//------------------------------// // Chapter 38: Let The Games Begin // Story: A Search for Something More // by HAKDurbin //------------------------------// The next day, my mom drops me off at the school parking lot as usual. She tells me to tell Sunset good luck before she kisses me on the cheek goodbye and drives away. I turn to face the CHS building and sigh before coming inside. Sunset never texted or called me the rest of the day yesterday, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign. I'm worried that she overworked herself, trying to figure out why Rainbow Dash ponied up at the pep rally. I make my way to the front entrance, noticing two black buses with yellow stripes, and a pink S painted on them parked near the Wondercolt statue. A group of teenagers stood next to them wearing blue shirts, purple vests, and the girls wearing plaid skirts while the boys wear dark blue pants. I shrug at this, figuring that these must be the students from Crystal Prep who are competing in the Friendship Games. As soon as I enter the building, Soarin and Caramel are waiting for me excitedly. "Hey, Rough Draft, you'll never guess what happened," Soarin says. "Uh, what?" I ask curiously. "Twilight Sparkle's back," Caramel says. I stare at Caramel in surprise. Could it be that Princess Twilight not only responded to Sunset's message but came back from Equestria to help her? "That's wonderful news," I say brightly. "With her help, the girls are sure to keep their magic under control during the Friendship Games!" "Let's hope so," Caramel says. "Cause Applejack did say Sunset was looking pretty uneasy about Rainbow's transformation at the pep rally." "You're telling me," I say. "She was looking pretty stressed when I saw her at the library. I hope Princess Twilight managed to come before she stayed up all night trying to figure it out." "Well, if she did, at least she'll have Twilight to help her now," Soarin says. "Which is especially good because our team is going to need all the support they can get with the Friendship Games today." "Speaking of which, when is that happening?" I ask. "We're not sure actually," Caramel says. "The welcome party for the Crystal Prep team is right after first period, but they haven't announced when the first round is. They're determined to keep both teams blind to what the events are. They won't even let us see the field, so they don't know the activities they have for the second round." "Wow, that's odd," I say. Suddenly, the first bell rings, telling us that we need to start heading to our first period. "Well, we better start the day. Go Canterlot Wondercolts! " Soarin says as he heads to our first class with Caramel and me following. **************************************************************************************** Our first class comes and goes with everyone pretending that they aren't waiting eagerly for the games to start. When the bell rings, ending the class, I race to the gym with Soarin and Caramel following behind, anxious to see Sunset at the party. When I make it to the gym, however, I only see half of the Canterlot students and the Crystal Prep team standing on opposite sides. "Dude, you could have waited for us," Caramel says as he and Soarin catch up to me. "Sorry, I just wanted to see Sunset again," I say. "I want to see her feeling better with Princess Twilight back." Soarin rolls his eyes and nudges Caramel with his elbow, saying, "What did I tell you? It's like when he was dating Octavia all over again." "Tell me about it," Caramel says in agreement. "If he were still dating Tavi, he would be running ahead of us to get here just to see her more than he usually did at school. He's just eager to see his girlfriend no matter who it is." I roll my eyes at their comments on my love life before I scan the gym, still seeing no sign of Sunset. I frown in disappointment and decide to walk over to one of the snack tables while Caramel and Soarin continue talking. I grab some punch and a plate of carrots, celery, and dip and start eating when I hear a snotty voice from behind. "Well, see what we have here," I turn around and frown to find none other than Jet Set and Upper Crust wearing Crystal Prep uniforms and looking at me with their arms crossed. "Why, Upper Crust, dear, I do believe it's that dorky GAP boy from that concert a few months back," Jet Set says. "Hello to you too, Jet Set and Upper Crust," I say sarcastically. "I suppose I should have expected to see you two here after I heard your mother mention you going to Crystal Prep, Jet Set." Jet Set raises his eyebrow. "Indeed? She made no mention of you," he says. "Then again, what should I expect from a low life who just wanted to see one of his betters perform at that concert." Upper Crust makes a snobby laugh. "Oh yes, quite pitiful, Jet dear," she says. I smirk at their insults before I boastfully say. "Well, the joke is on you. Octavia and I ended up together and fell in love. She confessed her feelings for me in front of a whole bunch of rich people like you at a ball, including your mother, Jet Set." The couple raises their eyebrows at this. "If that is so, then where is this Octavia?" Upper Crust asks. I pause for a moment before I chuckle nervously. "Well, we broke up," I admit. Jet Set and Upper Crust giggle in an over-the-top manner. Their demeanor annoys me so much that I follow up on my answer. "But that's okay because I'm with someone else now, and I'm very happy to be with her," I say. Jet Set and Upper Crust stop giggling and stare at me in amusement. "Oh? And where is she?" Jet Set asks smugly. "She's on her way," I answer with my arms crossed. "In fact, she's in the Canterlot High team for the Friendship Games. The snooty couple laughs even louder at this news. "Oh my, so your new girlfriend is one of the people we're going to crush all day today?" Jet Set asks. "I wouldn't underestimate Sunset Shimmer," I say proudly. "She's no ordinary girl." Upper Crust snickers at this. "Well, I suppose we'll have to watch out for her, won't we?" She says. "I look forward to seeing what this Sunset Shimmer can do. Until then, GAP boy." The two of them walk away to join with the other Crystal Prep students on their side of the gym. I frown at them before something catches my eye. Among the Crystal Prep team, there is a lavender-skinned girl with long, dark blue hair with pink and purple stripes tied into a bun and wearing glasses. She is holding out some purple and blue pendant that she wears around her neck and holds it up, staring at it like it's a scanner. I squint my eyes to get a better look