//------------------------------// // Regret, Injury and Cake // Story: Vanishing Act // by redandready45 //------------------------------// Sunset's Apartment Tuesday Evening Applejack and Fluttershy went to Sunset's apartment. Sunset, Juniper, and Twilight welcomed them in, stunned by their haunted expressions. The animal lover and the farmer sat on the couch while recounting their theory of Human Twilight's death while the latter three stood in front of them. Her apparent loneliness, her mistreatment by her peers, and feelings of inferiority seemed to point in the direction of a suicidal mindset. By the end of their explanation, Juniper looked horrified, Princess Twilight astonished, and Sunset was stone-silent. "Suicide?" Princess Twilight repeated in a haunted tone. "The Elements shouldn't be...capable of that." "Well they weren't exactly working right during the games," Applejack said. "And if how the magic works is based on how we feel," Fluttershy added, "then...maybe they are capable of that." Sunset stormed over to her table and flipped it over in frustration. Plates and food were sent tumbling to the ground, while the fire-haired girl let out her own pained yell. "Sunset," an alarmed Juniper yelled. "Stop it!" The fire-haired girl paid no heed to Juniper. Instead running over to the counter and knocking more dishes onto the floor, yelling so loud, her face turned red. Before Sunset could do any more damage, Applejack and Twilight grabbed her by her arms. She kept trying to pull herself free. "Sunset stop it!" Applejack said, trying to restrain the angry girl. "Sunset, if you don't stop, we'll drag you to Tartarus until you do!" Princess Twilight yelled. Sunset eventually stopped struggling and broke down in tears. The two others girl pulled her into a hug, while Fluttershy joined in. Juniper also enveloped Sunset as well. "It's all my fault," Sunset said, weeping bitterly. "How is it your fault?" Princess Twilight asked her. "I yelled at her," Sunset muttered weakly. "I yelled at her for something that was my responsibility. I convinced her she would never have any friends." "Ah can't believe this," Applejack said with disgust, walking away from the hug. "Even when you're good, you're as self-centered as ever!" "What," Sunset said, her crying stopped. "How am I self-centered?", Sunset asked while still miserable. "You think everything is your fault," Applejack said. "You think you're the cause of all the misery in the world. You think being the biggest bitch in the school makes you the biggest bitch in the world." "How is it not my fault?" Sunset replied furiously. "I brought magic to this world. I yelled at her-," "We know Sunset," Princess Twilight said, interrupting her. "You yelled at her. Once. Because she put our friends in danger." The Princess of Friendship crossed her arms. "Were you the one bullying her every day of her life?" "No," Sunset said. "Did you make her open the amulet?" Fluttershy asked Sunset. "No," Sunset said. "If the other Twilight had good friends and people who listened to her, you yelling at her wouldn't have mattered," Applejack said. "You may have been the spark, but everyone else laid the kindling. You couldn't have known how miserable she was, and if you did, I bet you would've been nicer." Sunset calmed down at bit at the farmer's words, but still felt terrible. "The only thing we can do now is move forward," Fluttershy said. "I'm sorry I threw a fit," Sunset said, feeling tired as the anger and adrenaline left her body. "If you want to make it up to us, let's have a sleepover right now," Applejack said. Sunset could tell the hard eyes on Applejack were saying 'let us stay to we can keep an eye on you.' Considering she smashed dishes on the ground, she couldn't blame them for wanting to keep watch over her. "Alright, I'll get the sleeping mats," Sunset said walking to her closet. "Fluttershy you want to help me get them?" "Sure," Fluttershy said walking over to help Sunset. "June, do you want to stay too?" "Sure," Juniper grunted. Fluttershy and Sunset walked away to get the blankets. Applejack saw Juniper looking at the ground with a troubled expression. "Juniper, are you OK?" Applejack asked the bespectacled girl. "No, I'm not", Juniper said. "I just found out my...friends bullied someone so badly, they might have driven her to suicide." Applejack could see the conflict raging on June's face. "June," Princess Twilight said. "Do you think Sunny and the others would do those things to you or that they did them on purpose? Do you have no faith in them?" "No," Juniper said hesitatingly. "Sunny and her friends are nice to me. Sunny saved me from being an outcast, but she admitted that she came close to throwing me under the bus." Juniper gritted my teeth. "Is it wrong for me to feel...unsure about them?" "No," Princess Twilight said. "Juniper, it is normal for you to feel this way." "You know how bad Sunset