Chapters It was a lovely afternoon in Cloudsdale. The sun was hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows across the concrete sidewalks and streets. Leaves floated down gently to the ground while squirrels ran to collect the last of the acorns off of oak trees. A cool breeze drifted through the air with birds chirping as they flew around in circles, hurrying their companions along so they could head south to where it was warmer.
It was Autumn, a luxurious time of the year.
Anyone would have enjoyed this beautiful day, a feeling of calm and peace soon to take hold of them. Making them forget their worries... But that feeling of peace would soon be disrupted by the loud shouts and chatter of the Cloudsdale High students.
The rambunctious teenagers filed out of the school and hurried on their way toward yellow buses parked in front of the building. Clambering on, their already loud conversations were amplified in the small space the buses provided. It was guaranteed to give anybody a huge migraine. While most everybody got on the school buses as quickly as they could so as not to be left cramming the aisles, a few straggled behind. And one of them was a boy named Caesar UpperCrest.
The boy cut through the crowd and headed toward the student parking lot. He glanced around the cars until he saw a red motorcycle with the logo Benito's on its side, parked far away from the school. He jogged toward it and jumped on, shoving a matching helmet over his orange hair. Checking his mirrors and adjusting his glasses, he revved up the engine and started out the parking lot onto Hay Street. Caesar sighed and rode on down the street until he came to a red light.
Today was going to be a busy day for Caesar and he knew it. It made him feel tired, despite him not having done anything. Today was going to be the most eventful day of the school year: The big soccer game. And it wasn't just any soccer game. It was the event where the Cloudsdale Pythons (the school's soccer team) went up against their greatest rival.
The Canterlot Wondercolts.
The Pythons and Wondercolts have been rival teams since time began. They were enemies when Caesar's grandparents were young and in school! Both teams were amazing. Every year when the state tournaments came around, the Cloudsdale Pythons and Canterlot Wondercolts were always the finalists. It was the greatest game of the season. People from all over would come to watch them play.
This game that they were playing, however, wasn't on such a level. It was just one of those local games every school does to warm up before the real action happened. But it was taken seriously nonetheless.
Caesar glanced at his rear view mirror and saw the line of yellow school buses all turn down another street heading toward Canterlot. He shook his head slightly. The students were all headed there now. The team was already there warming up and probably showing off, he was sure. While most people saw this day to be exhilarating, Caesar found it horribly stressful. Why? Because every year at every game the Pythons had, instead of enjoying himself by relaxing at home, Caesar found himself standing at a pizza stand selling peanuts, hot dogs, fries, soft drinks, and of course, pizza.
Benito's is the name of the restaurant he worked for. It was family run, having been part of the UpperCrest family since his grandfather opened it almost 50 years before. Caesar's grandfather, Benito UpperCrest Sr., had come from Italy with a passion for spreading the Italian culture through food. He wanted everyone to appreciate the culture and was a very proud man. That's what made him open the restaurant.
Subsequently, Caesar's father, Benito Jr., worked there as a boy and had grown the same passion his father had and one day became the proud owner of the shop.
And now, his son had to work there. Against his will.
Caesar pulled his motorcycle up into the driveway of a small pizza shop, his grandfather's name resting on the roof in the form of a neon sign, as clear as day. The boy frowned slightly. In the window was a banner that made his frown deepen.
GO, PYTHONS!
In discontent, Caesar pulled the helmet off his head and hopped off his motorcycle. Tugging at the backpack he carried, he marched into the shop. Immediately, he was hit by the sweet smell of sauce in the air. He could smell the cheese melting on the pizza that baked in the oven and the fresh aroma of baked bread wafting from the kitchen. The sharp scent of pepperoni, bell peppers, and onions accompanied the smell of garlic and mozzarella and a hint of flour. Caesar smiled as he took in all the delicious fumes. It was a reminder of home.
From behind the counter, he could hear a deep voice with a slight Italian accent shouting out orders and barking at employees.
"Always add 'uh the sauce before the 'uh cheese! Never vice versa!"
At the cash register stood a bored employee named Casper who noticed Caesar almost right away.
"Man, am I glad to see you! Your dad's been really jumpy all day and has been shouting more than usual. It's driving me crazy! What's up with your old man?"
"Oh, it's just that the Pythons have a game tonight," Caesar replied, feeling a bit grouchy.
Casper's face lit up.
"Oh yeah! The Pythons versus the Wondercolts! Man, that is the perfect game!"
His face went back to looking bored.
"If only your dad would let me off work to see the dang thing!"
Caesar grinned and slapped him on the back as he walked around the counter.
"I'll see if he'll let you come with me to the game. It's hard work having to sell all that food by myself."
Casper nodded enthusiastically and greeted a customer that just walked in after giving him a thumbs up. Without much haste, Caesar walked past the rushing employees and went all the way to the back where his father's small office resided. There he plopped his backpack in a chair and turned to leave the tiny enclosure. Without warning, something was tossed on his face and he was pulled into a rough hug. Struggling to breathe, he tried his hardest to get out of the hug, but failed.
"Caesar, my boy!"
It was his father. The boy growled as he yanked whatever it was tossed on his face away. Without having to look at it very long he knew it was a shirt with the pizza shop's logo.
"Hey, pop..."
The big man let go of him and ruffled his son's orange hair with a rough hand covered in flour.
"How was 'uh school, boy?"
Caesar swatted at his father and shook his head violently to get the flour out of his hair. Benito Jr. was born in Cloudsdale, but he had a slight Italian accent as well as a habit of saying "uh" in the middle of sentences. His deep voice matched his big frame. He was a heavyset man with an olive complexion and dark brown hair. He had grey eyes that flashed with excitement. Caesar sighed and grunted in response to his question.
"It was 'uh good, then!" Benito said decidedly. He rubbed his hands together and pointed to the employee restroom. "No time to chat, my boy! Get 'uh changed quickly and hurry! The big 'uh game starts soon and I want you there to start 'uh selling!"
Caesar grudgingly followed his orders and went into the restroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and scratched his head to get rid of random flour. Caesar UpperCrest was an average looking guy. He didn't look bad but he didn't look great. He guessed. His orange hair was short and curly. His brown eyes weren't much to look at. Unlike his father, he had a lighter skin tone, but wasn't at all pale. His nose was always red and made him look like he had a cold. Thick black glasses sat on the edge of his rosy nose. Tapping his chin, Caesar found that he had a little bit of a beard growing in. He made a mental note to shave later.
Caesar yanked off his favorite red plaid shirt and put on the yellow Benito's shirt. He walked out and jammed the plaid shirt into his backpack. His father came toward him with a tower of pizza boxes.
"Be a good boy and take 'uh these boxes with you to the game. The delivery van is already there with all 'uh the peanuts, drinks, chips, and whatever you young people like 'uh to eat these days. It's better you bring more than enough to sell than not have any extras at all!"
And with that, his father let out a hearty laugh and dropped the boxes in his son's arms. Caesar returned his laugh while feeling as though he would fall over with the sudden weight. How could pizza be heavy?? Caesar teetered toward the back door and stopped before leaving.
"Wait, pop!" he said and his old man turned around. "Can Casper come? I mean, I know some of the employees will be there since they drove the delivery truck and everything, but it's still a lot of work between three of us. You know, a lot of people show up to these games."
Benito frowned. He didn't like his son's idea of bringing Casper along. In the past, Casper had nearly burned the restaurant leaving a pizza in the oven too long. That's why he manned the cash register. Even though it happened months ago, he still didn't like having him out of his sight.
"I don't 'uh know about that, Caesar..."
"Pop, think about how many people there are compared to us, " Caesar said.
The boy shifted his weight against the wall. Those pizzas were starting to be a burden.
"Ehhh..." the man grumbled. "I need him to tend to the customers."
"But, you have every one of the employees here today. Except for the ones already at the game. Any one of them could be at the register."
"Then if that is so...why are you asking if 'uh Casper can go, hmm? Why not just ask to have any of the employees to come instead of a specific one?"
Game over. He tried.
Caesar sighed and turned to leave. Before he could step outside, he felt a rough hand slap a baseball cap on his head and pat him hard on the back, nearly knocking him over.
"Fine. You can have 'uh Casper go..." the man grumbled.
Caesar heard his father yell for the said boy to come and told him what was to happen. After some very stern warnings the two of them left out and loaded the motorcycle with the boxes. Casper was too excited to really help out. Once the pizzas were strapped to the back of the motorcycle, Caesar got on his bike and started the engine. Casper hopped on and gripped the edge of the seat.
"Hey, there's barely enough room for you and the pizza!" Caesar exclaimed.
"Don't you worry. Losing them won't be the end of the world."
Caesar handed him his helmet, realizing why his father didn't approve of him going along. The boy checked his rear view mirrors and in the reflection saw himself with his dorky glasses. On his head was a cap that read Pythons in black letters. He sighed and pulled out into traffic.
A long day. A long day indeed.
Author's Note
Hi, people! This is my first time writing a fanfic that isn't completely centered on Sunlight and the Mane 6. Hopefully, this will turn out to be an enjoyable story.
Rainbow Dash stretched her arms high above her head before letting out a great sigh. She scratched her colorful hair and popped her knuckles. Looking at herself in the mirror she grinned. That lousy team didn't know what was coming their way. Rainbow glanced down at her uniform. It was blue with a gold horseshoe on the front. Brushing away the invisible dirt she hummed happily.
"You ready for tonight's game?"
Rainbow turned around to see Spitfire sitting down on a bench tying the shoelaces on her cleats and adjusting her shin guards. In her mouth was a sucker that she licked contentedly. Spitfire had a habit of eating candy right before soccer games. It gave her a burst of energy.
"Well, are you?" she said when Rainbow hadn't replied.
"Yeah, of course I am! Those Cloudsdale losers are going to eat dirt when we're finished with them!"
Spitfire smirked and yanked up her socks to go over her shin guards. She pushed her shades up to keep them from falling.
"You know why I asked, right?"
Rainbow Dash was quiet for a minute before she turned back to the mirror and examined her image. She knew, of course, why Spitfire asked her that. She felt her stomach churn and made a face. Spitfire got up from the bench and clapped the girl on the back.
"I know you left some friends back there in Cloudsdale and they aren't too happy you came here. But don't you worry. When we get out there on the field and they see your killer moves, they'll know why you transferred here. Because the Canterlot Wondercolts are the best!"
Spitfire playfully punched her in the arm and Rainbow returned it. She grinned at her captain. Spitfire gave her a squeeze on the shoulder before walking out of the locker room.
"Show them what you got, Dash!" she called back before the door closed.
When she was sure Spitfire couldn't see her, Rainbow let her smile drop slightly. She sat down on the bench and crossed her arms. Even with her captain's good natured remark, she still felt a bit down. Her old friends were sure to be there. Especially Gilda. And they weren't going to be all that excited to see her.
It had been about three years since she moved from Cloudsdale and came to Canterlot. When she had told her friends the news they weren't happy. Rainbow closed her eyes. She remembered the conversation they had like it was yesterday.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Gilda, Fleet Foot, and Black Racer were all strolling around the park. The hot summer heat beat down on them and they had retreated under some trees to cool off. It was there that she had told them the news.
"You're what?!" Gilda whispered.
Rainbow Dash wiped some sweat off her brow before repeating herself.
"I'm moving...to Canterlot."
Fleet Foot and Black Racer glanced at each other in disbelief and then looked at Gilda. The girl gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists.
"What are you moving for? And to Canterlot?? That's our rival city, Dash! And don't tell me you're going to Canterlot High!"
Rainbow sighed and leaned against the tree.
"My dad got a new job there and so we're moving for convenience. And yeah, Gilda, I'm going to Canterlot High."
Rainbow Dash had hoped that she would take it a lot better than she was. Unfortunately, such a hope didn't last long. Enraged, Gilda swore loudly and flailed her arms around in frustration. Fleet Foot and Black Racer just shook their heads and moved away from the blue girl. Fluttershy hid behind the tree to avoid getting in Gilda's way. She bit her lip and glanced at everyone's face, knowing it wouldn't go down very well.
When Gilda calmed down, she jabbed a finger at Rainbow's shoulder.
"You can't go, Dash. Cloudsdale is where you grew up. What about us, huh? If you move, you'll have no friends to back you up. Those kids at Canterlot High are going to know you're from around here, and they're not going to greet you with open arms! You can't just switch schools. Those snobs are our rivals!"
Rainbow Dash pushed her hand away.
"I'm not going to be alone there, Gilda. Flutershy's going along as well."
In shock, Gilda looked dead at the girl who was peeking around the tree and smirked as she cowered.
"You mean to tell me that Fluttershy is going to save you from all the ridicule they are going to dump on you? That poor little coward is going to stand up for you when things get rough?? Dash, are you out of your mind?! You'll be protecting her more than she will you!!"
In one stride, Gilda was right before Fluttershy and she shoved her to the ground. The girl let out a cry of shock and fear. Rainbow Dash stepped in between the two and grabbed Gilda's shirt.
"Hey! Don't do that to Fluttershy! She didn't do a thing to you!"
Gilda smirked again.
"I can't believe you're even friends with that dweeb. I thought you were cooler than that."
In a rage, Rainbow pushed Gilda back and landed a punch in her arm. Gilda grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the tree. The breath was knocked out of the Rainbow Dash. She slumped against its trunk and looked up at Gilda, Fleet Foot, and Black Racer in disgust. Those two guys hadn't even batted an eyelash when Gilda had done those things. They just continued to shake their heads in disapproval.
"It's just a game, Gilda! This rivalry business has gotten into your head. It's only a game!!!"
Gilda kicked her in the stomach and Rainbow gasped for air.
"Just wait until you get there, Dash. Once they reject you and your savior Fluttershy, you'll come crawling back here to Cloudsdale. You'll see how many people think it's just a game. See you never."
And with that, she turned and jerked her head to the side.
"Come on, Fleet Foot, Black Racer. We're bailing on this pathetic pair."
They left Rainbow Dash fuming with anger and Fluttershy crying helplessly in the park. Rainbow swore to never be friends with people like her.
Rainbow Dash was jerked away from her thoughts when the locker room door opened. She immediately sprang up and looked at who it was that opened the door. It was Lightning Dust and she looked a little peeved.
"What's taking so long, Rainbow? Those Cloudsdale guys are here and we need to get ready! The game starts in an hour!"
Rainbow Dash nodded and bent down to pick up her clothes and shoved them in a duffel bag.
