Finding and saving Coco was the first objective. While they were sure step four or five was definitely Profit a happy ending, everything in between turned out to be just a bunch of question marks. They stood around and waited for someone to start talking, hoping they could take it from there. The only problem was that they never figured out who the starting player would be and thus led to a really long, awkward silence, where they played a non-verbal version of 'say something already', where they looked at each other, waggled their eyebrows, shook their heads or made other weird faces, hoping someone would break the ice again.
"The weather sure is great today." Sugarcoat said suddenly.
Everyone looked at her, then at the sky, and nodded. Then they went silent again for a bit longer.
"This is where it all started," Coco suddenly said, making the other three jump from shock "Sunny and I, I mean. This is where she took me after she, um... saved me. From Suri."
"Oh yeah, I was wondering where you two went," Lemon snorted "that was epic!"
Sour Sweet raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean Sunny's, not her, sudden arrival, or Coco's verbal beatdown?"
"Both! I should've snapped Suri a picture to commemorate that amazing moment! Dat face: once in a lifetime!"
"You don't have any powers, but still mustered enough courage to tell her off, where most people didn't. That takes some serious guts."
"I guess..." Coco managed a smile, but it was weak and short lived "but I would've never said it if she... if Sunny didn't inspire me to stand up for myself," she lowered her head and concentrated her eyes on her now twiddling thumbs "I'm worthless without her."
The trio looked at each other and took a deep breath. It was going to take a lot more than they initially realized.
Round two had Sunny more prepared. She grew complacent after beating up so many petty criminals who offered no challenge, so she wasn't used to anyone being able to keep up with her. Her only worthy opponent so far was herself, in a way.
When Sunny Flare announced the start of the new round, She was the one who lashed out with the offensive first. Her first punch was easily blocked, but followed by another before her opponent had a time to counter, and then by another, none of them connecting. After the fourth blocked strike, Indigo jumped back away from Sunny's reach, only to jump back with her own flurry of fists and kicks. Even though Sunny managed to dodge some and block the rest, her forearms were aching after recieving what was possibly the strongest blows she's had thus far.
I am SO glad none of them connected! She thought, as the two jumped away from each other to catch a breath.
Indigo didn't seem too bothered. "Come on, is that all you got?" She asked, making a 'come at me' gesture with her gloved hands. "If that's all it takes, then maybe I should become a superhero!"
Sunny growled, but stopped herself before doing anything stupid. She shook her head and focused on her inhumanly skilled opponent, trying to come up with some plan.
"Come on, try again but put some heart into it!" Indigo kept taunting. "Fight me like a true warrior, Sunny!" Pause. She turned to her roommate. "Not you!"
Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. "Oh, good," she sarcasted more than she ever sarcasted before "for a moment I was worried you were mad at me."
Sunny (Sunset Shimmer) narrowed her eyes and assumed her battle stance.
"Okay, let me see how you like THIS!"
Then she rushed forward, launching a roundhouse kick directly at Indigo's face. Her opponent easily blocked the strike with just her left arm, then grabbed her leg with her right arm, about to punish the reckless maneuver.
Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. So much for the no grappling rule.
"Predictable!" Indigo commented.
Sunny smiled. "That's my line!"
Before Indigo had any time to do anything, Sunny jumped with her right leg, spun in mid-air and used the momentum from the spin to kick Indigo’s exposed face, sending her opponent away and releasing her leg. Sunny (Sunset Shimmer) managed to land on her all fours, so it didn't count as a knock-down. Indigo flew a few meters further and rolled on the floor a few times before getting up on her legs, wobbling for a few seconds before regaining her balance.
It still counted as a knockdown.
She touched her lips, staining her gloves with her own blood. She now had a cut on her lips, similar to what she had given Sunny before. She licked the blood from her upper lip and smiled.
"So, you're finally taking me seriously?"
Sunny raised her guard. "If that's what it takes to silence you!"
"Good," Indigo smacked her fists together "let's have a conversation with our fists, then!"
"I thought you didn't want to talk."
"That was five minutes ago!"
And so the trio and Coco (almost a quartet) went back to the awkward silence, playing the 'you go first' game. Eventually, having nothing else to say, Lemon Zest broke the silence.
"Hey, so, about that thing... on Saturday..." she started, while playing around with the tip of her hair.
Coco looked at her, slightly confused. "What thing?"
"You know, the thing... that plushie... I gave you..." her voice lowered and she refused to establish an eye contact.
Coco blinked. "Oh, that thing." Pause. "What about it?"
"I-I didn't mean anything mean by it, okay? It's just, we were having buncha fun and I noticed this really nice unicorn in the crane machine, so it made me think about Sunset Shimmer, cause she's a unicorn from another dimension, and I thought you'd like it 'cause I thought you were... umm... you were... but... but... uh..."
"You didn't know we had a fight and you just wanted to be nice? I know." She reassured Lemon, who finally accepted the invitation to connect with the cyan eyes. "I mean, those headphones are really loud and you always have to take them down to talk to people, so I assumed you just didn't know about anything. And you don't seem like someone who would hang out with someone just to spite them in the end."
Lemon Zest blinked once. She blinked twice. Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet exchanged looks between each other, while Coco raised an eyebrow. There was no third blink, as Lemon Zest's smile appeared then grew thricefold, until...
"OHMYGOSH SOMEONE ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS ME!"
