Before the Friendship Games: Indigo Zap

Chapters

Dawn of a New Day
Regularly Scheduled Madness
Home Alone
The Very Next Day
Boredom Strikes
Jogging Around Town
The Night Life
Saturday Morning
Recovery
Indigo Zap and the Mega Tournament
Obssession
Sunday Morning Stroll
The Rematch
Shattered Confidence
Homecoming
Fun with the Whole Family
Home Again
Monday Morning
Vulnerability
Lunch
Sixth Period
In Search of Fleur De Verre
Home Yet Again
The Hallway
Afterwards
Time with the Family
Indigo's Wednesday at Crystal Prep: First Half
Indigo's Wednesday at Crystal Prep: Second Half
Wednesday Evening
Thursday Morning Turmoil
Thursday Afternoon Antics
The Night Before the Games
All Aboard the Hype Train
Indigo Zap vs. Tuesday

Dawn of a New Day

Indigo Zap slowly opened her eyes, waking up from a good night's sleep. She yawned and stretched, then reached over to her phone. She turned the volume to its maximum level, then turned on an app and pressed her thumb on her phone. The sounds of airhorns blared in her room, scaring away birds perched on the tree next to her bedroom window. She leaped out of bed, and stretched again. "Ahhh. That always invigorates me." She said with a contented smile.

Indigo wouldn't normally play that noise inside the house, but her parents were away for the remainder of the week. She had Thursday through Sunday all to herself. That suited her just fine, she didn't mind being alone all that much. She jumped into the shower and quickly washed herself off. She toweled off, then changed into her uniform.

Indigo reached the front door and cracked her neck, then her knuckles. "All right, Thursday. Show me what you've got!" She said, then exited her house.

She reached her bus stop and boarded. The same students in the same seats, like always. Indigo shrugged. One of these days, I'm going to sit up front on the bus. She walked up to the seat that might as well have her name on it and sat down. Putting her hands behind her head and lacing them together, she leaned back and made a sputtering noise as the bus departed for Crystal Prep.

Once the bus had arrived at Crystal Prep, all the students disembarked. Indigo casually walked out and took a breath of fresh air. She sighed, smiling. Some people view this place as a hellhole. But me? I love the atmosphere. The tension. And most of all, the competition! I get such a fucking rush out of it! Here, I truly feel free. It's like a second home to me, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Indigo walked in and began to sport the grin that she was well known for. "Aw, yeah! Time to kick today in the nuts!" She started bobbing her head to a beat only she could hear. Some people would call her weird, maybe even eccentric. Others would call her aggressive. Some people would go so far as to call her insane, but never to her face. One thing Indigo prided herself on was her unpredictability. One minute she could be your best friend, then the next you'd be on the receiving end of a borderline malicious prank. Aside from her, the most feared student in Crystal Prep was Sour Sweet. Indigo never understood Sour's deal, but that was okay.

Continuing down the hall, her head bobbing changed into a bit of a strut, much to the confusion of students watching her pass them by. Let them judge me. I could care less about their opinions. She thought as she walked into her first period classroom.

First period class had ended, and Indigo walked out, randomly tousling the hair of a student she passed by. She continued on her way, not bothering to see the student's reaction. I love doing that. She thought, grinning widely. Never gets old. She walked the halls only looking forward, while paying close attention to her peripherals, just in case someone wanted to try something.

The warning bell for second period rang, and Indigo put her goggles on and ran as fast as she could to her next class. "Adrenalinnnnnne!" She yelled as she ran, bumping into one or two students along the way. She arrived to class with just a couple of seconds to spare. She pumped her fist in triumph, put her goggles back on her head and went to class.

Man, did I get chewed out for running in the halls like that. Thought Indigo upon leaving second period class. "Worth it!" She said, grinning. Now...where do I go from here? As much as she liked being random, Indigo was no fool. She'd keep her shenanigans at bay for now, then when she felt the time was right, she'd get back into it. There's only so much I can get away with here. She shrugged and decided to play the buddy role for a while. Now, who was the lucky or unlucky person?

Indigo scanned the hallways for anyone who looked like they needed a friend. She found someone who looked down and walked over to her 'friend'. "Hey, there." Indigo said. "You look like you've had a rough morning." She put her hand on his shoulder. "What's your name?" She asked, sporting her famous grin.

"Sunburst." He said.

"Well, Sunburst." Said Indigo, "I can see you're looking kinda down. Wanna talk about it?"

Sunburst turned his head away, the lights on the ceiling reflecting off of his glasses. He hesitated. "I-I don't know. It's kinda personal."

Indigo shrugged. "Suit yourself, man." She began to walk away, then stopped. She walked back to him. "Tell you what." She said. "If you ever want to talk about it or get my attention, all you have to do is put your phone on max volume, then play the noise of airhorns. I'll come running before anybody tries to beat the crap out of you."

Sunburst blinked, a bead of nervous sweat trickling down his forehead.

"What?" Indigo said, giving him a quizzical look. "Damn near everybody here hates airhorns. It's like I'm the only one around here who doesn't!"

The warning bell for third period rang.

"Whoops!" Said Indigo. "Well, I gotta head off. Just remember, I'm only a few airhorns away." She said with a wink and gave him a gentle noogie, then sprinted off to her next class as Sunburst just stared on in confusion.

Third period had ended, and Indigo left the classroom with a yawn. "You'd think some classes would require pillows 'cuz some of them bore me into sleep!" She said to no student in particular. Indigo smiled. It never mattered to her what other people thought about her, and she doubted it ever would.

Regularly Scheduled Madness

Fourth period had held Indigo Zap's attention for all of five minutes. For its remainder, she simply stared off at nothing in particular and rode out her boredom until class ended.

She walked out of the classroom and sighed. Maybe Lemon Zest has the right idea. Maybe I should just bring some earbuds tomorrow, the silence in classrooms can be so boring! She blinked. Nah, scratch that. I may get bored as hell in there, but good grades are still important. She shrugged and walked through the hallways, waving at random students as though she were on a parade float.

Besides her usual behavior, there was nothing that stood out to Indigo in the hallways. She did, however, see posters for tryouts for something called "the Friendship Games". Upon seeing this, Indigo quirked an eyebrow. "Well now, this looks promising..." She said, cupping her chin and grinning in anticipation. She took out her phone and put a reminder in it about the tryouts. "It's a date." She said to herself, cracking her knuckles.

The warning bell for fifth period rang, and Indigo noogied an unfortunate student who just happened to be nearby. She jogged to her next class.

Fifth period ended, and all of her classmates cleared out as though they were afraid of what she might do to the next poor unsuspecting person who happened to be next to her. Much to the students' surprise and even relief, Indigo did nothing. She simply winked at a random student with her grin. Indigo almost did a double-take as she could have sworn the student blushed. She smiled inwardly. Good to know I'm attractive, these looks don't come naturally! Indigo slowly walked over to the student as her face reddened further. "Like what you see?" She said in her most seductive voice.

The student slowly nodded her head, trembling from nervousness.

"Well, then." Indigo said, mere inches away from the student. "How do you like this?" Within a second, she embraced the student and full-on french kissed her. Several students took out their phones and either recorded it or snapped photos. The student's arms went limp and let out a soft moan right before Indigo broke the kiss. "That's all you're gonna get." Indigo said with another wink, and the student fainted on the spot. Turning her back, Indigo laughed heartily. "Oh, man. I needed that. Haven't had tongue in weeks!" She said, walking to the cafeteria.

Indigo found her seat and sat down, making a sputtering noise. Can't start another food fight. She thought. I got in more trouble than I'd ever been after I pulled that stunt. She banged her head on the table. "Ow. That was dumb." She said, rolling her eyes. She took out her phone and played a game on it until the warning bell for sixth period rang.

Indigo walked the halls and saw Lemon Zest carrying a book and plenty of papers. She grinned. Target locked. She walked over to Lemon, who just barely noticed her, then bumped into her hard. Lemon's book and papers fell to the floor and she saw Sunny kick them further down the hallway. Oh well. Indigo thought with a shrug. What's done is done. Moving on!

The warning bell for sixth period sounded off.

Having finished sixth period, Indigo rolled out of the classroom using the hidden wheels from her shoes. Gotta love it. This is the only way to travel! She thought as she glided through the hallways. She sighed happily, feeling her hair ruffle slightly from her skating through the hallways. Man, whoever invented this had better be rich...cause if not then boy did that person get screwed!

Indigo skidded to a halt right in front of her next class as the warning bell for seventh period sounded off.

Walking out of class, Indigo wiped some sweat off of her brow. Damn, I'm surprised I didn't get in any trouble for skating in the halls! Better watch myself for the remainder of the day. Without warning, she bumped into someone. Indigo heard a yelp and a thud, followed my a groan. Indigo looked down. "Oh, crap! Are you okay?" She extended her hand to the bespectacled purple student wearing her hair in a bun. The student nodded and smiled awkwardly. "Good." Said Indigo. "Gotta be careful around here, it's like everybody gets in everybody else's way here." She gave the student a gentle slap on the back. "Laters!" The student continued down the hall, blissfully unaware of the taped piece of paper of her back that read "HUG MEH." Indigo snickered to herself and traveled to her eighth period class.

"I wonder if that girl ever found out that I taped a sign to her back." Indigo thought aloud, lacing her fingers behind her head as she left her second to last class for the day. Ah well. Again, what's done is done. No use making a big deal out of it now. She tapped a random student on the shoulder. "Tag, you're it!" Then ran off making whooping noises like a strange bald man in the company of two other knuckleheads towards her final class of the day.

Her final class of the day over, Indigo burst out the classroom. "Peace out, bitches!" She said, a wide grin on her face. She calmly made her way to the school doors despite wanting to skate out with every fiber of her being. Once she got outside, she skated full tilt. "Woohoo!" She shouted, nearly running into another student. She stopped right in front of her bus and boarded. She overheard a couple of people talking about her as she headed towards her seat. She smiled and leaned in. "I'm not chaotic evil...I'm chaotic neutral. And don't you forget it!" With that, she noogied both students at the same time and took her seat.

Indigo enjoyed the ride home and looked forward to her plans for the night. Grinning widely, she stepped off the bus and made her way home.

Home Alone

Walking into her house, Indigo took a deep breath and exhaled. She enjoyed the silence for all of a few minutes. "Okay. Bored now. Let's make some noise already!" She said, and turned the living room stereo to near maximum volume before putting in a heavy metal tune. If anybody at CPA ever found out how loudly Indigo played her music, they'd wonder why she hadn't either gone deaf or been arrested for disturbance of the peace.

The heavy metal music started, and Indigo ran circles around the living room, playing airhorn noises. "Aww, yeah!" She said, even though she was incapable of even hearing herself think, let alone speak. She stopped running circles once she lost nearly all of her energy. Panting, she turned the music off. "I love...doing that." She said while trying to catch her breath. She slowly got back up and clapped her hands together. "Okay! What next?"

Indigo started up her PC, put on her headphones and ran her favorite game. Shooting left, right, up, down and all over the place. None of her enemies saw her coming until it was too late. She let out a maniacal laugh. "Get rekt, bitches!" She shouted with glee. Ahh, top of the leaderboard as usual. She grinned widely, then her stomach growled. "Dinnertime!"

"BEEEEYAAAWWWWTCH!" Indigo belched while moving her mouth. She laughed. "Man, that never gets old." She said, patting her stomach. She laced her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. "Hmm." She thought aloud. "Now where do I go from here?" She closed her eyes and hummed, a technique that her mother taught her to help her focus when she was at a loss for things to do. Synapses fired and all of a sudden, electricity struck her brain. "Oh, yeah!"

She ran to her room and ripped out several pages of her school notebook. She grabbed several colored pencils and drew monsters on each of the pages. She opened a drawer from her desk in her room and took out tape. She taped all of the monsters to the walls of the house. Indigo ran back to her room and rummaged through her closet. "Yes!" She shouted, pumping her fist. She reached in and grabbed two fully loaded DERF dart guns. She narrowed her eyes as she grinned widely. "Let's kill us some monsters!" She cocked both guns and shuddered with delight. "Ohh, yeah." She said breathily. "That never gets old either." She put them in the holsters that her DERF belt held, and started on her journey.

She lurked around the house, sneaking around quietly. "I will avenge you, sensei!" She said, taking on an imaginary role as a black-belt in DERF-Fu. Her sensei was killed by rogue monsters bent on taking over the world, and their first target was her and her master's dojo. "First target...last mistake!" Indigo muttered under her breath, letting pure rage fuel her adrenaline. She'll never forget the final conversation she had with her sensei before the dojo collapsed on him.

The dojo was in flames. Dead bodies of her fellow students were laying all over the floor. Indigo could only stand still in shock, her mouth agape. Then she heard a voice call her.

"Indigo-san! Indigo-san, is that you?!"

Indigo ran to the sound of the familiar voice. She stopped in her tracks when she saw her sensei pinned down by several pillars. "Sensei!" She shouted in panic. "Let me help you!" She tried lifting the pillars with all of her might, but it was no use. Slowly understanding the gravity of the situation, she began to cry.

"Indigo-san! From here on in, you shall be the sole survivor of DERF-Fu! Avenge me, and then spread my teachings across the land!" Said her sensei.

"Sensei, no!" Indigo cried. "I still need you! There is much more I do not know!"

Indigo's sensei smiled. "I have taught you all you need to know. You have grown into a fine student, Indigo Zap. Now go!" More of the dojo began to collapse, and Indigo ran as fast as she could to avoid getting caught in the debris and wreckage. Once outside, she turned around to see her beloved dojo in flames. She collapsed to the ground with tears in her eyes. She threw her head back. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She wailed, tears streaming down her eyes.

Indigo clenched her hands into fists as she remembered that character-developing backstory, and allowed an imaginary tear to fall from her face. "Sensei..." She said. "You will be avenged!" She continued her stealthy trek around the house, occasionally keeping an eye on her six. You never know when someone or something could be following you. She heard a nonexistent twig snap. Indigo sharply turned around and saw a monster. She gritted her teeth and fired at will. "Die, you alien scum! For the dojo!" Her target filled with DERF darts, Indigo unsheathed her hidden DERF sword, and sliced the monster in half.

Indigo reloaded her ammunition, and continued walking around the house. Keeping her guard up, she heard rustling in the bushes of the home-turned-jungle. She unsheathed her sword. "Come at me!" She shouted. Suddenly, wave after wave of alien monsters rushed her. "Pulling out all the stops, huh?" She said, grinning. "Guess I should do the same then!" She fired, sliced, reloaded, fired, sliced, reloaded and repeated the process until she was the only one left standing. "Is...that all...you've got?" She said between breaths.

"No!" Boomed a voice.

Indigo turned around, then stared in horror. Standing before her was a mass of mutated flesh on a hovering craft. Several eyes stared at her as the abomination's mouths opened and closed, causing her stomach to churn. Its multiple limbs flailing like tentacles and its multicolored skin pulsated slightly.

"Damn." Indigo said. "I know you weren't all that good-looking the last time we fought, but if looks could kill..." She pretended to throw up. "Don't they have plastic surgeons where you come from?"

All of the creature's eyes glared at her, but to her surprise, all of its mouths curled upwards to a smile. "That's not what the students and your Sensei said when I leveled your dojo!"

Indigo's eyes narrowed as she felt her rage rise up within her. "Poor choice of words, you writhing sack of shit." She said coldly.

"Hmph." Said the monster. "Let us settle this, then! Once and for all!"

"Bring it." Indigo said, and unloaded everything she had on the monster. The battle was fierce and raged on for what seemed like an eternity. Bullets flew, lasers were fired, swords were unsheathed. But in the end, there was only one victor. That victor was Indigo Zap.

Breathing heavily, she slumped herself against a tree and laughed with tears in her eyes. "Sensei...you have been avenged. You may finally rest in peace, and I vow to carry on your teachings of DERF-Fu."

Indigo's phone went off, thus breaking her imagination's immersion. She checked it, and her eyes widened. "Wow. That late already, huh?" She shrugged. "Oh well, might as well clean this mess up."

After she had finally cleaned everything up, Indigo changed into her pajamas. She sighed happily. "Best. Day. Ever." She said, then closed her eyes for the night.

The Very Next Day

Author's Note

One week until the Friendship Games.

The Very Next Day

Indigo opened her eyes after a long and decent night's sleep. She stretched and yawned, then slowly got out of bed and scratched her back. She played airhorn noises off of her phone, which fully woke her up. "That's the ticket!" She said, then changed into her school uniform.

Indigo slid down the banister and almost fell flat on her face. "Shit!" She said before regaining her balance. She wiped sweat off of her brow. "A little too close for comfort there..." She walked out the door, taking care not to trip, then wheeled her way to the bus stop.

Indigo sat down at her usual spot on the bus and stared out the window. She saluted her house. "At ease, soldier!" She said, earning confused looks from students around her. "What?" She said. "Like you guys don't do anything less embarrassing when you're alone." Indigo rolled her eyes as the students turned away from her and resumed whatever activity it was that she had distracted them from.

The bus stopped in front of Crystal Prep, and all the students got off. Indigo made her way to the front entrance, pushing her way through other students trying to enter. "Gangway, people!" She said, being the first of the throng to arrive. She gave all the glaring students the middle finger before moving on.

Within seconds, Indigo Saw Lemon Zest out of the corner of her eye. Grinning widely, she extended her leg. "Gah!" Yelped Lemon. She hit the floor with a thud, then looked up at Indigo. Lemon simply got back up on her feet, then went about her day. Indigo shrugged, indifferent to Lemon's lack of a response. She continued going about her day as well, until the warning bell for the first period rang.

Indigo exited her first period class, walking like a zombie. "BRRRRAIIIINS!" She slurred as a few students snickered. A few onlookers decided to join in, creating a miniature zombie horde. Holy shit, this is awesome! I never expected others to join in! Indigo thought to herself. The front of the horde stopped mid-stride, much to Indigo's confusion and ire. She walked over the front and stopped as her blood ran cold.

There, standing a few feet away, was Night Watch, the most stern hall monitor in all of Crystal Prep. "Aw, fuck." Indigo muttered under her breath. She heard the sound of several pairs of feet run away from her, and she turned around. Her jaw dropped to find the zombie horde had deserted her. Indigo scowled and shook her fist. "Traitors!" She yelled before turning her gaze back to Night Watch. She laughed sheepishly as a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. "I'm going to detention, aren't I?"

Indigo sighed heavily upon leaving detention, which is where she ended up staying for the entirety of second period. Great, now I gotta lay low for the rest of the day. She made a sputtering noise. I hope those deserters get theirs! She thought, pounding her fist into the palm of her other hand while gritting her teeth.

She continued walking down the hall, feeling boredom slowly tighten its grip on her. Really? Now? I just got out of detention, boredom! She passed by a student and gave her a noogie. Okay, that helped a little. Indigo thought with a smile of satisfaction.

She continued walking down the halls until the warning bell for third period sounded off. Time to move on!

In retrospect, detention would have been more preferable than third period! Indigo thought as she exited the classroom. She sighed. "I swear, would it kill the staff to show even a small iota of enthusiasm every now and then?"

Indigo shook her head. Oh well. No sense in dwelling on the past. She shrugged, then walked through the hallways to reach her fourth period class before the warning bell sounded off.

"Lunchtime!" Indigo shouted upon leaving her classroom. Now, what can I do to amuse myself while not getting into trouble? She thought, cupping her chin. She passed a student, tapped her on the shoulder, then continued her way to the cafeteria without looking back to see the student's reaction. She passed by another student, blew in his ear, and continued moving forward.

Once Indigo reached the cafeteria, she inhaled through her nose, then exhaled in a sigh of contentment. "Ahh...the smell of school food. Nothing like it!" She grabbed her food and ate it a speed that would make competitive eaters blush. Out of the corner of her eye, Indigo noticed at least one student nearby looked nauseous. Indigo smiled. Mission accomplished. She thought with a satisfied nod. Onward to fifth period!

Fifth period ended, and Indigo made an exasperated noise. "Gah! That girl wouldn't stop twirling her goddamn pencil! It was driving me crazy!" She said, pulling at her eye sockets. She waited for the student to walk out of the classroom, then grabbed her by the collar and pulled her within an inch of her face. "You're lucky I'm not the violent type." Indigo said, her voice low and menacing. "But if I see you twirl any sort of writing tool again, I will get violent. Understand?!" The student nodded as sweat trickled off of her forehead. Indigo smiled. "Good." She let go of the student, and the student ran away as fast as she could.

Indigo sighed. "Man, I hate getting angry. Why did that even bother me so much?" She shrugged, then walked to her sixth period class.

Sixth period was over, and Indigo walked out of the classroom. She made a sputtering noise. What the hell is wrong with me? I can't believe I got so worked up over a pencil being twirled! She slapped the palm of her hand to her face and dragged it down. Guess I gotta go find her. She thought, and began her search.

Indigo searched several hallways, catching glances of other students as she passed them by. By the time she reached her third hallway, however, the warning bell for seventh period sounded. "Dammit." She said. "Next time, then."

Indigo Zap had spent a majority of seventh period racking her brains trying to remember the features of the student she harassed. She wrote down the features that she managed to remember on a piece of paper, and folded them in her pocket. She left the classroom and started asking around as fast as she could. Just before the warning bell for eight period sounded off, she had a name: Fleur De Verre. Excellent. Indigo thought as she traversed to her second to last class for the day.

Eight period ended, and Indigo bolted out of the classroom in search of Fleur De Verre. Knowing her name was enough, Indigo didn't want to come off as a stalker by asking where her next class was. If worse came to worst, she'd simply book it after the last period of the day and try to find her before all of the buses left. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but at the same time the possibility of a challenge excited her. The warning bell for the final period of the day rang, and Indigo walked to her final class for the day. She grinned widely. A challenge it is, then!

The final bell of the day rang and Indigo sped out of the classroom and through the halls, barely glancing at any student who didn't immediately fit the description of Fleur De Verre. She spent nearly twenty minutes trying to find the student, then gave up, slouching in defeat. She hurried over to the buses and sat down. She did a double take when she noticed that she was sharing a seat with the very student she had spent so much of the day tracking down!

Fleur shrank back a little, meeping out of fear. Indigo gave her a genuine smile and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

Fleur looked up slowly. "Y-y-you're not?!"

"No." Indigo said in the most sincere tone she could muster. "I'm not. I want to apologize. Honestly, I don't know what got into me back there." She said, shrugging while frowning. "I guess I kinda overreacted. I was looking for you ever since sixth period ended, and I'm glad I found you."

Fleur completely sat upright and smiled. "Thank you." She said as the bus reached Indigo's stop.

"Don't sweat it. It made us both feel better." Indigo said with a smile. "Looks like this is my stop. Catch you later!"

Fleur De Verre blushed as Indigo got off the bus. She was so happy that she didn't care that Indigo didn't remember kissing her yesterday. Fleur practically melted in her seat as her heart beat a mile a minute while the bus left Indigo's stop.

Boredom Strikes

Indigo walked into her house, glad to be home from Crystal Prep. She grinned widely. "Weekend!" She shouted, and did a cartwheel in the foyer. "Now...what to do?" She thought aloud. "The world is my oyster!" She said, raising her hands then dropping them with a blank stare. "What does that even mean?" Indigo shrugged. "Whatever. I'm the only one here, so I don't really have much reason to talk out loud." She rolled her eyes. Her phone buzzed, gaining her attention.

