A Sugarcoated Christmas

by Shadowmane PX-41

Rating: teen
Tags: Equestria Girls, Slice of Life, Shadowbolts (EqG)
Length: 5252

Sugarcoat is not one to smile often, and Christmas is no exception to her. The other Shadowbolts are about to change that.

Christmas has come once again to the city of Canterlot, and everyone was excited to share in the upcoming festivities of the holiday. Gifts would be shared, laughter would be heard, and people would eat, drink, and be merry.

But one day at Crystal Prep, when the Shadowbolts realise that Sugarcoat is far less than happy with the traditions and joy of the season, they swoop to her aid and try to find a way of helping her smile once again.

Published 2016-12-24 21:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-24 21:10:02 UTC

A Sugarcoated Christmas

Christmas had come once again to the city of Canterlot. All across the streets, people were over-decorating their houses with lights and props, shovelling snow off of their driveways, writing their lists to Santa, and quickly dashing around the shops to get the last presents for their friends and families.

At Crystal Prep Academy, the students were all partaking in a Christmas party in the hall. Just like the town outside, the room had been decorated heavily with tinsel, paper chains, trees, and other such props. Students were all dressed up in bright clothing and Christmas jumpers as they all shared food, drinks, stories, and merriment with each other.

Everything had changed for the better after the events of the Friendship Games. Their Twilight managed to press charges against Cinch for blackmail just after she left, and within a few days, the former principal had been locked up in Tartarus Penitentiary for how she had treated. Following her departure, a new principal by the name of Chrysalis took over Crystal Prep, and she slashed away a large number of Cinch's old rules, allowing the students to be who they really wanted to be deep down on the inside.

The students had also changed in the aftermath of the Games, with many of them opening up more to each other and helping out at times where the work was far too hard for one person to face alone. Together, they helped each other reach their true potential and were reaching higher grades than ever before. Lots of new friendships had been made with this change, and there was very little tension between them.

"Hey, Indigo!" A girl with green hair and pink headphones ran up to another girl with a blue buzzsaw haircut and lightning bolt earclips. "Merry Christmas!"

"You too, Lemon." Indigo smiled and gave Lemon a handshake, looking closely at her what she was wearing. "That's a nice jumper, by the way. Where'd you get it?"

"Mom and dad really splashed out this year." Lemon flexed her arms and showed off the picture of a Christmas pudding with snowflakes floating down beside it. "They've got ones of their own back home of Santa and his reindeer."

"Nice." Indigo whistled and gave Lemon a smile before showing off her own jumper. It showed a picture of a red present wrapped up in a green bow. "This one right here's pretty sweet too, huh? My grandma hand-knitted it for me."

"Really?" Lemon looked closely at each of the hand-stitched fibres on Indigo's jumper, cracking a smile at how neat they all were. "She must've been a real nice lady."

"Yeah." Indigo nodded. "I don't mean to brag, but she is probably the best grandma on the planet. She always makes cookies whenever she comes 'round for Christmas."

"Cookies? Get out! I never get cookies for Christmas anymore."

A girl with purple and pink trousers walked up to Lemon and Indigo. She had a purple bowl-cut hairstyle with a large device around her wrist. She wore a simple shirt with a checkered-diamond design with black shoes on her feet. She was accompanied by a girl with a pink ponytail haircut with a green stripe running through it. She wore a teal skirt with pink trousers and a pair of white sneakers.

"Sour! Sunny! Merry Christmas!" Lemon greeted the two girls and shook their hands. "Can I offer you something to eat? You look pretty hungry."

"Thank you for the offer, dearie, but I'm quite fine." Sunny waved her hand. "What about you, Sour?"

"No thanks. I'm good too." Sour shook her head and glanced over at the nearby food table and makeshift stalls selling treats. "As much as I adore mince pies, It's still a pain in the ass that they only come out this time of year!"

"I agree with you there, Sour Sweet." Sunny nodded and wrapped her hand around Sour's shoulders. "I know that they're traditional, but I don't like how they only come out on December. Why can't we eat stuff like that at summer or on Spring Break? That would be truly wonderful."

"Hear hear." Lemon was already stuffing her face full of mince pies and stollen from the table, putting other items on small paper plates. "You sure you don't want anything? They're going out fast!" As she spoke, she unintentionally spat out crumbs all over the floor.

"Lemon Zest, please." Sunny suppressed a mild chuckle and took the plates off of her, handing them out to other students. "I'm trying to watch my figure. It might be Christmas, but that doesn't mean that I can just gorge myself and plump up like a turkey."