from a distance. "Is that Princess Twilight?" I ask myself. "What is she doing over there dressed like -" And then it hits me. That's not Princess Twilight, that's our world's Twilight, and she's on the Crystal Prep team. "Oh no," I say to myself. "I wonder if Sunset and the others know about this." "Know what?" I scream and jump in surprise to see Caramel and Soarin behind me. "What the heck, dude?" I ask. "We could ask the same," Caramel says with his eyebrow raised. "We were just messing with you, and then you left and started boasting about your previous relationship with two of our enemies." "Well, I kind of know those two," I explain. "They were sitting next to me during you-know-who's concert, and they were ridiculing me over the fact that I was together with that said girl before we broke up." "And saying that you did end up dating Tavi after all was supposed to be a comeback?" Soarin questions. "It's not like you to be boastful at people who are mocking you, man." I sigh in defeat. "I know. I guess I wasn't thinking," I say. "They were so snobby and I just wanted to fight back." "Hey, don't let it get to you, man," Caramel says. "I'm sure that's just how they are since they're competing in the games and everything." I frown as he brings up the games. "Uh, yeah, speaking of which, we might have a problem," I say. "I don't think the Twilight that people are talking about is the Twilight from Equestria." Soarin and Caramel look at me, confused. "What are you talking about?" Soarin asks. I point my finger at the Crystal Prep team and say, "See the Shadowbolt that's wearing a big purple pendant?" Both of them turn to where I'm pointing and squint their eyes before Caramel says, "Hey yeah, there's Twilight. But why is she wearing that Crystal Pre - oh." "Yup," I say. "That's our world's Twilight." "Seriously?!" Soarin exclaims. "Of all the things to find out about the Twilight Sparkle in our world, she goes to our rival school? This is ridiculous! I call treason! Betrayal! A Wondercolt gone rogue!" "Easy on the Fury Road referencing, Soarin," I say. "It's not like this Twilight knows who we are or anything about her pony counterpart or Equestria." "Then why is she holding out her pendant like that?" Caramel asks. "I don't know," I say. "But I'm more concerned with whether or not Sunset and the other girls know about this." "Speaking of the girls, it looks like they just arrived," Soarin says, pointing at the gym entrance. "And clearly, Rarity wanted them to dress up for the occasion. I turn around to find all six of the Rainbooms entering the gym wearing dresses. My eye, of course, is on Sunset, who is wearing a dark pink dress with her personal mark appearing all over her skirt. If I weren't so worried about the situation she's in, I would be staring at how beautiful she looks with my mouth hanging open in awe. As it is, however, she is glaring at Human Twilight from a distance with the other girls looking at the Crystal Prep student with similar looks. The six of them march towards Human Twilight and Sunset says something that I can't hear, but it sounds demanding. Human Twilight acts nervously until some of the other Crystal Prep students butt in and get into an argument with the Rainbooms. "I think it's a safe bet that the girls know that's not our Twilight," Caramel says. "Agreed," Soarin says. "I hope this doesn't complicate things further for the others." "Somehow, I have an uncomfortable feeling that it will," I say worryingly. "And just when it looked like Sunset was going to get help with controlling magic." Before we can say anything else, however, Principal Celestia begins talking on the microphone on stage. "Hello everyone," she says enthusiastically. "I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all of our visitors from Crystal Prep Academy and welcome them to CHS." "Leave it to Principal Celestia to act friendly even when we're having a glaring contest with our rivals," Soarin sighs with his arms crossed to which Caramel and I nod in agreement before Principal Celestia continues. "And lastly, I would like to recognize the twelve students that CHS has elected to compete. I don't think we could have chosen a better group to represent the excellence, sportsmanship, and friendship the games stand for." Lyra, Bon Bon, Flash Sentry, Derpy, Sandalwood, and Micro Chip all wave their hands (or make a pose in Flash Sentry's case) in recognition of Principal Celestia's words. Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and especially Sunset, however, still look apprehensive because of Human Twi - Wait a minute, where's Pinkie Pie? Suddenly, the lights are off, and a disco ball is shining above the center of the gym. Soarin, Caramel, and I wonder what's going on for a couple of seconds before we hear party music coming from Vinyl's DJ booth. Before I know it, all of the Canterlot and Crystal Prep students start partying together much to my surprise. It takes a moment before it hits me, and l smile. "Pinkie Pie," I say out loud. "Yup," Soarin says. "This has her name written all over it." "Hey, there she is at the entrance," Caramel says, and I turn around to see her oddly enough at the gym entrance with Human Twilight standing next to two giant, wrapped boxes. Pinkie Pie lifts the boxes with ease to reveal not one but two party cannons before she grabs the strings on the back of both of them with the same crazy look in her eyes she had at my birthday party. She pulls the strings with all her might, and the cannons fire tons of streamers that start to fall all over the entire gym. Students cheer with excitement as they begin to dance happily. Even Caramel, Soarin, and I can't help but smile in exhilaration. "Come on, fellas, let's hit the dance floor!" Soarin commands as he runs over to join the crowd with Caramel following him. Even though I don't dance well, I stand and happily tap my feet as my best friends start dancing like crazy on the dance floor with some of the Crystal Prep students. I look around and see everyone having a good time, but I can't see Sunset or the other Rainbooms anywhere. Suddenly, a loud tapping on the microphone is heard, and the lights suddenly turn back on. The music stops, and everyone looks at each other curiously before we turn to see a tall, uptight looking woman on the stage who, by the looks of it, must be the principal of Crystal Prep. She glares down at all of us with her hands on her hips before she puts one hand behind her back and gestures to Principal Celestia with the other. "I'd like to thank Principal Celestia for her unconventional