//------------------------------//
// Prank Wars Part 02 
// Story: The Shadowbolts Adventures 
// by DragonShadow 
//------------------------------//

Crystal Preparatory Academy was usually a quiet place. A place where one could walk around the hallways and not be bothered by idle conversation. Most students were too busy looking after themselves or giving each other mean looks to worry about having anything resembling a normal conversation. There were a couple of exceptions here and there, but for the most part, Sour Sweet's journey through the hallway was as peaceful as ever until she reached the cafeteria at lunch time.

"Eh?" Sour Sweet gasped in surprise as the cafeteria doors swung closed behind her. Lined up on the farthest table were four giant silver trays, upon each of which sat a cake nearly as big as her torso. They were covered in icing of various shades, and since so much had been cut out of them she could see that each was a different flavor as well. Her eyes drifted up the wall to see a wide banner hung on the wall proclaiming Dig in! From your friends at Canterlot High!

"Retaliation!" Sour Sweet pumped her fists into the air.

"Chocolate." Sugarcoat corrected her as she approached with a paper plate in her hand and a fork between her lips. Sunny Flare was right beside her with her own slice, this one of strawberry. "You should get a slice before it's gone."

"I'm not having any of their mockery cake!" Sour Sweet pointed an accusing finger at the spongy food on the other side of the room. "That's their retaliation!"

Sunny Flare narrowed her eyes. "Retaliation for what, exactly?"

"For this!" Sour Sweet pulled out her cell phone and pulled up a picture of her handiwork on the Wondercolt statue to show it to the two girls.

"Mmm..." Sugarcoat grunted. "That is some serious detail. I didn't know you were an artist."

"My parents made me do a lot of crap when I was younger to try to 'calm me down'." Sour Sweet scowled. "Before they finally turned to drugs."

"Sour Sweet, why did you do that?" Sunny demanded. "The Canterlot High students are our friends now."

"Psh, only seven of them are. The rest are fair game! And they've responded to it!"

Sugarcoat mused for a moment, then pointed her fork at Sour Sweet. "If they respond with cake every time you prank them then by all means, prank away."

"No! Don't prank away!" Sunny Flare waved her hand in front of Sour Sweet to get her attention. "We're better than that now! We're better than the rest of the students in this school! The jerks, the bullies, the self-centered know-it-all punks..." Sunny caught the eyes of a small group of students who were now glaring at them from nearby. "No offense."

Sugarcoat slipped a companionable arm around Sour Sweet's shoulders. "Then again, being a good person doesn't mean backing down from a challenge, does it?"

"Heck no!" Sour Sweet exclaimed eagerly.

Sugarcoat lifted her plate into the air. "We're good, but we're strong! We stand our ground!"

"Damn right we do!" Sour Sweet pumped her own arm into the air.

"No!" Sunny Flare waved her arm, furiously trying to catch Sour Sweet's eye. "You have to pick your battles and-"

"You heard the lady!" Sugarcoat declared. "To battle!"

"Aaaaargh!" Sour Sweet rushed from the cafeteria with her arms clenched over her head, as if seeking out her next opponent to fight.

Sunny Flare cast Sugarcoat a baleful glare. "You're going to Tartarus for that."

Sugarcoat just smiled. "Hey, if I am, at least it'll be with cake." Sugarcoat stuffed another bite of cake into her mouth, making an exaggerated moan of pleasure around her fork. "Mmmmmmmff. Besides, at least she'll be messing up Canterlot High instead of Crystal Prep for a change."

Sunny growled. "If she gets hurt, you will pay for this."

Sugarcoat shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?" Their eyes met for a few moments before she spoke again. "I know what you're thinking, but we don't live in a cartoon, so it'll be fine." Sugarcoat made her way past Sunny to dump her empty plate in the trash and leave the cafeteria.

"Ugh..." Sunny Flare rubbed her forehead. "This is going to get messy..."