Previous: https://pastebin.com/c6D2XDbL
>Lemon Zest slips on her headphones and plays a song that she added solely for the spirit of ancient and medieval warfare… and walks through the doors of the school as she LISTENS.
>[Game of thrones intro music starts playing]
>The People Of The Crystal Lands, formerly the Crystal Prep Empire.
>A people without a true leader; the Empress had been overthrown and replaced ages ago.
>The appointed Queen merely a prop character in the play that surrounds the Duke.
>Cadance, most likely still but a princess rather than a queen, remains oblivious to the rampant corruption for the time being, her lands divided into smaller empires, she only rules in name because she only allows herself to rule in name.
>The Duke had made attempts to bring the Crystal Lands together under her rule, but he has failed.
>The Valkyrie with two helmets and her legions brought him into submission, and she has him under her thumb.
>Her rival, the Indigo warlord of the West, has made plans to seize power from her, fearing she has gotten out of control.
>She is responsible for building her Indigo empire in order to take on the armies of the East, led mostly by the Valkyrie with two helmets.
>Kingdoms, Queendoms, eat away at the lands of the Empire in shambles.
>And so, the warrior of music herself, with her bright helmet blaring power into her soul, strides through barren battlefields where bottles for the Empire were won… and lost.
>”Zesty, what are you doing?” Indy repeats.
>”O-oh…” Lemon Zest slips her headphones off as the Game of Thrones music continues. “You need something?”
>”Homeroom is that way.” Indigo points down the hall. “You just walked into a janitor closet.”
>”Did I?” Lemon Zest looks up and sees the ceiling of a great cavern, having bore many echoes from the roars of a vicious, lumbering beast-
>The school bell rings.
>”We’re late, Zesty, come on!” Indigo grabs the other girl by the hand and pulls her.
>The headphones come back on.
>The two warriors, one painted Indigo on her armor and the other painted Lime Green on hers, ride on horseback side by side through the vast meadows towards a great event that invites people from all over the lands to join.
>This… Is… The Game Of Headphones.
>[Game of thrones music intensifies then concludes]
>…
>Between classes.
>Indigo Zap decides she’s not going to go to her next class, it’s still about all those complicated chemical equations and some shit called “mols”.
>Forget that, she’s gonna to grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria on her way up to the dean’s office to turn an appeal form in. Not at all worrying about getting caught, because of how she can reverse any detentions with a simple word to her friends who have the dean under their thumb.
>The peace treaty she and Sour Sweet had would not last to save their lives, and both of them knew it. But they agreed not to mess up the fragile stability they have established at the school.
>Lest Cadance step in and start dropping the hammer on people who were even tangentially involved in some drama that happened a couple of weeks ago.
>To this day, she has been absolutely clueless. It’s baffling. Like a 30 year old grilling boomer who only cares about hot dog brands.
>And Indigo is still in a state of shock regarding the fact that Sour Sweet actually managed to pull it off. Taking control of the dean’s chair so she can start calling some of the shots around here.
>It’s like a dream.
>Indigo will never forget the day she walked into school and saw Sour Sweet standing there with a wide grin on her face, wider than usual.
>She asked the other girl why she was such a coward and fled the fight scene that never ended up happening, to which Sour replied that she was busy taking over the school.
>Then pointed to the dean’s door and raising her eyebrows.
>Indigo started going off on Sour. “No… no, you didn’t. You DIDN’T.”
>”I did.” Sour replied, and still repeats that every chance she gets to bring it up. “Remember, you can do these things now because of ME.”
>Narcissistic psycho bitch.
>Indigo can only imagine how often she spent time inside that dean’s office now that she controls a lot of what happens in there. Daring to imagine what unspeakable things go on in there.
>Indigo sits at the lunch table and looks at the form she filled out.
>Once again, it’s in pencil, and filled with adjective and spelling errors just like the last form she tried to pass off as valid.
>She’s gonna get back onto the team if it kills her, and it’s definitely not gonna kill her with the strings she has at her fingertips.
>She feels calm when she approaches the door and knocks on it.
>…
>Knock knock.
“Come in.” A defeated voice escapes you.
>In enters Indigo Zap, the one who technically started all of the things that happened to you before her crazy friend took the reigns in so many ways.
>You watch her sit down with a stoic face, probably thinking of Sour Sweet every time she looks at you.
>But she doesn’t have a hint of sympathy in her glazed gaze. She just puts the form on the desk’s surface and pushes it forward with her finger.
“Filled everything out?” You say, always half hoping that someone will come to rescue you.
>”Yup.” Indigo answers. “I would appreciate it if you got this all done and through today so I could jump back onto the team as soon as possible.”
“That won’t be a problem, Miss Zap. I’d be more than happy to.” You lie about that last part.
>You both know that you won’t have a choice if you give her a reason to insist.
>Go ahead and make it official that she’s back on the team as she leaves the room.
>You don’t cry, you just feel extremely bitter about all of this. It’s not like you hate the things they do to bend you to their will, it’s just that you hate being controlled at all, especially with the risk of something this capable of ruining your reputation for life.
>Indigo does a little victory stride as she roams the hallways when there are no other students around.
>She almost feels like she could sprout wings and fly.
>Taking a stride outside and enjoying the warm Floridan October air.
>The wind brushing through her hair as she thinks about just straight up leaving school grounds altogether and finding something fun to do.
>But nah, she has some football to play after school. The grassy field beckons her just as much as that black and white ball beckons her foot.
>…
>You’re sitting in your office once more.
>Knock knock.
“Come in.”
>Oh look, it’s Suri Polymare again.
>”Hey, I have a couple of questions about financing something involving fashion.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
>”Well. I’ve been meaning to set up all of these marvelous looking stage props and decorations for a competition I’m trying to win, but I don’t have enough money from what the school provided.”
“How much did you receive?” You ask in a flat tone.
>”About 5,000 dollars. And the props and other things I need all together sort of amount to about 22,000. And I really don’t have time for a fundraiser.”
>You nod.
“Alright, so you want to have more money for your place in a fashion competition.”
>”Yup. But people have been telling me that I can’t do it because every other school is only putting 5,000 dollars in to be fair or something. But it’s not really like that because there’s no rule that says we have to keep it at a 5,000 dollar maximum.”
>You see someone else wandering around outside your door.
>”And I’m pretty sure some of the other schools put more than 5,000 dollars in. I’ve seen the things they put out, and there’s no way some of it was under 6 or 7 thousand dollars.”
“Yeah… but you’re asking for 22,000. I think the other schools just happened to go a little bit over and it slid because they were still trying to keep it as close to 5,000 as they could.”
>”Most of them don’t even know about the limit, though. Because a lot of them like to be cheap and don’t even care about winning. Meanwhile, we’re Crystal Prep.”
“Well, uh, lemme go ahead and look through some files and stuff to see if there really are no restrictions about this.”
>”I told you I already fact checked and it’s all in the clear.”
“Well I can fact check here.”
>You now see two people wandering around outside your door, and can hear some familiar faint headphone music playing.
>…
>[music]
>It has been a long journey, but the Warrior of Music has finally arrived at the Duke’s castle.
>She gazes up at the towering wooden door-bridge, from the other side of the moat. Dark orange clouds licking the top of the castle’s towers as the wind blows them.
>”Are you here to see the Duke as well?” A small voice sounds from behind the warrior.
>Zest can barely hear through her helmet, but she turns to find a lone squire standing before her, bearing luggage strapped to her back standing taller than her even if it were to be standing from the ground up.
>The squire wears a little sky blue helmet atop her head.
>”Where do you hail from, young squire?” Zest asks her as distant guitars blare in the background.
>”I hail from the Fabric Kingdom. My mentor and I are responsible for weaving many different textiles for the lands for the purpose of profiting from social gatherings.” She answers.
>”I see. What is your name? What is your quest? What is your favorite color?”
>”Uh…” The squire responds in a sheepish voice. “I go by the name of Coco. My quest is to help my mentor receive the riches she needs to bring her textile armies to battle against certain enemies. And uh… my favorite color is Beige, I think.”
>”That is a good color. Tell me, who are these enemies you wish to do battle with? Perhaps I can help.”
>”My mentor knows more about them. Her name is Suri, and she is in the castle right now negotiating with the Duke of the Crystal Lands.”
>”I see. I too have been meaning to attend a public social event during which I expect to enjoy. A Rock Concert, and it starts very soon before our academic season comes to an end.”
>”That sounds interest-”
>There is a loud crash, and the massive door-bridge begins to lower by the chains.
>”I am sorry, but 25,000 silver coins is the least I can require for such a feat.” The mentor named Suri crosses the bridge as gators from the water below try to snap at her royal purple garb. “Surely you have a spare 26,500 silver coins for miscellaneous use. What are you going to do with the extra 29,000 you have to spare anyway? Do you really need that extra 29,999 gold coins?”
>…
>Zest slips her headphones off to hear the conversation better.
“It says that the school board has to make sure it has enough spare money to send to the program.” You say.
>”They already do, though. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Thanks in advance!” Suri Polymare exits the office. “Alright, let’s skedaddle, Coco. Chop-chop.”
>Coco Pommel struggles to lift all of the supplies she has to carry for Suri, and follows obediently.
>Zest looks into the dean’s office without even entering. You look at her and only recognize her as one of Sour Sweet’s friends whom you better not cross or else.
>But Zest doesn’t even see it this way, she’s just ready to slip her headphones back on.
>”Yo, there’s a rock concert going on in like 5 minutes, it cool if I leave early to go to it?”
“Sure.”
>”Cool.” She leaves without even entering the room or sitting down.
>Lemon Zest already leaves the school and all of its drama behind.
>She packs her things and clamps her headphones to her head and turns the volume up loud enough for it to be impossible to hear anyone outside of them talking.
>She thinks back to the Duke’s castle.
>The way Coco’s mentor was talking… she had only heard that type of jumpy, dismissive language before.
>The two-helmeted Valkyrie.
>What if Suri is in alliance with her?
>No time. Concert!
>[music]
>Everything intensifies out of nowhere.
>Even leaving the flat grounds of gravel on the borders of the Lands of the Crystals, Zest finds a few obstacles, or rather, they find her as an obstacle.
>They line the hills, distantly yelling and challenging for the musical warrior to approach with her sword drawn.
>And despite how heavy and lumbering it is, she swings it around effortlessly, eyes glowing a bright yellow, a sinister smile capturing these foes as they watch their doom approach.
>Their doom approaches faster, singing cultural songs of glory from her youth as she prepares for them to unleash everything they have upon her.
>Like a toiling bell, like a rising tide of boiling hell, undying might. Those who are hungry for metal shall taste it.
>They will not stop her, she is going to stop them. These lands are not for them, and they will not enter as long as long as Zest is sprinting towards them like they challenged her to.
>The very thing they regret, the very thing they flee from.
>They didn’t realize she was one of the stronger ones.
>Sinking back into the underworld, seeking stronger legions to try and infiltrate the lands where they were so unfortunate to run into one of the strongest warriors.
>The one with the most spirit, a spirit of her own.
>Not even the behemoth they summon can crush that spirit, but it shall try.
>The ones the same size as the musical warrior were smart to flee, where they had a better chance with a dragon at their backs, shooting flames down towards Zest with all of the possible fury it can muster.
>Her blade catches the flames and throws it to the sides, some of them hitting the ones who flee.
>The dragon takes a deeper breath and shoots out lava, hoping to end Zest right there.
>She slices the streams in two with her humming claymore, a massive tune fork. The sound waves push the lava aside and let it melt into the grass with a darkening red into black and gray as it hardens into ROCK.
>The dragon roars, but it does nothing to faze Zest’s fortitude.
>She charges at the beast, pointing her noble weapon straight at its heart, upward as the colossal reptile reaches out a claw.
>It cannot catch Zest, she moves away from its grasp whenever she doesn’t feel like slicing away at its attacking appendages.
>She knows she is going to slay the dragon she sees, the one she is encountering, facing like it is her last time breathing on this beautiful Earth.
>The dragon charges again, but Zest positions her claymore on the ground as it pounces; it sticks right into the dragon’s racing heart.
>There’s suddenly a loud crashing sound accompanied by shattering glass.
>Zest’s headphones have slipped off only for a brief moment.
>Behind the girl is a car rolling into a ditch, having been driven off of the road with a panicking driver falling out the window before damage can be done to him.
>The car tumbles down a hill, and Zest puts her headphones back on to turn around and see the mortally wounded dragon falling into a pit leading to the underworld.
>[more music]
>Zest lets out a war cry of victory, catching the attention of a passing horde of caravans.
>They look over to Zest and cheer for her, grateful for her will and ability to slay the dragon that has been terrorizing their villages for hundreds of years.
>They come closer, saying some weird stuff about insurance, but Zest isn’t interested in buying any.
>”There is no need to thank me!” Zest says to the happy caravans who seem to have had a connection with the dragon, but not a good one. “I must go, now. There is a concert I must attend, and it starts now!” She stretches her legs then runs off.
>Faster than anything she has seen before, she sprints into the distance, over the hills and through the woods.
>To the concert she goes on foot.
~
>...
>The Halloween party is coming up.
>The students in the school can feel it approaching as the place fills up with more and more decorations, unlike any other year.
>This is the first time they were able to have this happen without Cinch flying in with a set of restrictions.
>Man, it's great having the old leaders overthrown to make way for new blood.
>It's too bad Cadance is such a pushover to the point where there could be corrupt stuff happening right under her nose and she wouldn't do jack shit about it.
>But she seems happy about the decor being set up for the first time at the school, and you feel like being a bit festive yourself.
>Might as well, it'll cheer you up even though you've grown a little numb to your situation already.
>Especially after Sour Sweet enters your office once more.
>Knock knock.
"Come in." You say the same damn thing you've always said like it's a sitcom line, the sick sitcom that your life and job has become.
>"Hiiii!" Sour Sweet flutters in and immediately sits down. "How's my favorite dean doing today?"
>You grumble and groan.
>"Happy to hear!"
>Look down at your desk.
"Well hello, Miss Sweet. Is there anything you need today?"
>"I just wanted to stop by to see how you're doing."
"I'm doing fine."
>You both know that you've been angrily pouting and moping all day long so far.
>Only time will tell how post-lunch-hour will go.
>"Alright, let's cut to the chase."
>You feel like she's going to lock the door again.
>Half of you anticipates it, but the other half feels another little bit of bad history pile up on the mound of dirt.
>"I know you might have been feeling down lately, but there's a bright side to this!" Sour Sweet begins.
"Am I going to be sitting here for a while? You know I have paperwork to get done."
>"I won't be long, promise." She answers. "Unless you're reeeealy busy."
>Don't wanna have her come back.
"Just what is it?"
>"There's nothing to be sad about, you know. i know you like what's going on here."
>She's reminiscing on times that you don't want to leave this office room, but times that make you question whether or not you want to just go with this.
>Honestly, some of the time have been pretty g-
>"Listen... I don't want you to feel sad about it or anything."
"Oh, gee. Thanks. I'm glad to know you actually do care about me to some extent."
>She smiles at your snarky remark. "Oh, stop it. You know you love it!"
"That's not the point."
>"Yeah, yeah, okay. I was just getting to that." She definitely would have interrupted you with that had you continued.
"What, are you going to tell me that everything's alright? That it's all sunshine and rainbows even though you could get me in serious trouble?"
>"Hah, I kinda wanna call you Mickey Mouse. It's so cute to think about."
>Clench your fists a little.
>You hate how she's so lighthearted about this, with her cheery smile that could disappear in the blink of an eye.
>"Look, I don't know what you're so worried about. You and I just have a little bit of a closer friendship that you do with the other students."
"Stop it."
>"Stop what?"
"Stp reminding me."
>"Why?"
"Because I'll probably remember when I'm talking to the Principal or something." You think about switching to her language to get her to leave faster before you're seen with her. "And if something slips, I'll get fired, and you'll lose the whole thing you just had set up. Indigo told me about Mr. Sombra, you know."
>"Oh, I'm sure she did, I’m sure she did."
"This isn't funny, Miss Sweet. I'm still the dean, you know."
>"I know. But you're my dean."
>Your mouth curves into a sharper frown than before.
>"Look, let's stop beating around the bush. You're getting all mopey over nothing. It's not like Cadance is gonna find out as long as everyone keeps the cat in the bag."
>You'd ask her why she's doing this, but she's answered you a million times in the past.
>With power-hungry rants that you don't want to hear another one of.
>"What we have going on here is special. You should be happy! You to have a like little quirk to your job that makes you love it that much more!"
>She can already tell her sweet talking isn't working.
>It's all in the eyes, yours don't look moved, hers start to get dark clouds in them...
>Don't want those.
"I dunno, it's just that this feels so wrong."
>"It's only wrong if you let it be wrong." Sour Sweet tells you. "Besides. I'm 18, so what's the big deal?"
"Because we're not supposed to be doing this. You should be starting things like... ugh, nevermind."
>"I remember what you said last time anyway, it's fine."
"Can we fini-"
>"Yeah, we can finish now. But one thing. Don't be so hard on yourself. Don't you see? This is great."
"It... doesn't feel great but okay."
>"I'm not stupid like Indy, you know. I know how to actually keep a secret. She didn't tell you HOW Sombra got fired, did she?"
>You silently wait for her to start telling anyway.
>"She was the one who told people about it, Sombra was only trying to keep things under the rug. And he wasn't a bitch like you and just let the new events take place the way they were."
"Well excuse me for not feeling too comfortable about this."
>"I'm sorry but all you gotta do is just relax about it."
"I wasn't prepared to relax about it."
>"Well maybe I can help you prepare if you want."
>You remember that Cadance can come walking in at any time when she hasn't copped out for the day.
>"Now tell me, are you feeling stressed out?" Sour Sweet starts to get up to lock the door again.
"No. No, I'm fine." You feel your metaphorical arm get twisted.
>"You sure?"
"I'm fine. Look, I guess I can be okay with all this but you did it so suddenly! And it's like... a lot to take in."
>"Hell yeah it's a lot to take in!"
>She pauses for a moment, waiting for you to say something before she speaks, surprisingly.
>"But the fact is, you don't have to let this be a dark cloud hanging over your head. You're the dean of the school!"
"I don't feel like the dean of the school."
>"Just because I have the power doesn- well..." Sour Sweet tries to think of a way to make it sound valid.
>You know it isn't possible to have that happen without something crazy coming out.
>Completely forget what she says next, it's just something you totally tune out.
>Just go back into some nodding and agreeing mode, asking if there's anything she has an issue with at school, like a dean should.
>And in the back of your mind, you're forming a plan.
>That one little bit of willpower that won't be stifled by all these restraints on your reputation.
>All of these strings the girl has attached to you, strings that don't get cut in half after the door closes with her on the outside.
>No, you have to find a way to cut those strings yourself; you will not be bribed or bullied like this.
>No matter what she does with you, this just gets humiliating after a while, and you're gonna stand.
>Get ready to spend some time with Sugarcoat after school.
>...
>"And that was it. I'm back on the team for good." Indigo brags to the other girls at the lunch table.
>"You know, you have fluctuating amounts of damns to give about this." Sugarcoat turns to her. "I remember you said at one point that you didn't care about the team anymore. And then you tried to stop Sour Sweet from doing what she was doing. And once she succeeds..." Sugarcoat points towards the field outside where Indigo is back to going to every practice day.
>"I'm an opportunist." Indigo puts her hands behind her head. "What's it to you?"
>"It's a lie, that's what it is. You just want to come out on top no matter which side you're on."
>Indigo Squints at Sugarcoat.
>Sugarcoat just furrows her brow back until Indigo looks away. "Oh look, here comes 'Sweetie'."
>Indigo's eyes shoot open.
>Sour Sweet returns from presumably the dean's office... again.
>It's still believable that she pretty much only goes there to talk to him, keep him under the impression that this is the way things are going to stay and there's nothing he can do to resist since he's actually trying to get his power back for obvious reasons.
>From the far side of the table, Sunny Flare crosses her bare arms. "Finally someone worth being friends with has arrived." She scoffs upon Sour Sweet sitting down with her, far away from the other two girls.
>Sugarcoat glares at her.
>Sunny Flare gives Sugarcoat her middle finger in her head.
>"So you two are still on no-speaking terms?" Asks Indigo as she watches the staring contest between Sunny Flare and Sugarcoat.
>"She vowed to 'never forgive me' after I did the pool thing."
>Indigo lightly give Sugarcoat a friendly punch on the arm. "Thanks again for that."
>Sugarcoat just dully stares back.
>"What? You know how long I've wanted to do something like that."
>"Whatever." Sugarcoat crosses her arms, but only for a moment before her phone vibrates with a text.
>Indigo grins at her when she pulls her phone out.
>"Go ahead, answer your boyfriend." She tells Sugarcoat.
>Sour Sweet immediately starts to look over with suspicion.
>Still not trusting that her plan was air tight the very moment she walked into the dean's office for... that... time some number of days ago.
>She gets up to go over and read what the dean texted Sugarcoat, still willing to keep them exchanging numbers a secret so long as Sugarcoat doesn't try any funny business with the man she has in a chokehold.
>Indigo makes an intimidating half-standing motion, telling Sour Sweet to back off with her eyes.
>And Sour Sweet retreats, telling herself under her breath that she will locate Sugarcoat within the hour.
>"Thanks." Sugarcoat sighs.
>"I'm sorry I let all of this happen. It's my fault." Indigo responds. "By the way, she still lets you two text?"
>"Yeah. It's not like I can do anything. He'll lost his job if Sour Sweet doesn't have things go her way, I know she'll make it hit the fan. And you know it too."
>"...Okay, yeah. Pretty much."
>Sugarcoat reads the text in peace.
[You have time after school?]
>[Yeah] She responds.
>She then turns back to Indigo. "I guess I'm sorry I got a little abrasive back there." Sugarcoat weighs her options of what she should say to Indigo, a bit of a rare occurrence.
>It's still trying to come out...
>"It's okay. I've got thick skin." Indigo answers before Sugarcoat fails to hold her usual self back..
>"I still think you only care about coming out on top and benefitting yourself and that you're spineless because of that."
>".../Really/ thick skin." Indigo emphasizes, trying to to grit her teeth.
>"Hey, you know how I am. But we both know full well that you're not being as bad as them." Sugarcoat points to Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare with her eyes.
>Sour Sweet twirls the sides of her hair into makeshift twin-tails and mimics Sugarcoat talking.
>Without warning, the doors to the cafeteria open.
>It's been about a day since Lemon Zest left school early to go to that concert.
>And now she enters the cafeteria again, ready to meet all of her companions from across the lands for a great feast.
>Enters the room with clouds swirling around in the sky outside behind her; leaves the doors open so the wind can rush in and blow her hair forward for dramatic effect.
>Blaring a song she specifically chose to listen to while making this entrance.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLUj-jh_UyQ
>Cadance follows her into the the cafeteria shortly after, keeping out of sight for the moment.
>But she lags further and further behind as she's intimidated by Zest's undying confidence, something that has been becoming more and more apparent with the passing days.
>Lemon Zest, the mighty Warrior of Music, sends fire signals with a torch to her companions, soon realizing that the Valkyrie is among them.
>Her friends watch her wave to them and walk over.
>Lemon Zest sprints across a vast valley filled with tall grass, listening to the grass blades brush against her armor with each prying step.
>On either side of her are canyons with many villages and towns atop the highest point, some settled as high as the distant, snowy mountain tops.
>Zest walks down the middle aisle of the cafeteria between the tables where everyone else is sitting and joins Indigo and Sugarcoat.
>Alas, the fortresses of her broken group of clans have been divided.
>The abrasive empress has chosen the side of the Indigo warrior of the West to join, while the wealthiest princess in all the lands of the Crystals has fallen victim to the temptation of power, swearing allegiance to the Valkyrie with two helmets.
>Man in the Box continues to play as Zest enters the gates of the fortress of her Indigo comrade.
>The Valkyrie gazes down from her tower from afar, aghast at this sight.
>This is an act of treason!
>Sour Sweet gets salty that Lemon Zest won't sit with her, and she growls in her direction.
>The deafening war cry of the Valkyrie echoes throughout the mountain tops, causing all but a brave few to flee to their homes.
>Zest only smiles in the direction of it all and laughs heartily.
>It is nothing to her.
>As her Indigo friend apparently just said something about herself having the thickest, most impenetrable metal armor on this side of the map, Lemon Zest has the loudest courage.
>And it sings gracefully, louder than the Valkyrie could ever match.
>Then Man in the Box concludes, and there is a brief silence.
>Lemon Zest faces Indigo Zap. "What's happenin'?"
>"Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare are being bitches again." Indigo responds.
>"Aww, why?"
>"Because Sugarcoat got Sunny Flare's stupid precious iVambraces all wet and now she had to buy new ones. And Sour Sweet is drunk with power."
>"Wow, that sucks."
>Zest is shocked to hear this news of the richest princess losing her most sentimental pieces of armor.
>She would never see Sunny without her magical Vambraces, until now.
>With Sunny even more prone to the elements with the rest of her armor already being thin, unlike that of the Indigo Warrior.
>Zest stops her train of thought for a split second.
>The air is split by a sharp sound - a flaming arrow.
>Her reflexes are quick.
>Zest draws her claymore with all her strength and holds it to the arrow. It splits in half on the blade.
>Landing in the dirt, each half falls over, weak and feeble.
>Sour Sweet gawks at how Lemon Zest used the edge of her notebook to catch the grilled cheese sandwich she threw at her.
>Zest takes a bite out of the hot melted cheese and bread.
>Zest puts the fire out on her sword by biting it, then points it towards the Valkyrie and makes it catch fire on its own as the next song plays into her ears.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAE6Il6OTcs
>The Indigo Warrior taunts the Valkyrie with a slew of insults.
>Disrespecting the village she spent her youth and grew up in, mocking her culture, insulting her finest customs and ways of life as she stands up, ready to go to battle.
>Zest is just as ready to do battle, but calmly.
>She doesn't flinch as another arrow is fired and misses completely; the Valkyrie has lost too much of her temper to aim straight with a bow.
>The Abrasive one, said to have had close ties with the Duke, recommends that everyone on this side of the brewing war move to a further mountain top.
>Her advice is always to be taken seriously, and Zest is anything but opposed to this, merely anting to make that epic exit with this music playing into her ears through her bright helmet that surrounds her head and ears.
>Sugarcoat, Indigo and Zest all walk away from the table Sunny and Sour sit at, striding in slow motion at the song continues.
>All of them with complacent, yet fed up expressions, all sharing the common goal of changing the world in their own ways.
>As they set up a new camp at the highest cliff where they can see everything in the lands below, Zest wonders if this alliance will last.
>If they will stay unified, or if they shall disband after time passes.
>The Valkyrie has started to set up her base pretty strong. She's instating her lay unto the Duke's code, slowly converting him into her personal servant.
>She expects all opposition to fear her, but she'll never faze the roosters.
>Perched high on the mountain tops.
>Watching from above as the guitars intensify, waiting to strike.
>Lemon Zest's imagination hyper-decorates the rest of the lunch period more than any halloween decorations could ever hope to.
>...
>You sit down with Sugarcoat in that same old library after school is over.
>She made sure that Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare do not have eyes on either of you for the rest of the afternoon.
>She stares at you with a somber look.
>"So uh..." She starts off. "I'm not sure how else to put this, but I think Indigo and I started to make amends today."
"Amends how?"
>"Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare. They're... acting combative and divisive. And Indigo's basically just as sick of them as I am."
>You nod.
"So what does this mean?"
>"It's not clear yet. She still doesn't want to give up her spot on the team, but she told me that she's going to leave us alone as long as nothing bothers her."
"I'm not sure how I feel about that." You remember one of your earlier encounters with the girl "Can we trust her?"
>There's an exchange of silence.
>And under that silence is desperation to make things normal again.
>It's really getting under your skin.
>You can undoubtably trust Sugarcoat. Lawful good.
>You know you can probably trust Lemon Zest, but she might not be focused enough to help much unless she's dead set on the same thing you're focusing on. She's either chaotic good or chaotic neutral.
>Indigo seems to be another wild card; chaotic neutral. Maybe she'll stay with you against Sour Sweet, maybe she'll side with Sour Sweet again if the girl temps her to want to hold onto that position on that football team. This is honestly behavior you'd expect from Sour Sweet. One learned from the other, then went on to teach the other as the years went by.
>Sunny Flare seems like she's just greedy and sides with Sour Sweet because she already took the reigns over you. Neutral evil. After hearing what Sugarcoat did to her iVambraces, there's no way she'll be easy to convince.
>Though, you don't blame Sugarcoat. She thought there was still hope for saving you from the greatest evil of them all: Sour Sweet. Chaotic evil, as far as you're concerned.
>She's un-convincible, so don't even try. She's the one escalating this, she cannot be reasoned with, all you can do is try to stop her.
>You try to decide which Shadowbolt to approach first. Do you go for a more easy/feasible approach like Indy or a more effective approach like Sunny?
>You want to go with your safer bet; it's not like Sunny can do much harm anyway with how shortsighted she is.
>Right, like Indigo is any less shortsighted.
>But she's more trustable, so this'll have to do.
>Nothing much else happens for the day except you going home and reflecting on how things have gone and what you could possibly do to save yourself even sooner.
>No matter how much you're "gettin' it", you ain't gonna stay silly putty in Sour Sweet's hand.
>...
~
>October 24th.
>The Halloween Party on the 27th is on Friday.
>You're sitting in your office in the morning, feeling a little bit less shitty every day because time dampens in.
>It's a good thing nothing risky was happening, here comes Principal Cadance.
>"Hey there." She comes right in.
"Oh hi."
>"Hey, listen. I just wanted to check in really quickly. You're still free for the party this Friday, right?"
"I am."
>"Great! I'm glad you have time for an event now. So what are you gonna go as? If you don't mind me asking."
"Uh, I didn't decide on a costume yet."
>"Ah, that's okay. Either way, I'm sure you'll have fun."
>She's talking about the damn thing days beforehand.
>Maybe that's a bit of an invalid criticism and you're just sitting here with a stick up your ass because you're still Sour Sweet's puppet, but you still must smile at your boss despite wanting to be alone.
>Feel better after she walks out.
>You'd be much more cool with this if it was her using THAT kind of thing with you to take advantage.
>Hell, she wouldn't even need to try and convince you, you'd willingly get on board with that.
>Ever since the first day, you thought she was-
>Knock knock.
"Come in."
>In enters Sunny Flare.
>This would have been convenient had you chosen to try and get her to turn against Sour Sweet and stop helping her.
>She looks more normal without her iVambraces.
>"Hey, I just wanted to come in really quickly for something."
"What is it?"
>"I'm uh, I'm sorry about Sour Sweet and everything."
>She takes once look at you and can tell that you're not enthusiastic about a quick apology.
>"Alright look. I really am sorry. I truly am. I feel terrible about helping her making you almost lose your job. I didn't really care at first since I wouldn't get in trouble for it, but then I got really involved and things just sorta... escalated."
"Well uh, thanks for your consideration." You soften your expression.
>Well she definitely looks sorry about it, her face bearing an expression of guilt.
>"I don't know how much you hate this, or rather I dunno if I can understand."
"The thing I hate is being lied to and manipulated. I don't know what Sour Sweet's deal is where she's so... inconsiderate of others." You say, soon remembering that the same can be said for almost all of the girls. "Well, less considerate than a couple of her friends. She even told me how I was supposed to feel about this, you know."
>Gosh, why are you talking like this to one of the students? You're the dean!
>"Well... that's just how she is."
>You frown at Sunny.
>"Uh, sorry. Sorry."
>She can tell you're still very unenthusiastic about this apology, whether it's real or fake.
>"Um..."
"So is that all?"
>"I... guess. I just wanted to say that I'm not like Sour Sweet."
>Like you're gonna believe that.
>"Anyway, I'm sorry if I bothered you. And sorry about the way she is again."
>You just stare at her, not even sure what she's trying to accomplish here.
>Just randomly coming in here and half-heartedly apologizing... as if she expects you to suddenly see her as a nice person after what she helped Sour Sweet do.
>You're actually more pissed off at her than before.
>So glad when she leaves.
>...
>Outside the door.
>Sunny Flare quickly walks away and down the hall.
>Thinking to herself, wondering if she screwed this up or not.
>The dean seemed just as unhappy to see her when she walked out as he was when she walked in.
>That's not a good sign; Sunny Flare wants more than just the strings that Sour Sweet is weaving.
>She can tell that Sugarcoat actually hit it off with the dean and she's lying about it.
>Trying to really keep it a secret when it was obvious once it was clear that she was helping him.
>First it was Sour Sweet versus Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare was just another player on the chessboard for Sour Sweet to use on her way to taking advantage of the new dean that happened to be male this time around which allowed her to actually do this.
>Sunny didn't want to have anything like that to do with the dean until she started to feel more left out.
>And of course, Sour and Indigo eventually complicated it enough to temporarily back down, but that wasn't the bad news.
>Now Sugarcoat actually got the dean to like her, which wouldn't be something Sunny cared about had Sugarcoat not destroyed what she held near and dear to her.
>Her iVambraces.
>Not only that, but Sunny Flare SAW on Sugarcoat's phone that she was more than willing to throw her under the bus for helping Sour Sweet.
>Sunny Flare swears that she will never forgive Sugarcoat, and that she will no longer be that pawn on the sidelines to Sour Sweet.
>Sour may be able to take the dean by force, but Sunny wants to take him the way Sugarcoat did.
>She knows that he must tell Sugarcoat about how Sour Sweet doesn't really mean anything to him, and that she's the only one who matters to him... that bitch doesn't even deserve that.
>No, Sunny will make her feel her wrath.
>Sunny Flare enters the gymnasium to find an oddly different Halloween decoration on the wall.
>...Is that a pentagram?
>Sour Sweet walks up to her from the other side of the gym.
>"Heya!" She greets a confused Sunny Flare.
>Sunny Flare just stares.
>"What is this?" She asks.
>"A Halloween decoration! Duh!"
>Sunny Flare remembers a very vague situation in her memory, feeling really bad about this thing being set up.
>"What's wrong?" Asks Sour Sweet. "It's not that edgy. People do this all the time, I'm sure. Besides, it's a good theme for the dance we're gonna have."
>"Dance?"
>"We're having a Halloween Dance!" Sour Sweet announces. "It'll be like... a big celebration. For me, a little bit."
>"When did this happen? I don't remember-"
>"Just thought of it yesterday. Always had this pentagram on the big tarp stuffed away in my basement and thought it'd be perfect for this!"
>Sunny Flare finally remembers why this is a bad idea.
>"Wait wait wait... Sour..." She says. "There's a couple of students here that are super into Christianity and stuff. Don't you think this would be a little disrespectful or something to them to have a satan-themed party? Are we even allowed to do this in the first place?"
>"Of course, we are! It's my idea, isn't it?"
>Sunny Flare sees traces of that smile she saw in Sour Sweet's face before and gets an urge to back away. "Uhhh..."
>"Cadance ain't gonna do shit anyway, but I'm still gonna go to the dean today and get him to get the okay from her."
>There goes that left-out feeling in Sunny Flare's mind again.
>Sour Sweet talks like she already won... because she did.
>But what happened to "second in command" that she promised?
>Sour Sweet didn't even address Sunny about any of this until she walked into the gym and saw this for herself.
>Only a couple of minutes pass as Sour Sweet stops rambling and heads off once more.
>With this, Sunny Flare just goes to hang out in the hall until the class period ends.
>In a position where she can skip class all she wants and roam around like this is the wild west.
>But she's not as powerful as she oughta be.
>Especially not enough to tear the dean away from Sugarcoat by his heart.
~
>Indigo sits in art class, not bothering to skip it since it's actually sort of interesting.
>Doesn't make any effort to do the assignments well, though. Not like she could; she isn't exactly the artsy type.
>Teacher comes up to her with a message.
>...
>Minutes later.
>Knock knock.
"Come in."
>"You wanted to see me?" Indigo enters.
"Yes, go ahead and have a seat."
>She sits down. "Is this about Sour Sweet?"
"Yes."
>She groans.
"Miss Zap, I need to you work with me here. Because this situation is already a really bad one."
>"Obviously."
"What's Sour Sweet been up to around the school?" You ask.
>"Her usual power trips."
"Could've figured. Listen, I know this is going to sound out of left field, but can I ask you a favor?"
>"What do you mean? I did everything I could!"
"I know, I know, but I also know that you're not exactly... what's the word..."
>"What? That I'm sick and tired of her?"
"That works, yeah."
>"Alright, look. I don't want anything to do with this anymore. I'm back on the soccer team, I thank you for that, and I don't want us to get in eachother's ways anymore."
"I want to make a deal with you." You cut to the chase. "Surely you want to put a stop to her having so-called power trips in the school, right?"
>"Not really. Not if they don't affect me."
>Rub your forehead in agitation.
"Alright, well, what if she does make them affect you."
>"She won't."
"How do you know that? We both know what she's like by now, shouldn't we?"
>Indigo looks down and rubs her arm.
"Miss Zap, please. You can't honestly want to just let her get away with these things."
>"I honestly don't see what you're mad about. I mean, you /are/ tapping that, right?"
"I- that doesn't matter! Please just listen to me!" You can't help but raise your voice a little.
>"I'm listening."
"She's out of control, and she's only going to get worse the more we let her run around like she owns the place."
>"Well, the fuck do you want ME to do? Kick her ass?"
"No, I'm not inciting violence. I need you to get information for me."
>Indigo squints. "Don't you have Sugarcoat for that?"
"Sour Sweet's not going to let her get as close as she would you. You and Sour were best friends, right?"
>"Were."
"Well it's close enough. Surely it's more than Sugarcoat."
>"...I guess."
"I just need one thing. All I need is for you to find a way to completely erase that image she has saved. You know which one, I'm not going into detail."
>"Can't you just tell Cadance what happened? She'd listen to you before listening to someone like me, or Sour Sweet. Just be honest about it and make a lot of noise, I don't have to do shit."
"I've seen enough news stories to know how these always go down no matter who takes which side. All it takes is one little ping to the media and they'll blow it up like everything else... like that. And you know it." You continue. "And you don't have to do shit? You basically started this! And it's not like you went and did the thing you suggested either."
>"I told you Cadance ain't gonna listen to me. And YOU know that."
"Yeah well... look, it's just this one thing." You know you can't make her do anything given the position you're in. "Surely you can understand why this needs to happen."
>"I understand but I don't care. This is not my problem anymore. I won't associate with Sour Sweet anymore, but I'm not going to spy on her or anything."
"It's no- okay fine, it is spying, but I need you to do it! You're the only one who can get close enough to take away the stuff she has against me!"
>"What about Sunny?"
"I honestly don't trust her."
>"She's hanging out with Sour Sweet way more than I do. It's only a matter of time before they have their little friend breakup like I did with her."
"I can't count on that! Can you just find a way to get the picture off of her phone? Please?"
>Indigo shakes her head.
"You can stay on the soccer team, too. That's actually part of the deal. Is that the thing you were worried about?"
>"Sort of."
"Well what's the other thing?"
>"I've said it like a million times. I don't want anything to do with her anymore. It's not my problem, I did everything I can do."
"There's still one more thing you could definitely do and it's this."
>She sits in silence, not looking very willing to help you.
"Indigo, please. I'm begging you."
>She keeps her arms crossed.
"You can even... you know... like she does..."
>Indigo almost laughs. "Oh, piss off. I don't want that anymore. I'm sorry I must've led you on before but I'm done with that crap now."
>You get red in the face, and Indigo notices this immediately.
"Okay f-fine... just forget I b-brought that part up. But please!"
>She groans.
"Indigo, please! You know you can pull it off, and you know your friend is actually crazy and needs to be stopped!"
>"Ugh, WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!"
"Shhhh, shhh, please. I'll keep you on the soccer team, and you can still get off the hook for some things as long as it's not Sour Sweet level! We can make this work! I... I'm trying to make this work. I want this to-"
>"Oh, for fuck's sake, fine! I'll... I'll think about it."
>You pause.
>She'll think about it?
"You'll... think about it?"
>"I'll think about it! Okay? Can I go now?"
"...Fine. Good enough for me." You breathe. "Th-thank you."
>"Whatever." She's already stood up and walking to the door.
"Thanks for hearing me out and not leaving anyway."
>Indigo Zap stops at the doorway, slaps herself on the forehead, calls herself stupid under her breath then disappears into the halls.
~
>…
>It’s Wednesday, my dudes.
>Wednesday morning, the first couple of hours, and everyone’s asleep except for one person — Lemon Zest.
>She’s up playing some more computer games like she always does, not too enthusiastic about having to get up for school.
>Figures she’ll just play sick then come to school in the middle of the day after having all the fun she wants.
>She begins to get tired, having clashing sleeping patterns, too tired to be productive. Hopefully tired enough to sleep.
>She has herself a few pizzas and hot pockets from the fridge and/or freezer then heads off after chugging a full small bottle of apple juice.
>She hasn’t been too happy about going back to school, …and heard something about the dean being in trouble?
>Hardly registered this as she remembers all of the things that Gloriosa had told her about running a government, and what she really though of running a government after no longer listening to what Gloriosa was saying and followed her spirit instead in that computer lab.
>School just seems pointless now, rarely anything useful comes out of it. Why waste one’s youth on getting up early to sit next to drama addicted peers taking unmemorable notes just to pass the quizzes and tests only to forget 90% of after the school year is done.
>Slaving away at homework for a good grade, tired at the desk instead of enjoying time and life. Reading and writing walls of text about things one just doesn’t care about and never will.
>All for a college major/job/career/occupation/chains on one’s ankle that are said to define one’s purpose from which they sell their labor. An ascribed definition for a human to play the part of until they’re finally allowed to be truly happy when they’re old, ugly and weak.
>Lemon Zest would rather define herself, and start being happy before her youth runs out.
>Eventually gets to sleep, hearing a voice tell her that she’s going to see into the future as she switches to a song on her playlist.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k25eb9E9V3E
>One late Spring morning. Both late Spring and late morning.
>Green grass sprouts out of the ground, seen from an angle looking upwards towards the blades.
>The bright blue sky painted with some clouds, the breeze brushing by the grass blades.
>A beautiful dragonfly rhythmically weaves between awesome, colorful flowers as everything flashes to complete whiteness with every time the snare drum is hit.
>And dancing through the rays of sun is Lemon Zest, skipping through a valley of grass and flowers in some unfamiliar yellow and green summer blouse and blue-ish denim shorts.
>She is ecstatically chasing the dragonfly in this vivid dreamscape, rushing forth as the warm breeze rushes against her.
>Zest leaps into the air with each snare drum hit, and lands in sync with the bass drum on one foot at a time. Flying in the air every flash of blinding light. She reaches her arms out to the sides in a T-pose with open hands that grab at the wind they will never clutch.
>Then reach for the dragonfly in its flight.
>It buzzes gracefully, Zest endlessly grabs at it as she leaps in the air to the beat. Endlessly until she catches it in her grip after the orchestral section.
>Hold onto it as it disappears into her hand entirely as the interlude of the song starts with what sounds like piano chords.
>Zest drops to her knees in despair for a moment.
>Then the warm legato chords start up as Zest rises to her feet, rises into the air on the first chime of the bell and the beginning of the guitar solo.
>She turns her face to the sky, sprouting dragonfly wings of her own from her back as the beat intensifies again with the guitar solo with it.
>[epic guitar solo]
>Flies higher into the air, majestically gazing down upon the vast landscape with a smile before the guitar solo transitions back to the third verse.
>She flies through the field for a couple more minutes before waking up after crashing into a bush.
>…
>The school day has already begun.
>Indigo Zap is skipping yet another class, remembering what the dean said to her as clear as day in her mind.
>She can't wait to head on over to the cafeteria and grab herself a bagel with cream cheese, maybe some sausage patties if they're serving those today.
>She wanders the halls, making her way to the cafeteria when she notices Sour Sweet blocking her path.
>Just keeps walking, not even thinking about going another route.
>"Hey." Sour Sweet addresses her in a tough voice.
>Steps to the side to keep herself in front of Indigo, slapping her hand onto a locker.
>"What do you want?" Asks Indigo.
>"So you payed the dean a visit yesterday, huh?"
>"What's it to you?"
>"What'd you see him for?"
>"Football."
>"Bullshit. He already got you back on the team before. Why did he call you up to his office?"
>"Oh." Indigo realizes that Sour Sweet is starting to have ears around the school now. "It's like that, huh?"
>"Why were you up there?"
>"Wanted to talk. See if I was alright. Asked if I was happy on the soccer team."
>"Sunny, Sugarcoat and I have nothing to do with the soccer team, you bitch."
>"We didn't only talk about you specifically. Just all of us as friends in general."
>"I went up there yesterday because of the party I'm planning. I got him to give his okay but he spilled the beans about everything." Sour Sweet snarls. "I know, Indy. I know everything."
>Indigo knows that if Sour Sweet really knew what she's implying she knows, she wouldn't get within phone-snatching distance of the girl who's stronger than her.
>"Then you know you're overreacting." Says Indigo. "I can talk to the dean whenever I want."
>"Oh, no you don't. YOU had the chance to rule with me, but you didn't take it. Now Sunny's in your place. And the dean has no reason to be calling you up to his place. This won't happen again, got it?"
>Yup, she thinks she's the toughest student in school now.
>Indigo just makes a mean, annoyed face at her.
>"You blew your chance, Indy! You're nothing but a traitor now. Don't step on my turf. I'll know if you do."
>Indigo's eyes light up, and she balls her hand into a fist and holds it up.
>Sour Sweet looks at the fist and starts shaking in the legs. "I mean it!"
>"Or what?" Indigo coldly says to Sour Sweet. "And you can think we said whatever you want to think we said. As if I still want something to do with this, when I told you a long time ago that I wanted out. HE called ME in. And I just up and left after the talk."
>"Okay, good. So we understand eachother. You won't be going up to his office unless he calls you up. And I'll see about that."
>Indigo feels an agitated tingle in her spine. "I'm going to his office right now just to spite you and you can't stop me, bitch." Indigo turns around and starts walking in the direction of the office. "You can think we said whatever you want to think we said, since you're so paranoid."
>Sour Sweet's eye twitches, she runs around Indigo and blocks her path again.
>But says nothing.
>"Oh, what is it? You gonna kick my ass if I go over?" Asks Indigo.
>"I'll get him to take you off the soccer team. Serves you right for being a traitor."
>"If I'm a traitor and don't belong on the team, then I guess it's fitting for me to tell everyone you're fucking him and get him fired like I did to Sombra. Then what'll you do? Deny it?"
>"...Y-you think that was clever, don't you?"
>Indigo just made a decision in her head.
>A decision that makes her wonder if Sour Sweet's phone is the only place where the picture is. She should sometime make sure.
>"I'm going to his office to spite you. No, I won't talk about you but feel free to believe I did."
>Sour Sweet growls and grits her teeth.
>"But hey, if you wanna convince me to stop, you give me second in command over Sunny like I apparently want so badly."
>Sour Sweet hesitates. "Like I'm gonna trust YOU over her. At least she doesn't stab me in the back."
>"You know what else she doesn't do? Try to stab people in real life with a real knife." Indigo replies. "You think I 'betrayed' you for no reason? You think I call you dangerous for no reason?"
>...
>"Listen, if you really want us to see eye to eye, then we'll have to form the pact again. But now... seeing that you're still more batshit insane than usual, fuck that. Unless you're gonna put me in second in command over Sunny. But I'm not gonna let you push me around like a bully."
>Sour Sweet just angrily stares at Indigo as the other girl walks around her.
>"I'll get him to tell everything you said."
>"Oh, please. I already know you're gonna eavesdrop outside the door. Or rather, knowing you, just walk in during the middle of it all."
>"I see you still know me well."
>"Whatever. I'm going to his office. I hope you're eavesdropping so you can hear all the super mean things I'm gonna say about you."
>Sour Sweet stands confused, not sure what to do about the move Indigo just took.
>Several seconds after Indigo turns the corner, Sour Sweet follows, lightly on her feet.
>Indigo quickly pulls out her phone and types a little note and stuffs it away before Sour Sweet can see her have her phone out.
>Sour Sweet stays behind, stalking a very aware Indigo Zap.
>...
>Here you sit broken hearted at your desk.
>Knock knock.
"Come in." You consider getting an answering machine and recording yourself saying this.
>"Hiya." Indigo Zap hastily enters.
"Hello. What's up?"
>She doesn't say anything; just holds her phone up with a message typed on the screen.
>[sour listening but im in, stay quiet]
"Uh... so what can I do for ya today?"
>"It's about the soccer team. The... well, football team."
"What about it?"
>"I was wondering..." Indigo seems to be putting something together in her head as she talks. "if I could get bumped up to one of the top players of the team. Like we talked about last time."
