"This totally isn't what it looks like, Dean Cadance," Indigo said, once the group was outside of Sugarcube Corner.
"Well, that's good to know. So, maybe you could tell us what it is," Cadance said.
"Because from where we were standing," Luna said, "none of that looked pretty."
Sunset stepped forward. "You see, Vice Principal Luna, Dean Cadance, Twilight saw some new girls in each of her classes who she wasn't sure about," she said. "And one of them was headed this way when the last bell rang. So, we came here to find out what was going on."
Indigo glared at Sunset. "You forgot the part where, as soon as you got here, you started accusing us of stuff!"
"Well, maybe if you hadn't been acting so weird," Rainbow Dash said, "we might not've had any reason to think you were up to something!"
"Hey!" Lemon said. "What's weird about wanting to wear different clothes every once in while?"
"Forget the clothes!" Applejack shot back. "What's not weird about lying when we asked what school you were from?" The other Canterlot High students made noises of agreement.
"Grrr... darn it!" Indigo shouted. "We were scared, okay?"
Everyone stared, quiet.
"You sure like to yell," Pinkie commented.
"You should see her when she gets mad," Lemon replied.
Indigo exhaled, rolling her eyes. "Look, we know about the stupid pranks and the stupid rivalry. We've known for years. So yeah. Maybe we didn't come marching into your school flying the Crystal colors—especially after doing that last week—because we knew what people might think."
"And it looks like we were right," Sugarcoat added, shooting a harsh look at the Canterlot students.
Sunset blushed, looking down. Twilight crumpled a little, and the rest of their friends found the sky and ground very fascinating. Pinkie coughed.
"Girls?" Fluttershy said, "I... I'm sorry. But I actually... agree with them."
"Yeah. Yeah, so do I," Applejack said, with a sigh. "I mean, when y'all put it like that..."
"Agreed," Sunset said, stepping forward. "They do have a point. And I, of all people, should have realized it." She held out a hand to Indigo. "We're sorry. You're absolutely right. We never gave you a chance to explain yourselves. To be yourselves."
"Give us another chance?" Rarity asked.
Indigo turned to her classmates. Lemon offered a thumbs up while Sugarcoat and Sour just looked relieved. Sunny nodded. Indigo turned back and shook Sunset's hand.
"I guess we can," she said, grinning determinedly.
---
"I do think we're finally getting somewhere," Luna said, as she watched the two groups.
"Looks like it," Cadance agreed. "And we didn't have to lift a finger." In one smooth motion, she clasped Luna's hands. "Hey, Luna. Let's do it. Right here, right now."
Luna blinked, her cheeks pinking. "Uh, do what, exactly, Cadance?"
"Duh. Go to our principals and ask for raises," Cadance said, her smile Cheshire. "Our powers are clearly worth more than our present salaries."
Luna groaned, and freed herself from Cadance's hands. "I'm pretty sure that's not how it works, Cadance," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Cadance huffed. "Well, not with that attitude."
"You can't leave now, anyway," Indigo said, appearing in front of them. "This whole trip was your deal. Who'll drive us back downtown?"
All of the Canterlot High students turned to face Cadance and Luna. "Vice Principal Luna," Rarity said, "what does Indigo mean by that?"
"Busted," Cadance said, with a mock-dramatic sigh. "I told you we should have just let them fight it out while getting root beer floats. But no."
"Hush, Cadance," Luna said, facing the girls. "This all started when Dean Cadance asked me if she could check on Twilight's acclimation into CHS after certain milestones," Luna said. "A week, a month, a season... I thought it was a good idea. So we set it up."
"But then someone at my school caught wind of things and told her girlfriends," Cadance said, looking directly at Sugarcoat.
Everyone turned to join Cadance's gaze. Sugarcoat played with her hair, looking intently at a fly on a nearby car windshield. "I will confess to no such thing," she said, airily.
"Well, however it happened," Cadance said, with a roll of her eyes, "these five begged me to take them along on this first check up. So I did. Each of them sat in on one of Twilight's classes, and the rest is history."
"We were trying to be, y'know, subtle about it all? Hence the disguises." Sour popped the collar of her borrowed jacket, then smoothed it back down. "But I guess, in the end, we just made a mess of things." She shrugged. "Like, an elephant-sized mess."
