Princely Pursuitby Eyeswirl the WeirdedChaptersChapter 1: New Face In TownChapter 2: Getting AcquaintedChapter 3: Lunch TimeChapter 1: New Face In Town"At long last..." The trip had been relatively short, just a walk to the train station in the middle of the night, a ride to the nearby town, a clandestine entry to the crystal palace, and nothing at all to stop him from silently searching for the door, but the wait had felt endless. Ignoring the question of why Twilight Sparkle didn't seem to have any security in place yet (the front door hadn't even been locked), Prince Blueblood stepped closer the mirror of myth, still hooked up to eldritch apparatus he'd overheard the master of the house say would leave the portal open at all times. He knew they'd miss him. He knew his aunts (at least one of them), his peers, many high-bred fillies whose advances he'd shunned for just this day would miss him. He suspected even Equestria as a whole would- Oh, who am I kidding? Nopony is likely to even notice I'm gone for the first few weeks. It wasn't as though he had a lot of friends or important duties to perform, back in the castle. Other castle. Whatever. He approached the mirror, ready to at long last reunite with the one he'd been sure was lost forever. A week. A week was apparently all it took for whatever trust she'd gained from the rest of her classmates to disappear. I don't understand, she thought, it looked like we were all getting along since the Sirens were stopped! Lightly sighing to herself as she approached the school building, Sunset Shimmer reverted to avoiding eye-contact and keeping her head down as she had not long before, not knowing what it was she did that got everyone giving her weird looks and whispering her name in the time between the end of school yesterday and this morning. She was broken out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. "SUNSET SHIMMER, OVER HERE!!" Smiling already, she turned to look at Pinkie Pie and the others, gathered by the statue in front of the school/portal to Equestria. She quickened her pace as Rainbow Dash and Applejack waved her over. "Hi, guys." "Hey!" "H-hello." "Howdy! "Good to see you, darling." Pinkie stepped forward, exuberantly joyful as ever. "So what's his name?" Sunset's face contorted with confusion. "W-what? Who?" "The guy, silly!" She acted out several pantomimes within the span of four seconds, talking just as quickly. "Is he an adventurer come back after years of travelling the world, dodging dart traps, jumping spike pits, swiping lost idols, and punching people in the face?!" Rainbow smirked, her cheeks colored with the faintest blush. "Sounds like my kinda guy!" Leaning against the statue, Applejack chuckled. "A male version of Darin' Do, ya mean?" Before she could answer, Sunset raised a hand. "Uh, I'm sorry, what are you talking about here?" The first five friends she'd ever made shared a quick, uncertain look, followed by Rarity turning to Sunset with concern. "You haven't heard? Someone's looking for you." Her eyes widened in fright. "What? Who?!" "We ain't sure yet, Sugarcube, but rumor has it he's some spiffy-lookin' fella with long hair an' a white suit." Rainbow nearly stuck out her tongue. "A suit?! To school?" Rarity crossed her arms, shooting her tomboy friend an equally cross look. "There's nothing wrong with having a fashion sense, you know." Losing the sternness in her face, she turned back toward Sunset. "But yes, apparently he's been going around asking for you since early in the morning, a few people said they saw him running around town in the middle of the night." Sunset gripped a sleeve of her jacket, visibly worried. "Uh-huh?" Fluttershy, who had already been sitting by the base of the statue, hugged her knees to her chest. "Y-you don't think he's some kind of... b-bad person, do you?" "Ooh," Pinkie exclaimed, waving both arms, "like one of those crazy guys in the movies with a chainsaw and hockey mask, even though he's not a lumberjack, a hockey player, or a photographer?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't have to have that stuff to be a knife-wielding maniac, y'know. Heck, I don't think he even needs to have a knife!" Noticing Sunset's increasingly terrified expression, Rarity moved to put a hand on her shoulder, turning to look at the others. "Alright, that's enough, you're scaring the poor dear!" Pinkie and Rainbow both flashed apologetic grins as Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah'm sure if this feller was dangerous, or packin' weapons on school grounds, somebody would'a called the police." Relieving a thought as that was for Sunset, an equally frightening one occurred to her. "What if... what if it is the police? Finally looking into what happened a while back...?" Her friends all shared a quick, worried look, Fluttershy speaking first. "You're afraid you're going to be arrested for the Fall Formal?" A brown boot stamped the ground once as it's owner wore an equal-parts angry and concerned expression. "Horse-apples! Ain't no way they're thinkin' a' takin' you in fer that now?!" A blue fist pounded into a blue palm. "Yea, let 'em try and book her!" Red and yellow hair gently shook on a resigned head. "I appreciate the thought girls, I really do, but if someone's pressing charges, it'll only be worse if I resist." White sleeves wrapped around Sunset's midsection. "Well, glad that's settled!" She was being grabbed from behind, a jolt of panic shooting up her spine as she tried to turn to face the one holding her. "Ah?! W-what?!" The others, Rarity in particular, observed the blonde-haired newcomer. He stood a head taller than Sunset in shiny, black shoes, long, straight hair (apart from a single, wavy strand hanging partly in front of his pale, yet chiseled face), dressed in what might have been a white tuxedo with a compass rose imprinted on the cummerbund and an ordinary rose embedded in the lapel. He smiled down at his captive. "I've missed you so much, Sunset Shimmer." Turning her head enough to see his arctic-blue eyes, her own widened in shock. "B-Blueblood?!" Applejack whispered to the others. "Thinkin' this guy ain't a cop." "Y-you know eachother?" asked Fluttershy, peeking out from the side of the statue she'd hidden behind. Blueblood chuckled, hugging Sunset tightly enough to lift her a few inches off the ground. "Of course! Why, we were-" He was cut off by Sunset, going red in the face, shouting as she wriggled in his grip. "Let go of me, you Numbskull!!" Everything, the surrounding students entering the building included, went quiet as many turned to stare at the source of the sound, who was still being held by the handsome stranger. He smiled. "Ahh, you're just how I remem-OOF!" He lost his grip on Sunset, who immediately joined Fluttershy behind the statue, after being lightly shoved by Rainbow Dash. "What's the big idea, pal?! Do you just go around squeezing people?!" Regaining his balance, Blueblood regarded her with disdain. "Hmph. I embrace the few worthy to be touched by royalty," he said with a casual flip of his hair, "so you need not worry your badly-dyed head." Rainbow's face adapted a hue close to the red in her hair, as well as a few upraised veins. "WHAT?!" Part of her anticipated some kind of defense from Rarity, but the fashionista was staring off into space. Those looking closely might have seen little hearts in her eyes. Applejack crossed her arms with an annoyed expression. "An' just who the heck do ya think you are?" He looked at the farmer curiously. "Oh. Sunset, you have your own yokel?" Rainbow was no longer the only one wearing a furious expression. "YOKEL?!" "Well," he calmly summarized, moving toward the spot Sunset had disappeared to, "suppose you have your reasons for picking your servants this way," he paid no mind to the two he had already offended indignantly exclaiming 'servants?!' in unison, "but what say we-" He was stopped by Fluttershy, barring his path with both arms outstretched as Sunset slipped around to another side of the statue. "Um, p-please leave her alone, I don't think she wants to t-talk to you." He raised a golden brow. "Oh?" Sunset called from behind the statue. "It's true, actually!" The prince chuckled, stepping around Fluttershy. "Yes, I remember this game very-" She quickly moved to stop him again. "Please, leave her alo-" Any trace of a smile vanished. "Get out of my way." Fluttershy visibly trembled, but didn't give up! "S-s-she d-doesn't want to... um..." Her voice grew softer as his glare grew sterner. "I-if you c-could just, uh, j-just-" He leaned forward. "Boo." "EEP!" She crouched down and covered her head with her hands, but her friends were silently proud of her for lasting even that long. Blueblood again stepped around her, but as he approached his increasingly nervous target, a bell sounded. Sunset smiled sheepishly. "Well, that's the bell, school things to do now, you should head home until the semester's over, seeya!" She bolted for the building, the