> Fiery Hair, Aqua Eyes
>  by Filet Mignon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Random Acts of Redemption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Fiery hair.
Aqua eyes.
I'll never forget the girl I fell in love with.


Over the years, Sunset Shimmer had developed quite a reputation as a tyrant, a miscreant, an all-around bitch... and a friend. Perhaps, she was also a lover; I'd hoped to add that title; I held onto hope for so long.
"But, life doesn't work that way, right?"
She taught me that. She's taught me so many things, but despite all that, I'm still an idiot. I'm such an idiot for leaving her behind, for never chasing after her, for giving up.
I traced the edge of the stone, following the chips and cracks that came with years of aging. I suppose, in a way, that stone and I shared something in common; after all, the years have been rough for me as well. I rubbed my chin, feeling the grey bristles scratch my withered fingers. It was unusual to be here at the cemetery, but while I was on my walk back home, I had felt compelled to do so. I've been so busy all these years that I'd forgotten to pay my respects.
Slowly, I kneeled down, facing the tombstone. As grim as I felt, I feigned as strong of a smile as a could, though it likely looked goofy as hell. Then again, she'd probably laugh at that too.
"Hey, Sunset! It's been a while." I nervously scratched the back of my head, searching for words. "Sorry I haven't visited in a while! It's been pretty hectic these past few years. My jobs have been keeping me busy everyday, and it's easy to get caught up drawing."
I felt my grin waver, and the lack of authenticity made my cheeks ache. "Not to mention, my sister has grandkids now; can you believe that? Their parents work a lot during the day, so I do what I can to help out. Oh, that reminds me of when my sister came by to help me babysit, but one of the boys was still running around without his pants on! I've never seen my sister turn so red before!" The chuckle was sincere, but ultimately weak at lightening the mood.
"I... I miss you. I miss you so goddamn much."
Combing through my memories, I tried to find something, anything to tell her. Finally, I could only focus on one - one of a girl whose face lit up when she saw me in the school hallways, whose reflection beamed at the winner screen at the arcade, and whose strong determination inspired me to also chase my dreams and become a famous artist.
And yet, this dirty, unkempt tombstone was also her: old, dilapidated, and forgotten. How could such a bright girl become... this? Still, the memory of Sunset remained.



The lunch bell rang, indicating the end of the break period. The cafeteria was a cacophony of bags, trays, and farewells as students left their tables and began walking to their next class until only a handful of people remained.
Two feral-looking students remained at a table in the corner. Of the two, I shivered as I hurriedly discussed biology.
"Wait, you're absolutely sure that's the answer?" My jet black hair had long since been ruined from numerous attempts to pull them out, the faint bags under my eyes also evident from my all-nighter. The study guide sitting on the table was covered in faded graphite smudges from where answers had been repeatedly erased until the paper was completely wrinkled, and it was still very much incomplete. 
"How the hell do you know that the chloroplast is the powerhouse of the cell?"
"Uh, duh, the internet?" Flash Sentry tapped his head and rolled his eyes. His hair was also messy - not from stress but because of my tendency to attack him when frustration boiled over.
"The chloroplast?"
"Yeah."
"The chloroplast?"
"Did I stutter?"
Unfortunately for Flash, the empty cafeteria feigned ignorance to his initial pleas for mercy when I pounced on him again.
"That bad, huh?" 
With comical speed, we whipped our heads towards the cafeteria's entrance. A girl chuckled and walked over, her fiery hair bouncing in stride as we ashamedly returned to our seats. Upon looking at the paper on the table, she let out a low whistle. "Biology again? The teacher always lets us use the study guides during tests, so you'd think you'd get the memo and actually do them every now and then."
Finally, the gears clicked.
Sunset Shimmer.
As she sat down, she twirled a curl of her hair around a finger, looking around the cafeteria. As she played with those beautiful red and yellow locks, I found myself enamored. Memories of the constant bullying - nay, the mental fucking torture - flooded my senses: the fake puppy eyes as she begged for help, the fake smile when I agreed to help fix her locker, the fake blush when she took me to the locker room... the very real flash of the camera, the very real grin that slowly formed on her face after the fact, and the very real months I spent branded a perv-
Snap!
Sunset pulled her hand back from my face, turning to Flash. "He's really lost it, huh?" she lamented, scanning my face with a frown. Realizing I'd gotten distracted, I looked back to my paper, though staring at those blank lines did little to fight off the scowl that had formed on my face.
Flash nodded in agreement. "Yup, he's gone off the deep end. I've been trying to help him finish his study guide for the biology test you guys have later, but nothing's sticking."
"Well, maybe you just suck at tutoring," Sunset said, flashing a mischievous grin. A flash of anger flashed across Flash's face, but she spoke again. "It's mitochondria, by the way."
I glanced up at Flash, scowl still present, who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, before I erased my writing once more. As much as I hated the bitch, the report cards don't lie, and she's proven herself to be an ace student at pretty much any subject. Plus, she had good work ethic, meaning she always took the notes and finished all the homework. After all, while I'm no expert, I would think planning to turn into a she-demon and enslave the world takes a lot of work.
Suddenly, the warning bell rang, jolting me out of my thoughts.
"Shit!" I swore under my breath, scanning each blank line to write down any last-minute answers while cursing all kinds of depraved insults and threats towards Flash's mother.
Snap!
"Hey, calm down, okay?"
Sunset stared straight at me, lips pursed in supposed concern. For an instant, I contemplated slapping her hand out of my face, but instead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Man," I sighed, furrowing my brow, "what I'd give if you could just take the test for me."
I gave her a dirty look as more words escaped. "Would be a great start for your alleged redemption tour."
She winced, her eyes darting towards the cafeteria wall to guiltily avoid my glare.
Believing I had said my piece, I shifted my weight to get off the bench, but Sunset returned her gaze to me, eyes brimming with what looked like worry - though its authenticity was lost on me.
"Look... I know I said some bad stuff-"
"You didn't just say some bad stuff." I couldn't believe the audacity of this bitch. "Said?" It felt increasingly impossible to stay still, so I shot up out of my seat, pointing an accusatory finger. "You ruined my life is what you did!" I snatched up my pencil and paper, carelessly shoving them into my bag before slipping one backpack strap on.
As I exited the cafeteria, I quickly glanced back, noticing that Sunset hadn't moved.
Serves her right.



"... do you have a minute, son?"
Awoken from the daze of calculus, I met eyes with Mr. Whooves, who stared back from over his computer with an indistinguishable look - it was hard to pinpoint, but I had a feeling he knew something that I didn't. "Uh, sure."
I rose from my seat and walked to the door as he beckoned me out into the hall. As he closed the door behind me, I felt the familiar sensation of classmates staring at me disappear.
It was nice. 
Turning back briefly, though, my heart dropped when I saw those same classmates continuing to peer through the tiny window on the door.
The feeling returned.
"Listen, son," Mr. Whooves's reading glasses had made their way on top of his head, something he did to let the class know he was being serious, "do you know Sunset Shimmer?"
Uh oh. Trying my hardest to pull off a poker face, I remained silent.
"The junior?"
Nothing.
"Fiery hair?"
Nothing.
He sighed, grabbing the bridge of his nose. "She-demon?"
That sounded vague enough. "Uh, yeah, I guess," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.
That bitch must've sold me out! My stomach did flips, and my face started heating up. That was her plan all along, and now I'm gonna be the bad guy so she can pull some sympathy points!
My heart sank, and my stomach was an Olympic gymnast by this point.
People would be more inclined to believe her from when...!
I wrestled that thought away. It won't happen as long as I didn't let it get to that point. All I need to do is argue my innocence... Oh, Flash! He can help back me up!
"Son, I, um..."
Oh, who am I kidding? I'm fucked! F-u-c-k, fucked!
"Ineedyoutohelpherwithpapers!"
Pause. I opened my mouth but couldn't find the words. I looked at Mr. Whooves; his glasses were back on.
"Sunset emailed me for help scanning next week's worksheets, but I'm so close to beating my record in Dr. Mare-io!" He whipped his head back towards the door, as if he could hear a siren's call from the computer. "I offered to send someone over, and your name came up!" He clasped his hands together, interlocking the fingers, and gave you the biggest puppy eyes a balding, middle-aged man could give. To have a teacher plead you for help was... unusual, though for Mr. Whooves, it was significantly less so.
I sighed in relief, feeling the stress-induced bile slowly falling back down into your stomach. "Okay, yeah, it's no problem."
"Oh, thank you so much!" he exclaimed, eyes sparkling with atypical glee. Running inside quickly, he reemerged with a hall pass. "She's using the scanners in the library." He chuckled sheepishly. "Also, don't worry about today's work; I already gave you full credit," his glasses flipped back up, "though I recommend you finish the worksheet when you can anyway."
I took the slip of paper, reading its contents. Looking back at the teacher, we both nodded, and I made my way down the empty halls.
Upon arriving, I pulled the library door open, slowly peeking in. Beyond the endless rows of bookshelves peppered throughout the extravagant room, one of the doors in the back was wide open, and in it, I saw that familiar pattern of red and yellow streaks hunched over the handful of printers. As I approached, a fist quickly came down upon one of the printers, a soft "Shoot!" leaking out from inside. Sunset groaned at the errors beeped back at her, but when she noticed my presence, she exhaled her anger, replacing it with a small smile.
"You'd think that for all the money Canterlot threw here, they'd be able to buy better printers," she joked, though I didn't feel even the slightest tug of amusement at my cheeks. My skin crawled with distrust. I searched her face, looking for any clue that would confirm my suspicions.
Her eyes: I waited for any unusual looks, any sideward glances.
They looked faintly glossy and red, like she had been crying a while ago.
Her mouth: I figured she couldn't hold it in forever. A slight imperfection or tremble in her smile might not shoot red flags for most, but I knew better; she's too narcissistic to let herself look bad, not even to herself.
Her lip quivered, and a quick sigh escaped, like she could break down any moment.
It was then my turn to worry. I kept looking for patterns - a twitch of the finger, an unusual shift in body weight, a tilt of the head to the left. There had to be at least one sign she was bullshitting.
Nothing. There were signs alright - signs that maybe she really was being genuine, meaning I really was an asshole earlier. I recalled my outburst at the end of lunch, recoiling at the venom in my words.
Noticing my silence, Sunset shuffled nervously. "Bad joke?" she asked sheepishly.
I cleared my throat, letting a slight grin of my own form.
"Nah, just thinking about about a world where CHS bought better printers."
"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow, "and what do you see?"
"Flying cars, fully-glass buildings, world peace, y'know the usual," I shrugged. 
As she chuckled in response, I redirected my attention towards the room. Long tables bordered every wall. On one end, two computers sat, case fans whining as the login screen awaited a password, and the adjacent table was empty aside for a backpack and binder, which had been lazily tossed onto the chair and table, respectively. On the other end closest to us were three printers, all of which had copies of the same math worksheet still spewing out of them. The faint smell of heated machinery and paper entered my senses as the three units groaned from overuse, seemingly begging for mercy. Under the printers, a recycling bin overflowed with failed prints, of which there seemed an endless. Sunset, following my eyes, glanced at printers too, and upon seeing more misaligned and faded copies, muttered something unidentifiable before tossing them in the recycling bin.
She turned back to me, crossing her arms. "Flying cars, huh? I'll be sure to pass it along to the librarian."
I exhaled sharply in amusement. Shifting my weight, the hall pass in my pocket crinkled in response, and I was reminded of my purpose for being there. "So, um, you asked for help?" I walked towards the printers. "What do you need done?" Peeking back over my shoulder, Sunset smiled timidly.
"I actually don't need any help with that. The printers handle everything, and there'll be enough that misprints won't matter." I cocked an eyebrow, so she continued. "I was studying for the biology test next period," it dawned on me, "so I figured we could help each other." She paused, scanning my face while leaning in. "Would you... like to study with me?"
I stared down at her, meeting her gaze. Her teal eyes shimmered (pun intended) as she awaited my response, and I became aware of a faint whiff of some indistinguishable but pleasant flowery scent coming from her hair. I nodded without realizing it, and her face lit up before moving over to the table with her belongings with near-super speed and beckoning me over to the chair next to her. I followed her over, dropping my bag beside the chair and pulling out the study guide, which had become increasingly crumpled as it jostled around loosely in there. Her attention shifted over to the wrinkled paper, though surprisingly, she remained quiet, quickly looking back to her own stuff.
"Here."
She handed me her own study guide. I flipped it over to the back, noting the final lines were filled in.
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
I quickly filled in the blanks on my study guide before handing hers back. I grabbed my notebook and hastily flipped through until I found my biology notes while Sunset pulled out a labeled folder, opening it and scanning the various papers' neatly-written headers. Without a word, we both focused on our own notes, though I struggled to focus while I pondered the circumstances.
What're her intentions? I contemplated the possibilities. Handing me her study guide... to accuse me of cheating off her? A bead of sweat formed on my forehead.
But the study guide is pretty much objective, and I doubt she'd think I'd copy word-for-word.
Maybe she'll call me out for leeching?
Nah, that'd be pretty useless, people like Flash do it all the time and no one really cares.
I tapped my chin.
"Hey." 
Jerked out of my thoughts, I whipped my head towards Sunset with a quiet "Hmm?"
"Could you help me with these practice problems? My friend still had her test from last year so she rewrote the questions for me."
I nodded, leaning over to read the paper she had taken out of the folder.
Lavender.
I pushed that thought away.
"What are the two processes located within the mitochondria?"
"Oh, that's easy!" I flashed a toothy grin. "It's the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation."
"Ah, thanks! How about this one?"
"How can pyruvate be used alternatively when oxygen is not present?"
"Is it fermentation?" I glanced at Sunset, but she looked back blankly. "There's the two types depending on if it's muscles or yeast. Y'know, like, ethanol or lactic acid?"
"Hmm, I think I remember something like that..." 
A handful of questions later, I had managed to help her through all of them. She scribbled her answer as well as a few notes onto the study guide.
The study guide...
Respiration was the final section, and it was pretty much the only one I was still uncomfortable with. Despite this, after only a brief amount of time studying, I was able to help Sunset with her practice questions... which were coincidentally only about respiration.
"Very sneaky." 
The words left me mouth before I realized it.
"Who, me?" She put a hand on her chest melodramatically. "I would never do such a devious thing!"
I snorted. "You could've just asked to quiz me."
"You also could have just been responsible and studied early," she countered. A frown formed, though it quickly fizzled out, a cheeky smile replacing it. "Besides, would you have agreed if I had asked?"
I smiled back, shaking my head.
Ulterior motives be damned, maybe she just wants to help.
> Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hopping out of my car, I grabbed my backpack and made my way to the front entrance of the school. Passing the Wondercolts statue, I pulled out my phone to text-
"Boo!"
With a yelp, I jumped back, my phone flying into the air. My foot got caught on the base of the statue, and I landed right on my ass. I put a hand to my chest, feeling the machine gun-like heartbeat. In front of me, a pair of long amber legs ran to my left, sighing in relief as they caught my phone before breaking into hysterical laughter. I turned to face the perpetrator.
"Holy... fuck... you... Sunset," I breathed. I put on the most stern look I could muster, but there was no stopping her amusement.
"Oh Celestia, you should've seen the look on your face!" Sunset Shimmer bent over, wrapping her arms around her sides. "I- I can't- I can't breathe!"
As the warmth of embarrassment climbed up my face, I felt compelled to get back at her, so, in a fit of mischievous spite, I crawled over to the girl dying beside me, straddling her. Immediately, her laugher stopped, and she gave me a look of bewilderment, a tinge of red forming on her face. I took both hands and loosely wrapped them around her neck. I pulled up. Then, I pushed down. Sunset dead-weighted as I shook her, and she gave a fake groan as her head lolled around.