>She winks.
"Top players of the team?" You quickly catch onto what's probably going on, and process what the note meant.
>Oh shit, she's actually going to help you!
"I uh... I thought I said that it's up to the coach to do that."
>"Well can you get into the files and do it? She doesn't wanna do it."
>The fake conversation goes on.
>This boring day just got a little interesting.
"Well, I suppose I can pull a few strings for you." You say. "Alright, yeah, that works."
>Your mood has increased by three times or something.
>"Alright, that's all I needed. Thanks." Indigo gets up and walks out.
>And wouldn't you know it, there's Sour Sweet standing right there outside the door. Wow, what a surprise.
>"Oh, hey. Was just on my way up here for something." Sour Sweet politely says as Indigo walks out. "In fact..." She follows Indigo for a hot second.
>"Still gonna 'stop' me?" Says Indigo.
>The two have a quick little back and forth under their breaths before parting ways once more.
>"You're in dangerous territory. Just sayin'." Says Sour.
>"I am the danger."
>"No, you're not. Stay out of my territory."
>"I'm gonna knock you out one day."
>"I bet you will, bitch."
>And just like that, the door closes with Sour Sweet inside and Indigo Zap walking through the halls.
>...
>Lemon Zest finally enters the building.
>Struts through the back doors of the cafeteria and sits herself down during one of the lunch periods and has a cheeseburger with chocolate milk for breakfast.
>Soon realizes that this is not the usual lunch period she eats at and looks around for alternative people to chat it up with as she inevitably ignores them in favor of her music.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAgnJDJN4VA
>She sits down and looks around as she’s chewing her food.
>There are many people feasting on this holiday that is coming up. Many villages prepare elegant banquets.
>Zest rides on horseback in each of their directions, asking if they will let her feast with them.
>She stands there with burger in hand, milk in the other.
>Nodding her head to timeless rock beats and riffs.
>Everyone seems to be occupied with their own affairs.
>Regardless, the musical warrior is allowed to visit all of the mess halls of the various clans.
>The elves, the goblins, the ogres… the giants, the dwarves.
>But something catches Zest’s attention… something she recognizes. A peculiar purple garb that she saw back at the Duke’s castle.
>It’s Suri, and her squire Coco is right there with her.
>Looking around, Zest realizes that this is not the season during which the Valkyrie with Two Helmets comes to these lands to feast with the wealthiest princess in their festive celebrations.
>Opportunity has fallen into the warrior’s lap, as unexpected as can be.
>Zest begins to ride up the mountain as the songs continue… walking over to the lunch table to ask if she can sit with them.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aQRq9hhekA
>She climbs up a steep cliff, almost on a vertical surface with little to grab onto.
>Using a combination of the strength of her legs and some kind of magic to hold her horse beneath her and lift it with her.
>They can hear Zest climbing. Many can, cheering and blaring trumpets of light at the warrior to encourage her to use all of the strength she has to make it to the top.
>The light from the trumpets forms small recreative images of the musical warrior on the end facing away from her, forever preserving the vision of her undergoing such a feat that requires maximum physical exertion.
>The other students are taking out their phones and filming Zest sliding across the floor like a slug over to Suri’s lunch table.
>Zest can hear them squabbling about, whispering to one another when the other sounds of the world around them are too quiet to mask the sounds of their voices talking normally.
>And finally, Zest makes it to the top, leaving her horse tied to a post as she walks forth mostly out of breath from the climb, but her stern gaze falls upon the other warriors that sit at the table with Suri and Coco.
>They can tell she is like them to an extent, they wave to her and welcome her to the feast.
>Zest approaches the head of the table where Suri is seated, waves hello with her sword heavily slung over her back and swaying with momentum.
>”What brings you here, great warrior of music?” Suri asks from her high throne with Coco by her side.
>”I wish to join you in your banquet, if you do not mind.” Zest’s voice booms over the loud chatter of the thunder and lightning. “Yo, can I sit with you?”
>”We kindly accept.” Suri responds. “Sure.” She goes back to the tuna sandwich she’s eating.
>Zest plops herself onto the bench with a loud, forceful bang, almost catapulting the other girls sitting at the table into the air with the force of it all.
>”So…” Another girl says. “You wanna sit with us, huh?”
>”It’s fine. She isn’t hurting anyone, Upper Crust.” Suri tells the concerned girl. “Besides, I’m liking the headphones look. I think I need to get a few good angles of this.”
>Zest can’t really hear her, only head-banging a little more before she feels her tap her on the shoulder.
>Tap tap.
>”Yeah?”
>”This might sound strange, but… I like that look your headphones give you.” Suri says. “Your helmet is the most glorious piece of armor I have seen in all the lands.”
>”Thanks, dude.” Zest doesn’t stop headbanging. “I am grateful for your compliment.”
>”You don’t mind of I get a few good angles of it so I can recreate it for something, do you?” Suri pulls out her phone.
>”I do not mind.” Zest replies.
>”LET ME PLAY YOU THE SONG OF MY PEOPLE!”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY
>The trumpet sounds rather soft and quiet, but Zest tilts her head in all the necessary directions to make the light from the trumpet reflect off of her head in the right ways to refract into a rainbow and shoot across the lands in a glorious beam.
>The rainbow parts the clouds, clashing with the sun rays that come crashing through with a deafening boom.
>Lightning slowly rises form the ground, and the hands of the dead follow it as the powers from Zest’s helmet enrich the soil.
>As this happens, Zest remembers the dream she had… about the valley full of flowers, the sun that was shining onto her face as she chased the dragonfly.
>Those clouds were floating so peacefully through the air, somewhat like these blackening clouds that show a storm is coming.
>The are the black clouds of a memory of a mission. They are peaceful, but loom bearing an important, grim message.
>They show the flower warrior from long ago, Gloriosa.
>Telling Zest that she needs to send the royal queen of the fabrics to her, to her holy garden for a ritual that only happens once every ten thousand years among her people.
>What if the Valkyrie’s corruption runs deeper than previously conceived?
>”Hey uh, I got something to ask you too.” Zest starts off with her headphones slightly off so she can hear in a conversation. “You’re doing a fashion show or something, right?”
>”We’re designing one, yes.” Suri answers with a glance over to Coco Pommel.
>”You know, I got this really neat idea. About really upping the pizzaz to your design you have in mind.”
>Suri looks at Lemon Zest, befuddled.
>”You know, like we can have someone put a bunch of flowers and shit in your outfits to make it all pretty and stuff.”
>”…Flowers… and shit?”
>”Oh, uh, not shit, obviously.” Zest corrects herself as a couple of other girls laugh silently. “Nah, what? I meant just flowers!”
>They laugh together a little.
>”Okay, but seriously, I saw those costumes you were carrying. You think they’d work well with flowers on them?”
>”I dunno. What kind of flowers? Do… do they cost money?”
>”Nah.”
>Lemon Zest continues to bargain with the queen, soon convincing her to travel with her to the great garden once the times of the banquets have come to an end.
>”So tomorrow, yeah?” Zest starts off.
>”Sure, that works. I guess. Wow, you seem suddenly enthusiastic about this.” Comments Upper Crust. “What happened? You go from starring in the friendship games to listening to music and picking flowers?”
>Suri giggles.
>”Hell yeah.” Zest responds with a confident nod.
>The other girls fall silent but still continue to snicker.
>Zest just slips her headphones back on and imagines them cheering for her as they agree to see what her whole fuss regarding flowers is about.
>…
~
>End of the school day.
>And yet, hours later, Zest is still slipping her headphones on.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5rfPISIwo
>Zest now runs on foot as her horse is safely in the stable, the Indigo Warrior by her side having no one else to walk beside in a time of great divisiveness.
>Goes downtown/the more populated areas of the world where there are more city-states that feud with one another.
>They take a stroll downtown to the tallest castles they could fine, many kings and queens reside here.
>There is a sacred relic they seek; a type of orb that can remember what a person says into it, and gives the owner a vision quest of what it saw upon request.
>They need to get a tape recorder, one separate form their phones.
>The Indigo warrior leads Zest through the mountain passes inhabited by numerous flying dragons.
>These dragons are fierce dangerous, the warriors must wait until the spot they’re in have no more dragons flying by it in order to cross to the other side of the narrow valleys.
>Lemon Zest defends the Indigo Warrior from extensively trained guerilla fighters that hide within the trees — rogue elves.
>Scorned from their kingdoms, exiled into the wilderness where they feel like they belong and can live more efficiently.
>There is a temple that Indigo knows of… the Radio Shack. They have this sacred orb.
>Zest does not know the purpose for which the Indigo warrior needs this orb, but she is determined to retrieve it, and she could use a good adventure once more to get her adrenaline rushing.
>They stride together, bumping their shoulder armor together and fist-bumping before entering a clear spot from the trees where the archers can see them.
>And the arrows start raining down right away.
>Cover from the rain is scarce, but Zest pulls Indigo under the shelter of a nearby porch where a convenience store.
>”What the hell are you doing?” Indigo gripes. “The Radio Shack is right there!”
>”It is not safe!” Zest shouts.
>”MY armor is far too thick not to be able to bear the brunt of the arrows. I cannot die in this!”
>”…Let me stand behind you, then.”
>…
>Indigo gives Zest one look and gives her an annoyed sigh.
>Lemon Zest shouts and cheers in fortitude as Indigo Zap shields her from the raindrops as she walks up to the radio shack to buy a tape recorder.
>Oh, Indigo is gearing up, alright.
>…
>During the long hours after the school day has concluded.
>Some students are left over in the gymnasium, on top of ladders and carrying mountains of supplies as Sour Sweet stands in the middle watching them closely.
>”Make sure it’s centered!” Sour Sweet reminds Jet Set, staring up at him.
>”But… you put the ladder here! And I’m putting something up on the wall.”
>”So?”
>”We’d have to move the ladder if it’s not centered!”
>”Just lean a little! I already approximated and I’ll check to make sure it’s doing fine!”
>”But I can see-”
>”Hurry up! Stop wasting all the time!” Sour Sweet fights the urge to shake the ladder with her hands.
>Jet set finishes plastering the duct tape to the gym wall.
>”Let’s get this done BEFORE Friday! Okay?”
>From the other side of the gym, Cold Forecast walks up to Sour Sweet with a bag full of candles.
>”Hey, uh…”
>”Yes?” Sour Sweet turns around with a soft voice and a smile.
>”How many feet apart are these supposed to be?” Asks Cold Forecast.
>”Oh, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure they look even enough and they’re right against the wall so they’re harder to knock over. Knock yourself out!”
>Sour Sweet clamps her hands together and happily spazzes out a little from the excitement, imagining those candles being the only source of light in the whole room.
>Hears a couple of sounds behind herself. Turns around to see the ladder starting to tilt.
>”Whoa…. oh no…” Jet Set clings onto whatever balance he can.
>”It’s okay! It’s okay! I gotcha!” Sour Sweet holds the ladder still as firmly as she can. “It’s alright. Come on down, you’ve spent enough time trying to balance like that.”
>”We… ah… need to get a new ladder.” Jet set makes his way back down, sweating bullets after he was sure he was going to break his legs or worse.
>He hits his feet onto the ground with a loud grunt, catching his glasses as they fall off.
>”I’ll say. I was soooo worried that you were gonna fall.” Sour Sweet apologizes. “I’m so sorry this thing doesn’t have any sturdiness.”
>”I should ask the dean if there’s funds for new equip-”
>”NO!” Sour Sweet interrupts, her sudden shriek echoing throughout the gym and making everyone else freeze. “I, uh, I mean… I’ll go to the dean. Don’t you worry about it, I’ll take care of it.”
>”Ah, okay. Thanks!”
>”No problem!” Sour Sweet smiles at him until he turns his back and walks away. “You should have kept your balance better.” She mutters almost silently.
>A couple of minutes later, Sour Sweet’s voice echoes through the gym once again.
>”No, no no no!” She stomps over to Cold Forecast. “STOP!”
>”What’d I do?”
>”Go back and make the candles more even!”
>”You said it didn’t matter.”
>”It doesn’t matter /that much/, but still make it look somewhat decent, gosh! You got all those in the corner all bunched up!” Sour Sweet points and criticizes before swaying her arm across the room. “And the ones along the wall are too far apart!”
>”I’m sorry, I’ll-”
>”You have to go back!”
>”Uh, right, right.” Cold Forecast grimaces in the direction of Sour Sweet as she turns away, then turns herself to go fix the candles.
>”Sour Sweet?” Fleur De Lise is the one to approach now.
>”Yeah?” Sour Sweet sternly replies.
>”What about the classes that have gym class tomorrow?”
>”Funny you’re asking that, since you never do anything in gym class.” Sour Sweet comments. “But if you must know, I already took care of that. No gym class for any of us tomorrow. I pulled some strings and decided to be nice. Y’all get to relax and stuff tomorrow!”
>This kind of stuff goes on for over an hour.
>…
>It’s finally over, and Sour Sweet can rest assured that the decorations are already set up.
>She struts out the door after the other annoyed students leave because they can’t stand her anymore. “Oh hi, Indy!” she cutely waves. “What’s up?”
>”Hey.” Indigo approaches somewhat carefully. “Can we talk?”
>”Sure!”
>Sour Sweet is too taken away by a sense of accomplishment for the day to have any second thoughts about this. She walks with Indigo and follows her out towards the baseball field where they both sit down on the bleachers.
>”What’s happenin’, girl?” Sour Sweet asks.
>”I don’t really know how else to say this, but I feel bad about everything I did before.” Indigo brings up. “I mean, it’s not like I didn’t see it before, but I was kind of on edge, and I guess I realized how much of a bitch I was being.”
>”You’re talking about the dean thing, right?”
>”…Yeah…”
>”Oh, you don’t have to apologize to me, Indy. I already forgive you. I can’t stay mad at a friend.”
>Indigo gives this stance on the matter in Sour Sweet’s head two hours to live. “Yeah, well I wanna apologize anyway. Because I feel that bad about it. I’m sorry, Sweetie.” Indigo lowers her head. “I really am.”
>”Awww, apology accepted, Indy. Whether it was necessary or not, it’s accepted.” She reaches over and hugs the other girl.
>Indigo feels a tingle from the feeling of Sour Sweet hugging her, and plays it right into the act. “Eh… heh…” She awkwardly chuckles.
>”What is it?”
>”I was sorta wondering if… well… this is gonna be hard to ask.”
>”Ask away!”
>”Well, since the whole dean thing is done and over with, I was wondering if we could, you know, reform the pact. You know, like you talked about before you had the dean.”
>Sour Sweet’s smile only gets wider, but her voice doesn’t follow. “Ohhhhh, so it’s like that, huh? You fiiiiiinaly came crawling back.”
>”Yeah, I get it. It’s already embarrassing enough for me. I’ve been doing some thinking today about how I’ve been sort of a crappy friend to you. And I wanna make it up to you once and for all. Let’s team up and get close again.”
>Sour Sweet just smiles at her.
>”You know, like the way we… did before…”
>Sour Sweet starts to laugh. “Hah! You really do wanna go back to that, huh?” She reaches her arms up and stretches to tease Indigo. “Well, I’m afraid it’s already said and done. We don’t need any pacts anymore.”
>”But what about being friends?”
>”Oh, we’re still friends. I guess, I mean, obviously.” Sour Sweet answers. “Buuuuuut, if you remember the conversation we had a couple of hours ago, the pact can’t happen again. Like you said, I already got the dean and that’s over now. Sunny’s my right hand girl now.”
>Indigo puts on a sad face and doesn’t speak.
>”I’m sorry, Indy. But you blew your chance.”
>”Please? Even if I don’t get to be second in command, can we at least still make amends? I really feel like it will put the water under the bridge.”
>Wow, Indigo’s sad voice sounds convincing. Regardless, it doesn’t seem like Sour Sweet is buying it. To put it lightly.
>Sour Sweet coldly bursts out laughing at Indigo. “You really are desperate! How pathetic!” She stands up. “I should have known you would only want power once I got some.”
>”This isn’t about power!” Indigo says to her. “I want to do this because… I think I…”
>”Oh, shut up, already. You’re not gonna convince me. Sunny’s not a traitor, and you are. End of fucking story.” She walks away, feeling like the tougher girl. “Such a sore loser, gosh.”
>”I think I love you!”
>Sour Sweet stops dead in her tracks.
>There’s a long moment of silence before Indigo continues.
>”There! I said it! I fucking love you, Sweetie. I can’t help it. Okay?” Indigo stays seated, feet firmly planted because she’s lying. “I’m sorry I was a bitch to you and I feel like shit about it because I’m starting to like you more than ever. I wouldn’t even care if you had Cadance under your thumb! I wouldn’t care if you failed, I’d come back and be the best friend I could be to you and-”
>”Fuck off, Indy.” Sour Sweet remembers the time when Indigo walked out her front door, thirsty to settle the score from that.
>”I’m sorry!” Indigo’s intensity put into the act only makes Sour Sweet grin more as she walks away.
>And wouldn’t you know it, it starts to rain.
>OF COURSE.
>Sour Sweet gradually disappears into the distance. The scattered raindrops are the only drops that exist outside of Sour Sweet’s imagination; Indigo’s face is bone dry as it snarls with the might to try again.
>She looks up as the raindrops become more frequent, letting them hit her face.
>She then gets up and sprints after Sour Sweet.
>A minute later, Sour Sweet hear frantic footsteps coming towards her from across the parking lot as she unlocks her car.
>”Sweetie!” Indigo runs up to her.
>”Go away! I gotta get out of the rain! My hair’s getting messed up!”
>Sour Sweet spins around before Indigo has a chance to spin her around herself.
>She takes one look at Indigo’s face.
>Assumes there’s tears lost forever in those raindrops as Indigo makes the saddest expression she can.
>”I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Indigo tries to sound exactly like how Sour Sweet did before as she hugs her. “It’s all my fault! I’m sorry!”
>Sour Sweet feels a bit of wrenching in her heart as Indigo Zap pretends to cry.
>But she forces herself to stay strong, stronger than the girl that’s still stronger than her.
>”I have to go, Indy.”
>She steps in and closes the door.
>Can barely see the details on Indigo’s face through the window, but imagines the most heartbroken face her brain can muster up.
>Drives away… and that’s it.
~
>Middle of the night.
>Indigo sleeps soundly in her bed.
>Everything seems to be fine, and-
>[sharp buzzing noises]
>Indigo’s eyes shoot open, she reaches over to the nightstand to see who it is that just texted here and… of course.
>[INDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY…]
>Sour Sweet changed her mind and misses her. What a surprise.
>Now she wants to come over.
>Indigo replies with a “fine” before covering her ears, knowing what’s coming.
>The car horn continuously blares outside seconds later.
>Tape recorder hidden, Indigo Zap watches Sour Sweet clumsily stumble up the stairs calling her name.
>The door is closed and locked.
~
>The light isn’t even turned on, but there’s just enough light from the window for the two girls to see eachother’s silhouettes.
>”I’m sorry, Indy! I was just so mad you betrayed me like that.” Sour Sweet locks Indigo into a tight hug.
>Indigo embraces her back, thinking about the phone and maybe Sour Sweet’s home computer or something.
>If she’s really going to do this, she has to make sure she knows enough information and is in the right place at the right time to do this all in one clean sweep.
>Time to get closer.
>”Look, you’re right to have been mad. I was being too much of a hothead myself. And I should have stayed by my word and kept out of it.”
>”We lost sight of what we wanted.” Sour Sweet says to the other girl. “We should never let that happen again.”
>They hug again, and Indigo knows what this is coming to, just like the last time. She wonders if Sour Sweet is going to try to use it as some sort of power move again.
>”So what have you really been up to?” Sour Sweet begins, partially jokingly.
>Indigo stares at her. “Soccer team, of course.”
>”Really?”
>”Well why do you still not believe me? You heard me say all the stuff about being the top player, right?”
>”I didn’t think that was a thing.”
>”Well it is.”
>Now they silently stare at the shapes of eachother’s heads, thinking the same thing but for different reasons.
>”So are we cool again?” Indigo Zap asks as though this is the first time it’s brought up.
>Sour Sweet reaches over and flips the nearby lamp on.
>It’s dim like a candle, but that only makes the light hit Indigo’s body with even more detail.
>”Oh…” Sour Sweet realizes she walked in on Indigo when she wasn’t decently dressed, but only cares for about half a second.
>”I was uh… thinking about you just now.” Indigo makes up a lie.
>She stands there with the only piece of clothing on her body being a thin white tank top that barely goes down to her bellybutton.
>Molding to the slightly moist skin of her toned body.
>Even Sour Sweet can’t help but bite her lip a little too much for Indigo not to notice.
>And Indigo smiles, moving forward and backing sour Sweet up to the wall even though she’s supposed to be the powerful one.
>The candle light traps them both in the room, they stare at eachother and find themselves atop the bed within the minute.
>There’s a stripping race that Sour Sweet wins because she has less clothes on the other girl to take off.
>”Thinkin’ about me in bed, huh?” Sour Sweet grins as she peels the one tank top off.
>”The fuck you think? Shut up and help me finish thinkin’ about you in bed.”
>…A minute later…
>The head of the bed knocks against the wall by two naked bodies, the feet getting removed clothes stuck under the wooden legs that shift around loosely on the carpet.
>Indigo makes Sour Sweet be the first one to get out of breath as she climbs on top, making herself sweat more.
>”Just like old times, eh.”
>Neither of them even bother going under the covers, they let the dim candle light and the warmth they help eachother accumulate keep them cozy.
>Sour Sweet tries to keep herself quiet so she can listen to Indigo’s breathing when it inevitably gets heavier as well.
>She’s on her back with her legs tangled with Indigo’s legs, and she begins to grunt with her mouth closed until Indigo’s tongue parts her lips.
>Allowing herself to be overtaken by the crotch for this one night but only because it feels good and she wants it.
>The moonlight outside mixes with the candle light, making the glistening bodies glow as they move back and forth, crumpling up the bed sheets and dampening them with sweat and juices.
>There’s no doggy style when it’s two girls; they face eachother and breathe against one another.
>Staring into eachother’s eyes and watching them go wild with pleasure.
>Indigo’s eyes hiding a pack of changing lies that Sour Sweet’s deranged eyes are too blinded by lust to see.
>A race to see who can make the other cum first beg- Indigo wins. Her grip on Sour Sweet was just too much for the girl to keep her composure under.
>Sour Sweet shudders under Indigo’s weight, failing to keep quiet and convulsing with her moisture making a tiny spot Indigo’s bedsheets.
>Hits her head on the backboard but doesn’t feel a thing but the climax.
>The bed creaks rapidly, and then slower and Sour Sweet is drained of all of her energy like she was just exorcised of all of the demons within.
>She lies back with her inverted nipples pointing to the ceiling. There’s no longer any chill in the air that would have made them erect anyway.
>Indigo gazes down at the limp-bodies girl and grabs her by the thighs.
>Locks the legs again more firmly and mashes herself into Sour Sweet’s drooling vulva to keep her promise that she would finish thinking about her in the bed.
>Making Sour Sweet sigh and giggle and squirm around from the waist up where she’s able to move all she wants.
>Her hair ruffled from brushing back the pillow and bedsheets in the humidity in the room.
>Breasts swaying in the candle light.
>Indigo makes sure she one-ups Sour Sweet’s climax, even being sure to cry out louder than her as she lunges herself over the edge.
>Doesn’t even care if her bed breaks. It almost does. The wall certainly got fucked up somehow from all this, she knows it without seeing anything but hearing the drywall taking damage.
>She shudders and throws her head back with her nose to the ceiling.
>Flings her head forward with the strength of her neck and lets her hair fall onto her face, eyes lidded and going crazy over Sour Sweet’s voluptuous form below her.
>Holds her breath and fails to have the room silent with squishing and splashing noises that any pervert can recognize and get off to.
>…
>It’s been some number of minutes.
>”I… missed this…” Sour Sweet breathes with her chest rising and falling.
>”Heh, you think YOU missed this? What about me?”
>”I missed it more!”
>”Nuh-uh!”
>They weakly play-wrestle on the bed until the little energy they gained in the last few minutes escapes them and they nearly fall asleep.
>”Remember… way back…” Sour Sweet begins before Indigo can go back to sleep. “When I said all that stuff about having it made?”
>”What you mean?”
>”I finally have everything I wanted in life.” Sour Sweet blurts anyway without listening much. “Oh, Indy. Why did we have to fight before?” She rolls over and kisses Indigo on the lips again. “Let’s keep the promise this time. I don’t ever wanna stop being friends with you.”
>”I think we’re more than just friends if we’re doing all this.”
>”Then I don’t wanna stop being fuckbuddies with you. Whatever the hell we are right now, I don’t wanna stop.”
>”Works for me.”
>”We’re fucking queens, Indy. We gonna rule the school together. Just like I told you. And you can’t say no because it already worked. We ain’t gettin’ in trouble.” Sour Sweet boops noses with Indigo with a laugh. “Sugarcoat ain’t shit.”
>”Nah, she ain’t. Especially not when we’re teamed up.” Indigo pauses. “Hold on… what about Sunny?”
>”Oh shit. I forgot.”
>”Hey uh, look, I don’t wanna cause any riffs between you two. I-”
>Sour Sweet shushes her. “She may know what we do in bed, but she doesn’t have to know what we do in bed means anything.”
>Indigo widens her eyes. “You… you mean it? We’re actually doing this?”
>”She’s second in command and you’re… one-and-a-half in command.”
>Indigo raises an eyebrow. “Really?”
>They both laugh heartily.
>”Hey, now. She’s obviously not fucking with me like you are. Not like she could anyway, weak ass bitch.” Says Sour Sweet. “Tell you what. I’ll just have her do all the dirty diplomatic work so you don’t have to.”
>”Oh…. my gosh, yes! We should have decided on this fuckin’… hundreds of years ago!” Indigo has to resist the idea of this being a genuinely good thing to her.
>She still knows that Sour Sweet can go batshit in the blink of an eye. She can’t be trusted.
>The scissoring was only for diplomatic purposes.
>D i p l o m a t i c .
>”Indy…” Sour sweet sighs.
>”Yeah?“
>”I uh… I don’t know how to say this but… I don’t think I’ve been this happy before.”
>”I think I feel the same way.”
>”No, really, like, I really don’t think I’ve been this happy before. I was… I was so worried when you didn’t want to be friends anymore. I didn’t think it’d be worth it if I pulled through.”
>”Yeah, well…”
>”I’m not going to lie, I questioned if I should have gone through with it and did what I did with the dean. I dunno, I guess I feel bad about it. Since, you know, he seems to feel pretty bad about it.”
>”Well if I’m honest, you sort of put him in a tight situation.”
>”Well yeah, you’re right. But… you know… Cinch and all… I dunno, I was about to say the shit I said before but… it sounds different coming out after I… released.”
>”So, like, how is it overall you feel about it now?”
>Sour Sweet lets out another sigh. “I don’t know. It’s starting to feel like I didn’t need to do all these things to be happy in life. But with Cinch gone, I didn’t think I’d get a chance like that again.”
>Indigo is carefully listening for any changes in tome that might indicate her changing her mind again.
>”I just guess I don’t know what’s been coming over me.”
>She pauses a few times in between talking, but Indigo can hear Sour Sweet’s voice starting to get choked up.
>”Whoa, hey, hey… everything’s fine.” Indigo tells her.
>Sour Sweet shakes her head. “No, it’s not. I should have known I had you all along, but I wanted to control the school instead.” There’s tears starting to make her eyes glisten more.
>”W-what?”
>”I shouldn’t have gotten my happiness this way. I didn’t care how the dean felt, I just wanted power. I can only imagine what he thinks of me.”
>Indigo doesn’t know what to say.
>”I… I just want to thank you for making me feel like I made some kind of right choice by coming back tonight. I wanted to tell you right away but… you know.”
>Sour Sweet must have been crying about this before she got here.
>”Listen, it was really risky what you did, but it’s over now.” Indigo is really just too tired to say much, she can hardly think straight.
>Sour Sweet woke her up in the middle of the night and they had sex; that in and of itself doesn’t sound real.
>”But you’re welcome.” Indigo continues. “But please don’t scare me like that again. With the dean and all.”
>”I need to control myself.”
>”Hey, come on, come on, don’t cry.” Indigo lets Sour sweet melt in her arms and holds her close.
>She can tell from Sour Sweet’s tone that she’s feeling the weight of everything she did pressing down onto her shoulders.
>Finally pressing down.
>”What kind of friend does what I did?”
>”Don’t think about that anymore. We need to go past all that now and keep things calm so it doesn’t spiral out of control. You have the dean doing what you want, fine, I won’t say anything else on that but…”
>In truth, Indigo doesn’t really know where this is even coming from.
>But Sour Sweet still nuzzles her face into her shoulder and lets her teardrops smear onto her skin.
>She certainly sounds sorry, even though it’s out of nowhere.
>Meanwhile, Indigo just wants to sleep. Too tired to be angry or even skeptical now.
>She’s almost completely certain that Sour Sweet is not going to feel this way in the morn-
>”It’s all my fault, Indy! It’s not your fault, it’s mine! It would have stopped if I just stayed out of it!” Sour Sweet lets her emotions flow out as she buries her face again. “I can’t control myself! I should have let you help me. I was so stubborn!”
>Indigo stares through her blurry fatigue at the ceiling.
>Head’s starting to hurt.
>”Do you want to sleep on it?” She asks Sour Sweet.
>There are a few sniffles followed by a nod.
>Indigo looks into Sour Sweet’s eyes and sees not a trace of the deranged madness that was there before.
>She sees tears and regret.
>And the other girl’s eyelids close over that regret as she silently agrees to fall asleep in her friend’s arms.
>”We’ll talk more in the morning, okay?” Indigo mutters. “You and me.”
>Sour Sweet nods, holding Indigo in a warm embrace she never knew she needed so badly.
>Her thoughts spin, questioning everything she’s done.
>Thinking about the time she looked out the window at the clouds, wondering when she’s find her comfy place in life.
>Thinking about how she feels like she’s there now, in the arms of the girl who disowned her but a short time ago only to being her back and bring her the joy she’s felt tonight.
>Joy she could feel without taking over a school.
>Joy that was threatened by her lust for power, threatened by her tearing herself away from her friend with that lust for power driving her.
>Sour Sweet is almost certain she’ll dream of the mistakes she’s made.
>And she’s completely certain that she doesn’t deserve forgiveness for them; yet here she is in Indigo’s arms.
>Given the second chance at THIS happiness she didn’t deserve.
>There’s a gentle whisper promising for amends to be made official in the morning, from one of the girls, then both of them.
>…
>The sun rays jut through the blinds.
>Morning.
>Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap wake up together.
>The bed extremely warm from their body heat and the activities that brought them to this body heat.
>”…Indy?”
>Sour Sweet can barely open her eyes.
>”I’m right here.” Indigo answers.
>”I… that was… amazing.”
>Indigo smirks and lets out a chuckle. “C’mon, really?”
>”Hey, that wasn’t that corny!”
>”That’s even a common thing characters say after sex in Family Guy!”
>”Family Guy doesn’t count. Like, for anything ever.”
>The two aren’t hesitant to start their dumb little back and forth they usually do.
>They banter with eachother and laugh for several minute, holding no doubts in their minds that they are indeed friends once again.
>Granted with something extra but that part doesn’t truly matter.
>”So I’m still second in command, right?” Indigo asks.
>Sour Sweet sighs again and looks out the window towards the morning light.
>Giving the window a sentimental look and hesitating to answer Indigo.
>”S-sweetie?”
>”Do you think I really need everything else?” Sour Sweet asks.
>”What do you mean?”
>”The thing with the dean. And the whole school. I uh, I want a second opinion.”
>”Well am I second in command?”
>”You’re one-and-a-half in command, remember? That way Sunny’s thing doesn’t change.” Sour Sweet reminds her. “So what do you think? Do I really deserve all this?”
>Indigo sits up in the bed.
>Oh… right. They’re both still naked.
>Sour Sweet starts mirin.
>Indigo pulls Sour Sweet’s side of the covers off.
>They both start to giggle.
>”No, really, though.” Sour Sweet continues. “Be honest.”
>”Well I was just scared you’d get us all in trouble. Like, as in expelled.”
>”But I didn’t, though.”
>”Yeah, we got lucky, I guess. But eh… I still feel kinda bad for the dean though.”
>”And I still agree.” Admits Sour Sweet. “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sugarcoat is pissed off with us.”
>”When is she not?”
>”Truuuuuuue.”
>Indigo knows there’s no way it’s going to be this simple.
>Talking Sour Sweet out of something like this? That has about a trap’s chance at virginity in a prison shower at happening.
>”It’s just that I’ve never been this satisfied before.” Sour Sweet says to Indigo. “And I didn’t even need the school to share this with you. I dunno, I feel like I made everything go down the wrong timeline or something… because I’m happy and others are miserable.”
>”You uh… wanna kinda let the dean go and have things go back to normal?” Asks Indigo.
>”It’s too late for that, Indy. I’m in too deep.” The remorse can be felt in Sour Sweet’s tone. “The second I drop everything, I’ll get expelled and everyone will hate me.”
>”I thought you didn’t care if ever- eh, well… I guess I see where you’re coming from.”
>Sour Sweet’s voice grows more and more fatigued sounding. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Indy. I feel like I messed up and now I can’t go back without losing everything.”
>She gets out of bed and stands by the window.
>Pulling the blinds up without caring if anyone walking by to see.
>”Sweetie!”
>”What? You’re in the bed, no one can see you.”
>”But it’s still in MY house! And MY roo- wait, nevermind.”
>”Yeah, it’s not a secret anymore, remember?”
>”Well uh, yeah, that is kinda my doing. Heh.”
>”It’s fine, I’m already over it. I deserve way worse than that anyway.”
>”Hey, now. Don’t tell yourself that.” Indigo gets out of bed without thinking twice about it. “Let’s just start over from what happened. You can just not do anything with the dean and leave him to the things he does.”
>”I dunno, it feels just as bad because the damage is always going to be already done. And it’s all my fault. I could have just made out friendship come to… here… without all of the power-hungry bullshit I did.”
>”C’mon, don’t cry.”
>”No! I deserve every reason to cry! Because I’ve always gotten away with the shadiest shit in my life and never learned how to just be normal or even just decent as a person!” Sour Sweet raises her voice with tears filling her eyes.
>Indigo finds it confusing to think of a way to get to deleting the picture on Sour Sweet’s phone.
>And hugging the girl from behind isn’t exactly helping her stay focused on the plan.
>Sour Sweet probably already has it saved somewhere else, so it’s not like snatching the phone now would be a sure fire way to do this, even if she was 100% feeling it.
>”I don’t know what’s wrong with me. All I wanted was to control my life instead of just be another face in the crowd doing what they’re told.” Weeps Sour Sweet. “But I went overboard and started shit I can’t finish.”
>Indigo just holds her as she has some kind of emotional breakdown… that might disappear completely within the hour.
>”I don’t know if I should be happy because we’re so close now or if I should hate myself for not doing this sooner!”
>”Face me, Sweetie.” Indigo turns her around.
>Indigo takes one look at Sour Sweet’s face and wipes the mascara smear lines away. “The best thing we can do is move on.”
>”What about the dean?”
>Indigo almost repeats herself, but then remembers what she originally came here to do despite feeling a nude Sour Sweet embracing her. “If you feel it’s right, I think you should delete the picture so it’s off of your conscience.”
>”Wh…what?”
>”The picture. The one you feel bad about. It can’t bother you if it’s not there anymore. And you don’t have to tell the dean so he doesn’t expel you, and you can leave him be if it still bothers you.”
>Sour Sweet silently listens to her, unaware of half the stuff that’s going on in her head.
>”I love what our friendship has turned into too, Sweetie. I’d love to leave this behind too, and this is how we can do it.”
>Maybe this can be easier than Indigo previously imagined.
>Maybe it won’t by tomorrow; Sour Sweet is still unpredictable.
>Sour Sweet looks down. “Indy… I…” She holds her tighter and lets out a quiet whimper.
>”Let’s do that, okay? If it’s okay with you, and only if. So you know you can trust me. I want to get closer to you, Sour Sweet. Even closer than we are now. This is perfect that you want to leave it behind, because it means we can be happy without you having to take over the school.”
>”But it should have been this way before, Indy.” Sour Sweet croaks slightly. “I should have realized it before. I really should have, but I was too stupid. Too… evil.” She looks up with more tears than when she looked down. “Do you hate me?”
>”I… love you.”
>”Do you actually mean that?”
>”Why would I lie about that after a night like we had? Most people don’t even get the chance to really have a feeling like that, not even when they have sex with someone else. Because we were already close even though we’ve fought. And that night we had just turned it back to the light side.”
>”That’s the thing… I know I’m probably just going to turn back into a bitch. I mean, it’s not like it’s unnoticeable.”
>”I know, but that’s fine. I’ll be right here to remind of you about the happiness we shared. I know that you’re you, but it’s not as… dire… as you say it is.”
>Sour Sweet gives her a sad look of disbelief.
>”It’s true. I mean it. What we’ve established now can be the thing that finally gets you out of your… thing.”
>”I know you want me to feel better.”
>”And I know you won’t feel better right away.” Indigo jumps ahead a little. “That’s why I wanna just stay by you. I know you go back and forth a lot, and I can stop something else bad from happening. I know we haven’t had the best history, but we can have a better future.”
>Maybe this will work.
>Like, maybe it actually will.
>”C’mon, Sweetie. You obviously want to try. You brought this up, didn’t you?”
>”Yeah…”
>”So let’s try. Okay?”
>Sour Sweet falls silent, even with the sniffling.
>Birds can be heard distantly chirping outside before a car starts to approach.
>”Oshit!” Sour Sweet flees to the bed with Indigo following her.
>The two lie atop the covers together.
>Indigo looks at Sour Sweet, who starts to let out a chuckle of what could be best described as her own comic relief to herself. “I guess I really did care about the window.”
>”Sweetie…”
>”Oh, stop. We were just talking about that, Indy.”
>Indigo scoffs and gives Sour Sweet a face that keeps that smile on hers.
>”Indy, please.”
>They hug again but they don’t kiss, probably not thinking to after thinking about all of the other things they wanted to say but would rather not overthink or overdo this conversation into feeling worse.
>”So what do you say? Do you want to just get rid of the picture?” Indigo proposes. “You’ll keep the power, but if you really feel bad about the dean, then you’ll be seeing me instead of him.”
>Indigo wishes she said that diff-
>”Really?” Sour Sweet’s voice grows hopeful
>Okay, it worked, so don’t question it. “Really.” Indigo answers. “It’ll be like it never happened. And you can just pretend it didn’t and maybe we’ll all just forget about it, maybe even him.”
>”I… wouldn’t count on that.”
>”Whatever, we can still forget. And he’ll feel better if you… sort of… you know…”
>”Leave him alone? Yeah, it’s okay, you can say it.” Sour Sweet responds. “I mean, I just spent five minutes dissing myself, obviously, you can just go ahead and don’t… oh shit! What about Sugarcoat?”
>”What /about/ Sugarcoat?”
>”We can’t let her find out if we delete it. She’ll tell him in a heartbeat!”
>”She won’t.”
>”Why does she have to make this so complic- well, uh…”
>”Y-yeah, I was about to say.”
>This is a very strange side of Sour Sweet.
>Just waking up after arguably the wildest night of her life and realizing the fault in her actions.
>Indigo realizes that she truly can change the girl… kinda. It’s really not certain yet, knowing Sour Sweet.
>”But anyway, I like this.” Sour Sweet says. “And Sunny can still be second in command, and you in one-and-a-half command.”
>”But… command for what, though?”
>”I’ll figure it out. All I know is that Cadance can’t run the school to save her life. Because… she literally just won’t run the place. At all. But I really don’t want to stick my hands in things anymore.” Sour Sweet holds into Indigo’s hands and smiles as deeply as the gaze into her eyes. “I don’t need to now. Because you’re here with me. And you don’t hate me anymore.”
>Indigo starts to feel a lump in her throat form this.
>”Almost losing you then getting closer taught me something about myself, Indy. I just needed to be nicer to my friends. How I feel now compared to how I felt when you left my house are something like opposites. And this one is the only one I ever want to feel anymore. I went from feeling my worst to my best, and I don’t want to go back.”
>”So you won’t, then.”
>Sour Sweet goes back to all of the times she stared out the window again, like how she is now from the bed. Back in a time when she was blind, when she wasn’t as stable or relieved.
>Wondering why the whole world was spinning without her, why Cinch expected so much of her and in a specific way.
>Wondering why she had no control over what happened in her life. Wanting to change what happened next instead of having it change her every now and then.
>And it drove her mad, especially when girls like Indy would best her in something, proving to her that she wasn’t at the top and was subject to being over taken by not only the former Principal’s word but also that of her peers.
>But now Indy’s different, after having gotten her darkest before this dawn.
>Sour Sweet should consider herself lucky that she’s been given a second chance.
>The Indy that wanted nothing to do with her would have wanted nothing to do with this.
>Maybe it was the power that prompted her to come crawling back, the power Sour Sweet no longer wants when she’s in Indy’s arms.
>It’s weird because she’s not normally into girls like in this way, but she almost lost Indy; this is beyond relieving to her life that almost stayed falling apart.
>She loves feeling Indy’s body breathing against hers, and she knows that Indy loves it back.
>That alone is enough to replace that power she used to want.
>”So… are we gonna do this?” Indy asks again. “We can still keep Cadance and Sugarcoat at bay. WE can. As a team, you and me. We can still look over the school in an… abstract way, but not run it. We know what we want now, so let’s just do it.”
>Sour Sweet buries her face in Indy’s shoulder, but no longer cries.
>”Is that a yes?”
>Indigo feels Sour Sweet’s head nod, tickling her slightly with her hair.
>Wow, really?
>It was that easy?
>All she had to do was that have a night like that with Sour Sweet and she opened up like THAT… and agreed to delete the picture?
>Indigo feels like she should feel skeptical about this.
>But Sour Sweet reaches over and grabs her phone.
>And the deed is momentarily done.
>Sour Sweet swears there are no copies of it on her computer or something somewhere. Indigo will have to see about that.
>And that was it, the two girls go back to sleep before realizing that today’s Thursday and that they have school.
>…
>Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap enter school in like… the middle of the day.
>Smelling like eachother.
>…
>Knock knock.
“Come in.”
>”Heyyyy…” Sour Sweet’s voice is a lot more sheepish today.
>Indigo is next to her.
>”Can you uh, not mark us late for today? Please?” Sour Sweet actually asks nicely.
>Of course, you oblige.
>Sour Sweet seems to be acting extra nice today… there’s no way it doesn’t mean that she’s going to get extra worse before today’s over.
>At least from what you remember of her, from the patterns you’ve started to notice.
>Her mood rises and dips, it’s really hard to guess or predict most of the time, but you have a bad feeling anyway.
>They talk to you in your office before you go back to filling out paperwork related to your job, wondering if Cadance is even going to stop being inattentive.
>Afraid to get Indigo to come up and talk to you, as she came in with Sour Sweet, and might still be next to her right now or something.
>Is she gets found out, you’re either back to square one, or fucked (literally AND metaphorically), or both.
>Sugarcoat had definitely showed that she’s more than willing to sit and/or stand away from the other girls, so you go ahead and contact her instead.
>Plus, you can text her too.
>Basically say that you have a bad feeling about Sour Sweet since her little shindig is coming up that she pretty much forced.
>And with Indigo having come in next to her, with suspiciously ruffled looking hair, you have a feeling that it’s not exactly the best idea to talk to her or if you can trust her.
>Or maybe you CAN trust her but she’s sitting next to Sour Sweet because your luck has a habit of going to shit towards the end of the week.
>Sugarcoat wants to meet you after school.
>Says Lemon Zest is busy catching up on her History class lessons again, and plans to surge ahead of everyone else so she can presumably skip a few days of school. Though, she might come in anyway just to go to history class then leave.
>Sour Sweet takes over the school and it’s turning into a madhouse.
>…
>To your delight, you find that nothing bad happens today, and by that, it includes nothing interesting.
>You’d take a boring day over a day filled with shit you’d have to worry about. But you worry anyway.
>Sour Sweet’s lack of contacting you feels like nothing other than a tide receding before a tsunami. The calm before a storm, and you don’t like it one bit.
>The day is over, and not even Cadance contacts you.
>You look over to her d- OF COURSE SHE’S NOT HERE.
>Whatever, you didn’t need her today anyway.
>She can spend all day at the grocery story buying hot dogs or some shit all she wants.
>Stay in your office for a couple minutes, just in case Sour Sweet enters.
>She’s nowhere to be seen, and when the time she usually enters when she enters after school passes, you’re locking your door and heading over to the library.
>That world that was spinning and crashing around you comes to a peaceful standstill when ypu see Sugarcoat sitting at the table.
>She cutely waves to you.
>Your heart flutters; you haven’t seen this girl is like a couple of days or something (can’t even remember), but it felt like a year.
>”So you said that Principal Cadance is going to have a party or something, right?” She asks.
“Yeah, it’s supposed to be tomorrow unless they change plans. Same day as Sour sweet’s thing she’s going to do. I dunno if she’s going to want me to be part of it, but I think I’d rather go to that barbecue or whatever it’s going to be.”
>”We’ll just have to wait and see.” Sugarcoat looks down for a split second. “So how are you feeling?”
“Sort of good because Sour Sweet hasn’t really bothered me recently. But also sorts bad for the same reason. Did she hint at anything today?”
>”Nope. She seemed quiet. And she and Indigo are talking more.”
>You don’t know if this is a good sign or a bad sign.
“Huh.”
>”Yeah, I know. At least the week’s almost all the way over, though.”
“I just hope the events there go smoothly.”
>”I hope so too.”
“And in case you’re wondering about Indigo. I have no idea what’s going on with her. She said she’s going to help, but now she’s talking with Sour Sweet more, as you just said. And I don’t know if that means a good thing or a bad thing.”
>Sugarcoat sighs and twiddles her thumbs a little. You can’t help but gaze at her some more.
>She’s your breath of fresh air right now.
>”I had a feeling you’d feel that way about it. But that’s fine. I’ll keep in check with the other girls. I’m sorry about Lemon Zest being hard to grab.”
“Well it’s not like she’d be able to help much. She’s in her own little world, after all.”
>”That’s true.”
“Oh gosh, I’ve just been so on edge lately about all this.” You blurt. “I just… um, thank you for not being like your friends. I dunno, I just wanted to say that.”
>”I just wish they were at least a little more bearable. Me having more respect for other people than them isn’t an accomplishment. It’s just something you’re /supposed/ to do.”
>You nod in absolute agreement.
“Yup. Just, you know, respect other people. And not take advantage of them or their feelings. Or ignore them, or annoy them on purpose.”
>”I just don’t want you to think that I feel like it’s something I /should/ be thanked for.” Sugarcoat clarifies. “I mean, you’re welcome, but it really isn’t about me being better than normal and more about them being worse than normal.”
“Oh. Well, I can see that.”
>Her humility strikes you in a way that freezes you in the chair.
>She doesn’t even see herself as a savior or something from any of this, she just genuinely wants to help you and connect with you as a person.
>Don’t even know what you’d do without her.
>Sour Sweet is greedy and literally mental, Sunny Flare is shallow and bitchy, Indigo Zap is impulsive and shortsighted, and Lemon Zest… she just doesn’t fucking care about anything but her god damn headphones… and she’s also impulsive, moreso than Indigo.
>The question isn’t how Sugarcoat stayed friends with them. It’s how on earth she BECAME friends with them.
>How much better were they than how they are today when they all met? Can they all just go back to whatever that is, please?
>Anything but this. Anything is an improvement.
>You have a feeling that Cinch turned them this way. And Sugarcoat somehow either survived or pulled out of it and became a decent person.
>”Anyway, I’d actually like to thank you for not being a meathead about all this like Sombra was.”
“You mean the coach that Indigo got with and then got fired?”
>”Clearly. But at least you’re a good dean. He was a bad coach. Overworked the students to exhaustion and didn’t care about any of them until one of them started sleeping with him so she can skip gym class whenever she wanted and still stay on the soccer team.”
>You almost thought she was talking about Sour Sweet until she mentioned the football/soccer team.
>”I’m sorry about Sour Sweet. I wish there was something more we could still do right now, but all my friends are idiots. Even the ones trying to help.”
“Sour Sweet told me that I shouldn’t even feel bad about this. Said that I should feel great because… well…”
>You stop in your tracks when you see Sugarcoat’s expression turn.
>She isn’t enjoying hearing about this, and you know why.
“I… I’m sorry.”
