The time for the second event was about to begin as both schools headed out to the field, the students all sitting in the bleachers while the principals, vice-principal, and dean sat in their own booth that easily overlooked all three courses. All twelve girls competing were dressed in the appropriate attire for their parts, the girls on the motocross bikes and roller blades wearing protective gear in case they wiped out, the archers' bows resting at the end of their obstacle course while their quivers of arrows were near the platforms by the mud pit. Once everyone was present, Cadence stood up from her seat, holding a microphone as she announced the next event.
"Welcome, everyone to the Friendship Games Tricross Relay!" she announced, earning a roar of cheers from the the students, even from the Crystal Prep students. "In this event, our qualifying competitors will face off in archery, speed skating, and finally, motocross." Alongside the already chosen pairs for the events for Crystal Prep, Applejack and Fluttershy were going to be first for the archery portion, Pinkie and Rarity together for the speed skating, and Rainbow and Sunset on their bikes for the motocross race. "Competitors, on your mark-" The archers kneeled down and got into a runner's starting position, both teams picking who would go first to begin the race. "-get set..."
Cadence raised an air horn and pressed the button, signalling the start of the race with its loud blast. Fluttershy and Sour Sweet sped off, the latter easily vaulting over the hay bales that acted as their hurdles, though the former took a bit of time climbing over them. From the stands, Ventus and Flash sat together as they watched the race, all they could do was cheer the girls on and hope they get a win to tie in the games.
"So, I'm guessing for the next teammate to begin for the archery portion, they have to hit a bulls-eye, right?" Ventus asked Flash.
"Yeah," the musician said with a nod. "Let's just hope we don't fall too far behind."
Sour Sweet made it to the mud pit, grabbing her quiver as she leapt up on the platform, jumped toward the rope and swung toward the other side, rolling perfectly on the other end as she grabbed the bow and fired three arrows at once at the sideways moving targets. She struck it with all three, one of them hitting the red bulls-eye as her school cheered while grinning smugly.
"Wow. And the others say that we Keyblade wielders show off when we fight," Ventus muttered.
Twilight was a bit shocked at the bold shot her teammate made, quickly shaking her head as she ran forward. Fluttershy had just made it to the other side of the pit and grabbed her bow, carefully aiming as she pulled an arrow back against the string. Twilight tried to leap over the first hurdle, only to trip and fall flat on her face, embarrassing herself as Sour Sweet growled in irritation. The moody teen looked back at Fluttershy as she took her first shot, her aim toward the second sideways moving target barely reached the board as the arrow hit the ground.
Turning back around, she saw Twilight had gotten her quiver and reached out for the rope. She grabbed it and swung across, only barely as her feet managed to touch the platform while she struggled to pull herself toward safety. Sour Sweet grew more frustrated, not even bothering to help Twilight up as she just growled, dragging her hands down her face as she leered angrily at her. The CHS students cheered Fluttershy on as she lined up her second shot. She ended up looking away at the last moment when she fired, but by some miracle, her shot landed dead center on her target's bulls-eye, the crowd going wild as Applejack ran from the starting gate to catch up, easily vaulting over the hurdles and making it to the other end of the mud pit with her quiver just as Twilight finally got over without falling in.
It was neck and neck already, Applejack taking the first shot at the orbiting target, only to miss the bulls-eye by a few inches. "Come on, Applejack!" Ventus cheered. "You got this, farm girl!"
Twilight grabbed her bow and stood up, taking aim and firing her first arrow. She missed her target as it hit the board it was connected to, knowing she was receiving glares from her fellow classmates. While she got another arrow ready, Applejack took aim with her next shot, taking deep breathes to control her heart rate and focus on her target. With one more breath, she released her arrow, time seemingly slowing down for her as the arrow sailed across the air, hitting the bulls-eye with perfect aim. The CHS students cheered, including her teammates as Rarity and Pinkie began their leg of the relay.
"And Canterlot is off to an early lead!" Cadence commented through the speakers.
