Sunset Shimmer was at the basketball courts at the park, facing off against Flash Sentry while bouncing the basketball on the court. Rainbow Dash was having to deal with Soarin while Applejack was dealing with Thunderlane in a game of 3-on-3.
“What’s wrong, Sunset. Afraid to make a move?” Flash said, taunting her.
Sunset maintain her composure and started to shift left, which Flash was able to follow suit, only to to shift right with the ball and made her way to the basket. Flash was quick to react, but so was Rainbow Dash. Sunset saw the opening and passed the ball to Dash. Dash started to move towards the basket, but Soarin was able to get in her way as she shot the ball towards the basket. The ball bounced off the backboard, but Thunderlane and Applejack were both quick to react by jumping up and reaching the ball. Applejack was able to outreach Thunderlane and tip the ball in the basket.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
A single clap came from the bench near the court that they were playing at. “Good job, girls,” Gilda said.
Thunderlane grab the ball and passed it to Soarin. This time, Sunset went up to guard him, while Dash started to guard Flash. Applejack stayed on Thunderlane due to their similar height.
Soarin said to Sunset, “Alright, let’s see what you can do now.”
Soarin bounced the ball to the right, which Sunset was able to keep pace. So he moved back to the left, which she was still able to keep on him. He then decided to go back to the right, staying in three point range, and decided to make the shot. But Applejack was able to reach high enough and swat the ball away from the basket. The ball slowly bounced away from the court and landed in front of the shoes of a girl at the gate entrance.
“Nice one, cowgirl,” Sour Sweet said. “Like to see you do that when you face us.”
Indigo Zap was quick to slap Sour Sweet in the back of the head. “Knock it off, Sour.”
“I’m just trying play the part,” Sour replied. “What if someone is watching?”
“Sour dearie. We would be aware of it,” Sunny Flare replied.
“Dude! Indigo and Jack are good friends. And just about everyone knows it,” Lemon Zest added. “So just chill.”
Sour went up to Lemon and said, “Don’t tell me to just chill.”
“Hey Sunny. Is she still taking her meds?” Gilda asked. “Because if she isn’t, I’m sure the boys can make sure of that.”
“What, these losers?” Sour pointed to the three boys on the court.
“I think she means the other boys,” Sunset said.
Sour took a moment before she realized what they meant. She went into her bag and pulled out bottle of pills and a water bottle, got a pill out and took it into her mouth and taking a gulp of water to sallow the pill.
Sunny said, “Dearie, stop skipping on your meds…” and went up to Sour’s face, “and I will be forcing them in your mouth.” Sour simply smiled and nodded.
“Remind me not to get on her bad said,” Applejack said.
“Trust me. You don’t.” Indigo walked up to Applejack and said, “That was some nice jumping you have there. They got you on center for the team?”
“Eeyep.”
“Not bad. Gift or no gift, I could use the challenge.”
“What? No high jump powers to help the team?” Applejack asked sarcastically.
“You know how I hate to soul shift,” Indigo replied strictly.
Applejack crossed her arms. “I would figure that with those powers of yours, you could do whatever you want on the court.”
“There are still limitations to our powers from what we know,” Sunny replied. “And we’re still trying to figure out what else we can do.”
Sunset looked around and noticed that one girl was still missing from the group. “Speaking of which, where’s Sugarcoat?”
“She’s busy trying to move anything with just her mind,” Sour explained.
Sunset nodded in agreement. “Twilight told me and Jack about this. Something about bending reality to a person’s will. We’re not sure if that’s even possible.”
“Dude, they’ve done it in the movies,” Lemon said.
“But that’s just it. It’s a movie,” Dash replied. “This is real life.”
“But still, there’s are some things we don’t know about these powers,” Sunset replied before she looked at her scar on her hand. “Not to mention the fact that there are bound to be new powers that we don’t even know.”
“Well, we have to just leave it to Twilight and Sugarcoat to find those answers,” Applejack said.
Everyone started to make their way to the bench where Gilda was at so that some of them could rest.
“So, how’s Long Shot doing?” Flash asked Indigo.
“Yea. We know he got banged up a couple of weeks ago. And that he’s on the boys team,” Thunderlane added. “But is he his own self again?”
Indigo took a moment to get her thoughts in order. “Well, he’s doing better. Enough to help lead the team. But…”
“But he doesn’t have his gift like before, right?” Flash said, which Indigo nodded.