Hey, Zappo! Just checking in. How are things? - Sent by Dad

Indigo smiled warmly. She always loved it when her dad called her "Zappo". Anybody else outside of family members calling her that would get a black eye for their troubles, and that was when she was feeling generous!

The house is still in one piece. Can't say the same for all the dead bodies, though. - Sent by Indigo Zap

Again? How many times do I have to tell you, hide the dead bodies in the basement! - Sent by Dad

Indigo chuckled.

I miss you guys. Can't wait to see you! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Mom says hi! - Sent by Dad

Tell her I said hi back! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Will do! Love ya, Zappo! - Sent by Dad

Love you too, dad! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Well, now that that's been taken care of...what to do next? Thought Indigo. I already avenged my DERF-Fu Sensei... She cupped her chin in thought. Maybe I can shoot DERF darts on the ceiling? ...Nah. Indigo shook her head. "Come on, Indigo. Think!" She lightly rapped her head with her fist in an effort to get her brain in gear. Sadly, she could think of nothing. "Screw it." She said, and went into the living room and turned the television on. "Hopefully something good's on. I mean, it's a Friday night!"

Two hours later, Indigo stared dumbly at the television screen. "Why the hell did I watch that?!" She sighed. "I don't even like reality shows!" She hit her head on the coffee table in exasperation. "Ow." She gritted her teeth. "How bored am I?!" She slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead, then dragged it down her features. She made a sputtering noise. "It feels like I've been back home for two days, and nothing's happened!"

Indigo got off of the couch and approached a mirror. She stared at her reflection, narrowing her eyes. "What is wrong with you today?" She growled at herself. "You're usually on top of this sort of thing! It's a Friday evening, for fuck's sake!" Suddenly, she smiled widely as an idea formed in her head. "Finally!" She shouted, pumping her fist in victory.

"Put on your game face, soldier!" Indigo said, pointing her finger at her reflection. "This is war, girl! Don't let boredom get the best of you! You might end up talking to your reflection!" She blinked, then immediately went back into character. "Wipe that look off of your face, Private! The irony ain't lost on me!" She allowed herself a laugh. "Okay, that small bout of self-aware insanity helped." She thought aloud. Indigo walked from the mirror to a window. She smiled. "Hmm. Seems decent enough outside. Might as well go for a jog, I could use some exercise." She went towards the door, then went outside.

Jogging Around Town

The instant Indigo shut the front door, her stomach growled. "Crap, I was so bored that I forgot to eat!" She grunted in frustration. "What the hell, me?! You know what, screw it. I'm jogging on a near-empty stomach." She sprinted away from her house, starting off at a decent pace.

Indigo jogged on the sidewalk, taking in the sights and sounds of the neighborhood. The cars passing, the cicadas buzzing, people walking their dogs, the smell of people grilling. "Ahh, the beauty of summer." She said, briefly closing her eyes before quickly snapping them open. She had nearly been hit by careless cyclists on the sidewalk several times before, and she didn't want to take that chance. As if by reflex, she jumped off of the sidewalk and let the cyclist pass her by.

Looking both ways, Indigo jumped back onto the sidewalk then immediately looked behind herself. She must be getting paranoid or something. She smiled, rolled her eyes, then shrugged, and went back to jogging. She hummed a little tune while still keeping track of her surroundings.

The sun had started to set slowly, but Indigo didn't mind. This was a relatively safe neighborhood, and she had all the time in the world to enjoy herself. Even if someone did come after her, she'd kick their asses. She may not be as much of a fighter as Sour Sweet, but she can hold her own. Hmm. Now there's a thought. Maybe I should challenge Sour to a fight! She blinked as the implications of her thought sank in. On second thought, nah. As legitimately exciting as it sounds, even I know when something's too crazy for me to handle.

Indigo continued her jog, headed towards nowhere in particular. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Ahh...the smell of freshly cut grass. She smiled contentedly, then her stomach growled again. She frowned until an idea formed in her head. Oh, this is gonna be fun! She thought, grinning from ear to ear. She took out her phone and dialed a number. She waited for a couple of seconds, then someone picked up.

"Canterlot City Pizza, how can I help you?" Said the person on the line.

Indigo stopped and leaned against a stoplight as she made her order.

"All right, it'll be there in about an hour. Thank you!"

"No. Thank you!" Indigo said, grinning. She pocketed her phone and clapped her hands, rubbing them together. Okay, so I have one hour. That should allow me some more jogging time before the delivery person heads over. She continued further away from her home, despite her stomach's protests. "Oh, hush. You can wait for another hour." She said to her stomach.

The sun was almost finished setting as the sky changed colors. Indigo checked her phone to see what time it was. "Okay, half an hour left." She grinned and did a few stretches. She knew the lay of the land well enough to know that she wouldn't get lost. She cracked her knuckles, then her neck. Her anticipation reached a near fever pitch as she lowered her goggles over her eyes. "Let's do this!" She said, and began to run at full speed.

Going as fast as she could, Indigo kept her guard up. She may be racing against the delivery person, but that didn't mean she had to be reckless. She looked both ways before reaching a stoplight just to be sure she didn't run over anyone on the sidewalk or in turn get run over by a car.

Slowing down just long enough for her to comfortably check her phone, Indigo risked taking a look at the time. She glanced, then put her phone back in her pocket. I'm making some pretty good time here. She thought with a smile. She continued forward until she saw a Canterlot City Pizza car pass her by.

Indigo's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, shit!" She blurted out. And apparently, so's my pizza! Double time it, Indigo! She thought to herself, and picked up her pace. Going over a mental map of her neighborhood, she struggled to find a decent shortcut. Looks like I'll have to improvise. She thought. She cut through a couple of yards, much to the annoyance of a neighbor or two. Indigo didn't bother to look back. She had a race to win, after all! Apologies later!

Her house was within sight. The finish line! The "home" stretch! She booked it for all she was worth, and she reached her front door just as the car pulled in to the driveway. She pumped her fist in victory. "YES! Nailed...it!" She said, panting from her run.

The delivery man got out of the car, carrying Indigo's order. "Ms. Zap?" He asked.

"Yeah...that's...me." Indigo said, trying to catch her breath. "Let...me just...get the money...whew!" She unlocked the front door, grabbed her cash and handed it over.

"Thank you!" Said the delivery man.

"No...thank...you!" Indigo said, still gasping for breath. The car pulled out of the driveway, and Indigo walked back into the house. She set the pizzas and breadsticks on the table, then collapsed on the floor as exhaustion finally won its battle against her.

The Night Life

After several moments of panting and catching her breath on the kitchen floor, Indigo finally regained enough strength to climb up to the island where the pizza and breadsticks were.

"Damn...all that running...really took it out of me." Indigo said, wiping the remaining sweat off of her brow. "I had no idea I was so out of shape." She said, pausing to slap herself on the forehead. "She said as she prepared to eat two pizzas and a bunch of breadsticks over the course of the weekend." She said through gritted teeth, understanding the irony of the situation.

Indigo sighed. "You know what, screw it. I didn't run halfway across the neighborhood to tire myself out for nothing. I bought it, now I'm eating it!" She grabbed a plate and filled it up then walked into the living room, sitting herself down in front of the television. "Television!" She said, wiggling her fingers like a magician about to do a magic trick. "Do my bidding! Entertain me!" She smiled, amused by herself.

Indigo picked up the remote control and turned the power on, realizing a split-second too late that she had the volume at maximum. "Shi-" Music blared, startling all nearby neighborhood wildlife. She set down her plate and for once in her life covered her ears. Loud music is only fun when it's consensual! She thought, feeling a headache coming on. She turned down the volume on the television, but still heard the ringing in her ears for a few more moments until it subsided.

Indigo sighed with contentment once the ringing in her ears left. Okay, maybe I should cut back on the loudness. She thought to herself, clutching her head with hands. At least I don't have that big of a headache. Oof. She channel surfed as she ate pizza, never staying on the same channel for more than a minute or two. She made a sputtering noise. "Come on!" She nearly shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I get it's a Friday night, but there's got to be something good on!"

Indigo finished eating and cleaned up after herself, then walked to the living room window. She stared at the sky, unable to see many stars due to the lights from the neighborhood and Canterlot City off in the distance. Indigo smiled warmly. She'd never openly admit it to anyone, but staring at the stars in the night sky brought her a sense of peace. She never quite understood why that was. Maybe it was the serenity of the evening. Or perhaps a sort of reassurance that she was never alone, that there just may be life outside of this planet that she and the rest of humanity lived on.

Indigo Zap didn't mind thinking like that every now and then, but she much preferred to be thought of as a prankster. That one nutty student that likes to be obnoxious for its own sake. Keeping other people on their toes was one of her pastimes. She relished in her unpredictability, as well as the reactions of her fellow students during her antics. Constant thinking always brought her boredom, but she never failed to entertain herself with her shenanigans.

Indigo shook her head, feeling boredom overtake her innermost thoughts. Well now, that's enough of that. Back to spontaneity! She ran up to her room and rummaged through her closet. After a moment of searching, she found a water gun. Grinning widely, she ran back downstairs and opened her fridge. She took out a bottle of soda and unscrewed the liquid container from her water gun. She then opened the bottle of soda and poured the contents into the liquid container. She screwed the liquid container back onto her water gun, then shook it vigorously. Indigo opened her mouth widely, then fired!

Indigo nearly choked from the sudden high-pressure release of soda that launched into her mouth. She coughed and sputtered for about a minute, then regained her composure. Mental note: never do that again! She grabbed a glass of water, drank it down and then put the soda from her water gun into the glass. She stretched and yawned. "Damn...if I keep this up I'll..." She trailed off as her activity from the day fully caught up with her, and she began snoring.

Saturday Morning

Author's Note

Six days until the Friendship Games.

Saturday Morning

Indigo slowly opened her eyes as she woke up. Realization dawned on her as she began to remember the events of the previous night. "Aw, crap." She sighed heavily and turned off the television. "I hate not falling asleep with my pajamas on!" Making a sputtering noise, she walked upstairs and turned the shower on. "Yuck." She said, stripping out of her uniform. "I am definitely going to wash this. Slept-in uniforms are the worst!" She jumped into the shower and washed herself off.

With the knowledge that she was alone and not expecting visitors, Indigo decided she felt bold. She toweled off, then walked to her room, completely naked. She blushed and giggled. I should do this more often! She thought. Kind of a thrill even though I know there's nobody around. She ran to her room and got herself dressed. She returned to bathroom and put her dirty uniform into her clothes basket.

"All right!" Indigo said, clapping her hands. "What to do now?" She cupped her chin in thought as she went over several ideas in her head. Let's see here...I could jog, play video games, anything random... She shrugged. "Oh well. Weather's nice enough. I suppose I could go for a jog at least." She walked out of the house and closed the door.

"Hmmm. Where to?" Indigo said. She looked at the sidewalks and considered her options, then shrugged. "Eh, doesn't matter. The paths may be different, but the destination is the same." She blinked, then smiled. "Heh. Sounds like something I'd see on a motivational poster. But enough about that. Time to get to it!"

Indigo started off at a leisurely pace, taking a look at the happenings around herself. Nobody in front of her, a trio of girls selling Filly Guide cookies to her left. Filly Guide cookies do sound good! Can't remember the last time I had any. She thought as she passed the three. Maybe I should go back home and wait for them! Indigo shook her head. Nah. Besides, I'm sure there'll be more opportunities.

Continuing forward, Indigo checked her right. Nothing going on there. She thought, and leaped to the side just to be cautious. She turned around and once again saw nothing. She shrugged, then got back on the sidewalk and resumed her jog. She passed by a man mowing his lawn and sniffed the air. God, I love the smell of freshly cut grass! She thought with a dreamy look on her face. She snapped back to attention and continued forward.

I can't let my mind wander too far off. Indigo thought, picking up her pace just a bit. I'd rather not run into a street light or another person...or anything else if I can help it! She listened closely just to be sure there were no incoming cyclists directly behind her. She turned around quickly then jumped to the side almost immediately. Yet again, there was nobody behind her. "Great." She said. "I must be getting paranoid or something." She sighed and decided to jog off of the sidewalk. Just to be on the safe side.

Indigo jogged on the grass for a moment, then panicked and jumped back on the sidewalk. Great, now I'm worried about stepping in dog crap. She sighed. I know it's not the worst thing in the world to happen, but I'd rather avoid it. She put her hand to her forehead. Yep. I am getting paranoid. Next thing I know, I'm probably going to keep an eye on the sky just to be sure it won't fall on me! She rolled her eyes and shook her head, then kept on moving forward.

Sweat began trickling down Indigo's forehead. How long have I been at this now? Like, what? A half-hour, maybe? I should've kept track of time out here. She took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. Twenty minutes, huh? I guess that's not too shabby, but I think I should push myself just a teeny bit. She started moving faster, starting to feel fatigued. No. I've gotta keep moving. Got to push myself!

Indigo sped up just a bit more. Come on, push past the limit, baby! She grinned widely, despite feeling like her legs were on fire. Okay, maybe I should at least head home before I collapse on the sidewalk and give people the impression that I'm a passed-out drunk. She kept her speed consistent for a few more moments, then felt her legs nearly give out on her. "Shit!" She said, then slowed to a near-walk speed. She wobbled for a few minutes, then she fell over. She sat on the sidewalk, catching her breath and letting her legs rest up.

"Hey, are you okay?" Said a young gravelly voice. Indigo looked in the direction of the voice to see the three Filly Guide girls from before. "You don't look so good."

Indigo chuckled. "I might have pushed myself a bit too much back there. I honestly don't know if I can even get up right now." She smiled sheepishly.

"Y'all think it'd be okay if we let her ride in the wagon?" Asked the yellow-skinned girl of the trio.

"I don't see why not. She can't walk, after all." Said the gravelly-voiced girl.

The third member of the trio simply shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe we can sell more cookies with their sympathy for her."

"Sweetie Belle!" The other two scolded her.

Sweetie Belle flinched. "What?" She asked. "Sympathy is a good selling point. At least, that's what I heard Rarity mention once to one of her friends." She cupped her chin in thought. "Or did she mean sympathy for the customer?" She shrugged. "Oh, nevermind." Sweetie Belle blushed. "Sorry about that, girls."

"That's okay." Said the girl with a Southern accent. She turned to face Indigo. "Sorry about that...um..."

Indigo smiled. "My name's Indigo Zap." She extended her hand.

"Ah'm Apple Bloom." Apple Bloom said as she shook Indigo's hand, then held onto it tightly as Sweetie Belle brought the wagon with several boxes of Filly Guide cookies towards Indigo so she could sit in it.

"Name's Scootaloo." Said the girl with the gravelly voice, gesturing to herself.

"And I'm Sweetie Belle!" Said the third girl.

Indigo smiled. "Nice to meet you three. You know, despite the circumstances." Indigo may like to be random and unpredictable, but whenever someone was willing to help whether or not she asked for it she did her best to be polite and civil. Never bite the hand that feeds you. She thought. It was one of the few things she kept consistent in her daily life wherever she was.

"No worries." Scootaloo said. "Now, where's your house?" She asked as she took a map out of her pocket. "Is it even on our route?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gathered next to Scootaloo and examined the map.

"Why don't you show me the map so I can point it out to you?" Indigo asked the girls.

The trio exchanged glances, then nodded. "Don't see why not." Said Sweetie Belle, and the girls crowded around Indigo as they showed her the map of their planned route. Indigo studied the map carefully, taking note of the houses crossed out.

"Tell you girls what." Indigo said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I'll put my address in the GPS, then you can tell me if it's on the route or not. I don't want you three going too far out of your way to get me home." She said with a smile.

"Don't be silly, Indigo!" Said Apple Bloom. "We're gonna take you home even if it's a mile away!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gave Apple Bloom looks of uncertainty. She looked back at the two. "What?" She asked.

"Aha!" Indigo said. "My house isn't that far, so you don't have to worry." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle heaved sighs of relief. She handed the phone to the girls and they looked at her phone.

"Well, I'll be!" Apple Bloom said, smiling. "That's only a couple of blocks away from here!"

"Nice!" Scootaloo said, pumping her fist. "Let's get to it, then! It's not that far off of our route, and we have some time to spare!"

As the group neared Indigo's house, they sold more cookies and chatted with each other until they reached Indigo's destination.

"This is the place, girls." Indigo said as she got out of the wagon.

"Are ya sure ya can move, Indigo?" Asked Apple Bloom.

"I can. My legs are going to be sore for the rest of the day, but I can." Indigo said as she slowly walked up to her front door. "Thanks for your help, girls." She smiled and waved.

"No problem!" The three said in unison, then headed back to their route as Indigo closed the front door.

Recovery

After Indigo closed her door, she limped over to the living room and flopped on the couch. Her eyes widened and she slapped the palm of her hand to her face. "Dammit! I forgot to get Filly Guide cookies!" She shouted. "Ugh. I've been doing some pretty reckless shit lately. I should probably tone it down a bit." She made a sputtering noise, staring up at the ceiling. She winced in pain as she felt her legs throb with pain from all the running. "Yep. I am outta shape something fierce."

Indigo forced herself up off of the couch and hobbled towards the kitchen. "Oof. I need this more than anything else at the moment." She thought aloud as she opened the freezer and grabbed two cold packs, one for each leg. She sat back down and pressed each pack on the throbbing, sore parts of her legs. She flinched, gasped, then shuddered with relief as the cold packs worked their magic on her poor sore muscles. "Ahhh." Indigo sighed with relief. "That's the shit right there..."

Indigo held the cold packs to her legs as long as her arms would allow. "Not gonna be able to keep this up for much longer." She said, feeling the muscles in her arms ache. She sighed, frustrated. "I guess that's it for now." She said, lowering her arms. "I'd rather not have to use ice packs for my arms as well." She stood back up then put the ice packs back into the freezer.

Indigo walked back to the living room couch and laid down on it. She stared at the television blankly for a few moments, then turned it on. "Hopefully there's something at least halfway decent on right now. If not, there's always video games." She flipped through several channels for a few moments, then made a sputtering noise. "Getting boooorrrreeeed." She said to nobody in particular. She buried her face into the couch, hoping for some inspiration to get her out of her bout against boredom.

I'm gonna lose my mind at this rate! Indigo thought, exasperation slowly getting the better of her. She screamed into the couch, venting her frustrations. She then sighed and got up off of the couch. "At least I can still move around. Better than being immobile." She scoffed. "If that were the case, then I'd lose my shit much faster!"

Indigo stared down at her legs. "I guess I can't expect that one or two crazy runs will keep these two looking good." She walked around the living room, then winced in pain after her second go-around. "Okay, at least I know I shouldn't walk around for too long." She said, frowning. "Seriously though, I don't get how some people prefer to be inactive! The thought alone is making me crazy!" She said, flailing her arms.

Indigo sighed heavily. "Okay, Indigo...get a grip on yourself. This isn't the worst place to be." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Huh." She said. "I kinda feel a bit more relaxed now. But where do I go from here? There's only so much I can do..." Her eyes darted to the video game console. "Not exactly a last resort, but it's better than nothing at this point!"

Indigo turned on the console and started up a game. The screen suddenly began flashing, nearly blinding her. "Shit!" She yelped, then looked at the screen.

Mega playoff tournament in 10 minutes! It said.

Indigo's eyes brightened and she grinned. "Oh, yeah! Now we're talking!" She entered herself into the tournament, then her stomach growled. "Lunchtime!" Going at a moderate pace so as not to exacerbate her condition, she grabbed some leftover pizza from the previous night and a drink. She set them on the coffee table next to her, then rubbed her hands in gleeful anticipation as the screen began to count down from ten. Feeling her excitement rise, she counted down along with the timer. "Nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one!"

The screen flashed again, and Indigo's eyes widened in shock.

Indigo Zap and the Mega Tournament

Author's Note

Longest. Chapter. EVER! :pinkiecrazy:

Indigo Zap and the Mega Tournament

Indigo continued to stare on in disbelief. "One...one...one...one hundred and twenty-eight contestants?!" She struggled to regain her composure as the first match of the first round started. "One hundred and twenty-eight contestants..." She murmured. She quickly shook her head, snapping her back to reality. "One hundred and twenty-eight contestants!" Her tone was now that of excitement. She began eating her lunch as the second match began. She watched intently as two potential opponents ducked, darted, punched, kicked, and performed various combos on each other.

Once Indigo finished her lunch, she kept her eye on all of the competitors. The weren't half bad, at least by her standards. She studied each match carefully, taking notes on the players' names and which characters they chose. Before she knew it, it was her turn to battle. She grinned widely in excitement and cracked her knuckles.

Mega Tournament
Round 1, Match 43
IndiZap vs. Heartstringer

"All right then, 'Heartstringer'. Show me what you've got!" Indigo said as she selected her character. Adrenaline flowed through her as she waited for her match to begin. She took a quick drink of water as the match started.

"Round One...Fight!" Said the game's announcer.

Indigo closely watched Heartstringer's movements, trying to figure out her first course of action. Heartstringer immediately rushed after her and threw a punch, which Indigo deftly blocked. Heartstringer tried a flurry of punches, but to no effect. Hmm. Thought Indigo. Must be a casual player. She narrowed her eyes in determination. But casual or no, I won't hold back! Moving her thumbs as fast as lightning, Indigo landed a ten-hit combo on her opponent, stunning Heartstringer.

"Mercy on the battlefield is for the weak!" Indigo said, grinning. She knew her opponent couldn't hear her, but it felt good to say it nonetheless. She landed a swift uppercut on Heartstringer's jaw, sending her flying. Indigo jumped and landed another ten-hit combo, effectively winning the first round.

IndiZap Wins! Flawless Victory!

Indigo pumped her fist in victory, then prepared herself for the second round of combat.

"Round Two...Fight!" Said the game's announcer.

"Bring it!" Indigo said, not hesitating to give her opponent her all in battle. Heartstringer backed away almost immediately, causing her to scoff. "Oh, please!" Indigo said. "You think that's going to stop me?" She rushed towards her opponent and delivered a flurry of blows, only to have them all blocked. "Well, well, well!" Indigo said. "So you can learn after all! Not that it'll help you!" She leaped over her opponent, then delivered the same flurry of blows on the opposite side before Heartstringer could react. Indigo's opponent backed away again. She grinned. "If it didn't work the first time, what makes you think doing it again will work?" Indigo moved her thumbs furiously, unleashing her character's signature special move. It sent Heartstringer flying until she landed with a thud.

IndiZap Wins! Flawless Victory!

Mega Tournament
Round 1, Match 43
IndiZap vs. Heartstringer

Indigo smiled smugly as she leaned back, lacing her hands at the back of her head, basking in her victory. "Was there ever any doubt?"

The rest of the first round continued in full swing, with Indigo keeping her eyes on the screen as she tried to analyze the patterns of the other competitors. Sadly, analysis was never really her strong suit. That didn't stop her from trying to do so regardless!

After a while, the first round of the tournament ended. The words "Second round will begin in ten minutes!" showed up on the screen, and Indigo bolted for the bathroom. "Thank god, I've been holding it for I don't know how long!" She said, relieved and grateful for the break in the action.

Once she returned from the bathroom, she sat down as the first match of the second round began. "Things better start to heat up, or I'll be disappointed!" She said, watching the match unfold with interest. "Maybe I should have brought popcorn with me." She thought aloud, then shook her head. "Nah, wouldn't want to miss any of the action."