Principal Cinch glowered in disdain, tapping her finger against her crossed arms as she watched Twilight's shots missing the target, barely even hitting the blue ring of it. Even though Rarity and Pinkie were ahead, they casually skated around their track, Pinkie squealing as she pirouetted around and enjoying herself as they've already completed their second out of eight laps.
"Oh, well this is just fantastic!" Sour Sweet exclaimed angrily, making Twilight flinch as her fears in failing began welling up in her chest. "Hit the stupid target already!"
"I'm sure glad I don't go to Crystal Prep," Fluttershy uttered, Applejack wholeheartedly agreeing with her friend.
Rarity and Pinkie ran another lap past Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest, the Crystal Prep bladers letting out frustrated groans as they were sure to lose with their head start. Twilight ended up freezing in panic, her arms shaking as her aim wobbled a bit.
"If CPA can't hit another bulls-eye soon, they'll be out of this race," Cadence announced, her color commentary not helping the distressed teen as she began hyperventilating.
Twilight accidentally dropped the arrow, already hearing her classmates jeering at her. She began to tear up, trying not to break down and cry as she tried to aim again. Ventus and Flash could tell Twilight was choking, and it didn't help that her school was practically making her feel worse when they should be motivating her.
"You're really bad at this!" Sugarcoat said, making Twilight tear up more as she choked back a sob.
Rainbow and Sunset glared at the brutally honest teen. "What the heck is wrong with you!? How about showing your teammate some support instead of insulting her!?" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Her physical education is actually terrible," Sugarcoat said nonchalantly. "She my have a big brain, but she's barely any muscle. It's amazing how she's able to even stand or walk."
"...Wow. No wonder your name is 'Sugarcoat'," Sunset grumbled. "You don't sugarcoat anything."
Ventus couldn't take Crystal Prep's resentment toward Twilight's performance, standing up in his seat as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "You can do it, Twilight! Just relax! Don't pay attention to everything around you; just focus on your target!"
"Why are you cheering for her?" one of the male Crystal Prep students questioned as a majority of them stared at the Keyblade wielder. "She doesn't go to your school."
"How about you cheer for her!?" Ventus argued, pointing his finger at his chest harshly. "If you guys want to win so bad, then why don't you try appreciating the hard work she does instead of look down at her like she's a freak!?" Ignoring the glare from the student, he brought his attention back to Twilight, who was looking back at him with teary eyes. "Hit a bulls-eye, Twilight! I know you can do it!"
Cinch leaned over to stare at Ventus, confused by his cheering for Twilight when he was on Canterlot's side. Flash stood up beside him, joining him in cheering Twilight on.
"Come on, Twilight!" he yelled. "Pay attention to the target! Get a bulls-eye!"
Soon, the rest of the CHS student body joined in as well, chanting Twilight's name. Twilight stared in confusion, no clue what was happening, but even if there were people cheering for her, she still felt trepidation as she looked back at the moving target. She was afraid she'll miss again, and the Canterlot High students will jeer at her like her classmates. Applejack couldn't help herself, giving Fluttershy her bow as she calmly approached the distraught teen.
"Sugarcube, ya need to not aim at the target," Applejack instructed.
"Oh, that makes perfect sense!" Sour Sweet said sarcastically in her sweet tone with a light hint of anger. "Don't aim at the target! Thanks so much!"
"As Ah was sayin', ya need to stop aimin' at where the target IS and aim where the target's gonna be," Applejack said, ignoring the moody Crystal Prep teen.
"Yeah!" Sour Sweet agreed, being sarcastic again. "Definitely take advice from the person YOU'RE COMPETING AGAINST!!!!"
Applejack let out an annoyed sigh, ignoring her again and focusing on helping Twilight. "Do ya wanna hit the bulls-eye or not?" she asked, Twilight nodding her head as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her outfit. "Then trust me. Take a deep breath." Twilight began to take a few deep breaths, the first few shaky as she tried to compose herself. She began to take aim, focusing on where the target was going to be, not where it currently was. "And then let the arrow go...right........now!"
