//------------------------------// // Rough Edges // Story: A Heart Encased In Stone // by The Fan Without a Face //------------------------------// “I appreciate you coming by on such short notice. I know this seems a little out of the blue, but I wanted to see how well you are adjusting to life here at Canterlot High.” Principal Celestia spoke with a comforting smile, resting her hands on her desk as she sat across from Coalstone, currently sporting a fairly neutral expression, which only served to add some tension to Celestia. The young teen was quietly manipulating what appeared to be two small stones in his hands, seemingly able to keep them moving despite having his eyes trained on the principal and his attention at least mostly focused on the conversation. “It’s no problem, I suppose, Principal Celestia. Though you’ll forgive me if I’m a little skeptical, given that this most likely isn’t something you normally do with all your students... Unless you are also the guidance counselor at this school as well as the principal.” Celestia merely laughed at his comment. “No, no, that’s actually Ms. Zecora. She’s quite good at her job, too, though she does have this interesting habit of speaking in rhyme.” Coalstone gave her an odd look. “It’s a little unorthodox, but the other students actually seem to enjoy it.” she quickly added. Her expression eventually became slightly more serious as she folded her hands together and placed her elbows on the desk. “As principal, it’s my job to ensure that all the students at this school receive a solid education and are well cared for.” She separated her hands and opened a file that had been on her desk, a file that Coalstone could see had his name on it. “Academically, you’re rather exceptional and your teachers have all described you as being diligent and hard-working,” she began, looking through the file. “Then what’s the problem?” Her expression quickly shifted into a sad frown as she quickly scanned over some of the teachers reports. “Several of those same teachers have mentioned repeatedly that you make little of an attempt to socialize with your classmates and fellow students. You always eat lunch by yourself, and when you aren’t in class, you’re either locked in the art room or the library.” Celestia slowly closed the file with a sigh.“Your teachers as well as myself are a bit concerned.” Coalstone’s hands quickly began to speed up, moving the stones faster between his fingers despite his expression not changing much. “What’s there to be concerned about?” he said flatly. “So I’m not some social butterfly or anything. It’s not like I’m the only person in this school who doesn’t have a million friends.” “Yet isolating yourself away from everyone else isn’t healthy,” she responded, noting the steadily increasing speed of the stones. “Part of the reason you were transferred to this school was to help improve your social skills and make some friends. I’m not asking you to change who you are, and I’m not punishing you for something. I simply don’t want to see one of my students spending all their time alone.” Coalstone’s expression became much more somber as his gaze fell to the ground, seemingly struck silent. Celestia, however, needed only to look at the now motionless stones in his hands to have at least some idea as to what thoughts were racing through his mind. As the silence dredged on, Celestia eventually quickly got up and placed a comforting hand on the young teen’s shoulders, actually causing his grip on the stones to tighten on reflex. He met her eyes as she began speaking. “I know that making friends is difficult, for you especially. I also know that it can be a frightening thing. But if you make the effort, I know you’ll make wonderful friends with whom you’ll form a lasting bond that you will always treasure.” Coalstone turn his head away and let out a light scoff at the principal’s words. His hands began to resume turning the stones once more, though Celestia could see that it had far less speed than before. Celestia dared to adopt a cheeky grin. She stood up and moved back over to her desk, Coalstone’s eyes following her as she did. “You know, I have another student with a similar problem to you. She’s had difficulty making friends and admittedly did struggle before any significant changes came. Now, however, everyday I see her, she has a smile on her face that shines as brightly as the sun.” Celestia locked gazes with Coalstone once again, this time with even more sincerity shining through them. “And I know you can do the same, Coalstone.” The stones immediately ceased all movement and, for the briefest moment, Celestia swore she saw a slight twitch in the teen’s eye. After a few seconds of stark silence, Coalstone spoke in a low voice. “That student wouldn’t happen to be named Sunset Shimmer, would she?” “You know Sunset?” Celestia was rather pleasantly surprised: since his arrival, Coalstone had made no real attempt to communicate