‘If I could go back, I’d have never given you the time of day. You make me sick.’
Cadence raised a brow at the status. Aria Blaze was definitely going through it, she thought. The Dazzling had been making cryptically slamming post for about a week or two now.
She looked to the face on her computer screen, ready to ask him for Canterlot Academy’s latest gossip.
“What’s going on with the Dazzlings?”
“Who cares? Those girls are bitches,” Regal announced. “They probably received some karmic retribution.” Regal really was handsome with his boyish looks and hazel eyes. But sometimes he was a little too immature for her taste. Like now.
“Real mature.” She deadpanned, not liking his tone.
“Never said that I was,” he shrugged with a smirk. “Fuck, marry, kill.”
“I thought only lame school girls played that,” Cadence drawled lazily, as she checked her phone one last time.
“Humor me,” Regal grinned impishly.
Cadence rolled her eyes and placed her phone down on her desk. “Fine.”
“Me, your boyfriend, and Faust.’
“Easy. I’d marry my boyfriend obviously, mess around-”
“Fuck.” He interrupted, rolling his eyes.
“Mess around with Faust,” She enunciated loudly, “and murder you.”
“Wow,” he laughed. “So you can ‘murder’ me, but you can’t ‘fuck’ emo boy? You gotta say mess around?”
“Some of us have class,” she preened teasingly.
“I forgot you and your sister had that in common,” he rolled his eyes as he tossed a ball up into the air.
“What?” She paused.
“Being uppity.” He smirked mischievously, “I can fix that for you if you’d like.”
She groaned, not exactly offended by the proposition, but not necessarily open to it either.
Watching her reaction, Regal rose brow as he leaned forward tabling the ball. “So I take it you and Mr. Perfect haven’t moved past kissing.”
“That’s none of your business!” Cadence griped with a pout.
“I thought we were friends,” he shrugged seriously.
“We’re not that friendly,” she blushed.
“It’s obvious you really like him… Shit, I want you to get it in too,” he said in earnest.
“Ugh…” She groaned as she dropped her head into her hands. “Is it that obvious?”
“Maybe he’s secretly gay?” He offered.
“Or maybe he’s just a good guy.”
“Right…” He drug out. Did she not know how she looked? If he ever got the chance, he’d take her with her ass in the air.
Cadence decided to confide in her friend. “He likes me… I know it. It’s just something’s holding him back.” She confessed.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know…”
“Another girl, maybe?” Regal looked concerned as he tried to help her figure it out.
She recalled the school dance and her expression darkened.
‘A Goddess of Night…’ He had said, ‘Chrysalis is helping me. She’s in my class too.’
‘You don’t even know her...’
Just how friendly were those two?
“What was that look?” Regal asked concerned.
“It’s nothing….”
“C’mon Cadie… Jokes aside. What’s wrong?”
“It’s just… I didn’t realize how close he was to my sister. He’s always standing up for her, and at homecoming they were dancing like they’ve known each other a lifetime. Today he told me how he’s drawing this really intimate piece of her for his art final… I didn’t even know they were friends. Meanwhile, I have to constantly encourage him to be more bold with me when we’re alone… It’s just… I don’t know. I didn’t think of it till now.”
Regal was silent as he took in her confession.
“Well say something. Do I sound crazy or what?”
“I don’t think I should be talking to you about this.”
“Why not… You already ‘fucked’ her, right?” Cadence made a face as a wave of bitterness came over her.
He looked pained. “I just don’t want to go back to how it was when you first left our school.”
The dancer felt bad as she realized this would be an uncomfortable conversation for them to have. “You’re right… He’s just nice… and she’s well… ‘adjusting.’” Besides Shining Armor was as loyal as they came. Cadence trusted him not to break her heart. Chrysalis however…
“Ya don’t say…” Regal intoned quietly.
That night, after she’d ended her chat with Regal, she asked Rarity for a favor.
Later she would end up texting Shining Armor with a suggestion that would ensure he got his project done. If it cut down on the time he spent with her sister, that was just a bonus, not her intention.
*-*-*-*
When Rarity offered to help him pick an outfit for his art project, Shining Armor thought nothing of it. Of course he couldn’t turn in a nude picture, so the subject of his drawing would need clothes. Since he wasn’t known for his fashion sense, he was actually pretty excited about the offer.
The trio made plans for the weekend, since they all had after school obligations.
As he settled into his Culture and Civilizations class, he looked up on the board to see the outline for their semester’s final. Everyone had to pick a civilization and do a three page report. Shining Armor already knew which civilization he was going to report on.
He looked up to see Chrysalis and her friends shuffling in.
The three girls took their seats and readied themselves for today’s lesson.
He watched Chrysalis pull out her phone and grimaced at a text. He wondered what it said.
Luna: You can’t hold this in!
Luna: Stop ignoring me!
Luna: I’m not going to stop.
Luna: I’m never going to stop.
Luna: Maybe you can hide from me but you can’t hide from this, Chryssie… I know you.
Luna: If you won’t stand up for yourself then I will.
*-*-*-*
“Princess, to what do I owe the honor?”
Dr. Clayhoof saved her notes on her computer before logging out so she could give her liege her undivided attention.
Aldepha stood dressed in a pristine button up and slimming pencil skirt. “I just came to check on my daughter’s progress.” Dr. Clayhoof pursed her lips. “A concerned parent of a minor is allowed to do that, right?”
The psychiatrist took off her glasses, folded them and placed them neatly on her desk.
“A concerned parent can check on their child’s general well-being.” The good doctor chose her words carefully.
“General?” Adelpha raised a brow.
“No specifics, I’m afraid.” Clayhoof’s smile was as genial as ever. It looked wrong.
“And what of a sovereign?”
Clayhoof smirked. “Oh Adelpha you know better than that.”
“You never were afraid of me.” Adelpha chuckled lightly as she took a seat.
“And that’s why you trust me to look after your precious cargo.”
“How is she really?” She asked, allowing her concern to waft forward.
“She’s strong, but she’s stubborn. Tight lipped that one.” Clayhoof leaned back in her seat. “I’m going to recommend she ween off those potions. She has to learn to control her own feelings so that she can genially process others’ and not hold onto them.”
Adelpha nodded, making a mental note. “And your personal opinion of my daughter?”
“I’m afraid I can’t even give you that.” She really felt for the woman. Halfings were sensitive. And this one had real trauma to deal with that she couldn’t even talk about.
“So it’s very serious?” Adlepha’s shoulders slumped and her face fell. A multitude of scenarios ran through her mind, but none of them would come close to what her daughter actually went through.
“All you can do is be there and encourage her to open up to you. If it requires outside interference, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Princess.” She bowed her head respectfully. “If I may inquire, why’re you here and not back in Bay City?”
Adelpha exhaled tiredly, before she confided in her old friend.