//------------------------------// // Sunday Afternoon // Story: Vanishing Act // by redandready45 //------------------------------// Sunday Afternoon 1:58 PM Sunset Shimmer stood outside the entrance to Crystal Prep Academy with an anxiety she had not felt since the first few weeks after the Fall Formal, when the student body's hatred for her was at its peak. It was a warm day, and Sunset was wearing her trademark leather jacket. Despite that, Sunset still felt a harsh chill run through her body. 'I always thought that my past was not today,'thought Sunset ,'but now I have to tell my past to give a poor woman closure.' Sunset frowned bitterly at that. She looked down and then looked up at the entrance. Despite it being little more than a few feet away, her anxiety made the entrance look like it was a thousand miles away. "That woman got rid of Cinch and didn't tell anyone about magic," Luna told her,you owe her. Pushing away her anxieties, Sunset took a deep breath, strengthened her back, and walked into the door. ****** Cadence sat in her office, awaiting that Sunset girl who somehow knew about magic. While she waited, she looked back on the past 48 hours as CPA's principal with exhaustion. She remembered her final words with Cinch that Friday. 6 PM Cadence walked over to the detention room. The door lacked the luxury and woodwork of other doors in CPA. It looked like a prison door, with its metal exterior and bars on the windows. That was no accident. Cinch felt making the detention room look like a prison cell would "scare the miscreant out of these brats," in her own words. How ironic that Cinch's last day in Crystal Prep would end with her in there. Part of the reason Cadence made her stay in there is that she relished a bit in seeing in her former boss behind bars, even if only temporarily. She took out the key, and unlocked the door to the room. Cinch was sitting there, her body leaning over her desk, her eyes completely lost. "OK Mrs. Cinch," Cadence said with some derision. "Your detention's over." Cadence held the door open. "You may remove yourself from the premises." Cinch slowly looked up from the desk. To Cadence's astonishment, instead of the broken look she had seen when she fled her office, Cinch instead gave her a nasty grin. "What's so funny," asked Cadence, a suspicious look in her eyes. "Nothing," Cinch uttered. She started clapping in her hands, in that slow, sarcastic way when mocking someone. Combined with the smile, Cadence felt a little unbalanced. "Despite everything, I can't help but commend you for your brilliance. Using Twilight to sack me and get the job you so craved. I never knew you had it in you." "I got rid of you so you would never hurt another student again," Cadence barked, clenching her fists. "That was for Twilight!" "And isn't it a coincidence that you just happen to get my job as well and all the prestige it brings," Cinch replied sarcastically. Cadence's face twisted into stone. "I don't care about prestige. I'm gonna make this school into a better place. A place where everyone can be each other's friend," Cadence said proudly. Cinch responded to that with a nasty grin. "Miss Cadenza, you were always the dreamer" Cinch said with a dose of sarcasm. Cadence flinched at that. "You had no right to call me that when I was 16, you certainly don't have a right to call me that now!" Cadence said angrily. Cinch would call Cadence her official name whenever Cinch felt she was acting childish. Now, it was leaving an especially bad taste in her mouth. "I can't but help it, since you sound so childish," Cinch said. " 'I'm gonna make this school a better place,' " she said, imitating Cadence's soft accent. "Let me ask you this, Miss Cadenza," Cinch said. "How did it feel to steal my life's work, and then incapacitate me and twist my wrist? Did you feel a sense of satisfaction?" "You killed my sister," said Cadence, growling. "If I really wanted to do worse, I would. Instead, I'm getting you out of my sight quietly." "Do you honestly mean to tell me you didn't feel as sense of exhilaration," Cinch asked Cadence. "The feeling of crushing another under your heel? Can you honestly tell me that didn't pass through you?" "Well," Cadence began. "I, um..." Cadence paused. Seeing Cinch writhe like a crippled slug, like a helpless animal, did give her... a taste of power and confidence. And it was...exhilarating. "So you did feel it," Cinch said, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction, that smile looking a little bit vicious. "Deep down, all those in authority desire power over others," Cinch said , "and all of us IN authority, like you, make the mistake of deluding yourself into thinking you have good intentions when you lie and cheat your way to the top. Now that you've stolen my job, you've convinced yourself and your feeling of satisfaction is euphoria, because you think you can make things better." Her tone suddenly became less condescending and more cynical and bitter, and her grin turned into a frown. "But I guarantee you, once you've been force