"In our defense," Sugarcoat said, "with Lemon Zest around, 'subtlety' is always a struggle."
Lemon beamed. "Don't even know the meaning of the word!"
"Oh my gosh, it all makes sense now!" Twilight said. "Every time I saw you out of the corner of my eye, sure, I didn't recognize you, but something always felt off..." She met the eyes of each Crystal Prep student. "...and familiar." She turned to Cadance. "Why all the big fuss over me, though?"
Cadance placed her hands on Twilight's shoulders. "When have I not cared about you, Twilight Sparkle? Until last week, you were the hope of Crystal Prep that none but I and Abacus knew about." She smiled and closed her eyes. "I suppose, in a way, I miss that."
Twilight blushed, smiling up at Cadance. "Thank you, Dean Cadance."
Cadance nodded, then turned Twilight to face the Crystal Prep students. "But that only covers me," she said. "Even if I knew their reasoning, it wouldn't be mine to give. I took their requests at their word. Trusting one's students is in my job description—especially when I see looks in their eyes I haven't seen since freshman year."
Twilight looked over at her former classmates. Indigo wrung her beanie in her hands. Lemon looked crestfallen. The rest simply refused to meet Twilight's gaze.
"If you want to know why they're here," Cadance said, "you'll have to ask them. While remembering why they came here, in disguise, in the first place."
Twilight looked the Crystal Prep girls over again. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. She smiled invitingly.
"Girls, I... I'm not mad. I promise," Twilight said. "I'm a little flattered, actually." She chuckled, adjusting her glasses.
With a sigh, she schooled her features into seriousness. "But I hope you understand? Seeing you all go out of your way for me like this... I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around it, and that's saying something."
"Well, that makes us feel a little better," Sour said. "We've kind of been struggling with this, too."
Sunset raised her eyebrows curiously. "Struggling with what?"
All of the Crystal Prep students opened their mouths to speak, but Sugarcoat held up a hand, cutting them off. "I'll..." She hesitated, looking straight at Twilight, then took a deep breath. "...Girls? Let me? I think I've got this."
"Go for it. We got your back," Indigo said. All five nodded.
Sugarcoat smiled her thanks, and adjusted her own glasses. "You should understand. We first came to CHS bored out of our skulls by the entire concept of the Friendship Games."
"That's putting it mildly," Indigo said, rolling her wrist. "I mean, Cinch told us over and over again that we 'always won,' and that her 'reputation' was on the line, and yadda yadda."
"Exactly," Sugarcoat said. "We got all the speeches—all of them. She got us so hyped we came out the other end apathetic. We came to your school ready to completely trounce all of you in the name of Crystal Prep without even trying." Sugarcoat fixed the assembled Canterlot High students and faculty with a competitive gaze. "And believe us, had it been a normal day, that's exactly what we would have done. Another crushing defeat for you, another no-hassle footnote in Crystal Prep's history of excellence."
"Of course, none of us planned on all that, y'know, magical craziness," Lemon said, complete with jazz hands. "And when it did happen? We all kind of... well... " Lemon trailed off, lost for words.
"You saved our lives," Rarity said, with a small smile.
"And then you... talked to us," Rainbow said. "Like we were normal people, for once."
"I know I'm the newbie to this whole 'bitter inter-school rivalry' thing," Sunset said, "but last I checked, that's not exactly how one treats 'footnotes.'"
"Well, yeah!" Indigo threw up her arms. "All of reality was breaking!" With a sigh, Indigo dropped her arms back to her sides. She shrugged. "Suddenly, all that 'rivalry' stuff felt... really small, you know? We were just glad everyone was alright." One by one, the other Crystal Prep students nodded, smiling at their "rivals."
"And when we started talking, it dawned on... well, some of us," Indigo continued, "that getting to know you guys, even for just a little bit, was way more fun than ever playing against you."
"You guys really know how to throw a party," Lemon said, sharing grins with Pinkie. "With all the perfect food, and dance music, and everything!"
"And some of you really know how to kick butt—and look good while doing it," Indigo said, with a wink to Rainbow, then Rarity. Leaning over to Rarity, she added, "Don't think I didn't notice you holding on to, like, two of our students while rocking that awesome dress."
"Oh-hohohohoho, stop," Rarity said, waving a hand. "Unless you absolutely can't, then by all means, please." Rarity fluttered her eyelashes at Indigo. "Do go on."