with anyone save for the occasional hello or goodbye, much less actually bothering to get to know someone enough to ask for their name. Coalstone’s eyes returned to the rocks in his hands, lightly passing them together between his fingers as he talked. “Not personally, but I did meet her after she ran into the art room crying.” Celestia felt a slight chill run down her back. “Ahh… yes, the Anon-A-Miss incident. Certainly not the brightest moment in our school’s history,” she said bitterly. Coalstone continued. “Anyway, she came in while I was working on one of my statues... and we talked for a little bit. Funny thing, she mentioned something about turning into some kind of raging she-demon.” A somewhat muffled cough echoed through the office, with Celestia moving somewhat anxiously in response to the question. “Let’s just say there was another incident a while back and leave it at that, shall we.” With another cough, she quickly returned to  the topic at hand. “Let’s get back to your meeting with Sunset. May I ask what you talked about?” “Nothing especially interesting. She told me how everyone in the school was treating her, and I offered my own thoughts on the matter. Not much else to say other than that.” Celestia was tempted to frown at the teen’s evasive response to her question, though she’d anticipated he’d be difficult to talk with and knew pressing the issue wouldn’t get her very far. “I must say, that’s surprising to hear. You must have talked about something that managed to keep you invested.” Coalstone’s grip on the stones quickly seemed to tighten, along with his facial expression, with a dark frown growing on his face. “I guess I just understood how she felt. Having everyone turn against you, abandon you, all for something petty or minor. Can’t say I wasn’t a little bit angry and curious.” Slowly his grip on the stones lessened as did his glare, but the stones still remained in his grip, as he continued to stare at the floor. “Doesn’t really matter ,though. It was a one time thing. Besides, I heard her friends apologized after learning the truth about everything, so that’s the end of that little encounter.” Celestia however, only shook her head. “You should try to stay positive, Coalstone. Finding common ground is often the starting point to forming a lasting friendship, so long as you continue to pursue it.” She watched as Coalstone finally put the stones in his pocket and quickly eyed a nearby clock.  She took a quick glance and fought back a light curse when she noticed how late it was. “I hate to cut this conversation short, Ms. Celestia, but I have to go to my next class, and I’d prefer not to be late if you don’t mind.” Coalstone’s tone seemed to indicate indifference at the matter, but Celestia could tell he was at least somewhat grateful to end the conversation where it stood. As he got out of his seat and reached for his bag, he took another glance at Celestia. “I appreciate you wanting to speak with me, Ms. Celestia. I’ll keep some of what you said in mind as well, though I can’t make any promises.” Celestia could only nod at his response. “That’s all I’m asking of you, Coalstone. I do hope you’ll at least consider trying to make friends with some of the students here.” Coalstone merely offered a nod as he headed out the door. Celestia let out a long sigh as she looked over Coalstone’s folder again. “Well that could have gone better. Principal Amore wasn’t lying when she said he’d be difficult.” She got out of her seat and walked away from her desk to the window, taking in the sight of many of her other students interacting with each other as they were heading back to the school. As she stared at the many happy faces of her students, the sound of the door opening and shuffling of feet got her attention. Celestia turned to see her younger sister and vice principal enter the room, holding a cream-colored folder. “Forgive me for intruding, Celestia, but the documents you requested concerning the recent scandal just came through, and I thought you’d like to read them.” A loud, frustrated groan echoed through the empty room. Luna noticed her sister’s shoulders and fingers tense at the mention of ‘incident.’ “I take it you’re not having the most pleasant day so far?” Luna quietly placed the documents on her sister’s desk, while Celestia continued to stare out the window. “I’m guessing things didn’t go as well as you hoped with the boy who just left?.” Celestia gave her sister a small smile; as always, she was impressed by her sister’s intuition. “He’s stubborn…” she answered after a beat of silence, “or at the very least, he’s unsure. Though I know it’s possible to get him to break out of that shell he’s put around himself.” Luna merely quirked her eyebrow at the notion. “Forgive me for this, but what makes you think you can do so? Principal Amore tried for months to get through to that boy and ultimately failed.” Celestia quickly took another look at Coalstone’s