Before the Friendship Games: Lemon Zest

Chapters

First Session
Home Sweet Home
Another Day at Hellhole High
Confrontation
Rocky Start to the Day
For Want of a Friend
Freedom
Further Bonding
Aftermath
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
Not-So-Much-Of-A-Hellhole-Anymore High
Second Session
Second Session, Part II
The Tryouts
Rough Night
The Stuff of Dreams
Passing Period
At the End of the Day
Useful Information
Pushed to the Edge
Third Session
The Truth Hurts
Punishment
Anticipation
Meet the Team
Complications
The Night Before
All The Way to the Friendship Games
Hostile Environment
Weekend Warrior
Let's Do Lunch

First Session

Lemon Zest stopped in front of the door. On the door was a sign with a name.

"Radiant Hope, huh?" Lemon thought aloud. "Well, here goes nothing..." she said, then knocked on the door.

"Come in!" said a kindly voice.

Lemon Zest opened the door to a modest office, where each side of the light yellow walls had shelves with books on them. On each side of the books were potted flowers. Behind Radiant Hope was a window, the sunlight shining on her.

Well, she definitely lives up to her name. thought Lemon.

Radiant Hope looked to be in her thirties. Her skin was a slightly light shade of purple, her icy blue eyes looked at Lemon from across the room. Her hair was a lighter shade of blue than her eyes. She was wearing a light brown jacket which had a gold caduceus pin on the left side of her lapel.

"Are you having a rough day?" she asked Lemon.

Lemon Zest blushed. "Word travels fast, huh?"

"Actually, I heard about it from Dean Cadence. She says you have a lot on your mind." Hope said.

"Is that all she told you?" asked Lemon.

Hope nodded.

Lemon took a deep breath and sighed. "This isn't going to turn into one of those touchy-feely things, is it?"

Hope looked at Lemon with a straight face. "Only if you want it to."

Might as well trust her. I mean, it's part of her job. Lemon thought to herself. "Okay." she said. "I think the best place to start is something that's been bothering me for the longest time."

Hope's expression remained unchanged, but Lemon could tell she was listening.

"You see," said Lemon. "For as long as I can remember, I've had this strange feeling in my gut. Like something deep inside of me is trying desperately to come out." She held up a finger. "Now before you say another word, I want to be clear that it's not about my sexuality. I know I'm bi. I have been since Sophomore year."

Hope nodded.

"But the thing that bothers me about it is that I have no clue what it is or what to do about or with it." said Lemon. "It's not a medical condition. At least, not physically. My parents had me checked for that."

"Has this gut feeling ever changed?" asked Hope.

Lemon thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of. It mostly stays the same."

"Mostly?" asked Hope.

"I dunno, there are some times when it feels like it's dying." said Lemon.

"Dying?" asked Hope.

"Okay, maybe not in the literal sense. It just kind of feels like it's...leaving, I guess. Not permanently, though. It always comes back eventually."

"Have you found out what causes that feeling to leave?" asked Hope.

"I wish." said Lemon. "If I at least knew that then I'd have something to go on."

"Have you ever felt it get stronger?" asked Hope.

"Same thing applies. All I know is that there's this feeling I have. I wish I could explain it better, but that's all I know."

"So what about the incident in the hallway from earlier today?" asked Hope.

Lemon Zest told Hope what had happened, and how she reacted to it.

"I see." said Hope.

"Oh, please don't ask me how that makes me feel..." groaned Lemon.

Hope laughed. "Don't worry, I won't."

Lemon sighed. "The truth of the matter is...well...I used to have a crush on Sour Sweet."

If she was surprised, Radiant Hope gave no indication. She simply looked at Lemon intently.

"That was when I discovered I was bi. Before that I was only all about guys. The fact that I had a crush on a female was...shocking to me." said Lemon.

Hope nodded.

"It took a lot of courage for me to walk up to her and tell her how I felt. I was so afraid of rejection. I mean, I get it. That's a normal thing. Fear of rejection."

Hope nodded.

"So I told her how I felt. She turned me down, which I would have understood and accepted, given time." Lemon said as the memory of that day creeped upon her. She could feel the tears coming. "Now, being rejected is bad enough..." she said, voice cracking. "But what she said nearly shattered me to pieces..." she sniffled. "She said 'Aww, that's sweet of you! But you're not my type!'" she broke down, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Radiant Hope handed her a box of tissues.

After Lemon Zest finally calmed down, she continued. "I still haven't forgiven her for those words." she said, wiping away a tear. "Now I could easily blame the animosity of this school, but quite frankly I'm tired of passing the buck." She blew her nose and sighed. "That's another thing that makes me crazy about this place. I could spend hours upon hours ranting about how toxic things are here at Crystal Prep."

Hope nodded. "Before we continue, I'd like to know: how often do you speak with Sour Sweet?"

"As little as I possibly can. I don't think she has any intention of apologizing to me, and sometimes just being in her presence alone is enough to piss me off." said Lemon. "I'm worried that one day she'll push me over the edge and I'd end up doing something I regret. I may despise her now, but I don't want to hurt her."

Radiant Hope looked at her clock. "I think we're running short on time here. Would you like to make an appointment for next time?"

"You know what?" said Lemon. "I would. I didn't know how badly I needed this talk." she smiled and ran over to Hope. "Thank you." she said as she hugged the guidance counselor.

Radiant Hope returned the hug. "You're welcome, Lemon Zest." she smiled, then broke the hug.

Lemon Zest left Radiant Hope's office, then went over to the Appointments desk and made an appointment. She couldn't remember the last time she was this genuinely happy.

Author's Note

For those who don't know who Radiant Hope is in the MLP continuity, click here!

Home Sweet Home

God, that last class was so boring. thought Lemon Zest as she walked the halls for the last time that day. Sometimes I think classes are a form of punishment...at least the day's over. I can't wait to get home!

"Lemon Zest!" a voice called out from behind her.

Lemon turned around to see Dean Cadence. "Yes, Dean Cadence?"

Cadence caught up with Lemon. "Before you go, I just wanted to check in with you. Did you speak to someone like I asked?"

Lemon smiled. "Yeah! I spoke with Radiant Hope. It was great talking to her! I made another appointment to see her."

Cadence smiled back. "That's good to hear, Lemon."

Lemon sighed. "If only more people around here were like her...or you."

"Who knows?" said Cadence. "Maybe that'll change one day."

"I wouldn't hold my breath, Dean Cadence. I wouldn't hold my breath." said Lemon Zest as she headed for the exit.

"Have a good rest of your day!" Cadence said.

"You too!" said Lemon Zest as she waved goodbye before turning her back.

Lemon boarded her bus home, looking to avoid her so-called "friends" like the plague. Fortunately, they were nowhere to be found. She sighed in relief and found a seat to sit in as she picked a tune on her phone.

Lemon closed her eyes, letting the music take her away to a plane of relaxation and bliss. As it played, she felt all the stress of the day wash off her like dirt in a shower. She sighed in contentment, knowing that she had a loving and supportive family waiting for her. Gotta count your blessings when you can, she thought. If not for my family, who knows what kind of hellish life I'd have?

Once the bus reached her stop, she jumped out of the bus. "Whew! Glad that's done and over with."

Lemon Zest walked up to her house. It was located not far from Canterlot City. Her house was a dark shade of blue with two stories. She entered the house through the front door. The foyer was well lit by the sun, its rays coming through the windows of the front door. To her left was the dining room where a table sat in the center of the room with chairs that matched the color of the table itself, and a classy-looking light fixture just above the table. To the right was the living room where she and her parents would sit and watch movies together.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" she called out.

"Hi, honey!" Answered her father. He walked into the foyer to give Lemon a hug.

Lemon Zest's father, Citrus Splash, was a man who loved a good laugh, but could also be taken quite seriously when given the chance. His lime green hair was in need of a haircut, slightly shaggy as it moved along with his head whenever he turned it. His eyes were amber, which Lemon had inherited. His skin was a very light shade of crimson, and he almost always wore a baseball cap with lemon, lime, and tangerine slices under an ocean wave. In addition, he was wearing a dark blue tank top and navy-colored shorts.

Despite being a Crystal Prep alum, he didn't pressure his daughter to go to the same school as he and her mother did. He always assured Lemon that no matter which school she went to, they'd be proud of her.

"How's my little bundle of energy?" he said as he gave her a hug.

"Oof." said Lemon Zest.

"Oof?" asked her father. "That bad, huh?" he said as he broke the hug.

"Yeah. The competitive environment can really drain me. I'm surprised you're not as crazy hostile as the majority of the school is." said Lemon.

"Well, I was fortunate enough to be a student before Principal Cinch took office. Principal Amore...now she knew how to run a school!" said Citrus.

Ah, Principal Amore. Her father had told her many stories of the former Principal. She was everything Principal Cinch should be but wasn't; compassionate, humble, giving...how Principal Cinch became her successor was beyond her and her parents.

"Where's Mom?" she asked her dad.

"Oh, she's outside. You know how she can be with her garden." he said with a smile.

Lemon smiled. "Yeah, I do." she said as they both walked out to the back porch.

Citrus opened the sliding-glass door to their backyard. Like most houses near Canterlot City, their backyard was fenced in with the exception of the garage. In the near back of the backyard was Lemon Zest's mother, Florid Abundance. "Hey, Mom!" said Lemon.

Florid Abundance was an avid gardener and had won a few local competitions. She had all of her ribbons proudly displayed in the living room. Sweat glistened off of her pale amaranth skin, and her favorite gardening hat covered her light pistachio hair. She turned around to face her daughter with her light gold eyes. She always wore her pin of a bouquet of roses wherever she went. "Lemon, sweetie!" she said as she walked over to hug her daughter. "How was school?"

"Just another day at the madhouse, Mom." said Lemon as her mother gave her a hug.

"Oh, I know. Cinch can be such a hardass sometimes. Ooh, just thinking about her makes my blood boil!" Lemon's mother always found Cinch to be, as she would put it, a "contentious, pretentious bitch".

Florid broke the hug. "Are you hungry? Dinner won't be ready for another hour or so."

"I'm good, Mom. I can wait." Lemon smiled. She went back inside with her father to watch a movie.

After dinner and a movie with her parents, Lemon Zest was exhausted. She kissed them goodnight and went up to her room. She changed into her pajamas and flopped onto her bed. "One day down, several more to go." she said to herself. "Here's hoping tomorrow will be better." she crawled into bed and turned off the light on her nightstand.

Author's Note

One week until the Friendship Games.

Another Day at Hellhole High

Lemon Zest woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Ugh. she thought. Time for another rousing adventure in Crystal Prep. What sort of fresh hell awaits me today? she thought. She made a sputtering noise. "Well, the day's not going to seize itself. Might as well grab it by the balls!" She put on her uniform and her headphones. She cracked her knuckles and found the proper energizing tune.

She set it on a loop for ten minutes. Lemon bobbed her head to the beat, letting the music invigorate her. Who needs coffee when you've got the power of music at your disposal? she thought, a grin slowly forming on her face.

Now fully energized, she slid down the stairs. "Top of the morning, parentals!" Lemon said as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetie!" said her mother.

"Top of the morning yourself, kiddo!" said her father.

"I'm off on another journey to hell and back!" Lemon said excitedly, despite knowing her destination.

"Well, at least you're facing the day with some zest!" said Citrus, punctuating the last word with a wink.

Lemon rolled her eyes and smiled. "Never change, Dad. Never change."

Citrus smiled. "Not planning on it." He said.

"Your lunch is in the fridge, hon." said Florid.

"Thanks, Mom!" Lemon said as she took it. "See you guys later! Love ya!" she left the house to get to the bus stop.

Lemon Zest arrived at the bus stop where several other CPA students were waiting. Nope. Not in the mood to talk. Just need to focus. She played music on her headphones to keep herself in the zone. She closed her eyes and let the music take her away until the bus arrived at Crystal Prep.

Lemon Zest exited the bus and headed for the entrance. She sighed as she got closer. Here I go, again on my own... she thought, singing one of her favorite songs in her head. Goin' down the only road I've ever known... She looked around for her the four...no, five people she was not in the mood to see. Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone... None of the six people were within her sight, but she didn't want to take any chances. An' I've made up my mind... She looked behind herself just to be sure. I ain't wastin' no more time... she bumped into someone as she looked behind herself.

"Oof!" said the person she bumped into as she fell on the floor.

Lemon Zest turned around to see a purple-skinned girl with three colors in her hair: blue, purple and rose. She was wearing thick glasses and stared up at Lemon. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!"

Lemon Zest sighed and offered the bespectacled girl her hand. Her offer was accepted. Just because I'm stressed out here doesn't mean I should take it out on everyone else here., thought Lemon. The girl with glasses smiled, waved and walked away. Lemon Zest smiled back. Maybe I should get to know her better, at least. She seems nice.

She turned around and nearly bumped into another person. Dammit, can't I go a day here without bumping into someone?! She blinked and found Sugarcoat mere inches away from her.

"You should watch where you're going, you already bumped into Twilight Sparkle." she said in her signature deadpan tone.

Lemon Zest rolled her eyes and walked past Sugarcoat. That's one of five... She checked her phone for time. Okay, I still have some time before first period... She walked past Sunny Flare, who was glaring daggers at her. What did I do to her? Anyway, that makes two... "Gah!" Lemon Zest fell on the floor with a thud. She looked up and saw Indigo Zap grinning maliciously. Just ignore her, Lemon Zest...just ignore her... She got up and resumed walking. Three. Great. So where's the other two? She slapped the palm of her hand on her forehead. Motherfuck! I just tempted fate! GAAH! Fuck my life, fuck my life, fuck my life!

She took a deep breath and let it out. Okay, maybe it's not too late to lose hope. I can still get to class without running into-

"There you are, Lemon Zest." said a familiar voice.

Lemon Zest stopped in her tracks. To the naked eye, she was stationary with a blank expression. On the inside, however, she was screaming a litany of unspeakable profanity that would surely give her a yearbook superlative that would remain exclusive to her and her alone. Finding the strength to snap herself out of her inner rant, she was only able to muster a shaky "Y-y-yes, Principal Cinch?"

"Sour Sweet told me about a certain...confrontation you two had." Principal Cinch said sternly.

Lemon Zest's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "She...what?" Her mind froze from the chills she felt down her spine.

"While I understand the two of you have a history together, you should leave feelings like those to yourself." Cinch continued.

Lemon's mind heated up from the rage she could feel build slowly. I...I don't believe it. She actually told her about my confession?! All she could bring herself to do was to just nod her head slowly and say "I...understand."

"Good." said Principal Cinch. "As long as we're clear on the matter." she left Lemon in the hallway.

Lemon Zest's body began to tremble as she slowly clenched her teeth and her fists, trying to get her emotions under control. Rage and sorrow fought for dominance over her as she stood still in the hallway, fighting a battle against tears that she knew was a lost cause. That makes four out of five... she thought, still trembling from the revelations from her principal. But unlike the other four, I'm going to find the fifth... she thought, forcing herself to move from her spot. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she gave up on the battle, but still managed to keep the worst of it in check. And when I do, I won't be the only one in a hellhole!

Confrontation

Still quivering with fury, Lemon Zest checked her phone. Twenty minutes until first period. That should be more than enough time to find Sour Sweet. I don't care who sees what happens when I find her. I'll drag her out of the classroom by her goddamn hair if I have to! She had to at least keep some of her emotions in check. If she just saw her and called her out while screaming, someone would more than likely restrain her.

I may be immensely pissed right now, but I have to be careful. I want to get at least one good shot at her. she thought, barely keeping her emotions in check. She scoured the halls at a frantic pace searching for her quarry. I know she's around here somewhere! She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, calming herself slightly. If I go down the halls looking like a psychotic murderer any longer people are bound to notice. Just stay calm, Lemon. Let the rage come when it needs to. She walked slowly down the hall, playing a tune on her headset to keep her fury at bay until the right moment.

She turned a corner and spotted her target a few feet down the hallway. Found you! she thought, and turned the tune off.

Feeling her rage build, Lemon slowly walked towards Sour. She knew the girl wouldn't run away, she wasn't a coward by any means. She gave Sour her worst death glare, announcing her intent. Other students in the hallway were fortunately oblivious to the stare-down happening in their midst, going about their own business.

Lemon Zest stopped, her face inches away from Sour Sweet's. "How could you?" said Lemon, feeling the tears returning. "I bared my soul to you that day, hoping that something wonderful would come from it. Instead, I got rejection. Which would have been fine, but it wasn't just any rejection. Nooo. You had to go bipolar on me. The one time I let my guard down in front of a schoolmate, and you go all bitch mode on me." Her hands began to shake. "That was one of the worst days of my life. Do you know how long that day has haunted me? Do you have any idea what I've been through because of it?!"

Sour Sweet's expression was unreadable, but it seemed that she was listening. For once.

"Now, that incident alone was bad enough." Lemon Zest continued, tears streaming down her face. "But to go and tell Principal motherfucking Cinch about it? That's a new low. Even for you." She laughed bitterly. "I think it's pathetic, really. That you went out of your way to make me miserable not once, not twice, but three times!" She felt herself slowly losing control. "What kind of sick, twisted, sad and lonely person are you that you get off on watching me break down in front of you? Do my tears of pain amuse you? Am I just some kind of sentient punching bag for you to take out your frustrations about your life on me?!"

Sour Sweet's face turned into a mask of anger. "You don't know anything about me." she said, the tone of her voice low and threatening. "And leave my home life out of this!" she snapped.

"Oh!" said Lemon, outraged. "Like you left the confession of my feelings to you out of this? The way I see it, I was just playing by your rules! Turnabout is fair play, you motherfucking sociopath!" Lemon's voice increased in volume, but not enough to catch the attention of the other students passing by. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lemon, and realization dawned on her as her eyes widened. "I think I get it now." she said, as if struck with a life-changing revelation.

Sour Sweet raised an eyebrow, her expression of anger fading.

Lemon laughed softly. "It all makes sense now. I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out..."

Sour Sweet's expression remained unchanged.

"You're jealous of me." Lemon said. "I have the home life you don't have. The life you wish you had. Neither you nor I have any friends, but I come home to a family that loves me. You, on the other ha-"

"Shut the hell up!" said Sour Sweet, her voice now rising in volume. Her expression turning from neutral to angry.

Feeling vindicated but still angry, Lemon Zest pressed the advantage she had, for once enraging Sour Sweet instead of the other way around. It felt almost cathartic. "When you're here, you take out your frustrations on me because at the end of the day you know you have nothing to return to. Like I said: pathetic."

"I said shut the fuck up!" Sour Sweet said, rage slowly taking her over. Her face was red.

"No. I won't." said Lemon Zest, slowly unsheathing her rage in the same way a samurai would unsheathe his katana. "Because you crossed the line, telling the Principal about something that was meant to be confidential. Between you and me alone. Come to think of it, your name doesn't make any sense. You're not sour, and you sure as hell aren't sweet. All you are..." she said, lowering her volume to that of a whisper. "Is bitter."

Now Sour Sweet was trembling with nearly uncontrollable fury. She had been angry before, but even Lemon Zest never saw her this furious on her worst day. "Not. One. More. FUCKING. Word." she said through gritted teeth. Breathing heavily, she had begun to give Lemon Zest a death glare of her own.

Despite the look on Sour Sweet's face, Lemon Zest smiled. She quickly found a tune on her phone and started playing it. Her katana was fully drawn now, and simply to spite Sour Sweet, she said one last word: "Good." Letting her anger explode, she shrieked in fury and swung her right arm with all of her might, planting it straight on Sour Sweet's jaw.

Rocky Start to the Day

Upon Lemon Zest's shriek, several students fled the hallway.

Caught off-guard, Sour reeled for a moment. She recovered quickly, rubbing her jaw. Moving faster than anyone could anticipate, Sour kicked Lemon in the stomach, hard.

Lemon fell to the floor and doubled over, fighting back the wave of nausea she felt from Sour's kick. She let out a groan as Sour loomed over her. Sensing a chance, Lemon crouched and launched herself like a torpedo with all her strength, headbutting Sour in the stomach.

Sour staggered a few feet, collapsed, then threw up on the floor. When she finished getting sick, she lifted her head. Her face was a dark shade of crimson, and her breathing was heavy. Nobody in Crystal Prep Academy had ever seen Sour Sweet this furious. All the students who stayed behind to watch the fight slowly backed away, fearing what either girl would do next and more than willing to avoid becoming part of any collateral damage.