Several matches flew by until it was Indigo's turn. "It's about damn time!" Indigo said as she grabbed her controller.

Mega Tournament
Round 2, Match 18
IndiZap vs. 8u770n_m45h

Indigo's eyes lit up. This guy was pretty decent. Who knows? Maybe he'll put up a good fight!

"Round One...Fight!" Said the game's announcer.

In an attempt to catch her opponent off-guard, Indigo changed up her tactics and used a special move right off the bat. 8u770n dodged it, much to Indigo's delight. "Gotcha!" She said, and landed a ten-hit air combo. 8u770n landed on the ground, but swiftly got up and fired a special move back at Indigo, which she deflected. 8u770n jumped over the deflected attack, then landed a five-hit combo on Indigo.

Indigo grinned. "Don't get cocky there, buddy!" She said as she got her character up off the ground and nailed 8u770n with a flying kick, stunning him. She followed up with another ten-hit combo, knocking her opponent out.

IndiZap Wins!

Indigo cracked her neck. "Not half-bad, but you're going to have to try harder than that!" She said as the second round of the match started.

"Round Two...Fight!" The game's announcer said.

8u770n crouched immediately, causing Indigo to raise an eyebrow. "What are you thinking, hmm?" She cautiously walked closer to 8u770n, and he leaped into a flying kick. Almost by reflex, Indigo blocked the oncoming assault. Her opponent jumped around, continuing the assault of flying kicks. Indigo gritted her teeth, slowly becoming irritated. "All right, that's enough of that!" She said, then nailed 8u770n with an uppercut special move, causing him to fall to the ground. Wasting no time, she immediately followed up with a special move, stunning him. "You're toast!" She said, nailing her opponent with a seven-hit combo, knocking him out.

IndiZap wins!

Mega Tournament
Round 2, Match 18
IndiZap vs. 8u770n_m45h

"Next!" Indigo said as the next match started. Her eyes were determined to stay glued to the screen, hoping for little to no distractions until the second round was over. The competition was indeed heating up, as each fighter began to execute more complex maneuvers against each other. "Oh, man, I can't wait until the next round!" Indigo said, feeling giddy with anticipation.

The rest of the matches seemed to fly by quickly, and the second round came to a close.

The Round of 32 will begin in ten minutes. The screen said.

Indigo yawned. "What time is it, anyway?" She said as she took her phone out of her pocket. She checked the time. "Huh. It's been almost an hour and a half." Indigo felt grateful for this distraction. She'd much rather be doing something than doing nothing. She looked up at the ceiling, giving her eyes some time to rest while she waited for the next round to begin.

The Round of 32 began, and Indigo looked back at the television. "Thirty-one people and me left...I hope they don't disappoint!" Sure enough, it looked like all contenders were stepping up their game. Some of them stayed faithful to their movesets and some of them changed their tactics. It was now Indigo's turn, and she reached for the controller.

Mega Tournament
Round of 32, Match 11
IndiZap vs. Herpaderp

Indigo blinked in surprise. "I'm fighting Herpaderp?" Herpaderp was wildly chaotic in the battles she witnessed. Jumping around and throwing all kinds of punches, kicks and special moves. She was never in the same spot for more than a second, and Indigo smiled at the prospect of a real challenge.

"Round One...Fight!" The game's announcer said.

Indigo's brow furrowed in concentration as she waited for her opponent to make a move. Herpaderp fired a special move, then jumped over it. "What?" Indigo said, her eyes wide with surprise. Herpaderp landed an uppercut, causing Indigo to fly upward, then land on the special move, stunning not just her character, but herself as well! Indigo shook her head rapidly, then tensed. "Okay, it's time to get serious!" She said, glad to finally have a challenge.

Once her character was hit, Indigo fired a special move that caused her opponent to jump, then she hit Herpaderp with an aerial special, followed up with a midair kick. "Bet you didn't see that coming!" Indigo taunted as her opponent landed on the ground, stunned. She followed up with a Super Special move, knocking Herpaderp out.

IndiZap wins!

"Now, then...how will you fight back?" Indigo said, cupping her chin as she tried to think out various scenarios.

"Round Two...Fight!" Said the game's announcer.

Indigo quickly fired off a special move, then retreated a few steps as her opponent jumped over it and fired a special move of her own. What is she thinking? She thought. Indigo blocked the special move, only to suddenly be on the receiving end of a well-timed uppercut. "Woah! That was fast!" She said before quickly counterattacking, then landing a five-hit combo, stunning Herpaderp. "Time to finish this!" Indigo declared, then hit Herpaderp with a special finishing move.

IndiZap wins!

Mega Tournament
Round of 32, Match 11
IndiZap vs. Herpaderp

"Not bad. You could've had me on the ropes there, but you're just not quite on my level." Indigo said as the next match began. She cracked her neck. "Ahh, I needed that." She said contentedly. The matches continued as Indigo kept her eye on each competitor. Before long, the Round of 32 had ended.

The Sweet Sixteen will begin in five minutes.

"Five minutes?" Indigo said. "Wonder why the wait is shorter? You'd think the breaks would be longer as the tournament goes on..." She made a sputtering noise and took a drink of water. "At least I've momentarily forgotten about the pain in my legs from running like a maniac earlier." She directed her attention to the television as the Sweet Sixteen started. To Indigo's surprise, she was in the first match.

Mega Tournament
Sweet Sixteen, Match 1
IndiZap vs. DJ_Vinyl

"Oh-ho!" Indigo said, excited. Vinyl had performed quite well in all of her previous matches, always keeping her opponent on the defensive. Indigo liked to think of herself as an offensive player, so this match should be a treat!

"Round One...fight!" Said the game's announcer.

Vinyl dashed up to Indigo and started off with an uppercut, which Indigo countered by parrying, then hitting Vinyl with a special move. Indigo laughed. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Hit me with your best shot, Vinyl!" Vinyl flipped in midair, then landed a flying kick on Indigo. She landed on the ground, then got up, crouched, and hit Vinyl with a special uppercut move. Vinyl flipped in midair and fired a midair special move. Indigo deflected it, and it flew straight into Vinyl, knocking her out.

IndiZap wins!

"Wow. Almost made me sweat there!" Indigo said, beaming with pride. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and grinned with anticipation for the next round.

"Round Two...fight!"

Vinyl stood still for a moment, as though she were contemplating her next move. She's not going to try to pull the same stunt that that '8u770n' guy did, is she? Once she finished that thought, Indigo decided to take the initiative and fired a special move at Vinyl, then jumped and fired a midair special move. Vinyl parried the ground special move, then blocked the aerial special move.

Indigo grinned. "Yes! This is the challenge I've wanted!" Getting pumped up, Indigo dashed towards Vinyl then deftly executed an uppercut combo. Vinyl and Indigo landed on the ground. Not wasting any time, Indigo fired another special move. "How does it feel to be on the defensive for once?" She taunted. Vinyl had no time to block, and the special move stunned her. "Buh-bye!" Indigo said as she laid into Vinyl with a finishing combo, knocking her opponent out.

IndiZap wins!

Mega Tournament
Sweet Sixteen, Match 1
IndiZap vs. DJ_Vinyl

"Woo!" Indigo shouted with excitement. She wiped sweat off of her brow. Wait, she was sweating? "Awesome!" Indigo shouted, feeling adrenaline fuel her. "Bring on the next victim!" She said as the Sweet Sixteen round continued. The remaining matches seemed to go by quicker than the last couple of rounds.

The Elite Eight will begin in ten minutes.

"Elite Eight." Indigo smiled. "I like the sound of that." She got up and stretched until she felt a twinge of pain in her legs. She grunted, then sat back down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling until the next round of the tournament began. She watched carefully as the remaining competitors upped their respective games by yet another notch. It wasn't long before it was her turn.

Mega Tournament
Elite Eight, Match 3
IndiZap vs. Dashin8r

"Finally!" Indigo yelled, throwing her hands up. "Someone who's at least close to my level!" Dashin8r had all but blown away her previous opponents with her relentless onslaughts of special moves and combos. "Show me what you've got!"

"Round One...fight!"

Dashin8r kicked things off with a running uppercut, which Indigo blocked, then countered with a special move. Dashin8r took the hit, then backflipped and launched at Indigo with a headbutt, stunning her. Her opponent followed up with a special move, then backed up once Indigo got back up."Nice!" Indigo grinned. "But let's see how you handle this!" Indigo unleashed a series of blows, stacking up to a five-hit combo before Dashin8r broke it and sent her flying to the other side of the screen. "Yikes!" Indigo said. "One more hit and I lose this round!"

Thinking quickly, Indigo fired her super special move, cornering her opponent. Taking advantage of the situation, she came in close and hit Dashin8r with a special move, stunning her. Indigo licked her lips as she hit her opponent with a special combo, finishing her off.

IndiZap wins!

"Wow, that was too close for comfort!" Indigo said, feeling a slight rush of fear.

"Round Two...fight!"

Dashin8r launched towards Indigo and landed a headbutt on her. Indigo recovered and hit her opponent with an uppercut special move. Dashin8r flipped in midair and hit her with a super special aerial combo, stunning her. "What?!" Indigo said, shocked. "I didn't know that was possible, and I play this game a lot!" She gritted her teeth as Dashin8r landed a six-hit combo, then backflipped away from her. She fired a special move only for her opponent to jump up, then perform a diving kick, knocking her out.

Dashin8r wins!

Indigo stared at the screen in shock. "How did I not know those things?!" She yelled in frustration before the next and final round.

"Final Round...fight!"

Indigo rushed over to Dashin8r, then flipped over her before the latter could land a punch on the former. Now behind her opponent and feeling a little worried, Indigo fired a super special move and caught her opponent off guard. Just before Dashin8r landed, Indigo rushed toward her and hit her with an uppercut a split-second before her attack could be blocked or parried. Dashin8r recovered, grabbed her and threw her across the battlefield. Indigo nearly missed her chance for an aerial recovery, but she lost health nonetheless. Dashin8r rushed towards Indigo, causing her to backflip. Moving her thumbs at a speed that surprised even herself, Indigo performed a super special and knocked out her opponent.

IndiZap wins!

Mega Tournament
Elite Eight, Match 3
IndiZap vs. Dashin8r

Indigo smiled. "Man, I hope I get to meet you someday. You were a worthy opponent, Dashin8r!" She gave a salute to the television screen as the final match of the Elite Eight played out before her eyes. Much to her shock, the final match barely lasted a minute. If she were a lesser gamer, she'd shudder at the thought of playing against the victor.

The Fated Four will begin in ten minutes!

Indigo blinked. "What's wrong with using 'Final Four'? Is it copyrighted or something?" She shrugged, deciding to let the matter rest. She looked at her phone. "Holy crap, it's been that long?!" She said in disbelief. "Then again, this has been a freaking long tournament." She took a deep breath, then exhaled in preparation for her next match.

Mega Tournament
Elite Eight, Match 3
IndiZap vs. SunShimPwny

Indigo snickered at the name, but she knew not to underestimate the player. She had consistently swept all of her opponents, after all. The only other player in the tournament besides her to pull that off, though...Indigo suppressed a shudder. She was not a lesser gamer.

"Round One...fight!"

SunShim moved fast, nearly startling Indigo. She launched a series of projectiles, hitting Indigo with all she had right off of the bat. Indigo took a few hits, then flipped backwards and fired a special attack. SunShim took the brunt of it, then grabbed and tossed her to the other side of the screen while launching a special attack, stunning Indigo. "Shit!" She yelped. SunShim followed up with a ten-hit combo, knocking her out.

SunShimPwny wins!

Indigo blinked. "Okay...you want a battle? I'll give you a battle!" She gritted her teeth in concentration.

"Round Two...fight!"

Indigo started off by firing two consecutive special moves, then leaping into the air for a flying kick. The first was deflected, the second hit, and her flying kick stunned SunShim. Indigo landed a ten-hit combo, sending her opponent to the edge of defeat. SunShim then got up and landed a devastating super special move. "No!" Indigo shouted, feeling a wave of panic. She blocked her opponent's next attack, then followed up with a rapid uppercut, knocking SunShim out.

IndiZap wins!

Indigo was panting and sweating. "I don't know if that was exhilarating or terrifying..." She said as the final round began.

"Final Round...fight!"

Indigo dashed towards her opponent and landed a six-hit combo before getting thrown to the other side of the screen. She recovered in midair, then successfully landed a flying kick on her opponent. She tried to follow up with a super special move only for it to be blocked. She backflipped, then fired a special move, hitting her opponent.

"I'm not letting up!" Indigo said, then unleashed another ten-hit combo, knocking out SunShim.

IndiZap wins!

Indigo screamed with joy and she clenched her fists, flailing them. She took a deep breath and exhaled, then watched the match that would decide her final opponent. The match lasted all of one and a half minutes. This time Indigo could not hold back the shudder she had previously managed to keep at bay.

"I may not be a lesser gamer..." Indigo gulped. "But I'm still human."

The Championship match will begin in ten minutes!

Indigo got up and paced around the living room. "Okay, Indigo, calm down. These are just unusual circumstances! Sure, you've never played against someone of the caliber you're about to face, but you can do this!" She walked over to the mirror. "Show me your war face, soldier!" She closed her eyes and looked deep down within herself, and she summoned a scream that scared all the wildlife around her house.

Feeling more confident, Indigo Zap walked over to the television and took another deep breath, then exhaled as her final battle was about to start.

Mega Tournament
Championship Match
IndiZap vs. Lunar_Goddess_NMM

Indigo felt her muscles tighten in anticipation.

"Round One...fight!"

Lunar fired several special attacks in succession, catching Indigo off guard. She took each of them and her health bar fell to below half. "What the hell?! It hasn't even been ten seconds!" Indigo shouted, feeling her newfound composure and confidence slip a little. She fired a special attack only to have it parried, then Lunar followed up with a flying kick, stunning her. Lunar finished her off with a super special attack.

Lunar_Goddess_NMM wins! Flawless victory!

Indigo gritted her teeth. Lunar was good, there was no doubt about it. She'd have to change something up if she wanted to win this!

"Round Two...fight!"

Lunar started off the next round in the same manner as before, and Indigo managed to block all but one. She rushed to Lunar and leaped into the air with a flying kick, which was blocked, then countered. Indigo began to sweat as her thumbs swiftly hit all the buttons she could, managing to land only two hits while all the others were blocked. Lunar hit Indigo with an eleven-hit combo, stunning her. Lunar then executed a super special move, knocking her out.

Lunar_Goddess_NMM wins!

Lunar_Goddess_NMM is the Grand Champion!!

Indigo Zap could only stare at the television in disbelief, utterly shocked.

Obssession

Indigo blinked, then rapidly shook her head to snap herself back to reality. "What the hell just happened?" She replayed the events that had unfolded in her head over and over again, trying to comprehend her current reality. Sure, she'd lost a match or two before, but never this badly. She felt her anger and frustration rise. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" She punctuated each "dammit" with a punch to the couch she sat on. She then took a deep breath, calming herself. "Stay cool, Indigo Zap." She told herself. Remaining calm, she sent a message to the Grand Champion.

I want to challenge you to a rematch. There's no way you can beat me that badly a second time! - Sent by IndiZap

Indigo waited for a few moments, then her console pinged.

Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose, and I have a very busy schedule. - Sent by Lunar_Goddess_NMM

Indigo narrowed her eyes in determination.

I am without a doubt sure. I have just one additional request. I want there to be voice chat so I can hear you when I beat you. - Sent by IndiZap

Indigo gritted her teeth. Her pride had never been this wounded before and she needed some validation of her skills. She sighed, continuously playing the last match in her head over and over again, trying to make sense of it. Her console pinged.

Very well. Bear in mind, though, that you requested the rematch. - Sent by Lunar_Goddess_NMM

Indigo scowled and rolled her eyes, trying not to blow up lest she lose her chance at redeeming herself.

Since you're the one with the busy schedule, why don't you set the time? - Sent by IndiZap

Indigo cracked her neck, then walked away to get her dinner ready. By the time she had everything prepared, her console pinged.

Does late tomorrow morning work for you? - Sent by Lunar_Goddess_NMM

Indigo grinned for the first time in what felt like forever.

Name the exact time and I'll be ready! - Sent by IndiZap

Indigo's console pinged, and she took note of the time by putting a reminder in her phone, ten minutes before the appointed time. Just to be on the safe side. She swiftly ate dinner, then took a moment to indulge in her ultimate guilty pleasure - playing with Barbie dolls.

As much as Indigo would hate to say it, she has a...reputation at Crystal Prep, and she'll be damned if word got out that she liked playing with them, let alone the fact that she just got her ass kicked by a virtual unknown in one of her most oft-played games.

About an hour had passed, and Indigo hopped onto her computer and watched videos of professional e-sports players duking it out, playing and replaying them in hopes of gleaning any information on how she could beat Lunar. She slipped into her pajamas, as she was almost one hundred percent positive that she was going to fall asleep in front of the television again.

The sun had completely set, and Indigo began playing the game on maximum difficulty with her favorite character. Again and again, she fought. She wanted to hone her technique, perfect it! She wanted this "Lunar Goddess" to see who the big shot was and that that last match they had was nothing more than a fluke! She didn't stop, not even after beating the game several times with all flawless victories! She couldn't stop, but she didn't want to. It would only be a matter of time before her thumbs hurt, and she even got a blister!

"Okay...wow...holy shit." Indigo said, putting her hand to her forehead, realizing the extent her madness took her. "What time is it?" She looked at the clock, and her eyes widened. "What the hell got into me? I need to calm down." She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Hopefully a good night's sleep will cure what ails me...hopefully."

Indigo turned everything off, then walked up to her room. She flopped onto her bed and made a sputtering noise. She turned her bedroom lights off and slowly let sleep take her away.

Sunday Morning Stroll

Author's Note

Five days until the Friendship Games.

Sunday Morning Stroll

Indigo woke up, grateful to have had a decent dream, and not a nightmare that would traumatize her, thus keeping her from playing her favorite game. That would have sucked big time! She changed into her regular clothes, then noticed the decent weather. She smiled. Maybe some fresh air will help me get my head in the game. She thought, then walked outside, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"Gotta love the weather." Indigo said, smiling. She wasn't sure if she wanted the upcoming rematch on her mind or not. On one hand, she was looking forward to it. She demanded satisfaction for her bruised pride! But on the other hand, Indigo was also a bit concerned. Not only did that devastating loss damage her pride, but her confidence as well. What if she doesn't measure up to her opponent even after all that she went through last night?

"No!" Indigo said, not caring if anyone nearby saw her outburst as a sign that she was crazy. I can't let whoever that was get into my head like that! I have to calm down. Stay zen. She sighed and decided to get her mind off of the impending rematch. She needed to chillax.

Indigo continued moving forward, trying to distract herself from her mental turmoil. She stopped in front of a streetlight and leaned on it, folding her arms and closing her eyes. She focused on the buzzing of the cicadas, the cars passing by with music playing, the people walking past her.

"Um...are you okay?"

The unexpected question caught Indigo off-guard, and she looked up to see Twilight. Indigo blinked in surprise. "Twilight...huh. Never thought I'd see you outside of school. You come off as more of a...shut-in." Twilight frowned. "No offense." Indigo said, raising her arms in defense in the hopes it would at least make Twilight feel better.

Twilight sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Wait. What?" Indigo said, surprised.

"That I'm a shut-in." Twilight said, looking away from Indigo. "I spend most of my time alone or reading a book indoors." She looked back at Indigo with a sad smile. "I may be a shut-in, but that doesn't mean I don't want to connect with people from time to time."

Indigo blinked and frowned, feeling sympathy towards Twilight. "Are you okay?"

Twilight sighed. "Honestly? I'm not sure. As much as I love my lab and my studies, I'm starting to feel out of place at Crystal Prep. I may get the highest scores on tests on a very consistent basis, but that's one of the reasons I feel that way. It's like I've learned everything I need to know already, and I'm not sure how to take that."

Indigo was at a loss for words for a few moments, then finally spoke up. "Twilight...I don't know what to say."

Twilight looked at Indigo and smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just needed to get it off of my chest." She put her hand on Indigo's shoulder. "Thanks for listening."

Indigo smiled and put her hand on Twilight's. "Hey, no worries. Tell ya what. If you need me for anything. Anything at all, call or text me. Here's my number."

Twilight added Indigo to her list of contacts in her phone. "Thanks, Indigo. You're friendlier than most people make you out to be." She said.

Indigo grinned. "Only when I want to be, Twilight...only when I want to be."

Twilight blinked, then shrugged. "Well, I have to get going. Thanks again!"

"No problem!" Said Indigo, and she waved to Twilight. Well, that was a thing that just happened. She thought to herself as she went back to walking. She nearly came to a complete stop when she noticed Sour Sweet walking in front of her. Indigo grinned. Might as well get some more fun in before I have that rematch!

The Rematch

Author's Note

This chapter takes place immediately after Indigo and Sour Sweet's competition from the chapters "A New Day" and "What's So Wrong With a Little Competition?" in Sour Sweet's story.

The Rematch

"I can't believe I got so caught up in playing against Sour Sweet that I forgot about the fucking rematch!" Indigo shouted in panic as she ran for a minute, then pain shot through her legs, reminding her of something rather important. She growled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, great! I also forgot about the strain I've been putting on my legs!" Indigo stopped for a moment. She was at least close enough to her house that she wouldn't be late for the rematch. "Okay, Indigo...stay cool. Don't lose your shit." She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay, Indigo. Game face!"

Indigo walked right up to her house and opened the door. She checked the time on her phone. "Perfect timing!" She said, and sighed with relief. She turned her console on and, despite herself, bit her lip. Dammit, Indigo! Keep your cool! She started up the game and put her headset on. Indigo took another deep breath and exhaled, feeling relaxed again. She mentally counted down to the appointed time. Three...two...one...

Lunar_Goddess_NMM has logged on.

Indigo took another deep breath to calm herself. Why was she so on edge? She closed her eyes and thought about the one thing that always pumped her up: competition. Sure, this was also a competition, but it was more than just that. Her pride and...reputation as the number one gamer in Crystal Prep Academy was damaged severely, and she wanted retribution!

"Hello?" Said a voice from Indigo's headset, nearly startling the student to the point of a yelp.

"Hello." Indigo said, feeling excitement finally course through her veins. It felt so much better than freaking out! "Are you ready?"

"I believe the question is...are you ready?" Said Lunar.

Indigo blinked in surprise now that she fully registered the voice of the person talking to her. It sounded older than she expected. She raised an eyebrow. "Hey, aren't you a little old for this?" She asked.

If Lunar was insulted, she hid it well. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She said. Indigo could practically hear the smile from the tone of her opponent's voice.

Indigo grinned, and an idea formed in her head. "Okay. Let's make this interesting. How about you play as your worst character and I'll play as my best. That way I think we'll be on an even playing field."

"Very well." Lunar said. "Since you requested the rematch, I suppose it's fair for you to set the conditions."

Indigo continued to grin as they each selected their characters. At least now I'll have a better chance of winning! The loading screen started up as she mentally prepared herself.

"Round One...Fight!"

Indigo quickly slapped her hand to her mouth. Muffled screams of expletives filled Lunar's ears.

"Are you okay?" Lunar asked in a sincere tone.

Indigo calmed herself down, grateful that there was no time limit to the rounds. She stared at the screen, slack-jawed. Sweat slowly formed in beads on her forehead. You have got to be fucking kidding me! She all but mentally shouted.

