After staying with Ribbon's family for about a month, CandyCloud considered herself part of the family. They ate meals together, laughed, joked, and hung out together all the time. Oceana and Quilla were such good friends. Paisley rarely bothered them, and recently, Ribbon got her cutie mark! It was a. All in all, CandyCloud's life was perfect.
"Come on, you can do it!" Called Oceana excitedly. She was calling to CandyCloud, who was flying through the air. When she got to the end of the rows of houses, she landed. "Way to go Cantaloupe! You did it!" "Really? I did?" CandyCloud asked, out of breath. "Yes, you shaved 5 seconds off of your time." Said Quilla. "A new record." Ribbon went over to CandyCloud and congratulated CandyCloud. "Thanks guys; my wings are getting stronger every day. Oceana was teaching CandyCloud how to fly faster. Quilla taught all of them how to garden, and Ribbon and CandyCloud taught each other spells. It was a project they were doing that they learned from Gilda. She was a griffon who found friendship. After she brought friendship to her village, Gilda traveled around Equestria, teaching ponies lessons on friendship. The best lesson they learned was "Learn from each other, and you will learn about each other." That's what they were doing. As the girls walked toward their houses, CandyCloud got quiet. She thinking about something else Gilda had said. "Trust is the most important part of friendship." CandyCloud knew she was keeping secrets from her friends. Well, just one secret, about her whole identity. She realized that she was keeping secrets from her family too. She was closer to these ponies than ever before. She knew what she had to do.
CandyCloud decided to tell her family her secret at dinner that evening. She would Oceana and Quilla the next day. In her room, CandyCloud practiced and rehearsed what she would say for over an hour. Finally, PartyFavor called her down for dinner. CandyCloud sighed. It was time.
"I've been keeping something from you, I'm not who you think I am." As soon as the words were out, CandyCloud knew that there was no going back. The three ponies sitting around CandyCloud looked at her with worry. "What do you mean Cantaloupe?" Asked Ribbon. CandyCloud sighed "My name isn't Cantaloupe, it's CandyCloud." After that, the words spilled out. She told them about her parents, her school, PineappleTwist, Jewel, her powers, her fate, and what she had done to her own mother. "Then, I accidentally teleported myself into the desert, where I eventually ended up up here." The ponies had sat silently as CandyCloud told her story. When she was finished, they were quiet for a minute. Then PartyFavor moved and put his hoof around her. "I'm so sorry Cantal... I mean, CandyCloud. You've been through so much." SugarBelle looked at CandyCloud with compassion. "I'm glad you told us. We'll help you however we can." CandyCloud looked over at Ribbon. She was looking at CandyCloud with hurt in her eyes. "You lied to us? You lied to me?" She said with tears starting to form. CandyCloud looked down. "I'm so sorry Ribbon. I know it was wrong. Can you ever forgive me?" Ribbon studied CandyCloud carefully. She thought about it. "I don't know, I have to think about." With that, Ribbon got up, and went to her room.
"I'm sorry about Ribbon, CandyCloud." Said PartyFavor. "She'll come around." CandyCloud shook her head. "I lied to everyone. She has a right to be hurt, and so do you." SugarBelle moved to comfort CandyCloud. "Now you have been honest with us. You have a good heart, and we forgive you. I'm sure Ribbon will too." CandyCloud looked at these two ponies. They loved her so much, and that night, as CandyCloud started to fall asleep, they reminded her of two ponies, you might just have loved her after all: her parents.
The next day, CandyCloud told Oceana and Quilla the truth. They took it surprisingly well. "Of course we forgive you." They said. CandyCloud sighed with relief. "Thanks guys." She said. "I'm still worried about Ribbon. She hasn't come out of her room." Quilla had a look of confusion on her face. "I don't know why, all you did was lie about your name. You didn't have to tell them your whole life story as soon as you met them." Oceana looked in the direction of Ribbon's room with sympathy. "That's not the point. Before you moved here, Quilla, Ribbon got betrayed by Paisley. She thought that Paisley was her friend, but she only wanted to use her for her own selfish gain. After that, Ribbon didn't want any friends at all. It took a long time for me to gain her trust. Even though CandyCloud's lie is small, it probably brought back terrible memories for Ribbon." She said. Then, a voice behind them said, "Right again Oceana." The three turned around to see Ribbon. "I did link what you did, with what Paisley did, CandyCloud. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I might've done the same thing if I was in your situation. I forgive you CandyCloud." CandyCloud had tears in her eyes. "Oh Ribbon, I'm so sorry I hurt you." They gave each other a hug, and Quilla and Oceana joined in.
This was a hard one. I was trying to figure out how the other ponies would find out about CandyCloud's secret. I finally decided that she should tell them herself.
