontrollably. It looks like she's freezing more than anything. Your instincts are telling you to hug her, but you know she's just shy. She hasn't grown out of that since your sophomore years.

"I was wondering if, um, you wanted, you know..."

She mumbles something unintelligble. As she does so, her eyes find the floor. You watch her for a moment, waiting for her to repeat the words. Rather than doing that, she simply stares at her feet.

"I didn't quite catch that."

"You can do it, Fluttershy!" an extatic voice calls out. Raising an eyebrow, you spot Pinkie jumping up and down, cheerful as ever. That girl is seriously weird, but she's nice enough. Just... weird.

"W-Wanna go to prom with me?"

As you're staring at Fluttershy's friend, your eyes grow wide and your heart skips a beat. Slowly you turn your head back to face the shy girl in front of you. Her eyes are slammed shut, and you're certain there's a single tear creeping out the left one.

Even though you're excellent at math, your brain can't find a satisfying solution to this problem. Every single scenario ends with guilt, possible tears, or dissatisfaction. You open your mouth, but you don't speak. As you ponder the possibilities for what seems the millionth time, you look around at Fluttershy's friends.

Your gaze doesn't reach further than the first friend, however. The athletic chick is staring at you with fury in her eyes, and she's cracking her knuckles. After doing so, she runs a finger across her throat, earning herself a slap on the back of the head from the cowgirl.

Sighing heavily to yourself, you look back at Fluttershy. Now you're certain she's cried a few tears. Her eyes are still closed, she's still shivering. With the tornado immediately dying down in your stomach, and a heavy heart, you open your mouth.

"Sure."

All of the girls, except Fluttershy, cheer. Pinkie, in particular, is loud. She always was. She's jumping up and down, hugging Fluttershy. The other girls smile at you, and you force yourself to return the gesture. There's only one you can't get yourself to look at. It'd be too much to bear, and so you simply look back at Fluttershy who has finally opened her eyes. She seems happy. That's good, at least.

"Really?" she exclaims. A smile appears on her face. "You will?!"

"Yeah, yeah." You put your hands in your pockets. "I'll pick you up at seven."

The corners of your eyes are shivering. Determined not to let what is about to happen occur in front of the six girls, you simply turn and start walking.

"Seven is perfect! Oh, thank you, Anon!" Fluttershy calls out.

With tears in your eyes, you raise a hand and wave once. From behind you, you hear encouraging compliments, cheering, and lots of laughing.

You keep walking down the hall, despite needing to turn right three intersections ago. Classes suddenly don't matter, despite the warnings you've gotten. Highschool isn't that important anyway. Once you get into college, the grades won't matter. Highschool won't matter at that point. Not a single damn thing that's happened here will.

The air is cool and fresh. You wipe your eyes and look around. The parking lot is empty. Anything else would be a surprise; classes are still going strong. Instead of thinking twice, you proceed towards the used Fiat 500. After unlocking it, you rip the door open and get in.

Slamming your hand on the steering wheel, you roar. With all the might of your lungs, you roar. The seat squeaks underneath you, and your hands burn with each hit your land. After just a few seconds, you grow tired. You breathe quickly, and your vision quickly blurs once more.

You lean back and close your eyes. A few tears creep down your cheeks, and your lip starts quivering. Rather than crying, you swallow and wipe your eyes once more. Before giving yourself the chance to weep like a damn woman, you start the engine and begin driving. The school shrinks behind you, and you watch it in the rear-view mirror all the way to the corner of the intersection. As it fades from view, you continue on the journey to your home in your old, faithful friend.

You like it when the house is empty. No pesky younger sister, no demanding parents to answer to. You can mess the kitchen up as much as you want. None of that matters today. There's nothing even remotely appealing about any of it, and rather than messing around yuo go straight to your room and lay down on your bed. You close your eyes and cover your face with your hands.

"Should've said no..." you mumble. "Why didn't you just say no?"

Removing your hands, you look up at the blue ceiling. Fluttershy is nice. It'll be fine. You'll have a great time. There'll be dancing and pranks, perhaps even alcohol. It's going to be a great night. It won't be too bad. You smile. Yeah, it'll be fun. A fun night of being young. Just without Sunset Shimmer.