Twilight fired, time slowing to a crawl as the crowd went silent. Everyone watched with bated breath as the arrow whizzed through the air, then made a direct hit on the target, landing a bulls-eye. The CHS students went wild as they cheered for Twilight again, finally allowing Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare to begin their leg of the race as they skated off, needing to catch up after being overlapped four times from the starting line.
"Whoo hoo!" Spike cheered, clapping his paws together as he watched his owner. "That's my girl!"
Sour Sweet balked when she heard the purple canine talk, backing away slowly before she began to freak out. Spike leapt in Twilight's arms, the girl still slightly shaken that Applejack's advice had worked, and she helped her despite being on the other team. As soon as she let go of her pet, she caught the cowgirl off guard as she hugged her, returning the hug back.
"See?" Applejack said. "Ah was tellin' ya the truth." Applejack's honesty unleashed her Equestrian magic, transforming her into her pony form. Twilight watched her glow, gasping in shock as the farm girl's hair grew into a long ponytail, and saw her human ears disappear as equine ones took their place on her head. Even though all eyes were on the roller bladers, Ventus and Flash noticed Applejack's change, both of them cringing, though unable to blame her for trying to help Twilight. She looked herself over, realizing she made a big mistake. "Oops. Didn't really think this through."
"Just like that other girl?" Twilight questioned curiously. Her curiosity died, however, when her spectrometer acted up again, sensing Applejack's magic and immediately began sucking it away as it floated up on its own. She tried to pull it away, but it seemed to be held in some kind of gravitational force, making Applejack grow weaker as her device was stealing more magic. "No! Stop! I'm sorry! I'm not doing this on purpose!"
Applejack grunted, understanding Twilight's pleas despite feeling weak as she dropped to her knees. Twilight grunted and closed her device, a small blast of the stolen magic sending her stumbling back, causing her to trip over Spike and fall off the platform. She dropped her spectrometer, bouncing away and slid onto the roller blade track, the impact causing it to open back up as it unleashed a shockwave of magic around the area. Twilight sat up and rubbed her head, noticing the magical energy dispersing as she gasped in shock when a portal began to grow in front of her. Rising up from it was a mysterious plant-like root snaking its way into their world, no one else noticing from the stands as they focused on the bladers, Crystal Prep managing to catch up as both teams were on lap six.
"Crystal Prep and Canterlot High only have two laps to go, and Crystal Prep has managed to catch up after the slow start in the archery portion!" Cadence commented.
Twilight tried to reach out to her device, only for her classmates to skate past it, their brushing by it with their roller blades sending it sliding on the other side of the track. When it was clear, she tried to run toward it, but more portals began to open up, pushing out more of the living tendrils as one barred her path, almost grabbing her as she yelped. Ventus noticed the Equestrian growths as the two teams were on their final lap, no one even paying attention to the uncontrollable magic portals giving these dangerous plants an opening into their world. Pinkie and Rarity were falling behind as Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare managed to speed past them, the duo pulling off a whiplash maneuver, Rarity giving Pinkie a boost by swinging her leg once she grabbed on, sending her zipping past the Crystal Prep girls and across the finish line. They gave Sunset and Rainbow a slight head start, but Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap revved up their engines as they took off right behind them.
"Oh no, not again!" Ventus said. Getting up from his seat, he leapt over the bleachers, shocking the Crystal Prep students as they saw him jump so far, ignoring their odd looks as he ran toward Twilight, summoning his Keyblade from in front of his chest to make it look like he was pulling out an oddly shaped dagger he kept concealed. He saw Twilight reaching out for her pendant, only for a venus flytrap-looking plant to pop out of a nearby portal, its roots grabbing Twilight's leg and pulling her toward it. She screamed for help, desperately digging her nails into the ground to pull herself away to no avail. "Hang on, Twilight!"
