Depression

by ZombieBrony22

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Romance, Equestria Girls, Sex, Sunset Shimmer, Dark, Human, Principal Cinch, Fluttershy (EqG), Original Character
Length: 11964

A new student comes to CHS, but is suffering severe depression. Can the Humane 6 find a way to bring him back to the light?

After the event of Friendship Games, Twilight wasn't the only Crystal Prep student who came to CHS. Sky Armor was a student who witnessed all of Cinch's actions. Following the Games, he dropped out of CPA and moved to CHS. However, the burdens of his past still haunt him...

This story is part of the NDSB Universe

Published 2016-08-27 21:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-12-04 23:47:39 UTC

Alpha

After a few days of Sky fitting in-- or rather, seeing where everyone else fitted in-- he started to talk with very few other people. Those few people included Snails, Flash Sentry, and Rainbow Dash.

"Wait, so what happened after these 'Dazzlings' took the school?" Sky asked.

"We don't know. We had some people with minor wounds, but other than that, not a trace of them was left." Rainbow said.

"Hmm... sounds like they could've done more. People like them... They'd stop at nothing to get what they want." Sky said, stroking his chin slightly.

"You sound like you know what you're talking about." Flash said.

"Flash!" Rainbow said, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"No, it's fine. Crystal Prep teaches you a thing or two about people like that. I've had my fair share..." Sky said.

The mood was quickly killed as Sky let out a very slight hint of his past, something he rarely ever does. After a long silence, Flash cleared his throat.

"So, um... Fluttershy, huh? You decided to move in with her?" Flash hoped to change the subject.

"I knew Fluttershy since we were in kindergarten. When she moved to CHS for freshman year, that's when things took a turn. Since me and my parents had a falling out, I decided to move out. And since the Friendship Games, I had enough of anything related to Crystal Prep. So, she offered me to move in, and I accepted." Sky said.

"Really? That's cool." Snails said awkwardly.

Sky had mixed feelings on Snails. On one hand, he felt that the two had some attributes in common that they both had been used. On the other, Snails enjoyed it, while Sky despised it.

"Come on, Pinkie. Stop talking about him like he's a hundred miles away. He walked in on us last time!" Sunset said.

"I don't care! We need to know what made him this way!" Pinkie said with a determined expression on her face.

"Twilight's looking into it. She's been talking to the Shadowbolts after school, getting whatever info she can." Rainbow said.

"Guys, I live with him. I could just ask him!" Fluttershy said as loud as medically possible.

"No, darling. That won't be enough. We need other sources of information." Rarity plotted.

"Or you could just ask." Sky said from the second floor of the library, jumping everyone out of their seats.

"...Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Sky said.

"What is it with you doing that?!" Rainbow asked.

"Sorry, you're just so easy to sneak up on. Ever think about doing this somewhere other than the school?" Sky asked.

"We have been, Fluttershy just tells you anyway." Applejack said.

Sky sighed and jumped down. An action that shocked and even scared the group, but to their surprise, Sky lands on all fours and rises up like it was nothing. He begins walking towards the group.

"Pinkie Pie, you're the crazy one. You're the one who wants to put a smile on everyone's face. No matter what it takes. I don't know if I envy you or mourn you." Sky said as he looked at Pinkie.

He turned his attention to Applejack.

"You and Rainbow are the strength. You, however, understand how it all works. You want to be honest and upfront with people. I respect that, more than most people would." Sky said.

He looks over Rainbow, who was giving him a slightly cold shoulder.

"You, Rainbow... You're the Beta. You're the one who takes over when no-one's around. When there's no-one to look up to, that'd be you. Y- you lead every team in Canterlot, for Christ's sake! People already have a reason to beleive that you can lead them. But... then comes your true colors, which consist of a neverending lust for power, and respect." Sky scolded.

Sky then looks over to Rarity.

"You, darling, are the one everyone loves. The one they all want to be with. You know, I heard some chatter from some folks who want you. If I were you, I'd keep eyes on the back of your head." Sky said.

Rarity had some hair fall into her eye, and she embraced it. Sky then turned over to Fluttershy, who gulped slightly.

"You, Fluttershy, are the pure one." Sky simply said.

"Huh?" Fluttershy asked as she looked up.

"You are the one who sees good in anything, and anyone. I heard stories about Discord, the transfer student who was nearly sent to juvi for charges of vandalism and arson. But you weren't willing to give up on him. You pushed on to help him until he indeed did change. That is, in juvi..." Sky said.

Fluttershy's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as she stared at Sky in awe.

"How can you say those things about us if you've been here a few days?" Sunset asked.

"And we conclude with Sunset. Fluttershy, you work at an animal shelter, right? How many wild dogs have you seen?"

Fluttershy cleared her throat.

"...Too many." She said.

"Any in packs?" Sky asked.

She nodded.

"You see, high school, it's a kennel. Each kennel shares it's differences, it's pros, it's cons..." Sky started.

The group sat back down after standing for over 4 minutes of Sky's speech.

"But, one thing they all have in common... they all have us, the dogs. And with every pack of wolves..."

Fluttershy sat up.

"...There is an Alpha." Sky said.

There was a silence that echoed throughout the school.

"I heard stories about you, Sunset. You were an alpha, until you stepped too far. Now you're just a follower, willing to do what everybody else says because you don't trust yourself to make such decisions." Sky said.

Revelations

A few days after Sky's speech, the group is still unsettled.

"I never noticed people looking at me the way they do! It's horrifying!" Rarity panics.

"No-one talks to you like that, NO-ONE." Rainbow muttered.

"Everyone, just calm down. He doesn't mean it, he's just... used to things being like that." Sunset said in a vain attempt to calm the group.

"Sunset, he practically called Pinkie a whore!" Rainbow screamed.

"It doesn't mean he meant it! He probably is just scarred by Crystal Prep. You heard the things Twilight said about it!" Sunset said.

"There's no excuse for that! Doesn't matter where he's from!" Rainbow said.

"Leave him be, for Christ's sake! He was just judgmental, that's all." Fluttershy whispered.

"Oh, so that's how it is? The only reason you're with him is because he didn't say crap about you. He said you were the nice one, and you love it..." Rainbow said, getting close to Fluttershy's face in a dominating manner.

Fluttershy immediately trembled and wrapped her hair over her eye.

"Rainbow, that's enough. you're scaring the girl." Sunset said.

"Oh, I'm scaring her? Well, excuse me, if I seem--"

"Out of line, threatening, et cetera, et cetera." Sky said from behind Rainbow, still in front of Fluttershy.

Rainbow didn't say a word. She just went up, formed a fist, and cracked Sky across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Come on, what do you got, huh?!" Rainbow screamed.

"I'd show you, but I don't like to hit gi-- oh, son of a bitch!" Sky suddenly screeched.

"What? Did I bruise you? Get up!" Rainbow said as she grabbed him as twisted him around.

"AHH!" Rainbow immediately dropped him in extreme horror.

"What happened?!" Fluttershy whispered, heading over to the two.

"Do you have any idea how much this eye cost me?! You owe me, hermana!" Sky said as he put his glass eye in his holder and grabbed an all black one and stuck it in his eye socket.

"What... what the hell is that?" Rainbow asked, suddenly calmed down.

"It's my eye. Got a problem with it?" Sky asked as he adjusted his blinking.

"What... um..."

"What happened to it? I don't think I need to explain myself to you." Sky said.

Pinkie seemed more fascinated than shocked, smiling aimlessly.

"Look, um... I'm sor--"

"Money talks, Rainbow. That eye cost me at least $200, you know that?" Sky snarled.

Rainbow slightly gulped, fearing the worst and she'd need to pulverize him.

"Oh, well. I wanted a different color, anyway. Like a snake eye, you know?" Sky asked.

