Once upon a time I ship people
"Will you go out with me?"
Sunset Shimmer shut her locker gently, books for her next class in her hands. She stared incredulously at the blue-haired boy that stood next to her. The one that had just asked a ridiculous question.
"What?" she asked.
"Will you go out with me?" Thunderbass repeated.
"Aren't you Flash's best friend?" Sunset queried immediately.
"Yeah, so?" Thunderbass shrugged. Sunset stared at him. She just stared. Seriously, she had no idea what to think.
"Isn't that a little disrespectful?" she protested. "Going out with your best friend's ex?" Thunderbass shrugged again.
"I don't think he minds."
"Really?" Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"You're not answering my question."
"Right." Sunset turned away and walked down the hallway to her next class. Hopefully he'd give up and ignore her.
No luck. Thunderbass followed her.
After a few minutes, she stopped walking and whirled around. Thunderbass stopped walking as well.
"Are you on a dare or something?" she asked suspiciously. Thunderbass put his hands up in the air, caught in her accusation.
"No way, Officer Sunset," he told her. Sunset rolled her eyes and smirked.
"I dunno," she commented as they resumed walking. "Going out with the newly redeemed girl that just saved the school from magical beings? That seems like a pretty good dare."
"I guess you're right," Thunderbass admitted. "But it's not a dare, honest. And Mystery and Cherry Crash aren't trying to ship us, either."
"They do that?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow. She had no idea who Mystery and Cherry were, but that was beside the point.
"Mostly Mystery," Thunderbass clarified. "Cherry Crash joins in because she likes to tease us. You know they ship Paisley and Val, right? Those two never hear the end of it! Well, I ship them too, but you get my poi-"
"Names don't ring a bell." Sunset Shimmer stopped his rambling with a shake of her head. "Sorry."
"It's alright," Thunderbass answered as they passed by a water fountain. "You don't know very many people outside of your friends, do you?"
"People have just started to accept me," Sunset told him with a half smile. "I haven't had much time to socialize."
"All the more reason you should go out on a date with me!" Thunderbass told her. Sunset shook her head, slightly amused.
What am I going to do with this guy? she wondered.
"I dunno," she replied casually, examining her plain, chipped fingernails. "My parents are gonna have to run some background checks on you first."
"Ha ha, very funny," Thunderbass responded with a knowing smirk. "Everyone knows you're a pony from another dimension. Just like Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh they do, do they? Well, I'll just have Twilight send my parents over to meet you," Sunset told him lightly. Hey, that's actually a good idea! Sending my parents over, I mean. I haven't seen them in... what has it been? Three years?
"Sunset Shimmer?" A blue hand waving in her face snapped Sunset out of her trance.
"What? Oh, sorry. I got distracted there for a moment," she explained. "What were we talking about again?"
"I hope you're joking," Thunderbass teased. "I've only been asking the same question for ten minutes!"
"It has not been ten minutes!" Sunset retorted.
"Would you believe me if I said it was?" Thunderbass answered. Sunset breathed in, then let the breathe out slowly.
"That was cheesier than everything else you've said put together," she deadpanned. "Why are you really doing this?"
"Because I only want inspiration for another song and care nothing for your feelings." Thunderbass was obviously sarcastic. Still, all his response did was make Sunset purse her lips together in annoyance.
"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend," she retorted. "Oh look, I've stopped walking." Books in her clutches, she began to stomp away.
"Oh, come on, Sunset!" Thunderbass continued to follow her. "I'm sorry!"
"Not buying it," Sunset answered, not looking back.
"Seriously, Sunset, what do you want?" he asked. Sunset turned around.
"I'm going to be late for class because of you," she informed him. Thunderbass made a puppy dog face.
"Pwease?" he begged.
"What the heck," Sunset muttered under her breath. To Thunderbass, she said, "Why do you want to go out with me?"
"Because I like you, duh," Thunderbass replied promptly. "Why else?" Sunset pushed a lock of gold hair back behind her left ear.
"Because I saved the school?"
"Actually, I've like you since Sophomore year."
"Now I know that's a lie!" Sunset answered. "I was such an awful jerk until this year! There's no way you liked me back then!"
"You got Flash to like you, didn't you?" Thunderbass countered. "Without any hypnotizing magic."
"Yeah, but- well, um..." Sunset faltered. Thunderbass had a point. "I was just using him!"
"I think that was obvious," Thunderbass told her. "You didn't seem to be having a good time whenever he posted a picture of you two on MyStable."
He posted pictures of us on MyStable?
"This conversation is going nowhere. Look, there's my chemistry classroom. Gotta go!" Sunset Shimmer dashed inside. Unfortunately, her desk was right at the back.
Thunderbass tapped on the door. Sunset looked over.
"Will you go out with me?" he mouthed through the glass. Sunset stared at him.
"Are you ever gonna give this up?"
"No."
"Never?"
"I'll make Thunderstruck play a song for you." Thunderbass grinned. Sunset face palmed.
"You won't really, will you?"
"Wanna find out?"
Sunset rolled her eyes and sincerely hoped he was kidding.
"If I say yes, will you stop pestering me?"
"Why are you mouthing stuff to Thunderbass?" her chemistry partner, Starlight, asked curiously.
"He's being annoying," Sunset told her.
Brrrrrrrrring!
"Just say yes," Starlight advised her.
"Wha-"
"Say yes," Starlight repeated firmly. Sunset shrugged and smiled.
"Whatcha gonna do?" She turned back to Thunderbass, who was waiting at the door.
"Alright, fine! I'll go out with you," she agreed. Thunderbass gave her a grin and a thumbs up.
"That's great, Sunny!"
He was promptly dragged away by Mr. Donkey, the strictest teacher in school. By the ear.
"What the heck?" Sunset asked, amused by the comical exit. Starlight giggled.
"Oh my goodness, I only saw two seconds of that, but that was so funny," she commented. Sunset rolled her eyes.
"What did I just agree to?"
Sunset suddenly felt a buzzing in her left pocket. She withdrew her phone and read the text from Thunderbass.
Donut shop?
"That's the most romantic thing ever." Sunset rolled her eyes again. "Rarity's going to flip, isn't she?"
Author's Note
Fanart:
By I-wuv-bunnehs
