Chapters Lemon Zest hummed cheerfully as she danced down the hall with a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other. It was a quarter to four in the afternoon and only a few students remained meandering the halls of Crystal Prep Academy. Those who did gave her wide berth to avoid getting accidentally smacked by either end of the broom.
Every Crystal Prep Academy student was required to fill a certain amount of hours each semester doing volunteer work on or off-campus. Helping to clean up the Academy was Lemon's favorite task since the custodian Mr. Crimson allowed her to listen to her music while she worked. Today, he had tasked her with cleaning up several rooms in the East Wing.
She had just finished sweeping two supply rooms and had now come to the room that once served as the laboratory of her former classmate Twilight Sparkle. She opened the door to find the room completely empty save for a plain wooden desk in the far corner. Save for a very faint smell of fur, she would have never guessed that Twilight had kept a dog down here. Hopefully, the little egghead was doing well at Canterlot High School.
She had just set down the dustpan when a call from her smartphone interrupted the song she had playing. The ringtone, a sample from a classic heavy metal song, told her that it was her friend Indigo Zap. Lemon proceeded to sweep the floor as she took the call via her headphones.
"Hey, Indigo."
"Hey, I'm hitting JoJo's after practice. Want me to get you anything?"
Lemon perked up. She always enjoyed the food from JoJo's Mexican Grill.
"Ooh, can you get me the fajita plate and a chocolate churro shake?"
"Sure thing! I'll come by your room at five."
"See you then!"
Lemon resumed dancing as the song returned. By the time the next track began playing, she had swept the entire floor. All that was left for her to do now was to sweep under the desk.
As she crouched down in front of the desk, she spotted something tucked away in the corner. She used the broom to slide the object toward her. Closer inspection revealed it to be an olive green metal index card filing box (seriously, did anyone use these things anymore?). Curious, she opened the container and found inside a sealed plastic sandwich bag filled to the brim with what appeared to be a white powdery substance.
Lemon's eyes widened as she switched off her headphones. What is this stuff? She wanted to believe that it was just flour or Pixy Stix, but her instincts screamed otherwise. She never in a million years would have figured Twilight Sparkle, of all people, to be a user! Or was the meek, bespectacled nerd whom everybody looked down on actually a cook , maybe even a dealer? That might explain where she got the money for all of those weird devices that she built!
Just then, a gravelly voice called out from the hallway.
"Are you done in there, Lemon?"
Lemon bumped her head against the underside of the desk. She grimaced in pain as she shut the lid of the box.
"Almost, Mr. Crimson," she called back. "Be right out!"
Hastily, she scooped up the box and slipped it into her vest pocket. She could not risk Mr. Crimson or anyone else finding it. Once she had swept up the last of the dust bunnies, she emptied them into the smiling custodian's waste bin. Thankfully, he did not seem to notice the bulge in her vest concealed by the crook of her arm. After returning her tools to the broom closet, she gathered up her bookbag and hastened out the Academy's front doors.
Lemon's mind raced as she strode down the sidewalk. According to the Academy students' code of conduct, she was supposed to turn the bag over to the administration. But what if Principal Cinch thought the bag belonged to her? Or worse, if Cinch did actually believe her and decided to use the bag's discovery to make trouble for Twilight? Lemon would not put it past the witch, considering everything she did during the Friendship Games.
She reached into her vest and pulled out the box. She was not about to give Cinch any ammunition to use against Twilight! She would discreetly dump it somewhere off campus and just forget about it. Whatever issues Twilight may have, they were none of her business. But first, she had to wipe her fingerprints off of the box. And then...
Lemon was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she failed to notice an uneven segment of the sidewalk. She tripped forward, bringing her arms up just in time to keep from landing face-first on the pavement. The box went toppling onto the concrete. She winced as she nursed her scraped elbows.
Dammit!
She looked up to find the box two meters in front of her, on its side, open, and a small amount of powder spilled onto the concrete. Aw crap! Hastily, she glanced about - luckily, there was nobody else around. She had to get rid of that bag fast, and without leaving any more trace evidence!
Just then, a pigeon landed in front of her and began pecking at the powder. Oh man, was that poor bird in for a nasty surprise, she thought to herself. Suddenly, right before her eyes, the pigeon completely faded from sight.
Lemon's jaw dropped. What the hell happened to the bird? She had her eyes on it the whole time and it just...vanished!
Suddenly, she heard an unmistakable cooing directly in front of her. She glanced around again but found no other pigeons (or any other birds for that matter) in the vicinity. Curious, she crawled forward on her elbows and knees. She was within arm's reach of the powder when she heard a flutter of wings, which quickly faded into the distance.
Lemon's eyes drifted to the powder once more. What was this stuff, really? Whatever it was, throwing it away would be wasteful. No longer caring about getting her fingerprints on the bag, she scooped it up, re-sealed it, and put it back in the box. For good measure, she swept her foot across the pavement to scatter the remaining powder. After securing the box within her bookbag, she hurried back to Crystal Prep.
***
Back in her dormitory room, Lemon sat at her desk pondering the bag and its contents. Despite its appearance, the powder within was definitely not some kind of "controlled substance" (unless invisibility formulas had been added to the list). Did Twilight know what this stuff does? Was there a reason she did not take it with her when she cleared out?
Lemon took a plastic spoon from her desk drawer and scooped up a tiny bit of powder. She stared at it pensively for several moments. Could it have side effects? What if its effect on humans was entirely different? Despite her misgivings, it did not take long for her curiosity to get the better of her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and swallowed the spoonful. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
She had braced herself for an unpleasant taste, but much to her surprise, the powder actually tasted like cherry-flavored Pixy Stix. When she opened her eyes a moment later, she found herself looking at the spoon - and nothing else! She gazed down at her arm, where it would have been, and found nothing all the way up to her sleeve. She got up from her desk and walked over to her mirror to find herself staring at a set of headphones floating over a disembodied Crystal Prep Academy girls' uniform.
Lemon squealed with delight. This was too cool! She struck a pose. Then another. And another. She even tried a few elaborate ones from that bizarre Japanese anime she sometimes watched. Then inspiration struck. She removed her headphones, docked her MP3 player, and began dancing to her classic rock playlist.
All the while, she gleefully watched herself - her dancing disembodied clothes anyway - in the mirror. When the second song began playing, she undid her bowtie, shed her blazer, and tied her shirt at her waist. The sight of her belly button ring hovering between her shirt and skirt was surreal, to say the least. This would make for one killer music video! She continued grooving through three more songs when a knock came on her door.
"Special delivery!"
Indigo's voice snapped Lemon back to reality. Was it five o'clock already? Lemon glanced down at her still invisible body. What was she going to do? She had to think fast! Then she got a brilliant idea...
***
Indigo impatiently counted to thirty before knocking again. She knew Lemon could hear her (the fact that she had her sound system playing meant that she was not using her headphones). When no answer came after another thirty seconds, she transferred the drink holder to her other hand and gripped the doorknob (Lemon usually left her door unlocked if she was expecting company).
"Ready or not, here I come!"
Indigo opened the door and poked her head inside Lemon's room. The place was as she had always seen it, perhaps a tad messier than usual. She was rather surprised to find one of Lemon's Academy uniforms, complete with bra and panties, strewn about on the floor. Lemon may not be the neatest person in the Academy, but she was not that big of a slob! Indigo closed the door behind her and placed the takeout bag and drinks on Lemon's desk. She poked her head inside the bathroom only to find it empty.
"Lemon?"
Where is she? Indigo wondered. I told her I would be here at five! Maybe she ran out for a moment. No matter. She can settle for cold fajitas if she wants, but I like my tacos warm!
Indigo returned to the desk and lifted her soft taco plate out of the bag. She was eager to sink her teeth into that heavenly blend of ground meat, cheese, and veggies! She took a seat and removed the plastic cover. She had reached back into the bag for a packet of hot sauce when a tiny high-pitched voice whispered to her.
"Oh please, don't eat me. I've got a wife and three little taquitos at home."
Indigo gazed down at her plate. Did one of the tacos just talk? No, she must have imagined it. She must be really hungry to start hearing things! She tore open the sauce packet and was about to open the nearest taco when its top flap suddenly moved like a mouth.
"Eat me!" it croaked in a deep, guttural voice.
Indigo gasped as she bolted out of the chair. Nervously, she glanced about the room. What the hell was going on here? Was she going crazy? Or was somebody else here, playing a trick on her? Then she heard it - a giggle she would recognize anywhere. As if to confirm her suspicion, a green-haired humanoid form faded into sight two meters in front of her.
Indigo shrieked as she stumbled to the floor. Lemon glanced down at her naked body and shrieked in turn. Eyes wide, Indigo struggled to form words as Lemon hastily snatched up her shirt and pulled it on.
"How...where...w-what just happened?"
A big grin split across Lemon's face.
"Indigo, you are NOT gonna believe what I found!"
Author's Note
One guilty pleasure of my youth was the obscure 1988 movie The Invisible Kid , which I would watch every time it played on HBO. Dumb and raunchy as it was, I still get a few laughs out of it. I decided to explore a similar scenario within Crystal Prep Academy!
Crystal Prep's janitor, Mr. Crimson, is mentioned in the book Twilight Sparkle's Science Fair Sparks .
My fellow JoJo fans will no doubt recognize the reference to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Abridged . For that moment when Lemon starts dancing in her room, imagine the first song she plays is Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol.
As always, I've got A LOT going IRL, but I will continue working on this tale as time permits.
Seated on her bed, Lemon Zest told Indigo Zap about the afternoon's events. How she had found the powder in Twilight Sparkle's old laboratory, how she had witnessed a pigeon turn invisible after pecking at it, and how she decided to test it herself. Indigo, still dumbfounded after witnessing Lemon appear out of thin air like a ghost, listened enrapt. After Lemon was done with her story, it still took Indigo a moment to remember her now lukewarm taco plate.
"You seriously thought Twilight was a dealer?" Indigo asked through a mouthful of taco.
"Hey, she might have been like that Wisenheimer guy on that one show making the blue stuff. You never know."
"C'mon, this is Twilight we're talking about, the one who wouldn't hurt a flea."
"Who also ripped holes into another dimension."
"Hmm, good point."
Curious, Indigo picked up the bag from Lemon's desk. To the casual observer, its contents looked like the sort of thing that could easily land a person behind bars for three years minimum. No one could have guessed what the mystery powder actually was unless they tried it.
"Twilight could have easily made a fortune off of this." A raised eyebrow from Lemon prompted her to quickly add, "Not slinging it on the street! On patents and stuff."
"Maybe she was worried about it falling into the wrong hands."