Rainbooms (Applejack had to drag Rarity) following close after. Hm, he thought to himself as he stood alone, she must have some manner of machination in play that involves the local education facility. I probably shouldn't interrupt her work there, if such is the case... Author's Note I think it might be the most fun writing Blueblood when he's kindof a jerk. Not evil, not monstrous, but definitely kindof a jerk. Or insane, that's pretty fun too! Chapter 2: Getting AcquaintedAt the start of the first break period, the group met up again. "Ok," Rainbow began, "what, was that about?" Sunset hung her head. "I'm sorry, that, he was, uh-" She was jolted upright by Rarity taking hold of her shoulders and beaming. "Yes, who was that gorgeous gentlemen? Is he a friend of yours? Can you introduce us?" Rainbow face-palmed. "Tell me you are NOT going ga-ga over that jerk." "Ok," Pinkie chirped, "She is NOT going ga-ga over that jerk!" "Thanks. Thanks so much." "No problem!" Sunset cleared her throat, the others flashing apologetic smiles. "Anyway, his name is Prince Blueblood. He-" Rarity clasped her hands together, her eyes shining. "A prince, you say?!" She sighed dreamily, her mind wandering off to the flowery fields of fairytale romance. Fluttershy's face tinted closer to her hair color as she mumbled toward the floor. "W-wow, a real live prince." Applejack rolled her eyes. "A prince? Ah might not have the highest grades in geography, but ain't no government Ah know of still has princes an' princesses today. Where's he from, anyway?" "Well," Sunset tried to pick up, "he's from-" "Equestria!" interrupted Pinkie, who began speaking very quickly, "He was like a playmate-slash-colleague-slash-minion while you were still kinda evil and studying under the princess in your world, but not princess Twilight, like another princess, and while you only wanted to keep your relationship professional, he fell deeply in love with you, but then you disappeared to THIS world, and he never saw you again! Crushed, he spent the next few years stewing in cold, lonely bitterness until he heard about a way to reunite with his lost love; the portal leading from your world to this one!" Sunset's mouth hung open as the others awaited confirmation. "I... Uh... I-I only knew maybe the first part, but yea... How did you know all that?" Pinkie smiled. "Just a hunch!" Rarity checked her hair in a pocket mirror, bobbing it with her other hand. "Well, I'm sure someone could ease the pain of his wounded heart!" She stopped, looking at Sunset with contrition. "I mean, unless you'd rather...?" Sunset shook her head before placatingly raising her hands and smiling. "No, no, please, be my guest!" Rarity was hugging her in a blink. "Ohhh, thank you, Sunset Shimmer! I'll be sure to invite you to the wedding!" Sunset blinked. "Weddi-" Before she could complete the one-word question, the fashionista was gone, off to find her Prince Charming. The air smelled faintly of disaster. "Anyway," Applejack picked up, "what was that about 'cold bitterness'? Fella seemed pretty cheerful to me." Pinkie shrugged. "Maybe he was just really happy to see her?" Sunset repressed any kind of facial expression. There were disadvantages to having an adult mind in a teenager's body and teenage friends. Moments like these were one of them. Fluttershy raised a hand. "Uhm, s-so, what should we do?" "Let Rarity handle him, I guess," Rainbow offered, "and hope she scares him off." She scowled, averting her eyes. "If he makes fun of my hair again, I swear I'll..." Applejack smiled, patting her head. "Aww, don't worry none about yer hair, Sugarcube, yer pretty just the way ya are!" "Th-that's not what I-" "It really does look nice," Fluttershy added with a smile. "In-do-deedily!" agreed Pinkie. Rainbow blushed, crossing her arms and pouting as the others giggled. Interrupting Sunset's plans here would be bad, Blueblood thought to himself as he aimlessly wandered the halls of CHS, but surely exploring a little isn't interrupting anything. Otherworldliness aside, it didn't really seem that remarkable a place. He'd never been to a learning facility of lesser stature than Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, but he got the impression this was a place of no great prestige. No matter, if it was where his future princess chose to be for the time being, it might as well have been Castle Canterlot itself! There was something screwy with that line of thinking, being that he'd willingly abandoned exactly that place in favor of the current venture, but before he could think too much about it, he caught sight of a girl in a dull-blue dress that ended just at the top of dull-grey boots. She was just standing in the hall, perfectly still and with no expression on her face whatsoever. As she didn't seem busy, he approached to ask a question. "Hello there. Might you know Sunset Shimmer?" She didn't respond. Not even a blink. "Hello?" He waved a hand in front of her face, but there was no reaction at all. "Hm," he thought aloud, "perhaps I'm talking to a mannequin? Very convincing, but who just leaves a-" As he reached out to get an idea of what the hair was made of, she sharply turned her head, looking him in the eye, which made him draw back with a start. "GAH!" "Oh, hello," she said in complete monotone, "I didn't notice you there. I was playing camouflage with Boulder." "Boulder?" he asked, still just the slightest bit unnerved. She drew a very small rock from her pocket, holding it where he could see and standing silent for several seconds. "He found me." That stance was maintained for the better part of a minute. "Right, well. Anyway, do you know anyone by the name of Sunset Shimmer?" He was just about to ask if she'd heard him when she answered. "Yes." Blueblood smiled a bit. Progress! "Excellent, what can you tell me about her? What has she been up to lately?" He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn the corners of her mouth inclined upwards by about a millimeter. "I have to go now. Goodbye." Standing still for several more seconds, she slowly walked off. Alone, he stood in silence. What just happened? "There you are!" He turned to the sound of the voice, a pretty young woman with elegantly-styled purple curls and skin not unlike his own. She looked familiar. Approaching him with a light sway to her hips, she grinned. "You're the new student, yes? Someone else usually handles showing newcomers around, but as she's a tad busy at the moment, that position falls to yours truly." She curtsied, batting her eyelashes twice. "I'm Rarity." Ohh, ponyfeathers. What was the strangest thing Princess Twilight had mentioned about this world? That there seemed to be duplicates of the ponies she knew? No matter, he'd get rid of this girl soon enough, he'd just-wait, wasn't she standing near Sunset this morning? What if Sunset was the one who sent her to give him a tour, that he'd be able to assist easier given familiarity with the area? Ignoring the voice in his head that said this was a bad idea, he opted to stay on his best behavior. Underlings speaking out of turn was one thing, but Sunset almost certainly wouldn't appreciate him giving anyone acting under her orders a hard time. He forced a smile. Just like with the other Rarity. "I am Prince Blueblood." Either Rarity had strange ideas of which parts of CHS were prominent, or Sunset's plan just happened to involve a lot of places where it was easy to be alone. Together. Alone together, Rarity kept pointing out. "This is the music room, though almost everybody prefers to practice elsewhere..." "With the juxtaposition of those two walls and that support column, that's the one table in the cafeteria one would be advised to sit at if they wished for... privacy..." "Rather spacious for a storage closet, this room even has thin windows towards the top of the outer wall. Supposedly it's to save on electricity and not needing to install the proper fixtures, but the way the sunlight enters serves as the perfect mood lighting at the right time of day..." "This corner of the library hardly sees much traffic. Can you believe nearly no-one is interested in tales of courtly romance?" "So as you can see, one could sit at the bench on this side of the school for hours without seeing another person. Why, I'm sure even two could remain secluded, if they wished." The whole time, Blueblood was desperately trying to figure out whether Rarity was referring to herself, or if this was Sunset's way of saying he'd later be able to find her at these locations. She always seemed to have difficulty being direct in some matters, which earned him a few slaps upside the head after making the wrong guess as to what she meant when they were younger. Rarity turned to him, fluttering her eyelashes again. "That concludes the tour, do you have any questions?" At last! "Yes, where might I find Sunset Shimmer?" She averted her eyes, striking an innocuous pose. "Right now? I couldn't even guess." He sighed. "I