//------------------------------// // The Offer // Story: Leap of Faith // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// Sunset’s pen raced across her notepad as Mrs. Harshwhinny dictated the guidelines of the all-important essay questions. She hung on to every word, making sure to get it all down before class ended. Normally, Sunset would have trusted her brain to be able to keep track of all the information with only a few footnotes, but today was a special case. As the ticking of the clock counted down to the moment when class would end, Sunset took out a folded sheet of paper from her jacket and nudged Applejack. “Hey, AJ,” she whispered. “Can you do me a favor? I need to go see Mr. Wolfgang after class and I might be a while, so can you give this to Mr. Bray for me?” Applejack deftly accepted the note and put it inside her Stetson with a concerned look. “Yer not in trouble, are ya, Sunset?” Sunset exhaled, puffing out her cheeks. “I honestly have no idea. The guy just found me after school yesterday and asked to see me about my school record or something.” “Uh-huh…” Applejack said, sounding thoughtful. “Do you know if he’s asked to see anyone else like this?” “Nope,” Sunset said, purposefully sounding nonchalant to cover up the growing bundle of nerves that had been buzzing in her gut all morning. Like it or not, there was every chance that this meeting could make or break the inspector’s assessment of CHS, and Sunset had spent most of the morning rehearsing and memorizing various points that she would be able to bring up in order to put less blame on Principal Celestia. “Well,” Applejack said conspiratorially, “I don’t mean to start rumors, but I’ve been hearin’ things about this Mr. Wolfgang.” Checking to see that Mrs. Harshwhinny wasn’t looking at them, Sunset allowed herself to stop writing and give her friend a curious stare. “What kind of things?” “I hear he locks his office when he’s not in it. Like, even when he goes out to inspect classes, he keeps it locked.” “That’s hardly proof of anything,” Sunset said obstinately. “An’ fixing it with a fancy-schmancy combination lock isn’t? ‘Specially if he only plans to be here for a couple of weeks?” “AJ, you’re starting to sound like one of Rainbow Dash’s adventure novels,” Sunset chuckled, but Applejack didn’t share in her levity. While the farm girl didn’t voice any more conspiracy theories, she did part ways with Sunset with an uncharacteristically fretful expression on her face. Finding the office was a task in itself, as Sunset soon realized after her third trip past the water fountain. While Mr. Wolfgang had asked to see her, he hadn’t told her where his office was. Given Canterlot High’s impressive size for a high school, Sunset had anticipated the problem and had left forty minutes before the meeting was strictly meant to take place, but it was quickly becoming apparent that she had underestimated the challenge. She’d been wandering around the empty hallways for nearly half an hour and there was still no sign of her destination. Stopping outside the girl’s restroom, Sunset allowed herself a moment of respite to mentally map out CHS and rule out areas that she had already been to. “Already checked the library… teacher’s lounge? Nah. How about… no, I was just there,” Sunset rattled off more and more spots, her forehead beading with sweat as the map in her head grew more and more convoluted with every location she listed. “This is impossible!” she groaned in defeat, her mental map shattering into a thousand pieces. “Why didn’t I ask him yesterday?!” A drop of sweat rolled into her eye, eliciting a growl of annoyance from the already frustrated Sunset. She swiped at it with her index finger, only for it to drag across the thin sheen of sweat that had gathered on her face during her school wide marathon. Gingerly wiping her hand on the front of her jacket, she pushed open the door to the restroom. Well, if she was going to be late, she may as well be late but clean. The lights were switched off, which was a bit strange. There was also a pungent chemical smell which Sunset chalked up to the janitor having just passed by. After a moment’s fumbling, Sunset’s hand found the light switch and depressed it. Someone shrieked, startling Sunset and almost making her lose her balance as she stepped back onto a loose piece of paper towel. “Velvet?” she said in disbelief. “Sunset?” Velvet gasped back. The blue girl was leaned up against the washbasins, looking more surprised that Sunset could ever remember seeing her. Velvet’s right sleeve was rolled up to her shoulder, exposing a full length of her bare arm to Sunset. It was lean and muscled, surprisingly so for someone who looked as though they spent more time writing in notebooks than playing a sport, but that wasn’t what caught Sunset’s attention. What she couldn’t tear her eyes off of was a ragged, four inch long gash that ran