"Let's go, Shadowbolts!"

by AppleJTZ

Classmates

The pen of Dean Cadence tapped on the clipboard on her desk. Quietly she mustered the five students sitting across her: On the left Sugarcoat, unusually tense, her arms crossed over her chest and clenching her sleeves. Next to her Sunny Flare, who was sitting on her polished fingernails. The dean’s gaze changed to the right where Lemon Zest sat, the girl’s hands on her lap, one silently patting on her knee. Unusually the most noise was coming from the next to her, Indigo Zap nervously tapping on the bottom of her chair. All four of them held their heads low, glancing up at the dean with a hopeful, but also very uncomfortable look on their faces.

Dean Cadence then looked at the girl directly opposite to her on the other side of the desk. Sitting with her legs crossed and her hands folded on her knee as she tried to radiate self-confidence. It was obvious however she was probably the most nervous of them all, having to stare the dean directly into her eyes – they were nowhere as strict and hard as Principal Cinch’s, but there was still a slightly stern touch to her expression. For a while Dean Cadence silently looked at the student in front of her. The girl tried her best to hold her gaze. Eventually she cleared her throat.

“So, what do you say?” Sour Sweet asked, in the most pleasant sounding voice she was able to speak in. She and the other four girls looked with big puppy eyes at the dean.

Dean Cadence dropped her pen on the desk, letting it roll around until it bumped against a pile of papers. “Let me make sure I understand you correctly” she calmly began, crossing her arms on the desk. “You five girls come back into school after being released from detention, just to ask me if I am able change your classes so you can all go share the same ones?”

Slowly the five girls nodded. “That, um, would be very kind” Sunny said.

“Can you do it?” Indigo asked, leaning a little forward with her fist clenched tightly around her chair.

Dean Cadence picked up the clipboard lying in front of her. “I’m not sure, actually” she told them, looking over the document while rubbing her forehead. “Principal Cinch’s plan to add an additional lesson to each subject makes planning the time table currently quite a head-ache, to be honest. I’ve been at it for quite some time, and still have hours of work ahead of me. Moving five students with barely common classes into the same ones would basically force me to start all over again.” Dropping the clipboard she raised her glance back at the five students. “Is there a reason you want to change classes in the middle of the school year?” she asked them.

The girls looked at each other for a moment, unsure what to respond. “Well, we um, formed a study group!” Sunny eventually told her, forcing a stiff smile on her face. “And we thought if we all are in the same classes… well, we could cooperate better!”

“Y-yeah!” Indigo went on, trying to sound enthusiastic. “We thought we could, um, raise our grades like that, a-a-and help the school’s reputation!”

Lemon Zest nodded her head quickly. “Right!” she said. “All for one and… stuff!”

Dean Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Is that true?” she asked, fixing her gaze on Sugarcoat.

The blue-skinned girl gulped. The corners of her mouth rose higher than they probably ever did in her entire life, forming what was probably the mother of all awkward smiles. “Uuuummm” she brought out, keeping her head low. Small drops of sweat formed on Sugarcoat’s forehead. The others all were looking nervously at her. It seemed as if for her, keeping herself from bluntly telling the dean the truth was like asking her to hold her breath – and the truth seemed about to burst out of her mouth any second.

“OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!” Sour suddenly shouted, jumping up from her chair. Dean Cadence looked rather surprised as the girl slammed her hands against her desk, directly staring the dean into the eyes. “Listen Miss, we are sick and tired of how this school is only full of grumps and snobs who only care about themselves! We were at CHS, where everybody seems able to be good students AND have fun! So, we decided that we want to be friends – REAL friends – and that’s why we ask you to change us all into the same classes, so that we actually get to see each other more than five minutes a day and this whole friendship thing won’t fall apart BEFORE IT EVEN STARTED!”

Their jaws dropped the others blankly stared at Sour. She huffed and puffed, her face only hovering a few centimeters in front of the dean’s. After a moment of staring into the unwavering face of Dean Cadence her expression suddenly softened, a big uneasy grin plastered on her face. “Um, if you don’t mind that is♥” she quickly added in a darling voice, before hastily sitting back down.

Dean Cadence sternly stared at all of them. “Just to make sure I understand your point” she said strictly. “You want me to make changes to the time table for which I will probably have to work the whole night through, and the only reason is because you try to be friends?”

Sour swallowed. “So… is it okay?” she asked, cowering slightly.

All signs of sternness were wiped from the dean’s expression by a gracious smile. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

The five girls all looked up, smiling in surprise and happiness. “ALL RIGHT!” Lemon cheered, hopping up on her feet. “You’re a-ok, lady!” she yelled, pointing both hands at the dean. She then blushed, the pink hue of her cheeks turning darker. “Er, I mean, t-thank you very much, Dean Cadence” she mumbled, quickly sitting down again.

Chuckles erupted from the others, including the dean. “I can’t guarantee you will share every class” she explained them. “But I’m gonna do my best so that you will have at least three or four common lessons every day.” Overjoyed they were all about to pour the dean in their thanks, when she raised her index finger. “Under one condition!”

Irritated the girls stared at the dean. “Um, a condition?” Sour repeated, raising an eye-brow.

Pushing her chair back Dean Cadence stood up. Their eyes followed her as she walked around her desk, sitting down on the side. “I want you to try and spread this spirit of friendship you discovered throughout Crystal Prep Academy” she told them, crossing her legs. “This school has been a dark and gloomy place since a very long time now. It could really use a fresh breeze of air – a warm breeze, if possible.”

Sour glanced at the others, exchanging slightly confused looks with them.