Ventus was about to slash through the vine, only to grunt as a much bigger one smacked him aside, the portal growing bigger as it revealed the source of the small chomping plant. It was actually massive, catching everyone off guard as the excitement of the race was replaced by fear as they witnessed the giant plant monster interfere with the race. The Keyblade wielder shook his head, finding himself laying on the dirt track for the motocross portion of the relay, hearing Rainbow gasp as she narrowly avoided getting smacked by a flailing root. Indigo, Sugarcoat, and Sunset gasped in shock, turning their bikes to scatter as they stayed on the course, Sunset unfortunately bailing off her bike as she skid painfully across the ground, Sugarcoat's bike was snatched up by one of the large flytraps, and Indigo used that very same one who snatched her teammate's bike as a makeshift ramp, leaping off and continued racing despite the interference.
Ventus quickly stood up, avoiding another smack from another root, unable to slice it with Sugarcoat dangling from what was remaining of her bike. He heard Sunset yell as one of the maws tried to chomp down on her, missing her by inches as it instead bit into her motocross bike. Rainbow turned around, forgetting about the race, confusing Ventus as to why the teachers watching over this event aren't ending it because of the giant plant monster that was going to eat their students. They were just as shocked as everyone else, though whether they were too stunned in shock to say anything or baffled by what was happening was beyond him.
Hearing Sugarcoat scream, Ventus looked up as he watched her fall. Running toward her, he leapt across the flailing roots, avoiding them as he dove forward and caught the teen. Flipping back on his feet, he ran toward safety as he carried her, setting her down once he was sure the monster was distracted to focus on them.
"You just saved my life," Sugarcoat said, still sounding bland even after being scared out of her mind.
"Get far enough away from this thing!" Ventus said, not needing to be repeated as she ran away from the plant monster.
As one of the maws was about to chomp down on Sunset again, Rainbow zoomed in on her bike, grabbing her hand and quickly pulling her on as she rode off. The plant missed them by mere inches, planting its face in the dirt as it pulled its head out, roaring angrily that its meal was taken away.
"Dash, you saved me!" Sunset said gratefully.
"I wasn't about to let my friend become plant food!" Rainbow said, proving her loyalty to her friends mattered more than a dumb race. She began to slow down as her magic revealed itself due to her loyalty, taking off her helmet as her equine ears felt like they were getting squished in her helmet. Her transformation didn't go unnoticed this time as Sunset was allowing it in such a dire situation, Principal Cinch getting a full glimpse of the glowing teen sprouting a pair of pegasus wings as she hovered in the air with said wings. She leered at Celestia, silently questioning her what was going on, but the CHS principal gave her a nervous grin and shrugged, knowing her school was going to end up forfeiting after all this. "Come on, Sunset! We can still win this!"
Sunset nodded, revving up the engine and raced off to catch up with Indigo. The race wasn't called off yet, so they still had a chance to win. While Rainbow sped on ahead and distracted the larger of the plants maws from the racers, Ventus made his way back to Twilight. He skid to a halt a few times as a few of the smaller heads blocked his path.
"Out of my way!" he commanded, twirling his Keyblade in his hand before lunging forward and slicing through them. They let out a screech as some of their necks were hacked off, retaliating with flailing roots that tried to crush the teen. Ventus rolled out of the way, slashing at them as he avoided to use any magic, not wanting to already rouse too much suspicion with Applejack's, and now Rainbow's, Equestrian transformation to the Crystal Prep students and staff. He heard Twilight scream again, along with Spike growling and barking as he tried to bite the roots around them. "Twilight, close that pendant!"
He didn't know if he could hear her as she struggled to pull herself free from the vine that nabbed her ankle. Out on the race course, Rainbow managed to stomp one of the larger heads down into the ground. Sunset managed to catch up with Indigo, catching her by surprise as they approached the finish line, no roots or plant heads keeping them from the goal. Sunset pulled on ahead and won the race by a few inches as Cadence finally snapped out of her shock.