“Hey, maybe our boys team will have a better chance this time,” Dash responded.
“That’s not what I meant,” Flash snapped back. “Long Shot has been working on EU’s full time scholarship just as hard as I have. Image what would happen if it started to go downhill real fast.”
Sunset just looked at Flash with pure worry. “Flash. What’s gotten into you?”
“Sorry. It’s just… Ever since I wanted to get into sports, Shining Armor told me about how he was working hard for EU’s biggest scholarship, which he shouldn’t have that much of a problem to get this spring. He even brought it up yesterday after school. Back then, Twilight was helping me out with my classes that I had problems with. And when I was able to play in sports, I was able to play in football, basketball, and baseball. I heard about the scholarship not just from Shining Armor, but from Long Shot himself before baseball season came to an end during the spring. I knew that if I was going to earn that scholarship, I had to work just as hard as he did. And I also knew I would also have to take a big role in leadership. That might be a bigger challenge now that Jack’s on the football team. But if Long Shot isn’t like he used to be, then… well…”
“I think I understand,” Indigo replied. “I keep telling him that he’s still trying to recover from that hit that Jack gave him. But if he’s not back to his old self, gift or no gift, then I don’t even know what excuse I should tell him. I just don’t want his dreams of earning that scholarship to be crushed so easily if I told him that he was just some test subject.”
“I have to agree with you there,” Applejack added. “Long Shot seems like a good boy who just got caught up in this mess the same way you girls are. It’s hard to know what he would have been if he wasn’t exposed to that stuff that Dark Star has been issuing.”
Sunset started to think about all this and had an idea of what could happen next. “I think I’m getting an idea about all this. If Long Shot isn’t like what he used to be, and Flash becomes the better athlete then him, That could also raise red flags with Dark Star. Have you figured out if any other players on both basketball teams have similar gifts?”
“We’re not sure at the moment,” Sunny replied. “Sugarcoat still needs time, and research, to find out who has it and who doesn’t.”
“What about during tryouts?” Soarin asked. “Wouldn’t you have sense it in some way?”
“We were… having some problems there,” Sour replied.
“Emotions were becoming more mixed when tryouts were going on,” Indigo explained. “I think what happened after the championship game had some effect on the school. Everyone trying to make the team this season, or those returning, were on everyone’s mind. Maybe we’ll have a clearer idea when the Crystal Harvest Tournament happens after Thanksgiving.”
“At least we know that Lightning Dust doesn’t carry any special powers,” Dash said. “And Jack was able to prove that months ago.”
“Not to mention that she’s not on your team this year,” Gilda added.
“She may not be part of the school much longer,” Sour explained.
“Why’s that?” Applejack asked.
“Rumor has it that she could be getting expelled soon,” Lemon explained.
Rainbow Dash started to go on the defensive. “Hold on. Expelled? Seriously? I don’t even recall CPA even expelling a single student in over 25 years. And what Lightning Dust did wasn’t legally a crime, since it was handled by the Knight’s code. Otherwise, that would make them look bad. Why would they go that route?”
“I was wondering that myself,” Sunny explained. “I don’t know if they needed an excuse to blame someone for losing the championship game back then. And Brick Wall wouldn’t do because his family is working on their move out of the city. So the transfer request has already gone through and will be complete at the end of the semester.”
“But right now, all that we’re hearing is just a rumor,” Indigo added. “Coach Fleetfoot is trying to look into it right now. But the only other reason they would avoid it to go public is to transfer her to another school. And CHS is the only other school in the neighborhood to attend.”
“If that was to happen, I’m sure Principal Celestia would know about it,” Applejack explained. “For now, we just need to get our game together if we plan to make it to the nationals in the spring.”
“Say Sunset. What position are you playing on the team?” Lemon asked.
“Forward and Guard.”
“WHAT!?” Sour replied in shocked. “You too?”
Sunset stared at Sour, saying, “What’s wrong? Nervous?”
“Nervous!?” Sour replied. “If they put you on the same court as Cloudy Kicks, then we might as well be screwed.”
“Dearie. We won’t be as long as you can keep your head in the game like we tell you to,” Sunny replied.
“How in the heck am I’m supposed to know what role she’s trying to play when we play them,” Sour explained.
“Because there are times you don’t think with a clear head,” Indigo explained. “And since you have your anger issues at times, no doubt it clouds your senses when that happens.”
