//------------------------------// // Chapter 37 // Story: Jumper // by lollipopchica //------------------------------// The next day at school seemed to go on well enough for the Halfling. Saying goodbye to her dad and her sister had been quite the shock. So much so that it took her mind off her outing with her mother. One of her teacher’s had even complimented her as she was handing back weekly sketches the students had completed. “Your sketch book is coming along nicely!” Ms. Bubblegum complimented. “Thanks...” Chrysalis accepted reluctantly as she took back her sketchbook. “I want to submit it to this art program in Manehatten that displays and loans sketchbooks like a library.” Her art teacher looked as surprised as she felt with the shared information. It wasn’t often that Chrysalis volunteered anything about herself. Ms. Bubblegum smiled. “That sounds wonderful! Have you ever considered submitting some pieces to the Youth Art’s Center here?” The Halfling found herself lost in conversation about programs the city offered as her teacher chatted on, delighted by her interest. She could tell that the woman was genuinely pleased with her intention. Had she simply read her wrong all this time, or maybe she’d just never given her a chance. A thought that made her pause. “Chrysalis,” her art teacher had continued on gaily, “Would you be available to help a few students today after school? You really do seem to have a better grasp at some of these other techniques and styles. I think the others would greatly benefit from your input.” Shocked by the praise and request, she had wound up dumbly agreeing to assist. However after the day ended, she had immediately regretted it when she found herself in a room with Rainbow Dash, Horns Luck, Snips and Shining Armor. The quarterback had given her a knowing look mostly staying to himself as she helped the other three with their entries to the semester’s art showcase. “This is pretty good,” she was saying to Rainbow Dash, studying the mixed media collage the rocker had created. “You just need to balance it out with these sections,” she pointed to the dead spaces in the piece. “Balance?” Rainbow Dash had questioned skeptically. “Yea,” Chrysalis explained. “Imagine if you hung this up and all the major elements were weighted. How would it hang? Does that make sense?” A light seemed to go off in the other girl’s mind. “That doesn’t mean that you have to have so much going on that the viewer is overwhelmed, but you want there to be visual stability, unless of course it’s your intention for the opposite.” “No! No! That makes sense!” Rainbow Dash looked thoughtful. “What do you feel about adding these pieces here?” “I think that would make a wonderful contrast,” Chrysalis agreed factoring in a variety of rhinestone jewels and fabric pieces the girl had strewn around her work station. Helping Horns Luck had been a little bit more difficult as Chrysalis explained the process of layering watercolor to build intensity. “Let’s try swatches,” she suggested after explaining the concept a third time. Ms. Bubblegum looked to be at her wits end with Snips, much to her amusement. She watched the teacher sigh and suggest a trip to the library. The two left moments later to check out some references. “Thanks for the help, Chrysalis!” Rainbow Dash said with a salute as she packed up her things and hurried out to meet up with her friends for band practice. Fifteen minutes later, and Horns Luck had to leave too. “I’ll work on this more tonight,” the girl said shyly. “Thanks for the lesson.” Chrysalis’ smile was tight. “Ya know... you’re really not that bad.” She grinned and quickly left with her artwork flopping behind her. Chrysalis blinked at that. She moved to clean up supplies and was just about to leave until she remembered Shining Armor in the back of the classroom. “Don’t forget about me,” he called out. She paused and took a breath. “You don’t need help.” “But I do,” he smirked. “Why don’t you just hear me out first.” “What do you need help with?” She asked reluctantly coming over to his workstation, mindful to keep distance between them. “I wanted to place foil, here and here.” Shining Armor began, “but I’m worried it might take the viewer’s focus away from the most important part of the portrait.” She stared at the piece, blown away by the design and inked medium he’d ultimately decided to go with. With mystical renaissance flair, he’d captured Botticelli’s style and gave it a modern twist of its own as it paid homage to the Greek goddess of night. “It’s... She’s beautiful. What’re you worried about overshadowing?” Chrysalis was so entranced by the ethereal, inkiness of night personified in human form that she had failed to notice how he came to stand close beside her leaning in to murmur into her ear. “Nyx...” The feel of his breath tickling her ear made her shiver. “What did you say...” She turned to look at him with wide eyes. “My goddess...” He looked to be gauging her response. “I don’t want to over shadow her.” She blinked, “Oh... uhh... yes... Well you should-“ She stiffened when she felt him tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “What’re you doing?” “Showing you my entry.” “You don’t need to be this close for that.” She tried to be firm but it came out less convincing than she wanted. He raised a brow in challenge. “I don’t?” Chrysalis’ voice trembled. “I’m tired of fighting you on this.” “Then stop...” “It’s not that easy!” She took a step away from him. “It’s not?” Shining Armor appealed coolly. “My sister loves you...” Cadence’s disappointment and rejection had been hard to ignore the past few days. “I do care about Cadence...” He conceded to her secret dismay. “As a friend- But you... I don’t want to be your friend.” “You said you’d be my best friend,” she responded nervously to his confession. “Well now I want something else...” His tone was low as he held his own desires in check. “Shining Armor...” “You can count on