I let out a bored sigh as I sat at the back of the classroom, watching the many students try and show off their magical abilities in order to pass their midterms.
Although, as sad as it may be to admit, I myself was not a student at this school, so some might question my reason for being here.
The answer to that question came in the form of the bane of my comfort, the mare that I loathe, standing in front of the three judges at the head of the classroom.
"Now, Sunset Shimmer..." The first of three judges called her up, "For your final test, you shall need to wow us. Give us the best you got."
That's right, the pony that dragged me out of the castle and all the way to this classroom, with nothing more than the excuse of wanting someone to cheer her on in case she failed, was none other than Sunset Shimmer.
"Oh, having your friend there to support you, I am so happy!" Auntie Celestia said something along those lines. Sunset clearly managed to read her well enough to convince her to allow me to be tortured with this mocking show.
The other judges also said some words, but I tuned them out as I stared lazily at the filly, watching as she dropped some seeds into a flowerpot before she turned away, whistling an innocent tune out loud before she turned back to the pot and expelled a beam of cyan mixed with amber and amaranth colored magic from her horn.
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Princess Celestia looked towards her school as she heard a loud crashing sound, and she smiled as she watched giant green vines burst out of the roof and walls of her school, climbing higher and higher as if reaching for the clouds like some sort of magical beanstalk.
"I see somepony just passed their midterm!" She said with a cheerful smile before she resumed her walk.
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I stared blankly at Sunset Shimmer, my ears ringing from the crashing walls and falling debris, enough to annoy me, but unfortunately not enough to make me deaf to the voices of the judges and other students as they clapped at Sunset Shimmer's showcase.
And as she turned to look at me, a smug smile on her face, her eyes looking at me as if trying to say, "What do you think about that?" I simply stared back, a calm smile on my face as I slowly clapped for her, watching her smile widen as her eyes closed, confident in her success.
It was hard to explain it, but I hated this filly.
Well, actually no, that would be a lie.
It was very easy to explain why I deeply disliked Sunset Shimmer, I simply refused to accept that explanation as the reason.
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"Why must I still accompany you?"
Sunset Shimmer let out a soft hum as she flipped the page of her textbook, enjoying the soft midday sun shining on her back, the gentle breeze brushing against her hair, and the grumpy complaints of her only friend sitting across the park bench from her.
"Because Celestia keeps hounding me about friendship this and harmony that, so if I had you around, she'd lay off for a bit." Sunset Shimmer answered before turning to the next page.
"In public, you refer to her as Princess Celestia, thank you very much~" Sunset again let out a noncommittal hum at her friend's words, noting silently to herself that his lessons with Kibitz seemed to be going well.
"Oh, Sunset Shimmer!"
The Mare raised her hand and stared at the Stallion in front of her as she expressed on her face how much she did not want to have anything to do with the ponies that were approaching, watching the blonde Stallion silently raise an eyebrow at her, as if asking, "What do you want me to do?"
"That vine you made was amazing!" A filly that Sunset could recognize as a fellow student told her.
The student's friend joined with a "Really exquisite!" her posh Canterlot accent being heightened as if trying to sound more noble than she actually was.
"Yeah! Would you like to come have lunch with us?" The third filly asked, an inviting smile on her face as all three looked at Princess Celestia's Pupil.
"Sunset, you should accept their pro-" Sunset Shimmer did not let her friend finish his sentence.
"I have better things to do than socialize." She said with a humph as she turned away from the surrounding fillies, "I'm going to reread Advanced Elemental Magic Practices and then practice for my advanced summoning spells exam." She stared at the fillies from the corner of her eyes, raising her mouth in order to look down at them, "What are you studying for? Nothing, that's what." And with another humph, Sunset Shimmer stood up and began to walk away, taking her textbooks with her without giving the fillies another look.
"Well, she wasn't very nice." Sunset heard one of the fillies say.
"She's right full of herself, that's what!" Another added, Sunset could feel the glare on her back.
"Her loss," The filly that opened the conversation with her said, "I'm awesome."
Sunset could admit that she did feel slightly guilty, not at talking down to her classmates, but at leaving Blueblood behind to deal with damage control.
Hate as she was to admit it, the colt knew how to talk to ponies.
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"Seeing your expression, I can assume that Celestia once again, as you said, hounded you about friendship, yes?" I asked as I poked my salad with a fork, briefly flicking my eyes to the filly that sat on the other side of that table.
"I don't get it!" Sunset Shimmer yelled, slamming her forehead onto the table, glaring at the wood as if it were her sworn nemesis, "I took you with me! You're my friend, right?! Is that not enough?!" She lifted her head and slammed it back down onto the table, "I aced all my exams, I got a perfect score on the practical, the judges loved my spell, I did everything right! But I turned down an invitation to join a group of girls I had never spoken to so we could sit around a picnic basket talking about... Whatever it is that girls talk about with one another! And suddenly, Celestia gets all up in my business as if I didn't succeed in everything else!" Sunset Shimmer raised her head, her chin resting on the table to create a pitiful image, "Can you comfort me?" She asked, her lip quivering as her eyes began to water.
"Do you want me to have a talk with her?" I asked Sunset, hoping that if I offered, she would leave me alone.
"You would do that for me?" Sunset asked, her lip still quivering as if threatening to burst into tears, "Thanks, Blue!" And in a single breath, it was like Sunset Shimmer never threatened to cry at all, "That's why you're the only friend I need!" She smiled, her face bright, like the midday sun, "Having a people pony like you around is the best!" She quickly leaned over the table and pulled me into a hug, her mane getting into my bowl of salad as her chin rested on my shoulder.
As Sunset Shimmer pulled out from the impromptu hug, she rubbed at her nose, almost as if she was wiping away snot, which was a strange reaction, seeing as she did not actually cry, and her red cheeks also made no sense, seeing as she did not have a fever.
I looked down at my salad, sitting uneaten in the bowl in front of me, and I slowly moved it across the table, "I already ate lunch earlier," I lied without blinking, "And I know you didn't, so here, eat this." I told her before I stood up and walked out of the dining room, ignoring the stomach ache that shouted at me to eat something, "I'll go speak with Celestia."
I hated this filly, making me do all this work for her, just because she got lucky to be born with a once-in-a-generation talent in magic.
That wasn't the reason I hated her.
The real reason was... It was stupid, and it doesn't matter, really.
But the truth remained the same, I deeply despised that girl.
I loathed Sunset Shimmer, it was a dumb reason, and frankly, I probably shouldn't hate her, but I simply couldn't help it.
I, Blueblood Platinum, hated Sunset Shimmer to my very core.
All for the reason of her being closer to Celestia than I, but that reason is idiotic, so I refuse to accept it.