Author's Note

For your reference, Frosty Orange is a background character. The only clear shot of her is attached to fan art, so here's a little something:

Monday Madness

Monday, 8:29 a.m.

Frosty Orange rushed through the doors of Crystal Prep.

Maybe if I hurry, she thought as she buttoned up her uniform's vest, I can make it before one of the hall monitors catches me-

"Hey, you're late!"

Just my luck. Frosty sighed as Sunny Flare marched up to her.

"School rules clearly dictate you must be here by 8:30, or you are tardy," Sunny informed her, jabbing a finger at Frosty's chest.

"But I made it," Frosty protested. "One minute to spare."

"You're not in your classroom, are you?" Sunny pointed out. "If you don't get to homeroom in under a minute, you're late." Sunny folded her arms.

"Then stop stalling!" Frosty ran around Sunny, desperate to make it to class.

"Hey, come back here!" Sunny yelled, running after Frosty.

Brrrrrrring

"The bell!" Frosty wailed.

"You're in detention, you're late!" Sunny shouted.

"Everyone get out here, please," Frosty begged as she ran from the terror that was Sunny Flare, "I need to lose her."

Right on cue, students filled the hallways. Frosty ran past everyone, ducked down another hall, and sprinted straight into the bathroom.

"Whoa," she breathed, taking a moment to fix her sky blue hair in the mirror. "I hope I never have to do that again."

"Whaddya do?" a friend of Frosty's, a girl with pink skin and curly yellow hair, stepped out of the last stall on the end.

"Just escaped detention," Frosty answered Taffy's question.

"You'll need a hall pass, wontcha?" Taffy Shade nodded. "You're here, and not in class."

"Right. Will a pack of gum do it for you?"

"Sure."

Frosty passed Taffy a stick of gum; in return, Taffy dropped Frosty a counterfeit purple hall pass.

"Thanks, Taf," Frosty commented as she backed up to the bathroom door.

"No problem," Taffy replied, shuffling the stack of hall passes in her hands.

"You coming?"

"Nope." Taffy shook her head. "I'm gonna wait a minute longer. In case some dopey Freshmen need somethin'."

Frosty nodded in understanding, then ran out.

8:46 a.m.

Today, first period was chemistry. Not only was Frosty a total dunce, but her lab partner was Lemon Zest. Lemon Zest took everything way to seriously and was part of the reason Frosty found the lessons so boring.

"I hate science class," Frosty complained.

Lemon Zest adjusted her lab goggles. "Tough luck. Pour thirteen milligrams of hydrochloric acid into the beaker," she instructed. For someone not-so-nice like her, Lemon's voice was surprisingly soft.

Frosty painstakingly measured the amount, then dumped it into the beaker.

"Next we turn the heat up to 167 degrees Fahrenheit exactly-" Lemon adjusted them temperature "-then we wait."

Waiting was the worst. Frosty tapped her fingers on the table, while Lemon Zest reread the science book.

"Please stop," Lemon Zest grumbled. "I'm trying to study!"

"Fine, sour puss," Frosty muttered under her breath.

Lemon snapped the book shut and looked up at Frosty. "Why do you attend Crystal Prep?" Lemon asked directly.

Is she finally going to talk about something other than science? Frosty wondered as she replied, "It's the school closest to where I live. All the other schools are too far."

"No," Lemon Zest told her, leaning in, "it's because Crystal Prep is a prestigious school. We come here to get results, to be efficient, and to graduate as wholesome young men and women!"

After she had finished her mini-lecture, Lemon adjusted her headphones. Frosty blinked.

"Did you just quote the handbook?" she asked. And nobody here is 'wholesome.' Not even me.

9:38 a.m.

Frosty hid behind her book as Sunny Flare walked in to the French classroom. Although her desk was at the very back of the classroom, and Sunny's was in the front, you could never be too careful.

Suddenly, Frosty's phone buzzed in her pocket.

"Hey."

An unknown number, huh? Frosty frowned. Weird.

She texted back, "hi who is this?"

"Is ur refrigerator running?" was the response.

Confused, Frosty quickly texted back, "no im at school." She set her phone down and opened her book. Her phone buzzed again. A few student glanced her way, but let her be.

"Wow ur bad at prank texts"

"I'm in class LOL r u a CP student" Frosty texted.