Indigo and Lemon continued eating in silence for a moment. Neither of them could hardly blame Twilight for wanting to keep this powder under wraps. They will never forget how they helped Principal Cinch pressure their erstwhile classmate to unleash the magic the latter had gathered during the Friendship Games, and how it resulted in the latter transforming into a winged monster that nearly destroyed everything and everyone in sight. If anybody understood how such power could be abused, it was Twilight.
While less hazardous than a device that siphoned and stored magical energy, the powder's potential for abuse was nevertheless great. Turning invisible would make it easier for anyone to pick someone's pocket, mug them, or worse . Neither of them wanted to begin thinking about how such a discovery would be inevitably exploited by both the public and private sectors around the world. On a grand scale, it would be total chaos!
Still, Indigo could not deny that curiosity had bitten her just as it did Lemon. What would it be like to be invisible? What could she do in that state? As she finished her last taco, she took a plastic spoon and scooped up some of the powder. "I think we should do some tests."
"Wait! Let's see how long it lasts," Lemon said as she hastily readied her smartphone's stopwatch app. "Okay, now ."
Indigo swallowed the spoonful. Lemon started the app as Indigo's body faded from sight, leaving only her goggles and earrings floating above her Academy uniform. The disembodied clothes walked over to the mirror where Indigo's wristbands floated up to her face - where it would have been.
"Woah!" Indigo spent a moment marveling at her invisible reflection before running through several physical motions: squats, lunges, burpees, even a handstand. "This is amazing!"
"Try eating this," Lemon said as she extended a piece of her chocolate shake-dipped churro. She watched intently as Indigo's invisible hand took the churro and levitated it to her invisible lips where it completely disappeared in two bites. Lemon walked up to Indigo for a closer look, nearly bumping heads as she tried to peer down the latter's disembodied shirt. "Hmm...you would think anything we eat or drink would still be visible as it goes down our throats."
"Your guess is as good as mine," Indigo said shrugging her shoulders.
"Let me try something!" Lemon strode into her bathroom and emerged with a blush compact. When Indigo groaned, she added, "Just close your eyes."
Given the choice between wearing makeup and eating her own socks, Indigo would have gladly chosen the latter. Lemon carefully probed the contours of Indigo's face. Once she had located Indigo's cheeks, she applied a sizable amount of blush to each of them. The sight was like something out of a surrealist painting - a pair of rosy powdery patches afloat in mid-air between Indigo's earrings. Lemon could not help but imagine what an invisible face in full makeup would look like.
"How many minutes has it been?" asked Indigo.
Lemon checked her phone. "Six."
"Looks like we've got time to kill..."
Indigo proceeded to hum a jazzy little ditty as she undid her bowtie. Sinuously, she slid her Academy blazer down her shoulders. Lemon chortled as Indigo shimmied out of her skirt. The invisible girl sashayed about the room, slowly shedding her clothes until she was down to her piercings (ears and belly button) and underwear. She then strutted toward Lemon, stopping just short of the bed.
Lemon flinched when she felt a sudden, gentle breeze on her nose. Indigo then bent toward her, and she felt something brush over the sole of her foot. This was quickly followed by the feeling of unseen spiders crawling up her leg. Lemon fell onto her back, giggling as Indigo's invisible fingers made their way up to her stomach.
"This for making me wear makeup!" Indigo said as she lifted Lemon's shirt.
Lemon shrieked with laughter as Indigo proceeded to vigorously poke at her belly button. "EEK! I surrender!"
Indigo let up after a moment and sat down beside Lemon, leaving a noticeable impression on the bed. Lemon finally caught her breath just as Indigo's body faded back into view. Lemon quickly grabbed her smartphone off her night table.
"Fifteen minutes."
"Cool," said Indigo as she rose from the bed. "That should be plenty of time."
"For what?"
Indigo turned back toward Lemon with an impish grin. "A field test ."
Lemon nearly dropped her phone. "You mean out there? "
"Just to the rec room. C'mon! Tell me you haven't wanted to walk through the Academy naked!"
The thought of the powder's effect wearing off while they were out in the halls gave Lemon plenty of pause. Indecent exposure was grounds for expulsion. Worse, if she and Indigo were caught on camera, both of them would go viral for all the wrong reasons. Still, she had to admit that the idea of venturing out into the Academy in the nude sounded like a lot of fun! But they needed a plan.
"We won't be able to carry our phones on us, so we'll have no way of knowing the time other than looking at the wall clocks. We've got to be back in here within fifteen minutes."
"We can get there in two, explore for five, and be back here with time to spare." It was wise to allow extra time for potential delays.
"I also can't carry my keys, so we'll need to leave the door unlocked."
"Better stash that bag somewhere, then."
Lemon scanned her quarters. Every student's room was subject to regular inspections. These were cursory at best, more for cleanliness than anything else. Nevertheless, if somebody should come in here and snoop around, they might find the bag. They could not allow that to happen! She then remembered something she had in her desk drawer: a candy tin fashioned in the shape of an old-time milk can. She pulled the tin out of her drawer and emptied half a dozen pieces of caramel onto her desk. It was a perfect fit for the bag. As an extra measure, she would bury it in the dresser drawer that contained her socks and underwear.
"We'd better wait until there are fewer people out and about," said Indigo. "Let's head out exactly at eight."
"Sounds good," said Lemon "We'd also better shower before we go, just to be on the safe side."
They killed time watching a horror movie about giant rabbits terrorizing a small town. Afterward, Lemon jumped into her shower and completely scrubbed herself using her watermelon-scented body wash. Once she was out, Indigo followed suit. They spent the last few minutes completely drying off before Lemon retrieved the bag.
"Alright," Lemon said, readying her plastic spoon. "Let's do this!"
***
Lemon and Indigo stepped out into the hallway, invisible, naked, and ready for adventure. The cool evening air nipped at their bare skin. Never in their wildest dreams did either of them imagine that they would one day be walking the halls of prestigious Crystal Prep Academy side by side, completely in the buff. At the same time, they were both nervous and excited.
"Stick close now," said Lemon.
"You got it," Indigo cooed as she wrapped herself around Lemon's arm. They giggled for a moment but quickly cut off as somebody rounded the corner just two meters ahead of them.
Fleur de Lis stopped in her tracks and curiously scanned the hallway. Lemon and Indigo both held their breath as her eyes passed over them. She had no doubt heard them giggling just now! This was hardly a good start to their expedition. Fortunately, it was only a moment before Fleur gave a shrug and continued down the hall past them. They both breathed a sigh of relief once she was out of earshot.
"Remember, people can still hear us," whispered Lemon.
"Right."
Lemon and Indigo continued through the girls' residence hall, now more alert for passersby. It was a good thing they did not actually physically bump into Fleur. That would have been disastrous! They quietly weaved around Orange Sherbette and Melon Mint, neither of whom noticed their presence. It was not long before they reached their destination.
The recreation room was located between the girls' and boys' residence halls, near the Academy's central stairwell. Aside from the common area surrounding the stairwell, it was the only place on the third floor where both male and female students were allowed. Before and after classes, it was no surprise to find students in here playing billiards, foosball, ping pong, or other games, watching the big-screen television, or simply reading. Now, with Lights Out little under an hour away, there were only a handful of students present.
Indigo and Lemon tiptoed into the room, the tile floor cold on their bare feet. They stopped by the foosball table and gazed at the other students. At one table sat Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat. The trio was engrossed in a game of go fish, and from the looks of things, Sugarcoat was winning. At another table not too far away sat Suri Polomare reading what could only be a trashy romance novel, complete with a chiseled, bare-chested man on the cover.
Suri had a well-deserved reputation for being a self-absorbed cheat, and recently, both Lemon and Indigo experienced it firsthand. Just last week, Lemon caught her looking at her paper during a test in English class. A week before that, Indigo caught her doing the same in Biology. Now they had a golden opportunity to take her down a peg!
"I've got an idea," Lemon whispered.
"So do I."
***
Sunny Flare looked up from her cards. "Do you have any queens?"
"Go fish," Sugarcoat said flatly.
Sunny drew a card from the deck in the center of the table and pouted when she looked at it.
Now it was Sugarcoat's turn. "Do you have any fives?" she asked Sour Sweet.
Sour sighed as she surrendered two of her cards. Sugarcoat then took two cards from her own hand and assembled them all on the table. The four-of-a-kind added yet another point to her already leading score. She was about to ask Sunny for a card when a loud belch suddenly erupted nearby. All three girls glanced over in its direction, at Suri who looked just as surprised as they were.
Suri's face reddened as their shock gave way to disgust. Sunny and Sour both looked ready to gag. Even Sugarcoat, normally impassive, gazed at her with eyes as wide as saucers.
"I-it wasn't me!" stammered Suri.
"Yeah right," sneered Sour. "Do you see anyone else here?"
Suri hastily closed her book and rose from her chair. She had taken only one step when the chair suddenly scraped along the floor. She looked down to find her shoelace tied around the leg of the chair. Flustered, she yanked at the knot before lifting the chair and sliding it off the leg. With one final huff, she stormed out of the rec room.
"Some people," scoffed Sunny.
"No kidding," added Sour.
They then noticed Sugarcoat looking over her shoulder.
"What is it?" asked Sour.
"I thought I smelled something just now."
Sunny sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."
"It's gone now, but it smelled like...watermelon ."
***
Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap stifled their laughter as they hastily sneaked back through the girls' residence hall. As soon as they were back inside Lemon's room with the door closed and locked, they burst out laughing. When eight-fifteen came a minute later, both of their bodies faded back into sight.
"Oh man, the look on Suri's face!" said Indigo, catching her breath.
"Did you see Sunny and Sour? What a riot!"
Once they had reigned in their laughter, Indigo began slipping back into her clothes while Lemon pulled on her oversized sleep shirt.
"Well, time for me to get back to my room," said Indigo as she replaced her goggles atop her head.
"This was fun. Let's do another test tomorrow!"
"Sounds like a plan! 'Night, Lemon."
"'Nini, Indigo."
After locking her door, Lemon walked over to her dresser and took one last look at the milk can-shaped tin in her top drawer. She could not help but wonder if her stumbling onto this powder was more than just dumb luck. Maybe she was meant to find it - by destiny or providence, whatever it was called. Or maybe it really was just a coincidence. Either way, this powder offered endless possibilities and she was eager to explore them all! She concealed the tin under several pairs of socks and underwear.
She spent the rest of the hour listening to her "bedtime" playlist (consisting of slower, softer rock songs) before turning off her light and nodding off to sleep.
Author's Note
Of course, I just had to throw in a Breaking Bad reference!
During Indigo's "performance," I imagine her humming something similar to the Jessica Rabbit theme.
I used to collect milk can-shaped candy tins, which I would use to stow my loose change.
In my headcanon, despite being bluntly honest, Sugarcoat is one heck of a card player, and has keen senses other than sight - the latter trait might spell trouble for Lemon and Indigo...
