//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: The Sun of My Heart 2: Love's Flames // by BlueSun52 //------------------------------// Viva La Paint Wars! It was early Saturday afternoon and many of the students of Canterlot High were on their way towards a large gaming field that was made for paintballs. It was part of the school’s way of thanking the students after working so hard on their studies and making excellent grades, and to also apologize to the students who went through all the trouble with Discord and all the things that had happened in the last few days of his visit. After some time, Celestia and Luna decided that it was a good idea to take the students outdoors to a nearby paintball area where all the students and teachers would get rid of the stress and have fun. The students were being transported by three large buses that headed straight towards the paintball field. Once the buses arrived, the students piled out of the buses and headed over to the counters that supplied the paint guns and ammo. Once every student had their paint guns, the students gathered up around the main entrance into the gaming field and waited for Celestia and Luna to give them instructions. Many of the students were wearing mostly camouflage outfits and were either wearing their protective masks or holding them until the game would start. Celestia and Luna walked in front of the students with similar camouflage outfits, Luna having two black paint lines on each of her cheeks. Celestia waved at the students for their attention and looked at them all with a smile. “I want to thank you all for all of your hard work and dedication this semester for the sake of education,” Celestia said. “And to also celebrate that Discord is out of our hair,” Luna added. “Yes, *Ahem* that too. Now, I just want to make a few rules for the games and what we’re going to be doing,” Celestia said. “We’re going to be playing a type of Hunger Games-style paintball with a few changes to the rules. There will be a reward for the winner or winners. You can choose to be in team of two, but no more than that. However you can choose to form treaties with other teams and break them whenever you want. Just be sure you know when to make and break them.” “If you get shot once by a paintball, you’re out of the game, but if you still want to play some paintball, they have other courses you can use. Just don’t use any of the main course here. If you’ve been shot but try to wipe away the paint mark, you will get a month’s worth of detention. We’re here to have fun, not to cheat. “The last pair or person standing will come to me and Luna for their prizes. Also, the teachers will be part of the game too, including me and my sister, so watch your backs. Is everyone cleared on the rules?” All of the students gave their understanding of the rules by either speaking out or nodding. “Alright, pair off if you like and make your treaties count. In a few minutes, we’ll have all of you head into the forest and spread out until you hear a blow horn to start the game,” Celestia said. The students started gathering up with all of their friends and started making their treaties. While that was happening, the gang huddled together as they were making their plans. “It’s very clear that me and Soul here are going to be a pair,” Sunset said. “I’ve got no problem with that,” Soul said. “What about the rest of you?” “My Clyde and I will be sticking together, of course,” Rarity said as she leaned on Clyde. “You’ll keep my outfit clean, won’t you, my darling?” “Don’t worry, we’ll come out on top,” Clyde replied. He turned to Rivet. “I’m guessing you and Dash are pairing off, huh?” “Pretty much,” Rivet replied. “She’s already trying to get some treaties together. She already has an army under her banner.” “I know, we already made out treaties with her,” Pinkie said. “This is going to be so awesome! There’s going to explosions, people charging at one another, a lots and lots of dead bodies!” “Eh, Pinkie this a paintball game, not a real war,” Swift pointed out. “And we don’t have anything that would cause explosions.” “What about the paint grenades?” Pinkie asked. “Okay yeah, never mind,” Swift said. “I just hope I don’t end up getting splattered with paint. Just the thought of any of it getting on me is, Eck!” Zephyr commented. “And do we have to do it in the forest? Can’t we do it somewhere more clean?” “Yeah, sure. We can go to that large building that has those white walls and ground and they keep it all clean all day long. And no one shoots paintballs at each other at all, they just sit around and have tea,” Zero said sarcastically. “..... Really?” Zero rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Zephyr. Ah’ll pair off with ya, if ya want,” Applejack offered. “Ah’m a pretty good shot when it comes to anything with a trigger. Pa used to teach Mac how to shoot guns, and then Mac taught me. Y’all be in safe hands with me.” “Oh um, thanks, Applejack, I would really appreciate it,” Zephyr said. “Hey Zero, who are you pairing off with?” “No one, because I’m going to be a lone wolf in this game,” Zero said. “I have skills you guys couldn’t possibly imagine and I’m going to come out on top of this. I’m going to be like the shadows, I’ll be your worst nightmare and you aren’t expecting it, I’ll come out of nowhere and-” “Yeah, yeah, we