>”Don’t worry, I get it. And she told me too.” Sugarcoat responds. “Sunny convinced her to tell me everything in grand detail.”
>Oh.
>Oh, shit.
“Did… did she really go that low?” You say .”Wasn’t what Sour Sweet was doing enough? She HAD to go even further?!”
>There’s no way this girl can redeem herself in your mind. And same for Sunny Flare if this is as true as you’re expecting but not hoping.
>There’s a darker cloud over your head than there was before you came in here.
>Even with Sugarcoat here, you feel worse, now that she gave her side of the story.
>Something about what she just described… how Sour Sweet wanted to rub it in her face too, it’s making you clench your fists.
>”I’m so sorry.”
“D-don’t apologize.” You almost stand up. “We can’t let them get to us.” You don’t want Sugarcoat to feel what you’re feeling.
>She’s good to you, she cares about you.
>And hold hell, you actually think you’re falling in love with her after everything that’s happened between you.
>You didn’t even think about that until she made her feelings being targeted clear, because that’s what your feelings are affected by… her feelings, what she’s like on the inside.
>And now you think Sour Sweet is planning something for tomorrow.
>There’s no way she’s going quiet for any other reason. And there’s probably little to no reason for you to trust Indigo enough to talk to her until after this huge event that Sour Sweet cares about.
>You happened to find out about that pentagram she has on the side of the wall.
>When a girl like her who did what she did to you puts something like that on a wall for a big event, you know it’s never anything close to a good sign.
>But the thing that makes you feel the worst is how she’s been bragging to Sugarcoat about fucking with you in your office.
>You know that Sugarcoat cares about you a great deal, and seeing her look so uncomfortable when you tangentially brought it up is just… you have to reverse this.
>”Are you okay?” Sugarcoat looks concerned for you now as she asks.
“I’m fine. You know what? I’m just fine, and you should be too.”
>”What do you mean?”
“Sugarcoat, can I ask you a favor?”
>She nods, making a face that you might appear intimidating in the way you’re looking at her right now.
>You soften your expression and tone before continuing.
“Sorry, sorry.” You sit back down. “I’m just… it’s infuriating that they’d go that far.”
>She looks just as beautiful as the fist time you kissed her.
>You’ve only been on like one date but it feels like it’s been a thousand.
>And given how bothered she is by Sour Sweet’s bragging, Sugarcoat returns this notion.
>Don’t want to see her cry.
>In fact… you want to see her do something do something very different than that.
“Sugarcoat… do you… want to… spend some time together today?”
>She looks up. “Huh?”
“Come on, what else do we have to talk about right now? Your friends being awful people?”
>”You mean…” Sugarcoat remembers when you avoided talking about them when you were at Sugarcube Corner. “You want to go on another date?”
“Yes.”
>”Right now?”
“…Yes.”
>You see her eyes widen as she reads something in your face.
>It’s clear to her where you want things to go… especially since they have never gone there yet thus far.
>But she wants to follow you there.
“I… would like you to tell me more about yourself. Not your friends… yourself.”
>”Oh. Okay.”
“What I mean is… I’d like you to show me more about yourself.”
>She pauses and her face turns red.
>If she didn’t understand before, she’s picking up the vibes now for sure.
>”…Oh…”
>You awkwardly stare at her, like you just said something wr-
>”It’s fine… it’s fine. I… I’d l-love to.” Whatever she’s imagining is making her stutter again.
>You know her heart must be beating fast if she’s stuttering. Stuttering and looking at you with those eyes… above rosy cheeks and quivering lips.
>Her cold, blunt exterior receded just now.
>Every further word you say is going to get her right in a soft spot.
>You should go easy on her, keep her comfortable. She’s not very used to stuttering and being nervous.
“Listen, I don’t want Sour Sweet to have the last laugh here. And… we have spent a decent amount of time together already.” You hope she stops shivering.
>She manages to make herself stop shaking. “We… well, there really isn’t a r-reason not t-to..”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Whatever you want, Sugarcoat. Whatever you want to do about this, really.”
>Her face turns brave again, but accompanied by a blush. She’s ready.
>”I do want to.” She slightly huffs. “You know what, it’s good you brought this up. With everything going on, it’s not exactly irrelevant.”
“So… it’s a date?”
>Sugarcoat takes the initiative and softly grabs your hand. “Well, this… right now, is more of a date.” She says.
“This? Here?”
>”And once we leave t-together. It’ll be more.”
>Now she’s done it.
>You’re pitching a tent right now.
>That way she’s holding your hand is too much to resist.
>Now you’re the one stuttering, and Sugarcoat takes control, but in a way you’re more than okay with.
>”It’s okay, we’ll do this.” She says. “But let’s skip the small talk. I’ll just tell you a couple of quick things about myself I think you’d like and we’ll be on our way.”
>You have to be careful not to do anything obvious in the school, with one of the students here.
>She is 18 but that doesn’t change the rules of this place.
“S-sure. Tell me about y-yourself.”
>Sugarcoat’s face is serious as can be, eyes lidded and her hands no longer shaking in yours. “I’m into ballet.”
“Really? That’s great.”
>”I want you to keep that in mind when we meet in a little bit.”
“What?”
>”You remember where my house is, right?”
“Yeah.”
>”I’ll let you… ease yourself up while you’re still here. And we actually need to leave separately for obvious reasons.”
>Damn, you didn’t even remember that until now.
>”Come to my house in an hour. And I’ll show you something.”
>She stands up.
“An hour?”
>”Yes. See you then.”
“…See you then.”
>Sugarcoat says ‘I love you’ with her eyes as she looks back one more time before leaving the room.
>And just like that, you need to wait for yourself to soften up down there before you can go walking around the school with possible security cameras picking everything up.
>It’s really stupid and unnecessary, but it gives you time to make yours and Sugarcoat’s times leaving the school further apart.
>You sit there, let out a sigh, then jump upon hearing a sudden noise coming from the computer lab nearby.
>A door slamming shut, followed by… oh, it’s just Lemon Zest’s headphones… again.
>She probably just got finished with the history thing and now came to the computer place while it’s still open.
>Blinded by what’s about to happen today, you ignore the deafened girl and head out within the next few minutes.
>She’d probably ignore you anyway.
~
>…
>Doesn’t matter what time in the late afternoon it is.
>You pull up in front of Sugarcoat’s house a little bit after you last saw her as promised.
>No time for smalltalk now, no beating around the bush.
>You want something, Sugarcoat wants something, you’re gonna get straight to the point give it to eachother.
>She saw you drive up, doesn’t hesitate to open the door for you. Welcomes you to come inside her [spoiler]house.[/spoiler]
>You feel like she’s not wearing as much as she was at the school, but nothing’s noticeably different about her; she’s still in her usual Crystal Prep uniform and all.
>Something that was on her before must be missing, you just sense it.
>”Come upstairs. I want to show you how good at ballet I am.” Sugarcoat says to you.
>Go upstairs to her room with her without another word.
>No surprise the door is momentarily locked.
>You look around.
>It’s a pretty decent sized room with a standard bed and furniture. Nothing seems to stand out, and nothing needs to.
>Direct your attention towards the big open space in the middle of the room as you rest yourself at the foot of Sugarcoat’s bed.
>Sugarcoat stands before you with a sultry but determined expression before slipping out of her shoes.
>She says not a word, and you watch her raise her arms and rise to her toes like you’ve seen ballerinas do before.
>You can quickly tell that she’s been doing this for a long time; Sugarcoat starts dancing like she’s at a recital where you’re the only person in the audience.
>Sugarcoat jumps and twirls to imaginary music, sticking her legs out to the side with ease to show how flexible she is.
>Her short plaid skirt lifts with each twirl and leg lift, and you’re taken away by the sight of Sugarcoat’s legs when you realize something.
>You realize something wonderful.
>You see it every time you can see under Sugarcoat’s skirt on her uniform.
>Unlike her friends, she waits until you’re in a private place to make the panty-less move.
>Her dark leggings conform to the shape of her legs that gracefully jump and move around.
>They conform to her buttocks too, folding under the cheeks and staying flat up against the skin and curves of her form.
>Sugarcoat turns around and lets her leg rise all the way up to where her heel is above her face.
>The front of her legging fold into a crease as her leg goes back down, and they’re slightly transparent enough for you to see a hint of her nethers.
>The tent in your pants will not go away, not a chance.
>The creased mound in Sugarcoat’s leggings beckons you, and she knows this all too well.
>Sugarcoat continues to dance for you, letting you watch her spin and leap around with her goods being unveiled every time her skirt goes up.
>You breathe audibly.
>Hands locked by the fingers and already sweating.
>Sugarcoat’s special performance is doing things to you; you don’t ever want to leave this room.
>She finally concludes what you’d assume is a number if you weren’t focused on other things.
>Walks towards you with a moody sway in her hips, that skirt down again but with you knowing what you want that’s under it.
>She beckons you to stand up with a light tug as she undoes the bow of her uniform.
“Sugar…”
>”Shhhhh.” She puts a finger to your lips. “Dance with me.”
>Sugarcoat unbuttons her uniform jacket, then the light cyan dress shirt under it. Let’s them fall off of her shoulders, revealing a lacy, beige bra.
>”Come dance with me.”
>That’s all she needed to say.
>Sugarcoat lets her shirt and jacket drop to the floor.
>Starts spanning and stretching her arms out in her bra now, more able to move around.
>She takes your hand and leads the way.
>Based on what you’re seen in other things where people dance, you’re probably going to stand there with your dick giving your pants a big nose as Sugarcoat dances all around you.
>And you’re right.
>Sugarcoat continues to dance around you, up close.
>Your sugarplum fairy circling you and taking you by the hand every now and then and twirling a few times, letting you look down under her skirt.
>Watch her perky breasts jiggle while restrained under her bra with each leap she lands.
>She gradually lets you move your hands up her arms after you take her hand a few times.
>You begin to touch her as she dances, she doesn’t mind and hardly seems distracted.
>Move your hands to her bare abdomen and help her spin around at times.
>Can’t stop yourself from curiously lifting her skirt up to keep her out in the open as she dances with you.
>Let alone touching there and squeezing her through her leggings, making her sigh from the feeling of your hand down there.
>Partially accidentally, you loosen the rim of her skirt so it starts to fall down.
>It lies motionless on the floor in a few seconds, lightly kicked to the side.
>Sugarcoat leans against you and stretches a leg behind herself.
>Stealing a kiss from you, which you steal back and passionately latch your lips with hers.
>Rub Sugarcoats shoulders and grab the sides of her body, putting your hands on her hips with intent of maybe picking her up but you doubt you’re strong enough for that.
>It’s a good thing she probably knows this; she keeps the action firmly grounded.
>Lifts her arms again and lets you feel her body once more, getting goosebumps on her smooth skin from the air-conditioned chill in the air.
>You reach to her back and try to grab the back of her bra.
>She keeps turning around, but isn’t really avoiding your hand, and you catch the back of her bra and unhook it.
>Sugarcoat continues to dance, letting her loose bra slide around as her pointy nipples slip out.
>And you manage to grope her after she’s in a position where she’s standing still, getting a happy sigh out of her.
>Sugarcoat finally takes her glasses off and sets them down after they get as lopsided as her undone bra she dances in.
>She spins once and you keep a hold on her bra, pulling it down her arms until it’s at her hands, then you pull her towards yourself as she holds onto the bra for a couple more seconds before letting it fall to the four overstepping feet below.
>Exchange a prolonged kiss with her, holding her in your arms tightly for the half a minute.
>Sugarcoat raises her leg above her head again and lets your hand press and run along the inseam of her leggings.
>She faces you and kisses again, and again, and again.
>Loving the feeling of you two touching eachother, keeping her leg up, her flexibility unmatched by anyone else at the school.
>You back her up to the bed, get her to bend backwards until she leans on the bedsheets on her back.
>Sugarcoat raises her arms above her head and spreads her legs, stretching as far as she can go with a lewd, bowed arch of her bare back.
>Run your hands along her slender upper body, trying to make the goosebumps on her skin go away with the warmth of your grazing fingers and palms.
>Sugarcoat’s diaphragm moves with each breath; you feel her topless body and grab around on her.
>Her legs part with the slit of her nethers widening into a soft and warm spot your hand caresses through the thin leggings.
>You are given the okay to grab the legging and tear a small hole where Sugarcoat’s spread vulva waits for you.
>You undo the front of your pants, slip your dick out in seconds and press it against Sugarcoat’s sweet spot.
>The bottom of your head glides against her clit, making her jolt in pleasure as the hole in the leggings she doesn’t want to remove grows in size.
>Get yourself into a more feasible position with your hips ready to surge forward.
>You ballerina lies on her back below you, breathing sensually as she feels your length penetrate past her spread petals.
>Her fingers would have never gone this deep, not even close.
>The thickness of your member pushes her tight walls, making her bite her lip and lift her chin to point to the ceiling as her hands clamp the pillow.
>She lets out a moan that only goes louder as you rock your hips back and forth.
>Her walls press against your shaft as it continues to drive itself inside. Sugarcoat feels the friction decrease as everything gets more slippery where you’ve entered her.
>You shouldn’t be surprised that she’s this tight. Beats Sour Sweet by a mile, or in this case, a couple of millimeters.
>The two of you are doing a different kind of dance now, the dance that people scarcely speak of in public.
>Sugarcoat keeps herself spread, pushing back against you and syncing up with every ram you deliver into her.
>Your heart racing and your groin heating and tingling.
>You know the same’s happening with her.
>If there was music to this dance, it would be getting more and more intense.
>Soon resulting in a crescendo where both of you cry out in raw lust, followed by a muffled squirting and splashing sound inside of Sugarcoat, where her womb is coated in your rush of sugar.
>Some of it overflows and dribbles out onto Sugarcoat’s spread vulva, then onto the bed.
>You watch it seep out around the base of your shaft and the tender flesh of Sugarcoat’s lips wrapped around it.
>Wait a minute… is she gonna get-
>”I took a pill, don’t worry.” She must have seen the look on your face, her voice clumsy and slurring.
>Upon hearing this, you let out a few continued spurts of semen into her.
>It’s a good thing she thought about that ahead of time because you sure as fuck didn’t until it was too late. Fuckin’ libido clouding your judgement.
>Pull yourself out after you know you must finally be done filling Sugarcoat up with what she wanted.
>Fuck, it’s leaking onto the bed.
>”It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll just wash the sheets tonight.” Sugarcoat still sounds slightly annoyed by this. “You came a lot.”
“It was probably the foreplay.” You pant. “Got me all worked up and built up to it.”
>You fall down next to her on the bed.
>”I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” She says, not even needing to ask you if you liked it.
>Of course you fucking did.
>…
~
>The sun sets.
>Sunny Flare cruises around town in her Porsche, heading towards Sugarcoat’s house.
>None of the texts she sent were answered, but she knows why.
>These girls aren’t on speaking terms.
>But Sugarcoat should have at least read what the texts said when they came in.
>She could easily recognize an apology when she saw one.
>But no, nothing.
>Maybe Sugarcoat just isn’t near her phone right now. Maybe it ran out of battery.
>Sunny Flare tries to give Sugarcoat a call.
>Okay, yeah, nevermind… her phone is turned all the way off.
>She drives over.
>The first thing she notices is a peculiar car sitting in front of Sugarcoat’s hou-
>IS THAT THE DEAN’S CAR?!
>Sunny Flare drives right past, not needing to investigate any further to piece it together in her mind that lies in the gutter for the moment.
>Once again, her Porsche drifts around the street corner at hihg speeds as if Deja Vu was playing at full volume on her car radio.
>…
>In front of Sour Sweet’s house Sunny’s Porsche sits.
>Sunny Flare sits in the driver’s seat frantically sending text message after text message to Sour Sweet’s phone, wishing she could take back the messages she sent to Sugarcoat.
>No answer.
>…
>Inside the house, the shower is running.
>Sweetie and Indy let the hot water run all over eachother as tears stream down Sweetie’s face in the middle of yet another emotional breakdown.
>Indy stands there with right her, holding her tightly and repeatedly tells her that she can change.
>It’s a very… emotional moment for them. One that lasts longer than Sunny’s patience.
>…
>No one seems to be home at Indigo’s house, oh well.
>Sunny drives home with a hmph, posting on Twitter as she speeds down the road.
>[crashing noises]
~
>…
>The sun rises.
>Lemon Zest is still awake in her room, once again dominating all of her enemies in Age of Empires 2.
>Listening to a fucking great rock song she really likes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ
>Playing on the team of the Franks, Britons and Teutons. Sending waves and waves of Longbowmen, Teutonic Knights, Paladins, Champion Infantry, Siege Onagers, Trebuchets, Elite Cannon Galleons, etc. into the side of the map where the AI team playing as the Saracens, Turks and Persians have set up their bases.
>Re-enacting the lectures she took endless notes on from yesterday: The Crusades.
>Battle ensues as the song continues mixed with the sound of the enemy dying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1AJiSumg40 (play them at the same time, why not?)
>Zest runs through the fields, wielding her massive claymore sword. Swinging it around at her opponents. “SHARIF DON’T LIKE IT! ROCK THE CASBAH! ROCK THE CASBAH!”
>The battle is won once again. The victory sound plays. https://youtu.be/PIg7rOCuvWw?t=16m36s
>Lemon Zest goes and grabs a bite to eat before collapsing to sleep on her bed and dreaming about more epic music on a Friday morning, deciding to play sick and skip school today.
~
>It’s like the middle of the night or something.
>Over the course of a couple of hours, you talk with Sugarcoat in bed, coming up with a scheme once again ever so gradually.
>The Halloween themed party is tomorrow, the one with the pentagram on the gym wall.
>Clearly, Sour Sweet isn’t going to be at her house, and is going to be running the whole party since she’s the one who started it and spearheaded it in the first place.
>Out of you and Sugarcoat, you are the only one she is requiring to be there.
>Completely ignoring Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest as far as you can tell.
>You decide that Zap and Zest aren’t going to be reliable enough for this developing one-chance situation; you need someone who will certainly stay against Sour Sweet’s side and find their way into her house to wipe away any dirt on you from her computer.
>All of this for some partially blurry picture of Sour Sweet’s panties lying on the floor next to your desk. The more you think about it, the more stupid it seems.
>You don’t blame Indigo Zap or Lemon Zest for not wanting anything to do with this.
>So fine, since you’ll need to be sure that there is no way this can be screwed up anyway, let them have nothing to do with it.
>Let them go to the party if they want, or just go home, or whatever the fuck, you don’t care.
>The plan soon comes to one thing; you will distract Sour Sweet for the entirety of the length of the Halloween party as soon as it starts after school while Sugarcoat “goes home” but to Sour Sweet’s home.
>This mixes into your head along with the memory of the earlier moment you had with Sugarcoat in the past 24 hours as you drive away into the still dark sky.
>…
>October 27th.
>Now you sit in your office on Friday morning, blankly staring at the same paperwork as you had been staring at since days ago.
>Is anything going to happen? Probably not if it’s something you’d enjoy happening.
>Something you wouldn’t enjoy?
>Got an endless supply of that with Sour Sweet roaming around the school like she owns the place.
>Open up your email from your office computer to find a message from Principal Cadance.
>The barbecue has been moved to Saturday at 10 AM tomorrow.
>Make your chair creak as you lean back and sigh in relief. Finally, something useful happens. 
>Her dumb little barbecue party isn’t going to clutter up the day any further and now the plan you have has more elbow room.
>…
>On the same Friday morning when the sun comes up, everyone at school has heard about the car crash on one of the main roads.
>Automatically worried for Sunny Flare, knowing that she’s the only person in town who drives that Porsche that’s one of the cars involved.
>But they go back to being posh and uncaring about everything when Sunny herself walks into the school unscathed.
>Sour Sweet is the only one who runs up to her with concern in her tone. “Sunny! What the hell happened!”
>”Some stupid loser wasn’t watching where he was going and blindsided my car and now it’s totaled.” Sunny Flare gripes.
>”No, not that!” Sour Sweet waves her hand around. “Your Twitter posts! You saw the dean’s car in front of Sugarcoat’s house?!”
>Sunny’s jaw drops. “Wooooooow, you don’t even care about me?”
>”Sunny, honey, you know I got my priorities.” Sour Sweet scoffs then adds, “it was probably your fault anyway.”
>Sunny Flare gives her an annoyed look.
>”Listen, did you describe the dean’s car? WAS THAT THE DEAN’S CAR?”
>Sour Sweet seems worried about this above all else.
>”What do you fuckin’ think?!”
>”Don’t make it obvious! You’re gonna get him fired and all my hard work goes out the window!”
>Sunny hesitates for a couple of seconds. “Oh… oh right.”
>”Yeeeeeah, ya think it wouldn’t have any consequences?” Sour Sweet replies in a nasally sarcastic tone. “You could get us expelled!”
>”Well damn, I’m sorry I wasn’t about to let their little thing together get in the way of things.”
>”By posting it on TWITTER?! Are you stupid or something?”
>Sunny Flare squints her eyes, annoyed.
>Sour Sweet doesn’t seem to give a shit about her at all.
>”What the hell’s your problem? Obviously I didn’t mention the dean like I probably would have if it weren’t for what we’re doing.”
>”That doesn’t matter! You almost blew our whole operation out of the water in a single tweet! Why do you have to document everything you ever do and see on Twitter? Why couldn’t you just text me about this thing that only concerns a FEW of us? Did the whole fucking world have to know about the dean’s car?”
>”I didn’t tell it to the whole world! The whole world doesn’t follow me on Twitter!”
>”Oh that’s right! Only your 12 or so followers saw that, and definitely go to this school and would retweet it to everyone else if there’s a literal fucking SCANDAL going on!”
>”I have more than 12 followers!”
>”Fine, 15, whatever you say, miss car crash.”
>Sour Sweet walks away before Sunny Flare can respond, leaving the other girl silently fuming and getting rosy in the cheeks.
>And Sour Sweet walks straight in the direction of the Dean’s office.
>…
>Knock knock.
“Fuck off!” You yell in your mind before actually speaking. “Come in.”
>”Heyyyy!” A widely grinning Sour Sweet comes floating on in and lands herself in to the chair.
>You see the look on her face and feel unenthusiastic about the door slowly closing behind her; you know what’s gonna happen next.
>The door shuts completely.
>Not even half a second later…
>”I SAW YOUR CAR IN SUGARCOAT’S DRIVEWAY!” Sour Sweet abruptly stands up and slams her hands onto your desk.
>You gulp.
>”I know you’re gonna lie, so don’t even try! I was there! I saw your car with my own eyes! It was in her driveway!”
>Hands start to shiver… with rage. They’re Sour Sweet’s hands.
>”I thought you wanted to keep things on the down low, Mister Mouse! How could you do this to me?!”
“I…”
>”No! You’re seeing HER over ME?”
>She looks like she’s about to leap straight over the desk at you with claws drawn. Her teeth are already gritting.
“I was just saying goodbye to her one last time!” You surprisingly don’t stutter. “Okay? Yeah, we did what you’re probably thinking! I didn’t know you’d explode over it like this! I’m sorry!”
>Sour Sweet loosens her fists, her fingernail imprints highly visible on her palm.
>”I don’t like that, deannie!” Sour Sweet’s voice softens. “You didn’t even tell me about it.”
“I’m sorry, okay? Please just calm down!”
>She relaxes her shoulders. “I am calm.” She tells you in a surprisingly quiet voice.
>You can’t wait until this girl ends up in a straightjacket some day.
“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But you don’t need to worry about it again.” You make up whatever bullshit you can muster until the day that image on her phone/computer is off of your conscience for good. “You’re having that gym party today, right? How would you like if I joined it?”
>”Oh, you were already joining it!” Sour Sweet tells you.
>You grumble internally.
“Of course… of course. Why did I not see that coming?”
>You noticed that it was pretty easy buttering her up with words this time around.
>”So…” Sour Sweet leans one hand on your desk as if it were a round shield. “You broke it off with Sugarcoat.”
“I did.”
>”Guess that means we celebrate tonight with our new bond.”
“I’m gonna be honest with you, Sour Sweet. There’s a reason why I broke it off with her. I’ve been doing some thinking and…”
>You watch Sour Sweet intently listening.
“…and you were right. This is a great thing we got going on here. And I did enjoy it but I didn’t want to admit it because… well, I don’t like being blackmailed. Obviously.”
>Sour Sweet’s eyes change a little, perhaps thinking about something else she’s thought of recently and forgot the very second she woke up this morning and went about her day until you reminded her.
“But I’m sorry I was a… bitch… about it. I shouldn’t have made you have to make it happen on your own. I should have just accepted it.”
>Part of you is trying not to mean this - the times you’ve had fucking this girl didn’t exactly feel completely bad if you’re honest.
>It would have been pretty much the fuckin’ dream if it didn’t come from her blackmailing you.
>You (mostly) know what you’re doing right now.
>Within the next minute, you get Sour Sweet to lock the door and walk around the desk to sit with you in the chair.
>There is a giddy smile on her face that grows as this goes on.
>Sour Sweet rests on your lap, starts to happily shiver with surprise as you put an arm around her.
>Fuck it, you’re already deeper into this than the Mariana Trench, might as well indulge in this shit.
>Sour Sweet loves the fact that you started touching up on her first, quietly giggling and urging you to proceed.
>”Let’s start this off right, Miss Sweet. Sugarcoat’s not going to try to get involved anymore, and I feel like we can really run the school together. With a few benefits, of course.”
>Her whole world is fluttering.
>”You’re really totally on board now?” She starts holding you back. “Oh my gosh! Oh… oh my gosh…” She sounds like she feels so… validated?
>You really don’t care if you’re making a mistake by doing this. You’re about to make an even bigger correction, given you really don’t have anything left to lose but your job and reputation itself.
>Make sure that you’re the one to initiate the kissing, cementing the idea that you’re even more like putty in her hands than before.
>Smalltalk ensues.
>”So what do you want my costume tonight to be?” Asks Sour Sweet.
“Surprise me.”
>”You wanna see something sexy, then?”
“Yeah but surprise me on the specifics.”
>The two of you are talking in between kisses. Fucking hell, this actually feels great.
>She’s only holding you tighter and tighter until it’s about time to head off to homeroom.
“You sure you wanna go back to class now?” You’re really getting into this because of reasons.
>”Well I guess I don’t /have/ to. But Sunny and Indy are probably waiting for me.”
>She cups the back of your head in her hand, cradling it.
>It’s really easy to keep up this convincing act for you because it’s not like this wouldn’t give you a boner.
>Sour Sweet feels it and doesn’t need anything else to prove that you’ve made a complete turnaround.
>That everything she’s set up here is now in culmination, and everything can be both peaceful AND her way.
>The two of you kiss some more, making promising gestures with touching hands.
>Sour Sweet really does seem like the kind of person who would cling onto the notion of “nothing is allowed to be peaceful until everything’s going my way”.
>People like that piss you off, and you hope what’s going to happen later on during the event won’t turn into angry hatefucking.
>Might be a bit of a giveaway. Even that much is too much for you to feel like it’s all still in the bag.
>But whatever, she’s convinced enough for you to beg her to stay and still have her say she has to go. Nice little reverser on that.
>”I’ll come back tonight, you know I will.” Sour Sweet starts talking all weird from that blush on her face.
>Damn, you’re making her get dizzy.
>Why are you enjoying this so much? You’re supposed to NOT want to expand on this. But something else expands instead.
>You “””allow””” Sour Sweet to be on her way, now giving her an excuse slip or whatever it’s called for her tardiness to homeroom.
>Late to class cause she was making out with the dean. Ain’t that a premise.
>…
>It’s not long before you give Sugarcoat a quick rundown of the plan, emphasizing that the last thing you’ll ever do is break it off with her.
>This is starting to feel like a bad fanfiction now.
~
>And the day goes on, as usual.
>Fuck, it’s like things need to stop being this way. So mundane yet so tense with the situation you’re in.
>You gotta sit in this boring room while all of these things are on your mind, feeling like you’re waiting in line to face some sort of massive bullshit monster that’s gonna eat you but you can beat it if you please it for an hour or two.
>Bad analogy, just look at the clock and see how long you have.
>12 noon? They should be at lunch now.
>You continue to sit and wallow in your thoughts.
>…
>Having been super late to school, Lemon Zest enters the room for brunch before her first class of the day, stepping with a long stride and projecting her imagination unto all who are caught in her field of vision.
>That imagination fueled by the rock music caught in her entire earshot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAgnJDJN4VA
>She walks to the beat and sits down between a few ax wielding warlords of the north.
>They talk to her, speaking of the battles they’ve won, what lands they dared to trespass. And then lived to tell the tale.
>Zest herself has seen the very gravel of the road that spans from here to hell, traveled down its length and back in but a day.
>Her sword stained with the blood of demons, and the ash of her flaming rage. She is not to be tempted once again, but that is exactly what happens when the northern warriors brandish their axes in a menacing fashion.
>Zest stands up, smile more confident than its ever been, her heart racing only with giddy excitement as she pulls out that claymore she’s trusted for so long now.
>…Back in reality.
>”Why do you always gotta play such loud music?!” Neon Lights gripes. “Can’t you give it a rest?”
>She can’t even hear what he’s saying, all she knows is that he is speaking angrily to her. And all she sees is a lumbering, hunch-backed, boil-faced troll that probably ate Santa Claus alive in one bite the other day.
>…
>”MY CLAN IS A NOBLE RACE! YOU DARE SAY YOU CAN DEFEAT ME IN BATTLE?” Cries the troll.
>”You have already been defeated.” Zest snarls before swiping her claymore across his fat shoulders.
>The troll’s head falls to the dirt below with a thud.
>…
>Marinara sauce goes flying everywhere; Neon watches as it stains his clothes.
>You can piece together what Zest is picturing the Marinara sauce as.
>”I have slain the beast!” Zest picks up a paper bag lunchbox from the table, thinking it’s the troll’s severed head. “Does anyone else want to join him in the afterlife?”
>”You ruined my outfit!” Neon whines.
>”Mehmehmehmeh… waah waah, boo hoo, you little shit.” Sour Sweet mocks him. “We all wear the same fucking clothes here, you know. It’s not called a school uniform for nothing!”
>”Hey, sh…” Neon starts off before realizing that it’s Sour Sweet he’s talking to.
>He’s heard things about her gaining power in the school.
>Sees Sunny Flare standing next to her, and Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat are nearby. He then remembers that Zest is part of their group too.
>Royal Pin sits next to him, having only about 2/3 the amount of Marinara sauce on his outfit. “Uh… I think we should drop this.”
>Neon clenches his fists, feeling like throwing punches at the wall to maybe intimidate someone.
>This was his favorite outfit!
>”I’m sorry, were you about to say something?” Sour Sweet walks up to him as everyone has already been looking over at the scene.
>Neon knows what he’ll get into if he pisses off the head bitch of the school. Especially on the day of the after school event.
>…
>Zest sees the Valkyrie step up from a mountainside, facing the rest of the troll clan that has been riled by their comrade’s murder.
>They brandish clubs, axes, large sticks they found on the forest floor.
>Grumbling and drooling as they step closer, but Zest fears not a single one of them. She pointe her large claymore in their direction and glares with the wrath of a superheated vice. Twisting into the rats in its grip.
>…
>This glare easily translated into the real life eyes that Neon sees, and he connects the dots, fills in the blanks as he sees Sour Sweet step up next to Zest with a similar but less heartfelt glare.
>Zest is pointing a cereal spoon at him.
>But she’s hyped up enough to take his eyes out with it.
>”Back down, bitch!” Sour Sweet growls at both neon and Royal Pin.
>Zest knows she has to be careful about whether or not it is the right time to trust the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie’s loyalty is unpredictable.
>It looks like they’re on the same side for the time being.
>Neon, recognizing Zest as the one who smashed his meal in the first place and made the Marinara sauce get all over her uniform, turns his attention towards Zest.
>And now Indigo stands up and walks over.
>”N-no… I won’t be pushed around like this! You are out of control! I’m sick and tired of you playing your evil rock and rap music all the time!”
>What Lemon Zest hears and sees: “He was my brother! Your blood shall run down the rivers! And my young will drink!”
>What Neon sees: stars.
>Indigo came into the picture and put two of her knuckles into his nostrils, sent his glasses clacking onto the floor. More “marinara sauce” comes out.
>Neon falls to his knees choking and cussing in a pained voice.
>”You alright?” Indigo steps over to Zest.
>”The trolls of the north do not faze me. Nor so their clan. They are barbaric and have no shields.”
>”…Right… so you’re okay, then. Great.”
>Sour Sweet gasps. “What about meeeeee?!” She gives Indigo the most betrayed look, which was to be expected at some point today anyway.
>Indigo looks over at Sunny, who quietly watches the episode go down as some teachers come over to send people away.
>”Well I know you’re okay. You’re tough, he was scared of you anyway.”
>”Hey!” Neon Lights scrambles to his feet but feels a teacher grab him by the shoulder before he can do anything.
>There’s a bit of yelling before the scene is over.
>…
>And here you sit agai-
>Knock knock.
“Come in.”
>In walks Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap and some random guy you haven’t seen until now. Holy shit, he’s bleeding from his nose pretty badly.
>You see some blood on the back of Indy’s hand she neglected to wipe off and let out an “oh boy” as it dawns on you.
“So what happened here?”
>”You need to do something about these girls! They’re disrupting everyone and acting like they run the school!” The boy stays standing with drying tears in his eyes.
>Wait, you actually have seen this guy before, his name’s Neon.
>”It’s his fault.” Indigo crosses her arms and stays seated as Zest stands behind the chair, headbanging and strumming air guitar to what you recognize as the guitar solo from Through The Fire and Flames. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15JCb6P60Vw
>”It’s not MY fault! It’s HER’S!” Neon angrily points his shaking arm and finger at Zest as she doesn’t even pay attention to what’s going on.
>Does she even know she’s in the dean’s office?
>”AND it’s yours too! You punched me in the face!” Neon’s voice shivers with rage. “You need to get suspended!”
>”Don’t tempt me.” Indigo squints and grits her teeth. “Mr. Mouse, it’s his fault! He instigated the whole thing. Then sour Sweet got involved, then I diffused it.” She talks over Neon as he objects over and over again to no avail.
“…Why isn’t Sour Sweet here?”
>”Why do you think?”
>You take a deep breath and lean back, knowing exactly how this is going to end.
>”I’m not normally going to do this, but it’s HIS fault. Okay?”
>”What the FUCK is this?” Neon’s legs shake. “I’m going to Cadance!”
“No!” You feel the fire approaching your ass. “I’ll handle this!”
>Lemon Zest opens the door, gaining everyone’s attention.
>She just… walks out of the room. That’s it. Just walks out at her own will.
>Strides down the hallway with another song playing into her ears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfKi6kpdTQ
>”Aren’t you gonna tell her to get back here?!” Neon gestures his hands back and forth and frantically looks at you and her. “What is going on here? What the FUCK?!”
“Please stop cursing.”
>Neon drops his jaw, looking like he’s about to fall to his knees (again).
>You know that look of betrayal.
>Indigo stands up. “It’s his fault. All I’m gonna say.” She turns to leave as well.
>”What even is this?!” Neon gets red in the face. “You’re just gonna let them WALK OUT?!”
>Well shit, you’re between a rock and a hard place.
“I’ll deliver the proper punishment to them, don’t you worry.” You lie reassuringly. “This behavior is not acceptable at crystal prep and I do not stand for it.
>Hopefully, he won’t read between the lines.
>…He read between the lines, you can see it in his eyes. “I’m going to the principal’s office! This is bullshit!”
>He marches out.
>Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
“Wait!”
>”Oh now you come after us.” Says Neon, holding a red paper towel under his nose.
“I’ve already called your parents!” You lie.
>Neon marches right up to Cadance’s door.
>She’s not here today. [insert careless shrug here]
>Neon doesn’t open his mouth or make a sound, but you can feel him screaming at the top of his lungs as he turns around.
>His eyes meet yours, and you feel like retreating to your office. He’s not a happy camper.
>”Are you… are you fucking those two or something?!”
“What?! No! That’s disgusting!” You’re actually telling the truth; you’re not fucking THOSE two. “Stop cursing!”
>Neon throws his paper towel wad at you. “I’m going the FUCK home!”
>He’s out the door at the drop of a hat.
>W E L P
>You go back to your office with nothing but HAPPY THOUGHTS.
>Filling out forms and making phone calls pertaining to the… event… that just took place at this oh-so-good school.
>…
>Zest is on her way over to the computer lab. With the Scorpions song still playing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfKi6kpdTQ
>Pictures herself walking down the hallways from an upward camera angle. With lights and fireworks going off in the background.
>Indigo catches up to her and walks beside her, and this is the moment she knows that Indy will always be better than Sour Sweet.
>…
>As you sit in your office with what just awkwardly happened still fresh in your mind, you’ll always hold true to yourself that Sugarcoat will always be better than Sour Sweet. Regardless of what’s going to happen tonight.
>Whatever that Neon guy is going to bring if he comes back, probably just his parents or something, you’ll just damage control your way out of it.
>Be like very unhelpful customer service or a YouTube staff member or some shit like that.
>You’re not gonna let Sour Sweet eclipse the one who actually cares about you. She will never top Sugarcoat no matter how hard she tries.
>Fuck, you just wish you lost it to Sugarcoat first. Anyway, where’s Cadance?
>You check your email and find another message from her. Came in this morning at some point.
>[As you know, Sour Sweet’s even she planned and organized for the other students might get in the way and I figured it might be more helpful and give me more time to do things to moves it to tomorrow instead of today. Anyway, you going to bring a costume?]
>Yeah, she’s probably just making sure she has the right hot dog brand again. Hell, this is convenient for both of you. Thanks Sour Sweet, but you’re still a piece of shit lol.
>Try to not say that when she comes in today. Can’t help but feel like things are gonna get worse.
>…
>Hours later, you are ready to make sure that Sugarcoat goes home early despite the drama that happened earlier today.
>You message her, asking if she had involvement in any way.
>Thank goodness, she wasn’t involved! Then again, you could have used her involvement to have an excuse to send her home early.
>You could have pulled a few strings, but then again, Sour Sweet would have caught on.
>It’s probably for the best.
>Say, how many hours has it bee-
>Oh shit, the final bell is going to ring soon.
>You send Sugarcoat a text saying to make sure to lay low and go to Sour Sweet’s house no earlier than 4 pm to be safe. If you’re not mistaken, the event is mostly going to be starting up before then and Sour Sweet can pretty much just be absent as things are starting up.
>It’s already clear she wants to go to midnight, maybe later.
>You’re getting an idea.
>…
>And so it begins.
>You sit at your desk, waiting for something, anything to happen. On the edge of your seat, but that only makes it easier to lean back.
>Wait a minute, you have to make sure that Sour Sweet is occupied from the second Sugarcoat arrives t her house to… whenever it’s over.
>With this, you send in a call to her final class of the day and say to the teacher that she’s wanted in the dean’s office.
>She’s not getting out of coming up here that easily.
>Within the minute, she’s up here, but that’s all the time you needed to activate your pervert mode you can only bring out when you really feel like it’s deserved.
>Knock knock.
>Here we fucking go… here we gonna fuck.
“Come in.”
>Sour Sweet steps through the door with her backpack and everything already packed.
>She sets her backpack down and stares at you for a couple of seconds.
>Sit uncomfortably at your desk, making faces at her like she was performing acrobatics in front of you.
>"Do you need something, Mr. Dean?" Sour Sweet blinks several times.
>You let the light in the room cast a shadow over your eyes, feeling almost like they're glowing when you gaze at her.
"Can you come over here, Miss Sweet?"
>She starts to walk.
"Oh, and could you lock the door, please?"
>She grins, but then forces it to go back into a blank face to get into the mood she wants to be in for you.
>Almost apprehensive.
>The door is locked, and Sour Sweet begins to walk towards you.
>You grab her by the wrist and lightly pull her into your personal space before she can invade it herself.
>"I... wow." She's impressed with how eager you are today. "What's going on?"
"I know you're a really good student, Miss Sweet." You hold her as she snugly rests in your lap. "You're a very, very good student."
>She sounds more and more surprised when you stroke the side of her arm.
"Remember when I said for you to surprise me with your Halloween costume earlier today?"
>"Yeah."
"I changed my mind. I know exactly what I want you to be."
>"What's that?"
>You grin wider and wider at the girl, feeling like you oughta carry this out and through right now.
"You wanna be a student who... violates the dress code?"
>"Oh, what ever could you mean?"
>She's smiling a lot at you, tangibly heating up in her body the longer she sits on your lap. You continue to play along.
"I think it's a great costume for you. Very fitting..." You stroke her back. "Since you've always been my top student except you break one thing, and that's the dress code."
>"Mr. Mouse, I don't understand what you mean by this." She plays coy.
"I'm the dean, Miss Sweet. I gotta watch out for those naughty students sho break the rules."
>You put your hand on her thigh.
"Are you wearing panties?"
>Slither your hand into her skirt.
>Sour Sweet quietly gasps. "Wha... what are you doing?"
>She already has an adult. She already is one.
>"Y-yeah... yeah I am..." She's playing this out pretty well.
>Your hands probe the smooth surface of her skin, getting caught between her soft thighs as she instinctively crosses her legs.
>She's pretending to be jittery, but her smile keeps coming back.
>She probably wants more more than you want more.
"So you are?"
>"Yeah."
>Snake your hands all the way into her skirt until you feel her panties in your grasp, pulling them down from her hips.
>These ones are a light blue, unlike the bright pink ones she had.
>Sour Sweet shuffles around as you work them past her knees and all the way off.
"You lying to me?"
>"N-no..."
"So surely you're wearing panties right now, then." You twirl the pair of panties around in your hand.
>"You don't think I'm a bad enough student to lie to the dean, do you?"
>You lift the skirt up her thighs. Bunch it up at her waist.
>She breathes heavily.
"You lied to me, Miss Sweet."
>"You gonna punish me, then?"
"Go fetch your halloween costume for me and come back. I'm sending you home early for violating the dress code."
>It's like 5 minutes to the final bell.
"If you dare to come back violating the school dress code even harder wearing a tank top and short shorts when you should be wearing your uniform, your punishment will be more severe."
>"Will it?"
"I'm waiting..." You run your finger up a certain something once and send her jumping to her feet after pulling your hand out from between her thighs.
>She bolts out the door, destined to come back no matter what happens.
>That should get her back here before 4 PM.
>She'll probably be back before your boner goes away.
>...
>Indigo stands up as soon as the final bell rings.
>Finally, it's fucking Friday already. Time to go home and do absolutely nothing, maybe hang out with Zest, the last girl that's actually cool to her.
>She takes one step out the door only to meet Sour Sweet blocking her path, as well as the path of every other student who wants to leave through the door.
>"We should talk, Indy."
>Indigo sighs, knowing there isn't much she can do to get Sour Sweet to move without making all the students behind her gasp.
>Follows her friend to the girl's bathroom.
>They converse immediately.
>"I need you to watch the other students, Indy." Says Sour Sweet.
>"But why? Can't you just stay in the gym with them? Isn't that what you were going to do anyway?"
>Indigo's complaining only keeps getting met with the same "we got a change in plans, Indy".
>"Sweetie, I got things to do tonight! You can't just tell me to stay here for the party YOU are doing. You said I can stay out of it!"
>"I know, I know but everything could be on the line here." Responds Sour Sweet.
>"No, you can just get Sunny to watch the other students with you, I got things to do."
>"Like what?"
>"Like relax! It's a damn Friday night! I told you I'm staying out of this."
>"You didn't stay out of this when you punched that loser in the face."
>"That was different! He was asking for it. There's no reason you and Sunny can't stay at the school until the party ends."
>Sour Sweet groans. "Fine! Fine... you go on home and do whatever the fuck and I'll get Sunny to handle it." She waves her hand and walks away. "But I won't help you with anything until you help me."
>It's like she completely forgot the conversations she previously had with Indigo.
>Though, it's clear she didn't forget them, she just doesn't care anymore.
>Indigo just stares at the girl as she walks away, going "whatever" and sighing in relief that she now has a free night to do absolutely nothing.
>She leaves the school grounds and drives home.
>Not even a minute later, Sour Sweet goes to her house as quickly as she can to retrieve the things she needs for the dean's office.
>Moving faster than she ever has before.
>...
>Sunny Flare thinks about what time she's going to leave the party as she sits at one of the cafeteria tables.
>She's going to try to buy a new set of iVambraces over the weekend, but it's not going to be easy without a way to drive around.
>Her Porsche has been totaled because of her own inattentiveness she refuses to acknowledge at any point.
>She looks up and sees a certain Sugarcoat walking by the open cafeteria doors with book in hand.
>Sunny stares over to her, and catches her attention only for a split second before she passes by the open doors and disappears from sight again.
>And even in that slight moment was there angst and tension to be felt between the two girls. They're still on no-speaking terms for the time being.
>Sunny returns to sitting and thinking, and Sugarcoat makes her way outside and goes home to wait until it's past 4 PM.
>...
>Zest sits in the computer lab once again, not bothering to wait to go all the way home to log on and play some more games.
>She's jamming once again, slaying wave upon wave of horsemen like she always does.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uloBD9xxwZ0 (just play the whole fucking thing)
>...
>She's running up a steep grass hill with nothing behind her, they're all in front.
>They carry bags of gold, trying to escape her sword swings as they scream in terror.
>Zest gets on her toes and pursues them with all of her strength.
>The steel on her toes digs into the dirt and the mud as she catches up to them before they even make it to the top.
>And she effortlessly hacks them apart.
>They can't escape the warrior of music running with the weight of all the gold bearing down on them.
>It is barely a few song lengths later when Zest return to the village she was visiting with their gold.
>They thank her gratefully before she bids them goodbye with well-wishes.
>Then everything goes pitch black in an instant.
>...
>The computer monitor has been unplugged.
>Zest jolts her head to the side.
>Neon, stained bandage on his nose, stands in front of her with the plug in his shaking fist. "Your friend isn't here now."
>Zest stares at the foul beast before her, the one she slew in the past.
>"You dare teleport me to the underworld?"
>"You are alone now! You will fight me one on one and I will win!"
>"My friend already killed you!" Zest yells. "Souls who resist Hades after they die are doomed to suffer forever!"
>She draws her sword- a keyboard in real life with one of the computer screens to serve as a shield.
>Neon raises one eyebrow, confused at first.
>Can't find a wire to unplug her wireless headphones with.
>"Back to the depths with you, putrid ogre!" Zest swings the keyboard at Neon.
>"You're gonna get in so much trouble breaking the school equipment."
>"The Indigo warrior has told me otherwise, scum!"
>"The dean's not gonna sav- whoa!" Neon dodges the keyboard as Zest swings.
>"Well look at that." He starts off. "A literal keyboard warrior! How pathetic!"
>"You are about to be defeated by one! Take this blade and run into the dark with what it leaves you!"
>Zest swings the keyboard at him, knowing he can't do nearly the same thing back.
>"I do not need anything further than this to send you back to your grave where you belong!" Zest says with a proud laugh. "You are foolish to challenge me in a field I have mastered!"
>She keeps swinging the keyboard at him.
>Neon knows that even if she breaks the dan thing, the odds will still be against him if he goes to the dean's office.
>Picks up another keyboard and uses it to defend himself with.
>She can't be serious!
>Keeps swinging it like the claymore she imagines.
>Neon hold the keyboard he has flat against the oncoming side of the other.
>Zest keep swinging and swinging until the keyboard Neon is holding bends, badly damaged.
>"Leave this place! You are no match!" Zest hollers at him.
>"Why are you so weird?!"
>"Go back to being dead! You have already been slain!"
>Zest swings again, Neon dodges and tries to tackle her.
>Zest spins around and sends the screen of the monitor she's holding straight into Neon's already bandaged nose glass-first.
>"Ah what the fuck!" Neon falls back onto one of the desks.
>Sparks fly from the cracked screen.
>"Go tell the duke! I don't give a fuck!" Zest points the far end of her keyboard at the dead beast. "He won't bring you back to life!"
>"I'm not dead, you dumbass."
>"You shall be again, vile beast!" Zest charges at Neon, now swinging both the screen and the keyboard.
>Neon dodges out of the way. "I'm going to come back with friends!"
>He already knows she's got the next one.
>He'll catch her when she least expects it.
>Zest chases the troll all the way up the stairs.
>Catches up as the music continues in her head.
>With a swing, she misses once with the keyboard but hits Neon in the leg with the screen's corner.
>There's a loud crack, and it didn't come from the screen.
>Neon cries out in loud agony, hopping away as Zest only needs to walk to keep up with him.
>"You entered my lair expecting me to surrender to a weakling like you. Inflated heads like yours rise too high in the clouds!"
>Neon crawls away since it's faster than trying to run or walk on his busted leg, Zest dances after him.
