Author's Note

So... where to begin with this one? Well, to start, when MrAquino and I were beginning to think of how we would do our interpretation of Edna Mode, we decided to try something different. Instead of one pony doing all the work in the shop, how about leaving it to two ponies instead. That's how we were able to come up with the combination of Photo Finish and her heir/apprentice Coco Pommel. Both of whom have skills in design as well as making suits.

Next chapter though, that's when things are really going to kick off. So be prepared for what we got in store for you.
-Frost

05- A small patch up

In the days after he finished his assignment, Shining was able to spend as much time with his wife and children as he possibly could. With the shackles of his new job gone, he was free to both spend some quality time with his family and getting back into shape. His exercise mostly consisted of him going to the train station and using the various parked trains and chains to make his gym equipment. Besides the occasional passing train, it was all but abandoned. Leaving him free to do his training so that way he could get back into physical shape, while also having less issues with his back like the last two times he was ‘working out’.

While his wife still wasn't supportive of her kids using their powers, Shining was more than willing to let his kids use theirs for fun. This allowed Flurry to make various sculptures that, looked choppy at first, but was refined with his help. And with Valiant, it turned into a friendly hero vs villain bout where Valiant made various weapons to use against his father, all of which the hero can take easily. As for Skyla… Shining did his best to take care of the baby, but he tried to encourage his baby daughter to use any secret power she may have had… with no result but dirty diapers.

However, there was one thing that he couldn’t exactly avoid forever… and that was the condition of his suit. The fight with the Salamander caused parts of the outer exterior to become damaged to the point that he could not just easily fix it up with a sewing kit. Meaning… he had to visit some a somepony in particular-

“Honey, are you ready? You’re going to be late for work!!” Cadence called out.

“Just packing my stuff!” Shining replied, putting his suit in his briefcase. He walked out, delivering a quick kiss to his wife before getting into his car.

“I am so glad this is happening to us.”

“I couldn't agree more.” He started the car ignition and backed up.

“Have a good day!”

“I will!” He called out. But as the garage door closed and he was pulling out of the parking lot and turned in the completely opposite direction.

Shining pulled in front of a high security gate that consisted of lasers around the perimeter. Inside was a rather large, modern looking mansion with exotic plants around it. As he pulled next to the security booth, a security guard in a suit appeared on screen.

“Do you have an appointment, sir?”

“I’m an old friend of-” Shining spoke, but was interrupted.

“Sir, every visitor is required to make an appointment before-”

“Get OUT!!” The voice of somepony who was all too familiar to Shining was the next thing that was heard as it looked like the guard was being harassed by somepony holding a rolled up newspaper. “Go do something useful and check on the electric fence or something!”

And that was before that person directed their attention to Shining. “Who is it? What are you doing here? What do you want?!” All that the stallion needed to do was lower the sunglasses that were over his eyes as the pony on the other end changed their tone… sort of. “Dear Celestia, you have gotten fat! Come in, come in!! I’ll unlock the gate right now.”

With that, the laser gate began to open up down the middle, allowing for Shining to drive his car through the gate and up the hill to the front of the mansion.

Shining walked next to the owner of the mansion herself, Photo Finish. Under her white, bowl haircut, she wore purple lensed glasses, and a horizontal black and white dress over her blue furred body. Next to her was a younger mare with a similar shaped, turquoise mane, though she was in a simpler purple dress over her cream colored fur.

“Ach! It has been too long, Shining!” Photo began to express herself through her… eccentric personality and accent. “So much has happened in the last 15 years, I have to get an heir to pass on my work. Please, introduce yourself, Ms. Pommel.”

“Uh… hi.” The mare meekly introduced herself.

“Hello to you as well,” Shining replied back. “And you seem to be doing well, Photo.”

“Well!?” Photo replied as if she was offended. “Nothing is well designing for… Common folks! I used to design for gods!”

“Riiiight,” The unicorn told her as the three of them walked towards the center of the mansion. What would be considered as the ‘living room’ as they walked towards the seats in the room. Water could be seen falling off a statue that looked like a soldier carrying a spear as Shining thought of something to speak on. “Were you part of some big fashion show in… Prance or something?”

“Neighland dear, neighland… It was one of the most dreaded places I have been too. Supermodels… HA! There’s nothing even ‘super’ about their poofy manes or their ridiculous dresses,” Photo said in a mocking like tone as she looked to her statue for a moment, before slowly turning towards Shining. “I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I got your call… but perhaps you can provide my heir and I a challenge, hmm?”

All that did was cause the stallion to let out a sigh as he held his suit out to her. “Photo… all I need is just a small patch up.”

Photo, upon hearing this, took the suit and began to examine it herself. Holding her glasses with her left hand as she examined the whole thing. “Hmm, this is supposed to be made out of mega-thread and supposed to be sturdy, yet you cut RIGHT THROUGH it,” At that moment, Ms. Pommel looked to be kind of surprised while Photo herself was focusing her attention towards Shining. “What have you been up too, Shine? You coming out of retirement and going back to hero work?”

The unicorn took a bit in order to come up with a solid answer, before thinking of the first thing that was on his mind. “It… must’ve happened a long time ago.”

“Hmm… I see,” She replied back with a low tone in her voice. Before throwing it in a compartment that was right next to one of the seats as if it was a trash bit. “This is just a horrendous suit!! You can’t be seen in this, I won’t allow it! Fifteen years ago I would, but now?! Eeegh!!” Shining grabbed his old suit.