welcome," she says in an unamused tone as she cleans her glasses with a cloth before turning to us. "It's been four years since the last Friendship Games, but it feels as though nothing has changed." Wow. Just from those two sentences, I already despise her. It's like meeting Blueblood at the ball all over again. "Canterlot High continues to pick its competitors in a popularity contest, and Crystal Prep continues to field its top twelve students," the old woman says in a haughty tone as the Crystal Prep students and the Canterlot students glare at each other, and go back to their original spots. "It is a comfort to know that even after so many years of losses, your school remains committed to its ideals; however misguided they may be." She finished the last sentence with a proud smile, and her head lifted high. I clench my hands into balls of fists in frustration of her cold, arrogant words that even Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna are displeased with. "I wish you all the best of luck regardless of the inevitable outcome," the Crystal Prep principal finishes with an arrogant smirk. At this point, everyone has returned to their original sides of the gym and glares menacingly at the other side. I keep my glare at the Crystal Prep principal, however, as she proudly walks off stage to join the Crystal Prep students. I notice Caramel and Soarin glaring at the Crystal Prep principal as well, and I sigh in unease. The Friendship Games are going to be a bigger problem than I thought with or without magic. ********************************************************************************************* Shortly after that, the party ends, and Principal Celestia tells us to proceed to our third-period classes until they announce the first round of the Friendship Games. The entire time in my astronomy class, my mind is still wrapped up in worrying about Sunset trying to figure out how to contain the magic and whether or not it will appear in the games. Finally, Vice-Principal Luna announces on the intercom that the first round of the Friendship Games is about to begin. The teacher orders us to proceed to the main hall, where everyone is expected to meet and witness the first games. The first event is an academic decathlon. The dean of Crystal Prep, Dean Cadance, declares that the six students with the most points would be allowed to continue for the last two events before she happily wishes everyone luck. For the next couple of hours, the first round of the Friendship Games goes with mixed results. Derpy is disqualified when her experiment blew up on her face in the chemistry challenge, and Flash Sentry and Bon Bon were pretty much doomed when they made a plain loaf of bread lightly covered with sprinkles instead of a cake during the baking contest. Things start to turn up in our favor when Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie blow Vice-Principal Luna, Principal Celestia, and Dean Cadance away with their giant cake that somehow had a replica of the Mona Lisa inside, but then some of the Crystal Prep students strike back when they amaze the three judges on the birdhouse building contest. Shortly after that, the points are tallied up, and the six students for each team are chosen. Jet Set and Upper Crust are among the students disqualified (tee hee,) while the Rainbooms made it, much to the joy of all of the students at CHS. The event continues in the gym with a spelling bee that eliminates Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and all of the Crystal Prep students except for Human Twilight. I cheer with all my might for Sunset when Dean Cadance announces that she and Human Twilight made it to the final round. The last challenge is to solve a difficult mathematics problem, which makes me feel hopeful since Sunset is very good at algebra. Unfortunately, when both Sunset and Human Twilight finish writing their answers, the Crystal Prep Principal, better known as Principal Cinch, immediately says, "incorrect," pointing at Sunset in a strict yet snobby manner. I want to punch the daylights out of that proud woman for making Sunset feel so down for losing, but thankfully, the rest of the Rainbooms cheer her up because they're happy for coming as close as CHS has ever gone to winning an event. As incredibly pitiful as that sounds, it still warms my heart to see her happy with the other girls as Dean Cadance presents them, Human Twilight and the other Crystal Prep students as the competitors that will be joining the last two events. After all the weight she has on her shoulders with trying to figure out Rainbow Dash's transformation at the pep rally and everything, it's good to see Sunset smile again. Though I must say, it's incredible how the Crystal Prep students' excitement for winning is so unenergetic. Even the students that made it to the next event with Human Twilight look unenthusiastic. How full of themselves are the people in this school? School goes back to its regular schedule after the decathlon, but we're told that we have to stay in school after seventh period for the rest of the Friendship Games. Unfortunately, I don't see Sunset during English class. When class ends, I decide to call her before I feel my phone vibrating. I take it out and find out much to my relief that it's a text from her. Sunset Shimmer: Hey, babe, can you meet me at the library? A small smile grows on my face as I text her back. Me: I'm on my way. I run down the halls until I make it to the library and find that no one is there. I look around curiously before I feel two arms wrap themselves around me and a weight on my right shoulder. I turn my head to find Sunset's forehead resting on my shoulder as she sighs while holding me tight. "Hey, Sunset," I say, giving her a sad smile. "Are you okay?" "Not really," Sunset says. "I'm glad things are going okay with the Friendship Games so far in terms of the Crystal Prep team not seeing any magic, but I still have no idea how to control it if it happens again. And just when I thought our Twilight came to us in person to help, we find out the Twilight in this world is here on the Crystal Prep team and is on to something." "Why do you say that?" I ask. "Whenever any magical occurrences have happened today, it suddenly disappears whenever this world's Twilight is around," Sunset explains. "Rarity ponied up this morning when she was helping us try on outfits, but then she changed out of her pony form and collapsed on the floor shortly before this world's Twilight entered the room. She was also right next to Pinkie Pie when she transformed at the party. "So, she's