>"This is gonna be on the security cameras!"
>"You can try to rewrite the story in your vacant head however you want, troll. But you shall never make it into the history books!"
>"What?! Are you on drugs?"
>Zest kicks him. "You try to kill me and I send you back to the underworld!"
>"I'm not trying to kill you!" Neon hadn't even planned what he was going to do once he got ahold of Zest.
>What was he gonna do, beat up a girl? That sure would look great for him in this modern SJW society.
>But from the looks of it, he wouldn't have been able to beat her up to begin with.
>She's surprisingly strong and energetic for someone who plays video games so much.
>"Back to the Shadow Realm! Back!" Zest doesn't even know what real the reference to this is.
>She goes back downstairs after Neon escapes the hallway like a star in space.
>Chooses a new computer next to the spot where the other one was.
>This is gonna cost a lot.
>And then the moment arrives: 3:35 PM.
>Not even 20 minutes until the time Sugarcoat can safely barge into Sour Sweet's house and go for her computer and Sour Sweet barges through the front doors of the school.
>Struts down the main corridor with a moody swing in her hips, wearing exactly what you told her to.
>One black tank top and a pair of short shorts, other than that, a pair of shoes. No other clothing is anywhere on her body.
>And it's easy to tell from the waist up; the chill from the school's air conditioning makes Sour Sweet's nipples poke through her tank top like sore thumbs.
>There are still a couple of students roaming the halls, wondering if the party already started.
>One guy stops in his tracks upon the sight of Sour Sweet meeting his eyes.
>She paces in his direction, deliberately making her tits jiggle with each step.
>He's at a loss for words, but Sour Sweet isn't, having guessed what he was going to ask.
>"It's my Halloween costume." She says with a corny wink.
>The very improperly dressed student steps up to your door.
>You wait, having heard her enter the school itself from through the door.
>She doesn't even knock, just steps right in and there she is. Barges in even harder than she did with the front doors, ready to finish this business.
>You silently gulp when you see her; this is exactly what you wanted.
>"The dean wanted to see me?"
>You need to keep her in here and in your sight for as long as possible.
>"Don't worry about the party, I got it all taken care of. Sunny's gonna be watching things down there." She sees you watching things down there too but in a different way.
>You watch her gaze at you with hopeful eyes now.
>Just having trotted into the room with that thin black tank top and short shorts like she runs the place.
>Runs the place for long that is...
>...
>It's the late afternoon... and Sugarcoat walks up to Sour Sweet's house.
>The same looming house that sent Sunny Flare speeding away some time ago, and now it gives Sugarcoat some weird chills as she stands in front of it.
>No idea where Zest or Zap are right now, but she knows that Sunny is staying at the halloween party, so at least that part is certain to not go wrong.
>The loyalty of the former two should not be too much in question.
>The dean shouldn't need to stall Sour Sweet much longer - this shouldn't take too too long.
>No one at all seems to be home.
>But the door is locked.
>Sugarcoat walks around the side of the house to the back and tries the sliding glass door.
>Nope.
>This is where she needs to get creative.
>There's a first floor bathroom with a window, the screen one of those types of screens that one could pop off of the sill with the right tools and direction of force.
>There's so way Sugarcoat can pull this off with her bare hands.
>She makes her way over to the garden behind Sour Sweet's house.
>There's a small hand shovel lying in the dirt; it's perfect.
>Sugarcoat quickly uses the garden hose in the back to rinse it off and then starts to try to work it under the screen.
>If she's lucky, the bathroom window won't be locked from the inside, and she can slide it up with a realistic amount of effort.
>Maybe doing that with the hand shovel too. This thing so far serves as a good wedge.
>It takes a couple of minutes, but the screen becomes looser and begins to give way without full-on breaking.
>Sugarcoat will put it back in its place after this then leave through the front door.
>It's a good thing this side of the house is covered by trees from the point of view of the neighbors.
>Sugarcoat's hands only start to hurt a little, but she finally got the screen to pop off and come quietly crashing to the grass below.
>The girl jams the hand shovel into the tight crease of the closed window, praying like she rarely does.
>It slightly slides up with enough force.
>"Yes..." Sugarcoat sighs. "C'mon..."
>The hand shovel works its way further in, now with more space and leverage.
>The unlocked window slides up, and Sugarcoat is momentarily inside the house.
>The removed screen is retrieved and (eventually) worked back onto the window without much of a problem.
>It only takes about 20 more minutes; these damn things are a hassle.
>Sugarcoat exits the bathroom and creeps down the hall towards the stairs to the second floor.
>...
>You shuffle around in your chair as Sour Sweet sits on her side of your desk.
>"Did I do something wrong, Mr. Mouse?"
"You're violating the dress code, Miss Sweet." You continue the foreplay. "That's not a school uniform."
>"Isn't it close enough?"
>Look at her… D-cup chest and she’s not even wearing a bra. What’s wrong with her?
"I can't allow you to go back out there with your cleavage showing like that. And too much of your thighs are showing."
>Your eyes keep going back down to Sour Sweet's nipples.
>"If it's so unacceptable, then why do you keep looking there?"
"Because it's against the dress code. Don’t ask questions. Come here.“
>She stands up, wanting to see how excited you are from over the desk, looking pleased when she sees your lap.
>"Well I sure could be an exception to the dress code since I run this place." Miss Sweet slinks around the desk with her fingers freely running along the surface.
“Just come over here. Come on, Miss Sweet. You can do what I say just this once.”
>The tank top doesn’t even cover her bellybutton. The shorts have a leather belt in the loops… you’ll go for that first. drag it out as much as you can to buy any bit of time that can make the difference.
>...
>The only computer that Sugarcoat finds in the whole house that could have any dirt on it is the laptop in Sour Sweet's bedroom, unsurprisingly.
>Sugarcoat considers stealing it for a minute or two, but that would make things more complicated.
>She opens it and is met with the option to log in as either "guest" or "QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD".
>The guest account is clearly not going to be helpful in the slightest.
>Sugarcoat groans.
>Groans even harder when she realizes that Sour Sweet probably changes her password as often as every day.
>But wait, that could be a good thing.
>That would make the password even simpler, or better yet, written down on a piece of paper somewhere for memorization.
>Sour Sweet's desk is neatly raided, but Sugarcoat can't find any papers with random words written down on them to indicate that it would be a password.
>She goes back to the computer screen and thinks about taking a shot in the dark.
>Surely if Sour Sweet changes her password literally all the time, it would relate to something relevant that recently happened or something in real life she remembers.
>Sugarcoat thinks to herself, but nothing useful comes to mind.
>She's probably going to have about three tries or so before the computer might lock itself from too many incorrect tries.
>With this thought, Sugarcoat takes out her phone and mobile searches stuff like "how to get into computer if I forgot my password and cant find it".
>Oh, Google. Always flooding in the random shit.
>The higher the page number in the search results rises, the more irrelevant the links become.
>This is going nowhere, a change of plan is needed.
>Sugarcoat continues scouring through the bedroom and eventually the rest of the house.
>Now starting to consider bricking Sour Sweet's computer.
>But wouldn't that be a bit extrem- it's Sour Sweet's computer. It's Sour Sweet.
>And it's not like Sugarcoat would be hesitant to do this, what with her ruining Sunny Flare's iVambraces in the past without giving two shits and a popsicle.
>But how can she do this without smashing the thing with a hammer from the garage or something?
>Sugarcoat needs to make it look like there was some sort of internal system malfunction... symbolically needing to commit murder and make it look like an accident.
>This is gonna be anything but easy.
>...
>You have your hands all over Sour Sweet's short shorts, undoing the front and pulling them down as the girl rests in your protruding lap.
>You got the belt loose, and started pulling at them before undoing the sipper.
>"Are you sure you can't make an exception for me?" She says with a rising urgent tone.
"You run the school with me, Miss Sweet. Discipline is something I need to teach you before you continue." You loosen the button on her shorts.
>"Mr. Mous, wait." Sour Sweet holds the short shorts as tightly as she can.
>You're only further encouraged by the sight of Sour Sweet's exposed hips.
"Short shorts aren't allowed here, Miss Sweet."
>"I'm not wearing panties!" She can't stop her voice from getting sultry.
>You grin at her.
"You better not be lying to me again." You undo the zipper and reach in. "...Oh. Well I guess you're a little more honest than I thought before."
>Reach in deeper, picking up where you left off before Sour Sweet was "sent home".
>Sour Sweet makes a quiet noise, and kicks her legs a little in excitement.
“There’s really only one way to teach you some discipline… punishment…”
>Your heart starts beating faster in your own excitement, and you know the same is happening to Sour Sweet as you work her shorts down to the middle of her thighs with a kiss.
>...
>Sugarcoat is going through idea after idea.
>This isn't working! There has already been one attempt to guess the password with the most probable thing and that didn't work.
>These search results aren't doing jack shit.
>Sour Sweet's room is looking creepier and creepier the longer Sugarcoat stays in it.
>The notion that she's not supposed to be there only grows, and the urge to leave gets more pressing, especially when the sky outside indicates that night is coming.
>Time is running out... most likely.
>Sugarcoat doesn't want to risk getting caught, but she doesn't want to risk failure either.
>The only option she has left is to kill the computer and make it look like it happened on its own.
>There's no other way.
>The dirt must be wiped away, and Sugarcoat KNOWS that Sour Sweet is clever enough to put that dirt in more than just her mobile phone.
>If anything, she'll feel less bad about killing Sour Sweet's computer than Sunny Flare's iVambraces.
>Sugarcoat would have had it over and done with already had there not been the factor of needing to make it look like an accident.
>Sunny Flare is a stuck-up bitch, the backlash she brings doesn't matter.
>Sour Sweet is a psycho bitch... the repercussions of her finding out may result in injuries or worse.
>Sugarcoat looks for any electronic device that could fry the motherboard or something if held up against the computer for long enough.
>She then goes down into the garage and looks for a screwdriver small enough to get to the motherboard manually, temporarily take it out and run it under the water of the kitchen sink like a cursed image for a minute or two.
>But now, Sugarcoat found something that might have saved her from that option: a thumb drive!
>Inside one of Sour Sweet's dresser drawers, tucked all the way in the back, and not any drawer.
>the one where she keeps all of her panties and socks.
>This HAS to be it. And it makes sense for her to keep it on an external drive too, just in case Sugarcoat does exactly what she did and breaks in to brick her computer.
>Sugarcoat logs into the guest account and revs up that thumb drive.
>It's a 2 GB thumb drive... with 2KB worth of free space.
>Oh shit...
>It's a sea of jpeg, png and gif images... thousands of them.
>Sugarcoat looks at the drive stats.
>15,926 items.
>It's not too unrealistic to guess that they were all added here on purpose so anyone who found this thumb drive would have a hard time finding a certain image.
>This girl is just as crafty as Sugarcoat expected.
>No other option but to look through each and every one of them. Maybe there's still time.
>It would be too obvious if Sugarcoat just took the thumb drive with her or better yet just deleted all of the pictures on it.
>And Sour Sweet would probably still have her phone with her, so it can't possibly be a checkmate whether it's already on the laptop or not.
>Sugarcoat starts scrolling, but more confidently since this pretty much confirms that it HAS to be in here somewhere.
>She stops briefly to search for keywords to save herself 99% of the trouble.
>"pant"... nothing.
>"dean"... nothing.
>Like 20 other possible terms... nothing.
>Sorts by date added.
>All of them were added on the same day, with the same creation date.
>So many of them are copies and duplicates obviously put in to beef up the numbers.
>So many of them in a row... "image-58 copy 24" with some surrounding images being the same pic dozens of times over.
>This girl is... she doesn't deserve to be this clever.
>Sugarcoat has to keep looking.
>Decides not to waste a second and look for anything that indicates the pic from the dean's office.
>There's less than 16,000 images, so if she goes through 4 images a second, that's 240 images a minute…
>And 14,400 images in an hour... if she rushes perfectly with 4 images per second without missing the one she's looking for.
>And doesn't slow down at all.
>Sugarcoat conservatively calculates in her head that this will take about two hours.
>Yeah... it's gonna be hard doing this faster than scrolling past 2 images per second.
>This is gonna be at least 3 hours to go through the whole thing.
>Sugarcoat prays that it's going to come up near the beginning of her search, because the realm of possibility of finding the dirt in time just got a whole lot smaller.
>If only she could read Sour Sweet's mind somehow and see what letter or number to look for in this thumb drive.
>...
>Sour Sweet's short shorts rest on the seat of your chair instead of you.
>Sour Sweet can barely see them from the other side of the desk as you have her bent over onto the flat surface.
>Her clingy tank top being snaked under by your hand.
>Your other hands grabs a nearby ruler.
"You and I are going to be on good terms when this is over." You tell her before delivering the first blow.
>The wooden ruler and her ass cheeks make the sharpest sound that buzzes off of the walls.
>Sour Sweet squeals with her mouth closed, shaking in the legs from the impact.
>You can tell the sting is lingering on her, and you hit again as all of the sentiment regarding what she's done re-enters you.
"Just gotta..." You trail off before delivering the 5th blow.
>Sour Sweet quickly becomes able to take it with less squirming, willingly staying in place for her punishment.
>Bottom less and bent over on the dean's desk for her well-deserved spanking.
>Fuck, you never thought you'd be able to hit her ass this hard; the emotions inside of you build up.
>When she kept on trying to get that dirt on you...
>Her lust and thirst for power...
>You tried with all you could to stop her, but she outsmarted you and put you between a rock and a hard place.
>Playing with your feelings, playing with her friends' feelings.
>No regard for what other people might think about something. The only thing that matters to her is power.
>Power power power.
>She just wouldn't stop, having less and less to lose as she advanced upon you.
>And she eventually won, sealing the deal and entering your office that one day.
>Letting you feel like you had things under control at first, then simply moving in on you.
>Touching you, making you touch her, knowing your libido would make you enjoy it.
>And she enveloped you with the other students chanting her name in the background.
>*snap*
>Half of the ruler goes tumbling to the floor.
>Sour Sweet's ass is already deepening in redness, with the freckles still noticeably visible.
>She breathes heavily in anticipation of what's to come next.
>Your bare hand comes next.
>"Gah!" She's taken by surprise.
>You don't care how much it'll hurt your palm, you're gonna express all of that stuff you're thinking about.
>Her inevitably muscling her way into power over you...
>Like she fucking runs the place.
>You grit your teeth and swing your arm from further back.
>"Aaah!"
>The smacking sound is about ten times louder than her croaking voice.
>You go in again and again, making her cheeks glow like a stove top.
>And she can feel it in your sheer ferocity.
>You meant that.
>*smack*
>And that...
>*louder smack*
>And definitely that.
>You mean it from the bottom of your heart. How dare she do what she did?
>Your hand colliding her her reddened bottom should be able to be heard throughout the whole school at this point.
>Even down in the gym.
>...
>Sunny Flare sits around on one of the chairs with her nose glued to Twitter/Instagram/whateverthefuck.
>She likes a lot of the mainstream pop songs being played in the gym at high volume.
>Whatever is going on between Sour Sweet and the dean right now must be concealed by this music; the girl's been gone for a while now.
>How long is Sunny going to have to watch over these losers standing around talking about stupid things?
>Why are they still talking about that rapper? He's not even popular anymore, it's been like a week.
>Liking, favoriting and retweeting, Sunny stays in the chair in the gym, not knowing what is brewing for her in the future when she gets called to the dean's office.
>Who's that limping over there?
>Oh... it's just Neon.
>What the fuck? Why is he limping like that? Did he fall down a flight of stairs?
>Sunny thought Indy just broke his nose or something.
>He's angrily looking around at everyone, and one of the other students is following him.
>Some geeky looking kid she never saw before.
>She goes back to her social media escape and not watching over the other fellow students like she was supposed to.
>Looks up only once like ten minutes later and watches Neon and his new friend creep around the gym like they're looking for someone.
>With dooface-like looks on their faces like they're definitely up to something and it's totally going to work.
>Sunny wishes Indy would come back and punch Neon again, one wasn't enough to make him realize his place in this world.
>And she should have done it to Sour Sweet too.
>That crazy bitch didn't even care if Sunny's life was on the line, only cared about her little plan to have power.
>That plan that Sunny helped with. She helped her get here and now she's showing complete disregard for her?
>This is bullshit. Sunny doesn't even want to be staying here at some school party she doesn't give a crap about.
>It's Friday night, there are waaaaaay better parties to go to than this shit shindig.
>This pentagram-on-the-wall shindig.
>This gather-all-nosebleeds-together and play music and talk about school shindig.
>This punk ass party of 20-30-something people celebrating Halloween a couple of days too soon because Sour Sweet fucked the dean into submission.
>They're not even playing [insert shitty overly-popular pop/rap song here]!
>Sunny is getting pretty aggravated by this the longer she sits here wishing she wasn't here.
>She groans at the ceiling and thinks about texting Sour Sweet asking to leave.
>But with those short shorts she had on, could she even fit a phone in the pockets?
>Were there /even/ pockets?
>...
>Sour Sweet weakly stumbles around your office.
>There's a little bit of moisture trickling from her crotch... all that punishment made her cum a little.
>The tank top clings a little harder to her glistening body now coated in a thin layer of sweat.
>The air-conditioned room feels even colder to her and makes her nipples become even more erect under the top.
>You follow her around the room, ordering her to organize things in your office, spanking her if she walks too slow.
>Fuck, it's hard to walk with this tent you're pitching.
>You herd the girl around and keep doing what you're doing.
>This is some extensive role playing you're doing with Sour Sweet. But shit, it's padding the time it takes for you to keep her in your office.
>Surely Sugarcoat must have made progress by now, but you want to know for a fact that Sour Sweet can only go back home long after the dirt is cleaned away from wherever it may be.
>Maybe on her computer, whatever. Wherever.
>"Mr..." She starts off.
"Yes, Miss Sweet?"
>"I'm sorry we didn't start off on the right foot."
>You slap her ass again, but you grab and hold onto it.
>She coos and lets you pull her into an embrace to hotdog her.
>And still, she giggles despite the stinging sensation you know she's feeling in her cheeks.
>"I'll be good for you... I promise."
>You try and think of a way to drag this out even more.
>But now you're about to call it a day and give into your instincts.
"Come to my desk."
>She follows you over to your chair's side of the desk, watching you plot the removed shorts onto the desk itself.
"Sit down."
>"In... your chair?"
"You wanna feel what it's like to be in my shoes, right? In my chair?"
>She nods sheepishly and sits down.
"Not like that."
>"Wha..."
"Put your legs through those."
>You point to the arm rests, more specifically the gaps between where they loop from the seat and connect tot he back.
>Sour Sweet's face gets redder than her ass when she realizes what you mean.
>"Oh..."
"Yeah."
>"Oooooh, don't... mind if I do..."
"Shhh. Just go ahead and make yourself comfortable so I can forgive you."
>"""""Forgive."""""
>Sour Sweet does as she is told by the dean she's ruling over.
>Knows full well you're going to finish teaching her her lesson in the position she's getting into.
>And now she sits in your chair, good spread before you awaiting to embrace you with her thighs.
>You get onto the chair backwards and pull her into a kiss before she can pucker her lips and sneak one.
>Grope her breasts and reach under her shirt as the kissing intensifies by the second.
>Undo the front of your pants, your boxers…
>Have to back the chair up against the wall in order to hold it still… into a corner.
>Sour Sweet breathes onto your face, her legs held open in place as you push yourself into her. You easily slip inside with her already being dripping wet.
>Penetrating her at your own will before she has the chance to buck forward and envelop you.
>You begin making the chair hit against the walls of the corner of the room.
>Dancing your tongue with Sour Sweet’s and making her make all kinds of delighted sounds with your body.
>She’s breathing pretty heavily, getting a little tired.
>But you keep her on her toes and lovingly ravage her until she’s back up to speed with you.
>You make her promise she’ll be a good leader, a good student and a good girl for you.
>Haven’t seen a hint of her dark side this whole time, and you haven’t noticed until you got a long look into her eyes.
>Her smile is so humble, her cheeks on her face painted with streaks of running mascara. Her hair ruffled but still in its ponytail.
>She’s feeling something for you, and you can’t deny it.
>She sighs happily before she starts crying happily.
>The more you go off on her, the wider her smile gets.
>You make the chair leave marks on the wall, leave dents in the wall, pulling Miss Sweet back and forth by the straps of her tank top and ramming deeper with each buck of the hips.
>The top stretches and starts to rip.
>Pulled away from her freckly, bouncing breasts, inverted nipples trying to stick out after the cold room air directly hits them.
>Miss Sweet loves being roughed up in your chair, squirming about and grunting as she’s taken by the dean of Crystal Prep. Wearing nothing but a torn, stretched out top that turns into strands of ripped cloth loosely wrapped around her nude curvy body.
>Flesh in the right places jiggling as she shakes, Miss Sweet rolls her eyes back and blares out a loud groan.
>Holds you tighter than she ever has, giving you a deep kiss on the lips as you work your hips back and forth and drive yourself closer to releasing into her.
>This is the inverse of the first time; you’re both happy now, and she’s in the chair with you dominantly on top of her.
>”I… I love you!” Sour Sweet lets out a strained sob as your hands grab all over her voluptuous body under the damp tank top. “I love you so much!”
>She meant that.
>Meant that so much.
>You could hear it.
>Look into her eyes again and you can see it; there are more tears of happiness.
>She hollers and bucks her hips against you.
>Fucking hell, she even beat you to climaxing.
>Her eyes stare up at the ceiling, gleaming and seemingly lost until they meet yours.
>You go over the edge with her, and stare straight into her soul as your load can no longer be held back; the floodgates open.
>Miss Sweet loves this feeling so much, she breathes shakily as she feels your cock tensing and jumping with each powerful spurt.
>She’s so… amazed… and passionate for you to keep releasing.
>And boy, do you keep releasing.
>Miss Sweet kicks her legs around in excitement again, strings of saliva running town her mouth to her chin with one still bridging her lips with yours.
>That now shredded black tank top being the only thing on her fucking body, and barely.
>Her lips continue to envelop you, and you let out a few more spurts of hot semen before you both fall exhausted at the same time.
>…
>At Sour Sweet’s house.
>Sugarcoat hasn’t even kept track of how long it’s been.
>She figured that she might as well just keep going indefinitely until she finds it, making every second count.
>It might give her that extra few minutes she could desperately need if push comes to shove.
>Literally everything is at stake here.
>No time wasting, just wipe away the dirt then figure out how to get it off of Sour Sweet’s phone before she has a reason to check her thumb drive.
>After that, there is nothing Sour Sweet can do - the picture will be gone forever.
>She doesn’t do anything else but sit there searching for the image, with thousands upon thousands to go… before she’s halfway done.
>She continues and continues and continues until she feels like she's going to drop.
>Maybe pass out.
>But there's no time to relax now.
>Sugarcoat has dirt to wipe away; she can't let Sour Sweet win.
>She can't let her take Dean Mouse away from her.
>Not after all of the history that just developed between her and the school dean.
>Not after that special night.
>Sugarcoat can't bear to think about what it would be like if Sour Sweet somehow had a backup copy of this somewhere.
>Starting to question if this is even worth it.
>Should she let him go?
>Hell, she might as well be Sour Sweet now with this mental 180 she just did.
>Now what?
>She can't help but see how this might not be worth the trouble.
>Sour Sweet said that she can still see the dean... and this is obviously going to take the rest of the night... not even 5,000 images in.
>Wishful thinking that it's coming up soon isn't all too realistic.
>Should she stop for Mr. Mouse's sake?
>Surely he can just find a way to be happy without all of this hassle... right?
>It's in this moments when Sugarcoat's brain overtakes what her heart desires.
>And she has a decision to make.
>…
>You’re thinking about how Sugarcoat could be doing over at Sour Sweet’s house.
>She knows it’s probably a bad idea to send you a text when Miss Sweet is almost definitely right beside you as far as she can tell.
>You’ve been in the chair with the lovely girl for almost a half an hour non-stop now.
>Still not a trace of her darker side to be seen.
>You sort of cradle her, now sitting in the chair slightly more properly with her in your lap.
>Miss Sweet shuts her eyes gently and cuddles with you, her face buried into your collarbone.
>Talks to you in a soft voice with her mouth inches away from your ear.
>"Can I tell you something?" She asks in a weary voice.
"Go ahead."
>"Well, it's more of me asking you something."
"Anything you wanna say."
>"Actually, I think it is telling. I dunno, I just wanna say something." She says with your hand brushing her cheek. "I know you care about Sugarcoat a great deal. But that's alright."
"What do you mean?"
>"I want us to actually be friends, Mr. Mouse. I know that might sound weird somehow but I've still been feeling so bad about what I did."
>You can hear the sincerity in her voice; she has been thinking about saying this for a while.
>"I know you were actually mad when you spanked me."
>You blush.
>"But it's okay, I get it now. It really was fucked up what I did."
"Well... no shit."
>Oh fuck, that slipped out.
>"Yeah. You're right. I'm so sorry, Mr. Mous. I don't know what comes over me sometimes."
>Woah, okay.
>You look into her eyes and see slight tears welling up to make them gleam a little.
>"I mean it, Mr. Mous. I'm so... deeply sorry."
>She holds onto you and actually begins to sob very quietly.
>Holy sh- you instinctively expect her to revery back to being a bitch within the next few minutes.
>But it's already been several minutes, and several more pass.
>She's still being nothing but humble and apologetic, doing everything she can to emphasize that she feels guilty and that she understands that she's the one who's in the wrong.
>"If you wanna keep doing your thing with Sugarcoat, I don't want to tear you two apart."
>She hesitates.
>"But, I love what we got going on too."
"Hey, now. Who says I can't fuck you both?"
>Sour Sweet bursts out half-laughing, causing the laughter to spread to you. She couldn't help it.
>Her soft nude body clings to you, gripping on and keeping you and herself warm.
>"Why can't other guys be funny like you?" She says to you, probably thinking that you're always like this.
>You're just saying whatever comes to your mind without any filter because you literally just did what you did with this girl. Your brain isn't exactly thinking twice about anything at all right now.
>"You don't even have to like me more than her... I just... I think I need you."
"Like how?"
>"I felt how... upset this whole thing got you back there and... I can't make you go on like that."
>She laughs awkwardly, letting you wipe away a couple of tears from her face.
>"It felt good, though."
>You hide a smile.
>"Oh c'mon now, I saw that."
"Well uh, I'm glad you didn't hate it. Because I really got a lot out of my system during all that."
>How fucking true this is.
"So don't expect a repeat of that."
>"It's okay. It was so great, I don't need one. You really taught me something tonight."
>She kisses you on the lips for a whole minute and a half before continuing, somehow remembering what she was going to say through that deep lip locking.
>"I know I'm not the most stable person all the time. But I definitely am right now."
>You blush even more and look down.
>"Hey! I mean it! You really whipped some manners into me."
>She chortles at what she said.
>"That sounded a lot less corny in my head."
>In her head... where the feelings match it better.
"I'm glad we got to do this tonight." You say to her, kissing her again at your own will.
>She's so happy from how willing you're showing yourself to be.
>There are no traces of her "evil" side because of that.
>What if this is what she needed all along?
>"I guess all I needed was a good spanking, huh?" 
>The two of you are thinking the same thing right now.
"I guess."
>"But it was great... I'm glad we did it too." Miss Sweet tells you in between kisses.
>Her lips are so sweet, unsurprisingly to you. You could make out with her all night, maybe go through another couple of sessions of more than that, just softer versions of them.
>"So how about it? We friends?" Sour Sweet gazes into your eyes with dilated pupils.
"You're going to let me do my job here, right?"
>"Of course! Of course. Let's just leave all the other stuff behind us. I just love being with you now."
"Alright, then." You say. "I uh, honestly like doing all this with you too."
>What if this can really, truly work out this way?
>You basically tamed her, and she LOVED it.
>"I promise no one's gonna find out. I don't wanna lose this any more than you do. Let's forget about how we got here, okay? Please? You can spank me again and again if you feel like you need to."
"It's okay, it's okay." You reply with a grin. "I already got it out of my system. But I can still do it again a little if you really want me to."
>Sour Sweet grins with you. "How about this... if I ever act up again, you know what I need."
>The two of you laugh implicitly at this, pretty much already coming to an agreement about that part.
>"Can I ask you something else?"
"Of course."
>"Do you think Sugarcoat'll say yes to a three-way?"
>Sour Sweet actually asked this just now.
"Wh-what?"
>"I know you still like her very much. And I... I've been feeling bad about my friendship with her lately too. About my friendship with all my friends. Because of the way I was."
"And the first thing you think of is a three-way?" You know Miss Sweet can feel your heart pumping faster against her bosom. "What about just talking it out?"
>"Eh, that never works. Plus, you know, both her and me are doing this with you, and we both know it, so... it's not like it can't bring us closer."
>What the fuck, she's jumping so far ahead.
"Well you're not wrong, I guess. But wouldn't you know this about her more than I would?"
>"You know her more intimately, though. I've only known her for much longer."
"Well which one counts more?"
>"...I've actually never thought about that. That's a good question."
"Maybe we should both approach her about it and talk about it together." You suggest.
>"Yeah! Yeah, that's probably what we should do anyway. Just tell her about everything and that it's all cool now. That everything's fine and stuff."
"Ehh..."
>"What do you mean?"
"It's just that I don't know if she'll agree. That still doesn't sound like her."
>"...Yeah, you're right. I should probably apologize to her too first."
"But that would be amazing, though. Would it? If she actually said yes and it was all official?"
>"Oh my gosh, yes! I don't have to worry about her hating me anymore." She says the second sentence much quieter, but you still hear it.
>At this point, you're pretty much going "fuck it" in your mind in an almost literal sense and want to see if you can make the most of this.
>Like, damn. With the tension and stuff from the blackmailing gone, this is actually fucking great.
>Fuck it. Make the most of this. Sour Sweet practically already gave you a green light.
>She promised she'll leave you alone and will come to "see" you only every once in a while when one of you are feeling lonely.
>Honestly didn't see this coming... you feeling this way about it.
>Then the girls will be done at the end of the year and all you'll have are some pretty sweet memories.
>You already have a feeling that Indigo Zap has a lower probability of getting involved, and you can just go ahead and completely forget about Lemon Zest, knowing how she is.
>Then, you stop yourself in your tracks.
>How do you think Sugarcoat is going to feel about all this?
>You actually genuinely love her, the last thing you want to do is break her heart.
>She's still over at Sour Sweet's house right now, probably. Turning the place upside down looking for a polaroid picture at this point since Sour Sweet seems to be so convoluted.
>Don't say any of this out loud, but you know this cannot be all for not.
>But now you start to feel a little uneasy about turning on Miss Sweet anyway even after she opened herself up to you.
>But what would Sugarcoat say?
>Something rational, of course. And you know damn well that the rational thing to do is to stop Sour Sweet at all costs and prevent this from growing in to an even bigger problem.
>What the fuck were you thinking? Surrendering to Sour Sweet's plan when Sugarcoat is going out of her way to save you?
>She's probably more determined than ever to prevail right now.
>...
>Sugarcoat sits in Sour Sweet's desk chair, hunched over and having her eyes glued to the screen.
>Lost count of how many images she's gone through, and doesn't feel like it matters anymore.
>There's no way she can pull this off; she's not even halfway through the files with that scroll bar not even being halfway to the bottom.
>How many hours has it been?
>Sugarcoat's eyes are straining.
>She's starting to do this more and more slowly from the repetition and clumsiness from trying to speed things up.
>And all the while, she's been thinking: what if Sour Sweet stays pacified after having gotten what she wants?
>The only real thing that doesn't want Sugarcoat to give in is her heart.
>She loves the dean, and she doesn't want Sour Sweet to have him all to herself.
>It's not fair, and even though life isn't ever exactly fair, Sugarcoat's heart isn't really ready yet to just accept this.
>She just wants to kiss Mr. Mous again and feel him holding her in his arms.
>Completely under the impression that Sour Sweet wants to take him away from her completely.
>And that the dean can't possibly enjoy life under Sour Sweet's autocracy she's setting up.
>No, giving up and letting things simmer down as they are can't possibly lead to any kind of happy ending.
>The dean's only going to be miserable, and Sugarcoat's going to be miserable too because Sour Sweet's going to be holding the dean under her thumb.
>This is the only thing that drives Sugarcoat forward.
>Her common sense says let the chips fall where they may and trying to solve this whole problem more easily in the future after Sour Sweet isn't on guard as much anymore.
>But Sugarcoat doesn't want to wait either, her heart won't let her.
>If she has to permanently destroy her friendships with Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare, she will. She'll do it for love.
>At least she'll still have Zest and Zap.
>Sugarcoat forces herself to go on and on and on and on.
>...
>Back in the dean's office.
>You and Miss Sweet passionately and quietly make out for a prolonged period of time.
>Her soft breath tickles your face as her lips press against yours.
>You hold eachother close, running your hands along the other's back.
>That sound of Miss Sweet happily moaning quietly as you keep kissing her...
>Things really are working out. No one has to be enemies anymore.
>You think for a minute.
"What about Sunny?"
>Sour Sweet raises her eyebrow. "Oooooohhh..." She makes a devious face.
>You're at least still angry at Sunny Flare, and from the looks of things, Sour Sweet gets some tension with her too.
>And you know she's here.
>It's so hard to imagine that you and Miss Sweet were having the same conversation about bringing her group of friends together with fun-time throughout all of this kissing.
>You kept getting lost in it from strong feelings.
>From Sour Sweets beautiful lidded eyes inches from yours.
>Her supple breasts being cupped in your hands.
>Her thick, smooth thighs resting in your lap.
>One of your favorite students of Crystal Prep sits with you in the office chair; she's completely naked and swept off her feet.
>Holding you with continuous kissing, putting your hands behind eachother's heads and whispering sweet nothings as you make the night feel so much better than any average Floridian October night.
>But you soon remember to repeat what you must have said 10 minutes ago now.
"So what about Sunny?"
>Sour Sweet's sinister grin is all you needed to know that you're about to make another call to have someone sent up here.
>"Has she been bad too?" Sour Sweet's starting to get that insidious look again.
>Oh fuck, what did you do?
"You could say that." You let a couple of words slip out anyway.
>"Oh my..." Sour Sweet tells you. "Well since we're both in charge here, how about we show her where her place in this school is?~"
>You feel like either you or Sour Sweet just switched teams and now you're on the same side.
>...
>Sunny Flare is watching the other students as they go through the halls like Sour Sweet asked her to.
>There wasn't a specific set of instructions as to where the students were allowed to go.
>They're just free to roam around the hallways that have been haphazardly decorated by the students that Sour Sweet might as well have been hitting with a whip as she gave them orders.
>She looks around the corner to see someone scurrying behind one of the rows of lockers.
>So tired of doing nothing but walking around all night, she has some reality TV to watch on that giant plasma screen TV.
>Must have missed like three episodes by this point.
>Doesn't even follow anything suspicious she sees.
>Sunny just wants to sit down, this has been going on for too long.
>Why couldn't Indigo just agree to babysit the other students? She's still doing things for Sour Sweet, right?
>Sunny Flare thinks about texting Sour Sweet on her phone and ask her a few questions.
>What is she doing?
>Is she fucking the dean right now?
>Why isn't Indigo here?
>Why has the pentagram in the gym been looking like it's glowing for the past 45 minutes?
>Can she go home and watch TV now?
>But if Sour Sweet really is fucking the dean right now, then she can't be fucked to receive a text message in the middle of it.
>But fuck it, Sour Sweet didn't give a fuck when Sunny flare was sleeping at three in the fucking morning and still texted her.
>Damn, so many fucks that Sunny Flare refuses to give as she types up the message with her thumb.
>[Where the hell are y]-
>A message from Sour Sweet pops up before Sunny can finish typing.
>[Hey Sunnyyyyyyyy! You're wanted in the dean's office! 😏😈👅💦]
>Sunny stares at the message and feels an anxious tingle go up her spine.
>Her eyes go wide when she looks at the emojis; her phone visibly shakes in her grasp.
>But she then assumes that Sour Sweet's just being Sour Sweet; messing with her once again.
>That girl never cared for her friends.
>Without another word, Sunny Flare groans and walks up to the dean's office, annoyed that she can't go home and watch reality TV on her plasma screen TV already.
>Having no idea what could possible be coming for her once she goes through that door.
>...
>Knock knock.
"Come in."
>Sunny sheepishly cracks open the door and peeks in. "Dean Mouse?"
"Come sit down."
>"Where Sour Sweet?"
"...Come sit down."
>Sunny opens the door all the way and walks through to the chair; hears the door get closed and locked after a few steps into the room.
>She turns around to face Sour Sweet. "Wh...why are you naked?"
>Sunny nervously looks around.
>Looks back at you sitting at the desk then back at the nude Sour Sweet before her.
>"Wh-what's going on?"
>"You wanted action, right?"
>"What?"
>"Oh stop it. Don't play dumb. Let's get to the nitty gritty. I know you wanted to play a bigger part in all this since the beginning. Back when Indy and I were facing off. Before you replaced her spot as second in command."
>"What does that have to do with you being naked?"
>You're getting hard just from watching and listening to Miss Sweet explaining to Sunny Flare that she's about to do some fucking.
>Sunny stands there petrified like a deer caught in the headlights of Miss Sweet's chest.
>She backs away from her... closer to you and the chair she was told to sit in.
>"If you're gonna replace her, we gotta make it official."
>"I... what?"
>"Sunny, honey, don't be a dummy. You know what I'm talking about." Sour Sweet's eyes drift down.
>You can hear Sunny start to breathe louder, can feel her blushing from around the back of her head.
>"You know what Indy and I were doing together. Ever since you caught us in the hallway that one night." Sour Sweet recalls. "You know you gotta do that too now if you wanna be in."
>Sunny's at a loss for words, with Sour Sweet blocking her path to the locked door.
>Her behind bumps into the back of the chair, and Sour Sweet takes a couple of sudden steps forward to put her hands on Sunny's shoulders.
>"Sour, wha..." Sunny breathes.
>"You're finally part of the action, Sunny. You're not gonna be left out anymore."
>"Sour... I..."
>"Shh, it's Sweetie to you."
>You're impatiently shuffling around in your chair. But then again, this better take as long as possible considering Sugarcoat’s situation.
>"You wanna run the school with us, right?" Miss Sweet pulls her friend into a hug.
>"Do I have to do this, though?" Sunny looks back at you.
>You nod at her.
>"Oh my god."
>"Gimme a yes or no, Sunny-bun. You in or out?" Miss Sweet tells her.
>Sour Sweet asks this when she's already gripping Sunny Flare in a tight embrace.
>But you see Sunny nodding her head before Sour Sweet moves her hands to Sunny's front.
>You like the face Sour Sweet's making, giving that same old wicked grin as she licks her lips.
>Sunny probably tastes you on them just as much as Sour Sweet does.
>The still dressed girl starts to visibly shake, letting out a couple of muffled moans.
>Miss Sweet reaches down, below where the chair blocks your view of Sunny's skirt.
>"What are you doing?"
>"Making you break the dress code."
>Just like your member as you watch this happen, Sunny stands straight up like a statue as Miss Sweet does her thing.
>The top of Sunny plaid skirt scrunches up from Sour Sweet reaching far under it.
>The bumps of her hands move around underneath, and you know exactly what they're grabbing and pulling at.
>Sunny makes a few high pitched sounds as Sour Sweet continues to lay this out for her.
>"You're gonna learn some discipline before this is over. So we know you'll be good at helping running things around here with us. And the dean will see to that."
>You hear something get slid really quickly along Sunny's legs.
>"Oh fuck... I uh, guess this is happening now." Sunny mutters under her breath.
>"Oh fuck indeed." Miss Sweet reaches around and pulls the chair aside.
>You almost burst through the front of your pants at the sight of the light purple thong loosely wrapped around Sunny Flare's thighs.
>"My oh my, what do you think, Dean Mouse? Was she already violating the dress code coming here with this?"
"It's be a violation without it."
>And down past the ankles they go.
>You watch Sour Sweet step in and pull them up her own legs.
>Lets the elastic strings hit her hips with a light slap and walks around to your side of the desk.
>Sunny cannot move, still petrified with shock.
>"Do these look cute on me?" Sour Sweet turns around a few times.
>The thin strands of fabric suit her crimson, freckly cheeks nicely.
>There's barely just enough of it to cover most of her crotch.
"Sure does."
>"W-will you let me go home early after this?" Sunny Flare asks.
>"Depends, do we have a reason to send you home early?" Miss Sweet walks back over wearing only the one tiny article of clothing.
>She kicks the chair over; Sunny never got a chance to sit in it.
"We do if she's breaking the dress code."
>Miss Sweet stands in front of Sunny again, pecks her on the lips a second time.
"You two really close friends?"
>"Oh yeah." Sour Sweet instantly answers. "We'll do anything for eachother. And anything with eachother." She slowly lifts the back of Sunny's skirt.
>Your eyes are met with a pale, un-spanked ass.
>Looks like Sunny's never been spanked her whole life.
"Someone's breaking the dress code." You tell her as you stand up.
>Miss Sweet grins wider when your tent draws closer to her, remembering what that whole thing felt like.
>You tell Sour Sweet to back up to the desk as she holds Sunny facing away from you.
>Get her to do the work for you now, helping you get back at Sunny the way you did her.
>Sunny's been missing out... until now. Time to get her the real attention she needs.
>She's held still by Sour Sweet, the back of her skirt kindly raised for you as you fetch the belt from Sour Sweet's removed denim shorts.
>Tighten your grip on the belt, telling Sunny to ready herself for her punishment.
>The leather goes whistling through the air, the smack against Sunny's ass buzzes through the room.
>Sunny lets out a half yelp before Sour Sweet cuts it off with her lips.
>She holds the back of Sunny's head with one hand, her skirt in the other.
>The muffled noises Sunny makes into Sour Sweet's mouth after each whip crack get more and more intense as the stinging pain is stacked on top of itself.
>You can definitely tell that Sunny Flare has never received a spanking before in her life before now.
>You think about all the things about Sunny that angered and upset you before.
>Channeling it into your arm, your hand, the belt, back onto her.
>Quickly turning those cheeks red, making her loudly moan into Sour Sweet's mouth.
>Sour Sweet can't soothe her enough with kissing to not make any sounds, she has to keep the lips locked, getting really playfully into it.
>Sunny Flare's feeling a stinging sensation she's never felt before, jittery in the legs almost as though she were possessed.
>Her chest moves with each breath, and you consider going bare handed with the spanking and use the belt to gag Sunny.
>But her mouth being occupied with Sour Sweet smooching her is good enough for you.
>Each whip from the belt makes her ass cheeks jiggle, but you find that your hand does it better anyway.
>Sunny groans and strains herself as she endures her corporal punishment.
>Sometimes, you use the belt, sometimes you use your hand.
>You use your hand more since you can grab and hold onto her for a couple of seconds.
>And run your palm along her reddened cheeks to soothe them a little before delivering another smack.
>You finally figured out what Sour Sweet is doing with her hands to Sunny once you see Sunny's jacket of her uniform slip off of her shoulders and down her arms.
>She’s a princess who likes to have everything done for her.
>You'd stop the spanking but Miss Sweet undoes the front of Sunny's dress shirt, making her break the dress code even more.
>You can't help but notice how toned Sunny's back looks.
>Something about the way her shoulder blades move around as she moves, the way it looks when she sways her hips as you pull the whole skirt below her ass as her shirt and jacket over her head...
>Sunny's wearing a rather small bra too, until you unhook it from the back and let Sour Sweet pull it down her arms.
>Sunny is brought to her knees for breaking the dress code even further.
>Head completely submerged in her upper uniform, shins submerged in her skirt.
>"I'm ready~" Sunny Flare's changed vocal tone sounds from underneath as you briefly reach around and grope her bare breasts. "I'll take it like a good student."
>She sways her hips a little more, inviting you to discipline her.
>You finish playing with her nipples and return to massaging her sleek back, sending a couple of extra but light spanks to her ass. She loves these.
>And without further ado, you start taking that belt and bringing the stinging sensation to Sunny's sexy back.
>The yelps and cries Sunny lets out now sound more passionate.
>You leave reddening lines all over her back as she begins to glisten under the fluorescent ceiling light.
>Some lines appear on the back of her waist, some at her shoulder blades, and everywhere in between.
>For some number of minutes, your continuous vengeful justice makes Sunny Flare holler and twist around with that ladylike body.
>Kneeling facing away from you, blinded and gagged, taking the stinging sensation all over her backside with trembles of nervous lust.
>There is no one to watch the other students.
>...
>Back at Sour Sweet’s house.
>It must have been yet another hour by now.
>And Sugarcoat has had absolutely no luck finding the picture she's looking for on that fucking thumb drive.
>The sky wasn't even starting to get dark yet when she started; it's been pitch black for a while now.
>She's so tired... and dizzy.
>Willing to literally knock herself out before letting the dean be taken away from her.
>She refuses to lose him, especially to Sour Sweet.
>She already knows that Sour Sweet isn't one to make compromises, at least not for long.
>"You'll never take him away from me." Sugarcoat heart sings over and over again.
>Ignoring her more rational brain trying to regain its former dominance and tell her it's not worth it to do it this way. That there's no way to prevail.
>But Sugarcoat sees no possibility of peace in sight.
>Sour Sweet cannot be trusted, and neither can Sunny Flare if she's going to side with Sour Sweet.
>Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest are another story in their own right.
>Anyway, Sugarcoat is barely halfway through the search, not even knowing the trick of filtering any filenames saying "copy" at the end or whatnot.
>She was never /that/ good at computer interface.
>At this point, Sugarcoat is considering hiding in the closet or something and snatching away Sour Sweet's phone by surprise when she least expects it.
>She might be the one pushing herself to keep doing this, but she's had enough of this shit.
>Just end this thing once and for all - delete every fucking thing from the thumb drive, brick the computer, snatch the phone and flush it down the toilet or some shit.
>Sour Sweet would notice right away if her computer got physically smashed, or even if system 32 was deleted.
>Has to be just enough for her not to notice for just long enough to get settled into her room and let her guard down.
>Then Sugarcoat will spring into action, take the phone and destroy it any way she can.
>She knows that the bullseye is right there on the SIM card.
>She'll probably take a pretty good beating for this, but at least the dean will be safe.
>All she'd have to do is escape the house, maybe even jump out the fucking window if she has to.
>Didn't Sugarcoat already assume there was nothing she wanted on the computer?
>Nah, fuck that. Take no chances. This is Sour Sweet we're talking about here.
>And she will make sure all loose ends are tied no matter what; this is Sugarcoat we're talking about here.
>...
>Back at the dean's office.
>Sour Sweet sits in your chair, and you lean Sunny back on top of your desk facing up now.
>Sour Sweet struggles to put Sunny's bra onto herself, but manages to force it to wrap around to her back enough to attach the clip with her huge breasts stretching it forward.
>Then the front comes apart from the force.
>Miss sweet decides to leave it like that and grabs Sunny's wrists as her burning back meets the cool surface of the desk.
>You almost climb on top of the desk with Sunny, but stay on the far side of the desk from your chair and part her legs as you listening to her wheezing breathing in the wake of her punishment.
>She's the second girl you've made dripping and moist from a spanking alone.
>You're the second man in her whole life she's ever called "daddy".
>Sunny Flare's arms are pinned above her head by Sour Sweet sitting in your chair.
>That plaid skirt now the only damn thing on her body.
>You lean forward until your lips press onto Sunny's lips.
>She sticks her tongue into your mouth before you can do the same to her... you've really got her going now.
>She lifts her chin up and returns the favor of you sucking her face.
>The underside of your cock rubs and pushes against the length of Sunny's hot Honey pot, buried between the lips lengthwise.
>Sunny gazes you eye-to-eye, almost intimidated by your size she feels against her.
>She realizes what's coming after you start moving your head down.
>Your length slips out momentarily like retracting ocean water before a tsunami.
>Her heaving chest hits your face with each eXhausted, eXcited, anXious breath.
>She squeals when your lips wrap around her nipples, sucking them one at a time just as much as you sucked her face.
>Sunny shudders, breathing heavily and making her breasts squish into your face with her chest moving up and down.
>Seconds later, you're looming over her with your hands holding her thighs apart.
>Spread her thighs slightly more and gently push your hips forward, your tip directly slipping into Sunny's cunny.
>You hips have pushed Sunny's skirt high enough to break any dress code.
>Her pupils retract, eyes widening at the ceiling as she grits her teeth.
>She's so tight that there's no way she's ever taken dick before tonight.
>Her walls are stretched by your girth as it enters further and further.
>Sunny starts to jolt around again, going crazy atop the dean's desk on her back as more of her is filled up by the shaft she underestimated.