"All of my pain..." said Lemon, tears streaming down her eyes. "All of my heartache..." she rushed towards Sour. "Is because of you!" She gave Sour a swift kick to the head, followed by a boxing of the ears.

Sour grabbed Lemon by the ankles, causing her to fall to the floor with a thud, her head nearly hitting it. Before she could get back up, Sour was directly in Lemon's face, tears in her eyes and an open wound on her cheek, bleeding slightly. "Pain? Heartache? You know nothing about either of those things." she whispered, punching Lemon in the face twice before receiving a headbutt, causing Sour to fall back.

"Then teach me, oh Enlightened One!" Lemon said sarcastically, with a flourish of her right hand, using her left to wipe off the blood from her nose. She then began to charge towards Sour.

Sour responded in kind.

Before either girl could get in another shot, Radiant Hope and Dean Cadence arrived, restraining Lemon Zest and Sour Sweet respectively.

"What on earth has gotten into you two?!" said Dean Cadence.

"Oh my god, you're both bleeding!" said Radiant Hope.

"I'm fine!" shouted Sour Sweet.

"Let me at that goddamn bitch! I've had enough of her bullshit!" yelled Lemon Zest.

"Enough!" bellowed Principal Cinch. Sour, Zest, Hope and Cadence all stopped at the sound of Cinch's voice. "What is the meaning of this?"

Lemon and Sour both started talking at the same time, then got angry again, and had to be held back again by Radiant Hope and Dean Cadence. Principal Cinch pinched the bridge of her nose. "I've heard enough." she said. "Lemon Zest. Sour Sweet. Go to the nurses office to get patched up. If I hear of one more incident involving you two I'm sending you both home for the day."

Lemon and Sour glared at each other.

"Do I make myself clear?" said Cinch, her patience long since lost.

"Yes, Principal Cinch." said Lemon and Sour, blushing.

The bell for the first class of the day rang as Lemon and Sour went to the nurse's office, avoiding eye contact with each other to avoid fighting again.

"Good lord, what happened to you two?!" exclaimed the nurse. Sour and Lemon were unresponsive. "A fight, huh?" she shrugged. "Kids these days..."

As they left the nurses office, Sour and Lemon glanced at each other, then immediately looked the other way. Deciding not to invoke the Principal's wrath, they each walked in separate directions.

Lemon Zest sighed. God, I wish I had someone to talk to other than my parents. I mean, I love my parents with all of my heart, but I just feel so lonely here not having any peers to talk to... Her eyes lit up. Oh, right! That Twilight girl! Maybe she'd be up for a chat. Lemon scoured the halls for Twilight, unaware that news of her fight with Sour Sweet spread like wildfire after first period. She simply figured that all the voices she was hearing was just the idle chatter of her schoolmates.

After searching the halls for a few minutes, she heard the warning bell for second period. "Oh shit, I'm going to be late!" she said. She frantically ran through the halls, trying to find her classroom. The bell for second period rang and Lemon's shoulders sagged. "Dammit. First I get into a fight and miss first period, now I'm late for second period..." she sighed. "Might as well just grin and bear it." she said as she finally found her classroom.

"Excuse me, Miss Zest." said the teacher. "Would you care to explain why are you late?"

Lemon sighed again.

Well, second period sure was a nightmare. thought Lemon. Maybe now I can find Twilight. She walked the halls, slowly coming to the realization that people were talking about her fight with Sour Sweet as she passed them by.

"I can't believe it, Sour's never shed blood in a fight before..."

"Probably the closest she came to losing..."

"No, I think it was a draw, man..."

"Dude, Sour totally had that girl on the ropes..."

"What's her name? ...Lemon Zest, huh?"

As Lemon passed the students, she noticed their phones were replaying the fight. All of Crystal Prep now knew of the fight between herself and Sour Sweet. Oh, great. Now I have a reputation. One that I didn't want, much less want to uphold. Now if Twilight sees me she'll probably be all 'Gah! Don't beat me up for my lunch money, just take it!' Lemon lowered her head and put her hand to her face. What a way to kick the day off, huh, Lemon? she thought to herself. Making a sputtering noise, she wandered the halls waiting for third period to begin. She wanted to go home already. She suddenly bumped into someone. Don't lose your cool, Lemon...look what happened last time that happened.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" said a familiar voice.

Right in front of Lemon was Twilight Sparkle.

For Want of a Friend

"Twilight!" said Lemon Zest excitedly.

"Gah!" Twilight jumped at Lemon's sudden outburst. She suddenly started pulling at one side of her hair using both of her hands with a look of panic on her face.

Lemon was confused and concerned. "Are...you okay, Twilight? I'm sorry if I startled you."

Twilight giggled awkwardly. "Don't be sorry. This is just a nervous habit of mine." she said as she slowly stopped.

"I...see..." said Lemon. "No need to apologize. I just kinda wanted to ask you..." she could feel anxiety slowly gnawing at her on the inside. Calm down, Lemon. You just want to be her friend, it's not like you want to date her. At the thought of the word 'date' she felt the pain of rejection from Sour Sweet swell up inside her. Okay, poor choice of words! Hurry! Ask her before it's too late! "TwilightI'dliketobeyourfriend!" she blurted out. Smooth, Lemon. Real smooth. she rolled her eyes at herself.

Twilight blinked.

Lemon took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm sorry, I've been having a rough day. You're one of the few decent people around here, staff included. I just...need someone to talk to besides an adult. The only "friends" I have around here treat me like crap, and in case the news didn't reach you I tried to beat the hell out of one of them." she buried her face in her hands, the memory of her outbursts still fresh in her mind.

Twilight winced. "Yeah, I heard about that. For such a big school, word travels fast."

Lemon sighed. "This place can be a real hellhole sometimes. There are days I even wonder why I'm here. But then I always fall back into the whole 'school spirit' BS that seems to consume everybody. Everybody but you. Why is that?"

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Well, I mostly keep to myself around here. I'm not much of a 'school spirit' person myself."

Lemon laughed bitterly. "If only it were that easy for me. I can't go a day without running into either Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, or...Sour Sweet." she said the last name through gritted teeth. "They always push me around and today was just one of those 'breaking point' moments, you know?"

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Not really" She paused for a moment, thinking to herself, then frowned. "But you have a family, right?"

Lemon Zest's eyes lit up. "I do. My parents are the most wonderful, loving and understanding people in the world. It's kind of why I want friends. To have more people who care about me."

Twilight looked at Lemon with confusion. "But if you have a family like that, then why do you need friends Aren't they kind of the same thing?"

Lemon sighed. "Because I don't want to feel lonely all the time. Aren't you ever lonely?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not really. My family is just as loving and supportive as you make yours out to be. That and I have my dog, Spike."

Lemon thought she heard a noise come from Twilight's backpack. "What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing!" said Twilight, beads of sweat trailing down her face.

Noticing her anxiety, Lemon gave Twilight her most sincere smile. "You can trust me, Twilight. I just said I wanted to be your friend. I promise you whatever's in that bag will be between you and me."

Twilight looked at Lemon, unsure for a moment. She then leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "It has to be in an empty place."

Lemon raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Okay, Twilight. Lead the way." She followed Twilight down a few halls, keeping an eye on the clocks for the next period's warning bell. Eventually, the two reached an empty hallway. Twilight looked to the left, then to the right just to be sure it was only the two of them.

"Okay, what I'm about to show you is known only to me and Dean Cadence." said Twilight, still showing uncertainty on her face.

If Dean Cadence knows about this, then I don't have to worry. thought Lemon with an inward sigh of relief. Twilight set her backpack on the floor. Her backpack twitched. Lemon Zest jumped, startled by the sudden movement. "Umm...Twilight..." she started.

Twilight giggled. "It's okay. He doesn't bite."

'He doesn't bite'...I don't know if I should be freaked out even if whatever's in that backpack does have Dean Cadence's approval.

She unzipped her backpack slowly, and out jumped a purple dog with green ears and hair. It was panting excitedly and wagging its tail.

Lemon smiled. "Aww, he's adorable!" Something in her brain connected. "So this is Spike..." Twilight smiled and nodded. At the mention of his name, Spike ran up to Lemon and tilted his head while wagging his tail. Damn. If cuteness was weaponized, this puppy would take over Crystal Prep in no time flat! thought Lemon as she felt her heart melt. "Hey there little guy!" she said as she bent down to pet him. Spike sniffed her hand, then licked it. Lemon Zest laughed. "After the morning I've had, this feels like heaven!" she said as she scratched Spike behind the ears. "Who's a good boy?" she cooed. "Who's a good boy?" Spike thumped one of his feet appreciatively. Lemon and Twilight laughed. The warning bell for the third period sounded. "Uh-oh! Gotta go!" she ran over to Twilight and gave her a hug. "Thank you...Twilight."

Twilight stepped back, surprised, but returned the hug. "You're welcome, Lemon." She smiled as she broke the hug. "See you later!" she waved goodbye.

Lemon smiled as she waved to Twilight. "You better believe it!"

Beaming with happiness, Lemon Zest sent a text to her parents.

Mom! Dad! I made a friend! - Sent by Lemon Zest

That's wonderful, sweetie! - Sent by Mom

Can't wait to all about it after school! - Sent by Dad

Lemon almost had to restrain herself from skipping down the halls as she made her way to her third period class.

Freedom

The rest of Lemon Zest's school day was uneventful, as her excitement about her newfound friendship with Twilight Sparkle carried her through the remainder of the periods.

She nearly passed by a poster announcing tryouts for the Friendship Games were on Monday. Sounds interesting. Maybe I should get in some exercise today.

Beyond that thought, she had not a care in the world. She made her way to the bus to the very back seat, her favorite spot. Gotta love the bumps, it really keeps my adrenaline flowing! She turned on a song to listen to on the way home.

Finally! The weekend is here! she sighed. I just wish I got Twilight's phone number so I could keep in touch with her. "Oh well. What's done is done." she said as she listened to the tune intently as the bus took her home.

Once she got home, she ran into the house and told her parents all about her day, including her fight with Sour Sweet. As she told them her story, she flashed back to when she came out to them as a bisexual. She knew her parents would be supportive of her, but she still cried tears of joy and hugged them tightly. The mere thought of the memory made her tear up slightly.

"Wow." said her father, concern on his face. "Are you okay, honey?"

Lemon sighed. "I don't know. I guess. Maybe? I just hit a breaking point this morning. You guys remember how hard I took Sour Sweet's rejection. At least bonding with Twilight made up for it though." she smiled.

"Why would she do such a thing?" asked Florid, shocked.

Lemon shrugged. "Beats me. For all I know it was about me snapping at her yesterday for blaming me for a loss when it was her who screwed up." she sighed. "I swear, the place is like a goddamn trap sometimes. I'm just glad I have a friend to talk to in addition to the both of you." she smiled.

"Well we're both happy for you, Lemon." her mother said.

Her father nodded. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get to meet her someday!"

Lemon smiled. "Maybe. Only time will tell."

After dinner, Lemon Zest decided to play a video game. She logged into a team battle server.

Zest_iz_Best has logged on.

Team 1
Dashin8r
SunShimPwny
FarmGurlAJ
Fashionista_4_life
Flutterbutter
P0nk4_P0

vs.

Team 2
Zest_iz_Best
Gr8npwrfl
Sweets_CMC
Scoots_CMC
Bloom_CMC
Twi_Sparkly73

"No way, Twilight Sparkle plays video games?!" She rubbed her hands together excitedly with a big grin on her face. "This is gonna be sweet!"

After the match, Lemon Zest simply stared at the screen. "What the hell just happened?! There were like a well-oiled machine! Even Crystal Prep doesn't have teamwork that efficient...who were those guys?!" she sighed and threw up her hands. "Well at least it's not the worst thing to happen to me all day." she smiled and stretched, then looked out the window. "Hmm. It's still pretty nice out. Maybe I'll go for a jog or something. I did say I wanted to get in some exercise, after all."

Lemon Zest left her house and put on a tune, nodding her head to the beat as she started running.

She kept an eye out for oncoming cars all around her, feeling the warm air around her body as she slowly began to sweat. The song ended, making way for the next...

Feeling the beat of the song, she lip-synced the lyrics, feeling on top of the world. I have a family that loves me and I made my first friend! Who knows? Maybe someday I'll find the right person for me...then my life will be absolutely complete. She smiled at the thought. Imagine that. Me. Married. Hah! she smiled and rolled her eyes. I mean, I want to find love someday. That special sort of happiness that makes you feel like you're in a fairy tale... she thought. Suddenly, the feeling she always had in her gut warmed up a little. Huh. That's actually new. I'll have to make note of that next time I see Radiant Hope.

It just feels so good to be away from that damn school! she sighed happily. This must be what true freedom in life feels like. It's a kind of paradise! she thought as she picked up her pace. Wait, how often do I even let my thoughts drift? Normally I'm just in the moment. That's always how I've been my whole life. She rolled her eyes. Okay, turning off brain...now! With that thought, a new song began...

She turned the volume up on her headset and simply focused on everything around her, listening to the music. She looked around to see if she was safe, then allowed herself to dance to the music for a moment before opening her eyes again. Aww, yeah. That's the shit right there.

When Lemon Zest returned home, she immediately went for the shower. She decided to let her thoughts roam. I wonder if I'll ever have a full group of friends. I mean, it is nice having at least one, but the way that team in the game played makes me wonder...just how strong is friendship? Sure, it sounds cheesy, but I mean really? How strong is it? If familial bonds are strong, then what about friendship? Sure, CPA wins everything...but none of us are friends. Aside from me and Twilight, that is. She hummed to herself as she washed her hair. Pretty stoked about the Friendship Games, though. That'll be a nice distraction from all the bullcrap at school...I think. I might end up getting paired with...ugh...Sour Sweet. "Damn that bitch!" she shouted, reigning in her desire to punch the tile wall. Okay, Lemon, calm down. You don't know that for a fact.

Lemon got out of the shower and dried off. She got into her room and changed into her pajamas. At least tomorrow's Saturday. No school, no BS. She got into bed and turned off her light. "As the saying goes, 'Tomorrow is another day.'" she said as she drifted off to sleep.

Further Bonding

After Lemon washed up and calmed down, she walked into the living room where Twilight Sparkle was waiting for her.

"Hey." said Twilight, sympathy on her face. "Are...are you okay?" she asked.

Lemon Zest sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but..." she ran over to Twilight and gave her a big hug. "Thank you." she whispered.

Twilight returned the hug. "Hey, what are friends for?"

Lemon felt the tears returning. She sniffled. "You have no idea how much hearing that from you means to me, Twilight Sparkle." her voice cracked, and she started crying again.

Off in a corner, Citrus Splash and Florid Abundance watched Twilight and Lemon with tears of their own falling.

After Lemon stopped crying, she looked Twilight straight in the eye.

"Feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you." said Lemon as she wiped a tear away.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught the attention of both girls.

"Oh!" said Lemon. "Sorry about that. You can come in, parentals!"

"Parentals?" Twilight snickered.

"It's what I like to call my Mom and Dad." said Lemon.

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. "Obviously. I've just never heard anyone refer to their parents as 'parentals'."

Lemon's parents entered the living room.

"Well, you can refer to them as Citrus Splash," she gestured to her father. "and Florid Abundance." she gestured to her mother. "Parentals, this is Twilight Sparkle." she gestured to Twilight.

Twilight smiled shyly and waved. "Hi." she said.

"Nice to meet you, Twilight!" said Citrus, extending his hand. Twilight accepted and shook it.

"Lemon told us we might meet you some day, we just didn't think it would wind up being the day after she said so!" Florid laughed and hugged Twilight.

"Do your parents know you're here?" asked Citrus.

"They do, and they're just as ecstatic about my friendship with Lemon as you are. I normally keep to myself at Crystal Prep, but Lemon and I just kept on bumping into each other and pretty much decided, 'sure, why not?'" said Twilight, feeling more comfortable.

Lemon smiled. "Hey, can I get you something to drink?" she asked.

"No thanks." said Twilight.

"Well, we'll leave you two to hang out." said Florid, as she and Citrus left.

Once Lemon's parents left the living room, Twilight looked at Lemon. "So..."

Lemon sighed. "I'm assuming you want to know about my history with Sour Sweet."

"Not if you're uncomfortable talking about it." said Twilight.

"No, it's okay." said Lemon. "You trusted me with Spike. I can trust you with this...even though pretty much all of Crystal Prep knows anyhow." she took a deep breath and sighed. "When I was in my Sophomore year, I discovered I was bisexual."

Twilight nodded in understanding.

"I...had a crush on Sour Sweet. But I suppose you gathered that from my rage earlier today."

"Yeah, I did." said Twilight.

"Well...you know she does that back-and-forth thing from being nice one minute to totally bitchy the next?"

"...Oh." said Twilight, remembering the last few words of Lemon's rant to Sour Sweet.

"Yeah." said Lemon, quietly. "I'm still pretty sore about it. I mean, I could have taken rejection. I would have healed eventually...but that. That was something else."

"I can only imagine." said Twilight. "The heartache and pain."

Lemon laughed bitterly. "That was one of the things that Sour and I yelled about during our fight at CPA yesterday." she sighed. "But enough about me. What about you? I know you mostly keep to yourself, but surely you've found someone attractive, hmm?"

Twilight blushed. "No, I haven't. Like you and I have established, I pretty much keep to myself outside of my parents, my brother, and...his crush."

"Huh. Well good for your brother!" said Lemon. "Do you think you'll ever find the right person?" she asked Twilight.

"My parents keep telling me that I will one day, but I think they're just saying that because they're my parents." said Twilight, rolling her eyes and smiling. "I'm sure they told that to my brother, Shining Armor, but then he found Cadence..."

"Wait a minute." Lemon's eyes shot open in surprise. "'Cadence' as in Dean Cadence?!"

Twilight nodded.

"Wow. Does she know?" asked Lemon.

"I have no idea." shrugged Twilight. "I don't think I've even seen her outside of school before either. It's almost like she lives there."

"So hey, I noticed you play video games." said Lemon.

"Wait, how did you kno-" it was Twilight's turn to shoot her eyes open. "Zest_iz_best..." she laughed. "How did I not notice that until now?"

Lemon shrugged. "That was a tough match..."

Twilight smiled. "It was, but to be fair, I don't play video games all that often."

"That's kind of a shame. They're a blast!" said Lemon. "But, to each their own."

"Indeed." said Twilight, smiling. Her phone buzzed. "Oh! That's my...'parentals'." Twilight said, stifling a laugh. "They're almost here to pick me up."

Lemon smiled. "Want me to see you to the door, Twilight?"

Twilight smiled. "Sure."

They both walked outside, enjoying the fresh air. After a while, a car came to pick Twilight up.

"I promise I'll introduce you to my family someday." said Twilight.

"Sure it won't be tomorrow?" Lemon quipped.

Twilight giggled.

Lemon hugged Twilight. "Again...thank you."

Twilight hugged back. "Again...what are friends for?"

They broke the hug, smiled and waved their goodbyes.

Lemon closed the door behind her, smiling widely.

Her dad walked back into the living room.

"She seems like a really nice person." he said.

Lemon smiled. "That's because she is a very nice person. I couldn't have asked for a better first friend."

Citrus smiled. "However, I don't mean to break your friendship high...but we're still going to have to talk about all this fighting with Sour Sweet."

Lemon sighed. "I know. Something has to be done about it. I've never been so upset over something. I even told her I didn't want to hurt her..."

Lemon Zest's stomach growled. "Oh, crap. After everything that's happened, I totally forgot about breakfast!" she said.

Aftermath

A moment after Twilight left, Lemon Zest put the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Dammit! I forgot to ask for her number!" she sighed. "Well, I can always ask her on Monday."

After breakfast, Lemon found herself wondering...I hope Sour's okay. I really meant it when I said I didn't want to hurt her. She just pushed me over the edge one too many times... She shuddered from the memory of earlier. For fuck's sake...I literally had blood on my hands. That's an image I won't get out of my head anytime soon. She shook her head. What am I thinking? Sour can take care of herself. "But still..." she thought out loud.

"Lemon." called Citrus.

Lemon took a deep breath and sighed. And now, the moment we've all been waiting for... she thought as she rolled her eyes. "Coming." she said. Feeling a sense of dread, she walked down the stairs to the living room. Waiting for her were her parents.