taken magic from our friends?" I ask. Sunset looks away sadly as a tear runs down her face. "She's taken more than that," she says. "The portal is gone." I look at Sunset in shock and ask, "Gone? What do you mean it's gone?" "I mean it's gone," she answers frustrated. "I mean this world's Twilight somehow drained the magic out of the statue and now when I try to go through the portal to try to talk to Princess Twilight I touch nothing but a solid wall. Now not only can I not get a hold of her and this world's Twilight is taking magic from us, but as far as I know, the connection between this world and Equestria is gone for good!" She screams in frustration as tears start to fall down her face. I quickly turn my body to hold her with all my might. "Shh, shh, it's okay, Sunset. It's okay." I whisper. "No, it's not," She sobs. "It's anything but okay. I'm trying to find out how to control magic in this world, but it keeps on changing, and the only person who can help me is not replying and, for all I know, has no way of ever coming to this world ever again. I'm lost, and alone with -" "Hey, hey, listen to me," I say, putting my hands on her cheeks, making her look at me. "You are anything but alone. Our Twilight is not here, but you still have Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, me, Caramel, Soarin, and everyone else at CHS rooting for you. You've faced your fears and fought against three sirens with our friends; you can figure out how to stop one teenage girl from taking away magic. You can get through this, Sunset. I know you can." For a minute, Sunset doesn't do anything but look down on the floor sadly. Then she sighs and looks at me with a small smile. "Thanks, Rough Draft. I needed that," she says I smile at her sweetly before I kiss her forehead. "You're welcome, sunshine," I say as I wipe away her tears. Sunset continues to hug me tightly as she rests her head on my shoulder again. I hold on to her, happy to see her feeling better. "By the way, on a side note, you looked beautiful in that dress at the party," I whisper in her ear. She chuckles with her mouth closed before she turns her head to face me, still resting on my shoulder. "Thank you," she says, sweetly before she pecks me on the lips. We stare at each other's eyes lovingly as we hold each other until Sunset's phone starts vibrating in her pocket. "What now?" She says with a sigh as she breaks the hug and answers her phone. "Hello? Rarity? What? Where are you now? Okay, I'm on my way." "What's wrong?" I ask. "Fluttershy just ponied up next to this world's Twilight and got her magic drained," Sunset Shimmer answers. "We're meeting her and Rarity in the music room to investigate." "Alright, then I guess I'll see you out there for the next event, whatever that is," I say. "Caramel, Soarin, and I will be cheering for you." "Thanks, babe," She says before pulling me into another kiss before she races out of the library. I sigh, worried about what happened to Fluttershy. At this point, I wonder if Human Twilight really does know about magic and that she's directly after the Rainbooms. If her pendant has something to do with it, then somehow Sunset and the others will probably have to convince Human Twilight to bring the magic back. But while I'm thinking about this, Vice-Principal Luna's voice rings from the intercom. "Attention students, please proceed to the field. We will be beginning the next event of the Friendship Games in fifteen minutes," she says. I sigh as I reluctantly obey and leave the library, making my way to the soccer field, curious as to what the Friendship Games have in store next. ********************************************************************************************* You have got to be kidding me. I am at the bleachers with Soarin and Caramel sitting next to me as all the students from both CHS and Crystal Prep cheer and wave flags excitedly. Our soccer field has completely changed into a tri-cross relay. At the center, there is an archery course, around that is a speed skating track and around that is a motocross track. My best friends and I can't believe what we are looking at. "How in the world does the school board get funding for this?" Caramel asks, bewildered. "That's your biggest question?" Soarin ridicules. "There's a giant motocross track around where our soccer field used to be! We should count ourselves lucky that our team includes Rainbow and Sunset, who at least know how to ride a motorcycle!" "Yeah, I'm with Soarin on this," I say. "How in the world does the school board have permission to let anyone who made it this far into the games drive motorcycles or shoot bows and arrows? I mean, has anyone in either team ever touched a bow before?" "Actually, yes," Caramel answers. "The Apples have an archery field that Applejack likes to use in her spare time, and I think Big Mac recently taught Fluttershy how to use it. The problem is archery is a standard requirement for Crystal Prep, so they're more experienced." "Seriously? Their school has so much funding that archery is a requirement?!" I exclaim. "That...that... that's just so cool. I'm officially jealous for life." "Tell me about it." Caramel grumbles. "Those guys are required to take a class where they could pretend to be Legolas or Hawkeye, and they probably don't even know who those characters are because they're too focused on their education. It's completely unfair." "Word," Soarin says. "Well, on the bright side, Pinkie Pie is on the speed skating team with Rarity," I say. "That should help." "Agreed," both of my friends say before Dean Cadance's voice is heard from the speakers. "Welcome everyone to the Friendship Games Tri-cross relay," She announces, which is met with cheers from the Canterlot High students. "In this event, our qualifying competitors will face off in archery, speed skating, and finally, motocross. So, if the competitors are ready..." Without another word, Dean Cadance blows an air horn. Fluttershy and one of the girls from Crystal Prep start racing through the obstacle course as Dean Cadance continues speaking. "Each competitor must hit a bullseye before their teammates can start the next leg of the relay," she says. Everyone from the bleachers stares at the archery course excitedly as the Crystal Prep girl races through the obstacle course and fires three arrows at one of the targets and hits a bullseye with one of them, allowing Human Twilight to start. As she does so, Fluttershy struggles to fire an arrow, clearly too nervous to hold her bow straight. Finally, she fires an arrow up in the air, and it