Shimmer used to be right?" Applejack said. "Well," Juniper said, gesturing to the dishes. "I have a hard time believing that Sunset could've been that bad." "Well she was," Applejack said. "She hurt my farm and threatened to destroy it if I got in her way. Believe me, it was hard for me to forgive her. But I gave her a chance, and she worked on my farm to pay back what she owed me," Applejack finished with a proud smile. "I mean, our relationship hasn't been perfect. I did once suspect she was going back to her bullying ways," Applejack flinched as she recalled one of her most thoughtless decisions. "But now, she is one of my most trusted friends." "Sunset framed me for vandalism ," Princess Twilight said. "Part of me wanted to avoid her. But my mentor taught me that having faith in others not only changes them for the better, but changes you for the better." "You just got to believe in them," Applejack said. "Alright," Juniper said with a warm smile. "Truth is, I'm worried about telling them the truth. I'm afraid it will destroy them." "It probably will," Applejack said solemnly, "but it will probably help them change for the better too. "Hey Fluttershy," Sunset said to the yellow-skinned girl. "I wanted to say-," "I know Sunset," Fluttershy said softly, "you're sorry for what you did. It's OK," she said genuinely. "I forgave you long ago." "No, I want to say you're a better person then me," Sunset said softly. "The fact that I made you feel this way...and you still gave me a chance proves that you deserve the Element of Kindness." "Thanks Sunset," the blue-eye girl said kindly. Crystal Prep Common Room 9:30 am The Shadowbolts all listened to Juniper's theory, that Twilight was driven to taking her own life, with guarded silence. By the time Juniper was finished, they were on the verge of tears. "Guys," Juniper said. "It isn't your-," "Yes it is," Sour screeched, before breaking down into tears. The dam broke, and the other Shadowbolts broke down in tears, except for Indigo, who stared silently at the ground. "We made her feel horrible," Sunny said tearfully, "we made her think she couldn't have friends, we made her think she was horrible, we-," she couldn't go on, and just continued to bawl pitifully. "We made her open the amulet," Sugarcoat said in tears. "But did you know that was gonna happen?" Juniper said. "No, but Twilight said she didn't know how it worked," Lemon Zest said bitterly. "But we didn't listen to her." "We treated her like a mental case," Sunny said. "But all this...time we were the mental cases." "Again the fact that you guys hung out with me proves that you aren't anymore," Juniper said, walking up to hug each of her friends. "Thanks to you, I have people who like me. You may not have faith in yourselves, but I have faith in you." While their crying ceased, their forlorn expressions still remained. "Thanks June," Sunny said quietly. "That's what friends are for," Juniper said. "After today, lets go out for ice cream." "Sure," Sour said with a small smile, "that would be nice." The other girls agreed as well. The bell rung, signaling it was time for class. The other Shadowbolts began walking out of the room. Indigo walked up, still stone-faced. "Man, Indigo, you've been taking this pretty well," Juniper said. "I'm not surprised, considering how tough you are." "Yeah...sure," Indigo said, her eyes darting back and forth. "I'll see you in gym class, OK?" "See ya," Indigo said with a forced smile as she walked out of the room. Crystal Prep Gym 11:00 AM "Alright maggots," Coach Squats bellowed to her gym class. "I want you all to give me 30 pushups." She blew her whistle, and everyone started doing them. "One," Juniper said with a small grunt. "Two. Three." Despite how hard it was, Juniper gradually improved since she got to Crystal Prep. Coach Squats walked up to June, looking down at her with a cold expression. "I see you've become somewhat... tolerable," Coach Squats uttered. Juniper let out a small smile, knowing that this was Squats way of complimenting her without playing favorites. "It's all thanks to Indigo," Juniper said with a smile. She looked around, wondering where she was. "Keep going," Coach Squats bellowed, "I didn't say you could stop!" Juniper continued doing the push ups. After she was done, she let out a few breaths. "OK," Coach Squats said once everyone did their sets. "Time to partner up and do your reps." Juniper looked around, wondering where Indigo was. "Hey June," Juniper turned around and saw Gilda walking toward her with a proud smile. "How's it going, champ?" "Great," Juniper said. "Have you seen Indigo? I haven't seen her since school started." "No," the tall girl said. "I haven't. You want to partner up?" "Sure," Juniper said, feeling something rotten in her gut. Just as she was about to start her reps, someone ran into the room screaming. "Somebody help!" Fleur De Lis, one of the A-listers came running