The Rookieby TheLegendaryBillCipherChaptersChapter 1: The RookiesChapter 2: (Brutal) HonestyChapter 3: (False) KindnessChapter 4: (Toxic) GenerosityChapter 5: (Obnoxious) LaughterChapter 6: (Blind) LoyaltyChapter 7: Friendship = X, Solve for XChapter 1: The Rookies“Alright,” Indigo said to the gathered Shadowbolts. The five were standing around by the entrance to the school just after classes had ended for the day. “It took a while to narrow it down, but I think we have a strong candidate for our science fair entry.” “Indeed,” Sugarcoat said, pushing up her glasses. “And we have the resources and just enough time to accomplish it. Our science fair project is going to be—” “Excuse me, girls.” The five Shadowbolts looked up to see Principal Cadance standing there. She flashed an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I wanted to introduce our new transfer student,” Cadance explained, stepping to the side. Behind her was a girl around their age. She had creamy yellow skin, long, amaranth hair with purple and violet highlights, and dark purple eyes behind thick-rimmed black glasses. The bridge of the glasses were well taped, and a pair of bushy eyebrows were knit in frustration as she fidgeted with her Crystal Prep uniform. It was a lot like Sunny’s, only with pink socks. “Girls, this is Moondancer,” Cadance said. “She’ll be starting classes with us next week. I’m just showing her around for now.” The Shadowbolts all waved and muttered greetings, but Moondancer just gave an annoyed frown and offered a brief wave in return. Cadance gently cleared her throat. “Ah, yes, well… on with the tour,” she said, gently leading Moondancer deeper into the school. “Huh,” Lemon remarked once they were out of sight. “She kinda reminded me of someone…” “What? The typical stereotype for the shut-in nerd?” Sugarcoat asked. “And stuck up,” Sunny said, crossing her arms. “She’d have fit right in under Cinch.” “No, I mean… she kinda reminded me of Twilight,” Lemon said. “When she first got here?” A quiet fell over the group as the name sunk in. The Shadowbolts all shifted on their feet as they remembered their former classmate. How they never cheered her on during the Friendship Games and… everything that followed. “Yeah…” Sour said quietly, rubbing her arm. “She does remind me of Twilight too…” Indigo frowned. “Well, then that means we got another chance,” she said firmly. “Another chance to do what, exactly?” Sunny asked. “We never tried to be friends with Twilight,” Indigo said. “And under Cinch, friendship was a bit of a foreign concept anyway around here. But things are different now. We’re different.” “What are you suggesting?” Sugarcoat asked, an eyebrow raised in intrigue. “We try to be the friends for Moondancer we never tried to be with Twilight,” Indigo continued. “We welcome her with open arms instead of shunning her.” “I dunno, that’s a pretty tall order,” Lemon remarked. “We don’t exactly have this ‘friendship’ thing nailed down,” Sour agreed, before muttering. “Not that anyone wants to be friends with us…” “Sour is correct. It seems unlikely, with our natures, that she would be willing to be friends with us,” Sugarcoat pointed out. “C’mon. We’re Shadowbolts,” Indigo said. “We’re the best of the best… maybe with less of our old pride, but still the best. I know we can do it if we at least try our best.” The other Shadowbolts shared uncertain glances. Indigo huffed and held out her hand in the middle. “C’mon girls. We won’t know until we try,” she said. One by one, the Shadowbolts reluctantly nodded and added their hand to the center before lifting them as one. “So… how do we do this?” Lemon asked. “We divide and conquer,” Indigo explained. “Next week, each of us try and befriend her.” “But what do we do?” Sunny insisted. “I… don’t know. But it can’t be that hard. Just… whatever we did with Twilight, do the opposite of it. We sneered, we cheer. We demean, we… ok, I ran out of rhymes, but you get it,” Indigo said. “At the end of it, who knows? Maybe we’ll have another member for our science fair team.” “With a whole lot of hope and luck,” Sour muttered. Author's Note Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 09/10/24 Surprise, it's Moondancer! -yours truly, The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast Chapter 2: (Brutal) HonestyMonday Sugarcoat strolled into Crystal Prep’s library. Now that classes were done for the day, there were quite a few students perusing the shelves or seated and reading at the various tables. As her eyes scanned the library, they locked onto Moondancer, hunched over one of the shelves on the library’s second floor. Sugarcoat, remembering what Indigo Zap had said, quickly made her way up the stairs. As she approached Moondancer, she quietly cleared her throat to signal her arrival. Moondancer glanced over her shoulder at her, her bushy eyebrows knitted together in annoyance, before she returned her attention to the shelf. Sugarcoat realized she was studying the titles of the books with a look hard enough to burn holes through them. “Moondancer, correct? Is there anything I can help you find?” Sugarcoat asked, adjusting her glasses. Moondancer huffed. “I don’t think so,” she said. “For a fancy school, I was expecting Crystal Prep to have more books. The public library has way more.” She stood up straight to scan across the upper shelves. Sugarcoat blinked. “Well, it would stand to reason that a facility dedicated to education would only focus on educational topics,” she explained. “Though I understand Principal Cadance is working on securing works of fiction.” “I don’t know if that’d help. I’ve been looking this place up and down, and I swear I’ve read everything in here,” Moondancer said, moving onto the next shelf. Sugarcoat balked. “You mean you’ve read all of these books?” “More or less,” Moondancer replied, stopping to pull one book from the shelf to look at the front cover. “Or at least something similar to them.” “How much time have you spent reading?” Sugarcoat asked, squinting. Moondancer shrugged, putting the book back. “Since I could, I guess. I’ve always liked reading and studying up on things.” “Everything, it would seem,” Sugarcoat muttered, watching Moondancer move onto yet another shelf and following after her. “Moondancer, is there anything in particular you’re interested in?” “Well, unexplainable things are interesting, I guess. Trying to figure them out. Like… mysteries, or the supernatural,” Moondancer said. “Though I think I’ve gone through every mystery author out there.” “I see,” Sugarcoat said, crossing her arms and looking away momentarily. She smiled back at Moondancer. “I believe I have a book you haven’t read yet, though it isn’t supernatural or mystery.” That caught Moondancer’s attention. She raised a quizzical eyebrow towards Sugarcoat. “If it might be something new, I’ll take it.” Sugarcoat walked past Moondancer and down a few of the aisles to the “Self-Help/Reference Guide” section. Her eyes skimmed along the authors’ names until she stopped at a bright pink book with pale blue lettering. She plucked it from the shelf as Moondancer caught up to her, handing it to her. Moondancer frowned as she read the title aloud. “’How to Throw a Party’ by Pinkamena Pie?” “I was a little surprised when I learned my girlfriend was a published author as well,” Sugarcoat said. “But then again, she can be quite surprising in general.” She smiled fondly. “Well, it’s definitely something I haven’t read yet… or have much experience