see. Well, thank you for your time, Miss Rarity, but I really should be off, ta-ta." Watching him go, with a bit more attention than was strictly called for, Rarity wondered what she had done wrong for him not to be asking her hand right now! Well, perhaps that would have been a rather extreme reaction, but he should have at least shown some interest! She muttered something decidedly unladylike under her breath. "Phooey!" Chapter 3: Lunch TimeThe group met up again during the lunch period following the next round of classes, their usual table. Sunset turned to Rarity the moment they were all seated, her face hopeful. "So, how'd it go?" She sighed in response. "I must have been too subtle, he barely gave me a second glance before going off to look for you again." Sunset's head met the table as she groaned. "Well, thanks for trying." Pinkie scratched her head. "I don't get it, shouldn't you be happy someone likes you?" "No. It's just embarrassing because I don't like him that way." There was a pause and a few raised eyebrows. Her eyes widened as what she'd said caught up to her, making her sit up straight. "I mean AT ALL, I don't like him AT ALL!" Rarity giggled a little. "You may not be interested, but surely you can appreciate that there are worse fates than being fancied by a handsome, well-built young man that likes hugging." Applejack and Rainbow made a face. Rarity smirked at them. "Ohh, please. You're telling me none of you noticed? At all?" Everyone else at the table blushed and averted their eyes, save Pinkie, who just nodded cheerfully. "Yep!" "Well, uh," Sunset muttered while leaning an elbow the table, "yea, it could be worse, but I'd still rather he just not do it." Rarity grinned a little wider. "What would you have a man do to earn your attention, darling?" Sunset seemed to mull this over for a minute. "I'd, um..." She shrugged, looking down at the table somewhat guiltily. "I don't know, I only ever learned to destroy relationshi-" "Hey," Rainbow interrupted, "we talked about this, remember? You've gotta quit beating yourself up about that." "Past is in the past, Sugarcube." "Quite so," Rarity assented. Fluttershy nodded affirmatively. "Besides," Pinkie chimed in after putting an apple in her mouth and pulling out only the core, "you don't have to do anything to be someone's friend, just be friendly!" Sunset smiled at them. "I guess so, but I'd really rather avoid this one in particular." Rarity snapped her fingers, regaining her vicious smile from a moment ago. "Sunset's laid her cards on the table, what about the rest of you?" Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yer havin' a little too much fun with this, Rare." Rarity giggled in reply. "I am a healthy young lady, I just wanted to know whether or not the rest of you were too." Rainbow interpreted that as a challenge, scratching her chin in thought. "How we'd get a guy to like us, huh?" Turning just a little rosy, Applejack shrugged. "Reckon Ah'd ask if he liked me first, see where it went from there." Pinkie giggle-snorted. "I'd probably just throw a pie in his face!" Rarity looked gobsmacked. "That would show affection, how?" "Tough love?" "Of course," Rarity muttered under her breath, hesitantly turning to Fluttershy. "I won't force you to answer if you don't want to, but...?" Predictably, Fluttershy turned about as pink as her hair, attempting to take refuge in it. Sunset silently wondered if she dyed it that way to use it as camouflage. Her friends were just about to change the subject when she spoke up. "A-actually, I, um..." She spared everyone at the table a quick, nervous glance. "It's... I-it's not that I don't want to talk about this at all, I, uh, just don't, I mean..." She gulped, her voice getting softer and squeakier. "It's attracting a guy that I'm not comfortable with." Some blushed, Pinkie scratching her head. "So, what, lemurs? Penguins? Kangaroos?" There were some laughs as Fluttershy shook her head, giggling a little herself. "I don't think she's that kind of animal lover, darling." Smiling gently, Rarity patted Fluttershy's hand. "I'm sure you'll find a nice girl in due time." Fluttershy smiled warmly. Truth be told, she already had someone she adored. The trick would be getting a minute to talk to her alone. "Okay," Rainbow said with a confident grin, having made up her mind, "if I wanted a guy's attention," she pantomimed a quick guitar solo, "I'd blow him away with my awesome shredding!" Then Sunset realized something, her focus on the conversation fading in favor of that on the cafeteria door. Here. This is where it happens. The cafeteria. Lunch. A newcomer from Equestria comes in every time and... Sunset herself was the only one so far to be an exception to the rule, but both times before resulted in a song that the entire student body rallied behind, and there was only one thing she could picture Blueblood singing about if he did it at all. She started to sweat. Him hugging her in public was embarrassing, but having him sing about wanting to woo her, everyone else supporting him because he did it when they were eating, would be nothing short of a nightmare. What do I do?! She dared glance at the doors, no sign of him. Yet. She tried not to think about it, but then it would just take her by surprise! She kept glancing at the doors like they were portals to Tartarus, fearing that they'd burst open to the sound of his singing every time she did, fearing they'd do it anyway if she wasn't looking. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she jumped, barely stopping herself from emitting a terrified shriek. She turned to see Applejack quickly pulling her hand back, as though Sunset was about to spontaneously combust. "You uh, you okay there Sugarcube? You were breathin' a little funny." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Hyperventilating, you mean?" Sunset noticed her friends all looking at her with worried expressions. She might have blushed, but she had already been feeling uncomfortably warm. "Uh, s-sorry, I-I was-" Pinkie interrupted. "Worried Blueblood would kick open the door, sing a catchy song that the entire school danced to and went along with, pretty much everyone supporting him in trying to win you over, adding an uncomfortable layer of peer pressure to the already unsteady situation?" Somehow, hearing it out loud made it the possibility a little less scary, like she wasn't crazy for thinking it could happen. "...Yea, that." "I think I understand her concern," nodded Rarity, "I'm not sure he'd unite the student body as Twilight and the Dazzlings did, but if he came in singing a ballad for and about Sunset, romantic a gesture as it might be, everyone would be talking about it for a while regardless." Rainbow shrugged. "Couldn't she just, y'know, high-tail it out of here before he got started?" "He might keep going anyway, in a 'shout it from the rooftops' declaration kind of way? If anything, it'd be criminal if she were to miss it, were that the case." Sunset slooowly rested her head on the table, her arms protectively over her head. It was scary again. Fluttershy moved to gently hug her, whispering. "I'm sure it'll be okay." Applejack looked less sure. "Really? 'Cuz Ah think if he went all musical Romeo where everyone could hear, she'd prob'ly never live it dow-" she smiled sheepishly as she realized Sunset could still hear her. "-wwnnand, uh, a-and that's why we'll help ya!" Sunset looked up, confused. "Help?" Rainbow nodded, pumping a fist. "Yea! If he comes in looking all Broadway, we'll shut him down somehow." Rarity looked hesitant, but decided against letting a friend suffer for the sake of romantic spectacle. "Yes we will. It loses something if the feelings aren't mutual, after all." Pinkie beamed. "Ooh, goodie! I might have a chance to practice with my cupcake slingshot!" Fluttershy didn't say anything, but maintained the hug and a warm smile. Sunset was almost in tears with gratitude, but before she could riddle out how group hugs were started and enforced, a voice from behind her made her heart leap into her throat. "Someone mentioned cupcakes?" Apart from Fluttershy ducking under the table in fright, the group collectively turned their heads to see Blueblood, an immaculate, white apron over his equally clean suit, holding a tray of colorful confections. He set it on the table, six cupcakes with wavy, red and yellow icing. The inspiration could only stare at them in shock as Blueblood knelt down to hug her again. "I was exploring the kitchen when I found local food to be... lacking. Luckily, the head chef didn't mind me making some adjustments with the ingredients at hoof-err, hand. The green lunch lady only needed to smell my work to know I'd done a good job." He blinked. "Or, at least I think she did, so hard to tell through peasant drawl, you know?" Applejack stood up, slamming a hand on the table. "Hey!! Ain't Granny-Smith's cookin' or her talkin' needs no changin', ya hear?!" No sign of contrition