//------------------------------// // Spreading the Word // Story: Before the Friendship Games: Sunny Flare // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Sunny eventually regained control of her emotions, but her mind was still reeling. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. Before she could even come up with another thought, the bell for second period rang. "I'm late for class!" she said, panicking. I'll have to regroup my thoughts later. Class first. --------------------------------------------- With second period over, Sunny slowly gathered her thoughts. I still can't believe she did that to me! she thought, her encounter with Lemon Zest still quite fresh in her mind. She knew about Rutherford and was even willing to bring up the... she sighed. I suppose that's another thing I deluded myself over. That Lemon wouldn't fight back. That I didn't have it coming. That she was one of the nice girls around here. Was. How long before Twilight Sparkle snaps? she shook her head. No. Now's not the time. I've got to find the team, tell them what Lemon told me... she sighed again. And lay low for a while. Sunny Flare scanned the halls while keeping an eye on the time. So I have to find Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Suri Polomare, Trender, Neon Lights, Jet Set, Upper Crust and Royal Pin. The first two shouldn't be hard at least... "Incoming!" said a voice, rapidly approaching her. Sunny sidestepped then crouched and extended her leg, tripping Indigo. "Ow!" Indigo cried as she the floor with a thud. "What the hell was that for, Sunny?" "I was trying to get your attention." Sunny said. "Well, you succeeded." Indigo said, dusting herself off. "So what gives?" "Lemon somehow knows all of our deepest, darkest secrets and is blackmailing us into playing nice with each other throughout the Friendship Games." Sunny said. Indigo stared at Sunny, her jaw dropped. She blinked, then burst into a laughing fit. "Holy shit, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Sunny sighed. "Indigo." "I mean, can you imagine? Lemon Zest! Blackmailing not just you, but the entire team?!" Indigo laughed harder. "Indigo!" Sunny growled. "You should use that as a line for a stand-up routine or something!" said Indigo. "Goddammit, Indigo Zap, LISTEN TO ME!" she yelled, grabbing her by the collar and forcefully pinning her to a nearby locker. Indigo's eyes widened in shock. "Okay, okay! Jesus, Sunny. I believe you." "Good." Sunny said, releasing Indigo. That's one down. The warning bell for third period rang. --------------------------------------------- Sunny got out of her third period classroom. She quickly looked behind her to see Sugarcoat, standing about a foot away. "Okay, you got me this time." said Sugarcoat. "Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest knows all of our deepest darkest secrets and she's blackmailing us into playing nice throughout the Friendship Games!" Sugarcoat blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "I call bullshit," she said. Sunny Flare gave Sugarcoat the most frightening death stare she could muster. Sugarcoat's eyes widened. "I believe you." Well, that was easy. Six to go. thought Sunny. The warning bell for fourth period rang while she continued her search. After class then. --------------------------------------------- After Sunny got out of her fourth period class, she ran through the halls and bumped into someone. "Watch where you're going...okay?" a voice said. Sunny recognized the verbal tic immediately. "Suri." she said. "Lemon Zest knows all of our deepest, darkest secrets and she's blackmailing us all into playing nice with each other during the Friendship Games!" Suri scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like she'd ever do something like that." Sunny let her temper rise enough to show anger, but not enough to the point where she'd get rough. "Suri. Polomare." she said through clenched teeth. "I have had the week from hell. I have suffered in ways you cannot possibly imagine." she glared at Suri. "And I can make you suffer in ways you cannot possibly imagine." Sunny got so close to Suri, the latter could feel the former's hot breath on her neck. "Do you believe me now??" Suri blanched. "Y-y-y-y-yes." she stammered. "Good." Sunny said, and stomped off in search of her next teammate as Suri hyperventilated and fanned herself to calm down. "Five left." Sunny muttered under her breath. The warning bell for fifth period rang. --------------------------------------------- It was now lunchtime, which meant Sunny had ample time to find Jet Set and Upper Crust sitting at their regular table in the cafeteria. Finding them was the easy part. Convincing them was harder than she imagined. It took her almost the entire lunch period to get it through their thick skulls that she was telling the truth. She thanked her lucky stars that she just barely had enough time to eat. Two for the price of one, three remaining. Sunny thought. The warning bell for sixth period rang. --------------------------------------------- Sunny sighed as she began to feel weary from seeking out her teammates. Only three left, Sunny Flare. You can do this! She nearly ran into a dark blue-skinned student. Sunny blinked. "Royal Pin?" "Yes, that's me." he said, smiling. "How can I help you?" Sunny sighed. "I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but one of our teammates, Lemon Zest, is blackmailing us all into playing nice with each other during the Friendship Games." Royal Pin sighed. "Another one succumbs to the madness, I see." Sunny blinked. "Wait, you believe me?" "Indeed I do." said Royal. "I've seen it happen before. It's happened to the best of us. I fear it's only a matter of time before I fall victim to it myself." "Thank you for making this easier for me." Sunny said, smiling genuinely. "You're welcome." said Royal. Two left! thought Sunny, feeling a rush of excitement. The warning bell for seventh period rang. --------------------------------------------- Seventh period had ended, and Sunny bolted out of her classroom, nearly bumping into a student. She stopped just short, then realized who it was. "Neon Lights," she shouted. "Yes," he asked as he turned around. "One of our teammates, Lemon Zest, knows our deepest, darkest secrets and is using them to blackmail us into playing nice with each other during the Friendship Games!" Sunny said. Neon gasped, visibly disturbed. "That's all I need to hear." he said. Wow, whatever he's hiding must be pretty serious for him to react like that. thought Sunny. One left... The warning bell for the final period of the day rang. --------------------------------------------- Sunny Flare was in such a panic to find Trender that it took her a couple of seconds to remember that he was in the same class as her. She slapped the palm of her hand to her face, then dragged it down to the bottom of her chin. She ran back into the classroom, catching him before he went to find his bus. "Trender!" said Sunny. Trender looked at her. "Yes?" "One of our teammates has found out our deepest, darkest secrets and is using them to blackmail us into playing nice at the Friendship Games!" Sunny said. "No!" said Trender, horrified. "Not my reputation!!" Well at least he's convinced. Sunny said. She made her way to the buses. "My work here is done." she said, satisfied.