Fluttershy simply nodded while Rainbow was still either in awe or fear. Sky cleared his throat.

"Look, I didn't mean to offend you or scare you over what I said, but I didn't want to lie either." Sky said.

"That still doesn't give you the right to call Pinkie a who--"

"I never said that. You just thought I meant that. I never said people look at Rarity in places she didn't want to be looked at... You just assumed that, and paranoia did the rest." Sky said.

Now that Rarity heard that, she started to recall her day where hardly anyone even glanced at her.

"See? It's all just fear and anger. I really should apologize, though, I was hoping that this wouldn't be my first impression. But this is how it is, I guess." Sky was starting to grab his pack and leave for home when Pinkie leaped up.

"Wait!" Pinkie called.

Sky stopped and turned around.

"What?" He asked.

Applejack stepped forward.

"We ain't doin' much later, and Pinkie mentioned that you need a job. We could always use an extra pair hand around the farm every now and then." AJ said.

"And we're always hiring at Sugar Cube Corner!" Pinkie said, bouncing in joy.

Sky showed signs of interest.

"Alright, it's a deal. I'll be at the farm in a few days, then." Sky said as he grabbed his pack again.

Sky was just outside the school when Fluttershy caught up with him.

"Hey." Sky said.

"Hey." Fluttershy said with her backpack slung over her back.

"That was something." Sky said.

"Yes, it was. Look, Rainbow's sorry about the eye, she really--"

All talk was stopped by a loud screech coming from inside the building.

"Who was that?!" Sky asked as he paced back inside.

"...Rarity!" Fluttershy gasped.

Sky then bolted inside, fearing the worst. Indeed, two ragged students were pinning Rarity into the wall.

"Lucky you, girl... You'll have to take turns!" The closest student said as he grabbed a box from his pack.

A box of condoms.

"¡Oye!" Sky called out.

The two students turned to Sky.

"Oh, wanna join?" The student asked as he held the box near him.

Sky quickly smacked it out of his hand as grabbed his arm.

"¿Qué coño estás haciendo?!" Sky asked as he pulled the one student off of Rarity.

"The hell is he sayin'?!" The first student asked.

"Uh... Yeah, you don't wanna know."

Sky the took the student's head and slammed it into his knee, rendering him unconscious.

"Oh, damn..." The second student said as he grabbed Rarity and pulled out a butterfly knife.

"Come any closer and I cut her open!" He said.

"Let her go. I'm only telling you once." Sky said.

"Neither of you are going anywhere!"

Out of nowhere, the knife was out of his hand, and the student was pinned to the ground by...

Fluttershy.

"Rarity, go get Celestia." She said.

Rarity nodded and was off to find Celestia, mascara and blood smeared over her face.

"The hell? Fluttershy?!" The student asked as he struggled.

"Shut up, Hoops." Fluttershy said as she twisted his arm near his shoulder.

"Argh! What, want me to say 'uncle'?" Hoops asked.

Sky rested his foot on his head.

"Shut it, or I twist." Sky said.

Celestia came running with Rairty and saw the entire scene.

"Wait, these aren't Canterlot students..." Celestia said.

Sky took the hint and knocked Hoops out.

"Then who are they?" He asked.

"Cloudsdale Academy's students, Fluttershy was from there." Celestia said.

Sky nodded, remembering his time there.

"Shame. CDA used to be a nice place." Sky said as he spat on Hoops.

"It still is, boy." The other student said with a click of a gun hammer was heard.

Sky turned around to see a Glock aimed between his eyes. Sky quickly pushed it away and nailed his stomach, causing him to fall on his knees. The Glock was dropped for Sky to grab and unload.

"Glock 17, nice weapon, indecent weight..." Sky analyzed as the student got back on his feet, only for Rarity to kick him unconscious.

"Nice one." Sky complemented.

"What now?" Fluttershy asked.

"I will contact their parents first, then CDA for a proper punishment. If they refuse, I'll take matters into my own hands," Celestia said as she adjusted her collar, grabbed the two students, and started bringing them into the nurse's office.

Confusion

The incident with Rarity was now a week old. Celestia handled it herself, erasing any sign of a college application, and contacting the police. Sky, the Humane 6, and Flash were talking about the event, and Celestia's response.

"Remind me to not get on Celestia's bad side." Sky said, nodding in awe.

"I've never seen her like this. It's like a switch flipped in her, you know?" Sunset said.

"Or she put her students ahead of the legal justice system." Sky said in respect.

"Oh, what she did was completely legal. At least, she could pay to cover it." Rainbow said.

"Good to know." Sky said.

School at Cloudsdale Academy was closed due to an investigation for a gang or a form of club with rape cases similar to Rarity's.

"Hey, I have an idea about this." Sky said.

"What would that be?" Rainbow asked.

"I need those condoms those students had, and I need some barbed wire..." Sky plotted.

Some of the group winced at the thought of that, but Rainbow nodded in wicked awe.

"That would be AWESOME!" She said, mostly clueless on what he meant.

"Trust me, they have something similar in Brazil. Worked like a charm; rape cases dropped significantly by the fear of a barbed condom." Sky insisted.

Rainbow then understood, but she still felt in awe.

"Okay, let's do it." Rainbow said.

"I am kidding, guys. She could just buy them, I told Fluttershy to text her the link." Sky said.

"Not funny, man." Flash said.

"Sorry, didn't think you would be so shocked by it." Sky said as he decided to take a walk.

He wound up outside the school, where the Shadowbolts were waiting for a meeting with the Humane 6.

But they found Sky instead.

"S--Sky! We... um..." Jet Set stammered.

"Shut it. They're inside right now, you should go see them." I said.

"Celestia wouldn't let us in the building, not since the Friendship Games." Sugarcoat said.

"Then, get out." Sky said as he walked away from them.

"Sky... Sky!" Sugarcoat called out, but it was useless, he was long gone.

"Why won't he calm down? He's been a whack-job ever since the Friendship Games." Jet Set dismissed.

Before anyone could say anything, a cyan blur pinned him to the wall.

"Because you hurt him, punk." Sugarcoat said as she released Jet Set from her iron grip.

All the others did was stare in awe as the Humane 6 came to the scene.

"Oh, hey..." Sugarcoat said awkwardly.

"Where did he go?" Fluttershy asked.

"That way." Lemon Zest said.

Fluttershy then bolted after him while the others stayed with the Shadowbolts.

"Sky, wait!" Fluttershy mustered before coughing, scaring Sky half to death.

"Fluttershy, careful! You could've--"

"But I didn't. Look, you have a right to be angry, but don't push them away." Fluttershy said.

"If you knew half of what she put me through--"

"No! Stop this. This isn't you, don't say it is. Pushing everyone away, acting so isolated, stop it. Now." Fluttershy said while giving Sky her infamous stare.

Sky glared back for a moment, but couldn't bare pushing her away as well.

"Fine. I'll give them one chance, one. Don't expect me to like it." Sky said as he started heading back.

Fluttershy simply smiled, knowing that she's starting to turn him around.

Now she hopes the others can finish the job.

The Humane 6, the Shadowbolts, and Sky were all at Sugarcube Corner, trying to form their words.

"So, um... what's been happenin', Sky?" Sour Sweet tried to kick things off.

"Peachy." He replied.

Another silence followed that lasted for a few minutes.

"Look, Sky, we're sorry for what we did. Some of us more than others, but you get the point. We were, um... asking for your forgiveness." Sugarcoat said.

Sky seemed stunned for a second, and then he started to chuckle.

Then laugh.

The others had no idea what to do as Sky was now cackling like Dr. Frankenstein. Pinkie seemed happy, smiling aimlessly so herself. The others, however, had no idea what to do.

"Me? F- forgive you?! Just like THAT! Hahahahaha!" Sky continued to laugh.

He finally started to calm down.

