Sorry.

by zman123

Sunny Flare. Let me go.

Indigo Zap lay on her sofa, a soft smile on her face, the first she had smiled in a long time.
She had tried walking outside but she could not take more than a few steps without collapsing onto Twilight's shoulder for support and Twilight decided it might be best if they returned to Indigo's house as Indigo was clearly not well enough to go back to school yet and a few more days of rest might do her good. It was clear a mixture of poor diet, lack of exercise and most of all a large heap of stress and depression combined with horrible nightmares which made Indigo wake up more tired than when she managed after a colossal effort to fall asleep each night, was beginning to take its toll on the once lively and energetic athlete who was one of the only students to give the rival school's champion Rainbow Dash a run for her money.

Twilight helped Indigo Zap inside where she carefully lay Indigo's trembling body on the sofa and quickly found a thick blanket to cover Indigo's Zap with. Indigo nodded gratefully as Twilight ran to the kitchen and returned minutes later with a heated bowl of soup which she carefully fed to Indigo Zap, a spoonful at a time.

"Th, thank you" Indigo Zap whispered weakly "you, you do value me as a friend even after everything I've done to you"
Twilight nodded modestly. "It'll probably be a few days before you can get out of bed again" she stated "I'll stay here with you when I don't have to be at school. Now get some rest."

"I will right after I call my friend". Twilight left the room to give Indigo the privacy she needed as Indigo picked up her phone and dialled Lightning Dust's number. She needed Lightning Dust to know she was safe.

2 days later.

Crystal prep had never been known to be particularly lenient, but then again since it was considered the leading academy, if not one of the leading academies in the state if not the country, this was common enough.

The last two weeks however took the meaning of the word strict, to new extremes. Starting with detentions every single break and lunch time and double, and for some more unlucky students, triple the amount of homework each night as well as after school detentions to one group of students who the principal really seemed to have it in for with starting with Crystal Prep's loss in the friendship games. This was not so common.

Most of the canteen staff in fact, were sent home with how little the canteen was actually being used. The atmosphere around Crystal prep as a whole had never been particularly lively or cheerful, one could say it was rather grey. The last two weeks and a bit however, made the school seem more like a cemetery for funerals than a establishment for educating eager learners.

The playground once filled each break and lunch with excited students running up and down, some gathered in circles to chat with each other, was no more. Now it was nothing more than a desolate, no man's land. The large grey cloud that seemed to hang over the empty playground each day really helped to brighten the mood. No one went there anymore, not even the teachers.

Crystal prep was an attractive place, with beautiful architecture and a vivid history for anyone interested. It could in fact be said that one of the least attractive things about it was the principal herself. Not that the principal was an unattractive figure to look at, tall, slim but well built and very neatly dressed with neatly combed hair.

Principal Cinch seemed respectable enough at first glance, with well polished manners when first introducing herself with a stern and serious tone. But it was a short lived facade that quickly wore off when she felt the slightest displeasure.

To her students, though they never said it to her face, she was extremely strict at best and plain sadistic at worst. But whether it was because she disliked them or she came from a background where this kind of treatment was considered normal and fair, they neither knew nor cared.

Cinch had always been quick to take her anger out on her devoted students, but it seemed that after Crystal prep's defeat at the friendship games she had dug to a new depth then never thought she would. This was a new low even for the students most used to her perfectionist attitude. But otherwise things went on as normal. Whether the students felt badly treated or not was hard to say, since not one of them had been seen complaining despite several clutching their rumbling stomach's when they sat during lunch in their classrooms, barely able to keep their eyes open as they continued to scribble down page after page of work with a clearly fatigued hand.

Indigo Zap had been reluctantly sent home by Cinch after she came to school one morning barely able to walk without tripping and barely able to say a sentence without clutching her aching head and grimacing in genuine pain as she trembled uncontrollably unable to make proper eye contact. This meant she did not have to join three of her five closest friends as they sat staring blankly at the huge pile of worksheets laid in front of them each day after school. They were ordered not to leave until all the worksheets were finished and they had gotten every single question correct. This meant that they often stayed until 7 in the evening, more than 3 hours after everyone else had left, and sometimes even until 9. The supervisor was an alert man who never fell asleep or seemed to feel sleepy , so simply sneaking out was not an option.