get it, you're Batman or whatever,” Soul interrupted. “So Night, do you and Fluttershy want to make a treaty with us?” “That’d be a good idea. I don’t think Fluttershy can take the constant pressure of watching out for someone coming out of nowhere and having to look over your shoulders every second,” Night replied. “Just thinking about it is making me about to faint,” Fluttershy said as she felt woozy. “Thinking about joining up with Dash’s army?” Swift asked. “Naw, Sunny and I thought we keep a few treaty with a few people and make it more interesting,” Soul said. “Plus, we’ll be able to move around quicker if we don’t have too many people with us,” Sunset added. “Because you can’t trust anyone in this game.” “Are you in your insane competitive mode?” Soul asked. “Because ever since I saw you do that during the Couple's Contest, I’ve been very nervous about it coming back up.” “At least it’s here on a battlefield instead of a silly contest,” Sunset retorted. “A contest that you and Sonata won…. I hope that they never do that again.” “Still bitter about that?” Rivet asked. “More or less.” “Alright everyone, get into the forest and we’ll blow the horn in a little bit,” Celestia announced. “And remember, have fun and don’t get shot.” Everyone started making their way towards the entrance of the forest. Just as they were entering, Rainbow Dash strutted in with a smug smile and her sunglasses on. She was being followed by dozens of students that had joined her team and formed treaties. “Alright guys, let’s dominate this game,” Rainbow Dash said. “And to those that are not on my side, I wish you luck….. Because I’m going to be shooting your asses off. HA!” Rivet, walking beside Rainbow Dash, rolled his eyes and made their way inside the forest. Clyde and Rarity hurried as fast as they could inside of the forest until they were sure that they were out of sight. When Clyde thought they were safe, he asked Rarity to climb on his back. When she did, Clyde had on some tree climbing gear and started climbing up on of the trees until he found a good bush that they would stay hidden in until he felt that their position was compromised. He set Rarity down next to him on a branch and the two waited for the horn to blow. “Alright, I’ll snipe anyone that gets too close and you’ll keep an eye out for them,” Clyde said as he handed Rarity a pair of binoculars. “And we’ll move every time I take at least two shots at each person.” “Two shots? That seems too small for us if we’re going to be moving around,” Rarity complained. “Can’t you make it like maybe four or five? Or maybe twelve…. or not at all, we could stay where we’re at.” Clyde let out a sigh. “We need to keep moving if we’re going to win. Otherwise, people are going to know where we are and they’ll probably get us boxed in here. We'll be sitting ducks,” he explained. “Especially since Rainbow Dash has an army.” “And Adagio,” Rarity added. “What?” “Oh, Adagio was able to put together an army under her banner,” Rarity said. “Although, it’s mostly boys, but they do outnumber Dash’s army three to one. But I do believe Dash can still win this…. If she dosen’t let it all go to her head first.” “Then we can wait until Dash and Adagio duke it out. That way, we can finish off the rest ourselves,” Clyde suggested. “I think Sunset is thinking the same too. She’s nice, but if there’s anything that I’ve learned about her during her evil queen bully days, it’s that she is a devious demon…. no pun intended.” Rarity giggled. “On that we agree,” Rarity said. She brought up her binoculars to her face and looked through it. As she was looking, she saw a few of the students moving around the area far from them. She made a disgusted expression. “Augh! Who would wear that much green? We’re in a middle of a forest, not an overrated painted room. And look at what she’s wearing! That scarf is just terrible for a sporting event like this.” Clyde let out a sigh. “And so it begins,” he said to himself quietly. Rainbow Dash was leading her formed army as they walked together, keeping an eye out for any student or teacher that might attack them when the horn goes off. She would make hand gestures for some of her followers to move in a certain formation or to warn them of possible attacks. She hanged her weapon’s strap over her shoulder and reached into her pocket to pull out a red ribbon. She wrapped it around her head and made it into a headband. Just as Rainbow Dash took one more step, all of a sudden the horn went off in the far distance and she could see paintballs heading straight towards her and her company. She quickly ducked down behind a large log on the ground. “OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!” she yelled. Many of her followers and Rivet were firing back at their attackers when she joined in. Among the attackers, Aria was leading them against Rainbow Dash and was giving out commands. “Press the attack! Don’t you dare slack off!,” she commanded as her forces moved forward slowly while taking cover and avoiding their opponent's incoming fire. Rainbow Dash fired her paint gun a few times, landing a few shots on some Aria’s forces but missing Aria as she took cover by a tree. “Dash, look out!” Rainbow Dash looked over to her right to see two guys running towards her in a mad charge hoping to surprise her. She turned her gun at them and sprayed them down with fire and took out the two. She then looked over to the person that gave away their position. “Nice call, Derpy!” “Thanks! They were just in the corner of my eye,” Derpy said with her eyes crossed. Caught off guard, she was then shot in the chest and went down on the ground. “AAAHH! I'VE BEEN SHOT! MEDIC!” “DERPY! NNNOOOOOOOO!” “GET YOURSELF TOGETHER, BULK!