To Lemon Zest, life is a rollercoaster. It's got ups and downs. Lefts and rights. But her favourite part is when it forgets logic and goes inside out. So with the Friendship Games coming up it's gonna happen again. And she's along for the ride.
CAUTION: SPOILERS FOR EQUESTRIA GIRLS: FRIENDSHIP GAMES ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE!!!
Lemon Zest is known as the adrenaline junkie of Crystal Prep. She's got a love for rock music and next to no consistency. That doesn't stop her from enjoying pretty much everything she can though.
So when the Friendship Games come around it's only natural for her to want to compete though. But she doesn't. Why? Because she's being pressured into it. If she were doing it off her own back then it'd be fine. Principle Cinch, however, has other ideas and forces her to play with her recently acquired scholarship to Appaloosa University hanging in the balance.
So instead of losing the one thing that might guarantee her a moment in the spotlight, she's gonna ride it out. And if that involves completely crushing CHS then so be it.
Music blasted through Lemon Zest's headphones as she sat through maths class. Her eyes were closed as she focussed only on the music that drowned out all other noise from the normal classroom. Her class was possibly the worst she could have ever hoped for. In fact, the whole academy was boring in her opinion. She'd come here to play music and get to a point where she'd be able to leave her mark on the world, damn it. Not this rubbish. Having said that, she still enjoyed some of the other subjects like science; however, the allure of music beckoned to her. There was no denying that she loved her rock music, it was all she heard for at least five hours a day after all.
Suddenly, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Dean Cadence standing next to her wearing a look that could only be described as disappointment. It was a sight Lemon had quickly grown accustom to the look after joining the school. Apparently, 'Because the teacher was being boring' and 'It's not like I was gonna learn anything I'll actually need in real life' weren't proper excuses for listening to music in class. Quickly, Lemon took off her headphones and placed them on her desk in front of her. The noise from the classroom instantly invaded her ears. The annoying sounds of real life tripping her up and making her hesitate for a moment.
"Hey Dean Cadence! What's up?"
"Miss Zest. You know our policy about electronic devices at this school."
"You break it, you buy it?"
Cadence sighed. This conversation happened too often. In all honesty, it would have been easier to just allow the girl to continue listening but that would set a bad example to the other students. Lemon already did that with her weekend exploits. Skydiving and freeclimbing were never on Cadence's list of 'Things to do when bored'. They were on this girl's though.
"Miss Zest, as I have told you many times before, no electronics on campus unless they are turned off. Otherwise, I will have to confiscate them until the end of the day. Again. And we don't want a repeat of the Crocodile Incident, now do we. So please hand over the real ones."
Lemon grinned. The Crocodile Incident. Five months ago, Cadence had tried to confiscate Lemon's headphones again but Lemon had been ready. Instead of handing over her real headphones she'd instead handed over a fake set with a baby crocodile hidden inside. It had been meant as an innocent prank but in the end, the crocodile had escaped and terrorised the school for a good three hours. There was never any reason for the panic. The croc was a special breed that didn't grow teeth until they were at least five years old. Ah, but the panic. The hysteria. The janitor seemed to think it was hilarious as well but then again he though anything even mildly chaotic and amusing was the epitome of comedy. It was still funny, though, even after a good half a year. She never did find the croc after that. It was too bad. She'd been thinking of keeping him as a pet and calling him Toothy or Fang or something else along those lines.
Still smiling, she handed over her pink headphones with next to no resistance. She had a pair of earphones in her bag.
"Oh, and by the way," Cadence said as she pocketed Lemon's headphones, "Principle Cinch wants to see you."
Immediately, the smile was gone.
Lemon had only once been called up to Cinch's office before. And that was after the Crocodile Incident. She hadn't been reprimanded, in the literal sense of the word, but she had been told that she was skating on thin ice and reminded of Cinch's influence in the surrounding areas. One such area being Appaloosa University.
The Appaloosa University had quite possibly, the most outrageous standards of quality. Nearly all of the students who passed through its doors became extremely successful after leaving. That was what Lemon wanted. To make an impact. To make sure everyone remembered her for the rest of time.
