The school carriage had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres at its appointed time on the dot. Apple Bloom quickly collected herself and got on board. She moved towards the back and sat near Sweetie Belle and Pipsqueak. "Hey y'all!" she said happily to the two as she quickly took a seat while the carriage pulled away.

"Hi Apple Bloom, how are you doing this morning?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked up from Pipsqueak with whom she had been holding hooves.

"Ahm doin' okay! How 'bout yah two?" Apple Bloom replied.

"We're okay, In fact Pipsqueak is going to take me to the movies later tonight!" she happily squeed as Pipsqueak gave a happy smile.

"Oh....Okay...." Apple Bloom paused while her face dropped a bit before returning to a smile, "That's great you two! Ahm real happy for yah." she said before she turned to face out the window.

"Are you okay Apple Bloom? Are you still sad about Bane?" Sweetie Belle inquired noticing the short change in her friends disposition.

"Nah, nah, ahm okay...ahm okay..." she said before looking back out the window.

About 20 minutes had passed as the carriage moved closer to its final destination while Apple Bloom had spent that time staring out the window at the passing scenery. All the while thinking about the object of her affections: Paul. She had sat there thinking about how she could get past the barrier he had put up to keep others from knowing his true thoughts and feelings before letting out a deep sigh.

"It's him, isn't it?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You're thinking about Paul again aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Apple Bloom said dejectedly.

"Why do you keep pining for him? He's never shown any interest in you or anypony else for that matter." Sweetie Belle said. "For Celestia's sake, the only one Paul's ever been truly friendly with is Joe and he doesn't even tell him a whole lot."

"Ah know," Apple Bloom replied sadly, "But ahm the only one of us who don't have a very special somepony. Yah have Pipsqueak here, and Scootaloo has Joe, and who do ah have? Nopony, and ever since Bane and ah broke up ah haven't been able tah get Paul out of my head. Sweetie Belle, ahv never felt this strongly 'bout anypony before. Ah want him, badly. Ah don't know why, but ah just have this feelin' that we're supposed ta be together and ah know we can if ah can just get 'em tah come out of his shell a bit."

"Well, I still think that it's probably an exercise in futility, but if you really feel that strongly about him, then I think you should go for it. Just remember that whatever happens, me and Scootaloo will be there for you if you need it." Sweetie Belle said comfortingly.

"Thank ya, Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom replied thankfully as she gave her a big hug.

"Whew! Who turned up the emotion in here?" Pipsqueak mentioned playfully which earned him a shove from Sweetie Belle. Pipsqueak just chuckled in reply.

By that point the carriage was nearing the entrance to the school. Apple Bloom looked out the window and saw none other than the one who she longed for.. Paul was walking across the street in his usual getup, hat on backwards, sunglasses on, his hands in his coat pockets, and his ear buds in. She saw that he was walking across the street and gasped when he was on course to walk right in front of the carriage. At that point the carriage screeched to a halt and Paul just kept on walking towards the front of the school. He had seen the carriage coming, he simply just didn't care. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Pipsqueak watched him as he continued to walk towards school as the carriage continued on to pull into front school lot.

Apple Bloom gave a longing sigh as she watched him continue on his way. "Good luck with him honey. You're in for an uphill battle." Sweetie Belle snarked

"Thanks for the inspiring words of confidence." Apple Bloom replied sarcastically.

"Just because I think you should go for it, doesn't mean I'm going to sugarcoat it for you." Sweetie Belle replied.

Apple Bloom gave snort as she and the students began filing off the carriage and into the school. As she entered the building she spied Paul walking down a hall. Picking up the pace, she quickly began to shadow him as he moved through the hall's. As she followed him, she heard some sound coming from his ear buds. As she listened, she realized he was listening to a song and she began to make out the lyrics....

How can it be permissible?
She compromise my principle, yeah, yeah
That kind of love is mythical
She's anything but typical

She's a craze you'd endorse, she's a powerful force
You're obliged to conform when there's no other course
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible
Simply irresistible

Her loving is so powerful, huh!
It's simply unavoidable
The trend is irreversible
The woman is invincible

She's a natural law and she leaves me in awe
She deserves the applause, I surrender because
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible
Simply irresistible

Simply irresistible she's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to go

She's unavoidable, I'm backed against the wall
She gives me feelings like I never felt before
I'm breaking promises, she's breaking every law
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible
She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went
Simply irresistible, she's all mine
There's no other way to go!

Her methods are inscrutable
The proof is irrefutable, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
She's so completely kissable, huh
Our lives are indivisible

She's a craze you'd endorse, she's a powerful force
You're obliged to conform when there's no other course
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible
Simply irresistible

She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to go
She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to go

Simply irresistible

As she listened, she realized that if the she's and her's in the song were changed to he's and his, her feelings for Paul would be described completely. At this thought, her blush response went into effect like clockwork. After another minute, she saw him stop at his locker. It wasn't difficult to figure out which one was his, in fact everyone in school knew which one belonged to him. After all, having a locker with the words, "Fuck with this locker and you die Asshole!" inscribed on it is a very good identifier. As he opened his locker, Apple Bloom tried to work up the courage to go over and ask him out, when all of a sudden a voice dripping with venom cut across Apple Bloom's ears like knife.

