//------------------------------// // Thursday Morning Turmoil // Story: Before the Friendship Games: Indigo Zap // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Indigo Zap slowly opened her eyes as she woke up, and she almost immediately felt that something was amiss. She got out of bed, then stretched and yawned. She walked over to her mirror, and her eyes shot wide open in realization. Her goggles were missing! Indigo gasped and started to freak out. "My goggles. Where are my goggles?" Indigo ran downstairs and into the kitchen. Twinkle and Azure looked at her in surprise. "Indigo? Why aren't you dressed for school?" Asked Azure. Indigo began flailing her arms in a panic. "My goggles are missing!" She shouted in an octave that surprised even herself. "Have either of you seen them?" She asked. "I can't leave home without them!" Azure and Twinkle glanced at each other. "I don't think you have enough time to-" Azure started before he was cut off. "Please!" Indigo said, dropping to the floor in a pleading position. Her hands were clasped together as she knelt on the floor, her eyes as wide as she could possibly make them. Azure and Twinkle looked at each other again. Azure shrugged, and Twinkle sighed. "Okay, fine. But this is a team effort. No lazing around while your father and I look for them." Twinkle said. Indigo got up off of the floor. "Are you kidding me? These are my goggles we're talking about! I'd move mountains to find them!" "She makes a good point." Azure said. "Let's split up, then!" Indigo made a beeline for her room. She checked under her pillow and under her bed, even though she couldn't fathom why they'd be there, let alone how they got there if they were. She shrugged, then decided to put her uniform on so she wasn't wasting too much time in search of her goggles. "Okay." She said to herself. "Where to look next?" Indigo thought about looking in the garage, but realized she hadn't been in there since she saw the movie with her parents. She then thought about everywhere she'd been within the house last night. Wait. The backyard! Of course! Indigo thought, and made a mad dash for the sliding glass door that led to the back side of the house. Indigo reached the hammock that she laid in and found her goggles. "Yes!" She shouted, pumping her fist in victory. She then heard the school bus's horn honk. "Oh, shit!" She said, and scrambled for the front door while passing her parents. "I found them, see you guys later!" She slammed the door shut in her rush to get to the bus on time. Indigo got on the bus, again nearly tripping on the stairs on her way up. The driver gave her a look and she grumbled. "I know, I know. 'Watch your step.'" She said, rolling her eyes. She sighed, then headed to the back of the bus. Man, I hate feeling rushed... She made a sputtering noise, and noticed that De Verre hadn't boarded the bus. Huh. She thought. Maybe she went to school early or something. She shrugged, then stared out the window until the bus arrived at Crystal Prep. Indigo disembarked, then entered Crystal Prep as a throng of students nearly trampled her. "Gah!" She yelped, jumping out of the way just in time. "What the hell?!" She decided to follow them for a few moments until they all spontaneously broke out in a dance number. "Oh, right...I forgot Crystal Prep has a flash mob club." She shrugged, then joined in as best she could until the warning bell for first period rang. "Disperse!" She said, spreading her arms out. Once everyone else had left, Indigo made her way to her first class for the day. --------------------------------------------- Indigo sighed upon leaving her first period class. "Oy with the heavy academics!" She said as she threw her arms up in exasperation. "It's too early for this shit..." She made a sputtering noise and wandered the hallways as she tried to absorb all of the information from her class. "Ugh. I think I have a headache..." She said, putting a hand to her forehead and gritting her teeth. "I don't know if I'll survive the next class!" The warning bell for second period rang, causing Indigo to sigh. "Here goes nothing, but it better be something..." --------------------------------------------- Indigo Zap forced herself out of her second period class. It was all she could do just to move forward as the rest of the world around her was a blur. One infodump of a class was bad enough, but two in a row was simply just too much. She made her way over to Dean Cadence's office and knocked on the door. "Come in!" Said Cadence from behind the door, and Indigo entered her office. "Hello, Indigo. How can I help you?" The Dean said as Indigo closed the door behind her. Indigo sat down on the couch in Cadence's office and remained silent, her face expressionless. Her body still. Just blankly staring at nothing in particular. Moments passed before Cadence got up from her chair and approached her slowly. "Is everything okay?" Indigo stayed silent, further concerning the Dean. "Do...do you need me to call one of your parents?" Indigo nodded very slowly, to Cadence's relief. Cadence went to her desk and fished out a directory of all the parents for each student. She skimmed through it until she found Indigo's parents. She took the phone on her desk out of its hook and dialed a number as the warning bell for third period sounded off. The phone rang a couple of times, then the call was picked up. "Hello?" Said Azure. "Azure Feather? It's Dean Cadence from Crystal Prep." "Well, hello, Dean Cadence. What's the occasion for the call?" Azure asked. "Indigo just walked into my office and sat on my couch, but she hasn't said a word and remained still for the most part. She nodded when I asked if you needed to be contacted." "Ah. I see." Azure said, "And what period is it now?" "The warning bell for third period rang just as I dialed your number." Said Dean Cadence. "Mm-hmm." Said Azure, "Okay, ask her if the first two classes of the day were intense." Cadence covered the phone. "Indigo, were the first two classes of the day a bit too intense for you?" Indigo blinked, then slowly nodded. Cadence took her hand off of the phone. "She nodded in response." "I thought so." Said Azure. "She's just a little overwhelmed, that's all. She needs to be in a quiet space so she can regroup. She should be back to her old self by the time third period ends." "Thank you, Azure." Cadence said. "No problem." Azure said, "Is there anything else you want to discuss?" He asked in a meaningful tone. Cadence paused for a moment. "No." She said, "Perhaps another time, though." "Understood. Glad I could help!" Azure said, then hung up. "T...t..." Dean Cadence looked up at Indigo. "Th...than...thank...you." Was all Indigo managed to say before she returned to silence. Dean Cadence smiled. "You're welcome, Indigo." --------------------------------------------- By the time the bell signaling the end of third period rang, Indigo was indeed back to normal. She ran up to Dean Cadence and hugged her. "Thanks a ton again, Dean Cadence. I really needed that recharge." She said, grinning. Dean Cadence returned the hug. "No problem. I'm happy to help when I can." Indigo broke the hug. "See ya later!" She said, and walked into the halls. "That was badly needed." She said, sighing contentedly. She took out her phone to send a quick text message. Thanks for the assist, Dad! First two classes today were freaking BRUTAL. - Sent by Indigo Zap No worries, Zappo. Glad you're feeling better. - Sent by Dad Indigo grinned as the warning bell for fourth period rang, and she skated her way to her next class. --------------------------------------------- Fourth period ended, and Indigo walked out of class feeling surprisingly refreshed. I'm glad this class was merciful compared to all the others. Yeesh! She rushed to the front doors of Crystal Prep and glided out. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Nothing like a teeny bit of fresh air between classes." She said, stretching for a moment. "But as much as I'd like to stay out here, I've already missed one class today. I don't want to miss any more if I can help it!" She walked back inside and her ears were filled with the voices of all the students passing by. Before long, the warning bell for fifth period rang. "All right, fifth period!" Indigo said as she made her way to her next class, "Show me what you've got!"