As qiuckly as you forced it on your lips, the smile fades. Prom is going to be terrible. Not only do you have to go with the girl who can barely talk to you, but you'll have to watch Sunset dancing with some douchebag the entire evening. What a grand damn way to end highschool.

Hours pass, and the house is slowly filled with the sounds of your family. First your mother and sister, then your father. At least they leave you alone. They're nice enough just this one day. The last thing you need is them bothering you.

"Dinner's ready!"

Reluctantly, you get up and slump downstairs. The smell of lasanga brings a faint smile to your face. Mom's lasanga was unrivaled.

Dinner is uneventful. Something or other about a promotion, a company trip, a drawing your sister made. The usual. At least until your dad decides to open his damn mouth.

"So, got a date for prom?"

Him and his damn, annoying mouth. "Yeah, I do."

"Anon has a date, Anon has a date!"

You can't even muster the strength to glare at your sister. She actually stops pretty quickly. She usually keeps going until your ears are bleeding.

"Really?!" your mother exclaims. "Honey, that's wonderful! Who is it?!"

You run your fork through the remains of food on the plate. "Fluttershy", you mutter.

"She is such a nice girl! I can't wait to see the two of you together! Oh, you'll make such a cute couple!"

At the feeling of a poke, you look to your left. Your dad has a stern look on his face. A sudden surge of fear grips you. He normally doesn't do this. At least not unless you've done something wrong, that is.

"What?" you croak, afraid of the reply.

He slams a condom on the table in front of you. "I'm not having any grandchildren yet, you got that?"

"Dad, I'm not having sex with her", you state bluntly.

He chuckles, and the sterness of his face is replaced with a smile. "That's what they all say, champ." Grabbing the condom, he puts it in your hand and pats your shoulder.

"I'm going to bed", you say before standing up and leaving the table. As you reach the stairs, you turn around and look at your father. "And I'm not having sex with her."

"And I'm a woman."

And so the last day before the night of prom rolled around. Classes aren't really classes. Nobody's paying attention. There's only one thing on everybody's lips: prom. Prom this, prom that, date here, date there, dancing, smuggling in alcohol. You're actually quite impressed by the plans some of the girls have laid for getting the booze inside. It's looking more like a Mission Impossible movie than teenagers trying to get drunk.

The day isn't so bad. It's a short affair, and even the teachers don't care too much. You even watch a movie during English rather than what you were supposed to. It's a pretty terrible movie, but at least you don't have to do anything. The hours fly by.

Then History rolls around. Good ol' Miss. Scroll isn't having any of the crap the entire school's been doing all day long. Her classes are always the same. Some of your classmates seem pretty bummed out, but you don't care. History's pretty easy, so you just grab a seat and get ready to answer a few questions.

"Hey."

You swallow hard at the sound of the meek voice next to you. "H-Hey."

Fluttershy's smiling, and widely so. You completely forgot you shared this class with her. It's not like she brings attention to herself. She usually just sits there, completely quiet and studying like a good student. Not today it seems.

"I just wanted to say how excited I am for prom", she says, her voice bouncing around like a happy little bunny. "I think it'll be so much fun."

"Yeah", you say quietly. "It'll be great."

"I'm, uhm, not very good at dancing though", she chuckles. Her cheeks turn slightly red, just as they usually do.

"Don't worry about it." You force a smile onto your lips. "Neither am I."

Once again she chuckles, but she turns her attention to the blackboard, thankfully. Rather than try to initiate more conversing, you simply open your book and stare blankly at it. Miss. Scroll starts talking, but you don't listen. You make sure to look at her and nod, though. Best not let her know you aren't paying attention.

Throughout class, you notice Fluttershy peaking at you more often than you'd like. Her face is one great smile every time. You make sure to smile back, which makes her cheeks turn bright red. Each time this happens, your stomach churns. You feel as though you have eaten something rotten, and you can't shake the feeling, no matter what you do.

As the bell rings, you hurry up to get out of there. Unfortunately, Fluttershy is just as quick, and she catches you in the doorway. Rather than ignoring her, you politely turn to face her widely smiling face.

"I'm really glad you said yes", she says quietly, her cheeks already burning brightly. "I was so scared you wouldn't go with me."

"Hey, it's..." You shrug and smile weakly. "It's no problem, really."

"Are you sure?" You raise an eyebrow at her odd question. "Because if you want to go with... someone else, I understand."

