90 DAY BRAWL!

>2012
http://tinyurl.com/90DayBrawl

>"You're not coming back next year. I hope you understand that, between your poor attendance, grade point average, and athletic contributions to the school, that there's virtually no way for the dean of Crystal Prep to accept your entry into grade 9."
>Your lip curls up into a snarl
>You try to ignore her as you pack up your backpack
>Why is she doing this just as summer break is getting out?
>But Sugarcoat ignores you. She looks you in the eye as she leans against the locker next to yours
>"I mean it. You're never going anywhere in your life. Your grades are abysmal, a disgrace to these crystal halls. You have the most tardies of anyone in our class too, insulting all of us with your record. And finally, despite it being a requirement, you can't physically perform to match the rest of the school either. Your failure at the track meet left a bad taste in our mouths and cast a shadow over our reputation."
>Staring at your backpack is all you can do
>It's not like you can argue that she's wrong or anything, you are kind of pathetic
>"Indigo Zap."
>With a sigh, you continue packing up your locker, one piece of scrap paper at a time
>"Indigo Zap, I'm trying to talk to you, but you aren't listening. Should we add social incompetence to your list of shortcomings?"
>You glare at her
>Why literally the end of school?
"Yeah, whatever, I already applied to CPA for next year."
>Sugarcoat shakes her head. "I don't believe they'll let you in. I think you should consider attending a different high school for the rest of your academic career." She adjusts her glasses and puts on a small smile. "I've heard Canterlot High retroactively takes Crystal Prep credits at a grade higher. You'd excel there where you struggled here."
>You grunt back at her and turn your back
>"Indigo Zap, I'm serious. Don't come back."
>You glare back at her over your shoulder. "Why's that?"
>She tightens her arms around her belly, scowling at you. She moves closer, propping up her glasses on the tip of her fingers.
>For the first time you've ever heard, she whispers, "No one wants a stupid fat girl at Crystal Prep."
>Your glare melts and you slowly look down
>Yeah, your shirt bulges out a bit
>And it's hard to tuck your shirt in sometimes
>Sometimes it's hard to walk up stairs, and you admit you'd want to pick your panties out from your big butt, and you get sweaty a lot-
>Maybe she's on to something
>Maybe you're a lot fatter than you thought. You just didn't think anyone noticed as much as you did, that maybe you were exaggerating
>But as you watch slim, attractive Sugarcoat walk away, you can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, you've been going easy on yourself
"Yeah, well-"
>"You're a failure!"
>You recoil and your stomach sinks, deep in your fat belly
"I uh, I can still get in!"
>You fish around in your backpack. You saw something...
>Yeah
>You hold up a flier and point to it
"The uh, the Regional Triathalon!" Biking, running, and swimming. The three things you're the worst at
>Sugarcoat scoffs. "You're a terrible liar, Indigo Zap. You don't even look like you've convinced yourself."
>Her back is still to you, though
"You... You aren't even looking at me!" The flier gets crunched in your fist
>She looks back at you, her expression bored now. "I didn't need to. That look of desperation and fear are exactly what I imagined."
>A bead of sweat rolls down your neck
"Y-yea-"
>"Give up already. You're a pathetic fat girl, and that's all you'll ever be." Sugarcoat reaches out and presses a hand against your doughy belly. With a flick of the wrist, she switches to rolling your belly between her fingers and thumb
>The sudden contact makes you flush in embarrassment, and you have to look away from her intense gaze
>ffs
>"Stop trying to keep up with us and quit. You're only going to make a fool of yourself and CPA if you continue. Go somewhere where your failure of a self can accomplish something. A fat... Fat ass like you will never be a good enough athlete to get in on your marks."
>Sugarcoat lets go and pushes you with the same hand. You almost fall back on your butt
>You quietly watch Sugarcoat reach into your vest pocket and grab some tissues
>She starts pulling one after the other out until she has a fat handful of cheap tissue paper
>Then she tosses the rest on the ground
"S-sugarcoat, come on..." You squat down to pick it up, and a big ball of paper bounces off of your forehead
>"That was because I grabbed your greasy gut."
>You look up at her. She's crossing her arms already
>"Quit. Crystal. Prep."
>Before you can say anything, she turns on her heel and starts walking
>You can't make yourself do anything but watch her walk
>She's gone
>No more yelling
>Sniff
>No more... Fat... Truth?
>You put your face in your empty hand and quietly sob in the hallway
>Summer's starting

>You kick a can on your way home
>Sniffle
>Fuck Sugarcoat, though, man
>You can too get into CPA if you try hard enough
>You sigh and gulp as you step onto your stoop
>Looking up, all you can see is the tiny house you live in with mom
>You once heard that parents of kids who go to CPA get better jobs almost overnight
>Since you two can barely pay to live here, maybe that means your mom won't have to stress as much
>You shake your head and grab the knob, heading in
>Anyway, you're getting in. For mom, for you
>"Inigo!"
>Not even half way in, and she's calling from the kitchen
"Yeah ma!?" You slip off your shoes, unsling your backpack, and untuck your fucking shirt so you can scratch at your belly. Fucking starch
>"What time do you want to see your father!?"
"I don't wanna!" You wander into the dark living room and plop down, flipping through channels
>"Inny!"
>You sit upright and throw your head back. "What!?"
>"C'mere!"
>You groan and roll to your feet. You just want to relax!
>Plodding around a bit, you follow the sounds of stirring and sizzling to the kitchen
>Your mom stands there, hand on waist as she stirs something. For some reason, she has her hair, your hair, braided in a ponytail
>"Inny!"
>You pull out a chair and slump into it, setting your chin over your arms. "What, mom, god."
>She looks back at you, blinks, and grins
>"Welcome home, sweet pea. How was school?"
"Good, I guess, whatever."
>You start remembering Sugar again, but other shit she's pulled
>Before you can start down that way, Ma butts in
>"Made your favorite, hun. Chicken and gravy and mashed 'tatoes!" She grins back at you
>You look up from her from where you have your head set down, and she turns the heat down
>Ma steps next to you and puts a hand down over your back, rubbing nice and gentle
>"What happened, sweet pea?" She whispers as she pulls some strands of hair out of your face
>Grunt
>Ma looks at dinner for a sec, but then grabs a chair
>"Tell mama. Was it that cow titted Sour Sweet again?"
>You shake your head, looking away as your eyes start burning and your throat starts closing up
>Ma coos, shushing the tears away as she rubs at your back
>"Maybe Sugarcoat? That little shit? She giving you a hard time?"
>You nod and close your eyes
>"Aw..." Ma kisses the side of your head and hugs you
>You sniffle again. Ffs you're gonna cry at this rate
>But Ma hugs you and rubs your back
>Ma pulls you close and squeezes. "Mama's here, sweet pea, you ain't gotta worry about that little twerp."
>She pulls you out to arm's length and grins extra wide. "Hey, guess what?"
>You blink and rub at your eyes with one of your sleeves
"What, Ma?"
>Ma throws her hands up, still grinning. "It's summer break!" She pats her hands down on her knees. "Whatcha gonna do?"
>You sniffle and rub at your face
>It's summer break
"Practice, I guess."
>"For what...?"
>You pull out the flier again, holding it out for her
>She gasps. "That looks like a triathalon!"
>You nod. "Yeah?"
>Ma takes the flier, and reads it closer. "You can't do any of this..."
>You groan and slam your head back on the table, over your arms
>Ma chuckles and leans next to you again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..."
>"I just didn't expect my little Inny to go running and jumpin and shit." Ma moves closer, and kisses your cheek
>But then she blows and makes that stupid fart noise
>And you reflexively laugh, swatting her away
>Ma chuckles and stands, letting you wipe at your cheek with the back of your sleeve
>She goes back to stirring the potatoes
>You look down at the flier
>Running, swimming, and biking
>You'll need to come out at least tenth place to get in the newspaper
>But CPA doesn't care about tenth
>Only first place gets a high school scholarship
>You glance up at Ma
>She's humming to herself as she cooks
>The rest of the house is kinda dirty
>It's a small crap shack out in West Canterlot. Just you and Ma and the bed you both share.
"H-how was work, Ma?"
>Ma sighs. You listen to her complain about her jobs
>CPA isn't cheap. You know Ma easily put you through grade school, but middle school has been harder
>And you hear high school will be at least five times as much
>You stare down at the flier

>Now full, you sit down at the dinner table, planner in hand, and pull out a pen
>Time to schedule your totally awesome workout schedule for the Regional Triathalon
>...
>You grab your tablet
>Time to research awesome workout schedules!
>Google, google...
>Hm, let's see...
>'How 2 lose wait'
>How to lose weight
>Articles...
>Uh
>Hm, 'Lose weight the easy way!' 'Drop fifty pounds in fifty days!' 'The miracle work out that MELTS the weight away!'
>ffffffffffffffuck, this is all stupid
>It's just a buncha ads! What can you do with ads?
>Augh, you need like a real work out plan, and all you find is these stupid articles of clickbait and stuff, you can't use that!
>Uh, but what else can you do?
>Where do people get fit?
>...Gyms, yeah, okay
>Yeah, forget work out plans!
>You can get super in shape by getting pro advice from a gym guy, like Rocky did!
>Sorta
>Google: 'gyms'
>Hey, there's a lot
>Hey, there's one in your neighborhood!
>Open everyday, 6 am to 10 pm
>Damn, you're probs not gonna be working out all day, but that's convenient
>Aw man
>You're gonna need new undies
>And like other clothes, too, since you'll be sweating so much
>Can't really wear your usual stuff to work out...
>In public
>Your cheeks flush with blood, growing hot at the idea of someone noticing you working out out there
>Now that you think of it, you'll probably be running around a lot, outside
>Everyone will see your... Your belly and butt as you run
>You grab your face and groan
>They already jiggle when you walk up and down the stairs too fast...
>Agh!
>You slide away your tablet ad pull out your planner
>Okay so, like your summer is basically empty
>The first of June, July and August is the usual HSHW tournies
>And... Yeah that's it
>There's a concert in July, but you probs won't have enough cash for that
>After buying all this shid
>Does a gym membership cost snything?
>Tablet says... Yes, fourty a month
>Fourty a month! What? That's insane!
>You grab your forehead
>Damn...
>Maybe you don't need new clothes...
>You grab a calculator and some scratch paper
>Jiggling
"Ah!"
>Your stuff goes flying
>"You kay!?"
"Yeah, ma!"
>You grab up your stuff and keep working
>Ignore that image, count
>Ugh
>Gym membership is 40/month, tourney entry is 20 each, new shoes... You'll worry about them later, you guess
>Uh...
>Can't... Really think of anything else, for like money, anyways
>So you need... 200 for this summer
>No wait, 180
>Hunh
>You hop up and pace to your little lockbox under the bed, mostly ignoring mom laying down and reading a magazine
>Hm... You have... 50 bucks. And a 5 dollar credit for entering the next tourney
>Ah, okay
>You lay down in bed and stare at the ceiling
>Ma leans toward you and points out an article
>"Lookie here, work out tips."
>You raise your brow and look at it
>Looks like some work out style from... Literally who?
>Oh!
"Da fug?" It's the actress who played Daring Do!
>Ma offers up the article and you snatch it up, reading it up and down
>What's her secret!? She was so slim and hot!
>Interview, interview, interview, movie news- Oh, new movie in 2016?
>Hunh, that's cool... Summer 2016, and she's already filming for it...
>Wait, no, the work out! The work out!
>Where is it!
>Ah, okay, okay
>Okay, so, you're supposed to start slow?
>Workout only a few days a week, yeah, makes sense
>Workout until you can handle the workout, then move to a heavier workout routine
>Yeah, okay
>Make sure you eat no... Sweets, or oily food, or greasy food...
>Ah, yeah...
>You lay down again
>"Ya saw the bad part, huh?"
>You nod and hold up the article again
>Workout, push yourself, eat better
>What do you eat?
>Low fat meats, whole grains, nuts and fruits
>Yeah, sure...
"Bluh."
>Ma chuckles at you, and you glare at her
>She starts laughing harder and pulls her phone out to snap a pic of you being angry
>Augh, you gotta roll over to look away from her
>She giggles some more and lays closer to you, probably so she can apologize
>"Sorry sweet pea, but you know how cute you look when you're angry."
>You groan louder, pulling your pillow into your face and dropping the magazine
>You keep on groaning while ma hugs you from behind, squeezing around your belly
>Still angry groaning into the pillow, you start trashing around when she smooches your cheek while giggling
>Eventually, your kicking and screaming tuckers you out, and you lay slack against the bed
>Breath. Not... Coming
>You flop your pillow onto mom, who's pulled away by now
>And she's still laughing, as you pant for air, sweaty

>You lay in bed a little while, letting ma hug you
>Ma leaves after a minute so she can catch her shows, leaving you alone in bed
>One more time, you look at the article
>This time, you carefully read it, just so your dense head gets it
>And you make sure to grab the light next to the bed
>'The number one tip I can give is to find a reason to get fit. I didn't do it just for the movie, I did it for my own sake.'
>Time to sit up
>'It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. There was a lot of pain the first month or so. Exhaustion, fatigue, I wanted to sleep all the time, but I needed to get that work out in.'
>Your eyes narrow
>'I had to lose fifteen pounds in one month, and then put the rest into muscle... It was hard, but it wasn't impossible. Seemed like it, sometimes.'
>Slowly, you lower the magazine and raise your head
>Looking across the room, you see your chubby face in the mirror. You're still in your uniform, and you still have your ponytail tied down low
>Even in the dim light of your lamp, you can see your belly through your long sleeve shirt, and your soft arms, and how your thighs sink into the mattress
>It's not impossible
>For you to change
>Get fit
>Fight your way into CPA
>You set the magazine down on ma's half of the bed and lay down
>You need to get in shape
>Ma needs you to get in shape
>You close your eyes and take a deep breath
>Ma's counting on you to get a good education
>That's your reason to get fit, and no other
>You squeeze your eyes shut and roll over
>Not cause you hate how you look or you're pathetic in every way you can think of
>You're doing it for ma. She works really hard for you to go to a good school and get C's in everything
>She does it cause she thinks you can do good if you get the chance
>Augh...
>You're already crying into a pillow, again

>12:58 am
>You haven't cried in a while now
>Ma's already snuggled up to you again, and she pulled the covers up over you both for bed
>12:59 am
>Sugarcoat's voice comes back
>"You're not coming back."
>You'd cry again if you could
>She's right
>When you fail that stupid triathalon, you're gonna be stuck at CHS
>1:00 am
>You close your eyes and sigh
>Maybe some music to cheer you up
>You wiggle away from ma and grab your slippers and some sweat pants
>Oh those are for exercising
>Maybe you'll bring them tomorrow
>Living room...
>You grab your backpack and snatch up your walkman
>Slowly, you ease into the couch while the track buffers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7VLgEhiBxA

>Aaaah, now this is good shit
>Yeah
>Just lean back and enjoy
>This... This is 'it'
>Like the one moment when you can like
>Ya know?
>Just stop being worried or notice things
>Just be a different you
>A cool, calm you, ya know?
>Aaaaaaaaah...
>Just let yourself sag into the couch and bob to the rhythm
>If only you could feel like this all the time
"Mm..."
>You should make a workout mix
>For tomorrow...
>You yawn and pick yourself up, walking to the computer
>Poke. It's booting, while you relax with your music
>Your hand is under your chin as you stare
>Wiiiiiiindooooooooooows
>1998
>Computer is as old as you... Yawn
>That's your favorite part, same age
>You grab up a cord and plug your mixtape maker into the computer holes
>Whatever they're called... Wuh, you're getting tired already
>But that's alright, this'll be quick
>As soon as you have a new blank in hand, you're already picking out good songs
>Aah... This this that and this...
>You work as fast as you can, but you're fading quick
>Done
>Record...!
>The blank starts spinning. Computer is making mixtape. Computers are cool
>You shove your hands into your pockets and stare at the glowing screen
>Windowsssssssssss... 98
>Your eyes close

>Sniff
>Eggs?
>Augh, ffs, your face
>Sitting up pops your back
>Looking around...
>Living room? You fell asleep here?
>At the computer?
>What's this mix tape?
>Oh oops, you fell asleep at your computer
>What time... 6 in the morning!
>Eggs at 6, what the fug?
>Your feet cross over each other, and you stumble out of the chair
>But don't fall over
"Maaaaa?"
>Your dry throat cracks a bit
>"Kitchen, sweet pea!"
>Aight
>So you slowly wander on over to the kitchen
>And... Notice a few bags near the front door as you do
>Weird
>Mom's already setting down a plate of eggs and toast when you get in
"Ey ma."
>Ma grins and sits down
>"Breakfast!"
>You slowly take your usual seat, plopping into it. "Yeah... Why so early?"
>Yawning starts happening now, getting you then ma
>"I wanted my little Inny to get a good start on her summer!"
"Summer, right."
>Right, yer gonna... Do this summer thing
>You slowly blink and pick up a forkful of eggs
>"I think you can do it, Inny."
>You rub at your eyes and then you're looking at Ma
>She slides over a cup
>Uh
"Coffee?"
>"Yup!" Ma stands up and picks your empty plate and hers
>You stare at the cup
>It smells okay
>Sniff sniff
>Pretty good, actually
>How bad can it taste?
>Okay...
>Maybe a little more...
>You stare at the bottom of your coffee cup, fully awake and sniff
"Bretty gud."
>Ma pats your head and grabs the cup
>"I'm headin to work. The bags at the door are all for you! And an old friend of mine is gonna call you, so if you get a weird phone number, try answering, kay?"
>You nod and drink up the last few drops in your cup
"Kay."
>Ma reaches over and kisses your forehead and then hustles out the front door
>You watch the empty space where she was
>Time to go, too...
>Okay so these bags Ma left for you
>Dafaq is this?
>It's a bunch of old clothes from the 80s
>Tights, leg warmers, high top sneakers, scrunchies!
>Scrunchies!
>This is kickass!
>You hold out a big shirt with a huge neck hole
"Heaven and Hell Live 1982... I love you ma."
>You grab up the bags and hug them all the way back to your room
>Dropping them on the bed, you start dumping them out
>Okay so what do we really have...
>A bunch of those old tights and unitards to go with them
>Like twenty pairs of leg warmers-
>VELCRO
>SNEAKERS?????
>WHAT EVEN!? MOM IS SO COOL!
>Huh?
>A base ball bat?
>You hold it up. It's wooden, and theres a dark blue star spray painted on the side near the top
>Weird...
>Oh, there's something written on the tape handle... Hm...
>Blueberry Pop <3
>Whoa
"Mom, why did you give me all this cool shit... I love you so much."

