Sad and seemingly abandoned by her friends, Sunset finds herself confiding in mysterious student, whose views on friendship go against everything she's ever learned.
With her friends and the school seemingly turned against her, Sunset Shimmer flees, quickly finding herself in the presence of a strange student, whose views clash with everything Twilight and the others have ever taught her about Friendship.
However, does that make him wrong? Is Friendship truly Magic? Or can it be something much darker?
Thanks place during the "Anon-a-Miss Incident" from the Equestria Girls Holiday comic. Video link to the comic in the comments below. Check it out if you haven't gotten a chance to read the book.
“We trusted you, Sunset! We thought you were our friend!”
“How could you do this? After all we've been through together?”
“Way to go, Anon-A-Miss, Keep it up.”
“Secret stealer.”
“LIAR!”
“TRAITOR!”
“Stop, please… I’d never…I couldn’t… I wouldn’t… Why won’t you believe me?” Sunset Shimmer practically screamed out in agony, yet she managed to keep the thoughts within her mind, despite the river of tears flowing down her cheeks. She found herself on her knees, surrounded, under the bitter, angry, hate-filled glares of the students of CHS.
The hallways seemed to resonate with a never-ending barrage of scornful words and insults directed at the fiery-haired teen, who futilely attempted to block out the stream of curses from her ears. With each verbal barb, the young girl could feel her fragile heart cracking, and any mental defenses she had left breaking with each passing second. It was simply too much to handle.
Without even thinking, Sunset got to her feet, managing to pick up her discarded book, and ran in the direction opposite the sea of venom-laced insults and looks of revulsion. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, desperately searching for an exit, eyes stinging as her tears continued to blind her.
Her hand finally found a nearby doorknob, with which she practically the ripped the door open, and fled inside, before she shut it behind her. She slowly leaned against the only barrier between her and those who sought to shun her and quietly slid down, now able to sit and cry in silence.
“How did this happen?…After everything we’d been through, after all the progress I’d made. I thought our friendship was strong enough to weather anything. Was I wrong?”
Sunset continued to sob, her tears still falling, though not as quickly as before; the sharp pain that continued to pierce her heart remained.
Yet, in the midst of her efforts to hide herself, she remained completely ignorant to where exactly she’d decided to hide.
Granted, under these circumstances she honestly didn’t care if it was the janitor’s closet or a bathroom stall. As long as it kept the angry mob from swarming, it didn’t matter.
Of course, the trouble with that plan was that, when you opened a door, you ran the risk of running into someone else who happened to be on the other side.
Sunset of course, was so lost within her own thoughts of despair that she didn’t notice the sounds of heavy footsteps approaching her, or the large shadow that quickly encompassed her being.
“Um…Can I help you with something?”
A rather deep and somewhat dry-sounding voice, almost sounding like the individual had rocks in his throat, managed to break Sunset out of her mind enough to look up, some tears still leaking from her eyes.
The room itself was a little dark, but there was enough light from the overhead bulbs and a few open windows to get a good look at the source of the voice. It was a young man, about two to three inches taller than Flash and considerably more sturdy-looking in terms of build, if his surprisingly strong-looking forearms had anything to say for it.
Matched with a pair of sharp eyes and a wild grey mohawk like hairstyle, he looked fairly intimidating, which wasn’t helped by the somewhat blank look on his face, which made him difficult to read…And the fact that he currently had a rather large hammer in his left hand didn’t help much either.
In spite of the situation, he didn’t seem to react much to her presence, looking at her with a somewhat puzzled expression, seemingly trying to find the best way to approach what he was going to say. Thus, the pair sat in silence for a moment or two, which was enough time for Sunset to collect herself and calm down from her unpleasant excursion, and to manage to let out a somewhat weak, “Um, hello.”
The strange teen didn’t say anything at first, though his expression shifted back to a more neutral look as he spoke. “Hey. So um, is something bothering you? I mean, you ran in here crying, and people don’t generally come here to cry…Then again, people don’t usually come into the art room, unless class is actually in session.”
“This is the art room?” Sunset’s eyes widened a bit, her prior sorrow forgotten as she finally decided to properly scan the room she’d decided to hide in. The stranger was correct. The room itself was fairly large in size, with various portions of the room containing the necessary tools for different art styles, including painting, sculpting and the like. Truth was, she’d never paid much attention to the room itself, since art wasn’t exactly mandatory or important in her mind, partially because it wasn’t really something she had a knack for.
“Yep, pretty much abandoned when class isn’t in session. People seem to prefer either chatting it up with their respective groups or hanging out in their clubs to give it much mind. So, it’s usually pretty quiet.” The stranger stood still, crossing his arms as he continued to look at Sunset, who was still observing the room,
“Least I’m safe… For now.”
Her attention quickly turned to the other teen, who by this point had apparently lost interest in Sunset, having turned his back to her and headed to a nearby table, giving Sunset a view of his back, which revealed a rather large mark on the back of his black jacket. It was a sledgehammer and chisel crossed over each other, with a few stone fragments below them.
Taking a closer look, she noticed that he actually had several stone carving tools on the desk he’d taken a seat at, including at least three different-sized hammers, and more than seven chisels of various sizes, along with a pair of goggles and a magnifying glass.
Once he’d taken a seat, he proceeded to quickly place the goggles over his eyes before picking up a relatively small chisel and hammer in each of his glove clad hands and turning his attention to what looked like a statue about the size of a birdhouse.
The design itself wasn’t exactly something Sunset found…appealing. That was mostly because it was some kind of gargoyle-like creature, with a rather hideous-looking face, sharp, lizard-like eyes, large bat-like wings, and a mouth filled with fangs. It wasn’t necessarily the statue that was ugly, as even from a distance she could see there was an impressive amount of detail put into it. Just that…It didn’t exactly remind her of any particularly pleasant experiences.
Of course, she couldn’t really do much at the moment, not wanting to risk going outside and trying her luck with her still-seething classmates. Thus, she found herself alone with the strange young man before her.
“So, not that I don’t find your company riveting, but I seriously doubt you ran in here, with tears running down your face, because you felt like doing some afternoon art. Mind explaining yourself?”
Sunset found herself, surprised by the comment, hesitantly moving forward slightly while keeping an eye of the door, just in case people decided to enter.
“So wait, you aren’t going to start insulting me, threatening me, and calling me a secret stealer?”
At this point, the stranger actually turned around completely from his project, pulled his goggles up and looked at the red-haired teen like she was insane. “Why the heck would I do any of those things?”
“You mean you don’t know who I am?”
His eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression still showed he was lost in regards to the situation. “You’re a student at this school, and apparently you’re having a bad day. Other than that, I can’t say I recognize your face.”
“He doesn’t sound like he’s lying, but that doesn’t make sense, after everything that’s happened….”
She tried to collect herself as she moved closer to the teen. “I’m Sunset Shimmer; you know, former queen bee of the school. The Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands…” When she saw that she wasn’t getting anywhere, as he looked even more confused, she let out a sigh as she chose her next words. “I turned into a raging she-demon, and tried to take over the school.”
That last part actually managed to get a reaction out of him: his eyebrows shot up slightly at the demon part, though his visage remained still otherwise.
“I don’t know why, but for some reason I feel the need to say ‘No offence' to you for the whole ‘She-demon’ thing.”
Sunset, as if on reflex, actually muttered out, “None taken,” before pausing for a moment after she realized what she’d just said and proceeding to smack herself in the forehead. “And here I was hoping after the Battle with the Sirens that that little running gag was over and done with…And now I sound like Pinkie.”
Shaking her bizarre thoughts from her system, she continued to speak. “So you really don’t know anything at all, do you?”
At this point, the young man shrugged a little. “Well, it’s not really that surprising, considering I only started attending this school about a month ago. Haven’t exactly been around long enough for major school functions.”
Okay, well that at least served to explain how he’d actually managed to be completely ignorant of her prior exploits… Whether or not that was a good thing was completely up for debate. However, that raised another question.
“Wait, you’ve been here for a month? I don’t recall ever seeing you at any point during class, or in the halls, or anywhere.”
“Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is a pretty big school with hundreds of students; I seriously doubt you’ve managed to memorize every student’s name and face.”
