A New Sunset
The Crystal Prep Academy lunchroom was pretty loud today, but Indigo Zap didn't really mind. She liked it loud; it meant the place was full of energy, and the opposite of boring. It helped that she had Lemon Zest standing beside her, with one hand on her headphones, her head rocking out to the tunes Indigo could hear from all the way out here. Even standing here in the line waiting to pick up their trays of partially edible lunch, the girl knew how to liven the place up.
Indigo Zap raised one hand to lift the other side of Lemon's headphones away from her ear. "What are you listening to?"
"Metal-Licker! Just one of the best metal bands in history!" Lemon shouted over the sound of her music and the cafeteria.
"Yeah? Let me be the judge of that!" Indigo shouted back. Lemon plucked the headphones from her head and passed them over, letting Indigo slip them on, the music blaring against her eardrums.
"I drink a lot, and life sucks! My alcohol is why I'm such a useless toooool! I'm a foooooooooooool!"
"Isn't that hardcore!?" Lemon grinned.
"Sounds like whining to me." Indigo took off the headphones and passed them back. "You can have it, I'll stick with Olive Day."
"Your loss, dude!" Lemon slipped the headphones back on and immediately started headbanging again. "Wooo! Rock on!"
Indigo rolled her eyes and turned forward again, but she realized immediately that the girl standing in front of her wasn't the girl who was there earlier. Of course, the student body here was the worst. They would take any opportunity to cut in line, the selfish jerkwads. Not that she was much better... but she was getting better. In fact, now that she was paying more attention, she'd never seen this girl in Crystal Prep before... though she looked oddly familiar from behind.
"Hey, you there." Indigo Zap reached out to tap her roughly on the shoulder with two fingers.
The girl looked back with a sharp look on a face so familiar it made Indigo take a step back. Of course, now she recognized her... that wasn't an expression she'd seen on her before, though.
"Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing here?"
Sunset raised one eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. "Yeah, that's my name. I just transferred in today. Who are you, exactly?"
Indigo was speechless for a few moments before finally finding her tongue. "Indigo Zap. Don't you recognize me? From the Friendship Games?"
"Sorry, I'm not that kind of girl." Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes and turned away.
Indigo balked for a few moments, then tapped her shoulder again. "Excuse me, Sunset Shimmer, but I'm pretty sure you weren't in front of me just a few seconds ago."
"No, I wasn't." Sunset turned fully back toward her. "Are you going to do something about it?"
"The back of the line is over there." Indigo pointed.
"Yeah, it is." Sunset shooed at her with one hand. "Feel free to go back there if you're so fascinated with it."
Indigo stepped closer, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know what your problem is, but you're not cutting in line."
"Try to stop me. I dare you." Sunset Shimmer glared back over her folded arms.
Indigo hesitated again. She wasn't about to get physical over something so silly, but just letting this girl walk all over her wasn't an appealing option either.
"Uh, hey, the line is getting ahead of us guys." Lemon pointed ahead of them, clearly oblivious to the situation with her headphones blaring in her ears. "Come on!" She moved to rush past the two of them and catch up with the line, but Sunset's arm snapped out, grabbing her by the front of her uniform.
"Hey, I didn't say you could go ahead." Sunset snarled.
"Don't you touch her!" Indigo shoved Sunset back roughly away from Lemon Zest, knocking her grip free. Sunset Shimmer rebounded immediately and shoved Indigo back with both hands. Indigo stumbled back a step, then moved forward again, until the two of them were nearly chest-to-chest, glaring into each others' eyes. The normal noise of the lunchroom quieted somewhat at the sound of the commotion, but the two girls paid it no mind.
"I don't know what your problem is, but keep your hands off my friends," Indigo Zap warned darkly.
"Keep yourself and your friends out of my way," Sunset countered with a dangerous glint in her eye.
"This school doesn't belong to you."
"I guess someone who isn't very smart would probably think that." Sunset Shimmer grew a crooked smile. "Take a swing and find out. Please."