with. Thanks, uh…” Moondancer looked up at Sugarcoat. “Sorry, I never got your name.” “Sugarcoat,” Sugarcoat said, tucking her hands behind her back and standing a little straighter. “Happy to help, even if it’s not much.” Moondancer nodded with a huff before walking off towards the front counter with book in hand. Sugarcoat deflated with a sigh as she left, wondering how much of a difference it had really made. Author's Note Some things never change. -The Legendary Bill Cipher Chapter 3: (False) KindnessTuesday Sour Sweet bent over as she caught her breath. Three laps had come and gone rather fast. She wasn’t trying to beat her best time or anything, but the sooner she was done exercising her legs the sooner she could move onto another body part. That was the nice thing about free gym days. The sound of panting and wheezing caught her attention. She looked up to see Moondancer doing the lightest jog possible past her. Remembering what Indigo and the others had said, she rolled her shoulders and jogged up alongside her. “Hey there, Moondancer, right?” she asked. Moondancer huffed and only nodded, her gaze focused dead ahead. “You’re, uh, not sounding too good there,” Sour said, muttering. “Rather loud, actually.” “School… mandated… exercise… the worst,” Moondancer panted out between breaths. “Yeah, I know,” Sour said. “But you look like you’re seriously struggling here.” Her voice dropped. “Do you even exercise?” “No,” Moondancer huffed, shooting a glare at her. “Really? Not even at home?” Moondancer shook her head, and her long hair wagged like a tail behind her. “Just… sit… read… take notes…” “Well, you don’t seem to get a lot of legwork in,” Sour noted. “At all.” Moondancer didn’t reply. Instead, she seemed to try and pick up the pace. Fortunately for Sour, she was still able to keep up. “Maybe switch to something else,” Sour suggested, muttering. “And get some water before your lungs shrivel.” The two slowed to a halt by the outdoor water fountains. Moondancer bent over the taller one and spent a solid minute guzzling down water. When she finished and wiped her mouth, she was still panting. “What… did you… have in mind?” she said, not looking up at Sour Sweet. “Follow me,” Sour said, beckoning her with one hand. On wobbly legs, Moondancer followed Sour over to one of the outdoor buildings. Inside was a variety of exercise equipment and racks of dumbbells and weights for barbells. “Maybe do some arm exercises,” Sour suggested, picking up a pair of 50 pound dumbbells and jerking her head towards the rest of the rack. “You could even do them while you read at home.” Moondancer frowned at Sour’s choice of weights as Sour started curling them, before turning her attention to the rack. “Yeah, sure. Thanks, uh…” She looked back to Sour expectantly. “Sour Sweet,” Sour said, handling the weights with relative ease. Moondancer nodded and turned back to the dumbbells, carefully looking between them, before plucking up two 25 pound ones and walking over to a nearby bench. She sat down and began slowly curling them one at a time. Sour Sweet watched her go, sighing to herself. This friendship thing seemed harder than she’d thought it’d be. Author's Note It's been pointed out to me a few times now that Sour Sweet's arrow shot in Friendship Games means she has quite a bit of strength. I figured carrying all those books around also meant Moondancer wasn't a complete pushover either. Could use some leg days though. -The Legendary Bill Cipher Chapter 4: (Toxic) GenerosityWednesday Sunny plucked up her tray of food and made her way to the tables of the cafeteria. Her eyes scanned across the seating arrangement of some of the usual groups: nerds, jocks, the social elite, and her own thespians. Then her eyes fell upon a familiar figure, seated by herself near the corner of the room. Moondancer lacked a tray, and was instead unpacking a lunch box. An accompanying thermos sat beside it. Remembering Indigo’s idea, she gave her fellow thespians a passing greeting wave before walking over to Moondancer’s table. “Hey, Moondancer, right?” Sunny asked, flashing a friendly smile. “Mind if I sit with you?” Moondancer looked her up and down with a most puzzled look, but nodded. Sunny sat down as Moondancer produced a sandwich from her lunch box and started eating. “So, how’s your first few days been?” Sunny asked. She opened a dressing packet and drizzled it on her salad. “Rough, as usual,” Moondancer huffed, taking what seemed like an angry bite. “I see,” Sunny said, poking her salad with a fork. “Have you considered any extracurricular activities?” “No,” Moondancer replied, taking a drink from the thermos. “Any clubs, maybe?” “No.” Sunny grimaced, nibbling at her salad as Moondancer made quick work of her lunch. “Ugh.” Moondancer grumbled as she brushed crumbs off her skirt. “I hate these stupid uniforms.” “You haven’t worn one before?” Sunny asked, glad to have something to talk about. “No. I like wearing casual things… like sweaters. Sweaters are nice,” Moondancer said. “This just feels like I’m working at an office or something.” “Not really a variety of colors, either,” Sunny added, smiling softly. “And that ribbon—my friend Indigo can never get hers straight. She gave up a few weeks into freshman year.” Moondancer huffed, unwrapping a little dessert cake she’d brought with her lunch, and a silence fell over them once again as they resumed eating. Sunny snuck glances up at Moondancer, who never seemed to let go of her dour mood. “Say,” Sunny said as she finished the last bites of her salad. “Did you want anything from the vending machines? I’m not much for junk food, but I always try and get my girlfriend a pack of peanut butter crackers.” “No thanks,” Moondancer said, packing her trash away in the lunch box. “Think I’m just going to go find a quiet place to read before next period. See you later, uh…” “Sunny Flare,” Sunny said. “Right.” Stowing away her lunch box and thermos in her backpack, Moondancer shouldered it and walked out of the cafeteria. Sunny sighed as she watched her go, head propped up on the table by one arm. This friendship thing was harder than it looked. Author's Note I haven't forgotten about Trixie and her peanut butter crackers. -The Legendary Bill Cipher Chapter 5: (Obnoxious) LaughterThursday Lemon Zest quickly donned her safety goggles, a giddy grin plastered on her face. Chemistry class was one of her favorites, next to maybe music class. She was so eager to dig into a new lab that her signature headphones were nowhere to be found—tucked safely away in her backpack. She blinked when she realized there was a new student in the class—and her smile grew wider when she realized who it was. Maybe Indigo’s idea wouldn’t be so hard after all. “Hey, Moondancer!” Lemon called. “You want to be my lab partner?” Moondancer frowned as she slipped on a pair of specialty safety goggles—ones meant to go over glasses—and seemed to look around the room to gauge her options. With a defeated sigh, she finally trudged over to Lemon. “I may as well,” Moondancer said with a tired tone. “Cool. Name’s Lemon Zest. We met last week,” Lemon said. “I remember. Let’s just get this lab over with,” Moondancer said, reading through the instructions. Lemon peered over her shoulder as Moondancer read, working on getting the mixtures and measurements ready in advance. When Moondancer noticed, she scowled. “What are you doing?” “Getting things set up,” Lemon said. “I read ahead.” “I prefer reading ahead and doing the