Lemon sighed again. "Okay. I'm ready."

"We know you have a history with Sour Sweet, Lemon, but bullying or no, we cannot condone what happened earlier." said her mother.

Lemon gave Florid a look of concern. "Is she going to be okay?"

"When I got to her, all she said was that she didn't need my pity and walked off. I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes." she answered.

"What on earth happened, Lemon? We've never seen you act that way before." said her father.

Lemon told her parents everything that happened. From meeting Twilight outside to when they intervened.

"Well, we're glad you got Twilight to contact us before the situation could get any worse. But we're still mad." said her mother. "We didn't raise you that way."

Lemon lowered her head. "I know. Those words of hers just really, really struck a nerve with me, and I'm pretty sure the literal blood on my hands is going to haunt me for a while..." She took off her headphones. "I assume you want these for the rest of the weekend, then?"

"That's correct." said her mother.

Lemon sighed and gave her mother the headphones. She had rarely got into trouble, but when she did, she knew it meant some time without her beloved headphones. Her headphones had been a part of her for as long as she had them, much like her Power Symbol: Four lemon slices. Giving up her headphones was never easy, she felt naked without them.

"So..." said Lemon. "Where do we go from here?"

"We find her parents so we can straighten this out once and for all." said Citrus. "It's bad enough that you two had an incident in the halls of Crystal Prep, but do to it again out in public with with your faces bleeding? Again?!"

Lemon winced at her father's raised voice. "But I don't know where she lives. I don't even know anyone who does outside of Sour Sweet herself. She's...kind of a bitch to nearly everyone there except the faculty."

Her parents looked at each other and sighed. "Just...promise us you won't fight her again. Only use self-defense if you absolutely need to and there's no way out of it." said Florid.

"Okay." Lemon said sincerely. "I promise not to fight Sour Sweet and only use self-defense if necessary."

"Okay. That's all, then." said Citrus.

Lemon Zest left the living room and made a sputtering noise. Okay...where do I go from here? Man, I don't think I'll ever get used to not having my earphones on. I mean, even with them on I can still hear everyone well enough without music playing. "Blargh." she said.

Lemon went into the backyard and hopped onto a hammock. "At least nature can also be a pretty decent soundtrack." she said, putting her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes and took in all the sounds. People walking by, cars playing music with the windows down, the wind, and the occasional mourning dove...Lemon sighed contentedly. I still feel kinda naked though.

After a few minutes, she got up off the hammock, feeling restless. Well if I'm going to jog, I at least know which direction not not take this time. She smiled.

"I'm going for a jog to make up for lost time!" said Lemon to her parents.

"Okay, but if we have to come get you again you'll be under house arrest." said Citrus.

Lemon laughed. "Don't worry, you won't!" She headed out of the house, jogging in a different direction than the last time. Without her headphones on, she paid more attention to her surroundings. Funny. I've lived here for years, but it feels like this is the first time I've really seen the neighborhood. She smiled. Okay, maybe for the time being being without my headset isn't all that bad. She felt the sun shine on her face as she continued jogging towards nowhere in particular.

Once she returned from her jog, it was time for lunch. "Bad news, parentals, I killed someone on the way back for the fun of it! I'll take that ankle monitor in pink, if you please!"

She head a snicker from her dad. "Oh, I know. I called the police. They're already on their way with a bright red one!"

Lemon pulled at her hair in an over-the-top fashion. "Noooooo! Not my least favorite color!" she could hear her mother laughing in the background.

The rest of the day was uneventful save for a surprise thunderstorm that left them all without power for a few hours. They passed the time playing a board game until it got dark out, so they all got flashlights and continued playing until the power came back.

While Lemon didn't have her headphones, she still had her computer in her room. She put on her computer headphones and found a song to rock out to.

Nothing like a kick-ass head-bobbing tune from the greatest decade of rock...the eighties. After the song finished, Lemon checked the time. Wow, were we really out of power for that long? Huh. She yawned and stretched. "Ah well..." she said as she changed into her pajamas. "There's worse things out there." she said as she crawled into bed and turned off the light. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

Author's Note

In my EqG fanon, Cutie Marks are referred to as Power Symbols since the former isn't a thing. (Even though the CMC were called by name during Rarity's ending of Happily Ever After Party)

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Author's Note

Five days until the Friendship Games.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Lemon Zest jumped out of bed. "Good news: It's Sunday! Bad news:...it's Sunday." She sighed. "Great. School tomorrow." she said with all the enthusiasm of a piece of wood. She made a sputtering noise. "Well, at least the Friendship Games seem like a good distraction."

Lemon slid down the stairs on the banister. "Hey-o, parentals!" she said as she entered the dining room.

"Mornin', kiddo!" said her father.

"Sleep well?" asked her mother.

"Well, I didn't have a nightmare about blood on my hands, so I guess I did." said Lemon as she smiled.

"That's good." said Florid.

"No plans today?" asked Lemon.

"Nope." her parents said simultaneously.

"Huh." said Lemon. "Normally you guys have something lined up."

"Not this time around." said her dad.

Lemon Zest shrugged and ate breakfast, then went into the living room to watch television. She channel surfed for all of about ten minutes. Finding absolutely nothing good on, Lemon threw her hands up in defeat, went to the kitchen and ate breakfast. Man, I forgot how crappy Sunday morning/afternoon television was...

Suddenly her dad's phone went off.

"Dad, someone's calling you!" said Lemon.

"I got it, kiddo!" Citrus said as he grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" he said as he left the room.

Love the guitar riff, I'll have to ask him about that ringtone later. thought Lemon with a smile. Okay, so nobody has any plans for today...hopefully today's just going to be smooth sailing. "Might as well go out for a jog since there doesn't seem to be anything for me to do..."

As Lemon headed to the door, she noticed it was raining out. "Ah, crap. I hate getting wet in the rain. Even if I have an umbrella on me!" She sighed. What to do, what to do... "Geez...maybe one of these day I should make my own plans..." she thought out loud as the very real possibility of boredom slowly reared its ugly head. "Boredom makes people do crazy things..." she said, flashing back to that one time she saw someone snap from boredom. Lemon shuddered. I'm never going to look at chickens the same way again... ever .

Forcing the memory to the deepest, darkest recesses of her brain so it could haunt her again in her mid-forties, Lemon Zest moved on with her life. "What to do..." God I wish I had my license. "Screw it." said Lemon. "Hey, parentals? You guys up for a movie or something?"

After the movie, Lemon smiled. "That movie never gets old, no matter how many times I see it. Glad that killed some time! Now what?" She looked outside. Finally, it stopped raining! "Going out for a jog! I promise I'll hide the body better this time!"

"We're calling the police in advance, kiddo!" said Citrus.

"Good luck catching me!" said Lemon, wearing a wide grin. She walked out the door, then began jogging. I may hate getting rained on, but I love the smell it leaves on the grass... she took a deep whiff of the air around her and exhaled a sigh of contentment. "Aww, yeah. Right up there with freshly cut grass and lemons." she said as she continued on her way.

"Hope I'm not anywhere near Sour's neighborhood. Bad enough I beat the crap out of her yesterday, I imagine if she saw me right now I'd be a dead woman." Just remember your promise, Lemon. Remember your promise. Lemon bumped into someone, shaking her out of her thoughts. Can't I go one freaking day without bumping into "Dean Cadence? Let me guess...this is your neighborhood?"

Cadence smiled and nodded. "You look like you have something on your mind."

Lemon took a deep breath. "Do you have time? It's a pretty long story, and I don't want it affecting my permanent record..."

Cadence raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry." Lemon smiled nervously. "I'm just really nervous about how you'll react."

Dean Cadence smiled warmly. "Now Lemon Zest, you know I don't judge students. It's not my place."

Lemon took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled, feeling slightly reassured. "Okay. Here goes..."

As calmly as she could, Lemon told Cadence every last detail of her meeting with Twilight Sparkle all the way to when her new friend left. If Cadence was shocked, she was good at hiding it.

"I...see..." said Cadence. "It was outside of school grounds, so I'm afraid it's beyond my jurisdiction. "And you haven't seen nor heard from Sour Sweet since?"

Lemon shook her head. "No, I haven't. But I'm legit worried about her. She admitted to being jealous and my mom did say she was crying. As a matter of fact, she was crying during our fight at Crystal Prep. Telling me that I 'knew nothing of pain and heartache'." Lemon sighed. "I'm not sure what to think. I mean, having Twilight as a friend has been a real eye-opener for me, you know?"

Cadence nodded.

With Twilight in her mind, Lemon felt tempted to ask about Shining Armor. Time and a place, Lemon. Time and a place. she thought to herself in order to discourage the topic.

"It just makes me think CPA would be a much better place if we were all friends and not constantly at each other's throats. It makes me wonder what things are like at Canterlot High. Not just the rumors about magic I've heard, but the rumor going around now is how they've all been excelling since their Fall Formal and the musical showcase they had. They all seem...happier there. Now I wouldn't leave Crystal Prep for the world, but would it be so bad if we started...I don't know...caring about each other?"

Cadence put a hand on Lemon's shoulder. "If only there were more students who thought like you." she smiled. "Maybe someday things will improve. You just have to have faith that it will."

Lemon smiled. "Yeah...but faith can only get you so far. Sometimes you need to take action."

Cadence's smile widened. "Well said, Lemon Zest. Well said. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be somewhere. Have a nice rest of your day!" she said as she waved goodbye.

Lemon smiled and waved goodbye.

Throughout the remainder of the day, Lemon kept replaying the conversation in the back of her mind. 'If only there were more students like me', huh? she said as she put on her pajamas. If only there were more principals like Dean Cadence... she thought as she climbed into bed. "Heh...imagine. Principal Cadence. Oh, if only..." were Lemon's last words before she fell asleep.

Not-So-Much-Of-A-Hellhole-Anymore High

Author's Note

Four days until the Friendship Games.

Writing this chapter made me wish I had music to listen to on the way to and during school.

Not-So-Much-Of-A-Hellhole-Anymore High

Lemon woke up slowly, realizing what day it was. She sighed. Man, screw Mondays. Even if the Friendship Games tryouts are today. Screw. Mondays. She made a sputtering noise and put on her uniform. At least I'll have my headset back. she thought as she went downstairs. "Morning, parentals." she muttered with all the enthusiasm of a bored person forced to attend a mandatory prep rally.

"Ya get hit with the Monday blues?" asked Citrus.

"Yeah...kinda." sighed Lemon.

Florid held out Lemon's headphones.

"At least this kinda makes up for it." she said as she gratefully took the cherished item from her mother. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, honey. Lunch is in the fridge...and try not to get into any trouble with Sour Sweet, okay?" she said with a look of concern.

Lemon rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I made a promise. How often do I break those?"

"I know, I know. We just don't want you to get into any more trouble than you already have." said Florid.

"I know, I know." said Lemon, teasing her mother by impersonating her.

"Well have a good day at Crystal Prep, kiddo!" said Citrus.

"Is it actually possible for all those words to be in the same sentence?" asked Lemon, in mock surprise.

"Just get going, you goofball!" her father said with a grin.

"Love you guys!" said Lemon as she left. "Okay, Monday. Show me what you got!" she said as she made her way to the bus stop. She put on a tune to get herself ready for the day.

Lemon nodded her head to the beat, feeling the melody take her over. She heard the bus approach and jumped in.

Once Lemon arrived at school, she made her way to her locker and found a note on it. She immediately recognized the handwriting.

This. Ends. Today. On a field of my choosing. - Sour

"Great, so I won't even know when I'm going to get ambushed." muttered Lemon as she crumpled up the note and threw it into the nearest garbage can. "At least I'm not the paranoid type." Still, It'd probably be a good idea to watch my back. And before I bump into another person, my front for that matter. Lemon stopped in the middle of the hallway and put the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Dammit, now I am getting paranoid."

"Are you okay, Lemon?" said a voice from behind her.

"Holy shit!" yelped Lemon, caught off-guard. Catching her breath, she turned around to see Twilight looking at her with worry. She calmed down quickly. "Oh, man. I'm sorry if I worried you, Twilight."

"You're sorry? I swear I made you jump three feet!" said Twilight.

They shared a laugh.

"But really, Lemon...what's wrong?" asked Twilight.

Lemon sighed. "Sour Sweet left a note on my locker saying our whole feud or whatever ends today. 'On a field of her choosing'. It's making me watch my back...and my everything else for that matter..."

"I don't know how much of a help I can be, but if there's anything I can do don't hesitate to tell me. Okay?" said Twilight.

"Oh!" Lemon said suddenly, causing Twilight to yelp.

"Gah!"

They both stared at each other for a moment, then laughed.

"Sorry about that." said Lemon, blushing from embarrassment. "I've been meaning to exchange phone numbers with you the last couple of times so we could keep in touch. You know, texting." she smiled.

Twilight smiled back. "Sounds good to me."

They exchanged phone numbers.

"Sweet!" said Lemon. "Now if either of us has a problem, we can have each others back anywhere! Thanks a ton, dude!" she hugged Twilight.

"Dude?" said Twilight, confused.

"I call people dude when I get really excited over something." explained Lemon.

"I...guess that makes sense." said Twilight as she returned the hug.

The school bell rang. "Oh, crap!" said Lemon. "We'd better get going. See you around!" they both broke the hug and ran to their respective classes.

First period had come and gone, and not a sight of nor sound from Sour Sweet. Just stay cool, Lemon Zest. The last thing you need is to be paranoid. She shook her head. Sour's not the type to play mind games, she's far too direct for that. She's also never made empty threats, so there's that... Lemon immediately snapped herself out of her thoughts on the chance she might bump into someone or something. I'd need that like I'd need a concussion, which might happen if I angle it correctly-what am I saying?! Lemon made a sputtering noise. "Ugh, I can't wait for my session with Radiant Hope...that should ease the tension I'm feeling."

The bell rang, snapping Lemon back to Crystal Prep Academy. She sighed. "Okay, second period. Bring it."

"Another period come and gone, and still no Sour..." said Lemon as she looked around warily. No. Enough with that thinking. You'll deal with it when the time comes. What matters now is the present, not the future. "Well, it's one more period, then my appointment with Radiant Hope." One of the few things I look forward to around here... She turned on some music to get her through passing period as she made her way to her next class, still keeping an eye out for Sour Sweet. Screw it. I'm keeping my guard up, just in case. she thought as she entered her next class.

"Oh, thank fuck that class is over. So boring!" She put on another tune to keep herself occupied as she walked over to the counselor's offices. I know I'm getting paranoid, but I'm still worried about Sour on some level. I hope she's okay. She reached the Appointments desk. "Hey, I'm here to see Radiant Hope." she told the man at the desk.

"She's seeing someone right now, please take a seat." said the man behind the desk.

Lemon sat down for what seemed like an eternity.

"Lemon?" said Radiant Hope.

Finally! thought Lemon as she followed the counselor into the office.

Second Session

"Oh, man, Hope...you have no idea what I've been through this weekend." Lemon said. "I've been waiting to get this off my chest..."

Lemon Zest told hope everything that happened in detail. Throughout her story, all Radiant Hope did was nod. After she finished, Lemon stared at Hope expectantly.

"...Dean Cadence didn't tell you about all this, did she?" said Lemon, worry tightening her chest.

Hope smiled. "No, she didn't. But it sounds like things are going well with Twilight Sparkle."

Lemon smiled. "Tell me about it. I'm just glad we can regularly keep in touch now that we have each other's phone numbers."

"So besides the note, you've heard nothing from Sour Sweet?" asked Hope.

"No. But as I said before, I'm legitimately worried about her. I mean, both times we fought and we drew blood! That's kinda fucked up if you ask me." said Lemon.

"Well, I don't think I'd go so far as to say it was 'fucked up', but it is a bit over-the-top." said Hope.

"The swearing not sitting well with you?" asked Lemon.

"Oh, I don't have any problem with swearing. I'm just saying that I myself wouldn't call it 'fucked up'." replied Hope.

"Ah, I guess that makes sense." said Lemon. "Still, not only were she and I bleeding out the nose, but she was in tears each time. Maybe she had a point about bothering to ask her..." she lowered the volume of her voice to a near whisper at the last sentence.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." said Hope.

"Oh, it was nothing." said Lemon. "Just deep in thought."

Realizing that Lemon was eager to change the subject, hope asked Lemon a question. "I've been wondering, though...in all the time I've seen you walk about the halls, you always have your headphones. Why is that?"

Lemon thought for a moment.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." said Hope.

"Oh, no. It's not that I don't want to talk about it, it's just that nobody's ever asked me why I wear them all the time." said Lemon.

"Take your time if you need to gather your thoughts." said Hope as she smiled.

The room stayed silent for a few moments, save for the noise outside and the ticking of a clock inside the office. Lemon Zest had her eyes closed in what seemed to be concentration, thinking deeply on how to answer the guidance counselor's question. The silence was broken with a sigh.

"Okay." said Lemon. "You know that feeling you get when you hear a song you love? Where it fills you with energy? Where it makes your heart sing and you just close your eyes, letting the music and lyrics take you over, either lip syncing or singing along? Where you get lost in the moment, stuck in a kind of plane of existence that fills you with ecstasy?"

Hope simply looked at Lemon. "Yes. I imagine everyone's had that feeling before."

Lemon smiled. "That's why I always wear these headphones. It's not like it's a treasured heirloom or the love of my life gave it to me on his deathbed. You can find these pink headphones at any old department store. Bottom line; it's not about the headphones. It's about music and the joy it can bring other people. It can command emotions. Music can cheer you up, energize you, make you feel like the ruler of the world...or even like a small, lonely person who's brought to tears by the emotional song that somehow sums up their life."

"That was very well said, Lemon." said Hope.

"Thanks." smiled Lemon. "I think it should be worth noting that during my rave...that feeling in my gut? It kind of got stronger as I spoke about music."

Radiant Hope looked at Lemon and blinked.

"What?" asked Lemon, slightly confused.

"Sorry." said Hope. "I think I'm beginning to understand you a bit better."

Now it was Lemon's turn to blink. "Ummm. Okay. Sure." she said, further confused.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't weird you out there." said Hope.

Lemon quirked an eyebrow. "Are you feeling okay? You seem to be acting different."

"I'm feeling fine, Lemon, I assure you. I can just tell you've been tense all day, so I thought if I acted a bit more informal you'd relax a little bit." Hope smiled.

Makes sense to me. Lemon smiled back. "Well so far it seems to be working. I do kind of feel calmer. I mean, I'm not normally the paranoid type. That damn note kind of set it off for me."

Hope smiled. "I completely understand. But I'm sure you have plenty of relaxing music on hand, don't you?"

"While that's true," said Lemon, "I do have to keep an eye on my surroundings. I can't tell you how many times I've bumped into people and other things while 'blissing out' on music."

Hope smiled. "I can only imagine. What sort of music do you listen to?"

Lemon thought. "Well, besides anything with an awesome guitar riff, I keep an open mind. I guess a better question would be 'what sort of music don't I listen to?" she smiled. "Showtunes, opera, classical, folk, k-pop...you name it. As long as it has a good beat and a good point, It's in my phone." said Lemon.

Hope smiled. "Well both a good beat and a good point can be very subjective."

"True." said Lemon. "Wait, since when were you a philosopher?"

Hope grinned. "I didn't just study psychology at my college."

Lemon smiled. "I guess not." she looked at the clock.

"Are you getting antsy, Lemon?" asked Hope.

"No. I was just wondering what time it was." Lemon said.

"Don't worry, I have plenty of time." said Hope.

"But my next class should be starting soon." said Lemon, worry showing on her face.

"Don't worry, Lemon. I cleared it with your teachers." said Hope.

"Wait...what?" said Lemon. "I'm confused..." her eyes shot open. "Have...you been meaning to keep me here?"

Hope remained expressionless.

"You've been stalling for time, haven't you?" Lemon said, accusation in her voice.

Hope remained expressionless still.

"Did Dean Cadence put you up to this? Or did Principal Cinch?" Lemon said, panicking as she felt tears falling.

She heard the office door open.

"They didn't." said a voice that made Lemon freeze in place. Slowly, Lemon Zest turned around to the new arrival.

"I did." said Sour Sweet.

Second Session, Part II

Sour Sweet closed the door behind herself.

"What the fuck is she doing here?!" Lemon Zest all but shrieked.

"Settle down, Lemon." said Hope.

