Author's Note

Four days until the Friendship Games.

The Day of the Tryouts

Sugarcoat stretched and yawned as she woke up early. The phone sex from last night was great, she thought. But it sure as hell doesn't beat sex with Neon in person. She walked over to the shower and turned the water on. Not going to CPA post-sex without showering this time. She yawned again as she began to wash herself off. I should probably grab some coffee on the way out. I feel like I might be liable to fall asleep at the drop of a hat! She sighed, then rapidly shook her head in an effort to keep herself awake. Yep, she thought as she began to wash her hair, definitely getting coffee on my way to the bus. She got out of the shower, took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Damn, I needed that." she said, then walked back into her room and changed into her uniform.

Neon's alarm clock went off, startling him awake. "Oh, shi-" He fell off his bed and landed on the floor with a thud. He groaned in pain, then slowly stood up and turned it off. Jesus, I hope I didn't break anything, he thought. He walked around and slowly moved his arms to check himself. He winced slightly, noting a twinge of pain in his right arm. Hopefully this won't affect my performance in the tryouts. he thought as he jumped into the shower. Mom and Dad will be here when I get back home...I'll have a lot to tell them, he thought with a smile on his face.

Neon yawned as he began to wash himself. Coffee with breakfast it is, he thought. Feels weird not being in the shower or bed with Sugarcoat. He made a sputtering noise. No big deal, though. I'll see her later today, he thought as he began to wash his hair. He grinned widely. Maybe even sneak in a quickie or two before going home. They'll understand once I tell them what's been going on...I hope. He walked out of the shower, toweled off and got into his uniform.

Sugarcoat left her room and made a beeline for the coffee machine in the kitchen. She walked up to the brewer and smiled as it did its work. She turned her gaze to her father, who was sitting in his favorite chair. "Good morning," she said, then yawned again.

"Good morning," Sizzle responded. "Having a hard time staying awake?"

Sugarcoat nodded. "Seems like the phone sex from last night was more tiring than I thought it was. Still," she said with a smile, "it was totally worth it."

Sizzle smiled back. "It sure sounded like it."

Sugarcoat downed the coffee in one gulp and sighed contentedly. "That's the shit right there," she said dreamily.

"You should probably get going," Sizzle said. "As much as I'd love to drive you to Crystal Prep, I'd rather you not be late."

Sugarcoat nodded. "Fair point. See you later," she said as she left the house.

Neon walked into the kitchen and stopped in front of the coffee machine. "All right," he said to the machine, "time to earn your keep." He switched the machine on and waited for it to brew. He sighed and tapped his foot as the machine whirred, then grabbed the coffee as soon as it was finished. He downed it in one huge swig, then cleaned the mug and put it away. He yawned again. Dammit, why can't caffeine act faster, he thought as he stretched. He cracked his knuckles, then his neck. He yelped and rubbed a sore spot on his neck. "I should probably stretch more," he thought aloud. he grabbed his backpack and left for the bus.

Sugarcoat got off the bus and smiled. I wonder what the tryouts will be, she thought as she slowly made her way into Crystal Prep. She shrugged inwardly, deciding not to dwell on it too much as she began to walk the halls. Trying not to bump into anyone on the way to her first class of the day, she scanned forward, left and right. She smiled with satisfaction as she reached her first period class, having not collided with anyone.

Neon disembarked from his bus and took a deep breath, then exhaled. Ahh, it feels like the coffee's finally kicking in,
he thought as he felt a sudden spike in his energy. Took it long enough, he thought, rolling his eyes. He walked into Crystal Prep, feeling confident in himself. No matter what the tryouts are, I'm positive I'm going to kick ass! He smiled all the way to his first period class.

Sugarcoat left her first period class and sighed. She took out her phone, and almost texted her boyfriend. She shook her head rapidly. No. I have to stay focused for the tryouts. Besides, I'll more than likely see him then. She was snapped out of her reverie when she bumped into someone. Fuck, she thought. The one time I look away... She looked down at the person she ran into and sighed. Sitting on the floor was one bespectacled purple teenager. "You really need to watch where you're going, Twilight," she said. "Hallway traffic is always a bitch around here."