Sunset blushed lightly at the comment, since what he had said made a fair amount of sense. “Fair enough. Though, I do have a friend who actually made it a habit of knowing everyone at the school, and on occasion throwing them a welcoming party. Something I assume she’ll probably try to do when she finds out she hasn’t met you yet.”
“Well, tell her no thanks; not very big on parties.”
His tone became somewhat more abrasive at that last remark: not enough to be considered rude but definitely close enough to get Sunset to feel a little offended. “I’ll keep that in mind, though I don’t suppose you could at least tell me your name. Feels kind of weird talking with you and not knowing that much.”
Letting out a loud sigh, he acted as though he was getting a tooth pulled. The unnamed teen looked up from his work and pulled off his goggles again. “Not exactly sure why you even want to know it. Odds are we probably won’t be seeing each other in the future, and, I doubt you’ll remember it for very long.”
Sunset could easily tell this guy wasn’t exactly the friendly type, and part of her was tempted to simply sit in the dark and wait for things to blow over outside, but a small part of her refused to allow it for some reason. “Well I’m not planning on going anywhere, and it’s not like I’m asking for much. I’d just like know what I’m supposed to call you, is all.”
The stranger continued to look at Sunset for a brief moment before letting out another sigh. “Coalstone, that’s my name.”
“Coalstone, huh?…I’ll definitely make sure I remember that.” She spoke with a degree of reassurance. She decided to walk around a bit more of the art room, admiring some of the different pieces that were being presented.
The now-identified Coalstone, meanwhile, had resumed his own pet project, using a much smaller chisel to hammer out more detailed parts of his small statue with a surprising amount of precision. “Since we’re exchanging information, I figure it’s only fair you give me some info. Specifically, answering my previous question of why exactly your reputation or name would give me cause to insult you.”
Sunset frowned at the question and turn her back to Coalstone. “Let’s just say I earned a not-so-stellar reputation when I first started out here, and people aren’t so quick to forget when you cause trouble for them.”
Coalstone looked up again, as her tone contained a fair amount of apprehension; it was made more apparent by her movement, as she seemed frozen in place and was almost looking down at the ground, as if bowing her head in shame.
“The way you make it sound seems like you aren’t the same person you used to be.”
He waited to see what kind of reaction it got out of the girl, quietly placing his chisel down as he stared at her. He watched her move her body ever so slightly, clutching one of her arms as if she’d been injured.
She managed to let out a few words, but her tone was much more strained, making it more obvious how upset she was about the situation. “Ever hear about the website MyStable?”
“I’ve heard a few people mention it. Never actually went on it before, and I don’t really have an interest, to tell you the truth.”
Sunset actually paused at the remark, but kept down any kind of reply she might have made and continued to speak. “Well, about a week ago, someone called Anon-a-Miss began posting people’s secrets all over the web; really embarrassing stories that people wanted to keep buried.” Sunset’s grip around her arm tightened and her eyes clenched shut as she slowly began to regress back to her experience in the hallway.
Coalstone, meanwhile, looked at her, his expression softening a fair amount, then took a slight glance at the door. He noticed a few shadows pass by it and heard one or two less-than-positive comments from the outside.
He raised an eyebrow. “They thought you were the one behind it, didn’t they.”
A silent nod was all Sunset could manage. “I thought I’d finally managed to show everyone in this school that I wasn’t the same Sunset I was before. That I had truly changed for the better, and only wanted to help people, not hurt them.” As she spoke, the familiar sensation of fear and sorrow slowly began to seep back in, and the feeling of the students’ hateful glares and venom-filled words closed around her like an ice-cold wind. “Even my friends, people who swore to stand by me, people I grew to love like family. They hate me now…Despite everything we’ve been through together! How could they just abandon me so easily?”
At the sound of Sunset whimpering slightly, the stone-carving teen let out a sigh as he looked back at the statue he was making. “Hate to tell you this, Sunset, but that’s not really surprising, all things considered.”
Sunset quickly wiped up some of the tears that were forming on her face as she turned her head to look at Coalstone, who’d resumed work on his statue, though at a much slower pace, his mind clearly distracted. “Friendships sound nice on paper, and for a time they can certainly feel like a lot of fun. Having friends who stand by you, spend time and laugh with, promising to never leave you alone. Truth of the matter is, most of the time, that’s an empty promise.”
As he continued, Sunset noticed his tone gradually became much more bitter and even a little cold as his hands moved along the statue. “It’s easy to say that you’re someone’s friend, that you’ll stand by them through thick and thin, but people very rarely ever mean it. Make a few mistakes, maybe say something they don’t agree with, and slowly, that so-called ‘unbreakable friendship’ starts to fracture.”
The sound of his chisel striking part of the gargoyle echoed as he said the last word; a small crack actually started to form on the statue, but he continued in spite of it. “Sometimes, even if it isn’t a fight, you might end up having to change schools or locations, yet you promise to always stay in touch and never forget each other.” Another larger crack slowly began to form as he kept talking, seemingly blind to the destruction. “And while you continue to let their memory live on, you slowly begin to realize that, odds are, they’ve probably long since forgotten about you, and you’re left with an empty feeling inside of you that you can’t get rid of, as if someone ripped a hole straight through your soul.”
The cracks grew deeper, and Sunset actually felt herself both a little afraid and disheartened as she felt Coalstone’s tone grow colder, more bitter and even a bit angry as he remained blind to all that was around him. “Even after all that’s happened, you still believe that you might be able to have better luck with someone new. But you find it just gets harder, you’re more afraid they’ll reject you like your old friends did, and that fear keeps growing inside of you, until eventually you’re too afraid to speak with anyone, knowing you’ll more than likely say or do something for them to mock you for, or they’ll simply abandon you.”
By this point, the cracks had become so large that the statue began to break apart, yet Coalstone refused to stop, bringing his hammer up once more, his gaze a mixture of anger, bitterness and a degree of sadness as well. “In the end, friendships are nothing but hollow, empty words from people who’ll just as quickly turn their backs on you as stand by you. Very few people can ever say they’ve ever had true friends, as any relationship they ever had has fallen apart.”
With a loud smash, the statue shattered into countless fragments. Coalstone stood up. Sunset had covered her face to block some of the airborne shards, but she found herself shivering at the cold, almost dead look in the stone carver’s grey eyes.
“Friendships are fragile, and they almost always break, no matter what anyone says.”
There was a dead silence in the room, the only audible sound present being the footsteps of the people in the hallways. Sunset didn’t say anything at first, while Coalstone looked down at his destroyed statue with a small ping of sorrow, picking up what remained of the stone piece’s head.
“Kind of makes you wonder whether friendships are even worth all the pain you have to endure, just to even make one friend.”
“You don’t really think that way, do you?”
Coalstone looked up at Sunset, who seemed to have an almost pleading look on her face. “I mean, I don’t know much about friendship, but I do know what it’s like to have friends, and even if we’ve have a few rough patches, I’d never want to just throw them away.”
“Who’s to say it’s really your choice?” Coalstone quickly put the head on the table and started brushing away some of the stone fragments. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that people can just as easily be cruel as they can be kind.”
Taking another glance at the statue head, his eyes gained a distant look, as his mind seemingly slipped back into the past. “It's probably obvious to you by now, but I started getting into stone carving because I didn’t have many friends growing up."
Quickly pushing the stone fragments into the trash, he picked the head up and peered into its lifeless eyes, “Worst part, though, was everyone else. Can’t even begin to tell you how many people thought I was weird, creepy or even called me a freak because of the things I liked to make. And that only made things harder.”
He quietly pulled out a small brush and proceeded to remove some of the dust and small stone bits still on the statue head. Sunset, taking a closer look, was surprised to find it was completely filled with all kinds of statues of different sizes and designs. Dragons, demons, serpents, monsters, all intricately detailed and beautifully crafted, so much so she actually was able to look past their somewhat frightening appearance.
Coalstone quietly turned the head this way and that, examining the surface of the stone. “I used to spend a lot of time by myself. So one day, on a whim... I decided to talk to my statues, since I knew they at least wouldn't be so callous as to mock or ridicule me for something so petty.”