on his face, he nodded to the twice-vexed farm girl. "See what I mean? No clue what that meant." Sunset decided to keep to herself that she, too, wasn't always sure what members of the Apple family were trying to say for the first few weeks. What she didn't mind sharing was her next thought. "That's nice, but would you let go of me already?!" He smiled. "Certainly, I'll leave you to eat in peace. See you again soon, Sunset Shimmer!" This time, he let Sunset go entirely of his own volition, heading back to the kitchen. There wasn't a thing being served that couldn't benefit from his help, he was sure. As she had feared, students stared at Sunset and whispered for a few minutes after he left, again making her lower her head and blush. Turning to her friends, she noticed Rarity looking starry-eyed. "He even cooks for you?!" "W-well, uh, it was more like, I mean-" Pinkie took a bite of one of the Sunset-themed cupcakes, grinning with delight. "'ish naw bahd, ee-ter." Applejack only glared at them. "Fancy-schmancy blockhead an' his fancy-schmancy cookin', ain't nothin' wrong with Granny Smith's food." She looked a little uncertain, hesitantly reaching out to sample a cupcake herself. After about a solid minute of chewing, she opted to change the subject. "An' who calls the way people talk 'peasant drawl', anyway?!" All present noticed Sunset was sweating bullets, staring straight ahead and not blinking. Applejack sighed dramatically, an amused grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Well, ya wouldn't go sayin' any'a that now, right?" Sunset shook her head furiously, the rest of the table giggling. "So," Fluttershy, who had silently taken her seat again, quietly inquired, "he used to bring you something to eat all the time?" Scratching her head, Sunset searched her memory of long nights in the castle library. "Well, uh... sometimes? I mean, I needed something to fuel long study sessions, and he usually came by with something not-terrible." Looking cautiously at the tray, she tried a cupcake, trying not to think about the implications of auto-cannibalism. "He's gotten better, I guess." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yea, well, ain't a lot of ways you can screw up a cupcake." Pinkie and Rainbow replied in unison. "Twenty-seven." The rest of the table stared at them, waiting for elaboration, but the pair only grinned and high-fived. Rarity turned to Sunset, repeating Fluttershy's question. "So, he used to bring you meals?" Sunset tried not to blush. "I'd like to say I only took advantage of those offers when I was really famished... but he never really let me get to that point." Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy all had the exact same reaction, clasping their hands over their chests. "Aaaaaww!" Now she blushed. "I only ate what he brought because going all the way to the nearest dining area when there was food right there would have been a waste of precious reading time!" Rainbow wasn't the only one that smirked a little. "Uh-huh." Sunset spent the remainder of lunch defending the completely practical benefits of not stopping what she was doing, leaving bookmarks in the appropriate pages, going to fetch her own meal, and walking back. While they might have agreed to try their best to defend Sunset from public humiliation at the hands of her formal personal chef, teasing her a little themselves felt like fair game. The face she made when they referred to him as her personal chef drew the most laughter. They didn't see Blueblood again for the rest of the day, to Rarity's audible disappointment as they walked down the hall toward the exit. "I was sure he'd try to woo you at least four more times." Sunset was decidedly less broken up about it. "Maybe he went home? if only for a while?" "Here's hopin'," Applejack offered with a shrug. Fluttershy looked concerned. "What are you going to do if he's still around?" Sunset stopped walking, the others doing the same as they awaited her answer. "Uh... I, I'll... Actually, could I stay over with one of you guys for a while? I don't really want to risk him following me home or something." Rarity's eyes widened in alarm. "You're worried he would... take advantage of you?" Surprised, she let out a short laugh. "Him? No, but I'd rather not risk him being able to show up at my door without warning." "So what," Rainbow asked with her arms crossed, "you'd rather he show up at ours?" Before Sunset could reply, Applejack patted her on the back. "Iffin' we play musical chairs with sleepovers, he won't know where to look. Providin' somethin' always distracts him when school's over, Ah mean." Brushing a lock of purple hair aside, Rarity grinned coyly. "I believe the words are 'Challenge Accepted.' Besides, anything has to be better than living in that old-" Fluttershy tapped her on the shoulder, nodding to Sunset, who looked just slightly down. "...Sorry." Sunset shrugged, only a small trace of sadness in her smile. "It's ok, I'm pretty sure we've all moved on." "So," Pinkie said while reaching for something in her hair, "let's play roulette to see who gets to take Sunny home today!" Drawing a colorful, plastic wheel with a spinning arrow in the center and all of their faces on the surface, (they'd just spin again if it landed on Sunset) she flicked the arrow, which came to stop over Rarity's space. The winner grinned brightly. "Aha-ha-ha!" She clasped her hands together, starry-eyed. "We can talk all night about your old beau, both in how to shun his attention and to seize it!" "H-he was never my-" Rarity had already grabbed her by the wrist, smiling ear-to-ear as she led her through the front doors. "Yes, let's get started right away, shall we?" To Sunset, the mock-pitying looks her friends gave her and Applejack taking her hat off to hold it mournfully over her heart was only a little funny. Little did they know that just out of sight stood Blueblood, watching as they left the school building for the day, his sight on Sunset and this world's Rarity. He'd stayed away on the chance Sunset would lower her guard, or he'd never find out where she lived. He was just about to move to follow them home when something in the back of his head spoke up. Um, hey, not to interrupt the possible felony you're about to commit, but do you remember the time a filly followed you home after dark? How it creeped you out more than you ever thought was physically possible? He did, a familar shiver going down his spine as he recalled her wide, unblinking eyes as she stood on rooftops to watch him walk down the street like some grinning, re-appearing gargoyle. Pegasi are capable of some frightening things, when so inclined. As such, he chose a new course of action; returning to the library! That was where he'd spent the day after lunch, after all. He probably should have realized it had been too late to bring the cafeteria's meals up to Canterlot standards with lunch already started, but they'd at least preserve things for tomorrow. He'd have to get in there earlier to keep them from serving whatever that grey slop was supposed to be again. Sitting in the corner he'd left the stack of books and a notepad, the area of the library Rarity had specifically told him would usually be vacant, he looked over the song he'd spent an hour and half writing, making little progress. Some ponies, some people, could just burst into song at the drop of a hat, but Blueblood was not one of them. "Honestly," he complained aloud, "I don't even know how they do that!" Princess of Spontaneous Musical Numbers, that's what they should have called Twilight Sparkle. He had never been much of a poet, and Sunset Shimmer would let him know it. He'd try his best, he'd write the verse, but over time it just got worse. Hour and day he would whittle away, hoping and praying he'd know what to say, just to see her sweet face light up with glee, hearing ballads composed by none other than he! But with each passing day did that dream grow thinner, no way in the world in his way he would spin her, for with prose alone he could not be the winner, and was ever ignored by his dear Sunset Shimmer. Nothing coming to mind, he gave up for now, opting to look up how massages were given with hands instead of hooves. It was one of the few things Sunset was ~~happy~~ ~~content~~ willing to tolerate letting him do when they were younger, if only rarely. What he knew as a pony was all but useless now, and his special talent would only get him so far. This and other things he researched in the library before drifting off to sleep in the Courtly Romance corner. Author's Note I'm definitely not the first to notice the rallying effects of songs at lunch in CHS. If you're wondering about the implications of Sunset living somewhere unpleasant at an unspecified point before the story, I'm thinking the tale of her adapting to life post-Raging-She-Demon is one I don't think I would tell in a way that wasn't dull, predictable, and done better elsewhere. So, the occasional implied detail is all I'm going to bother with there.
