Canterlot High was, even on a relatively quiet day, abuzz with activity. But in the last few days, all of the students had become far more talkative than normal, making plans and filling the whole place with an air of excitement. And it was not hard to figure out why. With a barrage of pink and red decorations all around in every room and hallway, even the most ignorant would be able to figure out what was going on. Valentine's Day, that special time of year when love is in the air and couples and lovers go out of their way to do something special for one another. As expected, this had inflicted quite a number of blushes and crushes on the student population, not to mention a few teachers here and there. Nowhere was this talk of romance more apparent than in the cafeteria. The daily lunch hour had begun and virtually everyone was here having their meals among friends. One simply couldn't throw a stone in here without it landing in the middle of some discussing regarding date plans or schemes to buy the perfect Valentine's present.
In the centre of this romantic melee however was a table, around which sat a collection of girls who, over the last year or two, had earned a reputation as being the most extraordinary students in the whole school. The group collectively known by their band name; The Rainbooms. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and last but not least, Sunset Shimmer, former unicorn and now-permanent resident of the human world. However, as remarkable as these girls were, the most interesting thing about them at this present moment was who they were sitting with. For there, just a little further along the table from them, were the Dazzlings. These girls, Adagio, Aria and Sonata, were, like Sunset, originally from the world of Equestria, and also like her, they too had caused a number of problems for Canterlot High. Recently however, they'd been given a chance by the Rainbooms to try and make a positive life for themselves here, and while things between the two groups had started out rather tense, nowadays they'd largely accepted each other, or at the very least learned to tolerate one another.
Bot the Rainbooms and the Dazzlings were, at this moment, doing one of two things, eating their lunch or looking around the rest of the cafeteria, watching their fellow students. Rainbow Dash in particular had a look of amusement on her face as she watched a particular couple across the room making googley eyes at one another.
"Ha! Look at them! You could drop a brick on them and they'd still not notice!"
Rarity, who had been happily eating her meal until this point, looked at her rainbow-haired friend with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not surprised you wouldn't appreciate the finer points of romance, Rainbow. Moments like those over there are to be appreciated, not mocked."
Rainbow let out a snort at that before turning to her meal. However, their remarks had earned them the attention of Aria, who looked right at them before speaking up.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Dash on this one. People looking all lovey-dovey like that is just pathetic."
Needless to say, it was a remark that earned Aria a rather annoyed look from Rarity. Sensing the tension, Sunset decided to speak up, thankfully knowing exactly the right thing to say to her.
"I don't recall you having much issue with Sonata's little romance."
Aria turned over to her blue-haired companion who, sure enough, was busy sending texts on her phone to really notice what was going on. Letting out a sigh, Aria nodded in agreement, giving Sunset a rare feeling of victory, albeit a small one. However, it was only after saying those words that Sunset really started paying attention to Sonata, who was still busy with her phone. Some months ago, a friend of the Rainbooms, Randy, had approached Sonata and asked her out. Although Sunset and the others had been hesitant to let him do it, they reasoned that having someone reach out to those girls would have been a big step in helping them to integrate with the rest of the student body. Despite the Rainbooms and Dazzlings nearly wrecking their first date, not helped by Pinkie's lack of subtlety at the time, Sonata and Randy's relationship had continued for several months now, much to Sunset's delight. After all, she thought to herself, at least it means one of them is happy now.
As Sunset watched, Sonata seemed to practically squeak with joy over something, catching the attention of all the other girls. She blushed fiercely as she looked up and addressed them all, holding up her phones as she did so.
"Aw! My little Randy-wandy says the nicest things!"
This comment, while earning lots of giggles from a few of the Rainbooms, simply caused Adagio to slap her forehead with a groan.
"Sonata, how many times have I told you not to use that ridiculous nickname when I'm close enough to hear you?!"
The blue Siren looked a little down at that, but thankfully perked up a bit when Applejack, who was sitting next to her, reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't listen to her, Sonata. Ah reckon it's just dandy that y'all and Randy have hit things off so well!"
Sonata beamed at the farm girl with a big smile on her face, after which she turned to the rest of the group, talking in a very enthusiastic manner.
"So...who are you guys going to be spending Valentine's Day with?"
That question, as one might expect, caught the group somewhat off-guard. They all looked to each other, partly out of curiosity to see if anyone would answer, but mostly because nobody wanted to be the first to speak. After some time, it was, naturally, Pinkie Pie who broke the silence.
"Well, I know I don't have anyone. I've just been so busy making cakes to celebrate the day and making a great big party for everyone that I guess I forgot to ask anyone to go with me."
