Phantom Wings

by Gusto Starstorm

Ch1 - New Friend, Old Fear

Star Mapper and Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the museum, laughing together after the exhibit was over. It had been a blast, as both had suspected, and came with the added benefit of learning something new.

"I can't believe there was a talking Unicorn in the earliest renditions of the myth," Twilight giggled. "I wonder what inspired that decision?"

"I'm more curious why they decided to get rid of it," Star said with a smile. "The way they described it, the Unicorn sounded like a pretty integral character."

"Maybe because of how similar both it and King Caliburn were? Perhaps those rewriting the story thought it was like having two of Caliburn in any scene they were in together."

It was a pretty sound idea, Star Mapper had to admit. She couldn't imagine being in a situation with what was basically a second her.

"Also, the War Scythe Knight!" Twilight gushed. "The fact that the mythos evolved to replace all these fascinating weapons with plain old swords and shields is honestly a bit of a letdown. It's good storytelling if everyone can bring something different to the table."

"Yeah. Going from war scythe and giant axe to more swords is kinda dull. Pun entirely intended."

Another giggling fit was shared between the two girls, as they approached Cadence's car.

"You know," Twilight told her. "I'm really glad you came with us, Star Mapper."

"Well, I'm glad you let me come along," answered Star in kind. "You're really fun to talk to, Twi."

"Do you think we could do this again?"

Star Mapper hesitated upon hearing that. COULD they do this again?

… No. This was supposed to be a one-time thing. She knew that.

And yet, now that the trip was over, why did that fact fill her with dread? This was the way it had to be. She couldn't just go back on her own promises.

But keeping them meant she wouldn't be able to hang out with Twilight again…

"I-I… I'm not sure," Star Mapper stammered. "I just… tend to be busy."

"I'm willing to wait," Twilight promised. "Please?"

She wanted to say 'no'. She really did.

And yet it was that, albeit with great reluctance, Star Mapper pulled out her phone. Tapping the screen a couple of times, she went to her contact list.

"Oh, alright," she acquiesced. "Here, type it in.”

The glee on Twilight’s face could not be denied. Quickly, she tapped away at the keypad, placing herself within Star's contact list. Now, whether she liked it or not, Twilight was part of an exclusive group. But the smile on her face was enough to wash away a lot of the worry that Crystal Prep's star athlete had.

"Look, I'll send you a text by Monday night at the latest," Star Mapper promised. "I'm probably going to be busy tonight and busy tomorrow. But I WILL get it to you, I promise."

"Hey, it's alright," Twilight told her. "I get it. Sometimes life is full of unexpected surprises. Monday is no issue. Though I'll likely be giddy all day during classes."

Star Mapper winced. "Yeah, sorry. My school is huge on punctuality. And their phone policy is super strict."

"Mine too," Twilight giggled. "Where do you go to school?"

"... CHS?"

“Huh. I’ve always heard they were a lot more lax about phones, at the very least.”

Star Mapper shrugged. “Sounds like Crystal Prep’s pretty ruthless.”

“You have no idea.”

She did, but Twilight didn’t know that. And Indigo Zap was screaming at ‘Star Mapper’ to rectify that before she was in too deep.

It was a shame that she didn’t listen to herself at that moment.

‘It’ll be fine,’ Star reminded herself. ‘We’ll tell her the truth later.’

‘Yeah, and then ‘later’ never comes,’ the other part of her conscience told her.

‘It’s fine. We’ll get it figured out.’

Or at least, that’s what she told herself, as Twilight handed back the phone. “I’ll be waiting patiently for your message, Star Mapper.”

The disguised athlete smiled. “I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long.”

---

That was two days ago.

Indigo Zap walked through the halls of Crystal Prep, her classes complete, and soccer practice imminent. After their complete domination of Cloudsdale High on Sunday, Indigo was sure they could skip a day and be fine. But that was Coach’s call, not hers.

And besides that, she didn’t want to let her teammates down. So, she headed to her locker, putting away some books that she didn’t need, and considering if she needed to bring any textbooks home for study.

But while she was, Indigo heard her phone vibrate within her backpack’s topmost pocket. A sound which made her wince.

She still hadn’t gotten back to Twilight.

While this was still within her allotted time frame, the fact was that Indigo was pushing it. But between the aforementioned game and getting a little too lost in her drawings the evening before that, that first text never got sent.

'Well, what's stopping you now?' She asked herself. 'School day's over. Teachers can't get on your case if you send a text or two.'

… That was a good point, she had to admit. But what would she even say? Would a simple 'hi' suffice, or should she give a bit more?

'You're stalling.'

'I am not!' Indigo countered defensively. 'I just… I want it to be perfect!'

'Spoken like a true Crystal Prepper. Perfectionism even for a text.'

It was times like this that Indigo wished she could silence her inner critic. Of course, any complaints with Crystal Prep didn't simply vanish because they weren't spoken. But maybe if she wasn't so in her own head, then that text would have been sent already, rather than yelling at herself to do something she already wanted to do.

‘I need to calm down…’ she reminded herself. ‘I will send it, I just… need a little more time.’

She was still within her allotted time frame. She needed to remember that–realistically, she could send it after soccer practice and still be within it. But she didn’t want to mess this up. Indigo Zap has already messed up so many times in her life with making new friends.