>Alright, so one quick shower, and you're staring at all this stuff
>You're pretty sure that... These shorts are for jogging, yeah
>Aaaaaaaaand, these shoes are good for running
>And... This... Is a sports bra? You think?
>Tee shirt to top everything off... And damn, this all fits nice
>Was Ma fat like you?
>The bat catches your eye, the big blue star sticking out against mom's bat and the white sheets
>That's not blue
>You pick up the bat, again, surprising yourself at how light it feels
>You pull a lock of still damp hair up and look at it with the star behind
>Your hair disappears
>This
>You grin
>This is an Indigo Star, and your Ma gave it to you
>One of these bags is a duffle bag
>Inside is a few base balls, a second pair of sneakers and an empty water bottle
>All new... Er, unused
>You put away Indigo Star and wipe your hands together
>You're gonna hit the batting cages real soon
>But first
>You snatch up your headphones and your walkman and your new mixtape...
>And uh, a few bucks
>Oh right, your keys
>You reach inside and grab those, and lock up. Time to work out...
>Uh, so you just jog?
>You look down at your sneakers and then your hands
>Ball up your hands, and move, you guess?
>Right down the walkway from your house...
>So you just hustle down to the sidewalk
>Fug, you suck, you're already breathing heavy
>But, this is it, you're not gonna quit
>Left, right...
>Around South Canterlot or into Central Canterlot...
>Huff
>The uh, gym is near your house
>So you turn left and put one foot in front of the other, feeling your thick thighs rubbing against each other
>They're heating up, but that classic 80's design keeps your thighs from rubbing up
>You can't breathe, but you smile and keep moving, twice as fast as you usually do
>So a jog
>What you think is a casual pace
>But its fast for you!
>Its fast for you!
>Your lungs are burning up
>And your throat is drying

>You're dead
>You're so fugging dead, you're gonna die, you're gonna die
>Its only been ten blocks
>This bus stop is a godsend
>You can't breathe
>You keep trying, but fug, it's hard
>Augh, the third bus is coming
>Third in a row
>"You gotta learn how to pace yaself, blue."
>You cough a little and look at the girl sitting next to you
>Some big pink girl
>Peace sign
>You return it and cough some more
>She leans over and rubs at your back
>"My dad runs a gym. If ya ask nice enough, I think he'll give ya some advice to get fit!"
>You take another breath and look at her
>She's smiling extra wide, showing off her kinda fugged up teeth
>You smile back
"U-uh..." You cough again, and then something cold touches your lap
>A water bottle
>You rip it open
>"Wait!"
>It's already at your lips, but you stop
>"Nice 'n slow, blue." She chuckles.
>You quietly sip at the icy water while you listen to your new friend (?)
>She's a big girl, with tons of lime green hair
>She's really fit too, but she seems proud of you for trying to lose weight
>It's p great
>"So what's yer circuit?"
>You furrow your brow
"My what?"
>She chuckles
>"Yer circuit! Your routine! Where do you start, where do you stop? Do you run back, or do you take a jog back?"
"Uh." You feel your cheeks heat up. Is a circuit important?
"I-I dunno, I just started."
>She blinks a few times. "Whoa, and how far'd you get on yer first run?"
>Run
>Jog
>S-same thing
"Uhm... T-ten blocks."
>She raises her brow at you. "Uh... Aight, das coo."
>You look away, your cheeks burning up
>F-fug
>You're not gonna cry
>"I mean, it's not far, but I think it's good that you're willin to try."
>You pause and look at her
>She grins again
>You grin. "Thanks. I'm trying my best, ya know?"
>"I getchu, I getchu... You should come to my dad's gym, really. He'll help you if you mention me!"
>You nod, grinning ear to ear
"I'd love to!" You frown. "Oh, but I don't ha-"
>"Don worry bout cash." She winks
>"Cute girl like you deserves everythin."
>Your face flushes and you slowly look away, feeling your breath hasten a little again
>She chuckles, tapping your shoulder with her big fist
>"Jus teasin!" She sets her hand down on the bench now
>You frown at her, and she chuckles some more
>"I mean, ya are cute, but I ain't tryina flirt with ya. Jus a compliment, ya know?" At this point, she's a little flush herself!
>You smirk and bump your own fist against her shoulder and chuckle with her
>"So uh... Yeah, go ahead and mention me, and bein my friend, and my dad should offer you to stick around for the summer."
>You nod
>Sounds easy
>And hella cool of this girl
>...uh
"What's your name?"
>You and she stare at each other for a few moments, until she snorts and quickly chuckles
>"Aw man, we been talking this long without any intros?"
>You nod and hold out your hand. "I'm Indigo Zap. Or Indy, if you like."
>She takes your hand in her big hand. "Well, Blue, they call me Lem. Lemon Zest."
>With a grin, you shake your new friend's hand
>But as you shake, a bus rolls up, the fourth one so far
>She grins at you and stands, waving down at you
>"Seeya, Blue! Hope we can hang out some more!"
>You nod and wave back, grinning
"I do too! That sounds totally rad!"
>Lem hustles up into the bus, and it takes off
>Oh, that one's going far. Where's she headed?
>Hm... She didn't say what gym
>Dang
>You're gonna have to wait till you get home to look that up
>For now, time to continue this jog-
>Oof!
>Your legs. They're sore
>Oh man
>Oh ow, ow, ow
>You toss your empty bottle into the trash bin, one less thing to worry about
>Then you rub your legs a bit
>Fug
>Just gotta keep going, right? Or no?
>Uh
>W-walk for now, yeah
>With a deep breath, you start walking a little faster than normal
>Not even close to a jog, but hey
>It's gonna make you sweat
>Maybe you can visit that gym you know about
>Hey maybe it's the same one!
>Ha, maybe!
>Ow, your feet
>Your feet, your legs, a little bit of your arms, too
>So sore, man
>Maybe you'll walk around a bit, now that you've cooled down
>Just down the street
>Everyone outside gives you weird looks
>Weird, you don't feel like you're walking too weird, except for having all this jelly for your legs
>What's up?
>You look around, and everyone's still giving you weird looks
"W-what?"
>They all ignore you and go back to what they were doing
>Da fug?
>Whatever, walking
>Trying as hard as you can, you definitely can walk, just slower than normal
>Your feet hurt, but whatever, no pain no gain, right?
>If you remember right, that gym is like eight blocks away, so you're more than halfway there
>Er
>Well, not really, stupid
>Augh, why'd you lie to her, that was so stupid
>Okay, so you ran two blocks, and the gym is like eight blocks away
>You won't die from walking that far

>Whew...
>You take a deep breath in front of the Gym
>Maybe you're already making improvement, but that brisk walk barely winded you!
>Now then!
>'Lemon Pie Gym - Training chumps into champs since 1886.'
>Hot diggity damn, dude
>This building is ancient, but it's still standing! Its like a small castle, where people go to get buff and beat ass!
>Awesome!
>You wander on in and take in the scene
>Oh yeah
>It's only like 8 in the morning, and theres already a dozen guys in this huge work out joint
>Awesome
>"Need somethin, lil missy?"
>You excitedly whip ar-
>HOLY SHIT
"Y-you're huge!" You're pointing without realizing it
>The huge pink bald guy is built like a tank, wide, tall, and with a lot of fat. But you can tell he can dish out the hurt real easy, look at those arms!
>He's quiet for a few seconds, then grunts
>"I'm Lemon Preserves. I own 'n run Lemon Pie Gym. You here to get fit lil missy? I'm always accepting kids for the summer."
>You nod, letting your excitement out. "Heck yeah! I wanna get in shape, sir!"
>He smirks. "That's what I like to hear."
>Big Lem motions toward the gym. "For a decent fee, you can use all this equipment, and ask me and my staff for help any time."
>Ah
>Hm...
"Right, I don't have cash..."
>He frowns. "...I see."
>You awkwardly shrug and look away. "Say uh, do you know Lemon Zest?"
>"Lil Lem? My daughter?"
>You flinch and look up at him, blinking
>He's pointing to a trophy case he was completely blocking
>In it, Lil Lem and Big Lem are in like ten pictures, and there's easily twenty trophies, most gold.
"Wow... I never would've guessed you were her dad."
>You look away from the trophies and smile. "She said if I asked super nice, you'd let me in for free!"
>You slide over to Big Lem, who's now glaring down at you. "So can I? Please, please?"
>After a bit more prodding, he groans. "Fine! Only for the summer!"
"Yass!"
>"First up, we draw out a nutritional plan! Follow me!"
>Oh boy

>Oh boy, oh boy...
>You stare at the bit of paper Big Lem scribbled out for you
>Aw man, he was kinda rough, but he's a nice guy
>His handwriting is real neat too
>He's a good guy
>And he gave you really good advice about food, and running too!
>Running as fast as you can, which isn't that fast, isn't the best!
>Good thing you got that out of the way!
>You're supposed to find out what tires you and do a little less than that
>And keep working on that limit everyday!
>Exercise is cool, now that you have some kind of handle on it
>Anyway, you're heading back next week after jogging every day, like Big Lem said
>So you're just gonna stock up on (beg mom for) healthier food and do this schedule every day
>Up early, bed early, excercise, eat better
>Aaaaaaaaand...
>So you're in a convenience store
>You're trying to pick a water to buy
>This one has electrolytes
>But this one is Ph 8.88
>This one was voted best work out water
>But this one is half off right now
>This one has protein, which... "promotes good muscle growth"?
>But this one has a clown on it
>Dang it, which one's better
>Why is eating healthy so hard?
>You sigh, letting your shoulders sag
>Guess you're gonna have to buy both
>You trudge back to the regis...ter...
>The mustached guy at the register is quietly pulling money out and putting it down on the counter
>For a burglar, who's got a gun in his pocket and pointing it forward
>What the actual fuck, dude. It's 10 AM and he's robbing someone!
>What the fuck!
>What a piece of shit!
>You set the bottles down on the counter, nice and quiet and look around
>Canned peas
>Canned ham...
>Yeah... Canned whole chicken
>It fits nice in your palms
>Fuck this guy, dude, shitting up your town
>You glare over at the counter
>There's one of those mirrors, but the burglar won't notice you if you come up right behind him
>One
>Two
>One, two
>You swing up, let your left hand go, and whip the can on his head

>Whew
>You take a deep breath and pick up the can and tie the guy's sleeves together behind his back
>Stupid kid
>Scrawny dude too, pretty boy face
>Eugh
>You go back and grab your waters and reach for your money
>"Thank you!"
>Wha?
>Looking up, you see the dude running the store crying and praying
>"You are a gift from God! Thank you for your help, thank you thank you thank you!"
"Uh..."
>You look around the store for the hidden cams, but there ain't none. "K-kay."
>You hold out your money. "I just did what anyone would do, dude."
>He grabs your hand in both of his
>"No no! No money! I'll give you the water, for free, you come by every day for a free drink for your good act!"
>Blink
>You grin. "Thanks, dude! You're awesome!"
>He grins back and hustles to stuff the money back in the register
>"You go on home!" He chuckles, and gives you a weird salute. "I have to get the cops here, and I can't explain a little kid stopping a robber!"
>You snort and hustle out. "Thanks again dude, I'll be back tomorrow morning!"
>"I'll be waiting!"

>Gosh...
>It's like 11, you think
>Bout time to head home for lunch
>You grab Big Lem's paper from your waist band
>'Do NOT excercise more than 3 hours per day. Do NOT exercise for more than 1 hour per 8 hours!'
>Yep... Lunch and... Something, till after dinner
>Hm.
>Why's mom's car here?
>Door's unlocked too
>You slowly twist and slide in
>Duffle bag is still at the door
>You grab the bat and swing it into both hands
>You hear the sounds of eating
>The kitchen
>One, two, one-two
>There's a fucking bastard in your kitchen, eating your food
>Ma looks up from him and smiles at you
>"Hey sweet pea!"
>The dude stops and turns to you
>He grins that grin full of crooked teeth, framed by five o'clock shadow
>His shitty jacket smells
>He smells
>"Hey, lil Zappy!"
"Sup, assmunch."
>Lightning Zap
>Dad's home
"Hey." You make sure he knows you still hate his gappy grin and stubble and shitty cologne and ugly face with one word
>As always, he grins real wide at you, not getting it. He just puts his arm out to you
>"Come give your pappy a hug!"
>You squint at him
>You wanna say a few things before you hug him, but you don't
>Only because ma's pleading eyes catch your eye
>Instead you groan and walk away
>"Don't walk away, come give me a hug! Something got you down, baby cakes?"
>Whatever
>You lay down on your bed and grab some new batteries for your walkman
>Dad comes bumbling in
>Fffffffffffffffffug
>You stare at your walkman, almost melting it with your anger
>He drops down next to you, throwing an arm around your shoulder
>He clicks his tongue, snaps his fingers and points at you
>"Who wants to go to the zoo?"
"Not me."
>"C'mon-"
"No."
>"It'll be fun, I swear!"
"Sure."
>"Nice, nice, I'll just grab the car."
"No."
>Your dad pauses and puts his hands together as he sits next to you
>God, he's stinking up the place with that shitty cologne
>You look away so you don't have to smell him
>"Are those Poppy's... Old clothes?"
"I guess."
>You pry open the battery hole and slide them out
>"They look good on you. You trying the old styling look out?"
"I'm trying to lose weight, actually, cause I'm fat and need to."
>You answered the next couple of questions, maybe he'll shut up
>"Oh."
>Good. You slide some batteries in
>"So."
"Ugh!" You throw your head up, and then glare at him
>He raises his hands, and you can see gold all over his wrists
>"Hey, come on, I just want to be a part of your life!"
"And I don't. Get out."
>"But-"
"Out!"
>You throw a pillow at him, and he starts walking out
"This counted as your visit, by the way!"
>He stops in the middle of the hall and points down at you. "Bullshit it did! I deserve a real father daughter day, don't pull this fuckin bullshit, Indy!"
"Get out!"