She's still smiling. It's not the wide, happy smile from before, but an understanding one. You think. It seems like it is. The question is whirling around in your mind. Maybe she knows. Maybe she really is nice enough to let you ask Sunset. But what if she isn't? It could just be a courtesy, nothing more.

"No", you say with all the smiling and happiness you can muster. "Why wouldn't I want to go with you?"

It hurt to think it, but it hurts even worse to say. The happiness on the shy girl's face at least lessens the pain ever so slightly. A band aid doesn't fix a broken limb, however. You're not about to break more limbs than necessary, though. It wouldn't be fair.

"I'll pick you up at seven like I said", you say quietly. "It'll be great."

Fluttershy squees like a little girl. It's actually kind of adorable. It just isn't what you had hoped for. You don't have time to pity yourself as she throws herself at you, wrapping her arms around you and hugging you tightly. You stand with your arms in the empty air around her like an idiot for a second, completely taken off guard.

'It's just a hug', you tell yourself. 'Just a hug.' So you lay your arms around her small, fragile body and hug her gently. You're almost afraid of breaking her body; she seems so tiny compared to you. She, however, isn't holding back. If she had any sort of strength, your ribs would be crushed. In addition, she keeps clinging to you for much longer than you hoped she would.

Finally she lets go, after what seems to be hours. She doesn't back off too far, though. Standing right in front of you, she stares into your eyes with a solemn smile on her face. You politely return the gesture, though you're sure your smile is nothing like the one she's giving you.

"Thanks", she says quietly. Not insecurely, not stammering, just quitely. "I'll see you tomorrow at seven then."

Before you can react, she leans in and gives you a peck on the cheek. Your jaw drops, but you do not manage to say a word before she giggles and rushes off into the hall, her cheeksas red as tomatoes. Minutes seem to pass as you stare into the wall opposite you. You can still feel the slightly wet spot on your cheek, but you dare not touch it.

"I'm so fucked."

Turning around, you walk into the hall and sigh. "What the fuck do I do?"

Staring at the floor, you ponder your options. Things weren't meant to go like this. She just wanted a date for prom, didn't she? She just wanted to dance with you, that was all. This wasn't supposed to happen. You were just being nice. It was just a spur of the moment thing. She doesn't like you like that. There's no way. It's just a prom date, nothing more.

"Hey, Anon!"

"WHAT?!" you roar as you turn to your right. A familiar farm girl walks towards you with surprise plastered on her face.

"Woah there. Settle down, cowboy."

You rub your eyes and inhale deeply. "Look, I'm sorry. I just have a lot of shit to deal with right now." Opening your eyes, you face the girl. "So, what did you want?"

"I jus' wanted to say I'm mighty grateful for ya takin' Flutters to the prom."

"Not you too..." you mumble.

"Look, I wanted to tell ya somethin'." She looks pretty serious, but you can't find the energy to truly care. Nothing can possibly be that serious. "Flutters likes ya, okay?"

"What a surprise", you deadpan. "She asked me to the prom. I kind of figured that out on my own."

The girl shakes her head before looking at you again. "I don't think ya understand. She's interested in ya, see?"

Deep inside of you, something rumbles. Your hands start shaking and your breathing gets quicker.

"Flutters ain't ever had a boyfriend, and ya know how shy she is. She ain't very good at these things." The girl smiles warmly at you, but it only serves to increase the rumlinb inside of you. "I jus' wanted ya to know. Y'know, so ya don't go breakin' her heart. She's a nice gal."

"Sure! Throw that at me the day before prom!" you blurt out. "Come on! You got more?! Let's make everything harder for me! Tell me she has a kid and I need to take care of it! Fucking Christ!"

The girl rears back in surprise and astonishment. "Woah, nelly. Calm down. What's wrong with you?"

Rather than continue, you shake your head and turn around. You set off immediately, walking quickly down the hall and towards the exit. This isn't a conversation you want to be having, and you've already done more harm than intended.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" The girl has caught up to you and is trying to block your way.

"Leave me alone", you say as you gently shove her to the side. "Just leave me be."

Whoever this girl is, she is stubborn as all hell. Rather than just letting you walk on, she once again runs in front of you and blocks your path. When you try to shove her away, she responds by pushing your chest. You stumble backwards and stare at her in complete and utter anger.

"What the fuck was that for?!"