"Oh, believe me. It's gonna take more than an 'I'm sorry' and a 'pretty please'. You want my forgiveness, you're gonna have to earn it." Sky said.

Some of the Shadowbolts grew a skeptical look.

"N-- not like that! Sickos..." Sky said as he got up and headed off.

The others had no clue what to say to each other. Pinkie finally cleared her throat.

"Well, at least he smiled!" Pinkie said, trying to lighten the mood.

Fluttershy got up and started to follow him. She made it halfway before she realized that she wasn't alone.

"Hey." A voice said behind her.

She quickly elbowed the voice's stomach and flipped it to the ground, to see...

"Sky?! Geez, you startled me!" She said as she helped him up.

"Sorry. I thought you some stalker." Sky apologized as he wiped off his shirt of dust.

"It's alright. Just don't do that." She said.

"Got it. Let's go home." Sky said.

The two started off home when he realized something.

"From what I heard from the others, you freeze under fear. But there you were ready to snap my neck. What's up with that?" Sky asked.

"...Nothing." Fluttershy said.

"You wanna be true to your nickname." Sky answered.

"What? No! What makes you think that?!" Fluttershy whispered.

"Considering the fact that you now go by 'Fluttershy instead of your real name really says a lot." He said.

"Okay, so I stick to the name, so what? It's not hurting anybody." Fluttershy said.

"No, but it's hurting yourself. They should know who you really are, like I do." Sky insisted.

"Sky, you don't get it. They gave me that name because they saw someone who is shy, scared, and timid. They can do whatever they want, but if they want to hurt me, they have another thing coming." Fluttershy said.

"Suit yourself... Flutterfly."

Farm

It was a short day after the events at the Sugarcube. Sky was entering CHS and searching for his locker when he found Applejack leaning next to his locker, her hat tipped slightly over her face, covering her eyes.

"Can I help you?" He asked her.

"You said you need money. We have an empty spot at the farm, wanna pitch in?" AJ asked.

"...Sure. I'll be there." Sky said.

"Meet us at Sweet Apple Acres at 4, after school." AJ said as she headed off.

Sky glanced at his watch and noticed he had an hour and a half before he had to arrive at Sweet Apple, so he decided to pay Fluttershy a visit at the animal shelter.

Sky found his ride, a small motorcycle his father gave to his mother before he abandoned them for what she said was a better life (Sky couldn't blame him), put on his helmet, and drove off to the animal shelter. As he did, he saw Applejack enter a large pickup truck with her brother on the driver's seat.

He could've sworn he saw Applejack wink at him...

Fluttershy just finished cleaning the dog section and she was on her way to the birds when she was stopped by someone standing directly in front of the door. She jumped for a second, and grabbed the intruder's wrist, but realized it was Sky and released him.

"Hey..." Fluttershy said.

"Hey." Sky said back.

Fluttershy moved around him and he followed her to the bird section.

"What're you doing here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Applejack offered me a job, I have an hour before I gotta go. Decided to pay you a visit." Sky said.

"Well since you're here, I could use your help."

"Sure, what do you need?" Sky asked.

"The bird cages need be rinsed off, there's some spray in the supply closet and I got the wipes." Fluttershy said.

"Sure thing." Sky said as he paced toward the closet and grabbed the spray.

He caught up with Fluttershy at the bird section. As soon as Fluttershy entered the room, the birds started chirping joyfully, as if they too felt her... aroma that lit up a room whenever she entered.

"They seem to like you." Sky admired.

"What can I say? It's what I do." Fluttershy as Sky sprayed the cage.

"I know..." Sky replied.

Flutershy giggled slightly as the two went down the isle. They worked in silence, until...

"You okay, Sky? Ever since the Friendship Games, you've been so different." Fluttershy said.

Sky didn't answer, which made Fluttershy all the more angry.

"Sky... please, tell me." Fluttershy egged on.

Sky finally sighed, set the spray down, and took a seat.

"After Twilight... After what Cinch did to her, that was it. I finally saw what they really are: Animals who will put anyone down in order to get what they want. I don't know how I didn't see that sooner..." Sky said.

"Sky, you know that's not true. Why did you give them a chance then?" Fluttershy asked.

Because you wanted me to. He almost said.

"Because... it'd be what my dad would do."

Fluttershy was silent, until she began to sit next to him.

"What?" Sky asked her.

She didn't say anything, she just took his hand.

"Please, please, please give them a real chance. You think they wanted to beat you, isolate you? They told us Cinch threatened to keep them from entering college if they didn't cooperate." Fluttershy said.

"Somebody must've cracked by now. They couldn't stop it, yes. But they had to participate? I bet there're more than one college they had in mind." Sky said.

Fluttershy just changed her gaze from innocent to cold and cruel.

She was giving Sky the Stare.

Don't look into her eyes, don't look into her eyes... Sky reminded himself.

Fluttershy scooted closer, staring him down all the more. Sky tried to scoot away until he was cornered, he then shut his eyes but the sensation of knowing she was staring him down got to him.

"Fine. I'll give them one chance. One. They break it, we're done." Sky surrendered.

Fluttershy's brief victory was silenced by a clock ticking in the background, causing Sky to remember his original plans.

"Shoot, what time is it?!" Sky asked.

Fluttershy checked the clock.

"3:45."

"I gotta go, see you Fluttershy." Sky said as he bolted.

He ran out, and Fluttershy smiled to herself as she went back to her tasks.

Sky made it to Sweet Apple in time for Applejack to start heading back inside.

"So, when do I start...?" Sky asked awkwardly.

"I don't see why y'all can't start right now. Come on, we got some work to do." Applejack said as she started off without him.

The two went to the barn with Big Mac, who looked at Sky skeptically.

"Oh, don't worry. This is Sky, he's a new hand here." Applejack resolved.

"Hey." Sky introduced himself.

Mac simply nodded and went back to whatever he was doing.

"C'mon, Sky. I got the perfect job for ya."

Sky followed Applejack to see 5 others with her. Sky's eyes glanced at the crew and stopped sharply at one of the workers, whom he recognized on the spot.

It was Sugarcoat.

"Sky?!" Sugarcoat asked, stunned.

"Oh! Um... this is awkward..." Applejack stated.

Strange

"Why is she here?!" Sky demanded to know.

"She wanted to help out, I didn't see the harm in letting her help a little." AJ answered.

"You should be careful around her, she might knock someone's eye out when you're not looking!" Sky said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Silence entered the barn as Sugarcoat looked down in shame and guilt.

"Well, on that festive note, let's get to work." AJ said awkwardly.

After hours of heavy lifting and work around the farm, Sky and the others were done for the day. Sky went to the house to grab his stuff when Sugarcoat grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Did you have to shout that?" She asked.

"Oh what, are you gonna beat my other eye out?" Sky asked.

"Stop putting that on me!"

"Right, you're just the one who took them to me!" Sky pushed her back, causing her to slip down the stairs.

Sky quickly turned around and grabbed her hand, pulling her to safety. He quickly let go and headed off.

Why did he save me? Sugarcoat mentally asked herself in pure confusion.

Sky went to grab his bag when AJ grabbed him from behind.

"What else is it, Suga--"

AJ pulled him in, turning him around as she planted her lips on his.

But he put his hand in the way.

"Not so fast, cowgirl." Sky said, gently pushing her back.

"How did y--"

"You weren't exactly subtle. It's too soon to be throwing kisses around."

"Well, you busy tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Where and when?" Sky asked.

"The farm; let's not make it obvious. Sometime around 8?"

"It's a date." Sky said.

The night passed and Sky was getting ready for school when he looked out the window to see pouring rain.

"Well, there goes school." Flutterfly said as she grabbed her pills.

Sky turned on the T.V, and indeed, CHS was closed for the day. Just after, the television froze as their signal lost connection.

