//------------------------------// // Dance Magic Chapter 7: Confessions // Story: Magical Movie Night: Another Story // by ArcanaMaverick7 //------------------------------// Azalea and Blaze followed Rarity after she left Canterlot High School, eventually finding her approaching a diner and entering the building. As the girls entered the shop, another figure in a blue hoodie followed them inside. Rarity sat in a booth and waited for a young waitress to arrive and take her order. "Can I get an ice cream sundae, please," the fashionista asked as it sounded like her voice was cracking. "Make that three," Azalea said as she and Sunset Blaze sat down across from Rarity. "Can I get mine with all chocolate ice cream?" The waitress nodded before she felt somebody place their hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure that dessert would be as sweet as any four of you," Smoke Shadow said as he pulled down his hood and revealed himself to the table. Taking the waitress' hand, Smoke moved around the young woman and released it as he took a seat next to Rarity. "It'll be my treat for you girls and I'd be happy to give our lovely waitress a good tip for her service," he said as he looked at each girl. The waitress opened her hand to see that Smoke had snuck some money into her palm, then she blushed and giggled at his flirting before she left to get the ice cream. "Was that money you gave her from the Crystal Prep girls or somebody else," Sunset Blaze asked as she looked at the thief. "Why ruin my generous offer with questions," Smoke said as he placed a hand on his heart and looked at the girls. "Because you're a thief that loves to steal cash and flirt with any pretty face you see," Blaze replied. Smoke thought it over and didn't object to what Blaze said about him. Looking over at Rarity, Smoke spoke to the girl as she looked like she was holding something back. "So, what's the matter, Rarity," he asked the stylish girl. "You better spill it. I can sense your emotions bottling up," Sunset Blaze stated as she reminded Rarity of her Semblance. "It's not healthy for you." Questioned by the visitors from Remnant, Rarity's eyes began to water and she started to cry. "I just... just... I let them all down," she shouted as she bawled. Grabbing onto Smoke's hoodie, she began to cry against the Raccoon Faunus as he gently patted her on the head. "Just let it out, Rarity. It'll be better for you," Azalea told the girl as Smoke tried to gently calm her down. "This video would have raised more than enough m-money for the c-camp," Rarity explained through her tears. "I kept saying that we could go through with it, b-b-but I... I..." Rarity continued to cry and her makeup started to run as she did. Soon, the waitress returned with the ice cream the girls ordered and Rarity turned to the woman. "Thank you," she said as she accepted the dish. As Rarity kept weeping, she ate her treat and made 'Nom-nom-nom-nom-nom' sounds as she did. Azalea looked at Rarity as she ate and spoke up about something. "Ice cream's always been one of my favorite comfort foods. I've had plenty of bad days growing up," she said as she remembered all the times she was bullied before attending Beacon Academy. "Nothing helped me out like a nice tasty treat." "You can say that again, Lea," Blaze said as she looked at Azalea's well-endowed chest. "You're staring, Spitfire," Smoke remarked as he saw where the girl was looking. "So are you," Blaze countered as she used her Semblance's mental connection abilities to see through Smoke's eyes, turning her eye color to match his own as she did. Hearing that she was being stared at and seeing that was the case, Azalea harshly slapped both Blaze and Smoke in their faces. "We deserved that," Blaze said as she felt her stinging cheek. "Agreed," Smoke said as he chose to not phase through the attack and took the full force of Azalea's intended slap. Soon, the girls and Smoke heard something in a booth nearby. "Are those..." Listening in on the conversation, Rarity and the others recognized that it was the Shadowbolts. "It's no use, Sour Sweet. Why are we even still trying," said Sunny Flare. "Because the deadline hasn't passed," Sour Sweet said. "We can still come up with an original song to replace the Sapphire Shores one we've been practicing our choreography with." "That's highly unlikely," Sugarcoat bluntly stated. "Why did we tell Rarity that we already submitted our video," Lemon Zest asked. "So that we can still use her concept. Rarity is creative. She'll come up with something else," Sour Sweet explained to her classmates. Overhearing this, Rarity wiped away her tears and continued to listen in with the others. "But if we don't, we have nothing. And imagine what our classmates would say," Sour Sweet continued before burying her face in her hands. "They'll say it's our fault the spring dance had to be held in the boring old auditorium instead of on a yacht like we promised," Lemon Zest remarked. "Exactly," Sour Sweet agreed as the four girls started to lose hope in what they promised to Crystal Prep. "Oh. They just don't want to disappoint their classmates," Rarity said in pleasant surprise as she was impressed the Shadowbolts were actually trying to do something for their school. "They could have done something besides steal your idea. This just means they aren't as creative as you are, Rarity," Blaze remarked. Azalea ate more of her ice cream as she gave her input. "They're still doing it for their class. While they went about it the wrong way, it seems like they really are changing for the better." "The Rainbooms have a band. They'll surely have a killer original song, and we don't," Sugarcoat stated to the Shadowbolts. "Yet," Sour Sweet reminded as she tried to keep up the spirits of the other girls. "Face it, Sour. We're doomed," Sunny Flare said. Rarity and the Remnant visitors approached the table and Rarity cleared her throat to get the attention of the Shadowbolts. "Excuse me, girls." "R-Rarity! Uh, how long have you been over there," Sour Sweet asked as she was surprised to see the girl they were just talking about. "Long enough to hear that you have no original song," Rarity said as she answered the girl. "Like I said. Doomed," Sugarcoat told the others, believing that Rarity could go through with her original plan for the video and just took a sip from her drink. Sour Sweet glared at her friend before Rarity chuckled awkwardly and cleared her throat. "Maybe you're not," the fashionista said as she took a seat in the booth. "Look, I know our teams haven't been getting along too well lately. But I think I have a solution where everybody wins." "I hope you know what you're doing, Rarity," Azalea told the girl as she looked at the Crystal prep students and kept eating her sundae. "If they try any funny business with us around, I think think they may need more drinks," Sunset Blaze said as she used the Fire Dust in her jacket to create a flame in her palm and let it dance around as she showed it to the Shadowbolts. Choosing not to upset the girl that could control fire, the Shadowbolts looked at Rarity as they cooperated. "We're listening," Sour Sweet replied as Blaze snuffed the flame out by closing her hand. "I'd say that I'm not needed here anymore," Smoke remarked as he began to leave and left the money he owed for the ice cream on the table he was at before. Sunset and Azalea watched as the thief left their sights. Looking at each other while Rarity and the Shadowbolts talked about their idea, the two Huntresses knew that this wasn't the last they would see of Smoke Shadow.