lands a bullseye, allowing Applejack to speed her way through the obstacles and hits a target with ease. She takes a deep breath before hitting a bullseye with another arrow, allowing Rarity and Pinkie Pie to begin racing on the speed skating track. "And Canterlot is off to an early lead," Dean Cadance says. As all the CHS students cheer for Rarity and Pinkie Pie excitedly, Human Twilight struggles to hit a target with her bow. Her knees wobble as she misses the mark with each shot. Some of the other Crystal Prep students began ridiculing her, making Human Twilight struggle to hold an arrow straight as Pinkie Pie and Rarity finish their first lap. "If CPA can't hit another bullseye soon, they'll be out of this race," Dean Cadance announces. Suddenly, Applejack hops over to the Crystal Prep side of the archery course and is whispering something to Human Twilight. "Is she going to help her hit a bullseye?" Soarin asks in disbelief. "I can't believe she's helping the enemy." "Yeah, even I find it odd that she's helping our world's Twilight even though she might be stealing magic," I say. "Yeah, well, it's not like my hope-to-be girl to not help someone in need like that," Caramel says with a shrug. Soarin and I look at Caramel in surprise before we give him smug looks. "Hope-to-be girl, eh?" Soarin says teasingly. "So that date went that well, eh?" Caramel blushes and tries to hide his red cheeks. "I'm not saying anything!" he exclaims before he hides his head with his shirt. Soarin and I look at each other, keeping our smug looks until we hear cheering coming from the Crystal Prep students. The three of us look down to see that Human Twilight hit a bullseye, allowing the Crystal prep students in the speed skating track to race. "Oh man," Soarin says in worry. "Now, Crystal Prep has a chance to catch up." "Hey, don't blame AJ if she wants to help people," Caramel says. "I mean, look at her so happy to help our world's Twilight and ... is glowing orange." Soarin and I look at Caramel in confusion before he points at the archery course where Applejack has suddenly ponied up. I watch the spectacle worryingly before I suddenly see Human Twilight's pendant opening up and start sucking the magic from Applejack. "Hey, don't take the magic from my AJ!" Caramel barks. Soarin and I don't bother to tease him as we watch Applejack's magic get drained out of her. Human Twilight struggles to keep the pendant away from Applejack, but the deed is done. As soon as all the magic is drained out of Applejack, the pendant flies out of Human Twilight's hand and lands on the speed skating track where it breaks open. One of the Crystal Prep skaters knocks it out of the track as they race, not paying attention. Human Twilight tries to reach it when suddenly a giant green vine pops out attacking her. "What in the world is going on out there?" Soarin asks. "I don't know, but it can't be good," I answer, concerned. Suddenly, everyone in the crowd starts cheering, and we turn to see that both Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the two Crystal Prep skaters have crossed the finish line for the final time. The roars of motorcycles quickly follow the cheers as Sunset, Rainbow Dash, and their two motocross competitors begin to race. "Yeah! Go Rainbow Dash!" Soarin calls out proudly. "Soarin, is this a good time for cheering?" I ridicule. "Human Twilight is taking magic from the Rainbooms." "Aw come on, Rough Draft," Soarin says with a wave of his hand. "It's not like Human Twilight is going to use it to - RAINBOW, LOOK OUT!" I turn my head to the motocross track to see a portal appeared right in the middle of the track, and a giant man-eating plant comes out from it, heading for Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash manages to dodge the plant's attacks, but another plant comes out from another portal and throws Sunset Shimmer off her bike, and another starts eating the motorcycle of one of the Crystal Prep competitors. Rainbow Dash turns around to quickly grab Sunset from the ground just before one of the plants tries to eat her. I sigh in relief to see Sunset saved. "Yeah, Rainbow Dash!" Soarin says proudly. "See Rough Draft? Everything's alright." "No, it isn't," I counter. "Those portals are still appearing with those man-eating plants coming out of them. I don't get why no one is panicking about this." Suddenly, Rainbow Dash gets off her bike and instantly transforms into her pony form. I grimace at the sight as now two transformations have happened in the middle of the games. Sunset begins racing to the finish line on Rainbow Dash's bike with Rainbow Dash following her with her wings. As they continue the race, Rainbow Dash starts fighting off the plants before they try to eat another one of the Crystal Prep competitors. Rainbow Dash punches and pushes the plants away as Sunset and the first Crystal Prep competitor race their way to the finish line. Both bikers struggle to gain the upper hand, but at the last second, Sunset takes the lead just in time to break the red tape and cross the finish line first. "Canterlot wins!" Dean Cadance happily announces. Everyone on the CHS side of the bleachers goes ballistic. They scream and cheer, thrilled that we finally won an event at the Friendship Games. Caramel and Soarin hug and laugh joyously, shouting, "We did it! We did it!" But as happy as I am that Sunset won, I'm also apprehensive that she and the other students almost got eaten by the man-eating plants. "Attention all students, please proceed to the gym," Dean Cadance says calmly. Without question, all the students obey and leave the stands and make their way to the gym. As we walk, the portals and man-eating plants disappear, and I turn to see that Human Twilight closed her pendant. I remain uneasy as I follow Caramel and Soarin to the building while they still cheer over our victory. "Oh my gosh, I just witnessed it, and I still can't believe it," Soarin says. "We won! We actually won an event at the Friendship Games. It's a miracle!" "I know!" Caramel shouts. "How can you two be focused on the game when man-eating plants could have eaten Sunset, Rainbow Dash, and those two Crystal Prep girls?!" I ridicule. "For that matter, how are you two not worried that Principal Cinch isn't going to accuse CHS of cheating with two of our teammates ponying up?" "Aw, come on, man, she's not gonna do that," Soarin says. "Those things were attacking both teams, and Rainbow Dash only used her magic to defend Sunset and the other players. Besides, it was our world's Twilight, who is stealing magic and causing random