Spinning it around, he saw that the back of the head had been horribly cracked from the fall. Wordlessly, he let the hunk of stone fall into the trash. “Of course, I'm not so crazy as to think they’re alive or anything like that. But when you are so afraid or just so tired of being alone and betrayed by the people around you, confiding in something you know will never abandon you, or act spitefully towards you, suddenly doesn't seem so bad, does it?” he asked, looking directly at Sunset.
Looking at the statues and then at Coalstone, Sunset actually found herself thinking back somewhat, mostly to how quickly her friends had turned against her, and how it’d hurt worse than any pain she’d ever felt before. But what really scared her was how easily it happened.
“All it took was a few bits of gossip on the internet to make them turn against me. Does that mean that even if I manage to turn things around with them this time, there’s little to stop this from happening again?”
The idea of going through that whole ordeal again was horrifying to even consider; it was the worst feeling in the world, and she’d willingly give up anything to make sure that it didn’t happen again.
Looking at the door and remembering what happened, the fear slowly began to regain it’s grip on her heart. “Maybe he’s right. If our friendship is so fragile, then why bother keeping it…?”
As her mind slowly began to accept this notion, another thought entered her mind, something she hadn’t quite considered. Quietly, she turned to Coalstone, still admiring his statues, a smile on his face…A sad, hollow smile.
“Don’t you ever wish they could talk back?”
His grey eyes opened slightly, looking to Sunset, who slowly walked towards him. “I mean, they might not act cruel or desert you, but at the same time, like you said, they aren’t alive. Don’t you still feel alone, spending all your time with things you know you can never have even a small conversation with?”
For a moment, Coalstone’s stone-like visage seemed to fracture, as a an almost broken look seemed to enter his eyes, looking again at his creations. Letting out a tired sigh, he replied, “Honestly, I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where that thought doesn’t enter my mind. To be able to talk, to laugh, to know that feeling of simply being around another individual, whom you can confide in. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to know that feeling again.”
“Then why not try?”
She quickly regretted her answer, as Coalstone’s face quickly grew cold and somber, looking again to the passage to the hallways of the school. “Because I’ve spent most of my life trying to make friends with people, and all I’ve ever gotten from it was pain, ridicule and misery. No matter what I try, it always ends the same. I end up hurt and alone, and I’m tired of it.”
He quietly walked to another part of the room, retrieving a large block of stone from a supply closet. “In the end, I’d rather be with those I know would never intentionally hurt me than go through that again. Besides…Didn’t the same thing happen to you? Your friends promised to stand by you, and yet here you sit with me, sad and alone. Do you really want to go through all of this again out of some bleak hope that maybe, just maybe, your friendship will endure through the ages?”
At first, Sunset didn’t say anything. She peered through her memories, all her experiences and everything that had led up to this point, until she reached her answer.
“Maybe you’re right. If I’ve learned anything today, it’s that friendships aren’t indestructible, and that sometimes they can hurt you far more than they help you… But...”
As she trailed off, her mind flashed back to when she first arrived in this world. “I also know what it’s like to alone, to have no one by your side, to help you, to comfort you. Even when I was in control of this school, I always felt empty inside, and no matter how much power I had, or how good I tried to make myself feel, I never felt even half as happy or as alive then as I did when I had my friends.”
Her words slowly gained greater strength as her darker memories quickly shattered, while the brighter times she’d managed to gain with her friends shone through. “Everyday I spent with them, I finally felt whole for the first time in my life. And I don’t want to go back, ever. Even if we may have some disagreements, that doesn’t mean I’m just going to give up on them, even if they may on me first.”
Looking back at the door, Sunset let out a calming breath as she readied herself. “Even if things are bad, I’m not going to just give up. I know there’s something up with Anon-a-Miss that I’m just not seeing, and I’ll find it. I won’t let our friendship die; not now, not ever.”
She took a moment and turned back to Coalstone, who was in the midst of working on another statue. “I want to say thanks for letting me stay here for a while and listening to what I had to say. I think this helped me more than I thought it would.”
Coalstone didn’t look up at her. “No problem, I guess. Hopefully things go well for you and your friends, but I wouldn’t be too hopeful. Didn’t take much to break your friendship before, and it’s not likely gonna be the last time this happens.”
Sunset only looked at the boy with a degree of pity before adopting a more confident gaze. “Maybe, but I’ll take that chance, because I know my friends are worth it.”
She made her way to the door and reached out for the knob. Yet as she began to twist it open and release some of the light of the hallway in the dark room, she took one last glance at Coalstone.
“Once this is over, I’ll come back and show you that friendships aren’t so fragile and that there are still people you can trust, to be with you no matter what. That’s a promise, Coalstone.”
With those last thoughts, she walked through the door and watched it close behind her. The darkness quickly consumed Coalstone, leaving him there once again alone, with only the cold, hard stone to comfort him.
“I appreciate you coming by on such short notice. I know this seems a little out of the blue, but I wanted to see how well you are adjusting to life here at Canterlot High.”
Principal Celestia spoke with a comforting smile, resting her hands on her desk as she sat across from Coalstone, currently sporting a fairly neutral expression, which only served to add some tension to Celestia.
The young teen was quietly manipulating what appeared to be two small stones in his hands, seemingly able to keep them moving despite having his eyes trained on the principal and his attention at least mostly focused on the conversation.
“It’s no problem, I suppose, Principal Celestia. Though you’ll forgive me if I’m a little skeptical, given that this most likely isn’t something you normally do with all your students... Unless you are also the guidance counselor at this school as well as the principal.”
Celestia merely laughed at his comment. “No, no, that’s actually Ms. Zecora. She’s quite good at her job, too, though she does have this interesting habit of speaking in rhyme.”
Coalstone gave her an odd look. “It’s a little unorthodox, but the other students actually seem to enjoy it.” she quickly added.
Her expression eventually became slightly more serious as she folded her hands together and placed her elbows on the desk. “As principal, it’s my job to ensure that all the students at this school receive a solid education and are well cared for.”
She separated her hands and opened a file that had been on her desk, a file that Coalstone could see had his name on it.
“Academically, you’re rather exceptional and your teachers have all described you as being diligent and hard-working,” she began, looking through the file.
“Then what’s the problem?”
Her expression quickly shifted into a sad frown as she quickly scanned over some of the teachers reports. “Several of those same teachers have mentioned repeatedly that you make little of an attempt to socialize with your classmates and fellow students. You always eat lunch by yourself, and when you aren’t in class, you’re either locked in the art room or the library.”
Celestia slowly closed the file with a sigh.“Your teachers as well as myself are a bit concerned.”
Coalstone’s hands quickly began to speed up, moving the stones faster between his fingers despite his expression not changing much. “What’s there to be concerned about?” he said flatly. “So I’m not some social butterfly or anything. It’s not like I’m the only person in this school who doesn’t have a million friends.”
“Yet isolating yourself away from everyone else isn’t healthy,” she responded, noting the steadily increasing speed of the stones. “Part of the reason you were transferred to this school was to help improve your social skills and make some friends. I’m not asking you to change who you are, and I’m not punishing you for something. I simply don’t want to see one of my students spending all their time alone.”
Coalstone’s expression became much more somber as his gaze fell to the ground, seemingly struck silent. Celestia, however, needed only to look at the now motionless stones in his hands to have at least some idea as to what thoughts were racing through his mind.
As the silence dredged on, Celestia eventually quickly got up and placed a comforting hand on the young teen’s shoulders, actually causing his grip on the stones to tighten on reflex.
He met her eyes as she began speaking. “I know that making friends is difficult, for you especially. I also know that it can be a frightening thing. But if you make the effort, I know you’ll make wonderful friends with whom you’ll form a lasting bond that you will always treasure.”
Coalstone turn his head away and let out a light scoff at the principal’s words. His hands began to resume turning the stones once more, though Celestia could see that it had far less speed than before.
Celestia dared to adopt a cheeky grin. She stood up and moved back over to her desk, Coalstone’s eyes following her as she did. “You know, I have another student with a similar problem to you. She’s had difficulty making friends and admittedly did struggle before any significant changes came. Now, however, everyday I see her, she has a smile on her face that shines as brightly as the sun.” Celestia locked gazes with Coalstone once again, this time with even more sincerity shining through them. “And I know you can do the same, Coalstone.”