"Canterlot wins!" she announced, the CHS students cheering while the Crystal Prep students stared in befuddlement. Cinch glared at the dean, even though Sunset managed to win the race without using magic to cheat, grinning nervously at her boss before finally making the announcement someone should have made earlier. "Attention, students, please proceed to the gym immediately."
"Oh, sure! NOW someone says something!" Ventus complained, ducking low with a yelp as he was momentarily distracted and almost got bit.
The students didn't need to be told twice as they all quickly filed out of their seats and made their way inside to safety. Flash managed to slip out of the crowd and tried to meet up with the girls while avoiding the plant monster still running wild. Ventus slashed his way through and reached Twilight, who had just managed to slip out of the root's hold and grabbed her device, closing it shut with a hard clack, dispelling the portals as the plant monster began to disappear back where it belonged. Panting heavily, slowly recovering from the plant monster's sudden appearance, she stared down at her spectrometer, wondering why it was doing this without any input commands from her.
"What is this energy?" she questioned to herself. "Why is this happening?" Twilight looked up when she heard Spike let out a little yip as Ventus approached. He stood before her, holding out his hand to help her up, but she refused as she stood up, backing away from him. "What's going on, Ventus? Do you know what this energy is?" He lowered his hand, unable to answer her questions. She then noticed his Keyblade held in his right hand, staring at him with shock. "You brought a weapon to school!? How were you able to hide that!?"
Ventus sighed, holding his hand out to show Twilight, even as she backed away in fear of getting stabbed by the key-shaped dagger. "It's complicated," he answered, dismissing it in a flash of light. Twilight's jaw dropped, rubbing her eyes thinking she imagined she saw his blade disappear, but when she looked at his empty hand, her brain was rattled with so many questions. "Do you even know what you stole, Twilight?"
"The strange energy that's been coming from your school," she replied, clutching her device as she draped it back around her neck where it belonged.
"It's more than that, and it's impossible to explain," Ventus said. "Simply put, it's magic." She was about to question why, but he interrupted her before she could even ask. "And no, I can't tell you...Some things are better off not knowing, no matter how curious you are." He then gently grabbed her hand, leading her over to the girls and Flash as Sunset rode around to meet with them. "Come on. We need to have a long talk."
Sunset got off her bike, checking everyone to make sure no one got hurt. "Everyone ok?"
"Better than alright!" Rainbow said as she swooped down, landing with an excited grin. "We won!"
"Yeah, we won," Sunset said, taking off her helmet. "But someone could have gotten seriously hurt! The magic just went haywire, and I have no idea how to even fix all of this mess!"
Overhearing their predicament as they got closer, Twilight stepped forward once Ventus let go of her hand. "Um, excuse me," she said nervously. Getting everyone's attention, she swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to learn about the strange energy coming from your school. I didn't know that it was magic...or how it worked."
"Eh, that's ok," Rainbow said as she walked closer to Twilight, making Ventus balk at the stupid decision the transformed athlete was doing. "Neither do we."
"Rainbow, don't get too close to-!" Ventus called out too late as, once again, Twilight's device lighting up and opened to begin sucking the magic out of Rainbow Dash.
"No! No no no no!" Twilight pleaded as she tugged on her spectrometer, unable to pull it away. "Not again!" Rainbow grunted as her magic was being sucked away. Ventus and Sunset ran up to her and caught her as she fell to her knees, losing her equine form in the process. Twilight desperately tried to close her invention as it sucked up the blue aura, mixing with the magic already inside as it began sparking wildly. "I'm sorry! It started absorbing energy on its own! But I'm not sure how!"
"What do you mean you don't know how!?" Sunset questioned, helping Twilight try to close the pendant.
They moved their hands away as the uncontrollable magic shot up in the air, creating another portal up in the sky above them. They saw what was beyond it, but instead of a part of Equestria, Ventus gasped when it was instead a part of the Realm of Darkness, and there were hundreds upon hundreds of Heartless looking down at the mysterious portal that had appeared before them. Unbeknownst to them, Principal Cinch had snuck away from the school to figure out what had just happened on the track earlier. Peeking around the bleachers, her eyes widened at the mysterious portal with hundreds of yellow eyes looking down at them.