Twilight had of course, left the school some weeks back to go to Canterlot high instead so she too was exempt from this. As was Sunny Flare, who despite being both a senior student in Crystal prep and a participant in the friendship games, the group of students Cinch seemed the most angry with, she received no consequences.

She was free to go as she pleased during the breaks and lunches the rest of the school spent cooped up in classrooms working, and even given Fridays off since Principal Cinch insisted that some extra rest after such a stressful event might do her good. It didn't, and she would sit during break and lunch alone in the hall, playing tune after tune on the piano lamenting her loneliness, too depressed to step out onto the empty playground or go to the canteen at lunch knowing she'd sit alone in the lunch hall when before she had always sat by her friends. And she would trudge wearily home each evening, silent since there was no one to talk to anyway.

She saw very little of her friends even before the friendship games, they had different classes and breaks and lunch where she could escape the watchful eye of the principle, and occasionally after school were their only chance to talk freely to each other. But now she felt more distant from them than ever and she could not help but feel that during the few times she did catch a glimpse of her friends in the hallway, that they were sneering and cursing her out of jealousy that she was being given much better treatment than they were. But she couldn't be sure since there was no time to talk to them before the lesson bell rang and she had to dash to her next lesson.

Sunny Flare had never been a particularly social person with many friends. Being the Principal's daughter did indeed give her privileges many who did not understand her situation would kill for, but it seemed much more than a burden to her than a blessing.

Unbeknown to all but perhaps her closest friends, she could indeed feel emotions such as guilt or empathy. And she could feel sorry for others and most of all regret for her actions when she saw the damage they caused. Which is perhaps why during her Friday off, she chose to sit silently in her bedroom sighing irrepressibly as she scribbled sentence after sentence into her diary, stopping occasionally to take another glance at that photo of her and her friends she had on the wall. She could easily have turned on the television or the radio or better yet gone out,but felt like none of those things.

To say she hated her mother for what was happening would be a blatant lie. She did not hate her mother since that would be cruel and selfish, something she tried without success not to be. Her mother was the only family she had after her father left. And so she kept her disappointment bottled up, trying very hard to enjoy the lonely lifestyle that was hers since the friendship games. Her part in the games, she preferred not to talk about. It wasn't a pleasant subject.

But today, something within her pleaded with her to do what she knew to be right. This feeling had grown inside her, but the joy in her friend Indigo Zap's voice when she called Sunny yesterday to reassure Sunny that Twilight held no grudge had been the finishing blow. Indigo had been promised another chance by Twilight despite her failings and Indigo had vowed in earnest to change for the better. It was the inflections in Indigo Zap's tone over the phone that really showed how serious Indigo Zap was about her promises.

And if Indigo Zap was that willing to go back and amend her flaws despite everything, then Sunny Flare as one of Indigo's closest friends could do no less. Enough was enough she decided as she walked in the direction of the principal's office with a steadfast expression. It was time to stop being the selfish bastard she had been for so long, and to stop taking orders from her mother when she knew them to be both immoral and painful to others. For once in her life, she was determined to form her own opinion.

She took a deep breath as she gently knocked on the door. It was polite, something she was not during the friendship games, especially to Twilight. She tried not to dwell on those painful thoughts.
"If it's not urgent then go" came the strict, rough voice of the principal "You've probably got enough work to be getting on with anyway so don't try to waste my time". "It's me miss" replied Sunny quietly "Sunny Flare. And yes, it's urgent. Very urgent. Please let me in, I promise this won't take long." Even though the principal was indeed her mother, now was not the time to address her as such, especially on school grounds. She received enough resentment and jealousy as it was.

Long seconds passed as Sunny anxiously waited for a reply, hoping the principal was not in one of her tempers today. "Very well" the voice on the other side of the door eventually sighed reluctantly "enter, and make it quick. I haven't got all day".

