Rising for Sunset [Part 2 - Tuesday]


                                            >Wake up

                                            >Fall out of bed.

                                            >Drag a comb across your head.

                                            >Find your way downstairs and drink a cup.

                                            >Daily caffeine fix met.

                                            >Out the door.

                                            >It's Tuesday.

                                            >Including today, you have four days to go until the weekend.

                                            >Maybe yesterday was only so bad because it was a Monday.

                                            >Things will get better, right?

                                            >You can't help but hope that Flash was wrong this time.

                                            >As you walk to school, you can't help but imagine the beautiful girl that confessed her love to you yesterday.

                                            >That flowing red and gold hair.

                                            >Those cyan eyes.

                                            >Her smile.

                                            >She's the full package of beauty and brains, with a personality that everyone seems to like.

                                            >You fill with hope that you can be forgiven and that she'll be willing to go out with you after all.


                                            >You arrive at the school, walking past some colorful stragglers who are conversing on the lawn and up the stairs into the building.

                                            >Taking a look around, you think that you spot Sunset off in the distance.

                                            >This could be your chance, Anonymous, go get her!

                                            >You start down the hall, dodging through gaps in the hallway traffic.

                                            >Before you make too much progress, you are overtaken by a familiar sensation.

                                            >Are you falling AGAIN?

                                            >As your face approaches the ground, your only thought is that maybe you should get some new shoes.

                                            >Luckily for you, the impact never comes.

                                            >An arm snaps out and catches you, hoisting you back up to your feet.

                                            "I almost bit it for the second day in a row... Thanks for that."

                                            You turn to look at who it is.

                                            >Piercing green eyes.

                                            >Long, blonde hair.

                                            >That hat.

                                            >You'd recognize that hat anywhere.

                                            >And that southern drawl.

                                            >"You ain't out of the woods yet, Anon."

                                            >Damnit, why is Flash always right?


                                            "Hey there, Applejack..."

                                            >"Don't you "hey there, Applejack" me.

                                            >That sounds familiar...

                                            "Look, just give me a chance to explain myself-"

                                            >She lets go of your arm.

                                            >"Save it. I heard what you had to say from Fluttershy last night."

                                            >Wait, did Fluttershy come through for you?

                                            "Okay?"

                                            >"She may be quick to forgive, but the rest of us aren't so easily convinced. You really hurt Sunset, you hear?"

                                            >You look down.

                                            "I know, but-"

                                            >"I said save it. You want to say something to me about it, you can do it after school."

                                            "After school?"

                                            >"Nothing like a little competition to make the truth come out."

                                            "Competition?"

                                            >"Cafeteria. Ten minutes after the last bell. If you're too yellow to show up, maybe you weren't good enough for Sunset to start."

                                            >After that harsh verbal blow, she just walks away.

                                            >As you stare in disbelief, you hear another familiar voice as a hand is placed on your shoulder.

                                            >"Applejack this time, huh Anon?"

                                            >It's Flash.

                                            >And he looks smug.

                                            "I guess you have until the end of the school day to brush up on your arm wrestling."


                                            >You shoot Flash a desperate look and grab his shoulders, shaking him.

                                            "Flash, I'm not an athlete. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO, MAN?"

                                            >Some people in the hall turn to look at you as a result of your outburst, then most of them start to shuffle away to go to their classes.

                                            >Flash shrugs you off of him.

                                            >"Don't have a cow, Anon. You're a smart guy, I'm sure you'll think of something."

                                            >Real helpful, Flash.

                                            >"Look man, I have to get to my first class. Shoot me a text if you're freaking out and need somebody to talk to about it."

                                            >At least he's a good friend.

                                            >You hurry off in the opposite direction to get to your next class.

                                            >History with Ms. Harshwhinny.

                                            >You arrive just in time to earn a look from your sour teacher, but not a tardy.

                                            >You unpack your textbook and a spiral notebook, laying them out on the desk and taking a quick glance around the classroom.

                                            >You see someone wave at you.

                                            >Of course, it's Pinkie Pie.

                                            >Is she smiling?

                                            >Maybe Fluttershy at least managed to convince one person that you're not so bad after all.

                                            >As the class starts up, you end up tuning out the lecture entirely, pretending that you're taking notes as you try to draw up a plan for what to do about Applejack.


