To say Crystal Prep's gym was large would be like saying the ocean was a little bit wet. Like most things in the school, it was both massive and well-funded. In addition to the massive main gymnasium, there were a hundred smaller rooms dedicated to any specific type of sport the student's wished to excel at. It was for that reason Indigo claimed this particular part of the school as her territory. With the exception of the Archery Club, she had free rein over anything and everything these rooms had to offer. Granted, she didn't use all of them and she made sure that they were all properly maintained for those that wanted to make use of them when she could. It left her feeling like a glorified janitor in a lot of ways.
It also gave her plenty of privacy, something she was taking full advantage of in the gym's Boxing room. Said room was only a tenth the size of the main gymnasium, but that still gave it a giant one hundred-by-one hundred foot perimeter of space to work with. A large cluster of heavy bags hung on one half of the room while a large square ring took up a majority of the other.
Indigo sat on a bench at the front of the room, wearing a simple pair of magenta sports and dark blue tank top as she idly tapped away at her phone and took sips from a water bottle at her side. A long stream of messages from Lemon covered her phone screen telling her everything about what she did with Twilight the night before. Apparently, the nerdy girl had agreed to spend time with her and the Rock Club after saying something stupid to a friend. Naturally, Indigo asked her to fill her in on all of the details and it left her feeling mixed. While she couldn't get a name, Lemon could tell that this friend was extremely important to Twilight. The biggest give away being when she told her to scream into a mic, a trick Lemon herself used to deal with all of the stresses the school tended to dump onto their students. Indigo didn't worry too much about that until Lemon told her how long the girl went at it and how loud she was.
The speakers were customized by Lemon herself to last hours at max volume playing the most intense heavy metal and punk music out there. When she went to check on them after Twilight tired herself out, they were nearly blown out. When Indigo called her out on that claim, she brought her to the room, had them both put on protective ear muffs, and played a recording of Twilight's scream through one of the amps. Not only did Indigo hear it through her protection, but the recording proved to be too much for the amp. The fact that the amp was at its lowest setting both impressed an horrified the sporty teen.
That leaned more towards horror when Lemon reported Twilight's condition at the time. While she didn't like all of the pointed paranoid stares or sharp comments from the girl, it was a lot better than her being a zombie. It had been only for a brief moment, but she got a front row seat of this when she came across her between classes. The blank look she sported put a cold chill down her back both times. It almost made her think twice about asking her if she wanted to hang out after school.
Okay, so she's going through some stuff, Indigo nervously mused. No problem. I'm sure I can help her with this. I just have to make sure I don't say or do something stupid.
She sat on that thought for a few seconds, then dropped her phone with an irate sigh and rubbed her eyes.
"I am so doomed."
"What's wrong?" a hollow female voice softly asked behind her.
Indigo let out a startled yelp as she shot to her feet and turned, hand clutching her chest and panting. Standing before her, looking just as dead as the last time she saw her, was the very same girl that held her thoughts.
"Jesus, shave ten years off of my life why don't you?" she nervously chuckled, bending over and picking her phone up off of the ground.
"Sorry," Twilight sighed.
Indigo waved it off, still awkwardly laughing.
"Forget about it. So....Do you play any sports?"
Indigo mentally face-palmed the second the words passed her lips. She knew that Twilight wasn't a fan of sports. Aside from PE, the girl's name never came up in the sports club rosters or visited for casual play. She was sure that part of that was because of Sour Sweet and her connection to the Archery Club, but a lack of overall interest probably didn't help.
As expected, Twilight shook her head.
"A friend of my Sister-in-law taught me some Kickboxing, but other than that, no."
Indigo blinked in shock at that.
"For real?"
Twilight stiffly nodded.
A broad grin spread across Indigo's face as she said, "Think you could show me what you've got?"
A look of fear spread across Twilight's face as she shakily asked, "Y-You want to fight?"
"Wha-Nononononononononononononono!" she hastily added, hands up in a frantic placating manner. "I just want to see you hit one of the bags a few times."
"Oh. Okay," she breathed, returning to her blank demeanor. "I would've probably deserved it anyway."