When Indigo didn't respond, Sunset's smile grew into a grin. "That's what I thought." She raised one hand and patted the shorter girl's head like a dog. "Even someone so simple and unintelligent is capable of learning, eventually." She stepped away from Indigo and turned to catch up with the rest of the line, which made her next for her meal.
Her blood boiling, Indigo Zap whirled away from the girl and marched out of line, heading for the exit.
Lemon Zest gasped and rushed after her, with her headphones now circling her neck on her shoulders. "Indigo? Where are you going? We haven't eaten!"
"I'm not hungry!" Indigo shouted back louder than she intended as she shoved the doors open and marched out of the cafeteria, her knuckles slamming into the first locker across the hall with a thunderous crash that rang out down the hallway.
Lemon squeaked and rushed up to her, cradling Indigo's hand in hers. "Hey! You're gonna hurt yourself!"
"I'm fine." Indigo involuntarily winced as Lemon touched her knuckles, which were already beginning to swell from the impact.
"Come on, we should get it under some water." Lemon pulled Indigo down the hallway by the hand, tugging on her to get her moving despite her protests. She found herself dragged into the nearest girl's bathroom, where Lemon turned on one of the faucets and stuck Indigo's hand under the cold water, holding it there with one hand on her wrist.
"Thanks..." Indigo winced at the touch of the water at first, then relaxed.
"What happened back there? She looked a lot like Sunset Shimmer."
"It was Sunset Shimmer." Indigo clenched her fist again. "I don't know what happened, she just cut in line and started trash-talking."
"But Sunset Shimmer goes to CHS, and isn't a total jerk."
"I know!" Indigo shouted, then paused and took a few deep breaths to calm down before speaking again. "I know, something weird is going on. I'll give Twilight a call, see if anything has changed on her end." She reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out her phone, speaking into it. "Twilight Sparkle." She held the phone to her ear as the phone dialed itself, waiting for the familiar click.
"Hello?" Twilight's voice came through the speaker.
"Twilight, it's Indigo Zap. You haven't seen Sunset Shimmer today, have you?"
"Sunset Shimmer? Sure, we're eating together right now. Did you need to talk to her?"
Indigo Zap fell silent, her brain whirling to understand this. Twilight Sparkle had told them about where Sunset came from, along with all of the freaky magic that had taken place that night, and even about her encounter with her own other-self.
"I just had a run-in with Sunset Shimmer here in Crystal Prep. Let's just say she's not the pony yours is."
"Sunset Shimmer? There in CPA?" Twilight repeated in surprise.
There was unintelligible speaking for a few moments before Sunset Shimmer's voice came over the phone. "Tell me everything." After Indigo Zap finished the story of her run-in, Sunset Shimmer was silent for a few more moments before speaking. "Well, that sure sounds like me from a few years back. Guess she hasn't learned better."
"So you're saying this Sunset Shimmer is the you from this world?" Indigo guessed. "How do we get you to mellow out?"
"I don't know, it took a magic explosion to make me stop being terrible."
"Well can you come tell her not to be a huge jerk or something?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. How would you take it if another Indigo Zap just walked up, called you a jerk, and told you to stop it?"
"Um... okay, fair enough." Indigo Zap looked up at the ceiling as Dean Cadence's voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Indigo Zap, please report to the principal's office."
"Uh-oh..." Lemon muttered under her breath, pausing in her effort to wrap Indigo's injured hand in a white bandage.
Indigo looked down at Lemon as she spoke. "I've got to run, I'll keep in touch." She slipped the phone into her pocket.
Lemon finished wrapping Indigo's arm, holding it tightly in both of hers. "You gonna be okay? Want me to come with?"
"It'll be fine, I'll catch up with you after school and let you know what's going on." Indigo patted Lemon's hand with a smile. "Thanks for the help."
"What else are friends for?" Lemon replied with a bright smile.
After bidding farewell, Indigo Zap made her way down the halls. The other students largely ignored her, as was the way for most of Crystal Prep Academy, though she got a few snickers as she neared the Principal's office on the second floor. She approached the door with confidence, keeping her back straight as she approached and pushed the door open.