“Well, I guess it would be nice if things here got a bit friendlier” Sunny then admitted, scratching the back of her head.

Sugarcoat wrinkled her nose. “Principal Cinch won’t approve of this” she stated with a frown.

“Duuuh” Lemon moaned, slumping in her chair. “She thinks a good atmosphere in a school is when everybody hates each other!”

Dean Cadence cleared her throat. “Well, this is more of an informal agreement, so Principal Cinch doesn’t have to know about this” she told them. “Also, while I know the principal can be rather…difficult, if we manage to show her excellence and friendship don’t have to rule each other out, maybe she will change her mind. Besides, even she can hardly forbid friendship among students.” She looked anticipant at the five students. “So, do we have a deal?”

“How do you know we keep our part?” Sugarcoat asked.

“Yeah!” Lemon agreed, looking curiously at the dean. “You gonna walk through the school with a friendship-meter or something?”

Standing up again Dean Cadence walked back to her chair. “I simply have to trust you will do your best” she replied while sitting down. She then paused, pondering for a moment. “But you could write me regular reports” she suggested “About how well you are doing with your progress of spreading friendship at the school, and about the experiences you make while you deepen yours.”

“You mean some sort of friendship reports?” Sunny asked, sounding a little doubtful of the idea.

“Sounds like something from a cartoon for little girls” Indigo moaned, apparently not very thrilled. She placed her elbow on her leg, putting her head on her hand while grabbing her knee with the other one. “And it’d probably be easier to climb up a ten thousand feet tall mountain with bare hands than trying to turn this school into some place decent…”

Sour turned her head. “What’s wrong, captain?” she asked Indigo, smiling defiantly at her. “Not up for the challenge?”

After staring at her for a moment Indigo smirked back. “Well, as you said earlier Canterlot High did manage to compete with us AND be nice to each other” she declared, sitting up straight on her chair. “If some guys and gals from a random high school can pull that off, the Shadowbolts of Crystal Prep Academy can do it even better!” Getting on her feet she pumped her fist into the air. “We’ll show them we’re gonna be the best of academics, best of athletics, AND the best of friends!” she yelled, her voice beaming with confidence and enthusiasm.

Sour giggled, before turning her eyes at the others. Sunny, Sugarcoat and Lemon were not quite as excited as Indigo, but in their expressions she could clearly read they all agreed with her. Standing up Sour leaned over the desk, reaching a hand out to the dean. “I’d say we have a deal” she replied, a wide grin on her face.

Dean Cadence stared up at Sour, also smiling. Gladly she took her hand and shook it. “You can come by tomorrow before the first lesson and pick up your new time tables” she told them. “I look forward to your first report.” She then embraced Sour’s hand with her other one, the girl blushing slightly as the dean looked warmly at her. “And I wish you the best of luck – I am certain your friendship will flourish, and never wither.”

Comments

[Awesomo3000]

Is there fanart of Sugarcoat putting on the mother of awkward smiles yet? I demand to see fanart of that!

[AppleJTZ]

6624445 Ah, okay. Yes, when my sentences get more complex they often end up a little clumsy.

Plus I revised that one like three times, and forgot to delete some bits of an older version

[MrAskAPirate]

Dear Dean Cadence,

Today Trenderhoof was a total D-bag...

()

[Regreme]

Awww.... loving this fic.:D

[BigLurker]

6624468 Well, Sugarcoat having reality warping speeches isn't any weirder than Pinkie Sense...

Nice chapter. It's cute to see Cadence pull off an interrogation without needing a 'Bad Cop'.

[DanceCentralPony2]

Hmm... wonder if they're going to encounter any of the Humane 7? Maybe ask them for some friendship advice?

[BenRG]

I have a feeling that the Shadowbolts are increasingly part of the greater plan of Harmony in the human world.

[FrostVortex]

She then paused, pondering for a moment. “But you could write me regular reports” she suggested “About how well you are doing with your progress of spreading friendship at the school, and about the experiences you make while you deepen yours.”

“You mean some sort of friendship reports?” Sunny asked, sounding a little doubtful of the idea.

“Sounds like something from a cartoon for little girls” Indigo moaned, sounding not very thrilled.

I see what you did here...

[RNBW]

Dean Cadence will do a better work than Princess Cadence.

[Pathfinder]

Really nice take on Shadow5. Great way of showcasing voice patterns in text. Keep them coming.

[Animation Crusader]

“You mean some sort of friendship reports?” Sunny asked, sounding a little doubtful of the idea.

“Sounds like something from a cartoon for little girls” Indigo moaned, apparently not very thrilled.

Oh, the irony! Love it! I'm so glad that Dean Cadence will do this for the girls.

[SunshineSmiles]

Ugh. CPA is becoming all cheesy like CHS. I mean friendship reports? like Indigo said, its like something from a childrens show! I mean its good and all, but its so extremely cheesy.

[tgb089]

“Is there a reason you want to change classes in the middle of the school year?” she asked them.

Is there a good reason for cinch to drop a ton of work and changing schedule/time tables for new lessons in the middle of the year?

[Jetto]

Best dean, just saying.

[Csquared08]

“But you could write me regular reports” she suggested “About how well you are doing with your progress of spreading friendship at the school, and about the experiences you make while you deepen yours.”

“You mean some sort of friendship reports?” Sunny asked, sounding a little doubtful of the idea.

“Sounds like something from a cartoon for little girls” Indigo moaned

This amuses me.

This school has been a dark and gloomy place since a very long time now.

You've done this a couple times now. You keep using "since" when you want to use "for."