"What do you-?"
Before she could finish her question, Twilight was already drifting towards one to the heavy bags hanging from the ceiling. Indigo let out a nervous breath as she followed, silently wondering just what kind of thing she signed herself up for. Forcing her concern over Twilight's comment to the back of her mind for later, she stayed back and waited to see how things played out.
***
Petal's face was a mask of calm, the Wraith quickly darting about her prison at near breakneck speeds. At the same time, she twirled and thrusted a spear like a deadly baton at an invisible enemy. Her movements were crude, impatient, but still lethal should a less disciplined combatant cross her. As she moved, her mind drifted towards her dreams, one dream in particular. Even now she remembered the phantom voice, how its words slithered in her mind like a serpent searching for prey to sink its fangs into. The fact that it sounded so much like her own just added to the slimy feeling it put down her spine.
It was just a dream, she thought, clenching her jaw as she moved on to another series of strikes. It didn't mean anything. Just my stupid head messing with me! I bet if I ask Twilight-
She froze mid-strike the second that name entered her mind.
A bitter taste entered her mouth at her more recent memory of her friend. She was angry, they both were, but that didn't make what the Wraith had to do at the time anymore bearable. If she hadn't cut herself off from Twilight when she did, there was no telling what she would've said to the girl.
Causing pain and misery is what all Wraiths do. It was as natural a thing for them as breathing is to humans, especially when it came to their favorite negative emotions. Even now, Petal felt a strong craving for Twilight's rage and absolutely hated herself because of it. She wanted her friend to be happy, to be around people she could trust, and to not feel so trapped or alone. She wanted to be her friend, not some parasite that made her miserable just by existing.
Unable to help herself, she reconnected their link just enough to check on the girl.
The surfaces of two of the walls flickered and warped like disturbed pools of water as images started to form on them. One of them showed Twilight's soul, the fact that it looked no different than it did before she isolated herself made her raise a brow. When the other one showed a pair of lavender fists slamming into a punching bag, her jaw dropped like a lead weight. She honestly expected to see a computer screen or a book, not this or the amber girl giving Twilight an encouraging smile as she peeked out from behind the bag. Petal dropped her weapon and ran to the wall, a wide smile spreading across her face at the sight.
Is she giving them a chance? Awesome!
She reached out towards the wall, ready to fully reestablish their link, but stopped at the last second. If she did this, would Twilight cut herself off from them again? While she wanted to say no, she knew better than anyone how much Twilight loved her comfort zones. If it wasn't for their bond and the information Petal bated her with, there was no way Twilight would've broken her usual patterns.
While she had helped her friend step out of those patterns and comfort zones, she could't deny that she had become a new one in a way. Her smile turned bittersweet at that realization as she stepped away from the wall, an odd mix of guilt and pride settling into her gut with each step. She sat cross-legged onto the ground, forcing herself into a modified version of her old role.
"It's going to take me a while to get things figured out," she sighed, then sported a sad smile as she added, "Until then, keep it up. I'm rooting for ya' Sparkle."
With a wave of her hand, she repaired their link enough to hear the outside world once again.
***
To say that Indigo was impressed would've been an understatement. While Twilight's stamina was poor, her technique was spot on. Each of the girl's punches and kicks held a surprising amount of power and were aimed in just the right places to take down most opponents. At least, that was the impression she got as she braced the heavy bag for her.
"Damn Twilight, where have you been keeping those guns?" Indigo chuckled, stepping out from behind the bag.
"N-N-Never needed to use them," Twilight panted, a small smile gracing her lips as she wiped some sweat off of her forehead.
The sporty teen snorted at that, lightly tapping her nerdy companion's shoulder with her elbow. Aside from a small flinch, Twilight didn't react to the contact in a negative way. Taking that as a sign of progress, Indigo walked over towards a gym bag in a corner of the room. With an encouraging nod aimed her way, Twilight followed her and was offered a cold bottle of water for her trouble.
Twilight nearly tore the bottle's cap off before she eagerly drained it dry. Indigo took in the sight with a chuckle as she took a few small sips from her own bottle.
