Author's Note
Thanks for reading!
This story has NOT been beta'd. Be warned of any grammatical errors.
Chapter 1
John Shepard walked up to the front doors of Canterlot high school with a casual step, dressed in jeans, a white shirt and his favorite N7 leather jacket. The school stood like a monument to its own history, the architecture two centuries old with only the fundamental modern updates to keep it within code without tarnishing the aesthetics. The Spectre couldn’t help but admire this historic architecture as he made his way inside, the building standing proudly in the sunshine and it’s red bricks gleaming.
The interior was just as impressive. It was welcoming and warm, characterful and full of life. Students were walking about and conversing with smiles on their faces and not a hint of hostile intent permeated the air. Shepard couldn’t help but smile at the school’s positive atmosphere as he made his way through the hallways towards the administrative offices. A person can definitely feel safe here. Had it not been in a major city, Shepard would have assumed that it would have been used as a shelter during the war.
It was later in the day and most of the students were in class. Those who weren’t were either heading to any number of other locations within the campus grounds or just simply meandering about. Shepard spared them a passing glance, curios about whether or not they should be in class but, ultimately, the war hero was focused on a personal mission and couldn’t afford to be distracted as he made his way deeper into the school.
“I have to say, Admiral, it truly is an honor. It’s not every day you’re visited by the one person solely responsible for our continued existence.” Principal Celestia said as she sat down in her office chair after greeting the Alliance Admiral with a firm handshake and the respect he’s due. Shepard followed suit and sat down in the chair opposite.
“I can’t take full credit for that, ma’am. We’d of all been dead long before the war if it wasn’t for the help of my friends.” Shepard replied with humility, refusing to not acknowledge the soldiers and specialists that he now calls family. “They stood by me during times everyone else thought I was just crazy or a criminal.”
“Maybe so…” Celestia refutes, hands clasped on her desk, her posture regal, her smile motherly. “…But you were the one who brought them together in the first place, were you not?” Shepard shrugged, amused by their little banter.
“Well then, by that logic, we should be thanking the Reapers for giving us a reason to.” He counters with his own smile.
“Heavan forbid.” The principal tittered before composing herself a moment later and got down to business. No reason to waste Commander Shepard’s time.
“So, admiral. What brings you to Canterlot High?” The principal spoke with an approachable and professional smile. Shepard got comfortable in his seat as he began to explain.
“Well last night, I was passing by your school on my way home from work and spotted someone walking around campus. I stopped to investigate and was summarily tossed back onto the sidewalk with the individual claiming he was security.” Shepard could instantly see that the principal knew what he was talking about, evident by the sudden tenseness in her shoulders and that her smile waned ever so slightly. “By the looks of it, I guess you’re already aware of the events, ma’am?”
Meanwhile, Celestia mentally groaned at the situation. ‘Dear god, Peter, of all the people to have an altercation with, did it have to be THE Commander Shepard?’ She already knew the gist of what happened; Peter had given her the debrief that morning. A trespasser was removed from school grounds, subsequently returning and forcing Peter to take more aggressive measures. Peter had assured her that no fight broke out and that the trespasser agreed never to trespass again. Peter had also mentioned that the trespasser claimed he was Alliance, but Celestia hadn’t given it much thought, considering the whole situation had supposedly been resolved.
…But never in a million years would Celestia ever think she would have the galactic hero himself in her office because of it. She felt a headache coming on.
“I am, yes, and on behalf of Canterlot Highschool, I offer you our sincerest apologies. I wish I could apologize on behalf of the agent you were involved with, but I don’t know his stance on the matter. He’s the type of person who owns up to his mistakes if he believes he made them.” The principal apologetically explained while not revealing too much about Peter. The poor boy finally found some stability in his life, he doesn’t deserve to have it taken away after everything he’s been through.
However, this is Commander Shepard she’s speaking to. She can’t just lie to him. She wouldn’t forgive herself. She hopes he doesn’t dig into said agent’s background. John Shepard is one person she absolutely will not be able to protect her student from.
“No apologies necessary, ma’am.” Shepard waved her off. “He was just doing his job. I really was trespassing, after all.” He finished with an appreciative smile. Celestia began to relax a little. “Although, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in your ‘agent’, as you call him.”
‘Damn it!’ Celestia nearly blurted that out loud, but she managed to hold back her tongue. What she couldn’t hold was the involuntary flinch. Judging by the raised eyebrow, Shepard had noticed it.
“Principal Celestia, what’s going on? Who is he?” The council Spectre asked, his voice tinged in bewilderment and suspicion.