Twilight got up off the floor and laughed sheepishly. "You know me, Sugarcoat...always off in my own little world," she said with an awkward smile.

Sugarcoat sighed again as she put the palm of her hand to her head. "Just watch where you're going, okay? That's the last time I'm warning yo-" She stopped mid-sentence as she could faintly smell a scent that was all too familiar to her. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then narrowed as she grinned. "Twilight Sparkle," she said slyly, "I didn't know you had it in you!"

Twilight blinked in confusion as she began to nervously pull on her hair. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Who've you been fucking," Sugarcoat asked.

Twilight's face immediately turned a light shade of red as she continued to pull at her hair. "W-W-W-What?!" She almost shouted. "I'm not even in a relationship!"

"That never stopped me," Sugarcoat said, then came to a realization. "Ooohhh. I get it."

Twilight's face slowly went back to its normal color. "Y-You do?"

Sugarcoat nodded. "You just masturbate often, don't you?" Twilight's face went even redder than before and she ran off as fast as she could. Sugarcoat scoffed and folded her arms. "She should be more honest with herself," she said as the warning bell for second period went off.

Neon stretched as he left his first period class. At least I'm not yawning, he thought. He took his phone out of his pocket to check the time. Okay, so I've got a few minutes to kill. What to do, what to do... He sighed and walked the halls, looking at all the posters for the Friendship Games. Why hold the tryouts after fourth period? That seems kind of arbitrary. He shrugged. But then again, I don't make the rules. He took his phone out of his pocket and and played a game on it all the way to his second period class.

Sugarcoat exited her second period class and smiled. Okay, I've got to admit that teacher was pretty damn funny. Good to know the staff isn't completely comprised of boring standees. "Now if only more teachers were like that one..." she said under her breath. "The students here might not consider this place a hellhole. Boring, oppressive atmosphere, authoritarian principal obsessed with legacy and reputation..." She sighed. Almost makes me wonder why I'm here sometimes. She shook her head. Worry about that after the Friendship Games, Sugarcoat, she admonished herself. She walked to her third period class just as the warning bell rang.

Neon left his second period class and yawned. "Dammit, I thought I was done yawning," he said, frustrated.

Royal left the followed his friend out of the classroom. "I can't blame you, old friend. That teacher was as stiff as a plank of wood, and merely half as entertaining."

Neon chuckled. "Crystal Prep could use some serious lightening up, don't you think?"

"Indeed," said Royal. "And that's coming from one of the stuffier students on campus!"

Neon barked a laugh. "Yeah, but at least you admit it. You know how to have a good time though."

Royal smiled. "Just because I'm well-mannered doesn't mean I don't know how to party."

"Indeed," Neon said, mimicking his friend. The two shared a laugh as the warning bell for third period rang. "See you later, Royal."

Royal nodded. "Yes. See you later."

Sugarcoat left her third period class and sighed. "Bored. As. Fuck." Her eyes widened. "No. No fuck," She said almost immediately. She sighed heavily as she slapped the palm of her hand to her head, then dragged it down to her chin. Great. Now I'm mildly horny, and knowing my history, I'll be texting Neon so I can- She growled in frustration. Shut up, libido! She clenched her teeth in aggravation. "Shit. I don't have a choice at this point..." She mumbled. Fighting against all of the sexual urges she had, she forced herself to summon an image in her mind to turn herself off: A naked Principal Cinch using a vibrator.

Within a few moments, the nearest women's bathroom was filled with the noises of moaning, retching, and water splashing. The process repeated itself until Sugarcoat completely emptied the contents of her stomach. "Ugh..." she said weakly. "There has got to be an easier way to do thi-" She dry heaved, cutting off the rest of her sentence. Letting out one last moan as her nausea finally vanished, she got up off the floor and flushed the toilet. The warning bell for fourth period rang, and Sugarcoat slowly made her way to her next class.

Neon left his third period class and sighed. I hope Sugarcoat's having a more fun day than I am, he thought. Seriously, would it cause the apocalypse if this place got at least a little bit more lively? He shook his head slowly. This place needs to change badly.

