Reformation Brigade

by Metool Bard

Prologue: Different Lessons Learned

*tap tap tap*

"It's open."

Dean Cadence nodded and opened the door with a ghastly creak. Though her heart was filled with determination, she couldn't help but feel a trifle intimidated by Principal Abacus Cinch's choice of decor. Everything from the Victorian-era carpeting to the shadowy walls and the single lamp above Cinch's desk made it all feel as though she was walking through the bowels of a supervillain's lair. She could never remember the room looking any different, and upon reflection, she could only guess as to why Cinch preferred it this way. But in her mind, the decor was but a minor part of a more major problem. She cleared her throat.

"I suppose you're wondering why I asked to meet with you, Principal Cinch," she said.

Cinch swiveled around in her chair to face Cadence, her fingers pressed together as she arched an eyebrow. "I will confess that this is rather, unprecedented, Dean Cadence," she stated. "Usually, I'm the one summoning you here."

Cadence shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose we all have to prepare for the unexpected. We don't exactly live in a stagnant world."

"Spare me the platitudes, Cadence," Cinch said cooly. "What do you want?"

Cadence sighed. "Right to the point as always. Some things never change, Abacus."

Cinch narrowed her eyes. "That's Principal Cinch to you, Mi Amore."

Cadence ground her teeth, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Right, Principal Cinch. My apologies." Marching up to Cinch's desk, she brandished a single document and placed it before her superior. Cinch adjusted her reading glasses and looked over the document thoroughly. All was silent for a time, apart from the ambient ticking of the clock on the wall. Despite the tension, Cadence didn't waver and waited patiently for Cinch to finish. After a few minutes, Cinch lowered her glasses and gave Cadence a perplexed look.

"What exactly is the meaning of this, Dean Cadence?" she inquired.

Cadence swallowed a large lump, covering it up with a cough. "As the Dean of Students at Crystal Prep Academy, I felt it necessary to ask students about their reaction to our last Friendship Games with Canterlot High. You see—"

Cinch cut across Cadence with an intense glare. "I thought we agreed never to bring up that travesty ever again," she snapped.

"Still sore about having to share a victory this time around?" Cadence asked, folding her arms. "Come now, Abacus—"

"Principal Cinch, Dean Cadence," Cinch corrected. "Remember your place here."

Cadence let out a muffled groan. "Right, of course," she grumbled. No use arguing with a stubborn old hag, she added mentally.

Cinch snorted. "I do apologize, Cadence. I didn't mean to come off as rude," she said coldly. "Even so, you must admit that ever since this year's Games, the students have gotten a lot more restless."

Cadence blinked. "Restless?" she parroted.

"Don't act like you haven't noticed," Cinch snipped haughtily. "Crystal Prep has always had a reputation of being one of the top schools in the district. People always expect us to come out on top."

"And, we haven't?" Cadence asked, tilting her head. "I certainly haven't seen much of a change in student performance."

Cinch's brow crinkled. "Now you're just playing dumb. Look around, Mi Amore. Several faculty members have reported that students have been congregating in cliques after school hours. The lunch staff has taken special notice to how there's a lot more noise in the cafeteria as of late. Why, just yesterday, Professor Flypaper told me that he caught Jet Set and Upper Crust passing notes!"

Cadence deadpanned. "Upper Crust was sick the day before, and Jet Set copied down notes for her. That's not in violation of any school rules."

"That's besides the point," Cinch growled.

How? Cadence wondered.

"The point is the student body has become a lot more unruly these past few weeks, and it's all because of what happened at this year's games," Cinch proclaimed, gripping the document in her hand. "And as the Dean of Students, it's your job to keep this kind of behavior under control! Not waste my time with these worthless petitions!"

Cadence glared back at Cinch. "See, this right here is the problem that 'worthless petition' is trying to address. My job as Dean of Students is to look after these students and make sure they're getting what they need to succeed."

"And how, pray tell, will this Student-Exchange Program help them succeed?"