>8 hours later, and you're fugging exhausted, showered, and fed
>Just trying to relax with some dvd ma rented
>You and she are snugged up on the couch, sitting pretty in front of the fan
>And you suddenly remember your dad from this morning
>Fug
>And here you were enjoying yourself
>What the fug, though
>Why can't he just go away?
>Ugh
>Bad enough you have to deal with being fat, you have to deal with him every other week
>Mm, but your work out went well today
>Like Big Lem said, you made sure not to kill yourself with the running
>You made sure to eat good, too. Which is super important
>So time to just relax
>Watch some anime, you guess
>Power Ponies, but from neighpon
>It's been interesting so far, but you're fading in and out
>"Listen, Chilly. You and I need to have this talk."
>It's always weird that Mistress Mare-velous used their real names all the time
>At least to you
>You yawn, long and hard
>Boy, that was a yawn
>"-heroes. You, me, everyone on this team."
>Hm?
>"We don't fight the bad guys because we want to. We fight them because we have to. If we don't, who will? It's not destiny, it's not our duty, it isn't even something as frivilous as using our powers responsibly."
>You lean forward
>"We're heroes. That means we stop wrongs and evils just because no one will. Because it doesn't come naturally to anyone else like us. Only heroes get the urge to do good like us, and we can't sit idly by and let that urge go un-scratched."
>You lean back again, closing your eyes
>MM's always cool with her speeches
>Superheroes are awesome
>You grimace
>Wish you had some superheroes in Canterlot
>Someone to wipe the floor with your dad and punks like that shitter in the convenience store this morning
>But all it's got is you to bean punks with cans and mouth off at your dad
>Eh, whatever
>Why don't you just become a superhero?
>Heh
>That'd be totally rad
>You yawn and cuddle Ma, closing your eyes

>6 AM!
>You slap your alarm and go back to tying up your trainers
>Duffle bag
>Baseball bat
>Keys
>Six waters (with a clowns on em)
>Some cash
>Yeah, you're ready!
>Time for your second week!
>You take a deep breath and march on into the kitchen, smile creeping on your face as you inhale
>"Inny, you up!?"
"Yeah, ma." You take your seat, and ma sets down breakfast and a cup of coffee
>Coffee first
>Black, baby
>It's strong, just like you like it, and it's not that sweet either, which wakes you up like you want
"Aaaaaah!"
>Ma giggles as you shake your head and dig into breakfast
>"You're looking better, sweet pea. All that work's really payin off."
>You grin at her and chew
>She's leaning forward on one of her hands, smiling, and already finished her breakfast
>You smile back. "Thanks, ma."
>She grabs up everything but your plate and moves to the sink
>She shouts over the rushing water, "So what's up today? More runnin?"
>You take a deep breath and nod...
"Gettin ready for next week's exhibition."
>"The what!?"
"The exhibition, ma!"
>"Oh!"
>You roll your eyes and add your plate to the sink just as she stops the water, making her start again
>She rubs a wet hand into your hair!
>Fug!
"MA!"
>Ma just giggles at you and pokes your nose with a soapy finger
>You shake away the soap and rub your face
"Bah! I'll see you later, Ma!"
>She just keeps giggling as you walk out with your crap
>Ma...
>You look around outside
>Another bright and sun shiney day in canterlot
>Punks run in the streets, bullies roam the schools and no one does anything about either
>Some guy is letting his dog shit on your lawn
"Hey!"
>He gives you a glare and a bird
>You whip out Blueberry Pop and chase him and his stupid dog for a few minutes, with no one saying anything about it
>You love this city

>You walk again, rolling your shoulders
>Canterlot city, Equestria
>It's 2012, and this city is still standing
>It really speaks to the... Uh
>It's like
>People just won't leave, 2bh
>Like this city would have been broken a long time ago if no one wanted to deal with any of the bs here
>But then again
>Can you and mom leave?
>Hm
>Not... Really?
>Wait, how many people are like you and mom?
>Everyone in your neighborhood
>But like no one is in any crystal schools...
>You furrow your brow and ponder
>Okay, so your school costs a fortune
>And ma barely managed to paid for any of it
>Aaaaaaaand...
>No one else in your neighborhood can afford that
>What were you thinking about?
>Right, like no one can afford to leave Canterlot
>And a lot of stuff sucks, but that doesn't mean it's a bad city
>Augh... Someone's gotta clean up Canterlot, so everyone see how cool it is...

>Oh fug
>You squeeze your fingers behind your head
>Deep breath
>You pull forward, pushing one more time
>You clench your teeth so you don't sputter all over yourself
>"C'mon, Indy!"
>That's Blueblood
>He gets paid to yell at you
>"Can you do it!? Gotta ask yourself! CAN YOU DO IIIIIIIIT!?"
"YEAH! AUGH 43!"
>You pull forward one more time, your forehead stopping an inch from his
>He shouts out again
>"CAN YOU DO IT!?"
>He's p great 2bh
"I CAN! 44!"
>Just then, Big Lem steps behind Blueblood and sets a huge hand on his shoulder
>"Alright, enough shoutin, it's time fer the real work out. Lots planned today, Inigo. Gotta see how you progressed."
>You slowly fall back flat, breathing heavy
>"Ya ready?"
>You nod and wipe your forehead
>"No you ain't. Get yourself a cooldown stretch and some water first."
>And then he walks away, smirking
>You smirk back
>Big Lem talks big, but he cares
>Blueblood slides behind you and puts his hands on your shoulders
>"You ready!?"
>You manage to gasp, "Totes."
>Blueblood helps you up and you stretch a little to get the blood back into your wobbly legs
"Whatcha think he's got?"
>Blueblood shrugs and crosses his thick arms
>"I suppose he's got the usual in store for you, little lady."
>He smirks
>You frown
>He talks weird when he's not working out
>"I do hope you can overcome your anticipation and come out on top though."
>You pick up your water bottle and sip a bit
"Yeah, same, 2bh. Does he do this a lot?"
>Blueblood cocks a brow and shakes his head as he sits down and hooks his fingers into a free weight
>"Nah, dude. Never seen Big Lem doing this."
>You watch him curl the weight for a while until you've caught your second wind
>Time to impress Big Lem
>Wherever he is
>Where'd he go?
>You look around the flat gym
>In his office, maybe...?
>You walk past a few older tough guys and to his door
>He usually doesn't like to be bothered, but...
>You gotta know what this is about!
>You raise a knuckle
>And his door flies open
>He's there
>He slowly looks down at you, still pissed as usual
"Hey, sup?"
>He cocks a brow
>Big Lem reaches up and rubs at his stubble
>"It's time."
>He guides you to one of the older treadmills, one of the ones that can't go too hard for too long...
>Why?
>"BB."
>Blueblood puts his mega protein bar into his belt and saunters over, hand on his bouncing hip
>Big Lem grumbles, "Stop that."
>He starts the treadmill, leaving you to walk on it, and nods to your swole coach
>"Increase the speed every ten seconds until she flies off."
>You jump and keep walking, "W-what!?"
>Blueblood salutes and Big Lem walks off
>Just before you can say anything, he starts the treadmill on a walk
>You keep walking, but shake your head
"W-wait, what're you doin?"
>Blueblood shrugs. "Just doing what the boss says. I'm sure he knows what's what."
>You toss out your hands. "What? Come on, that's crazy."
>Blueblood bats at the air with a limp hand. "Please, you'll do fine!"
>And that's when he grabs the dial and turns it
"Stop!"
>He shrugs, and you almost stumble into a slow jog
"Come on!"
>"Uh, what's up, Indy?"
>You grunt as you jog
"This isn't cool, don't keep pushing it."
>Blueblood shakes his head and turns it up into a quick jog
>You take a deep breath and keep your breathing even
>This treadmill doesn't go too much faster, luckily
>He can't turn it up too high or else it'll fall apart
>You think
>Blueblood reaches over and you smack his hand
>He chuckles and steps next to you
>As you jog, he ties up your hair for you
>Then twists the dial when you aren't looking!
>Running now! FFS! You almost trip over yourself, and the treadmill isn't doing better!
>This huge bulky thing is shaking, it's gonna fugging explode!
>You just gotta keep running, cause if you trip or slip, you'll fugging get launched!
>Just breathe, Indy
>Blueblood won't turn it up higher, cause he's not allowed to
>This thing is rattling at the nuts and bolts
>Deep breaths
>See, he's not even near the controls
>Instead, he's wrapping up your hair for you, into a pony tail
>"Ready?"
>What?
"W-wha?"
>"ARE YOU READY?"
"No!"
>He slams his hand onto the treadmill controls, tossing it forward into overdrive!
>Holy moly!
>Your feet fly across the belt thingy floor part and you keep running
>You feel something in your side explode, but your feet keep going
>Your feet just fly back and forth and it doesn't even feel like you're making contact anymore!
>But yeah, looking down, you're def hitting that belt thing!
>And looking forward, you see Blueblood bite his lip
>With a hand over the control
"N-n-n-nooooo!"
>The thing is already shaking! It's gonna freaking explode!
>He twists the dial once more
>You fly back
>Oof
>You're not dead?
>You're raised up to your feet?
>Wha?
>Big Lem squeezes your shoulders and you blink, looking back at him
>He has an approving frown, and nods
>"G'job, Inigo."
>You gulp and nod

>You take a deep breath and tighten your bag's straps across your chest
>Cars are goin, so might as well take the moment, right?
>And it keeps comin loose, dude
>Deep breath
>Sun says its been like three hours since the gym
>And you're still sore all over from Big Lem's... Test thing
>Whatever the fug that was...
>At least your breathing is even now
>You reach down and squish at your belly
>There's less of you
>You smile and look down at your looser shirt
>Big Lem is nuts, but he's smart
>Fuggin smart as hell
>Knows a lot about gettin fit, like he's a genius...
>The light changes, and you get back into step
>Heel - toe times infinity
>Ad nauseum? Ad museum? Until you get sick of it, that's the word of the day
>Yeah
>Run forever, listen to rock forever, and eventually, you'll get into CPA
>Do Ma proud, keep running these streets till you get fit enough to blow everyone outta the water
>A big smile fills your cheeks
>Gonna do Ma proud
>Gonna make her smile!
>Faster! Breathing harder!
>The streets blur together but you keep going
>You can't read the signs, cars are blending together, and you only just now stop
>Because you're at a street light
>Gotta wait
>You jog in place
>"O-oh, h-hey."
>Wha
>Ayy, it's Twilight
>You smirk and give her the two finger salute
"Sup!"
>She's got her usual half smile, and that blue girl with her
>"S-sup yourself... Y-you're r-r-really thinning o-out."
>Her friend nods. "Trixie thinks you look good."
>Aw man
>Your face heats up and you shrug
"I'm just doin my best!"
>She giggles. "W-well, y-your best is p-pretty good, I-indy."
>You grin and give her a thumbs up
"Thanks! But I'm not done yet! I'm gonna keep goin till I'm a star, I've got like... So many weeks left!"
>"E-eleven weeks."
>"Eleven weeks!"
>They look at each other and grin
>Daw
>The light changes, so you salute
"Seeya at the tourney?"
>Twilight nods, giving you a thumbs up. "G-gonna be c-cool, d-dude."

>You chuckle inside as you jog
>Heh
>Those two are cute... When they aren't fighting
>Bleh
>But they're just a couple of smart girls who hang around the HSHW tourneys
>They enter as a team cause no one cares
>They usually come 1-5 or 0-6, so literally no one cares that they enter as a team
>(Besides, it's kinda cute the way Trixie tries to be Twi's hypeman)
>Hm
>You should get to painting up your Relic Harvesters and Egg Spewers
>Kind of... Super need those
>Especially if Sour Patch actually has all the smurfs she took that selfie with the other day
>Gotta whoop her ass
>Humiliating you last month... She's gonna pay
>'Oh boo hoo, Indy's using an illegal army!'
>'Look, as of the October errata, her Swarmers cost 6 each, not 5, so her army is 50 pts over!'
>Fuggin
>Slap that bi...mbo
>"Slap her."
>Yeah
>"No!"
>Wait, what
>Where did that come from?
>You squat down and listen
>There's a girl screaming into something covering her mouth
>There's an ally near you
>As you creep closer, you can hear her better
>You peek around the corner
>A guy has a girl in a full nelson, and she's got something stuffed into her mouth
>Two other dudes are getting close
>Ffs, it's not even noon! You stupid sewer rats!
>You creep into the alley and behind a dumpster
>"Slap her again."
>SMACK
>Before he even hit, Blueberry Pop is in your hand
>You get closer to the other side of the alley
>There's a fire escape, which you climb
>Sneakers. They're for this.
>Three men
>All the same size
>You get to the top without too much noise
>They're making enough noise that you can afford to bump and snag the metal
>Poor girl
>The alley is only ten feet across, but there's enough trash, that it's basically like 8 feet across
>The fire escape extends three feet out
>Those punks in front of her are in the middle of the alley, basically
>You narrow your eyes
>You're right above them
>You grit your teeth and squeeze your bat
>Which one
>No guns, their jackets aren't weighed down
>One has a knife
>The one holding the girl is basically defenseless
>Knifey it is-
>You slide your scarf out and wrap it up across your mouth, nice and tight
>Time to serve ass
>You drop and swing, super quiet
>Blueberry Pop POPS against the side of Knifey's head, and you land on his friend's shoulders
>They lose their freaking minds, and start screaming
>But you pop Knifey again, and he drops
>His bro tries punching you, but your running/thicc thighs are good at soak
>So it's just a quick matter of jamming the butt of your bat into the top of his head till he drops
>You hop up and glare up at Hold Bro
"Get the fuck outta Canterlot, you piece of shit."
>He sprints off, but you throw a trash can lid at him
>He stumbles... Gives you a chance to pop on him
>So, three KO'd alley rats
>You look back at the girl
>She pulls her... Undies out of her mouth
>Ew
"You kay?"
>She rubs the back of her neck and nods
>"I-I guess. Who are you?"
>You chuckle and put your bat away, pulling out some rope and a skateboard
"I call myself Amber Horizon. Just doing what I do."
>She watches you search them up
>"A-are you mugging them!?"
>You shake your head as you grab up one of their cell phones
>One of those fancy smart ones
>Uh... Apps...
"Nope, just calling the police to pick up the trash."
>"Oh."
>You look back at her, smiling under your scarf
"You should go home. Get some rest, take the day off."
>She makes an understanding sound
>Then hugs you
>You chuckle and hug her back, till she starts to walk off with a wave
>You wave back and dial 9/11
"Hey. It's me. Amber Horizon. I got three more. Corner of 11th and 4th, North Canterlot."
>You hang up and toss it into the pile of rats
>You take one of their hoodies, tie em up and...
>Roll them to the edge of the alley
>You sprint off to the end of the alley and keep running
>Deep breaths
>You cross four blocks and slow down
>Then stop at a bus stop
>Water
>You take off the hoodie and your scarf, tossing the hoodie in the trash while you guzzle water
>That's done...
>You toss the water bottle
>Wait no, you can refill that
>Plus, it has a clown on it
>Which is p great
>You stare at the clown
>Her happy grin is infectious
>You sit down at the bus stop bench
>Those are the like...
>Uh
>Fug
>Okay... Average of... Two
>Seven days
>Twelfth-ish, thirteenth-ish and fourteenth-ish thugs you've locked up
>Er well, Amber Horizon has locked up
>This city is great
>She's got a lot of room for people to grow, but she lets everyone live within her walls
>It's up to her good kids to polish her up
>Take care of her in her old age
>You lean forward, taking a deep breath
>Amber Horizon will continue to fight for her city
>For your city
>For all the good people who live in her stone walls and steel skeleton
>For you
>For Ma
>She's gonna fight
>You close your eyes and lean back, taking another deep breath
"Be the one to save this city."
>Augh
>You grab your side
>The fug?
>You pull up your shirt
>Nothing there...
>Poke
>No, nothing there
>Weird
>Felt like someone pinched you
>Meh
>Better start walking home for lunch
>You hop up and start lightly jogging the twenty blocks home