"I'm askin' the questions", she says, her voice calm, but stern. "Why'd ya freak out like that before?"

"That's not your business", you say and walk forward. She pushes you back once more, her eyes not leaving yours.

"Ya don't like her, do ya?"

You immediately open your mouth to retort, but the question catches you off guard. "Sure I do", you say quietly. "She's a nice girl."

"Ya damn well know what I mean", the farm girl says coldly.

"No, I don't", you sigh. "Why does that matter? Me and her are going to prom, and that's it."

"It matters to her, Anon." The farm girl sighs and loosens up a bit. "She's been hopin' for more than a dance or two."

"That's not my fault!" you blurt out.

"I never said it was." She puts a hand on your shoulder and stares into your eyes. "Don't play her for a fool. Do the right thing."

With that, she turns around and walks away. You stare at the back of her head the entire way, your arms raised at either side of your body. As she turns the corner, you're left entirely alone in the hall.

Sighing, you let your arms drop, as well as your head. Farm girl is right. As much as you wish she wasn't, she is. You've known for a long while now. You really wish there was some sort of loophole, though. Anything to get you out of this in a better way.

Sighing once again, you start walking. You don't even have to look at anything but the floor; you know exactly where you're going. To the left down the hall, up the stairs, third door on the right. Each step is heavy, and the closer you get, the more your stomach churns. By the time you're in front of the classroom, you feel like you're going to puke.

Reluctantly, you knock on the door. As a voice from inside grants you permission to enter, you do so. You spot her immediately in the back of the classroom. You don't look at her, but at the teacher.

"Can I borrow Fluttershy for a minute?" you say quietly. The teacher shrugs and waves Fluttershy up with his hand. "Thanks."

Some of her classmates whisper, some snicker, but you don't care. You need to get this over with, and you close the door behind you and her, leaving you alone in the hallway.

"Um, hey, Anon", she says meekly. "What's up?"

"Listen", you sigh. "I don't think we... I... You don't want me. You really don't."

Her face distorts into a mixture of confusion and impending sorrow. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"You're a nice girl. Really." Her eyes are tearing up. "But I, I don't... I'm not interested in you. I don't think we should..."

Tears are flowing freely from her eyes, and her entire body is shaking. Looking into her eyes is harder than anything you've ever had to do.

"We shouldn't go to prom together." Your heart drops into your stomach, and at the sound of her first sob, emptiness fills your body. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to- Fluttershy!"

She's already halfway down the stairs. Her cries echo through the hallway, slamming against you with force unlike anything you've ever experienced. You stand there, taking all of it, absorbing it like a sponge. Each cry fills your body, spreading not her sorrow but guilt. You're not sure what's worse, the emptiness from mere moments ago or feeling like a piece of filth as you are now.

Even more slowly than before, you walk back the way you came. All the way down the flight of stairs, down the endless hall and out the front door. Physics will have to wait for another day. As if on autopilot you slump towards your car and get in. Without thinking, you fire it up and start driving. You drive slowly, enough to piss off other drivers apparently. You don't care. You don't want to go faster.

You barely remember getting home, but you find yourself there. Everyone else is home, too, for a change. From the sound of it, there's some game on; your father doesn't shut like that if there isn't. He doesn't like being bothered during his games. It suits you just fine. Leaving him to his devices, you head towards your room.

"Hi, honey!" Fuck. "Looking forward to prom?"

"I'm not going", you say bluntly without even looking at your mother. You continue walking, but that doesn't last long. For the second time today, a woman has decided to block your path, and you know not to fight htis one.

"What's that about, now?" she asks quietly. "I thought you were going with Fluttershy."

"That... didn't work out." You look up at your mother. She doesn't seem angry in the slightest. In fact, the look she's giving you is making the corners of your eyes blurry.

"What happened, sweetie?" She puts a hand on your cheek and gently caresses it.

"Turns out she had a crush on me", you mutter. "Didn't want her to get the wrong idea, you know?"

She nods slowly and smiles weakly. "You did the right thing. I still think you should go, though."

"I'm not really in the mood for it."

"Prom doesn't have to be about girls, sweetie", your mom chuckles. "You can still just have fun with your friends. It'll be the best party of your youth."

You sigh heavily. "Fine, whatever. I just want to be alone for a while."