"I'll teach you to not mess with me anymore," I grumbled, taking one hand and forming an "OK" gesture just above her eyes. Before she could react, I flicked my finger, smacking her forehead with a loud "Thwack!"
"Ow!" she shouted, rubbing her wound with a playful grin. "I'm sorry!"
What can I say? I'm a spiteful guy.
I pulled my index finger back for another attack.
"Oh, I'm sure you are," I deadpanned, brimming with evil.
"No!" Sunset weakly shuffled beneath me, giggling. "Stop, please! I said I'm sorry!"
Thwack!
She screamed once more, grasping for my wrists to wrestle them away, but a slow clap interrupted our playfight.
"Bravo, Sunset."
Coming up from the parking lot, a yellow girl with orange hair walked up to us. Like Sunset, her hair looked fiery, but this girl's short, swept-back color and style was more of a genuine flame. I tried to look into her eyes, but the mirrored sunglasses she wore only gave me a view of my own face. She wore black joggers below alongside a white shirt and blue bomber jacket combo up top.
The girl crossed her arms, a frown perpetually stuck to her face. The look of judgement she gave us was extremely intimidating, and Sunset seemingly shared my sentiment.
"Oh... Hey, Spitfire," came from beneath me.
Noticing Sunset's discomfort, I quickly climbed off her, and she stood up alongside me.
"Man, I just wanted you to scare him," Spitfire gave an arrogant shrug. "I wasn't expecting you to make out with your boyfriend."
Sunset appeared to recoil at that last word. "He's not my boyfriend," she snapped back.
I ignored a pang of sadness for the time being.
Unconvinced, Spitfire waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah." Her head tilted down, orange irises peering back, and she pulled out her phone to refer to it. "I'll hit you up the next time I wanna hang out, friend." Pushing her glasses back up, she started strolling to the front door of the school.
"Well," she rubbed her neck, "I'm gonna go to talk to Rarity. Thanks for playing along, I guess." She brought a fist to punch my arm, but for a moment, she hesitated, only following through after a second. I said nothing, watching her follow the crowd of students filing into the building without a second glance.
Ding!
Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my phone, which had magically made its way in there. Sunset had still held onto it the last time I remembered, though I didn't dwell on it. Instead, I clicked the power button, reading the notification.
"Forgot to tell u, hanging w girls at lunch. Sry."
Shrugging, I put my phone away. Sunset liked to split her time among the different cliques, so I thought nothing of it, finally joining the students walking through the main doors of Canterlot High.



"25/25."
I put my pen off to the side, piling the final paper on top of the other graded worksheets and cracking my knuckles as I basked in the satisfaction of completing another set of work. Careful not to drop any, I slowly picked up the entire stack before exiting the back pod and entering Mr. Whooves's class. The class of juniors glanced up at my entrance, though their eyes diligently flickered back to their papers almost immediately. Taking another step to let the door close next to me, I turned to my right, holding the stack over the wall of computer monitors.
"Here's all the worksheets from last Friday."
"Alrighty, thanks, son!" He flipped through each one like a deck of cards before sliding them into a manila folder on his desk. I spotted a glint of excitement in his eyes, and he rolled his chair further into the corner. "Wanna play? You've got about...," he peeked at his watch, "ten minutes to get destroyed in Dr. Mare-io."
Flashing a toothy grin, I jabbed back, "Are you sure? I don't think you want your next class to see you crying when I stomp you."
Bringing a hand to the console under a monitor, Mr. Whooves pushed the power button. "Oh, it's on!" He shoved a controller into my hand, catching the attention of a couple students in the front rows. 
Within seconds, we were deep into battle, stacking pills upon pills in an attempt to beat one another. Diving headfirst, I targeted the viruses, hoping to win by killing them all first. On the other hand, Mr. Whooves was setting up stacks of three, hoping to use the combo system to send pills over to my side. To prod me, he completed two adjacent stacks of colors, sending one onto my side. Immediately, I used my next capsules to destroy the offending pill, but by the time I had gotten the right colors to do so, another one began falling onto my side. My eyes flickered over to my teacher, who had almost completely set up his side with stacks of three. Sensing an imminent barrage of capsules, I doubled my efforts, dropping more and more pills hoping to resume my strategy of killing the virus. In a stroke of luck, I dropped a blue-yellow capsule, only to find another...
And another...
And a fourth! I tapped down on the directional pad, smiling at the accomplishment of sending another pill to his side.
However, my stomach dropped as a pill spawned at the top of mine. Then another... and another... and one more... and...
As if on cue, the bell rang, and the students (who had been captivated by our match) scribbled their last answers and shuffled out the room, leaving their worksheets in a pile at the table by the exit. 
"Checkmate, son, or... overdose, if you wanna look at it that way." Mr. Whooves put a sympathetic hand on my shoulder as capsules piled up to the top on my side. "But don't worry. You've been doing leagues better than Sunset did last year, so you can still brag to her about that!" He chuckled triumphantly.
"Uh huh," I grumbled. "How do you do so well anyway?"
"It's all in the strategy." Seeing my eye roll, he continued. "You're trying to kill every virus and destroy every pill I sent over, but you should take you time. Next time, do what I did, and set up combos for one big push. Sure, having you send a pill every now and then was annoying to deal with, but since I took the time to set everything up, my attack was still big enough to take you out, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
As I picked up my bag and walked to the exit, he called out to me. "Get Sunset to help you; she's been trying to use my strategy, too, so you two can practice together!"
I waved back in acknowledgement, stepping out into the hallway.
My eyes scanned the sea of students all flowing towards the cafeteria. Among the plethora of colors, I spotted a familiar group of girls walking. Navigating around the different parties of students, I made my way across the hall to join Sunset and her friends... except Sunset was missing.
Slowly, the girls spotted me, stopping to give me a variety of unique waves.
"Greetings, darling! It is so good to see you." Rarity leaned over for a side-hug, so I obliged.
Applejack held a fist out, so I bumped it. "Nice seein' you, partner."
Rainbow Dash crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. With a smile, I mimicked her, earning a scowl in response.
"Hey, girls." My eyes scanned again to make sure I wasn't just missing Sunset in the crowd, but any other stationary individuals would stand out in the steady stream of students, thus confirming my concern. "Where's Sunset? She told me she was eating lunch with you all."
They glanced among each other in confusion, and then Rarity to give me an apologetic look.
"Our apologies, darling. After class, she told us to go to lunch without her."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Oh. Weird."
"You 'n' me both." Applejack frowned, deep in thought.
"Wait, I know!" Pinkie Pie began bouncing excitedly. "Maybe she's planning to throw a surprise party for us!" There was a pink blur, and as if by magic, I instantly felt hands from behind, pushing me towards the cafeteria. "As the party afficionado, I can't have us ruin the surprise!"
Annoyed, Applejack pulled her off me.
"Sorry we couldn't help, sugarcube. Maybe try texting her."
I nodded in agreement, pulling out my phone, but to my surprise, they started walking away, the cowgirl carrying a feral Pinkie away.
"Uh, don't you wanna know, too?" I called out.
I received a handful of dismissive shrugs.
"No!" Pinkie's neck stretched out from Applejack's bearhug, head almost hovering towards my face. "That'll ruin the surp-"
"Why do you care anyway?" Rainbow Dash covered Pinkie's mouth. Defeated, Pinkie's head retracted back to Applejack, and the girls continued walking, save for Rainbow, who returned to me. Sensing her usual hostility, I frowned at her.
"Why don't you?"
She groaned. "You don't get it, do you?" She made a gesture conveying a mind explosion. "She doesn't wanna hang out with you. What a shocker!"
Wait. Whoa, hold on. I was used to the banter, but that was low. An intense heat rose to my face, and I clenched my fists.
"It's not- We- That's not the point!" 
Why couldn't they understand? Sunset Shimmer never lied to me! Ever!
"What's 'not the point?' The fact that you've been stuck to her like a zit on her ass?" My eyes widened with shock, but she glared right through me. "Dude, you've been practically nonexistent before she became your little 'pity pal.' Why would someone as awesome as Sunset want to hang it with you? All that time she's wasted on you could've been spent on someone worth a damn, like me. Especially when I-" Catching herself slip, the blue girl looked away for a moment, sad frustration painted on her face.
I was like a pot filled past halfway, threatening to boil over. My hands, now shaking, ached for something to hit. I debated starting with the bitch in front of me. Everything was hot, and I couldn't stop moving. I had to hit something. Why did she say something like that? I need to hit something.
Calm down. 
I mean, what the fuck is wrong with me? How about, what's wrong with her? 
Calm down. 
Since when did Rainbow Dyke care about me hanging out with Sunset?
My fist traveled up a couple inches... and it fell back to my side, unclenched. I sighed. Who was I kidding? There was no way I was going to win a fight against her anyway.
At my silence, she huffed in annoyance. "Listen, did it ever occur to you that constantly trying to hound her is maybe annoying her? I mean, c'mon, girls aren't gonna fall for pests like you." She shook her head, and with that, she chased after the other girls, leaving me in the now-empty hall. Immediately, I returned my attention to the phone in my hand. I swiped until I had Sunset's text conversation up.
"Rarity n co told me you said you weren't going to lunch w them. Is everything ok?"
The sickness I felt at her words lost me my appetite, so I turned around, electing to just wander the halls during the break. I greeted acquaintances relaxing along the lockers, hoping to see Sunset among them, but unfortunately, my search proved fruitless. Reaching the end of the hall, I leaned against the wall, sighing in defeat. I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked my phone, hoping a notification would light up the screen.
"Hey, Sandalwood, pass it over already!"
I did a double take, eyes darting wildly to identify where Spitfire's familiar voice came from.
"Yeah, yeah. Here."
I turned towards the janitor's closet, leaning over with my ear up against the door. I identified the click of a lighter, then the quiet flicker of something burning. Someone inhaled, the burning more audible, then gave a breathy exhale.
"Shiiit, that's good. Here, friend."
"Oh, um, ok." 
Sunset's voice! I moved my hand towards the doorknob, but I paused. Remembering what Rainbow Dash had said earlier disheartened me, and the thought of facing the intimidating glare of Spitfire made my stomach flip. Discouraged, I figured it'd be easier to just confront Sunset later, so I dropped my hand and continued listening.
After a short pause, Sunset coughed violently. A hand clapped against her back.
"Hey-o! Don't worry, friend. Just take another hit."
"Hit?" The tight feeling in my stomach grew. Is she taking...?
Sunset inhaled slowly, this time exhaling successfully.
"Whoa..."
"Got that right. You'll feel it in a bit, now hand it over."
"Hey," Sandalwood interrupted, "aren't you gonna pay me?"
A pause.
"C'mon, friend, do you have any money?"
"W- what? I only have lunch money!"
"Which is...?"
"Only like a couple bucks!"
"Spitfire! The money."
I held my breath.
Spitfire groaned. "Sunset, you're my friend, right?"
"Y- yeah."
"Cool. Sandal, we'll do the 'other thing.'"
"Works for me."
I heard the sound of a belt unbuckling and Sunset gasping. My hand shot up to the doorknob again, but I hesitated once more. Sure, I'd open the door to save Sunset, but then what? There's no telling how many students would hear the commotion and check. Not to mention, Sunset was smoking... something, and regardless of what that "something" was, she'd get suspended for it.
Blow a guy or be known as the girl who smoked during lunch and almost blew a guy; it was a lose-lose.
Dejected, my hand came down again. I checked the time on my phone. There wasn't much of break left, and I didn't want to spend another second here. I stepped away from the door, aimlessly walking until eventually stopping in front of a familiar room, giving it a quick knock.
"Come in!"
I pulled the door open. A man at his desk put his controller down, but looking up at me, he picked it back up, holding a second one over to me.
"Back for another smackdown?"
I gave a weak smile.
"Nothing's set in stone."
"True. This time, there's only five minutes to obliterate you."
Chuckling together, I took the controller, hoping to distract myself from whatever was transpiring in that closet down the hall.
> Comparison
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There you are!"
Pushing the door open, Sunset gave a wave, grinning. However, Mr. Whooves and I remained unaware, deep into our game. With a huff, the click of her boots grew louder and louder. Seeing our game, though, the fiery-haired girl fell silent, enamored by our stalemate. My fingers flew across the controller, rotating and dropping pills at lightning speed. Next to me, Mr. Whooves quickly wiped the sweat on his brow, returning to setting up stacks almost instantly.
Unfortunately, I was not as graceful, bringing the back of my wrist up to my forehead, and having foolishly obscured my own vision, I dropped a pill one spot too far left, groaning in realization. Understanding my imminent loss, I turned to my opponent, giving him a defeated nod before putting the controller down onto the desk. The man beside me smiled, turning the console off.
"You're getting better," he noted encouragingly.
I rolled my eyes. "I suppose."
"You and me both." He turned to our spectator. "What do you think, Sunset?"
"Huh?" The girl recoiled in surprise, readjusting her scarf nervously. "I mean, yeah, he did good."
Smiling cheekily, he nudged me with an elbow. "Don't worry, son. She's just jealous that you're doing waaay better than her."
"What? No, I'm not jealous." Her hands came up defensively. "Besides, I could've sworn I've gotten closer to beating you than him!"
"Want to prove it?" Mr. Whooves held out the second controller, but when Sunset backed away, he gave a triumphant nod. "Told you so."
"Whatever. I'm outta here." Sunset turned to me. "Coming?"
Did you ask Sandalwood that?
"Yeah." Grabbing my bag, I turned to Mr. Whooves. "Rematch tomorrow? I already ahead on grading the quizzes."
"Of course."
Pushing the door, Sunset and I filed into the hall, navigating to the exit and listening to the patter of our footsteps.
"You're awfully quiet," she said softly, pulling on her coat. "The past few days I've only been able to talk to you for a total of, what, ten minutes?"
According to Rainbow Dyke, it's more "normal."
I shrugged dismissively. "Been busy, I guess."
"Oh, c'mon, I was talking with Lyra today. She said you're fine in fourth period, but once lunch starts, you just spend the whole time walking around the halls all gloomy. It's worrying me."
You worry me, that's why.
"Low energy, maybe?"
A pause.
"No one's been harassing you about...?"
I shook my head.
"Are you sure?" She huffed in frustration. "I thought I already told everyone that you didn't-"
"I'm fine! Nothing like that happened. Hasn't happened for forever." I bit my tongue, regretting the frustration that leaked into my response.
"So you admit something did happen."
I sighed in defeat. Damn, she's good.
"Just got a lot on my mind, y'know? Gets exhausting after a while."
"Wanna talk about it?"
Would you ever tell me about what happened with Spitfire and Sandalwood?
"Don't really know what to talk about. I just feel tired; that's all."
"Then let's get you a pick-me-up!" She tapped her chin. "Got anything in mind?"
Weed. 
I tried to shake the sarcasm, but my mind ran wild. Arriving at the parking lot, we stopped.
"Wanna grab coffee?" I shrugged quizzically. Based on how her face lit up, though, I knew her answer.
"Yes!" She punched my arm in jest before practically skipping over to her car. 
Smile creeping onto my face, I made my way to my own car, peeling out of my parking spot and following her off school grounds. I cranked up the heater, embracing the unusual smell as a warmth filled the whole car. Now alone, I let my mind wander as I drove.
Where are we going? The Sweet Shoppe?
Maybe a drug deal.
God, why are you still so worked up about that day? People smoke all the time at school.
Not Sunset.
Nothing to your knowledge.
Exactly!
No, not "exactly." Do you really think she'd tell you everything? You really are a zit on her ass.
Wouldn't that be disingenuous to hide that from me?
"Disingenuous;" that's cute. What if it's just that you have a stick so far up your ass you don't want to admit that you're obsessed with her?
Then what about Sandalwood? Is blowing guys for weed part of Sunset's nature, too?
You don't even know if that actually happened? Who's to say Spitfire didn't just bite the bullet and do it herself? You might've been able to answer that, but you wussed out! Accept it: you're a goddamn pussy obsessed over some "perfect girl" fantasy you've projected onto Sunset!
