If there was one thing Cadence had never liked, it was rooms with bad lighting. Unfortunately, that was exactly the kind of room she now had to put up with in her capacity as the new Principal of Crystal Prep. Say what you will about Abacus Cinch, but did she really have to have those massive curtains pulled shut all the time? Such was Cadence's thinking as she went about her office, pulling back the curtains as far as they could go, which, admittedly, wasn't far enough for her liking. So heavy were they that, when they finally were back, letting in some much-needed light into the office, she let out a sigh of tiredness. Again, she went about the room, finding windows and opening them, perhaps just to let some fresh air into this stuffy old place. When it was all done and dusted, however, she instead turned her attention to a large box of papers and files that were sitting in the corner of the room, and so started to walk towards them.
"Need any help?"
The arrival of the voice caught her off-guard, but when she turned to see who it was, her look of surprise turned into a genuine smile.
"Shining? Wasn't expecting you here."
The young man at her door chuckled to that, and soon entered the room in earnest, walking beside her to the aforementioned box. Together, it was no difficulty, and the box was soon lifted up onto Cadence's desk. With that dealt with, the Principal looked to her guest.
"What brings you here?"
Shining shrugged his shoulders.
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
Cadence sighed at that.
"It's taking a lot of work to sort this place out. Cinch was always organized but...how she ever managed to handle all of this on a daily basis, I'll never know."
Shining gave her a smile.
"You can cope. You’ve been helping administration here for some years now. Besides, you were always the best in the class, remember?"
A smirk crossed Cadence's lips.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Shiny."
The two shared a laugh for a time, and when it was over, Shining walked over to the nearby window, looking out at all the students out there in the grounds at the front of the school.
"Still hard to imagine, Cinch being gone. The way she managed this place, you'd have sworn she'd be here forever."
Cadence nodded, thinking on that.
"Well, we all move on to other things sooner or later. I hear she's even been invited to take up a position on the county's Board of Education."
Shining turned to her, looking interested at that.
"She may have been hard to deal with a lot of the time, but...I'm glad she's doing alright."
Cadence again nodded, then turning to look to her companion.
"Speaking of moving on...how are you doing with the local police force?"
A look of pride crossed Shining's face.
"Not too bad, if I do say so myself. I get my first patrol at the end of the week."
A giggle escaped Cadence.
"Shining Armour, keeping the streets safe, just like the old days."
Shining rolled his eyes.
"I was only a hall monitor, Cadence.”
"Hey, you were the best hall monitor. Even Cinch couldn't help but comment on how much quieter things were with you around," she replied honestly.
Shining's pride returned to his expression.
"Well...when you spend so much of your time looking out for a little sister, you get certain...protectiveness."
The mention of Twilight caught Cadence's interest.
"Oh yes, how is Twilight doing?"
Shining smiled.
"She's doing alright for herself. I mean..."
Confusion crossed his face.
"...she did have this weird smile on her when I said I was coming over to visit you. Not sure why though."
Looking to him, Cadence sighed, then shook her head.
"Oh Shiny...you can be so dense sometimes."
The young man looked to her with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing as Cadence carried on.
"I've been meaning to ask though, how has everyone in your family been since she said she was going to Canterlot High?"
For a few moments, Shining considered that, then answered.
"It took a while for Mom and Dad to soften to the idea. We have always been a Crystal Prep family after all. But..."
Slowly, a soft smile came to him.
"...after they saw how much happier she was there, and all the friends she's gained...I think they're more than comfortable with her being there."
A look of thoughtfulness came to him for a brief moment.
“Although...when you consider everything else she’s been through lately, I don’t think changing schools was ever going to seem all that bad by comparison.”
Cadence returned the smile, walking up to him and gently placing her hand upon his shoulder.
"I'm happy to hear that. Changing schools would have been a big experience for her. It's good to know her family is with her."
Looking back to her, Shining soon gained a somewhat more serious look to him.
"Now I just need to keep an eye on that new...ugh...boyfriend of hers."
This time, it was Cadence's turn to roll her eyes.
"Oh, Shiny, let her have her romance. It's sweet."
Shining sighed.
"Fine...for now. But just so you know, I am a cop now, so I might just be able to find some reason to have him thrown in a cell if I see him touching the wrong places."
Cadence shook her heads.
"Just don't go hiding behind any bushes if they go on dates."
Slowly, Shining turned to the window again, a knowing smirk gradually coming to him.
"Huh...now there’s a thought.”
Exasperated, Cadence walked back to her desk, taking a moment to adjust some of the things upon it before being on the cusp of sitting down sitting down. However, before she did so, she was halted by the sound of Shining letting out a particularly long sigh.
“I just...I don’t want the first guy she dates to be...bad for her.”
The Principal stopped, looking to her friend and putting on a warm smile.
“I appreciate that you’re looking out for her. But I’ve heard about this Timber boy. He seems sweet, by all accounts.”
Shining nodded.
“Maybe...but so was Chrysie...at the start.”
Concern crossed Cadence’s face, and her tone was soft as she responded.
“I know your first girlfriend wasn’t exactly...the best person to be around at the end, but...have a little faith in your sister. If things go wrong, I’m sure she’ll have the sense to end it.”
Shining considered that, then nodded again, looking to her with appreciation over her words. Cadence nodded back, then, finally, sat down. Soon though, a disapproving frown crossed her face.
"And of course, I just had to have the world's most uncomfortable chair!"
Shining chuckled in amusement over that, walking back over to her.
"Well, chair or not, I'm sure you'll do well here. The students loved you even before you got the job, remember?"
Cadence nodded.
"Maybe, but I've still got a lot of work to do if I'm going to get this place sorted out."
She looked to him.
"I was their councillor as well as their Vice-Principal, and I know that many of them had discomfort being here under Abacus' time as Principal. I want this place to be better than what it was than she was here, but I also want it to succeed. Remember..."
She then gestured to the wall of trophies on the other side of the room.
"...those there were all earned by this school under her, not me. That's a big target to reach."
Shining nodded, silently agreeing with her position, only to then look back to her and, in a move that mirrored her own not so long ago, placed a hand upon her shoulder.
"You can do it. You always could rise to a challenge."
Cadence smiled to that friendly encouragement, and when she spoke to him again, it was with softness.
"You know...I've got some time free after the day. Care to join me for some coffee?"
Looking right into her eyes, Shining smiled.
"Principal Cadence...it would be my pleasure."