Cadence cast her eyes upward. "Well, for one, you might learn a thing or two," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said for one, it would give the students at Crystal Prep a chance to experience other forms of education."

Cinch scoffed. "Why would they need any other form of education, Cadence? We're already the best."

"You never know," Cadence said with a shrug. "You said yourself that Canterlot High has been going through a renaissance."

"Canterlot High does not count," Cinch stated coldly. "They've been using their magic to succeed. Crystal Prep has no need for such things."

"You clearly didn't think that at the Games," Cadence muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Cinch gave Cadence a suspicious look before turning back to the petition. "The point is that there is no way that I will allow this program to be implemented. It serves no practical purpose for Crystal Prep."

Cadence's lips curled into a wry smile. She had been expecting this sort of resistance.

"What of our reputation, Principal Cinch?" she asked coyly. "If we're the best school there is, we ought to showcase just how good we are, shouldn't we?"

Cinch blinked in confusion. "We already do that, Dean Cadence."

"How? By only letting the best of the best have the privilege of experiencing our superior system?" Cadence began pacing back and forth, as if in deep thought. "Think about it like this, Principal Cinch. If students from Canterlot High saw how much they could succeed if they were to follow our example, that would lead to them singing our school's praises instead of the complete hostility we had to endure for so long. And who knows? If it turns out Canterlot High does do something better than we do—"

"They don't," Cinch interrupted bluntly.

"Yes, but if they do, the students can take that information and use it to make Crystal Prep better. And that means we have a better reputation. After all, that's all it comes down to, right? Reputation?"

Cinch took a moment to process this. "You, do have a point," she mused. "After the setback from this year's games, we need to show Canterlot High now more than ever that we're still the best. And what better way to do that than to have them see this school for themselves?"

She paused. "But, they already have seen the school for themselves. They've played the Friendship Games here before."

"Yes, but they don't know what school life is like here," Cadence corrected. "That was a special event. If we treat them as friends rather than opponents..."

"Then they will recognize how much Crystal Prep has over them," said Cinch. "Hmm. Now that you put it like that, it does sound more appealing."

Cadence sighed in exasperation. "Okay, not exactly what I was going to say, but sure. Let's roll with that."

If Cinch heard this comment, she didn't pay it any heed. "There is but one more thing, Cadence."

"What?"

"You saw how those Canterlot High students infected everyone with their magic at the Games. How do you account for that?"

Cadence gave Cinch a blank stare. Are you serious right now? she wanted to scream. You sound like a paranoid lunatic! Magic wasn't the problem at this year's Games; you were! You pushed Twilight Sparkle into nearly destroying the world! That's why everyone turned against you, you obtuse, stubborn—

Instead, she put a hand to her chest, took in a deep breath, and let it out in a cleansing sigh. "A-as Dean of Students, I'll make sure any form of magic is kept under control," she said.

Cinch nodded. "Alright. As long as you agree to that, you can have your little school-exchange program. I'll send a bulletin around tomorrow."

"N-no need, Principal Cinch. I'll do it," said Cadence. "I already had one prepared."

Cinch raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure whether to praise you for your initiative or scold you for your presumptions, Dean Cadence."

"Let's just say we've gotten to know each other pretty well by now," said Cadence with a shrug. "Thank you for your approval, Principal Cinch. I'm sure the students will be very happy."

"Right, of course," said Cinch. "You're dismissed."

Cadence gave Cinch a nod before exiting the office. Once she was gone, Cinch tapped a button on her desk, activating the intercom.

"Slitherquick?" she said.

"Y-yes, Principal Cinch," came a raspy voice from the other end.

"Has Professor Flypaper found any notes from Twilight Sparkle's previous work here?"

"There are a few on record, Principal Cinch."

"Any blueprints for that magic-stealing device?"

There was a pause. "Ma'am?"

"Blueprints for the device, Slitherquick. Does Flypaper have them?"