"Frosty Orange, que feriez-vous par à la boutique?" the teacher asked.

"Oh!" Frosty jumped.

“She was playing on her phone,” Sour Sweet called out, examining her fingernails. Sour’s desk was two rows over. Frosty protectively gripped her phone.

“It wasn’t my fault!” Frosty hissed. “Some idiot tried to prank text me!”

“Still improper behavior during class, isn’t it?” Sour retorted, smiling to herself.

“Miz Orange, your phone, please.”

Frosty pried her eyes away from Sour Sweet and looked up at her teacher.

“I didn’t do anything!” she protested. When the professor remain adamant, Frosty sighed and pulled out her phone, dropping it in the teacher’s hand. Her teacher nodded, and returned to the front of the classroom.

Frosty turned and shot a glare in Sour Sweet’s direction. Sour caught the glance, and just rolled her eyes.

“You brought it on yourself,” Sour whispered.

Frosty snapped her pencil in two.

Lunch Time

“I’m sick of today,” Frosty grumbled as she set her lunch tray down. Aside from Taffy, her friend Ginger Owlseye was also eating at the same table.

Ginger looked up.

“What’s going on today?” she asked. “You’re not, actually sick, are you?”

“It’s an expression, dimwit,” Taffy told her.

“If I go to this school, I’m not a dimwit,” Ginger replied.

“We’re all dimwits here,” Frosty countered. “I’ve been in contact with three of the Shadow Five today!”

“Seriously?” Taffy asked, looking over at her. “I knew about Sunny, and Lemon’s your lab partner, right?”

“Yeah,” Frosty agreed. “Sour Sweet got my phone taken away during second period French!”

“Sour Sweet needs to die.”

“Ginger!” Frosty and Taffy looked over, wearing twin expressions of surprise.

Ginger was absent-mindedly staring at her tray, teal eyes widened large. “Oh, where were we?” She suddenly snapped out of her trance. “Hey, Frosty, if you want to get sick and go home early, I can tell you a super gross story!”

“Uh, no thanks,” Frosty responded. The suggestion alone made her feel sick. “Let’s just eat.”

“Spaghetti and meatballs.” Taffy lifted a clump of spaghetting on her fork. “Yum.” Spaghetti was the only good lunch Crystal Prep served, and it brightened up dreary Mondays.

Frosty was in the middle of slurping down the last of her lunch when Ginger dropped her fork.

“Guys, don’t look behind you, but the Shadow Five are headed this way!” she whispered in panic.

Taffy and Frosty turned around.

“I said not to turn around!” Ginger complained.

“Why me?” Frosty groaned. Led by Sugarcoat, the Shadow Five were making a beeline for Frosty’s table. Other students parted as they barged through the cafeteria.

“Shouldn’t we run?” Ginger suggested quietly. “It’s not too late.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Frosty snapped back.

“Frosty Orange.” Sugarcoat folded her arms as Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Indigo Zap spread around the table.

“What do you want, Sugarcoat?” Frosty grumbled.

“You owe Sunny Flare a detention. And you messed up Lemon Zest’s science experiment. And- well, you didn’t really do anything to Sour Sweet. But all the rest of that? That’s just not cool.”

The stares of a thousand other students burned into Frosty’s back as she replied, “I would’ve made it to class if I hadn’t run into Sunny. I don't owe anyone detention! And I did not ruin our science experiment. Why would I? I need that grade, too!”

“Pathetic arguments,” Sugarcoat snapped. “Okay, since I’m here, let me tell you what I think of you.”

Here it comes, Frosty thought.

“Your hairstyle is tacky. Seriously, chop the top half off and try to be normal.”

“She’s right,” Sunny quipped. “My sister’s friend’s cousin’s mom’s aunt’s niece goes to Cloudsdale High, and she looks just like you.”

“Yeah, whatever Sunny. Next. Your clothing-”

“Um, excuse me? Could you, maybe, um, stop being mean to them?”

“Huh?” Frosty, Taffy, and Ginger were taken aback. Nobody talked to the Shadow Five like that.

Their rescuer was toned lavender, wearing her pink-streaked indigo hair in a bun, and she wore a pair of thick (but cute!) black glasses. She stepped up in front of Frosty and her friends, nervously playing with her fingers.