"Settle down? Settle down?!" said Lemon. "I told you everything I went through with her, she comes in here...and you want me to settle down?!?"

"Lemon." said Sour.

"How far out of your way are you willing to go to make my life a living hell?" said Lemon, tears streaming down her eyes. "I confess my feelings for you, and you reject me in the worst way possible!"

"Lemon." repeated Sour.

"You spite me after I blow up on you by telling the goddamn Principal about my confession!"

"Lemon!" said Sour.

"You and I then proceed to beat the crap out of each other in not one, but two different locations! I'm going to have nightmares of blood on my hands for years!"

"Lemon!" Sour had begun shouting.

"And top it all off, now you've gone and told Radiant MOTHERFUCKING Hope?!" Lemon shrieked.

Sour Sweet slapped Lemon straight on the face.

Lemon Zest resisted every urge she had to punch Sour as hard as she could. She had made a promise, after all. She looked straight at Sour.

"Listen to me for one fucking second, okay?" Sour said, tears running down her face. "I said this ends today. On a field of my choosing. Not once did I mention on that note that I wanted a fight."

Lemon put her hand to her mouth in shock.

"I came here...to say I'm sorry." said Sour.

"You're...sorry." Lemon said, flatly. Seconds seemed like small eternities as silence hung in the air. The tension could be cut with a knife. Lemon broke the silence. "You're...sorry?" she repeated. "You're sorry?!" her voice rose in volume. "After everything you've put me through, all you can say is you're sorry?! That's not going to cut it, Sour Sweet, and you fucking know that!"

"Of course I do, Lemon Zest! You think I don't feel guilty for everything I've done?!" Sour's voice cracked. "Nearly all my life, I've been without not just friends, but family ! Do you have any goddamn idea what that's like? To see all these people around you with the happiness you wish you had??" Tears of her own started flowing. "I felt so bad for what I've done...all this time. The 'sour side', I guess you could call it...is a coping mechanism. It's the anger, frustration and hatred from all of the loneliness I've gone through."

Lemon stared at Sour. "Well that doesn't surprise me. I know you harbor all those emotions towards me."

Sour sniffled. "No, Lemon Zest. It's not you those emotions are aimed at...it's me."

Lemon gasped.

"This coping mechanism of mine has gotten me in a lot of trouble...I didn't mean to hurt your feelings that day, but the sour side just came out. After you ran off, I burst into tears. Truth be told, I was flattered and I really did think it was sweet...but after what happened that day, I couldn't forgive myself. I just kept on using the sour side to vent my frustrations. Then when you blew up at me on Friday, something inside me snapped. I went over to Principal Cinch and told her about your confession."

"Well I know you told her..."

"I'm not done!" said Sour, tears still streaming down her face. "I let myself cry it out during the fight, hoping you'd think those tears were tears of physical pain, and not...emotional. Even if the whole school was watching. Then when I saw you with Twilight..." her voice cracked. "I really was jealous, Lemon Zest. I was jealous that you had a friend to help you. You had someone to come home to. People who love you!" she sniffled. "Your mother was kind enough to try to help me, and what did I say in thanks? My sour side came out and said 'I don't need your pity!" and I walked home. Alone. With nobody and nothing waiting for me except for a nearly empty house with holes that I've punched in the walls. And you know what? After the fight...when I walked into the house..." Sour began sobbing. "I...I'm sorry. I need a minute." she ran over to Radiant Hope and started bawling into her chest.

Lemon stood in complete shock. She had never seen this side of Sour Sweet before. Lonely. Vulnerable. Sad.

After a few minutes, Sour Sweet had calmed down, but she wasn't done crying. "After the fight...when I walked into that house...alone. I was so stricken with guilt that I just couldn't live with myself anymore. I...I was this close!" Sour Sweet put her thumb and her pointer finger so close to one another that the slightest movement would cause them to touch. "To just ending it all that night." she sobbed again. "I had nothing to live for. No family...no friends...nothing. Even the memory of how you got Twilight Sparkle to help you out didn't change my mind. It was set, and I was going to go through with it."

Lemon stayed on the couch, at a total loss for words.

"But then, one thing stopped me. The one thing that nearly drove me to suicide pulled me out of it. My sour side's voice echoed in my head...it said...'Don't be a dumbass, Sour Sweet! Nothing's worth killing yourself over!' I thought I had snapped. Here I was about to kill myself, but I ended up arguing with myself. 'Is it?' I asked myself. 'Oh for fuck's sake, girl!' yelled the sour voice. 'You need to make a friend!' and that's all it took. I set up this meeting between you, me, and Radiant Hope to finally get some closure on this whole back and forth we've been having. Not just for my sake...but yours, too."

Lemon blinked back tears, fighting a dam that was going to burst any minute. "If that's true...then I have just one question."

"Yes?" asked Sour, having a feeling she knew the question already.

"Did...did you ever have feelings for me?" asked Lemon.

Sour gave Lemon a sad smile. "I'm sorry...I didn't. But I still want to be your friend."

"I...I'll take what I can get." said Lemon Zest, and she ran over to Sour Sweet.

Both of them hugged each other tightly, bawling over the closure they finally had.

The Tryouts

After her cathartic closure with Sour Sweet, Lemon sent Twilight a text.

Twilight...you won't believe what just happened. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Oh? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Lemon sent a long series of texts explaining in detail how her session with Radiant Hope went.

Wow...I'm at a loss for words. I had no idea she was going through so much. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

You and me both, Twilight. You and me both. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Lemon made her way to the tryouts for the Friendship Games. Among all the people she recognized were Sour Sweet, who waved at her with a sincere smile. Sugarcoat, who just gave her a blank stare. Sunny Flare, who gave her the same look from last time. Okay, I'm gonna talk to her after all this. I can't think of anything that I could done to make her look at me like that... Indigo Zap, who simply gave her a grin. She saw other familiar faces among the crowd, but didn't have any of their names. Doesn't surprise me that Twilight's not here. She's not the competitive type. She looked over the crowd again and saw Principal Cinch and Dean Cadence. I guess that's not much of a surprise either. thought Lemon.

"This first round of tryouts will involve academics." announced Principal Cinch. Nearly half of those waiting groaned.

"The hell did you guys expect, moto-cross racing?!" Sour said. Lemon giggled.

Principal Cinch pinched the bridge of her nose. "As I was saying...the first round of tryouts will involve academics. The top fifty scores will move on to the next round. To your seats!" All students went to their seats. "And...begin!" said Cinch.

Huh. Sure wasn't expecting a written test to be part of the process... thought Lemon. Ah well, I didn't make the rules.

After some time, Principal Cinch shouted "Pencils down!" there was a noise of pencils being put on the desks. "The results of these tests will be posted later today in the hallways." She said as Dean Cadence went to pick up the tests. "Dismissed!"

Lemon and Sour met each other in the hallway. "How good do you think we did?" Lemon asked.

"If neither of us made the top ten, I'm burning this school to the ground." said Sour. Lemon stared at her. Sour laughed. "Geez, I'm only kidding!" Lemon laughed. "Or is that what I want you to think?!" said Sour. Lemon blinked. They both laughed harder together. "Oh, man. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that!" said Sour as she wiped a tear from her eyes. Lemon smiled.

The warning bell for the next period sounded off. "Well, I should get to class. Catch you later!" said Lemon. She was stopped by Sour Sweet's arm on her shoulder. Lemon turned around to see Sour still in tears.

"Thank you...for giving me a second chance." said Sour, tears streaming down her eyes.

"Hey, what are friends for?" said Lemon, smiling.

Sour sniffled. "You have no idea how much hearing that from you means to me, Lemon Zest." She shot over to hug her tightly, then broke, bursting into tears.

Lemon smiled. "You'd be surprised." she said softly while hugging an emotional Sour Sweet.

After Sour calmed down, they broke the hug and went their separate ways. Lemon sighed, a smile on her face. "Maybe this place isn't so much of a hellhole after all." she thought aloud as she entered her next class. At least I'm on time. Barely, but that's better than being late.

After the class, Lemon ran out to the hallway to see the results of the first round of tryouts. Sour Sweet beat her to it. "Well, we didn't make the top ten..." she said. "We made the top five!" she said, a huge grin on her face.

Sour and Lemon high-fived. "Was there ever any doubt?" Lemon said and smiled. "So, what do you think's next?"

Sour shrugged. "Could be anything. Handball, Art...ooh, hopefully paintball's one of the events!"

"Karate? Maybe video games?" said Lemon.

"Anything goes! We should just be prepared for anything." said Sour. "Hey, there's a notice just under the rankings."

Notice: Second round of tryouts will be held after next period in the track field.

"Good to know." said Lemon. "You nervous, Sour?"

"Of course not!" said Sour. "We've got this!"

The warning bell sounded off.

"See you later!" said Sour.

"Laters!" said Lemon, and the two went to their next class.

All the remaining students entered the track field.

"As you've all no doubt realized," said Principal Cinch. "This tryout will be physical. The top eleven fastest lap times will move on to the Friendship Games."

There were murmurs of excitement among the students.

Lemon cracked her knuckles. "Aww, yeah! Now we're talking!"

Sour grinned. "Nice. I've got plenty of excess energy to run off!"

One by one, the students gathered over to the track. To Lemon's lack of surprise, she found Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, and Sugarcoat on the field, waiting their turn. "Tough competition out here, huh?" said Lemon.

"Well, this is Crystal Prep." said Sour.

"Sour Sweet!" called Principal Cinch.

Sour grinned. "Looks like it's my turn!" she said.

"Not that you need it or anything, but good luck!" said Lemon.

"You're right." said Sour. "I don't!" and went off to take her position.

Lemon watched her friend run a full lap. Huh. She's faster than I thought. When Sour finished, she walked back to Lemon. "Whew!" she said, wiping sweat off her brow. "Think you can beat that?" she said, nudging Lemon gently.

"Lemon Zest!" called Principal Cinch.

Lemon smiled. "I guess we're about to find out." Once at her mark, she did a couple of stretches just to be sure. Then, as fast as she could, she picked a tune to get her adrenaline pumping.

"Time to pucker up and fuck her up!" Principal Cinch raised an eyebrow. "What? I consider it a motivational phrase for me!" Lemon laughed sheepishly. Cinch rolled her eyes.

"Go!"

Lemon ran as fast as she possibly could. When she finished, she nearly collapsed on the floor. "Oof...I...guess I...overdid it...a little..." she managed to say between gasps."

"The results will be posted shortly." said Principal Cinch.

"Rest up, Lemon. You kicked ass out there." said Sour as she handed Lemon a bottle of water.

"Thanks." said Lemon.

"The results have been posted!" said the Principal.

Competitors for the Friendship Games
Indigo Zap
Lemon Zest
Sour Sweet
Sugarcoat
Sunny Flare
Neon Lights
Trenderhoof
Suri Polomare
Jet Set
Upper Crust
Royal Pin

"There was never any doubt." smiled Lemon.

"You said it!" said Sour.

The two walked arm in arm to the final period of the day.

Author's Note

Everything's made up and the points don't matter. That's why I didn't list the scores.

Rough Night

After the final period, Lemon and Sour exchanged phone numbers to keep in touch outside of school. They smiled at each other. "You're no longer alone, Sour Sweet." said Lemon. "If you need anything, I'm just a text away."

Sour's eyes welled up with tears. "Dammit...how many times am I gonna cry today?"

Lemon put her hand on Sour's shoulder. "But those are tears of joy." she smiled.

"Tears are tears." said Sour.

Lemon rolled her eyes and smiled. "All that matters is that I'll be there for you if you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on."

Sour sniffled and hugged Lemon. The school bus horn honked. "Oops! Gotta book it! Remember, text me if you need someone to talk to!" Lemon broke the hug, waved goodbye to Sour and boarded the bus. As she took her seat, she saw Sour waving back with a huge grin on her face.

Lemon's bus reached her stop and she got off. She opened the door to her house. "Parentals? I hope you're not busy, 'cause I have one hell of a story for the both of you!"

As Lemon told her parents all that happened over the course of the day, their eyes widened.

"I had no idea she was going through so much..." said Florid.

"Get in line." said Lemon.

"Well it's great that you two made friends." said Citrus.

"So now she, me, and a few others are going to participate in the Friendship Games!" smiled Lemon.

"Do tell us how they went afterwards." said her mother.

"Of course I will!" said Lemon. "Besides, Crystal Prep always wins. You guys know that."

"There's a first time for everything, kiddo." said Citrus.

"Oh ye of little faith." said Lemon, smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Just saying." said Citrus as he folded his arms.

"So..." said Lemon, rubbing her hands together. "What's for dinner?"

After dinner, Lemon ran to the basement to play a game. I wonder who's on? She went to the game's menu and chose Team Battle.

Team 1
Twi_Sparkly73
Zest_iz_Best
Sour_5w337
Sweets_CMC
Scoots_CMC
Bloom_CMC

Team 2
Dashin8r
Fashionista_4_Life
FarmGurlAJ
SunShimPwny
Flutterbutter
P0nk4_P0

"Oh crap, those guys again?" Lemon Zest slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Well, at least Sour and Twilight are on my side. Don't know about the other three, but they seem to be together based on the last three letters of their gamer handles." She cracked her knuckles. "Maybe we'll stand a chance this time!"

Well, we lasted longer than I thought we would...but we still got our asses handed to us. Lemon made a sputtering noise and shrugged. "Well, it is what it is." She looked at the time. "Huh. Time flies when your attention span does." She ran upstairs, said goodnight to her parents and got into bed. She drifted off to sleep...

Lemon opened her eyes to find herself in an arena. She heard a chainsaw off in the distance, followed by maniacal cackling. "Incoming, motherfucker!" said her assailant. Rushing at her was a very, very unhinged Sour Sweet.

"Oh, FUCK!" yelped Lemon, and she ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She stopped in her tracks suddenly. "Wait. This is a dream. Duh!" she said as she smiled. The undeniably crazy Sour lunged at Lemon, who jumped into the air, twirling like an acrobat and landing directly behind her opponent.

"What the-" said the dream Sour before Lemon hugged her. Before her eyes, the dream Sour slowly melted into a puddle of blood, staining Lemon's hands and uniform.

Lemon woke up, screaming. Her parents barged into her room.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" asked her mom.

Lemon was hiding under her covers, trembling. "What's wrong with me?" she said, her voice quavering.

"Lemon?" asked her dad as he turned the light on.

Lemon flinched as her bedroom lights turned on.

Her father took off the covers to reveal a very frightened Lemon Zest, tightly hugging her pillow and tears in her eyes.

"Oh god, what happened?" said her mother, her tone filled with concern.

"I...I..." choked Lemon. "I...had a dream..." she started sniffling.

"It's okay, honey. Take your time. Mom and I are here for you." said her dad, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I...I killed Sour. I hugged her and she melted into a puddle of blood." said Lemon as she started sobbing.

"Hey...hey." said Citrus in his most comforting voice. "It's okay." he hugged her and slowly rocked her back and forth, whispering words of comfort to Lemon.

"I knew I'd have nightmares with blood on my hands. Why did I lose control like that?!" Lemon said between sobs.

Florid joined in the hug. "You had an emotional day, Lemon. Everybody loses control at some point."

"But...but that doesn't..." Lemon tried to say between sobs.

"You're right, Lemon. That doesn't justify what you did. But that's in the past. You and Sour Sweet made amends, and that's what matters." said her father, still using a comforting tone of voice.

"I just feel so...terrible!" Lemon said. "The guilt is going to drive me insane!" by the end of that sentence, she went from sobbing to flat out bawling.

"It's okay, hon. Just let it all out." said her mother, gently stroking Lemon's hair and back.

Citrus and Florid glanced at each other, afraid for their daughter.

After a few minutes, Lemon's bawling went back to sobbing, then sniffles, then simply shaking, hugging herself tightly to calm down.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Florid.

"Honestly?" said Lemon. "I don't know." she said as she wiped away a tear and blew her nose. "I've never had a nightmare that bad before." she took a deep breath, and shuddered.

"You know what might help? Melatonin." said Citrus.

Lemon smiled. "If it helps me sleep peacefully after having a dream that bad, I'll take it a hundred times over!"

Florid smiled. "There's the Lemon Zest we know and love!" she said and hugged her daughter.

"Thanks, parentals. I really, really needed that. I love you both!" she said and hugged both of them.

"We love you too, kiddo." said Citrus.

"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let us know." Florid smiled.

"Of course I won't!" said Lemon. "Good night!"

"Good night!" said her parents.

Lemon took the melatonin and drifted off to sleep again, this time with a peaceful dream.

Author's Note

In case you haven't noticed, I like writing dream sequences.

The Stuff of Dreams

Author's Note

Three days until the Friendship Games.

The Stuff of Dreams

Lemon woke up, her hair slightly frazzled. "Gah. If I never have another nightmare like the one from last night again, it'll be too soon!" She made a sputtering noise, then decided to take a shower. I hope Sour won't go off the deep end when I tell her about my dream...I feel like she has a right to know, after all.

"Hey, parentals!" said Lemon once she was fully dressed.

"Hey, kiddo. Feeling better after last night?" asked her dad.

"Yeah." said Lemon. "That was a doozy of a nightmare..."

"Sure sounds like it." said Florid.

Lemon sighed. "I'm worried that'll be the first of many..."

"Don't worry, Lemon. We'll be here for you if and when you do." Citrus smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his daughter's arm.

Lemon smiled. "I know. That's why I love you guys so much."

Florid leaned in and kissed Lemon on the cheek. "And we love you too. Lunch is in the fridge as usual. Have a great day!"

"You bet I will, parentals!" beamed Lemon.

As Lemon boarded the bus, she sent a text to Sour.

Hey Sour, got a minute before classes? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Is everything okay? - Sent by Sour Sweet

Honestly, I don't know. I just had a dream that I want to tell you about... - Sent by Lemon Zest

Are you sure you can't just text it to me? - Sent by Sour Sweet

I'd rather speak to you about it face to face, if that's okay with you. - Sent by Lemon Zest

If you insist. - Sent by Sour Sweet

I do. Thank you for understanding. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Hey. What are friends for? - Sent by Sour Sweet

Satisfied, Lemon decided to put her phone on shuffle for music. A song started.

Huh. Not what I had in mind, but whatever. Lemon closed her eyes and put her hands behind her head as the bus neared Crystal Prep.

Once the bus came to a complete stop, Lemon opened her eyes to see Crystal Prep. "Time to pucker up and fuck her up!" she said, stretching. She walked towards the entrance, and was stopped by an arm holding her back. Lemon turned around to see Sour Sweet, with a concerned look on her face.

"Hey." Sour said. "What's wrong?"

Lemon took a deep breath, then told Sour all about her dream.

Sour stared at her, her jaw agape.

Lemon raised her hands and put them in front of her. "It's not a reflection of how I see you as a person!" she said, panic in her voice.

Sour blinked. "I can understand why you would think that, but why are you freaking out on me?"

Lemon sighed. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to lose you as a friend."

Sour suppressed a laugh. "Come on, I'm not going to call off our friendship over a dream about you killing me."

Lemon smiled. "You're not?"

"Of course not!" said Sour. "I have dreams about killing people all the time!"

Lemon blinked.

Sour laughed sheepishly. "Yeah...pretend you didn't hear that."

They shared a laugh.

"Your dream just means you feel guilty about the figurative and literal blood on your hands from our fight on Saturday." said Sour.

Lemon rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"Then why did you want to talk to me about it?" asked Sour.

Lemon shrugged. "I just felt compelled to tell you. That you should know about it. Because I felt that if I didn't, that'd be lying by omission in my book."

"Well I'm touched you'd go out of your way to tell me about it." Sour smiled. "But I have to get going. See you later?"

Lemon smiled. "See you later."

Lemon walked the halls of Crystal Prep Academy, wandering and people watching before the first class of the day. "Whoa!" she said as she nearly bumped into Twilight.

"Sorry about that, Lemon. I was engrossed in my own little world." Twilight laughed sheepishly. She looked at Lemon. "You look like you have something on your mind."

Lemon put the palm of her hand on her forehead. "Twilight...remind me to never play poker. With anyone."

Twilight blinked.

"Nevermind." said Lemon.

"So what's on your mind then?" asked Twilight.

Lemon told Twilight about her nightmare, waking up from it and her parents comforting her.

"Wow." said Twilight. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I'd react the same way too!" she said.

"Yeah, but have you ever had someone else's blood on your hands? And not just figuratively?" asked Lemon.