“She does bring up a good point,” Applejack added. “We know that anger is one weakness to using your gifted powers. I’m just surprised that you still kept that perfect record in basketball.”
“Only because we would have to bench her when she takes the foul count up too soon on herself,” Lemon said, referring to Sour.
“And don’t go arguing about it, dearie, because she’s right about that,” Sunny added.
Sour wanted to argue about it, but gave up because the other girls were right about that. Her bipolar like condition was a part of that.
“Besides, Sunset and Applejack have been working hard to prepare for the girls team and the Fall Harvest Festival with this new samurai club,” Sunny continued. “And somehow, that’s no easy feat.”
“You got that right, sugarcube,” Applejack replied.
“Miss Luna and Coach Spitfire want to get the samurai club going in our school,” Sunset explained. “While this is a way for me and Jack to go through our special training, it’s also a way to teach some discipline with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”
Applejack let out a small chuckle and said, “Silver Spoon shouldn’t be a problem. But Diamond Tiara? She’s got a lot more to learn, even if she she stood up to her mother due to that social status stunt. And I think some discipline will do the job.”
“It’s a good thing I did some looking up on the club.” Sunny Flare started to go through her bag.
“And here we go,” Indigo said. “Since I’ve been talking to Sunny about the scholarship programs at EU, she came across the college’s samurai club and started looking up more about it.”
“Would this have to deal with Master Blades?” Sunset asked.
Indigo sighed and answered, “It does.”
“I hope you don’t mind, dearie, but I needed the distraction,” Sunny replied.
“And you thought I was crazy,” Sour said. “She’s been worried about how her mother has been acting lately.”
“Please. Can we not talk about my mother for once.” Sunny finally pulled out some papers that she had printed out. “Look. We know that Master Blades was gifted like Jack. And he went to Professor Star Swirl when the temple fell. I saw that the samurai club was founded by him and another master from the former karate club before the merger happen. His name was Copper Shield, who is known as a shaolin monk.” She pointed to the picture of a young bald man in a robe with beads and six dots on his forehead. “He came to the states around the same time as Master Blades, but was from Chineigh instead of Japon.”
“Aren’t shaolin monks known to keep to themselves in temples to train and worship,” Dash asked.
“They are, dearie. But he was known to be part of what they called the 36th chamber of shaolin.”
“Now where have we heard that before?” Sunset said, looking at her friends.
“The 36th chamber was known to be composed of traveling monks, so they can help train others outside the walls of their own temple who needed help. But going back to the club. When they made the merger, they decided to compete in a martial arts tournament and won second place on their first year.”
“Wow! Who won first place?” Gilda asked.
“A martial arts group called the Burning Fists. They were one of the best martial arts schools in the nation who believed in respect and honor. But this is where it gets interesting about both groups. The next year, EU’s samurai club won first place after the Burning Fist bowed out from the tournament after the passing of their master. The club wasn’t the same the following years. But it was when the Burning Fist made their return that exposed another top rank martial arts team of using forbidden techniques call the Lotus Fangs.
“It said that it was during a match between members of the Lotus Fangs and the Burning Fist when it happened. And the one who noticed it was Master Blades of the samurai club. But he didn’t file a protest until they faced the Lotus Fangs in a match. Master Blades needed to expose them, and Master Shields had an idea how. Once they were able to force their opponent to act, the protest was filed, and the Lotus Fangs were disqualified from the match. They later looked into past matches and found the same actions being made by the team, resulting in the banning of the Lotus Fangs. The only problem was that no one else was able to catch on to what they were doing or how they did so.”
“So why wait until that time to catch on?” Dash asked.
“I was wondering about that, but it doesn’t say,” Sunny replied. “I wonder if he caught on to this, but wanted to keep his gift a secret at the time?”
“Usually, it’s the one who’s in charge of the group that should take the blame for their team’s action,” Applejack said. “Does is say who was in charge of the Lotus Fangs?”
“Was hoping someone would ask me that.” Sunny displayed another article that had a picture of what looked like an old, gray man dressed in a white robe with long white hair and a white goatee. “His name was White Fang, who comes from the same nation as Master Shield, Chineigh. I couldn’t find much about him, except for the fact that he was an experienced martial arts master who was skilled in the tiger fighting style. Plus, there was talk that he had no weak points on his body.”