in. The normally chill girl looked like she had seen death, her face red and crying. "Someone's lying on the ground. They're bleeding!" "Who!" Coach Squats bellowed. "Indigo," Fleur said in a panicking tone. The whole class let out a collective gasp. Coach Squats, followed by the whole class, ran into the nearby girls bathroom. They came across a horrifying sight. Indigo was lying on the ground of the bathroom floor with a massive wound on her forehead that was bleeding profusely. The bathroom mirror was shattered, with various shards lying around the unconscious girl. Upon closer inspection, Juniper could see some of the shards were still lodged in her forehead.. "Oh my Lord," screamed one of the girls. Another one was heard vomiting from the disgusting sight. The others were letting out panicked squeals. "ENOUGH!," bellowed Coach Squats. The panicked shouting stopped. "Panic is not good in this situation. When we panic, we act like idiots. When we act like idiots people die. We're gonna act like adults," the woman said, ripping one of the sleeves of her shirt. "What are you doing?" Fleur asked the coach. "Making a bandage," the coach replied as she bent down to cover Indigo's forehead. "Shouldn't we take the glass out of her head?" Fleur asked. "No," Gilda said firmly. "We do that, we'll cause her to bleed out completely." "I need two girls to help me carry her to the nurse's office," Coach Squats said. Gilda and Lightning Dust, two of the strongest girls in class, stepped forward. "Who did this to her?" Blossomworth asked fearfully. "When I found out," Couch Squats said with a growl, as she lifted Indigo by her legs while Gilda and Lightning Dust gently carried her by her head, "I'm gonna-," "I think I know who," Juniper said in a quiet, scared voice. "Who?" Coach Squats asked. "L-look at her hand," Juniper said, almost shaking. Squats glanced at her hand, and what she saw made her go pale. Indigo's knuckles were bleeding. Canterlot Hospital Tuesday, 7:30 PM Indigo slowly regained consciousness. She felt an annoying numbness as she struggled to open her eyes, which felt as heavy as anvils. As she opened her eyes, she saw herself covered in some blanket, an IV in her arm, and her hands were bandaged. She also felt something on her forehead, probably a bandage. "Indigo," a voice said faintly. "Indigo, you're awake," Indigo followed the voice and saw two figures sitting in chairs. Her vision cleared, and she knew who it was. "Mom, dad," Indigo said in a faint tone. She saw her mom and dad, Sport Jersey and Balance Beam, looking at her. Indigo remembered why she was here, and felt some shame form in her stomach. She thought she would see anger in her parents eyes and looked down. A strong hand forced it back up. "Indie," her mom said. Her parents looked at her, not with condemnation, but concern. "Why did you smash your fists and face into the mirror?" Indigo's lips whimpered. "Indie, tell me." "IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" Indigo bellowed before collapsing into tears. "What's all your fault," her father said. "Indie, what did you-," "I killed Twilight," Indigo almost screamed. "I'm the reason she's dead!" "Twilight..." her father mused. "The girl who died at the Friendship Games? How was that-," "I'm one of the people who made her, you know," Indigo whimpered. "You made her go on the faulty motorcycle," her father inferred, remember Cadence's cover story. "I killed her," Indigo said, still in tears. "I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed-," "Honey, I know you're upset, but this isn't going to solve anything," her father whispered. "You didn't know about the problem. You thought that awful principal was trying to help you win." "She was scared, and I made her do it. I accused her of wanting us to lose. I made fun of her! I called her names!" Indigo said, remembering the horrible way she treated Twilight, before collapsing into tears again. "Again, how is hurting yourself going to bring her back?" her mother said. "It is what I get for being so horrible," Indigo said, still crying. Her parents tried to give her advice, but instead they held her as she cried, as if she was a little girl and not CPA's top athlete. After a few moments, they released her. "Honey, damaging your brain and your hands doesn't solve anything," her mother said. "Your not only hurting yourself, you hurt us." Her mom whimpered. "How," Indigo said with some concern. "You scared us," her father said sadly. "You scared your classmates. What would happen to them if you hadn't been found and you died?" Indigo's face scrunched up in guilt. "Didn't you care about how we felt?" "I'm sorry," Indigo said with a whimper. "I didn't mean to make you worry." "I know you didn't," her father said. His lip quivered. "But please...please don't scare us like this anymore." "I won't," Indigo said. "The nurse said you can go in a week, and that your cuts