"No...I can't say that I have. And no offense, but I plan to keep it that way." said Twilight.

Lemon smiled. "None taken." she thought for a moment. "Hey, you're one of the smarter students around here..."

Twilight blushed at the compliment.

"You wouldn't happen to know any way of getting the nightmares to stop, do you? I'd rather try to avoid them in the future if I can help it." said Lemon.

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't." Twilight frowned. "I haven't quite studied dreams as often as I study scientific subjects." She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "So much to study, so little time..."

"Isn't there such a thing as sleep science?" asked Lemon.

"No, I think that's a brand name for memory foam mattresses." said Twilight.

Lemon made a sputtering noise. "Wait." she said, giving Twilight a confused look. "How do you know that?"

"I stumbled upon that when I used a search engine and typed up 'sleep science'. Honestly, it's kind of ridiculous that in the pursuit of knowledge I often get directed to commercial websites."

Lemon simply stared at Twilight.

Twilight laughed from embarrassment. "I kind of got off track there...sorry I couldn't be of more help." said Twilight.

"Don't worry, Twilight." Lemon smiled. "Your willingness to help is help in and of itself."

Twilight smiled. "Well then, glad I could help!" she said as the bell for the first period of the day rang. "Oops! Time for class! See you later, Lemon!"

Lemon waved. "Later, Twilight!" And went to first period class.

Passing Period

First period went by quickly. All Lemon could think of were the Friendship Games. She almost wished Twilight would participate, even though Sour Sweet would have her back. Can't always get what you want... she thought. Huh...think of the devil... "Hey, Twilight!" she waved to her friend from down the hall.

"Hey, Lemon." Twilight said.

"I've been wondering...why do you seem to want to check out Canterlot High when you don't even want to compete in the Friendship Games?" asked Lemon.

"Well...it's kind of scientific and sorta complicated." said Twilight.

Lemon raised an eyebrow. "Okay, try me."

"Okay, but you asked for it." warned Twilight. "From what I've gathered, the grounds of Canterlot High have been the focal point of several fluctuations in the measuring devices that I have in my laboratory. Now I don't quite know what it is that's being measured. It's a kind of energy that I've never seen before. The implications are staggering to say the least!" she finished excitedly.

Lemon laughed. "Maybe it's magic."

Twilight scoffed. "That's preposterous."

Lemon shrugged. "Meh." Her eyes widened. "Hey, do you think there's any truth to the rumors?"

Twilight looked confused. "Rumors?"

Lemon nodded. "About the strange rainbow that just appeared in the sky at night then shot downwards, creating...for lack of a better phrase...a reverse tornado rainbow vortex!"

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes.

"The other rumor," Lemon continued. "Is that during the climax of Canterlot High's musical showcase it was taken over by special effects that were so realistic, it was like there were real sea creatures in the sky!"

Twilight scoffed again. "Sounds like nothing more than hearsay and conjecture to me. If something like that did, in fact, happen, where's the evidence? Why didn't people use their phones to record these phenomena?"

Lemon raised a finger, then dropped it. "Huh. I suppose you have a good point."

"Precisely!" said Twilight, pleased with herself. "Magic." she snickered. "Come on, Lemon. You're smarter than that."

"If magic doesn't exist, then how am I friends with Sour Sweet now?" asked Lemon.

Twilight laughed. "You're not seriously suggesting that friendship is magic?"

Lemon shrugged. "How else can you explain two people at each others throats for days, then bawling over closure the next?"

Twilight smiled. "Willing to change, psychological rehablitation, endorphins..."

Lemon smiled and rolled her eyes. "Damn, Twilight. You're taking the fun out of this conversation."

They both laughed.

"But that makes me want to ask another question." said Lemon. "Before me, why did you think friendship was unnecessary?"

"I think I told you this already, but I already have a family that loves and supports me. Before I met you I just thought of it as a burden that would hold me back from my studies." said Twilight.

"But you and I are friends, and we still get the same grades." said Lemon.

"Hmm. I suppose that's true."

"Precisely!" said Lemon.

They both laughed again.

"Well, I should get going. This was a most enlightening discussion, Miss Zest." Twilight extended her hand.

"Indeed it was, Miss Sparkle." Lemon said, shaking Twilight's hand.

They both laughed as they went their separate ways.

Suddenly, Lemon heard a different person's laughter. She looked around for the source of the mirthful noise and found... "Sunny Flare?"

"Ahahahahaaa...Oh, man. I haven't laughed like that in a while." said Sunny.

"What's so funny? ...And while it's fresh in my mind, why the hell have you been giving me funny looks all this time?!" demanded Lemon.

"One: You and Twilight. Two: You're cute when you're paranoid." said Sunny.

Lemon blinked. "Are you hitting on me?"

Sunny Flare smirked. "What do you think?"

Lemon let out a frustrated grunt. "Enough with the bullshit, Sunny Flare. Just spit it out. What do you want?"

Sunny sighed. "Fine. You're no fun. I just want you to know that your friendships with Twilight Sparkle and Sour Sweet are temporary, at best."

Lemon blinked. "Wait, what?"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Ms. 'herd mentality'."

Lemon gasped. "You heard my whole rant?"

Sunny grinned widely. "I wouldn't be surprised if at least half the school heard it. Look, my point is that during the so-called Friendship Games, we'll all be friends until the end. Of the Friendship Games, that is. I'm sure there's a good chance we'll all throw each other under a bus 'every goddamn time we get the chance', but-"

"Stop quoting me, it drives me crazy when you pull that shit!" growled Lemon.

Sunny smiled. "You like to deprive me of my fun, don't you? I thought I was the designated school sadist."

"Just get to the fucking bottom line already!" snapped Lemon.

Sunny sighed with a smile on her face. "Did I mention you're cute when you're pissed?"

"Okay. I'm done." Lemon started to walk away before Sunny grabbed her by the arm. "What?! If you have something to say, just say it!"

"All right, all right!" said Sunny. "Bottom line: We'll all only be friends during the 'Friendship Games'. What you have going on with Sour Sweet and Twilight won't last beyond that."

"You're a cynic, Sunny Flare." said Lemon.

"And don't you forget it, sweetie." Sunny smiled as she let go of Lemon's arm. "Hmph. 'Friendship is magic.' That nonsense is for little girls. We're teenagers, we've moved beyond that point."

"Yours must be a sad and lonely existence, Sunny." said Lemon.

Sunny barked a laugh. "Oh, please!" she said. "If anyone's existence is sad and lonely, it's most likely Sour Sweet's!"

"You don't know what she's been through." Lemon said through clenched teeth.

"But you know I'm not far off the mark." said Sunny.

"That's. Not. The. Point." said Lemon, feeling her anger rise. The bell for second period rang, diverting her attention. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Wait, how do you..." she turned to where Sunny was, only to find she was long gone. What the fuck is wrong with that girl? thought Lemon as she made her way to her next class.

Author's Note

I couldn't help myself. I just had to title drop!

At the End of the Day

After the incident at the cafeteria, Lemon spent the rest of her day at Crystal Prep in despair. All the enthusiasm she had for anything had all but vanished. Sour must have been avoiding her since she wasn't anywhere to be seen. And who could blame her? She had every right to be upset. I really, really fucked things up with her. she thought. I know I still have Twilight as a friend, and good on her for trying to cheer me up...but that alone won't make me feel better.

After her last class, Lemon trudged her way to the bus. She thought she heard her name, but she was in her own little world until she felt an arm on her shoulder.

"Lemon." Lemon turned around slowly to see Dean Cadence. Before the Dean could say another word, Lemon hugged her tightly and burst into tears.

When Lemon had finally calmed down, Cadence brought her to her office.

"Before I tell you what's going on, I need to send a text. I don't want my mom and dad to worry about me." said Lemon.

This must be serious if she's not calling her parents her "parentals". She always calls them that. thought Cadence.

Hey guys. I missed my bus, so I'll be home late. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Is everything okay, hon? - Sent by Mom

No. But don't worry too much. I'm fine. Physically, at least. I'm in Dean Cadence's office right now. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Do you want us to come over and get you? Are you in any sort of trouble? - Sent by Dad

Yes, but only after I'm done speaking with Dean Cadence. No, I'm not in any trouble. I promise I'll tell you both everything when we get home. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Take all the time you need, sweetie. - Sent by Mom

We'll be there for you, Lemon. Just say when. - Sent by Dad

Thank you. I love you guys. - Sent by Lemon Zest

"Sorry about that." said Lemon. "You know how it can be with families."

"That's fine." said Cadence. Her smile turned into a look of concern. "I've noticed you haven't been yourself since lunch period ended. What happened?"

Lemon took a deep breath, and shuddered when she exhaled.

"Take your time if you need to, Lemon Zest." said Cadence.

"Thank you." said Lemon. After a few minutes, she finally began telling Dean Cadence what happened.

Once she finished, Cadence simply said "I see. That's...rather unfortunate."

"To say the least." said Lemon. "I betrayed her trust. You have no idea how bad I feel, and that's just compounded by the fact that I was her first friend." she sighed with her head in both of her hands. "At least I still have Twilight...and no offense to her, but that's little consolation to me at this point."

Cadence smiled. "That's okay, I understand."

"I do feel a little better, though." said Lemon. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to text my parentals so they can get me home and I can bawl all over them."

That's a good sign. thought Cadence.

Okay guys, I'm ready. - Sent by Lemon Zest

We're on our way! - Sent by Dad

"Thank you, Dean Cadence." said Lemon.

"Of course." said Cadence.

The entire car ride home was silent. Both Florid Abundance and Citrus Splash could tell their daughter needed some silence to gather her thoughts before breaking whatever news she had for them at home. Every now and then they'd glance at either each other, or Lemon via the rear view mirror. They were at least grateful that Lemon wasn't visibly worse for the wear, but her words via text concerned them.

As the car pulled into the garage, Lemon's parents could hear her sniffling in the back seat. They both looked back at her once the car stopped. She shook her head, signaling that she didn't want to talk in the garage. They all got out of the car and into the house. Lemon Zest took a few steps into the living room, then collapsed onto the floor, bawling. Her parents immediately rushed to her and held her in the same way they did when she had the nightmare involving Sour Sweet.

"Shh, shh...it's going to be okay, honey. Just let it all out." said her father in his most soothing voice as he gently rocked her back and forth.

"Your father's right, sweetie. We're here for you." whispered Florid as she stroked Lemon's hair and back.

After a few minutes, Lemon had calmed down. She took a deep breath and shuddered. "Okay. I'm good." she said and her parents let go of her. "Christ, I needed that." she said as she got up and walked over to a sofa.

"So what happened?" said Florid.

"We're really worried." sad Citrus.

Lemon took another deep breath and sighed. She told her parents about the incident in the cafeteria. By the time she finished, she had thrown away several tissues in a nearby garbage pail.

Florid and Citrus looked at each other, then Lemon.

"And you haven't seen her since?" asked her mother.

"No..." said Lemon as she blew her nose.

"That really sucks, kiddo. Hopefully you two will make amends." said her father.

"The key word there being 'hopefully'." said Lemon.

Citrus clapped his hands together. "You know what'll cheer you up? Pizza!"

Lemon allowed herself a smile. "Yeah. That will cheer me up."

"That's the spirit!" said her mother.

Lemon walked over to her parents and gave them a big hug. "I don't think I can or will ever say this enough times...but thank you."

"Of course, honey. You've just had a bad day, is all." said Florid.

"Yeah. A full stomach and a good night's sleep might be just what you need." said Citrus.

"It might be, indeed." said Lemon as she genuinely smiled for the first time in hours.

After they finished eating, Lemon went straight upstairs. Drained from all the emotion of the day, she fell asleep swiftly.

Useful Information

Author's Note

Two days until the Friendship Games.

Useful Information

Lemon slowly got up out of bed and sighed, the memory of yesterday's loss still fresh in her mind. She got dressed and walked downstairs.

"Hi." she said as she entered the kitchen.

Her father frowned. "Still bummed out about yesterday, kiddo?"

Lemon nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm sure things will get better, hon." said Florid.

"I can only hope at this point..." said Lemon.

"Just remember, Lemon. You still have Twilight Sparkle." said Citrus.

"I know. I do have a session with Radiant Hope, so that'll help improve my mood at least." said Lemon.

Florid smiled. "There you go. Look on the positive side like you always do."

Lemon hugged her parents. "Well, I gotta go. Lunch is in the fridge as usual?"

Florid nodded.

"Great." said Lemon. "See you later."

Lemon got off the bus and walked over to the school entrance. She opened the door to see a very, very tired Twilight Sparkle.

"Whoa...are you okay?" asked Lemon.

"Yeah...I'm fine..." said Twilight, nearly dozing off. Lemon quickly grabbed her and kept her from falling onto the floor.

"Come on...let's get you some coffee or something..." said Lemon as she guided her to the cafeteria.

After a few minutes and some caffeine in her system, Twilight perked up. "Sorry about that. I was up all night."

"Up all night doing what?" asked Lemon.

"Well..." said Twilight, slowly pulling at her hair.

Lemon raised an eyebrow. "Twilight...what were you doing?"

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay...before I tell you anything...we need to be in a secluded location."

"Okay." said Lemon. As they walked the halls, she looked back at Twilight. "Is there anything you can tell me now?"

"I don't want to take any chances, Lemon Zest. Let's just wait until we reach a quiet place." said Twilight.

Once the pair reached a private area, Twilight leaned in closely to Lemon. "Okay...you know how I've been trying to cheer you up since yesterday?"

Lemon nodded.

"I realized it wasn't working, so last night I took...drastic measures." said Twilight.

"Drastic...measures?" asked Lemon. "What are you talking about?"

Twilight took a deep breath and sighed. "God, I feel so dirty." She began shaking.

"Twilight?" said Lemon. "Are you okay?"

"I...I don't know." Twilight sniffled. "I feel like what I'm about to do is the most vile, repugnant thing imaginable. But I want to see you happy. I don't like seeing you when you're sad."

"Twilight..." said Lemon.

"Hey...friends try to keep each other happy no matter what, right?" said Twilight. "Even...even at their own expense. Their own sacrifices." her voice cracked. "I...I..." she broke, and started crying into Lemon's chest.

Lemon hugged Twilight tightly and stroked her hair in an effort to calm her friend down.

After a few minutes, Twilight calmed down. She looked up at Lemon, her eyes red and puffy. She shuddered.

"Twilight, if it makes you this uncomfortable then I don't mind you not doing it." said Lemon.

Twilight gave her a sad smile. "Lemon. If I didn't want to go through with this, I wouldn't have bothered doing what I did in the first place."

Lemon smiled. "Okay. What did you do?"

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled, shuddering again. "I overheard you telling Sour about your encounter with Sunny Flare. That got me thinking."

Lemon nodded.

"I know you're not normally the violent type unless you lose your temper...but I assume you've heard the phrase 'Knowledge is power.'?" asked Twilight.

"I do, but I don't see where you're going with this." said Lemon.

"Well, last night I did some...'digging'." said Twilight.

"'Digging'?" repeated Lemon.

"Yes." Twilight nodded. "I looked into the pasts of all of your teammates for the Friendship Games. Sour Sweet, Royal Pin, Suri Polomare...all of them."

Lemon raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to give you an edge in case they harassed you. They know things about you, but you don't know anything about them." said Twilight.

Lemon's eyes shot open as she finally realized what Twilight had done. "My god...you know their deepest, darkest secrets now, don't you?!"

Twilight nodded. "This knowledge might come in handy, but I feel terrible about what I did."

"Twilight...you don't have to-" said Lemon

"I'm going to fucking tell you, Lemon Zest! I've gone too damn far for nothing, do you hear me?!" shouted Twilight, tears in her eyes.

Lemon backed up, shocked by Twilight's words. "Okay...I understand."

Twilight slowly held onto one of Lemon's hands. "I'm going to need this." she said. "I feel so terrible, divulging people's secrets like this, but if it helps you defend yourself, I'll do it. No matter how painful it may be."

The process, Lemon found, was startlingly akin to labor. Twilight had to control her breathing, hyperventilating to reveal the secrets she knew. Each time a secret was told, Twilight would wail in anguish while tightly squeezing Lemon's hand as both of them shed tears, fully aware of the pain they were causing each other. Twilight, because knew she was worrying her friend and the guilt she felt for snooping on the private lives of people she barely knew. Lemon, because of the emotional and mental suffering Twilight had went through and was still going through, all for her own sake.

After the last secret was revealed, Lemon was in shock. "Twilight...are you sure of all of those things?"

Twilight was still in tears. "Yes..." she said. "I had to double and even triple check...but yes. There's no doubt about any of them."

"Twilight...I don't know what to say..." said Lemon.

"Lemon...before we leave this room, I want to make something abundantly clear." said Twilight.

"Yes?" said Lemon.

"This will be between you and me, and we will both carry this to our graves if we can help it." said Twilight, giving Lemon a serious expression.

"I agree." Lemon said. "I can't believe you went to all that trouble just for me..."

"Hey." said Twilight, her voice quavering. "What are friends for?" she said as she hugged Lemon.

Lemon returned the hug and the two resumed crying until the warning bell for the first period rang.

Pushed to the Edge

First period had ended, and Lemon's brain was still swimming from all the revelations that Twilight gave her. I still can't believe she did all that for me... thought Lemon. I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through right now. I've never seen anyone in pain like that.

"Look where you're walking, you're going to bump into someone." said a deadpan voice.

Lemon rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Sugarcoat." Sugarcoat merely blinked as Lemon passed her by. Lemon shuddered, remembering Sugarcoat's secret. This must be what being burdened with knowledge feels like...

"Yo." said a voice. Lemon looked up to see Indigo Zap. "You excited for the Friendship Games?" she asked.

"Of course I am!" said Lemon, perking up. "Crystal Prep always wins, after all!"

"You're goddamn right we do." said Indigo as she and Lemon fist-bumped.

Oh, shit... Lemon thought. If I've seen Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap, and Sour Sweet's still avoiding me like the plague...that leaves...

"Hey there." said Sunny Flare.

Lemon sighed. "What do you want?"

Sunny smiled. "Heard about your falling out with Sour Sweet. I haven't seen her since then."

"Yeah? So what?" said Lemon.

"Aww. Is that the reaction I'm getting out of you? Darn, I thought you'd try to come at me or something." said Sunny.

"Not in the mood, Flare." said Lemon.

Sunny smiled. "Oho, last name only? Are you finally coming on to me?"

Lemon rolled her eyes. "If by 'coming on to you' you mean resisting the urge to shove my foot up your ass. I wouldn't do it though, something tells me you'd enjoy it."

Sunny laughed. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm a sadist, not a masochist."

Lemon rolled her eyes again. "Sometimes I wonder. Is there anything you want? Like...oh, I don't know...gloating?"

Sunny put her hand to her mouth in mock astonishment. "Why, Lemon Zest, whatever makes you think I'd do that? I wasn't the one who spilled the beans to one of her only friends. That was all you."

Lemon felt her anger rise slowly. Don't let her get to you...use your knowledge only as a last resort.

"Oh, goodness!" said Sunny. "You're turning a most delightful shade of red, it's very becoming!"

Lemon snarled. "Isn't their someone else you can piss off and masturbate to their misery?"

Sunny grinned. "You're the best target in all of Crystal Prep Academy! Why would I ever aim for anyone else?"

"Keep testing me, and I just might give you a damn good reason." said Lemon.

"Such as?" asked Sunny.

"Last warning, Flare." said Lemon. "I don't want to have to do this."

"What's with you and last names?" asked Sunny. "Besides, you know nothing about me."

Lemon allowed herself a smile. "Interesting choice of words, Sunny Flare. How about this last name, then...Rutherford."

Sunny Flare blanched. "Uh...what was that?"

"I. Said. Rutherford." said Lemon.

"How...how do you..." said Sunny.

"Like I'd tell you." said Lemon. "And if I know about Rutherford, then I'm sure you've gathered that I also know about your-"

"Don't say it!" said Sunny, tears forming in her eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be the nice one..."

"Are you familiar with the phrase 'Even Buddha will get upset if he's hit in the face three times?'" said Lemon. "Well, I've been hit in the face too many goddamn times! It's time I started pushing back. I've been putting up with Crystal Prep Academy's bullshit for far too long. All the competitiveness, the backstabbing... I have had enough!"