The stones immediately ceased all movement and, for the briefest moment, Celestia swore she saw a slight twitch in the teen’s eye.
After a few seconds of stark silence, Coalstone spoke in a low voice. “That student wouldn’t happen to be named Sunset Shimmer, would she?”
“You know Sunset?” Celestia was rather pleasantly surprised: since his arrival, Coalstone had made no real attempt to communicate with anyone save for the occasional hello or goodbye, much less actually bothering to get to know someone enough to ask for their name.
Coalstone’s eyes returned to the rocks in his hands, lightly passing them together between his fingers as he talked. “Not personally, but I did meet her after she ran into the art room crying.”
Celestia felt a slight chill run down her back. “Ahh… yes, the Anon-A-Miss incident. Certainly not the brightest moment in our school’s history,” she said bitterly.
Coalstone continued. “Anyway, she came in while I was working on one of my statues... and we talked for a little bit. Funny thing, she mentioned something about turning into some kind of raging she-demon.”
A somewhat muffled cough echoed through the office, with Celestia moving somewhat anxiously in response to the question. “Let’s just say there was another incident a while back and leave it at that, shall we.” With another cough, she quickly returned to the topic at hand. “Let’s get back to your meeting with Sunset. May I ask what you talked about?”
“Nothing especially interesting. She told me how everyone in the school was treating her, and I offered my own thoughts on the matter. Not much else to say other than that.”
Celestia was tempted to frown at the teen’s evasive response to her question, though she’d anticipated he’d be difficult to talk with and knew pressing the issue wouldn’t get her very far. “I must say, that’s surprising to hear. You must have talked about something that managed to keep you invested.”
Coalstone’s grip on the stones quickly seemed to tighten, along with his facial expression, with a dark frown growing on his face. “I guess I just understood how she felt. Having everyone turn against you, abandon you, all for something petty or minor. Can’t say I wasn’t a little bit angry and curious.”
Slowly his grip on the stones lessened as did his glare, but the stones still remained in his grip, as he continued to stare at the floor. “Doesn’t really matter ,though. It was a one time thing. Besides, I heard her friends apologized after learning the truth about everything, so that’s the end of that little encounter.”
Celestia however, only shook her head. “You should try to stay positive, Coalstone. Finding common ground is often the starting point to forming a lasting friendship, so long as you continue to pursue it.” She watched as Coalstone finally put the stones in his pocket and quickly eyed a nearby clock. She took a quick glance and fought back a light curse when she noticed how late it was.
“I hate to cut this conversation short, Ms. Celestia, but I have to go to my next class, and I’d prefer not to be late if you don’t mind.” Coalstone’s tone seemed to indicate indifference at the matter, but Celestia could tell he was at least somewhat grateful to end the conversation where it stood.
As he got out of his seat and reached for his bag, he took another glance at Celestia. “I appreciate you wanting to speak with me, Ms. Celestia. I’ll keep some of what you said in mind as well, though I can’t make any promises.”
Celestia could only nod at his response. “That’s all I’m asking of you, Coalstone. I do hope you’ll at least consider trying to make friends with some of the students here.”
Coalstone merely offered a nod as he headed out the door. Celestia let out a long sigh as she looked over Coalstone’s folder again. “Well that could have gone better. Principal Amore wasn’t lying when she said he’d be difficult.”
She got out of her seat and walked away from her desk to the window, taking in the sight of many of her other students interacting with each other as they were heading back to the school.
As she stared at the many happy faces of her students, the sound of the door opening and shuffling of feet got her attention. Celestia turned to see her younger sister and vice principal enter the room, holding a cream-colored folder.
“Forgive me for intruding, Celestia, but the documents you requested concerning the recent scandal just came through, and I thought you’d like to read them.”
A loud, frustrated groan echoed through the empty room. Luna noticed her sister’s shoulders and fingers tense at the mention of ‘incident.’
“I take it you’re not having the most pleasant day so far?” Luna quietly placed the documents on her sister’s desk, while Celestia continued to stare out the window. “I’m guessing things didn’t go as well as you hoped with the boy who just left?.”
Celestia gave her sister a small smile; as always, she was impressed by her sister’s intuition. “He’s stubborn…” she answered after a beat of silence, “or at the very least, he’s unsure. Though I know it’s possible to get him to break out of that shell he’s put around himself.”
Luna merely quirked her eyebrow at the notion. “Forgive me for this, but what makes you think you can do so? Principal Amore tried for months to get through to that boy and ultimately failed.”
Celestia quickly took another look at Coalstone’s file. “During our discussion, he said that he actually spoke to Sunset Shimmer not long after the uproar in the hallway. I believe Sunset might be able to get through to him, if only based on their shared experiences.”
“It’s a novel idea, but there’s no guarantee it will succeed,” her sister replied skeptically.
Celestia quietly shut Coalstone’s file before placing it in her desk and reaching for the documents to look them over. “Sunset has made tremendous strides over the last few months and has helped to save this school and bring her fellow students together in spite of her past mistakes. More so, she understands isolation better than most, even if only by her unique situation of being in a completely different world.”
Luna merely shrugged her shoulders at her sister’s insistence. “I suppose there’s no point in arguing with you. I’ll make sure to call Sunset in after class has let out; hopefully she won’t be against the idea.”
“Actually I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Luna.” Celestia quickly stopped her sister in her tracks. “Sunset has become much more proactive when it comes to friendship and will likely take action of her own accord, thus there’s no reason to further grease the wheel so to speak.”
Celestia took one last look out her window at the many students, enjoying the company of their own cliques and companions. “Friendship should never be forced or manipulated, but something that happens naturally. I’m confident that Sunset will be able to get through to Coalstone and that he’ll warm up to the idea… eventually.”
~~~
Coalstone silently made his way through the halls of Canterlot High after leaving Celestia’s office. Despite it being close to the next period, the halls were still abuzz with all manner of students laughing, talking and generally interacting with their peers.
Yet as he walked on, he seemed all but invisible to the many pairs of eyes around him. Sure, occasionally one would make a passing glance at him, but it was so brief they could have blinked and missed him.
He’d grown rather accustomed to acting almost like a ghost or shadow moving through the halls of the school. It wasn’t like he’d given any of the students an impression or done something to make him stand out, save maybe for his height.
Still, even as he moved silently through the halls, his mind was still processing what Celestia had told him. “Forming Lasting Friendships,” he thought. “She makes it sound so easy.” His eyes quickly scanned over the students again, with his fists tightening slightly as the image of a tear-stricken Sunset flashed into his mind.
“Not sure why I’d want to be friends with any of these people, especially if they’re so quick to mob someone based on flimsy evidence. ” His hands continued to tighten, though they had now moved to the straps of his backpack, crushing deeper into the fabric, enough to leave indents.
“I know one thing: I’m not just gonna start being chummy with some random person just to have someone to talk to.”
The teen was quickly pulled out of his inner monologue when, in the midst of his absentminded observations, he caught sight of something that was a tad… eye-catching. That being a young girl with light pink hair, trying desperately to reach a rabbit that had managed to somehow get himself stuck on a nearby flagpole.
The sight itself was a tad bit pitiful, as anyone could tell just from a quick glance that the rabbit’s perch was too high for the girl to reach. Yet she kept trying, actually getting on her tiptoes and stretching her arm up in desperation, not getting much help from the people around her.
Coalstone frowned at the display before him, taking another quick glance at the clock
“I really shouldn’t get involved….”
However, at the sight of the girl still trying in vain to reach the rabbit, Coalstone let out a frustrated huff as he made his way over, unaware that with each step the once-untrained eyes of the other students seemed to zero in on the tall, dark-clad, imposing teen making his way towards the school’s most timid student.
Said student, Fluttershy, made another attempt to reach her rabbit, fingers practically reaching out of their sockets to gain another centimeter, “Oh, please, Angel, class is starting in the next few minutes, and we’ll both be in trouble if I’m late again.” She looked at the rabbit with her best puppy dog face, yet he only offered a light scoff as he crossed his arms and turned his head, much like a bratty child would.
