Not As Planned

I sat at my desk, idly drumming my pencils against the surface with a bored expression as the teacher kept talking up front. I’m not entirely sure what Miss Cheerilee was talking about. Something about history, I think? I’m not good at history. All the dates start to blend together and leaves my brain more mixed up than cupcake batter. I’m better at math.

You have to in order to be a decent baker like me. Not that I’m bragging or anything. The only time I brag is against those stinky Crystal Preppers. Bunch of meanies.

“Class is dismissed,” Miss Cheerilee called out and shot Sunset a wary look as she started to pack up. “Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer, stay behind please.”

A couple people chuckled but most glared at Sunset as she tried to seem smaller than normal.

“Hopefully the she demon gets punished like she should have been by Principal Celestia,” Micro Chips grumbled under his breath and I frowned slightly at the back of his head.

“You kidding me? That whore is here to stay,” Captain Planet snorted and I flinched slightly with wide eyes. “Can’t even expelled a former she bitch. Fucking can’t take a hint that she isn’t wanted.”

Sunset shockingly didn’t say anything as Miss Cheerilee scribbled on a piece of paper and put it in her desk. I quickly recognized them as detention sheets and I prayed to God they weren’t for us.

The last of the students filed out and I hesitantly approached the desk where Miss Cheerilee sat waiting.

“What’s up?” Sunset sighed and held her head up.

“Firstly, Pinkie you need to pay attention more. There’s a test coming up Friday. And Sunset, you need to assist her with her work. But don’t give her the answers to the homework,” Miss Cheerilee warned and narrowed her eyes at us. “I’m serious girls. As for the other reason why I had you stay after, Principal Celestia needs you to set up the gym for Ms. Harshwhinnys retirement party that’s coming up Thursday. The student body is allowed to be there. Pick a friend and have them help out.”

I nodded enthusiastically and started making a mental list of all the supplies I’ll need. Streamers, cake, beverages, tables and chairs and music. I made a note to text Vinyl Scratch later and get her on board. She was my secret weapon when it came to parties. Sure, I had a good reputation but Vinyl kept it fresh and unique every time.

“Yeah sure. I’ll get right on it Miss Cheerilee!” I gave a salute and she gave a tired smile.

“I know you will. Now run along you two. School is out for the day,” Miss Cheerilee handed us those dreaded detention slips. “Please give these to Principal Celestia on your way out. It’s for Captain Planet and Micro Chips. Thank you.”

“Okie dokie lokie!”

We both nodded as we walked out of the room, Sunset trying her hardest to ignore the glares, whispers and occasional insults as we walked down the hall.

“I just had a great idea,” I gasped and grabbed Sunset’s hands and she tensed up.

“Does it start with letting me go?” Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow and I sheepishly let go. “Thank you.”

“Why don’t you help me set up the party? It’ll be fun!” I sang and leaned in close to Sunset’s face as she leaned back with an uncomfortable expression.

“I don’t know Pinkie. I’m not sure I should be around that sorta stuff. I’m gonna head on home and get started on my homework,” Sunset eyes flicked nervously to my homework gripped in my hand covered in doodles of cupcakes, some other baked goods and random stuff I thought of. “D-do you want me to do your homework? As a sorta compensation or something?”

I gave her a confused look. I don’t exactly know what she meant by that. Last time I checked, homework was meant to be done by me, not a friend.

“Compensation for what?” I asked in confusion and she scoffed.

“Pinkie, I bullied you and Fluttershy the most with being Applejack being a runner up. You should be hating my guts and making me do small favors for you. I forced you and everyone else to do stuff for me. Why shouldn’t you do the same?” Sunset demanded and my jaw dropped slightly.

I expected something entirely different. Rainbow had told me a little about how Sunset didn’t really like herself and was having what Fluttershy called “a slow reformation” or something but I didn’t expect this. I didn’t like this.

“Because silly!” I forced a giggle along with a smile and booped her nose. “I don’t hate anyone. Except for litterers. And party poopers. I don’t need no compensation or something. You can help me with this party and we’re square. Dealio?”