Then a sudden GLOMP happened, immediately followed by a MEEP. Coco didn't get a heart attack, if only because between Pinkie Pie and... well, mostly Pinkie Pie, she had time to get used to sudden hugs from nowhere. Here she was, embraced by Lemon Zest from behind, arms snaring her neck tightly yet gently, their cheeks nuzzling each other as she blank stared at Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. They could've stopped her, but decided not to. She didn't blame them, she wouldn't want to touch Lemon Zest right now either, or she would ensnarehug them too.
"Cute, tiny, understanding, soft spoken, not to mention soft skinned," Lemon said, still rubbing her cheek on Coco's, who just gave up on everything and became a temporary hug doll. In fact, hugs were nice. She liked hugs and hadn’t realized how much she needed one.
"I told them we should've adopted you a long, long time ago!"
That comment made Coco raise an eyebrow. "Excuse me, what?"
"That didn't come out right." Sugarcoat said, as Lemon Zest only smiled sheepishly.
Sour Sweet sighed. "Cat's out of the bag," she Soured, then Sweetened with an explanation "We came back from the Friendship Games a little... different. I guess the Rainbooms and the Canterlot High atmosphere (and some actual, real life magic) rubbed off on us and we've been trying to bring some of it here," she Soured for the next comment "with mixed results. I don't know why Suri of all people remained as she was, but most everyone else started acting a little more friendly."
This does explain Upper Crust’s change in demeanor! Coco thought, listening while still being nuzzled. She didn't want to resist the pleasantly warm Lemon Zest.
Sweet continued. "That's why the five of us contemplated telling Suri off and having you join the Shadowbolts!" Sour again. "But we've been waiting so long that Sunset Shimmer appeared and we never got a chance since!"
Coco's cheeks were getting warmer every second. For a moment she thought it was Lemon's fault, but she only nuzzled her right cheek, while both were equally as hot.
Sugarcoat joined in. "We even tried to befriend Sunny, the Sunset Shimmer that goes to our school, in hopes that we could get both of you, but she's been acting very cold to us every time we approached her. I don't know why she doesn't like us, it's not like we ever did anything wrong to her."
"Sunny, uhm... she's very stubborn about first impressions," Coco explained "it's really hard to change her opinion on someone after the first impression sets in. Heck, she only accepted Sunset after they beat each other up."
The nuzzling slowed a bit and although Coco couldn't see it, she could tell Lemon Zest was exchanging glances with the other two.
Sour Sweet snickered. "Oh good, for a moment I thought Indigo was going to do something dumb!" She chuckled. "I mean no sarcasm this time."
"Indigo's reckless, not stupid," Sugarcaot explained, with the other two nodding (Lemon accidentally nuzzled Coco's cheek again) "she knows what she's doing."
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask, where is Indigo Zap? And Sunny Flare for that matter?" Coco didn't get an answer for two seconds, but that was all the time it took her to figure it out. "W-wait, is she...?"
The trio synchronized. "She is."
"A-are they...?"
"They are."
Contrary to wuxia movie logic, most thugs and lowlife criminals were just brutes with little to no finesse or martial arts training, whether they were using fists, bats, knives or even guns. Other than Sunset Shimmer, the only other people who compared to her were her teachers at the gym where she learned karate. The difference between them and Indigo Zap was now obvious: they were holding back. Indigo wasn't.
Now that Indigo was the one on the offense, Sunny kept having close call after close call, each time barely blocking or avoiding a rapid fast punch or kick. But while no one had ever posed quite a challenge, fighting criminals that want to ACTUALLY KILL YOU taught her to keep a calm head and make the most out of any situation. There always was an opening somewhere. And she found it.
She noticed a pattern. While most of the moves Indigo performed were varied and unpredictable, there was one combination that repeated a few times. It started with a wide, sweeping strike from her right hand, where it seemed like she exposed her torso for a moment, but it was a feint, since that move was quickly followed with left hand sweeping from the other side, but aimed lower, to punish those who duck under her first strike. And that's how it happened once again: Sunny ducked under the first strike, then immediately rolled to Indigo's left side as her opponent instinctively followed up on her combo. As Sunny stood up again, Indigo was still in the process of punching the air, unable to cover her ribs at a critical moment, which was all it took for her opponent to exploit it with a quick, direct hit straight!
Indigo grimaced in pain as she recoiled to the other side. Sunny jumped right back at her, hoping that lack of balance was enough to deliver at least one more strike, but Indigo regained her footing a lot quicker and kicked straight at her, which Sunny barely dodged.
"Ugh!" Sunny grunted as she landed a few meters away and gasped for air. Indigo Zap gave her a moment to rest, if only to massage her aching ribs. That was her sole achievement in this round. While it was better than nothing, she was hoping for a little more than a slight inconvenience.
Sunny looked at Indigo for a moment and wondered if she should exploit the moment. Or is it time for another mid-fight chat? She wondered for about a second, before Indigo jumped at her again. GUESS NOT! She braced for yet another series and the fight resumed. The strike she dealt her just now slowed her down... a bit. Not enough to make much of a difference.
Sunny Flare kept observing the two with a bit more interest than she was willing to admit. She wasn't into something as barbaric as unarmed combat between two macho girls, but still, she was pleasantly surprised that it was way less one sided than she was used to seeing.
She checked her wristwatch. Over four minutes. Nobody survived her this long! She smiled. I hope you're happy, Indigo.
"Don't worry about it," Sour Sweet hand waved happily "Indigo never actually killed anyone on the ring."