Chapter 1: New Face In Town"At long last..." The trip had been relatively short, just a walk to the train station in the middle of the night, a ride to the nearby town, a clandestine entry to the crystal palace, and nothing at all to stop him from silently searching for the door, but the wait had felt endless. Ignoring the question of why Twilight Sparkle didn't seem to have any security in place yet (the front door hadn't even been locked), Prince Blueblood stepped closer the mirror of myth, still hooked up to eldritch apparatus he'd overheard the master of the house say would leave the portal open at all times. He knew they'd miss him. He knew his aunts (at least one of them), his peers, many high-bred fillies whose advances he'd shunned for just this day would miss him. He suspected even Equestria as a whole would- Oh, who am I kidding? Nopony is likely to even notice I'm gone for the first few weeks. It wasn't as though he had a lot of friends or important duties to perform, back in the castle. Other castle. Whatever. He approached the mirror, ready to at long last reunite with the one he'd been sure was lost forever. A week. A week was apparently all it took for whatever trust she'd gained from the rest of her classmates to disappear. I don't understand, she thought, it looked like we were all getting along since the Sirens were stopped! Lightly sighing to herself as she approached the school building, Sunset Shimmer reverted to avoiding eye-contact and keeping her head down as she had not long before, not knowing what it was she did that got everyone giving her weird looks and whispering her name in the time between the end of school yesterday and this morning. She was broken out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. "SUNSET SHIMMER, OVER HERE!!" Smiling already, she turned to look at Pinkie Pie and the others, gathered by the statue in front of the school/portal to Equestria. She quickened her pace as Rainbow Dash and Applejack waved her over. "Hi, guys." "Hey!" "H-hello." "Howdy! "Good to see you, darling." Pinkie stepped forward, exuberantly joyful as ever. "So what's his name?" Sunset's face contorted with confusion. "W-what? Who?" "The guy, silly!" She acted out several pantomimes within the span of four seconds, talking just as quickly. "Is he an adventurer come back after years of travelling the world, dodging dart traps, jumping spike pits, swiping lost idols, and punching people in the face?!" Rainbow smirked, her cheeks colored with the faintest blush. "Sounds like my kinda guy!" Leaning against the statue, Applejack chuckled. "A male version of Darin' Do, ya mean?" Before she could answer, Sunset raised a hand. "Uh, I'm sorry, what are you talking about here?" The first five friends she'd ever made shared a quick, uncertain look, followed by Rarity turning to Sunset with concern. "You haven't heard? Someone's looking for you." Her eyes widened in fright. "What? Who?!" "We ain't sure yet, Sugarcube, but rumor has it he's some spiffy-lookin' fella with long hair an' a white suit." Rainbow nearly stuck out her tongue. "A suit?! To school?" Rarity crossed her arms, shooting her tomboy friend an equally cross look. "There's nothing wrong with having a fashion sense, you know." Losing the sternness in her face, she turned back toward Sunset. "But yes, apparently he's been going around asking for you since early in the morning, a few people said they saw him running around town in the middle of the night." Sunset gripped a sleeve of her jacket, visibly worried. "Uh-huh?" Fluttershy, who had already been sitting by the base of the statue, hugged her knees to her chest. "Y-you don't think he's some kind of... b-bad person, do you?" "Ooh," Pinkie exclaimed, waving both arms, "like one of those crazy guys in the movies with a chainsaw and hockey mask, even though he's not a lumberjack, a hockey player, or a photographer?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't have to have that stuff to be a knife-wielding maniac, y'know. Heck, I don't think he even needs to have a knife!" Noticing Sunset's increasingly terrified expression, Rarity moved to put a hand on her shoulder, turning to look at the others. "Alright, that's enough, you're scaring the poor dear!" Pinkie and Rainbow both flashed apologetic grins as Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah'm sure if this feller was dangerous, or packin' weapons on school grounds, somebody would'a called the police." Relieving a thought as that was for Sunset, an equally frightening one occurred to her. "What if... what if it is the police? Finally looking into what happened a while back...?" Her friends all shared a quick, worried look, Fluttershy speaking first. "You're afraid you're going to be arrested for the Fall Formal?" A brown boot stamped the ground once as it's owner wore an equal-parts angry and concerned expression. "Horse-apples! Ain't no way they're thinkin' a' takin' you in fer that now?!" A blue fist pounded into a blue palm. "Yea, let 'em try and book her!" Red and yellow hair gently shook on a resigned head. "I appreciate the thought girls, I really do, but if someone's pressing charges, it'll only be worse if I resist." White sleeves wrapped around Sunset's midsection. "Well, glad that's settled!" She was being grabbed from behind, a jolt of panic shooting up her spine as she tried to turn to face the one holding her. "Ah?! W-what?!" The others, Rarity in particular, observed the blonde-haired newcomer. He stood a head taller than Sunset in shiny, black shoes, long, straight hair (apart from a single, wavy strand hanging partly in front of his pale, yet chiseled face), dressed in what might have been a white tuxedo with a compass rose imprinted on the cummerbund and an ordinary rose embedded in the lapel. He smiled down at his captive. "I've missed you so much, Sunset Shimmer." Turning her head enough to see his arctic-blue eyes, her own widened in shock. "B-Blueblood?!" Applejack whispered to the others. "Thinkin' this guy ain't a cop." "Y-you know eachother?" asked Fluttershy, peeking out from the side of the statue she'd hidden behind. Blueblood chuckled, hugging Sunset tightly enough to lift her a few inches off the ground. "Of course! Why, we were-" He was cut off by Sunset, going red in the face, shouting as she wriggled in his grip. "Let go of me, you Numbskull!!" Everything, the surrounding students entering the building included, went quiet as many turned to stare at the source of the sound, who was still being held by the handsome stranger. He smiled. "Ahh, you're just how I remem-OOF!" He lost his grip on Sunset, who immediately joined Fluttershy behind the statue, after being lightly shoved by Rainbow Dash. "What's the big idea, pal?! Do you just go around squeezing people?!" Regaining his balance, Blueblood regarded her with disdain. "Hmph. I embrace the few worthy to be touched by royalty," he said with a casual flip of his hair, "so you need not worry your badly-dyed head." Rainbow's face adapted a hue close to the red in her hair, as well as a few upraised veins. "WHAT?!" Part of her anticipated some kind of defense from Rarity, but the fashionista was staring off into space. Those looking closely might have seen little hearts in her eyes. Applejack crossed her arms with an annoyed expression. "An' just who the heck do ya think you are?" He looked at the farmer curiously. "Oh. Sunset, you have your own yokel?" Rainbow was no longer the only one wearing a furious expression. "YOKEL?!" "Well," he calmly summarized, moving toward the spot Sunset had disappeared to, "suppose you have your reasons for picking your servants this way," he paid no mind to the two he had already offended indignantly exclaiming 'servants?!' in unison, "but what say we-" He was stopped by Fluttershy, barring his path with both arms outstretched as Sunset slipped around to another side of the statue. "Um, p-please leave her alone, I don't think she wants to t-talk to you." He raised a golden brow. "Oh?" Sunset called from behind the statue. "It's true, actually!" The prince chuckled, stepping around Fluttershy. "Yes, I remember this game very-" She quickly moved to stop him again. "Please, leave her alo-" Any trace of a smile vanished. "Get out of my way." Fluttershy visibly trembled, but didn't give up! "S-s-she d-doesn't want to... um..." Her voice grew softer as his glare grew sterner. "I-if you c-could just, uh, j-just-" He leaned forward. "Boo." "EEP!" She crouched down and covered her head with her hands, but her friends were silently proud of her for lasting even that long. Blueblood again stepped around her, but as he approached his increasingly nervous target, a bell sounded. Sunset smiled sheepishly. "Well, that's the bell, school things to do now, you should head home until the semester's over, seeya!" She bolted for the building, the Rainbooms (Applejack had to drag Rarity) following close after. Hm, he thought to himself as he stood alone, she must have some manner of machination in play that involves the local education facility. I probably shouldn't interrupt her work there, if such is the case... Author's Note I think it might be the most fun writing Blueblood when he's kindof a jerk. Not evil, not monstrous, but definitely kindof a jerk. Or insane, that's pretty fun too!