Sonata nodded at that, but then looked as if she was curious about something.
"But...hasn't anyone asked you. I mean, after everything you guys have done, there must have been someone trying to ask you out."
It didn't happen often, but every once in a while, Sonata just hit the nail right on the head. All of the Rainbooms looked to each other yet again, as if they'd only now just figured this point out. Rainbow gained a look of annoyance as she started speaking up.
"Hey, yeah! That just...sucks!"
Fluttershy, who had been keeping quiet during this exchange, fumbled her words a bit before speaking up to Rainbow.
"Um...Rainbow? I thought you weren't interested in getting a boyfriend?"
Rainbow looked at her, with her expression softening somewhat as she looked at her childhood friend.
"I'm not, but...We're, like, the most eligible girls in the school! How come we haven't had a single guy ask us out yet?"
Many of her friends shrugged their shoulders at that, but before anyone could give Rainbow an answer, they were interrupted by the sound of chuckling from just a few feet away. Turning, they saw that it was Adagio, who was looking rather amused at all this.
"Well well, the great Rainbooms can't even get a date for Valentine's? How tragic!"
The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, and it got under Rainbow skin a great deal. However, before her friend could say something in retaliation, Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her to calm down a bit. With her friend somewhat pacified, she then turned to Adagio.
"I don't see you or Aria getting any attention either, in case you hadn't noticed."
Adagio flipped some of her massive orange hair aside before answering Sunset.
"Well, dear, if you'll recall, I've had more than my fair share of flings over the centuries. Going without a few teenagers asking me out on Valentine's isn't going to bother me all that much."
Sunset hated to admit it, but that was actually a fair way of thinking about it. However, it was clear that the mood had officially dropped amongst the Rainbooms. It wasn't that they didn't have boyfriends, because being single was something they were all fine with. No, what bothered them most was that nobody was even attempting to approach them in a romantic manner, and with the most romantic day of the year fast approaching, this started to make them feel just the tiniest bit unappreciated. Pinkie Pie, who was at this point the least upset by all this, assumed her most convincing "I'm thinking" pose for a few moments before looking as if she'd thought of a brilliant idea, complete with a gasp. This got the attention of the others, who all looked to her as she spoke.
"I've got it! Why don't we just ask one of the guys why they're not asking us out?"
The girls all looked at each other with uncertain looks before turning back to Pinkie, Sunset being the one to speak up first.
"Pinkie, I appreciate the need to be direct every once in a while, but I think something like this needs a bit more delicacy and..."
Sadly for Sunset, she wasn't able to finish her sentence, as Sonata scooted over to Pinkie and squealed with a big grin on her face, holding up her phone in a triumphant manner as she did so.
"Great idea, Pinkie! I've just called Randy over right now so we can ask him!"
Although Pinkie grinned just as widely as Sonata, many of the other girls looked utterly mortified over what they'd just heard. Rarity especially seemed aghast at it all.
"My dear Sonata! This is not the kind of thing you discuss with the boys so openly! You need to tell him not to come!"
"Too late. I'm here."
The girls practically jumped out of their seats as they heard that other voice, turning to see that Randy himself was indeed standing right there, next to their table. Thankfully, the girls all quickly composed themselves before looking at their newly-arrived friend in a more dignified manner. Sunset cleared her throat a little before speaking to him.
"Hey there, Randy. How did you get here so fast?"
The boy turned to her before gaining a disturbing expression upon his face.
"But I've always been here."
Needless to say, that caused more than a few shudders for the girls, but it was a short-lived experience as Randy then let out a chuckle.
"Just kidding. I was actually on my way over here already. Sonata, Honey, you left your geography book back in the classroom again."
As he said, Randy produced a large textbook from behind his back and offered it to Sonata, who accepted it with a nervous blush. With that done, Randy took a seat right next to his girlfriend before looking upon the Rainbooms.
"So...what did you need to talk to me about?"
The girls gained a look of great discomfort as they all turned to look at one another. This was, after all, a pretty sensitive topic for anyone, and to just come out and ask about it was a tad more forward than any of them were really comfortable doing. Unfortunately, nobody had remembered to tell Pinkie that, so she just blurted it out to him as soon as she could.
"Well, we were wondering why none of the guys ever seem to ask us out."
Randy raised an eyebrow at that before looking back to the other girls, all of whom were giving quite angry-looking glances at Pinkie. The boy instinctively realised that he'd just stumbled right into a hornet's nest, and thus began to voice some concerns of his.