portals to open in the first place." "I doubt Principal Cinch is going to see it that way as long as the fact remains that we won during an event where magic came out of nowhere," I say. "I'm afraid to find out how Sunset's feeling right now. She's trying to figure out how to contain magic, and now it's being stolen by our world's Twilight, we're probably going to be accused of cheating, and portals are coming out at random putting people in danger." Neither of my friends say anything for a minute. We continue walking in silence before Caramel speaks. "What about the E.M.R.?" Soarin and I stop walking and turn to Caramel, surprised. "Vinyl and the others made that group in case any magical danger ever happened again, right?" He suggests. "They probably are going to try to be ready to help if anything like those plants happen again - " "No," I say bluntly. "Come on, Rough Draft," Caramel pleads. "If there's even the slightest chance that they can help Sunset and the others then - " "They can't help them," I interrupt again. "You heard what Doc said when Vinyl was showing us her 'bass cannon.' They have no means to defend themselves apart from tasers as long as he doesn't have enough data to figure out how to deflect magic." "But maybe what's going on will give Doc just the data he needs," Caramel says. "I mean I have no idea how, but maybe with the others telling him about this stuff he'd figure out how to build those weapons and -" "It's not going to happen," I say firmly. "What makes you so sure?" Soarin asks. "Because they won't, and they better not because having the E.M.R. interfering will just make things worse for Sunset," I say. "Worse for Sunset, or you?" Soarin asks with a raised eyebrow. I turn to him, confused. "I don't know what you mean," I say. "Yes, you do," Soarin says. "You don't want them in the picture because you don't want to see Octavia. You are worried about what you're going to do if you two are ever in the same place again." "Is that really something to worry about while portals are popping up at random?" I ask. "I just don't want you rejecting their help if they can bring it, Rough Draft," he says. "If getting help from our classmates is what it takes to solve whatever is going on, you might have to bite the bullet if it means helping Sunset and the others get their magic back." I sigh in frustration. "If they can help, fine, but if not, I hope they butt out of what is happening if they know what's good for everyone," I say. ****************************************************************************************** About an hour later, we proceed to the front entrance for the final event, where bleachers are set for both sides. The sky is getting very cloudy as we take our seats and wait for both teams to arrive. I managed to call Sunset while we were waiting at the gym, and she sounded more stressed than before. It turns out that Principal Cinch did accuse her and the Rainbooms of cheating but is determined to win even though we have magic ... or rather had. Human Twilight drained the magic out of Rainbow Dash shortly after everyone left the field, which caused another portal to open before Sunset closed it. She yelled at Human Twilight for apparently not even knowing why her pendant is stealing their magic, dealing with things she doesn't understand, and putting the Rainbooms in danger. Human Twilight ran away crying, and Sunset immediately felt awful for blowing up at her. I tried to comfort her, saying she was in shock, worried sick about the others, and stressed about the magic going on, but it didn't work. She says that it's her fault that all of this happened because she brought magic into our world. Before I could protest, she had to hang up because she and the Rainbooms needed to leave to begin the final event. While Caramel, Soarin, and I wait in the CHS stands for both teams to arrive, I take out my locket and look at the picture of Sunset and me inside. I wish I can see Sunset be as happy as she is in that picture again. It seems like her moment of joy after the decathlon with the other Rainbooms was just a brief reprieve before the pressure of not letting the school down returned. As the Rainbooms and the Crystal Prep team arrive, everyone cheers in excitement while I frown, looking at Sunset, who is looking sadder than ever. I sigh and reluctantly join the cheering before Dean Cadance and Vice-Principal Luna start speaking on their microphones. "Since the score is tied, the final event will determine the winner of the Friendship Games," Dean Cadance announces. "Somewhere on campus, a pennant from each school has been hidden," Vice-Principal Luna says, holding a CHS and Crystal Prep flags up in the air. "The first team to find their school's flag and bring it back wins." "And as soon as our teams are ready, we'll begin," Dean Cadance says. "Really? Finding a flag is going to decide who wins?" Soarin questions. "That kind of sounds underwhelming compared to the other two events." "Yeah, the decathlon and the tri-cross relay were exciting and challenging for both sides, this sounds like a game of hide and seek," Caramel says. "Though at the same time, it means it still could be anyone's game." "Yeah, I just hope that we can get this over with so that Sunset can get back to finding out how to fix the whole magic thing with Human Twilight," I say. "I'm worried about her." Soarin sighs before turning to me. "Look, Rough Draft, I get that you're worried about your girlfriend," He begins. "But would it be such a big deal if the E.M.R. attempts to help if any magical thing happens again?" "It is," I say firmly. "Why is that such a problem?" Caramel asks. "Even if they still have tasers and maybe a fixed bass cannon, that's still better than nothing after Human Twilight has taken all of the girl's magic. If portals start popping up again, the Rainbooms will need all the help they can get." "And how do we know they wouldn't use that scenario to their advantage?" I accuse. "You guys weren't in the group as long as I was, but you still should remember how determined Vinyl and Doc, in particular, were to learn enough about magic so they can fight against it. By now, they know that something is amiss, and if there's even a slight chance that they can do something about it or at least learn about it so that they can be a force to be reckoned with, they will take it." "But they are not the enemy," Soarin counters. "They want to keep our school safe just as much as the Rainbooms." "Maybe," I admit. "But that won't stop things from getting even more complicated than they already are