“Weak points? What’s that supposed to mean?” Gilda asked.
“Something that Coach Spitfire told me about yesterday,” Sunset replied. “She said that there are… pressure points in a body that can weaken a person to where they can no longer be a threat.”
“Would kicking at the guy where the sun don’t shine be one of those points?” Applejack asked Sunset.
“Basically, yes. But she hasn’t gone into detail about it. She wants to wait until I’m more ready in my training. But I’m guessing that this Mr. Fang wouldn’t be harmed with an attack like that.”
“That’s right, dearie,” Sunny continued. “He was also a rich and powerful man back then, but nothing else about him. I can only guess that what happen with the Lotus Fangs left him to disappear from the public eye.”
“No doubt that’s how Dark Star works when something doesn’t go their way,” Indigo explained. “They decided to disappear and wait for their time to reappear.”
“And it’s up to us to make sure they show themselves to us,” Applejack added.
“The only catch is that Jack is the bait,” Sunset added with concern in her voice.
Applejack placed her hand of Sunset’s shoulder. “Now don’t you worry, Sunset. That’s why we agreed to help out and make sure that he’s not alone in this battle.”
“Speaking of which, any news about Rarity and Fluttershy joining in on the fight?” Indigo asked.
“They might be working on that right now,” Flash replied. “So it’s too soon to say until we hear back from Jack and Twilight.”
“I don’t even see why you want to force them to help,” Sour explained. “Fluttershy’s just a timid girl. The only other time she would get upset is when her animal friends get hurt. I don’t think she has what it takes to face off against what Dark Star has in store for us.”
“And not to be rude, dearie, but Rarity is more of a fashionista,” Sunny added. “I don’t know if she has what it takes to fight back.”
“You have no idea what she’s been through after having to deal with that self-centered Blueblood at the spring homecoming during her freshman year,” Applejack explained. “It was a big mess, and it really got her mad with how she was treated.”
“Yea. And Fluttershy knows that her animal friends will be in harms way if she doesn’t do anything about it,” Dash added. “They’ll fight with us in this battle.”
“This battle involves all of us,” Indigo said. “And we’ll need all the help we can get if we plan to find and take down the Dark Star Organization and get our lives back to normal.”
“Then how about we play some 3-on-3 instead.” Lemon Zest grabbed the basketball and went on to the court. “I want to see what you girls are made of.”
“You just want to see what we can do so that you girls can do better against us,” Applejack replied.
“Actually, we want to know what both sides can do against each other,” Indigo corrected. “Since a couple of you are new to your school’s team, and with the fact that we may not be in sync with each other after tryouts, I would like to see if we can get both teams into the national tournament without any problems. Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare, versus Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer. I’m going to sit this one out and see what I can make out of all of it.”
“If that’s the case,” Flash replied. “Thunderlane and Soarin can act as the refs in this match up.”
“Works for me,” Dash replied.
As the others made their way on to the court, Indigo yelled,” And don’t even think about using your powers to sense the others. I want you to use sight and sound, OK?”
Sour mummer, “Whatever mother.”
“WHAT WAS THAT, SOUR!?”
Sour jumped and replied, “Whatever you say, Indigo.”
Indigo sat on the bench between Gilda and Flash as they watched the court. “I swear she’s going to cause nothing but trouble this year. Sunny’s been on her case with her meds, and if she doesn’t keep her emotions in check…”
“She could go into a rage. Or more likely, a soul rage,” Flash replied. “Twilight filled us in on that part. Wanted to make sure Jack doesn’t go into one with all the pressure that he has to deal with.”
“Sour already went through one back then,” Indigo replied. “And I hate for her to do so again with what’s she’s going through with all this.”
“Is this… soul rage that dangerous?” Gilda asked.
“Maybe,” Indigo replied. “Sunny said that it happened over the summer. I wasn’t there, but she said that she just went berserk when a few guys kept bugging her when she wanted to be by herself on the beach. Sunny was there to calm her down after scaring the guys off, but she said that Sour looked liked a monster when it happened. All she wanted was to get away for a while after our team won the girls basketball tournament and the harsh school year that she had to deal with, which Sunny was able to provide.”
“Sound’s like she was under a lot of pressure last school year,” Flash said.
“We all were,” Indigo replied. “And something tells me that this school year will be tougher than before.”