Celestia sighed as she took a moment to compose herself before speaking. She knows that admiral Shepard is a good man, but Peter’s situation is a special case and things can go very wrong very quickly if she’s not careful. ‘The pathway to hell is paved with good intentions’. She clasped her hands on her desk, reapplied her professionalism and locked eyes with the man across the desk from her.
“Before I can say anything, Admiral…” She began, using her ‘principal’ voice to dig herself in. Commander John Shepard is a man with a strong moral code. However, Peter is her student and she can’t let anyone compromise his safety and welfare, no matter who’s sitting across from her, until she can ascertain that they will not cause problems. “…I need to know what your intentions are in this regard. Otherwise, I cannot help you and have to ask you to leave. I’m sorry admiral, but as the leading authority in this school, it is my obligation to ensure the health and safety of everyone under my jurisdiction, I’m sure you understand. This is my ship and I am it’s captain and commanding officer.” Celestia finished, her tone leaving no room for argument, her expression stern yet apologetic.
It was clear to Shepard that this wasn’t as straightforward as he first anticipated when he first met the principal. There’s more going on with this guy than he initially thought, made obvious by the principal’s own admission. He was impressed by her strength of character, though. He decided to honor her candor with his own.
“Well, if we’re being honest with each other, I’m here because something still didn’t sit right with me after last night.” He began, hands clasped. “His aggressive behavior over the old shed you have out back set off enough alarm bells that I couldn’t just leave it be. I had to look into it in case something untoward is happening in or to your beautiful school that you might not be aware of. As an Alliance soldier and Spectre, I can’t sit around knowing innocent lives might be in danger.” Shepard’s honesty was palpable and Celestia couldn’t help but believe him as she took a moment to ponder her response.
“I am aware of the old shed and know exactly what’s going on inside. You’ll be happy to know it isn’t anything malicious or dangerous.” She replied with a disarming smile and promptly sighed at the realization that Shepard wasn’t truly satisfied with that answer. ‘Guess the only way to truly end this is to tell him the whole truth’. At least her conscience will be clear.
“Admiral. Commander. What I’m about to tell you is private information regarding a sensitive topic. It may not have anything to do with galactic peace or anything of that caliber but make no mistake. This information can ruin someone’s life. It can ruin my student’s life. Can I truly trust you with this?”
Shepard nodded. “Yes, ma’am-“
“Promise me, admiral!”
Celestia would not tolerate half-promises. Shepard could see that. With his spine ramrod straight, he poured his entire being into his reply, praying she would believe his sincerity. Shepard would not dare harm an innocent child.
“Principal Celestia, as an Alliance admiral and Council Spectre, I swear to you on my word and my rank of N7 that I will never put your student-any of your students-in harm’s way. I promise you.”
When an N7 swears on his word and rank, not even death will stop him.
Taking him at his word, The Canterlot High principal takes a bracing breath before speaking.
“His name is Peter Sykes. He arrived here a few months ago. Originally, he’s an orphan from Cloudsdale City, more specifically, the Thunder Hill district. When he first arrived, he quickly earned a reputation by standing up to a horrible bully. Soon after he prevented a school shooting and saved lives. His reputation shot up from there. His connection with the old shed is that he lives in it. It’s his home and he’s proud of it. Comes with all the amenities, too. Power, water, heat…the works. The reason why he works security is that it’s his way of paying rent. I offered him the shed rent free, but Peter lives on a set of principles. In this case it’s ‘Easy come easy go’; work hard for something, it stays longer. Working security is how he pays rent.” Celestia stopped there in order to give Shepard a chance to process the sudden influx of information.
Shepard had no idea what to expect, but suffice to say, this was quite the layer cake. ‘An orphan from out of town joins the school, stands up to the bully, stops a school shooting, and lives in a shed behind the school. Ash isn’t gonna believe this.’ He rubbed at his forehead as he compartmentalized, organized and prioritized this new information.
“Well, I was half expecting a former gang member or criminal trying to do good in his life, but this is a whole other kettle of fish.” He took a cleansing breath. “First thing’s first, the school shooting?” He inquired.
“The bully I mentioned? Sociopath on a power trip. He’s the one responsible. He was practically the shadow king back then. Ruled with an iron fist, I found out later. Threatened with violence and from what I was told, he followed through with said threats. But, at the time, students were too scared of him to come to me, so even though I heard rumors, I had nothing solid to work on.” Celestia explained.
“What was his name?” Shepard asked.