Lightning Dust clapped her hands together and shouted," Come on! come on! Move it!"
When she finished packing her things away, Rainbow Dash jogged out the locker room and was followed by Lightning Dust.
"Hurry, we got to get to the field and start warming up. You don't want to cramp up during the game!" the impatient girl said.
And with that, the two of them ran off toward the said destination.
Just stay focused on the game and you'll be fine. There's not much of a chance they'll be there. It's been three years... Rainbow Dash thought. Just think positively. Just like what Spitfire said, I gotta show them what I got!
As they ran toward the open field, Rainbow Dash could see big yellow school buses parked outside in front of the school. Students poured out of them and chanted the Cloudsdale Pythons cry.
GO, GO PYTHONS! STRIKE A GOAL AND WIN THE GAME!
Many of them were sporting the rival teams colors: black and red. Waving clappers and banners in the air, they cheered as they were ushered into the school. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna stood by the double doors and welcomed the rowdy students. Rainbow Dash kept running with Lightning Dust to the field. She saw a few rude hand gestures and got some "boos" from the crowd.
Lightning Dust stuck her tongue out at them and grinned at Rainbow Dash.
"Don't let them intimidate you. We got this."
Rainbow Dash nodded and glanced at the Cloudsdale students. She hoped Gilda wasn't among them. Fleet Foot and Black Racer she could care less about. Gilda, though, was a threat...She forced her head to look forward as she ran.
Don't look at them or you'll find who you're looking for , she thought.
Once they arrived at the field, Spitfire blew her whistle and pointed at rainbow Dash.
"Hey! What took you so long?"
Before she could reply, Lightning Dust spoke on her behalf.
"She was sitting in the locker room."
Spitfire gave Rainbow a questioning look.
"You aren't afraid, now, are you, Dash?"
"No way! We can do this!" Rainbow yelled.
Spitfire smiled and blew her whistle again to get the team assembled. They all huddled in a circle with their arms linked. Rainbow Dash looked at all her teammates. Everyone had varying looks of excitement. But under it all, she could see fear. Thunderlane and Soarin exchanged looks of anxiousness before quickly changing their expressions to something that was more fearless.
Spitfire took the sucker out of her mouth and lifted her shades up to rest in her hair. She looked at each and every one of the members in the eyes.
"I can tell all of you are a bit worried about how this game is going to go..." he began in a low tone. "But I can assure you, there's nothing to worry about. If each and every one of you plays true and strong, we can win this!"
The team nodded in agreement and let out a few whoops.
"But," Spitfire continued," if we don't win, don't be sad or ashamed. All of us will have tried our best. Sure, winning is a great triumph. But REAL WINNERS know when to accept defeat and learn from their mistakes. You don't become better players by sulking and having a hissy fit about it!"
She slapped them all on their backs.
"If I see any one of you looking sad and gloomy about the outcome of this game, should we not win, you aren't a true Wondercolt! Why? Because real Wondercolts suck it up and become stronger!!"
"YEAH!!!" Thunderlane cried.
He put a hand out in the center of the circle. everyone placed their hands over the other person's and looked at one another with determination.
"WHO ARE WE?!" Spitfire yelled.
"WONDERCOLTS!"
"WHO ARE WE?!?!"
"WONDERCOLTS!!"
"ONE MORE TIME! WHO ARE WE?!?!?!"
The team threw their hands in the air and screamed their name.
"WONDERCOLTS!!!!!!!!"
Casper was already off the motorcycle before Caesar put on the breaks. He was jumping up and down and breathing heavily as he stared at the school. He was overjoyed. Maybe...too overjoyed.
"Casper, what is wrong with you?!" Caesar yelled.
He fumbled with the slightly crushed pizza boxes that were slipping off.
"Why did you just jump off the bike like that? I wasn't even parked and we were still moving! Do you want to die before the game starts?!"
Casper turned to him with a big maniacal grin.
"I'm sorry, man! I'm just so excited! I've never been to a Pythons game, nonetheless, a Pythons game versus the Canterlot Wondercolts ! This is going to be epic!"
The orange haired boy chuckled drily.
"Yeah. Sooo epic. Have you forgotten that you still have to work?"
Casper sighed and slumped his shoulders, his rush of adrenaline having passed.
"Why'd you have to remind me, man?"
Caesar frowned at him as he lifted the pizza box tower off his bike.
"You wanted to come. And now you're here. I did say selling this stuff was hard with just me and the two that drove here. Now that you're here, we can split the work in a more agreeable fashion."
Caesar handed some of the boxes to Casper, who stumbled at the surprising weight the pizzas had.
"Now lets get to the others, shall we?"
Casper grumbled as he followed his boss' son up the sidewalk to the front of the school. The double doors were already propped open and seeing as there were a row of empty school buses in the front, Caesar knew that the students were already there. The two of them walked in and glanced down the empty halls. All across the lockers were banners reading 'GO, WONDERCOLTS'. The iconic horseshoe was everywhere. Yellow and blue streamers hung from the ceiling.
As the boys walked down the hall, it became clear to them where the Cloudsdale students had gone. Parts of the décor had been vandalized; rips and tears in the banners and streamers having been yanked to the floor. The loud voices of the rambunctious teens could be heard no matter where you were in the building. Caesar followed the noise and found himself at the right place.
The cafeteria.
Casper's eyes wandered all over the place as he scanned the room. He wasn't a student of either one of the schools. Everybody there was unrecognizable. Caesar saw that the room was very divided the instant he came in. On one side of the cafeteria was all of the Cloudsdale students that came. On the other side were a group of teens he didn't know. Undoubtedly, they were Canterlot High students. He saw some of them glare at him and he looked away. What was with the glare?
Then that's when he remembered his father slapped a Pythons cap on his head. He quickly snatched it off and tried to jam it in his pocket unsuccessfully. He didn't want people to turn away from the pizza stand because they were really loyal to their team. Caesar continued on his way to the back of the café to deliver the boxes to the kitchen. Once he set the boxes down, he forcefully shoved the cap in his pocket.
Casper noticed and asked to switch his Benito's cap for his Pythons one.
"Sure," Caesar said. "But you better stay in the Pythons fan section when we get out there. These people are pretty intense on party loyalty."
Putting on his replacement cap, he muttered," It's like everybody's in a gang or something..."
Casually, he called out to the other employees.
"Hey, Cherry Blossom! Riff Raff!"
A girl with red hair and pink skin along with a young man with a green Mohawk and yellow complexion came out from the back of the kitchen in their employee uniforms. Cherry Blossom smiled and greeted Caesar.
"How's my favorite nerd doing today?" she teased.
Caesar rolled his eyes and told her he was fine. Riff Raff patted him on the shoulder.
"What's up? I can take those pizzas for you and put them in the oven. The customers never like their pizza cold, you know."
Caesar let Riff Raff take the boxes and turned to Casper, who was googling at some girl. The girl he was looking at had red and yellow streaked hair and a yellow-ish orange-ish complexion. Wearing a black leather jacket, Caesar got the impression that she was one of those 'bad girls' in school. Her orchid colored shirt had a sun on it with the same colors as her hair. She had an orange skirt with an orchid and tan stripe going diagonally across it. Her boots were black with flames on them.
Caesar tilted his head. He could see why Casper was eyeing her. She was really pretty. The boy looked at Casper and tried to imagine them together, he and the girl. Casper had purple hair that was long and hung right above his eyes. He had a slight beard and had a pale blue complexion. Caesar frowned. He looked more like a hippie than anything.
A hippie hooking up with a bad girl? That would never happen.
The girl walked back to her table and sat beside another girl with long pink hair. Wait a minute...that girl looked familiar... Caesar squinted at her and pushed his glasses up. Big blue eyes...pale yellow skin...pink hair that shined brightly...Caesar scratched his head. Had he seen her before? He knew he must know her from somewhere. But she was a Canterlot High student and both cities weren't terribly close. Maybe he saw her at the mall? No. Caesar rarely ever went to the mall.
At the store? No. Why would she go all the way to Cloudsdale to shop? Maybe...during his summer vacation. The orange haired boy pressed his hand into his face. Now he was just making things up. Cherry Blossom glanced at both Caesar and Casper and followed their gaze to the table of girls. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
Boys.
She grabbed them by the shoulder and cleared her throat.
"Hey, you guys. Why don't we go meet my aunt? She's one of the teachers here. Her name is Ms. Cheerilee. I'm sure you two will like her."
She pulled the two of them forcefully out of the lunchroom; one of them drooling over one girl, the other trying to figure out if he knew the other. Riff Raff watched her drag them out and shrugged. Cherry Blossom always thought they were stupid. Looks like she found her two stooges. He rubbed his hands together and glanced at his watch. It was a good forty minutes before the game was going to start.
He sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. He knew that the day would be long. Setting an alarm on his watch to forty minutes later, he stretched his arms and pulled up a stool. He folded his arms and rested his head on them. Yanking his Benito's cap over his eyes he smiled. Better rest up before work. Before long, Riff Raff fell asleep and murmured to himself.
"Go...Wondercolts."
*Snore!*
It took all of Applejack's strength to restrain Rarity from saying something to Pinkie Pie. And it was clear as to why. Pinkie was wearing a rainbow-colored, oversized shirt with a huge, sparkly horseshoe on it. The pants she was wearing were big and poofy; they were parachutes for your legs. On them, were crazy zigzag lines of all different colors. In her hair, Pinkie had streamers tangled in her curls. She had the most atrocious face paint imaginable.
In short, Pinkie Pie looked like a complete disaster.
Sunset Shimmer frowned and scrunched her nose as if something smelled bad.
"What the? Did you get your outfit out of a dumpster?"
"Sunset!" Rarity gasped.
The girl shrugged.
"What. You were thinking the same thing."
Pinkie Pie looked at them as if nothing was wrong.
"Oh this? I just put on the most colorful clothes I could find! It's to show school spirit!"
The girl sprung up to show off her clothes and Applejack quickly pulled her back down in her seat so she wouldn't bring any unwanted attention to them. Chuckling nervously, the cow girl looked at her and fought the urge to flinch at the crazy paint on Pinkie's face.
"Hey...uh, Pinkie. Why didn't you just go with the outfits we wore when we helped Twi win the votes for her princess campaign?"
The others nodded enthusiastically. Even Sunset shimmer agreed.
"Yeah, I have to admit. Those were some really cute outfits," she said.
Rarity smiled at the compliment. She bent down and grabbed her bag. Inside were the blue sweaters and pony ear headbands the girls wore. She rummaged deeper into the bag and pulled out the pony tails. She looked up and grinned at them.
"Why don't we all change into them? The game will be starting soon!"
She looked to Sunset Shimmer.
"I even have an extra ensemble for you, darling!"
Sunset waved her off.
"No thanks. Blue doesn't go well with my hair. I'll wear the ears and tail, though."
Rarity nodded and hoisted the bag over her shoulder.
"Lets go!"
Twilight stood up along with Fluttershy. Neither of them had said a word during the conversation, simply just enjoying the funny exchange of words between their friends.
"Yeah, lets go," Twilight said. She cleared her throat and glanced at Pinkie Pie. "And quickly."
The girls rushed out the cafeteria. They had all formed a circle around Pinkie so no one could see her that well. And it was for the better. They walked down the hall and admired the decorations on the wall. The décor, of course, had been put up by Pinkie Pie herself. Thankfully, she hadn't put up the crazy colors she was wearing on the walls of the school. The whole place would have look like a rainbow barfed on it, much like how Pinkie was looking at the moment.
Their admiration soon turned to unhappiness as they came across the vandalized streamers and banners. Fluttershy gave Pinkie a sympathetic look as they made their way to the girls' restroom and squeezed her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Pinkie. We all thought it looked wonderful."
The hyperactive girl grinned and thanked her.
"It doesn't matter if others didn't like it. As long as I know you all did!"
When they came across the restroom, Rarity took out all the sweaters, pony ears, and tails. She handed Sunset Shimmer everything minus the sweater. Holding up the shirt made Applejack smile.
"It'll be just like the princess campaign. All of us girls together and happy, only we'll be supporting Rainbow and the team instead of Twilight."
Applejack looked to Sunset.
"And we have a new friend joining us."
Sunset glanced at all the other girls. They were smiling at her with happy faces and their big eyes looked at her gleefully. She felt a warm feeling rush through her. They were all so nice, just accepting her despite her flaws. Without them, Sunset would feel all alone. The Mane 5 kept grinning at her. Sunset shifted her weight. It was a bit odd having them look at her for more than two seconds. And saying nothing. Just smiling...
It was a bit creepy actually.
The fiery-headed girl cleared her throat.
"We haven't got all day now. Go and change, guys."
Without warning, Pinkie Pie hugged her and the others joined in. Sunset hadn't expected them to do this. she squirmed awkwardly in their embrace.
"Uh..."
After a few seconds they broke the hug and went into the restroom to change. Sunset stood there for a moment before frowning.
"What was that all about? Am I missing some kind of inside experience or something?"
She shrugged and leaned against the wall.
"Whatever. They just need to hurry up."
As she waited for her friends to get done dressing, she heard voices bounce along the walls of the hall.
"Seriously, Casper. You are such a nasty boy!" a girl whined.
"How? Just because I said she looked good? Your aunt does look nice! It was a compliment!" a boy with a rough voice said.
Sunset assumed that was Casper.
"Honestly! How dumb are you? I knew you were stupid but not that stupid!" the girl exclaimed.
The two of them argued for what seemed like forever. The sound of them bickering was enough to make Sunset lose her mind. She tapped her fingers on the wall and wished for her friends to hurry up. How long did it take for them to put on sweaters and some accessories? Just when Sunset was about to go find who it was that was arguing and give them a piece of her mind, a new voice interrupted them. This new voice was calm and quiet. No doubt it was a boy her age.
"Cherry. Casper. Please...no one wants to hear that. If you want to continue this argument, fine by me. Just don't do it with an audience."
Casper's voice came after his, in a much quieter and collected tone.
"Yeah, he's right. We'll finish this argument later..."
Cherry snorted.
"You'll lose anyway."
Sunset heard the shuffle of feet as they all seemed to have hurried off elsewhere. Sunset was glad they were done bickering. A loud squeaking noise came from behind her and she turned. There, the Mane 5 came out wearing their pony ears, sweaters, and tails. Rarity was busy rubbing Pinkie's face with a paper towel, getting rid of the last marks of paint.