"Wait...are you...?" Sunny looked at Lemon.

"Here's what you're going to do, Sunny Flare." said Lemon.

"You...you're blackmailing me?!" said Sunny.

"After all the shit I've been through, I'd like some sort of...'compensation' for all the grief you and the other girls have caused me." said Lemon.

"What makes you think they'll listen to you?" said Sunny.

"I know all the deepest, darkest secrets of our fellow Shadowbolts." Lemon said.

Sunny Flare's eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing."

"Are you willing to take that chance?" said Lemon. "I'm starting to think it really would kill everyone here to be nice to each other."

"Okay." Sunny sighed. "What is it you want?"

"That's more like it." said Lemon. "What I want...Sunny Flare...is for you and the other Shadowbolts to treat each other nicely. I'm not asking or forcing you all to be friends, I'm not so sweet and naive as to believe that's possible. At the very least, try to be civil with one another."

Sunny blinked. "That's all you want?"

Lemon's expression hardened. "What, you were expecting a sexual favor? As you just said to me; 'Don't flatter yourself'. Now go spread the word..." Lemon narrowed her eyes. "And get the fuck out of my sight." she hissed.

Sunny nodded and ran off. Once she left Lemon's eyesight, Lemon nearly collapsed onto the floor. Fucking hell...if I feel this bad about what I did, Twilight must be feeling far worse! The warning bell for second period rang. "Crap!" she said as she ran to her next class.

After second period, Lemon started searching for Twilight. She couldn't find any of the other members of the Shadowbolt lineup for the Friendship Games, and she took that as a good sign. She was stopped in her tracks by two arms holding onto her tightly. She looked at the person responsible to see Twilight in tears. "Twilight?" said Lemon.

"Oh, god, Lemon...I feel so terrible!" Twilight said. "It feels like the guilt is eating me alive!" she started crying.

Lemon hugged her. "Hey now...I'm here for you."

"Lemon...I don't know if I can live with myself for what I've done." Twilight said. "I saw the whole thing with you and Sunny Flare. The look on her face...and when you nearly collapsed on the floor..." Twilight sobbed.

Lemon stroked Twilight's hair to calm her down. "I'm here for you, Twilight. We can get through this together, you hear me? Just you and me..."

"That's just it..." said Twilight. "I don't know if I can keep it between us for much longer. This knowledge is the equivalent of the Telltale Heart to me, and I'm very close to just ripping off the floorboards just so I can feel at peace with myself!"

Lemon thought for a moment. "Okay. I think I know someone we can tell with little fear of consequences, but you'll have to wait and trust me. Meet during lunch period. Just hang in there until then, okay?"

Twilight simply nodded.

Lunch period came around rather quickly, and Lemon and Twilight met each other in the cafeteria. "How are you holding up?" Lemon asked Twilight.

"I think I could snap any minute..." said Twilight.

"Then we don't have any time to lose. Follow me!" she took Twilight's hand and ran to Radiant Hope's office.

Third Session

Lemon and Twilight reached Radiant Hope's office, the latter on the verge of bursting into tears. Hope stood up from her desk, concern on her face. "What on earth ha-" Before she could get another syllable out, Twilight Sparkle ran to her and started bawling into her chest. Lemon stood in the doorway, heaving a sigh of relief. Hope gave Lemon a look of concern.

"Promise me what we're about to tell you won't leave this office." Lemon said as she shut Hope's door.

Hope blinked, then said. "In all honesty, it depends on the severity of the situation, Lemon Zest."

Lemon frowned. "Crap. Why did I know you'd say something like that?"

"Because it's part of my job." said Hope.

"Yeah...I should have known." said Lemon.

Twilight had finally calmed down and took a seat next to Lemon.

Hope sat back down at her desk. "So..." she said, looking intently at the pair. "What happened?"

Lemon and Twilight looked at each other, with tense expressions. They nodded to each other, and told Hope all that had transpired, starting from Lemon's falling out with Sour Sweet to the present moment. As they told her their tale, Hope had to give them a box of tissues. Many tears were shed between the two friends, and there had to be a few breaks in telling the story so either one of them could regain their composure. Once they finished, Radiant Hope simply stared at them with an unreadable expression. Twilight and Lemon were visibly tensed up, afraid of the consequences.

"I'm going to be frank with the both of you..." Hope said.

Lemon sighed. "Yeah, that's what we're afraid of."

"We deserve the worst punishment possible..." whimpered Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle. While what you did for Lemon was admirable, touching even...you know better than snooping around peoples' private lives." said Hope.

"I...I know." said Twilight, tears still in her eyes. "Can't you tell how bad I feel about it?"

"Lemon Zest. The fact that you harassed a fellow student over something that was meant to be confidential is shocking to me. I understand you've been having a rough time here at Crystal Prep lately, but what you did was uncalled for, to say the least." said Hope.

Lemon lowered her head. "I know. But surely you've been pushed to a point where you wanted to push back, right?"

"That doesn't justify what you did." said Hope.

Lemon sighed. "Yeah. I know."

"Wait." said Twilight. "You're a guidance counselor. I thought your job wasn't to judge students."

"I may be a guidance counselor, Twilight Sparkle...but I'm also a staff member." she said, her eyes narrowed.

Twilight gulped.

Hope took a deep breath and exhaled. "Both of you. Go to detention."

Twilight blanched. "D-D-D-Detention?!"

Lemon blinked. "That's awfully lenient for what we just did."

Twilight was in a panic. "I-I-I've never been to detention. I have a spotless record!"

Hope sighed. "You should have thought of that before you went digging around. Now go, before I change my mind and give you a harsher punishment!"

Twilight and Lemon left her office, walking slowly and closing the office door.

Now that her door was fully closed, Radiant Hope turned on an outside noise-cancelling fan. She then sat down and sighed deeply. I can't believe I just did that. she thought as she put her hand to her forehead. If this were any other school, I would have lost my job by now! She picked up her desk phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" said a voice.

"Dean Cadence...I have something to tell you, and you're not going to like it." Said Hope. She told the Dean what happened between her, Twilight and Lemon. She heard Cadence gasp at least once, if not twice as she was speaking to her.

"That's...I don't know how to react to that." said Cadence. "We need to move faster, Radiant Hope. I fear the stress of the oppressive atmosphere here will cause a riot."

Hope sighed. "You and me both. As long as Principal Cinch is in power, though, there's little to nothing we can do about it."

"Just remember the plan between the three of us." said Cadence.

"I know, I know." said Hope. "Twilight was so upset throughout this whole ordeal. I couldn't help but feel bad for her. The poor girl was shaken to her core."

"Don't worry, Radiant Hope. I'll have a talk with her later." said Cadence. "Are you going to contact their parents?"

Hope was silent for a moment. "No." she said. "Those two have already been through enough and they're genuinely remorseful for their actions."

"I understand." said Cadence. "It's always hard to see the few good students fall from grace. That's why we need to speed things up. Who knows how much worse things could get here?"

"I agree." said Hope. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to call our Third."

"Okay. Tell me if anything comes up. Goodbye." Cadence hung up.

Radiant Hope took a deep breath and exhaled. This place can be a real hellhole sometimes... She took out her smart phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" said a voice.

"It's me...Radiant Hope." said the counselor.

"Do you have any update on Cinch's activities?" asked the Third.

"No." said Hope. "But with the Friendship Games around the corner, that may very well change."

"I believe the Friendship Games will be an important turning point for Crystal Prep Academy, given all of the...'activity' at Canterlot High as of late." said the Third.

"Before you go on any further, there's something you should know..." said Hope. She told the Third about what Twilight and Lemon had done, as well as her discussion with Dean Cadence.

"I...see..." said the Third. "It would seem the situation is deteriorating faster than I thought."

"Cadence wants us to speed up the process." said Hope.

"I would agree with her under normal circumstances, but as the Friendship Games are within a couple of days, I say we should wait. If the Friendship Games change nothing at Crystal Prep, then we'll speed things up." said the Third.

"Understood. Thank you, Third." said Hope.

"Hope...you're on your smart phone. It's okay to call me by my name." said the Third.

"I understand...and thanks again, Vice-Principal Luna." said Hope, and hung up.

The Truth Hurts

Author's Note

I know I skipped detention as a chapter, but I might do one for Twilight in her book.

The Truth Hurts

Lemon and Twilight left detention after a couple of hours. Yikes. Thought Lemon. Twilight had it really rough back there. But now that it's over, she seems to be doing better. "Twilight?" asked Lemon.

Twilight turned to Lemon with a sad look in her eyes. "Yes?" she said faintly.

"Are you...going to be okay now?"

Twilight sighed. "Well, I'm not as guilt-ridden about it as I was initially now that I've served my sentence..."

"Geez, Twilight. It was detention, not prison." said Lemon.

"The whole of today felt like a prison to me. A personal hell." Twilight said flatly. "But at least I have a majority of the guilt out of my system."

"'A majority'?" repeated Lemon.

Twilight nodded slowly. "I pried open numerous floorboards, but I still don't have the heart...if you understand my metaphor."

Lemon smiled sadly. "Yeah...I get it. The guilt's going to stay with you for a while, Twilight. I still feel bad about pummeling Sour Sweet...and I wonder how she's doing right now. I've seen glimpses of her in the hallway, but she still refuses to make contact with me. Not to mention that I think the rest of the Shadowbolts are either pissed at me, afraid of me, or both." She sighed. "We're both going to have to live with this, Twilight. I know it's not easy."

Twilight frowned. "It was driving me absolutely insane, Lemon Zest. I had to tell a figure of authority or I fear I would have gone off the deep end."

"Are you going to tell your parents?" asked Lemon.

"Honestly?" said Twilight. "I don't know. I've always been a good student, and I'm proud of that...please forgive the word...reputation."

Lemon shuddered. "Gah. Thanks to Principal Cinch, I fucking hate that word."

"Sorry." said Twilight.

"No need to apologize." said Lemon.

"Maybe Radiant Hope has already called our parents and told them..." said Twilight, worry slowly showing on her face.

"Tell you what..." said Lemon. "Just act like nothing happened today, but if you can't avoid it, tell the truth."

"I don't know...I don't really like the thought of lying to my parents. I mean, I will admit that I've lied by omission, and one would say that's lying...plain and simple." said Twilight.

Lemon shrugged. "Well I won't pressure you. This whole day has put a lot on your plate,"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Tell me about it." she deadpanned.

Lemon winced. "Sorry. Did I hit a sore spot?"

Twilight smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Lemon.

"Hey." said Twilight. "If I'm struggling, I'll connect with you. That sound good?"

Lemon smiled. "Yes. Yes it does."

"Then I'll see you around." said Twilight.

Lemon waved goodbye to Twilight.

The remainder of the day was uneventful for Lemon, to say the least. It seemed her fellow Shadowbolts were still avoiding her like the plague, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. She sputtered. "Well...off to home base I go." she thought aloud as she walked to where the buses were waiting.

She found a seat and put on a tune to pass the time as the bus moved away from Crystal Prep.

I wonder what this Canterlot High is like? thought Lemon. I've passed it by several times while jogging, but I've never seen it from the inside. She smiled. Nowhere near as good looking as Crystal Prep, but I guess it has a rustic charm all its own. The bus reached her stop, snapping her out of her thoughts. She got off her seat and exited the bus, waving to the driver.

Lemon entered her house and went to the kitchen. "Hey, parentals." she said, surprising herself with her flat tone.

"Hey, kiddo...you all right?" said Citrus.

"I...guess." said Lemon.

"You sure don't sound all right." said Florid.

No... thought Lemon as she felt an all too familiar feeling creep up on her.

"I just had a rough day, that's all." said Lemon, out of force of habit from the last few days at Crystal Prep. SHIT! I had to say that. Fuck me seven ways from Sunday! she thought as she was fully aware of the next sentence either one of her parents would say. She turned her back to her parents, clenching her teeth and hands and closing her eyes tightly, dreading that inevitable question...

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked her father.

Lemon's knees buckled as she felt her emotions stirring. God fucking dammit!

Florid sprinted over to Lemon. "Are you okay?"

Lemon felt tears streaming down her face as her breath began to hitch. No, Lemon. Stay strong. Don't let them break you! she nodded her head.

"Lemon...we're your parents. You can tell us anything. We're here for you. We love you." said Citrus.

Any rational thought Lemon Zest had had completely vanished upon hearing her father's words. "I can't lie to you guys...I love you both so much!" were her last words before she lost control of herself. In no time at all, her parents embraced her as Lemon rode out her emotions for what she hoped would be the last time of the day.

After she calmed down, she took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay...I don't know how else to do this, so I'll give everything to you straight..." She told her parents everything, save for all the secrets Twilight had revealed to her. Lemon would stop from time to time, just to calm down. After she finished, she looked at her parents.

Florid Abundance and Citrus Splash remained silent. Lemon stood still, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. The tension in the air was palpable. Lemon tried her hardest not to break the silence, it was becoming unbearable! Her father sighed, startling her.

"Lemon Zest...go to your room." said Citrus, softly. "Your mother and I will discuss your punishment while you wait."

Shit...I've almost never seen him get this angry before... Lemon thought. She nodded, knowing that if she uttered another word, it would set her father off. She walked upstairs slowly, her fate now in the hands of her parents.

Punishment

Lemon paced around her room, dreading the conversation she knew was going to precede her punishment. She decided to text Twilight.

Hey. Did you tell your parents? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Of course I did... - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Did you? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Yeah. It didn't take long for me to crack. - Sent by Lemon Zest

I love my parents too much to lie to them like that. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Same here. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

How bad do you think your punishment will be? - Sent by Lemon Zest

I'll probably lose access to my lab for two weeks, and that's just me being optimistic! - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

The same'll probably go for my headphones...but hey. If you imagine how much worse the consequences could be had we lied about it, then this won't seem all that bad. - Sent by Lemon Zest

I suppose you're right, but that knowledge is little consolation for me. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

There was a knock on Lemon's door.

Judgment time...hang in there! - Sent by Lemon Zest

You too. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Lemon slowly walked down the stairs, her anxiety increasing with each step as she reached the main floor. She walked into the living room, where both of her parents were waiting. She could feel herself sweating, trembling even...but she knew she had to accept whatever punishment her parents had in store for her. She slowly sat down on the couch and faced Florid and Citrus.

Her father mercifully broke the silence. "Lemon...what happened to you?" he asked. "You've always been a good kid. A good student. Your mother and I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, so we like to think we've been lenient."

Lemon nodded slowly.

"Now," continued Citrus. "It was bad enough that you and Sour Sweet got into not just one, but two fights." her father's tone was shifting from calm to upset. "And it wasn't even bad enough that both times, you drew blood." Citrus took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "But blackmail?!" Her father was nearly shouting. "Lemon Zest, your mother and I raised you to be better than that!"

Lemon flinched.

"I don't care what Sunny Flare said or did to you, you shouldn't have stooped to her level!" said Citrus. "You are grounded for a month."

"I understand..." Lemon said, almost whispering. She took off her headphones and gave them to her mother.

"And your computer." said her father. "No headphones until the Friendship Games, then after that you go a week without your own music."

Lemon blinked. "Wait...what?"

"You heard me, Lemon Zest! I want your computer down here now." her father said sternly.

"But...what was that about the Friendship Games?" Lemon said, confused.

"Punishment or no, the Friendship Games are too important to Crystal Prep Academy for even one of their top eleven to miss." said Florid.

"I...I don't understand. Why are you punishing me so severely but still letting me go to the Friendship Games?" said Lemon.

"Your mother just said that they're too important for you to miss." said Citrus.

"But...that doesn't make any sense to me." said Lemon.

"Lemon...just bring your computer down here." said her father.

Lemon Zest walked up the stairs, confused and unsure of how to deal with the situation at hand.

Once she was out of earshot, her parents leaned towards each other.

"Are you sure that was the right thing to do?" asked Florid.

"I may have been a bit rough on her, but you know me. I never have and never will condone behavior like that." said Citrus.

"No, I mean letting her go to the Friendship Games despite the punishment." said Florid.

"Only under dire circumstances are we to keep her from the Friendship Games." said Citrus. "Those were the orders from the First, Second, and Third."

After Lemon brought down her computer, she had a silent and awkward dinner with her parents. What is with the Friendship Games and leniency towards its participants? I should probably get Twilight to look into that sort of thing. If they'll let me see her again. I'm worried they'll think of me as a bad influence after all this. Lemon sighed as she finished her dinner and went straight to her room as per her parents' orders.

So. How bad was it? - Sent by Lemon Zest.

A month. I'm banned from my lab for a freaking month! - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Ouch. - Sent by Lemon Zest

What about you? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

I think you'd have a hard time believing me. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Only one way to find out. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Fair point. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Grounded for a month, no computer for a week, no headphones until the Friendship Games, then I go a week without them afterwards. - Sent by Lemon Zest

You're right. I am having a hard time believing you. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Why are they still letting you go to the Friendship Games? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

I was just told that they're 'too important to miss for even one of the top eleven to miss'. - Sent by Lemon Zest

But that doesn't make any sense... - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

I know, right? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Maybe we could look into it together tomorrow. - Sent by Lemon Zest

I'm sorry, Lemon...but I already have plans for tomorrow. Remember when I told you about the strange energies from Canterlot High? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Yeah. What about them? - Sent by Lemon Zest

I'm going to investigate them tomorrow so I can get into the Everton Independent Study Program. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Ooh, that's ambitious of you! - Sent by Lemon Zest

I know, right? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

It's getting kind of late. I'm going to turn in. Will I see you tomorrow? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Hard to say, honestly. Guess we'll know by then. Goodnight, Lemon. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Night, Twilight. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Lemon then plugged her phone into the wall to charge it, then went to sleep for the night.

Anticipation

Author's Note

One Day remains...

(I was writing this chapter on my phone and I accidentally hit the publish button partway through, hence the date.)

Anticipation

Lemon nearly jumped out of bed the moment she woke up. The Friendship Games are tomorrow!! she thought, grinning as widely as possible. She had to suppress a squeal of excitement.

"Parentals!" Lemon said. "Tomorrow is the Friendship Ga-" she froze on the spot, remembering all that had happened yesterday. Well, there goes the hype... she thought, frowning. Might as well face the music...

She walked into the kitchen to see her parents. "Hi." She said, unable to look either of them in the eye.

"Don't let your punishment get in the way of your enthusiasm, Lemon." said her mother.

"Your mom's right, kiddo." said Citrus. "I know neither of us need to say it, but the Friendship Games are a pretty big deal."

"I know." said Lemon. "Everybody won't stop talking about it..."

"Are you starting to feel the pressure?" asked her father.

Lemon shrugged. "All I know is that the persistent feeling in my gut is slowly firing up."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Asked Florid.

Lemon shrugged again. "I'd give you an answer, but I still have no idea what it means."

"Well at least it's not bad. That's what matters." said Florid. "Lunch is in the fridge, see you later!"

"Thanks! Love ya, parentals!" Lemon said as she walked out the door.

"Do you think she suspects anything?" asked Citrus.

"I'm sure she does, she's a smart girl. But I believe she'll dismiss it as overthinking." said Florid.

Lemon found a seat and started playing music, knowing she should enjoy it before her headphones get confiscated by her mother.

All the students on the bus were talking about the Friendship Games. I don't blame them, thought Lemon. This is the most hyped event of the school year, after all.

The bus stopped in front of Crystal Prep and all the students got off. Lemon looked around for any sign of trouble, and thankfully found none. She breathed a sigh of relief, but kept her guard up all the same.

Sucks that Twilight's not going to be around for part of the day... thought Lemon. I don't even have an appointment with Radiant Hope. Lemon sighed. Maybe Sour Sweet's ready to talk now? "That is, if I can even find her first..." Lemon muttered under her breath.

She walked around the halls of Crystal Prep, keeping an eye out for her teammates. I should probably apologize to them. It's bad enough I fucked things up with Sour, but probably pissing off the rest of the team didn't do me any favors.

"Well, let's just see how today goes, shall we?" she though aloud.

First period went by quickly, much to Lemon's surprise. Huh. And here I was thinking it would drag on and on. She took another look around. No sign of Twilight or the rest of my teammates. Lemon shrugged and put on some music to pass the time before second period.

Second period was a bit slower than the first, but Lemon wasn't complaining. This suited her just fine. She just wished she had someone to talk to, she was kind of starting to feel lonely....