Chapter 2: Getting AcquaintedAt the start of the first break period, the group met up again. "Ok," Rainbow began, "what, was that about?" Sunset hung her head. "I'm sorry, that, he was, uh-" She was jolted upright by Rarity taking hold of her shoulders and beaming. "Yes, who was that gorgeous gentlemen? Is he a friend of yours? Can you introduce us?" Rainbow face-palmed. "Tell me you are NOT going ga-ga over that jerk." "Ok," Pinkie chirped, "She is NOT going ga-ga over that jerk!" "Thanks. Thanks so much." "No problem!" Sunset cleared her throat, the others flashing apologetic smiles. "Anyway, his name is Prince Blueblood. He-" Rarity clasped her hands together, her eyes shining. "A prince, you say?!" She sighed dreamily, her mind wandering off to the flowery fields of fairytale romance. Fluttershy's face tinted closer to her hair color as she mumbled toward the floor. "W-wow, a real live prince." Applejack rolled her eyes. "A prince? Ah might not have the highest grades in geography, but ain't no government Ah know of still has princes an' princesses today. Where's he from, anyway?" "Well," Sunset tried to pick up, "he's from-" "Equestria!" interrupted Pinkie, who began speaking very quickly, "He was like a playmate-slash-colleague-slash-minion while you were still kinda evil and studying under the princess in your world, but not princess Twilight, like another princess, and while you only wanted to keep your relationship professional, he fell deeply in love with you, but then you disappeared to THIS world, and he never saw you again! Crushed, he spent the next few years stewing in cold, lonely bitterness until he heard about a way to reunite with his lost love; the portal leading from your world to this one!" Sunset's mouth hung open as the others awaited confirmation. "I... Uh... I-I only knew maybe the first part, but yea... How did you know all that?" Pinkie smiled. "Just a hunch!" Rarity checked her hair in a pocket mirror, bobbing it with her other hand. "Well, I'm sure someone could ease the pain of his wounded heart!" She stopped, looking at Sunset with contrition. "I mean, unless you'd rather...?" Sunset shook her head before placatingly raising her hands and smiling. "No, no, please, be my guest!" Rarity was hugging her in a blink. "Ohhh, thank you, Sunset Shimmer! I'll be sure to invite you to the wedding!" Sunset blinked. "Weddi-" Before she could complete the one-word question, the fashionista was gone, off to find her Prince Charming. The air smelled faintly of disaster. "Anyway," Applejack picked up, "what was that about 'cold bitterness'? Fella seemed pretty cheerful to me." Pinkie shrugged. "Maybe he was just really happy to see her?" Sunset repressed any kind of facial expression. There were disadvantages to having an adult mind in a teenager's body and teenage friends. Moments like these were one of them. Fluttershy raised a hand. "Uhm, s-so, what should we do?" "Let Rarity handle him, I guess," Rainbow offered, "and hope she scares him off." She scowled, averting her eyes. "If he makes fun of my hair again, I swear I'll..." Applejack smiled, patting her head. "Aww, don't worry none about yer hair, Sugarcube, yer pretty just the way ya are!" "Th-that's not what I-" "It really does look nice," Fluttershy added with a smile. "In-do-deedily!" agreed Pinkie. Rainbow blushed, crossing her arms and pouting as the others giggled. Interrupting Sunset's plans here would be bad, Blueblood thought to himself as he aimlessly wandered the halls of CHS, but surely exploring a little isn't interrupting anything. Otherworldliness aside, it didn't really seem that remarkable a place. He'd never been to a learning facility of lesser stature than Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, but he got the impression this was a place of no great prestige. No matter, if it was where his future princess chose to be for the time being, it might as well have been Castle Canterlot itself! There was something screwy with that line of thinking, being that he'd willingly abandoned exactly that place in favor of the current venture, but before he could think too much about it, he caught sight of a girl in a dull-blue dress that ended just at the top of dull-grey boots. She was just standing in the hall, perfectly still and with no expression on her face whatsoever. As she didn't seem busy, he approached to ask a question. "Hello there. Might you know Sunset Shimmer?" She didn't respond. Not even a blink. "Hello?" He waved a hand in front of her face, but there was no reaction at all. "Hm," he thought aloud, "perhaps I'm talking to a mannequin? Very convincing, but who just leaves a-" As he reached out to get an idea of what the hair was made of, she sharply turned her head, looking him in the eye, which made him draw back with a start. "GAH!" "Oh, hello," she said in complete monotone, "I didn't notice you there. I was playing camouflage with Boulder." "Boulder?" he asked, still just the slightest bit unnerved. She drew a very small rock from her pocket, holding it where he could see and standing silent for several seconds. "He found me." That stance was maintained for the better part of a minute. "Right, well. Anyway, do you know anyone by the name of Sunset Shimmer?" He was just about to ask if she'd heard him when she answered. "Yes." Blueblood smiled a bit. Progress! "Excellent, what can you tell me about her? What has she been up to lately?" He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn the corners of her mouth inclined upwards by about a millimeter. "I have to go now. Goodbye." Standing still for several more seconds, she slowly walked off. Alone, he stood in silence. What just happened? "There you are!" He turned to the sound of the voice, a pretty young woman with elegantly-styled purple curls and skin not unlike his own. She looked familiar. Approaching him with a light sway to her hips, she grinned. "You're the new student, yes? Someone else usually handles showing newcomers around, but as she's a tad busy at the moment, that position falls to yours truly." She curtsied, batting her eyelashes twice. "I'm Rarity." Ohh, ponyfeathers. What was the strangest thing Princess Twilight had mentioned about this world? That there seemed to be duplicates of the ponies she knew? No matter, he'd get rid of this girl soon enough, he'd just-wait, wasn't she standing near Sunset this morning? What if Sunset was the one who sent her to give him a tour, that he'd be able to assist easier given familiarity with the area? Ignoring the voice in his head that said this was a bad idea, he opted to stay on his best behavior. Underlings speaking out of turn was one thing, but Sunset almost certainly wouldn't appreciate him giving anyone acting under her orders a hard time. He forced a smile. Just like with the other Rarity. "I am Prince Blueblood." Either Rarity had strange ideas of which parts of CHS were prominent, or Sunset's plan just happened to involve a lot of places where it was easy to be alone. Together. Alone together, Rarity kept pointing out. "This is the music room, though almost everybody prefers to practice elsewhere..." "With the juxtaposition of those two walls and that support column, that's the one table in the cafeteria one would be advised to sit at if they wished for... privacy..." "Rather spacious for a storage closet, this room even has thin windows towards the top of the outer wall. Supposedly it's to save on electricity and not needing to install the proper fixtures, but the way the sunlight enters serves as the perfect mood lighting at the right time of day..." "This corner of the library hardly sees much traffic. Can you believe nearly no-one is interested in tales of courtly romance?" "So as you can see, one could sit at the bench on this side of the school for hours without seeing another person. Why, I'm sure even two could remain secluded, if they wished." The whole time, Blueblood was desperately trying to figure out whether Rarity was referring to herself, or if this was Sunset's way of saying he'd later be able to find her at these locations. She always seemed to have difficulty being direct in some matters, which earned him a few slaps upside the head after making the wrong guess as to what she meant when they were younger. Rarity turned to him, fluttering her eyelashes again. "That concludes the tour, do you have any questions?" At last! "Yes, where might I find Sunset Shimmer?" She averted her eyes, striking an innocuous pose. "Right now? I couldn't even guess." He sighed. "I see. Well, thank you for your time, Miss Rarity, but I really should be off, ta-ta." Watching him go, with a bit more attention than was strictly called for, Rarity wondered what she had done wrong for him not to be asking her hand right now! Well, perhaps that would have been a rather extreme reaction, but he should have at least shown some interest! She muttered something decidedly unladylike under her breath. "Phooey!"