"Or out of it, for that matter." Sugarcoat added.
"Or out of it." She quickly added, then continued in Sour mode. "It's just a nasty rumor from internet trolls."
Coco blinked. "O-okay. I-I mean, I'm not really worried, Sunny is... well, herself."
"You didn't see any of Indigo's matches, huh?" Lemon Zest asked. Coco vertically nuzzled her in response. "Figures."
"Let's just say we feel safe with her on the streets at night," she said Sweetly, then transitioned to Sour "which is never, because we have a stupidly strict curfew."
The conversation stopped, but the spirits were a little more upbeat. Lemon Zest kept Coco locked in a hug and wasn't asked to let go so she stayed. Was it the hugging that she needed all these days? Perhaps she had known that all this time, but who was she to ask girls who were for the most part just strangers, who just happened to attend the same schools and share a few secrets. Looking at them right now, they didn't feel like strangers. Not anymore.
"Well, this is a pleasant moment, but," another Sweet comment was followed by a more Sour one "can we finally address the elephant in the room?"
And then Coco's heart sank again. The warm hug kept her from freezing over the fear of something she couldn't quite grasp, as well as preventing her from running away. Was that the plan all along?
"I-I really don't want to talk about it..."
"Well, too bad! 'Cause Lemon's not letting you go until we have a pleasant conversation about your deepest feelings and desires! Isn't that right, Lemon Zest?"
"You can try to resist, but I wouldn't if I were you!" Lemon whispered to Coco's ear.
A shiver went down Coco's spine. She was confused before, but that was mostly just her own sexuality, hormones, and personal feelings. This wasn't quite like that (even if Lemon was quite hot, but that wasn't the point here) and it scared her. It seemed like a great story to tell your grandkids or write a book about, but at the moment she wanted to be anywhere else. If only she had the strength and willpower to shake Lemon Zest off of her. And even then, she had to outrun three girls that always scored perfect on PE.
"W-what about the classes?" She tried to bargain. "You don't want to be late, right? The teachers are very strict about it!"
Sour's eyebrow twitched and it seemed like she was defeated... for a second. She turned Sweet as she countered.
"We're THE top students with nigh immaculate reputation and quick wit. The teachers will buy any excuses we make up on the spot," she got Sour for a moment "as long as Sugarcoat lets us do the talking, that is. No offense, sweetheart."
Sugarcoat shrugged. "It pains me to admit it, but you're correct."
"And if we're sent to Dean Cadence, we'll just tell her the truth: we were trying to solve a friendship problem between you and Sunset. She's a sucker for those kind of things, she'll support everything we've been trying to do!"
A few seconds passed. Coco blinked. "...meep?"
Sour Sweet coughed and kept talking, though for once she was neither Sour, nor Sweet, only concerned. "Look, if you want to hang out with us and live in Sugarcoat's room until the graduation day, then we'll be happy to have you, as it was our original plan. But that's not what you want, isn't it?"
Coco turned away. Her chest was getting heavier, but not because Lemon Zest leaned on her.
Indigo's flurry of blows continued and Sunny managed to avoid all of them. She thought she was doing pretty well, until she realized that she missed the fact that she was getting closer to the wall, which limited her already narrow space to maneuver. Judging by the sudden flash of smile on Indigo's face, it was 100% intentional. And that scared her more than anything before.
Another fast straight punch flew her way, followed quickly by another, both of which Sunny avoided by swaying her body left and right, too afraid to take any of those hits, even if blocked. She expected a third hit right after it, but instead her opponent launched a quick, but suspiciously plainly telegraphed, low kick at her shins. Having no time to move away in a safer way, she jumped... and immediately regretted it. Indigo launched another fist right at her chest, predicting exactly what Sunny was going to do before she knew it, or rather manipulating her into doing what she wanted. Stuck in mid-air and unable to move away, she could only cross her arms and block the strike straight on. The hit hurt her hands like all hell, though not as much as when she hit the wall behind her. With aching arms, back, head and almost choking on what little air she had left in her lungs, she wanted at least a few seconds to rest... except another powerful blow flew straight at her!
SMASH!
The fist connected, sending tiny shockwave all over the room. For a moment Sunny Flare was afraid the mirror on the wall to their right was about to shatter and then they'd be in deep trouble, but thankfully it survived. Instead, there was a tiny crack in the wall. Indigo blinked, looking puzzled at the empty space that her fist passed through.
"Huh?" She blinked and turned around. Sunny, her opponent, sat on the floor on the other side of the room, covering her face with her arms while breathing heavily.
"I said no magic!" Indigo growled loudly.
Sunset Shimmer took a moment to recover from the shock. "I-I'm sorry! It was just-just... uhm, su-survival instinct?" She looked at the cracked wall that could've been her head. Or hands. Or both. "I mean, I like my face!"
Indigo rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, it's fine. I get it," she crossed her arms, her eyes displaying more contempt than ever before "it's only natural to run away from troubles."
Sunny Flare interjected sarcastically. "Yeah, I mean who would run away from having their skull crushed into a wall?"
"I warned her that I wasn't going to go easy!"
Despite breaking the rules, it all still counted as a knockdown, thus bumping the score to 2-1 for Indigo. Despite that last incident, she had to commend Sunny on going back to her feet and preparing for round four, even with the beating she just took.