The timid teen prepared to make another plea to the bunny when a large shadow quickly overtook her and an equally large glove-clad hand reached over her head, easily grasping on to the equally shocked rabbit’s back and lowering him down to Fluttershy’s reach.
“I’m going to assume this rabbit belongs to you, right?” he asked, handing the rabbit over.
An almost silent “meep” was the only response Coalstone received from her. Her eyes seemed to shrink after taking a quick glance at him. That sound was followed by a rather awkward silence, with both parties just standing there, Coalstone still holding the rabbit. The other students, meanwhile, watched the scene play out.
The silence quickly became rather deafening for Coalstone. He tried bringing the rabbit closer to Fluttershy, his facial expression not changing much, while the rabbit didn’t look especially amused.
“This is your rabbit, right? Do you want him back or not?” he continued, tired of the silence.
His tone carried a somewhat heavier tone of authority than before, hopefully enough to get his point across. Unfortunately, this only served for the girl to close herself off even further, to the point where her head had practically shrunk into her shirt.
It was pretty obvious to the people watching this little exchange that it wasn’t going to end any time soon unless someone else intervened… Well, ask and ye shall receive.
A loud chomp quickly cut through the silence. Every teen in the hall, including Fluttershy herself, dropped their jaws and widened their eyes. A certain impatient rabbit wasn’t too keen on hanging around like a prize in a claw machine and had opted to latch his teeth directly onto Coalstone’s hand, which he was now hanging onto like a leaf.
Seemingly on reflex, Fluttershy had quickly shifted gears and was back to standing straight up. She positioned herself near her pet and offered Coalstone an apologetic glance. “I’m terribly sorry about this; I don’t know what’s gotten into that bunny as of late.”
Her gaze quickly diverted to Angel, who was still holding on tight, yet still managing to let off something of a glare. “Angel Bunny, you let him go right this instant!”
The rabbit didn’t seem to comply at first, until Fluttershy’s look shifted into a much harsher looking stare that promptly stopped the rabbit cold. He released his hold and leapt into the girl’s backpack.
While all this was happening, Coalstone was in the midst of clenching his teeth to fight off the stinging pain coursing through his hand and arm. “Try to help someone out and get my hand mauled by a rabbit? Sounds like friendship, alright..”
Coalstone quickly pulled back his hand once the devil rabbit released its hold and quickly flexed it out to make sure it still worked properly.
Fluttershy moved in closer and took a quick look at his hand. “I really hope that he didn’t hurt you too much.”
Coalstone quickly put up something of a forced smile to hide his frustration and some of the pain he was still experiencing. “No, I’m fine, didn’t break the skin or anything. Happy to help.”
After once again checking to make sure his hand worked, the stone carver quickly started to make his way to his next class, silently making a note of how much time the encounter had cost him.
Of course, he was in such a rush to move, he unfortunately missed Fluttershy’s rather quiet thank you for his good deed, whilst the hallway slowly began to shift back into its usual hustle and bustle, drowning out what sound he might have been able to pick up.
~~~
“Another day, another eight hours of class. Thank goodness for the weekend,” Sunset muttered to herself, casually placing a few of her textbooks in her locker while adjusting her backpack.
Despite her apparent exasperation, she was actually in a better mood since coming back from winter break. She quickly smiled at some of the pictures of her and her friends had taken over the holiday, quickly feeling filled with warm reminders of the people who cared for her.
Yet those memories where dampened somewhat as she zeroed in on a few select individuals in the picture, and Sunset could only frown
“I still can’t believe they were the ones who tried to frame me.”
After leaving the artroom, Sunset had be intent to solve the mystery of who Anon-a-Miss was and clear her good name….Only for the Anon-A-Miss herself to all but thrown herself in jail at Sunset’s feet. Or more appropriately, themselves.
To the surprise of everybody, it turned out the culprits were the “Crusaders,” a little group consisting of Applejack and Rarity’s little sisters, along with their friend Scootaloo. Evidently, their little form of cyberbullying was done out of jealously for Sunet spending so much time with their sisters; they had meant it as little more than a harmless prank and came clean when the guilt was too much to bear.
Once the truth was out, Sunset was more than a bit angry at the three girls, but not so much as to cause a big uproar. With their secret out in the open, the three were quickly brought before the principal and given six months detention for their trouble.
After all was said and done, Sunset was able to enjoy Christmas with her friend and did her best to bury the incident for good. Of course, throughout the entire experience there was one memory Sunset hadn’t forgotten, or more specifically whom she’d met that day before.
“Now that I’m back in school, it’s time I started making good on that promise I made to Coalstone.”
“This whole helping Coalstone out sounded a lot easier when I actually knew where to find him. Probably should have planned this out a little better.”
Sunset quietly grumbled to herself as she paced through the progressively empty halls of Canterlot High. With her classes over, she had every intention to seek Coalstone out and try her best to live up to the promise she had made to herself during their first encounter, namely to try and befriend the stone worker.
Naturally, the first step to that little mission would be to find him and establish some kind of dialogue…. Unfortunately, Sunset failed to consider one little fact.
“Well, Coalstone was right about one thing, I don’t know where or what everybody is doing at this school.”
Finding Coalstone wasn’t easy, as he and Sunset didn’t share any classes and the only place Sunset knew for sure she had a chance of finding him was the art room. Of course, that was the first place she tried and, wouldn’t you know it, he wasn’t there. Thus, her only lead pretty much crumbled up like one of Coalstone’s statues.
The fiery teen continued to stalk the hallways of the school, her eyes quickly darting past any window she came across for a possible sign of Coalstone’s whereabouts. “I kind of figured this wasn’t going to be easy, but I didn’t think I’d have trouble just finding the guy.”
“Okay, let’s think for a second. School let out about a twenty minutes ago, and most of the classrooms are locked up. The only places still open are the gym, the fields, the music room and the library. I’ve already checked the gym and fields, and he doesn’t exactly strike me as the music type.”
Her eyes quickly zeroed in on the only other possible location near the end of the hallway. “So I guess that means the library is my best bet. Either that or he went home already, which if that’s true, I’m gonna be a little annoyed.”
With a huff, she started to make her way toward the library….
“Hey, Sunset, hold up.”
Sunset stopped cold and quickly stiffened in place as the sounds of several parties running towards her. With a quick turn of the head, she quickly spotted her friends Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
Not wanting to appear like she was up to anything, Sunset quickly mustered up a smile and offered a wave. “Oh, hey, girls. Didn’t see you there, I figured you’d all left for the day.”
“That was the plan, but we figured we’d all stop by Sugarcube Corner and grab a snack. Rainbow and Fluttershy are already there, so we went looking for you.”
Pinkie quickly started to show her excitement as she casually bounced around her friends. “Yeah, we all had SOOOO much fun over the winter break, we figured, why stop just cause we’re back in school? We’ll just keep partying until the end of time!”
Sunset actually frowned at the request, and her eyes dropped to the floor somewhat. "As fun as that sounds, I’m a little busy right now and won’t be able to make it.”
“Whatever do you mean, darling? School just started back up; surely you couldn’t have accumulated enough work that a little time with your friends is out of the question.” Rarity looked over Sunset with a quizzical gaze, making Sunset feel like she was being interrogated.
“Don’t forget, Rarity, I’ve got Miss Harshwhinny in math class. I believe the last thing she said before the holiday was that breaks make you lazy and being lazy makes you sloppy in life. So she’s trying to make up for all the time we missed with some extra work and I was just heading to the library to give it a head start.”
Rarity let out a mild look of disgust. “That woman can be such a slave driver sometimes. I honestly don’t know how you can even put up with that kind of work, Sunset!”
“Well, I was already kind of a bookworm back in Equestria. Really, studying and me go together like Rainbow and soccer or Pinkie and cake.”
Pinkie quickly shot up and actually started to drool a little. “Cake.”
“Best get Pinkie to Sugarcube Corner before she starts drooling all over the hallway.” Applejack quickly began to push her pink friend towards the exit, while Rarity offered one last glance at Sunset.
“Are you certain you can’t come with us, darling? Surely with your grades you can afford to take a day off?”