steps in order,” Moondancer said. “Oh. Well, that works too,” Lemon said with a shrug. Moondancer rolled her eyes and set to work, carefully following the steps on the lab sheet while Lemon looked on. After a few minutes of rereading, measuring, pouring, and watching reactions, Lemon began to bounce on her feet. “Hey, uh, Moondancer? I can do stuff too, if you want. We kinda have to be working together here,” Lemon said. Moondancer glanced at her, then back at the sheet. With a sigh, she handed it over to Lemon. “I’m used to working alone. I’m not great at working with others,” she admitted. Lemon took the sheet and quickly found where they were at. “Yeah, I get that. Some things are better done alone,” she said. “But lab partners make sure we do things correctly and prevent mistakes.” Moondancer glared at her. “I’m not making mistakes!” she snapped. Lemon held up a hand defensively. “I didn’t say you were,” she said. “It’s for a worst case scenario thing. “ Moondancer still frowned, glancing at the sheet. “Add the last measurements. The mixture should turn blue,” she muttered, crossing her arms. Lemon carefully added the last of the mixtures and the two of them watched as the chemicals swirled, changing into a dark shade of blue. “Awesome!” Lemon said, writing down their findings. “Has anyone told you you’re entirely too loud?” Moondancer asked. “Yeah, a lot,” Lemon said. “Sorry. I get loud when I get excited.” The pair waited in silence as the rest of the labs finished up. Once everyone was done and proper cleanup procedures were finished, the students handed in their lab sheets and began filing out. “Thanks again for being my partner, Moondancer,” Lemon said as Moondancer picked up her backpack. “Hope we can do lab together again soon.” “Yeah, sure,” Moondancer said dismissively, quickly walking past her and out the door. Lemon frowned, her head tilted to the side. Maybe this friendship thing wouldn’t be that simple after all. Author's Note Apologies for not being more precise. It's been a long time since I've been in a science lab. -The Legendary Bill Cipher Chapter 6: (Blind) LoyaltyFriday Indigo Zap took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. There was nothing quite like the smell of cut wood and sawdust. It managed to drown out the other smells of the Shop class. Crystal Prep’s Shop class was in one large room that could’ve been a warehouse, separated by material in use. One half of the room was dedicated to Wood Shop, the other half was dedicated to Metal Shop. Indigo was quite fluent in both—aside from her athletic prowess, she liked building things with her hands. As she strolled over to get materials for her latest assignment—a birdhouse she planned on gifting to Fluttershy—she was surprised to see a new face in the Wood Shop. Moondancer was seated at one of the tables, busily sanding away at a piece of wood. She wore a denim smock over her usual uniform, along with work gloves and a pair of large safety goggles. To Indigo’s surprise, her thick-rimmed glasses sat on the table beside her. “Hey, uh Moondancer,” Indigo called, walking over. “You alright?” Moondancer looked in her general direction, squinting so hard her eyes were barely open. “I’m fine, thanks. I’m nearsighted.” “Alright. Just maybe don’t go near the bigger machines,” Indigo said. “I’m Indigo Zap, by the way.” Moondancer nodded and resumed focusing on her wooden project. Indigo squinted at it. The shape was small and crude, but it almost looked like some sort of small horse. “Wow, that looks really neat,” Indigo remarked. “Do you make stuff like this often?” Moondancer jumped, as if not expecting Indigo to still be there. “I sometimes fiddle with models and figurines in my spare time,” she admitted, her cheeks darkening. Indigo nodded, her eyes falling on Moondancer’s glasses. “Hey, uh, how’d your glasses get broken?” she asked. Moondancer huffed. “They’ve been broken for a year now. I just taped them up—never had a problem with them,” she said. Indigo rubbed her chin, glancing towards the Metal Shop, then back to the glasses. Her birdhouse could wait, a different sort of project was coming to mind. “Hey, do you mind if I borrow your glasses for something really quick?” she asked. “I promise I won’t break them… more.” Moondancer blinked up at her. “Well… I guess. I’ve got a spare pair in my backpack anyway,” she said. “Just be careful with them.” Indigo nodded and plucked up the glasses and walked over to the Metal Shop half of the classroom. She set the glasses down on one of the tables and carefully went about measuring the taped bridge. Next she went to the material bin and selected the thinnest metal sheet she could find. She measured out a tiny square in the material and went to work cutting it out with a cutting torch. After letting it cool, she took pliers and wrapped it around the taped bridge several times before adding a light solder to seal it. After letting it cool again and cleaning off the lenses, she returned to Moondancer. “Here, try them on,” Indigo said, grinning as she offered her glasses back. Moondancer frowned, removing her safety goggles before taking the glasses. She raised a bushy eyebrow at the metal wrapped around the bridge before trying them on. She blinked a few times as the metal settled on her nose. “So, whatcha think?” Indigo asked, hands on her hips with pride. “It’s fine, I guess,” Moondancer said, adjusting the glasses. “Might take some getting used to… or I could just use my spare.” The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Moondancer huffed, throwing off her smock and pulling off her gloves. She pocketed the horse she had been working on and power walked to the door. Indigo watched her quickly snatch up her backpack and leave. Indigo’s shoulders slumped as she lifted her signature goggles. She thought she had been doing Moondancer a favor, but had she just made her mad? Author's Note Aside from being athletic, I figured Indigo had a knack for woodworking and building things with her hands. -The Legendary Bill Cipher Chapter 7: Friendship = X, Solve for XIndigo sighed as she stepped out of the Shop class, backpack in hand. She headed down the hall for the entrance to find the other Shadowbolts standing there. “So, did any of you have any luck?” she asked. “Afraid not,” Sunny sighed. “This friendship thing was tougher than anticipated,” Sugarcoat admitted. “And it doesn’t help we aren’t accustomed to it.” “Still… I didn’t think it’d be impossible,” Sour groused. The PA speaker whined to life over one of the doors. “Would the following students please report to Principal Cadance’s office: Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat. Thank you.” The five Shadowbolts all grimaced and looked between one another. “Ah crud,” Lemon muttered. “We’d better go see what’s up,” Indigo said. The others nodded, and the group quickly hurried towards the front office. The school secretary opened the door for them, and the five Shadowbolts filed into Principal Cadance’s office. Sure enough, Moondancer was seated in one of the chairs across from Principal Cadance, who was seated behind her desk with her fingers pressed together and propped up. “Girls, I’m afraid Moondancer has decided to transfer from Crystal Prep to Canterlot High School,” she said, looking between them. Her expression seemed stern. “Wait, what?!” the five of them exclaimed. “Not again!” Lemon smacked her forehead. “We didn’t mean to upset her, Principal Cadance, honest!” Sunny quickly