Monday Afternoon, 3 PM
With class over, CPA's students filed toward the Crystal Prep entrance, where they would get their rides home. The somewhat tired Shadowbolts walked toward the entranced, shadowed by a very animated Juniper.
"It was really fun hanging out with you guys," Juniper said happily. "Thanks for showing me around."
"No problem, June," Sunny Flare said with a small smile. "If there is anything you need...
"Yeah sure," Indigo Zap interrupted with a somewhat tired expression. "Look June, we'd love to stay and chat, but we all got that...art project we were working on."
"Project," Lemon Zest asked in confusion "What art-," a subtle tap on the foot from Sour cut off that thought. "Oh, right we were working on an...embroidery, right girls?" Lemon Zest and the other Shadowbolts gave each other sly looks, except for Sunny, who looked a bit annoyed.
"Wow," Juniper said, "they actually teach that? I wish I could help, but I've never been good at...well sewing stuff."
"One of the thousand things, probably," Sugarcoat muttered.
"What's that supposed to-," Juniper asked, before a honking horn cut her off. June saw a green SUV pull up. "Oh, that's my ride you guys! I'll see you all tomorrow!" Juniper said happily, as she ran to the SUV.
"See ya," the Shadowbolts said in unison as she ran off.
Juniper ran to the SUV and happily got in. Her uncle wore a jovial face.
"I see by your very happy face that you must've had a terrible day," Canter Zoom joked. Juniper snickered a bit at that.
"I met these five girls, and they all wanted to hang out with me," Juniper said, a warm smile on her face.
"See," Canter Zoom said in an "I told you so" voice, "as long as you stayed positive, than positive things would happen. Tell me about them".
Juniper felt a joy she hadn't felt in a long time. For the first time, she was excited to be in school, because she knew she would have five friends to help her out.
******
"Well, I'm glad that was over with," Indigo said as they watched the SUV pull away.
"What do you mean by that," Sunny said with some confusion. "And what the hell were you going on about with an embroidery?"
"We were trying to get rid of June so she would stop talking her head off," Sugarcoat said. Sunny felt it a bit of discomfort at those words.
"Yeah, that girl was like Twilight times 1000 with movie trivia," Lemon Zest uttered.
"So, are we gonna hang with her tomorrow right," Sunny asked with some discomfort. She was dismayed by the uncomfortable expressions her friends wore.
"Well, uh," Indigo said, rubbing her head.
"But guys," Sunny Flare complained ,"I promised Father-I mean, we promised Cadence-",
"To show her around and hang out with her once," Sugarcoat said stoically. "Not to hold her hand for the rest of the school year."
"But she's nice," Sunny Flare retorted.
"Oh yes, she is real nice," Sour said kindly. Her smile turned to a grimace, "and real annoying!"
"Look," Lemon Zest said. "We already did our job. Now let's focus on getting as much data from Cadence as we can. We still got to find a way to honor Twilight." The rest of the Shadowbolts remembered their initial task for Twilight.
"I guess," Sunny said, feeling uncomfortable. Sunny considered Juniper to be nice, but she was a chatterbox who talked about dumb facts. An uneasy feeling swelled in her stomach. She ignored it as they went to the office of their Dean-turned-Principal.
"Hello girls," Cadence said happily, "Juniper stopped by my office with a smile on her face. Thank you so much for watching out for her today."
"Don't mention it," Sour Sweet said happily. "Seriously, don't," Sour muttered under her breath. Sunny gave out a quiet sigh.
"Anyways," Cadence said, "I'll fulfill my end of the bargain." She pulled out her keys. "Lets all go out to my car."
"Where are we going," Lemon Zest asked.
"To my house," Cadence said. "That's where I keep my best memories of Twilight."
"Why do you have memories of Twilight in your house?" Lemon Zest asked.
"I was," Cadence paused, taking a deep breath, "her sister-in-law". The Shadowbolts looked stunned at that.
"You were her sister-in-law," Indigo asked in confusion.