me, Chryssie... With whatever it is.” He watched the way her shoulders sagged and her fist clenched. “It must be heavy...” He reached out and closed a hand over one of those fist, willing her to relax. “Aren’t you tired of holding everyone at bay?” The gentle concern that shone in his eyes made her want to tell him everything. But everything sounded so ugly, and she’d cry if he thought her ugly too. His portrait was beautiful, she thought as her eyes moved over the epic piece. She wanted to leave, but his hand cinched onto her wrist, stopping her. She looked to him in question. The moment his eyes fell onto her lips, she had known her fate was sealed. Shining Armor’s face darted forward as he tilted his head, touching her lips with a kiss that was whisper soft despite the quickness of his movements. He stepped closer as his hands slid to her waist, pulling her into his solid frame. Chrysalis’ lips blossomed under the pressure of his own, making her shiver with something other than anxiety. If she hadn’t been so captivated by the pleasure that settled over her being, she would’ve been mortified at the sigh that escaped her as she surrendered to this sensual play of lips. Shining Armor took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, languidly stroking her tongue with his own. Her arms snaked about his shoulders and she relished in the electricity that danced up her spine and rippled across her heart. “You don’t have any feelings for me?” He murmured into her mouth, completely in control of the situation. Chrysalis wanted to respond, but was lost in a swirl of warmth. One of his hands gently stroked her jaw before he took her lips again, this time with no pretense of decorum. The feel of hardened flesh pushing into her thigh brought her back to reality. “S-stop!” She stuttered out, willing herself to ignore the wild and rapid beating of her heart. He allowed her to break their kiss despite the displeasure it brought. Storm cloud eyes bore down into Chrysalis’ frightened gaze. Her hands fell to his chest and weakly pushed him away. Shining Armor’s cheeks were stained with a blush as his chest heaved breathlessly with the same frantic pulse of muscle. Chyrsalis stumbled backwards. “Don’t.” “Tell me you didn’t like it...” He said simply. She made to respond. “Lies don’t count,” He cut in boldly. She shut her gaping mouth and turned on her heel to leave. Pausing at the door, she cast him a backwards glance. “I didn’t want to stop.” “Chrysalis?” Ms. Bubblegum stood on the other side of the door in surprise. “Good evening Ms. B,” she said with a stiff smile, “I have to go.” Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it. *-*-*-* The subject head made her sick. ‘One of your best poses XD...’ What the actual fuck? Slamming the laptop closed and tossing it on the bed, Cadence felt her blood boil at the thought. Why was Regal talking to her sister? More than that- why were they friends on facebook? She lay in one of her Aunt and Uncle’s guest rooms. She didn’t know when her parent’s began taking this relaxed approach in regards to them missing school, but she didn’t mind in the least. Chryssie got to skip a day of lessons, so she supposed it was only fair that she got to too. Her Dad even let her drive some of the way. She was glad to be out of the house as her parent’s had been serious about her punishment. It also helped to have time away from her house and heart’s failure, Shining Armor. It made her sick to see him so concerned about her sister. Where had his concern for her been? The thought soured her mood and pulled her back to the present. Was Chryssie still speaking to their former classmate? She immediately dismissed the thought. Chrysalis was a lot of things, but she never minced words quite that way. She knew her sister loathed the other boy. Why all the drama and pain if she secretly harbored feelings for him? What was going on? Why did it seem like everyone knew something she didn’t? She hadn’t even realized her sister was still signed into her facebook when she took it from her room that morning. Imagine her surprise, when she saw the notification and saw Regal’s screen name flash in the notifications. Should she look at it? While she didn’t think much of her sister at the moment, could she invade her privacy like that? Did she even want to know what the two of them were talking about if they were? Whipping out her phone, Cadence decided she needed some space and texted some of her old friends. Lyra, Allegra and Basil were always a good time. She knew the trio were still in class, but was hopeful to have plans for the afternoon. She didn’t think she could stomach the hostility that was a slighted Luna. ‘One of your best poses XD...’ Even if she hated Chrysalis, which most of the time she was sure she did, why did Regal think it was okay to mock to her that way? A sliver of guilt flowed through her as she truly considered the answer to such a question. Maybe he thought it was okay because of how she constantly disrespected her own sister. The thought was grossly sobering and the younger girl found she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Right-clicking the reply button, she forwarded the message to herself and immediately logged out her sister’s account. Tossing the laptop down, she finished getting dressed and went downstairs to bide her time until her friends responded to her text. Her Canterlot friends had leaped at the opportunity to hang out. The trio hit up a local ethnic spot snacking on samosas and yogurt smoothies. It was so good to see their smiling faces and to listen to all the gossip she’d missed since she no longer attended the academy. But try as she might, she couldn’t shake that caption out of her mind. It truly was an upsetting bit of knowledge. Was Regal really capable of such awfulness? And was everyone right in their opinions about her as well? “Hey, could you drop me back off to my cousin’s?” She’d asked Lyra with an apologetic