"Well, well, well." Sky went to set down his bag.

"You busy tonight?" Flutterfly asked.

Crap, my date with AJ! Sky thought immediately.

"Yeah." Sky responded.

"What is it?"

"It's, um... it's a date."

Flutterfly's pose changed.

"Really? Who's it with?" She asked.

"It's um... with Applejack."

"How'd that happen?" She asked.

"That's kinda a long story."

"You two met each other a day ago, what sparked you two?"

"To be honest, she made the first move." Sky said, scratching the back of his head as he reminisced on the memory.

"Good for you. You two seem like a good match." She said.

Sky nodded and left to call AJ to see if the date was still on. Flutterfly went to the basement of the cottage and locked the door behind her.

"Hey, AJ. It's Sky, I was just calling to see if our date was still on." Sky said as thunder crashed in the background.

"Uh... is it alright if we cancel it tonight? The farm isn't in the best condition right now." AJ shouted over the loud rain.

"It's alright. Let me know when's a good time." Sky said.

"You got it, Sky." AJ said as she hung up.

Sky, with his day plans canceled, he decided to study up slightly, although he felt that school would be closed for the next few weeks. He started opening his backpack when the TV flickered back to life.

"In other news, the mysterious new vigilante, the Mare-Do-Well, has struck again at a local pub which was revealed to be a hub of human trafficking. The Mare-Do-Well was reported to have rescued over 3 dozen women and young children in her last crusade. Now on to the weather-- the next few hours are scheduled to have pouring rain as well as severe lightning storms for the Canterlot districts."

Sky didn't know how he felt about the Mare-Do-Well. He arrived in Canterlot a month ago and has waged war on crime ever since. On one hand, Sky envied his grace and morality (From what he gathered from the news). But the Mare-Do-Well was known to mangle and even kill his "victims".

Sky decided to flip through the channels until something caught his eye, hoping the signal won't cut on him. Sky found a show and started watching.

A few hours passed as the rain slowly stopped and quickly remembered he didn't put his glass eye in.

"I'll be there in a second!" Sky called as he went for the door.

Sky opened the door and saw Applejack, dressed in more formal apparel.

"Hey. How's the farm?" Sky asked.

"It's better, the storm lasted shorter than we thought it would. I just wanted to see if you wanted to come over."

"Work?" Sky asked.

"Nope." AJ said as she kissed Sky's cheek.

AJ and Sky made back to the farm in Big Mac's pickup that he let her take. When they arrived they saw Big Mac starting to rebuild the farm after the roof was torn off from the storm.

"This is better?" Sky asked.

"You should've seen it last year. The barn was completely torn out of the ground. But don't worry, you're not here to help. Mac's got friends of his with him."

Sky didn't say anything as he realized what he was there for.

"Tonight?"

"Granny's out for a high-school reunion and Apple Bloom has a sleepover. Mac usually stays up late with these construction jobs. He'll be too busy to hear us and too tired to care."

On one hand, he just met her, he doesn't really know her or what he's getting into.

But on the other hand...

The sun hit Applejack's window that she swore she didn't leave open. AJ turned to find a letter left on the pillow signed 'Applejack'.

Dear, Applejack

Sorry about leaving, but I didn't want to cause a ruckus (Your brother doesn't seem to like you hanging out with guys). This might be the last time you'll see me on the farm, so I wanted to explain myself. I'm looking for a more long lasting relationship. But I know you aren't looking for that at the moment. Also, it'd be awkward sleeping with my boss.

Love, Sky Armor

Secrets

The school bells rang as students soon flooded the building. Sky entered last to avoid the large crowds he compared to the ones at Crystal Prep. He reached his locker as Fluttershy--or rather Flutterfly approached him.

"How was it?" She asked him.

"It was a one-time-thing." Sky bluntly answered.

"Hmm... I see. Well, let me know if that changes." Flutterfly was off to her class.

"Yeah, what's been with her lately? She seems... different." Flash said, approaching Sky.

"I'm not so sure. I've been meaning to ask her, but never got to it." Sky said.

The bell rang and Sky headed for his first class: Biology. That class was almost always a blur with Mr. Whooves lecturing for the whole class. By the time lunch came along, Sky was already tired, more so than usual.

Something felt wrong in Sky, it's been that way for a long time. He felt like his life was passing by and he never had a chance to be a part of it. Back at Crystal Prep he was treated like the lowest of classes (although he believed there were no social classes) and rejected by everybody. Most of all the Shadowbolts were always circling him like vultures, waiting to strike and mock him.

Rainbow Dash snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Hey, Sky? I, uh, I just wanted to apologize. You know, about the eye? I lost my temper, and that was not cool."

"It's alright. I understand what it's like attacking someone's ego." Sky said.

"No, it wasn't that. I was just... absorbed by what you said about everyone else. To be honest, you were right about me. I'm still trying to work out that feeling, but it's taking a while."

"Look, back there I just came in. I didn't know any of you like you know them." Sky said.

"What're you saying?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm saying... that I'm sorry. I was so blinded by rage that I didn't care about what I said or did."

"I guess we both have some habits to break." Rainbow chuckled.

"Hmm, looks like we do." Sky chuckled back.

"Well, let me know how that goes." Rainbow said as she headed off to her class.

"Let me know, too." Sky said with a small grin on his face as he grabbed his books and shut his locker.

Fluttershy was pacing to her next class when Rarity walked beside her.

"Same time?" She asked.

"Yeah, same time. We need to talk about... work."

"You got it, darling." Rarity walked off.

School ended as Sky started walking home when he saw a dark figure stare at him.

"You got a staring problem, bud?" Sky asked him.

The figure started backing up and was heard trembling.

"P-please. We.. we didn't know she would be there." The figure, clearly a male, begged.

Sky knew that voice.

"Hoops?"

"Please! We didn't know!"

Sky ran up to him and pinned him against a wall of a building next to them.

"What're you talking about?"

"F... Flu... her."

"Fluttershy? Why, what happened?"

"We didn't know what she was capable of..."

"What did you do?!" Sky asked, slamming him into the wall.

"We... it was so long ago, it was so long ago..."

"Spit it out, puta!"

Their dialouge was interrupted by someone coming from behind Sky and pulling him off Hoops. He turned around to see Dumb-Bell-- Hoops' friend-- with a mortified look on his face.

"Look, tell her to give us a day, and we'll be out of her life for good this time, please."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Sky asked.

"Please!"

Sky, completely defeated, simply sighed.

"Okay, go, go!"

"Thank you! Thank you..."

The duo bolted into the city and Sky had no idea what just happened. He just knew that he had to have a chat with Flutterfly.

Sky made it home to see Flutterfly put on her jacket ready to leave.

"Flutterfly, we need to talk." Sky said.

"I can't. I need to see Rarity for something on my jacket." Flutterfly dismissed, showing a tear in her coat.

"Hoops and Dumb-Bell saw me, they damn-near pissed their pants trying to say your name."

Flutterfly froze.

"What did they say?" She asked without turning her head.

"They begged me to tell you that they were gonna leave the city."

"Good. For them."

"Flutterfly..."

"I'll tell you everything, but I need to see Rarity right now."

"Flutterfly, don't--"

She slammed the door, causing Sky to jump from the sudden aggressiveness. Sky decided to dismiss it for now and get his homework done.

Fluttershy knocked on Rarity's door, hiding a suitcase embedded in her jacket.

The door creaked open and Rarity's head peeked out.

"What's it this time, darling?"

"Just a tear, nothing that could take too long." Fluttershy said as she entered the building and shut the door behind the two.

"How's life?" Rarity asked.

"Same old, same old." Fluttershy said as she took out the case and set it on Rarity's sewing station.

"I think we should tell them why we're meeting like this. They might get the wrong idea." Rarity said.