"You know...you girls are my closest friends. I don't really hang out with the guys all that much. I mean, I guess I'm on decent enough terms with Flash and Bulk, but that's about it."
It was a point that the Rainbooms hadn't really considered all that much, but now that their friend had spelled it out for them, it seemed as clear as day. Randy did indeed seem to spend most of his time with the girls of the school, be it them or others. In fact, they tried to think of times when they remembered seeing him with groups of guys before, but utterly failed to recall any such time, much to their shock. Needless to say, this seemed to, at first, make him a poor candidate for filling them in on the information they needed. However, it wasn't long before Sonata started talking to him, leaning against his shoulder and looking up at him with her puppy-dog eyes as she did so.
"Aw, come on, Randy-wandy! There's gotta be something you've heard!"
The boy looked at his girlfriend, at it was clear to all the other girls that he was putty in her hands, given the way he was looking back at her. It was a moment that gave them all cause to giggle a little, albeit very quietly, lest they catch his attention. After a while, Randy let out a sigh before turning to the others, his expression one of uncertainty.
"Well...I have heard one or two things. But I'll warn you now...you may not like it."
That caught their interest a great deal, even Adagio and Aria, who had both simply been observing this whole time. The collection of girls all leaned in closer, each displaying varying levels of curiosity on their faces. Randy looked at each one of them, somewhat worried about this road he'd committed himself to. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath before giving them their answer.
"You see...with all the big heroic stuff you girls have done, you're kind of the school's own personal superheroes. That's not to say the guys don't like you, because believe me, they do. It's just that...they see you all as being so special that they probably don't think they're good enough for you."
This took all of the girls aback, as they now turned to each other, seeing the shocked looks they all had. That was how people saw them? It was, as one might expect, not something the girls had ever considered before. However, as they dwelt on this, Randy looked at them and then cleared his throat, gaining their attention once more.
"But, truth be told, I think each of you always had a personal reason that kept guys from approaching you."
The girls all looked at him after hearing that, their faces making it clear that they wanted him to explain himself. Sighing, Randy did as they wanted, but not before he first turned to face Rainbow Dash specifically.
"Rainbow. You've always been this school's best athlete. You can run faster and do sports better than anyone, boy or girl. Guys look at that and they think to themselves that they're gonna have to be pretty awesome if they're gonna even catch your eye, much less stand a chance of you saying yes to an offer of a date."
Rainbow considered that for a while before, to Randy's surprise, actually cracking a smile.
"You know what? I kinda like that. Guys say they gotta work to get me to notice? I say good luck to em."
The girls all looked to each other for a bit before eventually cracking similar smiles to Rainbow, apparently happy with how she was dealing with this. Randy, who was relieved that one of his friends wasn't getting angry about this, then turned to Pinkie.
"As for you, Pinkie, you have so much energy that guys tend to worry you'll wear them out with just a single date. Plus, they know how fun a girl you are to hang out with, and I guess they figure they'd have to be just as fun if you're going to want anything serious with them."
Pinkie giggled at that.
"That's silly! I'd love it if they'd ask me out! I'd be so much fun and I super-duper-Pinkie-promise not to wear them out...too much."
That reaction caused all of the other girls to giggle a little, even the Dazzlings. Randy chuckled at this reaction before then turning to Fluttershy.
"Flutters, a boy looks at you, and what he sees is this graceful, flawless, yet delicate creature. They think of you as the kind that needs to be treated with care, or else you'd be too frightened to even look at them."
In contrast to how the others had reacted, Fluttershy did not smile or giggle at that. Instead, she looked down at the table, and for a moment, both Randy and the other girls were worried that she might get upset over this Thankfully, she soon perked up a little as she glanced up at Randy once more.
"Um...if that's what they think...maybe that'll mean the ones who do ask me out will be really nice and gentle. I'd like that."
Randy wasn't sure if Fluttershy's reasoning would come to pass as she seemed to expect it to, but he nevertheless consoled himself that he'd yet again managed to make one of his friends feel at least marginally better about this whole thing. Next on his list was Applejack. And thankfully, Randy knew that her point was far easier to put into words than the other girls.
"AJ, no offense, but you have an older brother who's built like a tank and gives death stares to any guy who so much as looks in your direction."
The farm girl let out an annoyed groan at that.
"Darn it! Ah told Mac no to go off scarin folks like that!"
This revelation, and the reaction Applejack had to it, caused more than a few stifled chuckles amongst her friends, Randy included. They boy's attention was then drawn to Rarity, who was giving him a look that made it obvious that she wanted him to start talking about her now. Clearing his throat a little, Randy gave her the answer.