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “ECHO SQUAD, COVER OUR REAR! EVERYONE ELSE, FOCUS FIRE ON OUR FRONT!” As the battle raged on, Sunset and Soul were watching from afar. Sunset was looking through some binoculars as the two laid on the ground on top of a hill. “Wow, things are heating up already,” Soul commented. “Think we should do something?” “Naw, Dash can handle this. Besides, we’re on our own. Dash and her team would more than likely shoot at us if we get anywhere near them,” Sunset explained. “But maybe while they’re distracted, we could go after either Adagio or Sonata…. I want to go after Sonata.” “Did talking about the contest bring back some bad memories?” “I got over it,” Sunset replied. “Plus, Sonata is the weakest of them anyway. If anything, she’s probably the least defended out of all of them. It’ll be easy to take her out.” “That’s kinda mean to say…. But maybe also true,” Soul said. “So, should we go ahead and see if we can-” “THERE’S TWO OVER THERE! OPEN FIRE!” All of a sudden, paintballs were being fired at Soul and Sunset from below the hill. The shots were being fired by more of Aria’s forces who were trying to get around Rainbow Dash’s defenses until they came upon the two. Soul and Sunset quickly returned fire at the attackers as they used the hill for cover. “You two, flank them!” Two of the attackers went around to the left side of the hill. Just as they were about to fire at them, a shot came out of nowhere and the two were shot on their masks. “Wow, nice shot, babe,” Sunset complimented. “Um, that wasn’t me,” Soul said. Far off in the distance, Clyde smiled as he had shot down the two that were about to flank Soul and Sunset. Rarity had seen the whole thing and smiled along with Clyde. “Aww, that was very sweet of you to do for our friends,” Rarity said. “I thought for a moment that you were going to let them get shot.” “What can I say? I’m a generous guy,” Clyde said. “And it’s thanks to one generous lady.” “Aww, you’re so sweet,” Rarity said as she placed a kiss on Clyde’s cheek. “It was probably for the best. Soul’s and Sunset’s outfits are just too good to be splattered with paint…. Well, unless of course, we have to shoot them.” Clyde chuckled. “Anyways, what were those two of Aria’s men thinking when they were wearing those outfits? They’re just so unoriginal and too bland,” Rarity commented, earning her a eye roll from Clyde. “By the way, dear, there’s someone trying to sneak up behind us.” Clyde grabbed a paint grenade from his belt and unclipped it. He then threw it casually behind him without looking and went back looking through his binoculars. *SPLAT!* “AAAAAAHHH!” “Nice one, dear,” Rarity complimented. “I believe that was Sonata you got.” “Life of a sniper,” Clyde said. “Oh dear, I think Soul and Sunset are getting overrun,” Rarity said. “I hope they get away.” “Looks like they’re pulling back,” Clyde said. “Dang, more of them just sneaked up on them. They got away, but now they’re separating. Sunset is heading towards Dash’s group and Soul is heading for… Ah oh.” “What?” Soul ran as fast as he could to get away from his attackers. Sunset and he were separated as they were being attacked both from behind and in front. In a desperate effort to get away, Soul took off in one direction, hoping Sunset would follow him. But to his dismay, she went the other way and he had no choice but to keep on going without her. Just as he was about to get away from his attackers and get somewhere to hide, he came to a sudden stop in front of a deep trench. The trench was very wide, and he could see that there was no way he’d be able to jump it. Soul looked behind to hear his attackers coming in close to him. He had no choice but to cross the trench. But in his mind, it would take too long to just to jump down and get to the other side before his attackers came in and shot him while he was in clear range. Soul looked around to see if there was any way out of his predicament when all of a sudden, it hit him. Soul’s attackers came out of the bushes and trees as they surrounded the trench. There was no sign of Soul anywhere. They looked around for him for a moment before looking at each other with confused expressions. “Where the heck did he go?” “Think we lost him?” “Looks like it. Aria isn’t going to be happy with this.” “Maybe we can just say we got him. I mean he’s not likely going to make it on his own, right?” “Yeah, that Soul guy is just a smartass from what I-” *POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!