On the screen were the same two characters from last night's championship battle. Indigo's eye twitched involuntarily. "Is this some kind of joke?" She asked.

"I assure you, it is not." Replied Lunar. "This is my worst character. I just entered the tournament to brush up on my skills." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Indigo could no longer hold it in. "Brush up on your skills?!" Indigo sighed heavily. Well, I got myself into this mess. Might as well see it through. "Okay." Indigo said, trying to hide her emotions from her tone of voice. "Let's do this."

Lunar started off by rushing over to Indigo and unleashing a series of kicks.

Oh, please don't tell me she's toying with me. Indigo thought as her brow furrowed in concentration.

Indigo jumped over Lunar, then immediately fired off a special move, hitting her. Indigo wanted to keep herself calm and in control during the fight no matter what. Lunar recovered in midair and hit Indigo with a flying kick.

"Not a bad start." Lunar said calmly.

Keep it together, Indigo. You got the first hit in, keep that cockiness at bay!

Lunar dashed across the screen until she was right in front of Indigo. Indigo reflexively blocked, only to be thrown to the other side of the arena.

"Dammit." Indigo muttered under her breath.

Despite her best efforts, Indigo landed to the ground with a thud. She got back up and fired a special move, which was parried. Indigo jumped and fired an aerial special move, then followed it up by getting in front of Lunar. Lunar immediately hit Indigo with an uppercut special move, stunning her. Indigo was then hit with a ten-hit combo, and knocked out.

Lunar_Goddess_NMM wins!

Indigo sighed. Not going to give up, even if all the odds are against me!

"Round Two...fight!"

"You've been pretty quiet over there." Said Lunar.

Indigo grimaced. "I've been concentrating." She said.

"Fair enough." Said Lunar, and began her assault. She fired off a special move, then followed it up with a backflip. Indigo blocked the special move as Lunar dashed towards her and landed an uppercut. Indigo recovered in midair, then fired a downward special attack that struck her opponent. Taking advantage of the situation, Indigo landed a seven-hit combo before it was canceled. Lunar parried, then tossed her to the other side of the arena and followed up with a super special move. The super special connected, and Indigo was once again knocked out.

Lunar_Goddess_NMM wins!

Indigo sighed heavily. A few moments of silence passed before she could bring herself to say "Good game." in a monotone. Before Lunar could respond, she took off her headset, shut off her console and the television, and laid down on the couch to stare at the ceiling.

Shattered Confidence

Indigo stared up at the ceiling for what felt like hours. It wasn't even the afternoon, and she would damn near kill to see the stars right now. She needed peace of mind. The only other thing that would come close to the comfort she feels from watching the starry night sky was up in her room, and she didn't have the will to get up. Her parents wouldn't be back until later, which meant she didn't have anyone to talk to. The thought of getting in touch with Twilight Sparkle had crossed her mind, but she hardly knew her and didn't want to dump any drama on her, either.

Indigo sighed heavily and forced herself up off of the couch. She trudged up the stairs, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Not that she needed to, she'd been living here for as long as she could remember. She entered her room and took a deep breath, then exhaled. She felt only marginally felt better, having smelled the all too familiar scent of her room. She walked over to her bed, then flopped down onto it.

Indigo turned her head to look at her bedroom clock. "If only there was some way to make time move faster." She thought out loud. "Being back at Crystal Prep would help me feel better, but I'm stuck here at home with jack shit to do except feel sorry for myself over getting my ass kicked in a video game." She put the palm of her hand to her face. "God, that sounds pathetic now that I say it out loud."

She got off of her bed, then searched through her desk drawers. "Ah, here we are." She said, and pulled out a pair of headphones. She took her phone out of her pocket and plugged her headphones in. She selected one of her playlists, and let it run as she sat on her bedroom floor and leaned against her bed. She closed her eyes and let the music wash away her concerns, sending her away to a plane of calm.

Indigo's playlist ended after about a couple of hours, and she returned her headphones to the desk drawer. She left her room and sighed. "Time for lunch, I guess." She may have lost horribly two times in a row and wallowing in self-pity, but she still needed to eat.

Indigo walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate. She filled it up with the remainder of her leftovers, and sat down on the sofa. All she could bring herself to do was to eat and stare blankly at the television. She wasn't in the mood to be entertained, so she simply basked in the background noise.

Once Indigo finished her lunch, she sighed again. She wasn't sure if it was from being full or still feeling upset over her defeat. She put the palm of her hand to her face. "Ugh. I'm such a mess right now."

Indigo got up off of the couch and made a sputtering noise. She cleaned up after herself, then sat back down and stared at the television. She remained in that position for several minutes, then finally summoned the willpower to get herself off of the couch. "Gah! That was harder than it should have been!"

Indigo walked over to the nearest window and rested her forehead on it, staring at the outside world. She wanted to stop feeling sorry for herself. She had to stop feeling bad for herself. She needed to stop feeling bad for herself. She sighed again, causing her breath to leave a temporary fog on the glass. This had to have been the worst funk she'd ever been in. Worst of all, the only two people she could rely on to break her out of it were on vacation!

Indigo snapped out of her reverie when she heard the garage door open. Scratch that. She thought, finally able to grin. They're home early!

Homecoming

Indigo ran to the door leading to the garage, eager to hug whoever came in first. The door opened to reveal her mother. Twinkle Trick was a woman who, depending on who you asked, came off as either mysterious, magic, or both. Nobody could quite figure her out except her family, who she was always transparent and honest with.

Twinkle was a light-brown woman of average height, her yellow eyes behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Her dark blue curly hair was obscured by her favorite traveling cap. She looked up from the book she was reading to see her daughter eagerly looking at her. She smiled widely and outstretched her arms. "Hey, sugar!"

Ever since Indigo was in kindergarten, she wanted to be just like her mother. She began imitating her, but to a more extreme degree, much to the confusion and frustration of those around her. She had tried to tone it down over the years, but she found it to be too difficult and just accepted the level she was at.

Indigo ran to her mother and embraced her tightly. "Hey, Mom!" She said cheerfully, then sighed as she put her head onto her mother's shoulder, which was a signal to both of her parents that she'd had it rough recently.

Twinkle frowned. "Hey...what happened?" She said, a tone of concern in her voice.

Indigo looked up to her mother. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather wait until both you and Dad are inside."

Twinkle smiled warmly. "I understand, honey." She said as she broke the hug, then went back into the garage to grab her luggage.

Shortly thereafter, her father walked through the door. Indigo smiled again and rushed over to him. "Hey, dad!" She said, giving him a hug.

Azure Feather was a well-toned man whose skin color was inherited by his daughter. Both his head of hair and facial hair were a light blue, and his bright green eyes lit up when he saw Indigo. "Hey there, Zappo!" He said, giving her a bear hug. His smile faded when Indigo pressed her face onto his shoulder. "Rough weekend?" He asked sympathetically. Indigo sighed heavily and nodded. "You want to talk about it?"

Indigo shook her head. "Not right now. I want to wait until both you and mom are inside. You need help with your luggage?"

Azure smiled. "Sure, I won't turn down an offer like that."

Indigo smiled back. "Glad to help." She said, walking into the garage. She and her parents brought in all the luggage and her parents began to unpack.

"So." Azure said, turning around to face his daughter while he and Twinkle were unpacking. "What happened?" Indigo sighed heavily and told her parents everything that had happened over the weekend up until they returned from home.

Azure and Twinkle looked at each other, then at Indigo. Azure folded his arms. "How are your legs now?" He asked.

Indigo shrugged. "They feel fine, but I should probably take it easy. Especially since tryouts for the Friendship Games are tomorrow. Then take it easy again until the games start."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Said Twinkle. "And honey...we know how much pride you have in your video game skills, but you have to keep this in mind: yes, you may have lost twice in a row. But think about how many matches you've won! Why, before you know it, you'll have a winning streak that would make Lunar jealous!"

Indigo grinned widely. "Yeah. You're right!" She ran up to them and hugged them both. "You guys always know how to cheer me up. That's why I love the stuffing out of you!"

Azure and Twinkle returned the hug and stayed in place for several moments, enjoying their warmth and love. Once they separated, Indigo clapped her hands together. "So." She said, having fully regained her confidence. "What's the plan for tonight?"

Fun with the Whole Family

Azure Feather and Twinkle Trick looked at each other for a moment. "How about a giant fort made out of pillows?" Asked Feather.

Indigo snickered, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms with a smile.

"What?" Twinkle said, confused. "You love it when we make giant pillow forts together."

"Yeah, I do." Indigo responded. "But we've established that I need to take easy, and I'm not sure making a giant pillow fort falls under that category. Besides, it's not as fun if we don't all do it. I wouldn't feel right just watching you and dad make one without me."

"Fair enough." Said Twinkle. She put a hand to her chin and stroked it in thought. "Hmm..." She stayed still for several moments before sighing. "Yeah, I've got nothing." She said, slumping in defeat. "What about you, hon? Got any ideas?" She said to Indigo.

Indigo shrugged and made a sputtering noise. "I dunno. Maybe we just play it by ear at this point?"

Azure shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Have you eaten lunch already?" Asked Azure.

Indigo nodded. "But I won't turn down eating dinner at a restaurant later!" She said with a grin.

Azure laughed. "Okay, we can do that later. But what about now?"

Indigo thought for a moment. "Any good movies out?"

Indigo and her parents would spend the next half hour going over all the movies currently out in theaters, finally settling on one they all wanted to see. "All right, then." Said Twinkle. "To the Familymobile!" She pointed in the direction of the garage in an over the top fashion.

Normally Indigo would rush to get to the car first, but she walked briskly instead. Her parents went at the same pace so she could have a fair chance at winning. She smiled slightly. "Come on, guys. You don't have to hold back on my account. You two are the only people in the whole world I don't mind losing to."

Azure nudged Indigo with his elbow. "You sure about that, Zappo? I hear eating dust isn't good for your health."

Indigo rolled her eyes and smiled. "Har, har." She said sarcastically. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Azure cupped his chin in mock thought. "Nah." He said. "Besides, we missed you! Gonna spend all the time we can with you!" He said, giving her a noogie.

Indigo laughed. "Okay, okay. If you insist!"

"We do." Said her mother, pulling Indigo's goggles down to her eyes. Indigo continued laughing until the three got into the car.

Indigo buckled up. "So, have you guys heard anything about this movie?"

"Nope." Her parents said in unison as Twinkle started the car, then backed out of the garage. "The less you know about a movie, the better. That way you can be more surprised at how it turns out." She said.

"Or disappointed." Said Indigo. Azure glanced back at her. "What? I'm just saying." Azure turned his attention back to the front. "But at least we know the synopsis. I think that should be a bare minimum before going to see a movie. I mean, can you imagine just walking into a movie without knowing anything about it other than the name?"

"Yes, actually." Twinkle said as she put a free hand on Azure's thigh. "That's what your father and I did on our first date."

"What?!" Indigo nearly shouted. "I know you like to be random sometimes, mom, but isn't that kinda wasting your money?" Her parents laughed as she stared in shock.

"We both agreed that our first date should be memorable." Said Azure. "It turned out to be the worst film we ever saw, and it remains the worst movie we've ever seen to this day. But you know what? It was memorable, and that's what matters." He gave Twinkle a quick peck on the cheek.

Indigo smiled warmly at seeing her parents' love for each other. Her thoughts drifted momentarily, imagining what it would be like to have a family of her own someday. Meeting the right person, confessing her love or her significant other confessing to her...she sighed. It must be one of the greatest feelings in the world. She was snapped out of her thoughts by her mother.

"We're here!" Twinkle said as she parked the car. Indigo unbuckled her seatbelt and eagerly got out of the car. She followed her parents towards the theater entrance.

Indigo and her parents left the theater, each of the three with differing opinions.

"What the hell did I just watch?" Said Indigo, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That was the most confusing movie I ever saw, and I've seen some weird movies!"

Twinkle giggled. "I do love a good surreal movie." She said as she readjusted her glasses. "That part with the fish caught me off-guard, though."

Azure shuddered. "Don't remind me about that. I'm not eating fish for a month after having seen that!" He sighed. "I don't even think I'll ever look at fish the same way ever again. That scene aside, it was okay. Not the best, but not the worst either." He said, opening the door to the outside for his wife and daughter.

"If I've learned anything at all today, it's that you can't always trust a trailer or synopsis." Indigo said, throwing her hands up. She made a sputtering noise. "Well, at least it was a memorable experience." She said, winking at her parents.

Twinkle snickered, and Azure just smiled. The three got into the car.

"Now then, where to?" Asked Twinkle.

"Anywhere where there's no fish." Said Azure.

Indigo laughed. "Makes no difference to me. I'm not all that picky of an eater."

"All right then, just leave it to me!" Twinkle said as she started up the car, then steadily lowered her foot on the gas pedal.

The family enjoyed companionable silence until Indigo noticed a large construction site. "What the?!" She said, staring at a large wall. "How long has that been there?!"

Azure shrugged. "Beats me. We hardly drive on this road." He said as the car passed by a giant sign.

Coming Soon: Equestria Land!

Indigo's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, man! That looks so cool!" She said, barely able to contain herself.

Twinkle laughed. "I'm sure we'll find time to get there." She said. "It looks like a lot of fun!"

Azure laced his hands behind his head. "Been a while since I've been to an amusement park."

"Sweet!" Indigo said. "I so can't wait!"

The silence returned after a moment, then remained until the car was parked at the restaurant.

Indigo, Twinkle and Azure returned to the car after finishing their meals. Azure slowly sat down in the passenger seat, his face pale.

"Of all the items on the menu, the guy right behind me had to eat fish." Azure said, sighing heavily.

"You gonna be okay, dad?" Indigo asked as she sat down and buckled her seatbelt.

"Need me to roll down a window, hon?" Asked Twinkle.

"Yes to both." Said Azure. "Hopefully a nice breeze will help."

Twinkle rolled down the window to Azure's door as she started the car. "Just let me know if you need me to pull over." She said.

"Don't worry, I will." Said Azure.

Indigo tensed up slightly. One of her greatest fears was being in the same vicinity as someone throwing up. She clenched her jaw as she felt the chill of fear on her back. She took a deep breath, then exhaled.

Twinkle took notice. "Are you okay, Indigo?" She asked.

Indigo smiled nervously. "I think so." She said. "Just a little nervous, I guess."

"Nervous? About what?" Asked Azure.

Indigo tensed up further, afraid that her father would get sick by talking too much.

"Are you sure you're okay, Indigo?" Asked Twinkle, raising an eyebrow.

Indigo sighed heavily. "I'm...I'm afraid of being near people sick to their stomach." She admitted.

Azure looked back at his daughter and smiled warmly. "Don't worry, Zappo." He said softly. "I assure you I'm fine. And even if it happens, there's not much you or I can do about it. It's a natural bodily function."

Indigo tensed up further, afraid of being thrown up on. "Iknowbutcanyoupleaseturnaroundbeforeyoupukeonme?" She blurted out.

Azure kept his warm smile. "I understand." He said. "But don't worry. We're almost home."

Thank fuck for that. Indigo thought, still tensed up. She remained that way until the car pulled into the garage. Once it stopped, Indigo quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and bolted into the house, then ran upstairs and closed the door to her room.

Home Again

Twinkle and Azure got out of the car and looked at each other.

"Are you going to be okay, hon?" Twinkle asked her husband.

"Yeah, I actually feel much better. Thanks." He said, smiling. "But I think the better question would be if Indigo's okay."

Twinkle nodded. "I'll go up to talk to her. She might tense up again if you try to talk to her."

"Understood." Said Azure. "I'm going to go stretch my legs. I'm tired of sitting inside something, so I'll be in the backyard, exercising."

"Have fun." Twinkle said, and gave Azure a quick peck on the lips. She then walked into the house, with Azure just behind her until she began to walk up the stairs.

Indigo Zap was on her bed, curled up. Her eyes were shut tightly, her teeth clenched together and her index fingers were plugged in her ears. She nearly yelped when she heard a knock on the door. She stayed on her bed, but slowly removed her index fingers. Her eyes remained shut and her teeth remained clenched. A moment passed, and she heard the knock on the door again.

"Indigo, honey? Are you okay?" Came her mother's voice, muffled slightly by her bedroom door.

Indigo gradually opened her eyes and unclenched her teeth. "I...I guess so." She said, uncurling herself.

"Can I come in?" Twinkle asked.

"Sure." Indigo said as she sat up on her bed. Her mother opened the door. Indigo laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that little bit of weirdness." She said. "Being around someone who might puke really, really freaks me the fuck out."

Twinkle smiled. "Yeah. Your father and I noticed." She said, sitting next to her daughter. "But you don't have to worry anymore. He's out in the backyard doing some exercises. You know how he gets when he's stuck in a car."

Indigo smiled. "Yeah. I do. And I don't blame him. Being stuck in a car for hours would definitely make me crazy, too!"

Twinkle laughed. "Same here. I can barely keep still sitting like this as it is! Why don't we go in the backyard? Your dad and I really need to stretch our legs."

Indigo nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Azure went outside and took a deep breath, then exhaled. He sighed with contentment. "Ahhh, much-needed fresh air." He said as he stretched. He then sprinted around the perimeter of the backyard, taking another whiff of the air. He smiled. "Good to be home." He said, feeling at peace. He stopped mid-stride as the sliding-glass door opened to reveal his wife and daughter. "Hey, Zappo." He said. "Sorry about the scare in the car."

Indigo walked over her dad and gave him a hug. "Don't be. I'm sorry that I freaked out. I don't know why it does that to me, but it just does."

Azure returned the hug. "It happens." He said as Twinkle began stretching after she closed the door behind herself. "But don't you worry, I feel better now. I just needed some fresh air after smelling that...ugh...fish."

Indigo broke the hug and stepped back a few feet. She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Reflex." She said, blushing.

Azure smiled. "Don't worry about it." He said. "Why don't you stay out here with us for a while?"

Indigo smiled. "Sure, I can see myself lounging while you two work out. Maybe I can find a whip or something to keep you two moving."

Azure snickered. "You can probably find one in the closet of the master bedroom." He said with a wink.

Indigo blushed deeply. "Dad! Eeew!" She knew her parents loved each other, but she didn't want to hear about their sex lives, jokes or no!

Twinkle nearly tripped upon hearing her husband's remark. "Azure Feather!" She admonished, blushing almost as deeply as her daughter.

Azure burst into laughter, much to the embarrassment of his wife and daughter.

The sun had fully set, and the family of three were getting tired.

Indigo yawned. "Well, I'd better rest up for the tryouts tomorrow. Something tells me it's going to be a crazy day."

Twinkle and Azure panted, out of breath from all the exercising they did in the backyard. "Good night, Indigo!" They both said.

Indigo walked into the house and up to her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and let sleep claim her for the night.

Monday Morning

Author's Note

Four days until the Friendship Games.

Monday Morning

Indigo woke up and got out of bed. She stretched, yawned, and cracked her neck. "Ow!" She cried, wincing from her neck popping. "All right then, Indigo." She said to herself. "Let's kick today's ass!" She eagerly changed her clothes and sprinted downstairs, remembering to save her energy for the tryouts.

Indigo entered the kitchen and saluted her parents. "Hey." She said.

"Morning, Zappo!" Said Azure. "You feel rested enough to take on the tryouts?"

Indigo grinned. "Are you kidding? Of course I am!" She said, cracking her knuckles.

Azure slapped her on the back. "That's the spirit!" He said.

Twinkle smiled. "We know you'll do well, Indigo."

"Thanks for the votes of confidence. Not that I need them." Indigo said. Twinkle and Azure smiled and rolled their eyes.

"Sometimes every little bit counts." Said Twinkle.

"Sometimes." Said Indigo. "I'm just saying." She said with a smile. "I understand what you're getting at though, and I appreciate it." She hugged both of her parents. "Well, I'm off! See you guys later!" Azure and Twinkle waved goodbye as Indigo left the house.

Indigo boarded the bus and searched for a seat.

"Hey! Indigo!" A voice called out from a few rows back. Indigo followed the voice until she found its owner.

"Oh, hey Fleur De Verre." Indigo said as she sat down next to her.

"Have you seen this new video from SnapGab?" Fleur De Verre gave Indigo her phone and started the video.

One the screen was a yellow-skinned girl playing with her pink and white hair on her bed. "#bangs." She said seductively, moving her hand from her hair to her mouth, biting gently on her pointer finger.

Indigo's eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. "Holy shit that's hot!" She said breathily. She played it again, then quickly gave the phone back to Fleur De Verre. She was visibly sweating and blushing when she turned to look at her. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "What's her name?!" She said, making an effort to not grab De Verre by the collar and shake her.

Fleur De Verre grinned widely. "I know, right? Her name is Vignette Valencia." She inwardly pumped a fist in triumph. Sweet! At the very least, she's probably bi! I might just have a chance with her! Then again, she did french kiss me on impulse. She leaned in close to Indigo and whispered. "I don't blame you, I've already gotten off on watching that video twice!" Her smile slowly turned into a frown. "Sadly, I know someone who's been in contact with her. I heard she's a total bitch."

Indigo frowned. "Never meet your idols." She said.

"Hey now." De Verre said, folding her arms. "That saying's not always true."

"I suppose not." Indigo said, shrugging. "Still, I was just saying."

The bus came to a complete stop in front of Crystal Prep, and everyone disembarked.

"Thanks for showing me that video!" Said Indigo.

"No problem." Said De Verre. "See you later!"

"You bet!" Indigo said, waving. She then ran off to her first class of the day.

First class had ended, and Indigo slowly shuffled out of her classroom. She had her hand on her forehead. "Dammit, I can't get that video out of my head! Stupid sexy Vignette Valencia!" She muttered under her breath. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Indigo calmed herself slightly. That's a better method than trying to think of unsexy things. That usually ends up backfiring in the worst possible ways.

Indigo walked the halls as she felt her anticipation for the tryouts build. Should I do warmups in the hall? She thought. After mulling it over for a few moments, she made her decision, only for the warning bell for second period to ring. "Crap." She said, disappointed. She sighed, then walked to her next class.

Indigo walked out of her next class with a headache. "That was way too much information for one class. I feel like my head is swimming so fast it's causing a damned tidal wave!" She grabbed a nearby student by the collar. "Are you on the verge of babbling like an idiot?! Please tell me it's not just me..." The student could only stammer unintelligibly. Indigo slowly and calmly set her down, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I get stressed out when I'm overwhelmed." The student merely stared at Indigo, then backed away slowly, almost bumping into two or three students on the way.

Indigo slapped the palm of her hand to her face, then dragged it down to her chin. "Ugh." She said. "Maybe next time I should just tell the teacher to slow down so I can catch up." The warning bell for third period rang, and she groaned. "Lunch can't come fast enough." She said, making her way to her next class.

Indigo sighed contentedly upon leaving her third period class. "Oh, man. That was so much better than the last class I had." She smiled. "That really took the edge off." She made a mental note to personally thank the teacher later, as she was enjoying the moment and didn't want to go back into the classroom. She almost pulled her phone out just to watch the hot video again before shaking her head quickly. Man, it sucks that I had to snap myself out of it. I think I was experiencing a natural high or something! But I really, really want to see that video again! God it was so hot!! Indigo's eyes widened, and she ran to the women's bathroom.