The first thing she saw in the darkness was a mop of red and yellow hair turned away from her, standing beside the chair behind the large wooden desk. Sunset Shimmer turned to look back at her once the light from the hallway spilled in, a sharp grin crossing her features.
"Do have a seat, Indigo Zap." Principal Cinch's hand waved from behind the back of the swiveling chair. Indigo closed the door behind her, approaching the small wooden barstool in front of the desk and taking a seat. She waited silently for the principal to turn her chair around to face her, leaning back casually against her own padded office chair. "I understand you had an altercation with Crystal Prep's newest student."
"It was nothing." Indigo Zap's eyes shot to Sunset's.
"That wasn't what it sounded like." Principal Cinch tapped her fingers together in front of her chin. "You know physical violence has no place in an institution of learning. Apologize to Sunset Shimmer, and your transgression may be overlooked."
"Apologize?" Indigo's gaze snapped to Principal Cinch in shock. "She cut in line! She threatened me! She put her hand on my friend! And she-"
"She has a perfect grade-point average, an IQ of 160, and her very presence in this school will help us regain some of the reputation we lost after a certain group of students damaged our reputation at the hands of Canterlot High in a tie." Principal Cinch leaned forward over her desk, resting her elbows on the wood and her chin on her hands. "So, Indigo Zap... do you have something to say to Sunset Shimmer?"
Her blood was boiling again, but she refused to let herself lose control. She wouldn't give Sunset Shimmer the satisfaction of getting under her skin like that. Though when she spoke, it was through heavily clenched teeth. "I'm sorry, Sunset Shimmer."
"It's fine." Sunset shrugged casually. "As long as we understand each other."
"Now I don't want to hear about this again." Principal Cinch leaned back in her seat, her expression relaxing. "Our zero tolerance policy towards violence is for your own protection as much as hers, you see."
"Yes ma'am." Indigo Zap spat the words like she'd just tasted the world's worst soft drink.
"Go, your next class will be starting soon." Principal Cinch waved her away.
Indigo Zap was glad to oblige, whirling off of the stool and marching out the door, though she wasn't so crazy as to slam it behind her. She stood outside the door, trying to stop the world from spinning and bring it back from that lovely shade of red before finally moving towards the staircase down to the front lobby.
Before she reached the stairs she heard the Principal's office door close behind her, and a pair of booted footsteps approaching from behind. Indigo turned at the top of the stairs to watch Sunset Shimmer approach, who had a cocky smirk of victory on her lips.
"I know comprehension probably isn't your strong suit..." Sunset folded her arms as she approached, stopping beside her. "So let me make it as obvious as possible. Mess with me again and you're out of this school permanently."
Indigo held back what she really wanted to say. "Yeah, I got it..."
"Good." Sunset raised one finger to press it against the top of Indigo's chest. "I'll be seeing you around, Indigo Zap." Her finger pushed against her, guiding Indigo easily to one side so Sunset could move past her, heading down the stairs first. It would be so easy to just put a shoe in the back of her head right now... but that could lead to being expelled, if not actually arrested. No, she had to play it cool the rest of the day, and when she left...
***
That punching bag barely knew what hit it. Indigo Zap's fists railed hard on the rickety bag she had set up in her garage, which stood open while her gathered friends all watched with worried expressions on their faces, and even the Canterlot High Sunset Shimmer had taken the bus out to lend her support.
Her chest was heaving by the time she finished, her hands drooping inside of her boxing gloves as her shoulders slumped. She looked up and gave her friends a tired, but satisfied smile. "Sorry, just had to get that out of my system," Indigo stated.
"Well, it's good to release your aggression." Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses on her nose. "I just can't believe it. Do you think Principal Cinch actually knew what Sunset Shimmer was like when she brought her into the school?"
"Principal Cinch has had it out for us five ever since we turned on her at the Friendship Games," Sugarcoat pointed out simply. "She blames us personally for the resulting loss of reputation the school suffered."
"We all have to tread really lightly around there now, she'll take any excuse to expel the lot of us." Sunny Flare added, turning to face Indigo. "You're really lucky this happened in a crowded lunchroom full of witnesses. She couldn't expel you without also expelling her."