                                            >You have to arm wrestle Applejack.

                                            >From what you've heard, she's stronger than a lot of the school's athletes.

                                            >You glance at your arm and flex your muscles.

                                            >Nope, still pretty average.

                                            >You probably can't win by brute force.

                                            >Maybe you can ask someone else for tips?

                                            >Who do you even know that might be good at arm wrestling?

                                            >Flash?

                                            >He has an athletic streak, but if he had any tips he probably would have told you already.

                                            >Bulk Biceps?

                                            >That guy is huge. Everyone's probably too afraid to even try him. What advice is he going to have?

                                            >Big Macintosh?

                                            >He's big, strong... He's a pretty quiet guy, but you've carried a conversation or two with him before.

                                            >You're going to go find Big Mac during lunch today.


                                            >Class ends.

                                            >Everyone filters out of the room in a pretty quick fashion, such is the typical reaction to Harshwhinny's lectures.

                                            >You scan the crowd for a big poof of hair, hoping to get a chance to talk to Pinkie Pie about this whole mess.

                                            >How can you NOT be spot someone that looks like a big ball of cotton candy?

                                            >"Hi, Nonny!"

                                            >You almost fall over again just from the sheer surprise of it, but you will yourself to stay on your feet.

                                            >Not again.

                                            >Not today.

                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osMSoXl__58

                                            "Hey, Pinkie Pie."

                                            >Despite your apparantly shit sense of balance, you stand up tall and try to act like her sudden appearance didn't phase you.

                                            >"Don't you 'Hey, Pinkie Pie' me!"

                                            >She's puts on a really serious face, but then doubles over laughing.

                                            >"I'm sorry, Nonny, I couldn't help myself."

                                            >What the fuck.

                                            >You chuckle, sounding just a bit uneasy.

                                            "So, Pinkie... you uh... You know everything that happened, right?"

                                            >"Yep!"

                                            "And you're not mad at me, right? Fluttershy explained my side of the story?"

                                            >"Yepperoonie!"

                                            "... Good?"

                                            >"Yep! I bet you're going to be just fine this week, Nonny."

                                            >She rummages around in that giant puffball that she calls a haircut and hands you a small card.

                                            >It's a written party invitation for Friday night, at her place.

                                            >That's... pretty nice of her, actually.

                                            >You've only been to a Pinkie Pie party one other time, and it was crazy.

                                            "Thanks, Pinkie Pie."

                                            >"Oh, it's no problem at all, Nonny."

                                            >She starts to walk past you.

                                            >"By the way, you're right. You really should get some new shoes. Before tomorrow, even."

                                            "What do you mean by tha-"

                                            >Just like that, she's gone.


                                            >Your next class passes by uneventfully.

                                            >The bell rings.

                                            >TO THE CAFETERIA.

                                            >You make your way in and look around for the Big guy himself.

                                            >You spot Sunset and her friends at a table at the far end of the room.

                                            >You sigh and think about just walking over there to explain yourself.

                                            >That's when you see Wondercolts star soccer athlete Rainbow Dash make eye contact with you.

                                            >She drives her fist into her open palm, then makes an "I've got my eye on you" sign.

                                            >[ABORT]

                                            >You immediately turn away and resume your previous mission.

                                            >It's not too long before you see Big Macintosh off at a table to himself.

                                            "Well, here goes nothing."

                                            >You approach his table.

                                            "Hey there, Big Mac. I have something I want to ask you about. Is it okay if I sit here?"

                                            >He looks up at you passively.

                                            >"Eyup."

                                            >A man of few words, for sure.

                                            "Well, Mac... You're a strong guy. I imagine you're probably good at arm wrestling, right?"

                                            >He blinks.

                                            >"Are you challengin' me to an arm wrestling contest, Anon?"

                                            >What.

                                            "What? No, I just... I was hoping you could give me some tips."

                                            >He says nothing.

                                            "So... will you help me?"

                                            >There's a moment where he says nothing.

                                            >"Eyup."

                                            >He puts his elbow down on the table.

                                            >"Show me what you can do, Anon."


                                            >This isn't what you were expecting.

                                            >Firsthand experience is good for learning though.

                                            >Right?