"So yeah," Sour said, as Indigo grinned at Rarity. "It was fun all around. But then we had to go back to our school. And it was... well..."
"It was cold," Sunny cut in, making nearly everyone jump.
"Oh, hey," Sour said, "look who finally decided to join us!"
"Cold all around us," Sunny went on, her voice soft and pained. She clutched at her chest, sweeping her other hand out dramatically. "After basking in the warmth of Canterlot High, now we finally saw, finally felt, what pervaded the halls of Crystal Prep. The students, the teachers, even the staff were like the ice drifts of the North to us."
Sunny cupped her hand, as if cradling a delicate gem. "Just like real crystals," she said, softly. "Shine brighter than everyone, stand apart from everyone... and do nothing but look pretty." She bowed her head, crunching the imaginary crystal she once held.
Everyone stared at Sunny in stunned silence.
"Wooo! Bravo! Author! Co-author! Encore! Discord!" Pinkie cheered, clapping excitedly.
Sunny inclined her head to Pinkie with a gracious smile.
"You'll, uh, have to excuse Sunny here," Sour said, coughing into her hand. "Queen of our drama class. She gets like this sometimes. All savvy with similes and manic with metaphors."
"I rather liked it, actually," Rarity said, sincerely.
Sunny's smile brightened. "Thank you."
"Regardless of how the Drama Queen put it, she's right," Sugarcoat said. "We finally saw how everyone looked out for only themselves. Constantly pushing each other away, constantly trying to top one another in some freaky pursuit of personal perfection."
"Even our sports teams do it," Indigo said, rolling her eyes. "Some players are just totally convinced they know better than the coach, and it takes forever for us to get in sync. You'd never know we were supposed to be a team some days."
"Coming here was like visiting a greenhouse for the first time," Sunny said, clasping her hands together with a lover's sigh. "Once you've been in one, you truly notice it when you go back in the freezer."
Indigo shivered in agreement. "Yeah, I think that nails it," she said. "And once we understood how that felt? Suddenly, we were just, like, 'boom. Wow.'" She looked at Twilight. "'That's why Twilight asked to transfer.'
"So, we wanted to see you off." Indigo shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged. "But when we got to your lab back at Crystal Prep, you were already long gone. Not that any of us blamed you."
Twilight shook her head. "Are you kidding? Principal Cinch fast-tracked me to CHS so quick, I thought someone had a gun to her head. I had to clean out my lab and locker over the weekend!" She leaned forward, smiling. "It wasn't your fault—"
"Please, Twilight," Indigo said, closing her eyes and holding her hands up. "Please. Don't." Placing her hands on Twilight's shoulders, she gazed intently at her former classmate.
"I'm good at reading people," she said, softly. "It's how I get 'em pumped, and keep 'em there. That thing you turned into? You attacking us? All that pain you were in, and reality-breaking stuff? All of that happened because of us. We made you miserable."
"And we drove you away," Sugarcoat added.
"We've been about a good a set of friends as a pack of rabid rottweilers," Sour said.
"And we are so sorry for that. I mean, it's not like we hated you," Lemon said. "You always seemed nice, you always tried to be friendly, it's just..."
"'Friendly' doesn't cut it in an environment where personal connections run counter to personal goals," Twilight said, almost sounding like she was quoting something. "It's okay, I can relate. That school taught everyone the same philosophy." Twilight sighed. "Including me."
"Which is why this is the first of several trips I have planned to foster inter-school relations," Cadance announced, placing one hand on Twilight's shoulder, and the other on Indigo's. "We could learn a lot from other alma maters, and vice versa."
"Wait, are you kidding me?" Indigo asked, squinting at the Dean.
"I kid you not," Cadance said, smiling broadly.
"Oh, man! This. Is. Awesome. I totally love this idea!" Indigo said, rubbing her hands together. She paused, looking back up at Cadance. "Wait, does Principal Cinch know about it?"
"Not yet," Cadance admitted. She stepped back, then looked at Luna. The two shared a confident nod. "But it'll be fine. Abacus always gripes about losing her best students. I mean, I've tried to tell her why it happens, time and time again, but after last week, I think she finally gets it. Or she gets it enough that I don't expect her to read me the riot act for too long once I tell her the plan."