"Of course." She politely moves out of the way, and you make the final stretch to your room. Once inside, you lay down on your bed, far more exhausted than you should be. Your body feels weak and useless, and you don't want to ever move from this spot.

You don't remember your eyes closing, but when you open them again, it's high noon. Your stomach rumbles, and your eyes are hazy. For a brief second, it feels like just another day of waking up. The events of the day prior hit you immediately and hard, and you groan loudly to yourself.

Prom. That was going to be a fun night. At least the worst is over, though you're certain the whole 'party' thing isn't exactly what you're going to be experiencing. First things first, though. Your stomach wants attention, and it wants it now. Instead of letting it wait, you slump downstairs and eat particularly late breakfast.

Evening rolls around, like it usually does. Inside your room, you put on the slightly large suit and shoes your parents bought you. You look nice in clothes like these, no doubt about it; you just don't really care. Still, better to look fancy than come dressed as just a highschool kid.

You go downstairs to compliments from your parents and curious questions from your sister. She seems awfully interested in this prom night, even though she's only eleven. You go through the usual 'no drinking, honey' and other assorted commands before saying goodbye and getting in your car. With a sigh, you drive off.

The school actually looks sort of fancy, you notice as you look at it from the parking lot. Decorative lights have been put up everywhere, along with the enormous prom banner. And of course, there's the red carpet. Couples are lining up on it, having their photos taken before entering the building. The queue is long, and the air is quite chilly, so you slip around them and simply head inside.

To your slight amusement, the red carpet continues on inside. The contrast of the old, worn walls and the brand new carpet looks ridiculous, but it's neat enough, you guess. You follow the burning trail until you reach the theatre hall. Music is blasting from inside, and some couples are already on the dance floor.

With a silent prayer, you look around the hall. You sigh with relief as you see no pink-haired, shy girl around. You do see someone else, though, someone you wish you could have had your photo taken with. Sunset is by the punch, pouring herself a generous glass. Even looking at the back of her brings a small smile to your face.

Rather than going to her, you find a bench and sit down, looking at everything. It's a pretty sight. A giant disco ball, coloured lights, banners, the whole shabang. As you look around, you catch the eye of a certain rainbow-haired girl. The look on her face makes your heart skip a beat, and you immediately find another place to look.

"Bench of Shame, eh?"

You barely hear the voice for the music. "Wha- Oh. Uh, hey."

"Mind if I join you?" Sunset asks, sitting down before you can answer.

Your fingers and toes start twitching. She is absolutely stunning. You'd never imagine her in a dress, but here she is, wearing the most beautiful turqoise dress you've ever seen. She's even straightened her hair, letting it fall freely down her body. The red and yellow mixes into a blur of beauty you never knew she could posses.

"You look beau-"

"I heard about Fluttershy", she cuts you off, a hint of irritation in her voice.

You suddenly feel a lot smaller than before, and you look down at your hands rather than at her. "Yeah."

"Why did you even say yes to begin with?" Before you can answer, she adds: "I know you wanted to go with me."

"I just didn't want to reject her", you mumble.

"Yeah, you sure didn't", Sunset scoffs. "She's been crying ever since."

Finding the courage, you look at her again. She is staring at her punch. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I know it wasn't easy", Sunset says quietly. "Flutters was going to get hurt no matter what you did. You still fucked up, though."

"I know, I know! I'm sorry. I fucked... I'm sorry."

Silence falls over the two of you. Sunset sips her punch, and you stare at the floor. The music keeps blasting; something about jumping and having fun. You really don't like this song.

"Word of advice", Sunset suddenly says. "Steer clear of Rainbow Dash. She's pretty pissed."

You raise an eyebrow and look at her. "Her name is ACTUALLY Rainbow?"

The look she gives you makes you feel retarded. "You didn't know?"

"Uhm, no."

"Wow, okay. She's only the captain of like every sports team we have, but, okay." The faintest hint of her old, arrogant smiles appears on her lips.

"Anyway", you mutter, eager to change the topic. "Who are you here with?"

"I'm getting the impression that you don't think a lot", Sunset replies immediately. Turning to face you, her arrogant smile on in full force. "Why do you think I'm sitting here with you?"

"You're serious?" you ask with surprise. "No one asked you?"

"Yeah", she sighs lightly. "Turns out having transformed into a flying devil with mindcontrolling powers severely limited guys' interest in me. Who'd have thought?"