Indigo sighed deeply as she massaged her forehead. "This isn't right! That's not a battle, it's bullying!" She looked Sunny Shimmer in the eyes, then smiled. "How about we make things even and let you use your powers?"
A moment of silence made the eventual sound seem a lot louder than it really was.
"WHAT?!" both Sunnies synchronized, though Flare was a lot more dramatic.
"I mean, it's only fair," Indigo shrugged "I'm not holding back and neither should you!"
Sunny's mouth opened a moment before she said anything. "Are you-?"
"-OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" Sunny Flare yelled.
"Stay out of it Sunny! Not you, though," she said, ignoring her friend "I wanna see what you're really made of! I mean, let's be real here: if this continues, there's no way you will be able to keep up. Look at you: you're barely standing straight! Losing here because you weren't able to give it all has to feel humiliating, doesn't it? And I know I wouldn't feel good about defeating a real life superhero. Not like this."
Sunny, the magical girl, thought for a moment. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
Indigo crossed her arms. "You think I'm kidding?"
Sunny sighed. "...fine. But remember: it was your idea. Just so you don't regret it."
"I would regret if we had it any other way!"
As the two glared lighting bolts at each other, Sunny Flare groaned in defeat. "Ugh, can you at least not shoot any fire indoors? We're in enough trouble for skipping classes and that thing," she pointed her thumb at the crack in the wall "the last thing we need is burning the school down!"
Sunny Shimmer shrugged. "Whatever."
"Was that a 'whatever, I'm not listening anymore', or a 'whatever, I won't cause any collateral damage'?" She did not get an answer.
Dejected and too exhausted to protest, she announced the start of the round as soon as she got far enough from any magic that could backfire and cause a bit more collateral damage than cracks in the walls.
Indigo tensed her muscles, grit her teeth and prepared herself for anything... but nothing happened. Sunny Shimmer remained where she was, not even trying to defend herself, just standing straight, glaring at her opponent with eyes that could pierce her soul. Wait, is THAT what she's doing?! Jokes aside, she was dealing with magic now, literally throwing out common sense and changing all the rules (though she was certain telepathy wasn't one of her special talents). She decided not to wait and jumped forward first with all the ill intent. She didn't get far, as Sunny extended her hand at her.
"Ugh!" Indigo groaned, as an invisible force literally pushed her a feet back and stopped her charge. It felt like an incredibly strong gust of wind, except that it was equally pushing her entire body and nothing else, not even her hair or clothes felt it. She didn't get a chance to marvel at the sensation, when she noticed that Sunny, not that one, was gone!
SMACK!
"ACK!" She scowled as something (she knew exactly what) struck her from behind, as if something pointy and bony struck her directly at her spine, most likely an elbow, sending her flying forward, face first into the ground, then appeared right in front of her as she tried to regain balance, launching a powerful uppercut right at her face!
SMASH!
It connected directly at her jaw, sending her flying up, before painfully falling on her back with a large THUD! She laid on the ground for a while, savoring in the painful sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time and hadn’t realized how little she had missed it. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times to make her vision less blurry, and noticed her opponent standing above her. Indigo groaned and sat on the floor, massaging her face. Her jaw was still somehow in one piece and able to move on its own, though the rusty, crickety sounds were a bit worrying.
"If you want to stop, just say a word."
Indigo's eyebrow twitched at the question. She laid on her back, only to spring jump herself back on her feet.
"What, you're tired already?" Indigo said, stretching her neck left and right, then jumping up a few times. "One more round, let's make it count!"
Sunny rolled her eyes and stepped away to prepare for the last round. As soon as they started, she was already gone. Indigo was ready this time and turned around immediately, even before Sunny appeared behind her and struck her with a kick right to the stomach. Caught unaware, Sunny recoiled back, then teleported away just as Indigo's follow-up jumping fist was about to nail her down.
She appeared where she was before the round started, massaging her stomach and looking wide-eyed at her opponent.
"Like I said," Indigo smacked her gloves with each other, grinning madly "make! It! Count!"
Coco remained silent for quite a while after the easiest hard question was asked of her. She knew resisting was futile. If she screamed loud enough someone might actually hear her and react accordingly, sending all of them to the Principal's office, putting all four of them in trouble. All because she didn't want to admit her true feelings, even if she wore them on her sleeve.
"You want to go back to the way things were." Sugarcoat suddenly answered for her.
Coco couldn't help but nod. "I-I wish I never said anything," she whispered "I just want to talk to her again, as if nothing happened... like we used to..." tears started showing in her eyes. It hurt the trio, but it had to be done and they couldn't do much about it. Lemon Zest hugged slightly harder. "...m-make a dress, while she commented on it... hear her stupid, embarrassing jokes... ha-have her put a cold can to my cheek... t-to calm me down..." tears started coming down her cheeks.
None of the three girls knew what to say, thus they remained silent for the most part.
Everything changed and the roles were reversed, now it was Indigo Zap who was on the constant defense against an opponent that was able to be anywhere she wanted and still be out of danger. It seemed like a foregone conclusion... except it had been an entire minute since they had resumed the fight and somehow, someway, Indigo managed to keep up and fight back! Contrary to anyone's expectations, she had come to this fight prepared.
Twenty minutes ago
As soon as Indigo rushed out of the cafeteria, she reached out for her phone and made a quick call.
"Yo Sunset, Indigo Zap's here... yeah, I need a little favor. You fought Magical Girl Sunny before, right? ...can you give me some pointers? How she moves, what kind of magic she has... because I want to beat the living crap out of her, because she's been an annoying and whiny bitch... I'm 100% serious on this... will you help me or not?"