"No. No-one must know what we're doing here. Not yet." Fluttershy said as she opened the suitcase.

Sky finished his homework and decided to do research on CDA, hoping to find anything about whatever Flutterfly's hiding. He scrolled down for several minutes until he came across an article about an incident in CDA's changing rooms. He started reading when his laptop suddenly died in front of his face.

"Mierda!" Sky gently slammed his desk as he plugged his laptop in.

Sky decided to flick through the TV channels and see what came up. Sure enough, he found a news channel talking about the Mare-Do-Well. Sky was kind of getting tired of hearing of him. It's literally all Canterlot News is talking about nowadays and it's getting on Sky's nerves. That seems heartless since Mare-Do-Well had reunited hundreds of families, but Sky had it. He wanted things to get back to normal in town, but so far there's been no luck.

"Maybe he should give Cinch a visit... that old hag's got it coming." Sky muttered to himself.

Answers

The sun hit Sky hard as his eyes slowly opened a day after the encounter with Hoops and Dumb-Bell. Flutterfly was still gone since last night, and Sky got impatient. He forced himself out of bed, grabbed his jacket, and headed out into town, hoping to find her.

He made it to the local park before seeing a crowd formed in an alley. Sky decided to see what happened and rushed to the massive herd. Sky saw a familiar face in the crowd.

"Oh, my God, that's my sister!"

He turned to the voice and saw Zephyr Breeze bolting through the crowd.

Sister...

Sky put the pieces together and followed Zephyr to the front of the crowd where police were keeping people back.

"Stay back, people! Police officers, relatives and close friends only!"

"Please, you don't understand. That's my sister!"

I finally caught up with Breeze and the barrier.

"And who the hell are you?" The officer asked me.

"I'm her roommate." Sky simply explained.

"Go." The officer sighed, lifting the barrier slightly.

"Alright, no press! Any one who does not wish to cooperate will be charged." The officer called out as Sky and Zephyr paced to the scene.

They managed to find a pool of blood, guns laid out all around, and--

"Flutterfly?" Sky whispered.

Indeed, Flutterfly was almost lifeless on a stretcher, donning the Mare-Do-Well costume, her mask torn up and her leg clearly broken. Medics were surrounding her and nursing her back to health.

"I'm guessing you're family?" A medic asked.

"Yeah, what happened?" Zephyr asked.

"We have no idea. She wouldn't tell us, and the station called us here for an operation."

"What's with the police?" Sky stupidly asked.

"They don't want press revealing Mare-Do-Well's identity." The medic said.

"But... why? She's a vigilante, and..."

Sky froze as it all came to him. Flutterfly-- known to others as Fluttershy-- was the ruthless and merciless Mare-Do-Well, and according to the scene, there was more to the story.

"Flutterfly's an undercover agent, she's been one of ours for the past 4 years. I'm shocked she didn't tell you."

"What?! Flutterfly, is this..."

Sky saw her face, beaten, bloodied, and her left eye swelling.

"She took one hell of a beating. They were ready for her, it was our fault for underestimating the gang's hide--"

Shining Armor, acting captain of CCPD, was unable to finish his statement as Sky pinned him against the wall.

"You let an innocent, 17-year-old girl into this war alone?! That is not only morally questioning, but to my knowledge, highly illegal!" Sky cried.

"She didn't tell you? Flutterfly's been wishing to join us since the... incident."

"What? What incident?!" Sky asked loudly.

"Did she tell you anything?" Zephyr asked Sky, pulling him off Shining.

Sky turned to Flutterfly, or rather Mare-Do-Well.

"I guess not."

A few hours passed since the encounter. Flutterfly was given a replacement mask for her medivac to the local hospital, listed as Jane Doe. Sky was with her as she was finally able to speak again.

"How much haven't you told me? What else have you lied to me about, huh? Did you even lose your voice, or was that an act too?" Sky asked her.

"One... question at a time." Flutterfly answered.

"What happened at Cloudsdale with Hoops and Dumb-Bell?" Sky asked.

Zephyr left the room as soon as he asked that.

"I was 12. It was before I lost my voice, back at CDA. It was testing day, and Hoops wanted answers since he didn't study. I froze, and he failed the test." Fluttershy took a moment to recompose herself.

Sky prepared for whatever would come out of her broken voice.

"After school ended, I found a letter on my locker. It said to meet whoever wrote it in the locker room after school or they'd hunt me down and make me wish I did. So I arrived a few minutes after school. Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score. They locked the door and said they paid the janitor to leave his shift. The things they did to me... First, they stripped me and took pictures of me, threatened to post them all over the school if I resisted. Then, they tied me to a chair, and... shocked me, whipped me, rap--"

"Okay, okay, that's... e-enough." Sky's voice started cracking, he couldn't hear this.

"I'm not done. After it all, I fought back, so they were about to post them, but cops caught the janitor and locked down the school. Hoops and Dumb-Bell went out to distract them, Score holding a knife to my throat, threatening to kill me if I made a sound. Something just... woke up in me. I decided to pretend I liked what happened, and said I'd give him more if he untied me. He cut my bindings and I was quick-- I broke his hand and hit him with the back of the knife. I could've stopped, but I couldn't. One of the lockers were open, I guess it's where they stashed their equipment. I grabbed him by the hair and placed his head in the locker."

Sky braced himself for what she said afterward.

"I slammed the door, over and over again, screaming the entire time. Score dropped his phone untying me, which had all the things they did to me. Cops ran in and the first thing they saw was the pictures. Then me, on my knees, covered in both my blood and Score's, horrified over what I just did... Before the cops could make a move, Hoops jumped me, grabbed the closest thing he could find-- a board, and slammed my neck with it, breaking my already sore voice box... I couldn't breathe, I almost died."

"How... how didn't you?" Sky had tears of anger pouring down his face.

"Luck, or maybe God wanted me to live. Shortly after that, the FBI contacted me, asked if I wanted to take the fight back to them. Not then, but they wanted to start training me to fight back against the monsters in the world. I did, and soon I wanted to help others who were like I was that night, defenseless. Then, more recently, Twilight from Equestria told us one of her stories about how she and her friends donned the Mare-Do-Well to top their Rainbow Dash."

Sky chuckled slightly at that.

"After that, I knew what I had to do. I asked Twilight what she looked like, wanting to talk to Rarity about it. When I pitched it to my trainers, they agreed and gave me the green light. I talked to Rarity and she accepted the offer. That's how Mare-Do-Well was born." Flutterfly finished, her voice starting to crack either from the trauma of mentioning her past or the failure of her voice.

Either way, the truth was out.

"So, what happens now?" Sky asked.

"Now, we need your written consent that you would never speak to anyone else about what you just heard." Shining said as he entered behind the two.

"Does Rarity count?" Sky asked.

"Anyone who is on the team doesn't count. You can talk to them." Shining said.

"Who's on the team?" Sky asked.

"Sign and you'll find out."

Sky made it to the Carousel Boutique to speak to Rarity. He reached the door and knocked.

"Yes?" Rarity asked.

"It's Sky. We need to talk. About Flutterfly."

Rarity nearly ripped the door open when she heard that.

"I know everything. I just wanna talk about it."

"...Come in." Rarity said.

Devastation

Silence filled the room following Sky's first words to his mother, Abacus Cinch, in 3 months. She simply sat up and looked into his eyes.

"What did you do that got you caught?"

"I turned myself in." Cinch replied.

Sky adjusted his seat.

"I know you're lying. What really happened?" Sky asked, more aggravated than before entering the room.

Cinch moved closer to the wall of glass separating the pair.

"One of my graduates joined one of the big gangs, they traced him back to me, and here I am."

Sky chuckled.

"So how does it feel? Being busted by what you created? Does it feel good? Bad? I can never tell with you." Sky said.