"But her message was pretty clear." Sunset Shimmer shook her head, leaning against the wall right beside the garage door. "She might be targeting you guys."
"Or we're totally overreacting," Lemon suggested with a hopeful smile. "It was all a big coincidence, and we can just ignore her, while she ignores us."
"So she just happened to cut in line in front of us? You know, instead of going right to the front?" Indigo shook her head. "I don't buy that."
"I'm with Indigo Zap." Sunset Shimmer pushed off from the wall, out into the center of the circle of friends. "She won't do anything randomly. When she acts, it's going to be for a reason. And if she is getting cozy with Principal Cinch, she could be looking to goad you into giving them an excuse to get rid of you. It would put her in good standing with the principal, give her more power in the school, and as a bonus, eliminate some of her toughest academic competition."
Sugarcoat raised her eyebrow. "How do you know she would do that?"
Sunset folded her arms over her chest, speaking more softly. "Because it's exactly the kind of thing I would have done."
"Well isn't that just marvelous?" Sour Sweet sang in a bright tone. "That's exactly what we all needed to deal with! School sponsored harassment!"
Sunny Flare interjected, "if that's the case, all we have to do is convince her it won't work. Ignore her, don't respond, don't fight back. Eventually she'll have to get the message and look for some other way to get on the principal's good side."
"I think that's going to be easier said than done." Indigo Zap huffed. "She did a pretty good job of ticking me off. It's like it's natural for her. Er... no offense."
Sunset Shimmer smirked back. "Oh believe me, I'm great at ticking people off when I want to."
Sugarcoat continued Sunny's thought. "We don't have any other choice. Fighting back will only make it worse. For now let's just all promise to keep our heads no matter what happens. That goes double for you, Indigo, since she has already targeted you."
"Yeah, yeah, I've got it." Indigo sighed.
"I don't know what I can do, but you have my support too. I'll leave you guys my number in case you need me." Sunset Shimmer took a small card out of her pocket, jotted something down onto it, and handed it to Indigo Zap. "Just let me know if you think I can do anything. I know she's not really me, but I still feel somehow responsible for this. As if my very existence as a person is allowing this to happen."
"Thanks, but we don't blame you, Sunset Shimmer." Sunny Flare smiled.
"I might blame her a little," Sour Sweet growled under her breath.
Sunset Shimmer glanced out the garage door toward the sky. "Well, it's getting late, and the last bus back to Canterlot is going to be leaving soon. Good luck dealing with your problem, girls. Make sure you call me if you need me."
"Later," Indigo Zap waved after her as the other girls echoed their own goodbyes. They were on their own again... oh well. It was just one sad, pathetic girl making sad, pathetic attempts to annoy them into submission. How bad could it get anyway?
***
It wasn't bad at all, at first. A quip here, a glare there. Sunset Shimmer seemed to make a point to cut in the lunch line every single day, too. At first Indigo Zap was happy to laugh it off and let her make a fool of herself, but the more time went on, the less funny it became. Her quips were hollow and meaningless, but seemingly neverending. Her cutting in line was a meaningless gesture of superiority that didn't hurt Indigo, really, but day after day she got more and more sick of it. She felt like she was just being walked on, which she was.
The others reported similar treatment, but none as bad as Indigo got. It seemed she decided Indigo was the weak link in their group, but she wasn't about to let her be proven right. She redoubled her effort to resist the stupidity, and let Sunset Shimmer poke and prod at her patience all she wanted. Indigo Zap was a wall, untouchable and unmoving.
At least, she wanted to be. After some time of this she found herself sitting in her living room, surrounded by all of her friends, and yet unable to muster up the energy to do anything. They all sat like a bunch of potatoes around the room. Indigo draped across her cushy recliner, Lemon kicking her legs over the top of her sofa with her head dangling off the bottom, Sunny sitting beside her with a hand on her chin, Sugarcoat sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of them, and Sour Sweet pacing back and forth behind the couch.
"So..." Lemon Zest's legs kicked idly at the air above her, heedless of how useless her skirt was upside down. "What do you guys wanna do?"