The following day went just like any other school day for Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap, although now, as they walked the halls of the Academy between classes, they could not help but wonder how the same trek would feel if they were invisible and naked. After their outing the previous night, they were both eager to conduct another "field test" after classes.
When either of them was in a class with Suri Polomare, they each had to quietly restrain themselves from giggling. At lunchtime, they met up in the cafeteria like they usually did. As luck would have it, they found themselves in line directly behind Suri. They had just gotten to the counter when a lunch lady set down a fresh tray of steamed broccoli.
"That sure looks good," Lemon casually remarked.
Taking Lemon's cue, Indigo mirthfully added, "Careful, that stuff makes you gassy ."
Suri did not look their way nor did she utter a word, but she did noticeably stiffen at Indigo's words. Lemon and Indigo both giggled as they each filled their plates with a reasonably sized amount of broccoli, a baked potato, and a cup of strawberry gelatin. As always, Lemon piled on the butter, cheese, and sour cream on her potato. Instead of their usual spot, they sat in a far corner of the cafeteria, a good distance from everybody else. They took a moment to savor their meal before getting down to business.
"So," Indigo whispered conspiratorially. "Where are we headed tonight?"
"Dunno," said Lemon through a mouthful of potato. "There's only one other place on the third floor." By this, she was referring to the boy's residence hall.
Indigo scoffed. "Nah, nothing worth seeing there ."
"What other places can we reach within three minutes tops?"
"The library."
The Academy library was located on the second floor, adjacent to the central stairwell. Not counting the time they lost nearly bumping into Fleur de Lis, it only took them a minute to sneak from Lemon's room to the recreation room the previous night. Going down to the library would probably take an additional thirty seconds, leaving them with still plenty of time to explore. It was perfect!
Lemon arched an eyebrow. "What kinda books are you looking for?"
"Oh, something in the romance section ."
Lemon chortled, nearly spitting up a mouthful of broccoli. "Oh, you are so bad!"
Indigo gave a sly grin. "You're one to talk!"
***
Later that evening, Indigo once again came to Lemon's room, where they both shed their clothes, showered and dried off before taking their synchronized dose of the invisibility powder at eight o'clock sharp. They were more careful moving through the residence hall this time, sticking close to the walls and being extra wary of corners. Luckily, they were able to reach the central stairwell without encountering anybody.
The central staircase, like all the others in the Academy, was tiled with wood. Some of the steps creaked, so they had to be careful not to make too much noise. Under other circumstances, they would have loved to try sliding down the rails, but in their current state...that simply was not practical.
Halfway down, they paused when they saw Royal Pin coming up the stairs. As with Fleur de Lis the previous night, they held their breath as he approached. While the stairs were wide enough to allow plenty of room for them, they nonetheless pressed up against the railing as Royal Pin passed them by. Once he had disappeared over the landing, they continued down to the second floor.
Like the rest of the Academy, the library mixed the look of a centuries-old structure with modern trappings. The double doors remained open during operating hours, so Lemon and Indigo did not need to worry about opening them and drawing attention. As expected at this hour, there were few students present. Frosty Orange was at the circulation desk quietly speaking with the librarian, First Folio. Sugarcoat sat alone at a table immersed in a book. Off to the side, Trenderhoof sat at a computer terminal researching popular tourist attractions in distant lands. Two terminals down, Neon Lights was typing an essay. Four students in one of the study rooms appeared to be playing a game of Ogres and Oubliettes. The invisible girls tiptoed over to the middle aisle of shelves, the literature section.
Indigo whispered to Lemon. "If First Folio is busy, then you know someone's taking advantage of it."
While the Academy library had shifted more of its resources toward providing students and faculty with Internet access, it nevertheless maintained its impressive collection of printed books. The bookshelves had been arranged so that the sections containing the most widely circulated books were located closer to the circulation desk. This way, First Folio and her assistants did not need to spend a lot of time and energy reshelving books. Efficient as this was, it also resulted in the rear of the library becoming a popular kissing spot for students, especially near closing time.
Lemon and Indigo quietly moved down the aisle, past shelves packed with copies of both classic works and the latest bestselling paperbacks. Once they reached the end of the row, they stopped and peeked around the corner. Sure enough, one row over they found two of their classmates locked in a passionate embrace. Those classmates were none other than Crystal Prep's star couple, Upper Crust and Jet Set.
It was no secret that Upper Crust and Jet Set were both snobs. Either of them could make Sunny Flare seem humble by comparison. While Sunny had some actual academic and athletic ability, Upper Crust and Jet Set, on the other hand, were mediocre students and athletes at best, offering little more than thinly-veiled contempt for anyone they considered beneath them. They were made for each other!
"What luck," Lemon purred. Upper Crust and Jet Set had each snubbed both her and Indigo on more than one occasion, regarding them as little more than riffraff. But now, as with Suri the previous night, she and Indigo had a chance to humble the two self-styled aristocrats in front of their peers.
"Okay," Indigo whispered. "Just like we planned."
***
Upper Crust leaned against Jet Set's tall frame as they kissed, lost in their own little world. From the moment she first met him, she knew that he was the only one for her, the only person in all of Crystal Prep worthy of her pedigree. With the boys' and girls' residence halls separated as they were, they had very few opportunities to truly enjoy each other's company. It was moments like these that made enduring the daily drudgery of classes well worth it.
Jet Set suddenly lifted his lips from hers. She opened her eyes to find him staring intently at something behind her. Damn, she thought to herself. Had one of the plebs stumbled onto them? Talk about a mood killer! She snapped around, ready to rebuke whoever it was that just ruined their romantic moment. Her eyes widened when she saw what Jet Set was looking at.
Floating in the air before them, almost level with their eyes was a large, featureless leatherbound book.
Upper Crust and Jet Set both glanced around. Somebody had to be playing a prank on them. Jet Set took a step closer, but he could not discern any wires or strings holding up the book. It really was floating in mid-air! Cautiously, he reached out with his hand. As soon as his fingers touched the cover, the book dropped to the floor. Both he and Upper Crust stared it wondering if they had only imagined it hovering a moment ago.
Suddenly a book flew off the shelf before them. Then another. And another. With increasing rapidity, books shot off the shelves not just in front of them, but behind them as well! Upper Crust let out an earsplitting scream as she took off running down the aisle as fast as her legs could carry her. Jet Set followed close on her heels. He was halfway down the aisle when he twisted his ankle and tripped, nearly falling flat on his face.
The ruckus rang throughout the library. First Folio set down her paper cup of coffee as she rose from her chair. She had just stepped out from behind the circulation desk when Upper Crust came crashing into her. The student and librarian bumped against the counter hard enough to knock the coffee onto the tiled floor. Despite her shock, First Folio managed to get a grip on the frightened girl.
"What is it?" First Folio asked. "What's wrong?"
Upper Crust could only tremble as she mouthed the word 'ghost.'
***
Sugarcoat had just finished a chapter in her Shadow Spade paperback when she heard the sound of objects hitting the floor followed by Upper Crust's scream from the rear of the library. Seconds later, Upper Crust came bolting past her only to run smack into First Folio at the circulation desk nearby. Jet Set followed a moment later with a slight limp.
Sugarcoat took a moment to process what she had just witnessed. She had never seen Upper Crust so terrified. What could have frightened her so badly? Somehow, she did not think it was Jet Set's kissing skills.
Then she smelled it. A faint scent of watermelon. It was the exact same scent she smelled in the recreation room the previous night. She was sure of it! As before, she caught only a fleeting whiff before it disappeared.
Trenderhoof and Neon Lights left their computer terminals to check on Upper Crust and Jet Set, the former now quivering in the arms of the latter. As First Folio strode to the rear of the library, Sugarcoat decided to call it a night. She was not particularly fond of Crystal Prep's "star couple," and whatever the problem was, she was sure that First Folio would get to the bottom of it.
As she approached the library's tiled entryway, she suddenly stopped to gaze down at the puddle of spilled coffee...and a single bare footprint pointing toward the door.
Author's Note
My first job was in a university library. While I never witnessed it first hand, I remember hearing stories from other library employees about catching students engaged in all sorts of hanky panky among the bookshelves.
I had previously explored Sugarcoat's detective skills in The Second Story Underwear Thief sniffing it out (no pun intended).
The following morning, all of Crystal Prep was abuzz about the library incident. Everywhere they went, Lemon and Indigo could hear their classmates wondering aloud if the Academy was haunted. A few even speculated that the "ghost" that attacked Upper Crust and Jet Set was the restless spirit of Doctor Sombra, one of the Academy's founding faculty members who was rumored to have performed cruel behavior modification experiments on his students.
A small part of Lemon's conscience tugged at her when she saw Jet Set walking with an ever so slight limp in Geometry class. If he was in pain, he concealed it well behind his usual mask of detachment. As little as she cared for his snobby attitude, it had not been her intention to cause him injury, however minor.
When she met Indigo for lunch, they exchanged little more than a muted greeting. They kept silent as they waited in line for their meal of chili, cornbread, and apple cobbler, and remained so even after they had sat down, once again off to the side. They spent several minutes eating in silence before Lemon finally spoke.
"We should take a break," she whispered. Indigo halted her spoonful of chili halfway to her mouth. Lemon glanced sideways in both directions as she added, "Do you hear what people are saying?"
Indigo scoffed. "It's the same urban legend the seniors used to scare us when we were freshmen. 'Step outta line and big bad Sombra's gonna getcha!' "
"Did you see Jet Set this morning?"
"I'm sure he's okay." When Lemon remained silent, she added, "It's not like we shoved him or anything. I mean, like either of us could know he was Twilight's level of clumsy."
Indigo dipped a large chunk of her cornbread into her chili. Crystal Prep prided itself on preparing its students for a world that was often unfriendly and unpredictable. As a result, students, athletes especially, were sometimes indirectly encouraged to shrug off minor injuries. After all, tomorrow's leaders cannot afford to be crying over paper cuts, scraped elbows, and skinned knees. 'Take your lumps, suck it up and soldier on,' as Coach Rommel would say. Despite the tough front that Indigo liked to put up, however, Lemon knew that her friend did not completely buy into that crap. They ate in silence for several more minutes before Lemon decided to lighten things up.
"I wonder if stuntpeople and slapstick comedians have days like this."
Indigo cracked a little smile. "You're right, we should take a break. No punking today, strictly exploration."
"Whatcha have in mind?"
Indigo leaned forward. "I just learned that swim practice is canceled today. So the pool will be empty this afternoon."
Lemon nervously glanced around. "Are you crazy? Even if we gunned it from my room, it would take us at least five minutes to get there. And there's no way we can go back that fast dripping wet. We'd only be able to swim for like two minutes!"
"That's why we're going in from the locker room."