Both of you laugh and turn your gazes to the dance floor. More couples have joined in, and it's starting to look like an actual party. It's surprisingly beautiful to look at. Despite people's lack of dancing skills, it's all so cheerful. Sitting here looking at them dance might make for an okay night after all. Hopefully the punch is good.

"Come on", Sunset says as she stands up. She doesn't even look at you.

"Come on what?" you ask. Your mind can't wrap itself around her sudden statements with zero explanation.

"To the parking lot to have sex", she deadpans. "Dance, assclown. Come on."

You immediately stand up, your heart fluttering. Sunset holds out her hand, and you stare at it for just a second too long. As she rolls her eyes with a smile on her face, you gently grab a hold of it. Her skin is unbelievably soft, and the mere act of holding her hand is filling your stomach with butterflies.

"Just dancing, okay?" she asks. "I just want to enjoy prom, it's nothing more than that."

Your heart drops half an inch, but you nod with a smile on your face. With her hand in yours, you walk to the dance floor. A certain, angry girl spots this and immediately starts walking towards the two of you. Fear immediately grips you, but Sunset shows no signs of wanting to stop. Reluctantly, you walk with her right towards the squinting Rainbow Dash.

Once you're in what you consider danger range, Sunset holds her free index finger and stares intently at her friend. Dash stops dead in her track, simply staring at you. You try your best to smile at her, but you're certain it's not working, at least from the face she's making.

"Sorry", you mumble to her before continuing on to the dance floor. As the two of you reach it, Sunset gives a thumbs up to the DJ, an actual student at the highschool. Despite her wearing enormous, toned glasses, you can tell she's bummed out. You're not sure why, but she suddenly cuts the modern music and instead puts on something far more old-fashioned.

Sunset turns in place and faces you, standing completely still. Dumbfounded, you stare at her before noticing the couples all around you. They've all joined together in exactly the same way, and as you look at Sunset's body, you swallow. With twitching hands, you reach out, gently grabbing her left in your right and placing your left on her back. She moves it a tad lower before placing her right hand on your shoulder.

Despite knowing the dance, you move nervously. Your steps are insecure, but correct. You notice, however, that with each step, Sunset's mouth turns to a more and more of a smile. She always had the prettiest of smiles, and it quickly banishes the fear from your body. It isn't long before you dance with most of your confidence, leading this beautiful young woman through each move.

You twirl her around, you lean into her falls, you do everything you can to make this dance perfect. Though your technique may be sloppy and execution somewhat stiff, Sunset soon giggles, her face fireworks of joy. Her hair sways through the air with incredible grace, increasing her beauty even further.

The song seems to last forever, and you're glad it does. It's a beautiful piece, by whom you know not. More than anything, however, it's what's allowing you to be in this very moment, with Sunset in your arms, dancing away with a smile on your face. From moment to other, thoughts of Fluttershy creep into your brain, but you push them out; you want this moment to be happy.

An unusually abrupt end comes to the song, followed by a very sudden change of lighting. Every single coloured light is turned off, and the two of you are blasted with a sharp, white light. New, slower music seeps out from the enormous speakers. You look around in confusion, finding every couple to be looking at you. With slight panic in your mind, you look to Sunset for answers, but she's staring at Vinyl, the DJ.

"I swear she does this shit on purpose", she mumbles. Turning back to you, she whispers: "What are you waiting for?"

Finally understanding the situation, you start moving. You're not exactly sure if there's a particular dance for this type of thing, so you go with the closest thing you know. At least it's the slowest one.

As you move about the floor, the spotlight follows. Sunset's dress shimmers with magnificence, and the yellow streaks in her hair radiate with splendor. You're pretty sure you screw up some steps as all of your attention is focused on the woman in front of you. Each time you quickly fix your mistake, but you can't help them from happening. It is as if she's put you in a trance, bewitched you with the very outside of her body. According to the cheeky smile on her face, she's noticed, too.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" a girl suddenly starts chanting. Just as you're about to look around for her, everyone else joins in, chanting in unison. Completely and utterly distracted, you stop dancing and look around.

They're all smiling, some are even clapping to the beat of the chant. Well, one particular girl isn't smiling. She probably never will, at least not to you. The chanting is making your heart soar, but before taking any drastic actions, you turn to face Sunset. She's sporting a cute little smile, one that seems very unlike her.