"Nothing." Indigo Zap grumped. "I feel like crawling into bed."
"I take it everybody else ran into Sunset Shimmer today, too?" Sugarcoat commented. The silence was all the answer she needed. "We're letting her win, you know. She's wearing us down, little by little. She's winning the psychological war."
"Maybe I'm just not in the mood to do anything! It doesn't mean she's getting to me! She's not getting to me! You're stupid!" Indigo Zap snapped. The instant she stopped speaking the stares she got told her how lame she sounded. "Alright, alright, maybe she is getting to me... just a little."
"I hate her!" Sour Sweet pumped her fists into the air in front of her. "Her voice is so nice and light and she carries herself like a supermodel, but all she says is stupid bullcrap that makes me want to strangle a tiger!"
Lemon gasped. "What did a tiger do to you?"
"It looks like her hair!"
Indigo sat up straight in her chair. "I'm ignoring her every single day, but she's not giving up! She just keeps jabbing and jabbing and jabbing! If I have to take much more I might explode!"
"And that's exactly what she wants," Sugarcoat warned her. "Lay a finger on her and you'll never set foot in Crystal Prep Academy again."
"I know!" Indigo leapt to her feet and marched around behind her chair, punching the back as she passed. "But there's got to be something we can do! Anything!"
"There's not always an easy answer," Sunny reminded her firmly. "Maybe something will give, but for now all we can do is just not give up. They're only words, after all. She can't hurt us with words."
"Yeah, whatever!" Indigo waved her off and turned to march back to her room. "I'm tired of being told to take those words without fighting back! I'm sick of this!" She slammed her bedroom door behind her, leaving her friends out in the living room. She approached the bed and slammed her fist into the pillow moments before slamming her face into it, her body collapsing to the mattress in a heap of limp flesh and cloth.
It felt like all of the energy drained from her body. Twilight was right, it was good to get out her aggression... but she felt bad for yelling at her friends, and that only threatened to make her angry again. She rolled to her back on the mattress, staring at the ceiling for a short time before plunging her hand into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone, bringing up a text message to the Sunset Shimmer who wasn't a complete pain in the butt.
I hate you.
I choose not to take that personally.
Ugh, why do you have to be so good at being bad? I almost wish she would just punch me in the face, at least I know how to respond to that.
She wouldn't do that. I can tell just by looking at you that you would cream me in a fight.
I would?
One hundred percent. Fighting isn't my thing, and I'm guessing it's not hers either.
You didn't look weak to me, and neither does she.
That's the idea. Look strong, keep a strong image, make people think you have power, that you're in control. You'd be surprised how much authority comes from attitude.
You could teach Sour Sweet a thing or two about attitude.
I try not to do it too much these days, but I guess old habits die hard. Anyway, the point is she won't fight you.
And if I fought her, I would be playing right into her hands and getting myself expelled.
That's the plan as far as I can figure it.
So what do I do? Please tell me what to do. I can't take doing nothing anymore.
Indigo, sometimes doing nothing is just the best thing you can do.
Please, Sunset Shimmer. I need to be able to do something. Give me a hint. Give me anything I can use against her. I'm begging you.
There was a long pause, during which Indigo was afraid she had been left hanging, but the response finally came.
If she has, and I had, one weakness, it's pride. She needs others to think she's in control. She needs to feel like she's in charge. If you can take that feeling away from her, it'll be a huge blow to her. Especially if you do it publically. But be warned, Indigo, if you back her into a corner like this, she might not hit you, but that doesn't mean there won't be retaliation someday.
What do you think she would do?
Who knows? I tried to nuke the entire school with an enchanted crown.
Hardcore.
Embarrassing. Look, it's Friday. Just spend the weekend thinking about other things. Relax, go out to dinner, see some movies. Maybe by Monday it won't be bothering you so much. Just be careful.
I'll think about it. Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. You've already made me feel better.
Just let me know if I can do anything else.
Indigo let her phone drop to the mattress beside her and let her head plop down on her pillow. She lay in the silence until her bedroom door creaked open and a pair of wide, worried eyes poked their way inside.