>Making noises she's never made before in her life.
>Making them louder as you rock your hips back and forth.
>You've barely known her and you would have never guessed she could make her voice do THAT.
>She welcomingly jolts and twists around as she's taken by you.
>Loving to be sprawled on the desk and restrained to be still until her body makes you climax once more.
>She shuts her eyes as you go faster, making her drool from her nethers all over your shaft and onto the wood surface and carpeted floor.
>The edge of the desk leaving an indented line across the middle of her ass.
>The desk itself rocks back and forth.
>You're so sure it's gonna break, but you won't care until after this is over.
>Sunny endures it, secretly wishing it will last longer.
>Throws her head back and meets Sour Sweet's wicked upside down grin.
>The other girl leans in and kisses her again as you release the last of what you got into Sunny Flare.
>She feels the stream of your load collide with the top of her cervix; it makes her cry out and lose her composure in her own ejaculation.
>The desk should have collapsed by now.
>You finally finish and regain your concern about the desk itself.
>Now you're gonna be exhausted as fuck, it's only a matter of minutes- nope, a matter of seconds.
>Fall back onto the floor, leaving Sunny Flare a sexy, sweaty mess that'll make your papers damp once you put them back on the desk.
>Holy fuck, that was amazing.
>...
>Back at the house, Sugarcoat decides to go all out.
>It's 9:30 PM, this has gone on too long.
>She does exactly what her mind had become set to do.
>Deleted the files, in the folder, the thumb drive, everything.
>And she hides in Sour Sweet’s closet in anticipation of her return to her house.
>To hopefully catch her off guard.
>She waits… and waits… and waits.
>But must make a decision.
>Is this really worth it at this point?
>She’s pretty much sealed the deal with this, committed to the retaliation that is Sour Sweet’s rage.
>That rage that she now has to put up with.
>Should she leave? There is nowhere in here for Sour Sweet to store the dirt if the thumb drive is gone.
>Sugarcoat would have to be on the run anyway, right?
>But Sour Sweet might think carefully to protect her phone if Sugarcoat bails now and leaves the evidence out with no way to rush the girl when she least expects.
>…
>Down the road, your car is driven.
>Sunny Flare can’t go back to her place just yet; her parents still think she’s in her room grounded even though she’s 18 years old.
>Sneaking out for something her heart wasn’t (initially) into wasn’t exactly the best idea.
>She rides with Sour Sweet in your car as you drive… all the way to her house.
>All three of you are going to go there together, planning to spend the night there before going to meet Sugarcoat tomorrow and explain to her everything that recently happened.
>Before you’re scheduled to go the the barbecue tomorrow with Cadance, if it’s even still on.
~
>Sugarcoat remains inside of the closet as she plans.
>Making the decision to herself.
>Brain telling her to leave, heart telling her to stay and risk taking one for the sake of her rather hastily developed love.
>No, she just needs to execute this plan in the physically possible way that will result in her getting to delete anything else off of Sour Sweet's phone while that girl's guard is down.
>The phone is the only thing that's left.
>With  an impending feeling that she's going to have company soon anyway just to be safe, Sugarcoat goes back out to her car and parks it out of sight around the block with the keys in the ignition.
>This isn't the kind of neighborhood where potential car-thieves are likely to be walking around. This can be risked.
>Sugarcoat then makes sure that everything in Sour Sweet's room and house is in the exact same order as it was left before she broke in.
>Makes sure the front door is locked once more.
>And as an extra measure of stealth, Sugarcoat hides under Sour Sweet's bed instead of inside of the closet.
>The other girl's less likely to need to get anything from under her bed than her closet, especially since there's nothing under here anyway, as Sugarcoat soon discovers.
>Nope, no dead bodies or anything.
>Al of the lights are off.
>It's late at night; Sugarcoat would have gotten tired by now had it not been for her rage and the fact that she's in enemy territory.
>A car door slams outside.
>……
>Sugarcoat braces herself as she hears the front door of the house get unlocked.
>It has to be Sour Sweet.
>Sugarcoat waits in the dark room, expecting the psycho girl herself to walk up to the room alone and probably tired from what she was almost certainly doing at school with her guard let down.
>Here it goes. 
>Footsteps up the stairs, it has to be happening now.
>How long will it take Sugarcoat to run out the door and down those stairs? Will she trip? Will she have better luck jumping out the window?
>Sour Sweet can’t run very fast, right?
>Wait, is that multiple footsteps?
>The door is opened and the light is switched on, Sugarcoat’s face is getting imprinted with the texture of the carpet as she listens in horror.
>”Yeeeeeah, you haven’t seen my room before, have you?” Sour Sweet’s voice coos.
“It looks pretty nice.” You respond.
>Sunny Flare giggles as she enters behind you.
>”So… we’re gonna do this on my bed first… then Sunny’s gonna go to your place and take what’s left since she can’t go home.”
>”Ooh la la~”
>You yourself giggle a little.
>More shuffling around is heard, momentarily followed by kissing noises, followed by deeper, wetter kissing noises.
>”Not even out of energy yet, huh?”
“We’ll have to find out.” You say into Sour Sweet’s mouth.
>More kissing noises are heard… Sour Sweet falls onto her back on her bed.
>”Good thing I’m already not wearing much, huh?”
“You fucking bet.”
>”You don’t mind if I keep these, right Sunny?”
>”It doesn’t matter to me anymore. You probably stretched my bra out to permanently be your size anyway.”
>Collective giggling.
>Sour Sweet makes a few passionate noises as strong hands work their way all over her body, freeing her from the strands of fabric tightly wrapped onto her voluptuous form.
>The palms sliding along her bare skin as you get into position, spreading her legs.
>The bed springs soon begin to squeak rhythmically.
>Sunny gets on top too to get a closer look at the action.
>”Ohhhh, oh yeah… oh it’s even better in bed!”
>The squeaking gets faster at first, then slightly slower but deeper with each plunge you take.
>The breathing gets louder, the room gets warmer, skin gets shinier.
>”Damn, look at you two…” Comments Sunny. “I never knew you were so erotic.”
>Sour Sweet can barely speak coherently now, rolling her eyes back and babbling and moaning as she’s taken into a trance like state by your physical love.
>The bed springs almost sound like they’re not gonna hold, and for a certain someone, they might as well give way at this point.
>Sour Sweet happily cries out and grabs her pillow, wanting to bite it.
>Sunny Flare actually has to come in and hold the two of you still so no one falls off the bed, has to use one arm wisely as she’s holding Sour Sweet’s phone with her other hand, filming.
>As Sour Sweet wanted her to.
>She likes feeling the two of you moving around so much against her, getting a preview of what her round two is gonna feel like.
>Minutes of this go by, and the squeaking of the springs intensifies until a loud grunt escapes you along with another outflow from the tip of your submerged member.
>You’re shaking, falling back onto the opposite side of the bed.
>”You sure there’s enough left for me?” Asks Sunny.
>”We’ll have to find out.” Sour Sweet repeats the words you said into her mouth, panting them. “How long’s the drive to your place?” She turns to you.
>You think to yourself.
“I’d say about 20 minutes.” You sit back up. “Should be enough recharge time to cook something up for you, Sunny.” You begin to smile.
>Fists begin to shake.
>And these fists do not belong to you, nor Sour Sweet, nor Sunny Flare.
>”Lemme come with. I wanna see your place.” Sour Sweet says to you. “And I can film you and Sunny! And we can have theme memories bonding us forever!”
“C’mon, don’t say it like that.” You tell her with a laugh.
>”Pssh, oh stop it. You’re starting to sound like Indy.”
“Am I?”
>”Eh, I can’t really imagine it that much. Cause you /do/ fuck better than her.”
>”Well no shit. He actually has a dick.” Sunny jumps in.
>Sour Sweet cackles loudly in agreement, then checks her phone for the time.
>”Aw shit, I’m low on battery.” She gripes. “Damn, Sunny. Where’d ya find this?” Sour Sweet replays the video recorded on the phone and admires the camera angles, letting the sound play back as full volume all over again. “You drained my whole battery!”
“You’re one to talk.” You wheeze.
>”You can use my phone, it’s fine.” Sunny offers.
>”No no no no… if we’re gonna make these memories, it has to be on MY phone. No ifs, ands or buts.”
>”Eh, works for me.” Sunny shrugs, not even surprised that Sour Sweet still won’t trust her /that/ much to not post videos on Twitter or Vine if it was still alive.
>”I’ll charge my phone for now. We’ll have more energy on Halloween the next time we do this anyway. It’ll make for a better… you know.”
>More giggling.
>You can’t believe you’ve gotten this far into this… and that far into both of these girls.
>”Alright, c’mon let’s go.” Sour Sweet puts her phone on the charger and makes herself decent with a new set of clothes from her closet. “Let’s fucking go!”
>Let’s go and fuck.
>The three of you leave the room and turn the light off before heading down the stairs.
>Sour Sweet pauses for a moment, wondering if she saw something in her room out of place, but barely registers it in excitement to see what your house looks like.
>It’s surprising that the teardrops soaking into the carpet didn’t soak through the whole floor and ceiling is drop onto Sour Sweet’s head as she was about to exit through the front door.
>A minute or two later, a car door slams outside once more.
>…
>In the house’s garage, it’s quiet and secluded.
>But the sobbing from Sour Sweet’s room can still be heard from there over the next several minutes.
>Followed by angrily approaching footsteps.
>The door swings open, a hammer is snatched off of the tool rack, the door isn’t even slammed shut.
>All Sugarcoat reasonably has to do is find the picture on Sour Sweet’s phone and delete it.
>But reason has left the building.
>A broken Sugarcoat stands in the open doorway, hammer in hand, tears in her eyes and flowing down her cheeks, teeth gritting, knuckles white as snow, legs trembling… what a sight to never be seen by anyone except the just as broken reflection in the window.
>Nothing will be spared.
>Nothing.
~
>Indigo Zap’s car cruises down the street late at night.
>Indigo Zap herself behind the wheel, Lemon Zest riding shotgun.
>”The video for this song is a classic!” Proclaims Indigo. “It makes me wanna get a sledgehammer and wrecking ball and destroy someone’s house just like in the video!”
>”I know, right?” Lemon Zest turns the radio up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrZRpXoKoFQ
>The two girls, forgetting about any of their other friends, bond with eachother again as they sing the lyrics together as the car cruises down the dark streets and roads of the night.
>”POUR SOME SUGAR ON MEEEEE!” They holler in unison, soon headbanging to the guitar riff and the beat together.
>Indigo hasn’t had this much fun in a while, and she’s glad she chose to spend some time with Lemon Zest tonight instead of that hack Sour Sweet.
>They go downtown again and buy themselves a couple of burgers from a Whataburger drive-thru to munch on when they start to get hungry. Not giving a single thought the the party happening at the school.
>Cruising down the road again, blasting metal and rock music louder than any of the college kids blasting their pop/trap/rap music.
>Lemon Zest still wearing her headphones and listening to the music through those despite delivering an earthquake of sound to the world through the car’s stereo system.
>Indigo Zap shouting and waving at the people walking by, making devil horns with her hand that isn’t holding the wheel.
>Let it be known that these two girls had more fun than anyone else in the entire town did throughout the duration of the entire night.
>And they never even had to go inside once. The cool Floridian October night air welcomes them and their spiritual music.
~
>The night has gone on and on, but you managed to make it to the end conscious.
>At least that’s what it felt like.
>You walk out of your front door after some spicy foreplay with Sunny Flare that is to build up to her round two.
>Leave her there all turned on on the bed as you finish refueling while driving Sour Sweet back home.
>She drank the the last soda you had from your fridge before you had a chance to tell her that it existed.
>Don’t care, had sex. Twice in one night. She gets a pass this time around.
>When you get back to your place after dropping Sour Sweet off, you’ll finish the job with Sunny Flare like she knows you will.
>You’re driving down the street, talking to Sour Sweet about those same personal things about your job, and what she’s able to do now that she’s in alliance with the dean in a very inappropriate way.
>Decide to pick up some milk from the store on the way back.
>Gotta hide Sour Sweet from the public what with how inappropriately dressed she is; she couldn’t completely cover her nipples if she wanted to.
>Stop at the store and walk out, taking a deep breath before making your way over to the front doors from the furthest, darkest corner of the parking lot where no one can see Sour Sweet.
>…
>It’s the Friday night before Halloweekend: The weekend either containing or right before Halloween.
>After making a few calls to some older friends, Indigo Zap has gained information about which parties are going on tomorrow night.
>She’s going to separate herself from all of Sour Sweet’s dumb bullshit and have fun over the weekend, and she’s going to make sure it’s far away.
>Her phone will be “off” so Sour Sweet’s texts won’t come in, and she won’t be home so Sour Sweet can’t find her whether she breaks in or not.
>She and Lemon Zest are going to be blasting music at full volume instead of hearing Sour Sweet’s nagging at full volume.
>However, Indigo is soon going to learn that she doesn’t need to “turn her phone off” to find herself in the absence of texts from Sour Sweet’s number.
>…
>The dean’s car stops in front of Sour Sweet’s house for less than a minute, with the girl living there hurrying inside.
>She stays in the dark for a few seconds, licking her lips that still have the dean’s recent taste on them.
>And she sighs happily before noticing a couple of things looking different in the dark room.
>She can barely make out many of the outlines of things in the tiny amount of light from the street lamps outside.
>But things look different, or rearranged. Even shaped different.
>Confused, Sour Sweet turns the light on.
>Instantly wants to turn it back off and try again: every picture on the wall, some of them now on the floor… the decorative chinaware in various rooms… the TV screen in the living room… many of the items in Sour Sweet’s bedroom including her phone… bent, broken, cracked, shattered to pieces.
>Obviously smashed by a hammer, the points of impact can be clearly seen. And the very hammer that was used rests in the middle of Sour Sweets bedroom floor, almost tripping her after she dizzily rushes in.
>The one who destroyed all of the valuables in the bedroom made sure to include the SIM card of the phone and the motherboard of the computer in their range of targets, having specifically taken them out and directly smashed them apart.
>And this person is already long gone.
>However, Sour Sweet’s mind pinpoints exactly whom she thinks it was almost immediately after finding her phone and computer both completely destroyed by the hammer from the garage.
>The girl curls her hands into fists that could punch holes in the wall just as easily as the hammer.
>”IIIIIIIINNDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Her crying voice echoes and pierces through the late night neighborhood air.
>Making a dog down the block wake up and start barking.
>…
>Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest sit in front of Indigo’s game console playing some Lord Of The Rings game, listening to some songs already played before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfKi6kpdTQ
>They face off in duels and see who’s racking up the highest number of wins when Indigo could have sworn she once again heard Sour Sweet calling her name.
>Lemon Zest has her headphones on still, so she wouldn’t know.
>Indy only looks out her window for a second and a half before returning her eyes to the screen for the remainder of the next hour.
>Though, she could have sworn she heard Sour Sweet calling her name, and she didn’t seem too happy about something.
~
>A lot of shit happened on the Friday night of Halloweekend.
>Four Police cars had to be dispatched.
>Two of them head over to Sour Sweet’s house.
>Two more head over to Crystal Prep… alongside an ambulance.
>There was a scarce amount of teachers staying to watch over Sour Sweet’s party, but obviously someone in the staff had to do it.
>A certain someone was running around looking for Sour Sweet and her posse, with his friend next to him.
>He had been snooping around like he was up to something, expecting a confrontation at some point before he went under the stage area of the auditorium where a few other students were hanging out.
>There’s a lot of somewhat contradicting stories of what actually happened.
>But the short version is… Crystal Prep student Mulberry Seed stayed behind keeping an eye on things, ready to mess up the event Sour Sweet had set up like he planned to and was told to help do.
>One of the stage lights must have been loose for a while, and really bad luck caused that last screw to come loose.
>Neon Lights meets the spotlight, feels it collide with him from above as gravity introduces the two to one another.
>There was a loud crash that got the attention of everyone on the stage and in the auditorium.
>Cinch should be glad that this didn’t happen under her jurisdiction, and Cadance will hear about this.
>Police officers and paramedics are on the scene as quickly as they can appear.
>Even hours later, blame is directed, fingers are pointed, but Neon is alive.
>And being alive is basically all that’s on the bright side of this for him.
>It’s so sad to hear about what happened with his spinal cord.
>It’s going to take a lot to get him to walk again, but the doctors and nurses and surgeons are determined.
>Poor boy’s been paralyzed; a frozen deer in the stage lights.
>But he will live, at least that’s certain.
~
>”Ayo! It’s noon!” Lemon Zest shakes Indigo Zap’s shoulder, already dressed and ready to go. “Don’t wanna be late, do ya?”
>”Noon…? It’s Saturday.” Indigo groans, rolling over in the sleeping bag. “Who cares?”
>”Party!” Zest tells her. “Remember?”
>Indigo’s eyes shoot open as Lemon Zest slips her headphones back on. “Oh fuck!”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSvFpBOe8eY
>Wake up.
>Grab a scary mask instead of makeup.
>Eat before we leave to start a shakeup.
>Fuck, I really wanna flip a table.
>Indy what the fuck did you enable?
>You wanted to!
>Zest is putting on some Joker makeup.
>She wanted to!
>Really wants to cause a little shakeup.
>She’s going to!
>Has a megaphone up on the table.
>I don’t think they trust….
>In…
>Time…
>To wait for them to deride…
>Guys…
>Lying…
>That gamers deserve to RIIIIIIIIIIIISE!
>Indy and Zest headbang to the heavy rock music as the car swerves down the street just like it did 14 hours ago.
>Wearing a clown mask and clown makeup, respectively.
>They aggressively sing the lyrics of the next verse and chorus together, now twice as powerful as how powerful Zest was when she did this alone.
>Then the next part comes up, and the two girls rapidly headbang to the guitar riff right before the next set of lyrics.
>It’s like an abstract version of the Wayne’s World scene.
>”Faaaaather!” Indy shouts.
>”Faaaathargh!” Zest echoes her.
>”Graaaaanddad!”
>”Graaaaandmah!”
>”Daaaaaughter!”
>”Graaaaanson!”
>”Neeeephew!!!”
>”AAAARGH!”
>”Father Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit!”
>”Father Into Your Hands, Ayo…”
>”Why have you…” The two scream as loudly as humanly possible in unison swerving the car wildly onto people’s lawns.
>”FORSAKEN ME?! IN YOUR EYES FORSAKEN ME! IN YOUR THOUGHTS FORSAKEN ME! IN YOUR HEART FORSAKEN ME! OH”
>They run over a mailbox on cue. “TRUUUUUUUST IIIIIIIIIN MYYYYYYYY…”
>This goes on for a while, the car rocking back and forth from the headbanging as it is driven forth across the same playground from before.
>…
>Be the Dean.
>Saturday.
>No alarm to wake up to, nowhere to go.
>It was a little risky to drive Sunny home the time you did last night, or rather, this morning to speak of it in a technical sense.
>You came back here to your place and slept like a baby for an unknown number of hours.
>OH FUCK, YOU COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE BARBECUE.
>Wake up.
>Brush your teeth and then you really wake up.
>Go downstairs and bite into a bagel.
>Swear you left your keys up on the table.
>Well I don’t think you trust….
>The…
>Time…
>Oh my, it’s two o’ fiiiiiiive!
>You…
>Fly…
>Straight out the door wishing you’d diiiiiiie.
>Play fast rock music on your car radio.
>Driving sloppily with your hair a mess and lower attire in commando mode.
>Get the directions to Cadance’s house from phone, arrive at 2:45 and rush out your car like you’re 15 minutes late to a dentist appointment.
>Ring the doorbell, knock the door, prepare to apologize endlessly to everyone for having to see you like this and damage control saying it’s your halloween costume.
>Cadance answers the door in a bathrobe with a towel wrapped around her head. “Oh, uh…”
“I’m so sorry I’m so late. I-”
>”Wait, you here cause of the barbecue?”
“Yes! I’m so sorry!” You assume you already missed the whole thing.
>”Oh, uh, I had to cancel today. I’m getting ready to go to an emergency meeting. You won’t believe what happened!”
“I… what happened?”
>”There was an accident at the school last night. One of the students almost died when a stage light collapsed on top of him.”
“Oh… shit…” You let a cuss word slip out by accident.
>”Yeah, oh fucking shit.” Cadance responds with a sharp nod. “I just got out of the shower and need to get ready to head off. I’m so sorry, we’ll have to do the thing another time, this is urgent.”
>”Understoo-” You drop your jaw as Cadance’s haphazardly tied bathrobe comes loose and unveils the first full frontal nudity you’ve seen since… 12 hours ago…
>”Ah! Oh shit!” Cadance looks down at herself then at you. “OH FUCK.”
“Sorry! Sorry!” You cover your eyes after realizing that the tits and pussy weren’t supposed to be visible this time, after staring for a full two seconds.
>She registered how long you looked, how long it took your brain to start working again.
>But is too focused on the other shit going on care right now.
>You’re back in your car and heading home before you know it.
>Now you start thinking about seeing Cadance’s bare body again, heart racing from the stress and head spinning just barely not enough to make you crash.
>Pull into your driveway and process everything that happened.
>Cadance is fucking sexy. Her vulva was puffy, her nipples soft and suckable-looking, her torso the exact hourglass figure you imagined from time to time with smooth skin, round hips and a cute bellybutton.
>You figure you’ll wait until your boner goes away before going insi- why is your dick standing all the way up?
>Look down.
>Fly is unzipped with your delayed morning wood sticking right out all like “g’day, cunt!”
>There’s no way she didn’t notice.
“God… Damn It!!”
>Awkwardly head inside, eventually.
>Check your email to see that you too received word about the incident at the school.
>But the stress is only beginning for you.
~
>Some number of hours later.
>The party in some random college student’s house has begun, and a certain two girls dressed up as le epic gamerz have arrived with fake IDs.
>After driving around having fun for a bit and making sure to stay away from any cops that might be looking for them.
>Listening to more System Of A Down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzd9KyIDrM&feature=youtu.be
>They cry out in joy. “BLAST OFF! IT’S PARTY TIME! AND WE DON’T LIVE IN A FASCIST NATION! BLAST OFF IT’S PARTY TIME! AND WHERE THE FUUUUUUUUUCK ARE YOU?!” Zest is screaming this into her megaphone.
>They continue for a little bit as more and more party-goers in their halloween costumes start looking in sheer awe.
>They think very little about this though, because hey, two more girls at the party, duuuuude!
>The two girls finally find a place around the block to park Indigo’s car and head inside, fake IDs apparently not even needed for this party in particular, who’d a thought?
>”WHY. DO. THEY ALWAYS END THE POOR? WHY. DO. THEY ALWAYS SEND THE POOR?” Zest and Zap walk past everyone not caring about the weirded out expressions they’re getting from everyone.
>Two 18 year old girls dressed up as clowns crashing this party like they should be dressed as Bane instead.
>Hahaha, they’re probably already drunk, the college kids think.
>Zest smiles in her Joker face paint, lime green hair practically glowing, megaphone in hand, and hand-made necklace saying the phrase “bottom text” around her neck.
>Starts running around the house’s backyard jump-scaring people, screaming “Gamers rise up!” into the megaphone. Resisting the urge to hop the fence and do this to tons of other people on the outside.
>Indigo is the only one out of the two party-crashers to hear the music they got playing at this joint.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRS_PpOrUZ4
>”Oh, you like hip hop and rap, do you?” She says through the rubber clown mask.
>”Yeah, it’s like, lichrally all I ever listen to.” One girl says back. “But like, who are you, though? I don’t think I’ve, like, seen you around here.” She holds a red plastic cup next to her orange plastic tits.
>Damn, Sunny would love this party.
>Some time goes by.
>Indigo Zap continues to make up some bullshit story to the girl to validate her presence at this classy as fuck party.
>A chubby dude dressed up as Darth Vader is vomiting beer and ramen noodles into his costume’s mask as this meme gem plays in the background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwQgjq0mCdE
>The dripping, beer-soaked noodles look like play-dough coming through the openings on the mask.
>Classy.
>This would be better if he’d remember it tomorrow morning, then remember it again twenty years from now with the appropriate amount of shame.
>The party continues for hours on end with mostly hip-hop music playing, and Indigo and Lemon find no difficulty in jamming to this kind of music.
>Indigo finally gets a turn on the stereo system and chooses a song she and Zest normally like to listen together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo2qQmj0_h4
>”Wow, you like dad rock?” The exact same girl from a couple of hours ago asks.
>”What the fuck is dad rock? This is rock. Classic rock.” Indigo replies through her clown mask.
>Meanwhile, the rowdy college kids find little to no issue with Zest having fun with her mini megaphone she brought with her.
>What’s remarkable still is that Zest is listening to her own headphone music and picturing all of the halloween costumes are more real than they actually are.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ZqFlw6hYg
>The Warrior of Music finds herself in a towering cavern, spinning around only to face more and more of the ghouls of tartarus.
>Skeleton faces and mangles hands creep up from behind, meeting the blade of any warrior’s sword when they swipe steel.
>The fire in their eyes shoots hard at her, corroding the cavern walls they hit.
>Pebbles go flying everywhere, trickling down slopes leading into dark pits like streams of water.
>There’s a thick cloud of smoke… up through the pit rises a massive car-sized hand with an eyeball on the palm.
>Curled fingers with jagged nails advance, and Zest dodges each grab.
>She grabs the sacred trumpet she brought from her lair, holds it up to her mouth and sings the giant hand the song of her people.
>The hand falls back when the sound waves fry its skin, bones cracking and wrist twisting.
>The eye shoots open, pupil contracting and dilating with rapid blinks turning its life into a slideshow.
>A few slides of Zest appearing in its field of view come up, and she raises her trumpet to the bright sky above, wherever it may be.
>Zest calls upon the holy rain to bear down upon this fiery underworld and cleanse it of its demons.
>She can feel the clouds brewing and swirling despite not seeing them. She can feel them in her heart that’s connected to the power of the sky.
>There is a low rumbling as the hand returns to its upright position, the glow of the lava at the bottom of its pit lighting the bottom of the palm.
>Millions of raindrops come soaring through the air of the winding chambers of stone, and they lock onto the hand like heat seeking missiles.
>Puts out the lava from below, sends the hand careening back into the lower depths of the underworld.
>…
>And so the party still continues.
>This is fun. Hit me up with them dank tunes, pham.
>The college kids head on out to their front porch and do a routine they usually do every weekend or two where they play “Piano Man” and “Someone Like You” on their stereo and loudly sing along to it all.
>And sing it to the whole neighborhood at 3 am.
>Classy people, these are.
>Zest decides to join the lovely choir, megaphone in hand.
>They do not object to this. “Aw hell yeah.” One guy blurts, clumsily, drunkenly stumbling onto the porch.
>Lemon Zest stands front and center and turns the device on once more, holds it up to her face as the song starts.
>A minute or two later… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEPV4kolz0
>”SING US THE SONG OF THE PIANO MAN! SING US A SONG TONIGHT!”
>Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest take turns holding the megaphone as a couple of the college kids nervously watch, not having risked a noise complain this hard before.
>But more than half of them are too drunk to think at this point, stopping the ones with remnants of common sense from taking the megaphone away. “Nahhhhh, it’ll be funny, bro!”
>There’s one point where Lemon Zest steps down from the porch to the front of the house and starts marching back and forth on the front lawn like she’s leading a parade, face warpaint barely visible in the darkness as she blares her voice to the neighbors.
>Damn, dude. Florida’s great.
>Oh shit, it’s red and blue lights approaching from down the street.
>Fuuuuuuuck, why would it even be surprising that there was a noise complaint?
>Everyone visiting splits, the keg is knocked over and spills beer all over the porch.
>”Hahahaha! Take that, scoundrels!” Lemon Zest flicks the college kids off after successfully ruining their party, thinking she just messed up a meeting of demons that were planing to take over the world.
>Some voices in the receding distance insist. “I swear, we never did that before! It was these two girls that came here!”
>”What did they look like?” A cop asks.
>”…Clowns?”
>…
>Long story short, Zest and Zap are back at it again with the car driving, lucky they didn’t get towed from where they parked.
>They go around a few blocks, further and further away from the first house.
>”That was sooooo fun!” Squeals Lemon Zest after the car is pulled over. “I thought the cops were gonna get us!”
>Indigo is still feeling her heart beat through her chest from the prolonged adrenaline rush. “What… the fuck… did we just do, Zesty?” She pants with a grin. “Are we legends?”
>”Ehhhhhh, no. But I feel like a legend, so that’s close enough.” Zest now puts her headphones back on but doesn’t listen to anything yet.
>She’s basking in the peaceful silence of her ears ringing.
>”I think we went overboard.” Indigo comments. “Like, waaaaaay overboard.”
>”Yeah.” Zest aloofly replies. “It was awesome.”
>Indigo laughs. “So awesome.”
>”We should probably not stay in one place too long.”
>”Truuuuuuue!” Indigo Zap sits herself back up and gets ready to drive somewhere else.
>They flee the scene where nothing happened yet, escaping the responsibilities they refuse to face.
>And before they know it, they wind up at another house party clear on the other side of town.
>The two girls might as well still be at the other party; this party is practically exactly the same as the other one. Same fake kinds of people, same brand of beer used, even the same pop hip-hop songs playing on their stereo system.
>It’s like a clone of the other fucking party but this house doesn’t have a porch. That’s probably the only difference.
>Same red plastic cups… same… you know.
>These people like listening to rap too, but they ran out of songs on their playlist and still want to party until 4 am because they hate their sleeping patters that fucking much.
>So Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap decide to use the feature on Zest’s headphones to take rap songs from her playlist and hook it up to the stereo.
>”Is it a Lil Wayne song?” One girl asks.
>”Nope.” Indigo answers.
>”Is it Kanye West?”
>”Nope, not this time.”
>”Is it a party song, though?”
>”Yes.”
>”What is it?”
>Indy hits the play button on the stereo that’s connected to Zest’s headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEaPDNgUPLE
>Half the college kids automatically know what this song is, they go crazy after a bout 15 seconds, delightfully surprised.
>Bobbing their heads at the beat and saying the lyrics.
>”Hell yeah, now we’re talking.” Someone says.
>Zest’s mind goes back into it’s little trance phase again, but this one’s another big one that’s gonna leave an imprint in her mind forever.
>Time for some more foreshadowing…
>…
>The year in Lemon Zest’s head is 1993. Summer.
>Zest is the host of a house party, watching everyone dance to a song that just came out and get drunk as fuck.
>Joining them in having fun, in their city apartment at probably the 10th floor.
>It’s at this place she meets someone named Indigo Zap, and they become fast friends pretty fast.
>They continue to listen to music and sorts just mess around, even after everyone else gradually goes home.
>They go up and down the hallways until they find a vending machine they can shake until the food falls to the bottom.
>And all the while, they start to chat.
>Indigo’s been cutting a few deals with people in the city’s government, trying to find easy and quick ways to make money, but they’ve only been trying to take advantage of her doing things for them.
>Trying to suck her into their business, put puppet strings on her so she can make money for them. One of them going a two-faced power freak who has more power than they should.
>Zest tells her, from her point of view of someone who just stays here and has fun all the time, that society is full of lies and illusions.
>Life can be profitable for her without puppet strings, and she can still spend endless night like this one doing whatever the fuck she wants.
>The life of someone walking outside the lines, someone Indigo has always wanted to be, but someone Zest has always been closet to stepping into the shoes of.
>…
>”Zesty, you alright?” Indigo grabs her friend by the shoulder as the song ends.
>Lemon Zest doesn’t even remember when she left the house with Indigo.
>”Yeah.”
>”You wanna go back to your place and play that computer game you like?”
>”Sure thing.” Lemon Zest has a chance to say before the next song starts playing and snaps her back into her music trance.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194
>Back in Lemon Zest’s imagination.
>…Later in 1993, the two girls embark on a trip to the casinos and other parts of the underside of the city… after midnight.
>Indigo could swear she sees someone following them… Sour Sweet. But she isn’t sure.
>Anyway, she starts selling drugs in dark alleyways and stuff like that. It just sorta started happening.
>It’s more of a side project between more legal jobs and gambling, but hey, what works works.
>Zest has already been accustomed to this lifestyle; it’s how she can afford to party all the time and still pay the bills.
>There’s a reason why she always walks around with a comfortable smug grin on her face… she has everything figured out in life.
>Maaaaan, fuck the rules. Zest and Zap are making paper now, and they can do more things from what they can make happen in the dark corners of the city.
>This is surprisingly great, despite the things they hear about the other side of the coin they flip every time they do this shit.
>And it finally hits the other side, and it turns out to be something jarring.
>They need to stick together in the face of competitors.
>And not just the two of them, they need to be in a large group of outsiders. Have to hang around lots of people with guns, because other people who want what they gained also have guns.
>That’s the thing about this world, the rules that blocked you before are gone, but the ones that protected you… are also gone.
>It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and anyone making their way up the ladder who isn’t careful will fall to the bottom.
>Indigo has to make a choice… go back to relative safety or be able to maintain herself with something more comfortable than a super-tight budget and a situation where she’s being controlled by obligations for someone else’s benefit.
>She already made her choice.
>…
>”I said do you want a frozen yogurt too?!” Indigo loudly chants as Zest snaps into reality once more.
>”Oh, yeah. I’ll have one too.” Zest looks over to the McDonalds menu to pick out anything else she wants.
>Damn, she’s losing track of reality now.
>Should probably save listening to music for when she’s playing video games or something like the gamer she’s dressed up as tonight.
>But she can’t resist… just one more song from the playlist. Surely she won’t blank out for too long…
>Just one more song, promise. Just one more.
>She switches to the next song and returns to her imaginary story.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8A14Qcv68
>It’s 1994 now.
>Zest and Zap are out mostly just at night these days.
>It used to be weird hanging out with some sketchy-ass folks Zest knows who were trying to make it the same way they were.
>Indigo deals with getting some connections with people, weaseling her way out of becoming a prostitute.
>She ain’t about that shit… has to turn herself into a badass who defends herself at every turn in this fast-lane world.
>This fast-lane is pretty low to the ground, under the radar that catches the higher slow-lanes. Pretty low to the gutter.
>Hell a lot of it is in the gutter itself, where almost no one dares to reach.
>A couple of isolated altercations lead to full-on conflicts, who gets to make money, how much money and where, and Zest has to teach Zap about which groups are the trustworthy ones and which ones not to fuck with.
>But it’s only based on what she knows, and there’s suddenly there are rules again in a way. And they feel worse than the first ones.
>And wouldn’t you know it, Sour Sweet is the one behind it all.
>She heard of Indigo Zap’s recent success, and she’s out to take her down for betraying her gang that runs a section of the city.
>Lemon Zest has to help Indigo Zap keep making more money in safer territory as she avoids the heat that’s coming for her.
>Beating down punks and spies trying to put the odds in the favor of the enemies, looking down at them on the ground after she shows them who runs this shit with the most damning grill her eyes can give them.
>The black sky and streetlights decorating the background behind her head from their view.
>Sour Sweet doesn’t play fair… why does she seem to be so angry about something?
>Now Indigo has to stay on her toes at all times, and Zest is watching her journey from right beside her.
>Watching her back, for the folks with guns trying to take back their territory, wanting to take back their street corners.
>Sleep is not an option.
>The two-faced girl is really out to get Indigo, and Zest knows that Indigo wants nothing to do with this bullshit.
>But this life, this situation, it chose her now. Something unrelated must have happened and it started to involve Indigo where she can’t help but be invo-
>…
>”The yogurt’s getting worm, Zesty.” Indigo tells her friend.
>”Ah, fuck.” Zest looks down at the melting frozen yogurt in the cupholder next to her.
>She still has a terrible feeling that something bad is about to happen.
>Something’s coming… someone’s coming.
>”Where are we?” Asks Zest, wondering how much time has gone by.
>”Outside of Sunny’s house.” Indigo is looking very concerned.
>Zest shakes her head. “Wait wait wait… hold up. What’s going on?”
>Indigo looks around out the car windows. “I think someone’s following us.”
>”Why?”
>”I keep seeing headlights following us.”
>”Why are we outside of Sunny’s house?”
>”So she can let us stay over! What do think? I don’t wanna drive all the way back to my hou-”
>A pair of headlights beam at Indigo’s car, but there are no red and blue police lights.
>”Oh… shit…” Indigo gets the urge to speed away.
>But Zest grabs her arm right before the next song plays in her headphones. “No, we got this!”
>”Are you fucking crazy?!”
>”…Yes!”
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoYZf-lBF_U
>…
>Back in Lemon Zest’s imagination, it’s 1995 now.
>Zest and Zap are chilling in an apartment living room together.
>Minding their own business, eating yogurt when gunshots can be heard outside in the hallways.
>Right outside the door soon enough.
>Once again, Indigo has a choice to make, though not really since she’s already in this too deep.
>…
>Indigo’s phone vibrates on her thigh back in reality.
>She picks it up.
>It’s a text from Sugarcoat.
>Why the fuck is she texting her at 4:15 in the morning?
>[Indigo, you need to stay away from Sour Sweet for the next few days. I destroyed her phone and computer but she thinks it was you.]
>Indigo turns around to face the headlights, not able to see who’s car it is.
>[You need to stay away from her, there’s no way she hasn’t gone off the deep end.]
>There is a prolonged car horn honk… and Lemon Zest has already leapt out the door but not to run away from it, but to menacingly walk towards it.
>”Who goes there!” She shouts through her music, slamming open an imaginary apartment door and yelling into a dark hallway with an imaginary battle ax in hand.
>Bringing a battle ax to a gunfight…
>Indigo steps out of the car as well and gets a better look at the car behind her- oh fuck, it’s Sour Sweet’s car.
>And as though on cue, Sour Sweet emerges out of the blackness, having already exited her vehicle.
>Same kitchen knife as before in her hand.
>That more-than-ever deranged look on her face says it all; she has absolutely nothing left to lose, not even her life.
>Sour Sweet says not a word and feels not a thing in her heart or soul… slowly approaching Indigo Zap as soon as she establishes eye contact.
>Indigo Zap snarls and cracks her neck, so fucking sick of this shit.
>She struts over in Sour Sweet’s direction, clenching a fist as she briefly forgets that she goes to a private school and lives at home with both parents who have a really good marriage.
>”Indyyyyyyy~” Sour Sweet’s voice has completely lost it.
>She raises the knife and lunges forward.
>Indigo strikes like lightning, ramming her fist square onto Sour Sweet’s nose, blowing her back with the impact.
>Making her ponytail stick out in front of her as she falls to the asphalt with a loud thud.
>The knife clatters on that asphalt somewhere in the darkness.
>Zest, in her currently 1995 musical world, just watched the thick-armored Indigo warrior appear out of nowhere and turn the two-faced con-lady’s face concave.
>”Yo, come on. Let’s go.” Indigo watches Sour Sweet quietly writhe on the ground, in the road. “Let’s get outta here.”
>She then listens to her ear-piercing screech as the pain dawns upon her, blood pouring from her nose.
>Sour Sweet stares down at the glistening asphalt below her contorting face.
>”Indy?” Zest slowly approaches.
>”I SAID LET’S GO!” Indigo snaps at her. “Yo, come on, let’s split!”
>The two get back into the car as lights from Sunny Flare’s house turn on.
>Sour Sweet lets out bloodcurdling screams into the night, waking up the whole block as she searches for her knife.
>The car speeds away, and Zest lets the next song play as Indy wipes blood off of her knuckles.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWMjRMJ0dTI
>Zest and Zap stop the car about three blocks away so they can process what the fuck just happened.
>”We got the whole city to ourselves, now!” Lemon Zest declares. “Nothing can stand in our way.”
>Indigo squints out the window, letting the satisfaction of what she just did to Sour Sweet wash over her little by little.
>She wanted to do that for years, and knew it was going to happen.
>And it happened, in the dark, next to a car that Indigo could use to drive away from the scene as her head spins.
>In Zest’s mind, the whole city is bowing to her and the Indigo Warrior. Giving them props as they stand before them, towering over them like giants.
>”We did it, Indy!” Zest smiles with her gaze distant and almost as crazy as Sour Sweet’s was. “Let’s fucking hit the casino, girl! We’re fuckin’ unstoppable!”
>Zest pulls out a couple of bottles of champagnes she miraculously pulled out of nowhere as the Indigo Warrior sits on her throne, looking tough as she ever has.
>This lasts for a minute or two, and Lemon Zest leans her chair back with her megaphone in one hand and head in the clouds with imaginary champagne in the other hand.
>”We’re the baddest bitches on this side of the city. Which other districts do you wanna take first? Maybe they’ll bow to us before we have to do anything.”
>”What are you talking about?” Asks Indigo. “What are you imagining right now?”
>”You just killed the top predator of the streets and took everything she owned. We’re fuckin’ loaded. We will never stop winning!”
>”Man, we gotta get out of here before the cops come. They’re definitely going to be here.” Indigo stays on her toes despite the weight from years into the past being off of her shoulders for the first time.
>She feels like she could sprout wings and fly, and take over the whole school if she wanted to.
>Zest’s vision quest became contagious for a split second there.
>But then the song ends.
>…
>”…”
>”…”
>”Indy, where are we now?”
>”I just punched Sour Sweet’s face in, you fuckin’ moron! WE HAVE TO LAY LOW!!!”
>Just at this moment, there’s a sliding thud on the side window of the driver’s side.
>Indigo turns her head to see Sour Sweet’s bleeding face giving a deathly stare right back at her; she’s not smiling anymore.
>Lemon Zest screams, and Indigo Zap instinctively punches in the direction of Sour Sweet’s face pressed against the glass.
>The glass shatters, and Indigo can’t tell what the fuck just happened -again-, but she can now hear faint police sirens with the window’s glass having a hole in it.
>Where did Sour Sweet go? Was she even really there at the window?
>At this point, both Indigo and Lemon may as well have imagined it together.
>Nevermind, it’s time to disappear before those sirens get too close.
>Speed away.
>”Fuck, this went too far. This went waaaaay too far.” Indigo keeps listening to the wind hissing by the shattered car window. “My paren’t are gonna kill me. I’m gonna go to jail…”
>She herself hisses at the pain on her hand; it’s dripping with her own blood now.
>Her heart beats in her ears, fast breathing echoing inside of the rubber clown mask she has to take off to really catch her breath.
>The pain in the untreated broken glass wounds only gets worse, and Indigo has to drive slower then pull over to find something to bandage herself up with.
>Conveniently, there’s a first aid kit in the trunk that Indy retrieves.
>”We getting chased by the cops?” Asks Zest.
>”At this point, it’s be surprising if we weren’t.” Responds Indy as the adrenaline rush temporarily wears off. “Someone near Sunny’s place definitely called them, and someone near that party called them, so I’m pretty damn sure we gotta get out of here now.”
>”You want me to drive?”
>Indigo thinks carefully but sloppily at the same time, shaking her head. “There’s no way they’re not looking for this car. There’s no way at this point. We shouldn’t have done any of this shit. We should have stayed home. I should have slept till 4 then played video games with you until we went to bed again.”
>”But where would that extra bit of fun be?” Asks Zest.
>Indigo doesn’t know how to respond to this anymore, she just stares at Zest in awe, wondering if she’s constantly on drugs.
>She just knows she’s going to be hearing distant sirens any minute now, it’s only a matter of panicked breaths and heartbeats.
>”What do we do?” Asks Zest.
>”…Listen…” Indigo starts.
>”But I’m already listening.”
>”NO I MEAN LISTEN TO ME!” Indigo slams the steering wheel and honks the horn. “Oh shit…”
>”Should I drive?!”
>”No! Listen to me! You know how to get back to my place from this side of town, right?” Indigo’s thoughts buzz around her head, her apprehension fading into the pitch blackness of the night.
>”Yeah, but it’s far!”
>”You’re gonna have to. You know why? The cops are gonna find this car no matter what. And this whole thing that just happened was my war to fight, not yours.”
>”What do you want me to do, though? Like, go through the woods?”
>”Walk back! Any way you can! What the fuck do you think?!”
>Zest takes a deep breath. “Are you sure they’re gonna find the car no matter-”
>”Yes! Law enforcement these days is basically unstoppable! I’ve seen enough cop videos and crime shows to know that I’m fucked no matter what! But you still have a chance, even if it’s just a slim chance. You have to go back on foot.”
>Zest nods, now understanding the gravity of the situation.
>”Another thing.” Indigo adds. “Sour Sweet had all of her stuff wrecked. All of her belongings. It’s why she came at us.”
>”Wha… holy shit, really?” Zest gasps. “That was Sour Sweet?”
>”OF COURSE THAT WAS HER!” Indigo explodes as loud as the car horn before face palming. “And yes! She got all her shit smashed up. Last night. And… I… it was me.” Indigo literally just finished making this decision. “I never told you this, but I broke into her house and broke all her stuff.”
>Might as well take credit for that too. Sour already thinks it was her anyway, and the less she wants to do with her, the better. She’s a dangerous fucking person.
>”Holy shit.”
>”I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to get caught up in all this, Zesty.”
>And wouldn’t you know it, police sirens can now be heard.
>No easy way of telling if they’re approaching, but they might as well be.
>”Oh fuck… Go! GO!” Indigo shoos Zest out of the car’s passenger side. “Go home, Zesty! Wash the paint off and go home! Go play Age Of Romans or whatever that game was! It’s too late for me, just go!”
>”Wait! My megaphone!” Zest tries to open the now locked passenger door.
>Indigo shakes her head. “It’s evidence. It’s mine now.” She floors the gas pedal.
>Zest watches the car speed away, biting her lip and reluctantly wishing Indigo Zap the best of luck even though it won’t come to her at this point.
>Whatever, she still has her headphones.
>She escapes to a different street before the sirens get too close, then goes down a sidewalk on a street name she recognizes in the direction of the side of town where she lives.
>The cops are going for the car, and hopefully not Zest, but she stays in the dark areas where no one can tell she’s there walking anyway.
>And of course, she plays more music from her playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVv4IdGtcNw
>…
>Indigo clutches the steering wheel, thinking about some phrase she read once.
>There was a point where we should have stopped, and we clearly crossed it. But let’s keep going and see what happens!
>Speeds and drifts down the streets, ready to throw her life away over something that could have been prevented.
>But there’s nothing left to lose. And Zest’s safe.
>Now Indy is hoping she will see Sour Sweet again, now that she’s able to match her insanity on the fateful night air of this early morning.
>She’s gonna run the bitch over if she sees her, fuck those police sirens she’s hearing in the distance.
>This went on for too long. Time to end it once and for all.
>The mask is not put back on — it is no longer needed.
>But the megaphone is picked up and kept in reach.
>Indigo speeds around town glaring at the streets, out the shattered window, over her bloodied hand.
>Attracting all of the attention she can in the opposite direction Zest is running so she won’t be reached.
>Forget about Crystal Prep, forget about that worthless dean, the worthless principal Cadance.
>That whole scene became a circus, and for what fucking purpose?
>Everything’s corrupt except the surface.
>It’s all so cringy and uncomfortable to walk into school anymore, without some dumb shit going down.
>The vacuum Cinch left made the place worst than it’s ever been.
>So it’s fine, Indigo doesn’t ever wanna go back. How far away is the Florida state border again?
>Fuck it, maybe she can fake her death and go to Cuba or something.
>None of these plans are actually going to work, are they?
>Meanwhile, Lemon Zest skips through the woods as the rest of the song plays.
>On her way back home but still wanting to look for a party to go to.
>The night can’t be over yet, it can’t be.
>She gets closer and closer to town as the next song starts.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cs5J3CkRao
>Lemon Zest keeps walking until she’s out of breath.
>Completely loses track of the little story her brain was telling her as the music plays, because shit got too real for her once she found out she was being chased by police in real life.
>Her desire to go to another party dies off, not even because of the fact that it’s almost 5 AM now.
>This clown music would have been impossible to wash off without the help of literally only one nearby stream running through a patch of trees in one small neighborhood right before Zest gets to the middle of town.
>She might not want to go to a party anymore, but she still loves walking around at this time in the morning.
>This isn’t even the first time she’s done it, Zest likes the looming vacant feeling it brings her when it’s completely dark and there’s no one around.
>It’s a little scary too before one gets used to having an out-of-wack sleeping schedule. Just stay on the lit streets and it’s really not that bad.
>She’d start to feel pretty cool walking around at times like these, but then feels pathetic and out of place because she actually goes to a private prep school during the day.
>Really takes the umpf out of the whole thing. Makes you feel not even partially as bad or hard as you thought you were.
>It’s like getting arrested by the cops…
>… The police officer with the much bigger megaphone orders Indigo to exit the vehicle with her hands raised.
>She does as she’s told, face lit up by the red and blue lights as the officers approach her and momentarily slip the cuffs around her wrists.