"Sorry, Sunset. We all had gotten done dressing...But Pinkie's 'face paint' happened to be permanent marker," Twilight told her.
Of course the older girl thought.
Before she could say anything, a loud bullhorn sounded.
"EVERYONE TO THE FIELD! THE GAME BEGINS IN 10 MINUTES!"
Without a word, all of them rushed down the hall and merged with the large crowd of students. Teens chatted excitedly and were pumped for the game. In a matter of minutes, they came to the bleachers and hurriedly picked seats. From their raised position, they could see Rainbow Dash and the team taking practice shots at a goal. On the other side, the Pythons did the same.
Sunset heard loud cries from some of the students.
"Go, Rainbooms!"
"You guys rock!"
"They should totally perform during halftime!"
Sunset glanced at the girls. All of them were blushing and waving at their fellow students, shouting their support for the Wondercolts and giving out thank you's. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought they were cheerleaders...Rarity was giddy with excitement.
"You know, we really should perform for them during halftime! It'll help boost up school pride and encourage our team to win!"
Twilight grinned.
"Yeah, but what song do we perform?"
"DUH! WE SHOULD PERFORM THAT SONG WE SANG IN THE CAFETERIA!" Pinkie Pie yelled.
She pulled everyone into a sideways hug and extended an arm out above her head.
"The School Pride Song!"
As she said it, her hand moved in an arch as if she was tracing a rainbow. Random confetti sprang up from no where and Sunset glanced around to see where it was coming from. The Rainbooms all squealed in excitement and were jumping up and down like fan girls gushing over their favorite singer.
"But we'll have to change some of the lyrics. You know, since this isn't about Twilight's campaign," Applejack noted.
Pinkie Pie laughed and grabbed Fluttershy. She pushed her forward.
"No problem! Fluttershy, the super duper awesome song writer can come up with the new lyrics!"
The said girl blushed and pointed at herself.
"...Me..?"
"Of course!" Rarity encouraged. "Your song is the one we went with that defeated the Dazzlings! Your version of the School Pride Song is sure to be just as wonderful!"
Fluttershy tilted her head forward, making a curtain of pink hair fall over her face. Her slightly oversized sweater sleeves draped over her hands as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
"O-Ok...if you all think so..."
The girls cheered and all hugged her. Sunset just watched with a frown. They were being really girly over a song. She couldn't help but think it was a bit much.
"Come on, y'all. Lets go talk to Principal Celestia! I'm sure she'll approve of this great idea!" Applejack said.
And with that, they all clambered down the bleachers and ran to where the Principal was, leaving Sunset to fend for their seats. She rolled her eyes. But then smirked when an idea crossed her mind. What if she just let random people sit in their seats? Then they'd come skipping to occupied seats and their chipper mood would be ruined. Oh she'd love to see that. But she wasn't a jerk anymore.
She sighed and shrugged. A girl could dream.
Author's Note
Hopefully, everybody has watched Equestria Girls and knows what the 'School Pride Song' is. It's better known as the 'Cafeteria Song' since that's where it was performed in the movie. Welp, I hope this chapter was good!
The referee blows the whistle and most of the chatter dies down. Rainbow Dash swallows a lump in her throat as she takes her position as one of the offense players in left field. She glances around her as her teammates make their way to their spots. As captain, Spitfire takes center and stands in the little spray painted circle on the field right before the half line that separates it. Soarin jogged to his defense position. In defense, he can't cross the half line and can only stay near the goal to protect it.
Soarin gives her a smile and thumbs up. Rainbow returns it and looks to Thunderlane, who was goalie. He looked a little nervous and his knees shook slightly. Lightning Dust glared at the other team and smirked. The other members of the Wondercolts looked straight ahead at the referee with the ball. He was holding it as he walked to the center between the two captains, who were staring each other down.
Rainbow looked ahead. On the other side of the half line stood a big buy. He flared his nostrils and cracked his knuckles. With his black and red uniform, anyone would've thought he was a devil. Rainbow felt a little light-headed. She wasn't sure if she could do this. The referee set the ball down and backed away. He glanced at the two captains before pressing the whistle to his lips.
And in one blow, everything sprang to life.
Spitfire had kicked the ball backward with her heel and Lightning Dust got it. She had surprised the Pythons captain and the fans. Lots of screaming erupted from both sides. More "woos" than "boos". Soarin sprang forward and blocked one of the Pythons offense players that were trying to steal the ball. Thunderlane's earlier nervousness vanished as he watched the ball with intensity. There was so much going on in that short amount of time that it stunned Rainbow Dash.
"RAINBOW, MOVE IT!" Spitfire shouted.
The girl jerked forward obediently and stumble stepped as she ran to a convenient spot for her captain to pass the ball to her. Rainbow had been unaware that she had not been moving at all. It surprised her. She felt stiff and unsure of her movements. Spitfire shot the ball in her direction and she awkwardly took a step to receive the ball. However, one of the Pythons players intercepted and ran around her with a smug look on his face.
The Pythons were quick. They passed the ball back and forth to each other so fast that no one knew where the ball was. You could only get glimpses of black and white every now and then. But by the time you saw where it was, it was already being kicked elsewhere. In a matter of just five minutes, the ball was shot into the Wondercolts' goal.
Wild screams and cheers exploded from the crowd. Rainbow couldn't believe it. They had already landed a point against them in the first five minutes! The girl looked around at her teammates. All of them looked just as surprised as she. Sweat drenched their faces and loud, harsh breaths were being exhaled by them all. The Pythons, however, didn't even break a sweat. They all looked at each other and smiled, high-fiving the other.
How could Rainbow and the others all be out of breath already? What happened to all the practices and mock games they played over the season?? How had their endurance decreased so low that it was if they were just starting out?! Rainbow felt enraged and exhausted. The referee blew the whistle for everybody to get to their spots. Thunderlane had the ball and held it above his head. Throwing it out of the net, it practically ricocheted back into it. The referee blew the whistle again.
The scoreboard read 'PYTHONS: 2 WONDERCOLTS: 0'.
The girl slumped her shoulders. They were losing. They were losing big time .
***
Caesar UpperCrest felt just as exhausted as the Wondercolts. In barely no time at all, he was being pulled at and yanked by fans shouting for peanuts, chips, slices of pizza, drinks, candy, and whatever else. It was already his fourth time having to go back to the pizza stand to refill his box with food items. Caesar didn't even try to shout above the roaring crowd "Benito's! Benito's! You can buy pizza, peanuts, and snacks galore!" like he was supposed to.
Being a human vending machine was tough. He felt badly for those people who sold peanuts during baseball games. He knew exactly how they felt now.
Caesar stomped down the narrow aisle of the bleachers to get to the sidelines of the field. Carefully, he squeezed his way between referees, coaches, benches, and camera men who were there to record the game live on TV. Making his way toward the pizza stand, he dodged overexcited soccer players that waited on the time out benches for their turn to replace a member on the field. Ignorant people threw down trash over the raised platforms and it fell on him. One guy dumped his drink down on the ground and it nearly drenched Caesar.
This is why Caesar hated the game.
He had to work during it and be a slave to adrenaline junkies who couldn't run off their energy. The only way they could use their energy up was by being loud, obnoxious, and hungry. Caesar dropped his box on the stand table and sighed. Riff Raff looked at him with a knowing smile.
"Aw, what's up, sport? Can't handle the intensity of manly crowds rooting for their teams?"
It was true that the majority of the people there were guys. Caesar groaned and stretched his arms and felt his back pop. He frowned at the older guy.
"This is my first time being one of those 'peanut boys'. I'm always here at the stand where I can sit at a stool and sell people things over a table!"
Riff Raff laughed and slapped the boy on the back.
"You've been a spoiled little brat!" he teased. "While our boss' son has the luxury of sitting here, the rest of us have been selling food out there ."
Riff Raff waved his hands like it was a magical place, out there in the bleachers.
"It's a dangerous place, out there, Caesar...People want their food. And they want it bad ! It's a food vender's worst nightmare !"
Caesar rolled his eyes. Riff Raff was poking fun at him. The older guy laughed at his frowning face and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"I'm just messing with you, sport."
"Yeah. Sure ."
Just then, Cherry came back with her own empty box looking frazzled. she pulled her hair out of its bun and redid it. Slapping the Benito's cap back on her head, she sighed.
"Some douche tried to flirt with me in the bleachers of Section 3-B. Then, when I told him I wasn't interested in him, he tried to steal some of the food!"
Chery slammed a fist on the table and growled.
"Men ! Hmph!"
Riff Raff smiled.
"Uh oh, looks like we have a feminist here! You better straighten yourself up, Caesar, or she'll press charges on you for being too manly!"
The two boys laughed as Cherry glared at them.
"Aren't you supposed to be working? Because I don't see that happening."
Riff Raff shrugged and Caesar leaned against the table casually.
"If you don't get your butts back to work, I'll be sure to report you to the boss," Cherry threatened.
The both of them stiffened up and got to work. Riff Raff put some food in both their boxes and set to counting up the money that had been earned so far. Caesar slung on the straps that were attached to his box and wore it like suspenders. Making sure he had everything, he looked to the other boy.
"Could you give me extra hot chips and soda? There's been a high demand on them."
Riff Raff obliged and gave him more of those things. Cherry took her own box and smiled with satisfaction. She left them without a word and they could soon hear her calling out," Benito's! Benito's! You can buy pizza, peanuts, and snacks galore!"
The two boys huffed. Cherry sure knew how to set them straight. Neither of them wanted to be reported to the boss. Benito Jr. was a strict business man and if anything went wrong he would yell at them, even at his own son. And you don't want to be there when he's mad. The older guy chuckled and shook his head before patting Caesar on the shoulder.
"Try your best, sport. Sell as much as you can."
He waved his fingers at him.
"Be careful out there ..."
Caesar smiled and walked away. The one thing he liked about working at the game was that he could bond with his fellow employees. even if they were a bit bossy like Cherry. In the distance, the boy could see people with their arms raised, money in their hands.
"Yo! Can I have a hotdog?"
Caesar gave a lopsided grin. And now he was facing the biggest downside to working at the game again. After giving the picky teens what they wanted, he walked the aisles. From what he could tell by the quick glances he could get at the game, the Wondercolts weren't doing so well. It was 6-2 Pythons. Caesar saw a flash of what looked like a rainbow and his eyes widened. He looked back to the field and saw a girl with rainbow-colored hair and blue skin.
She looked familiar to him, just like how the girl with pink hair had...
Caesar would've thought more on it had he not been interrupted by someone yanking on his shirt to buy a soda. When he turned back to the field, she had moved. Caesar looked around to see where she had gone on the field when he saw a certain purple-haired hippie wearing a Benito's uniform and Pythons cap go creeping up into the Wondercolts fan section...
"Casper!" he yelled, despite being all the way across the field in the Pythons section. "That idiot ! I told him to stay over here!"
He knew why Casper had disobeyed him. It was apparent by the way he was creeping up toward the row where that bad girl character was sitting.
Author's Note
Oooh! Casper, you dumbbutt!
View Online
A new Strategy and a Failed Attempt at getting a girl
Rainbow dropped on the bench and sighed with relief. Her legs were killing her. Spitfire threw a towel to her and she barely caught it. Slowly, she wiped the sweat off her neck and face. The team all plopped down on the bench and drained their water. It was the first quarter break and they weren't doing any better from the first five minutes.
14-5 Pythons
They might as well call Mercy's Law. But then they have fans. And they don't want to disappoint them by quitting. Quitting is worse than losing in the sight of any fan.
"We should...(pant)...come up with a...(wheeze) strategy," one of the members said.
They all nodded wearily.
"That's true..." Spitfire said.
She unwrapped a piece of sour candy and popped it in her mouth. She needed a boost of energy. As captain, she had to be on the field and play. It would look bad if she just rested on a bench while her team scrambled around. Thunderlane yanked off his goalie shirt that was over his soccer uniform. He tossed it aside and groaned. Thunderlane practically killed himself trying to stop those goals from going in. He had a scraped knee and one of his fingers were bent back when the ball came whisking through his fingers.
Spitfire looked at all her members and sighed.
"We should try to do a psyche out. But not too often. Or they'll catch on. We should do more passes. I've noticed that the other team has a habit of surrounding the player with the ball. If we pass it, they won't have much of a chance to home in on one player. But then again there's the risk of interception. And they're really good at doing that...Which could inadvertently lead to them being able to shoot more goals if they have the ball more often from it..."
Spitfire scratched her head. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and began to speak.
"We should guard the goal. All of us. If we all do a wall formation, the only way they can shoot it past us is over us. That'll give us a chance to get the ball. And if we're lucky, when they shoot, the ball will go over the net."
"Yeah! That's a good idea!" Soarin agreed.
Spitfire nodded.
"Now that we have a plan, we need to know who's staying on the bench and who's out on the field..."
The captain eyed all of them before deciding.
"You, Pepper Corn. You look the most exhausted out of us all. I'll keep you benched until you recover some strength."
Pepper Corn, one of the players, smiled graciously and relaxed. Spitfire picked a few others to stay on the bench and looked to those who were going to play. It was Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane, Soarin, Lightning Dust, and a few others. They looked a bit put out. Soarin picked up the goalie shirt and put it on. Being goalie proved to be a laborious job in this particular game, but somebody had to do it. Thunderlane was already hurt from it and refused to.
It made Soarin swallow hard and wring his hands and rub his knees. He hoped he wouldn't be wounded...
The referee blew the dreaded whistle and those who were playing stood up. Pepper Corn and another person wished them all good luck and watched them drag their feet. They were glad they were spared the strenuous work for the time being, but felt worried for the rest of them. Just like before, the Pythons didn't look a bit tired. They smirked and even laughed at their disheveled look. You call this competition? It was clear that they were thinking that.
The game started again. This time, the Pythons captain had the ball and kicked it toward a player who was already on the Wondercolts' side of the field. Rainbow sprinted forward to intercept it. She felt a sudden burst of energy take hold of her. Now that they had a definite plan, she felt better. Rainbow was able to slam the ball away before the Pythons player got it and Thunderlane received it. He passed it to Lightning Dust. The girl made a full sprint toward their opposing team's goal and immediately she was being swarmed.
Cries and shouts were coming from the crowd. There was so much going on at that moment. Lightning Dust could see the smirks on their faces, the other team. They knew she was an easy target against all of them...or so they thought. Lightning Dust quickly reversed her direction. Instead of kicking the soccer ball toward their goal, she swung her foot backward and kicked it back with her heel. The black and white ball bounced back behind her and was received by one of the Wondercolts.