"Yeah, learn to lay off a bit, Lemon." Sour Sweet gave Lemon a gentle nudge. "It's not like she's going to get anywhere with that neutral attitude outside Crystal Prep."

"Sorry, sorry." Lemon Zest pushed her arms out at the two girls. "I'm just super-stoked that it's gonna Christmas in a couple of days! I got a whole playlist running through these babies, banging out all of the best Christmas songs nonstop until Santa comes and delivers our presents!" She rubbed the speakers of her headphones softly.

"Yep." Indigo walked over to Lemon and crossed her arms. "Everyone's done their shopping, got their dinner ready, and are ready to tear open those presents on Christmas Day. Smiles all around, right?"

"'Tis the season to be jolly after all." Sour Sweet cracked a small smile.

"I can't wait either." Sunny nodded and gave a grin of her own. "Christmas is truly one of the most magical times of the year, isn't it? Families getting together, memories being made, people playing in the snow, it's all truly a sight to behold. And with your best friends by your side, it's even more amazing and splendid."

"Speaking of friends, has anyone seen Sugarcoat anywhere?" Indigo began looking around the hall, taking an extra close look at their hairstyles. "She can't miss out on Christmas—even if she's stuffy and boring."

"She definitely came into the room. I saw her in here earlier reading a book." Sunny joined in the search as well, looking at all of the students closely. No matter where she looked, she didn't see Sugarcoat anywhere. "She can't have left the room, seeing as the library's been closed for the last day of term."

"Found her!" Lemon Zest pointed towards a girl with silver hair and a plain purple shirt with yellow sleeves.

While everyone else was having a good time at the party, Sugarcoat was burying her head within the pages of her book, unfazed by the noise of the venue or of the people nearby her. Sighing, she flipped the page and readjusted her glasses, beginning to read through the next paragraphs.

"Sugarcoat!" Lemon Zest slid up to her ears too fast and accidentally knocked her over, making her drop the book and her glasses onto the floor.

"Lemon Zest. I highly advise that you learn some restraint." Sugarcoat brushed down her shirt and retrieved her book and glasses. Standing back up, she turned to face the rest of the group. "I know that you and your friends are happy, but there are some of us that would still like to read, if you don't mind."

"Ah, c'mon, poindexter." Indigo snatched Sugarcoat's glasses off of her. "Learn to live a little. You're gonna turn into a book if you keep reading them like that."

"Indigo Zap. Could you please change that tomboy attitude?" Sugarcoat took back her glasses and turned away. "Abacus Cinch might be gone, but there's still no reason for you to act like a mindless ape over such a stupid holiday."

The other Shadowbolts let out a large synchronised gasp at Sugarcoat's remark. They had never heard someone at Crystal Prep say that word before—even when Principal Cinch was running the school.

"Stupid holiday?!" Lemon Zest's mouth was agape. "Sugarcoat! How dare you say that about Christmas!"

"I apologise if I startled you, but I just don't see any point in celebrating Christmas like the rest of you do." She turned back to face the other Shadowbolts. "While all of you children get toys and gifts for Christmas, for the grown-ups like me, it's nothing more than a hassle to go out and buy gifts and make dinner for a large and frankly unnecessary crowd."

"Jeez, you're a bit high-strung aren't you, Ebenezer Sugarcoat?" Sour Sweet deadpanned.

"Was that a backhanded compliment or are you deliberately trying to reference me to that miser from A Christmas Carol?" Sugarcoat glared at Sour Sweet.

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's because you don't give a damn that I'm making the reference!" Sour threw her arms out.

"Girls, girls, GIRLS!" Lemon Zest plugged both Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet's mouths and held her hands their for a moment. There was a long silence until she finally dropped her hands and pushed the two apart gently. "It's Christmas. There's no need to fight. We should just ask what pooped in Sugarcoat's cornflakes today and see if we can help her smile a bit."

"Lemon, I'm sorry to break this to you, but Sour Sweet is right. Sugarcoat's too grumpy to appreciate the spirit of the season." Sunny walked up to Lemon and slowly patted her back. "Don't get upset. There are some people who genuinely don't like Christmas."

"No, Sunny Flare. This is Christmas. I refuse to believe that Sugarcoat's a grumpy guts just because she is." Lemon brushed Sunny away and turned back to Sugarcoat. "So tell me. Why do you hate Christmas?"