said. “We tried to be welcoming, we did!” Sour protested. “Girls, please,” Cadance said, holding up one hand. “Perhaps you should hear Moondancer out first.” Moondancer fidgeted with her hands in front of her backpack in her lap, staring at the front of Cadance’s desk before sighing. She hesitantly looked up at the five Shadowbolts. “I’m not leaving because of you guys. I just… don’t like Crystal Prep. The uniforms, the stuffy atmosphere, the lackluster library…” Cadance raised a quizzical eyebrow, but said nothing. “If anything, I’m sorry to leave you girls. I’m… not really that approachable, and friendship’s new to me. I really appreciate you all coming to talk to me, but… if I might ask, why?” Moondancer gave a quizzical frown. Indigo sighed, both from relief and painful memories, her shoulders slumping. “Because you reminded us of a girl who used to go here too. We… weren’t good friends with her and it kinda blew up in everyone’s faces.” “She transferred to CHS too,” Sour grumbled, crossing her arms. “So, we wanted a do-over, I guess,” Lemon said. “Try to be friends with you.” “Instead of shunning like we used to do,” Sunny said. “The school used to be a lot worse when the last principal was in charge, and it got to all of us,” Sugarcoat said. “Friendship is a bit of a foreign concept to us as well.” “Well, Moondancer told me how you five have been welcoming to her this past week, and I’m proud of all of you,” Cadance said. “I’m happy to say you’ll have one last day with her come Monday, so… I suggest you make the most of it.” “Then I transfer to CHS. It sounds… better. A place to let me breathe,” Moondancer said. “B-But I want to thank you for being so welcoming to me. I’m glad I met you.” “We’re glad we met you too, Moondancer,” Indigo said, flashing a sad smile. The other Shadowbolts nodded. “Well, if you girls will excuse me, I have to get the necessary paperwork in order for Moondancer’s transfer. You have a good rest of your day,” Cadance said, flashing a sympathetic smile. “Bye, girls,” Moondancer said softly, offering a small wave. “See ya later, Moondancer,” Indigo said, returning the wave. The other Shadowbolts muttered goodbyes and slipped out of Principal Cadance’s office. “All that, and she transfers! Agh!” Sour growled, throwing her hands up in the air as they stepped out of Crystal Prep. “But, we did befriend her… I think,” Sunny said, rubbing her chin. “So… mission failed successfully? Or mission successfully failed?” Lemon offered. “We did the best that we could do, and I think that is a success enough,” Sugarcoat said, tucking her arms behind her back. “Not quite, Sugarcoat,” Indigo said. “I’ve got another idea.” “Again?” Sour groaned. “Listen, we can’t keep Moondancer here, but the least we can do is give her a proper sendoff,” Indigo explained. “And we’ve got all weekend to do it. So listen, this is what we do…” Monday “Thanks for seeing me out, girls,” Moondancer said, turning to them as they walked out of school for the day. “And I’m sorry I have to go.” “It’s alright,” Indigo said. “I get it, Crystal Prep isn’t for anyone.” “At least we did not scare you off,” Sugarcoat pointed out. “But, before you go, we got you some things,” Sunny said. “Some sendoff gifts.” “Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Moondancer said, cheeks darkening. “Well, seeing as we’re friends now, we thought it was only proper,” Lemon said. Sugarcoat reached into her backpack and produced a thin, paperback book, handing it over to Moondancer. “A book of Sudoku puzzles, to keep your brain entertained,” she said. “Wow… well, it’d definitely give me something to do. Thanks, Sugarcoat. Really,” Moondancer said, taking it and briefly flipping through the pages. “Mine’s… not great,” Sour admitted. “But I hear you like sweaters.” She reached into her back and produced a carefully folded charcoal grey sweater with little pink pom-poms in place of buttons. “Oh, wow,” Moondancer said. She set down her backpack to stow away the Sudoku book and took the sweater. “This feels really nice.” “I thought it might be your style, but I didn’t know your size,” Sour admitted. “When you get to CHS, ask for someone named Rarity there. She’s a seamstress who could probably get it resized for you.” “It’s great, thanks Sour,” Moondancer said. “Mine sort of goes with it,” Sunny said, reaching into a side pocket in her backpack and pulling out a small box. Moondancer draped the sweater over one arm and took the box, cracking it open. Inside was a hair tie, with two, round pink crystal fasteners. “In case you want to try any new hairstyles,” Sunny said. “It seemed just your color.” “It’s neat, thanks Sunny,” Moondancer said, shutting the box and stowing it away in her backpack. “I promise mine’s not as loud as I am,” Lemon said, producing a CD in a case from her backpack and handing it to Moondancer. “It’s a mixtape I made of all the songs I like to listen to while studying. Maybe you’ll find something good in there.” “Huh. Never tried listening to music while reading, but I’ll give it a shot. Thanks, Lemon,” Moondancer said, carefully wrapping it in the sweater and stowing it away. “Mine’s… not great,” Indigo admitted, reaching into her shirt pocket. “But just in case some other pair of glasses breaks, thought you could use this.” She pulled out a small tube with a little screwdriver and a set of tiny screws. “An eyeglass repair kit,” Moondancer said, taking the tube and turning it this way and that. “I’ve been meaning to get one of these, actually. Thanks, Indigo.” As she pocketed the last item and shouldered her backpack, she blushed. “Thanks again you guys, for everything,” Moondancer said, smiling softly. “And… well, I guess this is for you.” She reached into her pocket and produced a crumpled, folded piece of paper, handing it over to Indigo. Indigo unfolded it, and the other Shadowbolts peered over her shoulder, trying to read what was on it. “What is it?” Lemon said, squinting. “My phone number,” Moondancer said with a giggle. “Just because I’m transferring doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out with you girls. Even if it’ll be long distance.” She pushed up her glasses. “Besides, I heard you were working on something for the Canterlot Science Fair, and I’d love to help.” “We’d love to have you,” Sugarcoat said with a soft smile. “Take care over there at CHS, Moondancer. And tell Twilight Sparkle we said ‘hi,’” Indigo said. Moondancer nodded, blinking misty eyes. She rushed forward and pulled Indigo into a hug. “Gonna miss you all,” she said. The other Shadowbolts joined in on the group hug. “Eh, it won’t be forever,” Lemon said. “See you real soon,” Sunny agreed. As the group separated, Moondancer gave one final wave goodbye before turning and walking towards home. The five Shadowbolts stood there, waving goodbye to her until she rounded a distant corner. “I think we can say, mission successful,” Indigo said with a sigh, nodding proudly. Author's Note CHS claims another one! I hope you all enjoyed this little story. Don't worry, there's more to come. Oh? You thought we were done? Not by a long shot. After all... there's still the matter of that science fair. The song I listened to while writing this was GaMetal's cover of "Challenges" from the game Mega Man 11. -yours truly, The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast 1.3. 20-15 19.2.: 19-8-1-4-15-23-2-15-12-20 13-9-19-19-9-15-14: 20-18-1-3-11 4-15-23-14 1-14-4 5-12-9-13-9-14-1-20-5 19-15-13-2-18-5-18-15 18-15-10-1.