The crowd went wild! No one had expected such a move to happen. Everyone was sure that the Pythons would get the ball. But no! It was a psyche out! The Wondercolts player easily ran around the swarm of Pythons and landed a goal for the team. The referee blew the whistle and the scoreboard was changed.
14-6 Pythons
The Wondercolts rejoiced happily. With their new tactic, they could berate the other team's skills. Rainbow smiled as she looked to the crowd and saw her friends smiling back and cheering. Rainbow looked back to her team and gave them high-fives. It was one of many goals they would deliver.
***
Sunset Shimmer was too engrossed in the game to notice a dweeb was making his way to her. Casper was grinning goofily from ear to ear. She was so pretty. Her gorgeous face smiled as the Wondercolts scored and Casper giggled like a little girl. She looked so wonderful when she smiled. Her green eyes glowed with excitement and her glistening white teeth flashed. Casper drooled. Unbeknownst to him, people were snatching food out of his box...
Next to Sunset Shimmer sat Pinkie Pie, who was screaming and throwing confetti in the air.
"Calm down a bit!" Sunset complained when a bunch of the sparkling plastic bits got caught in her hair. She combed her fingers through her hair and plucked them out. Pinkie Pie apologized and helped her remove the confetti.
"I'm just SO EXCITED!!!!"
Sunset gave her a fake smile.
"Ah hah hah. Yeah, I've noticed."
Casper grinned at her sarcasm. He thought it was the cutest thing ever. Before he could say a word, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.
"Casper!"
The said boy gasped and whipped around to see Caesar looking at him with a stern expression. Sunset, too, had let out a little gasp and turned to them. The sudden burst of an angry voice had scared her slightly. Beside her stood two boys, both of them around her age. They wore yellow uniforms with the word Benito's across the front. No doubt about it, they were 'peanut boys'. The boy closest to her had long purple hair and blue skin. He had some stubble on his chin. He had acne all over his face and wasn't that great to look at. To her, he was the definition of a loser.
The other boy had curly orange hair and glasses. He, too, had some stubble on his chin. Unlike the loser, he had no acne and was pretty average. Well, if he didn't wear his glasses that is. With the glasses, he looked like a nerd. So there was a nerd and a loser standing beside her.
"Casper, I thought I told you to stay in the Pythons section! You can't just walk around here with that cap on your head. Some of these guys are a little too loyal to their team. You could be inadvertently turning away potential customers," the nerd said.
Sunset recognized his voice now that he wasn't yelling. She had heard him talking in the hall while she waited for the girls to finish dressing. Looking at the loser-y eyesore next to her, she understood this was Casper. She crinkled her nose. She already didn't like what she heard in the hall, but seeing him made her opinion of him worse.
"I-I'm sorry! I was just going to ask this girl if she, um, wanted to buy anything!" Casper said.
The both of them turned their gaze on Sunset, who looked back at them blankly.
"W-Would you like to buy something..?" Casper asked.
Sunset could see him blushing and she shook her head. He was a creep and she wanted him gone. Caesar frowned at the boy and pushed him so he could move down the aisle.
"I want you to get back to work now, Casper," he said in a calm voice. It was a dangerous calm.
The boy hurried away to the Pythons section and Caesar sighed.
"I'm so sorry about that, miss. That guy there can be a real pain. He didn't bother you, did he?"
Sunset shook her head.
"You didn't see him...creeping around, did you..? I know this is a weird question."
Sunset shook her head slowly. She felt a bit paranoid and glanced around her to see where the Casper guy went, but he had vanished from sight.
"I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone, miss. Enjoy the game," the nerd said and he walked away.
Sunset watched him leave and shrugged. They were just two unimportant people. Pinkie Pie looked at her and asked her who they were. The fiery-haired girl shook her head and told her she had no idea. But a quiet voice said otherwise.
"...I know him..."
Pinkie and Sunset looked over to see it was Fluttershy who had spoken. The girl was watching the nerd with surprise. Then she turned her gaze to the two girls and said," He was someone I knew before I came to Canterlot High. His name is Caesar..."
Fluttershy tilted her head and tapped her chin.
"Caesar UpperCrest."
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been friends since forever. They had been play pals years before they started kindergarten and were buddies for life. But in every good memory Fluttershy had of them when they started school, there was always this little boy who played by himself in the background...
He was the quiet type. And was easy to forget. Even Fluttershy forgot about him, and she was forgettable herself! Whenever kids got together to play, this boy would stay by himself in a corner and play with his favorite toy truck. Fluttershy remembered looking at him and wondering if he was lonely. He seemed content being by himself, but it still would be nice if he had friends. Rainbow Dash had told her to just leave him be.
"If we wanted friends, he would have come to us, cause we're awesome!" Rainbow said with a grin.
Over the years as more new people showed up and more of the kids who were already there transferred to other schools, Fluttershy gradually stopped wondering about him. He was just a classmate to her now. Someone you knew but weren't chatty-chatty with. More exciting things were happening now that they were older, like school dances and fun field trips. Girls started worrying about their looks more than they did about who took their crayons. Boys went from playing with toy figurines to playing sports. In elementary school, everybody wanted to be everyone's friend. But in middle school, everyone began to separate from each other and form isolated groups.
Even Rainbow Dash drifted away from her. It was their first year in middle school when Gilda appeared. To all of them, she was the definition of cool. And that's all Rainbow ever wanted to be. Cool. And so as the year progressed, Fluttershy found herself being left alone more and more as her best buddy for life hung around Gilda and her cronies, Fleet Foot and Black Racer.
One day, as she was walking home by herself, she came across a flyer for the animal shelter. They wanted volunteers to help out there. Curious, the girl went on her way to the Cloudsdale Animal Rescue Center, as that was the name of the place. When she saw all the cute puppies and kittens stare up at her with big eyes, she knew that the animal shelter was her new second home. Everyday afterschool, Fluttershy walked there to meet her furry friends and spent countless hours playing with them.
They were her new best friends, replacing the one she had before Gilda came along...
As sixth grade went on to being the seventh, Fluttershy found herself with absolutely no friend. Rainbow Dash no longer walked to and from school with her, or sat with her at lunch. When teachers gave the class group projects, Rainbow was already looking to Gilda and giving her a thumbs up; they were to be partners. Whenever Fluttershy saw her, she was always with Gilda and those two guys, laughing away at some joke and acting cool. The animals at the rescue center were now her only friends. And Fluttershy survived the seventh grade with just them.
It was during that time that Gilda started teasing her. She would make fun of how timid she was and call her a coward. It hurt her feelings and she was always on the verge of tears when the teasing stopped. At first, the bully made it out as though they were just harmless jokes and Fluttershy was overly sensitive. But then it quickly became more vicious. Gilda pushed her around and smacked her papers out of her hands. Of course, this was when Rainbow wasn't around.
Gilda was the meanest person she had ever met...at that time, anyway. Sunset Shimmer had surpassed her level of evil by a LONG shot. But she was good now so Fluttershy guessed she could forgive her...
ANYWAY , Fluttershy felt neglected for a long time. It was only on the last day of school in the 8th grade that Rainbow Dash came to her senses. All of them had been strolling through the park when Rainbow told Gilda and her cronies about their move to Canterlot. Of course, the 'cool' girl had been outraged and flipped out. It was that day that Rainbow Dash vowed to stay by her always and to never leave her for her own selfish reasons. And Fluttershy graciously forgave her. But it still wasn't enough to stop her from feeling sad.
Rainbow Dash had left her by herself for nearly three years. It was when she was walking home that all the sorrow that she kept inside of herself caught up with her and she sobbed heavily. It was at that moment that the boy she had forgotten about for so long finally made a lasting impression.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and fell to the ground. Choked sobs escaped her lips as she stumbled along the sidewalk. It was getting late. The sun was hanging low in the sky and a beautiful sunset loomed overhead. But Fluttershy didn't take notice. Her pain was too great to ignore.
Even though she regained her best friend, she still felt as though she had lost her. So much time had gone by since the last time she and Rainbow had laughed together, played together...or have even spoken to each other...Fluttershy slumped against the wall of a building and let it all out. There was no use bottling it up anymore.
It was only a short five minutes of her crying her eyes out when she heard a boy's voice.
"What's wrong?"
It was a quiet voice, yet it was firm. Fluttershy looked up at him with teary eyes and stared. Her vision was blurry. She couldn't quite make out who it was...When she didn't say anything, he sat down beside her and said in a gentle tone," You don't have to tell me..."
Fluttershy felt an arm wrap around her and pull her closer to him. Without much thought, Fluttershy laid her head against his shoulder and cried. And there they stayed. The girl didn't know how long they had been there, but she knew it had to be a long time. Through all the sniffling and sobbing, the boy said nothing. He just sat beside her and let her cry on his shoulder. After a long while, Fluttershy's tears stopped and all she could do was sniffle.
The two of them stayed there for some more time in silence. It was a comforting silence between them. It was as if they had known each other all their lives and were familiar with each other's emotions. Like they had gone through ups and downs and loop-dee-loops together, and were forever bonded by an experience only they went through. To Fluttershy, it was a feeling of mutual understanding, much like what she had with Rainbow Dash. After a point in time you didn't need words to tell the other how you felt or what you were thinking. They just knew.
Fluttershy pressed her face into his shirt. He smelled strongly of flour. She sighed and lifted her head. Fluttershy turned her head and looked at the boy. He was looking back at her. Immediately, the girl knew who he was. He was the quiet boy who almost never said a word and kept to himself. Fluttershy took a moment to really look at him. He appeared very different from how she remembered him. Instead of the chubby baby fat face, big brown eyes, and messy orange hair, this boy seemed more well put together. And of course, a lot older.
His hair was curly and a bit darker than what it used to be. His face had more of a shape to it and a tan. The big brown eyes she remembered were smaller now on his face and his nose was as red as a pepperoni. Propped up on his 'Rudolph' nose were glasses that framed his eyes and made them more noticeable, moving attention away from the bright rosiness of his honker. He looked...cute to her.
Fluttershy kept staring at him, amazed at how much he changed. It was only when he removed his arm from around her shoulder and glanced away, blushing, that she realized how close they were. They had been very close. If she had leaned forward just a tiny bit their noses would have been touching. Fluttershy felt her face burn in embarrassment. She quickly moved away and apologized, stuttering all the while.
The boy smiled at her and told her it was alright. Fluttershy smiled back. He stood up and helped her to her feet before turning to leave. Without thinking, Fluttershy grabbed his shirt.
"Wait."
In surprise, the boy turned around. Fluttershy felt herself freeze in place and she nervously tried to think of what to say.
"Th-Thank you...for that...I, um...I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you..."
"It's ok. You didn't...You're welcome."
"...What's your name..?"
The boy smiled at her, his eyes shining.
"Caesar. Caesar UpperCrest."
Author's Note
I had to. Because romance.
Author's Note
I advise you watch "Equestria Girls Cafeteria Song" for a quick reminder of how the song goes.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO HASBRO. Oh wait, I'm allowed to put the MLP lyrics in here. SAFE!
Halftime Performance
Fluttershy was still lost in her thoughts when Pinkie pulled her sweater.
"Hey! It's half time! Time to perform!"
The shy girl blinked. She had been lost in thought for a whole quarter of the game? Quickly, she looked to the scoreboard.
17-12 Pythons
The Wondercolts were catching up fast! How could she have missed all of that?? Rarity pushed her forward as they rushed down the aisle.
"Hurry, darling! Principal Celestia is going to announce us!"
The Rainbooms all clambered down the bleachers and made their way to where Celestia stood waiting. She smiled at them and sighed. It was absolutely adorable to see these girls all standing before her looking eager to dance and sing for their fellow students. Principal Celestia tapped her mic and cleared her throat. Thanks to a larger budget that year, Celestia had been able to get portable speakers for such occasions, that way she wouldn't have to use a bullhorn. Believe it or not, even with a bullhorn, she couldn't shout over the students' constant chatter.
"Testing 1, 2..." she said, and her voice was amplified all throughout the field.
Celestia smiled to herself. The purchase hadn't been a waste of money after all. As the Canterlot High principal got all the students quiet, the Rainbooms quickly did a refresher course on the moves. They had the dance down-packed already, but id didn't hurt to make sure one last time. It was just the revised lyrics that threw them off a tad.
"Drat, I keep saying 'help Twilight Sparkle win the crown'..." Applejack sighed. "What're the new words?"
"It's 'hope the Wondercolts win the game'. And you say Wondercolts really fast," Fluttershy explained.
The girls all sang it quietly to themselves before feeling satisfied. They hummed the tune happily and waited anxiously. When everybody had quieted down, Celestia smiled. The power of new speakers. It was lovely to finally be heard.
"I thank you all for coming here to witness this fantastic game! There is no doubt that this event will be a memorable one for all of us. With the half time break, there's a lot of tension to see which team will win. Is it the Canterlot Wondercolts--"
Students who supported the team cheered in the middle of her speech.
"--or the Cloudsdale Pythons?"
Cloudsdale students screamed their lungs out and purposefully made the other school's cheering look weak. It didn't make people who thought they were snooty think they were better.
"Well, to break that tension, some ladies from Canterlot High have decided to perform for you!"
The Canterlot students went wild and the music began.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE RAINBOOMS!!!!" Celestia cried.
The girls all ran out onto the field waving. Their pony tails bounced up and down as they skipped around. Pinkie threw confetti everywhere. The Canterlot students stomped their feet and clapped their hands to the beat. Twilight looked at all the girls and smiled. Here goes nothing! They all took a deep breath and let their voices sing.
***
Riff Raff, Cherry Blossom, Casper, and Caesar were all resting at the pizza stand when Celestia started talking. Casper was complaining about how he was so close to getting the girl of his dreams until Caesar showed up. Cherry told him it served him right, Riff Raff just laughed at him, and the one who stopped him just shrugged.
"You guys never want me to find love!" Casper exclaimed.
He waved his arms in the air.
"You laugh at me for trying to get someone to notice me for once. What am I supposed to do then, huh? Let them come to me?? You all know that'll never happen. None of the girls that I like are even really looking my way!"
"Then why are you even bothering them to begin with?" Cherry retorted coldly.
This got some "oohs" from the other boys. Casper blushed and gritted his teeth.
"Wha--Hey! I have to at least try, don't I?"
"You try, but you fail every time," Cherry told him," Give up."