"Cool." Indigo turned back to Twilight. "So that's the whole story. After everything we put you through? We just wanted to see if you were alright. And it looks like you are."
Reaching a hand out, she curled one of Twilight's biceps. "But you still got a ways to go in gym class if you wanna stand a chance. Might even have to trade some of that lab time for practice." Indigo released Twilight, who blushed in response. "And I bet Rainbow here would love to help you."
"Duh!" Rainbow said, stepping forward to clap Twilight on the back. "Don't worry—you're no better or worse at sports than any other Sparkle I know. I can totally get you up to speed."
"I saw the nerds approach you at lunch," Sunny said, getting close to Twilight, expression earnest and excited. "It looked like you hit it off pretty well. So, I don't have much to add. But. If you're going to pick an official table, you might want to do so now while you're new. It will be your home for a while." She winked conspiratorially.
"Music is totally one of the best arts to experiment in," Lemon said, appearing just behind Twilight and almost making her jump. "Just like you're always doing with science!" Lemon smiled tenderly. "So, embrace it, you know? It's freeing!"
"I saw you dominate in math," Sour said, stepping up to Twilight's free side. "You made everyone look bad. I loved it!" She grinned savagely, then noticed everyone staring at her. Coughing, she turned her smile a little sweeter. "Heh heh. Buuut maybe you could, I dunno... help others out? Everyone at your school seems to eat that kind of thing up."
Twilight giggled. "I think I can manage that."
"Good." Sour looked over her shoulder, to Sugarcoat. "All right, eight-eyes. We all know you've got parting words for your rival-in-geekery. Now's the time!"
Sugarcoat faced away from the group surrounding Twilight. She shifted from foot to foot, staring into space.
"Sugarcoat?" Indigo said, walking over to her. She tapped Sugarcoat on the shoulder. "Yo. Earth to Sugarcoat. You were talking my ear off about Twilight earlier today. Like, more than usual. So what's with the silence now? She's right there."
"I know, Indigo, I just..." Sugarcoat took a deep breath, and walked over to Twilight. Once she stood in front of her, she looked directly into her eyes.
"I... had been looking forward to graduation day with you," Sugarcoat said. "Standing side-by-side as Crystal Prep's best and brightest. You would have made an excellent salutatorian."
"I think you mean valedictorian," Twilight said, with a laugh. "I still have the report cards and commendation letters to prove it."
"As do I," Sugarcoat responded with a small, challenging grin. "So, no," she said. "I meant 'salutatorian'." The grin grew wider. "I'm not in the habit of telling lies."
Twilight returned the expression with an added wink. "It's possible to not lie and still be wrong."
Sugarcoat traded her grin for a confused look. "What are you talking about?" she said, as Twilight stepped in close. Sugarcoat took a half-step back. "...T-Twilight? W-why are you—"
She stopped talking entirely when Twilight whispered in her ear. And the longer Twilight whispered, the wider Sugarcoat's eyes became. Finally, Twilight stepped back, smiling with satisfaction.
Sugarcoat's mouth dropped open. Snapping it closed, she shut her eyes, darted forward, and wrapped Twilight tightly in her arms, sniffling.
"Twilight, I'm so sorry. I... I never knew, I..."
Twilight hugged Sugarcoat back just as tightly. "It's okay, Sugarcoat. I wouldn't have believed it myself either if I hadn't been there."
"But I... but we... look, just... join the debate team, okay?" Sugarcoat broke the hug, but kept her arms wrapped around Twilight's neck. "If only to give your history teacher a break."
Twilight kept her own loose embrace, looking into Sugarcoat's eyes. "I'll consider it. And if I do join, every time I attend... I'll think of you."
"That's all I ask," Sugarcoat murmured, sliding her hands down the length of Twilight's arms. She let go and stepped away, looking forlorn enough that Sour and Sunny gave her supportive hand-squeezes. "Goodbye, Twilight. Show your new school the Crystal spirit—but don't forget to find your own, too."
"I will, Sugarcoat. Thank you. Wow, I..." Twilight looked around at her smiling, former classmates, and sniffled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to miss you all."
"We'll miss you, too," Indigo said as she, Lemon, Sour and Sunny all joined in hugging Twilight. "Even if we didn't know what we had until it was gone."
---
Once everyone separated—while rubbing at their eyes and sniffling occasionally—Sunset stepped forward. She rested a hand on Indigo's shoulder.