Sunset only shook her head. “Sorry, but if I don’t at least get started on this, it’ll drive me nuts for the rest of the night. Don’t worry, I’ll catch you guys later.” With another wave, Sunset quickly made her way towards the library, while Rarity quickened her own pace to catch up with AJ and Pinkie.
“I must say, I always pegged Sunset as a bit of a bookworm and perfectionist, but I never imagined she’d be so dedicated.”
Applejack, however, frowned as she took a quick glance back at Sunset. “I don’t want to be the one pointing any fingers or anything, but I’m getting the feeling Sunset’s keeping something from us.”
“Oooh, like a secret. Maybe it’s magical secret, or maybe an embarrassing secret. Oh! Oh, maybe it’s an embarrassing magical secret.” Pinkie hopped up in down with her usual enthusiasm.
Rarity, however, didn’t seem as convinced of the implications. "Come now, Applejack. I know you’re probably the best at spotting dishonesty, but Sunset has no reason to lie to us.”
Applejack’s frown quickly became melancholy as she started staring at her boot. “Pretty sure after how we treated her during the whole Anon-A-Miss situation, she’d have plenty of cause not to trust us.”
Both Pinkie and Rarity seemed as though they’d been splashed with a good, cold hit of reality, with Pinkie’s hair actually deflating somewhat at the prospect.
“But we know it wasn’t her that was spreading all our secrets back then. The entire school knows she didn’t do it!”
“Maybe so, but that didn’t stop us from all jumping on her the second we had the chance.” AJ let off a huff as the three exited the school, though not before taking a quick glance at the hallways, near where the group had all but renounced Sunset as their friend.
Just remembering what they’d done and said at that moment still felt like being dunked in ice water after getting slapped in the face.
“Honestly, after the way we treated her, wouldn’t surprise me if she wasn’t still a little sore about what happened.”
Pinkie’s hair deflated further, looking more like a pink deflated beach ball than its usual poofy self. "Suddenly I don’t feel in the mood for sugar, you guys.”
Rarity’s face, however, quickly hardened somewhat as she gave Pinkie a light shake. "Come now, girls, we shouldn’t go jumping to conclusions. I regret my actions during that dreadful affair as much as you do, but we shouldn’t let ourselves be dragged down by our past mistakes. The best thing we can do for ourselves and for Sunset is to put it behind us.”
Pinkie seemed to perk up, with her hair regaining some of its bounce, but Applejack still didn’t seem as assured, casting another glance at the school, as they continued to walk away.
Unknown to the trio, Sunset watched the girls exit the school. "Sorry about the lie, you guys. I’ll make it up to you later when I get the chance.”
Quickly straightening herself out, Sunset entered the library, quickly scanning across the towering shelves of books that occupied the space.
“Okay, now if I were a somewhat anti-social teenager with a penchant for carving scary looking stone statues, where would I be.”
“SHHHHHH”
Sunset quickly cringed at the loud shushing sound. She quickly spotted Miss Cherilee, both the homeroom teacher for the younger students and the librarian, who frankly seemed a little high-strung at times, if the glare she was currently giving Sunset was any indication.
All Sunset could offer was an awkward smile and a nod to indicate she got the message and continued onwards with her search, scanning the library for a possible sign of Coalstone.
“I’m starting to think this might not be the best spot to look for him. I mean, I’ve been here a few times and most of the books here are just study aids, which, while they were helpful for me to learn about this world, don’t exactly strike me as something Coalstone would be interested in.”
She took another quick scan of the room and noticed that, like the rest of the school, the library was pretty empty. Other than Cheerilee, there were maybe three other students currently seated at tables, each with books in place.
Two of them clearly seemed like the reading was more for work than pleasure, with one student practically shoving his face into the pages in a vain attempt to better absorb the information, while the one two tables down was writing down notes while her eyes scanned over the pages.
The other person, however, wasn’t visible, as they were leaning back in the chair while holding the book up to hide their face. However, Sunset quickly became excited as she spotted a familiar black jacket and wild grey mohawk.
“I can’t believe it; I actually managed to find him. Was worried I’d have to go over this school with an electron microscope or some of that CSI stuff in order to find him.”
As Sunset slowly made her way over to Coalstone, she quickly observed something rather odd about him.
“Is it just me, or does he seem a lot more relaxed than when I saw him in the artroom?”
During their first meeting Coalstone had a stance and posture that was, for lack of a better term… stone-like. His arms and body seemed extremely constricted, acting like he was on edge during the entire conversation. Same with his seemingly rigid facial expression, neither of which changed, even while he was working on his statues. By all accounts, Coalstone’s movement made him resemble an actual statue, if it had the option to move.
Here however, he was considerably more relaxed, if his shoulders and arms were anything to say. It was actually making Sunset briefly consider if maybe she had the wrong person.
“Better make a quick check to make sure.” With a few tentative steps Sunset carefully walked around another table that was two down from Coalstone’s apparent position. Gradually she crept forward until she was behind the teen from about twenty feet away.
The view was sufficient as she could now see through the backrest of the chair. "Yep, that’s Coalstone, alright: nobody else has a jacket with a hammer and chisel design.”
Having finally found her target, Sunset quickly realized she’d traded one incomplete plan for another.
“Okay, now that I found him, how exactly should I approach him? Could always try striking up a conversation, but I’d need something to talk about.”
She zeroed in on Coalstone again, this time taking note of the fact he was clearly focused on the book he was reading. Taking another step or two to reposition herself to see the cover, she found the book in question to be a classic fantasy story.
She took another step or two forward, with nothing but the desk separating her and her shadow now reaching over the book Coalstone was reading… And he still didn’t react. He was still completely glued to the book he was currently reading.
“Wow, and I thought I got sucked into reading. It’s like he’s completely tuning everything out. Meaning I either have to actually talk to him or perhaps tap him on the shoulder.”
As Sunset contemplated her options for her next course of attack, she didn’t notice a smaller shadow appear before her.
“Uh, Sunset? Y’all okay?”
She practically bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming as she all but leapt into the air at the sound of a voice behind her.
With a snap of her head, she found herself staring into a familiar amber pair of eyes. "Applebloom, what’re you still here? Didn’t the middle school close like an hour ago?”
Apple Bloom frowned, her bow actually dropping like a pair of dog ears. “Yeah, but Miss Cheerilee is having Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and me help out her in the library as part of our detention.”
Sunset peered over Apple Bloom, and sure enough, she caught sight of Sweetie and Scootaloo helping place books on the various shelves throughout the library under Cheerilee’s watchful eye.
Apple Bloom’s frown grew heavier as she looked away from Sunset. "Course, we aren’t gonna complain about it. After everything we did to you and everyone else in this school, stacking books on shelves is nothing, least compared to getting chewed out by our folks.”
Sunset offered a calm smile to the girl as she patted her head lightly. "Don’t worry too much about it, Apple Bloom. I told you guys I forgave you a while back, so don’t beat yourself up over your past mistakes. Trust me, it doesn’t do you any good.”
The little girl seemed to perk up, her ribbon actually jumping up as well, though she quickly found herself peering behind Sunset.
“Say Sunset, just what were you looking at, anyway? Didn’t seem like you were searching for a book.”
Sunset quickly started to panic a little. She jittered slightly trying to think up some kind of lie, only for that hope to die quickly when Apple Bloom caught sight of Coalstone at the table, and then proceeded to point him out.
“Oh, you were looking at him.”
Sunset quickly slapped her hand over Apple Bloom’s mouth. "Would you mind being a little more quiet? I’d prefer to keep this discreet, and also not have Miss Cherilee chew me out about it.”
After receiving a nod, Sunset took her hands away. Apple Bloom took another glance at Coalstone. "So what’s going on, Sunset? You interested in that guy or something?”
“In a way, I guess. Right now I’m just trying to learn a little more about him is all.”
“Well if it helps, he comes in here pretty much every other day after school’s let out and sticks around for about two hours reading in the same spot.”
Sunset’s eyes practically jumped out at the girl’s insight. "How in the world do you know that?”
Apple Bloom smiled somewhat at the question. "Me and the other Crusaders pass by the library a bunch of times after school, and every time we do, he’s there in that same spot. Only difference is the book he’s reading. I figure he’s probably read dang near half the books in this library.”