"N-No, I don't! And I won't give up..."
"Oh? Tell me. When's the last time a girl has said yes to your pathetic display of uselessness? Oh wait. Never! You've never even had a girlfriend!"
Caesar and Riff Raff were dying. They were laughing so hard that nothing came out their mouths but a strained whistle-like noise. Their faces were as red as strawberries. Caesar clutched his side and tried his hardest not to fall off his chair. Casper punched him and he couldn't hold onto his seat. Caesar fell on his back and snorted loudly when he hit the ground. This only made Riff burst into laughter.
"Burn, man! she told you! Ah hahaha hahaha!"
This sudden outburst earned him some glares from the coaches. Casper punched him and told him to hush up. Celestia was still talking.
"--some ladies from Canterlot High have decided to perform for you!"
Loud music began to blast out from some speakers. It was amplified stomping and clapping.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE RAINBOOMS!!!"
The pizza quartet watched as some girls came running onto the field dressed in blue sweaters and wearing pony ear headbands and pony tails. Caesar's eyes widened when he saw a certain pink haired girl on the field with whom he assumed was the Wondercolt's cheerleading squad. She was skipping around and waving cheerfully and smiling at the other girls and the crowd. Caesar frowned. Who was she? why did she look so familiar?
Caesar listened to the loud stomp/clap music and watched his co-workers join in with everyone else. What took him by surprise was when the girls began to sing. Normally cheerleaders chant and shout out routines, but singing? And they were singing so nicely! He felt himself lean forward and watch them with interest.
"Hey, hey everybody! We've got something to say!
We may seem as different as the night is from day.
But if you look a little deeper and you will see that,
I'm just like you and you're just like me!"
The girls posed and the crowd cheered. Caesar found himself smiling. The song was catchy and not in an annoying way. The girls were all very pretty and energetic. It was like they had all eaten candy and had a sugar rush, especially the girl with the frizzy hair. She was cartwheeling all over the place and was as springy as a trampoline. All of them were enjoyable to watch. Their personalities came out and they were all very different.
As they sang, Caesar analyzed their personalities. The girl with the dark blue hair and purple and pink highlights(he assumed she was the lead) was kind of awkward. Some of her moves were a bit jerky and all of them were small, like if a nerd was stuck in the middle of a dance they didn't want to be in, and tried to shimmy their way out while doing small, swaying dance moves. The cowgirl was dancing as if it were a rodeo. It was all in the footwork. She shuffled her feet and kicked the ground as she danced, with one arm in the air and a hand holding her hat down.
The girl with the fabulous purple hair danced as if she were a ballerina. Her moves were graceful and timed perfectly to the music. It was not too much and not too little. Prim and proper was what he thought she was going for. There was no need to try to figure out what the frizzy haired girl was doing. She was just...doing stuff?? Random disco moves were incorporated into her choreography...Caesar decided to skip her.
And lastly, was the girl he vaguely remembered somehow. She wasn't a bad dancer. She was just timid and unsure of her self. He could see that in some of the moves she did, like where everybody was supposed to shake their tail and she barely did it. The random girl and cowgirl went all out and let their tails shake! He tilted his head. He noticed that she was smaller than the other girls. Her sweater was a little too big for her; her sleeves came over her hands. It made her look like a little kid and he smiled.
She was kind of...cute.
Her shy manner and adorable way of dancing made him feel happy somehow. When the dancing was over, everyone cheered. even the Pythons fans. The Rainbooms waved and ran off the field. The lady who had announced them ushered them over to some empty benches where they could rest before going back up to their seats. The lady smiled and congratulated them on a performance well done. Casper jumped up and grabbed some sodas.
"I'm going to give them some drinks!" he said and ran off to serve them to the girls.
Riff shrugged.
"I guess those will be on the house."
Cherry shook her head.
"That hopeless lover boy. He's trying to hit on one of them, I just know it. Well, he's paying for all of those sodas."
Riff and Caesar glanced at each other before laughing.
Author's Note
I was really distracted when I wrote this so I apologize in advance if this chapter wasn't that great.
Misfortune
Goal after goal after goal.
The Wondercolts were winning now. It was 21-24 Wondercolts. Rainbow and the team felt encouraged after the performance and wanted to do their best. A little bit of faith from anyone can make you believe in yourself. Lightning Dust grinned as another goal was struck.
"We're doing it, Dash! We're winning!"
Rainbow grinned happily. She waved at her friends from the bleachers and they cheered. She could hear them calling her name. It was good to be winning. She felt on top of the world. Here she was defeating her greatest enemy and doing so at ease. It would be an easy victory, she was sure. Overhead, the soccer ball had been hurled through the air by the other team's goalie. Rainbow jogged backward to receive it. Instead, Spitfire got it. She jumped up and bopped it with her head. The ball bounced forward and Rainbow got the ball. She was looking confident as she dribbled it to their goal.
She was almost there...She was about to kick it in when one of the Python members ran behind her and stumbled, kicking her in the ankle. Rainbow Dash yelled out and made a faulty shot, the ball going out into the crowd. The referee blew the whistle and called a foul and team meeting with the Pythons. The students shouted and screamed at the players in either rage or a 'serves them right' attitude. Rainbow Dash crumpled to the ground and clutched her foot.
"AH! DANGIT!"
The Wondercolts rushed to her side and everyone bit their lips. Rainbow was red in the face and tears welled up at the corner of her eyes. Thunderlane shook his head with worry.
"What're we going to do? Dash's our best player! We've made most of our points because of her!"
Soarin gritted his teeth and looked at the other team.
"They must've planned this! They want to win!"
Pepper Corn and Lightning Dust glanced at each other. It was the fourth quarter and only ten minutes of the game remained. They were winning at the moment, yes. But with Rainbow off the field, that might not be so when the game ends. There were other strong players, but none were as dynamic as Rainbow Dash. Carefully, Spitfire pulled Rainbow's cleat, sock, and shin guard off so she could see her ankle better. Underneath, her ankle had begun to swell and was red.
Soarin stomped his foot and pounded a fist into his palm.
"They're going to pay! If we lose because of this, they're going to pay!"
Spitfire grabbed him by the shoulder and faced him.
"Soarin, what matters right now is that Rainbow is hurt. Not that they want to win or that you're going to 'make them pay'. So stop your raging and help us get her to the bench!"
The Wondercolts all aided the wounded girl to the time out bench. Rainbow was feeling angry about it all. She didn't want to be on the bench when she could be out on the field scoring some goals. Looking at the scoreboard and game time she cursed silently to herself. Ten minutes was plenty of time for the Pythons to win. They only needed three more points to be even with them and more to be winning.
"I have to be on the field! We're so close to beating our rival team!" Rainbow pouted.
She motioned to get up, but Spitfire pushed her back down.
"You can't, Dash. Your ankle is hurting."
"But I have to help! We're already leading by three points. These Pythons guys are tough! Come on, what's a sore ankle to me when there's a game to play!"
Spitfire frowned at her.
"You're not playing. The rest of us can handle it."
"But--"
"NO."
The captain turned and started walking away. Rainbow Dash was enraged. She wanted to play. She knew that if she were out on the field there was a definite chance that they would win. But she couldn't with her ankle the way it was. Without the Wondercolts' best player on field, nothing was certain. They could lose horribly. Then people would laugh at them. This was their chance to shine and beat their long time rival!
With nothing to do, Rainbow slouched forward and looked out over the field. She dreaded the game that was to take place soon. Rainbow looked for the ball. When she had kicked it, the shot had been really bad and it went out into the crowd. From a distance, she could see someone tromping down some steps in the aisle clutching the ball under their armpit. It was a girl with white hair. She wore a brown jacket and grey shirt. Her black pants hugged her legs. Big brown boots stomped down toward the field...
Rainbow paled. She looked exactly like someone she knew...The girl slammed the soccer ball into Thunderlane's chest and said something to him. Her angry mood, that evil glare, the way her hands balled up into fists...
The white-haired girl turned her face in Rainbow's direction and the blue girl gasped. Her devilish eyes burned through Rainbow Dash's face. A smirk came across her mouth. The wounded girl looked away. There was no mistake about it. Everything about that girl was the same.
Rainbow knew she was dead meat.
***
Twilight ran down the aisle and rushed toward where Rainbow was. The others followed with concern written all over their faces.
"Rainbow Dash, are you ok?" Twilight asked when she got there.
The said girl glanced at her friends and frowned. She had her leg up on the bench and a bag of ice on her ankle.
"Of course not..."
Rarity gave her a sympathetic look and sat down beside her. On the field, the game had begun. And so far, it wasn't going in the favor of the Wondercolts. It was now 22-24 Wondercolts. Rainbow looked at the time left for the game. About seven minutes. She swallowed hard. Applejack took off her hat and sighed.
"Don't you worry one bit, Rainbow. I'm sure we'll win. Even if we don't, it sure was a good fight we put up against them Cloudsdale folk."
Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight all agreed. Rainbow Dash scratched her hair.
"This game isn't the only thing I'm worried about..."
Fluttershy glanced at her friend's leg.
"Is it your ankle? I'm sure it'll be fine in no time."
Rainbow shook her head. She looked at the girl. Her face seemed pale and her eyes were full of worry. Rainbow looked down at her shirt and said," Fluttershy...you remember Gilda, right..?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened.
"Y-Y-You don't mean...is s-she..?"
The wounded girl nodded slowly.
"When I kicked that bad shot it went out into the crowd...and no doubt hit Gilda. I saw her give the ball to Thunderlane and glare at me..."
Rainbow covered her face with her hands.
"I'm dead meat."
Misfortunes that happen to other people
"Cherry, watch out!"
The said girl straightened up and looked around to see who was calling her. Before she could respond to whoever it was that yelled out her name, she felt her arm being yanked back.
"Wha--"
Cherry fell into someone just as something blurry whipped by her face. There was a loud SMACK! and Cherry turned her head to see what it was that flew through the air. To her surprise, it was a soccer ball...and it had smashed right into a girl's face. She gasped. Cherry couldn't help but think that would've been her if someone hadn't pulled her back. It looked like it really hurt. She needed to thank whoever it was that saved her from that.
"Are you alright?"
Cherry turned and saw Casper standing behind her and holding her arm. Almost as if it were instinctive, Cherry yanked her arm away in disgust and scowled at him. It was him . She felt sorry for the hippie boy. He would never get a girl.
"Don't touch me," she told him sternly.
The boy brushed some hair from his eyes and stared at her in disbelief.
"What do you mean 'Don't touch me'? I just saved you from getting smacked in the face by a soccer ball!"
Cherry stared back at him.
"That was you ??"
"Why do you sound surprised? Do you think I would just let you get hit--You know, I really should have. Obviously you're not at all grateful to me for helping you out there!" Casper told her.
And how oh so right was he. Cherry was willing to thank the person who saved her and show gratitude...until she saw it was him. She never liked Casper. He was a lazy bum who googled over girls that were way out of his league all the time. She wasn't even sure why her boss even kept this dude employed. She would very much like him to jump off a cliff.
Without responding to him, Cherry turned to see if the girl who got hit by the ball instead was ok. The girl was enraged. Her face was red from the impact of the ball and from anger. She snatched the ball up from her lap and shoved her way past the people who were crowding around her. Cherry watched her march down the steps and slam the ball into one of the Canterlot Wondercolts.
"Tell Dash that a dear friend of hers would like to speak with her after the game!" the girl yelled at the boy.
The boy wheezed and nodded as he bent over and tried to recover from the blow to his chest. The girl looked a ways down the field and stood there for a little before turning around and making her way back to her seat. Cherry promptly moved out of the girl's way as she came to her seat and dropped into it. Her arms were crossed and a smirk was present on her face.
"You ok, Gilda?" a boy with black and red hair asked.
"Yeah, of course I am, Black Racer. Of course I am..." Gilda replied.
Cherry said nothing about what she just saw. She wasn't quite sure what happened but whatever it was, she wasn't apart of it. She grabbed her box that had fallen when Casper grabbed her and made her way to the pizza stand. She ignored Casper's continuous complaining as she made her way to where Riff was. The older guy waved and combed his fingers through his green Mohawk.
"Yo, did you guys see that?"
"Yeah. I almost got hit by that ball," Cherry replied grumpily.
"In the face," Casper added.
Cherry slapped him on the back of his head and tossed her box onto the table.
"Lets switch jobs. You, Riff, can be a 'peanut boy' and I'll be the person at the stand."
Riff threw his hands up.
"Hey, I don't know about that, Cherry. I don't want to be a moving target for the soccer team to slam balls at me. That chick nearly hit her mark with that shot, the target being your face from what I'm hearing. I'm perfectly fine right here."
Cherry glared at him. She felt insulted that he even suggested that the ball was intended to hit her.
"Well, Mr. Raff. How about I propose a deal? You go out there and serve the people their food or you'll be in pain. Cause there aren't just soccer balls that could be slammed, if you know what I mean."
Riff paled and jumped off the seat he was sitting in.
"All yours, Ms. Blossom."
The girl smiled and placed herself on the chair. She refilled her box and handed it to him.
"Have a fun time! Enjoy the game."
Riff stiffly walked away with the box and Casper followed along feeling just as paranoid as he.
"Oh, and watch out for those balls !"
Riff and Casper shivered as they awkwardly tried to cover their crotches while walking.
"Man...she's so violent!" Riff complained. "What did I ever do to her?"
Casper sighed and shrugged.
"Women always want things to go their way. Just roll with it," he said half jokingly.
The older guy nodded as if the younger boy was speaking with wisdom.
"Yes. I will definitely let her have her way."
The two of them crossed their legs as they thought of the consequence if they didn't follow what she said...
***
Caesar glanced around and sat on one of the bleachers. He needed a break. This was a really long game. His legs couldn't hold him up any longer. He took off his cap and sighed. His back was killing him and sweat dribbled down his chin from having to run around to needy people who's stomachs raged for food. And now that he thought about food...
Caesar's stomach growled ferociously and he frowned. He had been running on fumes all that afternoon, now going on to being early evening. Because of this stupid game, he didn't get anything to eat. And he happened to have skipped lunch that day. The school was serving meatloaf. Who would want that?
Not caring about the absolute lecture he would receive from Cherry in the near future, he opened a bag of chips and chewed on a slice of pizza that had gone cold. All the sodas had been sold because people were thirsty all the time. So he had nothing to drink to wash down his linner. Yup. Linner. Lunch and dinner in one. By the time he would get home, he'd be too tired to eat.
