First period ended, and Sugarcoat sighed. Well, that was boring. She thought as she left her classroom. You'd think a place as prestigious as this would be more stimulating. She took out a can of soda from her backpack, downed it in one go, then tossed it on the floor and crushed it with her feet. Ahh. She smiled contently. Eventually I'll have caffeine coursing through me and I'll be ready to take on the rest of the day.

"Hey!" Shouted a student behind Sugarcoat. "Aren't you gonna toss that?" He said, pointing to the crushed can on the floor.

Sugarcoat rolled her eyes and scoffed, then smiled. "You know what?" She said, "That's not a bad idea." She picked up the can, walked up to the student, then beaned him with it. She scowled. "I think letting some of the air out of your head was good for the environment." With that, she turned around and flashed her middle finger to the student as she walked off. "Asshole." She muttered under her breath. The warning bell for second period rang, causing Sugarcoat to walk faster towards her next class.

Neon left his first period class and threw his hands up. "Why do they even bother teaching us this shit if we're just going to forget it later on in life?"

Royal Pin followed his friend of many years out of the classroom. "Because, Neon, all knowledge is valuable. You simply never know when it will come in handy."

Neon shrugged. "I guess. But you can't argue the fact that as we get older we inevitably lose some, if not most of the knowledge we're supposed to retain. It just seems pointless." He said, sighing.

Royal frowned. "While I understand your point, old friend, I must argue against that last sentence of yours." He said, smiling. "I believe there is a point to it. If there wasn't, then why would all of the staff here even bother trying to educate us?" He said, putting his hands on his hips. "True, we will indeed forget some of the things we've learned here, but we can also remember them."

Neon stared blankly for a moment. "Oh. Right. I forgot." The pair shared a laugh as he put a hand on Royal's shoulder. "Where would I be without you?" He said fondly. Before Royal could respond, the warning bell for second period rang. "Well, I guess we should part." He said, waving as he walked to his next class.

"Indeed. Until we meet again." Royal said, waving to Neon.

Second period ended, and Sugarcoat left her classroom. "Ugh." She said, slapping the palm of her hand on her head. "I've heard better lectures from my parents." She sighed. "Is it too much to ask for a teacher here to possess both intellect and personality? That would make things more interesting around here..." She stopped in her tracks as she neared a group of students huddled together. What's going on? she thought as she neared them.

"That was one hell of a fight..."

"I can't believe Lemon was on equal footing with her..."

"I've never seen Sour Sweet so pissed, and that's saying something!"

"What are you all talking about?" Sugarcoat asked, shoving her way through the students.

"This." One of them said, handing over his phone to show the fight that took place.

Sugarcoat's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest trade blows in the middle of a hallway. "Didn't know Lemon had it in her." She said as the video ended. She gave the phone back to the student, then walked off to her third period class.

Neon left his second period class and stopped in his tracks as a couple of students passed him.

"Crazy-ass fight in the hall..."

"When was the last time someone drew blood here?"

Neon blinked in surprise. He knew Crystal Prep wasn't exactly paradise, but when was the last time there was a fight? He had to look into this. He walked the halls until he saw a couple of students staring at their phones. "Hey." He said, gaining the students' attention. "What's with this fight I've been hearing about?" One of the students grinned, handed Neon his phone, then played the video. Neon's jaw dropped as the spectacle involving Lemon and Sour unfolded in front of him. "Christ..." He said. "I've never seen Lemon so pissed off before." He gave the student back his phone.

"I know, right?" Said the other student. "Whatever Sour Sweet did, it must've been something epic!"

"No kidding..." Neon muttered under his breath as the warning bell for third period sounded off.

Third period concluded, and Sugarcoat smiled as she left the classroom. Now that's what I was talking about. She thought with satisfaction. She had both personality and intelligence. I hope she gets a full-time job here. She walked down the halls to see more students talking about the fight between Lemon and Sour. I guess that's all everyone's going to talk about for the rest of the day. That's going to get old fast. She shrugged and moved on, then stopped in the middle of the hallway as she caught sight of several flyers posted on the walls. "What's this?" She asked herself as she neared the wall, then adjusted her glasses.

The flyer was emblazoned with the school's logo, which was set in the background. It read:

The time has come once again for the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts to defeat the Canterlot High Wondercolts! The Friendship Games tryouts are Monday! No matter who shows up, Crystal Prep will always win!

Sugarcoat grinned. I wonder if this is what mom meant when she mentioned Vice-Principal Luna as one of the people we're working with...I don't see any other possibility since I don't see how CPA would have anything to do with CHS.

The warning bell for fourth period rang, snapping Sugarcoat to attention. She hurried to her next class.

Neon left his third period class shaking his head. "Wow. Just...wow." He said in disbelief. "I knew she had some issues, but I never thought Sapphire Joy would lash out at the professor like that." He sighed as several of his classmates passed him by with stunned looks on their faces. "Hey." He called out to the students. "You guys gonna be okay?"

One of the students looked back and shuddered. "I don't even want to think about what happened in there."

"Yeah." Neon said, putting a hand behind his head. "I hear that." He walked further down the hall until he took notice of a poster with Crystal Prep's logo on it. "Hello, what do we have here?" He said, getting a closer look.

The time has come once again for the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts to defeat the Canterlot High Wondercolts! The Friendship Games tryouts are Monday! No matter who shows up, Crystal Prep always wins!

"Sweet." Neon said, cracking his knuckles. "Sounds like a blast!" The warning bell for fourth period rang. "Oh, crap!" Neon said, then ran to his next class.

Fourth period ended for Sugarcoat, and she once again found herself thinking about last night's fling with Neon. Normally the mere thought of sex with just about anyone would turn her on, but this felt...different. The way he treated her when she let him have control. He didn't just treat her like a slut. He treated her like a woman. Like he genuinely cared about her and wanted her to enjoy herself. The fact that he got her off good every time they fucked was just a bonus. She sighed and smiled, feeling heat on her face.

Sugarcoat rapidly shook her head. No. This can't be happening. She thought. This is exactly what I've been trying to avoid! She took a deep breath, then exhaled. Calm yourself, Sugarcoat. You only like him for the orgasms he gives you. Nothing more, nothing less. The warning bell for fifth period rang, snapping her back to reality. Saved by the bell. She thought, then ran off to her next class.

Neon left his fourth period class and sighed dreamily. He was looking forward to tonight. The way Sugarcoat enticed him yesterday by running her fingertips slowly down his neck... He shuddered in delight and anticipation. He'd been around the block many times before, but her? She was something else. The absolute passion she put into her efforts to please him. It was partly the reason he so readily accepted her apology last night. She was hot, she was seductive...she was perfect.

"Wait." Neon whispered. "No." Do I...do I like her? He asked himself. I don't want to mess up the sex we have! The looks she gives me, the way she treated me in the study room... Neon's eyes widened in shock. "Shit." I think I have a crush on Sugarcoat. He sighed heavily and put his head in his hands. "Oh, Neon Lights...what have you gotten yourself into?"

The only answer received was the warning bell for fifth period.

Fifth period had ended, and Sugarcoat rushed over to the cafeteria. Maybe a talk with mom will help sort me out. She thought.

Neon left his fifth period class and sent a text.

Hey, Royal. Can we talk? I need someone's ear. - Neon Lights

Author's Note

Note: Sapphire Joy