Third period felt like an eternity in hell. When Lemon left the classroom, she took a deep breath and exhaled. I feel like I just served a life sentence... she thought. As she walked the halls, she could still not find hide nor hair of her friend or the Shadowbolts. Man, if it was just me in the halls I'd start to freak out. She shook her head. Seriously, Lemon Zest! Enough with the paranoia! she chided herself. "On to the next class..."

Fourth period had come and gone, and the hallways we're still lacking Twilight Sparkle and the remaining Shadowbolts. "Okay..." said Lemon. "What gives? Is this some kind of fucked up mind game?" Maybe she should try to have an impromptu session with Radiant Hope later today.

Lunch period rolled around, and Lemon went to the cafeteria, her shoulders slumped.

"Lemon?" said a voice she'd been dying to hear all day.

Lemon turned around quickly and almost tackle-hugged Twilight.

"Ack!" Yelped Twilight.

Lemon blushed and laughed sheepishly. "Sorry... today's been pretty damn uneventful."

Twilight blinked.

"So...what about you, Twilight? Find what you were looking for?"

Twilight sighed heavily.

Lemon gave Twilight a look of concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Twilight sighed again. "You want the short version or the long version?"

Lemon thought for a moment. "...Short version. Judging by the look on your face and the tone of your voice, the long version would probably take the rest of lunch period."

"Well, you wouldn't be too far off." Said Twilight.

"So what's bothering you?" asked Lemon.

"Principal Cinch is basically blackmailing me to get me to compete in the Friendship Games." said Twilight, looking sad.

Lemon's mind started running a mile a minute. Just yesterday she had blackmailed Sunny Flare and the rest of the Shadowbolts, and now this happened. She nearly fell over from shock from Twilight's news, but she could feel her guilt and tears rising at an alarming rate when she uttered the words "Oh my God...I'm no better than Principal Cinch..."

Upon hearing those words, Twilight snapped out of her funk and grabbed her friend by her collar, looking her straight in the eyes. "Now you listen to me, Lemon Zest. You are nothing like Principal Cinch. You and I just had a fall from grace. But you know what? The best part of falling is that you can get back up again..." Twilight began shedding tears. "Because when you do get back up, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world!" Twilight said as her voice quavered.

"I hate to interrupt the moment you two are having, but you guys need to come with me." said a newcomer.

Lemon and Twilight, both still with tears in their eyes, turned to find the source of the voice.

"Principal Cinch wants you two to meet the rest of the team." said Sour Sweet.

Meet the Team

Author's Note

Yes, the chapter title is a reference to the Team Fortress 2 series of the same name.

Meet the Team

"Sour..." said Lemon.

"Let me cut you off right now, Lemon. One." She raised her pointer finger. "We'll talk after team introductions. "Two." she said as she raised her middle finger, making a peace sign. "It'll be just you and me. It's always been just between you and me."

Lemon nodded in understanding.

Sour pointed to Twilight. "I don't want her getting any more involved than she already has." She looked at Twilight. "Understand?"

Twilight blinked, then nodded.

"Good." said Sour. "Now that we've reached an agreement, let's get this over with."

Lemon and Twilight followed Sour to a room with the remaining Shadowbolts, each of them glaring at the two friends.

"Obviously you know me, Twilight, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare." said Sour. "But here's the other half of the team." She said as she gestured toward six others.

"First off, this is Suri Polomare." Sour said, pointing to a student with light pink skin and light purple hair with a pale yellow headband.

Suri gave Lemon a nasty look. "Sunny Flare gave us your message. We all agree to your terms, but once the Friendship Games are over, we're going to make your life hell...okay?"

Lemon gulped nervously. "Actually...about that..." she said before Sour moved on to the next introduction.

"Not now, Lemon." said Sour. "This is Trender." she pointed to a dark brown-skinned student wearing glasses and blonde hair.

"Hello." he said. "I don't know how you found out all of our secrets, but I assure you that we will find yours...and when we do..." He made a fist with one hand and punched his other.

Lemon sighed, realizing that even if she apologized to them it wouldn't change their minds. Sour snapped Lemon out of her thoughts by moving on to the next introduction.

"This is Neon Lights." said Sour, gesturing towards a light blue-skinned student with black hair and sunglasses.

"You are so dead after the games." he said, snarling.

I am so fucked. thought Lemon. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"This is Royal Pin." Sour said as she pointed to a dark-blue skinned student with white wavy hair.

Royal Pin scowled at Lemon. "How dare you." he said. "The knowledge you uncovered was meant to be confidential."

Oh, shit! thought Lemon. I got so wrapped up in all their animosity that I forgot Twilight was here with me! she glanced behind herself to see her friend slowly pulling at her hair with her mouth open and teeth clenched.

Lemon frowned and put her hand on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight jerked a little, clearly startled by the sudden pressure she felt from Lemon's hand. Lemon gave Twilight a reassuring smile. "Hey." Lemon whispered. "I've got your back."

Twilight calmed down slightly and smiled back. "Thanks." she said.

"Hey. What are friends for?" said Lemon, grinning.

"Oh get a room, you two!" said Sour. She paused for moment, then put the palm of her hand on her face as she sighed. "Anyway...moving on."

"Jet Set and Upper Crust, Crystal Prep Academy's power couple." Sour pointed to a gray-skinned male student with light black hair and a small pair of glasses that were near the tip of his nose. Next to him was a light yellow-skinned student with light purple hair that had a streak of white in the very middle.

"I'd say 'pleased to make your acquaintance'," said Jet Set, "but we all know that I'd be lying, given the circumstances."

"Indeed!" said Upper Crust. "The nerve!"

"And of course you already know me, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, and Sugarcoat." said Sour.

"Mark my words, Lemon Zest...we will find out how you got that information. One way or another." said Sunny Flare.

"Yeah, Lemon, what the hell? I don't think anyone here's gone so far as to get dirt on other students just to protect themselves." said Indigo.

"That's a new level of fucked up, Zest." said Sugarcoat.

"But as you've heard, we agree to your terms." said Sour. "After the Friendship Games, however, all bets are off!"

Lemon nodded in understanding.

"Now that we have all that established...get the fuck out of our sight." said Sunny.

Lemon and Twilight left the room, the latter visibly shaken. Lemon checked her surroundings to see if anyone was within hearing distance. Satisfied, she leaned over to Twilight and whispered into her ear. "Don't worry, Twilight Sparkle. I'll protect you. I promise."

Twilight started to tear up. "Oh god, Lemon Zest... I'm so scared right now..." she said, her volume barely at a whisper. She sniffled. "I don't think I've ever been this frightened in my life!" she buried her head into Lemon's chest and cried.

"It's okay, Twilight. I've got your back." said Lemon, using a soothing tone as she stroked her friend's hair to calm her down. "Why don't you sit next to me on the bus to Canterlot High tomorrow? I'll keep you safe, so you don't have to worry."

"You can't...guarantee that!" Twilight said between sobs. "They're going to find out that I did the digging, then the rest of my time here will be a living hell!"

"Twilight." said Lemon. "All of the right people know what you did. You, me, our parents, Radiant Hope and Dean Cadence."

"But what if Principal Cinch knows?!" said Twilight.

Lemon smiled. "If Principal Cinch knew about all this, she would have used that knowledge as leverage for whatever agenda she has. Besides, Dean Cadence and Hope wouldn't tell her anyway. I get the feeling that while she may be their boss, neither of them trust her."

Twilight wiped a tear from her eye, having finally calmed down. "I suppose you have a point there." she said as she smiled.

"There you go, then." said Lemon.

"I know I said 'get a room' to you two," said Sour, "but I was only kidding. Keep this up, and the school will start to think you two are an item."

"Twilight's a dear friend to me, Sour Sweet." said Lemon.

"Yeah!" said Twilight, feeling empowered by Lemon's words. "Besides, I'm straight."

Sour rolled her eyes. "Okay. Fine. Whatever. Speaking of dear friends..." she took Lemon by the hand. "You and I still need to have a little chat." Sour said as she walked away with Lemon.

Complications

Once Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest reached a secluded spot, Sour gave Lemon a death glare. "What the goddamn fuck, Lemon Zest?!" she all but yelled. "It was bad enough that you told Twilight about my personal life, but now you get into everyone else's? I thought you were better than that!"

Lemon sighed. "I know what I did was wrong. I was just...so damn tired of being pushed around that I decided it was about time I pushed back. I know it doesn't justify what I did."

"Quit bullshitting me, Lemon. I know you're protecting Twilight because she did the digging. I heard enough of the conversation you two had in the hallway." said Sour.

Lemon's eyes widened in horror. Her jaw hung open as her brain struggled to form the words she wanted to say.

"I won't tell anyone that Twilight did the digging." she smiled. "I'm not always petty and vindictive."

Lemon was still frozen in place from shock. All she could do was blink.

"Lemon? Are you okay?" said Sour as she waved her hand in front of Lemon's face. She remained silent and still. A smirk slowly crept onto Sour Sweet's face as she had an idea to snap Lemon out of her shock. She leaned into Lemon's ear and said in the softest tone possible "Lemon Zest...I love you."

"WHAAAT?!" Lemon shrieked.

Sour giggled. "That snapped you out of it. I think we woke up the dead in the process though. I wasn't expecting that strong of a reaction."

Lemon blinked. She felt tears in her eyes. "Not cool..." she said under her breath.

"Could you say that again? I didn't hear you. My ears are still ringing from your outburst." said Sour.

Lemon looked up at Sour. Seeing the tears in Lemon's eyes, Sour gasped.

"I said 'not cool'." Lemon's voice cracked.

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry! I thought you were over me after all this time! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" said Sour, feeling guilty.

Lemon sniffled. "So did I, Sour Sweet. So did I..."

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Sour.

"I...need some time to think, okay?" said Lemon.

"I understand...take all the time you need." said Sour as she felt a lump in her throat.

"Thank you." said Lemon as she slowly walked away.

As soon as Lemon turned a corner and was out of Sour's sight, she trembled, curled her hand into a fist, and punched the locker closest to her. "DAMMIT!" she shouted as her tears fell to the floor.

Twilight was anxiously waiting for Sour and Lemon to return from their talk in the hallway. She looked at her phone to check the time. I hope they wrap it up soon, lunch period's almost over! she thought. A barely audible noise brought her back to reality. She looked around to find where the noise came from. She heard it again and followed the direction it came from. As the sound got louder, Twilight recognized it as someone crying. She moved faster towards the source, feeling worried. She ran down the hall and around the corner to find Lemon slouched against a locker, head in her hands.

"Lemon?" asked Twilight. She only had a split-second to react before Lemon threw her arms around Twilight and started sobbing uncontrollably. Twilight was startled at first, then regained her composure quickly. "Hey...it's going to be okay. I'm here for you." she said soothingly as she gently stroked Lemon's hair. "Just let it all out, Lemon. I won't let go until you're finished." Lemon hugged Twilight harder upon hearing those words.

The warning bell for next period went off only seconds after Twilight finished her sentence. She stood in place, patiently waiting for Lemon to calm down. A few minutes passed, then Lemon stopped sobbing and was merely sniffling. She looked at Twilight, her eyes red and puffy from all of the tears she shed. "Feeling better?" said Twilight with a kind smile.

Lemon sighed deeply. "I don't know." she said.

"What happened back there?" asked Twilight.

Lemon took a deep breath and exhaled, then proceeded to tell Twilight about her conversation with Sour Sweet all the way to when she propped herself against a locker.

Twilight made a hissing noise through her teeth. "Wow. That's...I don't even know what to say to all that."

Lemon made a sputtering noise. "I know she didn't mean for it to hurt me like that...I swear, it's like the only way to finally get over her is to develop a crush on someone else..." she sighed. "If only it were that easy. It feels like nobody has anything else to offer here."

Twilight gave Lemon a wistful look. "I know all too well what that feels like."

Lemon blinked in surprise. "You do?"

Twilight nodded. "I feel like I've learned everything I need to know here. When I was sent to Principal Cinch's office yesterday, I kept on asking myself 'what more is out there?' until I reached the top floor."

"Is that why you want to enroll into the Everton Independent Research Program?" asked Lemon.

"Honestly, I'm not so sure anymore." Twilight sighed. "I feel like I should move on to something greater. I just don't know what, though."

"But you're here for another year after this one." said Lemon.

"Ugh. Don't remind me." Twilight paused for a moment. "No offense to you or Crystal Prep."

Lemon snickered. "None taken, even if I'm only speaking for myself."

The bell for the next period rang.

"Oh crap, we're late!" said Lemon, staring to panic.

Twilight put her hand on Lemon's shoulder. "Yes. Yes we are. But you know what?"

Lemon looked at Twilight. "What?"

Twilight smiled. "We have a damn good reason for it." she said as she gave Lemon a big hug.

Lemon returned the hug, then broke it after a couple of seconds.

"Now let's get to class." said Twilight. "I don't want us to be any more late than we already are!"

The Night Before

The rest of the day went by quickly for Lemon, who was more than eager to get home. Naturally, she told her parents all that had happened over the course of the day. And as expected, they were supportive of their daughter. But to Lemon, everything that happened today was in the past, and she was focused on the future. The Friendship Games, that is. Though it's now starting to reach the point where I just want it be done and over with. I'm starting to get tired of hearing about it. She took off her headphones and stared at them. I'm going to rock out to music on you so fucking hard tomorrow. Gotta make the limited time I have with you count.

Lemon blinked, then rolled her eyes. Oh, great. Now I sound like I'm hot for my headphones. She made a sputtering noise and looked outside. "Gah!" she said. "If only there was a way to speed up time!"

"Dinner's ready!" said Citrus.

"Coming!" said Lemon, and she ran downstairs.

"So." said Citrus as they all gathered around the table. "Guess what?"

Lemon blinked. "Okay...what?"

"I just got a call from your favorite cousin. He said he plans on moving here to be closer to us!"

Lemon's eyes went wide. "No way."

"Yes way!" said her father.

Lemon could barely contain a squeal. She hardly ever heard from him, but when he came over it was never a dull moment. "I can't believe it! Golden Crossbow's gonna be in our neighborhood!"

"He'll move in to a nearby house within a few months or so." said Citrus. "He told me he's really looking forward to seeing us all again."

"All right, enough talk. Let's eat, I'm hungry!" said Florid.

The rest of dinner was a blur to Lemon. Not only were the Friendship Games tomorrow, but her favorite cousin's going to move closer to be with her and her parents! She looked at the clock. "Come on...move faster, dammit!" Suddenly, Lemon had an idea. Maybe texting Twilight will help pass the time.

Hey, how's things without the lab? - Sent by Lemon Zest

I'm holding up okay, thanks for asking. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Yeah, no prob. Are you excited for the Friendship Games? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Yes and no. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Yes and no? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Yes, because I want to check out all the strange energy readings. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

No, because I didn't want to participate in the games in first place. Remember? - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

Lemon slapped her face with the palm of her hand.

I forgot. Been pretty hectic lately. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Tell me about it. I just want the Games to done and over with at this point. - Sent by Twilight Sparkle

You and me both, Twilight. You and me both. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Okay, I think I know what to do... thought Lemon.

"I'm going for a jog, parentals!" she said.

"Come back soon, we're open all day!" said her father.

"I just might." said Lemon. "The service here ain't half bad!" she closed the door behind her.

Lemon took a deep breath and exhaled, starting to pace. The sun was starting to set, giving various windows from nearby houses a golden sheen. "Gah!" Lemon shielded her eyes. "Shit, that's bright!" She quickly looked around, making sure there were no cars nearby. Satisfied, she waited until all the spots in her vision disappeared, then moved forward.

A few minutes later, Lemon found herself in familiar territory. This is Sour Sweet's neighborhood...Maybe I should try to find her. She shook her head. No. That'd probably be a bad idea. I wasn't expecting old wounds to open yesterday, I should let them heal before speaking to her again.

Lemon jogged away, unaware that Sour was hiding behind a telephone pole. That was close. Sour thought. I don't want to make things worse than I already have...

Lemon started making her way back to her house.

"Hey!" said a familiar voice. Lemon turned around to see Indigo Zap. "You excited for the Friendship Games tomorrow?" she asked.

"Well of course I am, Indigo!" said Lemon. "What have you been doing to prepare for them besides hyping everyone up?"

Indigo grinned. "Whatever I can. Nobody knows what all the events are until the last minute! That's part of what I love about it!"

Lemon smiled and rolled her eyes. "Of course it is." Lemon suddenly had an idea. The expression on her face changed from a smile to a wicked grin.

"Uhhh...are you okay, Lemon?" said Indigo. "You look like a mad scientist about to resurrect a corpse."

"Oh, I'm fine, Indigo Zap." said Lemon.

"Okay, you're starting to freak me out here..." Indigo said as she backed away slowly.

"I've just had the most wonderful idea ever...how would you like to make a bet?" said Lemon, still sporting a somewhat frightening smile on her face.

Indigo stopped backing up. "You have my attention." she said, starting to smile.

Lemon jogged all the way back home, grinning widely. Oh, this is gonna be great! she thought. She entered her house. "Hey, parentals!"

"How was your jog, sweetie?" asked Florid.

"Oh, I wager you'd say I enjoyed it." said Lemon, enjoying the pun that she made.

"If you say so." said Citrus.

Lemon checked her phone for time. "Not much longer..." she said, the anticipation getting stronger. Okay, calm down, Lemon. Don't want to get too excited otherwise I won't sleep well tonight. "Screw it!" said Lemon. "Mom, Dad, I'm going to bed early to get well rested for the Friendship Games!" She hugged both of her parents goodnight and ran upstairs.

She closed the door to her bedroom and jumped into her pajamas. Lemon stared up at the ceiling, listening intently to the noises in the background. Cars passing by, the local wildlife chittering and howling, dogs barking. Lemon closed her eyes and let sleep take her away.

All The Way to the Friendship Games

Lemon Zest quite literally jumped out of bed. "Oh, shit! It's finally time to kick some Canterlot High Wondercolt ass!" she said excitedly. She quickly changed into her uniform and ran downstairs. "Hey, parentals! Sorry I can't chat, I'm too freaking excited about the Friendship Games! I know where lunch is. See you guys later and love you!" she said as she bolted out the door.

Citrus Splash and Florid Abundance gave each other confused looks, then shrugged and went about their day.

Lemon got into the back of the bus and started bouncing up and down out of pure excitement. It was only until Sugarcoat reached the back of the bus that she stopped.

Sugarcoat gave Lemon a disappointed look. "Don't get my hopes up like that, Lemon Zest. I thought there were people fucking back here!"

Lemon froze in place for a few seconds, opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. After a while, words formed in her head and came out of her mouth. "I...don't know how I feel about that." she said, still processing this new quirk of Sugarcoat's. She remained silent all the way to Crystal Prep.

Once the bus reached Crystal Prep, all the students got out. "You go on ahead, Sugarcoat. I have...um...business that I need to tend to." said Lemon.

Sugarcoat shrugged. "Suit yourself. Later." she said as she headed for the school entrance.

Lemon ran to the nearest bush and hid inside it.

Are you in position? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Sure am! Are you? - Sent by Indigo Zap

Yep! Is the target in sight? - Sent by Lemon Zest

Not yet, but I'll let you know! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Before Lemon could respond, she felt a hand around her mouth. She tried to scream, but could only let out a muffled yelp. She turned to see Sour Sweet.

"Hey." Sour said. "What are you doing in here?"

"Jesus fucking Christ almighty on a goddamn pogo stick, Sour Sweet! You scared the fuck out of me!" Lemon whispered sharply.

Sour smiled sheepishly. She regained her composure quickly. "I'm sorry." she said.

"It's okay." said Lemon.

"No. It's not." said said Sour.

Lemon blinked, then realized what Sour was really apologizing for. "Look, neither of us knew I'd react like that. It's in the past." she said.

Sour sighed. "I know, but I still can't help but feel guilty. I mean, we were on the verge of rekindling our friendship, and I had to say those stupid, stupid words!" her voice cracked.

Lemon looked at Sour. "Hey now, I know you didn't mean to upset me. It was a total accident. I couldn't help the way I felt...and apparently still feel about you." Lemon said, blushing slightly. "It's like I want to move on, but I can't...like I won't let myself...but I don't want to drive you away." she said, feeling a lump in her throat. "Because I'm scared that if I do drive you away..." she trailed off, sniffling. "You'd feel that you have nothing left to live for." Lemon's breathing hitched.