It's not obsession! It's just feelings. Yeah, I like her; so what?
Do you like her, or do you like the girl you think you know?
What if they're the same?
What if they aren't?
A buzz in my pocket brought me back to my senses. My focus returned to the road, and after a couple more minutes of driving, I noticed Sunset's hand waving out the window as she pulled into a parking lot. I entered behind her, parking in one of the few open spots. 
Briefly, I whipped my phone out, checking the notification.
"hey number neighbor!!!!! what's up??"
I put my phone away. 
From the other side of the lot, I saw Sunset's car door open, so I stepped out of mine. Taking in my surroundings, I felt unusually unfamiliar with the area. I checked the horizon, spotting the observatory atop its hill. It appeared way closer than usual, meaning we had travelled up northeast for quite a ways - well past the usual strip of cafes and diners.
"Hey, Sunset, where are we?"
Approaching me, she gave a dismissive shrug. "Uh, Canterlot?"
"Very funny," I grumbled. "No, seriously, where are we?"
"Uh, 'no, seriously,' Canterlot."
"Ha. Ha." I spotted Sunset's eyes looking away. As her body turned away, I snatched her hand. "Sundown Scintillation. Our location." She cocked an eyebrow, but I glared through her. Closing her eyes, she sighed.
"Do you trust me?"
I reeled back, looking into those big teal eyes. "Uh... yeah."
"Then prove it." Once again facing the sidewalk, she pulled me along as she led me to our mysterious destination. It soon became apparent that our hands were still connected, though I wasn't compelled to protest. Instead, I caught up to her, smiling. Sunset reciprocated, and I felt her fingers move, the digits intertwining with mine. In that brief moment, I allowed any suspicions to fly out the window, and I embraced the warm feeling in my chest from being with her. With a slight swing of our arms, we strolled down further down the street, taking the crosswalk to our left and then stopping on the opposite end of the block. 
There, at the corner of a building, a small shopfront advertised seasonal drinks and pastries: pumpkin flavored... well, everything. On the other side of the large windows were several leather booths lining the outer border of the dining space alongside a handful of simple table and chair sets. Upon further inspection, I noted how empty the place looked. For a coffee shop in the middle of the cold autumn breeze, it was surprising to see only a couple patrons. Still, Sunset met my skepticism with a warm smile, so I approached the door, holding it open for her. She thanked me, but I was more upset at losing the warmth of her hand. 
A bell jingled loudly to announce our entrance, and at the back of the room, a lady behind the counter, seemingly in her 30's or 40's, looked towards us. Her pink face was lined with wrinkled, and as she smiled, deep crow's feet formed at her eyes. She donned a dark grey apron and, underneath it, a short-sleeved white dress shirt and black slacks. Her golden yellow hair was tied up in a neat bun.
"Good afternoon!" The older woman gave a friendly wave. "Welcome to The Coffee Shop!"
I raised an eyebrow. "'The Coffee Shop?'"
A nervous smile. "The real name's a work in progress."
Her sincerity was indescribably infectious and I felt the corners of my mouth pull up. "Fair enough."
"Well, what can I get you two?"
I glanced at Sunset, who gave me an blank stare.
"Well...," I scanned the lady's uniform for a nametag, "Cherry, what do you recommend?"
A nervous laugh this time. "As the owner, I'm obligated to say everything." We all chuckled. "Well, I'm good at making white mochas." Another laugh. "Fine. Espresso macchiato with a chocolate croissant. There isn't too much chocolate, so the sweetness doesn't overpower the drink."
I nodded. "Works for me."
"Me, too," came from beside me.
I reached behind for my wallet, but a hand lightly slapped it away.
"I got it."
"No, c'mon, I can pay for my drink."
"I picked the place."
"I suggested coffee."
"I would've taken us here even if you didn't." Sunset put her hands on her hips, frowning at me and tapping her foot impatiently.
From the other side of the counter, Cherry giggled, clearly enjoying our dispute.
With a defeated groan, I threw my hands up. "Yeah, yeah, figures."
Reaching into her coat, Sunset withdrew a small pouch, sorting through the bills inside before producing the exact amount and handing them to the owner.
"Thank you, sweetie. I'll let you know when everything's ready." Retreating to the machines, she began to work on our drinks. 
Meanwhile, Sunset scanned the selection of seats, and given the lack of people, there definitely was a large selection. She pointed towards the corner booth adjacent to the back wall, looking at me and tilting her head quizzically. Nodding in agreement, I walked over, Sunset trailing behind. I slid onto the bench, listening to the old material groan under my weight. From my spot, I could see the entire coffee shop, including out the front windows across the room. Sunset, on the other hand, sat in the seat opposite from me, bringing her hands atop the table and tapping percussive patterns against the surface in boredom.
How does she know about this place?
Sandalwood.
Funny. I think he'd rather be in a dispensary than here.
Doesn't sounds like as good of a date spot.
Who said anything about dates?
Sandalwood and Sunset, probably.
Ha. Ha.
Sucks to suck, what with being the second guy she's taken here. Oh, how about this: a double date! You take Spitfire, and Sandalwood takes Sunset. Though, let's be honest, they'll both be going home with him by the end! 
"Cute shop, right?" she asked.
I hummed in concurrence. "It's no Sweet Shoppe, but honestly, I prefer it." I scanned the room, reminded of its emptiness. Whatever few patrons that had been here when we walked in were already gone. "Let's hope this place can stay afloat."
"I know, tell me about it."
Looking towards the voice, we were greeted by Cherry, carrying a tray of drinks and pastries. Curiously, though, there was a third cup and croissant.
"I hope you two don't mind me joining you for a bit. There probably won't be anyone coming by anytime soon anyway." 
Seeing both of our nods, the shop owner sighed, grabbing a chair from one of the nearby tables and bringing it over to our table. Sitting down, she gestured towards our drinks, which we took graciously. I palmed the glass cup, staring into the frothy milk center as its outer rim slowly integrated into the dark espresso surrounding it. The drink looked undeniably impressive, and I felt somewhat sad to disrupt it. However, from the edges of my vision, the other ladies drank from their cups, so I did the same, feeling a strong heat settling in my stomach and spreading throughout my body. I hummed in satisfaction.
"Cherry, this is really good."
"Aw, thank you! I doubt it's as good as the Cakes' stuff from down the road, but I try."
"I don't know." I took another sip. "I beg to differ."
"You're too kind." She bit into her pastry. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you two here?"
Sunset chimed in. "Just recovering after a day of classes."
"You're students at Canterlot High, right? You aren't wearing the Crystal Prep uniforms."
"That's right." Sunset stared into her cup, deep in thought, before looking back up at the older woman. "If you don't mind me asking, what led you to opening this place? Like you said, you're kinda in the same niche as the Sweet Shoppe on the other side of town."
"I like coffee." Seeing our blank stares, Cherry shrugged. "It's always been a dream of mine to open one, and this space was up for sale. Even if it doesn't work out in the long run, it still happened." Gazing at both of us, she smiled sweetly. "If even just a couple people enjoy their time here, it's a successful venture."
Satisfied with her answer, Sunset and I returned to our drinks.
"Actually, you two remind me of my high school years. Back then, I also worked at a coffee shop - a pop-up shop like this. One time, this guy named Caramel walks in - quiet, but a real cutie, that one." Reminiscing, Cherry giggled. "Anyway, we get to talking, and he orders a drink, but I'm so distracted ogling at him that by the time I grabbed an empty cup, I had already forgotten his order!" Another laugh, wrinkles deepening.
Sunset leaned onto the table, resting head on hand as she became increasingly engrossed in the story.
"By then, he had already left to grab a seat, so I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what to do. When the owner came up to me, I told him what happened, and he gave me a choice. He said, 'If he complains about the order being wrong, both your drink and his real one comes out of your paycheck. If he doesn't get pissed, I'll make him his real drink on the house.'"
"So how'd it turn out?" Sunset was even closer Cherry, almost standing up out of her seat.
"Let's just say I pulled out the ol' 'Cherry Charm!'" She winked at us, and I rolled my eyes. "I made two white mochas and brought them over. I asked to sit with him, and we just talked for quite a while. It was mostly small talk, but I found out that he was quite lonely. Didn't really have any friends, didn't really want any either. Still, we bonded a bit until I eventually realized how long our conversation had been. As I got ready to leave, I asked him about his drink. Turned out he had asked for a white mocha the whole time! Liked it so much he started showing up regularly, and of course, I always snuck away from the owner to hang out with him. We talked about..." her words trailed off, but the sparkle in her eyes still shone brightly. "Well, we talked about anything."
"Wow..." Sunset's eyes were wide with wonder. "Sounds like you two grew really close."
"Oh, yeah. We even went out on a few dates- Oh!" Cherry put a hand to her mouth, blushing. 
Sunset giggled beside her. "Awww, how cute!"
The older woman groaned. "I've said too much..." Glancing at us, then at our drinks, she gestured towards the cups. "Hurry up and finish your drinks before they get too cold."
Mumbling apologies, we grabbed our cups, and the three of us silently enjoyed our drinks. Cherry was right; my macchiato was growing cold, and the slimy feeling as the liquid slid down my throat became increasingly apparent. Peeking over at Cherry, I noticed that she was staring blankly into her cup, and her eyes were dulled over. Afraid she noticed my discomfort with the taste, I downed the rest of my drink. Eventually, though, Cherry cleared her throat.
"Whatever, I guess there's no hiding it; yeah, I grew infatuated with him." She smile softly, but her eyes had since lost their glimmer. "Things didn't work out though."
Sunset opened her mouth, as if to ask her to continue, but she decided against it. Still, the shop owner went on.
"One day, he brought a girl to the place. I thought nothing of it at first. If anything, I should've been happy that he was making more friends, right? Anyway, I tried joining them at the table like I usually did with just Caramel, but... God, the way they looked at each other when I sat down... They looked so happy together - at least, they were until I showed up." For a split second, I noticed the quickest flash of anger, a flicker of pain so unnaturally taking over, though only for the briefest of brief moments. Regardless, she instantaneously suppressed that emotion, sighing quietly. "I stopped talking to him - even got my hours shifted to end just before he usually showed up. What a mistake that was. Turned out that girl treated Caramel like her servant, and once she got bored of ordering him around, she dumped him. He got his heart broken, and without anyone to turn to, he just... disappeared." She dipped her head, and as her gaze returned to us, we could only respond with sympathetic looks ourselves. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to darken the mood; it's just..." 
She turned to Sunset. "When you asked about the place, I wasn't being completely honest. Caramel lived here. When we'd go on our little dates, we'd stop by the Sweet Shoppe. He'd always complain about how their white mochas weren't as good, and I'd always brag that I'd open a place where he could buy as many white mochas as he'd want." A sigh. "A part of me is still hopeful - hopeful that one day I can give Caramel all the drinks I owe him." Looking back down again, Cherry shook her head in sadness. 
Wiping away a tear, Sunset reached over the table to hold her hand.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that Cherry. I can't imagine what how hard it's been shouldering all this guilt." She squeezed Cherry's hand.  "I know we're just a couple of high school students, but I'd bet my life that Caramel's still out there, and one of these days, he'll walk right through those doors," she pointed at the front door, a confident smile painted on her face, "and when he shows up, I know you'll make it up to him."
Cherry squeezed back, smiling. "Thank you, sweetie. That means a lot to me." Wiping a tear of her own, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. "I'm sorry. I've taken so much of your time. I should probably get back to the counter." She gestured towards our empty cups, and we placed them back on the tray. With a small bow, Cherry carried the tray back to the counter to clean them.
"She's a good woman, isn't she?" Sunset turned to me. "It's a shame she's gone through all that, and she even blames herself for what happened to Caramel." Her eyes flickered between Cherry and me. "Considering you just drank an espresso, you were pretty quiet the whole time."
"What, did you want me to pull out the popcorn?"
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
"It's not like I wasn't paying attention." I looked away. "It resonated with me. Puts things into perspective, y'know?"
Sunset nodded slowly, but as the words processed in her head, I saw a sneer forming.
"Drawing comparisons?"
I gulped, heat forming at my cheeks. "Wha- what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, c'mon. You and me? Caramel and Cherry?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"I don't."
"Whatever you say." She giggled, sliding out of the booth. "C'mon, let's go."
Sighing, I scooted off the bench, following Sunset to the front door. As we passed the counter, Cherry waved at us.
"Thank you two for coming by! Have a good day!"
I waved back. "Thanks! We'll definitely be back sometime soon." My head turned back towards the exit just as the door flew open, bells ringing loudly. The person walking in bumped into me, so I stepped back, taking in the offender's appearance. She wore black jeans and a white tank top.  Frowning at me, she put her sunglasses on top of her spiky blue hair. Tracing the black lenses, I noticed the glint of piercings hanging off her ears, but I more immediately became aware of the rose-colored eyes between said ears glaring at me.
"Watch it, bub!"
"Sorry."
The girl faced Sunset, who gave her a wave. Scowl still present, the girl rolled her eyes, wordlessly approaching the desk as we made our way outside. Behind us, though, Cherry chimed in.
"Good afternoon, sweetie!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here for the job."
"Oh! You must be Vinyl Scratch, right?"
"The one and only."
Their conversation disappeared once the door shut closed, and once we had rounded the corner, the words slipped out of my mouth.
"What's with the stick up her ass?"
Sunset gave me a shrug, "Dunno. Vinyl's not usually like that. Maybe I'll talk to her tomorrow at school."
"Let me know if she actually talks to you this time."
She exhaled sharply. "Will do."
"Y'know, I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but... I still think it's crazy that you talk with pretty much everyone at school."
A cheeky grin formed once more. "What, jealous?"
"Of talking to everyone? No." I returned her smile. "Of talking to you? Absolutely."
A giggle. "I'm flattered. But seriously, it wasn't easy. I had to bend over backwards for some people."
Subconsciously, my grin disappeared, and in its stead, a frown formed on my face. "You know you don't have to do that, right? It kinda defeats the purpose of being friends when you're just kissing up to them."
Sunset's smile also subsided. "It's not 'kissing up,' though. I'm just trying to make up with everyone, and however they want me to do it, I'll do it."
"Seems a bit easy to take advantage, isn't it?"
Having reached the lot, we stopped in front of the entrance.
"I was a she-demon. I doubt anyone could stoop to the level, so I'm fine."
"Emphasis on 'was.' You've become so much more than that, so I don't understand why you're willing to essentially degrade yourself if it means convincing one single person that can't accept the fact that you've reinvented yourself."
"Well, of course you wouldn't understand."
Whatever rebuttal I had been preparing got caught in my throat. "Huh?"
"You remember what happened, right?" 
Wincing, I turned away. "That's in the past."
"So? Criminals don't get immediately forgiven for their crimes. They serve time. They repent." The air grew tense, and her voice gradually rose. "That's what I'm doing: I'm serving my sentence by befriending and helping everyone. It doesn't matter what it is. If it means repenting for what I tried at the Fall Formal, I'll do it." She sighed in frustration.
Despite her conviction, I also felt the heat of exasperation growing.
"I don't think you're a criminal, Sunset."
"Yeah? Well, no one else cares what you think." Reflexively, her eyes shot open, hand reached out in a futile attempt to catch her words before they came out.
Matching her surprise, my eyes widened, and my stomach did a backflip before tying itself into a knot. Once the shock dissipated, I clenched a fist, locking gazes with Sunset.
There really is no way to convince her. Why the hell does this redemption tour matter so much to her anyway?
Why the hell does this redemption tour matter so much to you?
Because I'm her friend.
Because you're selfish. Remember what Rainbow Dash said?
She's just mad that I'm spending time with Sunset and she isn't. She doesn't know what she's talking about.