Cinch fell silent, starting to slouch in her seat.

"How's Sugarcoat?" She asked.

"After what she did to me? How should I know?" Sky said.

Cinch looked shocked.

"You think she... you think she set it up?"

"It was obvious. The timing, the build-up." Sky said confidently.

"You are your father's son. Sugarcoat wasn't involved, other than leading you into that office." Cinch said.

Sky froze.

"Now? You're telling me this now?" Sky asked, moving closer to the glass.

Cinch was silent. Her head slightly hanging down.

The door opened behind Sky.

"Mr. Armor, you have 4 more minutes before Cinch gets transferred." A cop said as he shut the door as he left.

Sky cleared his throat.

"This is the last time I'm seeing you. You know that, right?" Cinch asked.

"Si, I know."

"Would you stop using that language?!" Cinch suddenly outburst.

"It's how papa talked!" Sky shouted back.

Cinch jumped slightly, it was the first time Sky ever yelled back.

"Sky..."

"No. I'm going to talk, and you are going to listen: You're dead to me. Year after year, I hoped you'd change, I hoped Dad would come back and fix you, but no. After... after this..." Sky points to his all-black eye.

"...How do you ever expect me to forgive you? Forgive them?"

"Sky, I don't..."

"I'm the one talking!" Sky glanced at the clock and saw that he had 2 minutes left.

"You know what? Let me say what you said to me that night, after my speech. You are no longer my mother, and I am no longer your son."

Cinch started crying. Sky felt his eye dampen as well.

"Goodbye, Cinch. Have a nice life without me." Sky got up and left the room, with one minute to spare.

Sugarcoat sat on the steps of Crystal Prep, still shaken over what Sky said to her, more so how true it all was.

"I never thought I'd be on these steps again." Sky said, taking a seat next to Sugarcoat.

She remained silent, suspicious over how friendly Sky was being.

"Why didn't you tell me that you weren't involved in my beating?" Sky asked.

Sugarcoat sighed.

"Cinch threatened to cancel my graduation, I had no choice. I wanted to tell you, Sky. I did."

"So why didn't you?" Sky asked.

"You never let me. You always gave me that look you have. That... death stare, it scared me. What if you thought I was lying or thought I wanted to fight you and you fought back?"

Sky was taken aback. He started to notice tears falling down Sugarcoat's cheeks.

"Come here." Sky whispered as he held her in an embrace.

The two remained in this position for what felt like hours. Then the school's bell woke them out of their trance.

"So, um... You and Fluttershy?" Sugarcoat asked, her voice still cracked from earlier.

"What? N-no." Sky said, his face turning slightly red.

"It's so obvious! The way you two talk to each other, how she looks at you. You two seem like a better couple than you and I did." Sugarcoat chuckled.

Sky then started chuckling along, realizing that her statement held some truth.

Wait...

"The way she looks at me?" Sky quickly asked.

Sugarcoat just giggled to herself as she rose up from the steps and started heading off.

Sky, completely dumbfounded, decided to do the same. He decided to hit the Carousel Boutique and speak to Rarity about a problem he has.

"What do you mean she's defenseless, darling?" Rarity asked Sky.

"She's wearing leather, Rarity. I get that you're giving her the best you have, but she got carved like a pumpkin last week. I'm just saying... maybe you should invest in something stronger." Sky told Rarity.

"Like what? She specifically told me she wants to be fast and agile." Rarity said.

"I might have an idea." Someone behind the duo said.

They turned around and saw Captain Shining Armor with Filthy Rich, stereotypical billionare, but when it counts, he's a state hero.

"Filthy Rich. What do you got?" Sky asked.

Rich opened a suitcase showing the two 4 large sheets of an orange material.

"It's an Anti-Newtonian material, it disobeys the common laws of physics. It's completely impact-proof, stab-proof, it can even be made bullet-proof..."

"What's it called?" Rarity asked.

"It's called D3O. The military's been investing in it, but it can be found in motorcycle jackets, knee guards, that sort of thing." Shining said.

"Why are we just hearing about this now?" Sky asked.

"Originally, we didn't have the funding for sheets of the material, but now that we have a deal with FIlthy Rich, we can get as much of it as we need." Shining answered.

"Sounds nice, but can we please change the color? That shade of orange is simply disgusting." Rarity cringed.

"Of course. You can even place it under the original outfit. She'll just be slightly bulkier." Rich said.

"I feel safer already..."

The group turned around to see Flutterfly marveling at the material, slashing a knife at the sheet, only for not even a scratch to be shown.

"That's incredible." Sky said.

"There's just... one problem." Shining said.

"What's that?" Sky asked.

"The material's expensive, and hard to hide. You won't be as agile as you once were."

Flutterfly looks at the material, sighs, and looks back at Rich and Shining.

"I can survive with less mobility for now." Flutterfly said as she set the material back in the case.

Rich closed the case and started heading out of the door.

"The final product will be ready by the end of the month." Rich said as he left the boutique.

Tempest

A month has passed since the meeting with Rich and the final product of Flutterfly's new suit should be ready soon. Sky, Fluttershy, and Rarity were all waiting at the Boutique waiting for him. The three of them were sitting by the entrance, a sign saying CLOSED hanging outside the door.

No word has been exchanged for the past 4 minutes between the trio. Sky decided to kick things off.

"So, um... how long have you been... working?" He asked Flutterfly.

"Around 4 months." She answered, swinging her legs back and forth.

"You ever use guns?" Sky asked again.

"Once or twice, only in self-defense." Flutterfly answered again, avoiding answering what's really on Sky's mind.

Silence struck once again. Rarity decided to get up and do something, intentionally leaving the two alone.

"So, um... how did things go with your mother?" Flutterfly asked.

Sky chuckled.

"Cinch and I ended things on a dull note." Sky answered.

Flutterfly noticed how he answered.

"What do you mean by--"

A knock on the door stopped her question. Rarity stopped what she was doing and answered the door. Filthy Rich stood on the other side, holding a large suitcase.

"I think you're special package is here." Sky said to Flutterfly.

"Trust me, it is special. The suit was a trick, but I managed to pull it off." Rich set the case down and opened it using a code.

The suit was a sleek, chromium purple. The suit itself shone in the light.

"The armor is a thin D3O under a thicker kevlar tri-weave. The gloves have an electromagnetic pulse, which can hold up to 500 pounds. We were able to manage the flexibility problem-- I thought you'd like that. The helmet is ceramic plating, the hat sewn and welded into it. I also added a stealth prototype, which camouflages the suit into your environment, but for now, that's battery-charged." Rich stated.

Flutterfly was astounded by the suit, as was Rarity and Sky.

"Try it on, I assume the place has a fitting room?" Rich asked.

"Of course. Come, Fluttershy, let's get you suited." The two of them were off, leaving Sky and Rich alone.

"So, how long have you known Fluttershy?" Rich asked.

"Since I was a kid, before Mom was a principal. I went to Cloudsdale with Fluttershy, and I think Rainbow was there..."

Their conversation was cut off when Fluttershy came in in her new armor.

"Whoa..." Sky said in awe.

"Yes, I think it will work nicely." Flutterfly said as she tried to move around in it.

Flutterfly then decided to try out her flexibility; she did a handstand, a cartwheel, and a backflip.

"Now I know this will work. Thanks, Mr. Rich... I feel safer already." Flutterfly said.

The four of them spent a few moments admiring Flutterfly's suit until Shining Armor ran through the door.

"Flutterfly... they're at your parent's house."

That was all she needed to hear as she put on her mask and activated the voice modulator.

"Get in the car." Her voice was amplified and deepened.

They all got in the car and drove to Flutterfly's parents' house.

"Wait, why's Sky here?" Rich asked.

"Because he can fight. Here, wear this." Shining said as he held out a ski mask to Sky.