“That’s Twilight Sparkle, Counselor Cadence’s crazy niece,” Ginger commented blankly.

“I’m not crazy!” Twilight insisted. “Cadence says I have… unique interests. But, uh, Sugarcoat, these girls haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Let me handle this one, pigtails girl.” Lemon Zest stepped up in Twilight’s face. “Listen up. Obviously you were not listening earlier, otherwise you would know these girls are troublemakers. Specifically, the orange one with blue hair. I forgot her name. But you have no business here. So get out before you embarrass yourself anymore than you already have.”

“I agree with Lemon Zest,” Sour Sweet added.

“You’re not welcome here, Twilight Sparkle,” Indigo Zap snapped.

“But-” Twilight faltered.

She needs to get out of here, poor girl, Frosty thought, she’s too cute for this.

“Twilight.” When Twilight's attention turned to her, Frosty continued, “You need to get out of here. They’re right.”

“But I was trying to help you!” Twilight replied frowning. She bit her lips, and Frosty realized Twilight was trying to hold back tears.

“This school is terrible,” Ginger commented randomly.

"Why," Twilight mumbled. "Why would you do this to me?"

Twilight took one last look at Frosty, then at Sugarcoat. In the next moment, she sprinted off.

Probably to go to the bathroom and cry, Frosty thought.

The room was dead silent, save for some teachers talking in the background.

“Oh my gosh! Some kid’s locked in the teacher’s lounge!” Taffy shrieked.

“What?!” Frosty spun around to face her friend. Taffy wasn't frantic with excitement; she was wearing a mischievous grin instead.

Suddenly, students were rushing out of the cafeteria to see the poor kid in the teacher’s lounge.

“Run,” Ginger said.

No need to tell me twice! Frosty, with Taffy and Ginger behind her, ran out as fast as her legs could carry her.

2:05 p.m.

“You know what I just realized?” Frosty asked. She stood in the girls’ bathroom once again, accompanied by Taffy.

“What?” asked Taffy, who was currently sorting through her accumulated gum.

“Indigo Zap is in my P.E. class.” Frosty deadpanned, staring dejectedly at her face in the mirror.

“Sucks for you,” Taffy sympathized. “I have Sunny in mine. Indigo’s definitely worse, though.”

“Can I borrow a hall pass?” Frosty asked.

“Oh no!” Taffy grinned. “I want to see you fight this out with Indigo.”

Frosty pursed her lips. “I swear, Taffy, if you don’t give me a hall pass-”

“I’ll call Sour Sweet if you don’t leave right now!” Taffy challenged. "Want another run-in with her?"

“And risk exposing your underground market?” Frosty smirked. “I don’t think so.”

“Try me.” Taffy narrowed her magenta eyes. Frosty stared back.

After a few moments, Frosty broke her gaze, and turned to face the mirror. “Fine, you win. I’ll go.”

“Good girl.” Taffy nodded, popping a piece of gum into her mouth.

“You’ll make a good con woman one day,” Frosty remarked.

“I learned from the best!” Taffy laughed between chews.

“Who taught you?”

“Myself.”

Smiling in spite of herself, Frosty left to change into her P.E. uniform.

When she joined the rest of her class on the soccer field, Coach Armor was already giving instructions.

“What are we doing?” she asked a boy with wavy white and blue hair.

“Oh, we’re doing-”

“Don’t tell her anything, Pokey,” a girl wearing a yellow headband and curly purple hair interrupted. “She arrives late, she doesn’t need to know, m’kay?”

“-you will be split into two teams,” Coach Armor continued. “Purple belts on one side of the field, and blue belts on the other, got it?”

“Got it!” chorused the class.

Coach Armor counted off everyone onto the teams. Frosty ended up on the blue belted team. The good news was that she didn’t have to deal with Pokey and Suri; they were on the purple team. The bad news was the one person Frosty least wanted to deal with was on her team.

“Alright, team!” Indigo Zap barked, wrapping her belt around her waist. “We are going to beat those losers to the dust! Got it?!”

“Yeah!” cheered half the team. The other half, including Frost, mumbled something inaudible.

“Listen, wimps,” Indigo said sternly, pacing back and forth. “I can show you all terrible things. Magic and heaven aren’t two of them, but madness and sin certainly are. If you want to live, you will go down fighting this soccer game!”