file. “During our discussion, he said that he actually spoke to Sunset Shimmer not long after the uproar in the hallway. I believe Sunset might be able to get through to him, if only based on their shared experiences.” “It’s a novel idea, but there’s no guarantee it will succeed,” her sister replied skeptically. Celestia quietly shut Coalstone’s file before placing it in her desk and reaching for the documents to look them over. “Sunset has made tremendous strides over the last few months and has helped to save this school and bring her fellow students together in spite of her past mistakes. More so, she understands isolation better than most, even if only by her unique situation of being in a completely different world.” Luna merely shrugged her shoulders at her sister’s insistence. “I suppose there’s no point in arguing with you. I’ll make sure to call Sunset in after class has let out; hopefully she won’t be against the idea.” “Actually I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Luna.” Celestia quickly stopped her sister in her tracks. “Sunset has become much more proactive when it comes to friendship and will likely take action of her own accord, thus there’s no reason to further grease the wheel so to speak.” Celestia took one last look out her window at the many students, enjoying the company of their own cliques and companions. “Friendship should never be forced or manipulated, but something that happens naturally. I’m confident that Sunset will be able to get through to Coalstone and that he’ll warm up to the idea… eventually.” ~~~ Coalstone silently made his way through the halls of Canterlot High after leaving Celestia’s office. Despite it being close to the next period, the halls were still abuzz with all manner of students laughing, talking and generally interacting with their peers. Yet as he walked on, he seemed all but invisible to the many pairs of eyes around him. Sure, occasionally one would make a passing glance at him, but it was so brief they could have blinked and missed him. He’d grown rather accustomed to acting almost like a ghost or shadow moving through the halls of the school. It wasn’t like he’d given any of the students an impression or done something to make him stand out, save maybe for his height. Still, even as he moved silently through the halls, his mind was still processing what Celestia had told him. “Forming Lasting Friendships,” he thought. “She makes it sound so easy.” His eyes quickly scanned over the students again, with his fists tightening slightly as the image of a tear-stricken Sunset flashed into his mind. “Not sure why I’d want to be friends with any of these people, especially if they’re so quick to mob someone based on flimsy evidence. ” His hands continued to tighten, though they had now moved to the straps of his backpack, crushing deeper into the fabric, enough to leave indents. “I know one thing: I’m not just gonna start being chummy with some random person just to have someone to talk to.” The teen was quickly pulled out of his inner monologue when, in the midst of his absentminded observations, he caught sight of something that was a tad… eye-catching. That being a young girl with light pink hair, trying desperately to reach a rabbit that had managed to somehow get himself stuck on a nearby flagpole.   The sight itself was a tad bit pitiful, as anyone could tell just from a quick glance that the rabbit’s perch was too high for the girl to reach. Yet she kept trying, actually getting on her tiptoes and stretching her arm up in desperation, not getting much help from the people around her. Coalstone frowned at the display before him, taking another quick glance at the clock “I really shouldn’t get involved….” However, at the sight of the girl still trying in vain to reach the rabbit, Coalstone let out a frustrated huff as he made his way over, unaware that with each step the once-untrained eyes of the other students seemed to zero in on the tall, dark-clad, imposing teen making his way towards the school’s most timid student. Said student, Fluttershy, made another attempt to reach her rabbit, fingers practically reaching out of their sockets to gain another centimeter, “Oh, please, Angel, class is starting in the next few minutes, and we’ll both be in trouble if I’m late again.” She looked at the rabbit with her best puppy dog face, yet he only offered a light scoff as he crossed his arms and turned his head, much like a bratty child would. The timid teen prepared to make another plea to the bunny when a large shadow quickly overtook her and an equally large glove-clad hand reached over her head, easily grasping on to the equally shocked rabbit’s back and lowering him down to Fluttershy’s reach. “I’m going to assume this rabbit belongs to you, right?” he asked, handing the rabbit over. An almost silent “meep” was the only response Coalstone received from her. Her eyes seemed to shrink after taking a quick glance at him. That