Then what about Flash? Or how about Rarity? Applejack? Fluttershy? Pinkie? You don't see them hounding her every minute of the day. You're obsessed, and she's going to find out if you keep this up.
I just don't want her getting hurt! What about Sandalwood and Spitfire?
What about them? As far as you know, she just smoked a bit of weed. Big deal. Maybe if you actually grew a pair and confronted them, you wouldn't be in this position!
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.
You're right.
Damn ri- huh?
I didn't have the balls to step in back then. If she wants to help other people, then I owe it to her to help her back. I won't let her turn into Caramel.
We'll see.
Inhaling deeply, I relaxed my hand and opened my eyes. Blinking away the pain that had blurred my vision, I met Sunset's gaze.
"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Sunset retreated, pulling her arm back and hugging herself. She looked as if she just shot me, eyes beginning to glisten. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that! Oh, Celestia, I'm so sorry!"
Approaching her, I grabbed her hand, eliciting a gasp in response.
"It's fine. I know you didn't mean it."
"It- it doesn't make it any better. I've been trying so hard, but I still let my emotions get the better-" She yelped as I tugged on her hand, pulling her into an embrace. Releasing her hands, I wrapped my arms around her, resting one against her back and the other against her head. Instantly, the familiar scent of lavender flooded my senses. 
Overwhelmed with emotion, Sunset let out choked sobs into my chest, and I rubbed her back until her shaking stopped. Once I felt that she had calmed down, I continued.
"You're my friend, Sunset. Nothing will change that, and don't ever forget that."
Seeing the tangled mass of red and yellow bob slightly, I assumed she was nodding.
"Also, I'm sorry, too. You're right. Just because you've helped restore my reputation doesn't mean everyone will forgive you as easily, and true, I don't know what you're going through, and I'll never know... unless I decide on becoming a demon as a senior prank."
Beneath me, Sunset giggled, sniffing her tears away.
"I'm not in a position to judge you, and instead, I should be supporting you."
Looking down, I saw her eyes flicker up to meet mine.
"I'll be honest: I'm afraid of you getting hurt. I don't wanna see you force yourself to do God knows what just to please some people." With a blink, her eyes turned elsewhere. By now, her eyes, while still puffy and red, were no longer wrought with tears.
"I'll be fine," she whispered.
I sighed. "I know you will... 'cause I'll be there to support you every step of the way." I felt pressure against my chest as the girl beneath me gasped lightly. "You were right at The Coffee Shop. Cherry's story resonated with me because I was afraid you'd end up hurt like Caramel. But I never considered how different you are from him. You have the girls. You have me and Flash. You have friends that'll support you, and I'm sorry I didn't see it beforehand."
"I swear on my life, I'll make sure someone will always be there for you - if not me, then somebody else."
Gasping again, Sunset shuddered with emotion before tightening her embrace around me. I pulled her closer to me, pondering the vow I had declared so confidently. I no longer thought of Sandalwood and Spitfire, of Caramel and Cherry. 
There was only the girl in my arms.
Sunset Shimmer was special to me, and whether or not she reciprocated those feelings, I'd ensure that there'd always be someone there to support her. She'd never have to feel alone ever again.
> Dance, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I looked to my side, scanning Sunset's face, but she held in her emotions.
"Why not?"
"It's just..." Vice Principal Luna folded her hands on the desk. "Trust me, I have witnessed all your efforts to prove that you've changed." She gestured to me. "For instance, the young man next to you is a testament to your reformation."
Sunset's eyes flickered to me, and I gave her a supportive nod. Still, I frowned, turning back to the administrator. "So why won't you let her go to the Fall Formal?"
The woman ran a hand through her blue locks and sighed, allowing her fatigue to show for a moment. However, as she opened her eyes, I noticed a warm look in her eyes as her professional demeanor eased up. Holding a hand by her mouth, she dropped to a whisper. "If I'm completely honest with you two, do you promise to not tell Tia?" Seeing our nods, she continued. "It's the parents. You might have proven to me and countless other people at this school of your 'rehabilitation,' but off campus, it's an entirely different story."
Sunset leaned forward in her seat, worry painted across her face. "What do you mean?"
"It means that if parents learn that you are attending the Fall Formal, the same event of your... 'incident,'" she gave Sunset an apologetic smile, "they could interpret it as a safety risk. All they've know about you is what you did last year, so they might wonder, 'What if she does it again?' It's inevitable that not everyone has forgiven you - though that's not to say it's due to a lack of effort on your part."
Despite her careful wording, Sunset showed very obvious discomfort. Bringing her chair around her desk and closer to us, Vice Principal Luna took Sunset's hand.
"I'm sorry. Truly, I am, but beyond the negative attention it may bring to the school, you may also be at risk from the potential backlash. We've already had to enlist adult volunteers to supervise the event. Thus, Tia and I found the safest option would be for you to skip this year's Fall Formal. Despite this, we will work our hardest to ensure you can safely attend later events like the Spring Fling."
By now, Sunset had almost-inhumanly deflated, and whatever hope she had of convincing Luna to let her attend was slowly being extinguished. Regardless, she squeezed the vice principal's hand, pleading.
"Isn't there any other alternative? It's my last Fall Formal before graduation. Besides, wouldn't it be better to prove that I can participate in school events without causing more problems? I can even volunteer to help organize or set up! Please..." She looked up longingly at the blue woman, searching her eyes for any sign of swaying her.
"I... Hmm..." The vice principal rubbed her chin. "True, I don't feel quite right about robbing you of your senior year's formal. Also, it wouldn't be right to have you work your way into the formal, so that's off the table."
"Would it be possible to just have someone supervise her?" 
Both ladies turned to me, simultaneously cocking eyebrows. "You said there'd be adults there, right? Why not get a dedicated chaperone for Sunset? That way, she can attend while proving to at least the parents at the event that there's nothing to worry about."
Vice Principal Luna rubbed her chin once more. "I... I suppose that could be a possibility." Her gaze went to Sunset. "Is that something you want to do? I can understand if having an adult hovering over you would make you uncomfortable."
Sunset turned to me, but I returned a blank stare, intent on letting her choose for herself.
"If it means being able to go to the formal, I'll do it."
At that, Luna nodded. "Alright. I'll run it by Tia, and we'll try to get that sorted out. Until then, focus on your studies, and we'll keep you updated."
"Will do. Thank you, Vice Principal Luna."
"Hmm, yes, thank you, Vice Principal Lulu." 
Luna's face went bright red, and behind us, a certain fair-skinned woman walked up to her sister.
"Sister," the blue woman hissed, "I recall telling you to never call me that in front of the students."
"And I with 'Tia.'" As the younger sister rolled her eyes, the elder turned to Sunset. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to sort something out with assigning you a chaperone so that you can attend."
"Thank you, Principal Celestia."
With that, Sunset and I picked our bags and exited the office, leaving the two sisters to discuss their course of action. Once we were a considerable distance down the hall, Sunset let out a long sigh.
"Why can't people get it?" She let out a groan and dropped into a slouch. "Most of the school has already forgiven me, so it just hurts to know that I haven't been able to convince anyone outside of here."
I stopped. "To hell with them, then." She looked at me inquisitively. "Look, it's like Vice Principal Luna said: pretty much everyone here knows you've changed."
"That doesn't mean everyone's convinced."
"Then don't aim to convince everyone."
A pause. "Uh, you know what I've been trying to do this whole time, right? Kinda defeats the purpose if I'm not making it up to every person I wronged in the past."
"Do you think it's feasibly possible?"
"I won't know until I try."
"You don't have to. Take it from me: that's an impossible task 'cause you can't change everyone's opinion of you no matter what you do." I sighed. "Trust me, I know."
She winced, remembering the rumor. "Sorry."
"Don't be. You fixed it, and I'm not bothered by it anymore, so it's fine. Sure, there's people that might still believe it, but that's their loss. I'm still going to live my life like I'm not, so at that point, they're just being ignorant." I stared straight into her eyes. "Rather than dedicating yourself to righting every single wrong, dedicate yourself to living a friendly and empathic life. That way, you can impact the lives of others while being genuine, and it would be logically ignorant to think otherwise."
"I guess... I guess I never thought of it that way." As she mulled over my perspective, a relieved smile formed on her face. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
She jabbed my arm, and we made our ways home.



The next couple of weeks were uneventful, but Vice Principal Luna quickly informed Sunset that she would be able to attend the Fall Formal so long as a chaperone was present at all times. To what extent "present" entailed, though, was not elaborated upon. Still, Sunset merrily joined in on her friends' preparations, which took up most of her time. While it was a bittersweet experience, the thought of knowing she would be able to experience her senior formal made it bearable. Eventually, the night of the Fall Formal had arrived, and I pulled into the parking lot, spotting Flash waiting for me by his car. 
Around him, students in various formal outfits made their way inside the school. Some dressed in ornate, flowing dresses. Others looked like they just woke up from a nap and threw a blazer over the t-shirt they slept in. Regardless, they entered the building in groups or pairs. I spotted Big Mac, wearing a simple red vest and a white shirt, escorting his youngest sister and her friends. A couple feet behind, several girls whispered among themselves while fawning over the farmer. Behind them, Snips and Snails sneered at the groupies, likely devising a plan to take a couple of them home. I rolled my eyes, knowing there was no way in hell a girl would willing sleep with either of them.
Considering it's those two, though, they definitely weren't going to charm girls into bed, but I pushed the implications out of my head, approaching my friend and flashing a grin.
"Lookin' good, Flash."
"Thanks. You look sharp as hell, too."
Unlike last year, he wore a closed, double-breasted black suit jacket, and underneath, a black bowtie sat over a white dress shirt. To top it off, he had matching blue cuff links and a pocket square. The ensemble was significantly more muted than his previous outfit, but it matched him nonetheless.
While Flash relied on a primary color to make his outfit pop, I elected for a purely monochromatic palette. I donned a fitted grey suit with a black shirt underneath. I also had a striped black straight tie and a black pocket square. It was simple, but just elaborate enough to not look like a last-minute wardrobe grab. I glanced down at my watch.
"Sunset's late."
Flash shrugged. "Rarity's probably fixing everyone's makeup."
I chuckled. "Makes sense. Well, wanna just head inside then?" I turned to follow the crowd of students filing into the auditorium, and Flash trailed behind me.
Walking into the gigantic hall, I was welcomed with party decorations. Balloons and party streamers lined the walls and most bits of furniture. The lights inside had been dimmed, save for the colored show of beams dancing around the room. Along the outer walls, the moonlight also provided a soft illumination. Along the wall to our left was a photo booth, likely petitioned by Photo Finish after she had struggled to take any decent photos when surrounded by crowds of dancers on all sides. At the opposite end of the wall, a tiny DJ system was set up in the corner, and a familiar blue-haired girl operated the plethora of turntables and mixers. The music consisted of popular pop songs, and the DJ did a good job of mixing and fading the music as needed. Judging from her energy, though, she wasn't having too much fun. Next to the booth, the stage was empty, curtains down. The stairs were blocked off, keeping people away until the winner of the Fall Formal crown was chosen.
On the right side were a handful of tables with assorted confectionaries as well as a couple of fancy-looking punch bowls. In each corner as well as the wall adjacent to the entrance, a few chairs and benches provided spaces for people to rest their feet after hours of partying, and out in the hallway, a couple benches had been left for people who wanted to rest further away from the music, though much of the halls had been blocked off with stanchion ropes preventing students from sneaking off. Along the walls of the auditorium and the accessible parts of the halls, adults lounged around, watching out for any miscreants. If any of them were excited to be there, their outfits certainly didn't express that sentiment.
Despite the booming music and epileptic lights, most of the people inside still shied away from the center. A large crowd had formed on the right side of the room as students pretended to focus on grabbing cupcakes or drinks, and while some groups had a couple dancers, they stayed in their corners, afraid of being watched by their peers. I turned to Flash, frown inevitably formed on my face.
"Dude... this looks like shit...-take mushroom." I gave an apologetic smile to the nearby supervisor who snapped her head right to me, glaring. "Was it really this dead last year?"
"Beats me." Flash crossed his arms. "I couldn't really pay attention 'cause... Nevermind."
"She's not here yet, so it's fine." I searched the crowd and searched for a new topic to discuss. "Y'know, I'm surprised you don't have a date. I figured someone like you could haul in any girl you wanted." I sneered at him. "Or are you still waiting for Twilight to come back?"
A blush. "Hey... A man can dream, right? Besides, you're in the same boat as me, aren't you?"
I shrugged. "It's a work in progress."
"You can say that again."
"Okay."
"Shut up. Want something from the dessert table?" He smiled. "I heard the Cakes baked fall-themed goods, like pumpkin flavored cupcakes. I haven't had those before, so I need to try something."
"Sure, surprise me."
"You got it, bud." Snaking through the mass of people along the borders of the room, Flash disappeared. Feeling awkward standing by the entrance by myself, I decided to slither along the left wall, making my way over to the only other person I felt familiar with. I snuck into the curtained booth, greeting the girl as the loud music magically faded to a bearable volume inside.
"Hey, Barista."
She groaned. "Oh, great, as if tonight couldn't get worse."
"You could be working. Imagine, another graveyard shift with no one to talk to."
"God, don't remind me." The barista twisted two channel knobs to fade into the next song. "Honestly, though, at least Cherry would've let me do more than flip between songs on a playlist."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Really? That's all you can do?"
"Yup."
"Damn." I kicked the air aimlessly. "So why do you do it?"
A shrug. "For the resume, I guess. I'm technically doing this for community service, so the school can vouch for me if I include it when I apply for a better job." She smiled. "There's that music store on the other side of town that I wanna apply to."
"Fair enough."
"Yeah. So don't fuck it up for me, okay?"
"No promises." We shared a grin.
"If you do, I'm spitting in your cup the next time you go on one of your midnight coffee runs."
"I'll make sure to switch with Sunset."
"You asshole," she groaned. "Now scram! A girl's gotta man the machines." Returning to the sound system, she waved a hand back at me, and I stepped back outside the booth. Scanning the crowd, students had slowly pushed towards the center, though there was still a substantial gap where only the most daring dancers stood. At the other end of the room, I spotted Flash standing in line, checking his phone impatiently and peeking over people's shoulders to make sure there were still sweets remaining. I texted him to meet me outside once he got his food and navigated through the sea of attendees until I exited the auditorium, walking out to the front steps of the school. 
As I made my way out, there were some students lounging along the hallway, and at a bench, a couple was arguing - something about someone smelling fishy, but between the two, they couldn't agree on the culprit. Stepping out and deeply inhaling the fresh air, I took out my phone, swiping through the obligatory pre-formal photos on MyStable, when I noticed a limousine pulling up to the front of the school. I internally groaned and stepped away to go back inside, not wanting to deal with Diamond Tiara and the entourage her dad had likely hired. 
However, as its doors opened, I heard a cacophony familiar voices. Whipping my head back around, I watched in awe as Sunset and her friends exited the vehicle. Their dresses, all uniquely reflecting their characteristics, were stunning. I watched Sunset stroll with the girls over to the front door. She wore a black sleeveless dress. A strap at the center of her chest wrapped around the back of her neck and connected back with itself, and at the point of connection, a orange gem shone brightly. At the bottom, the layered skirt ended just above her knee, and she held a small black clutch with an orange trim.
They greeted students as they passed them, and as they walked up the stairs, Sunset approached me, beaming.
"Hey! Lookin' snazzy!" She snapped her fingers into guns before giggling. Licking her thumb, she pressed against my sleeve and hissed, laughing yet again.
I chuckled alongside her. "Thanks, Sunset. You look good, too."
Her smile grew mischievous. "That's it? Just 'good?'"
Next to her, Rarity crossed her arms, not quite catching onto the banter. "Now that's no way to compliment a lady," she huffed. She sported a blue and purple dress, and her entire body was adorned with jewelry.
I smirked, locking eyes with Sunset. "Fine. Sunset, you're beautiful - breathtaking even - but I don't think you need me to say that."