to fight the powers that be, forced to sit in my chair... all that hope and joy will vanish, and all that will be left in you will be the desire for power and glory." With that, Cinch jumped up from the desk, and pushed pass Cadence. "Goodbye, Principal Cadence," Cinch said quietly, as she walked out of the room. Cadence stared at her. With a dose of anger, some fear and...maybe pity? Cinch's words stunned her a little bit, but she wrote it off as the noise made by a defeated woman. But then she started actually being principal, and well... Her meeting with the school board made her want to beat her head against a brick wall. "Principal Cadence," Board President Memo said with anger, "why would you suspend Gem Topaz?" "Gem beat up a freshman," Cadence said firmly, she was sitting at the end of the rectangular table, with Memo at the other end. Memo was a fat man with grey skin, green eyes, and white and grey hair. His face always seemed to have a hunger upon it. Over half the board members were looking at her with the same disgust. "Come now," Memo said with a forced laugh. "Surely a small prank can be overlooked, especially when the prankster in question is the daughter of Gem Ruby, and a very...good friend of CPA." 'You mean a good donor,' Cadence thought with disgust. 'Maybe he ought to learn to stop overlooking his daughter's bad behavior.' "All for revoking Gem Topaz' suspension say 'aye'," Memo said. Over half of the board members said 'aye', to Cadence's anger. Memo looked at her, and comprehending her disgust, stopped his fake smile. "Did it occur to you that CPA needs all the loyal friends it can get," Memo asked with annoyance. He pulled out a newspaper and threw it at her. The headline read, "TOP STUDENT AT CHS KILLED BY NEGLIGENT PRINCIPAL". "These rich parents send their students here because they think we can keep them safe," Memo said,"with this story, parents may be looking to withdraw funds and kids from here. Sacking Cinch was good damage control, but if we see a massive withdrawal of students, donors like Gem Ruby are the only way we'll ride it out." Cadence sighed, conceding his point. She wouldn't be able to do anything if Crystal Prep went bankrupt. Letting off Gem Topaz would be a small sacrifice. "It is not just this accident that looks bad," said Golden Sticker solemnly. He was a leaner man, with golden skin and light purple hair. He was Cadence's favorite teacher when she was at Crystal Prep, being able to evenly balance magnanimity and toughness. He grabbed the newspaper and put his fingers on the words' "TOP STUDENT". "Twilight Sparkle is the girl who gave this school the highest ranking school in the state, and now that she's dead, we may lose that mantle." A silence hung over the board. "I can't believe Cinch would be so reckless", Sticker said with a sadness that was felt by the rest of the board. Or almost all of them. "I know," Memo said, fuming with disgust. "That girl was a meal ticket. She got us grants, donations, and she won us cash prizes. I can't believe Cinch was so stupid as to kill the golden goose". Cadence briefly glared at Memo for thinking of her sister as some asset or commodity. Golden Sticker also looked a little annoyed at that , but they continued the meeting, which was trying to keep their school solvent amid the bad press. Cadence gritted her teeth as she remembered that meeting. She had been there to implement changes to make Crystal Prep friendlier, but that man and almost everyone on that school board, was obsessed with cash. He seemed determined to shoot down every last one of her ideas out of pure spite. 'It's because he's afraid of me,' Cadence thought with a smirk, 'He's afraid that if I'm too popular, I'll take his job that same way I took Cinch's. That's why he won't let me have a victory unless it can benefit him as well.' If had been just dealing with those inept administrators, she wouldn't be so jaded. But as Principal, she had to deal with the cabal of angry, neurotic, overachieving parents. And since it was made public that Cinch killed a student, many of those parents making were threats to withdraw their children from an unsafe environment. Not to mention Canterlot students, motivated by vengeance were launching an online smear campaign that was only adding fuel to the fire. This was also making parents very wary about sending their students into a toxic student life. It took every ounce of Cadence's energy and social grace not to crumple before their shrill demands, as well as keep the prospective students coming. Skilled students were needed to keep the school's average up. There was one big name she was eager not to lose. "Mr. Zoom," Cadence pleaded over the phone, trying not to sound too firm or too desperate, as she did not want to drive away such a reputable figure, "I assure you that Cinch's forced resignation has proven that CPA is committed to holding teachers and faculty accountable for their actions." "It's not just the motorcycle incident," Canter Zoom barked into the phone. "I'm also concerned about student