It did make sense. The girls' locker room had a side door that connected directly to the pool. They nevertheless had to make sure that nobody would see them take the powder, become invisible and then visible again. Contrary to what was often shown in the movies, nobody ever casually paraded around naked in the locker room. The only time anyone was ever in the buff was in the showers, and even then, never for long. You did not dilly dally; you did your business and got moving. In and out, like a duck mating.
"What about the soccer team?" Lemon asked.
"Their practice lasts for an hour. We'll go in just after they start. That gives us plenty of time. Nobody will even be around. C'mon, tell me you haven't wanted to go skinny dipping."
Lemon had to admit, even with the risks, it did sound like fun! She grinned as she scooped up a spoonful of apple cobbler.
"Well, I can now cross that off my bucket list."
***
After classes, Lemon returned to her room and dug up the milk can tin from her dresser drawer. She would have preferred to take only the amount she and Indigo would need in another bag or container, but unfortunately, she did not have any on hand. She packed the tin into her book bag along with a towel. She then put away her headphones and removed the piercings from her ears and belly button - the fewer accessories she had to remove, the better. At three o'clock, she met Indigo at the entrance to the girls' locker room. Like her, Indigo had also packed a towel in her bookbag and removed her goggles and piercings.
"Perfect timing," said Indigo. "The soccer team just left for the field."
They entered the locker room and walked to the last aisle of lockers. As luck would have it, there were no padlocks on any of the lockers back here. Indigo opened a locker near the end of the aisle, near the showers. She and Lemon then proceeded to shed their Academy uniforms, stripping down to their undergarments. After one more quick glance around, they took their synchronized dose. They then slid out of their undergarments as their bodies faded from sight. After throwing their clothes, towels, and bags into the locker, Indigo secured it with a combination padlock. While a keyed padlock would have been quicker and easier to open, they could not risk carrying, stashing, and potentially losing a key.
Brimming with energy, they strode out the side door that led directly to the Academy's indoor swimming pool. They took note of the analog clock mounted near the locker room entrance - thankfully, it appeared in synch with the rest of the clocks throughout the Academy. They were going to make the most of these fifteen minutes!
"I call the high dive!" said Indigo.
"Go for it!"
Indigo climbed up the ladder. As a member of the swim team, she had made this climb countless times. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine that she would one day be doing it invisible and naked. When she reached the top, she heard Lemon call out from below.
"Cannonball!"
Indigo glanced down as a large splash erupted on the water in front of the low dive. A moment later, she saw it - a gap in the water's surface that could only be Lemon's invisible body. It looked like a miniature whirlpool minus the whirl.
"Amateur," Indigo playfully sneered. She strode to the end of the diving board and jumped off. Even her limbs invisible, she was still able to execute a perfect forward somersault dive. With the grace of a dolphin, she swam back to the surface and joined her friend at the side of the pool.
"Up for a race?" asked Lemon.
"Always!"
They giggled as they paddled through the water. Upon reaching the other end of the pool, they somersaulted and kicked off the wall. With each lap, they went through one of the basic strokes: freestyle, sidestroke, butterfly, breaststroke, and finally, backstroke. If anyone else had been present, they would have only seen two rippling voids moving back and forth across the water's surface. Every now and then, the girls glanced over at the clock, noting the time they had remaining. When twelve minutes had passed, Lemon called out to Indigo.
"We'd better get back."
They climbed out of the water with countless droplets vaguely lining their invisible bodies. It was chilly walking back to the locker room naked and dripping wet, but this experience was well worth it! Now all they had to do was retrieve their towels, rinse off, and get dressed. Back in the locker room, they had just come to the last aisle when they suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Halfway down the aisle, changing out of her Academy uniform, was their classmate Orange Sherbette. Lemon and Indigo retreated back around the corner. Apparently, Orange was running late and had only now arrived for soccer practice. Talk about bad timing!
"Thought you said they'd all left," Lemon whispered urgently.
"Damn, must have missed one."
"Ya think?"
"Hello?" Orange called out. "Is someone there?"
The invisible girls hastily tiptoed over to the showers as Orange, now down to her underwear, cautiously poked her head around the corner. Lemon and Indigo ducked inside one of the shower stalls. With less than a minute left before the powder wore off, their only course of action was to keep out of sight until Orange left the locker room. Neither of them uttered a word as they backed up against the cold tile and crouched down on the balls of their feet. Sure enough, moments later, their bodies faded back into view!
Lemon stifled a shriek. She and Indigo could only hope that Orange went back to changing and left to join her teammates out on the soccer pitch. They remained silent as they listened for movement, all but praying that Orange did not walk back to the showers. After what seemed like an eternity, they heard a locker door shut, and the sound of cleats treading on the tile. Once the steps had faded, they poked their heads out and found the aisle empty.
"That was too close," sighed Lemon.
"Start the water, I'll get our towels."
They rinsed the chlorine from their hair and bodies. Despite nearly getting caught, they could not help but giggle a little. What kind of explanation would they have given if Orange Sherbette had come back and found them in the showers? What conclusion might she have drawn herself? One thing was certain: Orange would have definitely told some of their classmates, and then it would only be a matter of time before the entire Academy knew that Friendship Games finalists Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap were skulking around stark naked in the locker room doing who knows what! After drying off, they slipped back into their Academy uniforms.
"I think we've earned a treat this evening," said Indigo.
"Let's hit the Sweet Snacks Cafe. I can really go for one of their nacho plates."
"Good call!"
The two friends laughed heartily as they exited the locker room. Close call aside, today's expedition had been a success. It had indeed been a thrill to skinny dip in the Academy pool, even if they would never be able to brag about it to anyone else. They were walking on air for the rest of the day.
Author's Note
You cannot have a story about invisible streakers without at least one locker room scene!
In my headcanon, Indigo's goggles are for swimming, so I see her being on Crystal Prep's swim team. In the Equestria Girls short Snack Psychic , Pinkie Pie cites the nachos as the swim team's favorite entree.
I envision the Sombra of the Equestria Girls world being to Crystal Prep Academy what Helena Markos was to the dance academy in Suspiria .
I rewatched Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins as I finished this chapter, so I threw in a reference to that movie. Kudos to anyone who catches it.
The following afternoon, Mr. Crimson asked Lemon Zest to help him clean the auditorium. While he swept the seating area, she was to sweep the front- and backstage areas. With her pop playlist blaring in her headphones, she sang and danced as she pushed her broom up and down the stage. At one point, she even imagined herself as one of her favorite rock stars, performing before a cheering audience. Once she was finished, she went behind the curtain.
As she swept the stage left wing, she came upon a plastic bin with its lid off. She walked over to replace the lid but stopped when she glimpsed the contents of the bin. There, atop a jumble of clothes was a neon yellow sweatshirt. Curious, she held it over her torso and found it to be just her size . Then an idea took shape in her head.
Lemon rummaged deeper into the bin. A minute of searching yielded an identical sweatshirt, as well as a plastic bag containing two pairs of bright orange legwarmers. The clothes in these bins were no doubt leftover costumes from the drama department's latest production: their adaptation of an iconic dance movie from the 1980s.
She rolled up the sweatshirts and stuffed them along with the legwarmers into her book bag. I'm just going to borrow these items, she thought to herself. They would find their way back into the drama department's hands after she was done with them. Once she had finished cleaning the backstage area, she returned her broom and dustpan to Mr. Crimson.
With her volunteer custodial assignment complete, she strode over to the girls' restroom near the auditorium. As luck would have it, nobody else was present, evidenced by all of the stall doors being open. She walked over to the stall at the far end and pulled its door shut. Even without the deadbolt in place, the door held tight against the partition, requiring just a tiny bit of effort to push open once more.
Lemon grinned. She had used this very stall a week ago and was aware of its quirk. It was a good thing that nobody had fixed it yet. This stall would make a perfect "launch point" for what she was planning. As she reached out to grab the exit door handle, it suddenly swung open. She halted in her tracks as Upper Crust entered the restroom.
"Lemon Zest," the other girl said curtly. As usual, she regarded Lemon as though her classmate were a bum on the street.
Lemon nevertheless did not miss a beat. "Hey, Upper Crust! How goes it?"
"Well enough, thank you for asking."
As Upper Crust brushed past her, Lemon noticed something dangling from her classmate's neck - a metallic downward facing hand with an eye in the middle of its palm.
"What's that?" Lemon asked, pointing at the trinket.
"Insurance," Upper Crust said as she pulled a compact from her bookbag. "Against evil spirits."
Lemon snickered. "You're not serious, are you?"
Upper Crust scowled at her. "If you saw what came after me and Jet Set in the library, you'd wear one too. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
With that, Upper Crust proceeded to touch up her eyeshadow. Lemon stifled her laughter as she exited the restroom. Once she had gotten a good distance down the hall, she burst out laughing. Several students gave her puzzled looks, wondering what she found so amusing. She chortled all the way back to the residence hall.
Upon returning to her room, Lemon shed her Academy uniform. She then tried on each of the sweatshirts and legwarmers to make sure that they fit, and they did. If a shirt fit on her, it would definitely fit Indigo Zap as well. She texted Indigo to come to her room as soon as possible.
When Indigo arrived half an hour later, she did not quite know what to make of seeing her friend clad in what appeared to be retro exercise wear.
"Whatcha doing, making a workout video?"
"I'll explain in a moment. But first I gotta ask, did you ever take ballet?"
Indigo twisted her mouth. "My parents put me in a class when I was six. They pulled me out a week later after I decked a girl who said I moved like a pregnant yak. Why do you ask?"
"I've got an idea. Empty your bookbag."
At six o'clock, Lemon and Indigo emerged from the former's room. As with their previous outing, they left their accessories behind. Bookbags in hand, they descended the central staircase all the way to the first floor. As they walked past the cafeteria's open doors they casually glanced inside. At least two dozen of their classmates sat scattered throughout the tables chatting and eating dinner - among them, Suri Polomare and Upper Crust.
"A decent-sized crowd," whispered Lemon.
Indigo grinned. "Including our favorite customers ."
They rounded a corner and Lemon stashed the sweatshirts and legwarmers atop a hallway locker, out of view to casual observers. They then continued over to the restrooms near the auditorium. At this hour, almost nobody walked this part of the Academy, so the chances of somebody discovering them were very slim. Once they were inside the girls' restroom, they walked all the way to the last stall and entered it.
Inside, they disrobed. The tile floor was chilly on their bare feet, even more than that of the locker room. Lemon positioned her shoes in front of the toilet. Just the mere sight of shoes below the stall partition was enough to deter most folks from entering. As an extra measure, she removed the toilet paper roll and tied one sleeve her blazer around the holder and the other sleeve to the safety rail. She then removed her skirt and draped it from her blazer, hovering over her shoes just enough to conceal the absence of legs.