                                            >After hesitating for a moment, you put your arm on the table and grab Mac's hand.

                                            >He's so much bigger than you that it's really more like he's holding your hand in his.

                                            >No homo.

                                            >"Alright, Anon. Show me what you can do."

                                            "Uh... Okay?"

                                            >You immediately put all of your strength into attempting to defeat Big Macintosh.

                                            >His wrist buckles just a little bit, but his arm doesn't budge. Not even an inch.

                                            >Your eyes widen in disbelief.

                                            >You knew that he was one of the strongest guys around, but you don't even stand a chance.

                                            >You're forced to watch as he tilts your hand back and easily pushes it down onto the table.

                                            >He didn't seem to go all out, and you're thankful that he didn't choose to just break your hand.

                                            >"You could do with some strength trainin', Anon."

                                            "You're telling me."

                                            >"You also ain't usin' your wrist enough."

                                            "What?"

                                            >"If you don't keep your wrist straight, your grip gets weak."

                                            >You have to stop yourself from facepalming.

                                            >This is the most cliché thing you've ever heard about arm wrestling.

                                            >Luckily, you think you get the gist of it from Mac's demonstration.

                                            "Thanks, Big Mac."

                                            >You get up to leave.

                                            >"You'll need more practice than that if you mean to beat mah sister later."

                                            >/What/

                                            >The gears don't have to turn for long before you realize that you were an idiot.

                                            >He's Applejack's older brother.

                                            >At least he was nice enough to help you anyway.

                                            >You leave before this can get any more awkward.

                                            "Great. If Applejack is even remotely as strong as he is, I don't stand a chance."

                                            >You find another place to sit down and take out your phone.

                                            >You may not have enough time to train yourself up, but maybe some internet videos will make you feel better.


                                            >You bid Big Macintosh farewell and leave to go sit somewhere else on your own before this can get any more awkward for you.

                                            >Taking a seat, you take out your phone to text Flash to see if he has any more ideas.

                                            >You see a notification that someone has sent you a message.

                                            >It's from Pinkie Pie.

                                            >How did she even get your phone number?

                                            >You decide that it's pointless to ask and check it out.

                                            >There's a video attachment...

                                            >...

                                            >It's a video of Rarity's grumpy cat.

                                            >Doing nothing.

                                            >While Pinkie giggles in the background.

                                            >*sigh*

                                            >You're about to put your phone away, when you suddenly get an idea.


                                            >The rest of lunch goes by without incident.

                                            >As does your next class.

                                            >You took Drama as an elective this year.

                                            >It's not about being in the spotlight though.

                                            >Playing up your namesake, you stay out of the way and do more behind-the-scenes and stage building sorts of things.

                                            >As you head towards class, you remember something that makes you start to wish you could skip it today.

                                            >You get in and make your way to backstage before you have to deal with the Drama Queen herself.

                                            >"If I do say so myself, these outfits are smashing."


                                            >Of course you have class with Rarity too.

                                            >She's not rough-and-tough like some of her friends are, but you generally try to avoid dealing with her directly.

                                            >Praises her own costume work.

                                            >Always blows every little problem out of proportion.

                                            >And of course she won a role this season, so every last thing has to be just perfect.

                                            >The teacher for this class somehow always seems to be missing, but everything keeps running from student effort...

                                            >With Rarity calling a lot of the shots.

                                            >You manage to stay out of her way for a little while, until...

                                            >"Anonymous?"

                                            >What could she POSSIBLY WANT?

                                            >"I want to talk to you about some of the stage designs.

                                            >Oh, thank goodness, she's not going to give you trouble about what happened with Sunset.

                                            >"Really, the window on this piece is set just a little bit too low to really frame..."

                                            >"It would be better if this were a different shade of brown to contrast..."

                                            >And it went on and on.

                                            >She more than doubled your workload just by making you RE-DO things.

                                            >Hammering.

                                            >Painting.

                                            >You're sweating like a dog by the time that the bell rings.

                                            >As you gather up your things, Rarity comes over to you, looking at your hard work.

                                            >"Very well done, darling."

                                            "Thank you, Miss Rarity."

                                            >It's taking every fiber of your being right now not to inject your words with sarcasm.