Neon jumped as he heard a door slam, followed by the sound of someone vomiting into a toilet. He hissed through his teeth. Yikes. Someone's having a rough morning. He slowly walked away to his next class, eager to be out of earshot of the poor woman in the bathroom.

Sugarcoat left her fourth period class and smiled. "It's about damn time," she said as she eagerly made her way to the tryouts. I'll keep an eye out for Neon, too. I don't want to suffer alone over that goddamn image I shoved into my head. She shuddered, the taste of her own bile still lingering in her mouth. She ran over to the vending machines and grabbed a soda. She opened it and downed it all in one go. That should at least hold the taste off until lunch, she thought. In the meantime, off I go to the tryouts.

Neon left his fourth period class and yawned. The tryouts better be physical. I could use a serious adrenaline boost right about now. He checked his backpack. Crap, I didn't bring any energy drinks! "Fuck," he muttered, then trudged on over to the tryout area.

Sugarcoat entered the tryout area where she recognized Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare. She saw several other faces that she recognized as well, then saw Neon rush in, nearly colliding with another student. The student glared at Neon, which caused a staring contest of sorts until Dean Cadence broke it up. Sugarcoat giggled despite herself.

Principal Cinch's voice boomed out, and the image of her using a vibrator returned, unheeded. Sugarcoat's stomach almost lurched, but she managed to keep it under control. "This first round of tryouts will involve academics." announced Principal Cinch. Nearly half of those waiting groaned.

Academics...should've seen that coming, Sugarcoat thought.

"The hell did you guys expect, moto-cross racing?!" Sour's voice echoed throughout the room.

Sugarcoat snickered. She's got a point.

"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!"

Sugarcoat sighed as she began the test. So much for excitement, she thought. Then again, Principal Cinch did say that this was only the first round. She shook her head rapidly. I should really focus on this test.

Several minutes passed, and Principal Cinch shouted. "Pencils down," she 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!"

Sugarcoat took a deep breath, then sighed. Hopefully the rest of the day will pass by rather quickly, she thought as she walked to her fifth period class.

Sugarcoat left her fifth period class and made a sputtering noise. I don't need to see the results of the test to know that I placed high, doing so would just be a waste of time, she thought as she made her way to the cafeteria. She reached into her backpack to take out a can of soda when she bumped into someone, nearly dropping her drink. She sighed and rolled her eyes. All right, who is it this ti- Her thoughts were cut off almost immediately as she saw the person in front of her.

"Hey, Sugar," Neon said softly.

Sugarcoat felt a warmth inside her that she didn't know she was missing. "Hey, hot stuff," she said with a smile as her boyfriend ran a hand through her hair. She shuddered in delight. "Want to have lunch together?"

Neon smiled. "I'd love to."

The couple took out their phones and sent texts.

Change of plans. Having lunch with Sugarcoat. - Neon Lights

Change of plans. Having lunch with Neon. - Sugarcoat

Neon and Sugarcoat stared at each other, basking in each other's presence. They slowly leaned toward each other for a kiss, then their phones buzzed.

"We can always respond later, hot stuff," Sugarcoat said in a sultry tone. Neon nodded, then embraced her and kissed her. Sugarcoat moaned softly as she shot her tongue into her lover's mouth. Neon responded by sighing, then slowly broke the kiss. "We were just getting to the good part," Sugarcoat said with a hint of disappointment.

"I know," Neon said. "Damn social norms, am I right?" Sugarcoat giggled as she took him by the hand and the couple walked towards the cafeteria.

Several minutes later, Neon and Sugarcoat sat down at a table and began eating. Neon took note of his girlfriend's lunch and looked at her. "Not all that hungry?"

Sugarcoat shook her head. "Not after third period." She shuddered.

"What happened?" Sugarcoat sighed heavily, then steeled herself as she began to tell Neon of her ordeal. "Oh, shit...now I'm going to have that image in my head for the rest of the day..." Neon paused, then his eyes widened. "Wait, that was you getting sick in the bathroom," he asked, his tone a mixture of surprise and concern.

"Ugh. Don't remind me, hon. I can still taste the vomit in my mouth." Sugarcoat said.

"You want me to get you some ginger ale or something?"