life at CPA. I just read an online review board. Some people have written that CPA students like to take the smart kids and dunk their heads in toilets." "A lot of those reviews have been written by CHS students," Cadence replied, not trying to sound condescending, "and CHS has had a longstanding rivalry with CPA for the past few years, so their criticisms ought to be taken with a grain of salt. " "Mrs. Cadence," said Canter Zoom firmly," I will say that my experience in high school was full of the things I've read online." He quietly sighed into the phone, reliving some not-so-pleasant memories. "My niece Juniper has already had a rough time. Her parents' marriage fell apart, and she didn't have any real friends at her old school. I don't want to stick her in a place where they just pick on her. Can you honestly tell me that your student body is kind to those who are...different?" The question hit Cadence like a bullet to the heart. No, her students weren't exactly kind to misfits. She knew one misfit in particular who never had it easy. She glanced down at a photo of Twilight, holding her science fair trophy. She had the prize, but she never had friends in this photo, or any other photo in her school days. 'No one to really help her through the painful maze of high school,' Cadence said sadly. Cadence's face brightened up. She had an idea. "Mr. Zoom," Cadence said with a confidence. " Your right, some students can be rough, but most students are also very kind once you get to know them. I'm going to find a kind student who will help guide your niece through CHS. Who better to help your niece than someone from CHS' student body?" "That's...not a bad idea actually," Canter Zoom said, somewhat relieved. "Just make sure whoever you recruit isn't some bully looking for a victim, and someone who just plays nice when you think they are looking." "I have worked with students as a Dean," Cadence said confidently,"I think I can tell when someone is trying to act kind, and someone who is genuinely kind." "I hope so," Canter Zoom said, some relief in his voice. "Alright. You'll see Juniper there Monday morning. Have a good day!" "You too," Cadence said, hanging up the phone. Just when she thought she could relax, another ring of the phone broke her brief moment of tranquility. She sighed, realizing the angry calls wouldn't stop for while. Between the angry parents and those jerks on the school board, Cadence was starting to realize why Cinch became so cold-hearted. Cadence knew about her past tragedies, but only now she was really starting to walk around in Cinch's shoes. She couldn't sympathize with Cinch after what she did, but she could...understand her. Dealing with so much hostility and stupidity from parents and administrators alike, and not having a family to ease the anger, it was easy to just stop caring about doing good. Easier to just be in the game for oneself. She glanced down at the photo of Twilight again. No, she couldn't just give up. She had to make this place better. Even if meant fighting the pigs and the angry parents, she would make this place shine for everyone. It was the only way she could make it up to Twilight. She heard a knock on her door and looked up. She saw, through the glass window on her door, the Sunset girl. Her hair, jeans, boots, and black jacket made her look like a street thug, but her face reeked of fear and guilt, a sight she had seen on many students. Cadence motioned with her hand to get the girl to come in. She slowly opened the door, and sat down at the chair in front of the desk, looking like a wounded, tortured animal. A far cry from the angry, passionate girl from a few days ago. "So," Sunset said in a nervous tone, "what did Celestia and Luna tell you?" "They told me you were the person who knew the most about magic," Cadence said soothingly. "They also said you're a smart, kind girl with good friends and that I shouldn't judge you for the mistakes you made in the past." Cadence gave the girl a warm smile, with made Sunset a little less anxious. "Just tell me everything you know about the magic, and how it got here," Cadence said soothingly. "I'm not going to judge you." "Okay," Sunset said, "the story begins in the world I came from." ****** After roughly an hour, Sunset spilled everything, from Equestria and how magic worked, to the sordid details of her life, her battle against the Dazzlings, and the events that led up to the tragedy of the Friendship Games. By the end of her lecture, Sunset was exhausted. "That's all I have to say," Sunset uttered. She looked at Cadence's stone face, and feared it was the face of disbelief. "Look," Sunset said, panicking,"I-I know how crazy all that sounded, but-," "I believe you," Cadence said, albeit with a tired expression. Sunset looked stunned. "Just like that?" Sunset said incredulously after a momentary pause. "You believe everything I said? My friends couldn't believe half the things I said about Equestria, even after they gained the powers of Harmony. And you believe me already?" "Well...there are a