“Sebastian Quintero. Goes by the moniker ‘Sombra’, and apparently, he was a real piece of work. On occasion, I’d see a student with a random injury that seemed suspicious but again, I had no proof of Sebastian’s involvement until after the incident when students started telling me everything.” Celestia sighed, still upset over the whole thing. “The were also cases of students requesting transfers because of Sebastian. He was demanding students leave this school, like exile! For a long time, Sombra’s will was absolute. Students suffered under his tyranny and I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them.” Her lips pursed tightly at the injustice of it all, at her failure as a principal.
Shepard watched her for a moment, he could tell she was taking it pretty hard.
“Then Peter showed up, right?”
Celestia nodded. “That’s right. He stood up to Sebastian, showed no fear. He was the dam that stopped the flood and Sebastian wasn’t happy about it. One student, enthusiastically, explained everything to me in detail. Sebastian had demanded Peter leave the school under threat of violent retaliation. All the students pretty much wrote him off, convinced that they were never gonna see the new guy again after that. To them, it was a fact of life at that point. Sombra’s will was, again, absolute. No one would dare go against him. So the case of mass shell shock that spread through them all when they all saw him stroll in through the front doors the next day was understandable.” The image brought a smile to both adults.
“He must be a brave kid to stand up to Quintero.” Shepard pointed out.
Celestia nodded, again. “Peter told me he didn’t take Sebastian seriously at all.”
“And why is that?” Shepard asked.
“He came from a district where violence was commonplace. At the time of his exodus, he was trapped in an endless cycle of vicious street fights that only ever got tougher for him until eventually, he had to move away or risk being beaten to death.” Celestia explained.
“Damn…”
“Blood Brawl, Peter called it. An underground fighting league where people fight for fame or monetary gain, and more often than not, people get killed in these fights. Peter had the bad luck of bumping into one of these fighters who was three sheets to the wind and thought it’d be fun to pick a fight. Needless to say, Peter defended himself, but it also opened the flood gates on him.”
“Oh, no…” Shepard groaned
“Yes.” Celestia nodded gravely. “Too drunk to fight, too sober to forget, quote-unquote. He came back, lost again, then word started to spread of a new upstart.”
Shepard shook his head. Shepard would need to confirm all of this later, but he’s been given no reason not to believe Principal Celestia. He’s not sensing any deceitfulness in the school principal. As far as he can tell, she’s being honest with him.
“…The fact that he’s still alive….”
Celestia nodded once more.
“Nothing Sebastian said or tried to do intimidated Peter in the slightest because of that. Then... then Sebastian had brought an illegal firearm to school. Apparently, peter had told him that the only way he would take Sebastian seriously was if he held a gun to his head. Tired of the Defiance Peter had raised against him, he planned to send a message to everyone to never stand against him ever again. He made his move at an assembly. I was on stage in the auditorium going through the itinerary when he walked up and…and held me at gun point.” Celestia took a moment to take a shuddering breath, remembering the fear she felt that day. Shepard let her recompose herself, respectfully.
“Sebastian held me hostage and called Peter out. He was Sebastian’s ultimate goal, I knew that, but I believed he would have gone after a few more students before he was truly satisfied. When Peter didn’t appear at first, he called up a random student, threatening to start executing one at a time until Peter showed up.”
“He couldn’t be reasoned with?” Shepard asked.
“I tried, but he just smacked me for “daring to talk back to my king”. At that point, I knew he’d completely lost the plot. Then it happened; one second he was turning back to the student he planned to shoot, the next he was lying on the floor, unconscious with a broken jaw, gun flung off stage.” Celestia couldn’t help the smile as she remembered the next part.
“Peter had managed to sneak up behind Sebastian when he was distracted and had apparently caught him under the jaw with a severe uppercut. I had more than one student comment on how “beautiful” his execution was, pun not intended. Out of curiosity, I look over the security footage to see it myself and I have to admit, it was a beautifully executed uppercut.”
The two adults shared a moment of mirth. Shepard had heard about an incident at a high school where police were involved a couple of months ago, but he never realized it was this same school. How he’d missed it, he didn’t know, but he knew Liara would tease him for it.
“I’m guessing at this point the authorities were called and Mr. Quintero was arrested.” Shepard finished off for Celestia with a relieved smile on his face, but that smile fell into bewilderment when the smiling Principal shook her head.
“Like I said, Admiral Shepard, he had to fight off droves of street fighters during the last year or two of his time in Thunder Hill. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t know how to fight. A fact that he proved that day when four of Sebastian’s hired thugs jumped on stage to take him down.”