"J-just some rough sketches, Principal Cinch."

Cinch nodded thoughtfully. "Have Professor Flypaper meet me in my office tomorrow, with these sketches. I need to discuss next week's lesson plan with him."

"Y-yes, ma'am," said Slitherquick.

With that, the call was disconnected. Cinch stood up, looking over at the trophy case and placing her hands behind her back.

If Dean Cadence insists on playing with fire, then it's only sensible for me to call the fire department, she mused. This is still my school, and I'll make sure she and everyone else remembers that.

As she made her way back to her desk, a mysterious shadow on the wall remained. It was shaped like a bizarre creature, sharing traits with a whole menagerie of different animals. A lion's paw seemed to stroke a goatee in thought. Cinch saw this out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to get a better look, the shadow vanished. She scoffed.

"Must be my glasses," she muttered, turning back to her paperwork.

***

Outside the principal's office, five Crystal Prep students stood impatiently. They could hear moments of yelling and argument, but no one could make out what was being said. Sugarcoat leaned against a wall and folded her arms.

"She's not going to agree to it," she stated matter-of-factly. "Why would she? She hates what happened at the Friendship Games."

"She has to agree to it. She just has to," said Indigo Zap, patting Sugarcoat on the shoulder. "C'mon, Sugarcoat. We're the Shadowbolts! And the Shadowbolts never say die!"

"I didn't say 'die,'" Sugarcoat said flatly.

Lemon Zest giggled. "Dude, you just did."

"Oh, ha ha ha~! Such witty banter!" Sour Sweet chirped, a faux smile spread across her face. "Never mind the fact that we all could be expelled for doing this!"

"For what? Passing around a petition?" Sunny Flare asked incredulously. "There's no rule against that."

"No, but there is a rule against loitering outside the principal's office without an appointment," said Sugarcoat bluntly. "We should get to our next classes before the bell rings."

"Dude, chillax. We got time," said Lemon Zest. "'Sides, ain't you the least bit curious about how this'll play out?"

"I already know how this'll play out," said Sugarcoat. "Cinch will say no, Cadence will tell us just that, and we go on with our miserable lives."

Indigo deadpanned. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Sugarcoat. Seriously, what's wrong with you? This isn't what being a Shadowbolt is all about."

"Actually, that's something that bothers me," said Sunny Flare. "Why are we calling ourselves the Shadowbolts? That's the name of the school's team, isn't it?"

Indigo sighed. "We've been over this, Sunny. It's because after all these years of feuding with Canterlot High, the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts has only meant one thing. We're just the rival team that stomps all over the competition."

"And this is just dawning on you now?" said Sour Sweet, rolling her eyes.

Indigo gave Sour Sweet a look. "Don't you start."

Sour Sweet beamed. "What I mean is you didn't have a problem with the Shadowbolts before; isn't it a bit weird that you're having problems now?" she asked in a syrupy tone.

"No, it isn't. And don't act like you don't get it," said Indigo. She began pacing around, looking at her fellow students as if they were a sports team in dire need of a pep talk. "We all saw what happened at this year's games. We pressured Twilight into almost destroying the world, all so that we could win. For so long, that's what the name Shadowbolts represented. Well, I say we change that. We have to show Principal Cinch and Canterlot High that the name Shadowbolts doesn't just represent a desire to win at all costs. We want things to be better. For us, for the school, for everything."

"So, basically, we're calling ourselves the Shadowbolts because you've made yourself our leader and decided to name it after our sports team," said Sugarcoat frankly.

Indigo scowled. "Why are you guys being so difficult about this? We all want the same thing, right? We want to change things at this school."

"No one's disputing that, dearie," said Sunny Flare, striking a dramatic pose. "For alas, the corridors of Crystal Preparatory Academy are dark and dismal, while Canterlot High School is so warm and inviting. I daresay I envy Twilight for transferring. At least she gets to escape this oppressive prison of academia."

Sour Sweet scoffed. "Ugh, you are such a drama queen, Sunny."