Nerds, she thought with an eye-roll.
"Hey, I know this place nearby that makes some awesome shakes, wanna grab a couple?" Indigo asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.
"I guess," Twilight sighed, shrugging. "Just let me stop by my lab to change my clothes."
As she said that, she pulled off her blazer with a grimace. Indigo cringed at that, only know remembering how poorly dressed Twilight was. As nice as the school's uniform was, they were clearly not built with exercise in mind. That fact quickly took a back seat when Indigo processed what Twilight had just said.
"Wait, you have clothes here?" Indigo asked.
"Yeah," she said, letting out a relieved sigh once she got the blazer off.
"How come?" she blinked.
"I spend the night on campus sometimes," Twilight mumbled awkwardly, draping her blazer over her forearm.
"In your lab," Indigo clarified.
Twilight nodded.
Indigo blinked at that, then bitterly chuckled as she said, "Damn, the top five get a lot of perks, huh?"
"What?" Twilight asked, taking a nervous step back.
"Nothing," she sighed, then smiled and headed towards the door as she said, "Now, let's get out of here, Slugger."
"It's Twilight," she frowned, tailing the girl.
"I know," Indigo chuckled, letting herself out of the room.
Sighing, Twilight followed her out of the room, only to pause mid step half way past the threshold. Eyes wide, she stared down at her pendant, then let a small hopeful smile grace her lips. Feeling a bit more secure, she fully exited the room and followed Indigo out of the gym.
While it had only been for a second, Twilight knew she heard a familiar coarse laugh as she left the room.
***
There were few places Canterlot High and Crystal Prep considered neutral territory, but one of the more popular ones that met that criteria was a café not too far from the public school called Sugarcube Corner. It was also one of the few places one could get a late night milkshake for a decent price. At the moment, Twilight and Indigo were the only people the café was attending to, but that suited them just fine. It made it all the easier for them to metaphorically let their hair down and not have Crystal Prep's heavy atmosphere weigh them down.
"And just when things looked bad, I had Shroud light up a barrel of gunpowder and kick it right into the Beholder's mouth, blowing him up and saving the party from certain doom!" Indigo cheered, taking a proud sip of her shake.
"That....was probably the dumbest plan I have ever heard," Twilight frowned, doing the same.
"That's what Sugar said," she laughed. "It still worked though."
"By some miracle," Twilight giggled rolling her eyes. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead, Slugger," Indigo chuckled.
She frowned for a moment at the mention of what Indigo was now determined to make her nickname then asked, "What got you interested in D&D? No offense, but you don't seem like the kind of person that would be interested in that type of thing."
"Hey! Jocks can be nerds too ya know!" she playfully snapped. "But you're not that far off. Sugar was the one that suggested it and I decided to take it for a spin. It took me forever to get a character put together and when I did, I piloted her like a total moron. She was this total edge lord vampire chick that liked to drink the blood of her victims and decorated the battlefield with their entrails."
"Yikes," Twilight cringed. "What was her name?"
"Murder Melody," she snorted.
"Isn't that a band name?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.
"That's what Lemon said," she groaned, hiding her face behind a hand.
"Was she a murder hobo?" Twilight asked with a faintly teasing smile.
A low groan was all the answer she needed.
"It could've been worse," Twilight giggled. "My first character was a pixie named Moon Sprinkles."
Indigo froze, then made a choking sound as she let her hand fall away from her cringing face.
"One, I didn't know you could pick pixie as a playable race. And two, what kind of name is that?"
"The name a seven year old would give a character when she still thought magic was real and faeries weren't known for doing horrible things to people for fun," Twilight sighed. "And my older brother liked to do home brew games with a lot of liberties."
"Yeah, I think I like Sparrow 'Stick in the Mud' Hawk better," Indigo chuckled.
"Are you sure?" Twilight blinked. "I think I still have her character sheet somewhere."
"You bring her and I swear I'll dig up Murder Melody," she warned.
"But she spreads happiness and sparkles," Twilight said, somehow managing to do so with a completely straight face.