between both groups. The Rainbooms have been uneasy about the E.M.R. ever since they discovered them shortly after Octavia and I captured Sonata, guys, and that's just with our old friends carrying tasers and radars. How do you think things are going to look if the E.M.R. pop up after months of no word from them as a group, suddenly help the Rainbooms against whatever is going on with Human Twilight with the capability to fight off magic. The day would be saved, but we might be trading one problem with another, and I don't want Sunset to go through that." "You don't want Sunset to go through that, or you don't want Octavia back in the picture?" Caramel asks suspiciously. Before I reply, I hear music coming from the Crystal Prep side. I turn my head to see Principal Cinch and the Crystal Prep students singing a dark, mischievous song to Human Twilight. I tilt my head curiously, trying to figure out if it's the magic of music affecting them without them even realizing it. Before I can think further into it, however, Human Twilight walks to the center of the entranceway, beginning to sing her part of the song, nervously. She holds out her pendant, which is beginning to glow, and she's debating about something to herself. Sunset notices and runs over to Human Twilight, probably knowing what she's trying to do while Vice-Principal Luna and Dean Candace begin their final announcement. "The final event for the Friendship Games begins...NOW!" Human Twilight opens the pendant, and a powerful shockwave knocks the Rainbooms and the Crystal Prep team off their feet. Human Twilight starts floating up high as she drops her pendant, and a bright, magical orb appears in its place, slowly growing larger and larger. Human Twilight calls out for help to Principal Cinch and the Crystal Prep students before the orb engulfs her and, with a few flashes, explodes in a bright flash. Everyone shields their eyes before the flash clears, and we look up, and our eyes widen. Floating up in the air is Human Twilight transformed into a monstrous winged being with two large dark purple wings, a long unicorn horn on her forehead, fiery light blue glasses, and wearing a pink and purple dress, gloves, and boots. I stare in horror as Human Twilight laughs maniacally before turning to Sunset. "You were right," she says. "I didn't understand magic before, but I do now!" Her horn glows before she shoots a light blue beam at the Wondercolt statue, instantly destroying it. In its place, a large portal revealing what seems to be a fantasy town opens up, and the ground begins to form large cracks with a purple glow. Human Twilight fires another beam aimed at the Rainbooms, and they jump away just in time before another portal opens in their place. Suddenly cracks start to form out of thin air, and Human Twilight fires at them to open more portals. Everyone begins running away in panic, but the portals begin to open faster and faster, surrounding the entire area. "Guys, we gotta get out of here!" Soarin shouts and starts running away with Caramel, and I following him. But as I try to keep up with my best friends, a portal opens right in front of me, and I barely stop myself from running right through it. I take a few steps back before another portal suddenly opens underneath my feet. I scream as I start falling into the portal. "ROUGH DRAFT!" My plunge suddenly stops, and I feel two hands grab one of mine tightly. I hang in the air in panic when I realize that I'm standing a hundred feet above a white city lying on the edge of a mountain with a tall castle standing proudly. Well what do you know, I almost fell into Equestria's version of Canterlot. "Rough Draft, give me your hand!" I hear a voice shout out. I snap back to reality and look up to see who saved me from falling to my death in another world. My eyes widen in surprise when I see the beautiful violet eyes of my rescuer. "Rough Draft, I can't hold you! I need your other hand!" Octavia pleads as she struggles to keep me from falling. Without saying a word, I try to reach her with my free hand, but I miss her hand by a hair. "Rough Draft, please!" She screams in fear. "Please take my hand!" "I can't," I say. "Yes, you can!" She shouts with tears starting to come out of her eyes. "I know you can do it! Don't you dare give up on me, darling!" I look into her eyes and see the fear in them as that last word echoes in my mind. Darling. I haven't heard her say that for so long, and it feels nice to hear her say it again. "Reach!" Octavia screams one more time. With all my might, I stretch my hand out until it clasps Octavia's free hand firmly. She pulls me up with all her might until I am out of the portal and drags me a few feet away for safety. I take a moment to collect my thoughts before Octavia helps me stand up and tries to calm me down. "It's okay, Rough Draft, you're safe," She says. "Yeah, I'll believe that when there aren't magical portals coming out of nowhere every five seconds," I retort before it hits me. "Sunset. Where is Sunset?" Before Octavia can answer, however, another explosion erupts from the ground, and we turn around to see Sunset floating with her eyes closed and a bright, magical orb engulfing her. When the orb disappears, Sunset has a bright unicorn horn on her forehead, bright fiery wings, and wearing a pink and white dress with golden boots and arm bracelets that have her personal mark. I can't help but smile at the sight as she stares down at Human Twilight, who looks afraid of my girlfriend's transformation. Without saying a word, Sunset shoots golden beams out of her hands that closes all of the portals. Human Twilight panics before she and Sunset charge at each other with magical orbs coming out of their hands. The girls' orbs clash together, causing an explosion that sends both of them flying away from each other. Sunset and Human Twilight quickly shoot large beams at each other, and the beams collide, struggling to overcome the other. Human Twilight puts more force into her magic, causing the center of the beams to move closer to Sunset. She struggles to hold her own while Human Twilight laughs maniacally. "SUNSET!" I scream in horror as it looks like Human Twilight is about to win before another voice calls out. "TWILIGHT!" I look down, and to my confusion, I see Spike the Dog calling out to Human Twilight. Human Twilight notices the dog's call, and her glowing blue eyes suddenly turn normal for a moment as she looks at the worried dog. Sunset takes advantage of the distraction and puts more force into her power, causing the center of the beams to head straight