Lemon Zest was about to respond, but instead shook her head. "Too easy."

"Look, the point is sure, we could just transfer schools," said Indigo. "We could just run away from this place and not deal with Cinch's nonsense ever again. We could do that. Or instead of just running away, we could stay and fight! We could make this place better for everyone! Think about someone other than ourselves for a change! That's what I took away from this year's games; what about you guys?"

Sugarcoat shrugged. "That's true."

"Of course it's true. Like I said, there's no disagreement here," said Sunny Flare.

"Yeah, you're right! We have to fight the system~!" Sour Sweet's expression deflated. "Besides, my dad's working three jobs to send me here. If he found out that I transferred, he'd kill me."

"I'm not touching that one," said Sugarcoat.

Indigo nodded slowly. "Right. Um, what about you, Lemon Ze— are you listening to music right now?!"

Indeed, Lemon Zest was lost in her tunes and bobbing her head to the beat. When she noticed Indigo getting in her face, she took off her headphones. "Sorry, dude. Zoned out for a second there. Hey, you wanna listen to this new CD I got?"

Indigo blanched, knowing full well what was coming. "Wait, wait wait... Nonononono—"

Unfortunately, Lemon Zest had already strapped the headphones to her ears. The blaring mess of noise at full volume almost caused Indigo to faint. Sour Sweet quickly rescued her from the contraption, shooting Lemon Zest a glare.

"Why does 'wait wait wait' never mean anything to you?" she scolded.

Lemon Zest hung her head sheepishly. "Sorry."

Just then, Dean Cadence emerged from Cinch's office. Quickly, the Shadowbolts stood at attention. Cadence raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you five be in class?" she asked.

"I tried to warn them," Sugarcoat said with a shrug.

"Please forgive us, Dean Cadence," said Sunny Flare with a curtsy. "We were just wondering about our petition. Don't worry, we're ready for the bad news."

"It didn't sound like it from where I was standing," said Sugarcoat.

Cadence smiled. "Well, you'll be happy to know that Principal Cinch has agreed to implement the student-exchange program, starting tomorrow."

Sugarcoat blinked. "Wait, what?"

Indigo shook herself, cleaning out her ears. "Sorry, I missed that. What happened?"

"Cinch gave us the A-OK, dude!" Lemon Zest cheered, patting Indigo on the back.

Indigo's expression immediately lit up. "For real?"

"It did take some coaxing, but she relented in the end," said Cadence. "I'll be sure to call Vice Principal Luna and tell her the good news. We can organize everything from there."

Indigo pumped her fist and gave Sugarcoat a sneer. "YES~! In your face, Sugarcoat! The Shadowbolts are gonna make a difference!"

A small smile appeared on Sugarcoat's face. "I'm allowed to be wrong. I'm only human."

Just then, the bell rang.

"Oh, horror of horrors! We're late for classes!" Sunny Flare wailed. "Someone, please fetch me a chair. I-I might faint."

"Drop the act, you ham," said Indigo. "Let's just hurry. Thanks so much, Dean Cadence! Shadowbolts, break!"

With that, the five students darted off in every direction. Cadence snickered and shook her head.

"No need to thank me," she mused. "You five are the ones who really wanted change. I'm just here to help."

As she went back to her own office, the mysterious shadow from Cinch's office appeared on the wall. It glanced about, as if processing everything that was going on. The silhouette of a lightbulb appeared above the shadow's head, making a distinct chime. It then snapped its fingers and vanished without a trace.

Author's Note:

Well, well, well. This has been a long time coming, hasn't it? I won't lie, the past few months have been very busy and stressful, which led to very little time to write. But now, I'm back, and while I can't guarantee updates as frequent as they used to be, I'm going to do my best to give you guys a proper follow-up to one of my most popular stories.

Again, special shout-out to Bookish Delight for inspiration behind this story. I'd specifically like to draw your attention to Better Late Than Never, a wonderful Shadowbolts story that has served as the main inspiration behind the direction I wanted to take this sequel in. Please, do check it out.