The girls on court were busy playing 3-on-3. Whenever one of the Wondercolts played the ball, they would either have the ball stolen or their shot blocked. And when one of the Shadowbolts had the ball, they were able to make the shot. But most of this was due to Sour Sweet using her gift, which Indigo yelled at her for doing so. Sunny Flare was still trying to grasp the idea of relying on sight and sound, but would use her gift by accident to sense what was going on. It was Lemon Zest who started to find a way to rely on more of her natural talents because it was something she was accustomed to when it came to listening to music before attending Crystal Prep.
Rainbow Dash had the ball again and was feeling nervous about how this practice session was playing out. And Lemon Zest started to catch on to her feelings.
“Dude. What’s wrong? You look nervous.”
“I’m not… nervous. Just…” Dash took a moment to rethink her comments. “Look. Every time we try to play the ball, you find a way to stop us. And we can’t get an advantage when you have the ball as well.”
“Well, besides the fact that someone can’t stop using her gift,” as Lemon glared at Sour, “you’re thinking too much. It’s raises too many red flags for us to catch on. You need to relax. Chill out. Go with the flow, dude.”
Sour yelled, “Hey, stop helping her, will you?”
“Dude, you’re not helping,” Lemon yelled back at Sour. She looked back to Dash and said, “Dude, whenever I get stressed out before a major test in junior high, I pop in some music, relax, and find my groove. So all you need to do is find your own beat, relax, and just have fun.”
Rainbow Dash simply nodded and went to center court and started to take a few deep breaths so that she could clear her head. ‘Just relax and have fun. I can do that. I CAN DO THAT!’ She took a few more deep breaths, then turned around to face the others as she started to dribble the ball. ‘I. CAN. DO. THIS.’ She started to make her move towards the court. Lemon Zest was already in front of Dash, trying to block her. Dash shifted her body left and right a few times before seeing an opening and passing by her, making her way to the basket.
Sour Sweet, who was covering Applejack, decided to make a break and went towards Dash, trying to stop her. Dash stopped for a moment and tried to shift right, then left, which Sour was able to catch on, before Dash faked right and went left, catching Sour off guard with the fake and making her way towards the basket. Dash leap and tossed the ball into the basket with ease.
“AWESOME!!!”
“Hey! Way to go, Dash,” Indigo replied.
Sour wasn’t in a good mood and mumbled, “Good job, Lemon.” And it started to send off some warning signs to her teammates.
“Sour dearie. Don’t even go there,” Sunny warned her.
But during that moment, Sunset Shimmer was thinking about what what just happened earlier on. ‘What was that feeling that I sensed from Dash before? It was… strong. How can I sense something like that? Could it be related with my soul link with Jack?’ She shook her head. ‘No. It would have been negative, and this wasn’t. Then why would I be sensing it in the first place?’
“Sunset? Are you feeling OK?” Sunny asked.
Sunset was snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh. Sorry. Just… thinking, that’s all. It’s nothing.”
Sunny Flare grabbed the ball and said, “Think you can cover Sour this time?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Sunset went to the side of the court where Sour was located, while Sunny motioned Dash to cover her, leaving Lemon with Applejack. Sunny decided to test Dash this time, after seeing what she was able to pull off earlier.
“Alright, Dash. Let’s see if you can stop me this time,” Sunny requested.
“Bring! It! On!”
Sunny started to dribble the ball with Dash in front of her. Sour started to make her move, waving her hands so she could get the ball, but Sunset was able to keep her eyes on her and stayed close. Lemon and Applejack were staying tight on each other, so Sunny wasn’t sure who to pass it to. So she decided to test her 3-point skills, since she was good in that area to be part of the girls’ team. She made her way to the angled end of the 3-point line and made the shot. Applejack saw this and made her way to the basket, leaving Lemon at a disadvantage. With a simple jump, Applejack was able to leap high enough and swat the ball away from the basket and straight towards Sour, hitting her in the face.
Applejack covered her mouth before she spoke. “Oh my gosh! Are you OK?”
Sunset went to look at her to see if Sour was hurt. But what started to develop next raised reds flags to Indigo, Lemon, and Sunny. And it was something that Sunny picked up on over the summer.
Sunny ran to Sour, yelling to Sunset, “Get away from her!”
