//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Recovering [OLD] 
// Story: The Soul's Savior 
// by Dusty Old Qrow 
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You find out that your science teacher is also the father of two students you used to bully? Awkward.

Your ex shows up out of nowhere, right in the middle of your emotional breakdown? Also awkward.

I swear, my life is a teenage drama. Sunset’s inward thoughts groaned.

“Uh, hi... Sunset.” Flash Sentry’s voice was also awkward. Adorably awkward, she had to admit. The way he held himself, with most of his weight shifted to the right and one hand always in the pocket of his jeans with the other hanging stiffly at his side, it all screamed awkward. Lover boy’s lost without his girlfriend, Sunset sneered. Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry. Couple of the year, ladies and gentlemen. I wonder how miss “Pretty Purple Pony Princess” is getting along without her boyfriend.

Uh... Wow, that was mean.

Sunset avoided looking directly at Flash- no matter what she did, flashbacks of the Fall Formal still haunted her. The way that Demon had forcefully stripped away the free will of the students... It horrified her. “Hey, Flash.” She finally replied. Say sorry say sorry say sorry-

Before she could say anything, Flash opened his mouth. “I just... wanted to check up on you. You seemed really on edge today. I wanted to talk to you earlier, but...” He glanced at Rainbow Dash and pointed at her. “She growled at me.” He said dumbly. Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously and slowly moved her hand to the back of her head.

Sunset let out a small laugh. “Heh, yeah... She does that.” She smiled as she gazed at her rainbow friend from the corner of her eye. “So, you...” Sunset started as she pushed herself to her feet, wobbling as she did so. “You wanted to check up on me?” She asked with a slight smile. Despite their entire relationship being nothing but a lie, it was nice to know that someone other than Rainbow Dash and her group of friends cared about her.

It was now Flash’s turn to grin. “Y-Yeah, I, uh...” He laughed a little as he rubbed the back of his head. He cleared his throat. “I saw how scared you were in the hallways and, well, knowing how you used to be... It was hard to believe, you know? So I wanted to make sure you were alright. Other than Dash, there, nobody else seemed interested in doing that.”

At the mention of her name, Rainbow Dash too got to her feet, though she jumped up.

“Well, I’m...” Sunset paused, mulling over her words in her mind. “I wouldn’t say that I’m ‘alright’, but I’m managing, I suppose.” She said with a shrug. “Between Rainbow Dash, Applejack and even Rarity, I’ve had some help.” Her smile grew wider. Her voice dropped to a mumble. “Friends really are a great thing to have...”

Rainbow Dash suddenly patted Sunset on the back with a wide grin. “You bet, Sunset. Like I said, I’ll be with ya every step of the way!” The athlete laughed loudly.

Flash Sentry smiled. Despite the horrible things that Sunset did during her time as a bully, if Rainbow Dash was willing to stand by her, then who was he to think different? “So... yeah. That’s all, I guess. Bye, Sunset.” He said simply before turning and walking away.

Or he would have, if someone hadn’t grabbed his arm.

“Huh?” He looked over his shoulder to see that the offending force keeping him from moving was Sunset. “Wh-What is it, Sunset?” He questioned.

The flame-haired girl stammered, trying to start the sentence but kept choking on her own words. “I-I...” Dang it, just spit it out! If you can’t apologize to him, how will you be able to apologize to everybody else?! “I’m... I’m sorry, Flash. For everything.” She finally said with a sigh. “I’m sorry for being such a jerk, for leading you on, for getting you involved in a fake relationship, for using you, for... Well, for being a really horrible person.” Sunset finished, her entire body seeming to deflate, her shoulders sagging and face falling, as she ended her words.

“Oh...” Flash mumbled in surprise. “W-Well, uh...” He shifted his eyes left and right, trying to think of what to say. “Well, there must have been some good in you. I mean, I-I never told anybody about you being... Well...” His eyes moved past Sunset to Rainbow Dash. Sunset looked over her shoulder and shrugged.