They tucked their remaining clothes into their book bags, which they then hung from the safety rail. After one last glance at their smartphones' clocks, they took their synchronized dose of the invisibility powder. They stepped out of the stall and Lemon secured the door just as she had earlier. Back in the hall, they retraced their steps to where they had stashed the sweatshirts and legwarmers.
Indigo snickered as she pulled on her sweatshirt. "I feel like a cartoon pig."
"Think of this as the ballet recital you never had."
Once they had donned the garish dance clothes, they strode over to the cafeteria.
Inside the cafeteria, Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat sat at a table eating their dinner. The evening's menu consisted of macaroni and cheese, sauteed string beans, and snickerdoodles. As usual, Sunny, traded her snickerdoodle to Sugarcoat for extra spoonfuls of the other items.
Like the rest of their classmates, they had heard about the incident in the library two nights ago. Despite all the hoopla, they had remained skeptical of Upper Crust's claim that she and Jet Set were attacked by a poltergeist, as well as all the rumor now circulating of the Academy being haunted by the restless ghost of Doctor Sombra. When Upper Crust walked by wearing her new amulet, Sunny scoffed.
"I can't believe she sank two hundred dollars on that silly trinket."
"Hardly a surprise," said Sour through a mouthful of macaroni. "I hear her family keeps an astrologer on retainer."
"Probably the same quack who sold her that thing."
Sugarcoat's eyes widened as they locked onto something across the room. "Well, I hope it came with a moneyback guarantee."
"Why's that?" asked Sunny.
Without a word, Sugarcoat pointed toward the cafeteria entrance. Sunny and Sour both looked up and their eyes widened at what they saw.
A pair of neon yellow sweatshirts whirled in midair over two dancing pairs of bright orange legwarmers. Within seconds, the entire cafeteria fell silent as the disembodied dance clothes bounded and twirled across the floor, weaving between the tables. Jaws dropped. Trays hit the floor. Upper Crust clutched her amulet as she shrieked. Suri clutched onto her classmate Coco Pommel. Sunny and Sour turned on their smartphones' cameras as the clothes did a double cartwheel past them. Nobody could believe what they were seeing!
The dancing ghosts moved to the center of the cafeteria where they glided and pirouetted in a circle. As they did this, a handful of students ventured near for a closer look. Then suddenly the sweatshirts turned inside out and flopped onto the floor, followed by the legwarmers. Everyone in the cafeteria stared in awe at the now lifeless clothes. It was only a moment before the room erupted into a cacophony of whispers.
"The Academy really is haunted!"
"It's the ghost of Sombra!"
"No, the ghosts of his victims!"
"See? I told you!" cried Upper Crust.
A few brave souls warily approached the pile of clothes on the floor. One student nervously poked at it with his shoe, as though expecting its components to suddenly spring back to life.
Sunny and Sour replayed the videos they had taken on their smartphones, comparing each other's recordings of the bizarre spectacle they had just witnessed. They had seen plenty of weird things at Canterlot High School during the Friendship Games, but they never imagined that they would see such things here at Crystal Prep! They then noticed that Sugarcoat had left their table. They glanced up to find their classmate kneeling over the pile of clothes, picking up one of the sweatshirts.
Sour gasped. "What are you doing?"
"That thing might be cursed!" Sunny exclaimed.
Sugarcoat calmly examined the sweatshirt, running her fingers over the fabric. "I'm no occult expert," she said impassively. "But I'm pretty sure that ghosts do not wear antiperspirant."
Author's Note
In my headcanon, Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest are physically the largest of the Shadow Five, with Indigo being a little taller and Lemon having a little more meat on her bones.
Upper Crust is wearing a "Hand of Fatima," which is traditionally believed to guard against ghosts, jinn, and other malevolent entities.
With Remo Williams fresh in my mind, I just had to include another reference in this chapter.
For Lemon and Indigo's performance, I imagine the following song playing (blame it on me playing Slaps and Beans on my PS4):
The following day, all of the Academy was talking about the cafeteria incident. Now, nearly everybody was convinced that the school was indeed haunted. Three different video recordings of the "dancing ghosts" uploaded online had already gone viral. The overall response was mixed, with half of the comments calling the footage "phony" and "doctored," and the other half lauding the "impressive special effects." Come lunchtime, nearly everybody in the cafeteria was watching the videos on their smartphones.
Off to the side, Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap sat eating their meals of vegetable barley soup, bread rolls, and fruit cups. They quietly savored each morsel along with the frenzied gossip their performance had generated.
"We really got the dominos falling with this one," whispered Lemon.
"We've gotta keep the momentum going," Indigo said through a mouthful of bread.
Lemon casually sipped a spoonful of her soup. "All in good time."
Just then, a sudden hush fell over the cafeteria. Lemon and Indigo looked up from their meals to find Principal Cinch standing at the entrance. Everybody silenced their phones as the principal unhurriedly walked across the room. Ever since the Friendship Games, Cinch had taken a less visible role in running the Academy. She nevertheless continued to inspire plenty of fear in the student body. When Cinch reached the far end of the cafeteria, she turned around and cast an icy glare across the room. One of the seniors, a prefect, strode out to hand her a microphone.
"Students," Cinch said in her usual severe tone. "Three nights ago, there was an incident in the library. More than one student claim to have been attacked by a 'ghost' which also made a large mess of the books on the shelves. Yesterday evening another such incident occurred here in the cafeteria. This time, a significant number of students claim to have witnessed a pair of 'ghosts' dancing across this very floor.
"It has also come to my attention that some very lurid urban legends have been circulating concerning one of our Academy's most esteemed founders. These tall tales are just that - nothing more than myths cooked up by superstitious folk with overactive imaginations." She paused for a moment before saying, "There are no ghosts haunting this Academy and there are no paranormal forces at work here."
Yeah right , Lemon thought to herself. This from someone who had a front-row center seat to all the weird crap that went down during the Friendship Games!
Cinch continued. "Both of these incidents are clearly nothing more than elaborate pranks. Mark my words, we will find the ones responsible for these stunts and they will be disciplined accordingly." She paused again to soften her voice and gaze. "You have your future ahead of you. Do not throw it all away for a cheap thrill. That is all."
The entire cafeteria remained silent as Cinch walked back across the floor and out of the room. All conversation continued in very hushed tones for the remainder of the lunch period. Few students even bothered to pull their phones out again.
Lemon leaned in a little closer to whisper to Indigo.
"Come by as soon as you're done with classes."
Indigo gave a silent nod. They finished their meals in silence.
At the end of the school day, Indigo came to Lemon's room. Lemon welcomed her friend with bags of potato chips and ice-cold cans of root beer. Indigo took a seat at Lemon's desk while Lemon plopped down on her bed. As they opened their snacks and drinks, Lemon also turned up the volume on her sound system. Today, they did not want to risk anybody overhearing their conversation - Sapphire Shores's latest hit would see to that.
"I haven't seen Cinch like that since the Friendship Games," said Lemon.
"I can't believe that hag is still our principal, especially after all that crap she pulled! Didn't the Academy board of directors have her under investigation?"
"They did, but from what I've heard, they could not find any solid evidence of wrongdoing."
Indigo slammed down her can. "Bull! Nobody interviewed us or anyone else who was there!"
"Would you have told them about the giant plant monsters?"
"Well, no, but what about the way she twisted Twilight's arm to get her into the Games?"
Lemon shrugged. "I can only guess that Twilight and her folks decided not to file a complaint."
"I swear, if anyone in this school deserves to get punked, it's that witch! "
They munched on their chips and sipped their root beer in silence for several moments. Then Lemon suddenly jumped out of her bed and exclaimed, "Oh man, I completely forgot!"
"What?"
Lemon glanced at her smartphone then turned toward Indigo with an impish grin. "The weekly faculty meeting started ten minutes ago. Now is the perfect time for us to go up into Cinch's office and redecorate ."
Despite her earlier vehemence, Indigo did not look so sure about the plan. "Do we even have enough time?"
"It's just one floor up, and Cinch's office isn't too far from the stairwell. It's pretty much the same distance we covered during the library run. Plus, from what I've heard, these faculty meetings usually last around half an hour. C'mon, you said that we oughta keep the ball rolling!"
"Still, unless Cinch sees it with her own eyes, she's just going to chalk it up as another prank. She might even come down harder on everybody!"
"That's why as a finishing touch we're going to roll her chair out into the hall ."
A smile spread across Indigo's face. She immediately understood where Lemon was going. "The security camera!"
It was common knowledge throughout the Academy that the halls outside the administration offices were lined with security cameras, including one just outside of Principal Cinch's office. When Cinch reviews the footage, she will be hard-pressed to explain her chair moving on its own, to say the least!
Lemon returned her friend's grin. "If that doesn't make a believer out of her, I don't know what will!"
"How much of the stuff do we have left?"
Lemon went over to her dresser, dug up the milk can tin, and fished the invisibility powder out of it. The bag was now barely a quarter full. "Probably enough for three more doses each."
Indigo undid her bowtie. "Then let's put each one to good use!"
"Here, here!"
Five minutes later, Lemon and Indigo, invisible and naked once more, were hurrying up the stairs to the fourth floor. As they entered the administrative offices' rotunda, they could hear several muffled voices from behind a closed door - the faculty meeting in full swing, no doubt. By this hour, most of the administrative support staff had already gone home for the day, so they did not have to worry too much about running into anybody.
After crossing the rotunda, they went up another shorter flight of stairs to Principal Cinch's office. Sure enough, the security camera mounted in the hall was active. Lemon opened the door and poked her head inside. The principal's dark wood-paneled office was as they had always seen it: bookcases lining the walls on both sides, filled not only with books, but numerous trophies, award plaques, and framed certificates. The invisible girls both shivered as they stepped inside.
"Holy cow," said Lemon as she hugged herself. "It's freezing in here!"
"All the more reason not to dawdle. C'mon!"
They got right to work, tilting each of the frames on the wall at odd angles, and turning each of the trophies on the shelves one hundred and eighty degrees. The only frame they left untouched was one that held a severe-looking portrait of Doctor Sombra. When they got to Cinch's desk, they pulled open each of the drawers. They were surprised to find one drawer completely filled with various over-the-counter antacid medications.
"Well this explains a lot," scoffed Lemon.
Indigo grabbed a trophy cup from a nearby shelf and placed it on Cinch's desk. She and Lemon then proceeded to fill the cup to its brim with antacid bottles and jars. Lemon also took a pen from the desk and stuck its blunt end into the inkwell. Indigo grabbed hold of Cinch's high-backed rolling chair.
"Wait," said Lemon as she tapped on the desk. "Stamp of approval!"
Indigo's grin was audible. "Oh yeaaah . One, two..."
"Three!" The girls giggled in unison as they both plopped their invisible derrieres down on Cinch's desktop.