Sunset was confused as to what Sunny was talking about. But before she could get over there, Sour looked over to Applejack, and pure, uncontrollable rage started to show on her face. She quickly got up, knocking Sunset out of the way, and ran towards Applejack with her arms in the air like an angry bear. Applejack didn’t know what was going on and wasn’t sure how to react, but Indigo quickly responded and got off the bench and made her way to stop Sour. But in that process, she created a soul shift, causing her to transport herself in front of Sour, leaving her a bit dizzy. Sour easily knocked her down in the process. Sunny and Lemon were able to make their way to Sour, trying to restrain her. But she threw them to the ground and made continued her way towards Applejack’s location.
But those small delays were enough time for Applejack to prepare herself for Sour’s onslaught. As Sour made her way to Applejack’s location, she swung her arms towards her, only for Applejack to grab them and hold Sour in place from striking her.
“Sour! What the hay is wrong with you!”
As the struggle was going on, Flash and Rainbow Dash went over to check on Indigo on the ground.
“Are you OK?” Flash asked.
“Yea. What the heck just happened?” Dash added.
Indigo quickly shook her head before she could answer. “I think… this is the soul rage that Sunny told me about before. But the power… I never felt anything like it.”
Sunny was quick to respond. “It’s much more powerful than before. I don’t think I can get her to calm down this time.”
“Well, you better do something. Because I’m not sure if I can hold her in place.”
“AJ! Try knocking her to the ground!” Gilda ordered. “Maybe we can pin her down until she calms down!”
Applejack nodded and pulled Sour towards her as she started to fall back towards the ground. With her back on the ground, she pushed her legs on Sour’s chest and flipped her over, landing on her back. Gilda, Flash, Soarin, and Thunderlane quickly jumped into action and each grabbed one of her arms or legs, pinning her down. But Sour’s rage became too strong for them to hold on to, causing them to be tossed around in the process. Sour quickly got back up and went back to attacking Applejack. But she was able to roll forwards and gave a swift kick to Sour’s chest, pushing her back. But the kick barely phased her.
Applejack, seeing that the odds were against her, had no other choice. “Alright. If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you get.”
Sour went back on the attack. But this time, Applejack went on the offensive. She was able to grab Sour’s arms whenever a punch was thrown, applied knee kicks whenever Sour’s body was exposed, and pinning her arms in the back whenever possible. Any attack that Sour executed, Applejack was able to counter. It was almost like her duel with Jack months ago when she decided to challenge him in the workout gym.
But during that process, Sunset was getting those same feelings again, just like before. ‘That feeling again. But now it’s coming from Applejack. Where is this energy coming from? I don’t even understand it.’
But Applejack own counterattacks were barely making an impact on Sour. She was able to toss her afar, only for Sour to land on her feet. Applejack had the strength and stamina, but her efforts were barely making an effort. “Does anyone know how long she can stay like this?”
Sunset quickly put her thoughts aside and had to do something. And it became clear to what was going on. ‘Sour should be able to pick up on what Applejack is doing, but instead, she’s just in a blind rage. That means…’ “Applejack! Try to keep her busy!”
“What do you think I’ve been trying to do here!”
Again, Sour quickly charged towards Applejack. Sunset knew that she had to strike while she was in a rage. She got on her feet and charged towards where Sour was and was able to sweep her leg in front of Sour’s feet, causing her to trip and fall to the ground, face first. Sunset was able to stop and looked back, seeing that she hit her mark. But it was only for a second before Sour slowly got up. This time, her attention was towards Sunset. With rage still inside her, she began to lunge towards Sunset’s location. With no time to react, she quickly clasped her hands together with her index fingers pointed up and yelled “WATER VEIL!!!”
At that moment, and full blast of water splashed on Sour’s face, causing her to chock with some of the water inside of her. She fell on her knees, trying to cough up the water and regain her breathing. As she was heavily breathing, Sunny, Lemon, and Indigo noticed that her rage had subsided. Sunny was the first to check on her.
“Sour! Are you OK?”
“I (cough) I… think… so. What… what happened.”
“Dude, you tried to kill Applejack,” Lemon replied.
“I WHAT!?”
“You went into a soul rage,” Sunny explained.
It took a moment to understand what Sour just did. “I… Oh no. It happened again, did it.”
Sunset noticed that she was still wet. “Gilda, get my jacket!” Gilda nodded and made her way to the bench and grabbed Sunset’s black jacket that was on her gym bag and brought it over to her. She took her jacket and wrapped it around Sour, trying to make sure she didn’t get cold. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be alright.”