Indigo turned on a faucet, then splashed cold water on her face. She yelped. "Why is this a thing people do?!" She nearly shouted. "I'm still thinking about sexy things, but now I'm cold!" Her face lit up when the warning bell for fourth period rang. "I could use any sort of distraction at this point..." She sprinted out of the bathroom and towards her next class.

Indigo left her fourth period class, still thinking about the video, but far less turned on due to the distraction of class. She sighed. "I'll take what I can get at this point. At least the tryouts should be fun." Indigo blinked. "Crap, the tryouts! I'd better hurry!"

Vulnerability

Indigo ran to where the tryouts were. She looked around at all the other participants. Among them she saw Lemon Zest, who was looking at Sour Sweet. Sour Sweet waved with a smile. Huh. Never thought I'd see Sour smile for real. Sugarcoat was just staring blankly, causing Indigo to blink. I wonder what her deal is. She thought, grinning at Lemon. She noticed Sunny Flare giving Lemon Zest the stink eye. I wonder what her deal is, too...

Principal Cinch's voice snapped Indigo out of her thoughts. "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's voice echoed throughout the room.

Indigo smiled. Actually, that sounds pretty damn cool. I'd be up for that.

"As I was saying..." Cinch continued, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The first round of tryouts will involve academics. The top fifty scores will move on to the next round. To your seats!" All students did as instructed. "And...begin!"

Well, this isn't what I was expecting. Indigo shrugged and sighed. Well, it is what it is. She put all of her concentration into the test and let nothing else distract her until Principal Cinch spoke again.

"Pencils down!" Principal Cinch said, and 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!"

Indigo left the room. "At least that wasn't as much of an info dump as second period." She thought aloud. "I'm willing to bet results will be posted after fifth period."

Lunch had started, and Indigo walked over to the crowd of students. "This must be where the rankings are." She said, looking at the posting. She grinned widely. "Top five. Not bad, not bad." She turned around and nearly bumped into Fleur De Verre. "Oh, crap! Sorry, I didn't see you there!"

De Verre smiled. "Don't worry about it." She said.

"Are you here to see where you placed?" Asked Indigo.

De Verre's smile slowly faded as she turned her head away. "I already have a pretty good idea, Indigo Zap." She said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Indigo said, turning to look at the rankings again. "I'm sure you did just..." She trailed off once she saw where De Verre was ranked. At the very bottom. "...fine." She finished, almost as quietly as De Verre, who was looking away and shaking. "Hey..." Indigo said sympathetically, extending her arm towards her.

De Verre turned around suddenly, tears in her eyes. Indigo stepped back, surprised. "Tests were never my strong suit, Indigo." She said, wiping her eyes. "I can do athletics just fine, but I just can barely pass a test!" She sniffled. "That was the worst score I've ever been given, and everyone's here to see it!" She buried her head in her hands and let out a sob.

Indigo smiled warmly and grabbed De Verre by the hand. "Come with me." She said as she walked away from the crowd of students.

"Wh-wh-where are you taking me?" Asked De Verre as she let out another sniffle.

Indigo looked at her and smiled. "Somewhere where we can be alone." De Verre blushed in spite of herself, but decided not to jump to conclusions.

After a few moments, Indigo stopped in front of a study room. "Come on in." She said, and De Verre obliged. The two sat down on chairs. Indigo looked out the window. "Hey, this room is soundproof, right?" She asked.

De Verre shrugged. "It should be."

"I guess that'll have to do, then." Indigo said.

"So why did you bring me all the way here?" De Verre asked.

Indigo closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Before we go on, I want you to promise me that what I tell you here in this room stays in this room. Understood?" She gazed at De Verre, her eyes piercing.

De Verre was a little unsure of where this was going, and was quite frankly more than a little nervous from anticipation. She swallowed, then slowly nodded her head. "Yes. I do."

"Thank you." Indigo said, smiling genuinely as opposed to her well-known grin. She took another deep breath and sighed heavily. "I hope I'm not worrying you, it's just that it's never easy for me to say this."

De Verre blinked. "Honestly, you are, but that's just because I don't know why you brought me here."

Indigo chuckled. "Good to know." She said. "Okay. The reason I brought you here is tell you something that only my parents know about me. I haven't told anyone else, but I'm pretty sure some staff members suspect it."

De Verre nodded, suppressing the urge to tell Indigo to just come out with it.

"I wasn't always this athletic or good at tests." Indigo said.

De Verre's face turned red. She was about to yell at Indigo for blowing this all out of proportion until she saw that Indigo had her face on the table while holding up an index finger, indicating that she wasn't done speaking. Silence hung in the air for several more moments until she finally lifted her head. De Verre stared in shock. In all the time she had seen Indigo Zap throughout her time at Crystal Prep, she had seen her smile, grin, laugh, and even scowl. But now here, in this quiet room, Indigo's face had a look of uncertainty. She was willing to be vulnerable for this person she hardly knew.

"I guess you can tell how hard this is for me to say, huh?" She said, nervously.

De Verre smiled warmly. "Would it help if I held your hand?" She said.

"I'll take anything at this point, I just want to get it off my chest." Indigo said. De Verre reached over the table and clasped Indigo's hands into hers. Indigo closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of De Verre's contact. She took one last deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I have Asperger's Syndrome."

De Verre blinked. "You mean you're-"

"Autistic, yes. High-functioning, though." Indigo said. "My whole point for telling you this is that if someone who's autistic can go from lazy and a bad test-taker to one of the top athletes and test-scorers in Crystal Prep, then surely you." She said, emphasizing her point by slightly tightening her grip on De Verre's hands. "Can improve. I have faith in you." Indigo paused for a moment, then looked away. "I'm sorry if I blew this whole thing out of proportion."

De Verre let go of Indigo's hands and walked over to her. She gave her a big hug, much to Indigo's surprise. "Don't be sorry." She whispered softly. "What you did was brave, and I promise that nothing you told me will leave this room."

Indigo sniffled. "Thank you." She said, her voice quavering.

The two stood still as Indigo's sniffles turned to sobs.

Author's Note

The reveal for this chapter was hard for me to write, because I get uncomfortable (though not to Indigo's degree) about telling people that I have Asperger's. I wanted this chapter to be a little personal, but to take the edge off, I decided to make the title of this chapter a little meta.

Lunch

Indigo finally calmed down after a few moments. "What time is it?" She asked, checking her phone. She smiled. "Great! There's still time to eat. Let's go, I'm starving!" She almost sped off, but then turned around and gave De Verre a big hug. "Again...thank you." She whispered.

De Verre smiled. "You're welcome. Now let's eat already, I'm hungry too!"

Indigo and De Verre sat next to each other and ate their lunches. As much as I'd like to tell her how I feel about her right now, De Verre thought. I don't think now's the right moment. She sighed, looking at Indigo.

Indigo glanced at De Verre. "Is everything okay?" She asked.

De Verre smiled. "Yes. Everything is just fine." She said, trying hard not to blush. Indigo blinked, then returned to eating her lunch. De Verre did the same. She probably doesn't feel the same way about me. She thought.

Indigo paused for a moment, as though something occurred to her. Slowly, she turned her head to De Verre and her eyes widened. She quickly turned her head around and did a spit take, falling into a coughing fit.

De Verre panicked. "Indigo, are you okay? Do you need water?" Still coughing, she nodded her head. De Verre rushed over to a lunchlady and returned with a cup of water. Indigo greedily gulped it down, then took a deep breath. "...Are you feeling better?" De Verre asked her.

"Holy shit!" Indigo said, pointing at De Verre. "It's you! The girl I kissed in the hallway!"

De Verre sighed heavily. "I can't believe it took you this long to realize that." She said. "Yes. I'm the girl you kissed in the hallway. I'm also the girl who was twirling her pencil in class that was driving you crazy." She took a deep breath and exhaled. I guess it's now or never, De Verre thought. "I was twirling it because I was thinking about how you kissed me in the hallway. I know you did it out of sheer impulse, but despite my best efforts I have a crush on you."

Indigo Zap's jaw dropped and she stood still in shock for a moment. She blinked as she processed De Verre's confession.

"I know this is like the last thing you need right now after what just happened, and it might be a little selfish of me, but I feel like if I didn't get this off my chest it would consume me." De Verre said, putting her hands to her chest. She then put her hands on Indigo's shoulders. "I don't expect you to feel the same way, because I know the kiss didn't mean anything to you." She said, turning her head away.

"De Verre..." Indigo finally managed to speak. "I'm sorry." She said weakly, turning her head away. The two stayed in silence until the warning bell for sixth period rang. De Verre let go of her shoulders. Indigo sighed heavily as she watched the only person brave enough to admit their feelings towards her walk away slowly.

Sixth Period

Author's Note

From now on, all my chapters are going to be at least 1k words. It doesn't feel right having just hundreds of words in a chapter.

Sixth Period

Indigo forced herself off of her seat as soon as De Verre was out of sight. I feel terrible about this. She thought as she walked over to her sixth period class. Nobody's ever had a crush on me before. At least, not that I'm aware of. She sighed again. I have to talk to her the next chance I get. She entered her classroom.

As class started, Indigo found herself in constant thought. Should I not have told her about my Asperger's? She shook her head. I don't think it would have made any difference if I hadn't. She'd still know that my kissing her was nothing more than an impulse. She put the palm of her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. God, I feel like such a shit right now.

"Miss Zap?" Indigo opened her eyes and looked up to see the teacher staring down at her. "Is there something more important on your mind than class?"

Indigo blushed from embarrassment. I'd say yes, but I'd rather not piss off the teacher. She shook her head. "No, ma'am."

The teacher nodded. "Good." She headed back to the chalkboard. "Now as I was saying..."

Indigo went back to her thoughts, but paid a bit more attention to the teacher. She wrote notes on her pad of paper to remember anything the teacher said, should she be reprimanded again. I've got to find her after this class. She made a sputtering noise and jotted down notes, since she knew the noise would catch the teacher's attention. The teacher glanced at Indigo, then went back to her lecture.

Indigo glanced at the clock in the classroom. Her eyes widened. It hasn't even been ten minutes?! She suppressed a groan. I thought my attention span was supposed to make time fly, not slow down to a near standstill! She turned her attention back to her teacher, who was writing on the chalkboard. Indigo copied the teacher's writing, then went back to her thoughts.

Crap. She thought as another realization hit her, along with a wave of panic. I can't lie to Mom and Dad. I'll end up telling them about Fleur De Verre's crush on me, then I'll have to tell them how it started...the impulsive kiss. In the goddamn hallway of all places! I'll be grounded for a week! Indigo sighed heavily and nearly banged her head on the desk, but stopped just a inch short of impact. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

As if I haven't gotten enough negative attention from the teacher already! Indigo thought, rolling her eyes. She turned her head to the clock. Move faster, dammit! She gritted her teeth and gently laid her head down on her desk, then shot back up just in case the teacher happened to be glancing in her direction. The teacher was still writing on the blackboard. Good.

Indigo looked around the room and at all of her classmates. She noticed most of the students were showing roughly the same level of enthusiasm as she was. Figures. This class can get boring as hell. One student was asleep at their desk. Oof. I may make bad decisions sometimes, but even I never go that far. The last four students she didn't account for were listening intently. each with varying degrees. Well, good for them. Indigo thought sarcastically.

Indigo started twirling her pencil, then almost immediately stopped. Oh, great. Now I'm doing it! She put the palm of her hand to her forehead and dragged it down her face. She looked at the clock again. What part of "move faster" don't you understand?! She thought, resisting the urge to flail her arms in frustration. She glanced back at the chalkboard to see new notes to take. She copied the notes, then returned to her thoughts again.

Maybe I should just sing a song or two in my head. That usually helps pass the time. Indigo thought, glancing at her teacher. She blanched when she noticed the look on her face. The teacher began to walk slowly towards her, and Indigo shrank into her chair, sweating from nervousness. The teacher passed her by, and she wiped a bead of sweat off of her forehead, sighing with relief. The teacher walked up to the sleeping student's desk, and slapped the palm of her hand on it, startling everyone in the room.

The poor student yelped and sat upright immediately as the teacher fixed him with a death glare she knew would keep the student awake for the rest of the period, if not the rest of the day. Indigo stifled a giggle. And that's why I never fall asleep in class. She thought smugly.

Shortly thereafter, Indigo's thoughts returned to more pressing matters. Okay, one thing at a time. First off, I have to patch things up with De Verre. Then there's the second part of the tryouts, which is who knows when at this point. Then I'll have to deal with my parents. She shuddered. Man, why can't the tryouts be my only concern?! She made another sputtering noise as she wrote down more notes.

Indigo looked at the clock in the classroom again at the risk of her sanity. She smiled widely. Yes! She thought, almost unable to hide her excitement. Just a few more minutes! She looked at the chalkboard again, and wrote down the new notes the teacher left.

Indigo started to glance at the teacher, then her notes, then the clock every so often. She could hear the seconds tick away, which started to erode her attention span. She gritted her teeth in impatience as she switched her focus from her teacher to the clock, to her notes, then back to her teacher until the bell finally rang. Indigo nearly bolted out of her desk, leaving her belongings in the classroom. She hurried back in and claimed them, then ran out.

"Freedom!" She shouted, sighing with relief. She grinned widely, feeling determination. "All right." She said, lowering her goggles. "Operation: Find Fleur De Verre is a go!" She cracked her knuckles and began her search.

In Search of Fleur De Verre

Author's Note

Something I think I should have mentioned a while back: This is Fleur De Verre.

In Search of Fleur De Verre

Indigo sped through the halls at near-top speed, gliding along using the hidden wheels from within her heels. All right, where are you? She thought, enjoying the feeling of the air on her hair. Heh. I should be a songwriter! She shook her head, bringing her back to her mission. No time for that. Gotta find De Verre!

"Hey! No skating in the halls!" Night Watch said as Indigo neared him.

"That's not technically a rule!" Indigo said, grinning as she passed the hall monitor. At least, I hope it's not. She shrugged. Semantics later, De Verre now! She thought, continuing down the corridor and turning. She nearly bumped into a student or two, apologizing as she deftly swerved around them.

Indigo passed by a clock in the hall. "Damn, not much time left!" She continued her search until the warning bell for seventh period rang. She sighed and her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Okay, next passing period then!" She said, skating to her next class.

Seventh period ended, and Indigo bolted out of her classroom. She stopped mid-stride and skated up to a random student. "Okay, two things." She said, making a peace sign. "One." She lowered her middle finger so only her pointer finger was up. "Do you know when the last part of the Friendship Games tryouts is? And two." She lifted her middle finger back up again. "Have you seen Fleur De Verre?"

The student blinked, then answered. "The last part of the tryouts are after eighth period, on the track. I don't even know who that is."

Indigo sighed. "Well, one's better than nothing I suppose. Thanks, man." She said and skated off, continuing her search for De Verre, leaving the student puzzled. She made a sputtering noise as she turned a corner, then tripped over an extended leg. "Shit!" She yelped, and landed on the floor with a thud. She groaned slightly as the picked herself up off the floor and turned around, scowling. "What the hell was that for?!" Indigo shouted at the offending student.

The student gave Indigo a smug look. "You just looked like you needed to be brought down a couple of pegs." He said.

Indigo's face turned red with anger. "Well you look like you need to be brought up a couple of octaves!" She yelled, punctuating the final word of the sentence with a full-strength kick to the student's groin. He crumpled to the floor and doubled over in pain. "Asshole." She muttered as she left the student, then took a deep breath and exhaled. Okay, on with the-

The warning bell for eighth period rang.

"Dammit." Indigo muttered under her breath as she made her way to her eighth period class.

Eighth period class had ended, and Indigo made a beeline to the track. "All right." Indigo said. "Time to see if all that resting paid off!"

"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. Indigo grinned widely. "Oh, hell yes." She said. "Gonna give this baby everything I've got!" She began stretching as Principal Cinch called out the names of each participant before they ran their lap. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare and Sugarcoat. No surprise there. But i'd better focus on the task at hand for now.

"Indigo Zap!" Called Principal Cinch.

Indigo grinned and lowered her goggles as she walked to her mark. "Let's do this!" She said excitedly.

"Go!"

Within a split second, Indigo summoned all the strength in her legs that she had been saving since they gave out on her. She ran like she had never ran before, like Fleur De Verre was waiting for her at the finish line...wait, what? Before Indigo knew it, she had reached the finish line. Her legs were shaking as she collapsed on the ground, panting. Yeesh, I must be feeling way more guilty than I thought. She made a sputtering noise once she caught her breath.

"My legs are going to be sore for days after this..." Indigo said, nearly groaning. "But no time to check the rankings. The final class of the day calls!" Besides, I'll be damned if I didn't at least make the top eleven! She rolled her way back to the inside of Crystal Prep.

The final period had ended, and Indigo Zap was a woman on a mission. She cracked her knuckles and her neck. Okay, even if I don't find her in the halls, I'll see her on the bus. Better to cover all my bases and such, after all. "Indigo Zap, away!" She declared, skating on the wheels hidden in her shoes. She sped through the hallways, checking both the floor and in front of her just in case. She glanced at a clock in hallway as she passed it by.

Okay, starting to get short on time here. Indigo sighed. Don't give up, Indigo! She thought to herself. Keep it moving, and you're bound to find her! She passed by the student from earlier and glared at him. He cowered in response. "That's what I thought." She said in an intimidating tone.

I may not be the Alpha Bitch here, but it's good to know I have a decent place on the ladder. Indigo smiled to herself. I should never let my guard down here, and I learned that the hard way earlier. She rapidly shook her head. Anyway, where the hell is she?! She passed another clock in the hallways and began to panic. "Shit!" Indigo cried out. "I'm gonna miss the bus!" She began skating quickly for the exit.

Indigo reached the buses on time and boarded hers. She scanned all of the seats as she walked towards the back. The further back she got, the more she felt it was hopeless. By the time she reached the back, her shoulders were slumped in defeat. She sighed heavily. "Where could she have gone?" Indigo said, putting her hand on her forehead.

Indigo stayed in that pose until the bus reached her stop. She got off of the bus, and reality slowly dawned on her. "Ohhhh...right." She blanched. "I got so caught up in looking for De Verre that I almost forgot." She gulped. "I'll have to tell my parents..." She took a deep breath, walked over to her house, and braced herself as she opened the front door.

Home Yet Again

"I'm home." Indigo said as she closed the front door.

"Welcome back!" Her parents said from the living room.

Indigo slowly walked into the living room, dreading the inevitable outcome of her telling her parents how the day went and what started it all. She sat down on the sofa, looking both of her parents straight in the eyes. "All right, there's a band-aid I have to rip off here..."

"...And I know that with that one impulsive whim, I brought this all on myself." Indigo concluded. She sighed heavily and looked away from Azure and Twinkle, clearly ashamed of herself. She forced herself to look at her parents' reactions.

Twinkle had the palm of her hand on her forehead, shaking her head. Azure, on the other hand, had an unreadable expression. The family stayed silent for a minute, then Twinkle spoke up.

"Indigo..." Twinkle paused, as if carefully considering her words. "I think I speak for both your dad and I when I say that while we're proud of you for telling the truth, opening up to De Verre and encouraging her, but..."

"But what the hell were you thinking?" Azure asked, throwing his arms up and giving his daughter a look of anger. "I know you can be impulsive from time to time, but just randomly kissing someone in the hallway? Someone who, might I add, you barely even know?" Indigo looked away, still ashamed. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Indigo Zap!"

Indigo flinched. Oh crap, he called me by my full name! He's pissed. Not that I can blame him. She turned her head to face her parents. She could feel sweat dripping from her forehead. She loved her parents to death, but they always made her nervous whenever they're mad. And not just when they're mad at her, but even mad in general! She sighed, knowing that her punishment was imminent.

Azure and Twinkle looked at each other momentarily, then nodded. "We'll let you off with a warning this time. We know you're a good kid, Zappo. But if anything like that happens again, you will be grounded."

Indigo blinked in surprise. "Wait...what? Isn't that a little lenient?"

Azure grinned in a way only someone related to Indigo could grin. "Well if you want to, you can just go up to your room and stay there the rest of the night. Far be it from me to stop you."

Indigo suppressed a laugh. "Okay, okay. I won't push my luck." She said, stretching her arms in front of her and opening her hands. But that won't stop me from wondering why you guys went easy on me after all that I did. Was it because I was genuinely ashamed of myself? Was it because the good I did outweighed the bad? She shrugged inwardly. Best not to think about it too much. I don't like things keeping me awake at night when I want to sleep. "So where do we go from here?" She asked, grateful that the talk was over.

"Well." Twinkle said, tilting her head up in thought. "It's Monday, so that means it's a work and school night, so we can't do anything that goes on for too long." She hummed in thought, then looked to her husband. "Do you have any ideas?" She asked him.

Azure blinked, then cupped his chin in thought. "I can't think of anything right off the bat. You think we should just play it by ear or something?"

Indigo shrugged. "Something's better than nothing. I don't have any ideas either. All I know at this point is that my legs are going to absolutely sore tomorrow. Ugh." She laughed. "Glad I've got skates in my shoes, that just makes it easier on me. I don't like all this 'taking it easy' stuff. I think I'm gonna go crazy before I fully recover."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll survive." Said Azure. "You're a big girl."

Indigo rolled her eyes and smiled. "D'aww, thanks!" She said in an overly bubbly voice. Her face twisted in disgust. "Okay, yeah. Never using that voice again." Her parents laughed and she joined in. She checked a nearby clock, then blinked. "Why do I keep looking at clocks? That never makes time go faster, but it never stops me from checking them."

"It hardly ever stops anyone, Zappo. I can't even count on my fingers and toes the number of times I check the clock at work." Azure sighed. "Man, desk work sucks the life out of you."

Indigo shuddered. "No offense, Dad, but I definitely don't see myself doing desk work in the future. I think I'd go completely mental on my first day!"

Azure laughed. "None taken. But I do it because I have to, and because I love you guys." He said.

"Hey now." Twinkle leaned over and lightly punched her husband on the shoulder. "You're not the only one around here with a job." She winked.

Indigo smiled, remembering when she last saw her mother at work. Being a lifetime magician's assistant paid higher than she could have ever imagined, and it explained where she got her flair for the dramatic when dealing with people outside of her family. She even met the magician in person after one of the performances! She had his picture with his autograph in a frame on one of her dressers.

"You know what?" Indigo said. "This is nice. Maybe we could just spend the evening hanging out and talking. Not every night has to be about going out and doing stuff."

Twinkle smiled. "That's not such a bad idea. What do you think, hon?"

Azure smiled. "Hey, whatever works." He shrugged. "Now, how does dinner sound?"

Indigo walked into her room and yawned. She stretched as she began to change into her pajamas. Once she finished, she took the photo of the magician in her hands and read the autograph for what had to have been the millionth time.

Indigo Zap, keep on being magical!

- Jackpot

Indigo Zap smiled and returned the photo to its proper place, then went to bed and fell asleep.

Author's Note

Don't think that I've forgotten about "The Cause". I'm just trying to tone down the foreshadowing.

The Hallway

"Hey." De Verre said, avoiding eye contact as she lowered her arm. "I imagine you've been looking for me, so I decided to save you the trouble."

"Yeah." Indigo said, turning her head away, her tone solemn. "I imagine you needed time away from me."

A couple of moments passed, and Indigo broke the silence. "Fleur De Verre." She said, turning her head back to look her in the eyes. "I just want to tell you how sorry I am."