"Rarity, you've always held yourself as a higher standard than others. More refined. Compared to you, the guys at this school think they're kind of...er...what's the word?"
Rarity raised an eyebrow at that.
"Boorish?"
Randy snapped his fingers.
"Yes, that's it!"
The fashionista considered that for a moment before speaking up.
"Well, I can certainly understand them thinking that I wouldn't just go for any old suitor..."
Her expression then softened somewhat.
"...but...I suppose most of them are good boys at heart. So maybe I shouldn't let them go on thinking that they need to change to get my notice."
Randy gave a slight nod at that, still mostly just relieved that he'd been dodging so many bullets in this situation. A sudden chuckle to his right caught his attention, and he turned to see Adagio and Aria watching him with smirks on their faces. Aria was the first of them to speak up.
"I'm guessing you've heard guys talk about us too?"
Adagio spoke next.
"Indeed. My sisters and I have hardly earned ourselves a good reputation here."
Randy nodded at that.
"It's like you say. Given your history a lot of guys are, to be blunt, just plain scared of you. But, I think that's why some of them actually still secretly have an interest in you."
That remark caught both girls off-guard, and they watched the boy with a look that Randy very much felt was the kind of look that lions gave to wounded gazelles. Naturally, this caused him to gulp a little before explaining himself.
"Well... both of you have this air of, well, danger about you. You give the impression that only the bravest guys are going to stand a chance of even talking to you."
Adagio and Aria looked at each other for a moment, saying nothing. But eventually, they both cracked a smile before turning back to Randy, Adagio speaking up in a satisfied tone.
"Boy...I think that'll do us just fine."
Randy let out a deep breath that he'd been holding in during that time, which was something that caused no end of amusement for both the Dazzlings and Rainbooms. When the laughter died down however, the boy's attention was drawn the sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking up, he saw that it was Sunset, who was looking a little concerned.
"And...what about me?"
The boy knew this would be the difficult one, and so took his time to get his words together before finally answering her.
"Frankly, Sunset, a lot of the guys are feeling pretty bad about the way they treated you after the Fall Formal. You probably might think they had every right to feel that way, but to them, they just feel like jerks about the whole thing. They know now that you've changed and that you're a better person than you were. So acting the way that they did...well...I think a lot of them just feel that they don't deserve to ask you out."
That was not an answer Sunset, or any of the other girls, had been expecting. Sunset, much like Fluttershy before, looked down at the table, thinking over what had just been said to her. Randy and all the other girls watched her carefully, trying to see if she was upset by this information. After a while, however, she began to form a smile, albeit a small one. She looked up at Randy before speaking in a somewhat quiet manner.
"Thank you. I mean...I figured everyone still felt bitter about me but...I guess not. Thank you, for letting me know."
Randy was, as expected, quite taken aback by that response, but nevertheless returned Sunset's smile and nodded to her. The Rainbooms and Dazzlings all looked at each other, and it was as if they all silently agreed that what they'd just learned was probably the best case scenario they could have hoped for. Granted, they still weren't all that bothered about whether they were single or not, but now they knew that it wasn't because they were disliked or anything, but rather that those around them simply felt a lack of confidence in themselves about approaching them. Whether the girls would try and undo that perception was hard to say, given how they'd only just learned about it. But regardless, the down feelings they'd experienced were well and truly lifted at this point. Randy smiled at his friends, happy that he'd managed to uplift them, even a little. He then felt a tug at his arm and looked to see his girlfriend, Sonata, smiling happily at him.
"You know, if all else fails, I could always loan you out to the girls for a day or two."
Randy blushed fiercely at that, but all the other girls, Adagio and Aria included, simply giggled aloud at his reaction, as did Sonata after a while. As his blush died down, Randy chuckled a little, though in a far drier manner than his friends, but nevertheless kept on smiling. Seeing them all happy like this was a good sight, and he was happy to have played a part in it. Slowly, he got up from his chair, catching Sonata's attention.
"You're not staying?"
Randy smiled at her and leaned forward, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before answering her.
"Sorry to go like this, but I've got some work to do elsewhere. I'll catch up with you later though, okay?"
Sonata nodded happily at that and watched him go, but not before Sunset caught sight of him and called out.
"Thanks for your help, Randy. Feel free to join us anytime you like. Don't be a stranger."
Randy turned to her and gave a smile and a nod before turning away and continuing to make his way back to where he'd been before, muttering under his breath as he went.
"Well, in that case, here's hoping certain writers don't forget to use me for another four-to-five months again."