Chapter 1: The Rookies“Alright,” Indigo said to the gathered Shadowbolts. The five were standing around by the entrance to the school just after classes had ended for the day. “It took a while to narrow it down, but I think we have a strong candidate for our science fair entry.” “Indeed,” Sugarcoat said, pushing up her glasses. “And we have the resources and just enough time to accomplish it. Our science fair project is going to be—” “Excuse me, girls.” The five Shadowbolts looked up to see Principal Cadance standing there. She flashed an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I wanted to introduce our new transfer student,” Cadance explained, stepping to the side. Behind her was a girl around their age. She had creamy yellow skin, long, amaranth hair with purple and violet highlights, and dark purple eyes behind thick-rimmed black glasses. The bridge of the glasses were well taped, and a pair of bushy eyebrows were knit in frustration as she fidgeted with her Crystal Prep uniform. It was a lot like Sunny’s, only with pink socks. “Girls, this is Moondancer,” Cadance said. “She’ll be starting classes with us next week. I’m just showing her around for now.” The Shadowbolts all waved and muttered greetings, but Moondancer just gave an annoyed frown and offered a brief wave in return. Cadance gently cleared her throat. “Ah, yes, well… on with the tour,” she said, gently leading Moondancer deeper into the school. “Huh,” Lemon remarked once they were out of sight. “She kinda reminded me of someone…” “What? The typical stereotype for the shut-in nerd?” Sugarcoat asked. “And stuck up,” Sunny said, crossing her arms. “She’d have fit right in under Cinch.” “No, I mean… she kinda reminded me of Twilight,” Lemon said. “When she first got here?” A quiet fell over the group as the name sunk in. The Shadowbolts all shifted on their feet as they remembered their former classmate. How they never cheered her on during the Friendship Games and… everything that followed. “Yeah…” Sour said quietly, rubbing her arm. “She does remind me of Twilight too…” Indigo frowned. “Well, then that means we got another chance,” she said firmly. “Another chance to do what, exactly?” Sunny asked. “We never tried to be friends with Twilight,” Indigo said. “And under Cinch, friendship was a bit of a foreign concept anyway around here. But things are different now. We’re different.” “What are you suggesting?” Sugarcoat asked, an eyebrow raised in intrigue. “We try to be the friends for Moondancer we never tried to be with Twilight,” Indigo continued. “We welcome her with open arms instead of shunning her.” “I dunno, that’s a pretty tall order,” Lemon remarked. “We don’t exactly have this ‘friendship’ thing nailed down,” Sour agreed, before muttering. “Not that anyone wants to be friends with us…” “Sour is correct. It seems unlikely, with our natures, that she would be willing to be friends with us,” Sugarcoat pointed out. “C’mon. We’re Shadowbolts,” Indigo said. “We’re the best of the best… maybe with less of our old pride, but still the best. I know we can do it if we at least try our best.” The other Shadowbolts shared uncertain glances. Indigo huffed and held out her hand in the middle. “C’mon girls. We won’t know until we try,” she said. One by one, the Shadowbolts reluctantly nodded and added their hand to the center before lifting them as one. “So… how do we do this?” Lemon asked. “We divide and conquer,” Indigo explained. “Next week, each of us try and befriend her.” “But what do we do?” Sunny insisted. “I… don’t know. But it can’t be that hard. Just… whatever we did with Twilight, do the opposite of it. We sneered, we cheer. We demean, we… ok, I ran out of rhymes, but you get it,” Indigo said. “At the end of it, who knows? Maybe we’ll have another member for our science fair team.” “With a whole lot of hope and luck,” Sour muttered. Author's Note Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 09/10/24 Surprise, it's Moondancer! -yours truly, The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast
Chapter 2: (Brutal) HonestyMonday Sugarcoat strolled into Crystal Prep’s library. Now that classes were done for the day, there were quite a few students perusing the shelves or seated and reading at the various tables. As her eyes scanned the library, they locked onto Moondancer, hunched over one of the shelves on the library’s second floor. Sugarcoat, remembering what Indigo Zap had said, quickly made her way up the stairs. As she approached Moondancer, she quietly cleared her throat to signal her arrival. Moondancer glanced over her shoulder at her, her bushy eyebrows knitted together in annoyance, before she returned her attention to the shelf. Sugarcoat realized she was studying the titles of the books with a look hard enough to burn holes through them. “Moondancer, correct? Is there anything I can help you find?” Sugarcoat asked, adjusting her glasses. Moondancer huffed. “I don’t think so,” she said. “For a fancy school, I was expecting Crystal Prep to have more books. The public library has way more.” She stood up straight to scan across the upper shelves. Sugarcoat blinked. “Well, it would stand to reason that a facility dedicated to education would only focus on educational topics,” she explained. “Though I understand Principal Cadance is working on securing works of fiction.” “I don’t know if that’d help. I’ve been looking this place up and down, and I swear I’ve read everything in here,” Moondancer said, moving onto the next shelf. Sugarcoat balked. “You mean you’ve read all of these books?” “More or less,” Moondancer replied, stopping to pull one book from the shelf to look at the front cover. “Or at least something similar to them.” “How much time have you spent reading?” Sugarcoat asked, squinting. Moondancer shrugged, putting the book back. “Since I could, I guess. I’ve always liked reading and studying up on things.” “Everything, it would seem,” Sugarcoat muttered, watching Moondancer move onto yet another shelf and following after her. “Moondancer, is there anything in particular you’re interested in?” “Well, unexplainable things are interesting, I guess. Trying to figure them out. Like… mysteries, or the supernatural,” Moondancer said. “Though I think I’ve gone through every mystery author out there.” “I see,” Sugarcoat said, crossing her arms and looking away momentarily. She smiled back at Moondancer. “I believe I have a book you haven’t read yet, though it isn’t supernatural or mystery.” That caught Moondancer’s attention. She raised a quizzical eyebrow towards Sugarcoat. “If it might be something new, I’ll take it.” Sugarcoat walked past Moondancer and down a few of the aisles to the “Self-Help/Reference Guide” section. Her eyes skimmed along the authors’ names until she stopped at a bright pink book with pale blue lettering. She plucked it from the shelf as Moondancer caught up to her, handing it to her. Moondancer frowned as she read the title aloud. “’How to Throw a Party’ by Pinkamena Pie?” “I was a little surprised when I learned my girlfriend was a published author as well,” Sugarcoat said. “But then again, she can be quite surprising in general.” She smiled fondly. “Well, it’s definitely something I haven’t read yet… or have much experience with. Thanks, uh…” Moondancer looked up at Sugarcoat. “Sorry, I never got your name.” “Sugarcoat,” Sugarcoat said, tucking her hands behind her back and standing a little straighter. “Happy to help, even if it’s not much.” Moondancer nodded with a huff before walking off towards the front counter with book in hand. Sugarcoat deflated with a sigh as she left, wondering how much of a difference it had really made. Author's Note Some things never change. -The Legendary Bill Cipher