>Nice and cool, you pull out your keys
>Ma's not here
>Neither is dad
>You push open the door
>Good
>You slide on in and
"Ah..."
>Home sweet home
>Nice and cool
>You wander on over to the living room and pop it on
>News
>Important to watch
>Even if some of the stations lie, it's easy enough to pick out what the actual truth is, if you think about it
>But right now, it looks like they're just going on about some 'stay cool in the summer' tips
>Good stuff
>You turn it up and and walk away, on into the kitchen
>"And we're here with Granny Smith, oldest member of the Canterlot community. Granny, what do you do to stay cool?"
>Almond butter...
>"Ya see, lil missy, we hear at Sweet Apple Acres like to cool off the same way our forefathers did!"
>Hm, toast or not?
>"A dip in the waterin hole!"
>...That's gross
>Not the watering hole, your almond butter needs to be stirred
>You grab a knife and get to it while walking back to the living room
>Granny Smith is in a 30's bathing suit and leaning on a cane, and
>Whoa
>Is that her grand daughter?
>She's pretty cute, with the freckles...
>The toaster pops. You flinch and hustle back to the kitchen
>Yeah, lunch
>Toast, almond butter...
>You pop open the fridge...
>Mm... A fruit, a fruit
>Grapes?
>Maybe... An apple?
>Oh boy
>It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?
>Bluh
>You shake your head and grab the red fruit
>The news changes in the other room to... Something
>Oh a commercial
>You take your time, then
>Chop up the red fruit
>Grab a plate, put down the wedges
>Deal out some almond goo
>Your toast goes next to that...
>And... Some...
>You look over at the coffee maker
>Nice
>You scoop some of that black good stuff in and turn it on
>Then back to the tv with your food
>Looks like the news is back
>The head of the Canterlot PTA is... Talking about crime rate
>This lady gets around
>You slide your toast into the almond and bite
>Her name is on the screen, but you've heard of her
>She's been making waves in the Canterlot local government
>She's full of radical ideas for reform and making law enforcement better, but never getting in the way of people living their lives
>You like her
>This Luna is a pretty 20-something. Even though she's young, she has a serious frown and even though she works at CHS, she's dressed like she works at an office
>Probs for the conference
>You turn the tv up a bit so you can hear it over your munching
>"Everybody's out of work, punks are running wild in the street, and no one seems to know what to do about the wild happenings either. There's no end to it. Canterlot is seen as the worst city in Equestria to live in right now."
>Huh...
>There's booing from the crowd
"Shut up, nerds!"
>She patiently waits until they finish
>"Every day we get reports of, say eight homocides, twenty firearm crimes and four cases of arson, like that's the way it's supposed to be. But that's not how it's supposed to be!"
>This is met with silence. Maybe stunned silence
>"I know things are bad, everyone knows things are bad. But I'm here to tell you that the solution is near!"
>Yeah?
>"I, along with the CPD, am working on a new program of training to ensure the people's safety. Your safety."
>She leans forward, palms set against her podium as her frown turns to a smile.
>You pop a red fruit into your mouth and mindlessly chew
>"Mayor Mare has already given her approval to the new program, and we should begin training as early as the start of autumn. I can't tell you exactly what it consists of - yet. But I can tell you this."
>You're on the edge of your seat, and your fourty year old tv buzzes out her next words
>"It's going to be the cutting edge of crime response technology."
>After that, Luna gives the stage to the Mayor
>And she goes right into blabbing about this or that
>You blink and chew some more
>Swallow
>Good speech, you guess
>But that's a tall order...
>Hopefully Luna knows what she's doing
>Hopefully this goes well
>Hopefully! This is good for Canterlot!
>You take a deep breath and look down at your empty plate
>What's she planning, though?
>Your side hurts a little, so you rub it
>Luna's pretty smart
>She's a good planner
>She plans all sorts of cool stuff
>She was responsible for a ton of small things
>Like CPA accepting scholarships after like a hundred years of not doing that
>But this?
>What's she got?
>You set your plate down and start scrubbing it with a soapy sponge
>You furrow your brow
"What do you have, Luna? What are you bringing to my city?"
>The phone rings, drawing your attention from the butter knife you're staring down
>It's the middle of the day
>You wander over
"Hey, Pop house."
>Whoever it is takes a deep breath
>Whoever it is, he sounds like a sweet old man
>"Hello, is this Indigo Zap?"
>Niceness aside, it's kinda random, getting a call like this
>Also creepy
"Hi? No one by that name lives here."
>"Oh. My mistake! Sorry little lady, I must have the wrong number!"
>He doesn't hang up though
>"I just don't use the phone that often, you see."
"Uh huh..."
>You furrow your brow and lean your back against the sink
>"I got this number from her mother, you see."
>Ma?
>"I just wanted to talk to her for a bit, you know?"
>You stare at the table as he slowly speaks
>He sounds like a really nice guy...
>But something about him seems... Off
>"Ah, but what am I bothering you for?"
>You can't place your finger on it
>"You should get back to that pain in your side, Indy!"
>You gasp as it flairs up
"Who are you?"
>"Hm?"
>You grab your side and rub it
"I said, who are you, dude?"
>He chuckles on the other end
>"How rude of me! I am a simple old man. They call me Scorpan, but I'm not that important."
>"I'm worried more about that pain in your side, Indigo..."
>He... Actually sounds kinda worried
>"I'm a special kind of doctor, you see. I heard that you sprained a muscle in a very special way today."
>You furrow your brow again
"Should I stop exercising?"
>"Oh, no... I think it should be fine. If you continue to exercise."
>You hear him chuckle
>"In fact, I think your extra exercising will be good for relieving this sprain."
"...Huh?"
>Da fug?
>"Your extra exercising? With the baseball bat!"
>You flinch
"W-what!?"
>He chuckles again, but then slowly speaks, nice and sweet
>"Indigo, Indigo... Please, it's okay."
>You take a deep breath
>"I like your work, honestly."
>You take another deep breath
>"You have a very creative persona, too. Amber Horizon... After the sunset, or sunrise?"
"S-sunrise. O-o-ov-"
>"Over Canterlot, yes."
>He speaks lower again, really trying to calm you down
>"Indigo, I swear. You are not in trouble, nor am I threatening you, or anything like that... I just wanted to talk. Can we talk?"
"S-sure."
>"Okay."
>Again
>Nice and slow
>Like he's talking to a scared... Patient?
"Did you say you were a doctor?"
>"I'm a very particular doctor, yes. I'm just interested in making sure that that special strain you have isn't too bad."
"Okay... So, what, you need me to come to you?"
>He chuckles
>"No, no, I don't need you to come over unless you fail this simple test..."
>You take a deep breath and square your shoulders
"Okay?"
>"Press two fingers into the sprain, nice and firm."
"Okay..."
>Poke
"Ow!"
>"Oh dear. How far did you get?"
"Fug... Not too far?"
>"Oh dear... Please visit me then, when you can. I'm local..."
>He sputters a bit and you lower your shirt while he shuffles around papers
>"22nd and 14th, building two. Central Canterlot."
"Kay..."
>That Scorpan guy was weird...
>Clank!
>You twist your hands across your bat
>Gotta get Ma to drive you
>Swing
>Thwonk!
>Clang!
>The auto-pitcher winds back up
>You move your feet back and forth, sliding against the sand
>Next week's no good, you've got the exhibition
>Big Lem wants you to be there, show off his new junior while Lil Lem is out of town
>Thwonk!
>Week after that...
>Tourney
>Gotta beat Sour Patch's tits in this month
>Clang!
>Ma's only got Sundays off...
>Hm...
>Thwonk!
>"Hey, yer pretty good."
"Thanks..."
>You sorta auto-reply
>Lotsa people telling you that these days
>You just kinda picked up doing this to have an excuse to pack Blueberry Pop
>Whoever the dude is chuckles
>"Ah came here tah pick up mah cousin n' her girliefriend. Didn' know many folk'er still comin roun here."
>You sigh and look over at-
"Holy sh..."
>Pretty boy
>The one from the convenience store
>The back of his head is covered in wrappings, and he's wearing the same ratty navy hoodie, and a big belt under...
>He chuckles as he steps closer to your cage
>"Ah know Ah gotta handsome face, but can Ah get a hello?"
"H-hey."
>The girl from news comes up behind him, along with a rainbow haired girlie
>You gulp when he's looking back at his cousin, you guess she is
>He looks back at you
>"Be sein ya. Glad ta see someone's keepin Equestria's oldest sport alive sides lil Renbow."
>She scoffs
>"I don't think she's keeping it alive, but whatever."
>She thumbs at herself. "Not everyone can be as awesome as I am!"
>Oh fug, she ruins the tension
>You chuckle and set Blueberry Pop against your shoulder
>She smirks at you
>"Something funny?"
>You shrug. "Nah, well maybe you."
>Her girlfriend chuckles, a deep southern chuckle
>"Ah think RD's a real hoot sometimes too."
>She blushes before she can counter your taunt
>The pretty boy pats at them both. "C'mon, granny'll be mighty angry if'n you two are late."
>You watch them leave
>Fug...
>Pretty boy
>Does he know who you are?
>The auto-pitcher loads up again
>You backhand swing the ball against the fence
>You get your footing again
>He doesn't
>You look back at him
>He's looking through his keys
>But he notices you and waves, smiling
>You wave back and smile
>You got him good with that can
>And Amber made sure not to be seen
>Yeah
>Thwonk!
>Clank!
>He was just some dumb thug
>One of dozens you and Amber have and will take down...
>...Thwonk!
>...If you... Amber, took him down...
>Why isn't he in prison?

>That question has been bugging you all day
>Your memory is bad
>You can't really check if every goon, hench and thug are the same person or not, but
>The police have to be doing SOMETHING right?
>Amber called and everything...
>You open the front door and wander on in
>"Inny is that you!"
"Yeah ma!"
>You slide off your sneakers and drop em
>"I'm in the living room! Come snuggle with me!"
"Kay!"
>Thugs... Put em aside for now
>Mommy time
>Speaking of Mommy
>You set her bat down next to the door with extra care
>Blueberry Pop did good today
>Many goons, much xp
>Good day
>Confusing day, but eh
>You wander on into the living room, where mom's got a fan set up next to her, and the tv on
>You relax next to mom and she immediately hugs you close
>She smooches your cheek, makin you giggle
>But then she grunts
>"Aw... I'm happy you're doing so good, but I miss your belly, sweet pea."
>You bust out laughing, and she joins you
>You close your eyes
>When you open them the tv is on the news, and mom is gone
>There's a cop on
>And
>...Amber?
>You blink and sit up, straining your eyes as you yawn
>"Like I said, this Amber Horizon... She's no good."
>What
>You blink and rub away some yawn tears
>Officer Copper Top, CPD
>Channel 12 News
>This lady is calling Amber out?
>Sure
>S-u-r-e
>"She's a menace. A vigilante working outside the law to her own ends."
>You smirk
>"If you're watching, Amber Horizon?"
"Yeah?"
>You cock your head and sneer
>"You're not welcome in Canterlot City. Leave crime fighting for the crime fighters!"
>You jump up and put out the birds
"Yeah? Fuck you too, do your job!"
>You yawn
>Fug, you're tired
>You sit back down and recline
>The news station switches to some reporter lady
>"But not everyone disagrees with Amber Horizon."
>Oh yeah?
>The reporter moves to stand next to someone with a blurred outface
>"We have a recently reformed member of the Rotten Apples gang, who claims to have met Amber Horizon."
>You can tell it's pretty boy, apple kid
>When was this filmed?
>Not live, obviously
>So he... Knows who you are?
>"What do you have to say about Amber Horizon?"
>He hitches his belt and stuffs his hands in his hoodie pocket
>"I think she's doing good for this city."
>Oh fug they had to get someone to dub him
>His accent probably fugged up the voice blurrer
>That's p hilarious
>But... He knew who you were?
>"I've never met her, thank God in heaven."
>Oh
>"But after getting a good hit from someone, I dunno, I feel like it knocked some sense into me."
>Hunh
>Pretty boy turned good?
>"I know I have a lot of apologizing to do, but I'm glad I got a second chance. I feel like if I can change, Amber Horizon can change at least half the thugs she puts away."
>You recline
>And smile
>We're doing good
>You're doing good
>You close your eyes. Tomorrow's Sunday, time to sleep in a bit

>Terra Gold...
>D-dab...
>Gently...
>Just the claw
>Just this one claw
>Not the finger
>The
>Claw
>Yass
>You sigh and set down your brush
>That's one more Wriggler done
>You flip him over and grab a permanent marker
>W14
>You set him aside and grab your notepad
>Wrigglers
>Subspace Claws:
>W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7, W8, W9, W10, W11, W12, W13
>W... 14
>You hum to yourself as you add this guy to the other lists
>He's got Subspace Claws, the Mindless trait, Pod Mate and Improved Carapace
>You sigh and look at your army
>You're bringing a lot fewer this month
>Out of your hundred thirty, only eighty are coming now
>These improvements will be worth it...
>Just to see Sour Patch's face when you drop three Egg Pods turn two
>Heh
>Kek!
>You pick up the next one and your brush
>...The tourney will last till 11 PM
>Will anyone notice Amber missing?
>You slowly dip your brush into Terra Gold
>And you slide the bristles against the open part of the little bottle
>Then you put the brush in some water
>Thinning paint...
>...You can slip out and do a quick patrol right now
>Augh
>You set the brush down and grab a marker
>W15
>You set him down and grab up your notebook
>You sigh as you scribble some more
>The CPD will notice
>You set down your notebook and pen and grab your forehead
>Okay
>So
>The CPD will notice you gone
>And the tourney will happen next month
>Leaving you with a gap that has to be filled
>You set down this little guy and stand up, heading out of the kitchen
>Gotta get some air
>You walk past the living room and smile at Ma
>She's napping, with the TV on
>"Horizon. Investigators believe-"
>You stop
>"The style is very similar. Police believe that this Magenta Sunrise may be an accomplice to Amber Horizon."
>You take a step back
>"The police should do something about those rats running around, huh, Indy?"
>You sock your dad in the chin
>You both grab yourselves and groan
"Dafug are you doing here!?" You make sure to whisper so mom doesn't wake up
>He rubs at his chin some more, and rolls his jaw
>With a nod, dad mutters, "Good right hook..."
>You glare at him and raise your fist again
>"God, lay off. BB asked me to drive you to your toy game. Pack your shit."
>You roll your eyes and cross your arms
"First, fuck off with the toy game nonsense. Second, it's not till 6, third, I can walk."
>He scoffs
>"I got shit to do, Indy. Enough games, pack up and lets go."
"I'm not going." You wander back to the kitchen and sit down, tossing your hair back up into a ponytail
>You grab up a Husker and check your notes
>Dad slaps the table
>"I ain't fuckin around, Indy, let's go!"
>You glare up at him and put a finger to your lips
>Shhhh. "Ma's sleeping."
>He throws his hands half way up and leaves the kitchen
>Huskers are losing their Terra-Bane bolters and gaining...
>You flip the page back and forth
>Gaining... Extra armor?
>Carapace and armor don't stack though...
>Wot de zog
>You stand and hustle to your room
>You can't help but notice dad's sitting next to mom in the living room
>Hm
>Whatever, that's fine
>Once in your room, you grab up the Slugganoid Codex...
>And see a little box on your nightstand
>It's labeled "To: Indy"
>You grab it too and walk back to the kitchen while flipping through your book
>Why armor...?
>Okay, armor, armor...
>Hm
>'Slugganoids gain no benefit from wearing armor since it is not designed for their forms'
>'However, that only-'
>Ohhhhhhh yeah!
>Armor adds +2 armor against shrapnel and +2 against shell cracking...
>Yer fuggin smart
>Huskers' size means they can get hit by three grenades in a round...
>You sit down and quickly start painting