"Well, after I while, I considered Twilight to my real sister," Cadence said, with a twinge of sadness that made the Shadowbolts feel heavy.
"Why didn't Twilight ever tell us the Dean was her sister," Sunny Flare asked with some dismay.
"Because she wanted people to like her for who she was," Cadence said, the words washing over them "Anyways, lets go to my house." The Shadowbolts followed along, loaded with questions.
******
The Shadowbolts and Cadence drove home in the latter's red minivan. After a half hour of driving, they reached her house. It was a somewhat fancy, two story home, with a purple exterior, stone columns in the front, and an average green lawn.
Cadence and the Shadowbolts exited the minivan and walked into the house.
The Shadowbolts entered what appeared to be a small foyer, with purple-carpeted stairs that lead into what were presumed to be bedrooms.
"What's that noise," Sour said. Everybody heard faint sounds of laughter and barking coming from the room in the right. The Shadowbolts and Cadence followed the sound, and entered what was a den.
Sitting on the fuchsia couch in the purple colored den were a blue haired, white-skinned man and a purple dog in his lap.
"That's Shining Armor, Twilight's brother," Cadence said quietly.
They both looked utterly forlorn as they stared at a TV screen. With its shaky camera and poor sound, it looked like a home video.
A little lavender skinned girl playing catch with a puppy in what looked like a park. The little girl had pigtails and glasses, and wore pink overalls and orange sandals.
"Oh he's a good dog isn't he," a man asked offscrean, presumably the person holding the camera.
"Oh yes he is," Twilight said cutely as she walked over to pet the puppy. "He is the best canine ever!"
Spike let out a small whimper, and felt Shining pet his back. Shining blinked as if trying to hold back tears, as he watched the video of his now deceased younger sister.
Cadence and the Shadowbolts sat their silently watching both the video, and the pair on the couch. Cadence looked with utter concern, while the Shadowbolts looked like they were on the verge of tears.
After a moment of silence, Cadence tried to get Shining's attention.
"Shining," Cadence said softly. Neither Shining nor Spike seemed to hear her, continuing to stare at the screen, which showed what look like Twilight and her father playing catch, with Spike trying to keep up with the ball.
"Come on Spike, get the ball", said a woman now holding the camera with an excited tone.
"Shining," Cadence said more firmly. He briefly turned his head, and saw Cadence and the Shadowbolts. He immediately shut off the TV, jumping up. Spike dove out of his lap and onto the floor.
"Hey Cady," Shining said, trying to put on a happy face. He glanced uneasily toward the girls who were behind her. "Who are...them?"
"Twilight's...classmates," Cadence said. "They came here to-," she paused when she saw Spike on the ground, growling and looking like he was about to attack.
"Spike are you," Cadence asked before Spike charged.
"I'M GONNA KILLED YOU," Spike bellowed as he charged toward the Shadowbolts, who step backed in fear. "I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR FOOT-"he went on before being held back by Cadence who grabbed him by his collar.
"Spike stop," Cadence said. "You can't bite a person. They'll put you to sleep!"
"Why not," Spike shouted. "They killed Twilight, they're the reason she's dead!"
"What", Shining asked, looking toward the Shadowbolts with a measure of confusion and dismay. The Shadowbolts all bowed their heads in shame, unable to meet his eyes.
"They told her to open that thing, and now she's gone," Spike bellowed, still trying to attack the Shadowbolts.
"You told her to open it," Shining asked the Shadowbolts, in a voice that radiated quiet despair. The Shadowbolts continued to stare at the ground in shame, expecting anger. "You made her...?"
"No Cinch did," Cadence did, her voice full of tearful frustration as she tried to restrain the angry dog. "Yeah, they told Twilight to open the amulet, but only because Cinch said it would help them win."
"Yeah we didn't know," Indigo Zap said, tears falling down her face. "We didn't want this to happen!"
"Yeah, we swear," Sunny Flare. "We-"
"Yes you did.", Spike interrupted, no longer tugging at his collar, his fury replaced with wet tears ,"You wanted her gone. You and everyone in that school was so mean to her. You never liked her. You never bothered to..." Spike broke down, and collapsed onto the floor in tears. Shining walked toward the crying dog and picked him.