"Well, darling, you're no Casanova, but it's a start." The purple-haired girl shrugged, but the amber girl next to her turned red.
"Oh, um, wow. Th- thanks."
"I just say it how I see it."
She nodded. "Well, I need to go check in with Vice Principal Luna before I can head inside. You all can go ahead."
Rarity and a couple others nodded, but I turned to face Sunset again.
"I can-"
"-go with you."
Rainbow Dash and I glared at each other. Around us, the girls looked amongst each other, confused.
"Uh... okay, you both can come with me." The other four girls made their way to the auditorium while Sunset, Rainbow, and I stopped by the supervisor just past the front doors. Sunset approached him, and he put a walkie talkie to his mouth before nodding at her.
She turned back to us. "The vice principal's coming, so we can just hang out here."
We lounged around one of the benches for a couple minutes before Luna arrived, Rainbow on Sunset's left and myself on her right. Like the rest of the adults, the administrator didn't dress up for the occasion, but considering she and her sister regularly dressed with a sense of formality, she blended in sufficiently enough. Next to her, though, was another woman. She had pink skin and poofy lime hair and wore a simple outfit of blue jeans and a cream-colored blouse with a floral design.
"Good evening, you three. Staying out of trouble?"
Sunset gave Luna a nervous smile. "Hopefully."
"Great." She reciprocated before gesturing to her companion. "This is Daisy, and she'll be your chaperone."
"Hi, Daisy. Pleasure to meet you." Sunset held her hand out.
The chaperone only nodded, glaring at the girl.
The vice principal cleared her throat. "If you need to go anywhere that may break sightlines, you must let Daisy know beforehand. If I hear that you intentionally separated from her, well... we'll have no choice but to bar you from future school events."
"Got it."
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, Tia should be back with some cake." The blue woman waved at us and departed, rubbing her hands excitedly.
"Wanna head in?" Sunset got up from the bench, brushing off her dress. Rainbow and I followed suit as the chaperone trailed behind. As we approached the entrance, I noticed an increase in students inside, and looking over them, I noted that more dancers had filled in the center, and it looked like the energy of the crowd was growing to an expected level. The music had likely helped everyone ease into the party as more intense and popular songs were played. I even heard a few turntable scratches that had been snuck in.
Suddenly, from the wall of bodies at the doorway, Flash dove out to safety, breathing heavily. His tie had been undone and draped around his neck, and a few upper buttons on his shirt had been undone.
"There you are!" he panted. "It was finally my turn to grab some cupcakes when people started pushing towards the center! But don't worry, I got us some treats!" He held out a plate triumphantly.
"It's empty."
Eyes bursting open, Flash glanced down. Aside from a couple sprinkles, there was no sign he had even put anything on it. His breathing became ragged and loud, and sweat began pouring down his face.
"No... no way." Leaning against the hallway wall, he slid down onto the ground. "Man..."
Rainbow and I rolled our eyes, but Sunset crouched down to him.
"We can go in line to get more." She looked over at Daisy, who nodded. "C'mon, let's go." Pulling Flash to his feet, she glanced at us. "Coming?"
I peeked over the mass of students, catching a glimpse of the roaring sea of bodies surrounding the tables. I gave a sideways glance to Rainbow, and we collectively shook our heads.
"Alright. We'll see you guys in bit!"
"That'll be a long bit." I joked. "Good luck."
With that, Sunset and Flash disappeared into the crowd.
I turned to Rainbow Dash. "Where're you headed?"
She shrugged. "Rest of the girls, I guess."
"Mind if I tag along?"
"Yeah, very much." A pause. "Fine, do what you want."
"Cool, cool."
We navigated around student after student, making sure not to get too close to the dancers in the middle. Eventually, we spotted the girls at the opposite corner of the auditorium. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were talking to Fluttershy, who was nervously shuffling around in a chair. A few feet off to the side, Rarity was talking to a couple guys, cup in hand. I chuckled inside at their desperate attempts to charm her, but their attempts fell upon deaf ears. Rainbow and I approached Pinkie, who lit up even more when she saw us.
"Hey, hey, hey! Could you help us out?"
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "With...?"
"We're trying to convince Fluttershy to dance with us, but she's practically glued to the chair!" We looked down at the yellow-colored girl, who was holding onto Applejack's hand. The cowgirl whispered a few words to the shy gal, but they seemed to be ineffective as her chest expanded to a comical size, and her eyes were wide with fear. Gazing over at Applejack, I noticed a bead of sweat forming at her temple, and she winced every now and then. Paying closer attention to her hand, I watched Fluttershy nearly crush it as she attempted to calm herself down.
I looked over towards the chair. "Do you want to dance?"
Fluttershy's eyes flickered everywhere except to my face. "I... don't... I don't... know." The music switched to a bass-heavy tune, and the boom of the speakers made her yelp, resulting in a hiss from Applejack.
"If you're not sure, I can wait with you until you're sure." I turned to Pinkie, who gave me a concerned look. "You two wanna go and dance, right? I'm not feeling up for it yet, so I can chill out here." She faced Applejack, who shrugged.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie glanced over at Fluttershy. "If you feel up for some dancing, Flutter, we'll be right over there!" She pointed out towards the center of the room before heading in that direction. Applejack stood up and followed Pinkie to the dance floor.
"Not gonna dance?" I snickered at Rainbow, who glared over to me.
"Very funny. What about you? Knees too rickety?"
"Ouch. You really got me. Maybe stick to soccer. At least you're good at that."
From her frown, a small smile snuck out. She leaned up against the auditorium wall, and I took the seat next to Fluttershy, facing her.
"So, how're you doing?"
"...fine."
Realizing her apprehension, I tried to dance around my main question, hoping to more easily coax out a response. "How do you feel about this year's formal compared to last?"
"It's okay."
"Anything differences that stick out to you?" I scanned the room. "Personally, I'm not a fan of a lot of the music."
"People."
"What about the people?" I gave her a quizzical look, but I was struggling to make any progress.
"...mmmrrsssing..."
"Huh?"
She twiddled her thumbs. "...embarrassing."
"'Embarrassing?'"
A nod.
"I see. You can talk to me about it if you're comfortable enough to do so. Trust me: my lips are sealed." I zipped my lips closed, eliciting a soft smile. "And as insurance, if you tell me, I'll tell you a really embarrassing secret of Rainbow's." I snapped my head over to the glaring girl. "Kidding. A secret of mine."
Fluttershy giggled, putting her hands on her thighs. "Okay."
"Cool."
"You first."
My swallowed hard, and I spotted Rainbow hiding her laughter behind a hand. Fluttershy's soft smile became unusually sly.
"Uh, we didn't agree on that."
"You never mentioned an order. Take it or leave it." She crossed her arms with a smirk.
"Counteroffer."
"Okay."
"I'll give you a bit of information, then you give me a bit of information, and we'll just go back and forth. You only have to reveal as much as you feel comfortable with."
"Deal."
We nodded in agreement, and I took a second to ponder how to approach this "game." Fluttershy never promised to keep it between us, so there was the risk of my secret getting out to the other girls. Then, I glanced over to Rainbow Dash, realizing that no matter what, my secret was getting out to the girls. However, knowing Rainbow Dash, who's to say she hasn't already told them about the-
"Girl I like."
Rainbow groaned.
"Boy likes me."
"She's here at the formal."
"Same."
"I don't think she likes me."
"I don't like him back."
"I hope I can dance with her tonight."
"I hope he doesn't see me and ask to dance tonight."
I grinned. "Are we talking about each other?"
Fluttershy giggled softly. "I hope not."
Having understood enough, we sat in silence, people-watching. Looking over to the tables, I spotted Sunset and Flash near the front of the line. Sunset said something to him with a grin, and they both laughed. A feeling of longing grew from the pit of my stomach, but I ignored it. Behind them, along the wall, Daisy continued glaring at the girl. Turning to the dance floor, bits of Applejack and Pinkie Pie appeared as the mass of students danced. The cowgirl was unsuccessfully attempting to line dance, and the confectionary queen looked like she was spazzing out on the floor. My gaze continued right, and I caught a few more interesting moments, such as one of Applejack's and Rarity's sisters attempting to mimic their friend's dance, flapping their arms like chickens, and Big Mac chatting up Miss Cheerilee, who was one of the supervisors.
Eventually, I landed on Rarity, and I squinted, catching a slight sway in her stance. Her cup of punch had seemingly been refilled, and one of the boys surrounding her offered another. Upon further inspection, I realized none of them were drinking any. One guy put an arm around her waist, and another draped an arm over her neck. Uncharacteristically, she barely reacted. Without a word, I shot up from the chair, leaving Rainbow and Fluttershy behind and quickly walking up to Rarity.
"Hey." The arms around her retreated, but I ignored the glares around me.
"Oh! Hello, daaarling." Her face was flushed, and she seemed like she couldn't decide whether to lean on me for balance. "Would you like some puuunch?" She held out her cup.
"Are you okay?"
"...hmm?"
One of them exhaled sharply. "Hey, man, can't you see we're talking?"
Another crossed his arms. "Yeah, get your own girl."
I glanced over to Rarity, but she stared aimlessly, eyes glossed over.
"What's wrong with her?"
"What?" One shrugged. "We haven't done anything."
"I didn't say you did anything." Their glares deepened as I caught his slip-up. "Rarity?"
Frown slowly forming, she mumbled something incoherent, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Last warning, dude. Scram."
One of them rolled up his sleeves.
"Rarity! Do you need help?"
Her eyelids drooped, then she collapsed into my arms.
I opened my mouth to shout, but nothing came out.
> Dance, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes darted around wildly. Of the group of guys around me, a handful of them stepped forward, malintent all too obvious, and the rest of them disappeared into the crowds. Bodies blocked the walls from my vision, meaning I couldn't see any adults, and they couldn't see me. Any sudden movements, any attempts to catch anyone's attention, and there was no telling what all these guys could do to me or, worse, Rarity. I draped her arm over my neck to better carry her, hoping her legs would stabilize eventually. 
I sighed. I'm definitely getting jumped next week.
"Help!" With my other arm, I gesticulated wildly, leading Rarity backwards and intentionally bumping into as many people as I could. I watched the rest of the boys slip into the crowd, and in their place, hundreds of eyes stared at me in shock. Several adults ran over to my side, taking the unconscious girl from my arms.
"What happened?" one of them asked.
"I don't know! Some guys kept giving her punch and then she..."
The adult nodded, pulling out her walkie talkie. "Can we get someone to confiscate all the drinks? We've got a girl here with potential alcohol poisoning."
Hearing those words, I felt bile crawl up my throat, but I swallowed it down quickly. They gently shook her, and very slowly, she stirred, mumbling a few words. At her response, two supervisors sat her up, and the crowd surrounding us parted, revealing an adult carrying a wheelchair.
"We're gonna take her to the nurse's office until the ambulance gets here," one ordered.
"Someone already called?"
A nod.
"Good." The first woman turned to me. "We'll take it from here, son. Thank you for saving her."
"Do you... Can I come with?"
She paused. 
"No, there shouldn't be too many people in the way when the EMTs get here." She gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."
Again, the crowd parted, and Rarity was escorted out of the auditorium. I watched as the mass of students swallowed them up before scanning the immediate spectators.
They stared... with condemnation. 




Sophomore year. As the final bell announced the final class of the day, I dropped my backpack by my desk, lazily plopping into the seat. The teacher usually took her time starting the lecture, so we had at least a couple minutes to get settled. Peeking over my left shoulder, I spotted all my other friends sitting together, laughing at something on a phone. Normally, I would be with them until the teacher yelled at us to return to our seats, but the stress of fifth period's chemistry quiz had drained me.
I summoned the strength to pull my phone out of my pocket, electing to spend my brief free time to scroll through MyStable. I anticipated swiping through various status updates, memes, and the like, but I noticed a notification in my feed. Someone had tagged my account in a text post, so I checked what they had said, thumb ready to return to the home feed and look at posts that were likely much more interesting.
"just heard @SSpirit tried getting a girl drunk at a party LOL can we get this guy arrested already"
I frowned, rereading the words over and over, but I wasn't mistaken. 
Sunset Shimmer had just accused me of trying to force a girl to drink. Yeah, I had been a party, the past weekend, but all I remembered was sticking to the walls with a cup of water while pretending it was vodka. I searched deeper. Yeah, there was a girl who passed out while I was in the kitchen with her, but I didn't talk to her or anything. I didn't even know her name. I hadn't had any alcohol; I hadn't interacted with the girl who passed out; there was no way in hell they'd accuse me of giving any to her, right?
My eyes flickered around the room, checking everyone as they browsed on their devices. One by one, group by group, their glares turned to me. I looked at my friends for support, but they were no longer my friends. Everyone had already drawn their own conclusions.
They were the judge, jury, and executioner, and in their eyes, I was guilty.




Gradually, the pounding in my eyes subsided, allowing music to replace it, and in the distance, people continued partying at the other corners of the room. However, the air remained tense, eyes peering down at me, and most students opted to gossip amongst their groups rather than continue with the festivities. Still, I steeled myself, standing up and returning over the Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who ran towards me.
"Oh my God, are you alright? What happened to Rarity?" Rainbow's hardened demeanor had cracked, and immense concern seeped through. To my left, Applejack and Pinkie Pie also raced over.
"I... she got sick, I think. They said it was alcohol poisoning."
"What?!" Pinkie gulped, looking over towards the exit. "Where are they taking her?"
"Nurse's office."
Rainbow stared at the ground, arms crossed. "I'm going over there, then."
I shook my head. "They wouldn't let me."
"So what? That's you. They aren't gonna stop me."
Applejack put a hand on her shoulder. "Rainbow, I think we should leave it to the adults."
Clenching her fists, she looked at me, then at Applejack.
"Fuck!" She angrily shook her friend's hand off and walked away.
I started after her, but Applejack held an arm out.
"Don't. She needs to walk it off, and then she'll be fine." She glanced at me. "How about you, sugarcube? I can't imagine watchin' it unfold right in front of you." She sighed. "If only we'd been there, too."
"I'm fine. Way better than Rarity is, at least. Remember those guys that were hanging around her?" She nodded. "They gave her spiked punch. Kept giving her cups of the stuff."
Applejack's face flashed with anger. "They did what?! Damn cowards, the lot! Where are they now?"
I scanned the crowd. "They disappeared when I started screaming."
"Do you know who they were?"
Disheartened, I dropped my head. "No."
"Damn. Damn, damn, damn." Applejack put a hand on my arm. "Listen, sugarcube, you did the right thing, alright? All that matters is that Rarity's safe, y'hear? We can deal with them later." We locked eyes, and staring deeply into those green eyes, I could feel her genuine concern for me.
"Thanks."
"Anytime, partner."
"I think I'm gonna go step outside for a bit." I rubbed the back of my neck, looking out at the crowd. "All the staring makes me nervous."
"Alrighty then. Just don't go chasin' after Rainbow. That girl needs to walk it off on her own, y'hear?"
"Crystal clear."
"That's a lie." She smiled. "I can barely hear a damn thing with this music, and I doubt you're any different."
I returned it. "Guilty as charged." Waving at the three girls, I made my way out of the auditorium, focusing on the doorway. My willpower could only do so much, though, as the whispers resonated in my ears, and the disapproving looks burned holes into my body. As I stepped out into the hallway, though, I ran into Principal Celestia.
"Greetings, my little student. May I speak with you for a moment?"
"Sure."
"Great. Let's find a quieter place." 
We stepped over the stanchions and made our way up to her office. She flipped the lights on and walked over to her desk, beckoning me to sit in the chair across from her.
"Now, I want to be clear. Rarity will be fine. Alcohol poisoning can be a very serious situation, but it's because you acted so quickly that paramedics were able to take her to the hospital immediately. Worst case scenario is they give her an IV for dehydration, but she'll probably be home by the end of tomorrow. Thank you for looking out for one of your peers."