“But it's your suit, Photo. You designed it; it's a classic!”

“Classic does not mean great, Armor. I never look back, only forward.” She insisted, before sitting down in one of the chairs in the center of the room. “Hmm… You’ll need a new suit… something modernized for the now.”

“Hold on… are you asking to make me a new suit?”

“Not just me! Pommel! Sketchbook!” Coco quickly ran away and returned with a sketchbook and some pencils, but also had measuring tape. She handed Photo the sketchbook and pencils before turning to Shining, taking his measurements.

“Uh… is this necessary?”

“It's always necessary.” Photo Finish began to sketch away. “Yes, it shall be bold, HEROIC!!!”

It was while she was sketching that Coco herself decided to mention something to Shining. “Just… go with it, she doesn’t really take no for an answer… usually.”

“Heh, if that's the case,” Shining spoke up. “If you want to change, it should be something like… Rocketeer! That guy had it all! The cape and the boots-”

Unfortunately, it was in that moment when Photo Finish crumpled up the piece of paper that she was using and threw it at Shining’s head. All while Ms. Pommel did a small facepalm. “No capes!” Shining looked a bit confused.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Here we go.” Coco groaned, finishing the last of her measurements and writing it all down while Photo began to speak.

“Do you remember Thunderstruck? Tall, earth pony, had electrical and storm powers?” She asked Shining, who seemed a bit unprepared for that.

“Thunder wasn't exactly the brightest out of-” Photo Finish jumped right at Shining, pointing at him accusingly.

“November 15th on the 58! All was fine, Maretropolis was saved from an attempted missile launch from Michael Neigh, when his cape was snagged during it's liftoff!”

Shining blinked for a moment. He remember Thunderstruck being at the wedding ceremony between him and Cadence, but had no idea that he actually had that happen to him. “Photo, I don’t think-”

“Slipstream!! April 27th, her cape got caught in the turbine of a passenger jet!” Again, Slipstream was another hero at their wedding ceremony… and a rather young one at that. But Shining really thought that Photo was just presuming too much.

“Photo, you can't generalize a-”

“Megamare! Express Elevator! Rocketeer! Snagged during takeoff! Public Servant! Sucked into a hurricane! NO CAPES!!!” Photo took a deep breath, regaining her calm exterior. “No, go on, your new suit will be completed before your next mission.”

Before she left though, that was when her heir actually suggested something. “Photo… if we are doing the suit, could it be possible that we can add some of the things that we currently have been testing?”

“Oh of course, darling! Fashion and safety go so well together when done properly.”

To Shining though, despite liking the idea of getting the new suit, he still needed one thing though. “Will you still do the patch job though?”

“Excuse me?”

“I just need a patch job.” Photo gave a disgusted look.

“Fine! I’ll fix this hobo suit.”

“You’re a lifesaver, fi!” Shining told the earth pony as she went up the staircase and towards her workshop.

“Yes, I know, darling. I know.”

One week later…

It was late in the afternoon as the sun was beginning to set over the suburb that Cadance and her family were living in and she was just finishing up with reorganizing some of the items that were left lying around in the living room when the phone began to ring.

Just as as she was about to pick it up though, she heard her husband yell across the hallway.

“I got it! Hold up!” He yelled. Which had the mare stop in her tracks for a brief moment. Why would her husband be so desperate in order to answer the phone? Normally, he would be the one to ask for someone else to get it...

“Hello?”

“We have a new task for you…”

After a small bit of hesitation, Cadance decided to actually pick up the phone and press a particular button. Only to hear a brief exchange.

“Can you be able to make it tomorrow?”

“Certainly. I’ll be there.”

Cadance gasped for a short moment. She couldn’t recognize the first voice that she heard, but that was definitely Shining’s voice just now… Was… there something about all of this that he was not telling her? Was it possible that he was having an affair behind her back?

Immediately, she shook her head, dispersing those thoughts as she kept herself composed. Walking over to the door to his office, just as he opened it. “So who was that honey?”

“Oh, that's just… Jasmine, I believe.” He answered.

“And why was she calling?” Cadance then asked, folding her arms briefly. “Was she part of that visit to the higher offices you had a few weeks ago?”

That had Shining immediately nodding his head. “Yeah, she wanted for me to come back for a… well, she was asking if I had time tomorrow to come back because they would like to interview me for a promotion.”

That had Cadance look at her with a rather joyful expression as he hugged her. “Oh, you have been quite the busy bee, haven't you?”

“Yeah, but it's necessary.” Shining told her. “How else do you think I get the money to support us?”

“I don't know, just thought it was something else.” Cadance smirked, letting her husband go prepare his suitcase. Though, in the back of her mind… she thought that her husband was hiding something from her.

The following morning, Cadance was beginning to vacuum the floor as her husband was gone for the day and her kids were already at school. She moved the vacuum cleaner across the room, but everytime that she moved it, there was still a lot more trash and debris that the vacuum cleaner was sucking up. Leading her to groan as she opened the door to her husbands room and began to clean the rest of the floor.

Though, as she was looking around… she noticed something that seemed out of the ordinary. The left side of her husband’s suit seemed to have been patched up recently. And there was only one pony she knew who could’ve done something like that. “… Photo.”