“It’s just a game,” Frosty muttered. “Save your real strength for the Friendship Games in a couple months."

“Frosty!” Indigo screamed. “I should’ve known you’d be making trouble!”

“How did you hear me?” Frosty asked in disbelief.

“Don’t forget lunch today, Orange!” Indigo yelled, smoothing back her hair. “That will happen every day for the rest of your life if we don’t win this game!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Frosty gulped. Whether or not Indigo was bluffing didn’t matter. The threat was hanging in the air.

Coach Armor blew his whistle, and the game began. Frosty wasn’t much help at first. Most of the game was Indigo screaming and scoring goals, subsequently giving the other team’s goalie a headache.

As the scores grew in their favor, Frosty began to relax.

Indigo Zap has this covered, she thought. I don’t need to do anything.

“Frosty Orange!” Indigo shrieked, running over.

“Wha?!” Frosty looked over. “Why me? I do not understand!”

“Coach Armor said I have to sit out the rest of the game,” Indigo grumbled, smoothing back her blue hair. “Can I count on you to play a good game?”

“Yeah, sure,” Frosty answered cautiously. “The team and I will do you justice.”

“Good,” Indigo answered, folding her arms. “Because if you lose, I’ll tell Twist you have a crush on her.”

“Not that freshman, please no.” Twist was the most annoying freshman you would ever meet. If Twist ever thought that Frosty liked her, it would be even worse than the lunch threat.

“You don’t have to worry about it, just play well.” Indigo patted her on the shoulder, then jogged off to scream on the sidelines.

“This will end in tears,” Frosty commented, defeated already.

Turns out that defense wasn’t that hard. By the last few minutes, the other team had only managed to score ten goals, compared to the fifty Frosty had predicted.

“Pick up your feet, Orange!” Indigo called, pumping her fist. “You can score!”

“Is Indigo being supportive?” Frosty asked herself in disbelief. "Weird." Obeying Indigo’s orders, Frosty charged down the field.

Currently, Pokey Pierce was dribbling the ball. Frosty ran straight for him, ready to kick him in the shins if necessary.

Frosty made a swipe for the ball.

“Come and get it!” Pokey teased, neatly dribbling around Frosty. Gritting her teeth, Frosty charged after him.

“You don’t know what’s on the line here!” she shouted, blocking Pokey’s way. This time, she managed to pry the ball away from him. It bounced down the field. Another player on Frosty’s team swooped in and dribbled it towards the goal.

“Suri!” shouted someone on the other team. Suri, the goalie, was too busy filing her nails to notice.

“Go, blue belts!” Indigo shouted.

Suri looked up, startled by Indigo's scream. When her eyes focused on the soccer ball, her expression hardened, and she resumed a formal goalie position.

Frosty raced down to give her teammate backup. He ignored her and kicked the ball to the goal.

Too soon! Frosty cringed as Suri caught the ball. She continued running in the same direction.

Suri threw the ball- straight into Frosty's face.

“Ow!” Frosty fell to the ground.

“Oh my gosh!” Suri screamed. “For the record, I didn’t kill her, m’kay? Got that, everyone?!”

Tweet! From the other side of the field, Coach Armor blew into his whistle. “Goal! And we have to wrap it up now, guys, class is over!”

“Wha?” Frosty rubbed her head.

“Yo, Frost person!” Indigo ran over to help her out. “The ball bounced off your head and into the goal! Nice save! We won!

“You hear that, Suri buckin’ Polomare?” she added, screaming at Suri.

“So you’re not gonna tell Twist I like her, right?” Frosty asked.

“Nope,” Indigo assured her. “I hope you’re on my team next time, you’re a big help to the ultimate goal of glory and winning and endless riches!”

“Uh, me too, I guess.” Heck no!

“Don’t worry about anything tomorrow, either,” Indigo added. “That was so epic, you deserve a good Tuesday.”

“Really?” Frosty’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Sure,” Indigo replied. “I'm not a jerk like Sugarcoat."

Frosty's mouth literally dropped open.

"I gotta go now," Indigo commented, checking her watch. "Don’t break your ankle or anything, okay?”

Frosty watched as Indigo ran off.

“She was decent to me,” Frost commented. “I am utterly confused.”

Frosty walked off the field, following her classmates.

I need a therapist, she thought.