Now
Sunset Shimmer, the original unicorn that turned magical girl before it was popular, was reluctant to share how to destroy the only superhero in town, but eventually relented, for her own good. As her magical teacher, Sunset knew all about the spells Sunny was able to perform and other than some utility spells unsuited for combat, she had surprisingly few tricks. Aside from her trademark fire, the teleportation and telekinesis was all she had. That was usually enough to fight any battle, but there were downsides.
Every unicorn learned telekinesis early on and by adulthood used it as if it was just another limb, but Sunny, a human who had just gained her powers recently, wasn't used to that and had to put constant effort into it. That's why she wasn't using it while moving or combined it with teleportation. And while she could immobilize and lift any opponent if she tried, anyone sufficiently physically strong could wrestle out of it with sheer force. The backlash from a broken spell was apparently very painful and Sunny didn't feel confident enough that she could overpower her.
And teleportation, while handy and unpredictable if you didn't see it coming, was surprisingly easy to outmaneuver if you were expecting it. It was a mind game: whenever Sunny blinked out it wasn't a question of where exactly she was, but which direction was the most advantageous and counter it. That last part was easier said than done, as half the time Indigo managed to block at just the right angle and land a hit, but other times either her timing or guess was wrong and she was the one punished.
And there was one more thing: magic was apparently exhausting to the mind AND the body. Ponies were magical beings so they got used to using it on a daily basis, but humans were not. After a few exchanges of blows Sunny had to stop for a moment and take a breather, let herself cool down for a bit. Indigo was in no better shape though. She was rumored to be invincible by normal people standards, but she had her limits. Nobody was sure what they where, but she was slowly approaching them.
"Exciting, isn't it?" Indigo asked in between heavy breaths. "Is this how it feels for you everyday? Fighting crime while pushing yourself to the limit? Or did you grow bored of the weaklings who think they're something else just because they have guns?"
"I'm not talking to you!"
Indigo rolled her eyes at the last comment. "Yeah, I noticed. What's up with that, anyway? You've been treating us like crap and all I ever wanted was to talk!" Her eyes suddenly opened. "Oh, wait, I get it- you think we're some dumb bitches who think they're better than everyone? Well, we actually are, not that we make a big deal out of it... anymore." She looked at Sunny, who remained silent, if a little annoyed. "Yeah, not helping the case." She hummed, then smiled viciously.
"Or maybe, juuuuust maybe... you're jealous that Coco hangs out with us instead of you?"
She narrowly caught the incoming fast, but sloppy, punch that was about to hit her. She looked at Sunset Shimmer's furiously hot cheeks, focused eyes and grit teeth she breathed through heavily.
"Hit the nerve, huh?"
A moment of silence was all Coco was given, until Sour Sweet ruined it.
"Well, sucks that you can't turn back time then," she shrugged and felt three glares; one was confused and sad, the other two a lot deadlier, but she didn't give them time to react properly "what happened happened and you have to live with it, whether you like it or not."
Coco withheld the tears for now. "B-but I..."
"YOU need to stop hiding behind us and talk to her. Tell her how you actually feel and see how she actually reacts, none of this 'she has to figure it out' crap, cause it never works like that!" She exchanged an awkward glare with Lemon Zest, who groaned but nodded anyway. "I'm sick and tired of seeing the two of you be miserable whenever you inevitably meet up each and every time!"
She was strong, she didn't explode crying just yet. "I-I... I can't... I can't look her in the eyes... not after e-everything..."
Sour Sweet went silent for a moment. "Okay, I tried. I thought you wanted to make up with her, but if that's how you put it," she turned to Sugarcoat "I guess you get a permanent roommate, Sugarcoat, just like you always wanted! Good for you!"
Sugarcoat looked away. "Under any other circumstances it would make me very happy."
Sour Sweet blinked and looked between all three girls. The situation was going nowhere and as much as she didn't want to say it, nobody else was going to.
She sighed deeply. I hate this...
On the surface the fight continued as it was before, but something was clearly different. Sunny wasn't acting like a Sunset Shimmer or Magical Girl Sunny of any world, instead violently throwing one attack after another. She was noticeably stronger and faster than before, but also much sloppier and predictable, giving Indigo Zap no trouble in avoiding her. She could turn any of those attacks to her advantage and end this battle anytime she wanted.
"You're not even trying anymore!"
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!" She replied, breathing heavily. She wasn't teleporting anymore.
"Or you'll do what? Punch me?"
"STOP MOVING ALREADY!" She jumped forward with another strike, but Indigo just casually jumped aside and tripped her, sending her straight forward, face first, wobbling her arms to barely regain balance. One kick was all it would take to send her on the ground. One move was all it took to win the fight. But she didn't do it. Not like this.
"Try and hit me all you want, but we're not the reason you two don't hang out anymore," she casually dodged another strike "in fact, why do you dislike us so much? What did we ever do to you?" She didn't get an answer, not verbal anyway. Sunny's fists mostly spelled 'go to hell'.
"Don't tell me you're still mad over us bullying Coco in the past? Cause we never even touched her! Sure, we said some nasty things here and there that we regret now and we didn't stop the actual bullying, but we had a good talk recently and she forgave us. We're buddies now!"
Sunny kept fighting, as much as Indigo kept avoiding all the strikes. It wasn't a fight anymore.