"No, I know where this goes. Once I start with this stuff, you'll want me back."

"It's not like that, we just don't want them seeing your face. This is a big gang, Flutterfly, we've been tracking them for months."

"Who are they?" She asked.

"They have military training, our guess is that a few of them were veterans. Back in the day, they were standard drug operators, dealing in metric tons. Now they're interested in all of the magical occurrences lately." Shining said, still holding the ski mask.

Sky finally took it and put it on.

"Who's in charge?" Sky asked.

"We don't know, all we know is their commander, she practically leads them already in every way but name. Her name is-“

"We're here, pull over." Mare-Do-Well said.

Rich pulled over and Mare-Do-Well, Sky, and Shining left the car. Rich was about to also leave the car when Shining stopped him.

"No, you leave us. If we need back-up, I got a SWAT ready to move in." Shining said.

"You got it." Rich drove off and the three moved in.

Shining handed a gun to Sky.

"Take this."

"No, I'm not killing anyone today." Sky said.

"You never know." Shining said as he waved the gun.

Sky took it and put it in his pocket.

"I'll move in through the roof, let's see how Rich's stealth technology holds up..." Mare-Do-Well said as she turned on her camouflage.

You couldn't see her unless you looked hard enough, which helped her. She started to run, which caused her to become more visible.

"Uh, Mare-Do-Well? I don't think his camo's gonna work if you move." Shining said.

She looked at herself and realized that if she moved, the illusion would be ruined.

"Well, he did say it was a prototype." She said as she deactivated her camo.

"Good luck, Mare-Do-Well." Sky said.

"You got it..." She tried to think of a name.

"Don't bother. As soon as this is over, I'm done." Sky said.

Mare-Do-Well nodded and jumped to the roof and jumped into the chimney.

"How about us?" Sky asked Shining.

"We got the boring job." Shining answered as he knocked on the door.

"CSPD, open up!" Shining said in a booming voice Sky never thought he had.

"Screw off, pig!" A familiar voice said inside.

"Hoops..."

"Wait... Damn, we gotta get in there!" Shining said as he kicked the door in.

The two ran in with their guns drawn and safeties off.

"You ever shoot, kid?" Shining asked.

"I used to shoot at a range once every week when I lost my eye. I never missed when I hit the second month." Sky smiled.

"Cool." Shining said as they went room to room.

They then heard a scream coming from the living room.

"Come on, let's go!"

The two made a run for it and saw Hoops and Dumb-Bell holding Flutterfly's family at gunpoint. Her father, her mother, and her brother all had the same face of terror.

"Hoops and Dumb-Bell, you can both walk away from this. Just drop your guns, and put your hands above your head." Sky said.

"Step any closer, and they die!" Hoops said, wearing a similar face of Flutterfly's family.

"You look scared, someone must've sent you here. We can help you out, just drop the guns, and--"

Hoops pulled the trigger, grazing Flutterfly's brother. Mare-Do-Well dropped from the ceiling onto Dumb-Bell, beating him repeatedly as Hoops pulls the gun on Sky. Then he pulled Flutterfly's mom to his side, holding the gun at her head.

"You make a move and I kill her!"

"Get away from her, you damn MONST--"

Fluttershy coughed, loudly and violently. She took off her helmet and blood shoots out her mouth as her voice box gets torn apart.

"Flutterfly!"

Hoops pulled the gun on Flutterfly, but Sky pulled the trigger, hitting Hoops right in the stomach, causing him to fall. Sky freezes as he drops the gun. His shock only stopped when he remembered about Flutterfly and runs to her, who stopped coughing.

"Flutterfly, you okay?" He asked.

Flutterfly tried to say "yes", but nothing left her voice, not even a whisper. She realized what happened and started to cry. She tried to scream but not a sound left her. Sky knew what this meant and held her, and begun to cry also.

Shining held a dying Hoops to the ground as he grabbed Dumb-Bell -who is struggling to breathe- and put them side-by-side.

"Who sent you? Who's responsible for this?!" He demands.

"T... Tempest. She sent us..."

Hoops lets out his last breath and Dumb-Bell does the same.

Flutterfly couldn't speak as she cries into Sky's arms. Zeypher Breeze woke up and saw the entire scene. He ran to his sister and joined the embrace, shortly followed by her parents.

"We gotta take her to the hospital..." Sky finally said.

Depression

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

New Life

It was a new day at Canterlot High, only days after the incident at the Friendship Games. Cinch was abruptly fired due to endangerment and blackmailing. As for Twilight "Sci-Twi" Sparkle, she's been fitting in at CHS without any problems. As for the Shadowbolts, they've been turning a new leaf, seeing Canterlot as equals.

At the moment, Sci-Twi was chatting with Sugarcoat via cellphone.

"So far, Principal Sombra's been much better." Sugarcoat said.

"Really? I know he was good as Vice-Principal, but I never thought he could be the real-deal." Twilight said.

"Well, yeah, he's a little strict, but everyone seems to love him."

"That's good. I gotta go, Celestia wants me to show the new kid around."

"Got it." Sugarcoat said as she hung up.

Twilight went to the front door, just in time to see a mini-van drive off and a boy in a dark hoodie and a backpack slung on one shoulder began walking into the building. He stopped and looked up at Twilight, giving her hardly any time to catch her bearings.

"Hi, um... my name's Twilight Sparkle. I was supposed to show you around...?" Twilight shuddered.

The boy sighed, and took off the hood, revealing a face Twilight was all-too-familiar with.

"S... Sky?" Twilight asked.

Sky Armor, the weakest student at Crystal Prep. She's seen him get bullied by male Shadowbolts, and shunned by female Shadowbolts.

"Sky, um..." Twilight started.

"Celestia gave me my schedule. Just need to find my locker." Sky directly said.

"Uh... Okay." Twilight said, awkwardly silenced.

Sky went to his locker and entered the combination. He tossed his backpack into the locker, with a tad more force than usual. He then went to his first class with Mrs. Harshwinny. He went into the class and quickly took his seat.

"Class, meet Sky Armor. He moved to CHS from Crystal Prep, and is said to be fiercely bullied, so please give him some space and time." She said.

Sky took note of his classmates. A girl with large, pink hair and a constant smile on her face. Another was a girl who had her feet on the desk, short rainbow hair taking the spotlight. Sky quickly took notes of the two, how people seemed to like them.

The school day was over and Twilight gathered the Humane 6 along with some Shadowbolts.

"Wait, SKY ARMOR?! We thought he moved!" Sour Sweet said.

"He must've, but to our district line." Sunset said.

"What do we do?" Fluttershy asked.

"We need a way to make him smile!" Pinkie said.

"No, you need to give him time. He was invisible at CPA, maybe he wants to do the same here." Sugarcoat suggested.

"There's no way he would want that, who would?!" Rainbow asked.

"Look, he's had bad history with us, a falling out with his family, just let him adjust." Jet Set said.

The group took time to consider this. Spike hopped out of Twilight's backpack.

"I remember you guys picking on him. We'd see it everyday for a year. We shouldn't start meeting like this. We're right outside the school and anyone can see us, including--"

"Me."

The entire group jumped back as Sky Armor walked up to the center, hands in his pocket.

"Forgot my book. Wanted to go get it." Sky said as he went back into the building.

The group fell silent again.

"See? It's bad!" Pinkie said.

"Okay, so he's... distant. So what? What can we do about it? It's bad enough that we're even talking about him like this, just give him some space." Sunset said.

The group agreed, and the meeting ended just as Sky walked out of the building. Fluttershy sighed and got up after him.

"Flutters, where're ya goin?!" Rainbow asked.

"Home. Got to check on the animals." Fluttershy said as she walked in tandem with Sky.

"Hmm..." Rainbow said.

"What is it?" Sunset asked.