"Come on buddy," Shining whispered sadly to the grieving dog, "let's go to the park." He walked out the room, not even looking at the Shadowbolts, as he walked out of the house. The Shadowbolts felt a sad chill as they saw Shining leave the house.
"Mr. Armor," Sugarcoat said in a pleading tone, "please we never meant-," the door slammed shut before Sugarcoat could finish.
"He really hates us doesn't he," Sunny asked Cadence. The principal responded by putting a comforting shoulder on Sunny's arm.
"Girls he doesn't blame you," Cadence said in a soothing tone. "He blames Cinch. I promise he isn't mad at you."
"Oh yeah he seems really happy," Sour said cheerfully, before frowning and crying, "that's why he ran out of the house! Because of what we did to her!"
"He's just upset about what happened," Cadence said, her lip started to quiver a bit ,"and you guys being here," she let out a breath, "is just bringing his hurt to the surface. He understands that it was Cinch's fault. And he'll calm down after a bit."
"Her parents must be feeling terrible too," Lemon Zest. "Who are Twilight's parents anyways, I don't think I've ever seen them around." She paused as Cadence looked again like she was about to cry.
"Principal Cadence," Sunny asked, "are you OK?"
"No," Cadence said, "her parents died a few years ago." The Shadowbolts looked even more downcast at that. "Shining and I have been raising her for several years."
"I'm sorry," Lemon Zest replied, tears coming down her cheeks. "I didn't know-"Lemon Zest paused when Cadence pulled her into a comforting hug.
Sunny turned to the door Shining Armor walked out of, staring in shame.
"That poor guy lost his parents, and now he lost his sister because of us," Sunny thought to herself. She looked at Cadence, amazed that the woman could keep it together, despite everything she went through.
"Don't worry about," Cadence said, releasing the hug and letting the forlorn see a reassuring smile. "We keep moving forward." Cadence went to a nearby bookshelf, and pulled out a photo album labeled "Twily's Memories." The Shadowbolts gushed at the childish name.
"So, let's start with my favorite story," Cadence, said turning to page, and gesturing to a picture of Little Twilight wearing water wings and a one piece suit.
"Aww," Sunny Flare said, "she looks so adorable."
"Oh yes," Cadence said in a tone of amused exasperation." But it was a hassle to get her to go swimming".
Twilight kept hiding in her room, not wanting to come out.
"Twilight," Cadence said. "Time for your swimming lesson."
"No," she said. "I don't want to be in water. That is where sharks are."
"Twilight," Cadence said. "There are no sharks in a pool. You might like it."
"I don't want a shark to bite me," Twilight shouted.
"OK, Twily," Shining Armor said. "You asked for this." Using his good shoulder, and ran into the door, prying it open. Seizing the opportunity, the two grabbed a squirming Twilight, carrying her to the car.
"So you had to literally drag her to the car to get her to do swimming," Indigo said with a chuckle.
"Yeah," Cadence said, sighing over some fond memories.
"So I guess she must bombed her first swimming class," Sunny said.
"Not really," Cadence said, a somewhat proud smile. "She did her laps, but not in the way you expect."
"She didn't go in the water," Cadence asked the swimming coach, a middle-aged svelte woman in a lifeguard uniform. The woman had blue skin and periwinkle hair. They were in the community center swimming pool. It was the end of the swimming lesson, when the various children's parents and guardians came to pick them up.
"She was too afraid of sharks," the coach replied with some dismay. "So I just sent her to the small kiddie pool." She pointed at Twilight who was blissfully wading in two inches of water in one of those inflatable pools seen in backyards. Cadence ran her hand along her face with a sigh.
"Look, I think she just needs some special training to get her used to the-,"
"Spike, get back here," Shining Armor shouted as he chased after the puppy wanting to be reunited with his master.
"How did the dog get here," the swimming instructor said with confusion.