"Besides, so what? You're going to keep holding the grudge forever? Are you too proud to change your mind?"
Her words were hollow. Sunny still tried and failed miserably to do anything. After a few more failed attempts, Indigo caught one of Sunny's fists, then caught the other.
"ANSWER ME!" Indigo yelled, then headbutted Sunny, sending her right at the wall.
The magical girl breathed heavily, barely holding her legs together from falling under the weight of her tired, beaten and sweaty body.
"Why do you keep treating us like enemies?" Indigo asked again. "WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND!?"
Sunny Flare tried but couldn't quite hide the tenseness she had been feeling for a while. She promised to let Indigo do her thing and not interfere, but that didn't stop her from sweating with anticipation. She wiped her forehead with her sleeve, only to find it drenched. She was sweating a little too much. Way too much. Her eyes widened as she looked at Sunset Shimmer, walking slowly towards Indigo Zap, though the vision around her was blurred.
As if the air itself was starting to boil.
Sour Sweet shrugged. "This has to be better than letting her go back to the nasty old Sunset Shimmer, right? And I don't mean the nice and cool Rainboom."
She noticed Coco's eyebrow twitching. That didn't stop Sour.
"I mean, screw her, who needs that show-off anyway? Yeah, she fights crime and saves people, that's cool, but she's only doing it to stroke her own ego and get popular!"
Coco grit her teeth. Sour wanted to stop, but didn't. Couldn't.
"And she's such a great friend, like, yeah right. She only took you in to exploit you! Seriously, she found a naive but talented designer, pulled some heartstrings, used some simple emotional tricks and once you stopped being useful, just threw you away! From one awful friend to another, you have no luck with roommates. You're better off without he-"
Suddenly, Coco ripped herself out of Lemon Zest's tight embrace and stepped towards Sour Sweet, staring daggers straight into her eyes and raising her open hand. Sour Sweet closed her eyes before the impact... which never came. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a tiny, but very angry girl standing before her, still staring directly at her with her teary eyes, holding her shaking hand up in the air. She eventually lowered it, but wasn't done with the offensive.
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT"! She yelled loudly, walking towards Sour Sweet and making her backpedal. "You don't know anything about her! She didn't use me for anything! Everything I did was because I wanted to be useful! Do you know why? Because when everyone was mean to me, bullied me or at best ignored my existence, she was the one who reached to me! She cared about me, more than anyone ever did in my entire life! She's the kindest, sweetest person I have ever met! If you don't like her or if you think she's doing it all for fame, then I won't stop you or anyone from thinking about it. But I'm not going to stand around and listen to anyone who says such horrible lies about her!"
As she finished, she started breathing heavily, while the Shadowbolt trio stood dumbfounded around her. Sour Sweet swallowed, but managed to compose herself when she confirmed that Coco was out of ammo.
"Then what's the problem?" She asked, making Coco flinch.
Indigo Zap went into this fight with confidence. She was confident that she would be able to defeat Magical Girl Sunny if she ditched the magic part and she was correct. She was pretty confident she could keep up with her once she was allowed to use them. And she was very confident that she was able to throw her off balance with few choice words. But right now, when she slowly approached her with the unbearable heat emanating around her, she was, for the first time since the battle started, doubting herself.
"You want to know why we're not friends?" Sunny asked quietly, her words echoing in the room.
Even though there was no tell, Indigo blocked on instinct and it proved to be the correct choice, as Sunny appeared right before her and struck her with a blow stronger and faster than anything she's done up until now, sending Indigo sliding a few meters back. Her hands weren't just hurting- they were burned!
"Because I don't like you!"
SMACK! She struck again, once again sending Indigo back. As this was going on, Sunny Flare ran up to them.
"STOP IT! Don't you see you're hur-"
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Sunset and Indigo turned to her and yelled at the same time, agreeing for the first time since they met. The combined shouting made Sunny Flare recoil and stop.
Sunset continued the offensive.
"I don't want YOU!"
SMACK!
"I don't want miss 'name's the same' either!"
SMACK!
"Or miss 'don't give a damn about anything'..."
SMACK!
"...or miss 'flip-a-coin mood'..."
SMACK!
"...and definitely not miss 'no emotions'!"
SMACK!
The last strike send Indigo's back straight into the wall, her hands still raised high, slightly singed from the beating she took. The gloves they were wearing subdued most of the heat on Sunny's arms, but that was a very weak silver lining. Just when she thought Sunny was out of things to complain about, she noticed her running at her, arms outstretched to punch her face into the wall. She yelped in response and quickly rolled past Sunset Shimmer, as she increased the tiny crack she made earlier with her powerful punch. Indigo got up on her feet just in time as Sunset turned back to her, still burning in all the ways except literally (and she was capable of that too!).
"And I don't want my doppelganger either!" She said slowly, as she continued striking Indigo, who barely dodged the strike. "I don't want Diane! Or any of the Rainbooms!"
Time slowed to a crawl as Indigo found herself on the receiving end of another punch, except this one didn't seem like it was glowing with magical fire- it WAS glowing with magical fire, whether Sunset Shimmer realized it or not. Unable to dodge, she braced herself, tightened her muscles and prepared to take the last, definitely the last, hit.
"I
WANT
COCO
BACK!"
SMASH!