“Okay, so apparently he likes to read… a lot, and from what I could glance from the cover, seems like he’s more into fantasy stories… Wonder how he’d react if I told him I’m actually a unicorn from a magic realm of dragons, griffons and pegasi. That’d get his attention.”
“So do you wanna talk to him or something?”
Sunset quietly nodded. "Talking is the overall goal if you could call it that. Really I’m just curious about the guy and want to learn a little more about him.”
Apple Bloom quickly became confused. "Okay, if that’s the plan, then why don’t you just go over and talk with him?”
“Because, Apple Bloom, you can’t just walk up to a random person and just start talking with them. Generally you need some kind of plan or at least an idea of what you’re gonna talk about.”
Apple Bloom stroked her chin at the thought of what Sunset was saying as she looked again at Coalstone. "Well, he likes to read, and you like to read if I remember correctly, so there, problem solved!”
“It’s not that straightforward, Apple Bloom; I need to…..”
A rather loud growl shook the library; and both Sunset and Apple Bloom promptly shut their mouths. More so, though, because the growl didn’t come from Cheerilee.
“Do you think perhaps you could kindly keep your voices down? I’m trying to read here, and contrary to popular belief, having noise in the background doesn’t make reading easier.”
Coalstone’s anger was evident: despite him still having the book in front of his face, Sunset could see his fingers tightening their grip on the book’s binding, with his arms actually tensing quite a bit in frustration.
Neither Sunset nor Apple Bloom spoke; they just looked at each other with some hesitation at what to do next.
“Well I managed to get him to talk, that’s step one out of the way. Now let’s see if we can do it without making him angry.”
Sunset quickly offered a wave to Apple Bloom giving her the signal to leave, which she was fairly keen to do, not especially crazy about being within arm’s reach of the clearly annoyed Coalstone.
With a quick calming breath to settle her nerves, Sunset quickly sat down across from Coalstone, who remained glued to his book, though his grip on the cover was still heavy. Letting out a small gulp, Sunset decided it was time to start the conversation.
“S-sorry about the noise,” said Sunset, sitting down in front of him.
Coalstone merely grunted in response.
Curious, Sunset leaned over to look at the cover of the book, while the cover seemed to lack a distinct title, the image of the dragon emblazoned on the cover made it rather obvious it was a fantasy story. “I think I’ve seen this book before. Though I don’t remember it being one of the books in this library?”
Quickly scanned over the various bookcases, recalling the endless hours she’d spent burning through every text she could get her hands on, “If it didn’t come from here, then maybe…”
“Oh, it’s you.” Sunset snapped up as she realized that he was now looking right at her with a mixed look of surprise and curiosity.
With his tone, Sunset didn’t know whether to feel offended or happy he actually remembered her, but quickly shook those thoughts aside.“You sound surprised.”
Coalstone let out a huff, set his book down, and looked back at Sunset. "People have brief encounters with each other all the time, exchange a little dialogue and move on. You don’t usually expect to run into that same person and then just casually start up a conversation.”
Sunset frowned at his words. "Well, seems the Winter Break didn’t help improve his mood.”
Coalstone looked Sunset over somewhat as he casually tapped one of his fingers on the book. "I heard you managed to make peace with your friends and put the whole incident behind you. Kind of figured you want to hang around with them instead of me.”
“Trust me, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and we did plenty of that over the holiday. But right now, I’d like to talk with you.”
Coalstone’s eyebrow rose, and his finger stopped tapping. "Why?”
Sunset frowned at the teen’s blunt response, but quickly reminded herself of just who she was talking with. "This might be hard to believe, but people do interact with others outside of their usual circle of friends. That’s typically how friendships are made.”
“I know that much, but why me specifically? We talked for maybe five minutes, and it’s not like what we were talking about was especially pleasant subject matter.”
Sunset awkwardly tried to choose her next words as carefully as she could. "Like I told you before, when I first came to this school, I didn’t have any friends, and even though I didn’t let it bother me in the beginning, it didn’t take long for me to realize just painful being alone all the time can be. Then when I got kicked off my proverbial throne and the whole school was against me, things were so bad, I honestly wonder how I kept myself from just running away.”
As Sunset spoke, Coalstone simply sat there, though with each word his eyes softened. He could tell Sunset was being honest with him.
“No one deserves to be alone, Coalstone.”
Coalstone continued to sit silently for a moment. He found Celestia’s own words from earlier echoing in his mind and found himself sighing in defeat. "Assuming I’m even somewhat interested in humoring you, you can’t just stick two random people together and expect them to be friends.”
Sunset, however, quickly smiled as she casually pointed towards the book he currently had in hand. "Well, for starters, I noticed you seem to really be into that book. I’m surprised; I never pegged you for an avid reader.”
“You know, if you’re trying to make friends with someone, probably helps not to insult them to their face.”
Sunset quickly waved her hand in a panicked state. “I didn’t mean it as an insult or anything, just that when we first met, you seemed more interested in doing things with your hands as opposed to reading.”
“Don’t misunderstand, I do enjoy working with my hands, but I like having a plan or an idea laid out for what I want to make before I do it. So I look to books for what inspiration I can get.” His face quickly softened as he glanced down at the book with a smile. "Of course, I also enjoy just getting lost in the pages when I’m reading. Even when things get bad sometimes, when you read, you become so engrossed in the text it’s like you’re a part of the story itself.”
Coalstone’s smile quickly seemed to grow as he described the experience, with Sunset now being somewhat mesmerized.
“There’ve actually been times when I get so invested that I can feel every sensation, smell every scent and hear each sound as it’s vividly written down before me, as if I was standing right there with the characters.”
Coalstone slowly held up his hands and held them in a manner reminiscent of his hammer and chisel. “Once I have those feelings in mind, I can guide my hammer and chisel in ways I doubt I could on my own, and that gives me the inspiration I need.”
Sunset herself nodded somewhat vigorously at his description. "I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm, and I’ve spent days in the library, eyes glued to every book I could get my hands on, eager just to get to the next page.”
Coalstone’s smile actually seemed to grow somewhat at Sunset’s declaration. “Really? then tell me, do you have any particular stories or genres you’re fond of?”
“Honestly, most of the reading I did was more for knowledge’s sake or research. I wasn’t as into reading stories as I was looking for knowledge. Though I did quite enjoy the Daring Do series. Ever hear of it?”
Coalstone’s smile quickly shifted to a frown, lightly blowing some of his hair from his face as he cupped his chin in his hand. "Oh, you mean those overrated stories. Yeah I read the first two; nothing especially engaging. Just your standard adventure books.” His words were quickly halted by Sunset practically leaning into his face with an offended look on her visage.
“Overrated? How can you even say that about Daring Do? Her books are amazing adventures!”
“It’s your standard adventure story plot. Hero wants to find random treasure, finds map to random treasure, fights a few bad guys, survives a few boobie traps, gets treasure and goes home. Rinse and repeat.”
Coalstone casually blew some hair out of his face as he spoke matter of factly towards Sunset. "At least with fantasy stories, you don’t necessarily know what to expect and can get a few interesting storylines.”
Sunset by this point was quickly holding herself back from launching into a massive tirade in order to defend the stories she’d come to enjoy but quietly held herself back.
Still that didn’t mean she couldn’t still get in a few shots of her own. A smirk began to stretch across her face.
“You’re right, Coalstone. What was I thinking? Clearly, the story of a random hero saving a random princess from a castle with a random fire-breathing dragon is the absolute height of creative storytelling!”
The condescension in Sunset’s voice was so thick, it was like she was slapping Coalstone in the face with it. He all but slammed his fist against the table in a rage and practically shot up from his chair.
“FANTASY STORIES HAVE FAR MORE COMPLEX PLOTS THAN THAT AND YOU KNOW IT!”
Naturally such a show of anger from someone like Coalstone should have been intimidating, especially with him currently breathing heavily from his nose like an angry bull ready to charge. Sadly, any kind of intimidation or rage factor he might have had effectively crumbled up and blew away when Ms. Cheerilee all but stomped over to his table and glared at the stoneworker with such a piercing look.