>Ugh
>Dad...
>At least you're at the tourney hall, surrounded by 200 nerds and no idiot thugs or... Whatever dad calls himself
>You slump down at one of the tables and pull out your army
>Almost fugging... Ruined your paint job like a hundred times
>You look over all of them, one at a time
>Yeah...
>15 Wrigglers, 15 Huskers, 15 Decapedes, 15 Webbers, 10 Grub Tossers, 5 Terror Formians, 3 Hive Bosses, 2 Titanic Queens
>80 big bad bugs. Yeah
>They're all okay
>"Nice paintjob, Indy."
>You grin up at the L1
>He hands you the usual forms and stuff for entry and carefully look over one of your Huskers
>"Changing it up? Care to share?"
>You shake your head, smirking
"Nah, dude. Not out loud anyway."
>You scribble in the usual and pull a copy of your army list out of your backpack
>He sighs and trades forms for your Husker
>"I'll be watching... Don't let Sour get under your skin this time, okay?"
"I mean, I'll try..."
>You shrug as he reads your list and whistles
>If Sour Patch starts something...
>Well
>You're gonna kick her ass in a game
>Maybe kick her ass after, too
>You've...
>You blink
>You grab at your soft belly
>And the harder abs underneath
>You...
>You can totally destroy Sour now...
>You slowly sit up
>And pretend to look over your notes a bit
>Your hands are shaking
>You really need to keep your cool this time
>If you fight Sour, you might end up knocking her out
>Or worse
>Sour Sweet is just a chubby girl with a fat butt and big boobs
>She might have a few inches on you, but...
>Amber's been knocking out groups of thugs for weeks now
>You gulp and close your eyes
>If she picks a fight with you...
>Can Amber throw a fight?
>S-she... Sour's not a thug or a villain
>It'll.... It'll be okay
>You think
>Your brow furrows as you imagine all the ways that fight could go
>A fist to the face
>A knee to the gut
>A literal ass kicking
>Table breaking, chair slamming, neck slamming, figure smashing
>Augh
>First dad, now this
>No matter what Sour's got planned, you're gonna have to keep yourself from busting a vein when you see her
>"H-hey, Indy."
>"Salutations, Indigo!"
>You look behind
>Twi and Trix are wavin and comin to ya
"O-oh hey! Yo, wassap?" You smile and wave
>Okay, you can handle a bit of these two, you know that for sure!
>They drop their giant backpacks onto the table, and the whole thing jumps
"Wat."
>They snicker
>"P-part of o-our new p-plan."
>"Yes! We shall blow away the competition!"
>Smirking, you shrug
"Can't wait..." You relax again, waiting on round 1
>"Ms. Zap! Is there anything new happening?"
>Shrug
>Not gonna say anything about your army...
"Uh... I lost weight. Like a lotta weight."
>They sit across from you
>Twilight does
>Trixie stands next to her, holding her arms behind her back
"I-I noticed. Y-you look r-really good!"
"Heh." You shrug, feeling your cheeks burn up
>You're about to say something, but Trixie's phone goes off
>Twilight glares at her
>"P-put it away! W-we're at a t-t-tournament!"
>"Oh, but Trixie can't help it! Amber is so interesting, she has to check all the news now!"
>Uh
>Twilight just bats at Trixie some, with Trixie dodging away to read her news update
>"S-silence it!"
>Trixie smirks and does some things on her phone and puts it away
>"I-Is it on m-mute?"
>"Maybe!"
>You rub your forehead and look away
>How many people talk about Amber?
>How popular is she?
>You didn't ask for this!
>You don't want to-
>What if someone figures out you're Amber?
>Holy. Moly. That's a bad thought
>How would they figure it out though?
>"So Indigo!"
>You snap to Trixie
>She grins bobbibg her head back and forth
>"Trixie cannot help but notice! You have been ahead of the fashion curve!"
>Wha
>What are you wearing?
>Tights, a faded Black Sabboth tee, high tops
>You stare at your bracelets and looks back at Trixie and Twilight
"Wut?"
>They both point at their ponytails
>You also have a po-
>AMBER HAS A PONYTAIL
>You take a deep breath and don't freak out
"Oh, yeah! Yeah, I just like keeping my hair outta the way!"
>Awkward chuckle (since these nerds won't notice)
>Still
>They giggle with you
>Twilight winks. "I-I never noticed, b-but you're p-pretty good l-looking."
>...wat
>She grins wide
>"Y-you look k-k-kinda like a b-blast from the p-p-past!"
>You stare at her
>Trixie gives her a strange look
>"Trixie did not know you liked girls, Twilight."
>Twilight sputters and starts batting at Trixie again
>They run off, Twi hitting Trixie, Trixie ducking and holding her head...
>They end up leaving their stuff behind
>"Yo!"
>You flinch under the girl's hand
>You glare up at Sour Sweet
>Looks like she's dressed up again!
>Low riding shorts and a crop top, very classy
>Good for a family friendly event, yup
>Just let those fat tiddies and that jiggly ass hang right out
>Good for the kids
>She's why the event can't be simulcasted on youtube
>And with how she's standing, all you can really see is her fat udders
>...Freckles
>She bends over, laying herself against your shoulder as she holds the other
>Gawd she smells like a strawberry milkshake and fries
>"You're looking good, Indy!"
>She pulls you close into a soft hug
>But then she snarls
>"Decided to finally cut all that beef?"
>Amber's fist clenches as Sour Sweet holds you in a warm and sweaty hug
"Ya know."
>"Hm~?" She gets close enough that her cheek presses against yours
>Oh gawd
>The smell
>How have you never noticed how horrible she smells?
>Your stomach turns upside down and your eyes roll up
"Y-you reek."
>She grunts and stands up
>"That's my perfume, numbskull. Maybe wisen up a bit and start acting like a woman."
>You pinch your nose and the words come out
"Is that what you call that outfit? Womanly clothes? Really showing how womanly you are there, Sweet Cheeks."
>Her eye twitches and her arms tense up
"Smells like you hit McDicks for a shake over the way here. And like you went out for some fast food."
>Teeth grinding
"Speaking of McDicks, were they playing your favorite song? Ya know, the lunch bell?."
>Sour's eyes are bulging out and she's squeezing her fists now
>Is this you or Amber?
"I always wondered... They kick drunks out of bars... Do they kick you out after your fourth quarter pounder?"
>You're out of your seat before she can tackle you, leaving her bowling over it
>She's growlin now, hoo boy
>Heh
"Hey, you okay? Last time something Equestrian dropped that fast, the Neighponese responded with Pearl Harbor."
>You think Amber is smarter than you
>Neat
>Sour screams from her tangle in the chair and jumps to her feet, almost grabbing you
>But Amber's too fast
>You're too fast
>You can't believe you can move like this
>You and Sour Sweet used to be pretty even, but now...
>"H-hey, Sweetie!"
>Sour stops stock still
>Then smiles sweetly at Twilight, who just returned, pulling Trixie by her sleeve
>"Oh, Twi~! How good to see you here!"
>She almost runs around the table and scoops Twilight and Trixie up into the same hug
>The three join together into a giggle fit
>"Okay everyone, quiet down for a bit." The tournament's L3 calls out on the intercom
>The hall quiets down
>"Please line up, pay admission, grab a ticket, and pairings should be up in ten to twenty minutes, thanks." Some static and he's quiet again
>Time to get to it

>You roll some dice between your fingers and size up your round 1 opponent
>Some kid from outta town
>Real cool dude
>Poser, looks like it
>Got himself an internet list of an army, too
>Didn't bring any structures
>Defaulted every rule
>Amauteur Hour nods behind his cool kid sunglasses
"You ready to get roflstomped?"
>He scoffs and rolls out his dice
"I roll first."
>"Shit." He quickly scrambles them up
>You internally smirk
"No swearing."
>He flinches, fixing up his sunglasses. "Kay. Sorry."
>You've already won... Heh

>You jot down 'Win' and hand it to the third dude so far so he can sign it
>He was okay
>Surprised you with some obscure ruling on Slugganoids in his army
>But he got the ruling wrong, as you told him
>So he had an illegal army
>So he had to cut out a tenth of his units
>Tried so hard, got so far...
>Aight so that's three rounds down and three to go
>Bah
>Its more like
>Three hours down, two hours till the finals vs Sour
>Bluh
>Your match is over...
>You grab a clown water and relax at your table
>"Indigo Zap...?"
>Wha
>Some old dude on a cane
"Uh. Hey dude. What's up?"
>He smirks and looks behind himself
>Wha...? There's some other, bigger old dude behind him, carrying a leather box
>With a grin and a grunt, he puts the trunk thingie down on the table
>He groans and straightens his back, making a lot of popping noises that the smaller man doesn't seem to like
>The bigger man continues to grin as the smaller guy sneers at you
>"It appears we will be competing against one another in the coming round, Indigo Zap."
>Uh
"Wha? How do you figure, pairings aren't even up..."
>"Oh, I'm quite aware. However, this late into the tournament, one can determine their most likely of upcoming matches."
>Your brow furrows
>Wha...
>Okay?
"Y-yeah, sure, dude. Whatever you say."
>His grin turns sour
>He raises his cane and swats it down on the table, making a huge boom and almost knocking you out of your seat
>Your heart pounds, and the old dude snickers
>"You kids sure are jumpy these days."
>Fugging
>Ass
>Your heart is pumping a mile a minute and your side is hurting again
"F-fug you."
>"My my..." He takes a seat at your table and swats at the bigger old guy who starts unpacking the small trunk
>"I had no idea youngings were so rude in this city."
>Your heart is still pumping, but you glare at him
"At least our local seniors are polite."
>His lip curls
>Dude's teeth are so yellow-
"Hey, do you spit a lot?"
>"What...?" He narrows his eyes as the bigger man pauses
"I'm just saying, you better not. Butter is a trip hazard."
>His eyes widen as he snarls
>You recline in your chair, stuffing your hands in your pockets
>And that seems to be the last straw, you guess
>He starts for you, holding his cane in both hands
>"Brother, watch your temper."
>He glares at the big guy, who's finished putting the minis down
>"You'll do well to remember your place and shut your mouth."
>He glares back at you. "And you as well."
"How's ED treating you?"
>He silently stares at you, gaze darkening, and inside, you flinch as your side starts hurting
>He leans back and a chair... Comes under him
"...wat."
>He snaps his cane down into a thinner pen and pockets it
>"Ignorant child. I came here to humiliate you in this game."
>He motions toward the table, where the big guy is setting up beautifully painted terrain now
>Gotta see this up close...
>Damn!
>It's all black iron and groady, dirty steel, and he even laid down a red texture map...
"Is... Is that Mars?"
>The big guy smiles and nods, and finally talks
>"I figured you'd appreciate it."
>Wait
"Scorpan?"
>The older gentleman nods, bowing slightly
"What're you doin here?"
>He wrings his hands a little
>"Scorpan goes where I tell him to. Now come play this infernal game."
"Dude, pairings aren't even up yet, and we're between rounds."
>You pick up your backpack
>The L3 starts up on the speakers as you do so
>"Pairings are up."
>You glance at the old dude
>He smirks
>You frown and go off to get pairings
>You can feel him watching you as you hustle past neckbeards and skinnier nerds
>Aside from a quick smirk or smile, you mostly ignore any of your competitors/friends as they go on making a commotion over who they're up against and who they're being passed over
>You grab one of the pairing sheets...
>Indigo Zap
>Das u
>vs
>...No one
>You got a free win this round
>...wat
>You glare back at your table
>The old man smiles at you, showing off his yellow teeth, which are just as gross from this distance
>Fug
>You start back to him
>He's just smirking in his seat
>Scorpan standing behind him, like a vintage bodyguard
>Who is this guy?
>You stop at the table, and drop your backpack with just enough care
>He motions to your chair
>You ignore him and pull out your army box in one hand
>It weighs heavily in your palm as you stare him down and your side pulses angrily
>You don't...
>Indy doesn't know who this guy is
>But he gives you the kind of creeps thugs give you
>But worse
>He makes you sick and you don't know why
>You just know, deep in your stomach, that this guy's bad news
>With a swift flick of the wrist, you set your reinforced box down into the wastes of the Martian desert
>He chuckles as you cross your arms
>"Oh? Your demeanor has changed. Why would that be?"
>You unclasp the box and puts figures out one at a time
"Why do you want to play so much?"
>"I seek your challenge. A fledgling hero like you deserves to prove herself whenever she gets the chance."
>You put down some more of Indy's Wrigglers
>"When Scorpan alerted me to your presense, I was drawn to meet you."
>You pick up some dice from the corner of the box, juggling them in your hand without looking at the old man
>"I've been drawn to meet the amber eyed lass my brother was so invested in."
>Those amber eyes raise to stare at him
>He smirks
>"You missed your appointment with Scorpan. That hurt his feelings."
>You narrow your eyes
>Scorpan attempts to say something, but the old man raises a hand
>He snaps his fingers, and Scorpan puts a small box of dice into his palm
>You don't know what his angle is, but he's going down regardless
>He makes your skin crawl under Indy's sweatshirt
"Roll for initiative."
>[spoiler]'Wrong game'[spoiler]
>It sounds cooler
>[spoiler]'Shid, u rite'[spoiler]
>The old man grabs five dice and tosses them at the table
>You drop your handful
>Most 6s first
>The dice clatter against Mars' surface as you glare at the sitting senior
>Before they even land, he asks, "Perchance are you a gambler?"
"You looking to make this interesting?"
>Your voice comes out in a loud grumble, unlike Indy's
>He chuckles, a dry, angry chuckle, but with a smile. "You could say that... But we'd be wagering information."
>The dice finally clatter to a stop
"What information, old man."
>His old face crinkles up into a grin. "Your name. Or rather..." He leans in toward the table
>The entire hall goes silent
>You can't hear him speak, but his accent makes it easy to see what he says
>"[spoiler]Your imaginary friend's name.[spoiler]"
>You coldly blink, maintaining your cool
>Indy panics
>But that's okay
>The dice are down, but neither of you have looked
"Sure. If I win, you tell me who told you she exists."
>He motions to Scorpan
>The big oldie leans forward, staring across Mars
>"Er..."
>"Sixes, Scorpan, sixes."
>"Ah." He looks again. "Three to one in Indigo's favor."
>The old man grunts and rises to his feet.  "I contest."
>You look over his army. "Which of your units lets you seize initiative?"
>He smirks, raising a hand into his jacket
>Out comes a small leather book
>"My 10 Raven Bolters have Seize."
"My 15 Huskers have Sneak Attack, negating your first 15 instances of Seize."
>You stare at him
>He furrows his brow and lays down his book, set to his army list
>"So be it. You're first."
>You stare at him as you grasp at your army case
>His smirk slowly drops into a sneer as Indy sets down unit after unit across Mars' barren
>You let her put down the giant figures, and that's where she ends it
"Finished."
>"This is your army? Where are your Huskers? What of the rest of the box?"
"Place your units."
>He grumbles a bit and snaps his fingers
>Scorpan assembles a huge army of one hundred Black Ravens
>Their specialty is magi- psionics and swarming
>The only army that can compete with Slugganoids in numbers
>Good. You smirk
>"Impressed? I thought you'd appreciate a challenge. I didn't expect you to sabotage yourself, however..."
>You pick up your dice
"Deployment has ended. Turn one: begin."
>You glide your hands over the giant units, scanning each in turn
>Indy grabs the big red ants and moves them in different directions
"2 Terror Formians accelerate using Haste to establish two points."
>The old man nods
"They fall at rest, speed dropping to half, gaining +3 armor."
>"Very well, my-"
"No."
>You glare at him, and he returns the motion
>"You've taken your tu-"
"My Terror Formians acted on haste. A number of units equal to the turn counter +1 with haste can act in addition to the standard 1 unit per turn."
>He fumes a bit... "Fine, then. Carry on."
>You stare at him a moment longer, but Indy grasps for a beetle
"1 Hive Boss will move and climb this building, ignoring obstacles less than 5 centimeters tall along the way."
>She measures out the distance and puts it on top of a turned over car-tank.
"It readies a special action to call reinforcements next turn as a free action, as does the other 2 Hive Bosses, both Titanic Queens, and all 5 Terror Formians."
>You maintain eye contact
"Now. Your turn."
>The old man gazes across your miniatures, then snaps his fingers.
>"Scorpan, move my Ravencaster to the front. When she moves, her Black Apprentices move with her. As long as they are in formation, her spells gain +1 damage, +5 centimeter range per Black Apprentice, and for every two, she can cast one more spell per turn... Additionally, she allows each of her Black Apprentices to cast at +5 range."
"While in formation."
>He half shrugs, both hands on his cane. "Naturally."
>The Ravencaster has 6 Black Apprentices
>Your Terror Formians are 100+ centimeters away, holding 2/12 points
>"She will cast Black Warp, giving all Black Ravens Subspace Resistance and +1 armor. She will do this three times-"
"She will do this twice."
>He furrows his brow. "Three times... She has Six apprentices, giving her thr-"
"She has three apprentices in formation. You announced casting your spell after moving. Their placement is finalized and they are no longer in formation."
>He blinks, mouth gaping a little, then snaps his gaze down at Mars
>His rickety body moves closer and he pulls a protractor from his jacket pocket, waving about his units
>You allow yourself a smirk as he desperately tries and fails to find an angle where all of his apprentices are within 3 centimeters of his Ravencaster
>"How could... Scorpan!" He snarles, throwing the protractor at the big man
>"You imbecile, can you do nothing right!?"
>Scorpan sighs and picks up the protractor, handing it to the little man
>"Sorry. I don't know this game that well."
>The little man starts batting his big guy with his cane
>He's crippled himself
>Black Ravens need that opening move or else they lose 90% of their fire power until turn 2 or turn 3 if the initial Ravencaster is slain
>Which she will be
"Your Ravencaster casts Black Warp twice. My turn."
>He grumbles at Scorpan and turns back to you. "Yes, yes, take your turn."
>Indy points at your Terror Formians, Hive Bosses and Titanic Queens
"My Terror Formians call out 5 pods of 3 Wrigglers each. My Hive Beasts call for 3 pods of 5 Huskers, while my Titanic Queens each call a pod of 5 Decapedes and 5 Webbers."
>You unclasp your box and pull out 10 Slugganoid pods
"They can be placed anywhere within 50 centimeters of the units that called them."
>You set all the Huskers within movement range of his Ravencaster, while the rest are fanned out from your base
>You flick your eyes up to stare at him
"...These 6 Pod Mate Huskers accelerate using Haste, moving as one unit, and approach your Ravencaster and her Black Apprentices."
>You measure out double their range, 60 centimeters, and move
>He chortles. "Next, they have Ambition, right?"
"Wrong. They have Scattershot, giving their ranged weapons double range and -1 damage after the normal range."
>He pauses, glaring down at your Huskers. "...Why? That's such a foolish trait to give, why would you!?"
"Because it's free as of the May errata and no one ever sees it coming. All 6 Huskers open fire on your Ravencaster, dealing a minimum of 6 damage, killing her."
>You grab dice
"Rolling for structural damage and Apprentices."

