GREEN   307   0
   2972 16.04 KB    292

Rising for Sunset [Part 4 - Thursday]

By Starswirl
Created: 2021-07-16 21:31:33
Updated: 2021-02-04 04:24:23
Expiry: Never

  1. >You wake up to an alarm.
  2. >Your arm sweeps over and knocks the clock off of your nightstand, causing it to conveniently turn off when it impacts the floor.
  3. >Getting up a little bit earlier than normal today was important.
  4. >You get ready for your day in an orderly fashion.
  5. >Clothes on.
  6. >Breakfast eaten.
  7. >Bitchin' new kicks laced up.
  8. >Out the door.
  9. >When you arrive at Canterlot High, the amount of people hanging around this early is a lot smaller than you're used to.
  10. >You walk up the steps to the front door, take a deep breath, and go inside.
  11. >It's like a ghost town.
  12. >It looks like the teachers are in their rooms, but there aren't any students in the halls.
  13. >No chatter, no clanking of lockers
  14. >You walk, nothing to keep you company but your thoughts.
  15.  
  16. >This week has been a lot of things.
  17. >Stressful.
  18. >Unreal.
  19. >Amazing.
  20. >Satisfying.
  21. >And it all happened because when an opportunity presented itself to you, you said nothing.
  22. >You said nothing and it threw your whole world for a loop.
  23. >All over a girl.
  24. >A beautiful girl with crimson and golden hair.
  25. >A girl who is intelligent and kind.
  26. >This all happened because that girl chose to open her heart up to you and you didn't know how to respond.
  27. >You can't help but chuckle to yourself.
  28. >If you'd said something, anything at all, none of it would have happened.
  29. >But then where would you be?
  30. >If you could go back and change it, would you have?
  31. >Maybe on Monday, you would have.
  32. >But now...
  33. >You're not so sure.
  34.  
  35. >And now you're here.
  36. >It's the corner of the school where you met Sunset when all of this began.
  37. >It doesn't take long for you to find her.
  38. >She's leaning against the lockers, those cyan eyes lost in thought.
  39. >Those eyes look up as she notices your approach.
  40. >A small smile grows on her face.
  41. >"Hey there, Anon."
  42. "Good morning, Sunset."
  43. >"Thanks for agreeing to meet me."
  44. "I wanted to. I've been wanting to talk to you since Monday."
  45. >"Please, let me go first. I have a lot that I need to get off my chest."
  46. >You nod and listen as Sunset Shimmer tells you how this all of this started.
  47.  
  48. >"I guess I don't need to ask you if you remember the Fall Formal."
  49. >You do remember it. As does anyone who has been at the school since last year.
  50. >Sunset used to be "popular," but disliked by quite a few people.
  51. >You don't fully understand all of what happened at the Fall Formal, but apparantly it was magic.
  52. >Literally magic.
  53. >She turned into some kind of demon.
  54. >Even more, she started turning the other students into zombies.
  55. >Well, they were LIKE zombies, anyway.
  56. >Something happened where the other girls that make up the Main Six teamed up with that bookish girl that transfered in from nowhere.
  57. >They put a stop to it, leaving Sunset just a vulnerable girl with a lot of people understandably angry with her.
  58. ">You can imagine that I didn't have a lot of friends after that. I was lucky to have anyone forgive me at all."
  59. >It was true. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all became her friends afterwards.
  60. >They gave her a new chance.
  61. >"But even with new friends, it wasn't easy for me after that."
  62. >She looks down.
  63. >"Everyone else wasn't so forgiving. Wherever I went, whatever I did, no one trusted me. They said a lot of hurtful things to my face and behind my back... Except for one person."
  64. >She looks up and her eyes meet yours.
  65.  
  66. >"You, Anonymous. We had class together, and though we really didn't talk that much, you were never rude to me."
  67. >Hearing this surprises you.
  68. >You hardly talked to her at all, but it was true that you never gave her trouble for what she did.
  69. >You weren't the kind of person who would hang on to the bad things in life, and you certainly weren't going to kick someone else when they were down.
  70. >"To a lot of people, you don't really stand out. You tend to be pretty quiet for the most part, but I saw that you're also hard-working and kind."
  71. >There's a moment of silence as she thinks about where to go from here.
  72. >"Eventually, more people became willing to trust me. I made a few more friends, but it wasn't until the Battle of the Bands that most of the school was willing to forgive what I'd done."