Sunny Flare's scream was dulled by the sound of a small explosion of magical energy that hit straight at Indigo Zap's crossed hands, sending her flying back at the wall, hitting it so hard that a layer of dust fell off the ceiling and the walls shook under the impact. Indigo let out a loud groan, as she fell back on the floor, hands still in guard, closing her eyes as she collapsed, ending the fight for good.
A few seconds passed in relative silence, where the only sounds left were the beating hearts of the two standing Sunnies.
"INDIGO!"
Sunny Flare couldn't hold back the tears anymore, she yelled and ran towards her friend, who gave no signs of life at this point.
At that moment the other Sunny, Sunset Shimmer, a girl with magical powers, woke up from her frenzy and looked at her fallen opponent, then at her left hand and what little was left out of her leather glove. She took it off, along with the faceguard. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably.
"INDIGO, ANSWER ME! INDIGO!" Sunny Flare shook her unconscious friend, tears running through her cheeks.
Sunset Shimmer had a hard time breathing. "I-I... I didn't... I didn't..." She mumbled uncontrollably.
Sunny Flare's panicking stopped when Indigo moved around and opened her eyes, though she didn't say anything, just moaned painfully.
"I-I didn't, I didn't mean to... I'm... I'm..."
Sunny Flare gently rolled Indigo to a more comfortable position, leaning on the wall, taking off her faceguard as well, to inspect her wounds. "Indigo, can you hear me? It's okay, you'll be okay, just don't move!"
Indigo let out a tiny smirk. "...hurts..."
"I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't..."
Sunny Flare stood up and turned at Sunset, their eyes locking, though the latter quickly turned away. It didn't stop Sunny Flare from advancing in her direction.
"I'm sorry... I'm so so-"
SLAP!
She couldn't finish the sentence as Sunny Flare slapped her right in the cheek, very hard. She didn't try to defend nor did she react in any way other than touch her burning cheek.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!? YOU COULD'VE SERIOUSLY HURT HER WITH THAT! IF NOT WORSE!"
"I'm... I'm... I'm..."
Sunset couldn't form a sentence through her tears when Sunny Flare grabbed her by the collar.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED!?" She pointed at Indigo with her other hand. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WITH BOTH OF YOU!"
Indigo moaned in the background. "...hurts..."
"Sit down and rest Indigo, I'll get you to the nurse office in a-"
"...hurts... to finally admit it... doesn't it, Sunset?"
Sunny Flare kept her mouth open for a moment, then looked back at Sunset Shimmer. The dam in her eyes was no longer holding back the stream of tears. Sunny Flare calmed down at the sight and released her from her grasp. Unable to stand on her own legs anymore, Sunset Shimmer fell on her knees and started crying loudly and openly.
Sour Sweet crossed her arms and advanced towards Coco. "If she's so great, then why are we having this conversation?"
"BECAUSE IT'S MY FAULT!"
All three Shadowbolts were taken aback at the sudden outburst from Coco, who stopped fighting the tears and let them out along with the still echoing last statement.
"She didn't do anything, it was all me! I was the one who ran away when things got difficult and it was me who avoided confrontation and hid behind you!" She wiped some tears with her sleeve. "Because I'm a coward..."
"I never had a friend like her before..." Sunset admitted after she ran out of tears. She sat on her knees, while Sunny Flare stood before her with arms crossed and Indigo listened carefully, sitting against the wall where she landed.
"...I always knew she was too good for me... she was too nice... too generous... too accepting... way too naive... but not as naive as me!" She wiped her eyes. "It never even occurred to me that she... that she had feelings for me... Because I'm stupid..."
"Everything was going so well!" Coco continued. "I was the happiest I ever was, but I just... I just had to ruin everything!"
Sour Sweet swallowed, as she tenderly put a hand on her shoulder. "Coco, I'm sorry, we pushed you to do this..."
Coco gently shook her hand off. "It's not your fault that I fell for my best friend! I asked her to give me everything she had... I wanted to get everything from her... I expected everything... but when I didn't get it, I just... I just ran away!"
"She did everything I asked her and never asked me for anything in return! She was just doing it for me, for no reason... is what I thought! And the one time she asked for something, I-I couldn't say anything... I couldn't give her anything in return..."
"I finally had a purpose! I helped her save the world, little by little, even if it was by just making a stupid dress, or covering for her in classes, I-I at least felt like I mattered, for once. I had all I needed, but I asked for more and I should've known better than that!"
"I was confused at first, but then I remembered all those times I made those stupid, lewd jokes at her. I thought they were funny. Innocent. But she... she had to endure them all, despite her feelings. It must have been a torture to her! And I didn't realize it until it was too late! I was hurting her all along..."
"I don't deserve it!"
"She deserves better!" Sunset wiped some more tears and snot from her face. "I thought I was mad at YOU five, but I'm just mad at myself. Because you were better friends to her than I ever was!"
"But even after everything I said, I can't help but be selfish..."
"But still, I just... I just..."
"I WANT HER BACK!" / "I WANT HER BACK!"
"I don't care if we're lovers, or just friends, or if it's awkward as hell..."
"...I'm lost without her. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I just ended up hurting everyone else that remained... and they only tried to help."
"I just want to talk to her again. Instead, I'm being pathetic, hiding behind you... bothering you with my own problems... I'm sorry for everything.."
A few moments passed after Coco released just about everything she had been holding inside her. She just stood where she was before and got back to sobbing quietly. Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat were about to console her again, but accidentally bumped their hands then went to non-verbal discussion about who should be first or if they should do it together. Sour Sweet wasn't in on this deal. They noticed her close her eye and take a deep breath inside, before...