couple of reasons why I'm inclined to believe you. One is that seeing teenagers grow wings, watching my students nearly get eaten by a bunch of vines, and hearing your dog talk kind of makes you question reality and accept the impossible." Cadence finished in a facetious tone. "And the other reason?" "As a dean, I think have a sense of when a student is telling fibs. You don't sound or look like a liar, but someone with a lot of regret." Sunset looked down in shame. "In all honesty," Cadence said, her voice becoming calm ,"the hardest thing I can believe is that you were once evil and heartless." Sunset looked up in surprise. "Why is that? Is it because of what Luna and Celestia told you?" "Well, your actions Thursday night aren't the actions of someone I'd call selfish." Sunset's eyes widened. "You attacked Cinch because of what she made Twilight do, you called my students out for their selfishness, you talked about how friends are more important than victory, and then forfeited the Games to make your point." She then gave Sunset a proud smile. "And not only that, everyone of your classmates followed your lead. They must really respect you enough to do that." "I guess I just used the right words," Sunset said sheepishly. "Maybe," said Cadence, "but those words wouldn't have mattered if your classmates didn't already respect you." Sunset blushed a little at that. But then she lowered her head and sighed. "Aren't you mad that I brought the magic that killed Twilight-," Sunset paused when she saw Cadence raise her hand. "Yes, you told me, you brought the magic here." Cadence said quietly. "You said you brought it here, with malicious intent. To..overthrow this princess of yours and claim what you believed was your rightful throne." "Well," Sunset said, feeling tears pool near her eyes. "Let me ask you this, Sunset? When you first came here, what did you think of planes?" "Um," Sunset uttered, confused by the question. However, she gave a small smile as she remembered that day. "Well, I thought it was incredible! I thought to myself 'these humans are insane to fly these huge machines into the air'. It was when I really became impressed with humanity, and what they could do without magic." "Do you think planes are bad because some of them have been used to bomb cities?" "Well...no" "Do you think the inventor of the airplane should be to blame for aerial bombings?" "No." "So you're not to blame for what happened to Twilight," Cadence said. She noticed Sunset's eyes begin to water and pushed her point. "Even if you had brought magic here with good intentions, that doesn't mean that someone like Cinch or the Dazzlings wouldn't have come along and used it for horribly selfish reasons. You are at fault for you becoming a demon, but everything after is the fault of someone else." "I guess that makes sense," Sunset said quietly. "But aren't you also mad that I yelled at Twilight and made her cry?", Sunset asked, her eyes beginning to water. "I mean, she was your-," "As her sister-in-law, yes I would be inclined to defend her," Cadence said. "But as a dean, I've always tried to see two sides to a story. I get she put your friends in danger, so I can't blame you for blowing up at her. Twilight herself has done a lot of dangerous things too. She tried mixing chemicals despite being sleep deprived." "Really," Sunset asked shocked. "Yes, Twilight maybe smart, but she's done a lot of reckless things in the name of science," Cadence said with a sigh. "She becomes so obsessed with her work, she lost sight of things minor things like...food and sleep. She's driven me up a wall, so I can easily imagine her doing the same to you. That's why I can't be mad at you for that." She looked up. "Besides, seeing you stand up for her more than made up for that." Cadence let out a sigh and began boiling some water for tea. "Honestly, if you want to blame someone for what happened to Twilight, blame me." Sunset gave her a confused look. "Because I blindly admired someone so long, I allowed that person to get away with abuse, and it took losing my sister to make me how horrible she was." Cadence got up and started pacing around the room. "Who was this person," Sunset asked sympathetically. "Cinch," Cadence said quietly. "When I was Twilight's age, Cinch was the political science teacher here at Crystal Prep. She didn't just read about politics out of a book. She worked for legislators and policy makers in the past. Her class was the most coveted, because some of her students didn't just go to college. A lot of them become legislators." "Really?" Sunset asked, surprised. "Why did she give up a career in politics, and become a teacher?" Cadence walked back to her desk, and pulled some framed photo out of the drawer. Sunset took the photo, and saw something that was unimaginable. It was Cinch and she was smiling. Not the smile of cold ambition Sunset was uncomfortably familiar with. It was the tender smile of someone who had the best day of their life. She was in a wedding dress, and holding her hand was a handsome, but plump