  73. >That was a weird week.
  74. >What's the deal with trouble always starting up after students transfer in, anyway?
  75. >After all of that happened, Sunset became popular again, but this time because she was well-liked.
  76. >"But I didn't forget, Anon. I... I grew feelings for you that I didn't know how to express."
  77. >She sighs.
  78. >"Maybe I was just afraid that you would reject me. I wasn't in a good place in my life for a while there."
  79. >She allows herself just the slightest hint of a smile, her emotional baggage starting to lighten up.
  80. >"But recently things have been good. I started having thoughts about you again, and I felt confident enough to tell you how I really felt."
  81. >Her eyes gaze deeply into yours.
  82. >"So I did. But when you didn't say anything, I was afraid that you would reject me for what I did after all. I just couldn't handle that fear that my past might actually get in the way of my life again."
  83. >"And I ran."
  84.  
  85. >You can hear the sadness and regret in her voice.
  86. >"I'd been so excited before meeting with you that I told my friends about it. When they saw me come back in tears, they must have assumed that you hurt me.
  87. >There it was.
  88. >The catalyst that had brought you so much strife this week.
  89. >Your staredown from Fluttershy.
  90. >The arm wrestling match with Applejack.
  91. >Destruction at the hands of Rainbow Dash's soccer skills.
  92. >"I never meant to cause you so much trouble, Anon. I hope that you can forgive me."
  93. >Her eyes turn to the floor again.
  94. >"And I'd understand if you never want to talk to me again."
  95.  
  96. >There it all is.
  97. >Now, you have a choice to make.
  98. >You weren't ready for it last time, you had a lot dropped on you to think about.
  99. >But this time, you've already done all of the thinking that you need.
  100. >You walk up to Sunset.
  101. >You use your hand to lift up her chin and look her right in the eyes.
  102. "Sunset, I've had a lot of time to think since Monday."
  103. >She's staring back at you, her expression unsure.
  104. "I like you Sunset. I really do."
  105. >Her eyes widen in disbelief.
  106. "If you'll have me, I'd love to go out with you."
  107. >The corners of her eyes are starting to water up.
  108. >She throws her arms around you.
  109. >"Of course, Anon!"
  110. >You wrap your arms around her and share an intimate moment.
  111. >You've never hugged a girl before.
  112. >It's warm, and you get a face full of her beautiful hair.
  113. >After what feels like several minutes, you let go of each other.
  114. "So... uh..."
  115. >"Yes, Anon?"
  116. >Her smile is so heartwarming.
  117. >You almost have a heart attack from cuteness overload.
  118. "Do you want to maybe do something after school?"
  119. >She shuffles her feet a bit, you can hear her boots sliding on the tiled floor.
  120. >"I'm sorry, Anon. I'm busy after school today... Will you be at Pinkie's party tomorrow?"
  121. "Of course, Sunset. I'll meet you there?"
  122. >"Sure. Don't be a stranger until tomorrow though, okay? You have my number now, after all."
  123. >You give her a big smile.
  124. "Of course."
  125. >She gives you a wink and takes her leave.
  126. >You can hear the school coming alive.
  127.  
  128. >Go to history.
  129. >Harshwhinny may be a sourpuss, but nothing's knocking your spirits down today.
  130. >Class passes by without incident.
  131. >Step out into the hall after class.
  132. >Turn the corner.
  133. >Your vision goes pink.
  134. >You stumble, but you don't fall over.
  135. >Fuck that.
  136. >After a moment of feeling good for yourself about not being on the floor again, you realize at Pinkie Pie is RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
  137. >But... you're pretty sure you left the classroom ahead of her.
  138. "Pinkie Pie?"
  139. >"Hi, Nonny! Did you and Sunset talk things out?"
  140. "Yes, actually."
  141. >You put on a big smile.
  142. "Things turned out great."
  143. >She gets excited.
  144. >"Oh, that's so good to hear! You're still coming to the party on Friday right? It's gonna be amazing!"
  145. >You chuckle.
  146. "Yeah, Pinkie. I'll be there."
  147. >"Great! I'll see you later, Nonny!"
  148. >She skips off into the hallway traffic.
  149. >You can see that big, poofy hair of hers bob up over everyone else's heads as she gets further and further away from you.
  150.  
  151. >The next class passes by in a flash.