"Indigo?" Lemon Zest asked just loud enough for her to hear. "We were gonna go out for ice-cream. Do you wanna join us?"
"I'm tired... I'm gonna hang around here. You guys go have fun."
"Do you want us to bring you back something?"
"No, thanks."
"Oh, okay... goodnight, Indigo." Lemon Zest hesitated a moment before slipping back out and closing the door behind her.
Indigo watched the door for a moment, then rolled to her side facing away from it. She just needed to sleep the weekend away... she would be refreshed and rejuvenated by Monday. Ready to continue her studies, hang out with her friends, and wait for the next stage of her life... as far away from Sunset Shimmer as possible.
***
After spending the weekend locked in her house trying to calm down, Indigo Zap wasn't looking forward to returning to school on Monday. She almost expected to walk into Sunset Shimmer's grinning face the moment she walked in the door. But to her relief she found that, despite Sunset Shimmer's motorcycle being parked out front, the school was abuzz with exactly the same commotion as normal. No more, and no less.
She kept her eyes open as she went about her day, but fortune was smiling on her. She didn't run into Sunset Shimmer once before lunch, where the girl, predictably, swept up to the lunch line to take her place right in front of her.
"Thanks for holding my spot." Sunset Shimmer winked over her shoulder.
The urge to throw a punch was strong, but Indigo held back. She was tired of laughing it off, instead she turned away from the lunch line and marched out into the hallway to head for her next class early. She really didn't feel that hungry anyway.
Her fingers stroked her temple as she walked, and she made a sudden turn into the bathroom on her way, marching up to the mirror to glare at the pale, defeated face she found there. Stupid reflection, showing her the truth...
She turned her eyes away from the mirror when she heard a soft sound from behind her, in one of the closed bathroom stalls. It sounded like a soft squeak at first, but after a moment's concentration she realized it was someone crying. The voice was familiar, actually.
"Lemon Zest?" Indigo moved away from the mirror to push on the stall behind her, but it wouldn't open. "Lemon Zest, are you okay in there?"
"I'm F-fine..." Lemon's voice wavered as she spoke. "They're... just words..."
"Lemon, open up." Indigo knocked on the door lightly. When Lemon didn't respond she grabbed the top of the stall door, hauled herself up, and slipped right over, landing on her feet in front of the toilet. Lemon Zest was sitting on the back of the bowl, with her feet resting on the rim. Her headphones were on her shoulders, for once completely silent. "What did she say to you?"
"I-I don't want to..."
"Come on, we're friends. You can tell me."
Lemon Zest sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of one hand. "I-I guess she saw me and Vinyl at the park yesterday..." She sniffled with a soft blush on her cheeks, her eyes drifting to the floor. "She... she said... I might as well drop out of high school now... because nobody will hire a dyke like me anyway..."
Indigo winced, then stepped forward, pulling Lemon off of the toilet and into a tight hug. "You know that's a load of crap."
"Y-yeah..." Lemon hugged her gently around the waist, her cheek leaning against her shoulder. "It still... it just hurt, you know? Especially after everything else that's been going on... it's like she just won't quit. I guess it finally got to me. I'm trying to remember that they're just words, I really am..."
"I know what you mean. It's getting really hard for me too." Indigo pulled away from the hug and reached back to unlock the stall door. "Come on, do you want me to walk you to your next class?"
"Mmhmm..." Lemon nodded with an uncharacteristically demure squeak. Indigo Zap took her hand and pulled her out of the bathroom stall, leading her through the school towards her next classroom with a tight grip on her hand.
She wasn't about to say it to Lemon Zest, but that was the last straw. Sunset Shimmer could poke and prod at her all she wanted, but making her friend cry was far, far more than she was willing to put up with. This was going to end one way or another...
The rest of her day passed like a soft breeze on the wind. Classes were sat through, but not listened to. One teacher tried to question her, but she passed it off with some made up answer she pulled off the top of her head. In her mind she was already rehearsing for after school, a time that drew close far too slowly for her liking. At last, however, the final school bell rang, and Indigo was off like a shot. She didn't even bother with her locker, instead shooting straight for the front exit and out to the parking lot.