smile as they paid for their orders. “My Dad’s upset that I didn’t ask first,” she fibbed after pretending to read a text. Lyra looked sad as the other two girls whined. “Cadie!” “Aww man...” “Shoot! It feels like you just got here.” “I know,” Cadence lamented. “Maybe we can see each other again before I leave on sunday...” She mentioned the Harry Stiles concert and the quartet agreed they’d see each other there. The girls had dropped her off to her family’s house. Cadence immediately made her way to the bedroom she was staying and found the laptop sitting on the bed where she left it beside her cousin. “Cadence,” Luna greeted. “Luna... What’s up?” she asked trying not to come off as overly suspicious. The more she stood and listened, the more surprised she became. Not only was Luna apologizing for threatening her weeks ago, but she was inviting her to a party that she and her friends had planned next weekend. The party would be at some kid named Ardent Gale’s house. While she was vaguely familiar with the person, she didn’t know that Luna knew him well enough to hang out with him. “I just want things to be good again.” Her cousin’s smile was strained. “Between all of us.” Cadence tilted her head at that. She thought of her parents quarreling and the estranged relationship she currently had with her sister. She missed late-night talks and fridge raids to her parent’s great annoyance. She missed trips to the mall and excursions with the four of them and their once unbreakable bond. Chryssie was the reason she’d gotten into dancing. Chryssie was always ready with a clapback. Chryssie was the tough one so she could walk around and fill the role of perpetual sunshine. Her sister had always had her back. Always. The thought made her infinitely sad. Would they ever get back to that? Could she ever...? Allowing herself to be roped into another snack run, Cadence forgot all about the video. *-*-*-* Chrysalis stared up at her bedroom ceiling as her thoughts kept her from sleep. Her father and sister had gone to Canterlot just the other morning. She didn’t know how she felt about spending time with her mother now, all things considered. She knew that her mother was a foreigner to these lands, and that even though she and her father were very different people that they both held similar views about magic. The day Adelpha had criticized Chrysalis about what she had done to Curly spoke volumes. Her mother had been genuinely upset with her use of changeling magic even though she’d only given the faintest of suggestions. To see that same woman delve in someone’s mind and twist their memories into oblivion, even if it was to ease their suffering, had made her look at her mother in a different light. “Why did you do that?” She had asked unnerved and even a little afraid of the magic Adelpha had wielded. “Because he was hurting,” She spoke of the pony in the hospital. “But more so because it needed to be done. Do you understand?” She had shook her head and her mother had simply given her a patient smile. “You will one day, but for now let’s just say that it was a matter of national security.” “I don’t want any fettucine,” Chrysalis had said then. Her mother took no offense. But it was rare that she ever did. Rolling over, her thoughts shifted to the den they’d visited. More specifically- Dahlia. Such a coy and perceptive character she’d met. But maybe with this Dahlia’s help, she could also find relief. She could accept that her relationship with her family would never be the same and simply forget that night She thought of Celestia’s words from long ago. ‘I can hear it in your voice! You are not done with it!’ Before she knew it, her phone was in her hand and her fingers were sweeping over the text pad pulling up an unsaved contact. The phone rang four times before a familiar voice picked up. “Pretty Girl!” “This isn’t your boyfriend’s number, is it?” Chrysalis wasn’t surprised at all to know the older girl had fibbed that day. “You’re much more interesting than some boy, don’t you think?” Dahlia’s tone had lost none of its playfulness, even at twelve or one at night. “But you didn’t call to talk about my taste in men...” ‘If you ever remember or maybe you’d like to forget...’ Chrysalis wondered how much such a nicety would cost- if it could even be bought. “Can you keep a secret?” “I can do more than that,” the woman purred. “Could you help me forget one then?” “Depends on what it is. How strong the memories are attached to you.” “As if they have a choice...” She rolled her eyes. “You’d be surprised. Memories have a way of staining us. Especially those of the traumatic sort.” “A boy from my class... he and his friends did some pretty fucked up things... and I couldn’t stop him. I... I never thought I’d be one of those girls... The powerless kind.” Chrysalis snorted disdainfully as old hurt and resentment bubbled in her throat. “I should’ve left,” she thought bitterly. “Can that be forgotten?” She asked instead. Silence. “What exactly are you referring to?” This Dahlia was solemn and cold. “What kind of things?” “The things boys with too much power think they’re entitled to.” Things that they seem to always get away with. “Is that... Chr-Pretty Girl.... Is that what happened?” She was so lost in her own feelings, she failed to hear the turmoil and shock in Dahlia’s voice. “I.... nevermind...” Her thoughts fell back onto the events of the previous day. “This is stupid. I can’t.” “No wai-“ She hung up the phone and curled into a ball. The man at the hospital had looked so happy. Yet his friend had remained sad. Burying her face in her pillow, she muffled a scream into the cushion. What had she been thinking? She whined to herself feeling more frustrated than ever. Calling some stranger and saying those things. Just because the memories were gone, it didn’t mean that the event hadn’t still taken place. Exhausted, Chrysalis really just wanted to sleep. A reminder for an unread FB message sounded.