Equally deadpanned, Indigo pushed her half-finished milkshake aside and said, "Welp, that killed my sweet tooth."
They held their expressions for a few more seconds, before bursting out laughing, Twilight adding a few snorts to it as they each pounded a fist on the table between them.
"G-Geez Slugger, you're a riot!" Indigo gasped, wiping a tear out of her eye. "We should get Lemon and Sugar to come along with us next time."
"I-*giggle* I think I'd like that," she smiled, pushing her glasses back into place.
"Really?" Indigo blinked.
"Y-Yeah," she nodded, a small blush coloring her cheeks that matched her sheepish smile.
A shining smile spread across Indigo's face.
"Awesome!" she cheered, pulling out her phone. "I'll send them a message to see when their free."
"O-Okay," Twilight nodded, an odd mix of nervous excitement settling in her core.
As Indigo went to work typing her message, two figures stepped into the café. One was a well dressed violet boy with messy brown hair. His eyes were a deep shade of blue that held the fierce aura of a hunter scouting for prey. In spite of that, his handsome face held a fae-like playfulness that put people at ease. Black slacks and dress-shirt put his sleek build on full display for all to see. The other was a pink girl with long hair with curls at the end that was a darker shade than her skin. Her eyes were blue as well, but held a more energetic and playful feel compared to the boy's. This extended to her face and presence, the girl's walk filled with an excited bounce. She wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans under a long red trench coat. On her left arm she wore a red open-fingered glove in place of a sleeve that her coat lacked for some reason. Both of them were about Twilight and Indigo's ages.
They quickly caught Twilight's attention as they made their way towards the front desk, something about them putting a part of her on edge.
"Heya Mrs. Cake," the girl said, voice light and bubbly.
"Good evening," the boy smiled, tone soft and warm as he bowed to the blue woman behind the counter.
"Hello Pinkie, Tattle," Mrs. Cake smiled. "The usuals, right?"
"Yepperooni," the girl, Pinkie, cheered.
"Yes, please," Tattle nodded, kindly.
Mrs. Cake just rolled her eyes at the boy's formal behavior and went about making their drinks. While they stood idly, Twilight continued to study them. Neither of them seemed all that threatening, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong about them. As she tried to figure out what it was exactly, Indigo had finished sending her messages and shifted her attention back towards Twilight.
"I'll give you their responses over Crystal Heart," she smiled, then raised a brow as she followed the girl's line of sight.
"Someone you know?" she asked, snapping Twilight out of her musings.
"Huh?" she blinked, shifting her attention back to Indigo. "No."
Indigo turned back to Twilight with a confused frown, then sported a knowing smirk as she asked, "Checking out the guy?"
"What?!" Twilight squawked, face turning beet-red. "N-N-No!"
Indigo chuckled and said, "Whatever you say Slugger. You're secret's safe with me."
"It's not like that," she mumbled, cheeks burning.
Indigo just chuckled playfully at her and took a sip of her drink. Huffing, Twilight looked away from her classmate just as the pair were on the way out. As they passed, the girl named Pinkie locked eyes with Twilight.
It had only been for a second, but in that brief moment she saw recognition in those sky-blue orbs and a hint of confusion. A wave of dread fell over her when those eyes fell on her pendant, her hand wrapping tightly around it out of reflex. Her partner leveled a brief look of confusion at her hand before he gently guided Pinkie out of the café. When they left, all of the tension left her in a large rush, making her go limp in her seat.
"Hey, you okay?" Indigo asked, concern heavy in her features.
"Y-Yeah," Twilight stammered, forcing on a weak smile. "I guess I'm still tired from earlier."
"Right," Indigo nodded, tone laced thick with skepticism.
"A-Anyway, what do you want to do with the girls later?" she stammered behind a forced smile.
She held a raised brow at her for a minute, then sighed and decided to let the subject drop. As the sporty girl listed off possible future plans, Twilight's mind wandered back towards the mystery couple. She didn't know why or how she knew, but on some kind of primal level she knew one thing for sure about them. They were dangerous and she needed to stay as far away from them as she could.
A fact that made her grip her pendant just a tiny bit more.