* The group of boys were just shot at from above as Soul unleashed a spree of paintballs from a tree branch. Soul let out a laugh as he climbed down the trees and looked at the group with a small, smug grin. “Guess this smartass just taught you guys something,” Soul said. “Don’t mess with a kid who comes from a long line of a military family.” “How the hell did you get up the tree so fast?” “Years of practice,” Soul replied with pride. “Although, they usually have me falling down from either a spider attack or the branch not holding out.” His face then turned serious. “Now who the heck told you that I was a smartass?” Sunset was running through the woods as her attackers chased after her. In the midst of running, she soon found herself in the middle of the battle between Aria’s and Dash’s forces. Sunset had a panicked look and let out a scream as she ran. Paintballs were flying everywhere as Sunset kept on dodging and spinning around to avoid them. Zero and Twilight were covering each other’s backs and stopped for a moment as they watched Sunset’s chaotic situation. Zero started to snicker before laughing out loud and falling on the ground at Sunset’s miserable state. Twilight glared at Zero. “Don’t you think that’s a little harsh to be laughing at someone like that?” she asked. “Hey, it’s freaking hilarious!” Zero replied. Just as Zero had gotten back up to see more, he was suddenly shot in the head and fell back on the ground. “AAAHH!” “That’s what you get for not paying attention.” *SPLAT!* “AAAHH!” “Glad to see you learning the same thing,” Zero retorted. Just as Sunset was about to duck for cover, Rainbow Dash came out of nowhere and aimed her gun at her. With a smug smile, she unloaded her gun at Sunset. Sunset quickly barrel rolled on her side and the paintballs hit Sunset’s attackers that were chasing her. Just as Sunset was about to get back up, Rainbow Dash was about to shoot her down when Aria came from out of nowhere and started firing at her. Rainbow Dash panicked and took cover behind a tree and Sunset took cover behind some bushes nearby. Aria kept on firing her gun at Rainbow Dash’s tree, as it was small and she was hoping that she would be able to get her by the arm or leg. Not wanting to get hit so soon, Rainbow Dash jumped out and fired at Aria as she ran for better cover. Aria kept on firing while trying not to get hit by Rainbow Dash’s fire. Rainbow Dash kept on firing until she accidentally tripped over a piece of wood and fell to the ground. Seeing her chance, Aria aimed carefully with her gun and was about to finish Rainbow Dash until she heard a loud yelling sound coming behind her. “AIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIAIA!” Aria looked behind her only to get shot in the chest several times before falling down. Swinging from tree vines, Pinkie came into the scene and came soaring through the air until she dropped down. She landed only on the tip of her toes like a ballerina dancer and went over to help Rainbow Dash up. “Thanks for the save, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said. “Where’s Swift?” “Oh! He’s been setting up traps over the place,” Pinkie replied. “He’s very good at doing that.” “Wait, since when is he good at-” *POP!* *SPLAT!* “OW!” Rainbow Dash looked down at her shirt to see that she was shot in the chest with red paint. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash looked over to see Sunset had taken the shot. After a salute, Sunset went off into the forest and was out of sight. Rainbow Dash let out a growl. “Damn it, I wish Aria hadn’t stopped me from taking the shot,” Rainbow Dash said. “Ah well, I guess I’ll just head back and-” All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash was grabbed around the neck by Pinkie, who was tearing up. “WHY!? WHY DID GOD TAKE YOUR LIFE SO SOON!?” she pleaded. “I swear Dashie, I’ll hunt down Sunset Shimmer and make her pay for this! I’ll avenge your death!” “Pinkie, what the heck are you- GHAAA!” Pinkie pushed Rainbow Dash out of the way before taking off her bandana and wrapping it around her head. She reached down on the ground and smeared two marks on each of her cheeks. She grabbed Rainbow Dash’s gun and walked into the forest with a determined look to get Sunset. Rainbow Dash kept her eyes on Pinkie while she was on the ground until she disappeared. She looked around, completely dumbfounded. “What the hell was that about?” Soul kept on walking around hoping that he would be back with Sunset to continue with the game to win…. that, and he wanted to make out with her. Soul looked around the forest, hoping for any kind of signs. After a moment, he realized something and stopped. He noticed that it was quiet for a while and he didn’t hear any of the battle going on. “Huh, I guess they must have wiped each other out,” Soul commented. “I hope my Sunny got away, because if she didn’t and they hurt her too, there’s going to be hell to pay.” After letting out a sigh, Soul took a few more steps before- *SNAP!* “What th- AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” The next thing Soul knew, he was hanging in the air by his legs from a rope tied to a tree branch. He looked down to the ground to see that he had dropped his gun on the ground and let out a groan. “Great, it can’t get any worse than-” *POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!* “OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!” “Nice one, Pinkie!” “Swift? Pinkie?” Coming out of hiding, Pinkie and Swift walked out of the bushes and looked up at Soul. “Hey Soul, how’s the weather up there?” Swift mocked. “How the hell did you guys set up traps this quick!?” Soul asked. “With the power of knowledge, my friend,” Swift answered. Swift reached into his bag and pulled out a book that was titled, ‘How To Set Up Traps In Ten Minutes.’ “Ha, and Twilight said this was a waste of money.” “Okay, that explains that, but Pinkie? Why the hell did you shoot me in the ass!?” “To get extra points, duh,” Pinkie answered. “This isn’t a point system, it’s an elimination game!” Soul pointed out. “..... Oh.” “Now that we got that out of the way…. GET ME DOWN!” “What’s the magic word?” Pinkie asked. Soul let out a groan. “... Please.” “Okay! Swift, cut him down.” “Sure thing,” Swift said. Swift went over by the tree where the rope was tied and pulled out a swift army knife. He cut the rope and Soul fell down to the ground with a grunt when he landed. Soul moaned for a moment while Pinkie and Swift looked down at him. “Oops, um, my bad,” Swift said. “Come on, if we’re ever going to find Sunset and make her pay for killing Rainbow Dash, we need to get going,” Pinkie said. Swift nodded and the two walked off while they left Soul to lay on the ground in a daze. After a moment, Soul’s eyes widened. “Wait, Sunny did what?” Applejack, Zephyr and many of the other students that joined up with Rainbow Dash had gone in deep into the forest. Earlier, Rainbow Dash thought it was best to send some people ahead of the main group and search for any of the Dazzlings. As they kept on going, coming from behind them was Tyrone and Light as they were catching their breath. “T? Light? What are y’all two doing here?” Applejack asked. “It’s bad, Applejack. It’s really bad,” Tyrone said. “Yeah, Dash got shot by Sunset and now everyone is starting turn on one another,” Light added. “Rivet got shot in the back after everyone heard Rainbow Dash was taken down.” “No good varmints,” Applejack commented. “Don’t worry, we shot them in the face,” Light said. “So wait, who’s in charge now?” one of the guys asked. “Are we, like, going rogue or something?” “Rainbow Dash told us to tell the others and to keep on fighting Adagio and beat her. After that, she said we’re on our own,” Tyrone said. “I wonder if she was going to shoot us all down when we defeated Adagio?” “RD isn’t like that. She would give y’all a warning before she mows ya down,” Applejack said. “Anyways, Ah say we stick together until we’re the last group to stand here.” “What about then?” “Ah guess we shoot each other until the last one standing wins,” Applejack replied. “Can I have a say in this?” Zephyr asked. “Sure, what do ya have to say?” “Well, I was thinking on how we could beat Adagio, and I think we should-” *POP!* “AAAAHHH! CHARLIE HORSE!” Zephyr was shot in the back of his leg and fell down to the ground in pain. Everyone looked up in a panic and saw Zephyr’s brother, Sword. He lowered his weapon down and had a smug smile under his mask. “Sorry little bro, but I plan on having that date with Adagio,” Sword said. “Just as soon as I take out the rest of you.” “Wait, you shot your brother so you can go on a date with Adagio?” Tyrone asked. “No, she said she would go out with the guy who was last and let her win,” Sword replied. “I’m just thinning out the numbers right now.” “So, you’re alone?” “Who said I was?” All of a sudden, a lot of students came out of hiding from behind trees, bushes and logs as they surrounded and aimed their weapons at them. Applejack and many of the others gulped. “Well, this is going to be a hell of a hoedown,” Applejack commented. Soul trudged disappointedly as he made his way back towards the entrance of the forest. He carried his weapon over his shoulder and had his mask off. He rubbed his buttocks as the pain was still present and he feared that it was going to turn purple from all the swelling. “Ow! Why did Pinkie have to shoot me like that?” Soul asked himself. “This is just great, I was hoping that Sunset and I would win this thing no problem. But no, Swift had to make traps all over the place and Pinkie had to go all Rambo on me. This sucks, and I was really hoping to make out with Sunny over by a bush somewhere. With the thought we would get caught and get shot. Sounds risky, but exciting at the same time….. Good Lord, I have problems.” Just as Soul was deep in thought, he soon found himself falling down as the ground below him broke. Soul let out a scream and fell until he hit the bottom of what seemed to be a big hole in the ground. Soul let out another groan as he laid forward on the ground. ‘Great! Another trap! What else is going to happen?’ Soul sarcastically thought. Just as Soul was about to get up, he moved his hand to get better leverage from the ground until he felt something soft. He heard a small moaned sound and raised a brow. ‘What the he- HOLY CRAP!’ Soul looked down in horror to see that he was on top of the barely conscious, sliver haired magician, Trixie. His hand was over her right breast and he was sweating with terror. Soul gulped as he quickly removed his hand and got off of her. He took a few deep breaths before he calmed himself and checked to see if Trixie was okay. “Hey, are you alright?” Soul asked concernedly. The only response Trixie gave was a groan. Soul carefully lifted her head up and looked over her to see if there were any wounds on her. He noticed that she had a few paint marks on her vest and noticed her mask was on the side. ‘Well, she doesn’t seem to be bleeding or anything, but I guess she got shot down by Pinkie and Swift,’ Soul thought to himself. ‘They must have left her down here in case she told anyone else about this trap. Clever. Now, how the heck do we get out of here?’ Trixie fluttered her eyes a couple of times before she slowly opened them and saw Soul looking up around the hole while still lifting her up by her head. Trixie’s eyes widened and her face went red. She let out a small scream before punching Soul in the face. *POW!* “OW!” “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING TO TRIXIE!? Trixie yelled. Soul rubbed his face before looking back at Trixie. “Sheesh, I was checking to see if you were okay,” he answered. “O-Oh…. Trixie sees…. Trixie is sorry about that,” Trixie said as she sat up. “Trixie thought you were trying to do something funny, but when she thinks about it, you did fell in the same way Trixie did.” “It’s okay, I did deserve that,” Soul said. “After I fell on top of you and grabbed your…. actually, just the falling part.” Trixie raised a confused brow. “Anyways, I think we should-” “FIRE IN THE HOLE!” A grenade landed in between both Trixie and Soul as the two looked at it. Trixie winced back and ducked down while Soul only looked at it with half-lid eyes. He let out a sigh. “Yep, it’s going to be one of those days,” he said before the grenade exploded. The hole was now covered in pink paint as most of Trixie’s back was covered in it and Soul was fully painted in the front. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Swift and Pinkie looking down on them. “Dangit! We got Soul and Trixie again!” Swift said. “You were supposed to draw more people down here Trixie!” Pinkie said. “Trixie refuses to be bait! Now let Trixie out of here!” “After we win the game,” Swift said. “By the way, quick update: Pinkie just completely took down Adagio and her entire army! Most of our friends are down except for Clyde, Rarity, Sunset and a few stragglers from the fight.” “Wait, what about Night and Fluttershy?” Soul asked. “Well….” -Near the Beginning of the Game- Fluttershy and Night were walking quietly down a path as they tried to being careful not to draw attention to themselves. “Um Night, what are we doing?” Fluttershy asked. “We're going to find a place to hide out the whole time, that way we don’t have to fight until the last person is standing,” Night explained. “I know how much you didn’t want to come.” “It’s okay, Pinkie was very excited and wanted me to come. It was kinda hard to say no to her when she’s very excited,” Fluttershy said. “And since I’m with you, I know that you’ll protect me no matter what.” Night smiled. “Don’t worry, nothing is going to to get us,” he said. At the moment of the horn going off, out of nowhere several students popped around from hiding and were aiming their weapons right at them. “EEK!” “Crap.” -Back in the Present- “Man, that sucks,” Soul said. “Yep,” Swift agreed. “Anyways, we’re going to put the cover over you guys, so try to call out to someone and trap them down there, okay?” Soul rolled his eyes. “You can’t keep Trixie down here forever!” “Well, we can try, but we’re not gonna,” Pinkie said. “We’re just keeping you down there until the game is over. Bysie daisy!” Pinkie and Swift disappeared from out of sight and placed another cover over the hole. There was just enough light streaming through the holes in the cover for Trixie and Soul to see each other. Trixie let out a growl and Soul only sighed. “Why does stuff like this happen to me?” Soul asked himself. “Trixie will make you pay for this!” Trixie yelled. “She will make you pay!” “Well, at least we got this time to get to know one another,” Soul said. Trixie turned around and glared at him. “........ So, how have you been doing?” Trixie let out a defeated sigh and leaned back against the wall of the hole. “Trixie’s been doing good, thanks for asking,” she said. “She and her band made four new songs and she’s been able to stay out of detention because of all the smoke bombs I keep on bringing in.” “So, you stopped bringing them in then?” “No, Trixie just found another way to bring them here,” Trixie replied. “Really? How?” “You um… that’s kinda personal to ask,” Trixie said as she blushed. “What do you mean it’s too perso- Oooooohh, never mind,” Soul said as he blushed as well. “Forget I asked.” “So, how have you’ve been?” Trixie asked. “Been doing good, except for falling for Swift’s trap for the second time today and getting shot in the ass multiple times,” Soul replied. “But besides that, it’s been good.” “Sorry to hear that,” Trixie said. “Where’s your girlfriend?” “We got separated. A few of Aria’s boys came after us and they cornered us for a moment,” Soul explained. “I went in one direction and she went the other way. Guess we both had different ideas on which way to go.” “Or she could have used you to get some of the boys’ attention off of her while she got to safety,” Trixie said. “Hey, that is not what my Sunny does,” Soul said. “She would never do that something like that.” “Maybe as her everyday self, but she is competitive and she will do whatever it takes to win,” Trixie said. “You can change as much as you can, but no one can be better than the great and powerful Trixie!” Soul rolled his eyes. “But despite how great and powerful Trixie may be, she still can’t find a way out of this dreadful hole that imbecilic, pink-loving moron left us in!.... Oh, and his girlfriend, Pinkie.” “Hmm, I bet I