“I guess,” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck and looked around. “I was encouraged by a benefactor so to call her to spend time with you all. So what first?”

“Supplies!” I announced happily and grabbed her hand, ignoring her protests as I dragged her along outside to what I affectionately call the Pink Mobile, a pink Mini Cooper decorated bumper to bumper with balloon decals and you guessed it, pink paint.

I skipped happily down a section of the party store, occasionally pausing to toss something into the already full cart as Sunset panted behind me as she pushed.

“What in God’s name is that?” Sunset breathed out as she placed a hand on her knee, her other hand pointing up at the top shelf. I stopped and glanced up, staring at a large box.

“That my dear Sunset, would be the party cannon,” I answered reverently. “One day, I will own one and he shall be mine. I shall love him like a parent loves a newborn baby.”

“Uhm what?”

I pointed at the price tag and Sunset’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. The rest of the stuff in our cart only added up to a little over two hundred dollars. But I could use all those supplies for years to come for parties. I don’t have the funds to spent eleven hundred dollars on a party cannon, no matter how badly I wish I could. But like I said, one day I’ll get one after saving up.

“Sweet Celestia,” Sunset muttered and I nodded.

“One day,” I promised. “I could use it for so many things. Making random kids happy, making my friends happy, making you happy. You name it.”

“Me?” Sunset raised an eyebrow slowly and brushed some fiery locks out of her face. “Why me?”

“Why not?” I countered and Sunset scowled at me.

“You can’t answer a question with a question. That’s not who things work.”

“It is when I’m around, silly! It’s how I roll,” I giggled and threw up a sign as Sunset blinked.

“Kindly don’t ever do that again. I don’t know much about human hand gestures, but I’m fairly certain some can get you in big trouble. What now?”

“Well, obviously check out!” I chirped and took over pushing the cart with ease as Sunset gave me a startled expression. “Then we shove everything in my car. Somehow. And then we take it to the school, set up and boom!” I clapped my hands together. “We party. Done deal.”

“Uh huh.”

“Now come along young grass hopper. You have much to learn in the art of partying planning. But worry not, Pinkie Pie will be here to assist you on your great journey. Onward, to checkout!” I cried and placed a boot on the end of the shopping cart, pointing a box of streamers forward like a sword.

Sunset facepalmed and let out a groan.

Wow, days can fly by when you’re having fun, right? Or well, I was having fun. Sunset, not so much. Setting up parties is serious business. It’s not a walk in the park or a piece of cake.

I like cake. All forms of cake. Wedding cakes, ice cream cakes, cup cakes and even-

Getting off topic. Sunset grasped the basics well. My pupil had a long ways till she graduated Party School. It had been a day since we had finally finished preparing the gym. I even got her to laugh once or twice. She mostly stayed to herself. She does that a lot I noticed.

Anyway, we currently were sitting on the stage, swinging our legs as we waited for the rest of the school to show up. The teachers were already here along with the principals. Rainbow Dash was here, Rarity was, Fluttershy was and Applejack was with Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as the three middle schoolers shot Sunset glares occasionally.

“Where is everyone?” Sunset asked finally and looked around. “I thought everyone loved your parties? The only one outside of your friends is Vinyl.”

Sunset waved a hand dismissively at the dj in the corner as Vinyl propped her head up with a hand and yawned loudly.

“Our friends,” I corrected instantly and Sunset shuddered slightly at that as she tensed up. “And yeah, they do. A few asked me if I needed help and I said I had you helping. They seemed kinda off afterwards. Dunno why.”

Sunset gave me a unreadable look and pushed herself off the stage.

“I’m uh gonna go to the bathroom,” Sunset glanced at me. “I’ll be back. Maybe.”

I watched her start to leave as my leg twitched and I narrowed my eyes. Pinkie Sense was saying to go with her. Pinkie Sense is always to be trusted. No matter what. It might save your life one day from something like a falling piano from the sky or something crazy like that. I jumped off the stage and ran out of the gym, ignoring my friends calling out my name.