Sunny Flare breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she gently took hold of the doorknob and opened the door. She crossed her fingers and with a great force of will, just managed to stop her teeth from clattering and her eyes from blinking as she slowly stepped into the room.

The imposing figure of her mother, the principal sat staring at her with an air of scrutiny as she cautiously stepped forward and slowly sat down on a chair in front of the principal's desk, trying all the while not to shudder. She could not show weakness.

"Say what you have to say, and say it quickly. I'm very busy" requested the principal bluntly.

Sunny Flare did not know where to start. But she knew for once she had to be tactful, something she never was to dear Twilight. Simply asking that the principal let all the other students out of detention and go back to giving them the standard amount of work simply wouldn't work. Even if she was the Principal's daughter.

"I can see you're still very cross miss" Sunny began. "And I'm sorry. I'm very sorry"

"Get to the point" said Cinch a little crossly, cutting her off. Though it was clear that Cinch was a tad disappointed Sunny had chosen to address her simply as "miss".

Sunny nodded obediently "Very well miss. I promise to be quick."

The principal gestured for her to continue speaking with an air of ill contained impatience. She had in her hand a heavy Biro which she was trifling with.

Sunny took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a few brief seconds before she could bring herself to continue.

"It involves the friendship games" she explained sadly.

Cinch's lips tightened and appeared to quiver very slightly. "I do not care to hear more" she stated disappointingly "I thought this is a matter we agreed to drop."

Sunny resisted the urge to apologise profusely before backing bashfully away. She intended no rudeness but for once she could not show weakness in front of her mother.

"With all due respect ma'am. It's urgent. Very, very urgent. It's a problem that's worsened for several weeks now and not one that I can ignore any longer. I am sorry."

"Perhaps you misunderstood me... Sunny. This is a topic we agreed not to talk about and leave in the past. Some things are better forgotten about and I believe this is one of them. Now, I think you have other matters to attend to, so I suggest you return to them. Idle chatter is but a waste of time and this conversation has gone on long enough."

Sunny shook her head sorrowfully and remained seated. "I understand you are busy ma'am and I have no intention to waste your time. But I'm afraid its very urgent. This is a serious matter that involves the entire school and more importantly, your reputation (which I know for a fact you find very important) and credibility as principal. So with all due respect, I implore you once more to listen to what I have to say."

Cinch grunted, but very reluctantly gestured for her to continue.

"I understand me and my friends, we did you a great wrong when we failed to live up to your expectations during the games" admitted Sunny apologetically "And I understand how upset you must have felt when we lost."

"So you came to apologise" inquired Cinch. "While, I do admire your modesty, it's not you who is to blame. You see, you did not fail your team, rather it was your team that failed you. And the rival school too was to blame for not playing fairly"

"I'm sorry to interject ma'am. But what exactly do you mean by unfair" asked Sunny Flare. She knew the reason but she wanted to hear it from the principle.

"They used magic" was the sarcastic response "And that was cheating."

"I sort of agree with you. But, by that logic we were no better than they. And if there's one thing I've learned during this whole experience its that two wrongs don't make a right. Two wrongs never made a right."

Cinch opened her mouth to reply, but Sunny continued. It was now or never that she made her point. "We didn't destroy our reputation by losing the games. We ruined our reputation by mistreating our own teammate. Being mean and unfair to Canterlot High was bad enough, but when we betrayed our own teammate, it brought our actions from bad, to abysmal. And though I don't want to say this, I have to. I'm sorry. It sunk our reputation not just as a school, but as good and respectable people, from ruined, to irredeemable. We sunk to a new depth that day to try and win."

"Have you quiet finished" demanded Cinch quietly, who had listened in silence. "So is this what you came here to tell me. To tell me that you double crossed us and went over to their side?" A slight frown appeared on Cinch's contorted face, and there was a quiet anger in her voice. "And after all I did for you? after all I did for you?"