fellow in a fancy tuxedo. He had bright and poofy red hair and green skin, and he too had a wonderful, if silly, smile upon his face. "Cinch was married," Sunset asked in shock. "Yes," Cadence said wistfully. "The groom's name was Watermelon. He was a goofy guy, but one that even a soulless person could not help but love with." She pulled out another picture from her purse and handed it to Sunset. The picture was of a young girl, about 5-6 years old, with light blue skin and red hair tied into pigtails. The girl was dressed in a luxurious dark blue dress. "Is this-," "Yes, that's Cinch's daughter, Alexa." Cadence said, feeling nostalgic. "She was this old when I was Cinch's student. I knew her because Cinch saw a lot of potential in me. She took me under her wing. But I felt...like I was part of her family." Ten years ago. Cadence and Professor Cinch were sitting on a fancy blue couch in the middle of Cinch's living room. The room was sumptuous but tasteful, with beautiful blue adornments and decorations. "Miss Cadenza," Cinch droned, "let us return to practicing debate. The debate championship is next week, and you need to be focused." "Okay," Cadence said. "Now Miss Cadenza," Cinch said, her voice sounding like a debate moderator,"what is your opinion about government plans to rollback environmental regulations." Cinch gave Cadence a cold look of observation. "Well...um-," Cadence stammered, before a ruler loudly struck the table in front of her. She looked at Cinch, holding the ruler in front her, her face full of disappointment. "Miss Cadenza," Cinch said, annoyed. "You never, ever use 'um' in a debate. That makes you look uncertain." "I know Professor Cinch," Cadence said, "but you make me a little nervous." "Young lady," Cinch said, shaking her head."If I, the one trying to help you, is making you nervous, how can you possibly stand before the unwashed masses and your enemies?" She paused as she watched Cadence stomached this thought. "You can be the smartest person in the world," Cinch then pounded her fist on the table, and gave Cadence an serious look, "but without confidence or good presentation, no one will ever give you a second look!" "Your right," Cadence said with a smile, "but-," Cadence's response was broken as she her the sound of the door behind them opening. "Mommy," screamed Alexa, running into the room. Cinch flinched, annoyed at being interrupted. She put aside her chagrin, and gave Alexa a warm smile. "Alexa," Cinch said firmly but with a hint of kindness,"you know not to disturb me when I'm working with a student." "But I made this drawing of you," Alexa chirped, running up to Cinch waving the drawing around. Cinch took the crude drawing, and looked at it with the same critical eye she gave everything else. The critical eye was replaced with a look of sympathy. "This is a lovey drawing, Alexa," Cinch said, cooing. "I think its nice too," Cadence chimed in. "I think it could end up in the Louvre." "Hi Cadence," Alexa said, as if just noticing the teenage girl. "Are you still going to come to my ballerina recital?" "Of course," Cadence said enthusiastically. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." "But again Alexa, you still shouldn't have disturbed my lesson," Cinch said, with a degree of annoyance. "But daddy said to show it to you," Alexa chirped, a happy smile on her face. Cinch groaned and rubbed her temples. "Watermelon," Cinch barked, turning his head toward the door ,"you know better than to encourage your daughter to interrupt me." Through the same door marched Watermelon, a sly grin on his face. "Alexa is an artist," Watermelon said dramatically,"she deserved to have her genius judged by your critical eye, Abie!" His grin turned a little nasty. He broke from the conversation to give a welcoming wave to Cadence, who returned it. Cadence chuckled as he saw Cinch give her husband a stink-eye, to which he responded by sticking his tongue out at her. "Well," Cinch sighed, looking to the clock,"it is almost noon. We might as well break for lunch. Miss Cadenza can join us if she wants to." Cadence nodded. "Well, let's head over to the kitchen." The four quickly marched over to the kitchen, eager to enjoy some good food. Sunset heard the whole story with disbelief. The idea of Cinch being a family woman boggled her mind. "I can hardly believe it," Sunset quipped. "Cinch having a heart." "Well it is the truth," Cadence said sadly. "And she was like a mentor to you," Sunset said, her voice melancholic,"It must have been, like, a blow to you when she did what she did..to," her voice trailed off as she saw Cadence's sad eyes. "What happened to make her so mean?" "Well," Cadence sighed. "About four years ago. Watermelon and Alexa both got killed in a car accident." Sunset gasped. Cadence closed her eyes, trying to blink away the tears. "Some lunatic tried driving while on his cell phone. He plowed them right off of a cliff." "I mean, if you gave a political career to raise a family, only for your family to die, that would cause anybody to snap," Sunset