can climb out of here,” Soul said. Trixie scoffed. “Please, the walls are too soft to climb on. You would have to have climbed on a lot of stuff just to be able to-” Suddenly, light filled the hole, and Trixie looked up with wide eyes and a hanging mouth to see Soul standing on the edge. “But- How- We- Trixie- You- The hole-” “My dad trained me to climb out of any situation,” Soul explained. “After all, I have been planning on going to the military since I was kid.” He looked around for a moment to see if there was anyone nearby and reached down towards Trixie with his hand. “Come on, give me your hand and I’ll pull you up.” Trixie smiled brightly and ran over to the wall as she reached up to grab Soul’s hand. She was able to grasp it and Soul slowly pulled her up. Just as Trixie was halfway out of the hole, Soul was pulling Trixie close to him and she looked up at him and started to blush when she saw how close he was. She couldn’t help but feel her heart beat at how strong he was, and for the first time… she thought he looked cute. She was lost in his eyes which were filled with care and serenity. Before anything else could happen, Soul felt a sudden push behind him and soon both he and Trixie were falling back into the hole with someone else coming in. Soul grabbed Trixie and spun around to make sure he was the first to fall to the ground with Trixie in his arms and the stranger fell right on top of them. After a moment, Soul looked past Trixie and saw that the stranger was Sunset Shimmer. Soul smiled brightly despite the pain he was in and carefully moved Trixie aside. Soul wrapped his arms around Sunset and gave her a hug. “Sunny! Are you alright?” Soul asked. Then another grenade came in the hole and Soul looked at it with half-lid eyes. “Hold that thought, babe” Sunset said. *SPLAT!* “AAAAAHHH! AGAIN!?” Trixie yelled. Pinkie peeked her head over the edge of the hole with a bright smile plastered on her. “Gottcha! Now Rainbow Dash can rest in peace,” she said. “Um, you do know Dash is still alive… right?” Swift asked. “Well duh, but I always wanted to go on a revenge run every time I see something like that in action movies,” Pinkie replied. “Anyways, who do you think is left?” “I think only a handful of people are left,” Swift answered. “Then let’s get to it! Tally ho!” “Wait! Don’t leave Trixie down in this hole! There’s too much paint down here!” “And they’re gone,” Soul said. “At least they didn’t cover up the hole again.” “Quick, you can get Trixie out of this hole again, right?” “Not right now, I sprained my hand from the fall,” Soul replied. “We’re gonna have to wait a bit before I try again.” “Let me see your hand,” Sunset said. Soul showed Sunset his sprained hand while she grabbed hold of it. She inspected as she applied pressure to certain places on his hand. Soul would wince from the sudden small pain from the pressure, but didn’t mind it. After a moment, Sunset looked up at Soul with a smile. “It’s not too bad, but I think you should not do anything with it for a bit,” Sunset said. “Well, this is a funny way to get back together.” Soul chuckled. “Yeah, it is,” he said. “I’m guessing Pinkie was chasing you down?” “Pretty much. She chased me down with two guns and must have been herded me here,” Sunset said. “What about you?” “She shot my butt several times while I was hanging upside down,” Soul replied. “She thought this was some kind of point system.” Sunset giggled. “Classic Pinkie,” she commented. “What do we do now?” Trixie asked. “I guess we just sit here until either Soul is well enough to climb out or we wait until the game ends,” Sunset said. “Wish we got something to pass the time.” Trixie tapped her chin for a moment before she snapped her finger and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small box and reached into it to retrieve a stack of cards. “We can play cards for a while,” Trixie offered. “Texas hold ‘em?” “I’m in,” Soul said. “Sounds good to me. Deal ‘em Trixie,” Sunset said. -Two Hours Later- “Ha! Trixie wins again!” Trixie said as she showed her hand. “Pay up, Soul.” Soul let out a groan as he removed his shirt, exposing his bare chest to the two girls. Sunset smiled and stared at Soul’s exposed torso with bedroom eyes while Trixie blushed but still held her victorious smile. “I knew I shouldn’t have suggested that we can use clothes for wagers,” Soul said. “Especially since you run the school’s underground gambling.” “Trixie just likes to keep things lively around the school,” Trixie retorted. “Want to go another round?” “No thanks, I want to keep the bottom half of my clothes on me,” Soul replied. “How long do you think until someone comes along and helps us out of here?” “That depends. Is your hand still hurting, or is fine now?” Sunset asked. “No, it still hurts.” “Then maybe a while,” Sunset said. “Oh my heavens, are you all alright!?” Everyone in the hole looked up to see Rarity and Clyde standing over the edge as they looked down at them with concern. “Oh thank God, we thought we were going to be down here all day,” Soul said. “Pinkie and Swift left us down here after they trapped us!” “Why do you have your shirt off?” Clyde asked. “We decided to play Texas hold ‘em and started making wages halfway through the game,” Sunset replied. “Trixie and I kept on beating Soul and been getting him to wager some of his clothes.” “Soul, you do know that Trixie runs the-” “Yes, I know!” Soul snapped. “Just please get us out of here before I lose any more clothes!” “Alright, alright, just gives us your hand and I’ll-” *Snap!