>I mean… really, what did you think was gonna happen? This ain’t a movie, this is the part where reality comes crashing in.
>Indigo Zap sits in the back seat of the police car, still planning to take the blame for what happened to all of Sour Sweet’s stuff.
>…
>Zest makes it to the downtown area of the town after the song ends, which is still pretty far from where her house is.
>And she’s extremely tired from walking around so much.
>Decides to walk around downtown despite the other problems she’s been facing tonight.
>Fuck it, she still wants something to do, at least. She’ll just lay low like Indy said.
>Plays the next song on her headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMeFcVHNT1Q
>She walks around in the part of town with brick buildings that go higher than 3 stories, pretending to herself that she’s in the middle of New York City.
>Thinking about the cops being after her.
>Wondering if her friend made it away from them to continue her life in freedom.
>An early commuter drives by, and she turns to suspiciously look at it as though she’s being hunted by them.
>The driver just gives her a confused stare before continuing down the street.
>The way all of the stray pieces of paper look on the ground in the alleys as she passes them, the way they’re crumpled up, the rugged texture of the brick walls, the metal stairs and ladders lining those walls…
>It’s a strange kind of beautiful.
>But it’s unfamiliar to the girl; she’s not from a place like this no matter how hard she pretends she is.
>She’s not tough like the people who actually have to live here.
>However, this doesn’t stop her from going into a 24 hour bus station and getting a lolipop from a vending machine.
>She puts it in her mouth, pretending it’s a cigarette.
>Meanwhile, a couple of blocks away, Indy is taken to the police station.
>Gets her fingerprints inked, mugshot taken and all that, put in a secluded room.
>And there she sits, bandages stained with dry blood and face stained with a dry, careless expression.
>They can all go ahead and sue her, charge her, anything they want. Indy is so fed up with the people who bullshit her in this world.
>Acting like it’s not her fault this all started up in the first place. 
>Acting like she wasn’t disrupting the peace and damaging property with her friend.
>She doesn’t care if it’s her fault anymore.
>She just needs to get out of this fucking town. Away from these people.
>Maybe go to some vacation resort… after all of this is resolved, that is.
>Indigo stays in the secluded room for the remainder of the morning, not even sleeping a wink.
>…
>It’s Sunday morning.
>People who are scared of death and burning forever sit in the church seat rows, ready for their weekly service.
>The pastor stands before them as the organ music starts playing in the background and filling the room.
>This starts to play through the pair of headphones before Zest even touches the double doors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVUBeKkx83A
>And LOW AND BEHOLD… the double doors of the church swing open.
>She did it, she finally found a party to attend.
>They serve free food and wine, play music, people get together all dressed up nice… and the sun rose two hours ago, so it’s a more appropriate time for the choir here to sing.
>Close enough.
>Lemon Zest strides down the aisle with her headphones on like she’s about to marry them.
>Some small chips of white paint still remain on her face.
>The pastor tries to process what’s going on but can’t when Zest steps up onto the stage and starts to rant ironically about why the gamers need to rise up right now, guys!
>Acts like this is a house party, blinded by the music she’s listening to and the video games she’s played… the church people see her as a heretic now.
>…
>Lemon Zest is basically kicked out of the church service. Not allowed to go in there anymore.
>She shrugs carelessly. “Eh, club can’t handle me.” She plays the next song on her playlist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7yPhExdj3E
>Lemon Zest walks away proudly and eventually makes her way back home.
>It took like another 45 minutes to get here, but she still has her house keys with her… but didn’t need them because she forgot to lock her front door.
>It’s a good thing Sour Sweet didn’t blame her for the destruction of her property.
>She listens to more rap after entering her room and lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8GgunjEJA8
>…
>As for Indigo Zap, things are about to get a whole lot more wild.
>She is indeed cooperating with the law enforcement, doesn’t seem to accept responsibility for her actions.
>All that goes on in her mind is “to hell with this shit” and phrases alike.
>Motherfuck Sour Sweet, Motherfuck Sunny Flare, and fuckin’ forget about Sugarcoat too. This drama is officially in Indigo’s past whether they like it or not.
>She tells the cops talking to her that she did it because the music she was listening to made her this way, like how Lemon Zest is whenever she does shit like this and takes no responsibility for her own shitey actions.
>”We’ll see how well that holds up when your court date comes.”
>…
>Unknown time before Monday morning…
>Zest has played some more of her usual computer games, now back to listening to more rock music.
>As she finally goes to bed, this plays in her headphones once again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo2qQmj0_h4 
>Classic Lemon Zest.
~
>M o n d a y .
>It’s before homeroom.
>Sugarcoat sits at one of the cafeteria tables, biting into a piece of toast.
>In walks Sunny Flare, looking really drowsy from what must have been a wild weekend.
>Very unusual for her.
>Both girls know about the shit that happened by now, for one reason or another.
>Sunny walks over to the cafeteria table and sits down right across from Sugarcoat. “Hey. Case of the Mondays, amirite?”
>Sugarcoat slowly looks up at her with squinting eyes and sneers at her.
>”What’s up?”
>Sugarcoat hastily gathers her things and stands up.
>”Did… did you hear about Sour Sweet’s stuff?”
>Sugarcoat pauses only for a second as she’s heading out the door to the hallway. “Oh yeah. I heard.”
>”She’s lucky she had me store some of the stuff she had on an online storage place, huh?”
>………
>A lightning bolt strikes Sugarcoat’s heart, forcing it to skip a beat and a half.
>”Is… something wrong?”
>”…”
>”Sugar?”
>Sugarcoat simply walks away.
>Now, Sunny Flare can automatically tell that Sugarcoat knows more than she’s probably going to be comfortable with if she asks her about it.
>Leaving the school immediately, Sugarcoat walks home.
>Enters her house, enters her room.
>No one is able to hear the crying; she has her face buried into a pillow the whole time.
>…
>You sit in your office, reading over a text that Sugarcoat sent to you yesterday.
>[It’s done. It’s finally done, it wasn’t pretty, but I made sure she can’t use anything to do what she was doing again.] The text reads.
>She seemed so relieved, it’s a shame that you can see she’s not marked down as present today.
>You want to thank and congratulate her.
>Now you go back to looking through the attendance stats for the day.
>Sunny Flare is the only one of the Shadow Five to be marked present for the day.
>Huh, weird.
>…
>Something else happened, didn’t it?
~
>Days of quietness pass.
>Sugarcoat soon came back to Crystal Prep, but she refuses to talk to either of her friends that are there.
>No one knows why so much unfortunate luck suddenly happened at once, it was like one of the final destination movies.
>A couple of the more religious students pinned the blame on the pentagram painted on the wall.
>Sour Sweet would have to answer for that if she came back to school for Halloween. But she never arrived, staying home because of some apparent injuries.
>Sunny Flare has been texting her but won’t tell anyone what she’s been saying.
>The whole atmosphere of Sour Sweet being in charge of the school is starting to fall into question, after word spreads that Sour Sweet’s stuff all got destroyed in order to get rid of some dirt she apparently had on someone that got her power in the school.
>But no one knows enough about what this dirt was or even if this rumor is true, and there is absolutely no evidence to go on, and no one is talking more than speculation amongst only some students.
>Halloween finally comes.
>Sour Sweet, low and behold, finally arrives to school in her costume as she had apparently promised Sunny Flare, who had been expecting her.
>All of the other students had been urged and pressured into wearing costumes that do not break the school dress code.
>But Sour Sweet does something different.
>She walks into the front corridor through the front doors, spitefully striding past everyone in a skimpy little satan outfit, boobs bouncing, ass cheeks folding with each step… and with a large bandage covering her nose.
>She’s here to show that she’s still standing and Indigo Zap is going to jail.
>After all that happened, she maintained her status as queen of Crystal Prep Academy with flying colors, and she is now unstoppable now that Sugarcoat is sufficed and Indigo is gone.
>And surely, Lemon Zest doesn’t care. She’s still off to the side doing whatever she wants.
>And Sour Sweet is in the spotlight at center stage doing whatever she wants.
>And Sunny Flare is second in command doing whatever she wants as long as Sour Sweet allows it, which she probably will anyway.
>And Sugarcoat will be doing whatever she wants as long as she stays out of Sour Sweet’s way.
>And Indigo is going to prison.
>…And nobody actually save the picture online, and Sunny Flare lied to Sugarcoat about having done so as Sour Sweet commanded to despite it no longer existing.
>Only Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare know the truth. Indigo is out of the alliance for good, and Sugarcoat is not trustable enough.
>Their throne that represents their power is a throne of lies that they sit on.
>And this bubble that represents all they have left must not pop under any circumstances, but nothing in the world is certain.
>At least not this world.
>But Sour Sweet convinces herself that her walking into school like this is her victory despite all the shit that was put up against her.
>The rest of the day at school is spend eventless aside one little event…
>…
>Knock knock.
“Come in.” Your voice is cheery for once.
>Oh look, it’s Sour Sweet.
>And lookie here what she’s wearing, something fornicating the dress code with a pitchfork and- WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?
“Woah.” You say, having looked at her chest before her face.
>”Yeah… I kinda got into a bit of a blunder last night. Don’t worry, I didn’t blame you or anything.”
>You play the nice guy, wanting to ease her into realizing that the picture is no more.
>Whatever Sugarcoat did, it’s done.
>Wherever she went since she texted you, you have no idea. She hasn’t answered back yet.
>”So…”
“So…”
>The cute little satan stares at you with a tight smile, something deceiving as anything ever was.
“What happened to you, exactly?”
>”Indy decided to take out all of her rage on me. It’s really sad, really. We had such a good friendship.”
“Oh? Do the…”
>”Yeah, she already got arrested for it. Broke into my house and broke all my shit. I’m pretty bummed out about that. And then I confronted her about it and she knocked me out in one punch. I’m pretty bummed out about that too.”
“Oh. Wow, uh…”
>”Yeah, but you know what? I took it as a learning experience.” Sour Sweet’s eyelid twitches. “Never… ever trust someone who used to be your friend who looks like they’re plotting something against you. You know… like how I see all of my OTHER friends now.”
>Her tone gradually rises, intensifies.
>”You know… it’s my fault, really. I shouldn’t have trusted her to come crawling back. That was my mistake. She almost got rid of that picture of my panties too, not that it matters anymore, but she was really going for everything I own. But she’s not a problem anymore.”
>You freeze in place, which Miss Sweet notices, and she knows exactly what you froze at.
>”Ah, you didn’t hear about that?” Sour Sweet continues. “Yeah, Sunny at least saves a few of the pictures online in some storage database. It’s amazing how handy those are.”
>Your world only partially crashes inward, knowing how you felt about this after last night when you made close enough to amends with Sour Sweet.
>You’ve been trying to decide if you’d break it to Sugarcoat that she can still be with you and you can still keep Sour Sweet happy with her corrupt little thing she did as long as it doesn’t affect you.
>The fact that you changed your mind at all might have seemed disloyal, but you were planning to clear it all up with Sugarcoat and tell her that it’s all okay until she texted you that the deed had been done.
>And now here sits Sour Sweet, telling you that the deed in fact has not been done.
>Your first thought is… is she bluffing? You thought that Sugarcoat went to Sour Sweet’s house… did Indigo Zap follow her or something?
>You’re so lost here…
>It’s VERY likely that she actually had it back up somewhere online just in case this very thing happened, and that would not surprise you one bit.
>And at the same time, you’re still partially wanting to keep this little open relationship with Sugarcoat at the top like Sour Sweet promised so everyone’s happy anyway.
>If the picture really does still exist, and Indigo really did some shit like what she did and ended up arrested, then wouldn’t just giving in and letting the chips fall where they may be the easiest most peaceful way to resolve this once and for all?
>You never wanted anyone to get hurt… at least not after Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare “made peace” with you.
>The conversation now basically goes with Sour Sweet implying very indirectly that she wants to be sure she can trust you, but doesn’t tell you any further information.
>And you don’t know for sure if you believe her, or if it matters and that you should keep your peace with her regardless.
>But she seals the deal over and over again with you anyway, wanting you to swear your unconditional loyalty to her and let Sugarcoat know that it’s all okay.
>She’s getting ready to tell her herself and she wants you to back her up in agreement.
>You concede, and that’s all there is to it.
>Not sure how you feel when Sour Sweet leaves the room, you start texting Sugarcoat about the whole thing.
>…
~
>November 1st.
>Indy wakes up after a dream that she doesn’t remember at first.
>But it slowly comes back to her.
>…
>It was Halloween night.
>All of the Shadow Five got together to celebrate the holiday.
>They all went as the batman villains.
>Lemon Zest went as the The Joker.
>Sour Sweet went as Two-Face.
>Indigo Zap went as Bane.
>Sugarcoat went as Mr. Freeze.
>Sunny Flare went as Penguin.
>They all threw a party together to celebrate their friendship that had a newfound closer bond after Cinch left the school.
>All five of them hung out together on the living room couch watching scary movies and eating tasty snacks for most of the afternoon.
>Sour Sweet would rag on Sunny Flare for being too weak stomached for the horror movie while Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest would cheer every time there was gore on the screen.
>Sugarcoat pointed out time and time again when something was inaccurate or when the acting was terrible.
>All five of the girls had fun together, and they were so indescribably happy with the time they were having.
>They watched another movie before it started to get a little dark, so they decided to go outside in their costumes and trick-or-treat together.
>They went up one block, down another.
>Indigo Zap rushed ahead of everyone as Sunny Flare started to complain that her feet hurt after the third block.
>Sugarcoat gave the young children very judgmental expressions as she walked by them, and Sour Sweet offered to give them some of her candy… the healthy candy she knew none of them wanted.
>Lemon Zest played the music in her headphone so loud that it drew attention from all up and down the blocks, and she couldn’t hear Sour Sweet telling her where to go next.
>Indigo Zap dared Sunny Flare to go tress-pass on one of the lawns of an old abandoned house at the end of one block.
>Lemon Zest was the one who actually did it, dancing aggressively on the lawn and playing an air guitar feeling awesome.
>Then Indigo Zap went into the house, making Bane from TDKR jokes about how dark it was in there.
>Sour Sweet went up to one house where they left a bowl of candy with a sign saying to please take just two.
>She took two pieces, placed them next to the bowl then took the bowl with her.
>Sugarcoat berated her for this, insisting that she put the bowl back and take the two pieces of candy like the sign politely asked her to.
>She eventually put the bowl back, saying it was only a joke and she wasn’t actually going to carry that bowl around the neighborhood anyway… after she ate like 5 pieces of candy from it.
>Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap hung out together in the abandoned “haunted” house pretending there were ghosts in there.
>Then Indigo Zap swore she saw a ghost with her own eyes, not even kidding.
>She tried to yell to Zest to get the heck out of there, but Zest couldn’t hear her because headphones.
>Then Indigo actually DID see a real ghost hovering around, all faint and dingy almost glowing and ditched Zest, who danced around not at all realizing there was an actual ghost in the house.
>She eventually left at her own will… out of boredom, having not seen the ghost at all despite it being like right next to her.
>Indigo then tried to convince her that the ghost thing really happened, which Zest refused to believe.
>Meanwhile, Sunny Flare kept complaining that her feet hurt and that they should walks back home, and Sugarcoat’s feet also started to hurt.
>Sour Sweet mockingly mimicked them but then agreed to go back.
>The five girls walked together chatting and laughing with eachother.
>They took a shortcut through some open field with some trees and wooded areas, where there were no streetlights to illuminate their path back.
>Indigo was still trying to convince Zest that the ghost was real, and Zest playfully tunes her out with a smile.
>Sour Sweet starts to feel her stomach cramp.
>She ate too much candy and did too much walking, fast walking trying to catch up with Indigo and Zest.
>Sunny Flare wanted to sit down for a bit, and Sugarcoat told her that she was the one who wanted to go back first and questioned her now wanting to make it take longer.
>She started complaining that her own feet hurt from walking around so much even though she was good at ballet but walking in these kinds of fancy dress shoes was something her feet and ankles were not used to.
>Meanwhile, Zest and Zap got into an argument over which villain in the Christopher Nolan Batman series was better, The Joker or Bane.
>The Joker was a much better character, but Bane had the better memes.
>Gang Weed is funny as hell, but Baneposting will always beat it out at least by a little bit.
>The girls then finally got to walking again, but got apprehensive then they had to go through a rather unsettling looking patch of trees and hills that have numerous dead trees that look terrifying at 11:33 PM.
>Sunny Flare grew quiet, Sour Sweet grew quiet, Indigo Zap grew quiet, Sugarcoat tried to keep her wits about her but grew quiet as well and Lemon Zest kept rocking to her music and took away the tension a little bit for the rest of the friends.
>They felt like they were being followed, but nothing was there when someone turned their head to look.
>They then made it back to the house and went inside immediately pretending they were narrowly escaping a demon or something.
>Then they did the same routine of watching spooky movies and eating snacks once more.
>Except Sour Sweet’s appetite was gone and her stomach still hurt from all the candy.
>Sugarcoat got bored of the movies and went to bed.
>Sunny Flare stayed up later on Twitter and Instagram on her phone then went to bed.
>Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest kept on horsing around until they too got tired and finally went to bed as the sun was coming up the next morning.
>Nothing like good times with close friends.
>Good times, good friends, good memories.
>…
>A tear enters Indigo’s eye as she reminisces this dream, for it’s not just a dream.
>It’s a real memory.
>From last Halloween.
~
>First off, fuck winter.
>November sucks.
>It’s getting colder.
>Halloween’s over, Day of the Dead is over.
>Thanksgiving isn’t worth a shit.
>Black Friday is over hyped.
>Christmas consists of a few things…
>Forced, awkward family events and annoying, repetitive music playlists.
>Spending money to not look like a piece of shit in the eyes of one’s folks and anyone they gossip to.
>Forcing smiles onto one’s face when they’d really rather be somewhere else, and lying about that.
>Lots of food and presents one has to pretend to like, not to mention the shitey family photos for the yearly Christmas album.
>New Years is anticlimactic as hell, wow, it’s not like many people already stay up past midnight.
>Except this time, they want to avoid being cooped up in the family room watching the shitty parade on TV and have fun instead.
>All the while making promises to themselves they know damn well from the start they won’t keep.
>Let’s see… January’s shit, February’s shit, Valentine’s Day is shit, March is mostly shit, St. Patrick’s Day is okay, April Fool’s Day is shit, Easter is shit, it’s really not until 420 do things really start getting better aside the green island of a holiday.
>Nope, not much to look forward to at all in the coming months.
>Shit like this is what makes Lemon Zest feel like it’s worth making her family hate her, as long as she gets to be herself and to not be bothered until it’s spring and the weather gets better again.
>Winter is so fucking lame.
>Lemon Zest wishes she could just drop out of school and stuff her room with enough food to hibernate throughout the entire five and a half months of bullshit without starving to death.
>… And with Sour Sweet having subdued the dean and all the restrictions for her to be at school more to get a passing grade, this is exactly what she plans to do.
>Fuck all these other people, she wants to talk to Indy.
>And she can’t even do that, Indy’s gone away for a bit, and she has no idea if or when she’ll be back.
>Zest has to lay low anyway, lest she suffer a fate similar to that of Indigo Zap.
>But with the rules bent a little bit, staying away from school is more possible than it was before.
>Time to get “really, really sick”, with as much dedication to the act as humanly possible.
>…
>It’s Monday afternoon.
>All of the students have seen things go back to their calm state.
>Even if there was anything more interesting going on, they’d have too much school work to do to really follow the drama.
>All they know is that Neon Lights is in the hospital, Indigo Zap got arrested, and Sour Sweet’s house got trashed.
>Out of the three, Sour Sweet is still in school with a swollen nose from what must have been a sucker punch.
>They already found out that it was Indy who had punched her in the face, but Sour Sweet is not speaking a word on the matter, and neither is Sunny Flare. Nor is Sugarcoat.
>Drama happened, and it got out of hand, that’s all the public needs to know.
>Oh well, back to work.
>The time for the workload to get heavier had already started weeks ago.
>Now there are multiple classes giving the students homework every night.
>Long, drawn out lectures to sit through during the day.
>Multiple-chapter readings to do over the weekend.
>Essays and book reports to hand in on the quickly approaching due date.
>Quizzes and tests to study for.
>And the expectations of the students at a school like this soar through the clouds where their minds aren’t allowed to go when they sit at their desks.
>Feels almost like Cinch never left, and this is apparent to everyone inside the building.
>Everyone except a handful of pseudo-aristocrats.
>Sour Sweet spends some of her time in the library, sitting in one of the arm chairs browsing social media on her phone.
>If there’s a class she didn’t feel like going to, she just doesn’t go.
>Comes to the library and relaxes for the class period, may as well be filing her nails with that aloof expression on her face.
>Sunny Flare generally joins her, gossiping about a lot of the other students and letting the queen of the school know if there’s someone doing something they want to keep a secret from her.
>In the classes the two girls have together, they sit next to eachother if they both felt like they were in the mood to attend class.
>The teachers have already wanted to see them after class regarding their attendance.
>This stopped after Sour Sweet paid a visit to the Dean’s office and had a short conversation.
>Being let off the hook left and right, all built on a foundation of lies now.
>She and Sunny will hold the secret close, and refuse to tell anyone as though they would have to tell it along with all of the unspeakable things that happened in the Dean’s office since the school year started.
>And now… the three remaining Shadowbolt girls sit together at the lunch table.
>Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare have already told Sugarcoat about the entirety of the deal they wanted to make regarding the dean, and Sugarcoat was about as happy about it as one would expect.
>She isn’t exactly thrilled, and if anything, she’s regretful that she’s officially tied up in this mangled mess more than ever.
>In too deep to get herself out of it.
>She shouldn’t have done what she did, she has a bad feeling about it.
>Something inside of her tells her that it’s going to be discovered that she’s the one who went through Sour Sweet’s house with a hammer.
>”This is a new chapter, Sugarcoat! Don’t you see?” Sour Sweet is surprisingly still trying to convince her. “This is that one solution in which we can ALL be happy and get what we want.”
>Sugarcoat doesn’t reply, just bitterly stares up from her meal.
>Looks over to Sunny Flare.
>Glares down at the other girl’s brand new iVambraces her parents just bought for her.
>Dying inside to do to them what she did to Sour Sweet’s house.
>Her heart isn’t ready to fit in with the upcoming Christmas spirit.
>Sunny Flare suspiciously glares back at her.
>No more banter or snippy remarks this time; this is real.
>There will no longer be a time when these girls will be okay with eachother after the day’s over, as far as Sugarcoat’s concerned.
>She’s made up her mind.
>And Sunny Flare moves her new devices out of splashing range of Sugarcoat’s drink.
>”Oh, will you two stop already?” Gripes Sour Sweet. “Sunny got her wrist thingies back, Sugarcoat got her boyfriend back, I got my position secured, and the Dean got his… uh… dignity back.” She confidently declares.
>Sugarcoat’s eyes ask Sour Sweet if she knows that for a fact.
>”Sugar, hon, please…” Sour Sweet flicks her wrist at her. “If you’re gonna sit there and be negative all lunch long like last time, maybe you should sit at a different table.”
>Right as Sour Sweet says this, one of the teachers walks up to the table and asks for Sugarcoat to follow her.
>”You’re wanted at the Principal’s office.” Says the teacher.
>Not the dean, the principal.
>Sugarcoat gulps the food she was chewing and gathers her things before the teacher escorts her out of the room.
>”Ooooooh.” Sour Sweet teases, meeting an angry but concerned stare coming back from Sugarcoat.
>”I wonder what happened this time.” Says Sunny Flare to Sour Sweet before sipping from her drink.
>…
>The teacher escorting Sugarcoat to the front of the school is walking behind the girl, while another teacher now walks beside her.
>Right away, Sugarcoat can’t help but feel like something terrible is up.
>Did she get caught?
>Did Indigo cave in under the pressure and confess that she was trying to cover up for the real cause of Sour Sweet’s stuff being destroyed?
>Sugarcoat can picture it now: five or six cops waiting there at the front office for her.
>With Cadance standing next to them with an ashamed look on her face.
>Sugarcoat can feel the cuffs around her wrists already, she starts to internally panic but keeps it internal.
>But she is completely sure that the cat’s out of the bag, there’s nothing else this could possibly be.
>She just knows it.
>…And then she turns the corner into the front corridor of the school.
>Yup, five or six cops, next to a judging, cross-armed Principal Cadance.
>She knows the Dean is looking from inside his office; she sees the parting in the blinds.
>What happens next is pretty much like how you see it in the crime shows or whatever.
>The teachers herd Sugarcoat over to the cops and principal, one of the cops explains to Sugarcoat what’s going on and tells her to turn around before slipping the cuffs around her wrists while reciting her rights to her.
>Yup, the handcuffs feel exactly how Sugarcoat imagined they would.
>Only now does Sugarcoat realize that she was screwed from the start.
>She sent Indigo a text clearly stating that she was the one who wrecked Sour Sweet’s house… straight to Indigo Zap’s phone, which law enforcement obviously confiscated and looked through to inevitably find her message tied to her number.
>There was no way she wouldn’t be found out.
>Cadance soon hears the car door shut outside.
>Some students in class watch from the windows as the cop cars drive away, one of them with Sugarcoat in the back seat.
>Word of Sugarcoat’s arrest reaches Sour Sweet’s ears before the lunch period has a chance to end.
~
>Luckily for Lemon Zest, a bunch of college students who were all drunk one night didn’t remember enough details to say for sure if Indigo —the girl the cops caught for reasons unrelated to their party ruckus— arrived to the party alone or if some other troublemaker girl, whom they vaguely remember, arrived with her.
>Indy and Zest weren’t even the only two to crash the party; there were a couple of uninvited people waltzing in before they even got there, and a few more after they had arrived.
>All thanks to the fact that no one at that party was keeping track of who was actually supposed to be there, because one “dude” who was supposed to keep tally of it didn’t show up for some reason and the other “dude” who replaced him was already drunk.
>Dumbass college shitheads.
>But because of this, and the fact that Indigo isn’t cracking a bit when the cops drill her with questions, there ends up being no evidence that Lemon Zest was involved in any of the shit she did on Halloweekend.
>As far as Indigo’s story goes, she went over to Sour Sweet’s house on Friday night to wreck up the place, did just that, went home, slept, got up in the afternoon and drove to the party in her car alone, crashed the party along with other party crashers, caused the ruckus with someone else who happened to be there too, left, went cruising around town until she ran into a certain Sour Sweet wanting to confront her about if she wrecked her house or not, physically assaulted her and drove off, and then went on an adrenaline-fueled rampage in her car until she was apprehended by Florida State Police.
>But she can remain as tight-lipped about information she wants, it doesn’t change what her texting history says.
>And just like that, one of the people interrogating Indigo finally lets her know that Sugarcoat was just arrested, and that they found her text on her phone and that they know she’s lying no matter what.
>Indigo has to fully admit to the truth about Sugarcoat, but says not a word about Lemon Zest.
>They ask her if she arrived with Sugarcoat to the party, and if she wasn’t actually alone when she got there.
>Indigo very truthfully told them that Sugarcoat was not at the college party, knowing there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Sugarcoat would attend one of those things.
>No one can prove that Sugarcoat was at the party, because she wasn’t, and she herself very truthfully tells them so from the inside of a couple of locked rooms over, fully cooperating and having no idea about Lemon Zest being involved.
>Sour Sweet is questioned by police too, and she herself barely remembers much about her hunt for Indigo, which was coated in a blind rage.
>She remembers seeing Indigo’s car, and seeing Indigo, the girl she won’t admit she was planning to do much worse than injure on that night.
>It’s only in Sour Sweet’s nature to calmly lie, saying that Indigo stole the kitchen knife from her kitchen drawer and took it with her, which is why it was found lying in the street.
>Nobody died, and all suspects are already identified and/or in custody, and no one is checking to find out that Indigo’s fingerprints are nowhere on the knife’s handle.
>Sour Sweet’s memory mostly only registers that much, then goes straight to telling an embellished sob story of how much it hurt when Indigo punched her face in, and how she can hardly remember anything else because she must have been knocked unconscious for a couple of minutes.
>Yeah, she hit her THAT hard! With all of that brute strength she has, and Sour Sweet makes sure the cops have this fresh in their minds, along with the fact that the ridge of her nose is actually fractured after medical examination.
>And so… not even a single mention of Lemon Zest.
>It’s concluded that Sugarcoat wrecked the house on Friday Night, then Indigo Zap crashed a party uninvited the following night, roused up that noise complaint, got a text from Sugarcoat about Sour Sweet’s house, and knowingly took the blame for that and then went driving around and assaulted Sour Sweet in front of Sunny Flare’s house, then drove off and continued to disturb the peace until the cops arrested her.
>And Lemon Zest gets off the hook scot free, luckier than a seven leaf clover.
>She sits alone in her chair and plays more computer games as celebration, making AI players fight eachother until they’re weak enough for her to easily take them over while listening to more of metal and rap.
>Divide and conquer the enemies.
>Listening to both versions of Hellraiser and Cruisin’ in my 64’/Boyz in the Hood.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXo6nxt_8KM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M4FG1UXH5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3pS-ov-ofo
>What? What do you mean she had a hand in any of that?
>She wasn’t even there, what are you looking at?
>Ain’t none a’ y’all mothafuckas got nothin’ on her! Yain’t got shit, ya hear?
>Ya got nothin’! Nothin’! Fuckin’ move along, nothing to see here, folks. The fuck y’all lookin’ at?
>Don’t quote me, cause I ain’t said shit.
~
>Meanwhile, you’re having a very long conversation with principal Cadance about the things that have happened.
>Really trying hard to get your brain to dance around what you saw on Saturday afternoon.
>She knows you’re thinking about it too, and neither of you are willing to bring it up, even though you’re both alone in here and no one’s going to hear shit anyway.
>But you’re very careful to keep your eyes directly locked with Cadance’s eyes, lest things get really awkward really fast.
>It’s a good thing this is an extra long conversation, otherwise, you’d have to stand up within the next five minutes.
>”I just don’t understand. Everything was perfectly under control until that night.” She says to you. “It’s never happened so suddenly.”
>Yeah, maybe it wouldn’t seem that way if you actually paid attention to the shit going on and were here for more than half the time.
>”Yeah, maybe it’s just a fluke of bad luck.” You respond instead. “I can’t seem to wrap my head around it either.”
>”Well, I asked the hospital how Neon’s doing. He’s definitely going to make it. Don’t know how, so I’m not sure what kind of news that is. But his situation is where most of the legal proceedings are going to fall under. Because his condition is much more critical that that of Sour Sweet, and his thing happened on school grounds.”
>Cadance pulls out a stack of papers and straightens them out.
>You can see all of the crap you’re going to have to sign already.
“Have there been lawyers contacting us yet?”
>”Yup. An attorney representing Neon and his family gave me a phone call the other day.” Cadance does not look or sound happy about preparing to go through this kind of stuff. She doesn’t even look prepared at all. “Some of the things that were faxed to me are in this stack of paperwork.”
>Wew, this should be fun.
>”There’s a few places you need to sign too, and I’m going to call some people to find out what our attorney options are too. But just to ask in case we can help speed things up a bit, do you know anyone?”
“No, uh, I’ve… never really been a law person.”
>”Alright, that’s okay. I’ve already received a list of possible attorneys to contact with their phone numbers included. So that’s ready to be sorted out, but first…” She takes the form from the top of the paper stack she filled out and places it in front of you on your side of the office desk.
>This should be a hell of a good time.
>…
>The final bell of the school day finishes ringing.
>Instead of going to the Dean’s office, Sour Sweet decides to take a trip down to the police station and ask why Sugarcoat got taken away in cuffs.
>She was already there a couple of days ago to provide her testimony, so she should be let back into the action once again, especially if she comes in with more to tell law enforcement.
>Plus, she gets to see Indy in handcuffs again.
>Very satisfying feeling for Sour Sweet, makes her feel unstoppable.
>But the main reason is to try and get Sugarcoat out of this mess, since she’s apparently on the winning side of the struggle now.
>”Wait, where are you going?” Sunny comes running out the front doors.
>”Going to the station again. Gonna find out what the hell just happened.” Answers Sour Sweet.
>”Do I have to come with?”
>”What? No, of course not. Idiot. Go home or something, I’ll catch up in a bit. We’ll make cookies!”
>”Uh, okay. My place?”
>”Of course your fucking place! You got like three stoves and two ovens, we can do it ten times as fast.”
>”Alright.”
>The two girls wave eachother off before Sour Sweet gets into her car and clumsily speeds down the road towards the police station.
>It’s amazing she didn’t make it there in the back of one of the cruiser cars instead.
>She enters the station immediately, asking to speak with whoever she can. Wanting to talk to her friend Sugarcoat and maybe her enemy Indigo Zap.
>Some back and forth talking goes on for a few minutes, and the officers don’t seem to keen on this issue, letting her just straight up go in and talk to Indigo and Sugarcoat. Especially Indigo.
>But they let her go to the room Sugarcoat’s sitting in.
>And Sour Sweet sees Sugarcoat sitting in the chair as soon as she enters through the doorway. “Sugar? What’s going on?” She rushes to her aid like she’s going to save her or something.
>”Sour… I…”
>”What happened? Did Indy blame you for something? I can get you out of here, we’re cool now. I can tell them you didn’t have anything to do with the-”
>”Oh, you’re already here.” A balding, middle-aged prosecutor walks into the room before stopping in his tracks. “Uh… you might want to keep these two separated.” He says to one of the cops.
>”What?!” Questions Sour Sweet. “Why? She’s my friend! She didn’t do anything wrong. Were you already going to call me here?”
>”We have news for you.”
>Sugarcoat only sulks lower into the chair, dry streams of mascara staining her face still.
>”What’s the news?” Asks Sour Sweet, showing concern the newfound close friend she found in Sugarcoat despite Sugarcoat’s past attitude towards it during lunch.
>”We’re… gonna have to ask you to step out with us first.” Another cop says as he gently grabs Sour Sweet by the arm.
>”It was me, Sour.” Sugarcoat blurts out. “I wrecked your house. Only Indy knew.”
>Right away, the available officers scramble as calmly as they can to keep the situation from getting heated.
>Luckily, Sour Sweet’s state of shock lasts for a long enough moment for the cops to herd her out the door as the prosecutor waits for her down the hallway.
>But the most pain so far is felt during that state of shock.
>Sour Sweet’s trust for Sugarcoat has crumbled, and the new light of hope she had starting to kindle goes out in a tidal wave of betrayal, part of which soon starts to leak out of her eyes after she raises her voice in a tirade.
>”You… absolute BITCH! That was my WHOLE FUCKING HOUSE! MY PHONE, MY COMPUTER, MY… OH MY GOD, YOU BITCH!”
>Everyone up front can hear Sour Sweet kicking and yelling as multiple cops hold her back.
>”I can’t believe you’d DO this! You heartless fucking cunt!”
>”I’m not sorry.” Sugarcoat’s voice cracks a little, but she meant what she said.
>The door is shut.
>Sour Sweet carries on for a couple more minutes, and coincidentally as three other cops are moving Indigo in cuffs back to her containment room.
>They enter eachother’s sight on opposite ends of the short hallway of closed doors.
>Indigo already heard enough of what was just said to correctly guess what Sour Sweet says next.
>”It wasn’t even you?!” Sour Sweet gazes over to Indigo in disbelief.
>”No. But I wish it was. Cunt.” Indy replies.
>”Oooookay, let’s go, miss.” A cop nudges her on as Sour Sweet loses her shit once more at the other end of the hallway. “Get this hothead outta here.”
>”EVERYONE BETRAYS ME! I AM FED UP WITH THIS WORLD!” Sour Sweet screams with tears running down her face, torn apart.
>”God, I wish it were me.” Indigo repeats in a spiteful grunt.
>…
>Now neither Sugarcoat nor Indy are at school.
>Everything has quieted down a lot since Sour Sweet did so.
>She knows it well, enjoying those silent moments between the times she was the center of the action.
>Yeah, she did all that, caused all that drama… and this is the aftermath.
>She skips three classes a day now, then goes straight to lunch after math.
>Nope, nothing new interesting.
>This aftermath is getting boring.
>To compensate, Sour Sweet starts some drama on social media to get a kick out of it.
>And Sunny Flare watches it all go down from her account.
>…
>Meanwhile, here you are sitting in your office once again, relieved that all the stress stopped but wanting more than anything else to get Sugarcoat out o-
>You start reading through the folder that was sent to you.
>The one that details everything that happened over the weekend.
>A frown crosses your face, but you’re no longer wondering why the cops came and took her away so promptly.
>And still, you read over the text again and again as thought you misinterpreted something.
>Nope, it still says what it says; Sugarcoat damaged and destroyed pretty much all of Sour Sweet’s property with a hammer.
>The shock you’re feeling tells you that this isn’t like her.
>Your hand starts to shake a little, and you grit your teeth.
>But then you feel choked up a little; there’s no undoing what she did, isn’t there?
>Well, maybe there is. This is a rich school, right? And surely that Cinch must have pulled some strings in the… eh…
>No, this happened off of school ground. Sugarcoat broke the law… and all of Sour Sweet’s stuff. There really is no undoing what she did.
>You lean back in your chair and slide the folder away from yourself; you’re quite done with it now.
>A new email just pops up on your computer.
>Great… the totally interesting and fun conversation about lawyers and legal advice you had with Cadance yesterday apparently isn’t over yet. Meeting in ten minutes.
>You get ready to head over to her office again; dean being sent to the principal’s office.
>Kinda funny to think about.
>You chuckle about it to yourself in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood as you walk to the door.
>”Oh, hello!” Someone startles you after you open the door.
“Oh! Uh…”
>”Sorry, sorry. It’s me. Gloriosa Daisy. The botany instructor for Crystal Prep and Canterlot High.”
“Ah. Yeah, I know you. Did Principal Cadance send you here?”
>”No, I came here to ask about storing plants over the winter. Do you guys have a greenhouse here?” She says to you.
>You think back to the tour Cadance gave you in the very beginning.
“Why yes, yes we do. It’s towards the back. Very warm in there.”
>”Perfect! How much free space is there in it?”
>Oh, that’s where this is going.
>You wind up letting Gloriosa have some spare keys to the school’s greenhouse (which is insulated to stay warm during these shitty months).
>And before you know it, you wish you had talked with her longer because now you’re back to talking with Cadance about lawyers and stuff.
>What’s fortunate, however, is the fact that Sour Sweet isn’t bothering you today.
>What could she possibly be up to now?
>…
>In the cafeteria during mid day.
>Sour Sweet stands in the middle of the room with one of the freshman before her with a lunch tray.
>”Do I look like a school bully to you?” She says. “What, do you think I’m gonna steal your lunch money from you or something? Like in the movies?”
>”No… I just wanted to-”
>Alright, look. You’ve come awfully close to my table tons of times. Time and time again I see you there. Like you’re spying on me.”
>”Why would I spy on you?”
>The young lad almost feels like he won’t make it out of the confrontation alive, and he knows for a fact she’s not going to walk around on this side of the cafeteria again.
>Sour Sweet eventually chases him off when she’s sure that he’s not going to “act weird” again, as she calls it.
>”Sour Sweet?” A voice suddenly startles her.
>She doesn’t answer Suri Polymare until the girl calls her name a second time to make Sour Sweet realize that this voice isn’t in her head.
>”Oh, hello?” Sour Sweet turns to her.
>Suri gestures for her to follow her to one of the far corners of the room where no one can hear what they’re saying if they whisper.
>Sunny Flare watches from a lunch table, ready to spring into action if something goes wrong.
>Maybe whack a bitch with her iVambraces.
>”Alright, make it quick, sug. Whaddaya want?” Asks Sour Sweet, toying with the bandage on her nose.
>”Does the dean know about the ballot boxes for the school events?” Suri asks Sour.
>”Heh, why are you asking me? I’m not his keeper.” She lies in response with an awkward laugh.
>”Come on, we both know that students here never get to skip class as much as you do. You talk to the dean sooooo much.”
>”Wh… why’d you notice I’m not in class in the first place? I just had lots of stuff to do.”
>”In the dean’s office? Sour, please.”
>”There ain’t shit going on! Go back with your freshman friends and leave me alone.”
>”Relax, I’m not spying on you.”
>”Yeah, yeah okay. What’s going on here?” Sour Sweet envisions the revolution that happened at the beginning of all this. “Who do I look like to you? That grouchy old Cinch?”
>”I’m not here to rat you out.” Suri steps a little closer. “I want in.”
>Sour Sweet backs up. “You… wait, what?” She pauses at the sudden proposition.
>Suri steps closer again with her hands submissively raised. “I just wanna say right now that I don’t know the details, alright? All I know is that you’re doing something that’s letting you be able to skip class all the time. And we’re in like five classes together, by the way. It’s not like I wouldn’t notice.”
>Sour Sweet starts to nod but ends up shaking her head. “I guess I should have seen somethi- what is SHE doing here?”
>”Relax, Upper Crust is cool too, I promise.” Assures Suri. “We just wanna make a deal. We’re on your side, promise.”
>”Hon, it’s not hard to tell something’s up. But we’re not against it.” Upper Crust joins in.
>”Why do you want in? Huh? You wanna use the dean to fix the votes in the ballot boxes, is that it?” Sour Sweet is getting more and more defensive by the minute. “I’m just really good friends with the dean, okay? He’s not just gonna do whatever you girls want.”
>”We don’t care about the dean, okay?” States Upper Crust. “Just the ballot boxes.”
>”Yeah! The dean doesn’t matter.”
>”Well… I’m glad you decided to take it up with me first before going to him.” Sour Sweet softens her tone and turns her nose to the ceiling. “So what about those ballots, eh?”
>”We want to know how to have a recount… just in case we need to.” Says Suri.
>Sour Sweet gives her a sly smile. “Oh, I get what you mean. A… ‘recount’… right?”
>”Yeah.” Responds Upper Crust. “We would like to know how we can have access to it. Like… be in charge of it while still have our names on the papers.”
>Sour Sweet nods her head slightly at this.
>”It’s a tricky one, I know.” Suri locks her fingers in front of herself. “You think you can ask the dean about this yourself?”
>”Oh, I’d love to, but I really can’t be bothered. It’s not you, it’s just that I don’t know how to do this.” Sour Sweet says to them. “I mean, being in charge of the ballots AND still having your name on there? That’s gonna take some hoop jumping right there.”
>”Well… you gonna be cool with us taking it to the dean? We had a feeling you might not take kindly to that and all.” Says Upper Crust.
>”Good point.” Sour partially doesn’t want them going up there when they likely have just as much power to make the dean believe things as she does. “I’ll… see what I can tell him and we’ll take it from there.”
>The three girls nod to eachother and momentarily walk in separate directions.
>On the far side of the cafeteria, Coco Pommel sits and takes a small bite out of her sandwich as her two acquaintances return.
>”We’re in business… kinda.” Suri says to her.
>”Sour Sweet said she’ll talk to the dean.” Explains Upper Crust. “But that’s about it. We don’t know if she’s going to say the same things we said, but it’s something.”
>”What did you say? We’re not really going to cheat this time, are we?” Asks Coco.
>”Well why not?” Asks Suri. “It went well last time. No reason not to do it again.”
>”But what if we get caught?”
>Upper crust sighs and sits down next to Suri. “Hey, now. I know it doesn’t feel right to you. And I get that.” She pats the other girl on the back. “But the thing is, life’s hard. And girls like us deserve better than a cold hard world.”
>”So we tweak thing up a little. Not too too much, just enough to squeak by and keep the world from screwing us over.” Says Suri. “It’s only survival.”
>”It still doesn’t seem fair to anyone else trying to make it.” Says Coco.
>”Oh, I know… I know.” Upper Crust tells her. “I know it’s hard, Coco. But sometimes, you gotta do what you can to climb the ladder. It’s life. It’s not supposed to be fair.”
>”Despite what some people might’ve told you, life really isn’t fair. So you gotta pull some strings to make it just a little bit more fair.”
>Coco eventually half-heartedly agrees and finishes her lunch with the other two girls. Lunch ends and everyone heads off.
>As this happens, Sour Sweet runs into yet another iffy person in the hallway.
>”He was the hero we needed!” Mulberry Seed hollers at the other students with a couple of makeshift pamphlets he made from computer paper in his hand.
>Sour Sweet raises an eyebrow at him. “Uhh… what are you doing?”
>”You!” Mulberry hisses. “You’re part of the conspiracy!”
>His tone is so dopey and clown-like that Sour Sweet doesn’t even feel like he’s actually onto something.
>”Get lost, loser.” Sour Sweet pushes Mulberry away.
>He says something under his breath and hisses a little.
>Then goes back to telling the other students about how great of a person Neon Lights was.
>”Sheesh, it’s not like he died in the hospital or anything.” Sour Sweet gripes then walks away.
>She passes by the gym and sees coach Snow walking towards her.
>Oh… right. That coach that Indy didn’t like very much.
>”Hi!” Sour Sweet cheerily greets her as she walks by.
>”Hey.” April Snow warily responds, taking note of the bandage on Sour Sweet’s nose.
>She can already feel that something is off.
>That menace Indy being gone, Sour Sweet skipping gym class multiple times all fo a sudden… the dean talking all weird.
>Not to mention all of the outside events that happened.
>Wait, didn’t she hear something about Sour Sweet’s house?
>Must not have been paying attention, but something really bad must have happened.
>Surely it must also have to do with Sour Sweet’s nose being bandaged up the way it is.
>April Snow is still thinking about this as she sits in her own office, ready to make a call to the dean just to ask if there’s a rhyme or reason to the weird stuff going on around this place recently.
>Something’s up, she can just feel it despite not having any real evidence aside the feeling.
>She waits until the last gym classes of the day are over before wandering around to both ponder and possibly find clues about what’s causing everything to start being like this.
>Things haven’t gotten this strange since right before Cinch’s episode and departure.
>She walks by the greenhouse, where Gloriosa Daisy is setting down a row of many different flowers from her students.
>She was involved in that controversy, wasn’t she?
>Yes, it’s all coming back to her now; she remembers it. Gloriosa was that Humanities teacher that said something about an “educational revolution”.
>And started the drama with Cinch that led to her leaving the school in the hands of Cadance.
>Ah, Cadance, incompetent and unwilling to cooperate with issues that Coach Snow had tried to make clear to her… said something about being in a meeting. Long before the Neon thing even happened.
>Anyway, what’s Gloriosa up to nowadays? Maybe she can bear an answer or two.
>…
>”Aaaaaaand Wallflower’s forget-me-nots will go riiight here…” Gloriosa soon checks the time to make sure she’ll make it out before all of the students start flooding the hallway.
>”Hey.” A voice catches her attention.
>”Hello?” Gloriosa turns around.
>She finds one of the gym coaches standing before her.
>”Hi.” Gloriosa says to her.
>”Hey, I’m coach Snow. um, can I ask you something?”
>”Sure.” Gloriosa nods.
>”You’re the one who wanted to uh, how do I put this, start a revolution at the beginning of this school yeah, right?”
>”Why yes.” Gloriosa’s eyes start to dar around nervously, which coach Snow notices.
>”Relax. I’m just asking because I’m curious about something.”
>”What is it you’re curious about?”
>”Could you tell me if you think the school’s under good leadership?”
>Gloriosa looks at April Snow with a confused half smile at first, but a certain part of her kicks in gear as soon as she hears the word ‘leadership’.
>”What’s going on, here?” Gloriosa automatically sounds more curious than April was. “Cadance has become Principal, correct?”
>”Yes.”
>”Did she do something wrong?”
>”…I don’t know. But there are a few things I do know.”
>Gloriosa tilts her head. “Tell me. Tell me what I need to know… and anything I need to do.” Her voice has become brave and ambitious just like how it was the first day she got here.
~
>You sit at your office, looking at something Sour Sweet sent to you from her school email in the computer lab.
>She’s arranging things like a game of chess for some reason, seems like a “hey how’s it going” email with a randomly playful twist.
>She dubs herself as the queen, you as the king, Sunny and Cadance as the Bishops, Suri Polymare and Upper Crust as the Knights and Coco Pommel as a rook.
>…What?
>What the hell do those last three have to do with any of this?
>Knock knock.
“Come in.”
>In walks two girls you now recognize as Suri Polymare and Upper Crust.
>Oh.
>Oh boy, do you wonder if they have any connections with Sour Sweet now.
>Just a suspicion.
>”We have a little bit of an issue we’d like to share with you.” Suri sits down, her face a little bit more serious than the last time you saw her.
“Go right ahead.”
>Upper Crust silently stands next to Suri. Suri makes herself comfortable sitting as though she’s about to call a mafia hit.
>”You remember that fashion competition that’s coming up, right?” Suri begins.