Chapter 3: Lunch TimeThe group met up again during the lunch period following the next round of classes, their usual table. Sunset turned to Rarity the moment they were all seated, her face hopeful. "So, how'd it go?" She sighed in response. "I must have been too subtle, he barely gave me a second glance before going off to look for you again." Sunset's head met the table as she groaned. "Well, thanks for trying." Pinkie scratched her head. "I don't get it, shouldn't you be happy someone likes you?" "No. It's just embarrassing because I don't like him that way." There was a pause and a few raised eyebrows. Her eyes widened as what she'd said caught up to her, making her sit up straight. "I mean AT ALL, I don't like him AT ALL!" Rarity giggled a little. "You may not be interested, but surely you can appreciate that there are worse fates than being fancied by a handsome, well-built young man that likes hugging." Applejack and Rainbow made a face. Rarity smirked at them. "Ohh, please. You're telling me none of you noticed? At all?" Everyone else at the table blushed and averted their eyes, save Pinkie, who just nodded cheerfully. "Yep!" "Well, uh," Sunset muttered while leaning an elbow the table, "yea, it could be worse, but I'd still rather he just not do it." Rarity grinned a little wider. "What would you have a man do to earn your attention, darling?" Sunset seemed to mull this over for a minute. "I'd, um..." She shrugged, looking down at the table somewhat guiltily. "I don't know, I only ever learned to destroy relationshi-" "Hey," Rainbow interrupted, "we talked about this, remember? You've gotta quit beating yourself up about that." "Past is in the past, Sugarcube." "Quite so," Rarity assented. Fluttershy nodded affirmatively. "Besides," Pinkie chimed in after putting an apple in her mouth and pulling out only the core, "you don't have to do anything to be someone's friend, just be friendly!" Sunset smiled at them. "I guess so, but I'd really rather avoid this one in particular." Rarity snapped her fingers, regaining her vicious smile from a moment ago. "Sunset's laid her cards on the table, what about the rest of you?" Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yer havin' a little too much fun with this, Rare." Rarity giggled in reply. "I am a healthy young lady, I just wanted to know whether or not the rest of you were too." Rainbow interpreted that as a challenge, scratching her chin in thought. "How we'd get a guy to like us, huh?" Turning just a little rosy, Applejack shrugged. "Reckon Ah'd ask if he liked me first, see where it went from there." Pinkie giggle-snorted. "I'd probably just throw a pie in his face!" Rarity looked gobsmacked. "That would show affection, how?" "Tough love?" "Of course," Rarity muttered under her breath, hesitantly turning to Fluttershy. "I won't force you to answer if you don't want to, but...?" Predictably, Fluttershy turned about as pink as her hair, attempting to take refuge in it. Sunset silently wondered if she dyed it that way to use it as camouflage. Her friends were just about to change the subject when she spoke up. "A-actually, I, um..." She spared everyone at the table a quick, nervous glance. "It's... I-it's not that I don't want to talk about this at all, I, uh, just don't, I mean..." She gulped, her voice getting softer and squeakier. "It's attracting a guy that I'm not comfortable with." Some blushed, Pinkie scratching her head. "So, what, lemurs? Penguins? Kangaroos?" There were some laughs as Fluttershy shook her head, giggling a little herself. "I don't think she's that kind of animal lover, darling." Smiling gently, Rarity patted Fluttershy's hand. "I'm sure you'll find a nice girl in due time." Fluttershy smiled warmly. Truth be told, she already had someone she adored. The trick would be getting a minute to talk to her alone. "Okay," Rainbow said with a confident grin, having made up her mind, "if I wanted a guy's attention," she pantomimed a quick guitar solo, "I'd blow him away with my awesome shredding!" Then Sunset realized something, her focus on the conversation fading in favor of that on the cafeteria door. Here. This is where it happens. The cafeteria. Lunch. A newcomer from Equestria comes in every time and... Sunset herself was the only one so far to be an exception to the rule, but both times before resulted in a song that the entire student body rallied behind, and there was only one thing she could picture Blueblood singing about if he did it at all. She started to sweat. Him hugging her in public was embarrassing, but having him sing about wanting to woo her, everyone else supporting him because he did it when they were eating, would be nothing short of a nightmare. What do I do?! She dared glance at the doors, no sign of him. Yet. She tried not to think about it, but then it would just take her by surprise! She kept glancing at the doors like they were portals to Tartarus, fearing that they'd burst open to the sound of his singing every time she did, fearing they'd do it anyway if she wasn't looking. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she jumped, barely stopping herself from emitting a terrified shriek. She turned to see Applejack quickly pulling her hand back, as though Sunset was about to spontaneously combust. "You uh, you okay there Sugarcube? You were breathin' a little funny." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Hyperventilating, you mean?" Sunset noticed her friends all looking at her with worried expressions. She might have blushed, but she had already been feeling uncomfortably warm. "Uh, s-sorry, I-I was-" Pinkie interrupted. "Worried Blueblood would kick open the door, sing a catchy song that the entire school danced to and went along with, pretty much everyone supporting him in trying to win you over, adding an uncomfortable layer of peer pressure to the already unsteady situation?" Somehow, hearing it out loud made it the possibility a little less scary, like she wasn't crazy for thinking it could happen. "...Yea, that." "I think I understand her concern," nodded Rarity, "I'm not sure he'd unite the student body as Twilight and the Dazzlings did, but if he came in singing a ballad for and about Sunset, romantic a gesture as it might be, everyone would be talking about it for a while regardless." Rainbow shrugged. "Couldn't she just, y'know, high-tail it out of here before he got started?" "He might keep going anyway, in a 'shout it from the rooftops' declaration kind of way? If anything, it'd be criminal if she were to miss it, were that the case." Sunset slooowly rested her head on the table, her arms protectively over her head. It was scary again. Fluttershy moved to gently hug her, whispering. "I'm sure it'll be okay." Applejack looked less sure. "Really? 'Cuz Ah think if he went all musical Romeo where everyone could hear, she'd prob'ly never live it dow-" she smiled sheepishly as she realized Sunset could still hear her. "-wwnnand, uh, a-and that's why we'll help ya!" Sunset looked up, confused. "Help?" Rainbow nodded, pumping a fist. "Yea! If he comes in looking all Broadway, we'll shut him down somehow." Rarity looked hesitant, but decided against letting a friend suffer for the sake of romantic spectacle. "Yes we will. It loses something if the feelings aren't mutual, after all." Pinkie beamed. "Ooh, goodie! I might have a chance to practice with my cupcake slingshot!" Fluttershy didn't say anything, but maintained the hug and a warm smile. Sunset was almost in tears with gratitude, but before she could riddle out how group hugs were started and enforced, a voice from behind her made her heart leap into her throat. "Someone mentioned cupcakes?" Apart from Fluttershy ducking under the table in fright, the group collectively turned their heads to see Blueblood, an immaculate, white apron over his equally clean suit, holding a tray of colorful confections. He set it on the table, six cupcakes with wavy, red and yellow icing. The inspiration could only stare at them in shock as Blueblood knelt down to hug her again. "I was exploring the kitchen when I found local food to be... lacking. Luckily, the head chef didn't mind me making some adjustments with the ingredients at hoof-err, hand. The green lunch lady only needed to smell my work to know I'd done a good job." He blinked. "Or, at least I think she did, so hard to tell through peasant drawl, you know?" Applejack stood up, slamming a hand on the table. "Hey!! Ain't Granny-Smith's cookin' or her talkin' needs no changin', ya hear?!" No sign of contrition on his face, he nodded to the twice-vexed farm girl. "See