Chapter 3: (False) KindnessTuesday Sour Sweet bent over as she caught her breath. Three laps had come and gone rather fast. She wasn’t trying to beat her best time or anything, but the sooner she was done exercising her legs the sooner she could move onto another body part. That was the nice thing about free gym days. The sound of panting and wheezing caught her attention. She looked up to see Moondancer doing the lightest jog possible past her. Remembering what Indigo and the others had said, she rolled her shoulders and jogged up alongside her. “Hey there, Moondancer, right?” she asked. Moondancer huffed and only nodded, her gaze focused dead ahead. “You’re, uh, not sounding too good there,” Sour said, muttering. “Rather loud, actually.” “School… mandated… exercise… the worst,” Moondancer panted out between breaths. “Yeah, I know,” Sour said. “But you look like you’re seriously struggling here.” Her voice dropped. “Do you even exercise?” “No,” Moondancer huffed, shooting a glare at her. “Really? Not even at home?” Moondancer shook her head, and her long hair wagged like a tail behind her. “Just… sit… read… take notes…” “Well, you don’t seem to get a lot of legwork in,” Sour noted. “At all.” Moondancer didn’t reply. Instead, she seemed to try and pick up the pace. Fortunately for Sour, she was still able to keep up. “Maybe switch to something else,” Sour suggested, muttering. “And get some water before your lungs shrivel.” The two slowed to a halt by the outdoor water fountains. Moondancer bent over the taller one and spent a solid minute guzzling down water. When she finished and wiped her mouth, she was still panting. “What… did you… have in mind?” she said, not looking up at Sour Sweet. “Follow me,” Sour said, beckoning her with one hand. On wobbly legs, Moondancer followed Sour over to one of the outdoor buildings. Inside was a variety of exercise equipment and racks of dumbbells and weights for barbells. “Maybe do some arm exercises,” Sour suggested, picking up a pair of 50 pound dumbbells and jerking her head towards the rest of the rack. “You could even do them while you read at home.” Moondancer frowned at Sour’s choice of weights as Sour started curling them, before turning her attention to the rack. “Yeah, sure. Thanks, uh…” She looked back to Sour expectantly. “Sour Sweet,” Sour said, handling the weights with relative ease. Moondancer nodded and turned back to the dumbbells, carefully looking between them, before plucking up two 25 pound ones and walking over to a nearby bench. She sat down and began slowly curling them one at a time. Sour Sweet watched her go, sighing to herself. This friendship thing seemed harder than she’d thought it’d be. Author's Note It's been pointed out to me a few times now that Sour Sweet's arrow shot in Friendship Games means she has quite a bit of strength. I figured carrying all those books around also meant Moondancer wasn't a complete pushover either. Could use some leg days though. -The Legendary Bill Cipher
Chapter 4: (Toxic) GenerosityWednesday Sunny plucked up her tray of food and made her way to the tables of the cafeteria. Her eyes scanned across the seating arrangement of some of the usual groups: nerds, jocks, the social elite, and her own thespians. Then her eyes fell upon a familiar figure, seated by herself near the corner of the room. Moondancer lacked a tray, and was instead unpacking a lunch box. An accompanying thermos sat beside it. Remembering Indigo’s idea, she gave her fellow thespians a passing greeting wave before walking over to Moondancer’s table. “Hey, Moondancer, right?” Sunny asked, flashing a friendly smile. “Mind if I sit with you?” Moondancer looked her up and down with a most puzzled look, but nodded. Sunny sat down as Moondancer produced a sandwich from her lunch box and started eating. “So, how’s your first few days been?” Sunny asked. She opened a dressing packet and drizzled it on her salad. “Rough, as usual,” Moondancer huffed, taking what seemed like an angry bite. “I see,” Sunny said, poking her salad with a fork. “Have you considered any extracurricular activities?” “No,” Moondancer replied, taking a drink from the thermos. “Any clubs, maybe?” “No.” Sunny grimaced, nibbling at her salad as Moondancer made quick work of her lunch. “Ugh.” Moondancer grumbled as she brushed crumbs off her skirt. “I hate these stupid uniforms.” “You haven’t worn one before?” Sunny asked, glad to have something to talk about. “No. I like wearing casual things… like sweaters. Sweaters are nice,” Moondancer said. “This just feels like I’m working at an office or something.” “Not really a variety of colors, either,” Sunny added, smiling softly. “And that ribbon—my friend Indigo can never get hers straight. She gave up a few weeks into freshman year.” Moondancer huffed, unwrapping a little dessert cake she’d brought with her lunch, and a silence fell over them once again as they resumed eating. Sunny snuck glances up at Moondancer, who never seemed to let go of her dour mood. “Say,” Sunny said as she finished the last bites of her salad. “Did you want anything from the vending machines? I’m not much for junk food, but I always try and get my girlfriend a pack of peanut butter crackers.” “No thanks,” Moondancer said, packing her trash away in the lunch box. “Think I’m just going to go find a quiet place to read before next period. See you later, uh…” “Sunny Flare,” Sunny said. “Right.” Stowing away her lunch box and thermos in her backpack, Moondancer shouldered it and walked out of the cafeteria. Sunny sighed as she watched her go, head propped up on the table by one arm. This friendship thing was harder than it looked. Author's Note I haven't forgotten about Trixie and her peanut butter crackers. -The Legendary Bill Cipher
Chapter 5: (Obnoxious) LaughterThursday Lemon Zest quickly donned her safety goggles, a giddy grin plastered on her face. Chemistry class was one of her favorites, next to maybe music class. She was so eager to dig into a new lab that her signature headphones were nowhere to be found—tucked safely away in her backpack. She blinked when she realized there was a new student in the class—and her smile grew wider when she realized who it was. Maybe Indigo’s idea wouldn’t be so hard after all. “Hey, Moondancer!” Lemon called. “You want to be my lab partner?” Moondancer frowned as she slipped on a pair of specialty safety goggles—ones meant to go over glasses—and seemed to look around the room to gauge her options. With a defeated sigh, she finally trudged over to Lemon. “I may as well,” Moondancer said with a tired tone. “Cool. Name’s Lemon Zest. We met last week,” Lemon said. “I remember. Let’s just get this lab over with,” Moondancer said, reading through the instructions. Lemon peered over her shoulder as Moondancer read, working on getting the mixtures and measurements ready in advance. When Moondancer noticed, she scowled. “What are you doing?” “Getting things set up,” Lemon said. “I read ahead.” “I prefer reading ahead and doing the steps in order,” Moondancer said. “Oh. Well, that works too,” Lemon said with a shrug. Moondancer rolled her eyes and set