Sunny raised her hands up as if to shield herself from Cinch's rising anger. "No. You've got it all wrong mother, I would never do that." Though Sunny knew she had made a vow earlier not to address her mother in this manner while on school site, she did not regret breaking it. It was necessary after all to show she was still sympathetic with her mother even if she was upset with her actions. "I only want what's best for our school. And most of all, I only want what was best for you. And I don't mean to sound rude, but blackmailing your pupils simply because you can, and not treating them well despite their best efforts to please you isn't good for your legacy. Is this really the path you want to go down? Is that really how you want to be remembered?"

Despite Cinch's coarse and unflappable expression, it was clear Sunny's words stung her. "You don't understand" she protested "I did what I did for the good of the school, to preserve its reputation which took so many decades to build."

"I don't doubt it. But these things you do, I know you want what's best for the school but some of these things, they're not very friendly. And though I never said it, I'm afraid I have to say it now. Sometimes I find it hard to see how doing so many mean and selfish things to your pupils is in any way helpful. And I, I find them wrong. I find what you did to Twilight wrong. I'm very sorry if I offend you and I know that no matter what I say now, it'll be too little too late. But you really shouldn't have treated Twilight so harshly, especially when she was your star student. She was your star student, and you punished her for it. As your students, we thought that you knew what was best for us. We thought you cared about your students, all of your students. And so we had no idea what we were getting into when we told Twilight to unleash the magic" Sunny shivered as she said the last three words. A horrible melody which she hoped never to remember or hear off ever again rang in her head. "We should have known the risks, we should have listened to Twilight. But we listened to you because we thought you cared. It was all of our fault and we should all take responsibility for what happened."

Cinch shook her head.

"It's my fault as well" explained Sunny "And taking your anger out on the other pupils and my friends while you let me off without any consequences, it doesn't make me feel good. It really doesn't. Please try to understand. Please mother, for my sake, try to understand"

And Sunny Flare nodded gently to show she had said all she needed to say.

Cinch put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. It was clear Sunny had given her a lot to think about and whatever decision she made next would not be made lightly. Sunny began to tremble once again, as the suspense brought by the silence continued to linger for what seemed like an eternity but was in reality only a minute.

Cinch sighed wistfully and in a somewhat regretful tone broke the silence. "So what do you want from me?" she asked, her voice soft and dangerous. She was clearly testing Sunny.

Sunny knew that whatever she said next would inevitably change her already troubled relationship with her mother, the only family she had left. Whether this was the change that would finally set things right, or the mistake that would shatter them apart perhaps forever, it was hers to decide. As Indigo Zap would say if she was here, this was no place for reckless behaviour. There was no second chances this time, and it was now or never that Sunny said what she wanted to say. "But with high risk" Indigo Zap's voice said in her mind "comes high reward. And choosing not to choose sometimes, isn't a choice."

"Speak now" ordered the clearly frustrated Cinch who clearly thought this conversation had dragged on far too long "or forever hold your peace."

The problem was you only had one chance.

And as Sunny sat trembling gently in the chair, trying without success to take her eyes away from the hard set eyes of her mother the principal so that she could think clearly, her mind fell back on all the horrible things she did to Twilight during the friendship games.

And the one word that summarised those actions better than any essay or sentence ever could, that one word was "selfish".

Sunny Flare had been selfish, perhaps not deliberately but all the same, she had been selfish.

As clear as crystal, Sunny began to fathom what the solution to the problem was. The problem was her selfishness and lack of empathy for others beneath her, and the solution had been staring her in the face all along. The solution, was generosity, a virtue Sunny neglected partly due to bad influence, but mostly down to her arrogance and reluctance to admit her own faults, a trait she shared with her friends and was only now beginning to come to terms with.

Sunny looked hard into her mother's eyes with her own. And in a clear unbroken voice that was soft but passionate, she replied, choosing her words carefully. "So let me go" she begged.

Cinch looked puzzled, and confused. It was clear she was not expecting this response.