Sugarcoat smiled and put her hand on top of Neon's. "I appreciate the sentiment, babe, but I'm fine. It was mostly shock that made me sick to my stomach."

Neon clasped her hand. "If you say so." He smiled. "At least you're not pregnant."

Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "It's way too soon to even joke about that."

Neon brought his arms up in a defensive pose. "Okay, okay. Fair enough."

"So," Sugarcoat asked, "did you bother to look at the standings from the tryout?"

Neon shook his head. "Actually, I did. Would you believe that I placed higher than you?"

Sugarcoat's eyes widened, then narrowed all in the space of three seconds. "I'm calling bullshit," she said, folding her arms.

"See for yourself," Neon said in a rather smug tone as he handed Sugarcoat his phone. She took it and adjusted her glasses, squinting at the phone to be absolutely sure of what she was seeing.

"Hmph, so you did," Sugarcoat said, feeling competitive all of a sudden. "We'll see if you can keep that self-satisfied after the next round of tryouts, hmm?" She smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Neon grinned. "You're so hot when you're confident, Sugar."

Sugarcoat laughed. "I'm always hot, babe."

"That you are, hon," Neon said as he caressed his girlfriend's cheek. "That you are." The warning bell for sixth period rang, and Sugarcoat and Neon Lights got up. "One more for the road, Sugar," Neon asked as he walked up to his lover and ran a hand through her hair.

Sugarcoat smiled warmly. "Of course, hot stuff. Wouldn't want to deny you some tongue," she said with half-lidded eyes, then embraced Neon and kissed her boyfriend deeply as she shot her tongue into his mouth. He let out a soft moan, then she broke the kiss. "I just wanted to hear some satisfaction out of you," she said seductively. "I love you."

Neon smiled. "I love you too." Sugarcoat broke the embrace and headed for her next class. "Wait," he said, getting her attention. "Before you go," he said, "you should know the next and final round of the tryouts is after eighth period. It's on the track."

"Noted," Sugarcoat said. "See you later, hot stuff." She waved as she left the cafeteria.

"Yeah," Neon said. "see you later."

As the day went on, Sugarcoat and Neon Light's anticipation grew as the last part of the tryouts drew near. They went on about their day until it was finally time. The couple reached the track where many students and Principal Cinch were waiting. "Well, Sugar...think you can redeem yourself," Neon asked.

Sugarcoat scoffed. "I don't need to redeem myself. I need to prove myself."

Neon smiled. "Fair enough."

"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."

"'All's fair in love and war'..." Sugarcoat said, "...but this is war."

Neon quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, is it now?"

"Sugarcoat," called Principal Cinch.

Sugarcoat narrowed her eyes, challenging Neon. "Yes," she said plainly, "yes it is." She walked up to the track and took her mark.

"Go," Principal Cinch shouted.

Sugarcoat ran as fast as she could, focusing only on beating Neon. Once she finished her lap, she almost collapsed on the ground. Neon ran over to her and helped her up. "T-thanks...hot stuff..." she said as she tried to catch her breath.

"No prob, Sugar." Neon smiled.

"Neon Lights," Principal Cinch shouted.

"I'm up, babe. Be back before you know it," Neon said with a confident smirk. He took his mark.

"Go!"

Neon ran as though his life depended on it, then stopped and almost immediately collapsed. Sugarcoat helped him up. "Not to shabby there, hot stuff," Sugarcoat said. "But we'll see who won momentarily."

Several minutes later, Principal Cinch posted the results and all the students crowded around. Neon and Sugarcoat rushed over to see the standings.

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

Sugarcoat folded her arms and smugly grinned at Neon.

Neon smiled. "Okay, Sugar, you got me there," he admitted.

"Tiebreaker," Sugarcoat asked.

"Fuck yes, tiebreaker," Neon responded.

Ninth period had ended. Sugarcoat and Neon met each other at the front door. "Okay," Sugarcoat said. "How about this? First one to my place wins."

"Don't you think you have an unfair advantage in those killer thighs of yours," Neon asked.

"You backing out?"

"No," Neon said as determination flowed through him.

"Great," Sugarcoat said. "Ready...set...go!"