to work, carefully following the steps on the lab sheet while Lemon looked on. After a few minutes of rereading, measuring, pouring, and watching reactions, Lemon began to bounce on her feet. “Hey, uh, Moondancer? I can do stuff too, if you want. We kinda have to be working together here,” Lemon said. Moondancer glanced at her, then back at the sheet. With a sigh, she handed it over to Lemon. “I’m used to working alone. I’m not great at working with others,” she admitted. Lemon took the sheet and quickly found where they were at. “Yeah, I get that. Some things are better done alone,” she said. “But lab partners make sure we do things correctly and prevent mistakes.” Moondancer glared at her. “I’m not making mistakes!” she snapped. Lemon held up a hand defensively. “I didn’t say you were,” she said. “It’s for a worst case scenario thing. “ Moondancer still frowned, glancing at the sheet. “Add the last measurements. The mixture should turn blue,” she muttered, crossing her arms. Lemon carefully added the last of the mixtures and the two of them watched as the chemicals swirled, changing into a dark shade of blue. “Awesome!” Lemon said, writing down their findings. “Has anyone told you you’re entirely too loud?” Moondancer asked. “Yeah, a lot,” Lemon said. “Sorry. I get loud when I get excited.” The pair waited in silence as the rest of the labs finished up. Once everyone was done and proper cleanup procedures were finished, the students handed in their lab sheets and began filing out. “Thanks again for being my partner, Moondancer,” Lemon said as Moondancer picked up her backpack. “Hope we can do lab together again soon.” “Yeah, sure,” Moondancer said dismissively, quickly walking past her and out the door. Lemon frowned, her head tilted to the side. Maybe this friendship thing wouldn’t be that simple after all. Author's Note Apologies for not being more precise. It's been a long time since I've been in a science lab. -The Legendary Bill Cipher
Chapter 6: (Blind) LoyaltyFriday Indigo Zap took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. There was nothing quite like the smell of cut wood and sawdust. It managed to drown out the other smells of the Shop class. Crystal Prep’s Shop class was in one large room that could’ve been a warehouse, separated by material in use. One half of the room was dedicated to Wood Shop, the other half was dedicated to Metal Shop. Indigo was quite fluent in both—aside from her athletic prowess, she liked building things with her hands. As she strolled over to get materials for her latest assignment—a birdhouse she planned on gifting to Fluttershy—she was surprised to see a new face in the Wood Shop. Moondancer was seated at one of the tables, busily sanding away at a piece of wood. She wore a denim smock over her usual uniform, along with work gloves and a pair of large safety goggles. To Indigo’s surprise, her thick-rimmed glasses sat on the table beside her. “Hey, uh Moondancer,” Indigo called, walking over. “You alright?” Moondancer looked in her general direction, squinting so hard her eyes were barely open. “I’m fine, thanks. I’m nearsighted.” “Alright. Just maybe don’t go near the bigger machines,” Indigo said. “I’m Indigo Zap, by the way.” Moondancer nodded and resumed focusing on her wooden project. Indigo squinted at it. The shape was small and crude, but it almost looked like some sort of small horse. “Wow, that looks really neat,” Indigo remarked. “Do you make stuff like this often?” Moondancer jumped, as if not expecting Indigo to still be there. “I sometimes fiddle with models and figurines in my spare time,” she admitted, her cheeks darkening. Indigo nodded, her eyes falling on Moondancer’s glasses. “Hey, uh, how’d your glasses get broken?” she asked. Moondancer huffed. “They’ve been broken for a year now. I just taped them up—never had a problem with them,” she said. Indigo rubbed her chin, glancing towards the Metal Shop, then back to the glasses. Her birdhouse could wait, a different sort of project was coming to mind. “Hey, do you mind if I borrow your glasses for something really quick?” she asked. “I promise I won’t break them… more.” Moondancer blinked up at her. “Well… I guess. I’ve got a spare pair in my backpack anyway,” she said. “Just be careful with them.” Indigo nodded and plucked up the glasses and walked over to the Metal Shop half of the classroom. She set the glasses down on one of the tables and carefully went about measuring the taped bridge. Next she went to the material bin and selected the thinnest metal sheet she could find. She measured out a tiny square in the material and went to work cutting it out with a cutting torch. After letting it cool, she took pliers and wrapped it around the taped bridge several times before adding a light solder to seal it. After letting it cool again and cleaning off the lenses, she returned to Moondancer. “Here, try them on,” Indigo said, grinning as she offered her glasses back. Moondancer frowned, removing her safety goggles before taking the glasses. She raised a bushy eyebrow at the metal wrapped around the bridge before trying them on. She blinked a few times as the metal settled on her nose. “So, whatcha think?” Indigo asked, hands on her hips with pride. “It’s fine, I guess,” Moondancer said, adjusting the glasses. “Might take some getting used to… or I could just use my spare.” The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Moondancer huffed, throwing off her smock and pulling off her gloves. She pocketed the horse she had been working on and power walked to the door. Indigo watched her quickly snatch up her backpack and leave. Indigo’s shoulders slumped as she lifted her signature goggles. She thought she had been doing Moondancer a favor, but had she just made her mad? Author's Note Aside from being athletic, I figured Indigo had a knack for woodworking and building things with her hands. -The Legendary Bill Cipher
Chapter 7: Friendship = X, Solve for XIndigo sighed as she stepped out of the Shop class, backpack in hand. She headed down the hall for the entrance to find the other Shadowbolts standing there. “So, did any of you have any luck?” she asked. “Afraid not,” Sunny sighed. “This friendship thing was tougher than anticipated,” Sugarcoat admitted. “And it doesn’t help we aren’t accustomed to it.” “Still… I didn’t think it’d be impossible,” Sour groused. The PA speaker whined to life over one of the doors. “Would the following students please report to Principal Cadance’s office: Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat. Thank you.” The five Shadowbolts all grimaced and looked between one another. “Ah crud,” Lemon muttered. “We’d better go see what’s up,” Indigo said. The others nodded, and the group quickly hurried towards the front office. The school secretary opened the door for them, and the five Shadowbolts filed into Principal Cadance’s office. Sure enough, Moondancer was seated in one of the chairs across from Principal Cadance, who was seated behind her desk with her fingers pressed together and propped up. “Girls, I’m afraid Moondancer has decided to transfer from Crystal Prep to Canterlot High School,” she said, looking between them. Her expression seemed stern. “Wait, what?!” the five of them exclaimed. “Not again!” Lemon smacked her forehead. “We didn’t mean to upset her, Principal Cadance, honest!” Sunny quickly said. “We tried to be welcoming, we did!” Sour protested. “Girls, please,” Cadance