should be healed in a few weeks," her father said sternly. "Also, you are going to see a counselor." Indigo nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, Indigo saw a nurse walk in. "Someone named Juniper Montage wants to see Indigo," the nurse said. "Let her in," Indigo said. A solemn looking Juniper walked in, with a small smile. "Hey Indigo," Juniper said, a sad smile on her face. "How are you feeling?" "As good as I can get," Indigo said with a half-smile. "Is it OK if I can talk to Indigo alone?" Juniper said. "Yeah sure," Indigo's father said. "Let us know if you need anything," Indigo's mother said. The nurse walked out of the room with Indigo's parent, leaving her with the tech genius. "So where is everyone else," Indigo asked her workout buddy. "Chores, errands, and clubs," Juniper said. "They'll come and visit you tomorrow." Indigo took a short breath and began blinking several times. "Indigo," Juniper said calmly, with a smile that showed off all her teeth. "There is one question I really, really want to ask you." "Sure," Indigo said. She suddenly found herself being grabbed by her hospital gown and pulled toward an almost snarling Juniper. "What. were. you. thinking?" Juniper asked Indigo calmly. "I....I wasn't-," "Damn straight, you weren't!" Juniper roared. Juniper proceeded to go on a red-faced rant at Indigo for her thoughtless decisions. Yelling at Indigo for endangering her own athletic career. For scaring her friends and family and not caring about how others felt if she died. For making herself look completely insane in front of everyone. She repeated herself several times, contradicted herself even more times, and made it clear that if Indigo ever tried to do it again, Juniper would kill her herself. Indigo managed to look at Indigo during the hold thing. Partly because she deserved the chewing out, but also because she had already been chewed out (in a nicer way) by her own parents. "You always told me about how I needed to overcome my challenges and push on," a hoarse-sounding Juniper said after 35 minutes of ranting. "Well now, this is something...you have to overcome and live with. And you'll do it, even if I have to grab you by your legs." Juniper got right into Indigo's face. "Am. I. Clear?" "Crystal," Indigo said weakly. "I'm so sorry June," Indigo said, in a weak and contrite voice. "I am." "I know you are," Juniper said in a calm but disappointed voice. "It's just," Indigo said, putting her bandaged hands on her forehead. "I still remember her...reaching her hand out..." "Yeah, I know," Juniper said in a frustrated tone. "Reaching her hand-" Juniper blinked. "Wait, can you repeat to me what happened...after she was lifted into the air?" "Well," Indigo said, closing her eyes trying to remember. "I remembering her turning toward us, with desperate eyes, reaching out to us as she was sucked into the purple sphere." Indigo closed her eyes as the painful memory. "Begging for help." "Begging for help," Juniper parroted, only looking more thoughtful than curious. But before Juniper could reflect further, the nurse returned. "Some girl named Pinkie Pie is here to visit you," the nurse said in a nervous tone. Indigo looked confused. "Um, you can send her in," Indigo said confusingly. The nurse welcomed the pink girl in, who looked at Indigo with a happy smile. "Indigo, I heard you were feeling bad," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "So don't worry, I baked you a 'hope you feel better' cake." The girl somehow pulled a boxed cake, with frosting that was the same color as Indigo's hair, from behind her back. "Pinkie," Juniper said in pleasant surprise, "that was...really nice of you." "Why did you bake me a cake?" Indigo asked her. "To help you feel better, silly," Pinkie Pie said. "I thought you hated me," Indigo said, again on the verge of tears. "After you learned how mean I was." "I never hated you silly," Pinkie Pie said, as if speaking to a naïve child. "I was really mad, sure. But I learned long ago there is no point in staying mad." "But I don't deserve a cake," Indigo said miserably, again on the verge of tears. "I hurt Twilight. I made everyone worry. I hurt myself." "Like I said," Pinkie Pie said in a soothing voice. "Everyone deserves to be happy." "Even me?" Indigo whimpered. "Even you." Pinkie said. Indigo started weeping again. Pinkie Pie put down the cake, and gave Indigo a hug, assuring the athlete again and again that she deserved to be happy. Juniper watched this scene with no small amount of joy. "I wish someone like Pinkie had been in my school", Juniper thought to herself. But soon her mind drifted elsewhere, as she remembered Twilight's last moments. And what those meant for Fluttershy's suicide theory. "Would someone who was reaching out be the kind of person wanting to end their own life," Juniper thought to herself. Her mouth set into a fine line as she pondered the implications.