"He really loves Twilight," Cadence said, watching with a smile as Twilight scrambled out of the pool to run up to her best friend.
Just as Spike was running, another kid wanting to greet his mom ran, and accidentally knocked Spike into the pool.
"Spike," Twilight shouted with fear. Everyone in the pool started running toward the flailing puppy trying to keep itself afloat.
"Don't worry Twilight," the lifeguard shouted, climbing to her feet, "I'll get your dog out." But before the swimming coach could get in, Twilight dove into the pool. Her swimming was choppy, even with water wings, but she still managed to reach the drowning Spike.
"Don't worry Spike," Twilight said, gasping and chocking on water. "I'll," she spat out more water, "I'll keep save you." Despite how hard it was to swim, she was able to reach the edge of the pool, gently putting Spike on top, while holding onto the edge.
The kids starting running toward the half-drowned puppy out of concern, while the swimming coach pulled an exhausted Twilight out of the pool, a proud smile on her face.
"Wow," Indigo said, "are you saying she overcame her fear of the water to rescue to her dog?" The other Shadowbolts were awed by this story.
"Yes she did," Cadence. "she loved Spike that much."
"The truth is, it is kind of hard to picture her overcoming her fears," Lemon Zest, "she seemed to be-,"
"A weakling with no backbone," Sugarcoat uttered. Lemon and the other Shadowbolts shot her an annoyed glare, but Cadence just rolled her eyes. Sugarcoat let out a sigh. "Sorry. I never realized she was capable of that."
"This is why you should keep an open mind," Cadence said. "People can be more than their covers if you just give them a chance to prove themselves, and sometimes you'll find a friend when you least expect it". She went to another page. "Know, how would you like to read about her first science experiment." The Shadowbolts smiled, eager to hear another story.
******
After a few hours of story telling, the Shadowbolts went home, having gained enough information and some pictures to do a proper memorial for Twilight.
Sunny sat home, thinking about all the things she learned about Twilight.
From silly stories, to the fact she had designed her own treehouse, planned out her college education, and even made blueprints for her own ideal room, all before she was even 14.
She remembered a lot of those academic trophies she saw, and sighed as she remembered a lot of them were won by the lavender-skinned girl, who always seemed to be alone in those pictures.
She remembered how despite having the best connection any CPA student could have, she never tried to pull rank to get popularity.
Then she remembered the not so pleasant things she learned about Twilight, like losing two parents, and her father in a way that made Twilight think she was responsible.
"She lost two parents, it is no wonder she was always so withdrawn", Sunny thought to herself. If I had just known that, I wouldn't have been so-"
No, Sunny refused to brood. She would not ruminate, she would move on, she would turn back. and be better
She heard a beep from her phone. She saw a message from Suri.
"Hey gurl," the message said, "remember. Party plans tomorrow"
Sunny felt excited, she was finally going to hose the big April Party in her house this Wednesday. An honor reserved only for the crème de la crème of CPA's student body. She was excited about all the snacks and fun she would get to plan.
"Sure. See you at 10 tomorrow," Sunny texted back. She opened her computer up to MyStable, and saw a friend request from Juniper. She clicked on it.
An idea sprouted into her mind. She thought to her party, and then she thought it would be a great place for Juniper to meet some potential friends. But still, Juniper wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and she saw her friends weren't eager to spend another day with her.
"If she wasn't so boring, I would invite her", thought with some annoyance. But then she remembered Cadence's words.
"This is why you should keep an open mind. People can be more than their covers if you just give them a chance to prove themselves, and sometimes you'll find a friend when you least expect it".
Sunny drummed her fingers on the keyboard hesitating to put her reputation on the line. Then she remembered her promise to Twilight. Putting aside her frustration, she sent Juniper an invite through MyStable.
After ten seconds, Juniper responded.
"Sure. I'd love to come. See you tomorrow. :):):)", Juniper replied. Sunny sighed.
"Maybe Juniper could be lots of fun." Sunny said, keeping an open mind, and hoping things would work out for the best.