remarked. Cadence nodded her head sadly. "Yes, it was tragic," but then suddenly Cadence turned furious, and threw the wedding photo of Cinch into the garbage. "But going through tragedy is no excuse for creating more of it." Cadence leaned back her chair. "I let my sympathy and love of Cinch blind me to what she was doing. I let her berate student and teacher alike because I only saw her as my strict but helpful mentor, not the bitter and cruel woman she now is. It took losing Twilight to..." Cadence looked ready to cry, but took a deep breath, and barely held it in. "How did you end up working for Cinch here and Crystal Prep?" Asked Sunset, trying to pull Cadence's thoughts away from her own doubt. "And why did you end up in education instead of politics?" "Well," Cadence said, her voice becoming more wistful,"In my senior year, I met the nicest, hottest guy in school," Cadence pulled up a framed photo, showing a picture of her and teenage Shining Armor with their arms around each other. "And he had the most adorable, precious, little sister," Cadence pulled up another photo, showing Human Twilight as a little girl, with pigtails. She was trying to hide her face behind some kind of stuffed donkey. "Aww," Sunset cooed. "Yeah," Cadence said with a chuckle. "Babysitting Twilight brought more fulfillment to me then politics. II realized I wanted to help young people like Twilight. So I switched my focus to education in my final year. I got my degree at the age of 20. Cinch, who by that point was now principal, got me a job here as a teacher out of college. Within a year, I got to be Dean." "That also played a role in your loyalty. I mean she did so much for you," Sunset said, shaking her head, but seeing Cadence frown at that, Sunset decided to change the subject. "So what was it like to babysit Twilight?" "Well," Cadence said, smiling at happier memories, "Instead of dolls, Twilight loved science books. And let me tell you, she had the energy of 1000 batteries." "Really?," Sunset asked, trying to reconcile the meek wallflower with the rambunctious youngster Human Twilight apparently was. "And she wasn't just someone who sat in lab all day," Cadence said. "You know how there are kids who dream of a tree house?" Cadence asked. Sunset nodded. Cadence pulled out some diagram, and handed it over to Sunset. "Imagine a girl who could draw her own blueprints, at eight." "Wow," Sunset said, looking up at Cadence briefly, before looking at the unusually professional blueprints for the tree house.with "You think that's impressive? How about blueprints for a house at age ten," Cadence asked, pulling up some other diagram, which Sunset took. Sunset's eyes widened in shock. She looked at the design for a one story house with incredulity. The design combined utility and comfort. "She really was quite the prodigy," Sunset uttered. "So, what happened to make her lose that energy?" Cadence again looked downcast at that question. Cadence pulled out another photo, and handed it to Sunset. It showed a woman with white skin, and white hair with streaks of purple running through it, and man with blue skin and darker blue hair. In between them was a happy Twilight. "Her parents...died?" Asked Sunset. "Night Light, even though he looked thin, was a guy who loved to eat," Cadence said. "He ignored warnings about his heart. Eventually, his overeating got to him. 6 years ago this summer, the Sparkle family and mine had a barbecue. Night Light was running around, with Twilight on piggy back. Suddenly, he collapsed onto the ground. He had a heart attack". Cadence paused, relieving that horrible memory. "She thought she was responsible having been on her father's back, and she spent hours crying and screaming 'I killed my daddy, I killed my daddy,'" Sunset teared up at that horrible image. "I still think Twilight still blamed herself for what happened to Night Light." A brief, unhappy silence hung over the two. "What happened to her mom," Sunset croaked. "She got shot during a bank robbery," Cadence said sadly. "This was the spring before Twilight entered Crystal Prep. Anyways, this took a lot of life out of Twilight. After losing her father, she started going out less, and hardly ever left the house or her lab." Cadence paused. "The problem was, Twilight couldn't really make many friends. Her interests were different from her peers, so she never could interact with them in a meaningful way." "So she never had friends," Sunset said sadly. "Did you ever try?" "The problem was Twilight didn't care about anything but science," Cadence said. "Shining Armor and I tried to get her to join clubs, but she never cared about anything but books and science. The kids at Crystal Prep, well, in the first few weeks here, they beat her up and stuff." "Didn't you do anything about it?" Sunset asked. "Twilight was too embarrassed to say a word. Teenagers don't like to talk about being bullied. There's always this code of silence with school bullying, even from the tormented." Sunset nodded her head. It was that code of silence that allowed her to