>She’s gonna try and do some funding stuff again, you just know it.
>Not a convenient time what with all the legal troubles going on with Neon’s situation.
>AND replacing some of the equipment from the computer lab that was broken because of what Lemon Zest did recently.
“I remember.”
>She responds immediately. “What exactly are the credentials for overseeing the ballot boxes to make sure all is going well?”
>Nope, you don’t like the way that sounds.
“I suppose you’d have to be qualified to oversee it. Let me see who is already in the position to do so.” You swivel your chair to your file cabinet to check the records.
>You can feel Suri’s eyes on you as you go through the manilla rows.
“Ah, here we go.”
>”So who is it?”
“Tenderhoof, it seems.”
>”Okay.”
“Alright, so lemme give you a quick rundown. I myself am not in charge of the ballot boxes or anything pertaining to the fashion contest, but I’m pretty sure that Tenderhoof can already be trusted to oversee it properly without any problems. I haven’t heard any complaints thus far.”
>”Oh, I trust him too.” Suri continues as Upper Crust quietly stands next to her. “It’s just that I’d like to have a word with him about some things that came up recently and they regard the ballot boxes. I’d just like to make him aware of something.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure that’d be my job.”
>”Well, I’m one of the main sponsors of the competition, and I’m competing in it too, and am directly affected by some of the things that happened.”
“Well tell me what happened and I’ll tell Tenderhoof.” You say in response, not willing to let her do any shady stuff you know for a fact she has planned.
>“Ooookay. You sure you’ll remember all of the details? All the teams that are playing?”
“I might already have a file of it here somewhere, so…”
>Suri nods and goes on to tell you about all of the schools competing in the fashion competition, and how there was no recount last time until after the winner was declared.
>And that the recount wasn’t truly instated or publicly announced, and that it never made it into the records that you have because it was outside of normal procedure.
>She also told you that she had a conversation with Sour Sweet about the thing at lunch and you can ask her about it and she’ll tell you.
>Yeah, Sour Sweet pretty much already told you.
>”So you’ll remember all of this?” Suri asks, after giving you rather choppy information that you’ll have to ask Tenderhoof about since you’d rather put trust in him.
“Yup. I gotcha.”
>”Great!” She stands up and herds Upper Crust to the door. “I guess he and I will let you know if anything went wrong or if everything went well.”
>Not suspicious at all.
>Upper Crust looks like she barely has half an idea of what’s going on, looking around all confused when Suri tries to get her to leave so suddenly.
>She probably won’t be of any good use to you if you tried asking her for details separately.
>What about that girl Coco?
>She’s not even here, would she know anything more than Upper Crust would?
>You’ll probably just go ahead and question Upper Crust first anyway just to be sure.
>No matter what, something is going on (again) and you’re going to get to the bottom of it whether Sour Sweet is involved or not.
>You have a sinking feeling that Sour Sweet is going to intervene if you get too far, but at least them you’ll know for sure if this is something she cares about.
>If it’s not, then you’re not about to let these other two strong-arm you into submission like Sour Sweet did.
>You immediately call for Tenderhoof to be sent to your office.
>…
>Knock knock.
“Come in.”
>In walks this tall, rather slim looking student, his hair looking like straight outta the hairdresser and thick rimmed glasses over his eyes.
>Let’s hope he’s one of the cooler kinds of hipsters.
>There’s no way Suri or Sour said anything to him yet either, so there’s also that.
>”You wanted to see me.”
“Yes, I’ve been getting word from another student that she has a concern regarding the ballot boxes of the upcoming fashion show.” You tell him. “You’re not in trouble, she just wanted me to let you know that there wasn’t a recount last year, and some of the other schools aren’t registered the same was as this school this time due to the fact that some apparently switched which students are looking over the ballot boxes.”
>”Oh, really?” Tenderhoof asks.
“Yeah, but I also don’t have any records of this, since it was outside of standard procedure. But the student who came to me already knows about the things that happen before they go on record because she’s always very involved, as she said.” You’re careful not to drop Suri’s name.
>”Well this is new to me.” He responds. “So she wanted you to tell me this?”
“Yeah, so I guess it would be a smart move to double check the ballot boxes and keep good notes of the registration of the other schools.” You go off of the messy details that Suri gave you.
>You almost feel like she wanted you to have him go talk to her.
>”Alright, I’ll do that. Which schools are registered differently?” Asks Tenderhoof. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Canterlot High.” You remember the name Suri told you.
>Something feels weird inside of you when you say that name.
>It almost sounds familiar, and not because of Suri saying it.
>Or even because of Gloriosa mentioning it either.
>Eh, you’ve just been so tied up with everything that you don’t know what memory’s from where right now.
>It’s only going to be a matter of time before Cadance comes back in here with more updates on the lawyer situatio-
>Knock knock.
>Speak of the devil.
“Come in.”
>And in walks Cadance. “Okay, so I got the approval to let the attorney view the exterior maintenance records.” She continues the last conversation you two had before noticing Tenderhoof standing there. “Oh, hello.”
>Tenderhoof politely waves. “Hello.”
>”Hey um, could we have a moment?” She tells him. “There’s some urgent stuff the dean and I need to go over.”
>“It’s okay, we were just about finished.” Tenderhoof turns to you. “Canterlot High, right?”
“Yup. Canterlot High.”
>”Awesome. And was it Suri who came to you about this? This sounds a lot like her.”
>”Oh hey, what a coincidence. I’m best friends with the Vice Principal there.” Cadance smiles, already distracted. “And yeah, that does sound like Suri. There’s always /some/ other issue she has with that school. She’s gone to both me and the principal there about things.” She chuckles. “Ah, that Suri. Anyway, could we have a minute?”
>God damn it, Cadance.
>”Sure. Thanks for the heads up.” Tenderhoof waves you off before leaving, completely unknowing of what’s really going on.
>You REALLY hope he doesn’t go to Suri Polymare. You don’t trust that girl one bit.
>Cadance closes and locks the door. “So our case is pretty much solidified at this point. All we have to do is organize the information in the file and the attorney should handle the rest. We shouldn’t have to get more bills from him after this settles.”
>Even for a quick legal issue, this is moving along quite quickly. Usually, these things take months.
>Whatever, you’re not complaining. The sooner it’s over, the better.
“That’s great to hear.”
>”Anyway, on to the more private thing.”
“Yes?”
>”I’m going to go to another meeting with some people. I’d like to let you know directly that it has to do with the lawsuit, but I’ve already cleared everything with the attorney and you shouldn’t worry about it at all.”
“Okay, good.”
>”We’re basically going to try and have some financial compensation ready to go for Neon’s family outside of the school’s reputation beforehand so that part’s cleared and out of the way. As for the maintenance records, we’ll hand that over to the offices too and have them closely examine everything and have a new inspector some in and check up on everything.”
>Wow, she’s covering all the bases now.
>It’s too bad that it took a literal lawsuit to wake her up.
>”So anyway, I’ll get all that taken care of. You might need to sign another document or two. Of course, the inspection checklist for when the inspector comes through and checks everything including the stage lights.”
“Understood.”
>Why did she want word of this meeting to be ‘private’?
>Knock knock, again.
“Uh…” You hesitate before saying your usual line. “Just a minute.”
>You can tell that Cadance was about to say the same thing.
>”Alright, so that’s it.” She speaks a little quieter. “I’ll let you know how it went, but could you do something for me?”
“Sure.”
>”Could you not bring up anything about this to any of the other staff? Nothing bad’s going on but I’m just required to make sure that the documentation stays in the reach of only those involved, and you’re technically not included in that but I’d rather you know where I am for half the day and be able to fill in if need be.”
>Oh shit, you know information you’re not supposed to.
>”But don’t worry, everything’s fine and done with now. I’m just telling you this so everything else that’s been going on is easier. So let’s finish this off and it’ll all be behind us and we won’t bring it up again.”
“Alright, got it.”
>Welp, you don’t know how you feel about that.
>”Come in.” Cadance says the line for you.
>In walk Gloriosa Daisy and April Snow.
>Since when did the botany program and school athletics cross over? Extreme flower planting?
>”We’re done now. You can have him.” Cadance half-jokes. “Hey, nice to see you again!” She waves to Gloriosa.
>Gloriosa waves back with a smile.
>And now the door closes again without locking. Coach Snow sits in the chair while Gloriosa stands on her feet like the revolutionary hipster she is.
>”So I noticed that some more drama with Indigo Zap and her friends took place.” April Snow starts off.
“You’d be correct, yes.”
>”And I’ve noticed that miss Zap isn’t even attending gym class now, because of what happened.”
>You nod.
“Yup. You’d be correct about that too.”
>”We just have a couple of questions regarding Indigo’s other friends. Namely… Sugarcoat.” Gloriosa says the name in a spiteful tone.
>”Is there a reason behind her leaving the school with the police?”
“Yes… about that. As it turns out, both Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap have had really bad run-ins with Sour Sweet.”
>”Mhm, yes. I’ve heard.” Answers coach Snow.
“And one of them includes Sugarcoat breaking in to Sour Sweet’s house and destroying her property with a hammer.” You give her a look.
>All four of the eyes before you widen.
“Yyyyyyeah.”
>”Well then.” April Snow takes a deep breath of surprise and leans back in the seat. “Wow.”
>”I’m actually not really surprised.” Reacts Gloriosa. “I’ve already seen how disrespectful she can be.” She recalls the circus that was the first couple days of the school year.
>”So both she and Indigo got arrested for the thing with Sour Sweet, huh?” Asks coach Snow.
“I’m afraid so, yes.”
>Gloriosa and April exchange worried glances.
“Is something wrong?”
>”Well, Sour Sweet is still here. After having bad encounters with two of her friends… and Neon Lights, as I’ve heard from the nurse.” April Snow brings up.
“Yes, she’s still here.”
>”Well I think it’s clear that there’s something problematic about Sour Sweet.” Says Gloriosa. “And Coach Snow here has informed me that she, along with her friends, has a habit of displaying toxic behavior.”
>You begin to metaphorically sweat.
>Because you know just how deep that rabbit hole goes, and there’s nothing you can do about it without losing your job.
“Well I’ve already had her up here at the office a number of times. She says whatever drama that happened between her and her friends is over.”
>”Oh, you’ve already called her up to here?” Asks April Snow.
“Yes.”
>”Is there a reason why she’s been missing gym class over and over again, yet still comes to school like I’ve seen?”
“Oh, uh, I’ll have to look into that.”
>April Snow’s gaze grows less friendly. “So this is news to you, then.”
“Yes. Yes…” You shift around in your chair.
>”Well I have good reason to believe that she’s been skipping classes multiple times. And i’m sure you know by now that I don’t take too kindly to this.”
“I’ll get her up here and talk to her about it.” You say back.
>April slowly nods while Gloriosa looks at her then back at you.
“Have there been any further problems concerning Sour Sweet that you think I should know about?”
>”Other than her usual attitude, no.”
>”Has there been any information on whether Sugarcoat is coming back to school soon or not?” Asks Gloriosa.
“Not that I know of. You’d probably have to ask Principal Cadance.”
>”Aw darn, she was just here.”
“She’s right across the hall, I’m sure she’s not that busy.”
>”Right.” Gloriosa asks April Snow if they can leave now so she can get more information on Sugarcoat.
>Damn, she really must have a bone to pick with Sugarcoat for some reason.
>”Well I guess if you could get ahold of Sour Sweet on this, that would be great.” Says April Snow as she stands up.
“I’ll do that for ya.” You nod.
>”Could you let me know once you’ve talked to her?”
“I’ll let you know, yes.”
>”Alright.”
>With that, they promptly leave.
>And now you sit nervously in your seat, not enthusiastic about calling for Sour Sweet to come up here and answer for herself.
>Taking time out of her precious lazy day to come to the dean’s office.
>You could tell her that April Snow came to you about her gym attendance, and that she’s getting suspicious.
>Yeah, actually, that’s exactly what you’ll do.
>Though, you probably might want to wait until the day’s over, seeing that you’ve had three back-to-back walk in appointments in a row now.
>Stressful day.
>And then some time later…
>The school day finally ends with that ring of the bell.
>The students flood out of the school, same old same old.
>They go out the doors from all sides of the building, to the buses and their cars, more same old same old.
>Bundled up because it’s November, even though it’s not too too cold in Florida.
>Still pretty cloudy here, and depressing nonetheless that people still have to go to school.
>Personally, you yourself aren’t opposed to some holiday cheer.
>November and December are great, you love this time of the year.
>Time to go visit family and spend time with them, eating tasty food, opening presents, watching football with them. Ahh, Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner.
>Not only that, but you get a break from being the dean of a school full of young sociopaths.
>You’ll take that any day.
>Better get ready for that Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping.
>You joke to yourself that you’ll get yourself an iVambrace at Best Buy.
>You leave immediately and go home away from all the bullshit that happens in that god forsaken school; you’ll get Sour Sweet to answer for herself tomorrow, you’re already exhausted.
>Enter your house and fall onto your bed, somehow suddenly thinking about Canterlot High for some reason.
>…
>The school has finally voided itself of a good chunk of the students and most of the teachers.
>This is when Lemon Zest makes her way over to the school and makes sure that Principal Cadance is gone.
>The coast is clear.
>What’s funny is that she wouldn’t have realized she was suspended if Principal Cadance hadn’t told her point blank.
>Since she’s almost always home anyway.
>And history class is talking more about economy and religion, theology and a bunch of other boring non-war stuff, so she can afford to just skip the whole day and stay home.
>Being suspended is great, she has a valid excuse to not come to school.
>Maybe next time, she can get herself expelled, Zest is sick of school anyway.
>Her parents want her to become an Architect or some shit.
>Fuck that. Lemon Zest wants to become a rock star.
>She’d run away if she had the resources to do so, and a way to be able to fool around all day and listen to music and not have to get a job.
>Man, November sucks, and December’s worse.
>These holidays are corny and boring, Zest just wants to have fun like she always does. Not dress up in a stupid looking sweater and take family photos.
>And be told about possible scholarships she could get while in college.
>She wants to get expelled so this ends. She wants to go break free so she can finally live her life instead of the life everyone else expects her to live, fuck all that stupid shit.
>Be remembered, not just another name in some future bloke’s family tree. Fuck that future bloke, don’t even let them exist. Live the good exciting life while it’s still young and going on.
>And use it to secure a comfortable future; get paid doing great things, get paid to have fun. Be good at something fun and get paid for that. Fuck career day.
>Zest remembers Principal Cadance’s expression when she last saw her. “I’m not going to take your headphone, I promise, but you’re still suspended for breaking school property.” She said, all tensely.
>Isn’t that just a pocketful of sunshine?
>Zest keeps music from playing in her headphones so she can hear if someone’s coming before she makes it to the lab.
>Sneaks through the doors and creeps around the hallways like a spy like she’s in a movie.
>The girl avoids all students who obviously see her and surely know about the fact that she’s been suspended.
>She doesn’t care, she’s going to make her way to the computer lab so the internet data bill at home won’t run up due to her playing her computer games so much.
>And now she’s planning to take over the world for the tenth time, so she’ll need to put the petal to the thrash metal.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyRHeyFdl0I
>She walks up to the computer lab door, peers inside to make sure no one else who would snitch on her is there.
>Oh look who it is… it’s Mulberry Seed.
>Zest turns the volume up… the door turns into a towering gate that she opens by cutting loose the chain that holds the iron bars together.
>The wind gently breezes past, making Zest’s bright hair wave to passerby, like the Grim Reaper’s cloak.
>Before Zest sits a peasant on the ground, playing with sock puppets on the ground with himself and writing letters he puts into a pile.
>He proclaims to himself that he is a farmer.
>But this “farmer” is startled by Zest’s voice upon her approaching him.
>”You!” Zest stiffly points her finger at him. “Have you come here because I have arrived to wreak havoc once more?”
>The peasant hisses at Zest, holding a hand drawn scroll of the troll whom Zest had slain in the past.
>”You bear the portrait of my slain foes. That is your name on my proscription list.” Zest pulls out her massive claymore sword and points it at the peasant, who hisses and screeches at her again.
>”You are the one who tried to kill my creation! My kingdom in your land!” The peasant steps forward, wanting to convince himself that he is brave like Zest. “Mark my words, I will exact my revenge.”
>”Back down, lest you taste my wrath once more.” Shouts Zest.
>”I shall dare to dream!”
>”Your dreams are worth nothing here, swine!” Zest takes her own step forth and makes the peasant fall back. “You sing the song of the ogres! You dance the dance of the trolls! The likes of you would bow to me had it not been for the laws of this land. Pathetic peasant.”
>The peasant pulls out a small tree branch and starts swinging it around; he cannot even afford proper weapons or armor. “You dare call me a peasant? I see you have confirmed the tales I have told of you.”
>Zest swings her claymore at the branch is snaps it in half with the sheer momentum of the flying metal alone, no sharpness needed. “How confident are you of the amount of truth in your wretched tales?”
>”I shall slaughter you!” The peasant leaps forward, only to be kicked back by Zest’s armored foot.
>”We will see when that ever happens.” Zest looms over him. “Leave this place. For I have no fear of being excommunicated from guarantee of the heavens above. The underworld awaits for me to conquer it. And you shall lie dead with them along with your tales.”
>The song ends.
>”No, really. I’m gonna tell Cadance that you’re here!” Mulberry scrambles to log off of the five computers he’s logged into. “I mean it!”
>”I’ll tell her my damn self!” Zest throws her once strong caution into the wind and exits the room promising to be back.
>Mulberry Seed stops logging off of the computers after he reaches the third computer he was on, deciding that he might as well put a few finishing touches on his project.
>Opens back up the website he started, and scrolls through the feedback comments.
>[Why is there a whole site dedicated to this loser? He doesn’t even go to my school. No one here cares that much about him, I’ve never seen anyone talk about him.]
>Mulberry start typing his reply to the stranger. [It’s clear that you see Neon Lights as a threat lol. Why is it that you seem to be upset that he’s gotten more popular than you at your school? Hmmmmmmm.]
>Then Mulberry hops on over to the computer across the aisle, replying to the same comment he just replied to. [I go to your school and I care. What now fucker?] He then upvotes his other comment he posted from the adjacent computer.
>Goes back to the first computer and types another message [don’t reply to the hater, guys. He comes back every day trying to derail us and make Neon look bad.]
>Mulberry scrolls up to the top of the page to view the title.
>”Neon Lights: The Dream of Canterlot City”
>It’s such a beautiful statement he chose to label Neon as, those arm and leg casts will never follow Mulberry into his own little world where Neon is king.
>Zest is taking a couple more minutes to return to the computer lab, Neon uses the time to talk about Neon on the site he made some more.
>He supposes he’ll only use three computers this time so he can log off quicker.
>[I just want someone like Neon Lights to come to my school.] Mulberry types. [The folks over at Crystal Prep were lucky to have him there. We should use Neon as an example of who we should be next year.]
>”What are you doing?” Zest has apparently been standing right behind Mulberry the whole time as he added multiple blog updates and replied to them himself.
>”Oh so you didn’t get kicked out yet?” Mulberry stands up once again to log off of the computers.
>”Cadance ain’t here, but you can check yourself so you’d know, little twerp.”
>”Little twerp? Cringe!” Mulberry points to Zest and steps towards her.
>…
>Mulberry still doesn’t know how he managed to log off of the computers while running from Zest.
>He must be that much more protective of his dream now that more people begin to oppose it.
>But Zest caught him by the arm as he tried to get away, her heavy rock music blaring through her headphones and giving her enough strength to haul him out of the lab.
>”My turn, motherfucker!” Zest begins to close the door to lock Neon out.
>”You only hate Neon because you’re scared of him!” Mulberry declares, trying to get the last word out before the door is closed all the way. “I am starting a movement!”
>”A bowel movement.” Zest snickers then shuts the door before locking it.
>Funny how the students are able to access the locks on the doors to this room.
>Whatever, Zest won’t question it, it’s probably just dumb luck once again. Like how she never got caught for the party crashing.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5TnPjOd_To
>Zest turns the volume up once more and chooses one of the computers Mulberry wasn’t sitting at to log onto and begin tearing shit up online again.
>Opens up Age of Mythology.
>Opens up map editor mode for some warm-up fuck-shit-up exercises.
>…
>The river nile snakes around the sand at sunrise, the water white from the high tide.
>And a little ways away from the river, rises a monolith out of the sand… an ancient sacred temple from thousands of years ago.
>The streams of sand drift off of the roof, creating mountains at the bottom of the temple’s pillars.
>A light shines from the temple, and out emerges a massive scarab from the light.
>The earth begins to shake, and another scarab emerges from the temple, and another.
>Across the vast desert, Lemon Zest sprints across the sand, kicking it up dozens of feet high with each step.
>She follows the tremors in the ground, knowing where they lead to and knowing what she will find once she finds the source.
>Within minutes, she approaches a walled citadel bustling with villagers and troops.
>Her feet sink into the fertile soil of the farmland as she realizes that the nile is nearby.
>There’s the rushing rapids of the waters, and the citadel’s Ballista towers send warning signals to the town guard that there is a Guardian approaching.
>They have already started to feel the tremors, so they expected the Guardian to be approaching.
>The rock music approaching makes its way to the ears of the villagers.
>Zest sees the span of the nile she has to jump over, weaving her way around the houses and walls to make sure she does not damage anything she’s trying to protect.
>The guards in the towers point in the other direction, yelling to one another in terror as they see an army of giant scarabs approaching the citadel from the horizon.
>One hope-filled guard points to the sprinting Guardian, who is approaching the fishing net laced docks of the river.
>Their towns are going to be safe; the scarabs will not get far with Zest here.
>In one majestic leap, Lemon Zest clears the entire width of the nile below, makes it to the banks of the other side where the scarabs approach.
>The villagers and soldiers cheer Zest on as she bears her golden sword in her hand, running up to the scarabs as the guitar solo of the song starts up.
>The scarab in front opens its pinchers just to have them get chopped off.
>Zest punts its face upward and makes the bug fall on its back, wings kicking up sand.
>The golden sword of the Guardian pierces through the thoraxes of scarab after scarab, and their deep purple blood runs through the sand like Phoenician Wine.
>Chops them all down like a lawn mower, soaking the sand with their blood and sending their ranks back to the underworld for them to wait patiently until she goes down there herself to kick their asses again.
>There are hundreds of scarabs, and not one of them makes it to the citadel where the villagers had been fearing being devoured alive by the scarabs.
>Takes them down in groups at a time, swinging her sword at wide angles and sending the beasts back to where they belong.
>Nothing can match her agility and sturdiness when she’s up against mythical scarabs, they are basically prey waiting to be stain by the golden sword of the Guardian.
>Nothing can Zerg Rush her. She has too much power and speed.
>The air grows quiet as the last scarabs are taken care of, and the villagers on the other side of the Nile bow down and rejoice as Zest turns around to wave to them.
>Zest follows the trails where the scarabs marched, and found herself at the columns of the ancient temple that released them into the world of the mortals.
>She looks up at the sky and then into the ceiling of the temple, raises her sword and strikes the floor with one hacking blow.
>There is a low humming sound, and the temple submerges itself back into the sands of the desert as the song comes to a close.
>…
>Lemon Zest continues her journeys in the digital world, thinking of none of her friends aside Indigo and hoping she’s doing alright with her court date.
~
>Where has all the time gone?
>It’s been a couple of days, now.
>The deal with Suri Polymare and Tenderhoof has gone so far without a single update on the matter.
>And now it’s Monday once again, and you’re starting to get worried that this might be the sign of something bad happening.
>But your job is starting to get more and more busy.
>The school work for the other students is getting much heavier, despite Cinch’s absence.
>They need tutors appointed to them, projects arranged, and a bunch of other stuff.
>You soon feel like you’ve met every student in the whole school at this point, which wouldn’t be that surprising at all for you job like yours since you’re the dean.
>It’s really weird to think about things calming down; nothing has happened with Sour Sweet.
>Then you remember Suri and begin to worry about the possibilities that are implied by Sour Sweet not feeling the need to come to your office as much.
>You scarcely think about Sugarcoat and everything that’s been going on with her.
>Part of you still can’t believe she ransacked Sour Sweet’s house the way she did, that doesn’t seem like her.
>Suppose that even the most rational of people can lose their sight on things if the feelings grow strong enough.
>But now you’re starting to grow more and more comfortable with laying low for the time being.
>All of this risky stuff that has been going on… it’s really nor worth it the more you think about it. Sour Sweet is too dangerous, even with the fact that she’s appeased for now.
>You’re still in a situation where you’re at her whim; that can’t be good no matter which way you look at it.
>But you can’t dwell on that for long, as Suri Polymare finally returns to you office, alone.
>Knock knock.
“Come in.”
>”Hello, uh, I have a couple of questions.” Suri enters and sits herself down.
“Go ahead,” You wait with her for the door to close.
>”Is Tenderhoof in a valid position to appoint me as the new gatekeeper for the ballot boxes?”
“What do you mean?”
>”Well Tenderhoof and I have been talking. About that other school Canterlot High, and some other things. And he told me he is considering handing the torch over to me for this year’s competition until next year.”
>You take a deep but silent breath.
>Nah, there’s no way that doesn’t have something bad behind it.
“Why is he deciding to step down?” You ask.
>”The students over at Canterlot High have been changing up their students they have in positions to oversee the ballot boxes, and some of them have a lot of close ties with Tenderhoof, and he knows this.”
“Okay. So what does this mean for the position of keeping track of the ballot boxes?”
>You wonder how recently this supposedly happened.
>”You see, some of those people are very close friends with Tenderhoof, and they’re competing for the side of Canterlot High, and friends with the person with the duty of overseeing the ballot boxed on their opponent’s end. You do see what this implies, right?”
“Are you saying there is going to be foul play?” You go don’t bother beating around the bush.
>”I am in no way saying there will be.” Suri explicitly clarifies like she’s talking to a lawyer. “But Tenderhoof himself told me that it is of poor practice to have the people overseeing the ballot boxes be closely connected with one another for two different schools who are competing with one another. I’m sure you have a rulebook or something like that explaining this somewhere. Do you?”
“Well, I’ll have to see about that. Wait one second, Miss Polymare.”
>You go through your file cabinet and the manuals and books on your little shelf against the wall that still look like they have Sour Sweet’s fingerprint smears on the sides.
>And you begin to wonder if Suri would be able to piece together any of the stuff that happened. You grow worried and begin to rush.
>But it’s a good thing that you found a rulebook explaining the etiquette of competitions in general of Crystal Prep academy.
“Here we go.” You say.
>”Oh, and another thing.” Suri adds. “You can ask Tenderhoof himself if you want. He’s the one who brought this up, and he wants to make sure everything is perfectly cordial.”
>You find the page that most closely relates to what Tenderhoof allegedly brought up as Suri keeps telling you about it as thought she doesn’t feel as though you’re convinced.
“Alright, that sounds fair.” You plan to ask him right away. “Anyway, you are right. The people looking over the ballot boxes have to be completely impartial towards the other side.” You state.
>”Exactly.”
“Which means you can’t look over the ballot boxes either. Because you’re one of the designers competing.” You point out, thinking that you effortlessly cornered her. “Technically, you’re even less eligible than he is for overseeing the ballot boxes. So, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to take over for him.”
>”Oh, I know.” Suri doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest. “But you see, Tenderhoof actually still doesn’t have time to attend the event or be there for his duty because of something else he told me. Which is the other reason why he needs someone else to fill in for him.”
>At this point, you’re ready to fill in for the spot yourself to solve this thing, because it’s annoyingly going nowhere.
>”Which is why he and I have been asking around for a student that will both have time to devote to the event and ballot boxes as well as not be one of the designers or judges competing against Canterlot High.”
“…Canterlot High and the five other schools.” You correct her.
>”Six, actually.” She corrects your correction. “Sorry, you’re right, though. They’re not the only other school competing, but they’re the only ones with friends of Tenderhoof.”
>Didn’t Cadance say something last time about how Suri always has a bone to pick with Canterlot High?
>You’ve lost track, but that doesn’t matter because Suri isn’t getting her hands on that ballot box no matter what. Best focus on fish you still need to fry; the year’s still getting busier.
>The meeting concludes with Suri agreeing to have some other student she and Tenderhoof just met and asked about the ballot box situation.
>Suri said something about one of the other students to look over the ballot boxes.
>Some girl named Fleur whom you looked up and saw that she is nowhere to be found on the list of designers or the list of judges.
>Welp, it seems to check out.
>But just to be sure, you call Tenderhoof up to your office for good measure, and since he’s easily a lot more neutral on this.
>He arrives, and you talk with him for a while.
>He apparently likes to travel a lot, and writes while he does so.
>Seems very genuine about this too, very genuine and passionate about it.
>Apparently, one of this trips out of state was suddenly re-scheduled to happen at the same time as the fashion show, and he tells you that he himself is surprised that this happened so suddenly, but it’s not very uncommon either.
>It’s really just inconvenient with the time it occurred at, and it added another reason for him not to oversee the ballot boxes at the fashion competition.
>You really don’t like the looks of this, but you do get Tenderhoof to tell you that he was the first one to suggest that Fleur be the one to oversee the ballot boxes.
>Not really sure how that situation really played out, but it’s good enough for you that Suri isn’t getting access to those things. You do NOT trust her.
>Better it be this Fleur girl than Suri.
>It’s kinda sad because Tenderhoof was really looking forward to the competition, and wanted to see all the different designs and all the hard work that everyone from all the schools did.
>He’s probably the only cool person involved in this thing. Him an Fleur.
>Sour Sweet and Suri Polymare are snakes, and you hope they don’t do to Tenderhoof what you suspect Sour Sweet must have done to Sugarcoat.
>That whole episode that happened still doesn’t seem like her, it keeps crossing your mind.
>After Tenderhoof leaves, you talk with Cadance about it in between her final stages of dealing with the unrelated lawsuit.
>She can’t talk for long about it, but she is close friends with the administration at Canterlot High, and tells you that they didn’t have any suspicions about this kind of stuff going on at all.
>Yet, the students over there really are switching around who oversees the ballot boxes.
>You conclude that they’re just lazy over there and let Cadance get back to the lawsuit that you’re supposed to partially keep quiet about.
>Whatever, back to the bullshit.
>…
>Tuesday rolls on by, and nothing happens.
>Wednesday rolls on by, same thing. Nothing.
>Same for Thursday.
>…
>You’ve started to let your guard down by Friday, but that’s fine because nothing seems to be happening.
>Yesterday, you happened to notice that Fleur becoming the ballot box organizer or whatever it’s called was official.
>It wasn’t really notable, so you really just don’t care anymore at this point.
>Not even going to call her to your office and explain what’s going on, it’s better if she just does her job in the-
>Okay, yeah, never mind.
>You’ll just call her up one time to see what she’s like. Really can’t be as bad as Suri.
>Minutes later, you find the class she’s in and call for the teacher to send her up really quickly.
>And minutes after that, there’s a knock on your office door.
>Before you know it, you invite in a tall, pale and slender girl with light pink hair.
>She looks really aloof and easygoing, doesn’t show much emotion in her eyes at all.
>”Hello.” She calmly greets you.
“Hello, so just a quick thing. I noticed that you’re the student chosen to look over the ballot boxes for the upcoming fashion competition.”
>”Mhm.”
“Yes, I just wanted to make sure if everything’s alright. I’ve been getting word that students over at one of the other schools were changing them up a bit and with people closely connected with here.”
>”Wow, really?” Her tone is completely bland.
“Yeah, and since you were the new one chosen, nothing seems out of the ordinary now that you’ve gotten into it, right? The setup for the ballot boxes, that is.”
>”All seems fine to me.”
“Alright, good. I’m very sorry to bother you, just checking.”
>”It’s cool.” She looks like she’s about to pull out her phone and start texting. “Is that all you needed me for?”
“Yeah, that’s all.”
>”Great.”
>She stands up and leaves, and you feel nothing change.
>Welp, that’s that. She seems trustable enough.
>Good enough for you, now let’s make it through the rest of the day and then head home for the weekend.
>…
>”I don’t understand. Sugarcoat wouldn’t just change her behavior like that.” Says April Snow. “She was usually reluctant to do much in P.E., but was never the type to throw a fit over it. She just sat there with her arms crossed waiting for the class period to end.”
>”I can see her being a brat.” Gloriosa disagrees. “Speaking from my own personal experience.”
>”Not a physical one. Her brute force is in her words alone.”
>Gloriosa starts to answer, but Coach Snow shushes her.
>Fleur Dis Lee struts on by, her face as stoic as it ever was, but April Snow knows what lies behind that pokerface.
>Especially that pokerface on that one girl in particular.
>Fleur disappears around a corner without batting an eye at the teachers; April almost wanted to ask her if she had a hall pass, but she saw her come from the direction of the front offices.
>”I suppose you’re right. But she isn’t exactly a sweetheart.” Gloriosa finally continues about Sugarcoat.
>”Not many of the students here are, Miss Daisy. I can assure you that.”
>”I thought some of them were nice.”
>April Snow sighs. “Yeah, well, you should spend more time here and you’ll see the whole picture. Most of it is subtle. They do it underhandedly. Through rumors, secrets and gossip. It’s like a giant soap opera around here most of the times.”
>”Isn’t that how most high schools are?”
>”It’s different here. It’s not like school social cliques or even gangs, it’s almost like they’re full-on crime families in the big city. The students are too used to Cinch’s watchful eye. They know how to be extra petty, and set their goals much higher than I would have liked them too. Do you know how many students here are secretly making money?”
>”What?!” Gloriosa gasps. “They’re not dealing drugs, are they?”
>”Of course not. At least… not that I know about. But if they were, I’m pretty damn sure I’d know at least a little bit about it by now.” Answers coach Snow. “But they set up little businesses based on school events and resources sometimes. Get their name or cause out there when they win a competition, which for this place happens to be very often.”
>”I see. Marketing strategy?”
>”I guess you could call it that. It gets them some eyes, that’s for sure. The most recent one I saw was the culinary league selling a new recipe they made on their own to some highest bidder who wanted to help them get a leg up in funding for what I heard was supposed to be a food truck.” Coach Snow recalls. “But that’s not the point I’m trying to make. The thing is, they’re always competing with eachother. And trying to push eachother down so they can make it.”
>”Oh my gosh! That’s horrible!”
>”What comes with the territory is slander and sabotage of someone else’s platform. Some of the extra curricular clubs and programs lose money because of it, and Cinch would always refuse to assist them in making it back because she wants all her students to be self-sufficient. Well… wanted them to be so.”
>Gloriosa starts to feel slightly proud internally.
>”Lots of students lie to eachother, about eachother, but on a completely different level than the average high schooler. There are overarching goals they have, somewhere where they can gain influence over not only the other students, but people outside of the school, including the families of the students. I know it sounds silly, but it’s scary once you notice what’s really going on. I’ve heard of teachers being bribed to help cover up for something a student was doing behind the scenes with little bits of the school funding that was given to them.”
>”Why didn’t you report anything about it?”
>”Of course, Cinch would brush it off as a rumor to hinder the school’s reputation, and wouldn’t care as long as the school kept winning competitions. And Cadance is so incompetent that she would probably hesitate to call the fire department if the building caught on fire.”
>Gloriosa almost laughs.
>Coach Snow continues. “Not only that, but there would very conveniently never be any proof. But almost all of the teachers know that there’s /something/ goin on behind the scenes regarding the students. Whether they’re in on it or not, they know that there’s no way that nothing questionable is going on.”
>”You know, I sort of got that vibe when I first got here.” Says Gloriosa. “But not in this way. I just thought everyone was dying to start a revolution against a totalitarian power like Cinch.”
>April Snow lets out a slight chuckle. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. They were beyond sick and tired of Cinch. Hell, even I was sick of her. I don’t think there was anyone who wasn’t. But what makes this worse is the fact that the students had grown so adapted to her watchful eye and now have someone as absent minded as Cadance administering the place. They’re probably having a field day with the crap they do. Which would explain Indigo Zap’s little episode she had with me. AND the situation with Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat.”
>”A power vacuum.” Gloriosa doesn’t realize how correct she is.
>”I couldn’t call it that. Cadance is still principal. It’s just that she better start acting like it if she wants the rest of this school year to go smoothly. We’re already dealing with one lawsuit already, apparently.”
>A new voice suddenly sounds from down the hallway, yelling despite it being during class time.
>April Snow automatically walks towards the whiny voice.
>”Over one hundred followers!” Mulberry calls out into the empty hallways. “Neon’s gaining popularity and it feels gooooood! Just look at those dreeeaamy cheekbones!” He waves around a self-printed pamphlet in his hand with a poorly hand-drawn picture of Neon Lights on it. “LOOK AT THEM!”
>”Excuse me!” April Snow marches up to him and makes him freeze in his tracks. “No yelling in the halls! Do you have a hall pass?”
>Mulberry did not expect to see April Snow here because he though this period was one of the gym class periods for some students.
>”I said, do you have a hall pass?” Coach Snow approaches him as a teacher from one of the classrooms peers out the narrow window on a door. “C’mon, Mr. Mulberry. Show me your hall pass.”
>Mulberry’s reluctance shows that he doesn’t have a hall pass.
>”You don’t have a hall pass?” Coach Snow raises her eyebrows at the boy.
>Gloriosa watches from further away, shocked at the fact that Mulberry was walking around hollering like that as though he wasn’t going to get caught.
>The students here have become so bold and careless, especially for a school like this one.
>She’s not sure what to think of this, because she doesn’t know what side of the political spectrum Mulberry is.
>”Hand over the paper!” Coach Snow reaches out her hand. “Come on, give it to me.”
>”But it’s the only one I have. Neon wants me to keep it.”
>”I said hand me the paper!”
>”No!”
>”No?!”
>…
>Ah, yes, Friday is almost over.
>You sit at your desk, ready to pack up for the day and send this dean all the way on home for some hot chocolate and marshmallows or some other dumb shit you admittedly like during the holidays.
>Stretch your arms and yawn with a smile, happy that Sour Sweet seems to have disappeared for the time be-
>There’s a shouting voice approaching the main corridor of the school.
>”Why does my dream scare you, huh? You just wanna take Neon out of this school because you hate how perfect he is!” The whiny voice of what sounds like a small boy cries out. “Aah!”
>”You’ve got some explaining to do for the dean.” April Snow’s voice can be heard.
>Oh boy…
>And aggressive knock knock.
“Come in.”
>April Snow opens the door with one hand, firmly clamps Mulberry’s ear in her other hand as she drags him into your office.
“What seems to be the problem, here?” You ask.
>”Mister Mulberry Seed here was running around the hallways causing a ruckus, and without a hall pass. THEN he disobeyed me and caused more of a scene.” Says April Snow, still holding Mulberry by his ear like it’s the 1950’s. “Here.” She releases him. “I had to drag him all the way up here.”
>She then leaves and closes the door behind herself.
>You look at the student.
>He’s rather murky, has a bow-cut hair cut, short and stocky in stature.
>Mulberry pouts and sits down, grumbling about some piece of paper he used to have before Coach Snow confiscated it.
“So what’s this I heard about you yelling in the halls?”
>”You wouldn’t understand. You guys hate fun.” Mulberry answers with his arms crossed.
“You’re right about half of that, I don’t understand. So why were you walking around in the hallways when you should be in class?”
>”…cuz I was… and I don’t hate fun.”
>You sigh.
“We’re not going to get anywhere if you get difficult with me. Do I have to call your parents?”
>Mulberry perks up in the chair. “Fine, fine, I was talking to everyone about Neon.”
“Neon Lights?”
>Mulberry’s eyes light up. “Ha! You know his name!”
“…Yes, he’s a student who was enrolled into this school. And I’m the dean… of this school.”
>How’d this kid make it into this school again?
“So what’s the deal with Neon Lights?”
>”Why do you sound like you’re so concerned about him in your question?”
“…What?”
>”You called me here because I was in the hallway, but now you want to know all about Neon Lights all of a sudden. Hmmmm.”
>Does this pretentious little fuck not know about the lawsuit that Neon’s family filed against the school after Neon was severely injured?
“Don’t play games with me, Mulberry.”
>”I’m not, I’m just asking, but you seem pretty upset.” He condescendingly shrugs.
“Mhm, okay. Detention it is, then.” You grin. “Wait a sec while I call your parents.”
>Mulberry’s whole world gets shaken.
>All of his months of screeching around looking for problems in other people have culminated in this.
>His hands shake, he clams up. He’s actually in trouble!
>The realization has finally hit him right before you pull out the detention slip and reach for your office phone and start looking for the number to where he lives to call his parents.
>”Why y-you were so quick to try to get me sent home? Yikes!”
“This isn’t a middle school, Mulberry.”
>”I-I do know that! I don’t complain about you or this school. I keep things on my side! Me and all my friends online think people like you are overthinking Neon’s success.”
“Yes, hi, is this Mrs. Seed?” You hear Mulberry’s mother answer.
>Mulberry’s face blushes into a deep magenta in the cheeks; he falls silent when he recognizes his mother’s voice on the other line, but only for a second.
>”Th-the cringe is real! This level of cope and acceptance seeking… hahahaha…”
“Yes, he’s been very disruptive to the other students and breaking a lot of the rules. He was just sent to my office after being out in the halls like he wasn’t supposed to.”
>Mulberry’s mother sounds genuinely surprised that her little boy was such a deviant at school.
>She probably envisions him as always on perfect behavior at school and never being obnoxious towards any of his peers when she calls him down to dinner every evening.
>She used to be so proud of Mulberry.
>But she can probably hear the shit he’s saying in the background as you sitting there at your desk describing it all to her anyway.
“Yes, he’s saying some really disrespectful things right now. I’m afraid I have to write him up for this behavior, but you’ll also have to come and take him home because he’s disturbing all of the other students in school.
>”Y-you don’t get it, invalid phone call.”
>He sounds like he wants to say this to his mother, but his mouth slams shut when you offer for him to explain himself to his now angry mother.
>…
>Mulberry is sent to the front lobby after receiving a detention slip for causing a ruckus in the hallways and mouthing off at the school dean.
>He starts to put up some kind of act as though you and the whole school are trying to work against him because he’s making everyone feel threatened with the great gospel of his hero.
>”You really want me to believe he’s in a coma, huh?” Mulberry scoffs. “Puh-lease! Neon doesn’t get comas, he’s specially trained to resist unconsciousness! He cannot die!”
“Your parents will be here soon to pick you up.” You turn around and return to your office with a smug grin as Mulberry mumbles and grumbles behind your back.
>He goes on his phone to create yet another online account to add another follower to his webpage about Neon Lights.
>…
>Friday ends and everyone goes home.
>And from this point forward, nothing bad really happens to you.
>There are a couple of times you expect to hear something from Sour Sweet over the weekend, but things are changing.
>You’re not really hearing from her at all, or Sunny Flare.
>Begin to wonder if they’re simply losing interest in all of the things they did, or maybe they handed the torch over to Suri Polymare?
>Nah, that doesn’t make sense.
>Surely, something else is going to happen soon.
>…
>And just like that, it’s Monday again.
>Nothing happened. Nothing.
>Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare are busy doing their thing, you presume.
>At least Sour Sweet did come back up to your office like one or two times last week, but she didn’t seem to have anything… behind her back these times. It was all normal.
>They’re probably sitting in the library or somewhere else skipping class knowing that they won’t get in trouble for it.
>Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap are still gone for obvious reasons.
>And you have no idea what Lemon Zest’s deal is right now; you’re not even sure if she’s coming to school at this point.
~
>At least Florida’s relatively warm in the beginning of Winter.
>Another week goes by with little to no events taking place.
>You’re starting to get used to your office and all the things you do in it.
>Principal Cadance has finally resolved the issue with the lawsuit, and she lets you know about it right away.
>Neon’s family is still pretty upset, from what word carried around has said, but they have received complete upfront financial compensation, and Neon himself is in better condition in the hospital.
>Multiple inspectors come to the school to take a look at things, including the stage lights.
>And just as promised, you have to sign some paperwork regarding this.
>They go through things, one of them even hires repairmen or something to replace the stage lights (upon the request of Neon’s family which is understandable).
>You still don’t know why that stage light fell on the kid.
>Your brain keeps tracing it back to that pentagram Sour Sweet drew on the gym wall, which is now in the process of being wiped away from the wall due to having turned into an eyesore.
>Not only this, but you can’t stop thinking about that Canterlot High, even outside of that dumb little fashion show thingy.
>The next week goes by without further conflict about it, and you end up having to focus more on the academic needs of the other students.
>Only now does your job start feeling like how it should have felt like since the beginning of the school year.
>Now you’re getting what you expected.
>Paperwork, talking shit out with students, more paperwork, going to boring ass meetings, looking through the file cabinet for things, sitting around at your desk listening to the clock tick.
>Each day feels longer, yet the time is flying by when you look at it in retrospect.
>It’s only dragged out when it’s in the present, then it’s basically nothing once the past takes it.
>You barely even notice it when Thanksgiving Break happens; just sort of thought it was the weekend until you realized there were a couple more days off this time.
>After this, you go home and relax.
>There’s literally nothing going on without all that drama happening.
>This is great, you can sit around and watch the game like you always liked to do.
>The past events start fading away further and further as you begin to now forget about the lawsuit too.
>No wonder Cadance started to become distant from dealing with the students, you’re feeling it too.
>What sucks is that she sort of threw them all at you so she wouldn’t have to do anything. “Let the dean handle it. The dean will handle it”.
>Things are finally starting to go back to normal. Like, actually normal. The normal that was before you even took this job.
>So you got that going for you.
>That’s pretty nice.
>…
>Meanwhile, Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare are hanging out at the mall together now after Black Friday Weekend has passed.
>”These things are weird at taking pictures.” Complains Sunny Flare, tampering with her new iVambraces. “Why do they have to keep making newer and newer models?”
>”How else are you gonna stay hip, Sunny?” Teases Sour Sweet.
>”It’s not like that. These people are updating them like every two months.”
>”Eh.” Sour Sweet shrugs before poking at her nose bandage. “I think I can take this thing off now. I’m quite done with it until next week.”
>”Finally. I almost thought your nose was going to be broken forever.” Says Sunny.
>”Nah, my nose didn’t break. At least, I don’t think it did. It’s actually been fine for a little bit now.” Sour Sweet removes the bandage. “See?”
>Sunny is not even surprised that Sour would drag the hurt victim look out to last longer.
>”Say, how’s the dean been doing?” Asks Sunny. “I uh… kinda stopped caring about him.”
>”Everything’s fine, actually.”
>”Wow, really?”
>”Yeah. He seems pretty chill about everything now.”
>”Did you… you know…” Sunny makes a motion with her hands.
>”Not recently, no. I’ve been too busy relaxing my ass off.” Says Sour Sweet. “I did check on the dean a couple of time, though. But I’m really just kinda laying low for now. Just in case people got suspicious from everything else.”
>”Oh.”
>”Yeah. So if they start watching me and stuff, they’ll just see me not doing anything.”
>”That’s… smart.” Sunny gasps quietly.
>Sour Sweet rolls her eyes at her. “Yeah, what a discovery.” She sarcastically smirks.
>Sunny gives her Sour Sweet a look that Inigo used to give her.
>They talk some more.
>”So like… is anything else going down right now? Is that Neon kid still alive?” Asks Sunny.
>”Yeah, I guess.”
>”You guess?” Sunny laughs.
>”What? I’m not required to care about him!”
>”Eh, true.”
>”He’s in like a coma or something last time I heard.”
>”Ouch.”
>They sit around on a bench and get themselves some soft drinks to sip from.
>”So the court date’s still next week, right?” Asks Sunny.
>”Uh… duh. Why would they change the date?”
>”I was just asking.”
>”Ask smarter questions!” Sneers Sour Sweet. “Gosh! It’s like I’m talking to fuckin’ Paris Hilton.”
>”Hey!” Says Sunny. “Don’t trash talk Paris Hilton! Besides, she stopped being relevant like years ago.”
>”meh meh mememehmeh~” Mocks Sour Sweet. “Pffft, I don’t even care if you contradict yourself like that anymore.”
>”It doesn’t count if it’s true! I wasn’t trash talking her like you were.”
>”How do /you/ know it wasn’t a compliment?”
>”Yeah, you’re right. I can never tell with you.”
>”Wow, okay. We bringing the claws out now, huh?”
>”It’s just banter, chill.”
>”You’re the one who whined that I banter too much last week! Oh my gosh, really?”
>”Now you know how it feels.”
>”Wow, Sunny. Wow.” Sour Sweet shakes her head. “Way to step all over my heart.”
>”Way to step all over mine.”
>”You’re doing it worse!”
>”Nuh-uh!”
>This goes on for some time, with many passerby watching from the sidelines as Sour and Sunny act childish towards one another, feeling no remorse for their actions.