De Verre turned her head to face Indigo. "But you already did."

Indigo shook her head. "No. I meant a formal apology." She said as she walked towards De Verre. "Asperger's or no, autism or no, I should never have given you the wrong idea. I should have said that from the moment I kissed you." She sighed, putting her hands on De Verre's shoulders. "Fleur De Verre...I'm sorry." She gave De Verre a hug. "Can you forgive me?" She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

De Verre stayed silent for a moment, then slowly returned the hug. "I'm sorry about all the drama, Indigo Zap." She said, her voice quavering with a sniffle.

Indigo smiled. "Don't be sorry. What you did was brave, and I promise that nothing that happened between us will leave this hall."

De Verre's eyes widened, having heard her own words echoed at her. She sniffled again. "Thank you." She said, then broke. The pair stayed still as De Verre's sobs were muffled by Indigo's chest.

Several moments later, De Verre had no more tears to shed. She looked up at Indigo, who was looking down at her and smiling warmly. "Hey." She said softly. "Feel better?"

De Verre nodded, wiping a stray tear from her eyes as she broke the hug. "Do we still have time for lunch?"

Indigo grinned. "C'mon, we weren't standing still for that long. We've got plenty of-" Indigo was cut off as she and De Verre heard something rolling off in the distance. The two looked in the direction the noise was coming from and saw the school nurse rushing towards them, wheeling a gurney.

"Out of the way, girls!" Said the school nurse as she hurried towards the cafeteria. She ran down the hallway and disappeared from the pair's sight.

Indigo hissed through her teeth. "Yikes. I hope whoever that's intended for is okay." She said, frowning and folding her arms.

"Do you think we should follow her?" Asked De Verre.

Indigo shook her head. "Speaking as an expert on creating scenes, I think we'd only make things worse. Whoever's in trouble is going to need space, not to mention the nurse and anyone else involved."

De Verre sighed. "I guess you have a point." She said, shrugging. "Maybe we should take an alternate route to the cafeteria."

Before Indigo could respond, she could hear the school nurse's voice along with an additional one; Dean Cadence. "-Just fell limply onto the floor." Dean Cadence said as the gurney turned a corner, revealing itself to Indigo and De Verre.

Indigo held out an arm in front of De Verre. "Best to stay of out their way." She said, to which De Verre agreed with a nod. Once Indigo caught sight of the person occupying the gurney, she gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Sunny Flare laid on it, unconscious. Without thinking, Indigo grabbed Dean Cadence by the arm.

"I'm in a hurry, can it-" Cadence stopped speaking when she saw the fear in Indigo Zap's eyes. Indigo's jaw had dropped, and she stammered for a moment until Cadence held her by the hand. The Dean gave Indigo a sympathetic look. "She's going to be fine." She said calmly. "She just...hasn't been sleeping well lately."

Indigo stood still in shock until De Verre held her other hand. "But...but I just saw her a few minutes ago. She seemed just f-fine then." She said, trembling.

"I assure you, Indigo Zap. Sunny Flare is going to be okay. But promise me that you won't bring this up to her. She's a proud individual." Cadence said.

Indigo stayed sill, staring off for a moment. "Yeah...I promise." She all but mumbled.

"Indigo...are you going to be okay?" Cadence asked softly.

"I...I...I don't know. I'm...in shock...she...was just...fine when I saw her." Indigo felt a lump in her throat. "D-Dean Cadence...I-I'm scared." She said, her voice a near whisper.

"I understand. Seeing someone you know in a condition like that can be frightening." Cadence said as she slowly embraced Indigo.

"If it's that scary seeing someone you know in a gurney, I can only imagine what it must feel like to see someone you love in the same way." Indigo said as she looked up. She gasped when she saw that the Dean's eyes were red, and a stray tear fell. "Are...are you okay, Dean Cadence?" Indigo managed to say despite all the shock she had experienced.

Cadence slowly broke the hug. "Yes. I'm fine." She said, wiping a tear from her face. "Everyone goes through this experience, Indigo Zap. I am no exception. It was just an old memory from a while back."

Indigo gave Dean Cadence a look of uncertainty.

Cadence sighed. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. But I do appreciate the sentiment." She said, putting an arm on Indigo's shoulder.

Indigo smiled warmly. "All right then, if you say so."

"Well, if that's everything you need then, you'll have to excuse me." Cadence said as she ran off in the direction the gurney took.

"Thank you!" Indigo said as she watched Dean Cadence run off.

De Verre slowly let go of Indigo's hand. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked softly.

Indigo sighed heavily. "I think so. It's just that so much happened in so little time that it was borderline overwhelming."

De Verre smiled. "Yeah, I get that. There's still time for lunch, though. Are you still hungry?"

Indigo shrugged. "I'll find out once we get to the cafeteria." She said as the two finally made their way to the cafeteria.

Afterwards

De Verre stared at Indigo as they left the cafeteria. "My god, I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat so much so fast! Are you gonna be okay?"

Indigo grinned. "If I get sick, it'll only be because I'm sick of hearing 'are you okay?'."

De Verre laughed. "I get that. Still, it's nice to know at least some people care."

Indigo sighed. "Yeah. I mean, I love this place, but sometimes it can get a little hostile."

"Oh, I'm sure there's places out there worse than here." Said De Verre.

"If there are, I'd rather not find them." Indigo said, lacing her hands on the back of her head. The warning bell for sixth period sounded off. "Guess we'd better part ways, huh?"

"Yep. Not like we'll never see each other again, though." Said De Verre.

Indigo rolled her eyes and smiled. "Never tempt fate. It can be a real bitch sometimes."

"I suppose so." Said De Verre. "See you later!" She said, waving goodbye on her way to her next class.

Indigo waved back, then headed towards her own class.

Indigo left her classroom and skated through the halls until she saw Sour Sweet staring out of a window. My curiosity has been piqued. She thought, and walked over to her. "Penny for your thoughts?" She asked.

Sour Sweet sighed. "I don't know if I want to talk about it." She said, resting her head on her hands as her elbows were supported by the windowsill.

Indigo shrugged. "Suit yourself." She began to walk away, only for Sour Sweet to grab her, preventing her from going any further. "Changed your mind?" She asked.

Sour Sweet laughed softly. "Yeah, I guess I did." She let go of Indigo, then sighed. "I got into a bit of a fight with Lemon Zest. I don't want to go to into much more detail than that."

Indigo made a hissing noise through her teeth. "That sucks." She said, putting an arm on Sour Sweet's shoulder.

Sour Sweet smiled. "Yeah, it does." She said. "But I'm sure we'll bury the hatchet. I just need some time away from her to regroup, that's all."

"That's understandable." Said Indigo.

Sour Sweet blinked, as though suddenly realizing who she was talking to. "Wait...I thought you were supposed to be one of the most obnoxious students around here. Why are you being so nice to me?"

Indigo laughed. "Oh, please." She said. "I'm not some one-dimensional character. Sure I can be obnoxious sometimes, but I can also be a sensitive and caring person. Just like I'm sure there's more to you than being a little...unpredictable."

Sour Sweet raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice of words."

Indigo grinned. "Would you prefer 'bipolar'?"

"While that's more accurate, I'm good with either." Said Sour Sweet. The warning bell for seventh period rang. "We should continue this conversation later." She said.

"Agreed." Said Indigo. "See you after class!"

Seventh period had ended, and Indigo began looking for Sour Sweet. She skated the halls, keeping her eyes peeled until she found herself behind the very person she was looking for. She grinned, then ruffled Sour's hair. "Looking for someone?" She asked.

Sour Sweet smiled. "I was, but then she messed up my hair." She said as she fixed her hair.

Indigo rolled her eyes and smiled. "So. Bipolar?"

Sour Sweet nodded. "Yeah. I'm bipolar. I acknowledge that I have it, but I don't let it define me."

"I imagine it's hard to not let it define you because of your occasional outbursts." Said Indigo. Sour Sweet glared at her, and she held up her hands in defense. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Indigo said. "I'm just saying, I meant no offense."

Sour Sweet sighed. "I don't know how to respond to that." She said, making a sputtering noise.

Indigo put a hand behind her head and sighed. "Yeah, that was probably out of line. I'm sorry."

"No. It's okay." Said Sour Sweet. "I'm just glad a peer is willing to talk to me, despite my 'reputation'." She clenched her teeth. "Damn Principal Cinch. I hate that word!"

"You're not alone there." Said Indigo. "I think she's almost as obsessed with the thing as much as the word itself!" She sighed heavily. "Man, I hope the wrong people didn't overhear that."

Sour Sweet smiled. "If they did, we'd have known by now."

"Yeah, you've got a point there." The warning bell for eighth period sounded off.

"Onward to the next class, I guess." Said Indigo.

"Yup. Onward to the next class." Said Sour Sweet.

Eighth period had ended, and Indigo decided to check in on Sunny Flare. She shuddered at the memory of seeing her on the gurney, nearly motionless. I still want to see if she's okay at the very least. She took a deep breath and approached the nurses' office. "Is Sunny Flare still here?" She asked the receptionist. The receptionist nodded, and Indigo walked over to where Sunny was. Her eyes widened as she saw her, still motionless but breathing. Okay, this was a bad idea. She slowly walked away, shivering slightly and averting her gaze.

"Indigo? What are you doing here?" Dean Cadence asked, startling Indigo.

"Making a mistake." Indigo said, feeling the color drain from her face. "I...I just wanted to see how she was doing." She said, gesturing in Sunny's direction. "B-But I didn't take into account how freaked out I'd be." She shuddered.

Cadence smiled. "I told you that she's going to be okay." She said, gently putting her hands on Indigo's shoulders.

Indigo took a deep breath, then exhaled, sighing heavily. "I know you did. But that doesn't stop me from freaking out." Before Cadence could say another word, Indigo said "Please don't ask me if I'm going to be okay, I've heard that question so many times today already. And to answer that very question...I don't know. I'm just shaken. God I hope this doesn't give me nightmares."

"Indigo." Cadence said, gaining her attention. "It's commendable that you would want to check up on her, even if you two hardly know each other." She took her hands off of Indigo's shoulders. "Do you need to sit down?"

"I think I'll be okay...maybe I just need some fresh air." Indigo said. "Good talk, Dean. Good talk." She said, almost devoid of tone. She then walked out of the office as the warning bell for her final class rang. She sighed heavily. "So much for fresh air." She said, then made her way to her final class.

Indigo slowly, almost mechanically walked out her final classroom and made a beeline for the bus. She passed by countless students, ignoring everyone and everything except what was in front of her. As far as she was concerned, everything around her was white noise. The image of Sunny Flare just lying on the gurney in the hallway and on the bed in the nurse's office had haunted her throughout class, and she just wanted to go home. No conversations, no distractions...just home. Home. Home. Home. That was all she wanted right now.

Vaguely aware of her surroundings, Indigo boarded the bus. She just wanted to go home. She stared out the window, the image of Sunny Flare still prevalent in her mind. She just wanted to go home. Recognizing her stop was next, she just wanted to go home.

She walked out of the bus slowly and approached the front door. She opened it, then closed it and went to the kitchen, feeling a lump in her throat.

"Hey, Zappo!" Said Azure. When his daughter didn't immediately answer, his expression and tone of voice became those of concern. "Are you okay?" He asked. Indigo didn't answer, but slowly walked over to him then hugged him tightly. When he heard her sniffle, he returned the hug, causing Indigo Zap to break.

Time with the Family

"I heard the front door open and close, but I didn't hear Indigo..." Twinkle said as she entered the kitchen, then gasped as she saw and heard her daughter sob into her husband's chest. "What happened?" She asked, only for Azure to shrug his shoulders.

Twinkle walked over to the two, and slowly ran her fingers through Indigo's hair. If her daughter felt it, she gave no indication. The three of them stayed in place until Indigo finally had no more tears left in her. She sighed, then pressed her head against Azure's shoulder.

"I really needed that." Indigo said calmly. "Like you have no idea." She said, looking up at her parents.

"Well, that's true. We don't have any idea. What happened?" Said Twinkle, concerned.

Indigo reluctantly broke the hug with Azure, then sighed heavily. "Well, the day started out normally enough, but then..."

"...And then everything after that was pretty much a blur until I got home." Indigo said, sighing again and shuddering from the memories of seeing Sunny Flare in that state.

"Oh, sweetie." Twinkle said, coming over to her and giving her a hug. "That does sound rough."

Indigo gratefully returned the hug. "It was. I can't remember the last time something freaked me out that bad." She made a sputtering noise. "Seriously, I feel like I'm going to lose it if I have a nightmare about this." She broke the hug. "I need something to take my mind off of the whole thing."

"Do you think head trauma is a viable option?" Said Azure.

Indigo snickered. "I might just take you up on that, but please be gentle."

Twinkle smiled and rolled her eyes. "How about we go with a more...non-violent approach?"

"Aww!" Indigo said in mock disappointment. "But violence is fun!" She paused for a moment. "Sometimes."

"Don't worry." Twinkle said with a giggle. "We'll save the head trauma for when you go to bed."

"Yay!" Indigo shouted, jumped up and clapped her hands, then burst into a fit of laughter. "God, I love family banter." She sighed contentedly. "I feel so much better now."

"Glad to hear it, Zappo." Said Azure, then slapped his daughter on the back. "So what do you say? You up for some dinner?"

Indigo grinned. "You know it!"

After dinner, Indigo, Twinkle and Azure all sat around in the living room. Twinkle was reading a book, Indigo was staring at the ceiling, and Azure was simply relaxing with his eyes closed. Twinkle spoke, breaking the silence.

"You seem to stare up at the ceiling a lot, Indigo." Twinkle said.

"Yeah, I do." Replied Indigo. There seems to be a lot of dust up there.

"You're welcome to clean it if you want." Azure said with a grin.

Indigo snickered. "No thanks, I'm good. I was just saying."

"Well, someone's gonna have to do it eventually." Twinkle said.

Indigo sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll do it. If I'm going to stare at it, I might as well make it pretty."

"That's the spirit!" Said Azure. "You know where the duster and the ladder are, right?"

Indigo rolled her eyes and smiled. "Of course I do! I've only been living here my entire life." She went to the house's cleaning closet and grabbed the duster, then went over to the garage, where the ladder was stored. "All right." Indigo said as she entered the living room. "Can one of you keep this ladder stable so I don't end up in the hospital?" Twinkle put her book down on her chair, then held the ladder as Indigo climbed it. "Thanks, mom."

Twinkle smiled. "You're welcome, hon. Oh!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe we almost forgot! You'll need the vacuum for when the dust gets on the floor."

"Right, right." Indigo said as she dusted the ceiling. "Watch out, incoming debris!"

"Acknowledged." Said Twinkle. She kept her mouth closed to avoid inhaling the dust that didn't get caught by the duster as it fell to the floor.

Azure opened his eyes and watched his wife and daughter with mild interest. "You ladies having fun over there?" He asked.

"Having the time of our lives." Indigo said sarcastically.

"Say, why don't you vacuum up the dust on the floor?" Twinkle said. "That way all three of us contributed."

Azure shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She said as he got off of the chair he was resting in. "Might as well make myself useful. I can't let you two fine ladies do all the work, after all." He said with a wink before walking off in search of the vacuum. Twinkle giggled and blushed.

"Mom!" Indigo said, snapping Twinkle back to the task at hand.

"Sorry, Indigo!" Twinkle said. "All these years, and that wink still makes my heart flutter."

"I get it, yay love." Indigo said flatly. "Please keep this ladder sturdy, you're making me nervous up here!" Twinkle tightened her grip on the ladder, and Indigo heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Azure returned with the vacuum. "So, did I miss anything?"

"Only a near-death experience, dad." Indigo said as she finished dusting the ceiling. She quickly got off of the ladder, then kissed a part of the floor she knew that had no dust on it. "Glorious, glorious ground!" She said in an over-the-top fashion.

Azure blinked and looked at Twinkle. "Your trademark wink distracted me momentarily." She explained.

"Ah, yes." Azure said with a smile. "The Wink. You'll have to forgive me. I haven't used it in so long, I forgot the power it holds over you." He said, winking again. Twinkle nearly swooned, but held herself in place.

"Hello?" Indigo chimed in. "Teenage daughter here!" She sighed. "Seriously, foreplay when I'm not around!" Indigo's eyes widened suddenly as she realized what she just said. "Oh, god, eeewww!" She nearly yelled as she put her head in her hands. She walked up to her father before he turned on the vacuum. "I think I'd like that head trauma right about now."

The rest of the evening had been uneventful for Indigo, but now she couldn't get images of her parents out of her head. I almost prefer seeing Sunny Flare unconscious over the images in my head right now. She thought as she headed up the stairs for the night. She changed into her pajamas and sighed. "Ahhh. Comfy." She crawled into bed and turned off the light on her nightstand, then slowly fell asleep.

Indigo's Wednesday at Crystal Prep: First Half

Author's Note

Two days until the Friendship Games.

Indigo's Wednesday at Crystal Prep: First Half

Indigo slowly opened her eyes. I hate everything right now. She thought as she stretched and yawned. All she wanted was a good night's sleep. She didn't want to have dreams about her parents doing lewd things. She didn't want dreams about seeing Sunny Flare unconscious, either. Well, she didn't get either. She was oh so fortunate enough to get both! She nearly gagged over the thought of her parents getting in on the same room as an unconscious for the love of god, make it stop!!

She put on her uniform and dashed out of the house without saying 'Good morning' to either of her parents.

Azure and Twinkle looked at one another. "Well." Azure said. "Someone's in a hurry."

Indigo rushed into the bus, nearly tripping over the stairs.

"Watch your step, miss." Said the bus driver.

Indigo rolled her eyes and glared at the driver, then quickly scanned the bus until she found her target. "De Verre!" She said, causing her to yelp in surprise. Indigo ran to the seat and sat down next to De Verre, then grabbed her by the collar and shook her. "I need help getting these messed-up images out of my head!" She said, nearly in hysterics.

"O-o-o-o-o-o-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-a-a-a-a-a-y-y-y-y." De Verre said as she was violently shaken by Indigo.

"Oops." Indigo said, letting go of De Verre. "Sorry! I got a little carried away there." She blushed from embarrassment.

De Verre reeled for a moment in her seat, then raised an eyebrow. "A little carried away?"

"Okay, a whole lot." Indigo admitted sheepishly.

"So what images are in your head?" De Verre asked.

Indigo shuddered. "Are you sure you want to know?"

De Verre curled her hands into fists and put them on her hips. "Well, do you want me to help or not?" She asked.

Indigo sighed. "Okay, fair enough. But don't say I didn't warn you..." She whispered into De Verre's ear.

"Eww!" Shouted De Verre, grabbing the attention of nearly the entire school bus. She laughed sheepishly and shrank into her chair.

"Told you." Indigo said.

"Great, now I've got those images stuck in my head!" De Verre whispered sharply.

"Well, now you can help me and yourself. Get them out of my head!" Said Indigo.

"Is head trauma an option?" Asked De Verre.

Indigo barked a laugh. "Actually..."

Before Indigo could continue, the bus came to a stop. They had arrived at Crystal Prep.

"Okay." Said Indigo. "Maybe classes will help us forget."

"Here's hoping." Said De Verre.

"And if that doesn't work, there's always alcohol." Indigo said. De Verre blinked, and Indigo burst into a laughing fit. "I love making people have blank expressions." She said. "See you later!"

"Yup." De Verre said. "See you later."

Indigo left her first period class and saw Lemon Zest. No harm in a passing-by pep talk. She thought with a smile. "Yo." she said. "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.

Indigo smiled as she passed Lemon. Yeah, that felt right. She thought. Now, what else can I do to kill time between periods? She glanced around, only to find that there was nothing of interest going on around her. I guess I can't expect every day to be eventful. She sighed and went to her second period class.

Indigo exited her second period class on her hidden wheels. She rounded a corner and found herself a few feet away from Sunny Flare. Oh, shit! "Incoming!" She said in hopes of not bumping into her. Sunny sidestepped then crouched and extended her leg, tripping Indigo. "Ow!" Indigo cried as she the floor with a thud. "What the hell was that for, Sunny?"

"I was trying to get your attention." Sunny said.

"Well, you succeeded." Indigo said, dusting herself off. "So what gives?"

"Lemon somehow knows all of our deepest, darkest secrets and is blackmailing us into playing nice with each other throughout the Friendship Games." Sunny said.

Indigo stared at Sunny, her jaw dropped. She blinked, then burst into a laughing fit. "Holy shit, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

Sunny sighed. "Indigo."

"I mean, can you imagine? Lemon Zest! Blackmailing not just you, but the entire team?!" Indigo laughed harder.

"Indigo!" Sunny growled.

"You should use that as a line for a stand-up routine or something!" said Indigo.

"Goddammit, Indigo Zap, LISTEN TO ME!" she yelled, grabbing her by the collar and forcefully pinning her to a nearby locker.

Indigo's eyes widened in shock. "Okay, okay! Jesus, Sunny. I believe you."

"Good." Sunny said, releasing Indigo. She then left her by herself.

"What the hell was that about? I don't really have a deep, dark secret to hide..." Indigo's eyes widened. "Oh, shit...no, she couldn't have." She took a deep breath, then exhaled. No. Fleur's not the vindictive type, Indigo. Just give her the benefit of the doubt. Despite that thought, however, doubt was the only thing on her mind. Okay, okay. I'll just ask her if she knows anything about it. Surely doing only that won't make it seem like I'm accusing her, right? The warning bell for third period rang, snapping Indigo out of her thoughts. She shrugged. "Class first."

After third period, Indigo began her search for De Verre. She managed to remain calm, knowing that she'd hear the truth from her. At least, she hopes it'll be the truth. Dammit, Indigo, you can't be friends with someone if you don't trust them! She sighed. "Okay. All I need to do is find her, then get this matter resolved." She said to herself, then began skating down the hallways.

Now, where could she be? Indigo sputtered, realizing that time wasn't on her side. She glanced to her left, to her right, and even behind herself. De Verre was nowhere to be found. She sighed in defeat as the warning bell for fourth period rang, then went to her next class.

"Okay!" Indigo said, cracking her knuckles upon leaving her fourth period classroom. "Let's try this again!" She lowered her goggles and skated through the halls, keeping watch for hall monitors. A minute later, she bumped into De Verre at full speed. "Shit!" Indigo cried as the two fell on the floor.

De Verre slowly got up off the floor, groaning in pain.

"Oh crap, oh crap!" Indigo panicked. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

De Verre looked at Indigo. "Yeah, I should be fine. Probably got a bruise somewhere, but that's not the worst thing."

Indigo breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh man, I was totally freaking out. You had me worried!"

"Why were you in such a hurry, anyway?" Asked De Verre.

Indigo's eyes widened. "Oh, right!" She put her hands on De Verre's shoulders. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I want to hear the absolute truth."

De Verre nodded.

"Did you tell Lemon Zest or anybody else about what I told you in confidentiality?" Indigo asked, looking De Verre straight in the eyes.

"No. I didn't." De Verre said most sincerely.

Indigo breathed another sigh of relief. "Oh thank god...but now that just raises another question."

"Hold that thought." De Verre said, placing her pointer finger on Indigo's lips. "I need some context first."

Indigo nodded, and De Verre removed her finger. "This is going to sound strange, but after second period Sunny Flare told me that Lemon Zest somehow knows all of the deepest, darkest secrets of each of the students that are going to participate in the Friendship Games."