This was not a pattern she wanted to repeat.

Shutting her locker once she was sure everything was put away, Indigo headed out toward the back half of the school. All she had to do was cut through the locker rooms to change, and everything would be fine.

Or so Indigo thought.

Along the way, she ran into a sight that she did not want to see. At the end of the hall, there was Twilight Sparkle, getting heckled by Suri Polomare in broad daylight. Other students were able to see it, and yet no one tried to intervene.

"You really ought to try and be more careful, Twilight," Suri warned. "One of these days, you'll end up bumping into someone who won't be so generous."

Twilight winced, sending a jolt of irritation through Indigo. She knew Suri vaguely–they shared a 6th period class, and she was known as the biggest leech in their grade. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

"But don't worry," Suri told her, faux-sweetness all throughout her tone. "I know a way you can make it up to me."

Indigo grit her teeth. 'She's trying to extort Twilight? That jerk!’

Twilight’s expression became somber, and even from there, Indigo could see it. And all she had to do to stop this was step in and intervene. She just had to do what no one else was.

… So why wasn’t she?

Suri placed her arm over Twilight's shoulders, and began to lead her off somewhere. Indigo did not like that, and yet her feet remained planted where they were.

'Come on, Indi,' she told herself. 'All you gotta do is put one foot in front of the other!'

And in truth, she knew it was that simple. Get in there, get Suri off of Twilight's back, get out. But she hesitated, several questions keeping her frozen in place.

What if people talked about this incident, like with all the others?

'Everyone knows Suri's a leech, and there’s actual proof of that. If anything, they'll celebrate.'

But what if Suri goes to Principal Cinch about this?

‘Cinch will pick ‘Indigo the Invincible’ over Suri Polomare any day of the week! You might not like your reputation, but you know this!’

… What if Twilight recognizes her?

‘Oh for the love of-... You’re gonna have to confront it sooner or later! Stop being a baby and get in there!’

It was quiet for a second, the reality of the situation evident to Indigo. And so, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she started walking over to where Twilight was…

Only to discover Twilight wasn't in the area anymore. While she was getting her butt in gear, the conversation had moved somewhere else.

Indigo missed a chance to help a would-be friend, because of her own nerves.

'Coward.'

She winced at the harshness of her conscience. '... I'll send Twilight that text while I'm changing.'

'Still a coward.'

Crystal Prep's star athlete hung her head low at that, trudging her way toward the gym locker room. Once she finally made it, her usual routine began–grabbing her things, heading to a bathroom stall, and changing into her uniform away from the others.

Even after all this time, Indigo was still self-conscious about those weird marks on her hips. She swore to herself as early as fourth grade that if she could keep people from seeing them, she would.

On the bright side, this meant she was away from all the chatter, and could focus on what she wanted to do. Unlocking her phone and opening up her instant messages, Indigo wasted no more time in getting out that message.

Hey Twilight, it's Star Mapper. I wanted to say hi, and see how you were doing. Respond back whenever you can. I can't wait to hear from you.

Much to ‘Star Mapper’s’ surprise (and delight), Twilight answered back within a minute and a half.

Greetings Star Mapper. As it stands, my day has only been decent. However, hearing from you has improved my mood significantly.

That brought a smile to the blunette’s face. That wasn’t so hard after all.

Well, I’m glad to hear it. If you ever want to talk about anything, just lemme know.

Well actually…

There was a bit of a longer pause, before Twilight continued.

I was wondering if you'd like to go to a local aquarium this Saturday. Cadence is taking me, and I'd love to have a friend there.

Saturday? Did she have anything going on next Saturday?

Not that she could remember off the top of her head. Saturdays were usually her most free day of the week, and next Saturday was probably no different. It would be nice to have some plans for once, that didn’t involve her losing a sketchbook…

Plus, this would make Twilight happy. That alone was worth it.

Count me in. I can’t wait.

So with just a few little words, Indigo Zap now had plans for the weekend. This was going even better than she thought it would. Honestly, the only way it could improve is if she could find a way to bring up what happened with Suri.

But she’d have to think about that a little more, as she heard their Coach call for them to head out. So, Indigo put her phone in her bag, and then her bag in her locker. Soccer practice was what took precedent right now. She didn’t want to let her teammates down, after all.

…Well, in truth, Indigo didn’t want to let anyone down. A fact which only made sending that text even more of a weight off of her shoulders.

Author's Note:

And so, it continues.

This chapter had me stuck for a while, and not even for any particular reason that was the chapter's fault. I've just been in a depressive slump I'm trying to pull myself out of.

But, at the very least, I have something to show you guys. It was a fun chapter to write, and I know where I'm taking it after this. Hopefully though, it will be a little quicker to finally unleash the next one.

I hope you all enjoy this, and if you do, read, review, all that good stuff. Until next time, my friends.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Heh. Love seeing signs of further past interaction between the two worlds.

Mysterious marks on Indigo's hips, eh? Sounds cute...

This double life will lead to tragedy eventually. The question is when, where, and for whom.

[Sky Scraper]

Nice to see this story progressing again! It seems like Indigo (as herself) is trying to be a better friend to Twilight, but is struggling to do so. I wonder how long it'll take Twilight to start piecing things together?