>…
~
>…
>A LOT more time passes, at least it feels that way until the time retreats to the past.
>Word about the official court case between Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap gets around.
>There are a lot of speculations and approximate accounts of what happened on the day of the trial, but here’s how it went from Sour Sweet’s perspective:
>The audience watched as Sour Sweet entered the courtroom, bandage on her nose and all.
>Indigo sat there in her seat, looking mean as can be and flicking her off when the judge wasn’t looking while Sour Sweet’s heart broke in two as she saw that her former friend still hated her.
>Sugarcoat was there too, and made some snide remark from the sideline about Sour Sweet’s bandage, which totally still hurt, by the way.
>The judge saw the tears in Sour Sweet’s eyes, and she felt her pain on the deepest level as the trial began.
>Like Phoenix Wright, Sour Sweet’s attorney stood up and pointed directly at the crook who rocked Sour Sweet in the face and stabbed her brain with her nose bone.
>He expose the crimes of Indigo Zap before all of the lovely people in the courtroom.
>He shone a spotlight on Sugarcoat as she tried to make her case, and she stuttered like ten thousand times, more than she ever has before.
>Caught her trying to weasel her way out of rearranging Sour Sweet’s house, and exposed her for the shitbrain she truly always was.
>Alas, Indigo Zap was sentenced to three months in prison.
>Alas, Sugarcoat was sentenced to the full cost of the damage done to Sour Sweet’s house and home, garmfield… and 5,000 hours of community service.
>The judge majestically slammed the gavel onto the pad thingy with a deafening boom: case dismissed.
>C o u r t I s A d j o u r n e d .
>And all the lawyers made money and lived happily ever after, the end.
>And just like that, rumors of Indigo Zap’s official conviction and jailing spread through the school.
>Sour Sweet takes the bandage off of her nose and prances around in victory, all the wile, Indigo Zap sits in solitary confinement with nothing but vengeance on the brain as prominent as dopamine on a rollercoaster of feelings.
>Sunny Flare simply walks off not caring, going back to gossiping online about Indigo and Sugarcoat.
>Shittalking them on Twitter, shittalking them on Instagram, shittalking them on her Premium Snapchat, shittalking them on Tumblr while tagging her posts SFW so they don’t get flagged.
>…
>Sugarcoat enters through the front doors; it’s the first day of the last week before Winter Break.
>The first person she runs into is Lemon Zest, not having seen her in about a month and a half.
>Zest struts down the hallway with her headphones on as usual.
>Sugarcoat unintentionally approaches her, hardly realizing it’s Lemon Zest she’s walking towards, but the run-in inevitably happens.
>The two girls who have been friends for many years glance at one another.
>The ones who spent Halloween last year with their three other friends, laughing and spending time together, feeling like they ought to be friends until the end of the world.
>But that was last year.
>Sugarcoat doesn’t even lend a wave to Lemon Zest, even though Zest had nothing to do with what Sour Sweet did.
>Her heart has grown bitter, and resentful of this toxic circle of friends who only bring her trouble.
>Zest barely recognizes Sugarcoat.
>She returns the lack of a wave, turns the volume a little bit higher and walks away as the next song on her playlist plays:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic
>Nonchalantly, Lemon Zest leaves early. Just straight up walks out of the school like she always wanted to do every day anyway.
>She steps outside and lets the breeze brush by her face as she wistfully sighs as memories of better times flood her memories.
>Goes home on foot; the relatively warm Florida air is a treat for her given that it’s December.
>The walks takes a while, but it just gives Zest an excuse to replay the song over and over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPL_SV3n7IU
>She remembers that Indigo Zap liked this song a lot too; the two girls didn’t listen to it as much as they would have liked to because they simply didn’t get around to it.
>And as she’s walking, she goes by the playground where she and Indigo Zap sat on the ground earlier this year like little children and played with sticks and stones while acting out mythical battles like two happy idiots.
>She walks by the frat house where she and Indigo crashed that shallow party and got the cops called on them by singing through a megaphone at 3 in the morning.
>She walks by the newly repaired and tapes up mailboxes that she and Indigo ran over on that same weekend; the marks of the tire tracks can still be vaguely seen on the lawns.
>Takes a shortcut downtown and walks by the Radio Shack and convenience store where she and Indigo avoided thousands of raindrops pretending they were arrows.
>Passes by the Whataburger where she and Indigo jammed to rock music in the drive-thu while the employee was trying to take their order.
>Walks by memory after memory, some goes back multiple years into the past where things were better.
>Indigo Zap was the only cool friend she ever had, and now she’s in jail.
>Lemon Zest wishes her best friend was here.
~
>Wednesday.
>Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare either wander the school together or hang out in the library together.
>Often skipping their classes and keeping themselves on the down-low after the whole episode with the dean happened.
>They find themselves in a complacent state of bliss, having complete control of their surroundings.
>Sour Sweet even kept the bandage she used deep inside of her backpack for both safe keeping and memories.
>Thoughts about the dean have already stopped crossing their minds, especially Sunny Flare’s mind.
>It really didn’t matter to her in the beginning, and it matters even less to her now.
>She just wanted to relax with her new tech devices that might as well be surgically attached to her arms at this point.
>Sour Sweet calmly sits next to her, doing her usual follow-unfollow thing on instagram and the time when the school bell rings again draws near.
>They wait for a bit, soon noticing a couple of familiar faces enter the room.
>It’s Suri Polymare and Upper Crust.
>The way they’re looking around the place makes them keep their eyes on them, and Sour Sweet whispers something into Sunny’s ear that no one else can hear.
>”Hi!” Sour sweet walks up to Suri after only a few seconds.
>”Hi. Good, news, we got everything sorted out.” Suri responds. “Everything’s okay now.”
>”Oh that’s great to hear. The fashion show, right?”
>Sunny stays back and watches Upper Crust not seem to even pay attention from the padded lounge chair.
>And on her side of the library, she does the same, actually not caring anymore and is just glad she can skip all of her classes she wants and not have her grades be affected.
>”Who do you have on the ballots now? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.” Sour Sweet smiles at Suri.
>”Oh, we just got Fleur to do it.” Suri flicks her hand. “She was so kind enough to agree to this. Especially after Tenderhoof had to go out of town.”
>Sour Sweet chuckles. “Oh, he had to go out of town?”
>”Yeah. Last minute scheduling. It really is inconvenient.”
>The two talk a little more, soon sitting down together when they each have a class to be in.
>”Say, are you here during one of your classes too?” Sour Sweet asks in a quieter tone after she talks with Suri about that ballot thing they’ve been going back and forth in casual conversation time and time again.
>”Oh, no, I’m just in my study hall period.”
>Sour Sweet doesn’t see a pass anywhere near or on her belongings she brought with her.
>But she says nothing.
>They eventually go straight t o bidding eachother farewell for the day.
>And Sour Sweet heads straight up to the dean’s office.
>…
>It was a quick little meeting with Sour Sweet when she knocked on your door and entered before you could say for her to come in.
>She casually greeted you then went straight to asking you if you had Suri Polymare’s class schedule details.
>You fetch them for her, and she looks through it frantically.
>The look on Sour Sweet’s face tells you that maybe she and Suri Polymare really aren’t on the same team after all.
>Sour Sweet thanks you and hands back the manilla folder before leaving.
>Barely a word was uttered, and you look at the recently closed door, confused.
>…
>Sour Sweet doesn’t have time for this shit.
>She’s stomping around the hallways in search of Suri Polymare.
>It’s unfortunate that her footsteps are so loud because now Suri could have definitely heard her coming.
>And recognized her from the growling sound of her voice.
>Suri had Physics class when she was in the library, not study hall.
>Whatever reason it was for Suri to lie to her, it wasn’t a good one, and Sour Sweet really needs to confront Sugarcoat today before the other girl starts getting any… further ideas about what she can do.
>And so, Sour Sweet searches high and she searches low, every classroom, every hallway and corridor, everywhere.
>Suri seems to have left school early, but she finds Upper Crust still there in the library.
>Sunny Flare is sitting there with her, the two are talking as Sour Sweet stares at the, through the window to the library.
>”So that’s how I almost bought stock in Gucci.” Upper Crust tells Sunny, who seems to be very amused by this. “They were right there at the country club party, but my family’s interests were already too focused on hillside brandy at the time. Which was assumed to have a longer lasting value according to… you know, those guys who watch the stock market like a hawk.”
>”Why didn’t you tell me I could pre-order any Gucci merch I wanted and all I had to do was talk to you? This is amazing! I have to tell Sour!” Sunny Flare lets her excitement cause the librarian to shush her.
>”Heyyyy, Upper Crust.” Sour Sweet approaches the two girls sitting down.
>”Oh my gosh, there you are! I just got the best news fr-”
>”Yeah yeah, I was eavesdropping. Gucci Gang and all that. Very nice. Have you seen Suri?” Sour Sweet turns to Suri’s friend.
>”She just left.” Answers Upper Crust. “I don’t know why but she left in a hurry.”
>”Ugh! Do you know where she went?”
>”Probably went home.” Upper Crust can tell that Sour’s getting uppity again. “If you wanna talk to her, she’s here early in the morning.”
>Sour Sweet feels like she’s a few heavy breaths away from finding Suri’s address, but that would take too much effort, and she doesn’t want to cause enough of a scene to make Suri run once more.
>That is, assuming she is running, which she probably is.
>Sour Sweet only gets more worked up by the minute, having to try and calm herself with by talking to herself.
>Sunny eventually catches up to her. “You alright?” She approaches her friend as Upper Crust stays in the library.
>”Suri lied!” Sour Sweet urgently hisses, almost tearing up for some reason. “She’s doing something! She’s doing something and I don’t like it!”
>”What do you mean?”
>”She didn’t have a study hall period, she had physics!”
>Sunny Flare’s stomach sinks as she envisions Cadance hearing about some shit. “Oh… f-fuck.” She recently thanked herself for not being involved in the drama surrounding Indigo, but now there’s this.
>”What the hell do we do?” Asks Sunny.
>”I need to find Suri. You keep an eye on Upper Crust. I just KNOW she’s doing something too.”
>Sunny Flare nods and walks back to the library as coolly as she can.
>Upper Crust doesn’t seem to know what’s going on.
>She continues to talk to Sunny flare about something involving stocks, but she notices that Sunny is a lot more serious than she was fifteen minutes ago.
>Meanwhile, Sour Sweet roams the halls, bow in search of Sugarcoat and getting something involving her out of the way.
>If she doesn’t find her in any of her classes, she’ll just go back to the library and wait for her there.
>It’s really not worth the effort going and finding sugarcoat’s class schedule, as she knows she’s going to be at the library.
>And she has a bone to pick with her, as leader of the school.
>She manages to keep herself calm by sitting on the gym bleachers and deleting half of her friends list from Facebook.
>It’s getting closer and closer to the end of the school day, and Sugarcoat should be coming out of her classes to come to the library to probably mope or something any minute now.
>That bell will tell the truth for that.
>And right after it rings, Sour Sweet perches herself up on her chair looking out the window to the hallway, trying to spot Sugarcoat’s hairstyle in the crowd of uniforms.
>It’s nowhere to be seen, and Sour Sweet only looks harder.
>So many of these uniforms… Sour Sweet might try and think of a way to change the school dress code like she did a couple of weeks back.
>Sunny Flare and Upper Crust sit there looking at Sour Sweet like she’s crazy, rightfully so.
>And wouldn’t you know it, there’s Sugarcoat walking among the other students.
>It’s too late, Sour Sweet saw her through the window.
>Sugarcoat turns right around when she recognizes that look on Sour Sweet’s face as the crazy girl struts towards the doors to approach her.
>Turns right around and heads for her locker to pack her things up and leave.
>She might not even have time to shove her book she was going to read back into her locker and get her things, but she at least needs to fetch her backpack with her house keys in it so she could make it inside in the event where Sour Sweet inevitably follows her home if she makes it away.
>Sour Sweet is already on her tail, and the hallways have already mostly cleared out.
>There’s really nothing Sugarcoat can do at this point, Sour Sweet already followed her all the way to her locker, as impatient and preoccupied as can be.
>Sour Sweet slams her hands onto the lockers on either side of Sugarcoat before the lock can be turned.
>Sugarcoat is trapped between those arms, and slowly turns around to find Sour Sweet’s glare inches from her face.
>”Just fuck off, okay?” Sugarcoat blurts out.
>”You and I are gonna have a little chat.” Says Sour Sweet as Upper Crust and Sunny Flare briefly peer around the corner before leaving as they realize that things may very well get ugly.
>Sugarcoat glares back at Sour Sweet but begins to shake, remembering all of the things she’s done and all of the lengths she would go through to get her point across.
>This will not end well for her; there are no teachers around.
>”I’m not in the mood. I want to be left alone. I’m already paying for all your-”
>”All your shit is mine now.” Sour Sweet sneers at her. “You got that? Give me your phone. I’m confiscating it.”
>Sugarcoat hesitates, trying to back away into the metal of the lockers in disbelief.
>”You’re out of your mind. Even more than usual.” She blurts again. “You ego never stops growing, does it?”
>Sour Sweet grabs Sugarcoat by the arms and shoves her against the locker. “Open your fucking locker.”
>Their noses are touching now, and Sour Sweet’s breathing intensifies.
>She’s already getting angrier even though she had Sugarcoat in the palm of her hand; she’s still getting angrier.
>”I said open the fucking locker.” She forcefully pushes Sugarcoat up against the locker. “Open it!”
>Sugarcoat reluctantly obeys as Sour Sweet’s hands invade her personal space to find her phone and snatch it away.
>”You got a lot of guts fucking up my house, you know that?” Growls Sour Sweet into Sugarcoat’s ears. “I’m glad you’re paying out your ass, but you’re still here so I can get my hands on you. So I can give you my own little punishment for the shit you did.”
>”You deserved it.” Sugarcoat groans.
>Sour Sweet forces Sugarcoat to turn her around and slams her up against the lockers once again, wedging her torso into the open locker. “Your ass is mine now, bitch.” She hisses. “You wanna fuck with me? Fine. I’ll fuck you ten times harder.”
>Sugarcoat feels thankful that was only mostly an analogy.
>Sour Sweet raids Sugarcoat’s locker of all of the belongings within it she feels like taking.
>Right in the middle of the hallway, where any teacher could walk by; Sour Sweet’s luck in this moment is proof that the universe doesn’t give a fuck who’s in the right.
>”Listen.” Sour Sweet continues. “The dean. You can fuck him one more time. But that’s it. after that, you’re not allowed to go to his office without me there. And if you do, I’ll fuck him and make you watch.”
>Sour Sweet slaps the back of Sugarcoat’s head, remembering what those hammer imprints looked like all over the walls of her house.
>She then grabs the back of her head and pulls the back of her hair in different directions, undoing the knots and whatnot and making Sugarcoat’s hair a mangles mess. “If you’re gonna fuck him, do it now. Only now. And after today, he’s mine and only mine.”
>Sugarcoat already knows why Sour Sweet is doing this; she knows that Sugarcoat has shown her that the dean means so much to her.
>It’s the core of her emotions, her greatest weakness, and Sour Sweet is attacking it head on at the core to do the most damage.
>Sour Sweet thinks she knows how to push Sugarcoat’s buttons, messing up her messily done hair before she has a chance to see that dean she loves oh so much, making her look like a proper slut before his eyes, instead of the proper girl she always wanted to be for him.
>Sugarcoat grits her teeth at the feeling of having such a weakness, one that Sour Sweet is picking apart in the strands then tufts of hair on her head. It makes her red in the face, makes her almost explode in rage.
>”You should be happy. You get to fuck him like you’re never going to fuck him again.” Sour Sweet finds the dean’s number on the phone and deletes the contact immediately. “Because it really is the last time for you. Meanwhile, I’m gonna have to save myself up for the dozens of times we fool around again.”
>In Sour Sweet’s mind, she’s only saying this because she wants Sugarcoat to hear it.
>The dean can get fucked for all she cares at this point, no pun intended.
>Sour Sweet already had him under her thumb, she can already do whatever she wants, and she already had her fun with him.
>So did Sunny, he doesn’t need to be bribed anymore.
>He can sit in his office and keep to his own damn business for all Sour sweet cares, but that’s not what she wants to go on in Sugarcoat’s mind.
>…
>You sit in your office for the next several minutes after the final bell rings minding your own damn business.
>Let’s see, the lawsuit is practically steeled and behind in the past now, the ballot box thing seems to be resolved, that one annoying kid probably didn’t learn his lesson, but his parents drove him home and he probably hasn’t come back to school yet…
>Everything seems okay now, and it’s almost Christmas break.
>Relaxing for a while, you start to remember the best times you’ve had in this office.
>Surprisingly, one of them is the time when Sunny and Sour Sweet were in here “making peace” with you.
>It is all but a memory now, but not a completely dead one of you can get that to happen again.
>All of the negative things happening aside, you’ve become more aloof about the idea of doing those things in here since they already happened multiple times before.
>Now the ice is not only broken but melted, and you’ve really eased into this now.
>The thoughts about those fun times stay in your head and you’re not worried about them being there so much anymore.
>Life is great, you have a steady job, got to know your boss better, and you’re even banging a couple of chicks while you’re at it.
>That’s probably a douchebag way to put it, but it’s kinda true.
>You shouldn’t let this be something that controls you, it’s something that you can have a lot of fun with while you have the opportunity.
>Sour Sweet and Sunny won’t get to do whatever they want anymore if they told anyone, and you’re obviously not going to tell anyone.
>The best part about this is the fact that they’re all 18, even Sugarcoat. The worst that can happen is you getting fired.
>Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet are definitely still very angry at eachother, to put it lightly.
>You could be the force that ties them back together, this is starting to look like it’s going to be enjoyable.
>Enjoy it, fucker. At least one more time before break.
>Then you can go to someone’s house and do it there.
>Knock knock.
>The door opens right away and there’s Sour Sweet.
>”Hey.”
“Hey.”
>”So uh, listen. Sugarcoat and I are friends again. I just talked to her in the library. She was pretty bent out of shape about… you know… but we talked it out today.”
“Oh. That’s great to hear.” You’re a little bit surprised.
>Your previous thoughts drive you to look down at Sour Sweet’s chest.
>Her vest is already unbuttoned at the top, and it doesn’t look like she chose to wear a bra today.
>”Oh. You uh, you wanna do something?”
>You immediately bring out the honesty.
“Yeah. I kinda do.” You roll your chair back and invite her to sit with you. “It’s been a while. I guess I miss you a lot.”
>Sour Sweet smiles. “I missed you too.” Her voice grows soft.
>You both smile at eachother for the longest time before she joins you in your chair.
>”So, what, are we gonna… oh…” Sour Sweet starts before she feels your hand start to touch her somewhere. “Looks like someone doesn’t want to wait.” She giggles.
“Remember the time we talked about… Sugarcoat too?”
>She automatically understands what you mean. “Oh fuck, you’re right.”
“Maybe we can help her feel better.”
>”You’re right! You’re right!” She agrees literally instantly, almost suspiciously but you really don’t have a reason to see it that way right now.
“Glad to see we’re on the same page here. You wanna go get her?” You let the dirty thoughts flood your mind, excited enough to maybe even ask if Sunny can join.
>”Ummm, can you go get her? She’d probably want to hear it from you more than she’d want to hear it from me.”
“That’s true, but…” You look down at the tent Sour Sweet just made you pitch.
>”Oh, right.”
“Yeah.”
>”You want me to take care of that before you go?“
“What? No, I wanna save it for the better part.”
>The two of you chuckle at eachother, feeling dirtier and dirtier as the minutes go on.
>Sour Sweet eventually convinces you to make your way down to the library and talk to Sugarcoat.
>Horniness aside, you actually wanted to talk things out with her and set everything straight.
>You kind of have to do this at this point.
>Sour Sweet wants to sit in your chair as you leave, and you suppose you can trust her with all of your stuff there since you kind of have to so you don’t make her skeptical of anything.
>She even convinces you to leave your phone there as you go down to the library.
>…
>There she is, sitting at the table she always sits at, but there’s no book with her this time.
>Right away, you can tell the conversation’s going to go a little differently, but that’s okay, you’ve grown closer to Sugarcoat enough to get through this.
>You’ve got some explaining to do.
>You enter the room and let Sugarcoat immediately notice you.
>Sit down in the chair next to her without saying a word, not even thinking with your dick anymore but thinking with your heart.
>Even if she’s not in the mood for anything right now, you hope you can at least make everything right, which you will.
>The defeated look on Sugarcoat’s face only makes you want to try harder.
“Hey.”
>She sniffles and fixes her hair that looks like it was let down then haphazardly put back into its style once more.
“I’m sorry if this is a bad time, but… are you alright?”
>She looks at you with bloodshot eyes; it’s not hard to tell that she’s been crying earlier.
>Yeah, this is a lot more serious than you thought it’d be when you walked in.
“I know I have some explaining to do. And trust me, there’s a lot for me to explain. And just for starters, you are totally right for being upset with me. I’m not even going to deny it. I just want to get everything out so we’re finally on the same page.”
>There’s something brewing inside of Sugarcoat, and it’s tearing her up.
>She takes a deep breath and almost says it, but it doesn’t want to come out until she’s herself again.
“There was something Sour Sweet and I were meaning to tell you. And the things that happened were… it was just tragic. A big misunderstanding.”
>”I was under the bed.” Sugarcoat tells you. “And you know what I mean.”
>You fall silent as you process this.
>”I’m not just hurt. I’m done.”
“W-wait, what?”
>”You heard me loud and clear. And that’s all I have to say to you.” Her eyes say a lot more, mostly things about betrayal, but no further words come out of her mouth.
“Wait, wait, let me explain.”
>She just stares at you.
“Will you let me explain?”
>”Fine. Get it all out. Say everything you want to say and let me know when you’re done.”
“Okay. Sour Sweet and I were planning to tell you that everything was good between us, and that she was good with you too, before… you know, her house.”
>You really thought that would make her raise her eyebrows for some reason.
“It’s like some thing with Indigo she told me about. Something about an ‘alliance’ or whatever. I don’t think that’s the word she used for it.” You keep continuing anyway. “It’s a little weird to ask, but… do you want to see me a little bit later?” You don’t mention anything with Sour Sweet just yet.
>”See you how?”
“Like how we did in… your room one time…”
>”Oh…” She sounds uncomfortable.
“I’m just asking. You know, since things haven’t been the best lately, and I’m sure it would be great if we could just forget about everything and enjoy life a little more, you know? Like we did before?”
>You expect her to ask what this has to do with Sour Sweet.
>You expect her to question something else.
>But neither of those things happen.
>”No.” Responds Sugarcoat. “So are you done?”
“Well-we-well, I, we… Sour Sweet said you talked things out, right?”
>”Yeah, we talked things out. That’s a way to sugarcoat it”
“Heh.” You chuckle awkwardly, thinking that was supposed to lighten the mood.
>The doesn’t lighten on Sugarcoat’s end.
“But hey, listen, uh, all of that other stuff is over now. I’m really sorry about what happened, but she told me that she would let you keep seeing me. At least.. before the thing with her house. But that doesn’t mean we can’t meet on our own. I still have your number on my phone, and we both still know eachother’s addresses, right?”
>”Yeah, I remember it.”
“So look. We can still see eachother. Sour Sweet might not be too happy about that right now, but I can’t help the way I’m feeling about you.” You admit. “I know this is a weird time to say this but… I really do love you.”
>Sugarcoat sighs and crosses her arms.
“It’s true, Sugarcoat. After all is said and done, I still love you. I love you, Sugarcoat.” You make sure to say this out of anyone else’s earshot, but the only person you see in the library is Upper Crust, sitting in the back where the lounge chairs are with her face glued to her phone with earphones in.
>She’d be too far away to hear the things being said anyway at the volume you’re speaking at.
“So do you want to forg-”
>”Not even going to wait for you to finish anymore.” She stands up.
“What?”
>”Don’t ever speak to me again.”
>It hits you like a lightning bolt.
“S-sugar, wait.”
>”I’m done. Don’t talk to me. Sour’s your problem now. I’m done with you and her too. We are over.”
“Sugar.”
>”Don’t talk to me anymore. I’m done.”
>She leaves so abruptly.
>And that was it, you are not her greatest weakness anymore.
>It’s over so abruptly.
>You sit there in the chair for the longest time processing everything, in a state of shock more than anything else.
>Looking around the library to find that Upper Crust is the only one left in the room besides you.
>Keep glancing over to her, wondering what she’s doing over there before you get up and leave, a little to preoccupied to feel suspicious.
>…
>Knock knock.
>”Come in.” Sour Sweet answers your knock.
>You enter the room to find Sour Sweet sitting in your chair with her lets crossed on the surface of your desk like she owns the whole school.
“Uh, I don’t think Sugarcoat is coming.” You say.
>”Well that’s fine, because I just realize I have to go do something anyway.” Sour Sweet suddenly reveals to you.
“Oh, really?” You feel partially glad that you’ve gone flaccid during what was clearly a breakup that you’re finally starting to acknowledge by name in your head.
>You’re quite sure just how bad you feel about it, because it did feel sort of wrong to begin with and its absence takes a lot of the weight off of your shoulders.
>But you know you’re at least sort of bummed out about it.
>”Yeah, it came up so suddenly, but I hope I didn’t leave you hanging.” Sour Sweet slowly stands up and goes for the door you just walked through.
>You’re a little confused by this, but you’d rather sit back down in your own chair and make yourself a little more comfortable.
>”Anyway, I actually do gotta go. But I’ll catch you later! I’ll shoot you a text, ‘kay?”
“Um, okay.”
>She really just gets up and leaves right in the middle of this, after she was the one who came up here in the first place.
>And you sit at your desk now, having no idea what to do next.
>What do you even do next? Leave too?
>Sugarcoat wants nothing to do with you anymore, apparently. And Sour Sweet is probably playing games with you.
>You considering sending a text to Sugarcoat asking her if she will ever reconsider.
>It’s the only thing you can think to do.
>But as you go into your phone, you notice that her number has been removed from your contacts, and it takes virtually no time at all to piece it together.
“Oh.”
>…
~
>Everyone’s Winter break is about to start, but Mulberry’s starts early since he was sent home once again.
>The dean didn’t really have to deal with him this time, as the next tantrum that Mulberry threw was in the cafeteria when only the other teachers were there.
>No one really cared enough to recall exactly what he was arguing about this time.
>”My video game character based off of Neon is going to become canon today.” Mulberry starts to show everyone his phone screen to the jocks sitting on their bench after he goes over to their side of the cafeteria. “Aren’t you guys excited?”
>”Literally… who are you?” One of the running backs asks.
>”I’m the glue that holds you guys together!” Mulberry responds. “You guys should be thankful that fun dudes like me come to the school and come to your table.”
>”…Dude, what?”
>”Look! It’s Neon! Remember?” Mulberry holds up a new hand-drawn pamphlet. “He’s going to be in the video game that’s coming out today! It sure was a long way to December, huh?”
>”No one cares, dude.” A linebacker responds. “We’re trying to eat, here. Go back to your table.”
>”You don’t speak for our entire table!”
>”What do you mean ‘our’ table? You don’t even sit here.”
>”Yeah, what the hell, dude? You wanna be our water boy or something?” Another player jokes and gets the rest of the jock table to chuckle.
>”Looks like we got ourselves a circlejerk on our hands. But Neon will take care of you!” Mulberry points back to his drawing of the fictional character based off of Neon Lights.
>One of the football player’s cheerleader comes over briefly to talk about when they’re going to the nearby amusement park together.
>Mulberry audibly hisses at her, calling her a thot even though she’s properly dressed in her modest school uniform and is only talking to her boyfriend about where they’re going to casually hang out with friends in public while there’s still time before the holiday season gravitates them to their families.
>”Yeah, we’re going near my dad’s ski resort and we’re gonna sleep over.” She says, while Mulberry finds himself being completely ignored as long as the girl is here talking to her boyfriend.
>Mulberry starts to feel upset on the inside but he will never let anyone know about it, he wants them to feel upset instead so he’s not alone.
>”Damn, how many people are coming? We have enough rooms at the ski resort?”
>”No, it’s at his vacation lodge /next/ to his ski resort.” The girlfriend laughs. “Pay attention.” She half-jokingly gives him a light punch on the arm.
>”Ah, alright.”
>”There’s tons of rooms, it’s all good.”
>”Aight. Gotcha. Yo Jet, you went there before, right?”
>Jet Set nods at him. “Yup. Her parents are prolly gonna hide the champagne from us like last time.”
>”Aw fuck.”
>”You’ll still come with us after the amusement park in town, though, right?”
>”Why wouldn’t I? I’m free till my folks come ov-”
>”I’m still here, you know.” Mulberry cuts him off, clenching his hands into fists.
>”Dude, Imma say this as nicely as I can.” The running back from before turns to Mulberry. “No one here cares about Neon. He was kind of annoying anyway. I’m kinda glad he left school for a while.”
>”I know, right?” The other player’s girlfriend agrees. “I don’t know what his deal was but he was obsessive over like, every fricken’ thing all OCD-like.”
>”Wow, why does Neon bother you so much? Can’t stand seeing a picture of him?” Mulberry waves the pamphlet around. “Tell me, is this triggering you? It’s okay, you can tell me. Also, I’m here and I care about Neon, so you lose.”
>”Holy shit, no one cares.” Says another player. “Just fuck off already, damn.”
>”Hey, take it easy on him, dude. I think he’s autistic.” His friend replies.
>”Nah, you don’t understand, man. He does this shit like every couple of days.”
>”You’re all mad cause Neon’s gonna steal all your girls once he’s confirmed part of the video game. Even you! Thot.” Mulberry points to the girlfriend. “You can’t resist Neon’s charm!”
>”He’s obviously not even being serious.” One other player says.
>”I don’t care, he’s fucking annoying.” The cheerleader’s boyfriend nearly stands up as he turns to Mulberry. “No really, just fuck off, dude.”
>”Whoa! Defensive much?” Mulberry makes a cringing face and forces a laugh.
>”You better haul your ass back to your own lunch table before it gets kicked.” The quarterback finally walks over. “This is what kids like you like to call ‘the cool kids table’. Not your own home table. You know the rules around here.”
>”Can we please go back to talking about the party?” Asks the girlfriend.
>”Ha! It’s not a party! It’s a sleepover.” Snaps Mulberry. “Good try, though.”
>”…Dude, what?” Asks the boyfriend and holds back a few giggles. “Sleepovers with friends are literally parties. That’s why they’re also called slumber parties. Are you high?”
>”He’s doing it on purpose.” Says his girlfriend, crossing her arms.
>”He forgot to take his meds today, that’s what’s wrong with him.” Jet Set raises an eyebrow.
>”Oh puh-lease! You’re at a ski resort! An activity site, not someone’s house.” Argues Mulberry.
>”It’s my parents’ lodge next to a ski resort, dumbass.” Corrects the girlfriend. “Also yeah, you can fuck off now. Byebye!”
>”He’s probably jealous he’s never been invited to a party before.” The running back takes a jab at Mulberry and returns to sipping his chocolate milk.
>”You’re probably jealous Neon’s gonna steal your girl.” Mulberry points to the cheerleader.
>”She’s my girlfriend, genius, not his.” The real boyfriend interjects.
>”See? You can’t even remember who’s who.” Says the running back. “Just get lost already. Like, really. Go bother the chess club or whatever with your shitty fridge drawing.”
>Meanwhile at another table.
>”Yo, watch this.” One of the track team guys sitting there picks up a turkey sandwich from his tray and discreetly hurls it at Mulberry like a trebuchet.
>Like that of every Crystal Prep student, his aim is perfect.
>It lands square on top of Mulberry’s head, splattering mayonnaise and mustard all over her bowl-cut hairstyle and messing it all up.
>Mulberry’s face turns machismo red, and puffs of hot steam toot out of his ears like a train whistle.
>He lurches at the boyfriend of the cheerleader trying to throw a decent enough punch.
>None of the jocks even have to budge, and they watch as Mulberry falls flat on top of all the food on the table with his arms still wildly swinging.
>Her gets barbecue sauce, tomato paste, lettuce and squeeze cheese, tuna salad, and other stuff all over his school uniform in the process, screeching all the way like a rabid vulture.
>Mulberry is (eventually) sent home once again, but this time with food stains all over his clothes, a scent of turkey in his messy hair and a black eye.
>…
>Next thing you know, it’s the Friday before break.
>Finally, the last day has come, and you just wanna get out of here so you can get home and spend time with your family blah blah blah…
>Anyway, here’s how the holidays are going for the girls.
>Sour Sweet seems pretty happy about everything in her life, she’s not exactly thinking about the dean much anymore unless she really needs to pull some strings for something.
>It’s really fun ruling the school with an iron fist, and this last day here seems like the last day of break to her, because this is the place where her power and influence runs rampant to everyone else’s demise.
>They fear her… and maybe they can love her as a side effect.
>Love her like her best friend Sunny Flare does.
>Sunny’s been enjoying having her nose glued to the screens of her iVambraces just like how all the other students do but with their mobile phones.
>Totally worth the however many thousand dollars they costed, and she just knows for a fact that her father’s going to get her a new car for Christmas.
>Since… you know… she crashed her old car and totaled it last time because she was gossiping on Twitter about Sugarcoat.
>Speaking of Sugarcoat, the girl has been a lot less talkative since her bout with the law.
>Doesn’t speak up in the classes she has to go to (unlike Sunny and Sour), but then again, she would have gone anyway to try and measure up to Twilight’s legacy.
>Which is now impossible; Twilight had never gotten arrested in her life.
>Sugarcoat’s reputation is irredeemable, and she knows it well enough to make sure to sry every single night, but at least she finally got rid of that biggest weakness that Sour Sweet tried to play upon.
>She’s going to get her back for all the stuff she did, there is no way Sugarcoat is going to let it go like she did the dean.
>No, the dean isn’t important, what Sour Sweet wanted to do is.
>Then Sugarcoat changed her mind mid-decision just like Sour Sweet would.
>What is she thinking?
>No! Just leave all of this BS behind! That’s the rational approach to this situation.
>Her bout with the law is done and over with, and it would only trip her up more if she had any more run-ins with that absolute sociopath.
>And her feelings keep coming back, that good old lust for revenge that would have been more suited for Sour Sweet’s mind but can’t be shaken off of Sugarcoat’s mind.
>Plus, she knows that Sour Sweet is going to come back again and again to make her feel miserable… making the feeling stick to her even more adhesively.
>Sour Sweet has been getting lazily tyrannical lately after Sugarcoat’s return, only focusing on keeping the bare necessities for her rule sustained while everything else was ignored.
>Even you, the dean of the school.
>…
>Here you sit in your office, still giggling to yourself about the episode with Mulberry yesterday.
>What’s funny is that you still had to deal with his temper tantrum a lot, because he migrated it to your office after he was sent up here.
>Came up with a black eye on his face and food all over his clothes and hair.
>Woopsie, looks like the little shit tried to start a fight again.
>He ain’t about that life, and you tell him in the nicest way possible before calling his devastated parents once again.
>The parents got here, picked him up, and off they went.
>Now you sit alone, listening for that usual knock knock knocking to which you would reply “come in”.
>There’s nothing.
>You sit in your of-
>Knock knock.
>Welp, spoke too soon.
>”Heyyyyy!” Cadance comes walking in.
“Oh hey. How are things going?”
>This is a relief, at least it’s not yet another student.
>”It’s finally officially done and over with. Neon’s family just wants to spend the holidays together, and everything else surrounding the lawsuit is officially taken care of. Just in time for the holidays!” Says Cadance with a cheery smile on her face.
“Finally!”
>”I know! Right? Anyway, I have an announcement.” She brings up. “Remember how the Halloween party had to be canceled /because/ of this whole thing?”
“Yes.”
>”Welp, I managed to get you last-minite invited to the Christmas Party some colleagues of mine are having near corporate head! Since you’re the dean here and all.”
“Oh wow! That makes sense. I’d be glad to come.”
>”Excellent! I’m so sorry this whole thing got so put off for so much time.”
“Oh, it’s okay! No need to worry about it, it all paid off in the end, eh?”
>”It sure did, it sure did.”
“We wearing costumes this time?” You joke.
>”Aaaaaahaahaa.” Cadance does the laugh Will Smith does at the end of that one YouTube rewind (that hasn’t happened yet in this timeline). “I suppose we’ll be dressing up.”
>You basically cornily talk with Cadance for as long as she’s willing to do it.
>Fuck, she’s damn good looking but she’s easily one of those co-workers you’d hear someone complaining about all fucking day long and being annoying on their own merit by doing so.
>Welp, party on the 28th, a hybrid between Christmas and New Year’s celebration, and now you’re invited because you work with someone who’s going to it and you missed out on the last party because of some damn lawsuit interrupting it.
>But this is great, you can still spend time with your folks on Christmas like you always wanted to AND you get to go to a party.
>Sugarcoat still hasn’t been contacted to come up to your office because you know her well enough to know that her mind is made up and it’ll only make her push back more if you try to force an apology; she’s just like that.
>But that’s okay because you’ve been having lots of reasons to move on anyway.
>It’s been a long ass time since any “action” happened with you, and Sour Sweet seems to not be interested anymore but that’s also fine too because you’d rather focus on other things in life when you’re not falling victim to your stupid hormones.
>The rest of the day goes by basically eventless.
>But your brain is doing the thing again.
>You have a last minute need, at least before the end of the day happens and the break begins only to lead into the dead of winter that is January.
>You’ll be gone the whole time, and Sunny, Sour and Sugarcoat are all still here.
>It’s been a while and surely one of them will be up to it.
>It’s the last class of the day, wait, no, the bell just rang.
>The thing is, you just sort of sat there not knowing if you really cared enough to tackle this because you need to start redirecting more blood to your brain again, but now it’s too occupied somewhere else thanks to your imagination and you get out of your office right away in search for one of the girl’s you’ve gotten with before to maybe talk a while.
>Wow, this sure doesn’t look wrong at all to you, nope.
>Dean running around looking to get his dick wet probably to no avail; looks like reality is starting to take its toll on your miserable life and (thanks to Sour Sweet) newly corrupted thoughts.
>Shit, she did this to you, make you get used to it. Now look at you, doing this shit on the last day before winter break.
>The first one you try and go for is Sour Sweet because Sugarcoat is undoubtably going to be pissed off at you until she somehow finds you again and lets you know that she changed her mind.
>You’re mad at her again, and this can end up like that other time when… you know.
>You text her and look around, thirsty as Spongebob when he was trapped in the treedome.
>She texts back after a couple of minutes. [Eh I don’t really feel like hanging out right now. Maybe after break.] The god-queen of the school speaks to you.
>Figures.
>Whatever, you’ll just look for Sunny Flare.
>Haul your stupidly horny ass around the halls in search of her.
>Everything about this is fucking stupid, you shouldn’t even be doing this, why are you even here right now?
>Go home, stop being brainless, go do other things with life like you said several minutes ago, ya bellend.
>Sunny is nowhere to be found anyway, but you need to stop running around on your feet because of reasons and go sit down literally anywhere.
>Oh look, there’s the library.
>Go in there without the briefcase you didn’t take with you and sit down in one of the cozy chairs towards the back.
>Listen to the students flood out of the school, basically thirsting louder than you can think at this point in time.
>No one else is here, you’re alone.
>Try and plan whatever the hell you’re gonna do with you dumb ass self as the ship’s mast finally calms down.
>This is so pathetic, and you’re just now realizing it in its full brunt force.
>What the hell has Sour Sweet done to you? She turned you into an actual fucking pervert.
>You would not be surprised if the girl did this on purpose, given all the other shit she’s done.
>It’s probably why she’s ignoring you now and blowing you off when you wanna “spend time”, because she knows you’re much more into it than when she was using it to wedge her way into the position she’s in now.
>She rules the school, she doesn’t need you anymore.
>Never before have you felt so… used.
>She did all of this. Sour Sweet is probably the worse yet sexiest person you can imagine right now.
>Now you must not stand up again, wishing you had just stayed a virgin back in the times before she controlled everything you do.
>What the fuck did she do to you?
>Oh hey, someone came in.
>It’s Upper Crust, once again after she was here last time.
>You try not to let her see you glancing over at her, but she probably noticed after the fifth or sixth time.
>Because she’s sitting right across from you… in the exact same chair she was sitting in last time when you were safely on the OTHER side of the place where she couldn’t hear Sugarcoat basically breaking up with you.
>Upper Crust just sits there with a book in her hand, crossing her legs basic instinct style, and makes you wonder if she’s following the dress code properly.
>She probably doesn’t even realize that you’re thinking all of these things, but she still sat here even though it’s the literal fucking dean of the school sitting here. And she didn’t strike up a conversation or anything, maybe she just doesn’t care.
>Your eyes keep going back to her legs, and you hope she doesn’t notic-
>Stand up and retreat, fuck this.
>You go all the way back up to your office and shut the door, lucky that the majority of the students have left the school by now because winter break is starting.
>…
>Now it’s Christmas break, and nothing at all can happen because school is closed.
>So there’s basically no events going on until the party in a couple of days.
>Basically, things go back to normal, except Sunny has Indigo’s place.
>Speaking of Indigo, today is the day.
>Christmas Day.
>She arrives at her cell for the first time on Christmas Day.
>Missing her friend Lemon Zest, who is in her room with the metal music turned all the way up and away from her family on Christmas Day.
>Meanwhile, back in town, Sour Sweet is sitting down with relatives eating and criticizing food on Christmas Day after having pretended to like the presents.
>Sugarcoat is with her folks on Christmas Day, holding back tears as she smiles for the group photos.
>Sunny Flare receives a brand new Ferrari from mommy and a brand new Porsche from daddy on Christmas Day, so if she crashes one because of her gossip on Twitter she at least still has the other.
>Sunny Flare is happy.
>Sugarcoat is “happy”.
>Sour Sweet is a mystery.
>Lemon Zest is bummed out due to the start of winter.
>Indigo Zap figures that can’t be depressed if she doesn’t give a fuck anymore.
>And a partridge in a pear tree.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r38uXo96_pE 
~
>December 26th.
>The party is going to be on the 28th of December.
>Cadance prepares some of the food she’s bringing, including the hot dog buns she will adequately supply the hosts and other guests with.
>With the correct brand.
>She gets ready in her room when her fiancee Shining Armor finally comes back home from whatever job he has in this world.
>”You asked the dean of the school to join us, right?” He walk in with a smile.
>Cadance finishes folding a few clothes before returning to packing. “Yup.”
>”Did you… tell him yet?”
>”Oh, uh, no. I thought we agreed to let him know once he got there with us. Where’s it’s more appropriate to bring up.”
>”Honey, I thought we agreed to let him know ahead of time so he knew what he was getting into.”
>”No, he’s still partaking in the rest of the party, it’s just that us asking him to get involved is something a little extra. You know, so he can still enjoy himself if he’s not up to it.”
>”I thought you said she showed up to our door one day with his pants open? I doubt there’s anything subtle about that. Especially if he walked in on you when you were indecent and rolled with it.”
>”I dunno, maybe it could have been a misunderstanding.” Says Cadance as she sits back down.
>”Honey…”
>”Well you know it’s possible.”
>”Yeah, but…” Shining continues. “I mean, that’s probably the most unsubtle thing I can think of. He’s sending in some clues.”
>”It’s just that we’re colleagues. And if I come on too strong asking him to get between us, and he didn’t mean to come off that way, it’s not exactly going to help with the workspace environment.”
>”I’m sure he’ll understand if it really is that way. Which I’m sure it isn’t. Why else would he show up late to a barbecue with his pants open? I was delightfully surprised when you told me about this first. Because I thought we weren’t going to find someone making it that obvious.”
>”That’s the thing. It feels too obvious to be true.”
>”Too good to be true? Well wouldn’t the right thing to do be to ask him if he’s up to it before the party starts so we, eh, don’t waste any time.”
>Cadance smiles.
>”Yeah yeah, I know. I’m probably getting a little too eager, here.” Shining Smiles back.
>Cadance places a hand on his shoulder as he sits down with her. “Just relax, honey. I want to make sure all of our bases are covered before we jump right into this. I sometimes think it’s a bit of a stretch too, but it’ll all turn out well in the end. The lawsuit did, and this can too.”
>”I guess you’re right. But you’ll tell him soon, right?”
>”Of course.”
>”Good. It’s just sort of a shame that the first party had to be interrupted by all that other stuff going on back at Crystal Prep. Things have changed a lot since I last went there.”
>”Oh they sure have, they sure have.”
>Cadance notices Shining scooting closer to her on the side of the bed.
>”Well it’s in two days. He’s either going to agree to take things a step further with you or he won’t.” Says Shining.
>”Yeah.”
>”Do you wanna practice a little? And then if he says no when he actually does get here, then at least we had a little fun.”
>Cadance thinks about it for a couple of minutes, but agrees. “Okay.”
>”Great, just uh, pretend it’s the party.” Starts Shining Armor. “Pretend we’re standing around drinking and I’m the dean. And you have to break it to me the same way you’re gonna break it to him at the party.”
>Cadance chuckles. “Honey, what do you mean break it to him? I’m asking him to have sex with me, not firing him! That’s like the opposite of breaking something to him.”
>The two begin to joke around together before Cadance slips into something a little more comfortable, a thin and loose nightgown with nothing underneath.
>And they begin “practicing as Shining Armor pretends to be you, with Cadance walking up to him.
>She’s letting him look her up and down her body, gradually redirecting the conversation to more and more personal territory.
>Pretending it’s you she’s talking to, Cadance reveals to Shining Armor that she’s interested in forming a bit of a deeper relationship than simply Principal and Dean.
>They slowly get more and more intimate, talking about the time you walked in on Cadance in her robe that fell open in front of you while you had your junk out in the open in front of her.
>Shining Armor proceeds to undress Principal Cadance, and they become even more intimate, but Shining does not enter her.
>He vows that she savors the feeling for you, so it will be more sincere when you finally come in and do it for real.
>Strange couple, strange couple indeed.
~
>The next few days are eventless, no school.
>So much time to just stay home and do absolutely nothing, worry about absolutely nothing.
>Over these next few days, many of the Crystal Prep Academy students spend time with their families.
>So do the teachers and other administration members.
>Now, you’d think something interesting happens at the party, right?
>The dean walks in, the principal approaches him when the time is right and asks him a certain question.
>It’s not much, just invite him to the wedding that’s coming up soon and ask him if he wants to get a little bit involved.
>Nope, Cadance gets too awkward after she invited him to the wedding.
>She came up to him too friendly and professional-like, and there’s people everywhere.
>She didn’t consider that maybe there would be other people at the party that would be within earshot of the special conversation.
>Of course, you’re casually enjoying yourself at the party once the 28th of December hits.
>You came on time, made sure your fly was zipped up all the way this time, and sort of chilled out and talked to other members of school administrations or whatever.
>Came in expecting this party to be at least a little energetic, but it’s really just a bunch of people sipping punch and talking to one another.
>That’s all there is.
>It’s still pretty comfy, but nothing else is happening.
>You just thought more would happen, but everyone just sort of goes there to hang out and that’s it. These aren’t teenagers, it’s people with jobs like the characters of The Office but minus the craziness.
>Ordinary people, many of whom are coworkers, casually spending a holiday party together.
>The food’s pretty nice, you meet a couple of new people and Cadance introduces you as the new dean of the school she became principal of.
>Shining Armor stands in the corner with his feet hurting, wishing he had more of the balls to take you into another room to talk with you about something.
>Cadance would, but she’s too caught up in all the other conversations she became tangled in, and she seems to forget pretty easily too, from what Shining can tell.
>Facepalms are had after you leave with some of the last of the guests to be on their way, unbeknownst to you.
>”Why didn’t you talk to him?!” Shining groans. “You were right there!”
>”I thought you were going to! He’d find it more believable if it came from you.” Answers Cadance.
>”It would have been nice if you /told/ me that.”
>The argument isn’t really all that serious, just a little bit of what feels like a mix of comic relief and blame funneling.
>It’s fine, really, Cadance will just do it the easier way and send the dean an email.
>Well, that party was anticlimactic, given all of the buildup there was to it.
>At least they had the right hot dog brand.
>…
>New Year’s Eve.
>People are watching the big ball in the city drop as Andy and Andy make jokes to eachother on the TV screen.
>Not much to describe here, it’s just like how one would picture any run-of-the-mill New Year’s celebration to go.
>But one thing of note does happen, Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest happen to be missing eachother at exactly the same time.
>Ambitious about the first girl’s release in late March or early April of the new year.
>And the second girl’s plans to somehow leave school for good.
>Once the new school semester starts up sometime in the next several days, only time will tell.