She found Sunset Shimmer's bike parked right where it had been that morning. She had beaten Sunset outside... good. All she had to do now was wait. She leaned against the motorcycle casually with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Indigo?" Lemon Zest approached before Sunset Shimmer did, looking to be in slightly better spirits than before. "What're you doing there? Let's get out of here before she comes out."
"Not today." Indigo Zap crossed her arms over her chest.
"Indigo... tell me you're not going to do something dumb."
"I could, but lying isn't my style."
Lemon squeaked in a near panic. "Indigo, please, let's go get ice-cream or something. Don't get in trouble because of what happened to me earlier!"
Her plea was too late, however, as Sunset Shimmer's voice called out to them. "Excuse me, get your butt off of my motorcycle." The girl was quickly approaching with an annoyed look on her face.
"Whatever you say." Indigo moved daintily away from the bike, then whirled and planted a solid kick on the seat, sending it tumbling to the street with the thick crunch of metal on pavement. All eyes in the area whirled on them in shock, and Lemon Zest didn't look like she was breathing anymore.
"You bitch! What do you think you're doing!?" Sunset marched up quickly with her fists clenched. Indigo just watched her approach with her own grim expression. "You're going to pay for the repairs!"
"Make me!" Indigo snapped back. It seemed like every single head in the courtyard was turning back and forth as they spoke.
"You bet I will! Principal Cinch will see to that right before she signs your expulsion papers for vandalism!"
Indigo smirked back cockily. "Oh, I'm sure she will. Because that's what you do! Go crying to mommy or the principal to deal with your problems for you!" All heads turned on Sunset Shimmer again, whose eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in rage. "Because we all know that you can't actually do anything for yourself, can you?"
"You..." Sunset Shimmer sputtered as her eyes darted around the courtyard. "How dare you..."
"You're weak and helpless and you're going to prove it to everybody the second you go tattling to the principal! Or are you going to take a swing?" Indigo stepped closer, putting a finger to her chin. "Please take a swing."
Sunset Shimmer was shaking in rage, her fists clenching at her sides and her teeth gnashing, but she didn't accept Indigo's invitation. Her eyes flitted back and forth around the courtyard, glaring at the increasingly large crowd that was watching them. "What are you all looking at!?" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Most of the students jumped and quickly resumed walking in whatever direction their legs happened to be pointing.
Sunset turned back to Indigo, taking a step away from her. "This... this isn't even close to over," she growled darkly and circled around Indigo to the grounded bike. She heaved it up from the pavement and mounted it, quickly taking off away from the scene with the roar of a powerful engine tolling through the parking lot behind her.
"Holy... crap..." Lemon Zest approached Indigo with a wide, blank stare. "Dude... that was... incredible..."
Indigo glanced at Lemon, then felt her knees finally give out. Lemon Zest rushed forward to catch her, holding her up on legs that felt like they were made of gelatin. "Whew..." Indigo let out a deep, shuddering breath. "Heh, gotta admit, I had no idea what was going to happen there."
"Me neither! I was ready to pass out!"
"She really was all talk." Indigo leaned into her friend's arms, giving her a soft smile. "Hey, I think I'm ready for that ice-cream now."
Lemon Zest grinned. "I'll pay. A hero should get her reward!" Lemon swung her arm grandly through the air as she turned to help Indigo hobble toward the sidewalk until her legs grew strong enough to support her again.
***
You've opened a very dangerous door, Indigo.
Somebody had to do it. Bullies like that can't just go unchecked. Even if she tries something later, we can still stand up to her again. She only wins when we stop fighting.
Maybe you're right. I just hope you don't come to regret it.
I won't regret it, no matter what. Someone messes with my friends, they're gonna get what's coming to them.
You sound a lot like a girl I know.
She sounds awesome.
Extremely. Good luck, Indigo Zap. And you can still give me a ring any time you need me.
Same to you. Take care of yourself, Sunset Shimmer.