Lemon held the door open as Indigo wheeled the chair out into the hall. They moved slowly in the camera's view, allowing it ample time to capture the chair's movement across the floor. They were halfway to the stairs when they saw somebody coming up. They froze in their tracks. It was Principal Cinch!
Principal Abacus Cinch carried herself tall as she ascended the stairs to her office. Today's faculty meeting had been briefer than usual. "Ghost" incidents aside, the Academy continued to run like a well-oiled machine. Thankfully, there were no more troublesome inquiries from parents, journalists, and crazed conspiracy theorists regarding the Friendship Games incident. Even though she did more listening than speaking, she was ready to relax in her office with an ice-cold bottle of sparkling mineral water.
She had just reached the landing when she stopped in her tracks. There in the middle of the hall was her chair. Beyond it, her office door was ajar. She pursed her lips. This was no doubt the work of the same miscreants responsible for the library and cafeteria incidents. Once she reviewed the security camera's footage, she would know exactly who did this, and then she would make an example of them!
Cinch had gotten within arms reach of her chair when the seat suddenly began to spin. She warily took a step back. This was indeed an elaborate trick. She could not see any strings or wires attached to her chair. Could this be the work of magnets or some remote-controlled device? The seat spun slowly at first but steadily moved faster and faster. Cinch kept her eyes on the spinning chair as she nervously edged back toward the stairs. This was no trick at all! Then, without warning, the chair pitched right in front of her. She shrieked as it toppled onto the floor.
Lemon and Indigo hurried back down the stairs, deftly weaving around several teachers. Putting on that little show for Cinch and seeing the look on her face had been a hoot, but it had cost them at least one minute. They could not afford to lose any more time! They hastily padded back through the girls' residence hall. They were just ten meters from Lemon's door when their naked bodies faded back into view.
"Damn," Indigo cursed under her breath.
Lemon gasped as she shot her arms down to cover herself. This was not good! Thankfully, there was nobody else in the hall. Once they got inside her room...
Just then, they heard voices approaching behind them. Someone was coming! The two naked girls frantically glanced about before ducking behind the curtain of a nearby window. Pressed up against the wall (and each other), they kept still and stood on the balls of their feet. Neither of them dared so much as breathe as Garden Grove and Melon Mint walked by. Hopefully, neither of their classmates would look down and glimpse their bare toes! Once Garden and Melon's voices had faded out, Lemon and Indigo cautiously poked their heads out from opposite sides of the curtain.
"All clear on this side," whispered Lemon.
"Good," Indigo said as she bolted from behind the curtain, making a beeline for Lemon's door.
"Hey, wait!"
Lemon had only taken two steps when she heard someone else fast approaching. She ducked back behind the curtain just as Frosty Orange rounded the corner. Once again, Lemon froze. As soon as Frosty's footfalls had faded, she peeked out again. Indigo had her door cracked open and was urgently gesturing for her to make a break for it.
"Get over here!" Indigo mouthed.
Before Lemon could act, she once again heard somebody coming. She hid behind the curtain again as Alizarin Bubblegum walked by. Lemon gritted her teeth. It was now or never! Once Alizarin had passed, she peeked out again. As soon as Indigo cracked the door open, she dashed for it. Indigo opened the door wide for her friend then hastily shut and locked it once she was inside.
Relieved, they both slumped against the wall, sinking to the floor. They had just narrowly avoided getting caught. Unlike their close call in the locker room two days ago, they would have had no excuse whatsoever for being out in the hall completely naked. They took a moment to regain their composure.
"I'd say Cinch is definitely a believer now ," quipped Indigo.
"No doubt," said Lemon. They both giggled as they began redonning their undergarments. "We've definitely earned ourselves a treat with this one."
"It's Friday. Let's go hit Gabe and Chester's."
Lemon's eyes lit up as she ceased rebuttoning her shirt. She could not think of any better way to start the weekend. "Alright! I've been wanting to redeem my tickets!" She cast off her shirt once more and went to her dresser to dig up her off-campus casuals.
Indigo finished redonning her Academy uniform. "I'll head back to my room and get changed. See you down front in ten!"
"Sounds good!"
Lemon sifted through her drawers, eventually deciding on an orange blouse and blue jeans. As she got dressed, she took a moment to peek inside the milk can tin. Four more spoonfuls left. Two more doses each. Indeed, she and Indigo were going to make the most of the remaining invisibility powder, but all in good time. Right now, she was ready to enjoy a Gabe and Chester's sampler platter, try her hand at the claw cranes, and win plenty of tickets!
Author's Note
As much as I adore Cadance, I prefer to keep mean ol' Abacus Cinch at the helm of Crystal Prep Academy in my stories. Those who have read my horror story The Legacy Will Endure
It was only a matter of time before Lemon and Indigo set their sights a little higher! The Invisible Kid also had a similar scene, although I'd already decided from the beginning that I was not going to mirror it or the movie's point-shaving subplot.
After an evening of feasting, gaming, and staying up late to explore the new tablet computer she got with her tickets (three hundred thousand), Lemon Zest was more than content to sleep in the next morning. She was in the middle of a very vivid dream wherein she was treading across a slippery ice bridge when she was roused by a knock on her door. Still half-asleep, she trudged over to the door and opened it to find Sugarcoat standing outside.
"Good morning, Lemon," Sugarcoat greeted in her usual impassive tone. "Can you spare a little body wash?"
At least she always gets right down to business , Lemon thought to herself. "Just a moment." She went into her bathroom and returned with a near-empty bottle of her watermelon-scented body wash. "Go ahead and take it. I've got another."
"Thank you," said Sugarcoat as she accepted the bottle. "Late night last night?"
Lemon managed a lazy grin. "Just another Friday night at Gabe and Chester's."
"That is what Saturday mornings are for. See you around."
Lemon waved her classmate off then went back to her bed where she would doze until ten o'clock. She was still in her pajamas, grooving to her easy-listening playlist at eleven when she received a text message from Indigo suggesting that they go to the corner diner for brunch. Lemon quickly responded and got dressed in her casuals. Half an hour later, she met Indigo downstairs.
On their way out, they spotted Principal Cinch leading a trio of men in rather rumpled business suits toward the cafeteria. One of the men carried a peculiar handheld device that had a pair of antennae protruding from it.
"Looks like Cinch called in some experts ," whispered Indigo.
Lemon snorted. "Probably the same quacks Upper Crust's family consults."
They strolled out the Academy's front doors into the midday sun. A gentle breeze offset the heat as birds warbled in the trees. As luck would have it, they were retracing the same route Lemon had taken when she had initially planned to dump the powder. Lemon could not help but curse herself for losing some of it when she tripped. Of course, had she not done so, she would have never witnessed the pigeon pecking at the powder and turning invisible. What a waste it would have been if she had actually tossed it!
"We should do something outside of the Academy," said Lemon.
"That would be fun," Indigo pondered. "The problem is finding a safe place to stash our clothes."
"Yeah, that is true."
Outside the Academy, the possibility of getting caught on camera was even greater. In a worst-case scenario, even if they somehow managed to avoid getting arrested for streaking, there were other dangers that could befall them. Nowadays, just going out without a smartphone, identification, or currency (physical or otherwise) was risky.
At the diner, they each ordered a hearty omelet packed to the brim with cheese and vegetables. After their meal, they returned to the Academy to play some foosball in the Rec Room (the closest, Lemon once quipped, that she would ever come to beating Indigo at soccer). They were in the middle of their third game (Indigo having won twice in a row) when they heard a familiar trio of voices out in the hall.
"I'm telling you, it's just a trick with magnets," said Sugarcoat.
"And I'm telling you , it's the real deal!" exclaimed Sour Sweet.
"If you actually believe that , you're even more gullible than Upper Crust."
"I will say this," said Sunny Flare. "My aunt would not have called those parapsychologists if she thought what happened yesterday was just another prank."
Lemon and Indigo glanced up from their game as their classmates walked into the Rec Room. Sour was carrying a large wooden board under one arm.
Lemon's curiosity was now piqued. "Hey, gals, what's up?"
"Indigo, Lemon, check this out!" Sour said as she held up the board which was inscribed with the entire alphabet and the numbers zero through nine - an Ouija board. "Tonight, Sunny and I are going to contact the ghosts that are haunting the Academy!"
Indigo managed to keep a straight face as she gave Sour a skeptical look. "With a toy? "
"I kid you not, this thing actually works!"
"We're gonna set up here at eight o'clock tonight," added Sunny.
Sugarcoat crossed her arms. "Do what you will. You already know my answer." With that, she walked out of the room.
Sour turned back to Lemon and Indigo. "How about you gals? The more people we have, the more energy we'll have to attract the spirits!"
"Sorry," said Lemon without missing a beat. "We're catching a movie this evening."
Sour half-smiled as she shrugged. "Well, have fun!"
Sunny put her arm around Sour as they left the room. "Guess it's just you and me tonight!"
Lemon and Indigo exchanged mischievous smiles as they returned to their foosball game. Although crashing Sunny and Sour's seance was a step down from punking Principal Cinch, it was another opportunity for them to play the part of the Academy "ghosts." With the ball rolling as it was, why not give it another nudge? This evening promised to be entertaining!
At eight o'clock, Lemon and Indigo once again came to the former's room where they disrobed. By now, they had practiced it so well that they could do it quickly. Had they been wearing their full Academy uniforms, they could have completely shed them in less than a minute. After taking their synchronized dose of the invisibility powder, their second to last, they strode out into the hall. The entire dormitory was especially quiet with most of their classmates off spending the weekend with their families.
The invisible girls arrived at the Rec Room which was darkened save for a pair of candles at a table near the rear which had been covered with a dark burgundy table cloth. Between the candles was the Ouija board. Sunny and Sour sat on opposite sides of the table, each with a hand resting atop the planchette in the middle of the board. Both of the wannabe mediums had their eyes closed, as though they were meditating or trying to put themselves in some sort of trance. Lemon and Indigo quietly circled their classmates, patiently waiting for one of them to ask a question.
Nearly three minutes passed on the Rec Room wall clock before Sour earnestly asked aloud, "Is anybody there? If you are, please give us a sign."
Sunny and Sour kept their eyes closed as they waited. Nothing happened at first, but a moment later, they glanced down at the planchette when they felt it suddenly tremble.
"I am not doing that," said Sunny.
Keeping their hands on the planchette, they watched as it slid over to the word "Yes" on the board.
Sour looked up into the darkness as she asked, "With whom do we speak this evening?"
Again, a moment passed before the planchette began moving back and forth across the alphabet letters on board, spelling out S-O-M-B-R-A.
Both girls shuddered ever so slightly. Sunny asked the next question. "Salutations, Doctor. To what do we owe the honor?"