Sunset was able to bring Sour on her feet and escorted her to the bench to sit down. The others were able to join them and made sure that it was all over.
Sour was a bit confused. “What… How did it happened?”
Applejack was the first to answer. “Well, I was able to hit the ball that Sunny shot, and… well, the ball just hit your face. Surprised that you don’t have a bloody nose in the process.”
“Bloody nose!?” Dash replied. “You just gave her a beat down in the process, and she doesn’t even looked hurt.”
A thought just went through Indigo’s head that almost made her panic. “Sunny. Lemon. Check the area. I want to make sure no one saw what happened.”
Sunny and Lemon went in different directions, scanning the area. Not only did they not see anyone else, but they didn’t sense any panic as well. They went back and gave the “all clear” sign, meaning that no one knew what happened.
“That was close,” Indigo replied. “If anyone saw what just happened here, it would have been bad for all of us.”
“I have to agree,” Soarin added. “Without knowing who’s part of Dark Star, we can’t avoid to tip them off.”
“And it looks like the Soul Rage power could be really deadly if they were to find out,” Flash added.
The gears in Sunset’s mind started to turn again. And it started to raise questions about what was going on. Not just was she just saw, but what she felt as well. She went up to Indigo and said, “A word, if you will.” Indigo nodded and joined her in private. “What all were you able to sense in the process.”
“All I could fully sense was Sour getting mad while the girls were practicing. I didn’t even expect that she would go into a rage until that ball slammed her in the face.”
“Were you able to sense Applejack’s actions when they were fighting?”
Indigo took a moment to think about it. “Now that you brought that up, I don’t think so. I was able to pick up on you going for the feet with that low kick you did there. But the water attack was unexpected. How were you able to pull that off so powerful?”
“I’m not sure,” Sunset replied, placing her hand on her chin. “I just… panicked, that’s all. But what felt off was what I was sensing from Applejack during the fight.”
“Wait a minute. You… sensed something? From her?”
Both of them looked at the others at the bench. They were explaining to Sour what just happened, which brought tears to her eyes at times. Some were able to respond to her with hugs, trying to calm her down after all that happened.
“Not just her, but Dash as well,” Sunset explained. “And that happened when she was able to make that shot. I don’t know if it has any connection to Soul Link or what.”
“Now that you think about it, I couldn’t sense what Dash was doing when she finally made that shot. I don’t know what happened, but that’s the first time I couldn’t get a read on what another player was about to do before doing it. Could this be our gift’s… weakness?”
“I don’t know. It’s too soon to say unless Jack was here to sense it. But I’m more concerned to what I just sense earlier.”
“Might be best to not bring it up unless it happens again. And maybe with Jack around, just in case. Maybe it was a one time event you experience.”
“Maybe so. But all this just brings up too many questions as to what’s going on.”
“WHAT IN TARNATION!?”
Sunset and Indigo looked over for a moment.
“We better see what’s going on,” Sunset said.
“Agreed,” Indigo replied. “Best that we keep this discussion a secret for now. No sense worrying the others until we get a better idea what’s going on.”
Both of them went back to the others to see what the commotion was.
“Something wrong, AJ?” Sunset asked.
“Yea. Rarity just sent an image of one of her designs for me to wear in our club. And I’m not pleased with it.”
Sunset noticed that the others were looking at either Applejack’s cell or Dash’s cell, with the exception of Sour, who was sitting on the bench. Sunset went to get her cell from her bag and sat down next to Sour, with Indigo next sitting next to her. She found the group text that was sent to the others and could understand why she would complain about it. It looked like a short, white robe with no sleeves with a black cloth belt tied to hold the robe in place. Black pants were with the outfit.
“How in the hay am I supposed to walk around in a stupid robe with just a tied-on belt to hold it in place,” Applejack explained. “I’ll take jeans and a button-up vest, thank you very much.”
“It is a bit different from what we were wearing yesterday, that’s for sure,” Sunset added.
But Rarity wasn’t done displaying her new designed. She told Sunset that she had a wild idea for her. And the picture that was sent gave little room for imagination. The figure had on red pants and only a wrapped-on bandage around her chest. Sour and Indigo were looking on Sunset’s cell, trying to figure out what it was.
“Is that… a bandage on her chest,” Sour asked.
“I… think so,” Indigo replied.