“She knows that I’m homeless, Flash. And thanks for not telling anybody... Even though you had every reason to.”

“Hey, you may have been a jerk to everybody,” He cringed at his terrible choice of words. “but you’re making up for it now, I guess...” He trailed off, tilting his head downward. “So... Yeah, I don’t think you were a totally mean person last week... I’m just repeating myself now.”

He and Sunset shared a chuckle. Rainbow Dash grinned.

“So...” Sunset began with a grin, holding out her hand. “Friends?”

Flash clasped his hand around hers and shook them with a grin. “Friends.”

The two simply stood, hands locked together, staring at the other with smiles on their faces... Until Rainbow Dash let out a long groan. “Enough with the goo-goo eyes, guys. We need to go!” She said in exasperation. She, for some reason, found herself glaring at Flash. The phrase ‘waifu stealer’, for some reason, came to mind.

As the three walked out of the school, with Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry on either side of Sunset Shimmer, she found herself grinning from ear to ear. That was simple enough, I guess... If he can forgive me, then I guess others can, too... Things are looking up. I hope...

"So, uh," Flash began. "what were you too doing in the school anyway?"

Sunset and Dash groaned as they started to explain.



Turner sat in a random students’ desk in the back of his classroom, hunched over with his elbows on the table and his hand clutching his hair as tears dropped from his face onto the wooden top. His brown trenchcoat had long-since been abandoned, lying in a heap on the ground just a few feet away from him. His blue suit was wrinkled, the cuffs on his sleeves undone. He had long since ceased his sobs. By this point he simply sat in silence, never moving or speaking. Turner simply wallowed in his sorrows, completely and utterly alone.

With a sigh he slowly stood from the chair which made a loud creak as he steadied himself on his feet.  Alright, Turner. You’ve been through this song and dance before... Just not in this exact scenario. Indeed, there have been many time Turner cried for his lost family. And just like every other time, you’re gonna get right back up. Go back to teaching tomorrow. And move on. He knew that the last part was a lie.

Now, then. Time to go.

What do you mean, time to go?

Go home. Call Celestia, say you’re not coming to school tomorrow. And mope until you feel better. You tried. You gave them their explanation, and they’re gonna live knowing that they have a father they can count on... Even if they don’t realize it yet. The rational part of his brain reasoned. In the end, that’s all a father can do. Be there for his children.

But was I ever there for them?

You were there when Derpy and Dinky won their first spelling bee. You were there for all their birthday parties thrown in class. You were there for them to talk to, and to trust. You did your best.

Did I?

....

That was the truth of the matter... He did not try his best. When the darkness got too rough, he tried to end it all. When that failed he gave them up. His own daughters, flesh and blood, and gave them to a friend who was not ready to be a parent. And yet Berry Punch was a fantastic mother. His daughters did well for themselves, yes, but they didn’t do it alone. Their friends: Rumble, Featherweight and their adoptive cousin Berry Pinch, and yes even their adoptive mother Berry Punch. Like Turner said, Derpy and Dinky had never needed him.

And as much as he would love to have them back, they were no longer his. No, while he may be their biological father, he had already given up any right to be their parent. Berry Punch was their mother, is their mother, and he just needed to get over it. Turner had made his choice long ago.

With his mind clear, he straightened himself out. He tightied up his hair, rubbed the wrinkles out of his suit and picked up his brown trenchcoat from the floor and put it on. He took the locket out of the coat’s pocket, and with but a moment’s hesitation put it around his neck.

“I’m sorry, Derpy, Dinky. Truly. But you never needed me, and you don’t now.”

Only one more tear fell from his eye as he opened the door and walked out calmly. If they don’t want anything to do with me, its their choice, not mine. If they want me in their lives, they’ll tell me. I have no right to intrude where I’m not wanted. Though his mind was clear, his heart ached, yearned, to be with his daughters once more. But instead of going to them, he went home.