I swallowed back stress. "Of course. Just the right thing to do."
"Agreed, though some may still not act. That brings me to my next point." She folded her hands on the desk. "The spiked punch. I'd like hear everything you know. I understand how important the Fall Formal is to students, and I pray that this is an isolated issue, but if it turns out that there are perpetrators out loose, I will need to shut everything down as soon as possible. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Good." She held a hand out. "Please, tell me everything."
I started from the beginning, explaining how I saw the group of guys giving Rarity cup after cup of the spiked drink, and Principal Celestia recorded it all onto a notepad. I couldn't provide her any names, but I could still vaguely remember a couple appearances. She suggested a few individuals given the descriptions, but I didn't feel comfortable pinning the blame off a guess. Still, she scribbled the names onto the notepad.
"Do you think those boys were the ones to spike the punch?"
"Maybe," I shrugged.
"And they're still out there."
I nodded. "Possibly."
"Hmm. Even if it's just a hunch, I can't risk anything." She picked up the walkie talkie, turning the volume knob and clicking the input button. "Celestia here, perps are potentially still out there, so let's just wrap it up now."
I sighed, a tinge of regret seeping in. My thoughts went to Sunset, whose final formal would be cut short, among the other issues that had occurred. My mind retraced tonight's events leading up to my current predicament. Suddenly, I recalled standing out in the parking lot with Flash. I was reminded of the group of girls following Big Mac... and Snips and Snails trailing behind. "I, uh... I think there's other people who could've done that."
"Who?" I hesitated, but she calmly caught my gaze. "They don't have to be right. We're both guessing here, right? Whatever suggestions you might have will help me immensely. If you're wrong, no harm no foul. In fact," she rubbed her chin, smiling, "you'd be bailing them out of class."
I chuckled. "True." Closing my eyes, I deeply sighed. "It's kinda weird to explain, but basically I saw Snips and Snails trailing some girls as they were entering the school. Not to be mean, but I didn't think they'd be able to charm any of them. Wow, that sounds really mean. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Presuppositions are inevitable. Continue." Celestia brought her folded hands up to her mouth, but based on the glint in her eye, I figured she was trying to hide her amusement.
"Anyway, in the back of my head, I considered that they might try... something else, y'know? Considering what they did last year and the fact that they haven't really done anything to make up for it, it was something I thought was a possibility."
She nodded, writing on the notepad again. "I see. That's very observant of you, and quite reasonable, too. I appreciate you having the courage to disclose that to me, truly." Ripping the paper off the rings, she placed it in one of the drawers. "Well, I think that's enough information I need. Of course, if you remember anything, please don't hesitate to come to me. My inbox is always open, or you can visit in-between my meetings."
"Thank you." I took a deep breath, but it faltered midway. I tried once more, but it came out shaky.
"Are you alright? Do you need a moment?"
I chuckled sadly. "Maybe more than that."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Can I vent to you?"
"Absolutely." Like her sister, she rolled her chair around the desk and over to me, clearly a tactic to make people feel more comfortable without a table in the way.
It was effective.
"It's... There's a lot of things going on tonight. I thought I was fine, but I think it's all finally starting to settle in." I took another shaky breath. "There was already the issue of Sunset. There's the chaperone thing, but beyond that, there's just the worry of people being reminded of what happened last year. I don't mean to insult any of the adult volunteers, but her chaperone... You could see it easily."
Celestia simply nodded, giving me the space to continue once comfortable.
"She hates Sunset, and I bet most of the parents there still do. It made me so... angry that she was judging Sunset so harshly despite all she's done to improve herself." I clenched my fist. "I know it, you know it, yet she didn't, and it was almost like she did but didn't care."
"It sounds like you care deeply for Sunset."
"Very... but don't tell her that." I chuckled again, and she gave me a sympathetic smile.
"But do the parents bother Sunset?"
"I don't know. Maybe? When we first posed the idea of the chaperone, Sunset was upset about it, but I told her to reframe her goal to just live as a good person rather than trying to please everyone."
"That's a wise perspective."
"Yeah, well, it hasn't really played out the way I want." I stared at the floor. "When Rarity got wheeled out, everyone was just looking at me - judging  me. It reminded me of... when Sunset spread the rumor that I got a girl drunk. God, I thought I was over it, but the circumstances were so similar, it..." I shut my eyes, holding in tears with all my might. "And I'm the lucky one, too. Sunset publicly admitted to lying about everything and took the blame, so my reputation was saved. She doesn't have that luxury. There's no one out there spreading how she's changed. You live your best life, hoping to convince the people you're around, but you don't get forgiven for admitting your own mistakes. I can't imagine how she's been able to handle all the gossip and sideways glances, and I can't believe how naïve I was to think 'just putting your mind to it' would fix everything."
The principal put a hand on mine. I realized how tightly I'd been gripping the armrests and relaxed. Slowly, I opened my eyes, tilting my head back in order to keep the flood gates from flowing freely. Celestia met my gaze.
"I don't think that was naïve at all. You're just trying to support her by suggesting an alternative. Whether or not she chooses to take it is out of your control, so don't beat yourself up over it. As for her reputation," she sighed, squeezing my hand, "you're right. You and I both know how unfair it is for her to be treated so poorly, but we also know that not everyone can be swayed so soon, if at all."
I nodded.
"I swear, my sister and I will do everything within our power to make her outstanding character known, and we will protect her from backlash if necessary. You all attend school for growth, whether it be academic or otherwise, and you should be recognized for it. Sunset is no different." Another squeeze. "If there's anything that we can do to help, please reach out. We want nothing more than for her to be successful, and protecting her reputation and wellbeing is an important part of that."
I could no longer lean back, so I embraced my emotions, letting the tears slowly dribble out the edges of my eyes before flowing down my face. I tried wiping them with my hands, but they refused to disappear. Through my blurry vision, I saw Celestia stand up, holding out her arms, and I accepted the embrace. Like she was my own mother, she quietly comforted me until I could no longer cry anymore.
"You're all my little students," she whispered, "and you'll always be my little students."
"Thank you," I croaked. "This means a lot."
I stepped away from her arms, and she handed me a tissue box to clean myself up. As I made myself presentable, I noticed the wet spots on her shirt.
"I'm, uh, sorry about the..."
She gave a soft smile. "It's no problem at all. Your wellbeing far outweighs a simple piece of clothing." She paused before holding a finger up. "Actually, do me one thing."
I cocked an eyebrow.
"Tell Lulu you like me better." She gave me a sly smile, and I returned it.
"It's the truth anyway."
"You flatter me."
Feeling refreshed and significantly less stressed, I followed Celestia back to the auditorium. At the doorway, Vice Principal Luna greeted us, and we all stepped inside. It looked nothing like when I had first arrived. The party lights and disco ball were gone, and the main lights were on, illuminating the trashed appearance of the room. A variety of decorations were littered across the floor, and there were noticeable marks on the floor from where people had spilled drinks and snacks. Most of the students had already left, but the supervisors were still trying to get the stragglers to leave. The tables were already gone, and both the photo and music booths were being dismantled by their respective operators. Among the remaining students, I spotted Sunset and Flash waiting in front of the stage by the DJ booth.
The principal turned to me. "Take your time. Talk to your friends. You'll all need to rely on one another to get through this."
Nodding, I left her and Luna to talk with the other adults. Approaching Sunset and Flash, their faces lit up, and they quickly walked up to me. I opened my mouth to greet them, but Sunset pulled me into a hug.
"Oh my Celestia!" She increased her grip, and I felt a slight discomfort in my ribs. "When Flash and I were still waiting by the tables, we heard your voice, but we couldn't go over to see what was wrong! Then, we saw the parents pushing Rarity out on a wheelchair! And then, we heard rumors about the punch being spiked and then they announced that they were shutting down the rest of the formal!" She leaned back to look at me. "What the hay happened?"
Sighing, I stepped back. "Some guys got her wasted and tried to take her home. I caught them when I was sitting with Rainbow and Fluttershy, but she passed out once I got there." I almost mentioned the stares that came after, but I bit my tongue. It didn't feel right to remind her, too. "Speaking of which, where'd the girls go?"
"Applejack went home with Big Mac and the Crusaders, and Rainbow ordered a ride for herself, Fluttershy, and Pinkie."
I turned to Flash with a small smile. "So, how were the cupcakes?"
"Great. Wish I could've saved you one."
I waved dismissively. "There's always time to stop by the Sweet Shoppe." My attention switched back to Sunset. "How're you holding up, by the way? How was Daisy?"
"Stayed out of my way at least," she shrugged. 
"How about the formal as a whole? After all this hard work to get you into the formal, it gets shut down no more than halfway through."
She looked away. "Rarity's more important than one single dance."
"Doesn't mean you can't be upset."
A sigh. "Fine. Yeah, it sucks."
"You can say that again." The barista strolled over, leaving her sound system only partially dismantled. "An hour of setup and then another hour of aimlessly 'DJing' only for my break to be for the rest of the day. Unbelievable." She frowned at me. "Did they catch the assholes that spiked the punch and got this shit shut down?"
"Not yet."
"Damn. And what about Rarity?"
"She should be fine by tomorrow."
"Good." The barista nodded, and behind her, Sunset gave a relaxed smile.
I looked over my shoulder to scan the room. All the other students had already left, the photo booth was fully removed, and the supervisors had paused their cleanup efforts to convene with Principal Celestia. She was still talking with the chaperones, but occasionally, she glanced over to us. Eventually, her sister whispered something into her ear, and a smile formed on her face. She mentioned something to the other adults, and with collective nods, they all started exiting the auditorium.
"We'll be back!" The administrator shouted across to us. "Don't destroy the place until we get back!"
As the doors closed, turning back to my group, we all shrugged. I reentered their conversation, which had strayed far from the formal."
"Why would I drive all the way across town just for a discount Sweet Shoppe?" Flash crossed his arms defensively. The girls stood together, glaring at him.
"Uh, 'cause I work there?" The barista made an explosion gesture at her head.
"Sorry, but you're not worth the gas."
"What did you say?!" The barista got up to Flash's face, and Sunset had to pull her back. "I'll have you know that I make a bomb ass latte! Besides, we sell pumpkin cupcakes, too, and they're way better than the Sweet Shoppe."
Sunset nodded. "She's right. The stuff at The Coffee Shop taste way better in my opinion."
Flash raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that."
"You won't know until you try," I chimed in.
"We'll see."
Suddenly, the main lights dimmed. With a loud click, the strobe lights and disco ball activated once more, returning the auditorium to what it had once looked like earlier in the night. We heard the crackle of the intercom, turning to the speakers above the doorway.
"My little students, it seems we're all very preoccupied at the moment, and we'll need someone to watch the auditorium until we can come back to dismantle everything else. Lulu and I- Ow!" Celestia yelped as an audible thump was transmitted over the microphone, and in the background, I heard quiet laughter from others in the room. "Luna and I believe we can trust you four to look the place over for a bit. Enjoy."
As the intercom crackled once more, we all turned to one another, eyes flickering between to see who would break into a smile first. The barista would be the one to do so, whooping loudly.
"Awww yeaaah! Finally!" Within seconds, the parts of the sound system that had been dismantled were set up once more, and the girl gave a turntable a test spin. "Sorry, you guys, but I gotta do this."
I reeled back, anticipating a "wub attack," but she resumed the original playlist of songs. This time, though, she was more liberal with her remixing, recording samples of the music and chopping them live. Her additions to the tracks not only made it more unique but also more enjoyable. 
Unsure of whether to break into dance, I let the music flow through me, gradually bobbing my head to the beat. The barista gave a few turntable scratches and switched to a breakbeat, eliciting a couple cheers from the rest of us. For a few more songs, we wordless enjoyed the barista's music magic. She even played a few original beats of her own, which really amazed Flash. Eventually, though, she turned the music down to talk to us.
"How'd'ya like that?"
"That was... exhilarating," Sunset sighed. Flash and I nodded in agreement.
"Good. Now, I've got something you'll all really enjoy!" After clicking a few times on her laptop, the music switched to... a slow romantic song. Sunset and Flash gasped, and I turned away from everyone, feeling a slight heat at my cheeks. Meanwhile, the barista jumped over her sound system, laughing. She ran up the stage and disappeared behind the curtains.
As the curtains closed behind her, another woman squeaked in surprise.
"Hi, Vice Principal Luna!"
"I- Vinyl!"
"May I?"
Moments later, the strobe lights stopped blinking, and the disco ball slowed down. The barista pushed the curtains apart and slipped back out onto the stage, hopping back to her booth. Adjusting the mix to the acoustic playlist, she smiled over to us as we stood around awkwardly.
"What?" The barista shrugged. "I like romantic music, remember?" She gestured to Sunset, reminding us of the gossip she had spread.
Sunset, on the other hand, shuffled uncomfortably. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."
"Well," the barista walked over to us, "if you wanna make it up to me, dance." She held a hand out to me. "May I, monsieur?"
I rolled my eyes. "Very funny." I stared at her hand for a moment, contemplating the circumstances.
Is this just a dance, or does she want something more?
You dumbass. It's the barista we're talking about. It's just a dance to make everyone feel uncomfortable.
It's certainly working already.
Just grab the hand already and-
"Let's get this over with," I grumbled accepting her offer. Seeing her smile, though, I couldn't help myself from beaming back. Pulling her closer to me, I moved my hands to her back, just above her hips, and she wrapped hers around my neck. The blush of my face deepened, so my eyes darted everywhere except at the girl in front of me. 
Wait.
While looking around, I spotted Flash leaning over to Sunset's ear, whispering something. She visibly gulped before turning to him and nodding. Like us, they began to slow dance, much to my subconscious disdain.
"Hey, Googly Eyes, over here." The barista gave my neck a firm squeeze, shocking me back to her. "It's rude to be looking at other girls when you're dancing with one." Noticing my discomfort, she laughed, and she upped the ante, leaning closer to me until she was almost under my chin. We continued dancing until we had drifted a significant distance away from Sunset and Flash.
"So... what'd'ya think?"
I stared blankly. "What do you mean by that?"
She shrugged. "Anything I guess: the formal itself, the music... my outfit?" As she teased, I glanced down, finally taking in her dress. It was very similar to her everyday outfit; in fact, it was largely identical with the same blue sneakers and purple leggings. However, her usual jacket and skirt were replaced with a white button-up with rolled-up sleeves and a long, white pleated skirt.
Still, the compliments struggled to form in my head.
"You make great coffee?"
A groan, and she pulled on one of my ears, resulting in a yelp. Sunset and Flash peeked over at us, but I just gave a sheepish smile.
"Oh my fucking God, dude. Is that really all you've got?"
"Sorry. The compliments don't come out easily."
Her eyes flickered to the others. "For everyone?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She frowned silently.
"Yeah, yeah, alright," I grumbled. "I can't help it, okay?"
"Pretty much everyone knows."
I cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Seriously? You've been stuck to her ever since she started hanging out with you. You're usually hanging out with her at school... or even off-campus at The Coffee Shop and stuff."
"That doesn't really-"
"Does anyone else hang it with her like you do?"
She posed a good question, and it took a bit to mull that over.
"Maybe?"
"How often does she hang out with Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow?"
"At least about as much as me, I'd guess."
She shook her head. "Whenever I'm around town or working, and I see them, she's almost never with them." Spotting my confusion, she continued. "That might've been the case before, but she obviously prefers being with you."
What? I don't... I don't believe it.
"What?"
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"
I shouldn't get my hopes up.
"I don't wanna mess anything up."
She squeezed my ear, hard. "Are you stupid? You're gonna mess things up if you keep waiting. A girl doesn't agree to midnight coffee with just anyone."
"Yeah, we're friends."
"Just friends?"
"Just friends."
Her frown deepened. We continued dancing quietly for a few more minutes until she looked over to the others.