lengthwise down Velvet’s forearm, standing out starkly against the skin like a crack in the flesh. It was clearly recent, because the pile of dirty bandages that lay coiled in a heap next to the sink were spattered here and there with the brown smudges of dried blood. To her credit, Velvet didn’t do anything to try and hide the injury, only pursed her lips and reached into her open bag, withdrawing a half-empty tube of antiseptic cream and a roll of clean bandages. As she unscrewed the cap of the cream, Velvet inclined her head and said, “Hello, Sunset. Shouldn’t you be in class?” She sounded slightly out of breath, as if she had been preparing to fight or flee. The girl squeezed the tube of cream with her left hand and watched as a long blob of white gel dropped onto the cut. “Velvet?” Sunset said again, eyes wide and staring. “What-what happened to you?” Velvet Breeze shrugged, working the cream into the wound using her fingertips with methodical care. “I fell.” She said simply, not quite meeting Sunset’s eyes. “You fell,” Sunset repeated. “Onto what, a nail?” “Don’t be silly, Sunset. Nails leave puncture wounds. This is a slash wound,” she continued to rub cream into her arm, the corners of her mouth twitching whenever her fingers touched upon a sensitive area. “What are you doing out of class anyway? You look like you’ve just run a mile.” “I was looking for Mr. Wolfgang’s office. You know, the inspector.” “Oh,” Velvet frowned, puzzled. “Why?” “He just wanted to talk to me about school stuff,” Sunset replied. Situating herself next to Velvet, she turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face, washing away the sweat. Looking into the mirror, Sunset used a paper towel to wipe off any excess moisture, then dried her hands. The relative silence was punctuated by Velvet’s deep breathing as she put the cream away and unrolled the bandages, winding the white ribbons around her forearm and covering every inch of the cut. Taking one end of the wrapping in her free hand, she raised her arm to her face and ripped through the other end with her teeth before tying it off with some difficulty. Having finished treating herself, the blue girl glanced over to Sunset, who had been watching from the sidelines. “I read the invitation, by the way. I wanted to say thank you for your kindness.” Sunset gave her a bright smile. “Hey, you’re welcome. It was Pinkie Pie’s idea though. I just delivered the envelope.” “I see. Well, give her my thanks as well,” Velvet bundled up the dirty bandages and threw them into a side compartment on her bag. “Don’t you want to put those in the trash?” Sunset asked. The idea of someone carrying around a bunch of dirty, bloody bandages in their bag made her queasy. Shaking her head, Velvet stowed away the rest of the medical supplies and washed her hands under the tap. “I’d prefer to dispose of it myself. Less hassle that way.” She hitched her bag back over her shoulder, but the clasp caught on the bandages around her arm and pulled them loose, baring the grisly wound to the open air once more. Fresh blood gleamed on her skin as Velvet dropped the bag and hissed in pain. Sunset rushed forward to help, but Velvet waved her away. “Don’t worry about it,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’ve suffered worse.” Her fingers fumbled around the loose end of the bandage, unable to get a grip on the dressing through the shaking. “Just… give me a moment…” Sunset was having none of it. Squaring her shoulders, the amber skinned girl steered the weakly protesting Velvet back to the sinks and wound the gauze back around the cut, making sure to layer it twice over the site of the injury. Velvet watched in silence as Sunset tended to her arm, the trembling subsiding as the bandage was tied off securely at the wrist. “There. That should hold up better,” Sunset said, examining her handiwork. Velvet’s arm was now enclosed in a neat sleeve of white linen, wrapped snugly but comfortably around the entire limb. Velvet tentatively flexed her arm, testing the mobility. “You didn’t have to do that,” She said eventually, giving Sunset an unreadable look, almost one of uncertainty. “But thank you.” “It’s the least I could do for a friend,” replied Sunset with an airy wave of her hand. “A friend…” Velvet repeated as her brow furrowed. “Huh.” “I mean, if you want to be friends,” Sunset backpedaled, anxious about stepping into unwarranted territory. “It’s okay if you don’t want to be.” “No, I mean, yes, I mean, I don’t know,” Velvet said, looking flustered. “I mean, are you okay with that? Me being your friend, I mean.” “Of course I’m okay with it. Why wouldn’t I be?” “Let’s just say back where I come from, people aren’t nearly as outgoing as you,” Velvet explained darkly. “We have… trust issues.” Squashing down the feeling of apprehension that threatened to rise up, Sunset put on a lopsided smile and asked, “Where did you say