Comments

[MrAskAPirate]

A sequel to Reformation Buddies?

1.bp.blogspot.com/-q3ezICNiaSA/VTkydwtF8ZI/AAAAAAAABjU/44e0dsI8jZs/s1600/Jurassic-Park-33-Hold-on-to-your-butts1.jpg

[MegaBrony95]

SO AWESOME ! I never would have thought this would happen, but it did! Your 'Reformation' stories are so great. I can't wait to read this story. I'm sure it's going to be great too. Don't take too long on that next chapter, hear?

[NeuroSparkle]

Absolutely did not expect to ever see a sequel to this story, but I'm sure as hell glad it's here! Looking forward to see it unfold

[nobody dreamer]

Sequel to Reformation Buddies?! Awesome. Especially one involving the Shadowbolts, they were pretty funny in FG. I'm kind of worried that we'll find out whether that magic absorber thing will work on Discord though, but it'll certainly make for an... interesting exchange program. Go Sunset, she can handle it (probably).

[MythrilMoth]

Takes place before Legends of the Everfree.

The title is Legend of Everfree. Not Legends, not 'the'.

Dean Cadence

Cadance

nodded and opened the door with a ghastly creek.

Ghastly Creek? Isn't that where they drowned Sticky Joe the Hobo?

(Creak, not creek.)

Principle

Principal

Tracking, obviously.

[Metool Bard]

7858105

Cadance

Potato, tomato.

Otherwise, thanks for catching those.

[Daybreak]

I really hope we get to see Discord mess with Cinch. A lot.

[howard035]

Excited to see this. It looks like Discord has learned to be more subtle. I also like your rather original take on Sunny Flare.

That said, it's a bit harsh to blame Cinch and the other Shadowbolts for "almost destroying the world." It's not a realistic outcome to expect magic to shatter reality if you've never seen it used before, except when the other team used it to their advantage in competitions. Really, I've always felt that Luna and Celestia, who knew they had certain students who benefited from the equivalent of unpredictable magical steroids and chose to enroll every last magical student they had in the Equestrian Games, should shoulder a fair amount of blame as well.

[Metool Bard]

7866297 I don't think Canterlot High really used their magic to get an edge in the competition. The only example of that I can think of would be Rainbow Dash, and she mainly used her powers to save Sunset, Sugarcoat, and Indigo from becoming plant food. While it's true that Sci-Twi shouldn't have been experimenting with magic in the first place, it was Cinch that pressured her into unleashing it all in the last event. That's just how I see it, anyway.

Also, you can thank Bookish Delight for the interpretation of Sunny Flare. Check out the story Better Late Than Never linked in the Author's Notes to see what I mean.

[Xanatos Speed Chess]

Cadance: "..."

Cinch: "What was that?"

Cadance: "Oh, I said, 'Go tuck yourself in.'"

Cinch (thinking): '...?'

[EchoWing]

7866590 Agreed on all fronts on this. Trouble is that Cinch didn't see it that way.

[BenRG]

The Shadowbolts' banter in this chapter was nicely written and did a good job in establishing their characters in line with Friendship Games whilst adding a bit of depth to them. I loved 'Reform Buddies' so I'm looking forward to this.

Principal Cinch? A creature that goes so far beyond your imagination as to be humorous has just taken a personal interest in you and in your school. Beg whatever god you revere for mercy for Discord, the Lord of Chaos, will have none.

[StarzGecko]

Man, awesome start! I didn’t know you wrote a sequel already so I’m reading this now

[Midknight_Stardust]

Oh this is gonna be a fun one

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

Cadence deadpanned. "Upper Crust was sick the day before, and Jet Set copied down notes for her. That's not in violation of any school rules."

"That's besides the point," Cinch growled.

It's called being friends you contemptible old sow God I cannot stand that woman and by that woman I mean Abacus cinch