"What are you looking at Redneck?" Diamond Tiara snarked as Apple Bloom whipped around to face her. As usual she was flanked by two tall stallions along with Silver Spoon.

"None of yahr business." Apple Bloom shot back. Diamond Tiara looked ahead to see that Apple Bloom had been watching Paul.

"Get this straight you hick, Paul's mine, not yours. Why don't you go and hook up with one of your cousins or something. That's what you rednecks do isn't it?" she said hatefully.

"Yah think that after Sweetie Belle and Ah knocked yah on yahr prissy ass after yah thought yah could use Scootaloo as yahr personal punching bag, yah would've given up on bothering colts." Apple Bloom said with a grin knowing she had scored a hit.

"Why you little cunt...boy's, grab her." Tiara commanded. On cue the two stallions grabbed Apple Bloom and shoved her against the wall. "You're going to pay for that little remark you inbred hick." she said.

"Don't rough her up too much, Miss Tiara. I've never gotten fresh with a farm girl before." One of the stallions said with an evil grin on his face. At this Apple Bloom's eyes grew wide in absolute terror.

"Let her go." a voice commanded. Everybody looked to see that Paul was no longer at his locker and instead standing in front of the group with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Well look who decided to show his face for a change." Silver Spoon snarked.

"It's better looking than yours bitch." He shot back. Silver Spoon recoiled unable to say in anything in response.

"Paul, what a coincidence, I was just looking for you." Diamond Tiara said in a sultry voice as she walked up to him and put her hooves around him.

"Get your fucking hooves off of me you dumb fucking whore." he said as he shoved her off of him. "Looks to me like you're using muscle to pick on Apple Bloom because you're not tough enough to do it yourself. I mean honestly, Diamond Tiara, This not 'Nam, this high school. There are rules."

"How dare you talk to me that way, do you know just who I actually am!?" She yelled at him.

"Believe me I wish I didn't. You know Tiara, " he said as he removed his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt collar, "Girls like you are just like a game of Perfection....If something can fit in the slot, you just put in there." He said with a evil grin on his face.

"Why you arrogant little...Boys." She commanded. On cue the stallions released Apple Bloom and moved to Diamond Tiaras side.

"That's very good Diamond Tiara. Can Thing 1 and Thing 2 roll over, play dead, and fetch as well?" Paul snarked.

"Boys, put Paul in his place." Tiara commanded. The two teenage stallions began to move towards Paul who quickly pulled his right hand out of his jacket pocket to reveal a switchblade which he opened quickly and aimed at Tiara, Silver Spoon, and the stallions who froze in their tracks with looks of fear on their faces.

"Honey, try and touch me or touch Apple Bloom again and you're entering a world of pain." He said as he moved the blade back and forth as the Tiara and her thugs watched with bated breath. "Touch either of us, and you're entering a world pain. You think I'm fucking around? That's right, you know this switchblade all too well don't you Tiara?" He said venom dripping from his voice. "Now....get the fuck out of here before I put smile on all three of your faces that you won't be able to take off..."

At this the two stallions ran as fast as their legs would take them. Diamond Tiara backed away slowly before saying, "This isn't over! You'll pay for this! You haven't heard the last of me!"

"Maybe, but it will be the last we hear from you for a while!" Paul shot back. He looked over at Silver Spoon who was still frozen in place, "Honey, I suggest you find some new friends." he said. At this Silver Spoon quickly nodded before running off.

Apple Bloom quickly gathered herself and walked over to Paul. "Thank yah.....Paul." she said almost starstruck.

"It's alright kid. I just really hate that scum sucking bitch." He said as he closed the switchblade and put it back in his pocket. "You okay? They didn't get too rough with you, did they?" He said as he looked her over to make sure she wasn't injured.

"No, no, ah'm okay...." she said almost in shock as she felt his hands move across her searching for injuries. As he pulled his hands back she thought to herself in a starstruck state, 'He...touched me...'

"Kid.....You okay?" He said as he saw her staring at him with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah...I'm okay." she said as she shook her head to clear her mind.

"Listen, I think I should walk you to class today, just in case that slut and her dogs try and pull a fast one on you." he said protectively.

"Okay......" Apple Bloom said shyly.

"Alright then kid, let's get moving." He replied

As she walked by his side, Apple Bloom started doing the happy dance inside her mind, 'Oh my Celestia, He's walking me to class! Ah've never felt so happy!' It was then that she thought back to the refrain of the song Paul had been listening to earlier: He had looked good to her before, but now she found him...........Simply Irresistible.

Author's Note

If you want to know what Oxton High School looks like, just think of Shermer High School from the Breakfast Club. Basically the same thing.