you went to school before this?” “A small place in Trottingham. Out of the way, with a few people.” “So why’d you come here then?” Sunset asked curiously. “Was it because of the murder?” “No, no. I already told you I’m not afraid of that, nor is my guardian. She just thought it would be a good change of scenery; Canterlot is a much nicer looking place than Trottingham.” It seemed like a bit of a flimsy reason to Sunset, but she shelved that for later. “Yeah, I guess it does look nice.” She agreed. “Did you… have many friends back in Trottingham?” Unexpectedly, Velvet gave a bitter bark of laughter, placing both hands on the washbasin as if bracing herself. “Not many friends, no, but those I had I trusted with my life. Made it all the more hard when they had to go…” she finished in a whisper. Was it Sunset’s imagination, or were Velvet’s eyes, normally either piercing or emotionless, shimmering with tears? Before she could confirm her theory, Velvet blinked heavily, returning them to their traditional coolness. “I’m sorry, Sunset. I guess I’m just a little homesick.” After giving her head a shake, Velvet swallowed and slung her bag back onto her shoulder, taking care to avoid her arm before pulling the sleeve back into place to cover the bandages. “You mentioned you were looking for Wolfgang’s office, right? Well, it’s at the end of the east hallway, behind a door covered with posters.” In all honesty, Sunset had completely forgotten about her meeting with Mr. Wolfgang. “Oh. Thanks.” “You had better hurry,” advised Velvet as she held the bathroom door open for Sunset. “It’s almost time for your meeting, if I’m not mistaken.” Already plotting a course for the east hallway, Sunset thanked Velvet again and set off, but a hand around her arm halted her progress. Looking up, Sunset found herself locked in the gaze of Velvet’s uncomfortable stare. “Watch yourself around Wolfgang, Sunset. I doubt he’s here for the reasons he says he is.” Just as Velvet had predicted, there was an old door at the end of the east hallway, cleverly hidden by a combination of misplaced lockers and a flickering lightbulb. At first, she was hesitant to even go down to the end of the hallway; hallways with dim lights tended to bring up unpleasant memories. Nevertheless, Sunset soon found herself with her fist raised, ready to knock on the door. On the fourth knock, the doorknob jiggled and turned, the hinges on the door squeaking with age and disuse. As the door yawned open, Sunset’s nose was beset by the smell of mildew and tobacco, not at all a pleasant bouquet. Resolving to breathe through her mouth, Sunset stepped into the office. It was a tight, cramped place, dimly lit by fingers of sunlight that poked through the blinds of the window. A scratched and dented wooden desk dominated the space, a chair on each side. Filing cabinets, the only things that looked new, were pushed up against the left wall. With a growing sense of trepidation, Sunset noted that Applejack had been right to some degree; each cabinet was sealed shut with a heavy combination lock. The man himself was seated behind the table, outlined in the dusty light. Without a word, Mr. Wolfgang gestured for Sunset to sit down. As she did so and her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Sunset was surprised to see that the man was wearing an absolutely revolting wool sweater with a strange badge on the breast. A curious ornament made of black crystal, it was fashioned in the shape of a cross and held in place with a bronze pin. Unsure of what to say, Sunset sat in silence, awaiting the inspector to make the first move. He didn’t. “Uh, so…” Sunset scratched at the back of her head. “You wanted to see me?” Mr. Wolfgang seemed to give a tiny start, almost as though he had just noticed she was there. “Oh, yes,” Mr. Wolfgang reached under the table, bringing out a blue plastic file with Sunset’s name on it. “I’m sure your time is as valuable as mine is, so I’ll keep this short. I was looking through your academic record, as I did with the entire student body, and I happened upon an interesting little tidbit of information.” Reaching into the file, the inspector’s fingertips pulled at the corner of a dull yellow sheet of paper. “You see, Principal Celestia was kind enough to supply me with a list of school events from the past few years, and I happened to notice that you seem to feature in quite a few of them. Quite prominently, in fact.” “Is… is that so?” Sunset gulped with a sinking feeling, not liking where this was going. “Indeed. Although I would like to mention that while your academic record has more than a few smudges on it, your overall scholastic performance appears to have taken a climb in the most recent months. I’d say you’ve become quite the model student.” “Thank you, sir,” said Sunset awkwardly. This wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting. “You’re very welcome. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Principal Celestia herself thought very highly of you. Which brings me to my final point.” Steepling his fingers, Mr. Wolfgang leaned over the tabletop and gave Sunset what was probably meant to be a friendly smile, but the effect was rather spoiled by his icy cold eyes. “You see, as an inspector from the board of education, it’s important that I know anything and everything there is about a school in order to properly judge and rate it for my superiors. Unfortunately, your principal and vice principal haven’t exactly been forthright with me on a few things.” “You understand, I am still missing a lot of information on what exactly happened during the most recent Fall Formal and the musical showcase known as the Battle of the Bands. All my attempts to glean even the tiniest crumb of data on them have been rebuffed by Celestia and Luna.” An unsavory gleam crept into the inspector’s face. “It’s almost as though the staff are hiding something from me. Something that they’d rather the board of education didn’t know about.” Squirming inwardly, Sunset tried opening her mouth but no sound came out. After the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands, it had been an unspoken agreement amongst the students and staff of Canterlot High School that the magical details of both events be kept among those involved only. The student body had been very understanding about the whole thing, perhaps in part due to being exposed not once but twice to the magic of friendship. Completely misreading her expression, Mr. Wolfgang nodded vigorously. “I know it’s shocking. But you have to believe me when I say that if I don’t get that information, and all of it, my report back to the board of education might put this school in a less than glowing light. And if the board of education’s not satisfied, then…” The threat hung in the air like the tobacco and mildew stink, hazy and stifling. “Well, let’s just say that Celestia and Luna might be prompted to take their talents elsewhere.” “Wh-what does this have to do with me?” Sunset stammered. Wolfgang looked mildly surprised. “Why, I thought it fair to notify you of the stakes, just like I did Celestia and Luna, though I hope you’ll be more reasonable than they were.” So that was it. As repulsive as the man’s offer was, Sunset had no illusions about what would happen to CHS if word about its magical happenings got out. “I don’t know anything, sir.” “No, I didn’t think so,” Mr. Wolfgang shrugged good-naturedly. “I was just hoping that you might be able to talk some sense into your principal before the end of the school year… otherwise, I’m afraid my report might look rather harsh without that crucial information, if you know what I mean.” He concluded with a smile that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a church gargoyle. Sunset’s heart was beating into overdrive as she sat paralyzed in her chair. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to do something, to say something that would change Mr. Wolfgang’s mind. “I’m not sure they’ll listen to me, Mr. Wolfgang,” Sunset tried. “I mean, I could tell you about what happened during the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands.” “Mmm, I don’t think so. Every student I’ve asked about it has given me a different version of it so far. Not that I doubt your honesty, of course, but I’d rather hear it from the people in charge.” After brushing a speck of dust off his horrible sweater, Mr. Wolfgang put Sunset’s file back into the cabinet and locked it. “I’m sure you’ll know to do the right thing, Miss Shimmer. If you learn anything, anything at all, come and find me, and I’ll revise my report straight away.” “Now if you’ll excuse me, Miss Shimmer, I have a class to inspect. Why don’t you head off to lunch early and think about it?” And with that, Sunset was escorted out of the dingy office and into the dimly lit hallway. She was still standing there long after Mr. Wolfgang’s footsteps had faded into the distance. Even after school, the inspector’s words haunted Sunset as she sat down with her friends at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was presently keeping the group entertained with a particularly colorful story about how she had once ended up nearly painting her room with frosting after she and Maud had gotten the paint cans mixed up. Judging by the copious amounts of guffawing and giggling that was going on, it must have been quite a good tale, but Sunset just wasn’t in the mood. “Um, Sunset?” it was Fluttershy. “I don’t mean to pry, but is something wrong?” Looking up from her root beer float, Sunset Shimmer realized that all five of the other girls were regarding her with varying levels of concern. “You’ve been staring at the table for the past fifteen minutes,” Rarity added. “You’re not ill, are you, darling?” “Yeah! You totally missed the part where