"Time in round."
>Old man grumbles and looks at his watch. "Sixteen out of sixty minutes past."
>He leans closer to the remains of Mars
>Indy has had the Decapedes annihilate the landscape. Every building has been turned into rubble
>Webbers have created a maze for foot soldiers to traverse
>Grub Tossers are poised at each cardinal point, and with two at the center of the field
>The Terror Formians are currently dismantling his vehicles, and Indy's Hive Bosses prevent any of their private entourage from dying
>While the Titanic Queens spew out one or two Wrigglers for every Wriggler that dies
>[spoiler]'Got this shid locked down.'[spoiler]
>Yup
>If Indy says so
>[spoiler]'She fuggin says so!'[spoiler]
>The old man grumbles and motions to his Blackriders
>"Ignoring all obstacles below 1 centimeter, my Blackriders accelerate with Haste toward your Titanic Queen, attacking with Black Warp rounds."
"Success on 6s, Armor 5."
>He pauses, gritting his teeth, almost foaming at the mouth
>"Success on 5s, rerolling 1s."
"Your Blackriders are far from your Blacklight Beacons, losing the reroll, and Blackriders lose their Success on 5s if they move more than their initial 40 centimeters."
>The old man's face is boiling red, more than it already was and caked in sweat. "Fine. Fine! Scorpan, roll!"
>Scorpan rolls
>You lock eyes with the old man
>At this point, he's leaning on the table with both hands, jacket unbuttoned and tie loosened, letting Scorpan move all the units and roll all the dice and hold his cane
>The dice bounce
"You're going to lose."
>He grinds his teeth
>The dice settle
>1, 3, 5, 6, 1, 3, 2, 2, 4, 5
"Your Blackriders fail to deal any damage to my Titanic Queen."
>His fingers curl against the textured map
>He snorts and stands upright, smirking
>He snaps his fingers and Scorpan hands him his cane
>"I concede."
"..." Your lip almost curls
>"I believe Canterlot is in good hands with such a sharp mind eliminating so many threats. I can see why you're worth as much as you are."
>He sneers as he buttons up his jacket
>His army begins to fade, along with yours, leaving the table bare
>You ignore that, while Indy loses her shit. "Tell me."
>"Ah..." He sets his cane against the floor with a tap. The hall comes alive with noise
>"Many parties have taken notice, Amber Horizon. These parties have requested I analyze you, for a pretty penny. To see if they should fear you."
"And?"
>He sneers
>"Keep cleaning the gutters for me, will you?"

>Its raining...
>Its only a light drizzle, but you're still in it, and Ma's gonna be worried
>That's unfortunate, but necessary due to your activities
>Starting tonight, you're gonna be cleaning the city at random times
>Indy doesn't have a calendar
>She'll have to log these dates into her planner
>The neon sign in front of you flickers
>Open Till Mid
>This is the only barber shop open this late
>In you go, jingling the bell along the way
>The only worker looks up from her magazine and points at an empty chair
>Foreigner
>She won't remember you
>Without much else to say, you have a seat, and she stands behind your chair with a pair of scissors
>"Very pretty hair! You cut?"
>Nodding, you grab up your hair near the scalp and mimic scissors cutting close
>"Oh so short! But you hair so pretty..." Despite her feigned concern, she starts combing and brushing your hair back, and you make sure to hold the end of your ponytail
>With a snip snip, your hair comes loose, falling into your grip
>Short blue lines trail up and down your forehead and around your crown, barely touching your ears as it all drops down
>"Good? You like? Want something else?"
>Spike or slick?
>[spoiler]'Why don't we have both!?'[spoiler]
>Damn
>You may be smarter, but Indy's the idea girl here
>Spotting a can of hairspray, you point
"Spike tips, and pull back."
>"Oki." The foreign hair dresser gets to work while you leer at your reflection
>She takes the loose strands and pulls them back
>They're cut up into jagged spikes and sprayed into place
>You appreciate that she takes extra care of the back of your head, pulling the hair far back and flicking it outward
>Sort of like what you imagine a girl's mullet would look like
>"You like?"
>The left and right look good, and you can see in the mirror that the back is good too. "I do."
>"Good good, I give you lollipop."
>She shuffles away, and you grasp at your empty pockets
>[spoiler]'Dude, not cool.'[spoiler]
>No, you have a 20 in your backpack
>Click
>You duck and the mirror explodes
>Without much thought, your toss the apron off at the scissor girl
>Blueberry Pop's already out of your bag and in your hands by the time she tosses it off and aims
>P O P, undercut to the chin
>Girl flies off her feet and into the air, just a few inches
>Your bat arcs down onto her face. breaking her nose into a bloody spurt
>Knocked out, she drops her pistol
>Fuck. Cameras?
>Yes, anyone watching will see you acted in defense
>After bagging and double bagging your ponytail, you pick up the phone
"Hey. It's me. Amber Horizon. Got another one. This one knew my face and tried to gun me down. Video evidence proves it. Beauty Salon, 4th and 3rd, Central."
>Hang up
>Grabbing the gun, you easily unload all the bullets onto the ground and set it onto the counter
>Time to go
>Oh
>You put a 20 down on the counter with a note
>'For services rendered.'
>'-AH'
>Running out of the salon, you take some alleys home
>This seems faster
>But
>You're face to face with four goons
>All foreigners, like the scissor girl
>Chain boy, crowbar, bat, steel knuckles
>"Pretty girl. Worth pretty money. Come easy, kay, lil girl?"
>Blueberry's already in your hand
>Time to take out the trash
"Come get me."
>[spoiler]BANG![spoiler]
>Steel knuckles flies forward, landing on his face
>The back of his jacket is totally torn up
>Ka-chick!
>At the back of the alley, there's... An old man in a beat up old winter jacket
>"You sum-bitch! Get outta mah city!"
>Another load blows chainboy to the side, but doesn't drop him, and they all start sprinting
>"I seen what's been happenin here, with the holligans runnin around, making trouble and causing fights, all the drugs, all the mayhem and violence! And I gotta say!"
>The boys are gone
>You're hiding behind a dumpster, luckily there was a nice cardboard box there
>But he steps next to you, and tears away the box, pointing a shotgun barrel down at your scarfed face
>"I AIN'T NONE TOO HAPPY WITH IT."
>[spoiler]'Fuck.'[spoiler]
>You stare up along the barrel
>Blueberry Pop is in your hand again
>Slowly, your eyes inch up the metal, and to this guy's dark hand
>Indy's losing her shit in the background
>Then up his arm; he's wearing a beat up old fleece jacket
>You're cool, though
>And his face is unshaven and torn into a snarl
>Your digits curl into the tape on your bat's handle
>Your amber eyes meet his black eyes
>You've got one shot to knock this barrel out of your face
>He's got a crazy look
>Quiet, Indy, stop yelling
>He's gonna shoot you
>Be cool, like me...
>[spoiler]This isn't a warning, Amber, it's... It's taking out the trash![/spoiler]
>...
>His fingers tighten
>And BB flies up!
>He shoots uselessly into the air, giving you a chance to jump to your feet
>Ca-chck, he cocks
>You side step around him, and your bat presses against his barrel
>He can't shoot you if he can't aim
>The shotgun pulls back, you move in
>It's butt flies at you, and you duck
>Letting him point straight down at you
>But this old man isn't as limber as you
>Maybe it's a ruined back, but he can't point straight down
>So you get to roll to his side and jab at his ribs, getting a loud grunt out of him
>"Lil Rat!"
>Before he can say anything else, you're on his back, bat around his neck
>There's a whole lot of groaning from the old dude, but he can't aim right behind him, get get a real shot at you
>Pretty sure he's got bad joints or something, with the way he's staggering
>But you got a good grip on him, with your heels up against his ribs, and BB pulling on his neck
>He can stagger around all he wants, you'll see any moves he has coming
>Like this-
>He's going to slam you into the wall, but his old legs can't move tha-
>Oof
>What the fuck
>Ca-chck
>With stars in your eyes, you blink and look up
"What...?"
>He's got you at the end of the barrel again
>"Got you right where I want you."
>Sure he does
>Old fart's got a few tricks, you guess
>Got your batting arm under a boot
>"You're smarter than these other thugs... What gang are you a part of?"
>You slowly blink away from your bat and up at the barrel
>You get a chance to blink once more before you notice his finger curling around the trigger
>Your foot flies up
>Right in the baby makers, old man's already doubled over and you got your wrist out
>Hand finds bat
>Bat finds old man, right in the knee
>Old man shouts down at you, but you're on your feet again for the second time now
>He's breathing heavy
>So are you
>He pressed you into that wall, and hard
>[spoiler]Like a trash compactor[/spoiler]
>The way he fights, the way he talks
>You're not stupid
>You know your kind
"I'm not in a gang. I hate gangs."
>He takes a breath and grabs his arm. "What about your friends?"
"About to mug me."
>He eyes you up and down, grimacing
>"The bat? Those moves? What's a girl doing with that kinda lethality outside a gang?"
>You draw your feet closer and slide Blueberry behind you. "I clean up my city the best I can."
>"Your city?" He spits to the side and marches toward you, shotgun at his side now
>He's just angry, so you let him grab your collar and shout, "This ain't your city, kid! It's mine! I love this city, she's my missus, I take care of-"
"-of her and she takes care of me."
>You stare at each other for a moment
>The old man gapes down at you, and lets go of your collar
>"I defended this city in the war. I went overseas, and when I got back, she was pretty enough, I wanted to see others like her."
>He raises the shotgun up so its in front of him, then slides his hand across the length
>"Thought she'd be alright. Thought others'd take care of my missus while I was out."
"Canterlot's like a second ma to me."
>"That right..."
>The old man sniffs and extends a dirty hand
>"Fraid I might've been letting my anger get the better of me."
>You spin BB up into the air, and she lands in your other hand, letting you shake his hand
>"They call me Cranky."
"I call myself Amber."
>Cranky nods, tapping a finger against his shotgun
>"Yeah, that's a good name, Amber. You're not in a gang? Where did you learn to fight?"
>You shake your head
"Didn't. It comes naturally."
>He nods again, looking away, working his jaw a bit
>Cranky adjusts his wool cap and pulls his shot gun up to hold it in one hand by his side
>"I heard once or twice that..." He rubs at his chin and looks back at you
>"I heard that, once when I was overseas, that only two types of people can fight 'naturally.'"
>Old man grunts a little as he pulls out and fidgets with some shells
"Only two?"
>"That's what they said."
>You stare at the old man, who stares at his ammo
>Finally, he chuckles. Dude sounds like he hasn't had a drink in a year. "Fiends... Like demons or devils..."
>He points at you with a dirty narrow finger. "And those who hunt them."
>Oh
"Well... Yeah, I guess that's me, huh?"
>He nods, loading a few more shells into his shotgun
>"I think so. And bout time too. This city needs someone like you. She needs someone to take care of her now that she's gettin on in the years, and God knows I'm too old..."
>Okay... That's sad
>But Cranky just shrugs and hides his shotgun under his coat
>"It's good, though..."
>He turns and squats down next to the guy he wasted
"Hey."
>Cranky looks over his shoulder at you. "Hey yourself."
>You move closer, switching BB to your good hand. Your other good hand
>Both are good
"I don't kill."
>"That's good." He rolls the guy over-
>Oh
>His shirt is all torn up and there's a bunch of torn up little holes in his chest
>You squat next to him and feel his neck
"Neither do you..."
>He grunts. "I kill, lil kid. Just not these kids. They've still got a chance to run away into something better."
>Cranky paws around the kid's jacket and pulls out a cell phone
"Let me."
>He gives you a funny look. "I usually call up the police-"
"To pick up the trash. Yeah. Can I?"
>Cranky and you stare at each other for a few seconds
>You tighten up your scarf a bit
>Sheathe Blueberry while you're at it, so you can hold your hands on your hips
>Cranky gives you that same funny look. "Who are you, Amber? Really?"
>You extend your hand. "Like you said, I'm a fiend hunter."
>He scowls
>"And I'm a good kid."
>He looks down at the phone and makes the screen light up. "Damn kids..."
>You move closer to him and snap your fingers to thumb toward yourself
"I'm the Champion of Canterlot, Amber Horizon. I'm gonna call in this punk kid."
>Indy smirks under the scarf
"So hand it over, gramps!"
>"Gramps!"
>Shit, he's standing up
>Cranky jabs a finger at Indy- at you
>You're Indy. And you're awesome
>"Who do you think you're calling gramps all of a sudden, lil kid?"
"You, old man!"
>Despite Amber shouting at you, you give him a playful punch
"Come on, lighten up, dude! You and me are practically besties! See, I fight crime? You fight crime? You're like my totally rad grampa and I'm your kickass grand daughter, see?"
>You smirk and show off your finger guns
>[spoiler]"He's gonna kill us."[/spoiler]
>Shut up, your sour apple routine didn't do it, it was worth a-
>"Heh."
>[spoiler]...That didn't fucking work. That didn't fucking work![/spoiler]
>Oh, but it did
>Cranky's chuckling as best he can, and even puts a hand on your head
>"Like a grampa, huh!" He hands over the phone. "Do your grampa favor then, like a good kid, call the trash pick up?"
>With a wink and a salute, you grab it up and start dialing away. "Sure thing, grampa!"
>[spoiler]May I?[/spoiler]
>Sure!
"Hey. It's me. Amber Horizon. Got another one, corner of 5th and 17th, Central Canterlot."
>"Stay right there! We're coming!"
>You hang up and grab- uh
>Cranky's pulling the punk already, got him at the curb
>What a good guy
>With that done, Cranky dusts of his hands and looks back at you
>You stare at him and nod, letting Indy talk to her grampa, who approaches
>"Seeing as how we're partners now, I think I better tell you a bit."
>Cranky lets out a soft breath as he looks down at you, his stubble covered cheeks moving about with an unsteady jaw
"What'd that be, gramps?"
>His lips smack and he looks around, then back at you. "Let's walk and talk." He's already half turned by the time you reply
"Sure thing." And a hustle you both do
>Cranky's not fast at all, as you'd expect from an old man, he's pretty slow
>But he's at least got the stamina to move across the city in the night, which it seems like you end up doing before he says anything
>As soon as you figure you're in South Canterlot, he sits down at a bus bench and pulls out a big case from under it
>He stuffs his shotgun in it and locks it, dangling the keys in front of you, then hooks them into a necklace under his shirt
"What did you want to tell me?"
>The streets are somewhat chilly at this hour
>You can take it, but it explains a bit of the chatter to Cranky's teeth
>"You in summer break?"
"I am." You nod
>You get a nod back, and a drawn out hum
>Grampa isn't talking much, but he looks like he's trying to put the words together
>A long sigh escapes you and you lean back
>South Canterlot looks like shit, as usual
>City council can't afford to let the money trickle through West, Central and East, so they don't bother anymore
>Instead they let North Canterlot have as many breaks as they need to make sure the prime real estate stays where it is
>Doesn't make any sense whatsoever, given that North Canterlot has similar real estate to the rest of the city
>But all that adds up to a shitty landscaping job and poorly maintained streets for the poor folks in SC
>Another curious glance at grampa, and he nods to himself
"Ready?"
>"I believe so, but I don't think you are, kiddo."
"I have a name."
>"Grampas give their gran'kids silly names."
"Fair enough. So what's up, grampa?"
>Grampa Cranky scratches at his cheek. "This city is divided against itself."
>You reply with a slow nod
>A sigh comes out of grampa. "It used to be..." He put his hand up, flat against the air, and slides it across. "Canterlot! City of Comraderie and Companions!"
>His hand comes down and points at you
>"But that... That was over forty years ago."
>His hand drops into his lap. "Now you're lucky to get directions in this hell hole..." He rubs his face
>"Where did it go wrong?" Cranky looks at a street light that flickers
"The division?"
>"The division." He snarls
"Tell me about the division."
>You blink away the sleep
>"A massive rennovation project to make Canterlot look good by shoving all the shit and refuse into one part of the city while polishing up another part."
>He scratches at his chin and takes a deep breath
>"Didn't go over to well, looks like. Now we got a city divided against itself, for no good damn reason... It wasn't good, no sir."
>Leaning back against the chilly wood sends a soft shiver through your body as you listen
>Cranky gets a darker look in his eye
>"The division was the worst thing to ever happen to my dear Canterlot. Things ain't the same anymore, and no one seems to want them to be right again. People shouldn't treat each other the way they treat each other in Canterlot, Amber... They should be happy, and friendly... And not what this city's become."
"...You're rambling."
>It's a bit rude of you, but it's true
>"Bah, let an old man ramble."
"I'm going to fix Canterlot."
>"Oh?" Cranky turns to you and smirks. "How's that?"
>Your neck snaps back and forth, popping joints
"One punk kid at a time, clean up the crime. Then work on uniting everyone."
>"Tough business, cleaning up this city. How long you been at it?"
>You glare ahead at the street signs and look back at the past days
>Every alley you've slid into
>Every time you chased someone across a vacant lot and into a chain link fence trap
>Every goon with a bat to the face
>Tossing empty trash cans from rooftops
>Entangling idiots in discarded blankets
>Batting that one boot across a park to nail a mugger in the head
>Adding a roll of wrapping paper from the gift shop to your routine of BB to fend off two knifey kids
>Diving behind dozens of different cardboard boxes for a feint or cover
>Tripping punks using lead pipes at the hardware store
>Tossing dirt in the face of a gunner
>Clearing fire escape after fire escape after fire escape to fast travel across the rooftops
>Ducking into backdoors when you get the sense a shake down is going on
>Dumping water down a drain pipe to slip up some would be gang bangers
>Swiping a bottle and tossing it down so the cap comes up like a bullet into the nose of some dude
>All to bring down the trash that clogs the drains and clutters the streets
>Easily one a day
>And stretching it would say five a day
"A month. I've put away at least 80 thugs punks and ne'er do wells."
>"Only eighty. Only eighty, only eighty, only eighty..."
>Glaring at him doesn't bother him
>"You know... There's a lot of troubles in this city. And it ain't coming from the one off thugs and tough guys pushing people around for scratch and change."
>Your arms fold across your chest
>"You and I, we're not going to get anywhere beating up two bit goons in alleys."
>Cranky turns to you, shakes his head, and continues. "We've got to get rid of the ones who send those goons out in the first place. The people in charge, who have power over those punks and over these streets."
>What!?
"What?"
>"You think these kids were running around for no damn good reason?"
>Well...
"Yes."
>Cranky shakes his head and pats himself down a bit, then pulls out a notepad
>It waves through the air as he leers at you
>"There's four gangs..."
>The book comes open and you get to see scribblings and pictures all in different colors and inks
>A few pages are written in marker...
>Cranky holds up one page
>There's an apple drawn on it
>"Bad Apples, that's what I call em. They're all coutry boys and girls, part of the Apple family..."
>Cranky looks on at you, trying to catch your eyes, which is when you both have a stare
>"They're all over East Canterlot. They dress like cowboys and fight like bulls. Can't put em down, least not easy."
"How many have you met?"
>"Bad Apples?"
"Yes, Bad Apples."
>His brow knots together as he thinks
>"Hrm... I'd say sixty or so." He nods toward you. "That's a safe guess."
>Sixty...
"And you have put away all 60?"
>Cranky gives you a funny look and flips a few pages more. "Look here."
>The notepad is placed into your hand
>It's a list of names
"Who are they?"
>One of Cranky's dirty fingers taps the page, "That there's, the entire list of Bad Apples who got locked up after I put em away. And for everyone? A new one comes up."
"Wait..."
>You slowly look up at Cranky
>He nods before you can speak
"But."
>He shakes his head now
"No."
>"Yeah. This is how Canterlot works, kiddo. You put away a punk, two more join the gang."
>Your shoulders slump
>That's really bad
>You put down 80
>80 more come in...
"How do they get so many?"
>Your response is a shaking head. "I don't know."
>Your head shakes down into your hand
"How can we beat their leaders then? With that kind of recruitment power, they can have a hundred men waiting for us by the time the justice system moves their bosses through."
>"That's not what we'll do." Cranky doesn't look at you as he speaks. He's watching a squirrel try to pry open a wrapped candy bar
>You whip your head to him. "I don't kill."
>Cranky doesn't say anything, so you slide off the bench and glare at him
"And if we work together, neither do you."
>Cranky rubs his chin and cheeks again. The squirrel opens the wrapper and starts on the candy
>You step in front of him and squat, glaring into his eyes
>Cranky puts his notepad away. "Iron Will, Flim and Flam, Cherry Jubilee and Rover."
"Yeah?" You refuse to stand, but he doesn't seem to care
>He's staring past you, at the street still
>"I've got their names. Took me a couple of years, some bullets, lost a bit of my left foot, but I got their names and faces."
>Shrug
"What do you do with names and faces? Did you go to the police?"
>Cranky is quiet
>You look over at the squirrel he's watching
>It's gone
>Most of the candy bar is there
>"It doesn't matter what I tell the police. These people are important to Canterlot society."
"What do you mean...?"
>A clear of the throat, and Cranky rambles a bit more.
>"What time you gotta be home?"
"I d-"
>"Your momma must be worried."
>A groan escapes your lips before you can stop it
"Yeah. Yeah, I hope she's okay."
>Cranky groans himself, and gets up. "Come on, I'll tell you a little bit you need to know along the way."
"Okay..." You follow after him and start heading toward your house
>Old dude can keep pace with your walking, which is good
>You two begin the walk back to your house, mostly leering around for any strange activity along the way
>"North, East, West and Central Canterlot are dangerous places for folk like you an me, kid."
>Your eyes drag up and stare through him. "Like us?"
>He almost snarls. "Good folk, who want change."
>You stare for a second then nod, looking forward again
"The South?"
>"Safe. It's where I lived till a couple of punks chased me out. Real nice place, near the ocean... Very nice."
"You lived on the docks."
>"I did."
>You grunt. "That means you're homeless."
>"So what if I am?"
"I'm surprised."
>Cranky gives you a weird look again. "How's that?"
>You blankly stare back. "I figured a good guy like you'd have friends or family."
>Cranky looks forward again as you both stop at a corner; this is the farthest you can go together
>"Had."
>[spoiler]Oh fuck no[/spoiler]
>You toss Amber away and hug gramps
"Dude, ya got me."
>He takes a second to reply, but Cranky hugs you back
>"You really are a good kid, huh?"
>Dude smells like sweat and smoke, but you didn't expect anything much better, to be honest
>"Aight." Cranky pats your shoulders and pulls you away. "Nuff'a that, go home, go on home to your momma."
>You let go of him and nod. "Kay, grampa, Imma go home. Don't go get yourself killed, kay?"
>Gramps snorts and starts laughing
>So you laugh with him
>Grampa's cool
>"Kid, you meet me at the docks tomorrow night, aight? We've got good work to do."
"What's at the docks, grampa? Sides your home, I guess."
>"My home."
"Oh." You stare at him, to try and see if he's gonna go further. He doesn't. "Kay."
>"We get that, we got a good start to cleaning this city up. For starters, I'll get a chance to sleep somewhere that ain't a bench."
>You snort at that, but shrug
"I getcha. We're gonna get you your home back, gramps, then get to work on this city. Gonna make her beautiful."
>Gramps grins