"Lemon..." Sour said, putting her hand to her mouth.

"Please don't kill yourself, Sour Sweet!" Lemon began sobbing. "I...I don....I don't know what I'd do with myself if you did!" She shot over to Sour and hugged her tightly. "I want to do everything within my power to prevent that from happening!"

Sour smiled, tears of her own flowing. "Lemon...I promise you I won't. I've been having sessions with Radiant Hope ever since the one we had together. That day truly was an eye-opener for me. I never feel like I'm alone as long as I have a guidance counselor like Radiant Hope...or a friend like you." she said as she gently stroked Lemon's hair in an effort to calm her down.

Upon hearing Sour Sweet refer to her as a friend, Lemon Zest lost any sense of rational thought and let out all of her emotions. She focused on all that she had been through, mentally and emotionally, over the past week and let out an ear-piercing howl of anguish that could be heard by all outside. Drained, but still crying, Lemon went limp in Sour Sweet's arms until Radiant Hope found them.

Once Radiant Hope brought the pair into her office, Sour Sweet explained everything. Lemon was asleep next to her, as her emotional outburst took nearly all of her energy.

Hope gave Sour a meaningful look. "You did the right thing, Sour Sweet."

Sour gave Hope a confused look. "I...I did?"

Hope nodded. "Lemon's release of emotions was strong, to say the least, but it's a sign that while she'll still feel the pain for some time to come, she's beginning to truly heal."

Sour raised an eyebrow at Hope.

Hope smiled. "It means that since she let it all out, she had forced herself to accept that you would simply be friends."

Sour frowned. "You make it sound bad."

"But it's not, Sour." said Hope. "It's all part of the healing process."

Lemon opened her eyes and got up slowly. "What...happened?" her eyes shot wide open as everything came back to her. "Oh, shit! What time is it?! Did I miss the Friendship Games?!"

Sour smiled. "No, you didn't. You've only been out for like an hour. You've still got two hours left."

Lemon took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, there's still time then."

"Time for what?" asked Sour.

"I'll explain later. Thanks, Hope!" said Lemon as she took Sour by the hand and left Hope's office. She took out her phone.

Is everything okay? I thought I heard screaming! - Sent by Indigo Zap

I'll explain later, all you need to know is that I'm fine. - Sent by Lemon Zest

If you say so. We still have an opportunity to do this. - Sent by Indigo Zap

Perfect. Just let me know when the target's in position, I'm en route to the original hiding spot. - Sent by Lemon Zest

Will do! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Once they reached the bushes, Lemon and Sour stopped.

"What the hell is going on?!" asked Sour.

Lemon grinned. "I made a wager with Indigo last night." she said.

Sour blinked. "You what?"

"I made a wager with Indigo last night." Lemon repeated.

"Oookay...so what does this have to do with us being in the bushes?" asked Sour.

"I bet Indigo that she couldn't humiliate Sunny Flare in public in an absolutely ridiculous manner." said Lemon, grinning widely.

"Oh, fuck." said Sour, grinning from ear to ear. "This is gonna be good."

"It will be. She said she wouldn't do it for money, just one condition." said Lemon.

"And that's why we're hiding in these bushes?" asked Sour.

"Yep. The condition was that I record it on my phone." said Lemon.

Target's in position! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Recording...NOW! - Sent by Lemon Zest

Out of nowhere, the sound of airhorns came rushing towards Sunny Flare as she jumped from being startled. The source of the noise was coming from a person in a gorilla suit, throwing sardines at its target, landing an occasional bullseye.

Lemon and Sour were howling with laughter as the former managed to record the whole scene despite shaking with mirth.

The time had finally come. The moment Lemon Zest had been waiting for. Hours and hours of waiting led up to this. Lemon Zest took a deep breath, exhaled...then selected a kickass tune with guitars to pump her up for the Friendship Games. "Time to kick some motherfucking ASS!" she shouted. "Friendship games, here I come!" she said excitedly as she boarded the bus, unaware of how the rest of the day would change her life forever.

End of Book One of Before the Friendship Games

Author's Note

This was one hell of a ride, and I enjoyed every. Fucking. Minute of it. From the looks of it, so did you guys! Thanks for the support!

Each of the tunes selected by Lemon have personal meanings for me. Some just because I liked them, some nostalgic, and some profound. Check out Lemon Zest: Re-Mastered or Music: The Lifeblood of Earth.

Hostile Environment

Author's Note

This chapter takes place eight days before the Friendship Games.

Hostile Environment

Lemon Zest sat at one of the lunch room tables, deep in thought. She sighed. This place can be a real hellhole sometimes. One minute you have friends, the next you're just a stepping stone to their victory. With 'friends' like Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat, who needs enemies? She made a sputtering noise. Even when we're 'friends' it only means that we're all on the same team and we want to win no matter the cost. She nearly banged her fist on the table. And it doesn't help that strange feeling inside of me that I've had for as long as I can remember...I just wish I knew what it was and what it means!

"Lemon Zest?" said a voice that brought her out of her thoughts.

Lemon Zest turned her head in the direction the voice came from. "Dean Cadence?" she asked. "What are you doing in the cafeteria?"

Dean Cadence smiled. "I've noticed you've been down in the dumps lately. You seem to be deep in thought. Is something troubling you?"

Lemon Zest blushed. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"Not really." said Dean Cadence. "But I've seen it enough times to recognize it." she smiled.

Lemon Zest sighed. "This whole back and forth thing with being friends and enemies is really getting to me. I mean, I get it. We're Crystal Prep Shadowbolts. We always win. 'We have a reputation to uphold!'". Lemon Zest said the last sentence trying to impersonate Principal Cinch. "Sorry. I'm just venting."

Dean Cadence laughed. "I completely understand. Principal Cinch can be a bit...abrasive sometimes, but she only wants what's best for this school."

Best for the school or best for her? Lemon Zest thought bitterly.

"You know that you can always talk to me or one of the guidance counselors if you ever need someone to lend you an ear." said Dean Cadence.

"Thanks." Lemon Zest smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

After lunch, Lemon Zest roamed the halls before her next class. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Indigo Zap intentionally bump into her, knocking everything out of her hands. She sighed, bending down to pick her things up. only for Sunny Flare to kick them away from her, sending her supplies sliding on the hallway floor.

"You need to move faster, you're blocking the hallway." said Sugarcoat.

Lemon Zest let out a grunt of frustration. After she finally got all of her possessions in order, she went back to roaming the halls.

"Hey, Lemon." said a voice behind her.

Oh crap, which one is it this time? she rolled her eyes before she turned around. "Hey Sour." said Lemon.

"I just wanted to thank you for playing on my team during gym." Sour Sweet said sweetly.

Here it comes... thought Lemon Zest.

"Until you completely screwed it up!" said Sour.

Yep. Saw that coming. thought Lemon. Despite that knowledge, Lemon Zest felt her anger rise. "You know what?" she said, "Maybe you screwed it up and don't have the balls to admit it!" she said as she put her pointer finger right in Sour's face. "I know saying it makes me a hypocrite, but would it actually kill one of us to not throw each other under a bus every goddamn time we get the chance?!" She fumed. "I am getting so sick of this 'every person for themselves' herd mentality. But you want to know what the worst part of this is?" she said, her voice cracking.

Sour Sweet stared at Lemon Zest, shock on her face.

"The worst part" continued Lemon Zest, unaware of the tears that were falling from her eyes. "is that even though I'm justifiably pissed off, I'll eventually fall right back into the whole 'herd mentality' and it'll be me against the world unless fate is so kind enough to have me on a team so that when they fuck up, I'm the lucky one to throw them under the goddamn bus!" she collapsed and burst into tears, sobbing in the middle of the hallway.

After a few minutes, Lemon Zest felt an arm on her shoulder. Lemon looked up. "Dean Cadence?" she said, wiping the tears away.

"Count yourself lucky I'm not Principal Cinch." said Cadence.

Lemon Zest smiled. "Trust me. That's the last person I want to see right now."

Dean Cadence sighed. "I know you're having a rough day, so why didn't you come see me?" she asked.

Lemon Zest blushed. "I'm sorry. That outburst and rant was from all the crap I've gone through here at CPA."

Dean Cadence smiled. "I understand. If you want, you could always transfer to Canterlot High."

Lemon Zest frowned. "It may be a hellhole here, but I think I'd have an even harder time adjusting there."

"Why's that?" asked Cadence.

"Have you seen how upbeat they all are over there? It'd be like going from one extreme to the other!" said Lemon.

"I can see why you'd think that, but I happen to be good friends with the Vice-Principal there. They're all so welcoming."

"Nah." said Lemon. "Besides, I've heard weird rumors about that place."

Cadence quirked an eyebrow. "Rumors? What rumors?"

"Some people were talking about some kinda magic or something. Like when that strange rainbow appeared the night of Canterlot High's Fall Formal, or when their Battle of the Bands went all crazy with special effects that looked too dangerous."

Cadence stroked her chin. I'll have to talk to Luna about this later. "Well if you're not going to transfer, at least promise me you'll see a guidance counselor or at least talk to me. Judging by that scene in the hallway, you have a lot on your mind."

Lemon Zest smiled. "Okay. I promise."

After her class ended, Lemon Zest went down to where the guidance counselor's offices were. She went up to the appointment desk. "Hey...are any of the guidance counselors available right now?" she said to the man at the desk. He silently pointed to the one room that didn't have a "Currently in Session" sign on it. "Sweet. Thanks!" she said as she headed to the door.

Weekend Warrior

Author's Note

Six days until the Friendship Games.

Weekend Warrior

Lemon Zest jumped out of bed. "Aww, yeah! It's Saturday, bitches!" She quickly got dressed and ran to the kitchen. "What's up, parentals?" she said as she entered. "Any plans for today?"

Citrus Splash looked up from his newspaper. "None in particular. Do you have anything in mind?"

Lemon thought for a moment. "Not really. I mean, I'd be fine if we just had a nothing day. I could use one after the day I had yesterday. But really, I'm up for pretty much anything at this point. You have any ideas, Mom?"

Florid glanced up at her daughter from the table. "I didn't have anything planned today. Maybe we could just play it by ear?"

Lemon shrugged. "Meh. Whatever works. I'm going to go outside for a jog before breakfast."

"Come back soon!" said her father.

Lemon left the house and started jogging while putting on a tune to listen to. She kept an eye out for cars and people along the way while still enjoying herself. She suddenly came to a dead stop. "Twilight!" said Lemon.

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Hi, Lemon."

"What brings you out here?" asked Lemon.

"Oh, just scientific research, investigating a school, detecting abnormal activities." said Twilight.

Lemon blinked.

Twilight laughed awkwardly as she pulled at her hair. "Kidding!"

Lemon laughed. "I didn't take you for a jokester, Twilight!"

Twilight shrugged with her smile remaining awkward. "What can I say? I guess I'm just a natural!" she said as she laughed nervously.

Their conversation was interrupted by an all too familiar voice. "Aww, look at you two!"

Lemon and Twilight both turned their heads. Twilight tensed up, and Lemon felt her anger rise almost immediately. Her gut feeling suddenly getting warmer.

There, standing in front of them, was Sour Sweet. "You should get a room!" she said. "Don't think you can worm your way out of this one, Zest! There's no school staff to stop us!"

"What are you even doing here, Sour?" said Lemon, fiddling with her phone.

"Well, this is the neighborhood I live in!" Sour said sweetly. "What's your excuse?!" she yelled.

"I was jogging. Twilight here just happened to be in the area." said Lemon. Twilight waved shyly.

"Well good for the both of you!" said Sour, slowly walking toward them.

Twilight started backing away slowly. Sour took notice of this.

"Oh, don't worry, Twilight! I won't hurt you..." Sour said sweetly. "It's her I'm after!" she gestured to Lemon. "We have a score to settle, after all!"

I'd thank her for leaving Twilight out of this if she wasn't so unhinged right now... thought Lemon.

Twilight continued to back away slowly.

"I don't want to hurt you, Sour." said Lemon.

Sour laughed. "Then what was yesterday's fight all about?"

Lemon's expression hardened. "You told Principal Cinch about my confession! You crossed the line and I was pissed! Of course I'd want to kick your ass! I lost my temper!" Just like I am now... she thought. Lemon had finished fiddling with her phone. "Twilight!" she said.

"Eek!" Twilight yelped upon hearing her name.

Lemon tossed her phone at her new friend. "Catch!" she said.

Twilight was momentarily stunned, but then surprised herself by catching the phone. She gave Lemon a look of confusion. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked.

Her temper at its limit, Lemon shouted "Just read the fucking note and do it! I'm losing control here!"

Twilight jumped, startled at her new friend's sudden outburst. She looked at the note, nodded, and ran away.

Sour's face twisted into a mocking grin. "New buddy's got your back, huh? Well I'll make sure she can have what's left of you when I'm finished!" she screamed as she rushed towards Lemon.

"We'll see about that!" said Lemon as she rushed towards Sour. "What the hell is your deal, anyway?" she said as she threw a punch at Sour's nose. Strong enough to make it bleed, but not to break it.

"You tell me!" Sour said. "You're the expert, apparently!" She kicked Lemon in the side, making her stagger. "You hit all the right spots. Yes! I admit I'm jealous!"

"So why me?" asked Lemon as she recovered from Sour's kick. "Surely there's other students you can pick on!"

"Oh, how noble of you!" said Sour.

"Hey, I'm sure someone would end up sticking up for that person even if they didn't stick up for themselves!" said Lemon as she dove under Sour and grabbed legs, forcing her to topple to the ground. "CPA may be a hellhole, but I still have faith in humanity!"

Sour laughed. "Listen to you, you sound like a cliche superhero!"

"Said the cliche alpha bitch!" Lemon said.

Sour rolled her eyes. "Does anyone ever wonder why the alpha bitch is the way she is? Doesn't she deserve sympathy?"

"Really?!" shouted Lemon. "You're playing the victim card?!" she said as she ran toward Sour.

"Did you ever bother to get to know me?!" said Sour.

Those words set something off inside Lemon Zest. "'Did I ever bother to get to know you?'" her whole body was trembling with absolute fury. "'DID I EVER BOTHER TO GET TO KNOW YOU?!'" All Lemon Zest could see was red. Tears were streaming down her face. She ran towards Sour Sweet at a speed that surprised both of them, then pinned her to the ground. "I tried to get to know you when I confessed my feelings to you! And you turned me down! LIKE. THE. BITCH. YOU. ARE!" she punctuated the last five words with the strongest punches she could muster to Sour Sweet's face. Before she could strike a sixth time, she felt a pair of strong arms hold her back. "Let me go!" she shrieked. "I'm not done with her!" As she flailed her arms, she saw her hands. She stopped moving immediately, then slowly looked at them. Her hands had small streaks of blood on them. She looked at the person who was holding her back, and she almost immediately broke. She buried her face in her father's chest, bawling.

"Let's get you home, kiddo." said Citrus as her walked her to the family car.

Let's Do Lunch

Lunch period seemed to creep up rather quickly after Lemon's encounter with Sunny Flare. She entered the cafeteria and sighed as she found a seat.

Sour Sweet walked over and noticed the look on her friend's face. "Hey, something happen? You look like my sour side on a good day."

Lemon snickered. "Well, here's the thing..." She told Sour about her conversation with Sunny.

"Ah, I see." said Sour. "She can be a real pain in the ass sometimes!" she snapped.

Good to not be on the receiving end of her sour side for once... thought Lemon. "I know, but still..."

"Hey now, don't let her get to you." said Sour, placing an arm around Lemon.

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised her comment about your existence didn't piss you off." said Lemon.

"Oh, it does." said Sour. "I'm just going to wait until I see her to wallop her in the face!"

"Hey now, don't let her get to you." said Lemon, placing an arm around Sour.

Sour giggled. "Yeah. I guess you're right." she sighed.

"Besides, you're not lonely." said Lemon. "You've got me now."

"Us against the world, huh?"

"Well I don't think I'd say that..." Lemon said.

Sour shrugged. "Eh. Whatever works for you."

"Hi, Lemon!" said a new arrival. "Uh...hi...Sour."

"Hey, Twilight!" said Lemon. "How's it going?"

Twilight stayed silent, pulling at her hair.

"Oh, Twilight. You don't need to worry. I don't bite." said Sour Sweet. "Unless you give me a reason to!"

"Eek!" Twilight flinched.

"Go easy on her, Sour, she's a friend too." said Lemon.

"If you say so." said Sour.

"So...um..." Twilight said nervously.

Lemon smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Twilight. "It's okay. There's no reason for her to be hostile towards you."

Twilight calmed visibly, but still seemed nervous.

Lemon glanced at Sour. Sour simply shrugged, causing Lemon to roll her eyes.

Sour then sighed. "Okay. I won't be hostile towards you." Sour said. "At least not for today!" She blinked. "Dammit, Sour Side!"

Twilight simply stared at Sour. "Are you...okay?" she asked.

Sour sighed again. "I'm...bipolar."

I'd better choose my words carefully. This sounds like a sensitive subject for her... thought Twilight.

Sour smiled at Twilight. "It's okay. You're not walking on eggshells here, it's no secret."

Twilight let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. "That's a relief. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's a sensitive subject for you."

Sour shrugged. "Eh, I'm used to it."

"Before we go any further..." said Lemon, becoming visibly tense.

Sour looked at Lemon. "Is something wrong?"

Lemon took a deep breath and exhaled. "Sour. I told Twilight everything."

Sour's expression became blank. "You told her...everything." she repeated. "What do you mean by 'everything'?"

"I mean everything. Even..." Lemon could feel tears coming, fearing the aftermath of her next few words.

Sour slowly got up from her seat. "Even...even what?"

"Even what happened at the session with Radiant Hope." Lemon said. "I'm sorry I haven't told you everything, but I was just so excited about what happened that I didn't think of how it would affect you and our new friendship."

"You told...Twilight." Sour said, her tone surprisingly neutral.

Twilight looked at Sour, then at Lemon. Oh dear. She began pulling her hair slowly.

Were it not for the other students eating and speaking in the cafeteria, the silence between Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest would have been deafening. They both stood motionless, looking at each other for what seemed like ages. Sour, still trying to process what she'd heard and Lemon, afraid for one of her two only friendships.

"You told Twilight. That I had no friends. That I was lonely." Sour said as she finally broke the silence. "That I have no family."

"Sour..." said Lemon.

"You told Twilight about my self-loathing...that I cried out my tears while fighting with you." continued Sour.

"Sour, I-" Lemon said, sniffling.

"You told Twilight fucking Sparkle that I tried to kill myself?!" said Sour, shedding tears of her own. "Lemon Zest...I told you those things in front of Radiant Hope because I trusted you. That it would just be between the three of us. You, me, and Radiant Hope."

"Sour Sweet...I'm sorry." said Lemon, who immediately put her hands to her mouth.

"You're...sorry." said Sour. "Given what happened between you, me, and Radiant Hope..." she said, narrowing her eyes. "That was a very, very poor choice of words.", Sour Sweet's voice cracked. "As you said that session; 'That's not going to cut it, and you fucking know that.'"

Twilight stopped pulling her hair and simply stayed still, afraid that any sudden movement would incur Sour Sweet's wrath.

"I trusted you, Lemon. I told you my deepest and darkest secrets that day, and you told someone else. I don't care if she's your friend, you should have at least asked me first." said Sour, now shaking.

"Sour..." said Lemon, her voice quavering.

"No." said Sour. "Not another word. I...I need some time alone right now." Sour said and walked away, leaving her tray of food half-eaten. She stopped after a few steps. "Oh, and Twilight?"

Twilight tensed up as she felt the chill of fear spread throughout her body. "Y-y-y-y-yes, Sour?" she stammered.

"Don't you dare tell anyone about this. If you do and I find out..." she turned around and walked back to Twilight, mere inches away from her face. Her eyes were still teary and puffy. "I will bite. And I will bite hard, Twilight Sparkle. Do we have an understanding?"

Twilight shrank, trembling with fear. "Y...y...."

"That's all I needed to hear." said Sour as she walked away with what little composure she had remaining.

"Sour..." said Lemon, reaching out a hand.

"DON'T." said Sour, her voice quavering. "Don't make this any harder than it already is for the both of us." she walked away from Lemon Zest and Twilight Sparkle.

"Lemon..." said Twilight. "Are...are you okay?" Before she knew it, Lemon shot towards her and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her now only friend's chest.