His vision was blurred.

Oh, he could see just fine. Though the green haze surrounding his sight was indeed there, he hardly even noticed it, as if it was not there. But it was. He wasn’t sure why he could see through it... In fact, he was not sure of anything at the moment. While the green haze had no affect on his sight, it did blur his mind.

So there he stood, in an abandoned warehouse, on a slightly raised platform in the center of the room. The warehouse was dark, damp and dirty with rats noisily scurrying from one end to another and bugs crawling around silently. But he didn’t notice any of this. The green haze fogged his mind. At the moment, he wouldn’t notice if the world collapsed around him.

This is familiar.

That one thought- one singly line of words in his head- was the only thing to get through the fog. And it was true, he had experienced this sort of trance before, just last Friday night. Not that he made the connection. The fog quickly patched up any holes for thoughts to get through and prevented any more free thinking. The green haze on his mind and vision thickened. Crimson Napalm was completely and utterly under their spell.

On either side of Napalm was another person, not that he noticed. One was a male student that looked to be around his junior or senior year. He was tall, extremely so. He could me mistaken for a full-grown adult if it weren’t for his juvenile looking face, what with his pudgy cheeks and undefined chin. His light skin provided a nice contrast to the darkness of the warehouse, along with the stark whiteness of his button-up shirt. His black jeans, however, blended in nicely with the dark. And like Napalm, he too was under their spell. The other person was another male in a nice red shirt with a folded collar, on top of the shirt was a white tie, which complemented his fancy grey jacket with a lightning pin on the collar. His skin was a light blue, and his hair was a slightly darker shade of blue. Like the previous two, he was also under their spell.

Ah, yes. Them. The ones who cast this spell.

Napalm never saw them, nor did the other two students.

There were three of them, all of them girls. One was yellow. Very yellow. From her skin, to her hair (Which was also very orange. And fluffy.). Her eyes were a devilish magenta, though occasionally they flashed green due to the spell being cast. Her sisters, one purple skinned and purple-and-blue haired (She wore two ponytails) and purple eyed, the other blue skinned and blue-and-darker-blue haired (She wore one ponytail.) and blue eyed. Together, the trio made up the fearsome Sirens.

Or they would be, once they reached their full power.

Adagio Dazzle stood in front of the raised platform that held the brainwashed teens. Her magenta eyes slowly gazed over the three mind-controlled boys, a smirk growing on her face as she did so. She laughed smoothly, almost devilishly. Their magic wasn’t nearly as powerful without true Equestrian magic, but that would change soon enough. And these three boys would be the key to ripping that magic from Canterlot High.

“You know, girls,” She began, her voice naturally slipping into her deep and alluring tone. Her two sisters walked up behind her. “I don’t know about you two, but I really want our magic back.” Her smirk grew ever wider and her eyes hungry. She turned to face Aria and Sonata. “I’d say we sic these boys on their school as soon as possible... maybe, oh, I dunno... tomorrow?” She laughed as she finished. Her laughter was soon followed by her two sisters’, their voices echoing dauntingly from the walls of the warehouse.

Crimson Napalm could only weakly struggle against the binds of the green fog in his mind, internally screaming for help.

Adagio’s laugh ceased and she signaled for her sisters to stop laughing as well. “We  need to move fast, girls. Our magic can’t hold them for long.” She stated, walking away. “And one of you needs to move those boys downstairs. I’m tired of looking at them.”

Yes, Adagio Dazzle thought. Soon enough, we will be at our peak! And the way to do that... is in Canterlot High.

Yet again, her smooth and cool laughter echoed through the walls of the warehouse.

Crimson Napalm continued to bang on the prison walls of his mind.

As he and the other boys were pulled away and down the stairs, he could only watch as the Sirens walked out of the dark basement, shut the door and locked it. The blue one’s laugh was the creepiest.