Caesar had seen a girl walk down the bleachers and chuck the ball at one of the players. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Gilda was always mad about something. It wasn't as if the boy had kicked the ball at her. And besides, the girl who did kick the ball was kicked herself by one of the Pythons. Gilda overreacted way too much.
The boy continued to gnaw and nibble at his pizza and chomp on some chips as he watched the game. The Wondercolts were beginning to lose a bit of their game. He assumed that the rainbow-haired girl had been their best player. That was a bummer for their star player to be KO'd like that.
Caesar looked up at the scoreboard and tilted his head.
It was 24-25 Wondercolts. His school's rival team was able to score a goal on them but the Pythons had gotten two more points added to their score. If they got two more goals they would be winning...the time on the clock read five minutes. both teams would have to quicken their steps and take some risky shots if they wanted to have a chance at winning. This was a close game.
The boy stood up and stretched. He needed to get back to the others and start helping take down the pizza stand table and chairs. They needed to count the money and then get their butts back to Benito's . Caesar put his unfinished food in his box and started walking back.
"Hey! Can I buy something?" someone yelled.
He turned to see a blue haired boy with a black jacket that had red and white stripes on it. To Caesar, he looked like a rocker. The dude more than likely jammed out to some rock bands or played drums or guitar or something. He walked up to him and the boy paid for his snacks. Lazily, Caesar started walking back to the stand for the second time before hearing the guy yell," Hey! These chips have been eaten already!"
Quickly Caesar ducked into the crowd.
Oops.
Author's Note
My sense of humor is terrible. Sorry guys, if I made you cringe. XD
Author's Note
Season Five's Premier is today! I watched it and it was GREAT! Wouldn't it be interesting if one of your OCs were part of the show? What if one of my OCs were in the show?? I would love to see Cherry Blossom, Casper, Caesar UpperCrest, Feather Flyer, Riff Raff, Pepper Corn, Black Racer, Fleet Foot, and/or Crystal Gem on the show!
(I have too many OCs for one person)
The Game Ends
Rainbow Dash and the girls all leaned forward as Pepper Corn made her way down the field. She was so close to scoring...It was 25-25 now...The clock was ticking down...
1:02
"Come on! come on!" Rainbow hissed as she waved her hands in the air.
Some of the Pythons were coming after her. The girl carefully guarded the ball from them and kept moving forward. She was almost there...
00:51
Spitfire zoomed through a group of Pythons and came in clear view near the goal. Pepper Corn turned with the ball and was about to shoot the ball to her captain when she seemed to have thought twice about that. Instead of directing her kick to Spitfire, she twisted her foot so it would go toward the net. But she had changed directions so quickly that she didn't have accuracy. The ball ricocheted off the sidebar of the goal and bounced on the ground.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Rainbow cried.
00:26
A swarm of rival team members surrounded the ball and they rushed down the field with it. The crowd was getting really rowdy. People were screaming "woo" and "boo" all over the place. Time was ticking down. Everybody was on the edge of their seats. The Wondercolts shot after the swarm of Pythons and ran as hard as they could to get to the net before they did. The members all formed a barricade around the goal in an attempt to stop them. But the rival team kept running at them.
00:11
Applejack stood up and balled her hands into fists, hoping for the defense to work. She stared at them with deep concentration, as if she could control what was going on. Rarity sat with her mouth wide open and clutched the edge of the bench. Twilight was much the same. Fluttershy resorted to holding onto Pinkie Pie as the tension rose, but that wasn't a very good idea. The bouncy girl couldn't hold in her excitement and fidgeted so much that Fluttershy felt dizzy. Sunset just watched the game with half-lidded eyes and yawned. She wasn't a big soccer fan. She was tired and wanted to go home.
Rainbow bit her lip.
The other team charged at them like bulls. But they stood their ground.
00:04
The students started to count down, adding even more unnecessary tension.
3...
2...
1
***
The students were all ushered away from the bleachers and either went on the buses or home. The Rainbooms all walked their way off of school grounds and chatted. Applejack and Sunset helped Rainbow Dash walk, standing on either side of her. Thunderlane came running up to them and he whispered in Rainbow's ear. Her face became void of any color and she swallowed. Twilight glanced at her and frowned.
"What's up?"
Rainbow closed her eyes and shouted," UGH! THIS DAY COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE!!"
Applejack squeezed her shoulder sympathetically.
"I know, sugarcube. First, you get hurt. Then, the team starts losing. And now..."
She took her hat off and threw it on the ground.
"We done lost to them suckers!"
Sunset stumbled a bit. Applejack's action had pushed them a little bit and Rainbow grimaced as a twinge of pain came through her ankle.
"Hey, hold your horses a bit! You're making people trip over here!" Sunset exclaimed.
The cowgirl apologized and helped support their friend. Twilight repeated her question to Rainbow Dash.
"So, what's wrong? You're awfully pale after what Thunderlane said to you."
Before the girl could answer someone called her name out.
"Dash! How's it going? You remember me, I know it."
All of them turned to see a girl with white hair and a brown jacket. Beside her were two boys. Fluttershy immediately hid behind the others and whimpered. The girl saw her and smirked.
"Oh, hey Fluttershy. You know, it's rude not to say hello to people you know."
Rarity glanced at both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Neither of them seemed very happy to be meeting this girl. Rarity wasn't familiar with who she was and wondered how it was that Fluttershy and Rainbow knew her.
"Um, hello. Could you please tell us your name? I don't believe we've all met before, except for maybe a few."
The girl sniffed and crossed her arms.
"The name's Gilda."
Gilda looked at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy accusingly.
"So, you guys never mentioned me? Huh, some friends you are."
Rainbow glared at her.
"We aren't friends! You are a self centered jerk. Why would I even mention you?"
Pinkie Pie was starting to feel uneasy. Her jumpy behavior calmed down and she looked back and forth between the two that were talking.
"...What's going on here? You two have met her? And where? She can't possibly be from CHS because I know pretty much everybody there!" she asked.
Gilda folded her arms and rolled her eyes. She poked Pinkie in the forehead and pushed her back with brute force.
"Well then, Ms. I-Know-Everybody, why don't you use your brain and figure it out. If you know I'm not from your school then I have to be from...? Oh, I know, Cloudsdale!"
Her sudden burst of anger scared the party girl and she backed away.
Applejack glared at her.
"What in tarnation is your problem?!"
Rainbow looked at all her friends.
"Y-You see...Gilda and I used to hang out before I came to Canterlot High...And we didn't leave on good terms. when I kicked that faulty shot it, um...may have hit her in the face..."
Gilda smirked and pounded a fist into her palm.
"It sure did, and I want to get back at you for it!"
She angrily raised her hand to strike and Sunset pulled Rainbow away, much to the discomfort of the latter. Applejack let her go and balled her fists up. Twilight gasped as Sunset leaned Rainbow against her so she could support her. Sunset was going to jump in and help Applejack take this girl down. Gilda's cronies, Black Racer and Fleet Foot, took up a fighting position when they saw the two girls raise their fists. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity froze at the sight of a fight suddenly about to break out.
"N-No! This...this isn't right. Stop it!!" Fluttershy yelled and she ran in between the them as their fists came swinging.
WHAM!!!
Everyone stood there in shock. No one had known that was going to happen. Pinkie Pie was the first to call out.
"Fluttershy!"
Sunset and Applejack stood back looking stunned. Gilda herself was looking surprised as well as very angry. Fluttershy had her head in her hands and her hair fell over her face. The shy girl stood where she was and didn't reply.
***
She waited for the impact. But it didn't come. Fluttershy would've lifted her head to see why that was, but she was too scared. She'd be staring straight at Gilda and there was no doubt she was fuming with rage. She swallowed and kept her hands over her face, shaking in fear. Fluttershy felt something brush her forehead and she stiffened up. She instinctively tried to flee but found that she couldn't. Something was holding her, keeping the girl from moving.
Opening her eyes and looking up, her eyes widened. In front of her was a boy. He was taller than her by about half a foot. Fluttershy's hands rested on his chest and her forehead touched his chin. That's what had brushed her. The boy's chin was a bit rough with stubble. His head was lowered so that his nose was in her hair. Fluttershy felt his hand holding her head and an arm having been wrapped around her waist. His glasses were slipping off his face.
"...Oooowwwww..." he muttered, and released his hold of her.
Everybody stared at him. The boy rubbed the back of his head, the side of his face, and his shoulder. From a distance, three people came running out to them.
"Caesar! Oh my god!" Casper yelled.
Cherry and Riff followed close behind. They all paused before continuing. Before them were the cheerleaders they had watched perform during halftime. They also saw the girl that got slammed in the face by a soccer ball and the people that sat next to her. With one of the cheerleaders stood the rainbow-haired girl that hurt her ankle during the game. Caesar stood between them all and was rubbing his face. The three employees had seen the whole thing.
They were back a ways carrying the pizza stand table to the van that was parked out front when they noticed things weren't going well with the girls. Shouting and angry expressions were telltale signs of something bad happening. It was when Gilda raised a hand and Fluttershy ran to stop them that Caesar reacted. He dropped his end of the table and ran as fast as he could to protect her from any of the blows. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head against his chest right before he got punched in the back of the head by Gilda, hit in the face by Sunset, and slammed in the shoulder by Applejack.
"What the hell?! Caesar?!?!" Gilda exclaimed.
She gritted her teeth and stomped her foot in disbelief. The boy glared at her and nodded. Twilight supported rainbow and stood where she was, hoping more violence wouldn't break out. Pinkie Pie held onto Rarity's arm and they watched from a distance with fear.
"That's my name...Didn't expect you to remember it."
Gilda glared at him.
"Get out of the way, nerd. This isn't your fight!"
"I'm still not going to let you hurt them," he said quietly.
The girl grabbed him by the shirt and stared at him.
"Oh, so you think you're a tough guy, huh. You think you can just walk in and save the day? Well, that's not what's going to happen. Instigators get their butts kicked. Do you not remember the last time you got involved in something that didn't concern you?"
Caesar didn't even blink.
"I remember."
"Well then, you better take that experience and stay out of this, you understand me? Because if you don't, it ain't going to be pleasent for you."
Caesar didn't reply. He just kept staring at her. Cherry's face reddened with anger. She wasn't going to let Gilda push around her friend. Now had it been Casper, that would be different. But this was Caesar and she didn't want her buddy to get beat by Gilda. In a swift motion she smacked the girl's hands away and yanked her hair. The bully yelped and tried to swat at her, but instead had gotten her wrist twisted by Cherry. Gilda cried out and her cronies advanced on the employee. But Riff Raff stepped in front of them. Him being much bigger intimidated Black Racer and Fleet Foot.
"Leave these girls alone! Or else!" Cherry shouted and pulled at her hair once more.
Gilda grimaced and tried to break free unsuccessfully.
"Don't you ever threaten him again, you got that?!" the red-haired chick screeched.
"O-Ok! I'll leave them be! And the nerd!" Gilda cried.
Cherry let her go and the bully backed away. She eyed Rainbow before turning to leave without a word. Caesar knew he was going to get a beating the next day when he went back to school. He was grateful to Cherry for helping him out, but in the end his butt was toast. The Main 6 sighed and Sunset Shimmer harrumphed. She was a bit mad that her blow hadn't hit its intended target. Applejack offered
"No need to say sorry. You never intended to hit me in the first place."
Applejack grinned.
"We appreciate you stepping in. Fluttershy could've gotten hurt."
Rarity turned to Fluttershy, who looked at her feet.
"What exactly, darling, were you thinking?! Running in between them like that!"
The shy girl stuttered and kept looking down at the ground.
"I just...didn't want Rainbow to get hurt. She already has a swollen ankle and besides, the fight wasn't fair...N-Not that I'm...f-for fighting anyway..."
Twilight shook her head and pulled her into a hug with Rainbow, who hobbled a bit. The other girls joined in. Sunset Shimmer sighed. Well, whatever happened was over and done with. She just wanted to get home and sleep. She stuck her hand out and said," Sorry for that blow, nerd. Didn't mean to."
Caesar shook it and she paused. She was looking at a certain hippie who stood behind him. He smiled and waved.
"Hey...I remember you. You're that creep this here nerd talked to me about. Asked if I was bothered by you and if I saw you stalking around my seat..."
Casper's smile vanished and he shifted his weight as everyone's gaze came upon him. He shot Caesar a deadly glare and the boy shrugged. Cherry narrowed her eyes. She looked as though she were going to beat him up. Casper chuckled nervously.
"You harassed her during the game? How many times do I have to tell you that you just aren't boyfriend material. It's not going to work, this fantasy relationship you had in mind."
Casper's face was red with embarrassment.
"Hey! I-It wouldn't have hurt to ask. I j-just didn't get my chance because Caesar stopped me!"
Sunset cringed at the thought of her and Casper being together. It really would not have been that great. Having a hippie clinging to her was not her idea of a relationship. Applejack jabbed her in the arm with her elbow. Sunset stopped cringing and cleared her throat. She rubbed her arm. As much as she would have liked to tell the loser "It ain't going to happen in a million years", she had to refrain from it. She feared the cowgirl would chew her out big time for it.
As Cherry and Casper bickered and Riff watched with amusement, the girls focused their attention back on Fluttershy. Caesar was glad he stopped her from getting hurt. It was his good deed for the day. He yawned. It was getting late and he really wanted to get home. He turned to look at the sky. The sun had set, but glimmering light still remained in the space above them. A breeze rushed through and whisked by him. Leaves fluttered by and danced their autumn dance.
Fluttershy was bombarded with "Oh you poor darling's" and "That was a brave thing to do's". Her eyes met Caesar's for a brief moment, before memories of the past came flooding back. He had comforted her so many years ago when she was feeling down, holding her close. She remembered the smell of flour, his red 'Rudolph' nose, how close they were...And now, after such a long time, he protected her from harm's way. And he did it without any known reason. She wanted to know why . Why had he stayed by her side as she sobbed those years before? They hadn't been friends or really acquaintances...
Could it have been...attraction?
Fluttershy found herself blushing at the thought. It didn't seem very likely to her that that was the reason why he helped her. He was just being kind. That's all. There was nothing to it, no deeper meaning. He just went on automatic and helped her out...Fluttershy had drowned out all her friends' chit chat while thinking. When she looked up, she found that Caesar was gone. She pushed past the girls and looked around. In the distance, she could see him walking back to where he dropped the table.