                                            >"I just wanted to let you know that my opposite number is out for the rest of this week, so I'll need you to brush up on the script for some readings next class."

                                            >The one regret that you have in this class is that everyone had to audition for a role.

                                            >This means that you're an understudy, and now you're going to have to actually practice your lines again for the first time since auditions.

                                            "Yes, Miss Rarity."

                                            >"Very well, Anonymous. I'll be seeing you around."

                                            >After she leaves, you take a deep breath and exhale, shaking off the stress.

                                            >You gather up your things and go to meet your prior engagement.


                                            >You head down the halls of the school, combing your way through the crowd of students heading out to enjoy the rest of their day.

                                            >There's the cafeteria.

                                            >After taking a moment to ready yourself, you throw open the double doors.

                                            >Ahead of you is Applejack, leaning back in a chair with her boots up on a table and her hat over her face.

                                            >At that sound of your entrance, she props up her hat.

                                            >"Well, you had the gumption to show up after all, Anon."

                                            >As you glance around, you can also see that Fluttershy is also here.

                                            >As is Flash, who seems to be pretending like he's currently unaware of his surroundings.

                                            >Headphones on, book in front of his face, the works.

                                            >"So, then..."

                                            >Applejack puts her arm down on the table.

                                            >"Let's have that talk."

                                            >You walk over and have a seat, then lock hands with her.

                                            >She gives you a fierce stare as those green eyes ignite like flames.

                                            >This is NOT the kind of hand holding you wanted to do with a pretty girl.

                                            >"Begin on 3, Anon."

                                            >"One..."

                                            >"Two..."

                                            >"Three!"


                                            >Almost immediately, it takes all of your strength just to stop her from instantly taking you down.

                                            >"You hurt Sunset's feelings, Anon!"

                                            >You can hear the effort in her voice as she tries to finish you off.

                                            "Applejack, I promise you that I didn't mean to!"

                                            >"Go on then! Tell me for yourself what happened."

                                            >If it keeps up like this for much longer, you're going to lose.

                                            "I was so surprised when she asked me out that I was just stunned! I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings!"

                                            >You adjust your grip, raising it higher up her hand as you lean into the table.

                                            >You almost can't believe it as you manage to slowly make some progress back towards the starting point.

                                            >You straighten your wrist out, but your progress stalls as Applejack seems to put the rest of her power into it.

                                            >"And what about Sunset? Are you going to apologize to her? Do you even really like her back, Anon?"

                                            "I will apologize to her... But the rest..."

                                            >This is your one chance.

                                            >You draw your elbow in closer to hers and pull her hand at an angle towards your side of the table with everything that you've got.


                                            >You pull Applejack's wrist back, causing her grip to weaken on yours.

                                            "That's between Sunset and I."

                                            >The sound of her arm slamming onto the table is audible through the large, almost empty room.

                                            >There's a moment of stunned silence afterward.

                                            >You look around nervously.

                                            >Fluttershy's eyes are wide.

                                            >Flash drops his prop book.

                                            >Then your eyes settle on Applejack.

                                            >You promptly let go of her hand.

                                            >Then you realize how much you're shaking.

                                            >Applejack straightens herself out and stands up.

                                            >She leans over the table and offers you a hand.

                                            >"I can tell from that match, Anon... You were tellin' the honest truth."

                                            >She smiles.

                                            >"It took guts for you to stand up to me, and you put in a real effort like I never expected!


                                            >You shake Applejack's hand and notice yourself smile for the first time since you walked into the room.

                                            >In fact, it seems that everyone here is happy with the result.

                                            >"Really though, Anon. I never expected you to be strong enough to actually beat me."

                                            >Your smile breaks out into a grin.

                                            "Oh, I'm not stronger than you, Applejack."

                                            >"Wha-"

                                            "I beat you by applying the right kind of leverage to weaken your grip."

                                            >You turn away from her.

                                            >If you had sunglasses, you would put them on.

                                            "I learned how to do it by watching videos on arm wrestling during lunch today."

                                            >She doesn't seem to have an answer to this.

                                            "Come along, Flash. I need to go shoe shopping."

                                            >Flash is trying hard to hold in his laughter as you exit with him in tow.

                                            >Before you make it out the door, you even hear Applejack start to chuckle.


                                            END OF TUESDAY.