Cinch, on the other hand, had pretty much stated that if something like that were to happen again, then she could kiss all hope of getting into Appaloosa University goodbye.
"Yes Dean Cadence."
Lemon slowly got up. Had she recently done something to enrage the principle? All of the pranks that she had pulled recently had left both CPA and Cinch by extension completely unharmed. Though, if you counted missing toilet lids as harm then it was a different story.
She gathered up her items and left for Principle Cinch's office.
What would the old crone want her for now? Her most recent prank had nothing to do with her and it had even backfired a bit on her. Evidently, CHS doesn't like when their statue gets to play dress up with the students from CPA. Instead, they produce books about their recent defeats at the hands of CPA as extremely fast. Like stupid fast.
She continued on her way, all the while thinking of different reasons why she might be in trouble. As she walked a thought occurred to her. A) She was losing her touch with her pranks (a bucket of water on top of a door? That's just cliche) and B) These corridors were really long. If she wanted she could probably sing a song about how she wanted to be somewhere else like a typical Disney princess. She could probably drag it out to about 2:43 minutes if she took a leisurely stroll and looked longing through all the doors. Maybe she could include an ironic comment or two hinting to something else in the future! Hell yeah! That'd be epic!
After a short thought about how she'd probably never be able to do that kinda thing she broke into a jog down the halls. Running in the halls was against the rules but there was nothing in there about jogging. Lemon quietly congratulated herself for figuring out yet another way to evade the rules.
As she reached Cinch's office a minute later she stopped a little way down the hall. She knew Cinch was all about reputation and that she'd probably have an aneurysm if she caught even one of her students not wearing the uniform properly. Small changes included by the students as well. Everything had to be perfect for her. And if Lemon wasn't perfect then Appaloosa University would be impossible.
Lemon quickly checked herself over and straightened out any small changes she found like one sleeve being a bit higher than the other and a small wrinkle that reminded Lemon of that one vein on Cinch's forehead the students had a running bet on when it would pop.
Finishing up, she composed herself and knocked on the door. Not a moment later it swung open inwards and Lemon found herself looking into the inky darkness inside the room.
Lemon quickly threw up a confident façade and walked into the room. She knew Cinch loved it when her students were in charge of themselves. Just so long as they were under her rule. An outsider might think her a bit of a dictator. And in all honesty, she was. She'd made it so the students had no real say in how the academy was run. Sure, there was a student council but they didn't really do anything that made any difference. There was actually a massive rumour mill throughout the whole school that came up with new rumours daily. Last Monday it was Fight Club. But no one talked about that. That was rule one. Rule two was a reiteration of the first rule but people felt it had to be hammered in.
But as she walked into the principle's office her gaze never left the chair in front of her. Cinch had turned it around in an attempt to make it seem like she wasn't there. Everyone in the school knew it. Now it just seemed like she was a bad Bond villain. White cat and all, half the school thought, the cat obviously lived at her house. If she ever left the school. The other half of the school thought she was a vampire. Lemon, however, knew differently. And that was a fact.
Cinch was a demon. Duh.
As she reached the chair across the desk from Cinch, a small well of anxiety welled up in her stomach but she quickly squashed it. It wouldn't do for the principle to think you were a weakling. That would open up a can of worms Lemon really didn't want to even prod with a ten foot pole.
She quickly sat down and assumed a position of extreme boredom but made sure there was a hint of interest in her pose.
"Miss Zest. Do you know why you are here?" asked Cinch without turning around. Lemon, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. The demon wanted to worry her. Then, when she was vulnerable, she would convert Lemon over to the dark side. Apparently they had cookies, though, so it wasn't all bad.
"No Ma'am"
"You, Miss Zest, have quite possibly the most interesting hobbies out of anyone in this school." Cinch stated. Lemon raised an eyebrow. "Bungee jumping on a weekly basis, tightrope walking at an altitude of fifty metres and a whole host of other circus tricks, roller derby and off piste snowboarding at rumoured angles of 45 degrees. Quite the collection of sports."