"Hey, Sunset! Wanna switch?" the barista called out.
Surprised, Sunset broke eye contact with Flash, whipping her head to us. "Uh..." Flash and I looked at each other, shrugging. Seeing our indifference, she nodded. "Sure."
Slowly, we worked out way towards the center, and once we converged, the barista dropped her arms from around my neck.
"Thanks, big guy. I appreciate it." She glanced over to the others. "Flash?"
He and Sunset dropped their arms, and Sunset and the barista swapped places. By now, I'd turned into a tomato, and beads of sweat began to form. I quickly placed my hands at her sides, hoping she wouldn't notice how clammy they had gotten. Sunset wrapped her arms around my neck, and I became reacquainted with her familiar lavender smell.
"We meet again."
She giggled. "That we have."
We kept quiet for a moment, letting the soft guitar melodies carry our dance. Gradually, though, I became aware that Sunset was getting closer and closer to me, retreating into my chest as if we were in a tight embrace. I did little to protest, resting my head against hers. She seized up initially but eased into my arms shortly thereafter, and everything faded away. There was no music, no Flash and VInyl, no Fall Formal. There was only Sunset. I felt so warm, feeling the slow expansion of her diaphragm as she relaxed on me. Playfully, I exhaled sharply out of my nose onto her face, earning a faint giggle.
"This feels nice," she finally whispered.
"You can say that again."
She tightened her embrace. "Less talking, more hugging."
Chuckling, I obliged, pulling her closer. Her fiery curls tickled my face, but I couldn't help myself from burying myself in them. After a couple more minutes, I felt Sunset push herself off my chest to look at me. We gazed into each others eyes, and I felt my breath leave me.
She was so beautiful.
Sunset put a hand up to my cheek, tracing my face, smiling. A ray of light from the disco ball passed her face, and her teal eyes shone with affection. 
Our feet stopped moving. 
Slowly, she pulled my head to hers, closing her eyes. 
My heart started racing. I started to close my eyes, too, allowing her to pull me into a kiss.
Fireworks.
> Bonus: Dance, Part 2.5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly, the main lights dimmed. With a loud click, the strobe lights and disco ball activated once more, returning the auditorium to what it had once looked like earlier in the night. We heard the crackle of the intercom, turning to the speakers above the doorway.
"My little students, it seems we're all very preoccupied at the moment, and we'll need someone to watch the auditorium until we can come back to dismantle everything else. Lulu and I- Ow!" Celestia yelped as an audible thump was transmitted over the microphone, and in the background, I heard quiet laughter from others in the room. "Luna and I believe we can trust you four to look the place over for a bit. Enjoy."
As the intercom crackled once more, we all turned to one another, eyes flickering between to see who would break into a smile first. The barista would be the one to do so, whooping loudly.
"Awww yeaaah! Finally!" Within seconds, the parts of the sound system that had been dismantled were set up once more, and the girl gave a turntable a test spin. "Sorry, you guys, but I gotta do this."
I reeled back, anticipating a "wub attack," but she played a bizarrely dated playlist of 90's hip hop. This time, though, she was more liberal with her remixing, recording samples of the music and chopping them live. Her additions to the tracks not only made it more unique but also more enjoyable. 
I felt a smile coming, and, glancing over at Sunset and Flash, they likely felt the same. Additionally, I felt compelled to start moving. Slowly, I started bobbing my head, and the other two followed suit. Eventually, the barista crossfaded into a more intense song, and we cheered at the boom of the bass. Sunset tapped on my shoulder, and when I turned around, I saw Flash beginning to shuffle. His jacket and tie were placed up on the stage, and his sleeves were rolled up.
"Yo, I think- I think something's happening to me!" He pushed his hand to his chest and popped into a breakdance. An invisible groove moved his body, one joint at a time, and he chased it up one arm, down a leg, up the other, and down the other arm. Meanwhile, I quickly ripped my own jacket and tie off. He reversed his dance, looking at me with a smile. 
Beside me, Sunset giggled. 
"Here," Flash shouted, "you take it!"
He let it roll of his fingers, and I caught it, letting the groove possess me instead. It travelled up my arm, pushing my chest out a couple times before falling down to my feet. It paralyzed them and forced my back to arch. I tipped forward, falling onto the floor and flopping like a worm. Mid-dance, I placed my hands on the ground and pushed as hard as I could backwards, landing back on my feet in front of the two. I picked the groove off from my feet, but it fought back, wiggling my right hand as it traveled across my wingspan to my left hand. Feeling it starting to slip from my grasp, I tossed it up in the air, gazing over at Sunset.
"Your turn!"
Sunset stepped back in surprise, nervousness painted on her face.
"H- huh? I don't..." She looked up. "I can't breakdance! Wait!" Flash and I traced the path of the groove with our heads as it fell back to the ground. It soon landed on Sunset, who did a simple shimmy before breaking into a fit of embarrassed laughter. Behind her, the barista stifled a chuckle of her own.
In that half hour, all the stresses of the world stood aside, allowing the briefest of cheerful festivities.
> Trust
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're getting chalk dust all over the floor."
"Oh! Sorry, Miss Cheerilee, I'll go wipe that up in a second!"
I rounded the corner of the hall, following the voices. After getting my ass handed to me courtesy of Mr. Whooves, I checked up on Sunset, who was helping clean the room after school.
"You wouldn't believe the countless pranks I pulled in her class," she had told me. "I belong on a no-fly list for the amount of bombs I set off in there."
"Glitter bombs! I meant glitter bombs!" she had quickly added, catching her slip-up.
Approaching the doorway, I spotted Sunset along the left wall, swiping the chalkboard with a large eraser. She was attempting to clear the last bits of the day's lesson, but the bristles were already so saturated that dust was spewing out, further coating the surface and even spilling onto the floor, lightly tinting the laminated tiles. To my right, a light pink woman was sorting papers, shuffling sheets into stacks and slipping them into folders. Occasionally, likely out of frustration, she scratched her purple hair or pulled at her brown vest or white dress shirt. Sensing my presence, she looked up at me.
"Good afternoon. How can I help you?"
I put a hand up. "Oh, I'm just here for Sunset."
"I see." She turned back to the amber-colored girl, who had taken a cleaning wipe and dropped to a knee to clean the floor. "Sunset, thank you for your help, but I can handle the rest."
"No, it's fine. Let me clean the rest of this for you."
"But your friend is here." She faced me, but I gave the teacher a shrug.
"I'll wait." Miss Cheerilee cocked an eyebrow, so I went on. "There's no stopping her, so I'm used to it. Is there anything else you might want help with? I don't wanna just stand around watching."
She tapped her chin, glancing over at the chalkboard. "Hmm... Could you take the erasers and go clean them outside? Just hit them against the concrete or the like to get all the dust out."
Nodding, I crossed the classroom over to Sunset, grabbing the pair of erasers. Suddenly, an evil thought entered my mind.
Flipping an eraser over, I dragged a finger over the bristles, collecting chalk dust on the digit. While Sunset distractedly wiped the floor, I brought my hand down to her face, wiping my index finger on her face. Surprised, the girl beneath me jumped back, grasping her cheek with a blush.
"Hey!" She wiped the mark with the back of her hand. "What's your problem?"
I shrugged sarcastically. "Huh? What do you mean?" As her face deepened into an embarassed frown, I exited the classroom, calling back, "By the way, you have something on your face." On my way out, I spotted Miss Cheerilee giving me a mischievous wink. Once they thought I was out of earshot, though, I caught bits of their conversation as their voices echoed throughout the empty hall.
"He's a lot like a puppy, y'know. You better be careful in case someone tries to snatch him from you." A giggle.
"Oh my Celestia, we're not like that, Cheerilee!"
"Not yet, you aren't."
A groan.
Walking through the back doors, I scanned the outside. In the horizon, the trees finally looked full, having grown new sets of leaves with the coming of spring. They swayed gently, the typical April weather sending a pleasant breeze in my direction. Most students had already left campus, though to my right, I noticed a familiar rainbow-colored blur running up and down the soccer field. Along the sidelines, a couple girls were packing up their gear into their bags before waving at Rainbow Dash. To my left, Diamond Tiara, grumbling in annoyance as a grey girl with glasses trailed behind silently. Following where they came from, I spotted the Crusaders bobbing their heads to music blaring out of a phone, smiling amongst themselves. Directly in front of me, in the parking lot, a group of girls approached Big Mac at his truck, though their attempts to charm him seemed to be ineffective, as his mouth only opened for brief responses. A familiar orange girl donning a cowgirl hat peeked out from the passenger window, shouting something to the man. Eventually, he shook his head at them, and they all dispersed, allowing him to step into his vehicle and leave.
Returning to the erasers in my hand, I bent down, holding them over the left side of the walkway. Clapping them together, a humungous plume of white dust shot out, falling over the stairway onto the grass below. A cloud of it also shot my way, bringing me to a violent coughing fit. At the bottom of the stairs, I heard additional coughs. A yellow figure stood up, rubbing his blue hair to remove as much of the chalk residue as possible.
"What the hell, man..."
I gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Flash. I didn't know you were sitting there."
"I noticed." Holding a hand out, he grabbed mine to climb up to my level. "What're you doing anyway?"
"Sunset's helping Miss Cheerilee, so I figured I'd join in while I wait."
"Oh... Sunset?" He started to swipe at his black jacket, but I noted the air of awkwardness now exuding from him. "Is... is she still in there?"
"Yeah, I'd hope so." Flash had a tendency to be awkward, but not over something as simple as that question.
He shifted his weight, twiddling his thumbs. "Mind if I come along?"
I cocked an eyebrow. "Sure, I guess."
"Cool, cool. Here, lemme help you with that." Grabbing one of the erasers, he slammed it down against the concrete, sending more dust flying out. We continued our efforts for a few more hits, eventually reducing the clouds to a minimum. Finally, we returned back to Miss Cheerilee's classroom, and I noticed a substantial shine to the floors, like the entirety of it had been cleaned rather than just the area by the chalkboard. Sunset was leaning against one of the desk, talking with the teacher, though they turned to face us as we entered.
"You're back. Thanks for helping out." Miss Cheerilee looked at the man behind me. "It's good to see you again, Flash."
Sunset gave him a smile. "Hey, Flash."
"What's up, Sunset?"
"The ceiling." They both chuckled, and in my periphery, the pink woman rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm helping out Cheerilee."
"Miss Cheerilee. We're still on campus."
"Fine, Miss Cheerilee." She picked up her bag from beside the teacher's desk, sling a strap on. "Let me know the next time you want help with anything. It's the least I can do."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again, Sunset."
Closing the door behind us, Flash, Sunset, and I stepped out into the hallway.
"So, Flash, what brings you here?"
He rubbed his neck, a red hue just faintly forming on his face. "Oh, uh... I was just hanging around campus, so I felt like checking up on you." He gave a nervous smile, but when she reciprocated, he relaxed a bit.
"Well, how do I look?" she joked, gesturing towards her body.
Flash gulped. "I- uh... Wow... I dunno. You look fine, I guess."
I gave Sunset a confused look, but she just beamed back at me. Pushing open the back doors once more, we stopped just before the steps, and I glanced at Sunset. 
"Did you get your car fixed yet?"
A groan. "No, not yet. I haven't had time to ask Big Mac for a tow."
Beside me, my male friend raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with your car?"
With another groan, she turned away, so I chimed in for her. 
"Oh, man, what isn't wrong?" To my left, Sunset put a hand to her face, though I felt her shooting lasers beams at me from between her fingers. "Y'know how it rained last week? She propped her hood up to work on the engine but forgot to close it. Water went straight down the intake."
Stifling a laugh, Flash faced Sunset, but she turned her head even further away.
"Really, Sunset?"
She gave an exasperated shrug. "I saw Fluttershy passing by, so I got distracted talking with her!" She started walking down the stairway, so Flash and I followed her.
"Hey, Sunset?" Flash lengthened his strides to catch up to her. "Do you need a ride? 'Cause, if you do, you could... uh..."
She stopped, folding her arms and donning an apologetic expression. "Um, it's fine."
"O- oh, are you..." He looked over at me, but, unsure of what to say, I just shrugged, stopping at Sunset's other side. "Okay, that's cool. Um, I'll catch you guys later, then?"
From beside me, her eyes flickered over to me nervously. Sensing her discomfort at disappointing our friend, I cleared my throat. "Wanna grab some coffee with us? We were gonna stop by anyway."
For a second, his face lit up, though he attempted to hide it almost instantly. Gathering his thoughts, he gave us the most forced nonchalant stare. "Sure. Sweet Shoppe?"
Sunset nudged me with her elbow in amusement. "Sounds good," she nodded. "See you there." 
With that, Sunset and I made our way to my parking spot in the corner, leaving Flash to climb into his car on the other side of the lot. She leaned over to whisper something, so I brought my head down to hers. 
"Is something wrong with him?"
"There's something wrong with all of us," I retorted.
"Funny. C'mon, I'm being serious."
Clicking the unlock button on my key, I pulled the driver's side door open. "I guess he was being a bit awkward, but he's kinda like that usually."
On the other side, Sunset opened her door and stepped inside. "Is he? I never really noticed."
"Probably. I mean, to be fair, back then there was probably too much pure fear to see past."
"Not helping."
"I aim to disappoint."
I stuck my key in, turning it and listening to the engine roar with life. Pulling out of my spot, I drove out of the parking lot, spotting Flash's car follow me out from my rear view mirror. I made my way up north, though unlike our usual coffee runs, I continued straight at each stoplight, watching the road to The Coffee Shop disappear on my right. As we pulled up to the Sweet Shoppe, traffic grew increasingly more congested, and I marveled at the large crowd of people standing outside, a stark contrast to the near-abandoned cafe on the other side of town. Pulling off onto the curb, I turned the car off, looking over my shoulder to Flash's car, which was stopping by mine, passenger window rolling down.
"Hey, there's no more parking here, so I'm gonna go look on the other street." He pointed towards the Sweet Shoppe, referring to the road on the other side of it. "Don't start eating all the baked goods without me!" He flashed a toothy grin. "God knows you love doing that, huh?"
"Actually, I distinctly recall you begging me to help eat the loaf of bread you accidentally made since no one else wanted to."
"It won't happen again."
"No, definitely not."
I returned his playful smile, and he drove off. Beside me, Sunset adjusted herself on the seat.
"He didn't seem awkward that time."
I shrugged. "He wouldn't survive any kind of banter if he was stuttering all the time."
"Yet he was stammering earlier." She turned her body to my side. "Is it... me?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"I don't. You always say that, but it could mean literally anything this time. Do you mean your past? He's talked to me a few times before about... y'know." I couldn't find it in me to explicitly name their former relationship. "Trust me, he's well over it now."
"Then, what could it be?"
"Attraction? You're lookin' pretty hot today." 
I suggested it offhand, but slowly, my face began to crumble as I realized my admission. Sunset's eyes widened a bit, though she poked further into my embarrassment, sneering at me.
"Huh? What was that?"
"What was 'what?'"
"You know what I mean."
A groan. "Do I really have to explain?"
She made a mouth with her hand, flapping it mockingly. "'It could mean literally anything this time.'"
I sighed, shrinking under Sunset's giggling. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Once she calmed down, she jabbed my arm playfully. "Either way, I appreciate the compliment." Another chuckle. "Regarding Flash, though, do you really think that's why?"
I shrugged. "Can't really think of anything else."
"Oh, really? Glad I've got all that real estate in your head." She slapped a hand onto my knee, making me jump.
"Oh my fucking God, Sunset." I opened the door, letting her incessant laughter escape the confines of the car.
Across from me, the passenger door closed. "You walked into that one."
"I was sitting down."
"Just remember, I can touch you, but you can't touch me. Otherwise, the bouncer'll throw you out."
I rolled me eyes. "Whatever."