what I mean? No clue what that meant." Sunset decided to keep to herself that she, too, wasn't always sure what members of the Apple family were trying to say for the first few weeks. What she didn't mind sharing was her next thought. "That's nice, but would you let go of me already?!" He smiled. "Certainly, I'll leave you to eat in peace. See you again soon, Sunset Shimmer!" This time, he let Sunset go entirely of his own volition, heading back to the kitchen. There wasn't a thing being served that couldn't benefit from his help, he was sure. As she had feared, students stared at Sunset and whispered for a few minutes after he left, again making her lower her head and blush. Turning to her friends, she noticed Rarity looking starry-eyed. "He even cooks for you?!" "W-well, uh, it was more like, I mean-" Pinkie took a bite of one of the Sunset-themed cupcakes, grinning with delight. "'ish naw bahd, ee-ter." Applejack only glared at them. "Fancy-schmancy blockhead an' his fancy-schmancy cookin', ain't nothin' wrong with Granny Smith's food." She looked a little uncertain, hesitantly reaching out to sample a cupcake herself. After about a solid minute of chewing, she opted to change the subject. "An' who calls the way people talk 'peasant drawl', anyway?!" All present noticed Sunset was sweating bullets, staring straight ahead and not blinking. Applejack sighed dramatically, an amused grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Well, ya wouldn't go sayin' any'a that now, right?" Sunset shook her head furiously, the rest of the table giggling. "So," Fluttershy, who had silently taken her seat again, quietly inquired, "he used to bring you something to eat all the time?" Scratching her head, Sunset searched her memory of long nights in the castle library. "Well, uh... sometimes? I mean, I needed something to fuel long study sessions, and he usually came by with something not-terrible." Looking cautiously at the tray, she tried a cupcake, trying not to think about the implications of auto-cannibalism. "He's gotten better, I guess." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yea, well, ain't a lot of ways you can screw up a cupcake." Pinkie and Rainbow replied in unison. "Twenty-seven." The rest of the table stared at them, waiting for elaboration, but the pair only grinned and high-fived. Rarity turned to Sunset, repeating Fluttershy's question. "So, he used to bring you meals?" Sunset tried not to blush. "I'd like to say I only took advantage of those offers when I was really famished... but he never really let me get to that point." Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy all had the exact same reaction, clasping their hands over their chests. "Aaaaaww!" Now she blushed. "I only ate what he brought because going all the way to the nearest dining area when there was food right there would have been a waste of precious reading time!" Rainbow wasn't the only one that smirked a little. "Uh-huh." Sunset spent the remainder of lunch defending the completely practical benefits of not stopping what she was doing, leaving bookmarks in the appropriate pages, going to fetch her own meal, and walking back. While they might have agreed to try their best to defend Sunset from public humiliation at the hands of her formal personal chef, teasing her a little themselves felt like fair game. The face she made when they referred to him as her personal chef drew the most laughter. They didn't see Blueblood again for the rest of the day, to Rarity's audible disappointment as they walked down the hall toward the exit. "I was sure he'd try to woo you at least four more times." Sunset was decidedly less broken up about it. "Maybe he went home? if only for a while?" "Here's hopin'," Applejack offered with a shrug. Fluttershy looked concerned. "What are you going to do if he's still around?" Sunset stopped walking, the others doing the same as they awaited her answer. "Uh... I, I'll... Actually, could I stay over with one of you guys for a while? I don't really want to risk him following me home or something." Rarity's eyes widened in alarm. "You're worried he would... take advantage of you?" Surprised, she let out a short laugh. "Him? No, but I'd rather not risk him being able to show up at my door without warning." "So what," Rainbow asked with her arms crossed, "you'd rather he show up at ours?" Before Sunset could reply, Applejack patted her on the back. "Iffin' we play musical chairs with sleepovers, he won't know where to look. Providin' somethin' always distracts him when school's over, Ah mean." Brushing a lock of purple hair aside, Rarity grinned coyly. "I believe the words are 'Challenge Accepted.' Besides, anything has to be better than living in that old-" Fluttershy tapped her on the shoulder, nodding to Sunset, who looked just slightly down. "...Sorry." Sunset shrugged, only a small trace of sadness in her smile. "It's ok, I'm pretty sure we've all moved on." "So," Pinkie said while reaching for something in her hair, "let's play roulette to see who gets to take Sunny home today!" Drawing a colorful, plastic wheel with a spinning arrow in the center and all of their faces on the surface, (they'd just spin again if it landed on Sunset) she flicked the arrow, which came to stop over Rarity's space. The winner grinned brightly. "Aha-ha-ha!" She clasped her hands together, starry-eyed. "We can talk all night about your old beau, both in how to shun his attention and to seize it!" "H-he was never my-" Rarity had already grabbed her by the wrist, smiling ear-to-ear as she led her through the front doors. "Yes, let's get started right away, shall we?" To Sunset, the mock-pitying looks her friends gave her and Applejack taking her hat off to hold it mournfully over her heart was only a little funny. Little did they know that just out of sight stood Blueblood, watching as they left the school building for the day, his sight on Sunset and this world's Rarity. He'd stayed away on the chance Sunset would lower her guard, or he'd never find out where she lived. He was just about to move to follow them home when something in the back of his head spoke up. Um, hey, not to interrupt the possible felony you're about to commit, but do you remember the time a filly followed you home after dark? How it creeped you out more than you ever thought was physically possible? He did, a familar shiver going down his spine as he recalled her wide, unblinking eyes as she stood on rooftops to watch him walk down the street like some grinning, re-appearing gargoyle. Pegasi are capable of some frightening things, when so inclined. As such, he chose a new course of action; returning to the library! That was where he'd spent the day after lunch, after all. He probably should have realized it had been too late to bring the cafeteria's meals up to Canterlot standards with lunch already started, but they'd at least preserve things for tomorrow. He'd have to get in there earlier to keep them from serving whatever that grey slop was supposed to be again. Sitting in the corner he'd left the stack of books and a notepad, the area of the library Rarity had specifically told him would usually be vacant, he looked over the song he'd spent an hour and half writing, making little progress. Some ponies, some people, could just burst into song at the drop of a hat, but Blueblood was not one of them. "Honestly," he complained aloud, "I don't even know how they do that!" Princess of Spontaneous Musical Numbers, that's what they should have called Twilight Sparkle. He had never been much of a poet, and Sunset Shimmer would let him know it. He'd try his best, he'd write the verse, but over time it just got worse. Hour and day he would whittle away, hoping and praying he'd know what to say, just to see her sweet face light up with glee, hearing ballads composed by none other than he! But with each passing day did that dream grow thinner, no way in the world in his way he would spin her, for with prose alone he could not be the winner, and was ever ignored by his dear Sunset Shimmer. Nothing coming to mind, he gave up for now, opting to look up how massages were given with hands instead of hooves. It was one of the few things Sunset was ~~happy~~ ~~content~~ willing to tolerate letting him do when they were younger, if only rarely. What he knew as a pony was all but useless now, and his special talent would only get him so far. This and other things he researched in the library before drifting off to sleep in the Courtly Romance corner. Author's Note I'm definitely not the first to notice the rallying effects of songs at lunch in CHS. If you're wondering about the implications of Sunset living somewhere unpleasant at an unspecified point before the story, I'm thinking the tale of her adapting to life post-Raging-She-Demon is one I don't think I would tell in a way that wasn't dull, predictable, and done better elsewhere. So, the occasional implied detail is all I'm going to bother with there.