Lemon huffed. If this was another lecture about her weekend activities then the demon had another thing coming. Lemon had had enough of these from her parents. And seriously? 50 metres and 45 degrees? Try 100 metres and 60 degrees and you'd be much closer.
"However, your academic record in nothing to laugh at either, surprisingly." What the hell was that supposed to mean?! "A grade point average of A- and only three days off school in the past year. I'm impressed."
Lemon tried to block out the unimportant parts. That 'surprisingly' comment had irked her a bit. And Cinch had yet to turn around! Mixed messages woman! What are you trying to do?!
"On the other hand." Ah. there it was. "The Crocodile Incident, your weekly detentions, your lack of attention span in classes, your other so-called 'pranks' and your constant disruptions of the other students' education with outbursts of loud music, just to name a few, are factors that, I think, completely shroud all other achievements of yours. Do you honestly expect to get anywhere in life like this?"
That silenced Lemon. The demon was good. She was trying to very quietly make Lemon feel bad and in need of a bit of a ... mentor in her life. Obviously, Cinch wanted to be in that such position.
Of course, Lemon knew exactly why this was happening as well. Lemon was, quite possibly, the one student that Cinch had the least control over. And in the position of a mentor, Cinch would be able to oversee pretty much whatever happened in the girl's future. After all, High School was where one made the choices that would guide them on the journey through their life.
But Lemon was onto her like stripes on a tiger. Just ... not physically. That would be inappropriate. and creepy. Demons weren't exactly known to be the most ... adventurous in bed. Lemon personally liked to add a little zest to everything she did. That was why there wasn't a page in any of her books that wasn't illustrated. Her favourite was a doodle she'd made when her class had been studying Japanese entertainment. It was a little 'chibi' version of herself with the victory sign on her hands and a smile on her face. It was probably the reason she'd only achieved a B- on the assignment that went with the studying. Usually she got at least a B+ to A. It was too goddamn cute!
"Do you see what I mean?" Cinch asked.
Lemon pulled herself back to ... whatever was going on in front of her. The demon had finally shown its face by turning to the side slightly and was looking at Lemon out of the corner of her eye.
"Uh ... Not quite?"
"What don't you understand?"
"Um ... all of it?"
Suddenly, Cinch stood up and stood directly opposite Lemon, freaking the student out a bit.
"This is exactly what I was talking about! You'd know that if you were listening!" Cinch fake exploded. Lemon could tell it wasn't real from the slight excitement hidden in Cinch's eye. The demon then sighed and pulled back a bit, walking over to the trophy shelves.
"Miss Zest. You have the possibility to join absolutely any sports team at all. Yet you don't, instead choosing to sit in on of the rehearsal rooms with a guitar. The only question I have would be ... why?" Cinch now seemed to be actually a bit sincere now. But that meant nothing to Lemon. Demons had no reason to be sincere.
"I dunno. Maybe 'cos they're actually really quiet at lunch an' all that." Lemon replied with a shrug. The real reason was that Lemon had no reason to be anywhere else. It wasn't like she had any friends after all. No one wanted to be friends with the loudmouth adrenaline junkie with too much on her mind.
Lemon tore herself from that train of thought. If she continued down that path then it would lead to depression. And that would give the demon an opportunity to gain control of her. Lemon quite liked being in charge of herself thank-you-very-much.
Cinch made a small noise of agreement. Another tactic of hers no doubt.
"Might I share a token of wisdom for a moment Miss Zest? Don't shut people out. All it will achieve will be isolation. I should know. Once upon a time I did so myself and look at me now. That is the entire reason I became a teacher. So that I might be able to teach students that lesson. But all it got me was a reputation as a extremely manipulative principle who had no reason to be trusted..." Cinch trailed off.
Lemon was stunned. Cinch had a soft side. A soft side. The woman barely had one side, let alone a soft one! And yet, Lemon had difficulty finding even the smallest point of insincerity. Maybe ... maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take the demon's advice. But just once. After that, never again. Maybe.