"I don't hate Christmas. To hate something would mean that it would have had to have done something to me that would've left me feeling unsatisfied with it." Sugarcoat shook her head. "Christmas has done nothing to me, so I don't hate it like you all say I do. My family do celebrate it. We do give gifts every year. But in more recent years, it's become much less enjoyable than usual. That's not to say that I'm growing out of it, though. The whole thing is rather complex, you see."

"English, Sugarcoat?" Indigo raised a brow.

Sugarcoat let out a gruff sigh. "To put it in Indigo Zap's language, everyone keeps saying that I should enjoy this holiday. I enjoy what I want, when I want to. And with how many people in this town want me to like the holidays, I ironically find it to be less enjoyable than before."

"So you enjoy Christmas, but not when people yak on about it twenty-four-seven, is that right?" Sunny Flare asked.

"Yes. That's exactly what I mean, Sunny." Sugarcoat nodded. "When people don't go on and on about the season like parrots let loose from the zoo, I adore the season and all of its' traditions."

"Well, don't worry about a thing, Sugarcoat." Lemon Zest slid up to her and wrapped her arm around her friend's back. "We're not forcing you to do anything you don't want to do here at Crystal Prep. Feel free to do what you want."

"As much as I appreciate the kind gesture, Lemon Zest, I feel that the damage has already been done." Sugarcoat walked out of Lemon's grip. "However, if you would like to try and humour me and get me to try and enjoy these holidays without all of the constant in-your-face stuff, then please do so."

"Girls. Huddle." Lemon brought Indigo, Sour, and Sunny into a group huddle and whispered to each other about certain ideas. They came up with many different ways that they thought that Sugarcoat would smile at the party, but they looked back at her cold and lifeless gaze and threw their ideas out.

"It's perfectly alright if you can't think of anything." Sugarcoat turned and walked off. "Adolescents with IQ such as yours could not possibly think of a way to appeal to a prodigy such as myself. Enjoy the party, though."

Lemon Zest's heart sank as she watched Sugarcoat walk away from her. She had never seen someone miserable at Christmas all because people were asking her to celebrate it. She slowly reached her arm out for her, but it shook heavily and she retracted it back to her side.

"I didn't think it was possible, but I guess that's the way life goes, eh?" Indigo's eyes were wide open, but her hands were behind her head. "There really are some people who don't enjoy Christmas as much as others."

"No..." Lemon Zest began to fight back her own tears. "No! It can't be! Sugarcoat should be happy at Christmas, not sad!"

"Yeah, I totally agree." Sour Sweet approached Lemon. "You should be sitting at home with your family, going through some sappy BS like the true meaning of the holiday while opening presents wrapped in low-budget paper, not sad like poor little Sugarcoat, having to go through all of that..."

"But what are we supposed to do about it?" Sunny Flare asked, turning to the rest of the group. "Sugarcoat made it perfectly clear that we should keep our distances, instead of trying to force the holiday down her throat like everyone else."

"Still, we shouldn't leave her like that." Indigo watched Sugarcoat pick up a mince pie and take a pie, looking towards the walls. "We all know that deep down, she does love the holidays, but she's been bombarded by people asking her to celebrate it that she's kinda lost faith in it."

"So, what do we do now? This isn't some ooey-gooey Christmas special where something goes wrong and everyone decides to help out." Sour Sweet shook her head. "This is the real life, and as tough as it might be, we're just four normal teenage girls."

"But at the same time, we can't just sit down and accept defeat that easily." Sunny Flare turned towards Sour Sweet and tipped her hand. "Crystal Prep's changed a lot since the Friendship Games and now we're much more helpful than we were before. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not about to go back to the ways of old and leave Sugarcoat like this." She walked off towards her friend.

"Sunny Flare's right, we've got to try something." Indigo Zap nodded and turned to her friends. "But what? How can we cheer Sugarcoat up if we can't ask her to enjoy Christmas?"

Lemon Zest was deep in thought, trying to figure out a way to make Sugarcoat feel happy. She was never one to concentrate when it came to stuff at Crystal Prep, as her thought were constantly blurted out by the music from her headphones. But when she came face-to-face with the dilemma of making her friend smile, she was showing a side of herself that rarely came out. Tightening her fists, she walked towards Sugarcoat and breathed heavily.

"What was that all about?" Sour Sweet tilted her head to the side as she watched Lemon Zest walk away in silence.