"Wow, I'm impressed," she said. "Looks like not all of Crystal Prep is cold and prickly."
"Maybe your friendship magic worked on us too, huh?" Indigo said. She smiled at her Crystal Prep friends. "And maybe it just took a little longer for us to notice."
"Could be," Rainbow said. "Once you feel it, there's no gettin' rid of it."
"I'll say," Indigo agreed. "I know we've only got a few months left at CPA, but maybe the girls and I could work with Dean Cadance on making it a place people might actually want to attend. Well, for reasons besides the whole 'status and rep' thing, anyway."
"Great. Five down, just a few hundred more to go," Cadance said, shaking her head with a little laugh.
"A few hundred you don't have to take on alone," Indigo said, planting her hands on her hips.
"Yeah!" Lemon said, hopping up and down. "I'm gonna friend the snot out of Crystal Prep!"
"The rest of us'll help, too," Sour said, with a teasing look at Lemon. "And we'll even do it without the snot." Lemon stuck out her tongue.
"To let the sun shine in those cold and crystal halls would be an honor," Sunny said, bowing to Cadance.
"I'm in," Sugarcoat said.
Cadance laughed again. "Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate it."
"Well, it's been real," Indigo said, facing the Canterlot High students again. "But we should roll." Turning away, she grinned up at Cadance. "Where's the ride, Dean Lady?"
"Wait!" Twilight shouted, before Cadance could reply. Everyone turned to her.
"This... this doesn't feel right," Twilight said. "We just spent all this time realizing that it really is possible for us to be friends. I don't want all of you walking out of my life again! Not after all that!"
The Crystal Prep students hesitated. "Are you... saying you still want us around?" Sugarcoat asked, while looking directly at Twilight.
"More than anything!" Twilight clasped her hands to her chest. "It's not like you can just pop over here every day, right? I'd love to make the most of things while you're here. Get to know you all over again. And I think the others would too." She looked at her Canterlot High friends, who all nodded in agreement.
The Crystal Prep students looked at the assembled Canterlot High girls, who smiled—then looked to Dean Cadance, who did the same.
"Don't look at me," Cadance said. "This isn't my call—I just have to make sure you're back at the school by evening. But something tells me if you're really looking for pointers on how to make your school a brighter place through friendship, you're looking at the perfect mentors."
Sunset stepped up to join Twilight at her side. "And we'd be glad to start right now." she said. "That is, if you are too."
"Girls?" Indigo said. "Huddle. Now."
After a flurry of heated whispers, and occasional stolen glances at the Canterlot students, the Crystal Prep huddle broke apart. "Okay," Indigo said. "We talked it over and…" She smiled wide. "We're cool to stick around."
Twilight and Sunset exchanged a quick smile, as the rest of the Canterlot High students brightened.
"The whole 'trying again' thing hadn't actually crossed our minds," Indigo continued, "but... it'd be nice to be hang out and not be on our guard, for once."
"Done and done," Applejack said. She looked to Pinkie. "Hey, Pinkie! You got one o' them 'New Friendship Party' cakes lying around in there?"
Pinkie gasped. "Of course! What do you take me for? Though, uh..." Pinkie counted people with her finger. "...ohhhhh gosh there's six of them and eight of us we're going to need the mega-sized version lemme run inside right now and check—" Pinkie ran into Sugarcube Corner at top speed.
"Looks like your field trip's ending with a cake party," Sunset said.
Indigo watched Pinkie run around, pulling extra tables and chairs to the back booth, and gesturing wildly in the direction of the Corner's proprietors. Relishing the warm feeling in her chest, she chuckled. "Yeah, doesn't look like we have a choice. Free eats always works for us, though. Right, girls?"
The other Crystal Prep students smiled. Lemon Zest licked her lips.
Pinkie poked her head out the entrance. "Cake's here, you guys!" She pointed to Carrot Cake hauling a massive confectionary to one of the booths. "And he's bringing the cake!"
Dean Cadance sighed mock-dramatically. "Twelve hungry girls. Why do I get the feeling this trip's about to go way over budget?"
"Don't worry about it, Cadance," Luna said. "This one's on me."
Cadance wrapped an arm around Luna. "Now that is the best gesture of friendship you could ever show me."
Their mouths watering in anticipation, the two faculty members followed their students inside.