"Close the portal!" Ventus shouted, summoning his Keyblade again as Pureblood Heartless began dropping down and hoped they would all focus their attention on him. "Close it now!"
Twilight tried to shut the pendant while Ventus slashed away at the falling Shadows, Neoshadows, and new Pureblood Heartless he had never seen before that gave him a lot more trouble dealing with: strange bat-like Heartless similar to Hook Bats, only without the hook underneath them and had sharp beak for its mouth, cauldron-shaped Heartless with a flame on their heads, Heartless with blue, aquatic tendrils that flowed like water, and egg-shaped ones with sharp spikes made of stone on its back and rear. Luckily, the Heartless' attention was drawn on him, focusing on the bane of their existence and ganged up on him. Twilight gasped when she saw creatures similar to the one that tried to attack her back in the gym when the portals first began to appear.
"It also created these rifts, and I saw one of those terrifying monsters beyond the first portal that came out after I didn't mean to take her magic!" Twilight continued reasoning while pointing at Pinkie Pie. "I don't know how that worked either!"
"Is there anything that you DO know!?" Sunset questioned angrily. "Like how to get our magic back!? Or how to fix the portal back to Equestria so Ven can get back!?"
"Equestria?" Twilight asked in confusion.
Ventus grunted as one of the fire Heartless burst into flames after he attacked it several times, the counterattack burning him as he leapt back. "Guys, questions later! Close the pendant!" he pleaded, not paying attention to the flying Heartless as it dove down on him, erupting in an explosion of flames upon contact and sent him flying into one of the backs of the earth Heartless. Ventus backed away, feeling the sharp pricks on his chest as he went on the defensive, staring at the new Heartless that were managing to beat him. "What are these Heartless? I've never seen anything like them."
The water Heartless created a barrier of water around themselves, swooping down and getting Ventus to attack them. Upon getting struck, their water barriers made them shift through his blade, making him miss, then blasted him in the face with a powerful torrent of water. Ventus was getting overwhelmed, and it didn't help that more and more Heartless were jumping down to attack him. Sunset growled, forced to watch Ventus getting ambushed by Heartless, glaring spitefully at Twilight for her stupid curiosity.
"You're supposed to be so smart, but did you ever think that you shouldn't be messing around with things you don't understand!?" Sunset scolded, clasping the device around Twilight's neck in her hands and closed it shut, stopping the magic and closing the portal, stopping the flow of Heartless.
Seeing the portal to the Realm of Darkness was gone, Ventus needed to get all these Heartless far away from the others before they found them an easy target to steal their hearts. Quickly casting Magnega on them, a large sphere of gravitational energy formed above the Keyblade wielder, capturing all the Heartless and trapping them in the spell's magnetic field. Once they were all floating helplessly, he stood before them, aiming them in a direction far enough away from the school or the town as he focused his magic. Casting a powerful spell known as Transcendence, he leapt up and flicked his Keyblade, creating an anti-gravity field around him, further trapping the Heartless once the Magnega spell dissipated. Ventus then spun around, slashing his Keyblade at them with an exerted yell, unleashing a shockwave of energy that sent most of them flying back while destroying the Shadows, Neoshadows, and the bat Heartless.
Tsking in annoyance, Ventus rushed toward the elemental Heartless where he could safely destroy them without risking anyone being targeted by them. Twilight had watched the incredible display of magic Ventus used, even though her device didn't activate and sense the spells he cast, even Cinch as she remained hidden, staring skeptically at the special CHS students. Twilight looked back at Sunset, wanting to figure out how their magic worked, but the glare in the teen's eyes was denying her that right.
"But I want to understand," Twilight pleaded.