Without thinking, she ran to him. She reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Wait..."
Caesar paused. He turned around and saw Fluttershy looking up at him with big blue eyes. Something in his mind clicked. A forgotten memory flashed in his head. He remembered a girl with pink hair, blue eyes, and pale skin slumped against a building wall crying. He remembered her sobbing into his shirt with her head tucked under his chin. He recalled her soft voice, the scent of flowers that came from her, the years he had known her to be a classmate of his at Cloudsdale elementary and middle school...
"...Thank you..." Fluttershy whispered.
The boy stood there without replying and felt a smile come across his lips.
"You're welcome...Fluttershy."
Author's Note
Fluttershy's question of why never got answered. Oops.
Even more Conclusion Jumping
"So who was he?" Rarity asked Fluttershy as they walked down the hall to their lockers. It was the next day and everybody was there at the school as if nothing happened last night. Everything from the banners to the streamers were all gone and the halls looked like how they did before the décor.
"Who was who?" the girl beside her replied. She was busy trying to push her angel Bunny into her bag. "Stop, Angel. you don't want me to get in trouble, do you?"
Rarity frowned slightly.
"That boy who saved you last night. Who was he?"
Fluttershy opened her mouth but then closed it. She kept fumbling with her pet to avoid answering the question. Rarity watched her with her eyes narrowed. She knew Fluttershy had heard her.
"...Is he a past crush?"
"NO! Nothing like that!" Fluttershy cried out. Her face was red with embarrassment and her eyes darted to her feet as she bit her lip.
Rarity smiled. And it wasn't just any smile. Her lips curled up in a mischievous way and her eyes flashed knowingly.
"Oh...I see..."
In an instant, Fluttershy reached out to grab her arm.
"No, no, no, no! You've got the wrong idea! He was just...someone I knew..."
Her voice faded as she came closer to the end of her sentence. She knew it was no use. Once Rarity made up her mind, she made up her mind. She could be as hard headed as Applejack sometimes. The shy girl sighed and twisted the locker combination on the lock and opened the small compartment for her books. Angel Bunny started fidgeting inside her bag and she frowned.
"Now, Angel. You were the one who hopped into my bag this morning, were you not? Had I known you were in there I would've gotten you out and you'd be at home. Because you did something you weren't supposed to, you now have to face the consequences. Stay in there."
Rarity watched the girl as she scolded her bunny lightly. She smiled when she saw that Fluttershy was still blushing. she could see why she might like the boy. He was on the tall side for a guy. He looked strong enough. He had nice brown eyes and was very humble when it came to their praise and he easily forgave Sunset and Applejack for the hard blows they dished. He wasn't bad. she just wished he styled his hair. It was so curly and with the right products he could make it look fabulous. But he was a boy so what would he do about it.
Rarity walked off to her class and chuckled. Fluttershy finally found someone to fall for.
***
The day flew by without Fluttershy noticing. She was so busy trying to do her school work and keeping Angel Bunny in her bag that she didn't really take notice of the things around her. Her friends had been told about her supposed crush on Caesar by the fashionista and the girls all thought that her distracted manner was because she was daydreaming about him. Every time Rarity looked her way, she flushed and turned her attention in another direction. She could tell by looking at the others that Rarity had told them about it as well. The Main 6 and Sunset Shimmer all sat at their usual table and made casual conversation.
"So what did the doctor say?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash.
The blue haired girl propped her new crutches on the edge of the table. Wrapped around her ankle was large amounts of gauze. Rainbow had visited the doctor the night before and got her ankle checked out. She frowned and sat down roughly in her seat.
"He said something about me having a hair line fracture in my ankle bone. The man said it would take about two to three months for it to heal. Two to three months! I can't be immobile that long! What am I supposed to do?!"
"Calm down Rainbow Dash," Twilight told her. "There are plenty of things you can do that don't involve physical activity."
The princess munched on her salad as the other girl sighed in exasperation.
"What things might that be?? Everything I find interestingis a physical activity!"
Twilight continued to eat, ignoring her friend's attitude.
"Well, I know for a fact that the Rainbow Dash of the other world likes to read the Daring Do Series ..."
"Daring who?? Reading ?? Reading is for eggheads! to think that my other self is just...reading instead of being out and running around!" Rainbow Dash looked as if everything she knew had been lies and crumbled down on her; a look of devastation.
Twilight sighed.
Looks like she might have to go through another episode of getting Rainbow to read. She was afraid of the many complaints the girl might make while being prohibited from sports. They would probably never end. Getting her to read Daring Do would give her and the others time to think of other things to occupy Rainbow. If the human Rainbow was anything like the pony version, she knew that she would tear straight through the books in no time.
While the princess thought of other ways to entertain her friend, the others began to talk about last night. Specifically the 'miraculous event' in which Fluttershy was rescued. Sunset tapped her chin.
"I've seen him before!" Pinkie Pie squeaked. "He was talking to Sunset right before the first quarter ended!"
She scratched her head.
"Why hadn't I recognized him before? I always remember everyone I meet..."
Rarity shrugged.
"I wouldn't hold it against you for not remembering, darling. You're only human."
"Rarity, did you forget who you're talking to? It's Pinkie Pie . She remembers everybody !" Rainbow Dash pointed out.
The frizzy-haired girl frowned and stuck her tongue out of her mouth in deep thought.
"I don't get it...why didn't I remember him..?"
A quiet voice spoke and grabbed everyone's attention.
"It's because he's forgettable."
All of them stared at Fluttershy and she looked down at her food.
"...That's not the nicest thing to say, 'Shy," Applejack said.
"No, he is. I had known him for years before I came here to Canterlot High with Rainbow Dash. We had been classmates for eight years at Cloudsdale elementary and middle school."
"Really? Gee, I sure don't remember him," Fluttershy's oldest friend said.
Fluttershy crossed her arms.
"Can you tell us about this boy? This..?" Twilight stretched the last word, hoping she'd fill in the blank.
"His name is Caesar. I don't know anything about him, really. He's...just someone I knew..."
"Well, if he's so 'forgettable', I'm surprised you even remember his name," Rarity said as a harmless joke.
Fluttershy blushed and looked away.
"Aw, you're blushing!" Twilight exclaimed.
"That nerd's got to be a crush or something. Maybe a past crush. Every time we mention him, you're face bursts into color," Sunset told her.
All the Main 6 agreed and began to tease her. Their laughing and smiling only further embarrassed Fluttershy. She didn't like him. Caesar was just a boy she hadn't seen in the last three years. But it made no difference to her friends. They all giggled and chuckled while cracking jokes and just outright being loud about it. It was all of this sudden attention that Fluttershy panicked. She cut everybody off and stumbled with her words as she tried to explain to her friends that there was nothing between them...
But Fluttershy was never good at portraying her thoughts. Whatever came to mind she said it. And she regretted it.
"I-I-I don't mean to...blush, it's just...we were so close last night. His nose was in my hair and-and my hands were resting on his chest...I could feel his heart beating fast and...Oh girls, he was holding me so close that I froze up! I felt small and fragile being in his embrace. It felt so nice and warm...And then, when he let me go, I-I felt like I would fall.
"When he was leaving, I couldn't help but...just chase after him. I-I grabbed his shirt and felt frozen again when his eyes looked at me...His eyes were so calm and...gentle. It surprised me! I thanked him...and then when he said I was welcome I felt everything stop because...because..."
Fluttershy swallowed and kept looking down at her food.
"...Because he said my name..."
When she looked up she knew she screwed up any chance she had of getting them to think otherwise. Their faces were slightly flushed and their eyes were wide. Rarity was absolutely gushing with awe and Applejack and Rainbow Dash had their jaws hanging low. Twilight and Sunset were covering their mouths. Even Pinkie Pie seemed to have stopped to stare at her.
Oh no...
"OHMYGODTHAT'SSOCUTE!" Rarity screamed and she hugged Fluttershy. "How romantic ! You two are meant for each other! Romeo and Juliet! We got to get you guys together on a date! It will be so perfect. Nothing could go wrong! Before you know it, both of you will be lost in each other's eyes. And he'll propose and marry you! You were born to be his wife and have his kids!"
"Whoa! You are getting WAY ahead of yourself!" Applejack cried out.
As the girls engaged in excited chatter, Fluttershy folded her arms and ducked her head down into them to cover her face. She whimpered. She had messed up.
BIG TIME.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Caesar slammed a hand on his alarm clock, only to increase the pain in his shoulder from the blow he got from Applejack. He winced and groaned as he slowly sat up. Dang, he forgot all about his shoulder. His mother was too busy getting hung up over a 'girlfriend' of his that she just left without putting medicine on it. He sighed. His mother was always jumping to conclusions and thinking of the worst possible scenario.
Caesar yawned and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He felt his skin prickle and the hair on his nape stand on end. It was kind of cold in there to him. And he soon found out why. Caesar found that he had no shirt on. He had it in his hands. When he woke up, he had it pressed to his nose and a very, very, very faint smell of flowers could be smelled from it. And it reminded him of a certain young lady...Frowning, the boy threw it across the room. What was so special about the scent of flowers. It was only perfume. And Fluttershy happened to be wearing it.
He got up and went into the bathroom. He undressed and took a quick shower. The feeling of hot water made him feel drowsy. It was nice and warm and made him want to stay there forever...
Much like how he felt when he wrapped his arms around Fluttershy.
Caesar was rudely shocked back into reality when the water turned cold and that thought came into his head. He quickly got out of the shower and rubbed himself dry with irritation. Stupid thoughts. He looked at himself in the mirror and hummed. The stubble on his chin was becoming more of a beard than anything. As much as he would love to have a beard, he couldn't. His mother would forbid it.
You're too young to be walking around here with a beard! Beards are for old men who are homeless and live on the street! It makes you look ratty!
Caesar sighed and got a razor and some shaving cream from the cabinet. His mother always blamed her husband for things pertaining to men, like facial hair and laziness. She said I was because of him that her 'poor little baby' was becoming a 'hobo'. Whatever sense that made.
'If you are to blame, you get the flames.'
Caesar chuckled. He and his father had came up with that years ago. They kept it amongst themselves as a little joke and would say it to each other in the worst of times. Mrs. UpperCrest would be fuming with anger with one of them and that person would be sweating bullets and looking afraid. Then comes along one of the two men and they'd say that to them while laughing. It was a phrase made to taunt the guy who got in trouble.
Caesar was in the midst of shaving when his mind wandered. When Fluttershy had grabbed his shirt, everything from all the eight years he had known of her had come back into his memory. And it was all because of Deja Vu. He wished he had gotten to know her better. He had almost a whole decade to socialize with her and he had been oblivious to it. And now that he saw her again he couldn't believe she was the same Fluttershy.
The Fluttershy he had known was cute in a kiddy kind of way. She had a face that made adults go 'Awwww'. He never did pay attention to her though. Who knew that in three years time she would...look different. She was small as always but he had to admit, she had a chest. It wasn't noticeable just by looking but he definitely knew she wasn't flat chested when they were close--
Caesar shook his head violently. NO. DO NOT THINK LIKE THAT! That's so perverted !!!! And by all means, Caesar was not at all perverted. He shook his head one more time to ensure that the thoughts had gone off.
Ok...Think of something else...
The boy sighed when his thoughts came back together and he resumed his shaving.
Caesar always knew that the girl had blue eyes. When she wore that blue cheerleading sweater it brought out them out. They were so nice and shined like the stars. He could get lost in them for hours at a time. Her pink hair was so soft and well groomed. It made Caesar feel like he needed to start caring about how his hair looked. What if it was too messy looking and made him look like a slob? Or even...a hobo? He didn't comb it often...And hair washes only happened when his mother ordered him to and that was once a week....The boy sighed and absentmindedly kept on with his shaving.
The Fluttershy he had known before was shy. But she sure didn't seem that way when she got on that field and started singing! Her voice was so sweet and lovable. Who could not smile at hearing her heavenly voice?
"OW!"
Caesar gritted his teeth and flinched. He dropped the razor into the sink and put a hand up to his cheek. when he touched it, it stung like crazy and he quickly moved his hand away, straining the muscle in his bad shoulder. Near his chin was a bloody cut that hurt. Caesar's face was red and his heart was racing. Dang it! He had let himself get so distracted that he cut himself with the blade. And he had been thinking of Fluttershy!
In a huff, Caesar stormed out of the bathroom ignoring the stinging cut on his chin and got himself ready for school. Schoolwork was definitely something he could use to get his mind together. He hopped on downstairs and ran past his mother, who was in the kitchen. She looked at him stiffly; no doubt still thinking he had a girlfriend. His father was sitting at the table and he grinned. The man gave him a thumbs up and mouthed 'Becoming 'uh man, my boy!'
Unfortunately, for him, Mrs. UpperCrest had seen that and she wacked him on the back of his head.
"Ben, do not encourage our son to do sneaky things!"
"But how do you 'uh think we met?" Benito cried as he rubbed his head.
Immediately, Mrs. UpperCrest went into lecture mode and fired words at him with rapid speed. It was faster than any bullet, he was sure. Caesar snickered. He looked at his father and said," If you are to blame, you get the flames."
He grabbed the toast that was set on the table for him and ran out the front door, just missing his father swearing at the top of his lungs and a loud smack that was most certainly was to leave a mark on Benito's face.
Author's Note
Sorry for not having released this chapter yesterday. I was busy and whatnot. Hopefully this has satisfied you.
Clean Shaven Faces and Pizza
Author's Note
Sorry for not releasing any chapters for a few days. I'm trying to start up a new story as well as keep this one going. Because I'm busy making another story, there will be a few changes in how updates will work:
1.) New chapters will not happen everyday like usual because I have stuff to write for the other story
None of this means that I won't be writing anything for this story or stopping it. It just means there won't be as many updates. Consider yourselves lucky. Most people only update stories after two weeks. I update everyday(well, used to). So think about that and feel glad!
Clean Shaven Faces and Pizza
Just as he thought, Gilda was to give him a hard time that day. Or rather...the whole week. She constantly harassed Caesar about his bold action of stepping in to prevent anything from happening to Fluttershy and Rainbow. All week she poked and shoved him. Punched and cursed at him. It was when the bell rang for school to let out that he was free from her. But even then, he had hurry up, hop on his motorbike, and zip off before she decided to pummel him with her books.