I pressed my back against the lockers like I was in a spy movie as Sunset’s hair turned the corner. When in doubt, follow the red and orange hair. She’s the only person here other than Spitfire with such bright hair.

I made out a sound of a stall closing and crying? I don’t know who cries in a bathroom. Well, I do occasionally when it’s my time of the month but that’s my business, not yours silly.

“Sunset?” I called out quietly and knocked on the only closed stall as the crying suddenly stopped. “You good?”

“Yeah just uh girl problems, ya know?” Sunset called back weakly and I narrowed my eyes as they flicked at the gap between the floor and stall door. Her skirt wasn’t even on the ground.

“Mhm. Come out. You’re a horrible liar when sad. And I always know when people are sad,” I stepped back and crossed my arms as the door was unlocked. Woah. Sunset looked, well awful to put it mildly.

Her eyes were red and puffy and her makeup was running as she stepped out and I took in her appearance.

“What’s wrong? Parties are for happy feelings, not bawling your eyes unless your happy enough to cry but that’s only happened a few times to me,” I tapped my finger against my chin. “So I am right. Sad crying.”

“Ugh. Yes,” Sunset answered and she sat down next to the sink and I followed suit shortly after. Thank the lord the janitor always cleaned the floors after school otherwise I’d be against sitting on the bathroom floor. A small part of me was still grossed out.

“Why? We did good today, right?”

“We have different definitions of good. Pinkie, nobody showed up because of me,” Sunset commented dryly and pointed at herself. “Because of me helping you. You don’t deserve to get dragged into people hating me. None of your friends do.”

“Our friends,” I corrected more forcibly than the last time. “They’re our friends Sunshim. Not just mine. And who cares if the school didn’t come?”

“I care, damn it!” Sunset slammed a hand down on the tile and I jumped. “If I wasn’t such an egotistical fuck up for so long, maybe this wouldn’t have been a train wreck for you. I’m well, sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t even be in this school anymore. There’s guaranteed to be another school nearby or at least online schooling I could do or-”

“I don’t care about the party,” I cut her off and she gave me a stunned look as I hugged her from behind, my head resting on top of hers.

Most people think of me as an crazy airhead who’s obsessed with parties, sweets and fourth wall breaking. Those same people label Derpy the exact same minus the fourth wall breaking, just with way more meaner words that I won’t repeat. People are cruel. But I can be a different, good kind of crazy when needed. This was one such time.

“Sure, it would have been nice if others came but the most important part was we had fun,” I explained and Sunset tensed slightly as I hugged her tighter. “You laughed more than I did.”

“No Pinkie,” Sunset shook her head and well, tried to at least. “I guess it was fun and I did laugh, but it still doesn’t mean I didn’t fuck up. Again. I always fuck up. I did here and I did back home. I’ll always be the stupid, she demon fuck up. And no one will really care.”

“Quit being a cupcake half baked,” I shot back and glared at the back of her head as she stared at her reflection in the mirror in confusion. “It’s not bueno. Be your normal, fun loving self. So what if this went not as planned? Things in life never go as planned, believe me, I know. I wasn’t supposed to be born, yet boom, here I am. And you’re not that bad word. Far from it. And I care about you.”

Sunset blinked in awe as I panted from my loud lecture and she started crying as I hugged her again.

“You’re really good at this, you know?” Sunset sniffed and shifted around to hug me back.

“I know. Pinkie Sense is a gift,” I chuckled and handed her a paper towel.

Applejack walked in and glanced at us with a confused expression.

“Uhm, ah ain’t interruptin anything, am I?” Applejack drawled and toyed with her hat.

“Nope!” I announced and grinned. “Just cuddling on the bathroom floor. Hey, wanna join us?”

“Ah think ah will pass. Just uh come back when yall are done,” Applejack commented and shot out of the bathroom.

Sunset and I shared a smirk before we both started laughing.