The planchette moved again, spelling out L-E-G-A-C-Y.
"Of whose legacy do you speak?" asked Sour.
No answer came for several moments. Sunny and Sour both scanned the darkness as if expecting some frightful wraith to appear. Suddenly, both of the candles flames were snuffed out by some unseen force, leaving the light from the hallway the only illumination in the room. The table then began to slowly levitate inches off the floor.
"Now!" cried Sunny. She and Sour each reached under the table cloth to pull out a plastic pitcher. They backed away as they scattered the pitchers' contents - two full quarts of all-purpose flour - through the air in wide arcs. Their eyes widened as the table dropped back to the floor and a pair of humanoid figures became visible in the cloud.
Sunny and Sour screamed, as did Lemon and Indigo. The flour-covered "ghosts" grabbed the cloth and threw it over the "mediums," scattering the Ouija board and the candlesticks.
Lemon and Indigo beat a hasty retreat out of the Rec Room, frantically scrubbing the flour from their bodies. Foregoing all stealth, they rushed back through the residence hall, hoping that nobody heard the ruckus. Once they were back inside Lemon's darkened room they slumped against the door. That was when they were suddenly bathed in light. They shrieked as they futilely tried to shield their eyes with their invisible hands.
"I thought so," said a familiar voice.
Once their eyes had adjusted to the glare of the flashlight, Lemon and Indigo found themselves staring at Sugarcoat, who held the flashlight in one hand and her smartphone in the other. They both yelped again when their hands became visible once more, shooting their arms down to cover their flour-lined bodies as Sugarcoat snapped a burst photo on her phone.
"S-s-sugarcoat," stammered Lemon. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question," said Sugarcoat.
"H-how did you know?" asked Indigo.
Despite both of them standing half a head taller than their bespectacled classmate, Lemon and Indigo found themselves backing up against the wall when she stepped forward.
"I didn't suspect anything until the Library. During your escape, one of you stepped in the coffee Upper Crust spilled when she bumped into First Folio. That bare footprint on the floor was my first clue that we were dealing with something tangible. Then there was your cafeteria performance, which clearly showed two culprits at work. According to the volunteer schedule board, you, Lemon, were helping Mr. Crimson clean the auditorium earlier that day, giving you access to the wardrobe, which is where you got the sweaters and the legwarmers."
As she spoke, Lemon and Indigo stole glances at the dresser, specifically, at the top drawer where Lemon had stowed the invisibility powder. Right now, they could only hope that Sugarcoat had not already searched the room and found it!
Sugarcoat continued. "And then there's the fact that you, Lemon, are the only person in the Academy I know who uses a watermelon-scented body wash." At this, she pocketed her phone and pulled out the bottle of body wash Lemon had given her earlier that day. "I caught a whiff of it when you were in the Rec Room and in the Library. To top it all off, neither you nor Indigo was present during any of the 'ghost' sightings."
Indigo blinked. "So wait, earlier in the Rec Room, the seance..."
"All staged," Sugarcoat said as she dropped the bottle. "We decided to dangle an easy target in front of you, and sure enough, you just couldn't resist. We picked the Rec Room since it was near the residence hall. Your room is the safest place you can leave your clothes, and since neither of you can carry a key in your invisible state, you would have to leave your door unlocked."
Lemon's cheeks flushed. "You dirty little sneak!" At that moment, both she and Indigo were very tempted to just overpower Sugarcoat and make off with the last of the powder. They could have easily done it! But then what? For all they knew, Sunny and Sour were probably already waiting outside the door. Furthermore, the photos Sugarcoat took might already be uploaded to an Internet drive - hopefully, in a private folder.
As if sensing Lemon and Indigo's intentions, Sugarcoat kept the flashlight trained on them as she crossed the room. Lemon and Indigo felt the sweat beading on their brows when she stopped at the dresser. Relying on her sense of touch, she opened the top drawer and probed about inside. Lemon and Indigo both winced helplessly as she pulled out the milk can-shaped tin.
"Gimme a break, both of you kept looking in this direction," Sugarcoat said as she held up the tin. "Now, what is in here?"
Lemon sighed. It did not make any sense to even try holding out anymore. "It's a powder I found in Twilight's old laboratory while I was helping Mr. Crimson - probably an experiment she forgot about. I didn't know what it did until watched a bird peck at it and disappear!"
"And?"
"One heaping teaspoon makes you - your body - invisible for fifteen minutes," added Indigo.
"And?"
"There's enough left for two doses," said Lemon. "After that, it's all gone. I swear to you, that's all there is!"
Sugarcoat's face remained unreadable. Still keeping her eyes on Lemon and Indigo, she set the milk can tin on the dresser, opened it, and fished out the bag of powder. A small part of each of them died as she slipped the bag into her blazer pocket. They now looked like a pair of toddlers who had been caught shoplifting candy.
"It's not like we hurt anyone," Lemon said sheepishly. "Well, maybe Jet Set, but that was an accident!"
Sugarcoat softened her gaze. "I give you both credit for taking him, Upper Crust, Suri, and Cinch all down a peg, but you have wreaked enough havoc here."
"So what now?" asked Indigo.
"Now, you two get cleaned up and go to bed, because tomorrow, you are giving one final performance . Meet us at The Drip at nine A.M. We'll give you the details then. You complete your mission, I delete the photos and we bring this whole 'ghost' business to a close. Bonne soiree. "
With that, Sugarcoat left the room. Lemon and Indigo hung their heads as they slumped to their knees. It was fun while it lasted, but now, their time as the Academy "ghosts" was truly at an end.
Author's Note
At last, the long-awaited confrontation! For the full effect, try reading that scene with the Phoenix Wright Cornered theme
Lemon's dream at the start of this chapter is a warning against her overconfidence.
While doing my research for this chapter, I learned that the term "Ouija" is, befittingly, a trademark of Hasbro!
In my headcanon, Sugarcoat is physically the smallest of the Shadow Five, and even without speaking a falsehood, is still capable of being sneaky (much like an Aes Sedai from the Wheel of Time series).
The next morning, Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap glumly marched down the sidewalk like a pair of condemned prisoners going to meet their fate. Almost befittingly, the sky was overcast - it looked it might rain today. On their way to The Drip coffee shop, they found themselves pondering what they might have done if they had more of the powder.
"You know what would have been cool?" asked Lemon.
"What?"
"Using the stuff to be superheroes."
Indigo snorted. "We'd sure save a bundle on capes and costumes."
They both laughed mirthlessly. How ironic that only yesterday, they had considered using the powder to pull a stunt outside of the Academy. Now, by some twist of fate, they were going to do just that, albeit not on their terms. They dreaded to think what kind of "final performance" Sugarcoat had in mind for them. Whatever it was, they could only hope that it did not leave them any more exposed than they were last night!
Before long, they arrived at The Drip. Upon entering, they spotted Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat sipping cups of coffee in a corner booth. After ordering their drinks, they joined their classmates.
Sour cheerily greeted them. "Hey girls! So how was the movie last night?"
When Lemon and Indigo remained silent, Sunny added, "Wow, that bad , huh? Let me guess, they blew their entire budget on a lot of cheap CGI effects?"
Indigo kept her voice level. "You wanted to see us?"
Sugarcoat pointed out the window at a storefront across the street, a bright orange eyesore adorned with a gaudy neon sign. "That is your target. You are both going to go in there, put on your poltergeist act, and scare the pants off the owners."
Lemon snickered. "What did these guys do to get on your hit list?"
"Consistently dishonest business practices, plus, they have stolen property on multiple occasions from a friend of a friend." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "We are doing this as a favor to the latter."
Lemon and Indigo looked at each other. They both had a gut feeling that this 'friend of a friend' was someone from Canterlot High School, probably one of the girls in the group that Twilight Sparkle was now part of - the Rainbooms. Sugarcoat was one meticulous fact-checker, so they had no reason to doubt what she had just told them. At the very least, they would be using last of the powder to do what they had been doing all along - punking a couple of jerks who clearly have it coming.
"Just one problem," said Indigo. "You don't expect us to just get into our birthday suits here , do you?"
"Of course not. That's why we're going in there first." Sugarcoat now pointed at a discount clothing store adjacent to the orange storefront. She went over the plan as they all drank their coffee.
Half an hour later, the five girls entered the clothing store. They all pretended to browse the racks as they made their way toward the back of the store. Lemon and Indigo gathered up a dozen different garments each then went with Sugarcoat to the fitting area. On their way into one of the curtained cubicles, Sugarcoat slipped Lemon a small paper bag. Sure enough, inside was the plastic bag containing the last of the powder along with two plastic spoons.
Lemon slid the curtain shut and disrobed with Indigo. Carefully, they scooped every last grain of the powder out of the bag. They looked solemnly at their spoons then at each other in a moment of reflection before taking their final synchronized dose, savoring that sweet taste so reminiscent of cherry-flavored Pixy Stix.
Once their bodies had faded from sight, they emerged from the cubicle but left the curtain closed. Once again, Sugarcoat detected Lemon's proximity by the watermelon scent of her body wash. She also took note of Indigo's mountain spring scent. They were now ready to embark on their final "ghost" mission.
"Alright, boss, " Indigo whispered. "Lead the way."
Sugarcoat had only taken a few steps when she felt a light tug on each of her pigtails. Her cheeks reddened as she gave an exasperated groan. "Really, you two?"
Lemon giggled. "Well, what better to keep track of us?"
Sugarcoat sighed and continued walking with Lemon and Indigo literally in tow. Sour was browsing a swimsuit rack just outside the fitting area. Across the store, Sunny was chatting with one of the clerks.
Sugarcoat turned to Sour. "I'm gonna go next door for a moment," she said loud enough for another clerk to hear.
"Take your time," said Sour, equally loud. "We'll be right here."
With her invisible charges following close on her heels, Sugarcoat walked out of the store. The sidewalk was rough on Lemon and Indigo's bare feet. At least the weather remained cool with the cloud cover - they dreaded to think hot it would have been had the sun been out!
Sugarcoat whispered as they walked. "You both remember the signals?"
"Of course," sighed Indigo.
"And do you remember what to do if either of you finds the banana suit?"
The twist in Lemon's mouth was audible. "Yes, we do."
Flim and Flam glanced up as their shop bell rang, heralding the arrival of a customer. The newcomer was a petite bespectacled girl with her hair tied in two long pigtails. The two brothers donned their best smiles as they walked up to greet their latest potential mark.
"Welcome to the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under The Sun Emporium!" said Flim.
Flam leaned in. "If you want it..."
"We've got it!" both brothers said in unison.
The girl regarded them impassively, apparently unimpressed with their enthusiastic welcome. "Do you carry used paperbacks?"
"Right over here," said Flim as he gestured to a shelf filled with mostly worn and dog-eared books, many of them trashy romance novels and espionage thrillers. "Are you a Daring Do fan?"
