Author's Note

Four days until the Friendship Games.

Staying Out of the Tryouts

Twilight woke up with a smile, then nearly panicked. The De-Stressor! She forgot to put it back in the hidden compartment! She stumbled out of bed, then grabbed her jeans from last night. She heaved a sigh of relief as she felt it in the pocket. She took it out, then put it back where it belonged. Well, at least I'm awake now.

Twilight went into the bathroom and put her glasses on, then smiled at herself in the mirror. Time to greet the day with optimism, she thought excitedly as she anticipated meeting Lemon Zest again. She changed into her uniform and opened the door, causing Spike to rush in. "Good morning," she cooed as she gently pet him on the head. The dog barked, then left her room.

Twilight ran downstairs in an effort to reach the bus stop earlier than normal. "Have a good day at school," Night Light called out.

"That's the plan," Twilight said as she reached the door. "Love you!"

"Love you too!"

Twilight closed the door behind her, taking a deep breath of fresh air. She walked towards the bus stop as she felt a gentle breeze, sighing in contentment in its warmth. Once she reached her destination, she leaned against a tree, closing her eyes and listening to the sounds of nature around her. The rustling of the leaves in the trees, the chirping of the birds, the motor of the bus...she opened her eyes in mild confusion, then smiled. She walked into the bus and sat down.

Twilight arrived at Crystal Prep and noticed several flyers for the Friendship Games tryouts as she walked the halls. I don't understand why everybody's so excited, she thought. It's just another silly competition. She shrugged, then noticed Lemon Zest toss a piece of paper into a garbage can.

"At least I'm not the paranoid type," Lemon said, then put the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Dammit, now I am getting paranoid."

"Are you okay, Lemon," Twilight asked.

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

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

They shared a laugh.

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

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

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

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

"Gah!"

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

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

Twilight smiled back. "Sounds good to me."

They exchanged phone numbers.

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

"Dude?" said Twilight, confused.

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

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

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

Twilight left her first period class with a smile, glad that she finally had Lemon in her contacts. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she ran into someone. She heard a sigh. "You really need to watch where you're going, Twilight. 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 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.

H-How did she know?! Was all Twilight could think as she frantically ran off to her second period class.

Twilight left her second period class, still dumbfounded over Sugarcoat's words. How? Just...how?! She shook her head rapidly. No. Stop, she admonished herself. You've nearly driven yourself insane with worry one time too many recently! She took a deep breath, then sighed. Much better, she thought, then made a beeline for her next class.

Third period was over, and Twilight wandered the halls. She kept her eyes in front of herself, making sure not to bump into anyone. That was another thing she'd had quite enough of lately. More people should watch where they're going. Not that she was in any position to say anything about it. A student who was engrossed in his phone passed her by, and she noticed another student heading in the same direction. She called out to the students. "Watch where you're both-" The two students collided, and Twilight sighed. She put the palm of her hand to her face and shook her head, then went on to her next class.

Twilight left her fourth period pass and watched a throng of students make their way to the tryouts. Her phone buzzed, gaining her attention. She moved to the side to avoid get hit and checked her phone.

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

Twilight raised an eyebrow, curious.

Oh? - Twilight Sparkle

Twilight received several more texts, and her jaw nearly dropped. She sent a response.

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

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

Twilight smiled and pocketed her phone as she went the opposite direction of those interested in the tryouts. I don't think I'll ever understand Crystal Prep's herd mentality. She shrugged, then went to her fifth period class.

The rest of the day remained uneventful for Twilight, and as lunch and each remaining period passed, she began to feel bored. Everyone she knew was at the tryouts for the remainder of the day. Did she make a mistake in not going? Is it her fault that she felt listless and alone? She shook her head rapidly. It's not like she wasn't going to see Lemon again, and this sort of thinking would get her nowhere. Enough with the negative thoughts already! She had never been happier to leave Crystal Prep behind as she boarded the bus.

Twilight found her seat, then sat down, tuning out the idle chatter of other students as she reached home. Upon disembarking, she took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Home never looked so good," she said as she felt relief. She walked up to the door, then went inside.