A minute of silence passed between the two. Cinch staring at her trophies, Lemon staring at Cinch.
"So, Miss Zest," Said Cinch, her earlier softness vanishing entirely, "I have an offer for you. One I believe you can't refuse."
Lemon grinned as she sat down at the back of the coach set to take the competitors from CPA over to CHS even though she had no reason to be doing so. In fact, she had no reason to smiling at all. Well, there were a few reasons. Fall Out Colt had recently released their newest album so that was a plus. She'd been waiting for Saving Rocks and Rolls for months now and, after a few weeks waking up suuuuuuper early (who even wakes up at seven o'clock on a normal basis?! Crazy people, that's who!), she'd saved up enough money to buy it. It helped that she hadn't quit the job so now she had a way to get Area 12's new album in February as well. THE HYPE WAS REAL!!!
But as Lemon pulled her headphones up from her shoulders to her ears, she pulled herself back to the present. There were, at least, a few people on the coach she wouldn't be adverse to talking with. The girl at the front who looked kinda like a hawk but with blue hair, for example. She just had this overwhelming aura of activity that made Lemon want to gravitate towards her. But it wouldn't help to get to know her. Friends didn't help people get a leg up in life. People had to do that themselves. That was what her parents had said. And it was why she had recently sent off her Appaloosa University Scholarship application. She was still waiting for their reply; however, the thought of her dream school reminded her of her recent debacle with the demon that called itself CPA's principal.
Cinch had gone back to her desk and sat down. Playing with a pen on her desk for a moment before her eyes brought themselves back up to Lemon's. For some reason, they looked very cruel and unforgiving. Like a predator looking at its prey. Lemon involuntarily shivered. It was a complete contrast to the side of Cinch she had just seen. The demon had come back.
"Miss Zest," she had said, "I understand that you recently applied for a music scholarship at Appaloosa University, correct?"
"Yes?"
"Was that a question?"
Lemon had been shocked. Just a moment before, Cinch had looked like she was about to burst out crying. The Cinch Lemon was looking at was a demon. No doubt about it. A demon from the deepest pit of hell.
"Miss Zest, was that a question?" Cinch had asked with a certain air of danger punctuated by her words.
"No, Ma'am."
"Then did you recently apply for a scholarship from Appaloosa University?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
That had seemed to satisfy Cinch as she had then leant back on he chair a mote and the fire in her eyes seemed to turn down a millimetre.
"In the few minutes before I called you to my office, I had the pleasure of reading your application and I am certain that you will get your wish."
"Um...w-well thank-"
"However. There is a small event coming up in the next few days in our school calendar. Do you know what it is?"
"The Friendship Games, Ma'am."
"Correct. So named because Crystal Prep and Canterlot High created the event with the intention of increasing inter-school relations. Unfortunately, it seems that, over the years since its establishment, Canterlot High standards have been declining. Their school's grade point average of a C compared to Crystal Prep's A+. Do you understand what I'm saying, Miss Zest?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Explain."
"Um-"
"No stuttering."
"Sorry, Ma'am. You're saying that Crystal Prep has become so far above Canterlot High that the friendship games aren't really necessary anymore to show the differences between our schools."
For a moment, Cinch had looked impressed with Lemon's interpretation of her words. Clearly, that had been what she'd been trying to say.
"Correct again, Miss Zest. But even with their...horrendous standards and their atrocious history of losses, they still have hope, In fact, within the last few months, they've managed to pull up the standard of their reputation. This is not good for Crystal Prep. If they continue on this path, they will attract the attention of some of the more powerful and influential people instead of our own prestigious academy. In turn, this will take away from what Crystal Prep can do for its students as we will be losing the backing that the students will provide. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Crystal Prep has a reputation as well, Miss Zest. One that involves winning the Friendship Games. I am certain that you wish to know what this has to do with your application."
"Yes Ma'am."
"My proposition to you is this. Compete in the Friendship Games and I won't interfere with your application letter. Do not and I will. Do I make myself clear?"