“Oh for the love of... this kid has issues. He hired a team?” Shepard was exasperated at this point. He’d be lying if said he hadn’t been a bit captivated by Celestia’s recounting of that incident. Stories like these are not uncommon among soldiers, but to hear it from a school admin about her own student?
“They were just street thugs with a knife and bat between the four of them. Sebastian was the only one with the gun and he was out cold.” Celestia explained.
“So what happened?”
“Peter had laid the smackdown of the year on them!” Celestia couldn’t help the giggle that followed and not really concerned about her laps of professionalism. “It was like a tornado had swept them up, chewed them up and then spat them back out. All four had jumped him at once, yet Peter had no issues avoiding the hits. Within seconds. The knife was gone, the bat was gone and the tide had turned in peter’s favor. What he suffered through back in Thunder Hill has made him a force to be reckoned with in the world of hand-to-hand combat. In the end, the thugs where defeated, the police were called, Sebastian was taken in and the school was free of his tyranny. Peter had requested not to be named and disappeared for the rest of the day before the police arrived. I’m sure you can imagine why.” Celestia finished with a curt nod.
‘The beanstalk’s growing taller and taller with this kid.’ Shepard thought to himself. He processed for a moment before inquiring.
“And the shed?” He asked.
“Not long after the incident with Sebastian, I had Peter in my office, discussing what transpired and getting to know the dear boy. Halfway through, he let something slip, I prodded, and quickly found out he’d been staying in the old work shed behind the school. The reason he kept it secret was out of fear of being sent back to Thunder Hill if anyone found out. I won’t pretend to know the laws regarding orphans or the foster care system, and considering Peter’s special circumstances, I decided to let him move in. Like I said, it has all the basic amenities, including a bathroom. My sister and I let him have a sofa bed we were getting rid of and he made himself right at home.” Celestia answered.
“Well, it definitely puts last night into perspective. I’ve been trespassing in his own home. You couldn’t take him in yourself?” Shepard asked, non-accusatorily.
“Not for a lack of trying, I can assure you. It circles back to the principles I mentioned. For him, patrolling school grounds for a couple of hours every weekday to stay in an old but cozy shack is acceptable. He’s comfortable at that level of living quality. However, moving into a three bed, three bath two story with a pool out back? It spooked him. To him, that arrangement is too good for someone like him. His self-esteem in this regard isn’t doing too well.” Celestia explained, voice tinged in melancholy.
“It comes from a deep sense of respect for one’s surrounding caused by a previous low quality living situation and/or lifestyle. I’ve been there, personally, somewhat. Don’t take it too personally, ma’am. It’s a natural response from someone of his background.” Shepard said, trying to comfort the principal.
“I don’t…” Celestia sighed. “…but to think that the idea of a good home is such an alien concept to someone that they’d rather stay in an old shed, instead?” Celestia paused for a moment to take a cleansing breath and shore up her composure. “I’ve had students who had a difficult time of things before, but I’ve always been able to help them. To have one so out of my reach….” Another sigh, her gaze switching through her mind’s eye. “The best I could do is to be there for him if he ever needs me. I know this may sound a little wrong, but…I sometimes watch him through the security feed. I sometimes see him in class, or with his friends at lunch…sometimes I see him breaking up an argument or what-have-you in the hallway.” A small proud smile. “My favorite moments are the ones where I just see him acting his age. No signs of past trauma, no signs of forced maturity…just a happy 16-year-old young man without a care in the world.” She refocused on her guest. “Peter Sykes is an exceptional young man, cut from a far different cloth than your average teenager. The sheer coarseness of his life has polished his soul clean of evil; a pure spirit.” Celestia then giggled. “Goodness. That sounded so corny.” Shepard smiled in amusement. “It’s still the best way I could describe him.”
They spent a few moments in companiable silence, each lost to their own thoughts.
Shepard originally came here because his instincts told him something wasn’t quite right about last night’s events. He never expected he’d been held hostage by a teenager, let alone an orphan from the mean streets like he used to be. He quickly realized that’s where similarities end, however, because while he had the 10th St. Reds watching his back, back in the day, it seems Peter never had anyone ‘till the day he moved to Canterlot. At least here he has friends and a viable future. John couldn’t get out of gang life until he was old enough to enlist. He’s glad the kid found an out. It didn’t sound like he would have made it to enlistment age at the rate things were going for him over there.
Having heard all he wanted to hear; it was time for the former war hero to take the next step in this venture.
“Any chance I can have a word with him?” He asked.
