//------------------------------// // Interlude: The Week [OLD] // Story: The Soul's Savior // by Dusty Old Qrow //------------------------------// Tuesday came and went with hardly any incident. Some students noticed Mr. Turner's sudden absence, but they dismissed it as an unexpected sick day or something similar. Derpy and Dinky Doo were also missing from the school's populace, but nobody made any connection between them and Time Turner. Sunset Shimmer seemed to be happier- which made several other students unhappier. None of them confronted the former bully, mostly because of her friend Rainbow Dash. Flash Sentry, oddly enough, also seemed protective of Shimmer. Principal Celestia announced their newest school event- the Canterlot High Musical Showcase, which was to take place in a week. Apparently, it was to make up for the disaster of the Fall Formal. The students were excited to get started on their songs and to show off their musical talent. Rainbow Dash and her friends immediately jumped at the chance and formed a band- the Rainbooms- but oddly didn’t include Sunset Shimmer. Not that she minded. Really. Crimson Napalm, Featherweight and Azure Strike seemed a little off. They seemed more aggressive than usual; and they would not stop talking about magic. Nobody questioned them. Anyone who even wondered about their attitude was rudely shoved into a locker or on the ground. Other students stayed out of their way. The lights in Celestia's office were bright, opposite of the principal's mood. How could she be happy when she ruined Luna and Turner's friendship, and Turner's chances of earning his daughter's trust? No, under these circumstances she had no right to be in a good mood. So she sat in her chair, elbows resting on her desk with her hands folded over her mouth as she stared ahead. Classes were wrapping up. Another day gone. Only a few more minutes. Celestia's mind was blank- she thought of nothing as she stood and walked out of her office as the bell rung. Luna hadn't said a word to her all day. Maybe a quick stop at Sugar Cube Corner could fix that. Wednesday was much the same as Tuesday. Mr. Turner was still absent, but at least the substitute teacher was nice. Also still absent were Derpy and Dinky. Still, no student made any connection between them. What was noticed, however, was Rainbow Dash. She was still very protective of Sunset Shimmer, but seemed more... Subdued. Instead of scaring away anybody who walked too close to the fallen bully, she would let them talk before deciding to growl them away or not. The only person not to get growled at was Vinyl Scratch, who ended up fist-bumping Rainbow and Sunset before walking away smiling. Crimson Napalm was given detention today. Featherweight and Azure Strike were nowhere to be found. Napalm punched Carrot Top in the gut, sending her home for the day. He mentioned something about the mirror portal. Nobody knew why. Time Turner received a call from Berry Punch that night. "Hello?" He asked slowly. He saw the caller ID- he knew who he was talking to. But maybe, just maybe, it could be Derpy or Dinky- "Time." Berry Punch said curtly. That one word dashed any wishes he had. "Might I ask why my daughters came home crying on Monday, and why I had to explain to them why you gave them up?" She always emphasized that they were hers, not his. She was angry. Turner would have to be stupid not to tell. And even then... "Ah, right..." He explained what happened yesterday, and explicitly told the woman that he had not intended the secret be spilled. "But," he began again. "Why are you calling me about this now? Why didn't you call me two days ago?" Berry Punch chuckled. "Believe it or not, they wanted me to wait. They wanted to think about all this." She paused, thinking over her next words. "They want to meet with you, Time." Berry heard a bunch of clattering and sputtering as, in his shock, Time Turner dropped his phone and choked on his breath. When he finally recovered he picked up the phone. "Th-They... They want to...?" "To meet with you, yes." She confirmed. "On Saturday, at Sugar Cube Corner at noon. I'll be there, you can bring Luna if you'd like." Turner was at a loss for words. In the end he could only say thank you. Berry Punch hung up. Thursday was when things got strange. Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry walked around the school, which Sunset apologizing to students for her past actions. Very few even spared her a glance. Some even tried to shove her away, but Flash had grabbed their arms and stopped them. A common murmur between students was "Is Shimmer sincere, or is she lying?" And nobody really knew the answer to that. The strangest thing though, was Time Turner. Suddenly back at school, his grin had never left his face the entire day. He seemed giddy, goofy even. Some students noticed his golden locket- usually in his pocket- hanging around his neck. Perhaps he had reconnected with a lost flame? Again, nobody knew the answer. But Turner's ecstatic mood never left him. Three girls were hanging around the statue. Nobody knew who they were. Friday. Exactly one week since the Fall Formal. Of course, nobody wanted to mention it- but it was constantly hanging over their heads. And today, the students’ hate for Sunset Shimmer intensified. Their glares were sharp, their silent resentment torture. Rainbow Dash’s extreme protectiveness of Sunset skyrocketed to overpower the students’ hatred. The athlete made sure to never be too far away from her friend unless she absolutely had no choice. One girl in particular was very rudely shoved aside when she tried to talk to the pair. This girl just so happened to be Tennis Match, one of the girls from Friday night that was with Crimson Napalm. Rainbow Dash didn’t care what Tennis Match had to say- it was probably nothing good. Through the week, very few people ever warmed up to Sunset- the number of people she had talked to could be counted on two hands; Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Flash Sentry and Vinyl Scratch were the only ones who can get through Rainbow Dash’s protective shield. Time Turner was still incredibly giddy and happy. He refused to say why, but everyone still held on to the theory that it had something to do with the golden locket around his neck. The three girls were spotted again. They scared a few students away. The week is over. The bell is about to ring. So why is Sunset Shimmer still in the library? This. Is quite possibly. The stupidest. Idea. I have ever come up with. She was lucky that the library didn’t close until an hour after school, otherwise her plan would have been completely shot. Sure, she could probably just run over to the city library, or even just use the Internet, but doing either had some risks. Going to the library: Sunset risked being spotted. Internet? Well, there are some experienced hackers in CHS. I’m probably just being paranoid... But better safe than sorry. Coming to the school’s library after hours meant that no student would be around to spot her, and no technology, aside from the computers already inside, was allowed in the library. Plus, the particular section of the library Sunset was in just so happened to be out of the sight of the glass doors, hiding her from any prying eyes. Japanese culture is strange... She mentally grumbled, silently putting yet another book back on its shelf. With a sigh Sunset leaned against the opposite bookshelf, crossed her arms and closed her eyes. I don’t even understand why Fluttershy likes Japanese stuff. It all looks like mumbo-jumbo to me. But, I guess it’s one way to show her that I’m sorry... With yet another sigh, she pushed off of the bookshelf and walked out of the library.