for Human Twilight. She screams and tries to fight back, but it's too late as Sunset's beams hit her, and everything turns white. I can't see anything but white in front of me for what feels like half a minute before the brightness clears and I see Sunset and Human Twilight back to their normal selves and floating back to the ground. Human Twilight is saying something to Sunset with a repentant look while Sunset calmly takes Twilight's hands and says something encouraging that makes her smile. "Well..." I break my focus on the two girls to turn and see Octavia still standing next to me. She rubs her arm nervously, avoiding eye contact with me, and I look away from her, feeling the same. "Um, thank you for saving my life," I say awkwardly. Octavia looks at me in the eyes again, and she gives me a small smile. "My pleasure," she says. I smile back awkwardly, trying to think of something else to break the tension. "How's Caramel and Soarin?" She asks. "They're good," I answer. "Caramel finally got a date with Applejack." Octavia gives me a heartfelt smile that I try to resist smiling back as much as part of me misses her smiling. "That's wonderful," she says. "Did it go well?" "We don't know," I answer. "She seems to want the events of it a secret. Something about keeping it only between them." "Well good for her," She says with a proud smile. "Nice to know you still learned your lesson about interfering with his love life." "Uh, yeah sure," I say. "Um...how's everyone at the E.M.R.?" "They're doing well," Octavia says. "Derpy and Doc got together." "What?" I ask, surprised. Octavia chuckles at my reaction. "It turned out they had a thing for each other for a long while. They only confessed their feelings for each other about a week or so ago," she explains. "They're really adorable together, to be honest." "Oh. Well good for them," I say, unable to think of anything else. Suddenly, I hear cheering in the distance, and I turn to see the Rainbooms and the Crystal Prep team cheering with Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, and Dean Cadance, while Principal Cinch walks away from them, trying to keep her dignity intact. My eyes remain on Sunset; however, as I suddenly remember that she almost died fighting Human Twilight. I turn to Octavia, who looks at me with a sad frown. "Uh, listen, I just remembered that ... I have to ... I gotta go," I say awkwardly. I don't give her a chance to respond before I turn around and race to Sunset, who happens to turn around to notice me running. She's about to greet me happily before I hug her tightly in relief. "Whoa, easy there, tiger," She says, chuckling before hugging me back. "I'm okay." "Sorry," I say. "It's just I thought I lost you over there when you were fighting, and that beam was heading straight for you and - " Sunset puts her finger on my lips for silence before she caresses my cheek and looks me in the eyes reassuringly. "Relax, babe," she says with a smile. "Twilight's pendant is gone, both this world and Equestria are safe, and I'm perfectly fine. Better than I've been in the past couple days, in fact." I smile back as I caress her cheek back. "Best news I've heard all day," I say. She laughs before looking at me sweetly and leans in for a soft but tender kiss. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I wrap my arms around her waist as the kissing continues until... "Ah-hem." We break the kiss and turn around to see Human Twilight looking at us nervously while holding Spike. "Not that exchanging saliva isn't something weird to me as a dog," Spike begins. "But who is this guy?" Sunset and I blush in embarrassment before she clears her throat. "Twilight, Spike, this is my boyfriend, Rough Draft," she says. "Oh. Uh, nice to meet you," Human Twilight says awkwardly. "Good to officially meet you, too," I say kindly. "And may I say - " "Rough Draft!" I turn around to see Soarin and Caramel running up to me, Sunset, and Human Twilight. "Dude, I thought you were right behind us!" Soarin says worryingly. "I was behind you, but then a portal appeared right in front of me, and then I almost fell completely into another one that appeared right under on my feet," I explain. "What?! You almost fell into one of the portals?" Sunset shouts. "Yeah, and got a nice view of the Canterlot in your world while at it," I say, scratching the back of my head. "It looked like an amazing place. Would've liked to have seen it without hanging on for dear life a hundred feet above the ground, though." "What?!" Sunset shouts in shock. "Are you telling me that you almost fell to your death in the capital of Equestria?!" "Uh, yeah, that sounds like the gist of it," I say nervously. "Oh my gosh, and you're asking me if I'm alright? How in the world did you manage to get out?" Sunset shouts hysterically. "Um, that's an answer better told another time," I say nervously. "But the point is I'm okay, you're okay, and everything's fine now." Sunset doesn't say anything for a moment. Then she takes a deep breath and calms down before she hugs me firmly. "I don't ever want to hear that you were in danger like that again, you hear?" She says seriously. "Oh, and I should be okay with you almost getting obliterated by a demon?" I say sarcastically before turning to Human Twilight. "No offense," "None taken," Human Twilight says sadly. "I'm serious, Rough Draft," Sunset says as she breaks the hug to face me. "I don't know what I'd do if anyone I care about, got seriously hurt. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I brought magic into this world." I sigh before I caress her cheek again and give her a comforting smile. "Nothing's going to happen to me. Okay?" I say in an assuring tone. "You figured out the problem and saved my life and everyone else again, and everything's fine again, just like you said." Sunset hesitates before she smiles. "You're right. Everything's going to be okay," she says. My smile brightens as I kiss her on the forehead. "Hey, what did I say about exchanging saliva?" Spike ridicules. Caramel and Soarin's eyes widen as they step back in surprise. "What. The. Heck?!" Soarin shouts. "How in the world can Twilight's dog in this world speak too?!" Caramel exclaims. It takes a moment before it hits me too. "Hey, yeah," I say. "What's up with that? Is the Spike in our world part dragon or something?" "What do you mean Twilight's dog in this world?'" Human Twilight asks, confused. "Part dragon?" Spike asks, equally confused. Sunset chuckles and holds out her hands for silence. "Hold on, everyone, hold on," she says. "We have a lot to talk about."