  152. >Speaking of which, you can't wait to tell that guy about your morning.
  153. >Wait, did your ring tone actually get MORE BLAND when you weren't looking?
  154. >You have a text from... Rarity.
  155. >[Greetings, Anonymous. Our instructor stumbled through the staging area yesterday and knocked over a few things. Nothing seems to be damaged, but would you be a dear and check it for yourself if you have a minute to spare?]
  156. >You roll your eyes.
  157. >Well, something was bound to happen today, even if none of Sunset's friends are out to get you anymore.
  158. >Who needs the whole lunch period anyway?
  159. >Did you even have lunch half of the days this week?
  160. >You head to the stage.
  161. >Of course there's no one here.
  162. >Rarity just dropped a job on you on your own time and she isn't even here.
  163. >You climb up onto the stage and find a few things out of their normal place, with a little note in Rarity's overly-curly cursive handwriting telling you that these are the things.
  164. >Taking a look, everything does seem to be fine...
  165. >Except for one piece that seems to be missing a nail.
  166. >You quickly grab a hammer and scan the floor for the loose nail so no one will step on it by mistake.
  167. >After a few minutes, your work is done.
  168. >As you return to the toolbox, you notice that there are some papers scattered all over the floor.
  169. >Picking them up, they appear to be a bunch of Rarity's design notes.
  170. >You straighten them out into a neat pile and set them down by her work station.
  171. >Before you leave, you stop and think for a moment.
  172. >You have an idea.
  173.  
  174. >The rest of your day before Drama class sweeps by without incident.
  175. >Here it comes.
  176. >You have to "act" today to fill in for a missing player.
  177. >Ugh.
  178. >You take a seat with everyone else while Rarity stands up on stage and acts a coordinator.
  179. >She calls out a scene and those players come up to the stage to do a reading.
  180. >She also then calls out the next scene so that everyone reading that one can get ready.
  181. >The first group of players come up to the stage and begin.
  182. >Given that most of the people here double as crew, there's actually some pretty good acting.
  183. >It's too bad that it's just a second-rate play.
  184. >Why on earth would anyone think it would be a good idea to put on a fantasy story about a bunch of high school teenagers, anyway?
  185. >After the first group finishes up, the second group comes up to the stage.
  186. >Rarity steps up to the edge of the stage to call the next one.
  187. >"I'll need Anonymous up here to understudy for Act 1, Scene 8."
  188. >You throw up your hands in outrage.
  189. >That's the scene where Rarity's character and another one try to seduce one another.
  190.  
  191. >The next scene goes by as you gloss over the part of the script that you're about to do with Rarity.
  192. >"Come up here, Anonymous. This will be the last one for today, everyone can return to their projects afterward."
  193. >You climb up onto the stage and take a position off to one side.
  194. >Rarity looks to you to make sure that you're ready.
  195. >You let out a deep sigh and then nod to her.
  196. >She walks offstage, then back on.
  197. >This is how the scene starts, she comes into the room.
  198. >"THERE you are, darling. You didn't think that you could hide from me, did you?
  199. >She's got her flirty face on.
  200. >Wait, is she not holding a script?
  201. >After a moment, you realize that you're just standing there not saying your lines.
  202. "Darling? Coming on a bit strongly, aren't you?"
  203. >She's sauntering over to you, nice and slow.
  204. >You sometimes forget this because you're usually trying to avoid her as much as possible, but it's true:
  205. >She's gorgeous.
  206. >"But of course. Why shouldn't I when I'm talking to such a big, strong man?"
  207. >She slowly strokes your face with the side of her hand before turning away from you.
  208. >"And besides... are you sure that you don't like it?"
  209. >She's laying it on so thick.
  210. >Is she testing you?
  211.  
  212. >"After all, a lot of guys would *kill* for a girl like me."
  213. >She gives you a look that screams "come hither."
  214. >But you don't lock up.
  215. >You don't show your anger.
  216. >You are Anonymous, King of the Poker Face.
  217. >And you're going to show her what real acting is.
  218. >You throw down your script.
  219. "Really? Because you seem to be pretty eager to have my attention yourself."