get away with a lot of bullying at CHS. That, and her grades and ability to cover her tracks. "It was only when a bunch of girls dumped paint on her head after inviting her to a party that I found out." Sunset looked shocked at that. "It was terrible. She left school for three weeks after that. I begged her at one point to let me help her make friends, but... Two years ago Suri and Fleur were digging ditches. They both had furious expressions on their faces, due to the series of humiliations they endured. First they were doing scut work. Secondly, they were dressed up in orange jumpsuits, like prisoners. Thirdly, they were being stared at by everybody. Fourthly, Cadence was standing over them, a pitiless expression on her face. Above them, stood a banner that said ,"This is what happens to bullies," in red ink. ..... Cadence and Twilight were at home. Cadence was rubbing a moist rag across Twilight's face. The girl was a still as a statue, almost unresponsive. "See, a lot of the paint is coming out," Cadence said kindly. Twilight, however started to tear up. Cadence gave her a warm hug. "Don't worry," Cadence said,"I'll help you make some friends," "No," cried Twilight, tears still pouring from her eyes. "Don't." "Twilight," Cadence said, "just let me try..." "No," Twilight insisted. "I don't want people who will be friends with me just because I'm your sister in law. I just want to stay home and never go back there." "Twilight," Cadence sighed. "I know how badly those girls hurt you, but I promise, things will get better. You just have to have to try again. After I punished those two girls, no one will ever hurt you again." "Really?" asked Twilight. "Really," said Cadence. "If you don't want me to talk to some students for you, that's fine. But just go back to school. That proves to them that you're that much stronger." "Okay," Twilight said, leaning into Cadence for another hug. "So, everyone stopped bullying Twilight," Sunset said. "Not really," Cadence said. "Nobody played a prank like that on her, but suddenly everybody saw her as a snitch. "And the students were always jealous of her accomplishments, and didn't like her interests, so everyone ignored her all the time, and they still picked on her." "I know that feeling," Sunset croaked, recalling when every student treated her like the plague after Fall Formal. "I mean, I was able to get her to do one thing that was extracurricular her freshman year," Cadence said. "This trivia contest thing. Twilight joined the team, took the school to the state championships, and she won a quarter million dollar prize." Sunset mouthed a 'wow'. "But, no one on the team invited Twilight out to anything. I threw her a party, and she got to keep the trophy, but it hurt her that no one on the team or in the school acknowledged her." Sunset shook her head in shame. "To help Twilight out I even tried to..." Cadence paused, looking like she had swallowed poison. "What?" Asked Sunset. "Well, Shining and I invited Cinch out to dinner at her house several times. Talked about Twilight's interests. Told her about what happened to her parents. I was hoping that Cinch would, you know..." "You wanted Cinch to be the mom she lost, and you wanted Twilight to be the daughter she lost," inferred Sunset, in shock. Cadence flinched, but nodded. "I know how stupid that sounded," growled Cadence, "but-" "No, I understand," Sunset said. "Since Cinch did so much for you, you thought she could have been kind of a step mom for Twilight. But I guess that didn't work out." "Cinch never cared about Twilight's personal life," Cadence said regretfully. "All she ever talked about was anything related to Crystal Prep, and always telling Twilight to be sure to live up to Crystal Prep's legacy, ergo her own." She sighed as she remembered the not-so pleasant dinner. Cadence and Twilight sat at the dinner table opposite each other, while Cinch sat at the head of the table. "So Twilight," Cadence said in a strongly friendly tone, "tell Cinch all about that new compound you made in your lab." "Well," Twilight said, "I came up with a kind of acid which-," "Ms. Sparkle," Cinch said in an overtly professional tone, "I feel your grades are more important than some silly experiment." "But my grades are-," Twilight protested meekly. "Twilight, you know the Principal is trying to help you," Cadence admonished. "Abie, please continue." "Thank you Cadence," Cinch said. "You're last exam fell from 95 to 92," Cinch said in a disappointed tone. "I'm sorry, I was just a little tired," Twilight protested, "I've been so busy that..." "Exhaustion is no excuse for tardiness," Cinch thundered. "You must always strive for perfection." "Yes Principal Cinch," Twilight said unhappily. "I thought at the time that Cinch cared about her," Cadence said sadly, "but know I realize that all those 'admonishments' were so that Cinch would look good. I should've have realized that-" "Look don't blame yourself," Sunset sympathetically. "You honestly Cinch was trying to help Twilight like she helped you. You never imagined