“Mr. Coalstone, given the extensive amount of time you’ve spent in this part of the school, I had hoped you’d sufficiently acclimated yourself to the rules. However, apparently you’ve forgotten that in the library we do not shout… ever!” She quickly began wagging her hand matter-of-factly in the young man’s face. “One more outburst like that, and I’ll be forced to remove you from the library. Is that understood?”
Coalstone’s head pretty much became a bobblehead, shaking up and down so fast it was a miracle his head didn’t fall off. “I understand, Ms. Cheerilee, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”
Almost immediately, Cheerilee’s normal smile returned to her face. “I’m glad to hear it.” As she turned away, her gaze quickly narrowed to Sunset, who proceeded to sink into her seat in response.
“The same applies for you, Ms. Shimmer. I expect you to show this facility the same amount of respect I expect from all other students.”
Sunset quickly nodded. “Not a problem, Ms. Cheerilee.”
With another smile, the librarian quickly returned her attention to the Crusaders, letting out an anguished sigh when she caught Scootaloo attempting to use one of the mobile bookshelfs as a makeshift scooter.
Once she’d left, Coalstone quietly slid back into his seat, putting his hand into his palm. Sunset was by this point giggling at what had just transpired. Coalstone responded with another flat look.
“What exactly was funny about that? We just got chewed out by Ms. Cheerilee, and I managed to make a complete fool out of myself.”
Sunset, however, only chuckled some more as she waved his anger off. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at what just happened. Really, it was more at your reaction to what I said. When we first met, well, I didn’t think I’d actually see you yell or get so emotional.”
Sunset leaned forward onto the table. “Honestly, when we first met, I figured you were a little…”
“Hard-edged, scary, intimidating. Something along those lines, I imagine?”
An awkward paused came over the table as Sunset diverted her eyes. “I wasn’t going to put it that way, but--”
“It’s fine if you think that way.” Coalstone leaned back into his chair, taking a quick glance at the few other students still in the library, a few of whom took a quick glance at him and then turned their attention elsewhere. “I know I don’t exactly come across as the friendliest or most approachable person. I know I look a little scary to the people, especially given what I like to make, but if people are not even gonna talk to me because of something as petty as me looking a little intimidating, then why bother trying in the first place?”
Coalstone rested his chin on his arms and looked away at the table. “I like who I am and the things I enjoy. If people have a problem with that, well, fine. I’d rather be alone.”
“Hey, I get that. Making friends has never been easy. Trust me, I know that from wayyy more experience than I’d like to mention. And it’s fine if you don’t want to change; I don’t want you to change, either.” Sunset looked at Coalstone again with a smile. “Right now, I’d just like to be friends with you, Coalstone, interests and all.”
Before Coalstone had a chance to respond, the sound of the intercom in the schools caught his and every other student’s attention.
“Attention, students, it is now 4:30 pm. The school will be closing for the night. All students are expected to leave school grounds promptly before 5:00 pm. Thank you, and have a nice rest of the day.”
Coalstone. frowned at the intercom, but looked again at Sunset who seemed rather eager for his response.
On the one hand, he was very tempted to simply say no and move on with his life. He’d gotten along fairly well by himself, and more importantly, he’d heard this same rehearsed speech from other people in the past. Each one said the same thing, and it always ended with them turning their back on him maybe a year or two later. Really, saying no should have been a reflex by this point.
However, for some reason, there was a part of him, a voice, calling out, so loud that it actually seemed to drown out the doubts he’d been feeling up to this point.
“Perhaps Sunset’s different from the others. She seems sincere enough….I do want to trust her.”
It was not an easy decision to make; Coalstone could feel his mind in a literal tug of war with itself. However, one side managed to win out, and he let out another sigh.
“I’m very tempted to believe you, Sunset, part of me wants to…..Maybe we could be friends.” Coalstone actually felt the need to jump back somewhat, as Sunset’s smile seemed to explode into a massive grin. She seemed ready to say something else.
“However, let’s take this friendship thing slowly. We aren’t gonna act like best buddies or anything.”
Surprisingly, Sunset’s grin didn’t deflate at his declaration. Instead, she simply nodded. “That’s perfectly fine. I wasn’t expecting us to become best friends overnight. We can just, I guess, meet here in the library and just talk about books and stories if you want. Perhaps I can even get you to read a Daring Do book or two.”
At that point, Coalstone had stood up and picked up his backpack. “Yeah, good luck with that last one. Pretty sure even A.K. Yearling herself, threatening me with that Sunstaff thing in one of her books, couldn’t convince me to like her series.” As he quickly placed his bag onto his back, he turned around. “Though if you do want to meet here and talk for a bit, I’m game. Don’t really have much else going on after school.”
Without another word, Coalstone headed for the door. Sunset quickly became rather giddy in her seat and had to restrain herself from jumping up and down in her chair.
“Looks like Phase 1 is complete. I managed to make contact with Coalstone and set up a time for another meeting. Hopefully I can move things along to Phase 2, introducing him to the rest of the girls...Though that may prove a little more difficult, especially with Pinkie.”
Sunset, however, didn’t lose her smile as she proceeded to get up and retrieve her backpack., “Still, like Coalstone said. If we take one step at a time, things should work out in the end.”
~~~~~~~
Having left school, Coalstone quickly made his way home, opening the door to his garage while unslinging his backpack from his back.
“Well, that was certainly a more active day then I’ve had in awhile. Get called to the principal’s for a friendship pep talk, get my hand mauled by a rabbit and somehow end up spending close to a hour talking with that Sunset girl. Who’d have thought.”
After tossing his backpack down near the door to his house, Coalstone quickly flipped the light switch, illuminating the entire room and more specifically the numerous statues he kept in the garage, both finished and unfinished all around him. Along the wall were various tools of his trade: hammers, chisels and the like, along with more than few uncarved stones.
Picking up a small rag, the teen made his way over to the largest statue, a fierce looking dragon, its wings and claws spread wide and its mouth filled with knife-like fangs wide open.
As he began rubbing away the dust, he looked at the dragon’s face. “I suppose Sunset coming back to talk with me wasn’t the most surprising thing in the world, given how she acted in the art room. But then again, when she made up with her friends, it seemed like she’d spend her time with them or the hundred other students in this school that seem to at least know her name for some reason.”
Moving the cloth to the statue’s teeth, Coalstone’s mind continued to ponder his conversation with Sunset. “It was kind of nice to talk with someone besides my teachers about something not related to school. And having someone to actually talk with for more than a collective hour every day would be nice…Don’t you think?”
He turned and spoke those last lines as if he were addressing all the other statues in the room as he spoke.
“Then again, for all I know this could just be another recipe for disaster and disappointment. Suppose we start talking for a couple of days and everything’s starts out alright. Then maybe I say something to annoy her, or maybe she just realizes her old friends are more fun to be around then me… But then if I start thinking that way, I just start sounding like I’m paranoid, huh?”
Growling in frustration, he pulled the cloth back and proceeded to start pacing around the room. “I guess the main thing to ask is whether or not I even want to be friends with someone, Sunset or otherwise. I mean, I’ve tried to do this since kindergarten, and it always blows up in my face.”
He quietly paused as he looked at the statues around him. “Though I suppose it is true that Sunset is the one who approached me as opposed to the other way around. And she didn’t seem like she was lying… That at least gives me a little more reason to trust her, right?”
Looking again at some of the statues in his garage as if hoping for an answer, he was met only with silence. He simply sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maybe things could be different this time. Of course, I know there’s no guarantee, and this could just end as badly as everything else.”
As he continued to mull in silence staring into the vacant and empty eyes of his stone pieces, Coalstone’s hands tightened. “I do want to trust Sunset, if only a little, but I don’t know if she can be trusted.”
Again being met with silence, he sighed once more and he picked up his cloth eyeing another statue to clean. “I suppose giving her a chance or at least attempting it couldn’t hurt in the end. Won’t mean that we’re friends, but it’s not like I can’t at least give her a shot. I suppose everyone deserves at least one. Besides...”
He silently mulled over the unchanging expressions of the works he’d compiled, quickly being reminded of the fact he was currently the only living thing within his entire home and the silence was slowly becoming suffocating.
“...I’m already starting to miss listening to her conversation.”