  220. >Rarity blinks in surprise as you step towards her.
  221. "Perhaps it's not just me that you're interested in, but the pull that I have around here?"
  222. >She regains her composure.
  223. >"I don't know whatever it is that you mean by that, darling."
  224. "Oh, I think you do."
  225. >You both step closer to each other
  226. >"And if I were, you understand how well I can also sway things my way."
  227. >She places an arm around your shoulder and gets up close to your face.
  228. "I see, then..."
  229. >You clasp her hand in yours and step away from her.
  230. >You're now standing apart from one another, but connected by your linked arms.
  231. "In that case, "darling..."
  232. >You pull her in, holding her close and dipping her backwards, supporting her with your other arm.
  233. >She looks up at you in surprise as your face contorts into a devilish grin.
  234. "Perhaps we can have something a little bit more... mutual."
  235. >Your face approaches hers and her eyes go wide.
  236. >You can feel her becoming uneasy in your grasp. She almost tries to push you off of her.
  237. >You lean in...
  238.  
  239. >Her eyes close.
  240. >You lean in and whisper in her ear.
  241. "Scene."
  242. >You prop her up again and she nearly falls over.
  243. >She's extremely flustered.
  244. >You hear a some people talking from the audience.
  245. >"The school will never let us use that scene as is."
  246. >There are a couple of people with pens scratching out lines and re-writing some changes on their copies of the script.
  247. >Rarity finally regains her composure and clears her throat.
  248. >"That's a wrap everyone... Please return to your work."
  249. >The script kids stay where they are and work on editing.
  250. >You go back to building and maintenance.
  251. >Rarity goes to work on her costumes.
  252. >"My word... who did this?"
  253. >Her work table has all of her tools set out neatly, with the materials that she needs for her planned costumes immediately on hand.
  254. >You pause from driving screws into a plank to give her a hand signal.
  255. "You're welcome, "Miss" Rarity."
  256.  
  257. >Rarity says nothing and returns to her work.
  258. >In fact, she doesn't say anything for the rest of the class period.
  259. >When the bell finally rings, you two are the last ones remaining.
  260. >She walks over to you.
  261. >"Anonymous. Could I have a word with you?"
  262. >She's not using any of her usual flare.
  263. >You don't think you've ever seen her so casual before.
  264. "Sure. What can I do for you, Rarity?"
  265. >"I just wanted to say that I'm was very surprised by your performance earlier. I never knew you could act like that."
  266. >You don't say anything in reply, instead finishing putting away your tools.
  267. >"It's just that... I don't see how anyone as talented as you could possibly lose an audition.
  268. >You look at Rarity.
  269. "It's really a lot more simple than you think."
  270. >"She looks as you, confused.
  271. "I don't like being in the spotlight. I'd really prefer to be backstage helping everything else move along."
  272. >It's like she expects there to be more than that.
  273. >But after she realizes that there isn't, she decides to speak up again.
  274. >"I see. Well, then. I just have one thing that I want to say."
  275. >You look at her.
  276. "Yes?
  277. >"Thank you, Anonymous. For everything that you do around here."
  278. >That's a genuine smile.
  279. >"You're a real gentleman after all, you know If it weren't for Sunset, I think I'd have to snatch you right up."
  280. >She picks up her purse and puts on a scarf that you know she's only wearing because it matches the rest of her ensemble.
  281. >"Have a good rest of your day, Anonymous."
  282.  
  283. >On your way out of the school, you run into Flash Sentry.
  284. >"Hey, Anon! You didn't show up to lunch again today. So, how'd it go this morning?"
  285. "Let me tell you..."
  286. >You fill in Flash on how your talk with Sunset went this morning.
  287. >When you tell him that you'll be hanging out with her at Pinkie's party tomorrow, he bumps fists with you.
  288. >When you get home, you go straight to your room as usual.
  289. >After you put a dent in your homework, you take out your phone and send Sunset a text.
  290.  
  291. END OF THURSDAY.

Sunset at the Stables (Homeless Sunset thread)

by Starswirl

AlexanderGrey - Time After Time

by Starswirl

AlexanderGrey - Time After Time (Part II)

by Starswirl

[EqG] Sunset's Skivvies Shanghaied? Student Suffers!

by Starswirl

[EqG] Pizza

by Starswirl