>1 2 3
>"Indy you got this!"
>Six hours of sleep is doing you pretty okay
>1 2 3
>In the zone
>"One minute left!"
>You nod and Blueblood yells more
>"Only one minute left?" Big Lem comes up from behind and you nod for him too
>1 2 3
>"I got you n Lil Lem a spar in half a hour. She'll be back soon, lemme know if ya nee'a breather."
>1 2 3
"Gonna beat her."
>Big Lem smirks as he reads from his clipboard
>"Sure ya are."
>1 2 3
>Lil- Uh
>Lem's not gonna catch you off guard
>You've got the speed to get a good shot off on her
>1 2 3
>"You grinning for the win, indy!?"
>You bob your head and keep on running
>You're gonna win!
"Gonna win!"
>Your hand slams down on the treadmill controls right as it beeps
>You stop and take a few deep breaths, slowing your breathing
"Gonna beat Lem today. Gonna get that hit in."
>"Gonna beat me today!?"
>By the time you turn, Lem's music is already blaring at you
>You grin at her and she grins at you
>Big girl's got her hands on her hips and her workout gear
>Lem gets closer and turns down her music. "Sup dude!?"
>You rub all the sweat off yourself. "Sup, Lem. Ready to get knocked out?"
>Lem snorts and waves out her hands a bit. "I been ready fer a while, but don't seem no one can give me tha big ol KO."
>She rolls her shoulders and throws her arms around you, giggling
>You giggle too and hug this big pink lug of a bestie you got
>Man, she might be the toughest girl you know, with the heaviest punches you've ever seen in person
>But damn if she ain't the softest, best... Hugger
>Big Lem puts his hands on both of your shoulders. "Aight, aight, save tha lovin for the ring, you two."
>You grin and rub at your cheek a little
>Lem winks at you as her dad goes on some more, and when he's not looking, she blows you a kiss
>Gosh, this fuggin girl don ease up
>Ya love it
>"That right?"
>You blink up at Big Lem and Lil Lem nods
>"Yessir, yessir. We're gonna have a fair fight, dad! Righ' Inny?"
>You bob your head, wiping some more at your sweaty face and chest
"Fair fight! Right! How else can you fight!?"

>You look at the pic of you and Lem, holding each other as she takes the pic
>It's earlier today
>Your both got those helmets on, gloves too
>And smiles
>She's poor and all, you get that
>But a god dang polaroid selfie?
>Of you and your best friend, too
>It gives you a... A warm feeling
>Oh gosh
>You're hugging the stupid picture
>And wearing a stupid big grin
>And curling up on your bed with it too
>Ma giggles. "Inny, you're gonna end up folding that dang thing in half and crumpling it up like that."
>You giggle and unwind. "Oops?"
>Ma shakes up your hair
>"You're growing up so fast! It's so cute!"
>You and Ma and your pic hug

>You look down at Ma sleeping as you strap your belt
>You take a deep breath and prepare to switch
>But before you do, or as you do, or whatever however this psychology thing works
>You notice that box on your dresser
>The fug is that?
>It's not heavy at all, but picking it up, you realize you don't remember where you got it
>'To Indy.'
>Ugh
>Where did you get this!?
>[spoiler]It appeared out of nowhere, when dad came to pick you up for the tourney[/spoiler]
>Right
>Thanks, Amber
>It's wrapped up in white, so
>What's in the box?
>Wiggle it open, tear up the paper...
>Wot
>The fug is... This?
>Goggles?
>You pick them up and stare at them
>Wot???
>The box has a letter inside
>Wot is this?????????
>This thing looks like it's written by a bunch of different people, what is this shid?
>Ugh, whatever, you're busy, so you stuff the box in your pocket

>South Canterlot
>You don't know where Cranky is, but you know where your bat is
>Blueberry Pop is light in your hand and your feet are light on the concrete
>No one's around
>At least
>No one thinks that you know anyone's around
>But you can sniff out the shit stinking up the docks and that isn't the bird streaks across the piers
>Easily twenty people the past half hour
>And not a peep out of any of them
>Fine by you
>But it's getting you a bit nervous, nah
>Anxious
>Itching... The word is itching
>You're itchy all over to scrub these kids across the concrete and wood
>But you're here for a reason
>Gramps' house
"Cranky."
>"Cranky who?"
"Cranky goddamn doodle dandy."
>Your bat points back at this kid with nice accuracy
"Now fug off unless you're gonna grow fifty years in an instant."
>You keep walking, and he follows
>"That ain't too nice."
"Neither is littering."
>"Littering?"
"What else do you call a bunch of trash laying around? Litter."
>"That's not very nice."
>This kid rounds you
>Goth kid
>Skinny
>Greasy hair
>Leather jacket
>No, fake leather
>You grimace
>Knife hidden in one pocket
>BB flies at that pocket, jamming his fingers, and he squeals
>He holds his bloody hand and whimpers
"You'll find I'm not too keen on looking at shit. Much like anyone, I figure, I prefer not to handle garbage unless I have to."
>"You bitch."
>He narrows his eyes and pulls his knife out in his bloodied hand
>You smack his hand again and the knife goes flying
>Just in time for his big bros to come running in and give you a punch to dodge
>"Not so tough now, huh!?"
>You two hand BB
>Turn her around, put your palm on the bottom
>Stab at the big bro's gut
"Yeah."
>Big bro crumples over like a top heavy trash bag
"I actually feel nice and small, thanks."
>You slide back and spin around big bro as he falls and use the momentum to get another big bro in the side of the head
>Two more big bros here, two more big bros hiding
>First off
>You kick the little shit in the face
>He drops, and that flushes out the other three big bros
>Whatever
>You duck under a few ham fisted punches from a couple of fat kids
>One of them you grab
>Half hand BB, grabbing in the middle
>She comes down on his elbow and you let him walk it off
>Four left, your first count was wrong
>They circle you
>That never helps these kids
>They all come at the same time, so you get a good slide out and let them barrel each other
>When the dust settles, you headshot one more
>Three
>BANG
>Everyone stops
>Ch-chck!
>Everyone looks across the pier
>There's that old man, with that shot gun
>He rolls his jaw back and forth
>"Please, let me welcome you to my home."
>He blasts a big bro in the chest, dropping him
>Everyone scatters, who has the sense to scatter
>You swing BB around and sheathe her
>"Hey grampa."
>Cranky grins and pulls you in for a hug
>"Good to see ya, kid. Glad you could make it."
"Of course. I have to give you a good house warming, right?"
>Cranky grins at that, and looks around
>"Friends of yours?"
>You shake your head. "I thought they were visitors. I tried to give them a warm Cranky welcome."
>A dozen kids are piling in
>Grampa has a chuckle and rests his shotgun against his shoulder. "Well, I always say the more the merrier, what about you, kiddo?"
"I do love making new friends." You pull Blueberry Pop out and two hand her as you watch the crowd form
>Thirty now
>"Lets have a great house warming party, shall we?"
>A smug looking prick steps out from the crowd, cigar in hand. "So I see old m-"
>Your bat is on his nose
>He's down
>"Kiddo!"
>You look back at him
>He nods, smiling. "I always hated that little snot."
>You smile back as the crowd comes crashing at you both
>You jump over one punk, swinging BB around to break another's nose
>Before your mount can toss you off, you've already kicked another in the side of the head and when you finally get off, you vault kick him into the ground
>Cranky's not packing lead, but his shots do disperse the crowd around him nicely
>With two shots and a bashing, old dude's got five kids down
>Hm
>You duck and trip another goon and spear the one who tries to grab up on you
>Two more come, so you jump up and kick/bat them off
>Taking out the trash is good
>It's healthy, and good for your community
>1 2 3
>Everyone should do it!
>This one swings a knife at you, but you fall into his arms, against his soft belly
>1 2 3
>He doesn't have the sense to shank you, so you shank him and jump forward, clobbering another kid over the head
>1 2 3
>Cranky puts a hand on your shoulder and blasts the last punk there in the gut, blowing him off his feet
>You take a deep breath
>You both look on at the valley of destruction and over at a small makeshift porch with a simple light hanging over it, all in front of a storage unit
"Welcome home, grampa."
>"Thanks, kiddo. Good to be home."

>Cranky's got a nice place
>All things considered
>Table, bed, fridge, chairs, radio
>Can't ask for much more, 2bh
>You relax in one of his chairs and he roots around the place, moving stuff around and tossing other things out
>"I'll just be a minute..." He grabs up a bunch of kids' stuff and tosses it out the door
"Take your time."
>He puts a cherry cream cola down in front of you and you give him that weird look he gives you
>He shrugs and shakes his head. "All I got. Little weirdos and their fancy pants sodas and imported beers."
>He throws up a hand as he walks off to throw more stuff out
>"Drink it, or it's going in the trash."
>With a shrug, you crack the first soda you've had in... Weeks
>Yeah, since May
>As soon as you pop the tab, the room smells like cherries
"Oh, nice."
>He sniffs, and rubs his nose. "It is, yeah."
>Cranky goes back to throwing out the trash and you sip at your soda
>It's nice
>This is nice
>You... Er
>Amber never gets to relax
>She- you don't know how you feel about it, it's weird
>You feel like you should be investigating something at least
>You'll do that
>There's that box
>You pop it open and grab the goggles and letter
>Five different writing styles
>'Hey, Indy. This might not make a whole lot of sense, but I know you'll need these. I mean like, not these goggles, but all these letters from everyone. You got friends, okay? We're your friends and we care about you.'
>What?
>'Anyway, with that outta the way... Here's a pair of goggles. I know they look pretty boring, but hey, they're also really you. Not that you're pretty boring! Haha, naw, I mean they suit you, the cool car girl look you took so long to make.'
>Cool car girl?
>"Nice goggles, kiddo."
>You look up as Cranky sits down
>He's looking over the goggles, sort of turning them back and forth in his finger and thumb
>You bob your head and pick them up
"Thanks, they're a gift from a friend." As you say that, you wrap them on your forehead