"C'mon, cheer up." Walking around the car, she came up to my side, taking my left arm and hugging it. Making contact with her, I looked away, attempting to hide my blush. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Sunset upped the ante, lifting my arm up and over her, snuggling up against me and humming in satisfaction.
Even if there was a being powerful enough to move the sun, they'd be powerless to fight against the grin forming on my lips. Relaxing in her presence, I brought back the banter.
"Well, how's the weather down there, Shortstop?"
"Cozy." She rolled her eyes, gazing up at me with a frown. "'Shortstop?' Really?"
"Would you prefer Short Stuff?"
"I'd prefer Hot Stuff at that point."
"I'll change it when I see it."
A gasp. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"'You know what I mean.'"
Sunset paused, mulling over my words. "Oh, very funny."
Gradually, her cheeks grew more and more red, but before she could respond, we spotted Flash rounding the corner of the building, waving at us. She slithered out from under me, electing to stand a fair distance away. I couldn't tell whether she did so out of embarrassment towards our conversation or towards Flash seeing us so close together. Regardless, losing the extra body heat tugged at my heart.
"Sorry I took so long. The other street was full so I had to go one more over." He jerked a thumb back towards the Sweet Shoppe. "Let's go?"
We nodded, crossing the street to join the line. It was a relatively quiet endeavor; we exchanged a few meaningless comments about the crowd before retreating to our phones. Still, browsing MyStable proved to be even more boring, so I instead eavesdropped on the conversations of the people around us. Most of them were from students complaining about school, work, and the like, but a few stuck out. A couple feet in front of us, a green girl with white streaks in her hair nudged her cream-colored companion.
"Psst, hey!" she whispered. "Over there! Isn't that Sunset Shimmer?"
"Oh, yeah. Wanna go say hi?"
"No! Look at who she's with!"
"Flash Sentry?"
"You're right!"
"Weren't they hanging out during the Fall Formal?"
"Yeah."
"Does that mean...?"
They collectively giggled. My eyes flickered over to Sunset, confused by their inaccurate gossip, but it seemed like she hadn't heard that conversation. Behind us, the two girls that passed me earlier snickered amongst themselves.
"Hey, Silver Spoon, isn't that the guy from the Fall Formal?"
"The one who danced with Sunset Shimmer?"
A pause.
"Yeah, Diamond, I think his name is Flash Sentry."
"Sentry? Let's hope he keeps that she-demon in check."
"I saw them together the whole night."
"Oh, really?" Then, they giggled. "Looks like the she-demon got herself a boyfrieeeeend!"
"You're so funny, Diamond!"
Again, I looked at Sunset, but this time, she was also staring back at me. Noticing the discomfort on her face, I offered a sympathetic smile.
Eventually, we had worked our way up the line until we were finally inside, collectively sighing as we felt the heated air flowing out of the open doors. Inside, students took up whatever seats were available, conversing loudly as they enjoyed their assortment of drinks and sweets. Undeniably, the countless scents were intoxicating.
Finally, we were up next. A portly light cyan woman greeted us with an unusually bubbly tone.
"Welcome! What can I get you three?"
Flash spoke first. "Uh, hot chocolate please." Sunset and I gave him sideward glances. "What? I don't like drinks with a lot of caffeine."
"You drank a bottle of soda yesterday."
He held up a finger to protest, but as the gears begrudgingly turned, he faltered. "Got me there. The usual, Mrs. Cake."
"Cappuccino with chocolate powder on top."
"Yes, ma'am." He produced a couple bills.
"You've got it, Flash." She turned to us. "What about you two?"
Eyes flickering over to each other, smiles slowly formed.
"Espresso macchiatos for both of us," I answered. "Oh, and two chocolate croissants." Whipping out my wallet, I grabbed money before Sunset could beat me. "We're even now," I muttered, leaning over to her ear, and she nodded in acknowledgement. I handed the bills over to Mrs. Cake.
"Thank you."
"Can we get it all when the drinks are ready?"
"Of course! We'll call you over when they're done."
Stepping away from the counter, we searched the room for any empty seats, eventually spotting a group of people scooting out of a table to our right. Quickly, we snatched their chairs, settling at the table. The three seats were originally equidistant from one another relative to the circular table, but as we all plopped down, Sunset dragged hers right next to mine, much to my surprise. She got scandalously close, her lavender scent fighting over the smell of fresh confectionaries flooding my nostrils, and she leaned her head against my left arm. Across from us, I spotted Flash's discomfort, but he averted his eyes before mine could catch his. I leaned away from Sunset, and while she attempted to chase my warmth, she eventually got the memo and sat up straight.
I cleared my throat. "So... you have a 'usual' here?"
Flash chuckled nervously. "Damn, I'd hoped you would forget." He folded his arms, reclining against the chair. "Yeah. I go here all the time."
Raising an eyebrow, I smiled. "What's the story behind it?"
"Nothing much. Some people at school mentioned this place, so here I am." He scratched his temple, but I caught his gaze flicker over to Sunset.
I changed the subject. "Well, how's your classes going?"
"Eh..." he shrugged, "they could be better."
I reciprocated. "Twilight says that all the time, too, and I know damn well your grades aren't like hers. Elaborate."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well..." Again, his eyes darted over to the girl at my side, so she cleared her throat, turning to me with a smirk.
"He bombed the last psychology exam."
I folded my arms. "How bad?"
"One."
"'One...?'"
Sunset looked at Flash, and he dropped his head, chiming in.
"Hundred."
I furrowed my brow. "One hundred?"
"No... one out of one hundred."
I froze, and Sunset giggled beside me. Slamming my hands on the table, I leaned towards Flash, almost falling out of my seat. "One out of a hundred?!" I slowly eased back onto the chair. "What the hell happened?"
He held his hands out defensively. "Wait! I was doing 'Blaze of Glory!'"
Pausing to consider his explanation, I rubbed my chin. The Blaze of Glory was offered by the psychology teacher for every major exam except for the final. If you asked him in advance, he would offer a deal: if you intentionally score a zero, you ace the exam, but if you don't, you get whatever low score you got. Thus, he provided a riskier way of taking exams; since each question was multiple choice, you had a larger chance of getting one wrong than right, and technically, you'd need to know all the content to confidently answer incorrectly in the same way one must know everything to answer correctly. As a tradeoff, though, the higher chance of guessing an incorrect answer comes at the risk of virtually guaranteeing an abysmally low score if you accidentally answer correctly.
In other words, Flash was one correct answer away from getting a zero and also one incorrect answer away from acing.
My jaw clenched. "Damn... By one question, then?"
"Yeah." He deflated in his seat. "No one else has tried it this year, so he gave me a redemption assignment since I was the first one."
I gave him a sad smile. "I'm assuming it's still not that good, right?"
"Yup. It's just graded for completion, but it's a truckload of work, and I can only get up to a D+."
I sighed deeply. "Well, for what it's worth, good luck, buddy."
"Three drinks and two croissants for Flash's party!"
Flash sat up. "Want me to grab it?"
"If you don't mind, thanks." He gave a dismissive hand, standing up and walking across the room to the counter, so I turned my attention to the girl beside me. "Enjoying my arm?"
Without me noticing, Sunset had inched her chair even closer to mine until the seats were touching, allowing her to slide partially onto mine. Like outside, her right arm was wrapped around my left, hugging it against her cheek as she reclined against me. Growing increasingly aware of my surroundings, I noticed a couple stares from the people around us as we indulged in our PDA.
"I can't help it," Sunset pouted, rubbing her cheek against my sleeve one last time before looking up at me. "If you don't like it, then stop being so comfy."
Sighing, I moved my arm over her neck. "I never said I didn't like it. Maybe next time..." I pulled Sunset closer to me, eliciting a sharp exhale from her, "just hug me like a normal person."
"I'm not a normal person."
"And I like you for it."
Her gaze left mine, cheeks reddening. "Just 'like?'"
Mouth slightly agape, I blushed, too. "Seriously?" Eyes flickering to the people around us, I groaned. "I don't wanna say it here."
Sunset's lips pursed. "You never say it," she huffed, frowning. Crossing her arms, she pulled away, scooting her chair away from me and shutting her eyes.
I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Sunset."
Silence.
"Sunset."
Nothing.
"Sunset, I'm sorry. I'll say it later."
Nada.
"Sunset Shimmer, I'm warning you. You'll be walking home."
Zero.
I groaned again, rubbing my neck. "Fine. You win."
Zilch... but she opened an eye.
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled sharply. "Talk about she-demon..."
She recoiled at the word, and I smiled.
"But... I guess I love her."
It was Sunset's turn to sigh. Opening her eyes, she gave me a pained expression. "I guess I'll take what I can get."
"It's a work in progress," I joked.
Finally, Flash returned with a cardboard cup carrier and two small cellophane bags. The white cups were mostly indistinguishable, but while one lip featured a standard plug, the other two had an ornate heart design on their stoppers. The bags were also tied together with a red twine, and at each end of the line were tiny hearts.
I raised an eyebrow at Flash, but held his hands up defensively.
"Hey, they gave it to me like this."
Shrugging, I grabbed for one of the matching cups, but he stopped me.
"That's mine."
Rotating the cup, I read the receipt attached to the side. I looked at the other cups, comparing their receipts. Indeed, one of the drinks with the heart-shaped lid stopper was his. Confused, I debated why that was case, ultimately concluding that it was a misunderstanding, much like what the girls were gossiping about while we were in line.
It irked me that people didn't realize that I was the one dating Sunset, but as long as it didn't cause problems, I wasn't in a position to object.
Grinning, I handed Flash's drink to him, but I took the other heart-themed cup, eliciting a groan from across the table.
"Dude."
Playfully, I pulled the stopper out, wagging it at him. "What?" I deadpanned.
"People are gonna think I'm into dudes."
"So? Are you saying there's something wrong with being gay?"
Sunset joined in on the joke. "I guess I should tell Rainbow you're homophobic."
That got him flustered. Sitting up straight, he put his drink down, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple. "Hey, now wait a minute..."
Lips pursed, I glared at Flash before turning to Sunset. "Call her." Her face contorted into a scowl, but as she pulled her phone from her pocket, I caught her eyes as they screamed at me in amusement.
Flash froze, facing growing increasingly pale. "W- wait." He stood up slightly, peeking at the phone, but seeing the screen light up, he ran over to our side. "Wait!" However, as he got close, Sunset whipped the phone up, aiming it at Flash's face and tapping the button on the screen. The camera flash lit up before blinding the man. Laughter escaping our lips, we held onto each other as Sunset threw her phone on the table. Camera roll pulled up, the picture depicted Flash running straight towards the camera. Motion blur distorted much of the photo, but his face remained largely discernable. It looked like it came out of a scary movie, what with the flash making his face even paler, resulting in even louder laughter from me and Sunset. Glancing over at the phone, Flash took a step back as his legs almost gave out. The stress of facing Rainbow's wrath taking its toll on him, he stumbled back to his chair, slumping into it.
"Fuck you guys..." he mumbled between ragged breaths.
Sunset and I especially indulged ourselves in our snacks, stealing smiles towards each other between bites despite the man glaring lasers from across the table. We exchanged a few words as we finished our drinks, but simply being in each other's presence proved adequate relaxation. I did notice, though, that my drink tasted noticeably more bitter than what I was used to, as if it had been burnt, and the croissant was much sweeter than the one at The Coffee Shop. I made a mental note to praise Cherry the next time Sunset and I stopped by. Eventually, we got up to leave, tossing our trash at the bin by the counter. However, Mrs. Cake stopped us as we made our exit.
"Flash, honey, could you and your friend help Mr. Cake with a package outside? You can go through the back."
He looked to me, and I looked at Sunset. She held a hand out, so reluctantly, I fished my keys from my pocket and placed them in her hands.
"If you crash the car, I'm holding a funeral for the car and throwing you in the scrapyard." Lightly pushing her forehead, I followed Flash behind the counter and through the hallway leading to the back of the building. Pushing the exit open, we were greeted by stack after stack of crates, with a yellow head peeking around one particularly tall tower.
"Hey-a, Flash... and friend! If you two could help bring these in, that'd be swell!" He pointed to the hand truck next to him. "One of you can take this, and the other one will hand-carry them with me."
Turning to Flash, I held a fist out, and he reciprocated. After a few tries, he came out as the victor, so, accepting my defeat, I walked over to Mr. Cake's side, crouching down to grab the first box. It took about fifteen minutes to get everything inside, but after we finished, Mrs. Cake met us out in the alleyway, holding three bags full of baked treats. Thanking her, Flash grabbed his while I took mine and Sunset's, bidding the Cakes farewell.
As I started towards my car, Flash put a hand on my shoulder.
"Can I talk to you real quick?"
I shrugged. "We're talking."
"I'm serious."
Tilting my head, I frowned. "Alright."
Closing his eyes, Flash took a deep breath. Then, he took another. Opening his eyes, he scanned my features, a frown growing on his face. He opened his mouth a few times, but words failed to produce. Finally, after one final breath, he crossed his arms.
"You and Sunset are... a thing now, right?"
Slowly, I nodded.
Another sigh. "Look, I know we talked about when she and I dated back in the day, but that was before you two started. I wasn't completely transparent.
"There was a time when another girl tried coming onto me. She was real persistent, y'know. Like, she didn't even care that I was dating Sunset. One thing led to another, and we end up kissing. Don't ask. I've made it with everyone, and I've already paid my dues for that. But when Sunset found out... she fell apart, and keep in mind, this is before she started fixing her personality. We had a long talk, and she confided that the feeling of betrayal hurt the most for her. It wasn't a matter of pride, of having me stolen from her. It was because she genuinely cared.
"That was huge. Sure, her goal was still the crown, but the fact that she also cared about our relationship... means that vulnerable part of her has existed since before she came through the portal." He put a hand of my shoulder, eyes glossy with concern. "Just... just don't hurt her. God knows she doesn't deserve it anymore."
I blinked twice. The notion that Sunset cared about something other than the crown (and the ensuing world domination) seemed like a no-brainer, but the fact that she valued love and trust just as much, if not more, was astounding.
Perhaps there was something or someone in the pony world that was responsible. Perhaps they strained their relationship by ruining her trust in them. Perhaps that's why she had so often schemed, lied, and backstabbed to get what she wanted.
If other people were willing to betray her trust, what's stopping her from doing the same?
The answer, at that time, was Flash. While their relationship was by no means healthy, the inherent investment of trust meant something to her. 
Thus, I owe it to her to never betray that trust she's invested in me.
With my other arm, I put my hand on Flash's shoulder. "Of course. I swear I won't betray her. I could never."
"I hope so." With a sad smile, he retreated from me, turning around to head to his car and holding a hand up to bid me farewell. He left me in the alley to lose myself in my thoughts as I returned to my own car. Approaching it, I saw Sunset's figure reclining in the passenger seat, feet up on the console. I tapped on the window, startling her and bring her feet to the floor with a yelp. Sighing, she pushed a switch on the door, unlocking the car. I pulled the door open, slumping into the leather seat.
"Took you guys long enough," she pouted.
Unable or maybe unwilling to respond, I simply held her bag of treats to her, watching her eyes light up. Beaming at the confectionaries, she unwrapped the twine, pulling out a cookie and taking a bite. Humming in delight, she glanced over at me. With a questioning grunt, she held the cookie to me.
Rolling my eyes, I accepted, letting her feed me. I gave her a weak smile as the sweet cinnamon taste coated my mouth. She moved the cookie between us, taking a bite, holding it by my mouth, then bring it back to hers after I ate some. As we indulged in the snack, no words were said, and no words were needed. However, as she held her hand out the window to wipe the crumbs, I sat up in my seat, gently grabbing the side of her face and turning it towards mine. Eyes locked onto eyes, I spoke to her soul.
"I love you."
Heat rising to our cheeks, I pulled her closer to me, letting her lips rest upon mine.
Fireworks.