"So, that's what you think you are to us, huh?" Sour said quietly. "A bother?"
Coco raised her head while averting her eyes at the same time. "I'm so-sorry I-"
"Stop apologizing, damnit!" Sour lashed at her and smacked the top of her head, then proceed to ruffle her hair violently. "Do you think we're doing all of this just out of pity!? What, you think we're some sort of shelter for broken hearts? That we did it all, for days, just because we felt sorry for you!?" She kept on ruffling her head with increasing speed and intensity.
"Oww, I'm so-"
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT APOLOGIZING!"
"Owowow, I'm... I'm... oww..."
Sugarcoat stepped in to intervene. "Sour Sweet, this is going to far, stop it this ins-" she stopped abruptly when an angry glare reached her. She stepped back and said nothing else.
The ruffling speed decreased after a while and slowly transitioned into gentle patting.
"Did you miss the part about trying to be your friends?" Sour said. Coco looked at her, now completely turned Sweet. "Because we were totally serious about it. Are you a bother? Yes. Do we mind? A little. Do we want to help you? Definitely yes! Not because we feel sorry for you, but because we want you to feel better. Do you understand that?"
"Y-yes... I think..."
"And the only way to make you feel better," she paused, hoping Coco would finish the sentence. When she didn't, she sighed and continued "is to make you and Sunny get back together. Yes, that one." She said, making Coco deflate yet again. "Yeah, I think you do realize that means we're going to force you to confront her. Today."
Coco swallowed and started sweating. Again. "I... I don't know..."
"Don't know what? That she'll ignore you and keep pushing you away? Does that sound like something your Sunny would do?"
Coco shook her head, further messing up her hair that was still being patted.
"Good!" The pats intensified, though they were much more gentle now "let's get you cleaned up and find your true friend... And be honest, did it hurt when I hit you? You don't have any bumps, right? I was just trying to make a point, I didn't mean to hurt you."
Coco waved her hands and stopped herself from apologizing in the last moment. Lemon Zest couldn't help but smile. She exchanged glances with Sugarcoat, who seemed to share the feelings, even if she didn't show it. They shrugged and watched the Sweet Coco show.
"Sour Sweet?"
"Yes?"
"...t-thank you. I-I needed that."
"...sure. You're welcome, sweetheart."
It'd been almost a full minute after Sunny, magical girl, stopped talking and just sat on her knees next to the other Sunny, several feet away from the heavily beaten up but otherwise not seriously hurt Indigo Zap, who was the first one to break the silence.
"There, feels way lighter on your chest, doesn't it?" She asked, smiling weakly. "And it only took a little beating up on both sides to make you realize it. Hahaoww!" She scowled mid laughter and touched her ribcage. "I think one of my ribs is broken... no, it seems fine. Still, ouch!"
Sunny Flare turned to her friend with shaking eyebrows. "That was your plan all along!? Get beaten up by an actual magical girl, on a really bad day, JUST to have her vent?!"
"What? No, of course not, don't be silly Sunny... not you!" Indigo waved her hand, but looked away and avoided any eye contact. "I always wanted to see how strong she is, I just never had an excuse. I mean, I can't just approach someone and ask for a duel, now can I? It's not a damn video game!"
Sunny Flare opened her mouth, but after a moment just groaned and massaged her head. I think I'm going to need an ambulance more than those two combined! "One day you will be the end of me..."
"Heh, heard that one before!"
Sunny, the magical girl, looked at the two Shadowbolts with curiosity. As if it wasn't the first time something like that happened. She swallowed and addressed Indigo.
"If it's any consolation, you were scary strong. For a moment I was afraid I wasn't going to make it. You're a lot better than me, without magic at least."
Indigo raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Yeah, but so what? If I got you on any day when you weren't so stressed, there wouldn't be a fight. Sorry for taunting you, by the way. I only said that to rile you up."
Sunny nodded back. "I know. I was just mad because it was true. And I can only blame myself for that."
Indigo didn't respond, but she exchanged glances with Sunny Flare. They nodded to each other and Sunny Flare took over the conversation.
"If you think Coco prefers to hang out with us than you, then I don't think you're looking hard enough," she got other Sunny's attention with that "she's not acting like herself. Not the better herself, at least. And while she hasn't said it to us directly, it's clear as day that she wants to reconcile just as much as you do."
Sunset's eyes widened for a moment, until she bit her lower lip and looked away. "H-how do I even talk to her? After everything that happened..."
"How about," Sunny Flare interrupted her "you find her in a populated area," she crossed her arms and leaned to look Sunset in the eyes "so it's as embarrassing as humanly possible when you get on your knees, bow down so low that you can smell the floor and beg for forgiveness for as long as it takes, that she'll get on her knees and beg you to stop!" Pause. "Which, admittedly, won't be too long, few seconds tops." Another pause. "Unless this kind of act is beneath you, that is."
Sunny, the kneeling one, tightened her fists and looked at Sunny, the standing one, with resolute eyes.
"I'll do it!" She announced through her tears and snot. "I'll do whatever it takes!"
Sunny Flare blinked, then straightened up and smiled. She looked at Indigo, who was too exhausted to stand up but shared her sentiment regardless, as they both mentally congratulated themselves for a job well done. If getting beaten to a pulp was all it took, Indigo gladly paid that price.