De Verre blinked. "That seems a little over the top, don't you think?"

"I know, right? At first I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. I mean, can you imagine? Lemon Zest? Blackmailing?" Said Indigo.

De Verre nodded. "Though I don't know her all that well, I doubt she's the type. Then again, most of the students here are kind of hard to read in the first place. How did Sunny Flare even convince you?"

Indigo blushed and looked away, embarrassed. "She kinda pinned me to a locker."

De Verre made a hissing noise between her teeth. "Yikes."

"Anyway." Indigo said. "The question that's on my mind is who told Lemon?" The warning bell for fifth period rang. "Dammit." She muttered under her breath. "Oh well, we'll continue this later."

"Agreed." De Verre nodded.

Indigo's Wednesday at Crystal Prep: Second Half

Lunch had begun, and Indigo sat down at a table. Man, I was so hungry I didn't even think to look for De Verre! She sighed, then began to eat. Maybe she'll find me here. She thought as she wolfed her food down, much to the disgust of those nearby. She glanced over to the students staring at her. "What?" She said. "I'm a growing woman, no way in hell am I gonna slow down!"

"But it just might kill you if you don't." Said De Verre as she reached the table.

Indigo snickered. "What are you, my mom? Besides, I'm prefectly-" She cut herself off, pretending to choke.

De Verre rolled her eyes and folded her arms, smiling. "Har, har, har. Funny." Indigo resumed eating while De Verre sat down. "So where were we last time?" Her eyes widened. "Oh yeah! How did Lemon find out about everyone's secrets?"

Indigo shrugged. "No clue whatsoever. But now that I think about it, I can kind of understand her using blackmail."

De Verre blinked. "Wait. You can?"

Indigo nodded. "Yeah! Think about it." She said, pointing at her with a fork. "How many of the students here are always nice?"

De Verre cupped her chin in thought. "I don't know offhand, but I'd imagine very few."

Indigo nodded. "You'd probably be right." She said before taking another bite. "Now since we've established Lemon Zest as a 'good girl', think about this: what happens to even the nicest of people if they get pushed around too often?"

"Oh, I get it." Said De Verre. "She hit her breaking point."

"Exactly!" Indigo said, needlessly slamming a fist on the table. She winced in pain and shook her hand. "Ouch! Geez, I got really caught up in the moment there..."

"No kidding." Said De Verre. "You need to go to the nurse's office?"

"Nah." Indigo said, shaking her head. "This isn't the worst injury I've ever had. It's gonna hurt for a while, but I'll manage."

"If you say so." Said De Verre as she gave Indigo a skeptical look.

"I do." Said Indigo after she finished her lunch. "Anyway, I think it's partially my fault that this happened."

"Wait, are you talking about the fist slamming or Lemon's blackmailing?" Asked De Verre.

"The blackmailing." Indigo said. "I might have been one of the people doing the pushing." She said as she looked away from De Verre.

De Verre sighed. "Really?"

Indigo nodded. "Really. I just have so much pride for my randomness that I've been doing nearly everything on a whim." She said, forcing herself to make eye contact.

De Verre rolled her eyes. "Yeah." She said flatly. "I've noticed."

"But I also help people out, too. I mean, doesn't that kinda balance things out?" Indigo said, moving her hands up and down like a scale.

De Verre put the palm of her hand to her forehead. "I don't think that's how it works, Indigo. In case you haven't noticed, your behavior's been getting you into trouble lately."

Indigo scoffed. "Seriously, what's with the mom act?"

"Have you never had a genuine friend before? I'm saying all of this because I care about you, and not in the 'I have a crush on you' way!" De Verre said, frustrated.

"Whoa, whoa! Okay. I get it." Indigo said, holding out her arms. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." De Verre said. The warning bell for sixth period rang. "Well, this is where we part ways, I guess."

"Yup. See ya later!" Indigo said.

Indigo yawned and stretched as she left her sixth period class. "I can't believe I got away with falling asleep in the middle of class! Then again, that teacher isn't very observant." She sighed contentedly. "I did need that, though." She said, smiling.

"Napping during class? Seriously?" Said De Verre as she tousled Indigo's hair from behind.

"Huh." Indigo said. "So that's what that feels like."

"Wait, what?!" De Verre said in shock. "Your family doesn't do that?"

"Nope." Said Indigo, shaking her head. "They do noogies. But even then, those are pretty rare."

"Eh. I don't like noogies." De Verre said. "Even if they're done softly, I just plain don't like them."

Indigo grinned. "More for me, then!"

"Anyway." De Verre said. "Do you have any crushes?"

Indigo blushed. "Wh-wh-where did that come from?" She asked in surprise.

"Just wondering. Isn't this what friends talk about?" Asked De Verre.

"Can they not talk about it if the subject makes them uncomfortable?" Asked Indigo, still blushing deeply.

"Okay, fair enough." Said De Verre. "So what do you want to talk about?"

Indigo shrugged. "I've got nothing." The warning bell for seventh period rang. Saved by the bell. "Well, I'll see you later then!" She waved to De Verre as she headed off to her next class.

Indigo left her seventh period class and wandered the halls until she stopped in front of a classroom. I think this is Sour Sweet's class. Maybe I should try to whole "small talk" thing with her and see how it goes. She leaned on a nearby locker. Sour Sweet exited her class, then turned her head and saw Indigo. "Booga-booga." Indigo said in a monotone. Sour Sweet blinked, and Indigo laughed. "I'm just messing with you." She said.

Sour Sweet smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you." She said. "So what do you want?"

Indigo grinned. "Just wanted to kill some time with some small talk."

Sour Sweet folded her arms. "Okay, then. Anything in particular?" She said, leaning against a wall.

"What sort of events do you think will be in the Friendship Games?" Indigo asked.

Sour Sweet shrugged. "Hell if I know. Don't they usually keep that sort of thing under wraps until the last minute?"

"I don't know too much about the Friendship Games myself." Indigo said, putting her hands behind her head. "I just wanna kick some CHS ass."

Sour Sweet grinned. "I hear that." They gave each other a high-five. "Do you think they'll put up a fight?"

"They always do." Said Indigo. "But Crystal Prep always wins."

"Always." Said Sour Sweet. The warning bell for eighth period went off. "See you later!" Sour Sweet said, and went off to her next class.

Eighth period had ended, and Indigo felt like she was just released from prison. "I'm just glad they let me go early on good behavior." She said in as deep a voice as she could muster. She turned to another student. "What were you in for?"

To Indigo's surprise, the other student answered. "Manslaughter! I slaughtered a man!"

Indigo burst into a laughing fit. "Oh, man, that totally made my day." She said once she finished laughing. "You're all right, dude." She gave the student a light punch on the arm. "Catch ya later!" I'll have to remember that one. She thought, trying hard not to fall into another laughing fit. She stopped to take a deep breath and exhaled to calm down, then continued moving on. "And now I'm bored." She sighed. "Screw it." She threw her hands up in defeat and skated to her final class.

"Freedom!" Indigo shouted as she sped out of her final class for the day. "Time to blow this popsicle stand!" She made a beeline for the doors, then jumped over the stairs. "Woohoo!" She shouted once she landed. Finally! A day that hasn't left me a mess! She thought as she boarded the bus. She took her seat immediately and almost fell asleep on the spot, if it weren't for De Verre sitting down next to her, nudging her awake.

"Wouldn't want to miss your stop now, would you?" De Verre asked with a grin.

"Five more minutes, mommy!" Indigo said as she buried her face into the back of the seats in front of her. The bus stopped at Indigo's stop. It was just about to leave when she realized where she was. "Oh crap, I gotta go! Later!" She said, running to the front. She disembarked and took a deep breath of the fresh air. "Ahh. Home sweet home." She slowly approached the front door, savoring the moment...then opened it.

Wednesday Evening

"I'm home!" Indigo all but shouted as the front door closed behind her. She ran into the kitchen and gave her father a huge hug.

"Hey, Zappo!" Azure said. "Looks like you finally had a decent day, huh?"

Indigo grinned widely as she broke the hug. "Yup!" She said. She stretched her arms and legs, then yawned. "I almost missed my stop because I fell asleep on the bus!" She said cheerfully. Despite his best efforts, Azure snickered. "What?" Indigo said defensively, "De Verre woke me up just in time!"

Azure rolled his eyes, but smiled. "You know that's not the point, right?"

"Yeah." Indigo said. "I do. But hey, at least it worked out all right, right?"

"Still, that's not the point." Twinkle said as she entered the kitchen and gave her daughter a hug.

"Hey, Mom." Indigo said, returning the hug. "Yes, I know it's not the point." She said, breaking the hug. "I'm just glad I didn't miss my stop."

"Well so are we." Said Azure, "But even if you did miss the stop, you'd find your way back."

"Yeah, that's true." Indigo said, stretching again.

"Have you been getting enough sleep, Indigo?" Asked Twinkle.

"Yeah, mom, I've been sleeping just fine." Indigo said, giving her mom a thumbs-up. "I haven't had a tossing and turning night for a while."

"Good to hear, good to hear." Twinkle said, folding her arms and nodding in satisfaction. "So. What do we all want to do tonight?"

Indigo and Azure stopped and thought for a while. "Well." Indigo said. "We already saw a movie..."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Azure said. "I still can't get that scene with the fish out of my head." Indigo snickered. "Oh, come on!" He said, throwing his hands up. "How were the two of you not grossed out by it?"

Indigo and Twinkle shrugged. "It was just a movie, dad." Said Indigo.

"Hey, that fish looked real enough to me. Now can we please, please not talk about it anymore?" Azure said. Indigo instinctively yelped, then hid behind her mother. "Zappo, you don't have to worry. I'm not feeling sick."

Indigo slowly walked away from her mother. "I'm not sure I want to take that chance. I'll just stay where I am, thank you very much."

Azure sighed. "Okay, fine." He said. "But really, what about plans for tonight?"

Indigo shrugged. "I've got nothing. What about you, mom?"

Twinkle sighed. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with doing just nothing. What do you think, hon?"

Azure thought for a moment, the shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Why don't we eat dinner first and go from there?"

Twinkle and Indigo glanced and shrugged. "Okay, sure." Indigo said.

'Whatever works." Said Twinkle.

After dinner, Twinkle, Indigo and Azure cleaned up after themselves. "So" Said Twinkle, "Anyone got any ideas?"

Indigo and Azure looked at each other, then sighed and shrugged. "Yeah...I've got nothing." Indigo said.

Azure made a sputtering noise. "I've got nothing either. I guess we'll just play it by ear."

"Works for me." Indigo said, smiling. She walked into the living room, then sat down and reclined her legs. "Aah." She sighed contentedly.

"Hey, maybe there's a good movie on TV." Said Azure as he turned the television on. He flipped through the channels, looking for something to watch.

"Actually." Indigo said, "I'm going outside in the back. I feel like I've been inside far too often."

"Suit yourself." Said Azure.

Indigo got out of the chair and went outside. The sounds of cicadas, cars passing by and others filler her ears. She smiled. "Sometimes all I need is some good background noise!" She said, climbing into the hammock. "Aww, yeah. That's the good stuff." She laced her hands behind her head and stared up at the sky. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, moving left and right to get a good swinging motion going. Before too long, Indigo felt herself drift off to sleep...

Indigo opened her eyes to find herself in the center of a circle of dancing dwarfs. "O-kay...obviously in a dream, but still kinda weirded out." She said, feeling nervous. She slowly, cautiously walked up to one of the dancing dwarfs and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, uh...could you tell me what's going on here?"

The dwarf spun rapidly and looked her straight in the eyes. Indigo blinked, waiting for an answer. The dwarf took a deep breath, sighed, then shouted "MEAT!". Indigo flinched and the dwarf resumed his dancing.

Indigo was at a loss for words, trying to comprehend what just happened until another dwarf approached her. She stepped back slowly, not knowing what to expect.

"Sorry about that." The dwarf said, "Dancin' Derek hates to be interrupted."

Indigo blinked. "Yeah...what's going on here, anyway?"

"You tell me. This is your dream, after all." Said the dwarf.

Indigo sighed. "Right." She made a sputtering noise. "Well you guys do seem like you're having fun." She said as she looked around herself, making a mental note of all of the dancing dwarfs.

"Indeed we are." Said the dwarf. "But if I were you, I'd want to wake up right about now."

"Huh?" Indigo asked, confused. "Why's that?"

"Here's a hint, kiddo. Why do you think Dancin' Derek said 'MEAT!' to you?" Asked the dwarf.

Realization dawned on Indigo as she suddenly felt very, very hot. "Oh, shit! You're cannibals!"

"Not all of us are. I'm a vegetarian, and the tribe hates me for it. I figured a little payback and a good deed would feel therapeutic. Time to find out if I'm right. Now get going, Indigo!"

Indigo woke up, confused. "What the hell just happened?" She said, putting her hand to her forehead in disbelief. She shrugged, then went back inside the house. "Hey guys, did I miss anything besides about an hour?"

Twinkle folded her arms. "You fell asleep in the hammock again, didn't you?" She said flatly.

Indigo blushed. "Yep, guilty as charged. But I can't help it!" She said, raising her hands defensively. "It's so comfy!"

Azure chuckled. "It is, it is. I've fallen asleep on it tons of times."

"A movie's about to start. You want to watch it with us?" Asked Twinkle.

"Sure, why not?" Indigo said, shrugging then sitting down.

Indigo wiped a tear from her eyes. "Oh, please tell me this has a sequel! It can't end like that!" She said, then began flailing her arms. "I regret watching this movie if it's a one-shot!" She nearly shouted.

"Calm down, Indigo!" Said Twinkle. "I know the ending was jarring, but I think you're overreacting a little bit."

"Besides." Azure said, "There is a sequel, and it's coming up next! I'll record it for you and I promise not to spoil it for you."

Indigo ran over to her father and hugged him. "Thanks dad, you're the best! Goodnight!" She walked over to Twinkle, then hugged her. "Night, mom!"

"Goodnight, Indigo." Twinkle said as Indigo left the room.

Indigo walked up the stairs slowly, trying hard not to think of the movie's ending. She sniffled, then took a calming breath as she changed into her pajamas. All right, Indigo! Think happy thoughts! She thought herself and repeated it until she fell asleep.

Thursday Morning Turmoil

Author's Note

The Friendship Games are tomorrow.

Thursday Morning Turmoil

Indigo Zap slowly opened her eyes as she woke up, and she almost immediately felt that something was amiss. She got out of bed, then stretched and yawned. She walked over to her mirror, and her eyes shot wide open in realization. Her goggles were missing! Indigo gasped and started to freak out. "My goggles. Where are my goggles?"

Indigo ran downstairs and into the kitchen. Twinkle and Azure looked at her in surprise. "Indigo? Why aren't you dressed for school?" Asked Azure.

Indigo began flailing her arms in a panic. "My goggles are missing!" She shouted in an octave that surprised even herself. "Have either of you seen them?" She asked. "I can't leave home without them!"

Azure and Twinkle glanced at each other. "I don't think you have enough time to-" Azure started before he was cut off.

"Please!" Indigo said, dropping to the floor in a pleading position. Her hands were clasped together as she knelt on the floor, her eyes as wide as she could possibly make them.

Azure and Twinkle looked at each other again. Azure shrugged, and Twinkle sighed. "Okay, fine. But this is a team effort. No lazing around while your father and I look for them." Twinkle said.

Indigo got up off of the floor. "Are you kidding me? These are my goggles we're talking about! I'd move mountains to find them!"

"She makes a good point." Azure said. "Let's split up, then!"

Indigo made a beeline for her room. She checked under her pillow and under her bed, even though she couldn't fathom why they'd be there, let alone how they got there if they were. She shrugged, then decided to put her uniform on so she wasn't wasting too much time in search of her goggles. "Okay." She said to herself. "Where to look next?"

Indigo thought about looking in the garage, but realized she hadn't been in there since she saw the movie with her parents. She then thought about everywhere she'd been within the house last night. Wait. The backyard! Of course! Indigo thought, and made a mad dash for the sliding glass door that led to the back side of the house.

Indigo reached the hammock that she laid in and found her goggles. "Yes!" She shouted, pumping her fist in victory. She then heard the school bus's horn honk. "Oh, shit!" She said, and scrambled for the front door while passing her parents. "I found them, see you guys later!" She slammed the door shut in her rush to get to the bus on time.

Indigo got on the bus, again nearly tripping on the stairs on her way up. The driver gave her a look and she grumbled. "I know, I know. 'Watch your step.'" She said, rolling her eyes. She sighed, then headed to the back of the bus. Man, I hate feeling rushed... She made a sputtering noise, and noticed that De Verre hadn't boarded the bus. Huh. She thought. Maybe she went to school early or something. She shrugged, then stared out the window until the bus arrived at Crystal Prep.

Indigo disembarked, then entered Crystal Prep as a throng of students nearly trampled her. "Gah!" She yelped, jumping out of the way just in time. "What the hell?!" She decided to follow them for a few moments until they all spontaneously broke out in a dance number. "Oh, right...I forgot Crystal Prep has a flash mob club." She shrugged, then joined in as best she could until the warning bell for first period rang. "Disperse!" She said, spreading her arms out. Once everyone else had left, Indigo made her way to her first class for the day.

Indigo sighed upon leaving her first period class. "Oy with the heavy academics!" She said as she threw her arms up in exasperation. "It's too early for this shit..." She made a sputtering noise and wandered the hallways as she tried to absorb all of the information from her class. "Ugh. I think I have a headache..." She said, putting a hand to her forehead and gritting her teeth. "I don't know if I'll survive the next class!" The warning bell for second period rang, causing Indigo to sigh. "Here goes nothing, but it better be something..."

Indigo Zap forced herself out of her second period class. It was all she could do just to move forward as the rest of the world around her was a blur. One infodump of a class was bad enough, but two in a row was simply just too much. She made her way over to Dean Cadence's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Said Cadence from behind the door, and Indigo entered her office. "Hello, Indigo. How can I help you?" The Dean said as Indigo closed the door behind her.

Indigo sat down on the couch in Cadence's office and remained silent, her face expressionless. Her body still. Just blankly staring at nothing in particular. Moments passed before Cadence got up from her chair and approached her slowly. "Is everything okay?" Indigo stayed silent, further concerning the Dean. "Do...do you need me to call one of your parents?" Indigo nodded very slowly, to Cadence's relief.

Cadence went to her desk and fished out a directory of all the parents for each student. She skimmed through it until she found Indigo's parents. She took the phone on her desk out of its hook and dialed a number as the warning bell for third period sounded off. The phone rang a couple of times, then the call was picked up.

"Hello?" Said Azure.

"Azure Feather? It's Dean Cadence from Crystal Prep."

"Well, hello, Dean Cadence. What's the occasion for the call?" Azure asked.

"Indigo just walked into my office and sat on my couch, but she hasn't said a word and remained still for the most part. She nodded when I asked if you needed to be contacted."

"Ah. I see." Azure said, "And what period is it now?"

"The warning bell for third period rang just as I dialed your number." Said Dean Cadence.

"Mm-hmm." Said Azure, "Okay, ask her if the first two classes of the day were intense."

Cadence covered the phone. "Indigo, were the first two classes of the day a bit too intense for you?" Indigo blinked, then slowly nodded. Cadence took her hand off of the phone. "She nodded in response."

"I thought so." Said Azure. "She's just a little overwhelmed, that's all. She needs to be in a quiet space so she can regroup. She should be back to her old self by the time third period ends."

"Thank you, Azure." Cadence said.

"No problem." Azure said, "Is there anything else you want to discuss?" He asked in a meaningful tone.

Cadence paused for a moment. "No." She said, "Perhaps another time, though."

"Understood. Glad I could help!" Azure said, then hung up.

"T...t..."

Dean Cadence looked up at Indigo.

"Th...than...thank...you." Was all Indigo managed to say before she returned to silence.

Dean Cadence smiled. "You're welcome, Indigo."

By the time the bell signaling the end of third period rang, Indigo was indeed back to normal. She ran up to Dean Cadence and hugged her. "Thanks a ton again, Dean Cadence. I really needed that recharge." She said, grinning.

Dean Cadence returned the hug. "No problem. I'm happy to help when I can."

Indigo broke the hug. "See ya later!" She said, and walked into the halls. "That was badly needed." She said, sighing contentedly. She took out her phone to send a quick text message.

Thanks for the assist, Dad! First two classes today were freaking BRUTAL. - Sent by Indigo Zap

No worries, Zappo. Glad you're feeling better. - Sent by Dad

Indigo grinned as the warning bell for fourth period rang, and she skated her way to her next class.

Fourth period ended, and Indigo walked out of class feeling surprisingly refreshed. I'm glad this class was merciful compared to all the others. Yeesh! She rushed to the front doors of Crystal Prep and glided out. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Nothing like a teeny bit of fresh air between classes." She said, stretching for a moment. "But as much as I'd like to stay out here, I've already missed one class today. I don't want to miss any more if I can help it!" She walked back inside and her ears were filled with the voices of all the students passing by. Before long, the warning bell for fifth period rang. "All right, fifth period!" Indigo said as she made her way to her next class, "Show me what you've got!"

Thursday Afternoon Antics

Fifth period ended, and Indigo grinned excitedly. One step closer to the Friendship Games! "But first...lunch!" She skated her way to the cafeteria, enjoying the wind in her hair. She stopped once she arrived in the cafeteria, then grabbed her lunch. Thinking it was time for a change of pace, Indigo ate her food at a moderate speed rather than inhaling it like she normally would. As she did, she closed her eyes and bathed in all the chatter of her fellow students. Sometimes it feels good just to take it slow. Sometimes.

Indigo glanced at the clock. "Whoa!" She exclaimed, her jaw nearly dropping. "Did I really spend that much time eating? Who am I and what have I done with myself?!" She snickered, amusing herself. "Oh, well." She said as she got up from her seat. "Time to move on!"

Indigo walked the halls of Crystal Prep, humming a tune to herself until the sound of airhorns filled her ears. She gasped. "The Indigo signal! Someone needs my assistance!" She grabbed her phone and played airhorns at maximum volume and ran through the halls until she passed through a crowd of students staring at Sour Sweet. She pressed her phone with her thumb, cutting off the noise. "I hope you know how many you people you just pissed off, Sour Sweet." She said, wearing her trademark grin on her face.

Sour Sweet folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Believe me, Indigo. I do." She shook her head rapidly, forcing herself to focus. "Look, I called you over here because Principal Cinch wanted me to get all of the team members together for a formal meeting."

Indigo blinked. "So you've been getting us all one by one? Wouldn't it have been more efficient to have them follow you around as you looked for the other teammates?"

Sour Sweet's jaw dropped, and she remained motionless for a couple of moments. She snapped back to attention. "Excuse me for just a second, Indigo. Stay right there."

Indigo put her arms behind her head. "No worries. I'm not going anywhere."

"Great." Said Sour Sweet. A moment later, Indigo heard a barely muffled shriek of unhinged rage. She walked back inisde and returned to Indigo.

Indigo patted Sour Sweet on the back. "Feeling better?" She asked.

Sour Sweet sighed. "A little, yeah."

"Great!" Said Indigo. "Now let's get going already!"