"I dunno, Sour." Indigo Zap could only stare wide-eyed at Lemon Zest and how emotion-deprived she seemed to be. "But something tells me that Lemon Zest's serious about this."

"That's new..." Sour Sweet watched her get closer to Sugarcoat. "If you took it out of context, it seems like she has the intent to murder someone with that look."

"Sugarcoat. I'm one who believes that people should be happy no matter what the scenario." Lemon Zest spoke with a fire in her eyes as she flexed her fingers. "You might act like you sit on your high horse with that big brain of yours, but I swear on my life, that I will not go home today until you're happy."

"Lemon Zest, your emotional state seems pretty aggravated." Sugarcoat reached over to the table and handed her a cup. "Would you like a drink?"

"Thank you." Lemon took the cup and swigged down the contents with a single gulp. "But it's not going to change me one bit. No matter how you might feel, I'm going to do my best to turn that frown upside down; even if I have to buy you your happiness!"

"Well, I must say that you do seem committed to this, given your tone of voice and physical actions." Sugarcoat rubbed the bottom of her chin with the back of her hand. "You and your friends can feel free to try. Take me around this place and try to make me feel some speck of joy. A futile effort, I think, but one that you should at least attempt."

Lemon's face immediately lit up when she heard Sugarcoat's response and she immediately took her hand and shook it, making the spectacled girl recoil slightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise that we won't let you down!"

"So, what's the first thing on your list of things that can potentially bring a smile to my face?" Sugarcoat asked.

"Well, the first thing we should try is a time-honoured classic for Christmas." Lemon Zest took her headphones off and put them on Sugarcoat's ears. She went around the side and tapped the buttons to put on a song. "Just chillax and listen to some tunes. That always gets me fired up for the holidays."

"Chillax? I'm afraid I don't follow." Sugarcoat opened her left eye slightly as the music began to flow into her ears. The music and lyrics were all in perfect harmony with one another as it all danced around in her mind.

Throughout the whole ordeal, she found herself lost in the beat of the song and could see what the singer was trying to express with the song, but she eventually came back to reality after the first chorus and handed the headphones back to Lemon Zest. "Well, it was a nice song, but I'm still not convinced. What's next?"

"Yeah. I kinda figured music wasn't your deal, but there's no shame in trying, is there?" Lemon Zest slipped the headphones back onto her ears and walked towards the food table once again. "There's one thing that everyone has on Christmas, one way or another. And that's Christmas food!"

"Yeah! Stollen, mince pies, gingerbread men, it's all here today!" Indigo came up to Lemon and took one of each different item and put it onto a plate, handing it to Sugarcoat. "Of course, you don't have to try them. We're not forcing you or anything like that, y'know? Just take it easy."

"Alright." Sugarcoat reached out for the stollen and placed it in her mouth, chewing delicately and slowly, wiping her crumb-ridden mouth as she did so. She swallowed her mouthful and said, "Rich texture, flavourful, sugar-topped. I expected nothing less from Crystal Prep students. It's a very nice gesture that you two are pulling and you do seem less obnoxious than everyone else, but again, it's going to take a lot more than that." She took the plate off of Indigo and Lemon's hands. "I'll be eating the rest of this, though. Never let it be said that Sugarcoat does not leave a meal unfinished."

"Darnit!" Lemon Zest cursed under her breath and threw her arms down. "She's a tough nut to crack..."

"Alright, Lemon, let me handle this." Indigo gave Lemon Zest a pat on the back. "I know one way that'll get Sugarcoat smiling." She wrapped her arm and walked her over to a nearby table with overturned cups and a box full of paper shavings. "Whenever I need some Christmas cheer, I play a few games."

"Games?" Sugarcoat raised a brow at all of the games on the table. "I feel like you're all gradually drifting off-topic here."

"Nah, this is fun." Indigo Zap flipped a coin onto the table and into the pot. "C'mon, Sugarcoat. Give it a try and find the ball. It's pretty tough, I gotta say."

"Not a problem at all." Sugarcoat looked at the girl sitting behind the counter. She had white skin and purple curled hair. "Alright, Fleur De Lis. Shuffle them. Let's see if you bewilder me for once."

"Oh, believe me, I try as hard as I can." Fleur De Lis showed her the ball for a few seconds before she put it back down on the table. Then, she dexterity to shuffle the cups as fast as she could, in an attempt to break Sugarcoat's concentration and make her choose the wrong one. "After many failed attempts, I want to finally beat you at this for once." With one last circular movement of her hands, she finished shuffling and raised her arms. "Pick carefully, Sugarcoat."