"No," she said flatly. "I'm more of a Shadow Spade person."
"Another great series!" said Flam. "I know we have a few volumes in there too."
The brothers patiently waited as the girl perused the bookshelf. If they were lucky, she would buy at least two or three books. After a minute, she selected a single book, a coffee-stained paperback copy of a popular paranormal romance. Even at just one dollar, the price was more than what it was worth.
"I'll take this one."
"Great series!" said Flim. He then gestured to a nearby shelf that held candles, crystals, and a few other items that looked like they belonged in a new age store. "We've also got the tie-in tarot deck."
"No thanks. I don't need to read cards to know how it ends."
Flim grinned as he decided against trying to upsell any further. Better to save his energy for the next mark. He had just stepped behind the cash register when the radio on the shelf, an older model with a cassette player, suddenly clicked on. All three of them covered their ears as an oldies rock song blasted at full volume.
Flam hurried over to the radio and turned it off. "Sorry about that, miss! This antique model has a few quirks."
Flim proceeded to ring up the purchase. That was when they heard something else: a toilet flushing.
"Hey, who's back there?" Flam called out as he strode into the store's back area. "No public restrooms!"
How did somebody get to the back area? Flam wondered. He himself had locked and bolted the back door earlier, and nobody else was in the store. He stepped inside the bathroom and flipped on the light. Much to his surprise, there was nobody there. The toilet bowl, however, was refilling with water. Someone was definitely back here just now!
He poked his head inside the storage room, where he and his brother kept, among other things, the shop banana suit. There was nobody there, and the suit was still propped up in the far corner. He then went to check the back door. Sure enough, it was still secured. Even if somebody did somehow manage to come in here how could they have locked and bolted the door behind him as they left?
For good measure, Flam opened the door and looked out into the alley behind the store. As with the storage room, he found it completely deserted - unless some punk kid or the local wino was hiding behind the trash bins. He gave an exasperated grunt and secured the door once more.
When he turned around, he found himself staring at the shop banana suit...just floating there in the hall right in front of him. He twisted his mouth under his mustache. Someone was really going all out just to play a childish prank! He walked up to the suit and looked inside the face hole to find the suit completely empty. That was when a heavy workman's glove clamped down on his shoulder.
Flam bolted back. The banana suit began advancing slowly toward him with a pair of floating gloves reaching out like claws. He let out a high-pitched scream as he fled back into the showroom. Flim had just handed their customer her change and receipt when they both glanced up at him.
"Brother! What is it?"
Flim's eyes widened when he saw what followed Flam out of the hall. The radio switched on again, this time blasting a country music station. Nearby, a wooden rocking horse suddenly began rock briskly back and forth. Then the carousel racks began to spin, scattering greeting and postcards all over the place.
Flim and Flam slipped past their gawking customer and made a beeline for the front entrance. That was when a floating trenchcoat and fedora hat leaped out from a nearby clothing rack, blocking their path. They stopped dead in their tracks as the disembodied clothes brandished a broom at them, twirling it as a kung fu master would a staff!
Flim lost his footing and fell flat on his back. Flam whipped around only to find the banana suit (and gloves) now bouncing toward them on a pogo stick. Flim screamed as the broom came down on the floor like a headman's ax just barely missing his head. He scrambled back to his feet as the coat and hat closed in with a series of warding jabs. As the brothers staggered toward the middle of the showroom, they set off a motion-activated clown animatronic that cackled with almost maniacal glee. It was pandemonium!
Through it all, their customer watched dumbfounded, clutching her newly purchased book to her chest as she gradually edged toward the front door. Just as the bouncing banana suit and the trenchcoat warrior were about to close in on them, she let out a shrill, terrified scream. All around them, the floating objects suddenly dropped lifeless to the floor. Flim and Flam continued to cower on their knees as she ran out of the store.
Lemon and Indigo could not contain their laughter. Fortunately, there was nobody on the street to hear them as they padded away from The Flim Flam Brothers' store.
"Aside from that stupid banana suit, this was a blast!" giggled Lemon.
"And wouldn't you know, my wushu camp training paid off!" added Indigo.
Despite the invisible girls once again holding onto her pigtails, Sugarcoat managed a minuscule smile. Lemon and Indigo reigned in their laughter as they re-entered the clothing store. They returned to the fitting area where Sunny and Sour were waiting for them. Sugarcoat felt Lemon and Indigo release their hold once Sour flashed them a thumbs up indicating that it was safe for them to re-enter the cubicle where they had left their clothes.
"So, how was it?" asked Sunny.
"Best dollar I ever spent," quipped Sugarcoat.
A few minutes later, Lemon and Indigo emerged from the cubicle, visible again and back in their clothes.
"Mission accomplished!" said Indigo as she gave Lemon a high five.
Sugarcoat took out her smartphone. "As promised," she said as she opened her photo gallery. She presented the screen to Lemon and Indigo as she permanently deleted the burst of photos she had taken of them the night before. "From here on out, we'd best leave the weird stuff to the professionals."
Lemon and Indigo nodded in unison. "Agreed."
Sugarcoat finally allowed herself a little smile. "Excellent job, you two. This last performance truly was your best."
"Personally, that ballet number you did in the cafeteria was my favorite," said Sunny.
"Mine too," added Sour. "Although, I think it would have been funnier if you had each worn something like this ." She and Sunny both giggled as she held up a watermelon print bikini.
Lemon snorted. "Even that is better than wearing a banana suit! I'd be peeved if I had to wear that thing outdoors on a hot day!"
Indigo chuckled as she took the swimsuit from Sour and draped it over her torso. "Hey, you never know. Invisible gogo-dancing might have been a thing!"
The girls laughed as they continued browsing the store, mostly for the sake of maintaining their cover. Sunny did end up picking up a new dress and swimsuit, and Indigo a new pair of athletic shorts. After making their purchases, Sunny, Sour, and Sugarcoat returned to the Academy while Lemon and Indigo went for a walk in the park.
With their mission a success, Lemon and Indigo now breathed much easier. While they were sad that their time as "ghosts" was now over, they were greatly relieved that Sugarcoat did not put them in a more compromising position. At least they no longer had to worry about the photos of them naked and lined with flour ever becoming public!
"Y'know, it's funny," said Indigo. "Now that I think about it, with Sugarcoat's help, we might have actually been superheroes."
Lemon gave her an incredulous look. "How so?"
"I mean, think about - she would gather the intel and plan the attacks while you and I did the dirty work."
"Because she would be holding leverage over us." Lemon scoffed. "Would make for one heck of a series, that's for sure."
"Heck, I'd watch it!"
The two friends laughed as they strolled past a duck-filled pond. At last, the sun was beginning to emerge from behind the clouds. It was going to be a beautiful afternoon.
Author's Note
In the book Twilight's Sparkly Sleepover Surprise , Sugarcoat begins volunteering at the animal shelter with Fluttershy while Sunny Flare starts spending more time with Applejack practicing her baking skills. Since I like to incorporate the book's canon into my works, it would make sense that through either Fluttershy or Sunny, Sugarcoat would learn of how the Flim Flam Brothers have preyed on Applejack (as they did in the shorts A Case for the Bass , and The Cider Louse Fools ).
For that scene in the shop, I imagine the following track playing (again, blame it on me playing Slaps and Beans )...
The trenchcoat, hat, and broom combo is a nod to a similar scene from the 1975 Disney movie Escape to Witch Mountain .
The following afternoon, Lemon Zest walked over to the local pharmacy after classes to stock up on toiletries. At the check out counter, she gave in to an impulse and purchased a bag of Pixy Stix. With her heavy metal playlist blaring, she sat on a bench outside the store and opened the bag. She tore open a tube of the cherry-flavored candy, savoring the taste and texture which reminded of the invisibility powder.
While the furor over the "ghosts" haunting the Academy remained strong, it would probably die down after a week without incidents. After that, it would not be long before something new began trending. More than anything, she missed that incredible thrill she had felt as she and Indigo ventured the halls of the Academy invisible and naked. Oh, what she would not give to experience it once more!
She felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to find Twilight Sparkle smiling down on her. The bespectacled girl was almost unrecognizable out of her Academy uniform and with her hair out of her usual bun. Lemon pulled down her headphones and stood up to greet her former classmate.
"Hey, Twilight! Ain't this a surprise! How've you been? How's C.H.S. treating you?"
"Oh, wonderful, Lemon Zest. Everyone's been so great to me, especially the Rainbooms."
"I did hear that you joined their band. Always did tell you that you had a good set of pipes!" They chatted for several minutes, catching up on the latest happenings with their respective schools. Lemon was happy to see her former classmate now carry herself with newfound confidence. It was not long, however, before she gave into curiosity and decided to discreetly probe about the powder. "Say, last week, while I was helping Mr. Crimson clean your old lab, I found this bag of powder..."
Twilight groaned. "Please tell me you threw it out. I was never able to perfect that drain cleaner."
Lemon's smile evaporated. "Drain...cleaner?"
"I was trying to create a nontoxic, more environmentally-friendly formula, something I could possibly patent. But whenever it mixed with water, it only made the clogs invisible instead of actually clearing them." Twilight noticed that Lemon was suddenly looking rather sick. "Are you okay?"
Lemon quickly regained her composure, although it took every ounce of her fortitude to keep from losing her lunch. She did not feel like downing another tube of Pixy Stix. "I'm okay," she lied. "And don't you worry. I got rid of the stuff."
"Oh good," Twilight said relieved. Her eyes shifted to the bag of candy in Lemon's hand. "Maybe you should take it easy on those sweets."
"Good idea!" Lemon laughed nervously as she chucked the entire bag into a nearby trash can, much to Twilight's dismay.
"Well, I've gotta run. It was good seeing you again, Lemon. Say hi to the others for me!"
"I will. See you around, Twi!"
Lemon waved goodbye to Twilight as the latter sauntered off down the sidewalk. Only after her former classmate had disappeared around a distant corner did she bolt over to the trash can and retch.
THE END
Author's Note
Let this be a lesson to think twice before ingesting unidentified substances! But on the bright side, at least it wasn't a Tide pod! If I were to stat the Shadow Five as Dungeons & Dragons characters, Lemon would have the highest Constitution score.
In the Invisible Kid , the invisibility powder was originally developed as a toilet bowl cleaner. If you've watched that movie, then you know what the secret ingredient was!
I hope that you enjoyed this silly romp. This is my longest story to date, and I wrote much of it by the seat of my pants. Around the time of the second chapter, I challenged myself to stick to a regular update schedule every weekend (and with the exception of Labor Day, I managed to do so). There were a few times when I thought I'd written myself into a corner, but thankfully, I was able to find a way out each time.
Thank you all for your support! Until next time...