Maud tried making rock cakes with paint, only to realize that-” Pinkie’s rambling was stoppered by Applejack putting her hand over the pink dynamo’s mouth. “We get the idea, Pinks. But seriously, Sunset. You’ve been looking a mite under the weather all afternoon. Is there anythin’ we can help ya with?” “As long as it’s not poetry,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “I don’t think I can stand another mushy line about comparing someone to a warm summer’s day.” “It’s not poetry, Rainbow. Don’t worry,” Sunset laughed, the rest of the table laughing with her. “It’s about the inspector. You guys know that he wanted to talk to me today, right?” “Uh-huh. ‘Bout your school report or something, right?” “Yeah… turned out it wasn’t about that.” Egged on by the inquisitive faces of her friends, Sunset continued, “He wanted to talk about the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands.” “Horseapples…” Rainbow Dash said under her breath. “Are you suspended or something?” “No, but it might be easier if I was,” reflected Sunset with an ironic grimace. “Mr. Wolfgang wants me to get Principal Celestia to tell him what really happened at both events.” “You mean, with all the magic and lasers and rainbows?” “Yep.” “And Twilight?” “Probably. And he said if he doesn’t get the truth, the board of education is going to fire Principal Celestia!” “How does this guy even know what the truth is? For all he knows, Principal Celestia’s telling the truth already!” Rarely had they ever seen Pinkie Pie so distraught. She in particular held a special fondness for their spectral haired principal; no matter how big of a mess her parties and celebrations made, Celestia would only let her off with a friendly warning, something they were sure no other principal would have done. “I don’t know, Pinkie,” Sunset said resignedly. “But what do I do? If I don’t convince Principal Celestia to come clean with Mr. Wolfgang, she’ll be replaced, and it’ll be all my fault!” She buried her face in her palms, grinding her teeth at the impossible situation. “What am I going to do, girls?” Sunset hadn’t actually been expecting a response, so she was suitably surprised when she heard someone quietly say, “You could always kill him.” In a blur of gold and red hair, Sunset pulled her head up and joined everyone else in looking at who had spoken. It didn’t take long. Seated alone at the booth right beside them was Velvet Breeze, staring at some kind of fruit pastry in her hand as though trying to mentally dissect it. Rainbow Dash chuckled uncertainly. “Oh, hey, Velvet. Didn’t see you there.” She cleared her throat. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d have said you just suggested that Sunset kill Mr. Wolfgang.” Velvet took a bite of her pastry with all the enthusiasm of someone about to have their wisdom teeth extracted. “No, you’re completely right. That’s exactly what I suggested.” Upon seeing the aghast faces of the Rainbooms, the blue girl shrugged and added, “I’m joking, of course.” Everyone noticeably relaxed at that, though Sunset noticed that despite the claim that she had been jesting, Velvet did not crack even the slightest smile. “Dude,” Rainbow admonished. “Don’t joke about things like that. I thought you were actually being serious!” Velvet shrugged. “I’ve never been good at jokes. I didn’t mean to alarm you.” She took another bite. “So is this what you girls normally do after school?” “Mm-hmm!” Pinkie confirmed, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. “Did Sunset give you your party invitation?” “She did. I’ll be there, unless something comes up.” Applejack adjusted her hat, treating Velvet to a thinly veiled squint. “’Comes up’? What, are you expecting somethin’ weird to happen on Friday?” Shrugging, Velvet finished off her pastry and dusted off her hands. “Not really, but you just never know.” She glanced at her phone. “Sorry everyone, but I need to be heading back home to freshen up before heading to work. I didn’t get much sleep last night, if you know what I mean. See you tomorrow.” Velvet Breeze waved goodbye to the gang and went over to the counter before exiting the café with a tall cup of coffee. “Work? I didn’t know Velvet had a job,” Rainbow Dash remarked, looking ever so slightly impressed. “Maybe that’s what she meant by something coming up.” “Maybe that’s where the cut came from…” mused Sunset under her breath, frowning at the possibility of a job that might inflict such a wound on an employee. Fluttershy looked at her amber skinner friend curiously. “What’s that, Sunset?” “Nothing…” While she trusted her friends implicitly, Sunset Shimmer didn’t feel like sharing her encounter with Velvet in the bathroom with them just yet. Craning her neck, Sunset followed Velvet’s progress in the window until she was out of sight. There was too much she didn’t know, but she was already formulating a plan to rectify that.