"Simple." She pointed at the cup on the right. "It's this one."

"Only one way to find out, is there?" She raised the cup, revealing the ball underneath it. "Ugh! Looks like you win, Sugarcoat." She reached underneath the table and pulled out a box of candy. "I know it's not really your kind of stuff, but feel free to choose what you want."

"I'll take it, but only for Indigo, seeing as she payed for this game." She took a small bag full of assorted gummy candies and gave it to Indigo before walking away. "Far too simple, Indigo. Much like all of these other games. Give me a challenge next time and I might smile."

"Looks like it's my turn to help her out." Sunny Flare waltzed up to Sugarcoat and led her over to a nearby display showing a bunch of people gathered around a baby doll in the manger. "Sugarcoat. I know the perfect way to make you smile and appreciate the holidays."

"Oh, really? And what is that, Sunny Flare?" She asked.

"Christmas displays!" She stepped aside, letting Sugarcoat see the whole scene for herself. "Most people think that presents, magic, or joy to others makes Christmas what it is, but for me, I find that simple things such as these are the best way to lift your spirits. And what better models to use than the famous Nativity scene?"

"I've seen it many times in artwork and on television. Nothing new, really. Just that same of scene of Jesus Christ, his parents, the three wise men, and all of those other primitive characters." Sugarcoat waved her arm and turned away. "I do appreciate the effort that went into it, though. They managed to get it all perfect, right down to the facial expressions."

"Well, that fell flat on its' face." Sour Sweet mumbled and walked up to Sugarcoat. "Honestly, I don't really blame her, though. The Nativity is a bit overused at Christmas."

Sugarcoat took a deep breath and spoke to the whole group. "Look, girls. As much as you're all trying, I'm afraid that there's nothing that you can do that can change anything about this. You have been trying to show me that Christmas can be enjoyable, instead of trying to drill it into my mind like many others have done this year." She took off her glasses and cleaned them with her shirt. "But despite what you can do or say, you can't change me or my opinions. I'm always going to be like this—even with all of your help and consideration."

"Sugarcoat, don't say that..." Lemon Zest whined as her hair fell over her face. "Now you're gonna make me feel sad too."

"I apologise for how rude that I was earlier, and I'm thankful that you at least tried your best to make me smile." She was about to crack a grin, but she then turned her back to the four of them. "But this is something that only I can deal with. Your assistance was greatly appreciated, though. Have a merry Christmas." And with that, she walked off towards the doors.

"No..." Lemon Zest teared up and fell to her knees, slumping down onto the floor with her arms over her eyes. She loudly wailed into them as her headphones fell off and softly landed on the floor. "We failed. And on Christmas too... This can't be happening."

"Aww, don't worry, Lemon Zest. You tried your hardest." Sour Sweet bent over and rubbed Lemon's back. "It's just sad that Sugarcoat doesn't think it was good enough."

"It's not that we tried and failed, Sour." Lemon Zest pulled her head from the ground. "It's because Sugarcoat's still not happy, even after we did everything we could to help her settle into Christmas!"

"If only she wasn't so stuck-up and into her books, then she'd actually appreciate our hard work!" Sour Sweet grumbled and continued to comfort Lemon Zest.

"Don't worry, Lemon. We're all here for you." Sunny Flare sat down beside Lemon as she continued to cry her eyes out. "Who cares what Sugarcoat thinks about the holidays? Just as long as everyone else is happy, then it's a very merry Christmas for all of us." She gave Lemon a tissue and helped her to rub her tearful eyes with it. "There, there... Don't cry."

Sugarcoat was about to open the door and walk out, when she looked back and watched Lemon Zest's breakdown and all of her friends rushing to help her out. As much as she had been unamused and unswayed by their attempts to cheer her up, she could only watch as they were all grouped together in a tight crown-like formation. As she watched the whole scene, she felt a weird sensation welling within her. She had always been straight to the point and direct with everything, but when it came to emotions, she did seem to lack many of them when it came to everyday scenarios. But to her, this was something that she had rarely seen before, and she couldn't help but feel that it was her fault for Lemon Zest's distress.

Her hand shook madly as she pulled it away from the door and she turned back and came over to Lemon Zest, with her brows raised high and a caring frown on her face. "Lemon Zest? Are you alright?"