sound was followed by a rather awkward silence, with both parties just standing there, Coalstone still holding the rabbit. The other students, meanwhile, watched the scene play out. The silence quickly became rather deafening for Coalstone. He tried bringing the rabbit closer to Fluttershy, his facial expression not changing much, while the rabbit didn’t look especially amused. “This is your rabbit, right? Do you want him back or not?” he continued, tired of the silence. His tone carried a somewhat heavier tone of authority than before, hopefully enough to get his point across. Unfortunately, this only served for the girl to close herself off even further, to the point where her head had practically shrunk into her shirt. It was pretty obvious to the people watching this little exchange that it wasn’t going to end any time soon unless someone else intervened… Well, ask and ye shall receive. A loud chomp quickly cut through the silence. Every teen in the hall, including Fluttershy herself, dropped their jaws and widened their eyes. A certain impatient rabbit wasn’t too keen on hanging around like a prize in a claw machine and had opted to latch his teeth directly onto Coalstone’s hand, which he was now hanging onto like a leaf. Seemingly on reflex, Fluttershy had quickly shifted gears and was back to standing straight up. She positioned herself near her pet and offered Coalstone an apologetic glance. “I’m terribly sorry about this; I don’t know what’s gotten into that bunny as of late.” Her gaze quickly diverted to Angel, who was still holding on tight, yet still managing to let off something of a glare. “Angel Bunny, you let him go right this instant!” The rabbit didn’t seem to comply at first, until Fluttershy’s look shifted into a much harsher looking stare that promptly stopped the rabbit cold. He released his hold and leapt into the girl’s backpack. While all this was happening, Coalstone was in the midst of clenching his teeth to fight off the stinging pain coursing through his hand and arm. “Try to help someone out and get my hand mauled by a rabbit? Sounds like friendship, alright..” Coalstone quickly pulled back his hand once the devil rabbit released its hold and quickly flexed it out to make sure it still worked properly. Fluttershy moved in closer and took a quick look at his hand. “I really hope that he didn’t hurt you too much.” Coalstone quickly put up something of a forced smile to hide his frustration and some of the pain he was still experiencing. “No, I’m fine, didn’t break the skin or anything. Happy to help.” After once again checking to make sure his hand worked, the stone carver quickly started to make his way to his next class, silently making a note of how much time the encounter had cost him. Of course, he was in such a rush to move, he unfortunately missed Fluttershy’s rather quiet thank you for his good deed, whilst the hallway slowly began to shift back into its usual hustle and bustle, drowning out what sound he might have been able to pick up. ~~~ “Another day, another eight hours of class. Thank goodness for the weekend,” Sunset muttered to herself, casually placing a few of her textbooks in her locker while adjusting her backpack. Despite her apparent exasperation, she was actually in a better mood since coming back from winter break. She quickly smiled at some of the pictures of her and her friends had taken over the holiday, quickly feeling filled with warm reminders of the people who cared for her. Yet those memories where dampened somewhat as she zeroed in on a few select individuals in the picture, and Sunset could only frown “I still can’t believe they were the ones who tried to frame me.”  After leaving the artroom, Sunset had be intent to solve the mystery of who Anon-a-Miss was and clear her good name….Only for the Anon-A-Miss herself to all but thrown herself in jail at Sunset’s feet. Or more appropriately, themselves. To the surprise of everybody, it turned out the culprits were the “Crusaders,” a little group consisting of Applejack and Rarity’s little sisters, along with their friend Scootaloo. Evidently, their little form of cyberbullying was done out of jealously for Sunet spending so much time with their sisters; they had meant it as little more than a harmless prank and came clean when the guilt was too much to bear.   Once the truth was out, Sunset was more than a bit angry at the three girls, but not so much as to cause a big uproar. With their secret out in the open, the three were quickly brought before the principal and given six months detention for their trouble. After all was said and done, Sunset was able to enjoy Christmas with her friend and did her best to bury the incident for good. Of course, throughout the entire experience there was one memory Sunset hadn’t forgotten, or more specifically whom she’d met that day before. “Now that I’m back in school, it’s time I started making good on that promise I made to Coalstone.”