said, holding up one hand. “Perhaps you should hear Moondancer out first.” Moondancer fidgeted with her hands in front of her backpack in her lap, staring at the front of Cadance’s desk before sighing. She hesitantly looked up at the five Shadowbolts. “I’m not leaving because of you guys. I just… don’t like Crystal Prep. The uniforms, the stuffy atmosphere, the lackluster library…” Cadance raised a quizzical eyebrow, but said nothing. “If anything, I’m sorry to leave you girls. I’m… not really that approachable, and friendship’s new to me. I really appreciate you all coming to talk to me, but… if I might ask, why?” Moondancer gave a quizzical frown. Indigo sighed, both from relief and painful memories, her shoulders slumping. “Because you reminded us of a girl who used to go here too. We… weren’t good friends with her and it kinda blew up in everyone’s faces.” “She transferred to CHS too,” Sour grumbled, crossing her arms. “So, we wanted a do-over, I guess,” Lemon said. “Try to be friends with you.” “Instead of shunning like we used to do,” Sunny said. “The school used to be a lot worse when the last principal was in charge, and it got to all of us,” Sugarcoat said. “Friendship is a bit of a foreign concept to us as well.” “Well, Moondancer told me how you five have been welcoming to her this past week, and I’m proud of all of you,” Cadance said. “I’m happy to say you’ll have one last day with her come Monday, so… I suggest you make the most of it.” “Then I transfer to CHS. It sounds… better. A place to let me breathe,” Moondancer said. “B-But I want to thank you for being so welcoming to me. I’m glad I met you.” “We’re glad we met you too, Moondancer,” Indigo said, flashing a sad smile. The other Shadowbolts nodded. “Well, if you girls will excuse me, I have to get the necessary paperwork in order for Moondancer’s transfer. You have a good rest of your day,” Cadance said, flashing a sympathetic smile. “Bye, girls,” Moondancer said softly, offering a small wave. “See ya later, Moondancer,” Indigo said, returning the wave. The other Shadowbolts muttered goodbyes and slipped out of Principal Cadance’s office. “All that, and she transfers! Agh!” Sour growled, throwing her hands up in the air as they stepped out of Crystal Prep. “But, we did befriend her… I think,” Sunny said, rubbing her chin. “So… mission failed successfully? Or mission successfully failed?” Lemon offered. “We did the best that we could do, and I think that is a success enough,” Sugarcoat said, tucking her arms behind her back. “Not quite, Sugarcoat,” Indigo said. “I’ve got another idea.” “Again?” Sour groaned. “Listen, we can’t keep Moondancer here, but the least we can do is give her a proper sendoff,” Indigo explained. “And we’ve got all weekend to do it. So listen, this is what we do…” Monday “Thanks for seeing me out, girls,” Moondancer said, turning to them as they walked out of school for the day. “And I’m sorry I have to go.” “It’s alright,” Indigo said. “I get it, Crystal Prep isn’t for anyone.” “At least we did not scare you off,” Sugarcoat pointed out. “But, before you go, we got you some things,” Sunny said. “Some sendoff gifts.” “Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Moondancer said, cheeks darkening. “Well, seeing as we’re friends now, we thought it was only proper,” Lemon said. Sugarcoat reached into her backpack and produced a thin, paperback book, handing it over to Moondancer. “A book of Sudoku puzzles, to keep your brain entertained,” she said. “Wow… well, it’d definitely give me something to do. Thanks, Sugarcoat. Really,” Moondancer said, taking it and briefly flipping through the pages. “Mine’s… not great,” Sour admitted. “But I hear you like sweaters.” She reached into her back and produced a carefully folded charcoal grey sweater with little pink pom-poms in place of buttons. “Oh, wow,” Moondancer said. She set down her backpack to stow away the Sudoku book and took the sweater. “This feels really nice.” “I thought it might be your style, but I didn’t know your size,” Sour admitted. “When you get to CHS, ask for someone named Rarity there. She’s a seamstress who could probably get it resized for you.” “It’s great, thanks Sour,” Moondancer said. “Mine sort of goes with it,” Sunny said, reaching into a side pocket in her backpack and pulling out a small box. Moondancer draped the sweater over one arm and took the box, cracking it open. Inside was a hair tie, with two, round pink crystal fasteners. “In case you want to try any new hairstyles,” Sunny said. “It seemed just your color.” “It’s neat, thanks Sunny,” Moondancer said, shutting the box and stowing it away in her backpack. “I promise mine’s not as loud as I am,” Lemon said, producing a CD in a case from her backpack and handing it to Moondancer. “It’s a mixtape I made of all the songs I like to listen to while studying. Maybe you’ll find something good in there.” “Huh. Never tried listening to music while reading, but I’ll give it a shot. Thanks, Lemon,” Moondancer said, carefully wrapping it in the sweater and stowing it away. “Mine’s… not great,” Indigo admitted, reaching into her shirt pocket. “But just in case some other pair of glasses breaks, thought you could use this.” She pulled out a small tube with a little screwdriver and a set of tiny screws. “An eyeglass repair kit,” Moondancer said, taking the tube and turning it this way and that. “I’ve been meaning to get one of these, actually. Thanks, Indigo.” As she pocketed the last item and shouldered her backpack, she blushed. “Thanks again you guys, for everything,” Moondancer said, smiling softly. “And… well, I guess this is for you.” She reached into her pocket and produced a crumpled, folded piece of paper, handing it over to Indigo. Indigo unfolded it, and the other Shadowbolts peered over her shoulder, trying to read what was on it. “What is it?” Lemon said, squinting. “My phone number,” Moondancer said with a giggle. “Just because I’m transferring doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out with you girls. Even if it’ll be long distance.” She pushed up her glasses. “Besides, I heard you were working on something for the Canterlot Science Fair, and I’d love to help.” “We’d love to have you,” Sugarcoat said with a soft smile. “Take care over there at CHS, Moondancer. And tell Twilight Sparkle we said ‘hi,’” Indigo said. Moondancer nodded, blinking misty eyes. She rushed forward and pulled Indigo into a hug. “Gonna miss you all,” she said. The other Shadowbolts joined in on the group hug. “Eh, it won’t be forever,” Lemon said. “See you real soon,” Sunny agreed. As the group separated, Moondancer gave one final wave goodbye before turning and walking towards home. The five Shadowbolts stood there, waving goodbye to her until she rounded a distant corner. “I think we can say, mission successful,” Indigo said with a sigh, nodding proudly. Author's Note CHS claims another one! I hope you all enjoyed this little story. Don't worry, there's more to come. Oh? You thought we were done? Not by a long shot. After all... there's still the matter of that science fair. The song I listened to while writing this was GaMetal's cover of "Challenges" from the game Mega Man 11. -yours truly, The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast 1.3. 20-15 19.2.: 19-8-1-4-15-23-2-15-12-20 13-9-19-19-9-15-14: 20-18-1-3-11 4-15-23-14 1-14-4 5-12-9-13-9-14-1-20-5 19-15-13-2-18-5-18-15 18-15-10-1.