"I don't think that you understand the true meaning of Christmas, Sugarcoat." Lemon Zest was still crying, but her tears had been reduced greatly by Sunny Flare's tissue. "It's not about presents or gifts or dinner or any kinda stuff like that. It's about friendship. Without friends and family to celebrate it with, then Christmas is pretty sad for anyone."

"Sugarcoat. We weren't trying to force this holiday on you." Indigo Zap stood back up and walked towards her. "We were doing all of this to try and make you happy, so that in return, we could feel happy. But I guess there's just no pleasing you, is there? There's nothing that'll ever make you happy, or sad, or anything!" She threw her arms out. "You're always just a robot, getting straight to the point without ever thinking about someone's emotions!"

"Indigo!" Sugarcoat jumped at those words. "Why would you ever think that I'm some kind of soulless machine?"

"Because you are, Sugarcoat." Sour Sweet snarled. "You don't ever show happiness, or sadness, or fear, or anything! You just deadpan literally everything!"

"All these years, even when Cinch was running Crystal Prep, we never one saw you feel for your companions or friends." Sunny Flare joined Indigo and Sour. "Even now, with Chrysalis running the show, you're still as emotion-devoid as ever." She let out an exasperated huff and shook her head violently. "We thought we could be your friends, to show you some sense of fun or sadness. But now we see the truth. There isn't anything in your flesh, Sugarcoat. You're a robot. Always have been and always will be."

"I... I..." Sugarcoat was at a loss for words when Indigo, Sour, and Sunny's words drilled themselves into her mind. They were right in the sense that she was straight to the point with a lot of things, but she had never been told that she was without emotion. The sensation she felt from before began to increase wildly, to the point where it was causing her distress. Slowly shying away from the group, she let a single tear drop herself. "I'm sorry."

"You're what?" Lemon Zest stood up and wiped her eyes clean.

"I'm so, so, so sorry you girls think that I'm lifeless." Sugarcoat spoke, but her voice wasn't monotone like it was before. "I've just always believed that honesty can get you everything in life, including friendships." She too let out a long sigh. "But judging from what I've done, I don't deserve to be your friend. I'm just a terrible person without any sense of joy, sadness, or any major emotion. Feel free to scorn me all you want. I entirely deserve it."

"Sugarcoat..." Lemon Zest slowly walked towards her with her eyes wide open. "Please. Don't make yourself sadder than you already are. We're not trying to hurt your feelings. We just wanted you to smile a bit and enjoy yourself, that's all."

"What? What do you mean?" Sugarcoat asked.

"None of us are gonna make you feel sad this Christmas," said Lemon Zest. "It's a time for festivities, of joy, of happiness. I just... wanted to see if you could enjoy it with us, that's all."

"Girls..." Sugarcoat's lips were quivering as she felt another feeling within her. She stretched her arms outward and pulled Lemon Zest into a hug. "Please forgive me!"

"Don't worry, Sugarcoat. We're Shadowbolts." Lemon Zest tousled Sugarcoat's hair and hugged her back. "We've always been a strong unit, both at the Friendship Games and at CPA. We're not gonna let some differences drag us down. We climb up and over them, in the hope that we can become better friends overall."

"Yeah. Even though you might be a bit stuck in your books." Indigo twisted her hand.

"And you're not really one for games or excitement." Sour Sweet added.

"And you would much rather prefer serious and meaningful stuff over other things." Sunny Flare nodded.

"We're still going to be your friend." Lemon Zest smiled and looked her in the eyes. "Whether someone's forcing the holiday down your throat or not, we just want you to know that we'll always be right by your side to help you out with whatever might be bothering you. We wouldn't have tried to give you a smile otherwise."

Sugarcoat's eyes began to water up again as she looked Lemon Zest and the other girls in their eyes. Reaching out, she pulled the other three Shadowbolts into a massive group hug. "Girls... Thank you. Thank you so much." She whispered gently as she let more tears slide down her clothes. A smile crept onto her face as she said, "I promise that I'll be as good of a friend as I can."

"You already are, Sugarcoat." Lemon Zest tightened the hug and wrapped her arms around the other girls. "You already are..."

Author's Note

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Before I go offline, I just want you to know that I put a lot of effort into writing the Shadowbolts, having been so long without writing them. If there's anything I could improve on or polish up about them, then be sure to let me know in the comments section below.

And, as I'm writing this, it's just gone past 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, so I'd better get tucked into bed. Have a great night and a merry Christmas, and I'll see you all in the morning!