Sugarcoat yawned and stretched as she woke up, feeling refreshed from a good night's sleep. She quickly got into uniform and ran downstairs. "Hi, Dad," she said excitedly.

"Hey there," Sizzle said. "Ready for anything?"

"Just about," Sugarcoat responded. "Mom and I will fill you in when we get back."

"Can't wait to hear all about it."

"See you later," Sugarcoat said, then closed her door. She hightailed it to her bus stop, then boarded. Her eyes widened as she felt vibrations in the back of the bus. Could it be, she thought with excitement. She hurried to back of the bus to see Lemon Zest bouncing up and down excitedly in her seat. She gave Lemon a disappointed look. "Don't get my hopes up like that, Lemon Zest. I thought there were people fucking back here!"

Lemon froze in place for a few seconds, opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She stayed silent for a few more moments, then finally spoke. "I...don't know how I feel about that." she said.

Neon slowly opened his eyes as he woke up, grateful for a decent night's sleep. He put on his uniform, then ran downstairs. He entered the living room where his parents were waiting. "Morning," he said to his parents.

"Morning," Cypress said.

"Morning," Cerulean said.

"So," Neon said. "Is there anything I should do before boarding the bus to Canterlot High?"

"If anything, you should probably check in with Cadance," Cypress said.

"It couldn't hurt, even if it turns out you didn't have to," Cerulean added.

"I guess not," Neon said. He checked his phone for the time, then gasped. "Well, I should head out. I'll tell you guys everything that happened. Love you guys," he said as he left the house. He ran to the bus stop, then swiftly boarded.

Once Sugarcoat's bus reached Crystal Prep, all the students got out. "You go on ahead, Sugarcoat. I have...um...business that I need to tend to." said Lemon.

Sugarcoat shrugged. "Suit yourself. Later," she said as she headed for the school entrance. She wandered the halls and noticed Sunny Flare. She smiled.

"Sugarcoat." Sunny greeted.

"Have you masturbated yet?" Sugarcoat asked, then grinned wider as she left Sunny behind.

Neon left his bus and took a deep breath, then exhaled. He smiled. "Time to kick some ass!" He eagerly took out his phone, then texted Sugarcoat.

Hey.

My parents suggested that we check in with Dean Cadance before heading out.

Neon began walking to the Dean's office, and his phone buzzed.

Sounds like a plan, hot stuff. - Sugarcoat

See you there. - Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat headed towards Dean Cadance's office, then sent her a text.

Are you in your office?

Yes. Why? - Cadance

Neon and I figured it'd be a good idea to pay you a little visit before we head over to Canterlot High.

You know. Just in case.

All right. I'll be waiting. - Cadance

Sugarcoat pocketed her phone, then continued her journey until she reached her destination. She waited in front of the door for Neon.

Neon picked up his pace, not wanting to keep Sugarcoat waiting. He saw Royal passing through the halls, and he stopped. "Hey, Royal. I can't really chat right now. Urgent business. We can catch up later, okay?" Royal blinked, then nodded in understanding. "Thanks, man. Catch you later," he said as he waved.

Neon continued on his way to Dean Cadance's office and checked his phone, just in case he got messages during his one-sided conversation with Royal. He put his phone back in his pocket once he noticed he had none, then kept his eyes forward to avoid bumping into other students. A few moments later, he reached the Dean's office, where Sugarcoat was waiting. "Hey, Sugar," Neon said.

Sugarcoat smiled. "Hey yourself, bright eyes." They couple embraced and pecked each other on the lips. Sugarcoat broke the embrace. "We probably shouldn't keep her waiting," she said, pointing her thumb at Cadance's office door.

Neon nodded. "Yeah. Let's go in, shall we?" He knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dean Cadance said from inside. Neon opened the door and entered with Sugarcoat, who closed it.

"Okay," Neon said as he sat down on the couch. "Anything we need to know?"

Dean Cadance cupped her chin in thought for a moment. "Well," she said. "Just this once, I won't mind it if either of you get caught up in the competition. Basically, pretend everything's normal," she said. "Contact with the six Canterlot High girls is encouraged, but don't get physical with them."

Sugarcoat nodded. "Fair enough."

"What about Vice-Principal Luna," Neon asked. "Will she be doing anything?"

Cadance smiled. "She'll be doing the same thing as you two." She looked at Neon. "She knows you're the most recent addition to S.M.I.L.E., so you don't have to worry about approaching her and asking."

"Wouldn't that potentially blow my cover," Neon asked.

Cadance smiled. "That's exactly why I told her about you."

"Should we do anything if Principal Cinch sees the magic," Sugarcoat asked.

"You should only take action under dire circumstances," Dean Cadance said.

"Sounds pretty dire to me," Neon said as he laid back and laced his hands behind his head.

"No," Sugarcoat said. "Principal Cinch gaining control of the magic is a dire situation."

Neon sighed. "Okay, I need to get this off of my chest. I'm still having a hard time believing in this whole 'magic' thing."

"I don't blame you, Neon," Cadance said. "Even when Luna told me herself, I was skeptical. Then she showed me the picture of Twilight that I showed you earlier."

"Wait," Neon said. "How does Luna know about Twilight Sparkle?"

"I keep a close eye on all of my students, Neon Lights. Especially the ones that are the most gifted...No offense."

"None taken," Neon said. "She's always at the top when tests are concerned."

Sugarcoat gasped. "Wait. Are you saying that Twilight might be one of the six students?" Neon raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "We believe there might be six special students among us, just like the Canterlot High girls. The problem is, we don't know who they might end up being."

"You're correct, Sugarcoat," Dean Cadance said. "I believe Twilight to be one of them. As for the other five?" she shrugged. "Your guesses would be as good as mine." She checked the clock in her office. "We should get going." Neon and Sugarcoat got off the couch, then left the office. Out in the hallway, they stared at each other.

"You ready, hot stuff," Sugarcoat asked as she caressed his cheek.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Sugar," Neon said as he ran a hand through her hair. Not caring who would see, he held Sugarcoat close, then kissed her deeply. She sighed happily into the embrace and kiss, then broke it. "I love you," Neon said as he took her by the hand and laced his fingers with hers.

"I love you, too," Sugarcoat said softly. "Now...let's kick some Wondercolt ass."

Neon Lights and Sugarcoat walked hand-in-hand through the halls as they eagerly headed to the buses, confident that they were ready for anything. Little did they know what awaited them...

End of Book Five of The Crystal Prep Chronicles: Before the Friendship Games

Author's Note

Ho-LEE hell. This one took forever and a half to finish.

See y'all in Before the Friendship Games: Twilight Sparkle