>22nd and 14th
>Central Canterlot
>It's an older building, but it looks better than the rest of the area by a lot
>Like everything about the building looks better
>There's no grafitti
>There's no holes from bullets
>No litter
>The little tree at the sidewalk looks better even
>You guess this is where Dr. Scorpan is, right?
>Probably
>"This the place, Inny?"
>You nod and hug ma
>She giggles and hugs you back, but pauses
>"Why do you have your work out bag?"
"Uh."
>Don't lie
"In case the doc needs me to do some kind of tests. Don't wanna get my clothes sweaty."
>"Oh okay."
>Ma smiles again. "Have fun, Inny, and call me when you're done."
>You wave with her cell phone in hand
"Sure Ma."
>Ma gives you one last kiss on the forehead and gets back to her car
>Okay so
>There's no doorbell
>So you just like
>Open the front door...
>Oh shid, someone else grabs the door and opens it for you
>Some stoner chick in a poncho smiles at you
>She's tying back her dreadlocks
>"Sup, dude."
"Sup... Dude. Uh, is Dr. Scorpan in?"
>She gives the sky a distant smile
>Then looks to the side
>Then back at you
>"Yeah dude, come on in. He's been waiting for you."
"Nice..."
>She shuffles back in, leading you through the old house
>It's like a really old boarding house
>The place isn't perfect, but it's way better than the other houses around here
>Plus it smells nice, like fruit or something
>"I'm making a bunch of juice and stuff for a bake sale, you want some, Blue?"
>Looks like she's leading you to the kitchen, apparently
"Oh, uh, sure."
>She goes to get one of the ton of pitchers she has set up, and you sit down
>And you set down your duffle bag
>Kitchen's full of fruits, and like all kinds
>And some you've never seen before
>"Ah, young Indigo Zap!" An old, friendly voice announces you and you whip around
>Scorpan
>Big dude's wearing an old man suit, one of those jackets and pants combos that's no good for working business but awesome for saying 'hey I'm a grampa'
>He comes right at you just as the other girl is pouring out two glasses
>He grabs one and gives you a small smile. "Welcome, Indigo. I'm glad you could make it." He sips and nods toward the girl.
>"Great punch."
>She dazedly nods with a smile. "Thanks, dude."
>You grab your glass and sip some too
>Yeah, it's pretty good...
"I uh. Sorry I couldn't make it for like a month."
>But Scorpan just shakes his head and bats away your apology. "That's quite alright. I understand that you're busy."
>As he speaks, he unbuttons his jacket and pulls out a small hankie to wipe his mouth. "That said, I'd love to begin as soon as you are ready!"
>You chug down the rest of your punch and jump out of your seat, bag already in hand
"Kay! What kind of tests are we doing, doc?"
>Big guy chuckles into his fist. "Very simple ones. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but don't expect anything nearly as strenuous as you've been doing these past few weeks."
>Nod
"Right, right." You follow as he starts walking
>With a grunt, he starts up the stairs
>"My brother and I, our apartment contains the proper equipment. I'm going to be testing for the origin and circumstances of the affliction, it's... Well..."
>He clears his throat at the middle of the stairs
>He's so slow
>Poor guy
>"I won't bore you with the fine details, my dear Indy. I'm just going to check up on how you're doing to make sure that you're growing right and that that pain in your side isn't anything serious."
"Hey..."
>He pauses and looks back at you
"How'd you know about that anyway?"
>Scorpan pauses
>He smiles
>"Mr. Preserves, your fitness trainer, told me. I've been the Lemon family physician for generations, you see."
"Oh... Okay, that makes sense."
>He winces, grunts and begins climbing again. "Sorry for the air of mystery!" Old dude chuckles and sets a leather toed foot on the second floor
>"Stairs get harder to climb every day..."
>After a short breath, Scorpan smiles at you and wipes at his forehead
>"Now..." He replaces his hankie with a key and continues down the hall
>"Do you still feel the pain in your side?"
>Nodding, you tighten your grip on your duffle bag
"Sometimes, yeah."
>Scorpan's brow raises as he stops at the end of the hall. "Only sometimes?"
>You grab your side and hold the spot of pain
"Well... I guess I just don't notice. Anymore."
>You're both quiet as you stare at the spot of pain
>With a hum, Scorpan unlocks his door and opens up
>He opens up to his living room
>Couch, desk, book case- wait this isn't a living room
"Oh, yeah, you're a doctor."
>He chuckles. "Why yes, yes I am."
>You awkwardly smile and walk in, dropping yourself on the couch
>As you relax, big guy walks to his desk and grabs a big leather bag, like old doctors use. "Comfortable?"
"Oh, uh, yeah."
>"Good!" He smiles as he nears you. "I'm glad you're not nervous, the testing will go better that way."
>With a grunt, Scorpan pulls over a stool and sits in front of you and digs through his bag
>You sit upright so you're not all sprawled out for this
>He shows you a little hammer thingy while smiling
>"Let's start simple, shall we?"
>You roll your eyes and grin
>Scorpan tests your reactions, blood pressure, breathing, sight, hearing, weighs you, measures you like eight different ways, has you sing the abc's, measures your heart rate, compares your skin color to a couple of charts, checks your nails, carefully looks at a hair, and finally, finally
>Gives you a lollipop
"So what's the good word, doc?"
>He clears his throat and writes some things down on a form he has
>"You're..." He taps his pencil to his bearded chin
>After a deep breath, he winces. "Alive."
"Wew."
>"Yes... But more in depth, I could tell you that..."
>He checks his forms. "You are right handed, favoring your left for handling devices and buttons, or that you..."
>Another form. "Prefer to chew soft foods on your right side and brittle foods on the left..."
>You stare
>"But that won't tell you anything important, now will it?"
"You know all that?"
>"I do! But none of that is... Important to what we're doing today."
>He sets his clipboard down and weaves his fingers
>"I will now test the pain in your side."
>You nod and watch him extend a finger
>His nails are kinda long and pointed, but not sharp
>He moves toward your side and you watch as he slides your shirt up just enough to see part of your flat belly and your waist
>Gulp
>Poke
"Ah! Fuck," you slap his hand away
>Scorpan takes a deep breath and pats your shirt back down
>"I recommend continue doing your extra work outs. This pain will likely never go away unless you finish up your work here."
>Rubbing at your side, you cock a brow at him
"Wut?"
>The old man takes a deep breath and stands, grabbing his stool. "I... Find it difficult to explain, exactly."
>He drums his fingers across the stool as he looks up and thinks.
>"I suppose the best way to describe it would be..." He looks back down at you
"That you've developed a physical need to fight wrong doers."
>You stare
"Pffft." You start laughing
>And he joins you
>"I know it sounds silly..." He chuckles some more, "But it's true, Indy."
>You shake your head and stand up, setting your hands on your hips. "Dude, are you seriously telling me that I can sense people doing bad stuff?"
>He raises one hand and shakes his head.
>"No, no, not quite."
>He taps his chin and looks around, before pointing at one of the doors
>"Brother? I was going to the market, do you want anything?"
>The door opens and out comes the other old dude. "No."
>Scorpan looks at you as the pain flares, right when you see that old man's face
>Okay, you get it

>Okay, gotta play this game
>So, that pain
>Whatever, this pain in your side
>Like whatever, head in the game
>You know when people are bad guys
>No big deal!
>You toss your dice down
>1, 3, 6, 6, 5, 2, 6, 5
>+2 each
>"That's fucking cheating, give me your dice!"
>Ugh, you slide all of your dice to Sour Sweet
>She's the only one you can practice game against this week
>You stare at her, wishing she'd stop holding the game to test everything you have for faulty (aka cheating) changes
>She's not a bad guy
>You just don't like her cause she's a bitch
>Her and her fat girl tits and short shorts
>"What the fucks this!?"
>She slides right next to you, pressing your shoulder between her fat udders
>ffs
>...sniff?
>Making sure she doesn't notice, you sniff her
>She smells like cherries and lime
>And like actual soap
"Oh hey, you don't smell like day old burgers."
>She shuts up at that and you smirk
>"...yeah."
>Wut
>"I uh, didn't like how I smelled, so I bought, uh, some new stuff."
"Uh, it smells nice?"
>She shrugs. "Thanks."
"Yeah-"
>"This isn't for you, it's for Twilight." She frowns  at you, squeezing you closer against her padded body
>Her belly is fucking warm. Your hand is getting burnt (not really)
"Hey, that's cool, let me go now."
>"No, not after I show you how you're cheating!"
>"H-hey g-girls. A-are we late?"
>Hey
>You both look back and you grin at Twi
>You smirk
>"Ya just in time, bae. C'mon over, give ya girl Indy a hug, I missed ya!"
>Sour Patch stiffens and lowly growls
>Twi giggles and bounds over to hug you
>Bit harder than you expected from a twiggy girl, but whatevs
>You hug her back and sneer at Sour
>[spoiler]Get cucked[/spoiler]
>???
>[spoiler]Don't worry about it[/spoiler]
>After a second or two longer than you expected, Twi peels away from you and pulls some hair behind her ear
>"S-so, h-h-how are y-you? B-both of y-you, I-I mean."
>She makes an effort of looking between both you and Sour
>In the background, her friend is unpacking their HSHW stuff
"I-"
>"I'm great! I'm happy to see you, Twilight, honey! I wanted to play with you, so I got here nice and early, and now that you're here, I'm so glad!"
>Sour Patch makes a show of tossing you aside (and failing) to jump and hug her
>Instead she sort of hop skips closer and throws her arms around Twi
>Twi wasn't expecting it of course, given the girl has like no response time aside from a yelp
>So Sour Patch ends up snatching her up and tripping
>Falling onto her
>And onto the concrete floor
>You almost jump to stop them
>But you notice in the split second before they land that they turned in mid air so they'd land on their sides
>You sigh and scoop up Twi, leaving Sour to groan and get help from Twi's friend
>(You keep forgetting her name)
"You aight?"
>She half shrugs, adjusting her glasses. "Y-yeah..."
>Aaaaaaaaaaaand she's palming your flat belly, so you set her on her feet and take a step back
>By now, Sour's up, but Twi ignores her for the most part
>"S-so, I-Indy?"
"Yeah?"
>Twi looks at her hands as she wrings them. "C-can we t-talk in p-private?"
>A gasp comes from Sour
>Despite what Amber's chuckling about, you have no idea what's going on
>So you shrug
"Yeah, sure..." You lead her away from Sour and to another part of the game hall, to get a water while you're at it
>When you're both far enough, Twi whisper stammers out something
>"S-so I h-heard, u-um, th-that you h-h-have a r-r-really cool f-friend?"
>[spoiler]What the fuck!?[/spoiler]
>Amber's outburst aside, you don't respond beyond, "Yeah?"
>She looks away, adjusts her glasses, and leans closer to whisper directly into your ear
>"C-can she h-help? M-my s-s-s-s-s-s-" She starts trembling and shaking like a broken down washer machine
>You grab her, and she stops with a huge purple blush and an embaressed frown
"Go ahead."
>She takes a shakey breath and pulls out a notepad and a pen
>She scribbles it out instead and hands it to you, with her head held down so her bangs hide her burning face
>You stare at her and grab the notepad
>It's for Amber
>So, you turn to the wall
>And you let Indy sit in the back for a second as you scan the sheet
>'Dear AH'
>'Over the past year or so, some people have been harassing my sister and her fiance.'
>'It's been the usual... You know, annoying kids who make cat calls and stuff.'
>'But ever since my sister started trying out to be a cop, the kids have been getting worse.'
>'Last month she came home with her taser out.'
>'Last week, her fiance had her car stolen.'
>'...Last night... My sister's fiance...'
>'...She...'
>'She...'
>...
>You set the notepad down and quietly glare at the wall
"She what."
>Twiley hiccups
>"Sh-she had a-a broken n-n-nose and her c-clothes were a-a-all ripped u-up-"
"Okay."
>You put a hand on her shoulder, glaring at the wall
"Where?"
>"I-Indy?"
>You look to where she is without turning your head
"My friend will need to know where this happened."
>She gasps
>"C-central Canterlot!"
>Twi jumps on you and squeezes, rubbing her face into your back
>She's mumbling into your shirt
>[spoiler]Who's in Central Canterlot?[/spoiler]
>If you recall correctly, Central Canterlot is controlled by Iron Will, a giant of a man
>[spoiler]He sounds like a big guy[/spoiler]
>You can only assume
>And for Twilight's sake
>Hope you can put him down

>It was a dry day today, but the streets are cool tonight, making your evening patrol comfortable
>You grip the railing of a fire escape and pull up to perch at the edge
>And you toss yourself up to the ledge of the roof
>Once on top of the roof, you wander on over toward a nearby steel boxes and drop your duffle bag
>You pull out a cell phone and dial away
"Cranky."
>"Hey kiddo. How's tonight treating ya?"
>You sit down on the box, "Alright. Tossed out six kids so far..."
>"Atta girl."
>Sounds like Cranky's eating
>No punks to steal and cash his food stamps, he can eat something
>[spoiler]Keep this quick so grampa can have dinner[/spoiler]
"I want to bring Iron Will down."
>"You gotta find him, first."
"Where is he?"
>"Dunno kiddo. Ask around a bit. Make some friends in low places. But don't go yet, okay? Grampa wants to come with, make sure you don't get hurt...!"
>Despite him being unable to see you, you nod
"I understand. Thank you, grampa."
>"Yup. Seeya Thursday."
>The line clicks
>You lower Ma's phone and stare out at the city
>Central Canterlot
>Iron Will controls this part, apparently
>You grab your bag and sling it on as you move across the gravel
>Your city
>You love her like you love your Ma
>Four scumbags are filling your Ma full of cancer and filth
>You grab a fire escape ladder and slide down
>Your sneakers tap against the concrete below without a sound as you walk
>Iron Will is first
>Then you can move on to the others
>Maybe clean up before the end of summer
>No one out tonight
>Good
>...What is that?
>You look up and down the building
>Central Canterlot Historical Antiquities Museum
>This is where a thrift shop and a gym was, just yesterday
>Right?
>And...
>'OPEN 24/7, SECURITY ON WATCH'
>That's... Weird
>You tighten up the straps on your bag and hustle in
>The museum is poorly lit, but you're positive it's on purpose
>So you don't notice the security guard at the entrance waves a scanner over you
>He nods and lets you go
>It's just a small museum
>All the pieces are from Old Canterlot era
>Paintings and statues fill the halls, all leading to the main display room
>Holy shit
>They got an entire catapault in here
>And
>You get closer to this one display
>Its not in a display case or anything, it's on a manequin
>A suit of armor and a big, big sword
>All gold
>And its the only thing with a bright light over it, so its like it glows in the dark room
>[spoiler]Touch it[/spoiler]
>You can't, it's against the rules
>[spoiler]I didn't see any signs saying not to[/spoiler]
>It's a museum, it's assum-
>[spoiler]ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL[/spoiler]
>INDY NO
>INDY YES
>You grab your wrist in one hand before you can touch the armor
>Damn it
>You're a tough girl, but Indy's had this body longer than you
>Actual sweat starts beading on your forehead from the strain of keeping her at bay
>But
>You can't-!
>A finger touches it
"Fuck!"
>Is this fucking thing live wired?
>That's what you get for not listening to yourself, you guess...
>Er
>You stare at your finger
>It's unharmed
>That's pretty weird, it hurt like hell
>...
>Uh
"What...?"
>...
>[spoiler]Amber?[/spoiler]
>A-are you there?
>Footsteps
>Behind you
>You look, and there's an annoyed looking man in a thick sweater standing at the entrance to the room
>He adjusts his glasses and sneers
>"Please don't touch the displays."
"Sorry dude."
>He grunts and walks past you
>Before you- Well, nah
>He whips out a tissue and rubs at the spot you poked
>Not before you can react, but you guess since he works here, he won't get hurt, so you don't do anything
>It only hurt you
"Uh, can you tell me something about this?"
>He sighs. "Sure."
>"This would be King Arthour's regalia and sword, Sunriser."
"Uh."
>He stutters to a stop and snorts. "What?"
>You look at the sword
>It's a huge tower of steel with golden words all across it. "I thought..."
>You look back at him
"I thought it was called Dawnbringer?"
>He scoffs
>"I guess, if you use the old Gaellop translations. But real historians agree that the Old Equestrian manuscripts can be trusted, thus, King Arthour's sword is named Sunriser."
>He smirks from under his thick rimmed glasses
"...You're pretty cute dude. Are you single?"
>He grunts and glares at you
>"I-I am 37 years old with a wife and daughter, you little punk!"
>While waving your hand a bit, you giggle at him
"Just a prank, bro, just a prank!" You smile. "You just remind me of this one girl I know. She's got big glasses too."
"You look like you're twenty though, good job."
>He grits his teeth... Then sighs. "Do you want to hear about Arthour or not?"
"Yeah yeah, go ahead dude. Can you do it with a stutter though?"
>He furrows his brow and stares at you, mouth agape
>He gulps and looks around
>"U-uh. Th-the anc-cient texts s, no, sorry. I don't like my stutter. You weird, weird little girl."
"That's fine, go ahead, dude."
>He glares at you again, but it's softer
>Shier?
>You smirk
>He raises a hand and points at the breast plate, where a sun is stamped into it
>That's where you poked it
>"Historians all agree that he wore this armor in every battle he took part in. When he was crowned king, he had the crown combined with the armor..."
>"It was said the forging gave the armor divine power, as back then, the crown of king was symbol of divine right."
>He gives you a smirk
>"They thought his god given right to rule was permanently affixed to the armor. Hence his inability to be defeated in combat or via magic."
"Magic?"
>He shrugs
>"It was believed that the armor dispels mind controlling spells and counters insanity."
>Oh
>...A-amber?