she betrayed Twilight like you said. You thought she was family." "You know," Cadence said. "I really wish Twilight met someone like you. I really felt you could've been a great friend." "If only I hadn't scared her off," Sunset said angrily. "Sunset," Cadence said, putting her hands on Sunset, "what happened was-," "I don't blame myself for what happened," Sunset said in a weak voice, putting her hands on her forehead, "But what I regret is not talking to her afterwards. She sounded like she really needed a friend. I could have found that out had I spoken to her for five minutes, I could've been a friend." Sunset pushed away her sadness. "Listen Cadence, there is another reason why I'm here. You have the pendent that Twilight had." "Yes," Cadence said. "In order to figure out what happened, I need that pendant." Cadence started to tear up. "I need-." "It's all I have left of her," Cadence said in sad voice. Sunset had to fight the urge to give in to her tears, understanding what was a stake. "I know," Sunset said in a quiet but firm. "But you need to understand. The magic I brought here is only going to keep growing more and more. Eventually, the public is going to get wise to it, and Equestria. If I can't figure out what went wrong, it could mean horrible relations for both our worlds, if people just assume magic does what it did to Twilight." Cadence's face remained in that pained tone. "I don't want people thinking magic is just bad," Sunset said, her voice laden with desperation. "I see the good that magic could do for mankind, and the good human technology good do for Equestria. I don't want that opportunity gone because of my selfishness. I don't what happened to Twilight to happen to anyone else. I know you've already made sacrifices for me. But I need one more, for her sake and for the sake of both our worlds." Cadence sat there, her face full of pain. After a moment of hesitation, Cadence opened up the drawer, and pulled out the pendent. Sunset gave her a proud smile and she took it from her. "I can do you one better," Cadence said, pulling out some keys. She stood up from her desk and walked out of the room, motioning for Sunset to do the same, who eagerly followed her out. ****** Cadence and Sunset marched to the science wing of Crystal Prep. Sunset followed behind Cadence, eager to see what surprise awaited her. Cadence marched toward some wooden door. She unlocked it, turned the knob, and opened the door for Sunset, who walked in. Computers, files, equipment. That could only mean one thing... "This is Twilight's lab," Cadence said. "If you need to figure out what happened, then the answer will lie in Twilight's research and equipment." "You mean," Sunset began, astonished,"you trust me with Twilight's equipment?" "I couldn't think of anyone more deserving of my trust," Cadence said happily. Sunset gave Cadence a hug, which she happily returned. "Now, can you get someone to pick this stuff up and bring it back to CHS?" "My friend Applejack owns a pickup truck. We can drive by to pick it up tomorrow," Sunset said. "Thank you so much. I promise I won't let you down." "I know you won't." Cadence said. "By the way, there are a couple more questions I'd like to ask you." "Okay, spill." replied Sunset. "How did you support yourself when you came here?" "Well," Sunset said with a smile. "In my homeland, gold coins are currency. One gold coin there can get you a small dinner. When I left, I had the Equestrian equivalent of chump change in my bag. You imagine my surprise when I went to one of those "cash for gold" places." "How much can I get for this," Sunset said as she poured a bag of bits onto the glass counter. "Can I get, 100...dollars, or..."she paused as the human running the counter fainted from shock." "Then I found out about the stock market and invested my gold money. I was thus set for life," Sunset finished. "It's pretty fortunate," Cadence said, "that you didn't have to end up in poverty." "I guess," Sunset said with a sigh,"but one of the reasons I turned out rotten is because I had so much money, I didn't have to rely on other people." Cadence looked at her with confusion. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad I didn't starve. But at the same time, having that financial independence meant I didn't learn about sharing and stuff." "I see your point," Cadence said,"you didn't have to change because you were able to keep yourself fed. My second question is, who are the names of these princesses?" Sunset looked at her with a vacant expression. "You haven't given me a name for this princess who you were a student for, and the one who defeated and befriended you." "National security," Sunset said, sheepishly. "Alright," Cadence said begrudingly," I know when not to pry. But I ask that you try to be honest with me. I am giving you my trust." "Alright," Sunset," And Cadence. Thanks for all your help!" "It's my job," Cadence said. Both of them walked away, with a greater spring in their steps then in the past few days. Now confident that things may yet work out.