Lemon had been stunned for moment but had no time to get angry as Cinch followed up with another:
"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"
Lemon had immediately agreed and went along with the necessary procedures in order to be a part of the games.
Back in the present, Lemon sighed as she scrolled through the music on her phone before reaching the Saving Rocks and Rolls. It wasn't like she could've done anything against the demon anyway. But that was the past. In the now she was on the coach preparing to depart for CHS.
As the first notes of "Philomena" pounded through her ears, her spirits picked up and she could feel herself getting in the groove. She almost lost a hold of herself before she looked around and saw something else that shocked her.
Sugarcoat.
Sugarcoat was competing.
Oh, they were so screwed.
Sure, Sugarcoat was good at managing teams and all that but she really had nothing substantial on her personal record. It took Lemon a moment to overcome the shock. And then another moment to overcome the despair she felt when the implications of Sugarcoat competing kicked in. The Friendship Games had a reputation for being very physical. Nothing someone like Sugarcoat would ever have come across before.
Sugar coat was the student council president. But, as stated before, the student council held no sway over the way the school was run. And there was nothing really that special in her grades. Average all round. Maybe she was competing as team captain?
"Hey. Sugarcoat." Lemon called, taking off her headphones momentarily, "What're you doin' on here?"
She didn't turn at all.
"Principal Cinch thought it would be best for me to lead the team seeing as none of you have any experience and wouldn't know how to lead if you tried."
1 point to team Zest!
"She blackmailed you with your position on the council didn't she."
"Yes."
And another point! Damn, she was good. Lemon quickly put her headphones back on before any of the other students had a chance to ruin her mood.
A few minutes later saw Lemon literally rocking out as she bounced back and forth, held by the beat of the music. She almost missed the student sit down next to her. For some strange reason she looked sad. The only thought in Lemon's mind right then was to cheer up this unknown girl. It wouldn't be good for team morale if someone was being a downer. That would achieve nothing.
"Dude, you gotta try this!" She yelled as she placed her headphones on the other girl's head and watched as the girl ws momentarily shocked before she settled down and started to actually listen to the music.
After another minutes and the end of the song "Old Tsunamis", the strange girl took off the headphones and handed them back to Lemon, who immediately placed them around her neck.
"Whaddya think?" Lemon asked.
"It's very...energetic, I'll give you that." The girl replied, clearly having a different type of music as her preferred. Lemon then put out her hand in front of her as she said:
"I'm Lemon Zest. You new?"
To which the girl replied with a sigh.
"No, I'm not new. I just don't really get out of my lab much. I'm Twilight Sparkle"
"Dude, Twi! You have a lab! Awesome! What do you actually do in there? Anything cool?"
The girl smiled momentarily before she launched into an explanation of what she did in her lab. Lemon just sat and listened, interjecting occasionally. Just because she loved music didn't mean she didn't like other subjects. It just meant she wasn't as good at them.
The rest of the ride over was spent like that. The two girls talking about science even though Lemon knew she was in way over her head with the subject around Twilight.
As the coach stopped, Lemon and Twilight had to finish up their conversation on muffins. Somehow, they'd managed to get through a whole host of topics ranging from alternate universes to more mundane things like ponies. For some strange reason, Lemon felt the two had an odd connection but she had no clue why.
"You go on ahead," She said to Twi as her friend stood up and looked over to her with a hopeful look on her face, "I'll be there in a sec. What I'm about to do might not be legal. You're gonna need plausible deniability, right?" Twi looked confused for a second and opened her mouth as though she were going to say something but quickly shut her mouth and left as Lemon proceeded to pull a series of cans, each with different labels, out of her pockets and arranged them into a pyramid. She continued to watch for a moment, shocked, until the stack of cans reached her thigh level. Her perception of reality thoroughly shattered, she turned and left.