"Fluttershy said something about a new roommate. I'm wondering..." Rainbow started.

Fluttershy made it back home and opened the door. She was greeted by another student feeding the birds.

"Hey, Fluttershy." Sky said.

"Hey, Sky." Fluttershy said awkwardly.

A silence followed until Fluttershy cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry we talked about you like that. The others were just worried."

"And the Shadowbolts, too?" Sky scolded.

"Y... Yes. They wanted to help us to know you."

"They don't know me." Sky scoffed.

Fluttershy went for her medication as Sky undid his backpack and tossed it into his room. Sky looked back and saw Fluttershy down her pills for the day.

"Hate that stuff." Sky muttered.

"I need to take it. If I don't, my voice could fade away. I'm lucky I could speak at all." Fluttershy said.

"You can't afford the surgery?" Sky asked.

"It's 20 times my pay rate. I know you can't afford it." Fluttershy quickly gasped at her words.

"It's alright. You have a point. I gotta find a job-- a good job." Sky said.

"I think I can help you!" Pinkie said from behind Sky.

"HOLY--" Sky jumped 15 feet back and almost collapsed.

"Pinkie! You scared the life out of him!" Fluttershy said.

"Sorry! Couldn't help it. Any-who..." Pinkie teleported in between the two.

"... We're hiring at the Sugar Cube Corner, Applejack could always use an extra paid hand at the farm, and Rarity could use help finding jewelry!" Pinkie said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't even know any of those people, A. And B, I don't need help finding a job. I know lots of people who are hiring." Sky bluffed.

"Oh, yeah? Like who?" Pinkie asked.

"Well, um..." Sky started.

"Thought so! Seeya, Flutters!" Pinkie slid down the stairs and she was gone.

Sky looked up at Fluttershy.

"So, um..." He started.

"Forgive Pinkie, she just wants to have fun."

"No, she's okay. It's just..." Sky started.

Another silence fell for what felt like hours until Fluttershy cleared her throat.

"Let's get started on homework." She said.

"Yeah... Let's." I said.

The two finished their homework and Fluttershy started dinner. She grabbed old leftovers from last night and reheated them.

"So, everyone thinks you're vegetarian?" Sky asked.

"Yes, it's so annoying..." The pizza was heated and the two started eating.

"I mean, I see why people would think that, but still..."

"It's the circle of life. I don't eat my animals, but I'd eat this any day." Fluttershy said as she held up her sausage pizza as she ate.

Sky faintly chuckled as he kept eating.

Memories

A week after Flutterfly recovered from her injuries, life slowly returned to normal. The Mare-Do-Well slowly left news networks, but Sky knew she was still out there. School just ended and Sky waited for Flutterfly to find him, but instead, he found Sugarcoat.

"What do you want?" Sky asked.

"I'm her friend too, you know."

No she's not. Sky said to himself.

"I just want to talk. I know what happened hurt you, and not just the eye."

Sky stayed silent, holding his anger back.

"Sky, you can't pretend I don't exist forever."

Sky's anger started building up as memories started flooding back to him, memories with her.

"Sky, I don't care if you yell. Hell, beat me up if you have to."

Sky actually considered the latter, and it frightened him, only feeding to the anger she gave him. His face started warming up, his eyes went dry...

"Sky, please just talk to me about--"

That was it, Sky unloaded.

"Do you know what it's like? To wake up every morning, feeling the emptiness? To look in a mirror, where your eye used to be? To still feel the bruises that your ex's B.F.Fs gave you all those months ago?" He grabbed her shoulders and started.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW BETRAYED I FELT?! I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU MORE THAN I TRUSTED MY OWN MOTHER! I..." Sky stopped and saw Sugarcoat's frightened face.

"I loved you. Was it too much to ask for you to pretend to love me back?" Sky pushed her off and left the scene, not facing the small crowd that formed observing his breakdown.

Sugarcoat was now on her knees, feeling the tears running down her face from the memories of what happened.

Sky paced to his next class at CPA when he saw a very familiar face.

"Hey, babe." Sky said, seeing Sugarcoat next to him.

"We're not there yet." She teased as she kissed Sky's cheek.

"What's new?" He asked.

"I talked to the others, they want to give you a chance."

"Where are they?" Sky asked.

"They're at the main office. Come on." Sugarcoat said, holding out her hand to him.

Sky tenderly took her hand, rubbing his thumb against the base of hers.

The two of them made it to the main office.

"I'll go get Cinch. SIt down, try to start a convo."

"You got it." Sky said, careful not to call her 'babe'.

Sky made it back to the apartment. Sky tossed his backpack into his room and started grabbing his hair, slightly worried about what would happen next. His phone rang and he checked his phone, expecting a threat from one of the Shadowbolts.

"Abacus Cinch has been arrested for the following charges: Vandalism, scandal, and assault."

Sky almost dropped his phone as he rose up and headed out the door.

Flutterfly was almost flattened by Sky's rush.

"Shoot, are you okay?" Sky asked as he helped her on her feet.

"I'm fine. What's got you in such a rush?" She asked him.

"Cinch was arrested."

"Oh..."

"I'm going down the station to see her. Wanna come with? Unless you have... work." Sky said.

"My schedule's clear." Fluttershy said as she dumped her bookbag inside the apartment and locked the door.

The office was empty, which made Sky curious. All he saw was 8 seats, all but 2 of them taken by the Shadowbolts. Sky was about to take one next to Jet Set, but he pulled the seat back as Sky was about to sit, causing him to plop down to the floor.

"Jet Set, what's going on? I thought this was to--"

Sky realized the truth: He was getting jumped.

Sky quickly tried to get up, but his arms were bound.

"How did you--"

Sky looked to the window and saw Cinch, tying his hands through 2 holes on the bottom of the glass. She walked off and locked the door behind them.

No words were exchanged as Jet Set threw the first punch to Sky's jaw, then Sour Sweet, and then Indigo Zap.

They all took turns until Sky couldn't take it anymore. Sky whipped his head back, smashing the glass into pieces. He took the chance and pulled his hands through the weakened glass, but he was still tied.

"You're gonna regret doing that..." Indigo said cruelly.

Sky thought he heard banging on the door, but he didn't know for sure, as his vision was fading.

"Sky! Guys, stop!" He heard a distorted voice said.

Sky turned to the voice, but he started to faint as he did.

His left eye entered the glass as he fell unconscious.

"Sky? Sky!" Flutterfly whispered.

Sky turned his head to her as they had arrived at the station.

"You sure about this? You don't have to talk to her again."

"I'm sure. I wanna move on, but first I have to do this."

Flutterfly didn't say a word. She just kissed his cheek.

"I'll wait here." She said to his ear.

Sky, his face red, nodded as he left the car to enter the station.

"--And to conclude this statement, I would like Sky Armor, famous student of CPA, to say a few words." Dean Cadence said.

Sky, his eye still bandaged, went on stage with a few flashcards he left.

"I just wanted to, um... make it clear that the Shadowbolts... were not responsible for..."

Sky couldn't say these things about them, any of them. Sky took a breath and swiped his cards off the podium.

"You people think that these scumbags are innocent? That they were blackmailed? Well, let me tell you, it didn't take much. These... monsters deserve all of the hell you can give them, the media, the students, and the staff. You still think these people are innocent?!"

Sky tore the bandage off his face, showing his still swollen eye socket to the audience. Several horrified gasps were heard.

"Would innocent kids do THIS?! These people are freaking animals! They deserve whatever pain you can give them, just like they did to me!"

Sky took a shaken breath.

"I conclude my statement, by saying that I will NOT be returning to Crystal Prep, and neither should any of you."

The doors opened as Sky entered the small interrogation room as he took a seat. Abacus Cinch sat in the other side, handcuffed.

"...Hi, Mom."