Rolling her eyes, she chuckles. "Fine."

Everything falls silent. You can see people chanting in the corner of your eyes, but you can't hear them. There is only Sunset, who just gave you permission. You swallow. Your hands are twitching one again. This moment seemed to come out of nowhere, and you know not what to do, or at least not how to proceed. Maybe she's expecting a quick peck, not a long, deep kiss. What if you fuck this up? This one chance. You can't let that happen. You know you have to be careful, delicate.

In a moment of lost control, you lean in as you place a hand on the back of her head. Closing your eyes, you press your lips against hers, eliciting a surprised moan from Sunset. For a moment she does nothing, just letting you kiss her. Her lips are softer than anything you've ever felt, and as your flesh is connected, jolts shoot off in your body, filling you with joy and wonder.

The moment you realise she isn't responding, you worry. Just as you are about to pull back, wanting not to make this any more awkward than needed, her hands fly to your cheeks and grab a hold of them, pulling you in. With a quiet, muffled moan, she pushes her lips into yours, returning the kiss with full force, ferocity, and passion.

Cheers erupt all around you, and although you're locked in the best kiss you've ever experienced, you can't help but chuckle. Reluctantly, you break the kiss, as your unfortunate case of chuckling turned into an awkward situation to handle. Sunset doesn't let go of your face, however, and instead presses her forehead against yours. Opening your eyes, you find yourself staring right into hers.

"That was... pretty damn good", she whispers, followed by the most adorable giggling you've ever heard. "Let's ditch this spotlight. I'm not a fan."

Chuckling, you grab a hold of her hand and walk towards the exit. The two of you are showered with applause before the regular music takes the spot once again, letting people go as crazy as they want.

Exiting the hall does wonders for your ears; things were getting uncomfortably loud. You let go of Sunset's hand as you're outside, opting instead to simply stare at her with a dumb grin on your face.

"Just so you know, I didn't plan that", she says immediately.

"Okay", you respond, still smiling broadly.

"It also didn't mean anything, okay?"

Her words make the smile on your face disappear. Likewise, your heart drops. "Right", you say quietly.

You stand there awkwardly, looking at Sunset for a moment, then the floor, the ceiling, and anywhere that isn't her. All of the confidence given to you by the spotlight is gone; you're just you once more. No magical lights to make you any smarter or manly this time.

"Least not for now", she mumbles, chuckling.

"What did you say?" you immediately ask, your eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. Sunset just chuckles as she turns around, walking down the red carpet towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" you ask.

"Home", she says matter-of-factly. "I got my dance, no need to stick around."

"But, we just got-"

"No but", she chuckles. "I had fun. More than I hoped for. I'll be seeing you around more, I think."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" you call out in confusion after her.

"See you, Anon!"

With that, she exits the school, glancing back at you one last time before disappearing. You stand there, watching the far end of the hall with a smile on your face. You sigh lightly as warmth spreads in your body. It could have been minutes or hours, you're not sure, but the voice next to you snaps you back to reality instantly.

"You've got ten seconds to get out of here before I kick your ass."

Turning, you see the frowning face of Rainbow Dash. She's cracking her knuckles and neck.

Deciding not to test her, you rush down the hall and out of the door. Though you didn't count particularly well as you ran, you're pretty sure you made it. You stop up to catch your breath; exercise isn't exactly your strong point. To your surprise, there's still people waiting to have their photo taken. You're pretty sure the party started at least half an hour ago. Fashionably late people, you guess.

Leaning against the nearest wall, you watch them for a bit. You find it amusing how much effort every girl has put in their dresses, hair, and whatever else while every guy is wearing the exact same thing. Sometimes being a guy pays off massively. At least it does sometimes.

You sigh. You can't shake the nagging thoughts about a certain young woman. As you watch the couples smile and laugh as they are immortalized in the ever popular prom photo, you think about her. About everything. Sunset in particular. Rubbing your eyes, you try to block out the voices of the prom goers and focus. Just for a little while.

Nodding silently to yourself, you let your eyes free. You brush the back of your suit before venturing out into the parking lot. Quickly finding your car, you get inside and immediately turn the heat on. You tap the steering while a couple of times before grabbing a firm hold of it. Once again you nod, just to reassure yourself. You turn on the bright, white front lights and start driving. To right the wrong; anything to improve it.