Lemon grinned as she saw her friend leave. She then checked to see if Cinch was still on the coach. She wasn't. She was outside. Pulling up her headphones, she put all the cans back in her pockets except a single can labelled 'Smile' which sat in her hand for a moment before she opened it up and pulled out a small device and admired her handiwork. The bug, when activated, would temporarily change all of Cinch's ringtones on her phone to a song that would surely make Cinch stressed. It wasn't like there would ever be a better chance than now as, looking out the window, Cinch was talking to the principal of CHS. Serenity, or something. She grinned again and got in the zone. She let the music take hold and started to dance out of the coach and towards Cinch and Serenity, not noticing Twi standing outside the coach.
"...improvements to the school since the fall formal." Serenity was saying as Lemon danced over and 'accidentally' knocked into Cinch.
"SORRY MA'AM!!!" She yelled.
"Take off your headphones." Said Cinch.
"WHAT?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Lemon shouted as she took off her headphones. "That's better. What's up, Ma'am?"
"Take more care with where you walk, Miss Zest."
"Yes Ma'am!"
Lemon saluted and ran off towards the front of the school, hiding behind a pillar as Cinch turned back to Serenity. She grinned, her blood pumping and her breath heaving for a moment, she'd done it. The bug was in Cinch's bag. She pulled out the remote for the bug and stared at it for a moment. Was this really a good idea? She was on thin ice as it was. Would Cinch be able to tell who had planted the bug? Lots of things could go wrong. Then again, Lime had had a point when she'd told her Cinch deserved it. She had blackmailed at least three students and was potentially going to hold at least two students back if they failed to win the games. Lemon included.
She was decided. She was going to do it. She pressed the button on the remote. There. Done. She forced herself to breathe out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding in.
After a moment of silence in Lemon's world, the sound of rock music penetrated her bubble and brought her back to reality. She smiled. She grinned. She'd gotten her revenge.
As she basked in success, she walked back over to the line to sign in, the music forming her world around her. Her mind was racing. She'd managed to pull one over on Cinch. The demon of Crystal Prep! It was a first in the school's history as far as she knew.
So why did she feel guilty? All she'd done was change the principal's ringtone! For the love of- IT WAS A RINGTONE!!!
And for some reason it was tearing her apart. In her mind she knew she'd done the right thing but her body was rebelling by making her feel this weird sensation in her stomach. It was strange. Invasion of privacy based never affected her before. Was it because Cinch had shown her her softer side? How did that change anything?! She was sure it would come back to haunt her later but for now she put it to one side and tried to focus on the entertainment in front of her.
There was a strange looking girl with ketchup and mustard hair over by the CHS Wondercolt statue wearing a leather jacket that really didn't go with the shirt she was wearing. But the entertaining part was the fact that she was possibly attacking the podium with her palms. She had possibly the strangest look on her face though. It was like a llama had had its cheeks pulled back and was forced to try to bleat anyway and was failing. The strange thing was the girl actually looked like she was trying to break through the base for whatever reason. It was just a solid marble podium.
That said, there was that one time that Lemon had gone over to CHS and dressed up the statue and she'd given it shoes that really shouldn't have been possible to get on the horse's hooves. But she had managed to do it. Maybe there was some sort of doorway in the base of the statue.
For the next ten minutes, Lemon watched as the girl went through the all five stages of grief before she went inside with a frown on her face.
After that, she got herself through the check in, even with the guilt in her stomach she put a half genuine smile on her face that got Dean Cadence to give her a look of concern and an offer to talk at any point in the future.
She was then shown the way through and to the gym by a pretty awkward looking blue haired boy with a symbol of a lightning strike over a blue shield on his shirt. She had only been with him for two minutes and he'd walked into her at two times and if she were right, he'd tried to hit on her on the both times before she told him to shove it.
In short, she found the guy insufferable. And she was a people person. If that wasn't a sign then she didn't know what was.
As she walked into the gym, the douche walked off and over to a pair of girls who looked like the personification of mints and luxurious confectionary. Instead of going in the other direction like she'd planned, she began to take in the look of the hall. It had the potential to be a real blast of a party but the atmosphere wasn't helping at all. The music was nearly unbearable and the lights were so bright she could probably blind herself with them. If this was CHS's version of a party then Lemon wasn't sure she'd survive to the end of the day, let alone the whole week.