Sour Sweet left Indigo in the room with Neon Lights, Sugarcoat, Jet Set, Upper Crust, Royal Pin, Suri Polomare and Trender. "Hey." Indigo said, waving to everyone in the room. They all waved back. "Soooo..." She said. "Any reason we're all meeting in here? We all already know each other in passing at least."

"This does indeed seem rather arbitrary." Said Royal Pin, "But I'd rather not question it, lest it incurs Principal Cinch's wrath." Everyone in the room murmured in agreement.

"How the hell did Cinch even become Principal in the first place?" Indigo said, scratching her head in puzzlement. Everyone in the room looked at each other.

"That's actually a good question." Said Jet Set.

"Beats the hell outta me." Said Neon Lights as he shrugged. "But then again, I have no idea how that sort of thing works."

"Does it really matter how she became Principal?" Asked Sugarcoat.

"Perhaps not." Said Royal, "But in my personal opinion, I think she can be rather...cutthroat from time to time." Everyone in the room murmured agreement again.

"But so are we." Said Suri, "This school as a whole is fiercely competitive. It's like she's got a spell cast on the student body!"

Before anyone could respond, Sour Sweet returned with Sunny Flare, who waved to everyone and then folded her arms. "All we need now is Lemon Zest."

"And Twilight Sparkle." said Sour.

Sunny blinked. "Wait, what? When did Twilight decide to compete? She's not the type for this sort of thing!"

"I'm pretty sure Principal Cinch 'convinced' her to join." Sour said, rolling her eyes.

"You mean like how Lemon 'convinced' us into playing nice for the Friendship Games?" said Sugarcoat.

Sour sighed. "Lemon might have a point, though. We've always treated each other like crap for the most part. Except for you, Royal Pin. You're all right." she smiled. Royal smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

"That doesn't justify her actions, Sour." said Indigo.

"Maybe not, Indigo, but did all of you really believe something like this wouldn't happen?" Sour said. "Lemon and I have gotten into a fight in the hallway, everybody seems to like making each other paranoid..." She put her head in her hands and sighed again. "Something had to give eventually and that something was Lemon Zest. Is it really such a bad thing to try to be friends?"

Sunny rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, please. Get off of your soapbox and get Lemon and Twilight so we can all move on with our lives."

"Shut the fuck up, Flare!" yelled Sour, getting in her face. "I don't care what sort of bullshit caused you to be the Queen Mother of all bitches, but if I hear one more goddamn word out of your mouth I swear to god I will find two pairs of the sharpest scissors in this school and jam each of them into both of your lower holes as hard as I fucking can!"

Silence engulfed the room, save for Sour's heavy breathing after her rant.

"I'm getting Lemon and Twilight." Sour said, opening the door. She slammed it so hard it startled everyone in the room.

Silence followed again until Indigo spoke up. "Holy shit. I don't think I've ever heard her make a threat like that before."

"Indeed." said Royal. "I believe you pushed the wrong buttons this time, Sunny."

"Congratulations." said Sugarcoat. "You've pissed Sour Sweet off even harder than Lemon Zest."

"Fuck you guys." Sunny said. "Fuck all of you." She turned around and wiped a tear from her face and stifled a sniffle.

A moment later, Sour returned with Lemon and Twilight.

After the team meeting, Indigo began to head to her sixth period class. Man, it's like nearly everyone around here is messed up. She made a sputtering noise as she skated through the halls. Oh, who am I kidding? I've known that all this time, but I've just ignored the fact! She put her head in her hands for a second before looking back up so she wouldn't run into anyone or anything. "Maybe I need to change...just a little bit." She said upon reaching the door to her classroom.

Sixth period was over, and Indigo practically jumped out of the classroom. "Argh! Come on already!" She said, staring at the clock in the hallway. "I wanna Friendship Games already!!" She said impatiently, flailing her arms. She sighed heavily, sagging her arms in defeat. "Must kill time!" She skated through the halls and hummed until she reached her seventh period class.

"Okay." Indigo said upon leaving her classroom. "Seventh period over. Just stay cool, Indigo. Just stay cool." She took a deep and calming breath. "Okay, that worked." She calmly walked the halls, averting her gaze from all the clocks in the hallway. She almost got her phone out of her pocket, then she stopped herself. Dammit, no! No checking phones either! She mumbled angrily, then sighed. Just go to class. That's all I should do. Let time do the rest. She thought as she entered her next class.

Indigo walked out of the classroom, visibly sweating. "Final period of the day...final period of the day!!" She could barely contain her impatience as she tried taking another deep breath. "Screw it." She grabbed a notebook from her bag and tore out a sheet of paper. She folded a paper airplane and launched it, then ran after it and caught it. "Ah. I feel a little better now." She said, smiling contentedly. "Time for the final class of the day."

"Freedom! Glorious, glorious freedom!" Indigo shouted as she left her final class for the day. "Time to get the hell outta here!" She ran towards the front doors of Crystal Prep, then shoved the doors open with her arms. She grinned widely, jumping from the top of the stairs and landing perfectly on the bottom. "Stuck my dismount, bitches!" She said, then skated to where her bus was.

Once Indigo boarded her bus, she got all the way into the back like always. Huh. She thought as realization struck her. I wonder where De Verre is. I haven't seen her in a while. I hope she's okay. She rested her head on her chin, then stared out the window until she arrived at her stop. She eagerly left the bus, then skated to the front door and opened it.

The Night Before the Games

"I'm home!" Indigo announced as the door closed behind her. She ran into the kitchen and hugged her father tightly. "Thanks again, dad." She said, grinning widely.

Azure returned the hug with a grin of his own. "No worries, Zappo! I'm just glad you feel better."

"Yeah, me too." Indigo said.

"Hey, hon!" Twinkle said as she entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom!" Indigo said, breaking the hug with her father and hugging her mother.

"So I heard you had a rough start at school this morning." Twinkle said, returning the hug.

Indigo sighed. "Yeah, kinda. Two infodumps back to back frazzled me. Yeesh." She shuddered from the memory. "I'd rather not think about that right now."

"I understand." Twinkle said, breaking the hug. "So...what do you want to do tonight?"

Indigo thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever it is we do tonight should be low-key. I want to be at my best for tomorrow, after all!"

"Eh, fair enough." Azure said, shrugging. "But for now, how about dinner?"

"Sounds good to me!" Indigo said excitedly.

After dinner, Indigo and her family cleaned up after themselves. "So, what's the plan?" Azure asked.

"Hmm." Indigo cupped her chin in thought. "Actually, I think I'll go for a bit of a run. Get the legs moving again."

"Don't overexert yourself, hon." Twinkle said, putting an arm on her daughter's shoulder.

"I won't. I promise." Indigo said, smiling warmly. "But for now, I'm off!"

"Stay safe out there, Zappo!" Azure said.

"Will do!" Indigo said as she walked out the door. Once the door closed behind her, she stretched and took a deep breath of fresh air. She sighed contentedly. "All right, legs. Don't you go and fail on me, ya hear?" She stretched for a few more minutes, then went on her way.

Indigo started off at a decent pace, taking in the sounds of cicadas buzzing. "Ahh, music to my ears." She said as she turned a corner. So far, so good with the legs. Maybe I'll step it up a bit. Not too much though, I don't want to risk it. She started moving faster and matched her breathing with her footsteps.

As Indigo turned another corner, she noticed Lemon Zest jogging. "Hey!" she called out. Lemon turned around. "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." Her expression slowly changed into 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.

After her bet with Lemon, Indigo rubbed her hands together in gleeful anticipation. "Oh, man...this is gonna be so epic! I can hardly wait!" She said, barely able to contain her excitement. She began to run back home, surprising herself with her speed. "Aww, yeah! The legs are back, baby!" She said as she closed in on her house. She skidded to a halt with her head just inches away from the door and knocked on it. "Housekeeping!" She shouted.

"Come on in, we were expecting you." Azure said, opening the door. "You get to clean the whole house!"

Indigo blinked. "Nope. I just keep the house, I don't clean it."

Azure raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I thought I kept it."

"You don't say!" Twinkle said from the living room.

"Oh, crap. I'm in trouble. Better get in here before I end up on the couch, Zappo." Azure said playfully.

Indigo snickered. "Oh, fine." She said as she walked inside. "Way to kill the fun buzz, mom."

"It's what I do." Twinkle said proudly, then giggled.

"Oh, hey!" Indigo said as a memory unearthed itself in her mind. "Can we watch the sequel to that movie from that night?"

Azure grinned. "Sure thing, Zappo! I held off on watching it so we could all react together!"

Twinkle nearly leaped out of her chair. "Same here! I've been dying to find out what happens!" She said, surprising her husband and daughter with a rare grin of her own.

"Well then." Azure said, "Let's get to it!"

Indigo threw her arms up in frustration. "Of course it's a trilogy!" She growled. "Then there's probably going to be several spin-offs that spawn their own trilogies, which will spin-off into more trilogies, then become a giant and overly complex universe that will expand into books, TV shows, comic books, and it will take the rest of my life to absorb every last bit of lore until the franchise collapses in on itself and reboots!" She finished her rant, panting heavily.

Azure and Twinkle stared at Indigo. "Are you okay, honey?" Asked Twinkle.

"Of course I am, Mom!" Indigo said, grinning. "Now I have much more to look forward to than just the Friendship Games! I can't just be mono dimensional, after all!" She said, pointing to herself.

"Speaking of the future, Indigo..." Said Twinkle.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"When was the last time you filled out an application for a job?"

Indigo paled for a moment, then took a look at her arm which did, in fact, not have a watch on it. "Oh, man. Will you look at the time? I've gotta go to bed."

Azure rolled his eyes and smiled. "Okay, fine. But after the Friendship Games, you'll need to start looking for jobs."

Indigo sighed and sagged in defeat. "Okay...I will." She ran over to hug her parents. "G'night, guys!"

Twinkle and Azure returned the hug. "Goodnight." They both said.

Indigo ran up the stairs and swiftly changed into her pajamas. "Friendship Games t-minus...screw it." She decided to change her focus from the Games to sleep, as it would more than likely keep her awake all night if she only thought about the former. Sleep came to her within a minutes.

All Aboard the Hype Train

Indigo woke up with one of the biggest grins she had ever worn in her life. "The time has come!" She said, leaping out of bed. She quickly changed into the school uniform, then ran downstairs. "Today's the day, guys!" She said, running into kitchen.

"We know." Her parents said at the same time.

"Come on! I know you two aren't nearly as excited as I am, but you could at least show some enthusiasm." Indigo said, frowning and folding her arms.

Azure took a deep breath, then shouted at the top of his lungs in an obnoxious tone. "Holy mother of fuck! Friendship Games, bitches!"

Indigo and Twinkle stared at Azure for several moments, then burst into laughing fits. "Oh, man!" Indigo said, struggling to breathe. "That's the funniest freaking thing I've heard in like forever!"

"You're...welcome." Azure said, his voice strained. He coughed, then took a deep breath. "I can only do that every once in a while though."

"Need some water, hon?" Twinkle asked.

"That would be nice..." Azure said hoarsely, before coughing again.

Taking advantage of her father's unintentional distraction, Indigo quickly searched the fridge and found a tin of sardines and put it in her pocket. She grinned widely. I'm probably gonna smell like fish later, but maybe the sweat will override it. She turned to face her parents. "Well, this was a blast and a half, but it's time to kick some Wondercolt ass!" Indigo said excitedly. "I'll tell you guys all about it when I get back!"

"Whip 'em good, sweetie!" Twinkle said as Indigo left.

Indigo ran over to her bus stop at full speed. She boarded the bus quickly and found De Verre sitting in her usual spot. "Hey, there you are!" She said, giving De Verre a big hug. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Family business." De Verre said, looking away.

"Okay." Indigo said. "If you don't want to talk about it, I totally get it." She said, holding her hands up.

"Thank you." De Verre said. "All I'm willing to say is that it was rough." She sighed heavily.

"Understood." Indigo said, smiling. "Anyway, are you hyped for the Friendship Games?"

De Verre smiled. "A little. Not as much as you are, obviously."

Indigo laughed. "I think the only person that's even remotely close to being as excited as I am might be Principal Cinch." She leaned in close to De Verre. "I think she's just hiding it."

De Verre giggled. "Maybe."

The bus reached Crystal Prep, and Indigo grinned. "Hey, I have something I need to take care of before we head over to CHS. I'll see you later, okay?"

De Verre nodded. "Okay."

"Sweet." Indigo said. "Later!" She disembarked from the bus and ran into Crystal Prep. She ran to the closet that the theater club used, and rifled through the costume racks. "No...no...ugh, Jesus, why do they have this? No...Yes!" She stopped at a gorilla suit. "This is perfect." She said, holding back laughter in case it gave her away.

Indigo ran to hide herself, and she changed into the gorilla costume. Her phone buzzed.

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

"Oh, man!" Indigo said, bouncing up and down in sheer excitement. "I don't care how long I have to wait. It's going to be so worth it!" She laced her hands behind her head and looked up to the sky, sighing in contentment. "Huh. Never thought I'd feel so relaxed in a gorilla costume." She blinked. "That's a sentence you don't hear everyday." Suddenly, a loud shriek filled the air, causing Indigo to jump. "Shit." She said breathily. "That scared the crap out of me...I hope Lemon's okay."

Nearly an hour later, Sunny Flare still had not been within Indigo's line of sight. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said anything about the wait. This is starting to get ridiculous." She sighed. "I better not get heat stroke from this." She took off the gorilla mask to let her skin breathe. "Whew! Much better...why don't they make these with tiny built-in fans?" Indigo began to grow impatient, so she sent Lemon a text.

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

Indigo continued to keep her eyes peeled for Sunny Flare, fanning herself with her hands. "Gah, this damn thing is getting a little too hot for my tastes!" Immediately after she finished that sentence, Indigo had Sunny in her sights. She grinned widely and put the mask back on, then sent a text.

Target's in position! - Sent by Indigo Zap

Recording...NOW! - Sent by Lemon Zest

Indigo played airhorn noises from her phone and grabbed the tin of sardines, quickly opening it up. She rushed over to a startled Sunny Flare and began throwing the sardines at her, holding back her laughter. I think I've outdone myself here! She thought as she continued her assault.

"Great, now I'm going to smell like fish for the rest of the day!" Sunny said. Having had enough, she turned around and looked at her gorilla-costumed assailant. "What is wrong with you?!" She yelled.

Indigo shrugged, did a dance for a few seconds, then plodded off with onlookers recording and laughing heartily. I can't wait to see this on Lemon's phone! I'll be dying of laughter! She changed back into her uniform and took a whiff of the fabric. "Nice!" She said. "I can't smell the sardines!" She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "And now, for the last time...I play the waiting game."

This was it. The moment Indigo Zap had been waiting for. Despite her excitement, she couldn't help but feel nervous. "What the hell am I getting wigged out over?" She said, crossing her arms. "Crystal Prep always wins, I have nothing to worry about." She said as she neared the buses. She cracked her neck and her knuckles. "No matter what happens, though, I will bring my best. Prepare yourselves, Wondercolts. Crystal Prep is coming for you!" She declared, then walked onto her bus.

End of Book Four of The Crystal Prep Chronicles: Before the Friendship Games

Indigo Zap vs. Tuesday

Author's Note

Three days until the Friendship Games.

Indigo Zap vs. Tuesday

Indigo's eyes opened up slowly as she yawned and stretched. She got out of bed and looked out the window. Well, today looks promising. She thought with a smile, then looked down at her legs. Guess I should check 'em before I wreck 'em. She snickered. She sprinted around her room, or at least as much as she could, given the size of it. She winced in pain, then fell over simply to amuse herself. "Woman down!" She said quietly so her parents wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Medic!" She said, giggling to herself.

Indigo got up off the floor. All right, enough screwing around. She changed into her uniform, then cracked her neck. "Ooh, yeah. Needed that." She said contently, then left her room. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Morning!" She said, greeting her parents.

Azure and Twinkle looked up and smiled. "Hey Zappo. How's the legs?" Asked Azure.

"Eh, they're okay." Indigo said. "Tried sprinting in my room to test them out, and I lasted for about a minute. Still gonna take it easy on them."

"That sounds like a plan." Twinkle said.

"Well, I should be off. Later!" Indigo said as she headed for the door.

"Hold up!" Azure said, causing his daughter to kick up her left leg, slide her left foot on the floor then pivot on her right foot's heel. She finished by stomping her left foot on the floor.

"Yeah, dad?" Indigo asked.

"Keep your impulses in check, will you?"

Indigo smiled. "I will."

"All right then. Have a good day!"

"That's the plan, at least. See ya laters!" Indigo said as she finally left the house. Once outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air. She sighed. Nobody's cut the grass...man, I love that smell. She walked up to the bus stop and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair. She opened them back up once she heard the bus approaching. I wonder where De Verre is...I haven't seen her since yesterday. She frowned at the memory as she boarded the bus.

Once Indigo climbed the last step in the bus, she kept her eyes peeled for De Verre. Come on, you've gotta be here. The further back into the bus she got, the more frustrated she became. She made it to the back of the bus, and she still couldn't find Fleur De Verre. "Argh!" She grumbled, sitting down. She put her head in her hands and made a sputtering noise. "If I don't see her by the end of the day, I'm gonna ask around tomorrow." She said to herself.

Once the bus stopped in front of Crystal Prep, everyone disembarked. Indigo opened the doors and stretched. "All right, Tuesday. What do you have in store for me?" As if to answer her question, the sound of airhorns blared off in the distance. She gasped, then grinned. "The Indigo-signal! Someone requires my assistance!" She began skating in the direction of the noise, then took out a cape she borrowed from her mother and put it on. Once she neared the airhorns, she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the airhorn that sounds in your ears...I am Indigo Zap!"

The airhorns stopped immediately, and Indigo looked to see a very bemused Sunburst. He blinked, at a loss for words.

"What's the problem?" Indigo asked, snapping Sunburst out of his puzzlement.

"Oh, right. Sorry. That was just so unexpected I froze up." Sunburst said. "'I am the terror that flaps in the night'?" He smirked. "Where did that come from?"

Indigo shrugged. "Eh, just some old cartoon my dad watched when he was a kid. But enough about that. Time is short, and first period's going to start in a few minutes."

"I just wanted to talk, that's all. I've been feeling...lonely." Sunburst said.

Indigo put the palm of her hand to her forehead and dragged in down to her chin. "Oh, please don't tell me you have a crush on me..." She said.

"What?! No! What gave you that idea?" Sunburst said in a panic.

Indigo blushed. "Sorry. Long story. Anyway, what do you want to talk about?"

Sunburst sighed. "I don't know."

Indigo smiled. "Well at the very least I'll keep you company until the bell rings which should be...about five minutes. I didn't skate down the halls just to do nothing, yaknow!" She said, giving Sunburst a noogie. "Hey, do you happen to know who Fleur De Verre is?"

Sunburst fixed his hair and readjusted his glasses. "No, I'm sorry to say that I don't. Why do you ask?"

Indigo looked away for a moment. "That's another long story."

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

Indigo barked a laugh. "You call for my help and then end up asking me if I want to talk. That's a new one." She quickly raised her hands in defense. "Don't get me wrong, I'm genuinely touched. It's just that nobody outside of my family has ever asked me if there was something I wanted to talk about." The warning bell rang.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to move on." Sunburst said. "See you later?"

"Yeah." Indigo nodded. "See you later."

First period had ended, and Indigo left the classroom in thought. It'd probably be a waste of time to search for De Verre if I don't even know whether or not she's here. She passed several students in the hallway, feeling the urge to be random. Keep it in check, Zap. She told herself. As tempting as it may be, the reward isn't really worth the risk. She sighed. Man, things are really boring without all of my randomness. Did I really depend on it that heavily to keep me going throughout the day?

"Bleh. I don't like thinking too much." Indigo said as she walked the halls. She stopped and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Probably not a good idea to just stop in the middle of a hallway. She thought, then walked over to her second period class.

Second period was over, and Indigo again found herself in thought. I hope De Verre is okay. I wish there was a way to contact her. I didn't even get her phone number... Indigo growled. "I can't take it anymore!" She nearly shouted, and ran outside turning her phone's volume all the way up. She pressed it to her ear, clenched her teeth, and played airhorn noises off of her phone. She yelped in pain, then brought the phone's volume back to normal. Her ears were ringing, and she was unable to hear herself sigh in relief. Why did I even do that?! She thought as she walked back inside. The warning bell for third period went off, and Indigo thanked her lucky stars that she didn't go deaf.

Third period ended, and the ringing in Indigo's ears had finally left. Okay. She thought. That's a stunt I'm never going to pull again. I'm glad I know how to at least look like I'm paying attention, because I could barely hear a word the teacher said until the class was ten minutes in! She made a sputtering noise. There's still some time before fourth period starts. Where do I go from here?

An idea formed in Indigo's mind and she darted for the doors to the entrance. She opened them and heard the sound of lawnmowers in the distance. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Ahhh. Peaceful." She laced her hands behind her head and leaned on the front steps of the campus until she barely heard the warning bell. "Well, that's the end of that I guess."

Indigo left her fourth period class, with Sunny Flare right in front of her. She growled in frustration. Ooh, is this a kindred spirit I see before me? "Bored?" She said, gaining Sunny's attention.

"No, I'm trying to stretch my body because it's been my lifelong dream to break the world record for tallest human." Sunny said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Indigo.

Indigo snickered. "I didn't think you had a sense of humor."

Sunny shrugged. "Whatever gets me through a day as slow and uneventful as this."

Indigo smiled. "I hear that. I almost want to tempt fate just so something interesting would happen."

"That's hardly ever a good idea." said Sunny.

"You'd rather be bored out of your skull than have anything interesting happen today?" asked Indigo.

"I'd rather be bored out of my skull than risk a chance of any sort of catastrophe." said Sunny.

"Hey, sometimes the reward makes the risk worth it." said Indigo.

"Sometimes." said Sunny.

"Look, it's not like I want the apocalypse." Indigo thought for a moment, cupping her chin. "I just want something that's non-lethal and harmless but still exciting to happen."

"Such as?" asked Sunny.

Indigo shrugged. "I don't know! I'm so fucking bored I think my imagination put itself out of its misery!"

Sunny blinked.

"What?" said Indigo. "I can't think of anything creative right now, that's the best reason I can think of!" Sunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Surely this boredom's been affecting your brain as well."

"Maybe just a little." admitted Sunny. "I feel like I might be on the verge of losing my mind! Got any ideas on how to kill this boredom of ours?"

Indigo grinned. "I do, but I think we'd get ten to twenty years if we followed through with it." Sunny blinked again. Indigo laughed. "I'm just kidding. I've got nothing right now."

Sunny groaned, frustrated. "Then why am I even talking to you?!"

"You've got nothing better to do." Indigo said, smiling. The bell for the next period rang.

"I do now!" Sunny said in a singsong voice. "Ta-ta!"

Indigo shrugged. Oh well. Off to the next class I go.

Well, there goes fifth period. Indigo thought. At least it's lunch time! She skated through the halls, rushing towards Sunny Flare. "Incoming!" She shouted. Sunny yelped and jumped to the side as Indigo passed her by, rolling on the wheels hidden from within her sneakers. As she neared the cafeteria, she heard the sound of airhorns. Indigo sighed. "Okay, this one better be good enough to keep me from eating lunch!" She said, rolling through the hallways until she found the person responsible for the noise.

Indigo stopped dead in her tracks as she stood before Fleur De Verre, holding her phone up high.