"Let me go" explained Sunny "I don't want to be your hero. I'm just as wrong as everyone else, and I'm just a kid like everyone else. I make mistakes like everyone else, and I don't think I'm ready to handle the responsibility of being your hero yet. I'm sorry I failed to live up to your expectations mother. All I can ask for now, is forgiveness, and a chance to walk with everyone else."

It was difficult to tell whether Cinch's expression was sympathetic or angry in that moment.

"I understand you want me to be better than everyone else mother" continued Sunny "But I'm afraid I don't think I'm ready to be a part of your masquerade yet mother. I don't think I'm ready to be a part of your parade"

"I don't understand..." protested Cinch.

"You've done a lot for me mother. You raised me and made me the person I am today. For that mother, I could never thank you enough. But if Twilight deserves a chance to walk with everyone else, I believe I do too. You've given me a lot, and I appreciate that. But now, I think it's time I need some space, some time to be my own person and start making my own decisions in life. You have to understand me mom, when I say, there can't be one set of rules for me and another for everyone else. It's bad for other people, and bad for me as well. "

And Sunny stood up slowly, nodding softly. "I rest my case. I've said what I meant, and meant what I said. Thank you for your time mother, I leave you with your duties. And please mom, please realize that as the only family I had since daddy...left, you mean a lot to me. And please, realize that I only want the best for this school, and more importantly, for our family. Please believe me."

Cinch was at a loss for words as Sunny politely bowed and slowly left the room.

"You've, you've changed. Sunny" confessed Cinch clearly astonished and deep in thought "You're a different person now.

Then for the first time in a long time, Cinch allowed herself a soft smile as she closed her eyes, clearly trying to reflect on Sunny's piercing words. "You'll be a good person when you grow up. I know you will. You've, grown. And your father. He would be proud of you if he was here." Cinch took out her planner and scribbled a few words into it before slowly returning to the papers she had yet to mark.

Sunny wearily trudged to the empty playground. She needed some fresh air after that heated discussion and somewhere quiet to sit to reflect on whether she did the right thing.
But when she heard loud noises ringing from the halls, she stopped.

Loud cheers rang as students charged forward and she was surrounded by a crowd of tired students, rushing out from their classroom. She stood still as she continued to watch as the students rushed for the playground, like prisoners being let of a prison after being trapped for a century. Like moths to a flame.

The students cheered and whooped as they sprinted away. And when last but not least, her friends stepped slowly towards her each wearing a relieved and grateful expression, she cheered and jumped in the air too.

It felt good to be generous and doing the right thing for once. It felt good to use her position as the principle's daughter for a good cause rather than a selfish one. There was still a lot to be dealt with for Crystal Prep academy to be restored to its former glory largely due to the bullies which escaped attention and could continue tormenting innocent scapegoats. But today, she had solved one of the many problems with the school. Today she had taken one small step to be proud of. That made her happy.

A pink haired girl stood outside the school fence, watching as Sunny Flare walked toward the playground to join the rest of her peers. The girl nodded happily, clearly pleased. "The assumptions I had about you are indeed true" the girl admitted cheerfully "you are a nice person who cares about their friends."

The girl's face was covered in bruises and a large red scar ran down her right cheek. One hand had to clutch her bleeding nose to stop it from bleeding any further. The other arm hung limp, clearly not in good condition.

The girl watched for a few minutes more as Sunny Flare and her friends sat talking to each other, unaware of the pink haired girl's presence. Then she nodded and slowly walked away, careful not to reveal her presence. So far her assumptions she had after the friendship games were proving to be very accurate, but she still wanted more proof.

Author's Note:

Once again, thanks every pony for reading. Do you like the direction the story is going in. What do you think will happen next? Do you have any recommendations on what should happen next or what you would like to see happen next.
Please review, thank you in advance for your kind comments,

Comments

[Fire Seeker12]

Well done Sunny. Well done. But also who was that. You got me pondering, but keep up the work.

[MorgothII]

Another good chapter, enjoyed it, I really enjoy your whole story concept, really hoping to see more of Lightning Dust reeeaaaal soon! :) Anyways, keep up the good work!