Caesar burst through the backdoor of Benito's and sighed with relief. He was exhausted from the workout he had, running from Gilda almost all day. Lazily, he dropped his backpack on the chair in his father's small office and changed into his uniform. The delightful smell of baking pizzas wafted through the air and greeted his nose pleasantly. Caesar smiled. He felt at home. He could forget all his worries here and surround himself with the wonders of food.
Casually, Caesar went toward the front and placed himself at a cash register. Standing at another register was Casper. The hippie grinned at him and chuckled upon seeing the cut on his chin.
"I see you've had a shaving mishap," he said.
Caesar nodded and rubbed his smooth chin.
"Yeah...I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing."
"Hey, Caesar," a voice said.
The two boys turned their heads to see Cherry Blossom holding a bottle of cleaning solution and a rag. She set them down on the counter and glanced at the door. The lunch rush had just died down not too long before. Cherry's eyebrow rose when she saw Caesar's clean shaven chin. She reached out and poked him in the face, grinning.
"Aw, look at you! Looking all young and stuff without that stubble! I was starting to wonder if you were going to let it grow in."
"Nah. My mother wouldn't allow that to happen. She thinks that all guys with beards are homeless."
Cherry glanced at Casper from the side of her eye and frowned. The boy had a fuzzy beard that desperately needed to be cut. It was a little unsettling seeing this boy having a frizzy beard when he worked for a pizza place.
"She's telling the truth..."
Casper glared at her. Cherry ignored him and pinched Caesar's face. The orange-haired boy blushed as she started cooing.
"Awwwww! Wook at wittle baby Caesar wit his chubby wittle face! So cuuuute! No more beards for you or you'll end up being a homeless beggar wike Casper!"
Caesar thought about swatting her hands away, but Cherry had some quick reflexes and they weren't at all pleasant to those who got hit. So he let her pinch his cheeks while complaining.
"And you have a cute button nose! So vewy red! Awwwwww!" Cherry cooed.
"I think she likes you," said Riff Raff as he walked around the counter with four boxes of pizza.
"Of course I do! He's the most adorable 16 year old boy I've ever seen!" Cherry told him matter-of-factly.
The older guy laughed and glanced at Casper, who looked a little...jealous, maybe...
"Well, is it ok if your adorable 16 year old boy gets on his motorbike and deliver this pizza?"
Cherry stopped pinching Caesar's face and he took the boxes. Caesar looked at the address and frowned.
52341 Rocky Rd. Pointeville, EQ 10298
"Pointeville? That's the city between Cloudsdale and Canterlot, right?"
"Yeah. It's a bit of a drive so get to it," Riff said.
He patted him on his back and Caesar walked out with the pizzas. Looking at the address one more time he shrugged. A Pointeville resident wanting pizza from Cloudsdale? It wasn't uncommon but a little out of the ordinary. Caesar started his bike and pulled out of the back parking lot. He went onto the street and began his drive to the next city over.
If only he knew what was in store for him.
***
It had been a long week for the Main 6 and Sunset Shimmer. Hype about the game had finally come to an end and school resumed its normal routine. All that week teachers bombarded the students with work. Thanksgiving Break was coming around and the semester was coming to an end. And what better way to celebrate the upcoming holiday and time of relaxation than throwing a party?
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down as she hummed and made her way to her house. Behind her came the sharp breathing of her friends, who were running to keep up with her.
"Pinkie Pie! Slow down!" Applejack yelled. "You know Rainbow can't catch up that fast."
Applejack helped Rainbow Dash move along as the girl's crutch swung forward to lift and carry her. Twilight scrambled forward so's not to be far behind. Sunset Shimmer was jogging with ease and glanced back at Rarity and Fluttershy, who were far behind.
"Hey, come on! Catch up, you turtles!"
Fluttershy was keeping an even pace with the fashion diva. She looked at her friends and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, girls. Rarity just doesn't have the stamina...so I decided to stay back here with her so she isn't left behind."
The others stopped to let them catch up. It was true that Rarity wasn't that great at sports. She couldn't run a mile without feeling tired the first five minutes. Her grade in gym wasn't the best because of her fitness. Rarity had a frown on her face when they caught up.
"Honestly, you girls need to not be so ready to shoot off like rockets!" Rarity complained.
She bent over and gasped for air and wiped some sweat off her brow. Seeing the two, one could tell how fit they were. Beside the gasping diva stood Fluttershy, who didn't seem to have broken a sweat at all. She was panting slightly but that was it. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but roll her eyes at Rarity.
"Seriously. I have a messed up ankle and can move faster than you!"
"True," Applejack, Sunset, and Twilight added without thinking about it.
Rarity stood up straight and pouted.
"Excuse me! I'm so sorry to not be as active as you four!"
She pointed at Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Fluttershy scratched her head and cleared her throat.
"You do need to get out more..."
"Quiet, Fluttershy," Rarity whispered.
Pinkie Pie shrugged and they started walking. All their sleeping bags and clothes were already there at the house. Last weekend, they had left them there having already planned for this sleepover. While they walked, the frizzy-haired girl chatted excitedly about everything they were going to do. All of them listened at first but eventually zoned out and thought of other things. When you have a chatty friend like Pinkie Pie, it's best you ignore them sometimes to avoid getting a headache.
It wasn't long before they arrived at Pinkie's house. They clambered up the front steps and walked in. And were greeted by a mass of festive decorations. Chips, soda, candies, and nachos were all laid out on the coffee table in the living room. Streamers and balloons were everywhere. Paper turkeys and pilgrim decorations had found their way almost anywhere you looked. A radio sat in the corner of the room with a pile of CDs laying all around it. And suspended from the ceiling was a large disco ball.
The girls all admired Pinkie's efforts and complimented her on it. Pinkie was very pleased to hear all their praise. But Rainbow Dash had one complaint.
"Hey...where's the pizza? You can't have a party without pizza!"
Pinkie Pie whipped out her phone in a blink of an eye. She dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up.
"Yes, can I have a pepperoni, cheese, pineapple, and veggie pizza to go? Ok...Great! The address is 52341 Rocky Rd. Pointeville, EQ 10298. Thanks!"
She ended the call and smiled.
"Now..."
She turned the radio on and let the music blast.
"LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!!!"
Author's Note
A bonus picture for all of you! Made by yours truly!
Jumping to Conclusions
"Oh my poor little boy!" cried a woman with brown eyes and red-ish hair. She squeezed her son into a hug and whimpered. "My baby! His face is all beaten up! How did this happen?!"
Caesar frowned in his mother's embrace. It was about 10 at night and he was tired. He just wanted to go to sleep. The woman examined every inch of his unhappy face with a careful eye. They were in the living room of the house sitting on the couch when the front door opened. A big man who smelled like pizza walked in. He tossed his cap and apron onto the coat tree and plopped right down on the couch next to his wife. He had a weary smile on his face.
"Today was a busy day. It was so 'uh packed that people had lined up outside the 'uh shop! The TV was set up in the dining area and we all watched the game. Man, was that 'uh the game of the century or what!"
Benito sighed and closed his eyes.
"After the game, the Cloudsdale Pythons came 'uh marching in and ordered lots of pizzas, pastas, and salads! Those kids have done a wonderful job 'uh winning today..."
"Benito...Have you seen our son's face? He's got bruises on his cheek! Caesar's been hurt!" his wife said, disregarding everything he had said before.
The man glanced at Caesar's face and patted him on the back roughly.
"The boy'll be fine, Jades."
Jade Sapphire frowned.
"What? Caesar's 'uh young lad now! He's not 'uh little kid anymore. Getting roughed up is 'uh part of becoming a man," Benito protested.
Jade glared at him before standing up. She held onto Caesar's shirt and so he, too, had to stand.
"Getting hurt is not a part of becoming a man, Ben."
She turned on her heel and marched to the bathroom with Caesar in tow. She made him sit on top of the toilet lid while she looked in cabinets and behind the bathroom mirror for medicine. The boy scratched his curly orange hair while his mother bent down and rummaged around looking for something. He sighed.
"Mother, I can do this by myself."
Without looking at him, the woman replied to him.
"I want to make sure you're doing it right."
"But I can apply medicine cream on my face just fine. What's the point of watching me."
"I need to see that you're applying the right amount on your bruises."
"There are directions on the back. They tell me the amount I should use, mother."
The woman stood up straight after finding the tube of medicine cream and sighed. She put her hands on her hips and looked at her son.
"Can't you let a mother worry for her son? I just am a bit shaken by the new bruises on your face. Geez, you're just like your father. Always having an answer for everything..."
She squeezed out a bit of the cream onto her finger and told him to remove his glasses. Once they were off his face, she smothered him with the medicine cream. His sore cheek stung from it and he whined.
"Mother, that's fine! You don't need to keep rubbing it in!"
After a few seconds she pulled away.
"Tell me, is there any where else that you've been hurt?"
Caesar seriously contemplated lying to her. But seeing as how she would more than likely look him over anyhow, he told her.
"The back of my head got hit, but it's fine. My shoulder, though, is a bit sore."
"Take off your shirt, sweetie," Jade said to him. "I'm going to apply some of this on there."
Caesar did as he was told and his mother took his shirt. To her relief, he didn't smell strongly of the pizza shop. The smell of pizza had always bothered her when it flooded the house. She had lots of air freshener around. She didn't want to inhale the smell of greasy foods and burnt bread. It was one of some disadvantages of having two men in the house who work at a food place. They always smelled like the food. And somehow, the two of them couldn't smell it!
The woman held up his shirt and put it on the counter. It smelled of flour...and something else. She held it up to her nose and inhaled. She picked up a faint scent of something sweet. Not like honey...but like a perfume. And the expensive kind of perfume. Jade kept sniffing the shirt. It had to be from the Michelle Micah commercial brand: The spring collection. To her it smelled of--
"Flowers!" she exclaimed.
Caesar jumped. He stared at his mother. The woman turned to him with a look of suspicion.
"Why does your shirt smell of flowers?"
Caesar blinked.
"Pop had some flour on his hands and he kinda got it all over me. You know how he's always patting my back and rubbing my head. I tried to get it off the best I could."
Jade shook her head.
"No, not flour. Flowers!"
"...Flour. Like the kind you use for baking," Caesar said slowly.
"No! Flowers! Like the plants!"
The boy wrinkled his nose in confusion.
"...Uh...Is there a problem with my shirt smelling like flowers? I certainly don't remember coming into contact with any..."
"Caesar, your shirt doesn't smell like flower flowers. It's perfume."
She narrowed her eyes and tossed him the shirt so he could see what she was talking about. He put it to his nose and caught the faint odor. Suddenly his mind clicked. When he grabbed Fluttershy and held her to protect her from harm's way, he had noticed something. She wore perfume...and it smelled like flowers! He glanced at his mother, who was eyeing him suspiciously.
"Tell me...do you have a girlfriend that I don't know about? Because you can't smell like perfume unless you sprayed it on yourself..."
She leaned forward.
"Or you were very ...very ...close to a girl. Close enough to hold her in your arms..."
Caesar gulped. His mother did not approve of him dating. She thought that every girl out there was going to use him so he could buy her things or to get another boy to be jealous. She was highly suspicious of any female that came and greeted him when they shopped, walked through the park...she even got suspicious of young lady cashiers at the store that had to talk to Caesar and look his way. How else were they supposed to do their job??
Caesar never had a girlfriend before and hadn't ever thought about getting one. Even if he did want a girlfriend, she'd have to pass his mother's inspection. And no girl would ever want to be scrutinized by his mother. She was very rude and cruel when she didn't like someone. Caesar held the shirt up to his nose to hide the blush on his face. Oh man! Why did this have to happen?!
"Answer, Caesar. It's either you sprayed perfume on yourself or you were all snuggly with a girl ," Jade said with a stern voice.
The boy looked away from his mother.
"Uuuuhhhhh....Neither?"
The red-haired woman frowned at him.
"Then explain to me how you have perfume on your shirt. Who is this girl, huh? Is she even nice because if she were you wouldn't be hiding her from me...
Mrs. UpperCrest let out a small gasp. She looked horrified as she looked at her son.
"You know she's not good enough, don't you! You know I wouldn't approve of you two!"
She continued to gasp. Caesar's jaw dropped. He hid his face in his shirt. This wasn't happening...This really wasn't happening. He looked up and saw his mother wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. Nope. This was happening alright.
"What happened to my innocent little baby boy? How could you do this to me?"
"Wha--No no! I'm not dating at all! It's just that...uh, there was this girl and um...we used to go to school together! She had gone to Canterlot High instead of staying here at Cloudsdale. She was just so excited to meet me again that she...hugged me!"
Most of it was true so he didn't have to worry about her finding out it wasn't. He guessed.
His mother was quiet as she watched his every movement.
"Yeah..? I want to see this girl! I don't completely believe you, Caesar..."
She sniffed and wiped another tear from her eye as she walked out the bathroom. The orange-haired boy was quiet for a moment before he groaned. What a day! He was tired and sore in some areas. He had to dodge flailing fans and get yanked around by hungry dudes. Gilda and some of those other girls punched him and now Fluttershy's perfume has faintly left its mark on his shirt. He sighed with exasperation into it.
After a while he took a deep breath and inhaled the scent. Memories of the pink-haired girl flooded his mind. He remembered her hanging out with that Rainbow-haired girl all the time. To him, they seemed to be best friends forever. And still are from what he knows. He remembered her to be quiet and isolated. She only had one friend and was too shy to greet people. He smiled.
There was this one time in seventh grade when his class had gone on a field trip to the zoo. Most everyone didn't want to go. They thought they were too old to go there and look at some 'dumb' animals. But Fluttershy had been full of excitement. She was the first one off the bus when they got there. She loved everything about it. At that time, Caesar didn't really think much about her. Except for thinking she was a classmate who really liked animals.
It seemed long ago, that memory. How he had forgotten all about her he didn't know. But every memory that came back to him was like a breath of fresh air. It was sudden and unexpected, but pleasant all the same. He got up and walked back to his room, forgetting all about the medicine. He could hear his parents talking downstairs in the living room.
"I can't believe this!" Jade exclaimed. "I want to meet this girl!"
"So do I. Caesar's becoming 'uh man now! I'm 'uh so proud! His first girlfriend!"
There was a loud smacking sound and an "OW!" after that.
"Stop it with this man business!" Jade told her husband. "This is serious!"
"Of course. It's seriously 'uh good thing."
Another smack and "OW!". Caesar rolled his eyes and sighed. He shut his door and fell on his bed. He was knocked out in an instant. And in his hand, he held the shirt with Fluttershy's perfume.