* Rarity and Clyde heard a twig snap behind them and turned to see Pinkie holding a paint thrower in her arms and with a crazed smile plastered on her. “Hasta la vista, babies,” Pinkie said. “I knew we shouldn’t have left the tree,” Rarity said. “We left because we took out four people in the same area and they saw where we were,” Clyde pointed out. “And this is better how?” “Touche.” Pinkie pulled the trigger on the gun and a stream of orange paint came out. Clyde and Rarity both screamed until they were painted down by the streaming paint that covered their entire body. “NOT MY HAIR!” Rarity screamed. After helping getting the paint out from around Clyde and Rarity’s eyes and helping the others up from the hole, Pinkie and Swift were laughing merrily on the way back to the entrance as they were sure that they had gotten everyone from the school. Everyone behind them walked as they let out moans of pain or were mumbling to themselves about the bad experiences they had. They finally made it back to the entrance where they saw the rest of the student body waiting around as they were either chatting or playing on some of the other smaller courses. Celestia and Luna noticed them and walked over to them with smiles. “I see we have more casualties from this battle,” Celestia joked. “But how come you two aren’t painted? Are you the last ones standing?” “Yes ma’am, we are,” Swift answered. “We beat the pants off of everyone!” Pinkie chimed. “So what do we win?” “We will engrave a trophy with your names on it and it will be placed inside the school’s award case for all the school to see,” Luna answered. Everyone cheered and clapped for the two as Pinkie and Swift were hopping together while hugging. Luna looked over to the others and raised a brow. “Um, Mr. Writer, why don’t you have a shirt on?” Luna asked. “We played cards,” Soul answered. “Ah, okay then,” Luna said. “...... Wait, why were you playing cards in the middle of a paintball war?” “We got trapped in a hole,” Sunset replied. “For two and a half hours,” Trixie added angrily. “Oh… um…. Sorry to hear that,” Luna said. “Is there anything you need?” “Can we go back home?” Clyde asked. “Yes, I believe it is about time for the whole student body to get back home,” Celestia replied. “Everyone, return the guns and masks to the counter and head back to the buses.” Everyone returned their weapons and masks and headed towards the bus like the principal instructed. On the way towards the bus, Soul looked up to Celestia and Luna and noticed that they were also covered in paint from paintball shots. “So how long did you two last out there?” Soul asked. Celestia and Luna looked at Soul for a moment with blank expressions until their faces were covered in blushes. “We were taken out the moment we blew the horn,” Celestia replied. “It was not such a good idea to blow a horn while there was still so many students nearby,” Luna commented. “Well, you two shouldn’t ashamed of that. Stuff like that happens,” Soul said. “Oh, we’re not ashamed about it, it was kinda fun for a bit,” Luna said. “Then…. Why are you blushing?” Celestia and Luna looked down at Soul’s bare chest seeing how slightly muscular it was before looking back up at his confused face. “Nothing!” the two sisters answered in unison before hurrying up towards the bus. “That was weird,” Soul commented. As he was walking, Sunset walked up beside him and held his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I missed you,” she said. “I missed you too,” Soul said. “So, what was it like being trapped with Trixie? I hope it wasn’t so unpleasant as everyone would think it would be,” Sunset said. “Naw, it was fine. She was nice when you talk to her…. Well, more like talking about her,” Soul replied. “Although at one point when I told her how we got separated, she commented that you went the other way on purpose so I would get some off of you, but I told her that was crazy.” He laughed at the idea for a moment before looking back at Sunset. “Isn’t that crazy?” Sunset looked at Soul with a blank look for a moment before she looked down at the ground nervously. Soul was confused for a moment before his mind realized something he wished he hadn’t. “W-Wait…. You… You did do that on purpose?” Soul asked. Sunset looked back at Soul. “N-Not at first, but when we were being surrounded and I saw that you were running off, I thought it would have been a good idea to let some of them chase you and I would have less to deal with,” she explained. “I was going to go back to you, but I ran into the middle of a skirmish and-” “Hold on, you saw me run and you went the other direction on purpose!?” Soul asked. “Why would you do that!?” “Soul, please understand. We were getting surrounded and I saw a chance to make things easier for us,” Sunset said. “Besides, it’s just a game, right?” “..... Yeah…. Just a game,” Soul said. “We should probably head onto the bus.” While Sunset watched Soul head straight towards the bus, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about the whole thing and how it went. But she knew that Soul would understand and would move on from it. …. She didn’t know how wrong she was.