“Leaves… little… to the imagination, doesn’t it,” Sour added, trying to catch her breath.
But Sunset was just staring at the image, trying to picture her wearing something like it. And it caused her cheeks to turn red in the process. Rainbow Dash took this moment and took a picture of the trio looking at the picture and sent it in the group chat with the message:
Looks like your gf is speechless.
When Sunset saw this, she panicked. “RAINBOW DASH!!!”
But Jack replied, saying:
That makes two of us.
But he soon added:
But why is Sour all wet?
Applejack decided to respond.
Sour went into a rage.
Sunset blasted her with water.
Pinkie was following along and texted:
WAS IT SUPER EFFECTIVE?
“Should have saw that coming,” Applejack said.
Twilight, who was also following all this, wanted to know what all happened. So Sunny Flare asked for Applejack’s cell so that she could explained. She wrote on there about Sour going into a soul rage and attacking Applejack, and how Sunset was able to step in and used some water attack to calm her down. Twilight was unsure how Sunset was able to pull off a strong water attack. But Jack might know the answer and asked for a picture of the page that was next to Soul Knowledge. When she sent the picture, everyone looked at was was written, and it started to make some sense.
“Soul Awakening”
When someone uses Soul Knowledge, there’s a chance that they could awaken a spiritual power within them. This could be based on a person’s bloodline, or a special power that lies from within. It is not clear how, but there are others out there with special talents that only gifted people could help awaken.
“Jack was able to use Soul Knowledge on me to tap into myself when I was trying to learn how to use water veil,” Sunset explained. “But how does this help in letting it grow so powerful so fast?”
And at that point, Twilight was asking the same question in the group chat. Jack quickly responded.
Something awaken inside Tree Hugger.
Moon Dancer is looking into it.
This might be the key we need to find who’s been affected in CPA.
After reading this, Sunny was able to respond on Applejack’s cell.
We’re unsure who has the gift and who hasn’t.
Ask Sugarcoat as to why, since she’s not with us now.
Twilight responded.
I’ll talk to Sugarcoat and Moon Dancer tonight.
See if I can piece all this together.
There is good news.
The blades that Jack has ARE the ones who contain the souls of the makers.
They sent us a message.
“A message?” Sunset said.
If you wish to bond with the blades, then find the keys to set us free.
That was the message they sent.
We think there must be some keystone needed to free them.
But we don’t know what that is.
Until then, the blades stay with Luna.
Jack quickly responded.
Then I leave this matter with her.
Spitfire wants to work with Sunset tomorrow on the other two attacks.
She thinks that she could be ready to learn them after what just happened.
Sunset replied.
Have her call me tonight so we can plan to meet.
I have nothing much to do tomorrow anyway.
When all was said and done, they started to put their stuff away and begin to leave the park. Sour gave Sunset her jacket back, which was a bit wet on the inside.
“Sorry for what I did back there,” Sour said. “I was just-”
Sunset placed her hand on Sour’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Just… consider yourself lucky that I broke you out of that spell. For now, focus on the bigger picture. We both have a tournament to get into. And it’s going to take both of us to find out what’s really going on here. For now, just relax, and make sure you’re taking your meds. It’s going to take some time before we find the answers that we seek. And we should be grateful that we have some time to prepare for what’s about to come.”
Sour nodded and left the court with Sunny next to her. As the other started to leave, Indigo came up to Sunset alone.
“For some reason, you’ve been taking all this seriously, haven’t you?”
I have,” Sunset replied. “Ever since Jack came to CHS, and into my life, he brought me out of a hole I was in and stood by my side when I was at my worst. And learning about his gift was a big shock to me as well. And now that he’s more of a target, I want to do all I can to keep him out of harms way. Without him… I don’t even know what I would do without him in my life.”
“I don’t think anyone will know what to do if he wasn’t around to help. I would be lost and confused with what I possess without him to help me,” Indigo explained. “I might have to talk to him about Long Shot and figure out what to do about his situation. If he doesn’t have his gift anyone, I really need to know how best to confront him on this issue.”
“If what Flash said about himself and Long Shot fighting for the scholarship next year is true, then I think Jack needs to know this as well,” Sunset said. “You talk to him about it tonight while I bring it up with Coach Spitfire. Since she worked at EU, maybe she can offer something that would help him, if possible.”
“Anything to make things easier for us, that’s for sure.”