"But you don't!" Sunset argued, getting in Twilight's face as the poor girl trembled under her gaze and raised voice. "And worst of all, you put the lives of my friends in danger! Including Ven's as he's out there fighting those Heartless! Because of that portal bringing those things here, you could have gotten everyone in the whole world killed! There are things that you aren't supposed to comprehend, and this is one of them!"
Twilight began tearing up again, backing away fearfully. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice cracking as she couldn't hold back her sobs. "I didn't mean to..."
Twilight ran away crying, Spike chasing after her as he called out to her. Sunset growled, seething with rage, about ready to chase after her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Sunset, that's enough," Flash said, snapping her out of her anger. She looked at him, staring at her disappointed boyfriend while the girls behind him were concerned. "It's not her fault she control that thing she made. She's already had it bad enough when her own school dissed her in the relay, and you didn't have to yell at her like that."
Sunset realized what she had done, too focused on what Twilight did to remind herself that this wasn't the same headstrong alicorn she knew. This Twilight was overly sensitive, no friends to be at her side, and her talents meant to be praised only to be brushed aside by her own peers as they were too focused on their own skills. What was worse was that look in Flash's eyes; the very same look he had when she was the old Sunset Shimmer, the queen bully of Canterlot High, and she became that girl once again to Twilight when she didn't deserve it. She looked away from him dejectedly, feeling guilty for what she did, unable to apologize to her after scaring her like that.
Cinch grinned, having found a perfect excuse for automatically winning the Friendship Games, not even caring if one of her students was being picked on by someone from another school. Celestia and Luna headed outside to try to find the missing principal, the CHS principal clearing her throat to catch Cinch's attention. Fixing her glasses on her nose, Cinch turned to the principal and vice-principal.
"You cannot possibly call that a fair race," Cinch accused, shocking Celestia and Luna at her claim.
"Principal Cinch, we all saw what happened," Celestia said. "You can't think CHS had some kind of advantage."
"Can't I?" Cinch questioned. "Even without your trained attack plants, your students have wings! And I just saw mysterious looking creatures that rained down from the sky! Were they going to be used to distract my students so you could pull off another win by unfair means?"
Celestia and Luna looked at each other, having no clue what the Crystal Prep principal was insinuating with any other creatures aside from the plant monster. "...Well, the race certainly had some...extenuating circumstances. Perhaps we should end the games now and call it a tie."
"A tie? Was this your strategy all along? To force us into accepting you as equals?" Cinch questioned repeatedly. Celestia resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her rival's assumption. "I don't think so. The games will continue and Crystal Prep will prevail despite your antics and whatever performance-enhancing regimen your students are on."
Cinch took her leave, unaware of the teens who approached them, overhearing the strict principal's accusations when the portals appeared and their magic was revealed. "That Abacus Cinch never changes," Luna grumbled under her breath. "Always stubborn about winning, and now she's acting like a sore loser when she should be considering all our students' safety after that mishap."
"Principal Celestia, I'm sorry I couldn't stop all this from happening," Sunset apologized.
"It's not your fault, Sunset," Celestia assured.
"Isn't it?" the teen questioned. "I should know how to control the magic I brought here. Heck, I should be able to control it...But I can't. I let everyone down, and now Principal Cinch thinks we're cheating."
"It doesn't matter what Principal Cinch thinks," Celestia said. "She always thought she was better than us, and she's too blinded by success to realize the changes outside of Crystal Prep Academy."
"But it does matter!" Sunset exclaimed. "The students here at CHS don't just want to win. They want to beat Crystal Prep. It isn't going to count if the other side doesn't really think they lost...Crystal Prep is never going to believe we won fair and square if there's magic around..." Sunset let out a sigh, blaming herself for everything today: bringing the magic to this world, using it to nearly destroy the school, unable to find a way to control it or figure out how it worked, and being wholly responsible for Twilight finding out about their magic, creating something to search for and contain it, trapping Ventus here, and almost getting everyone hurt when the portals opened up when Twilight's spectrometer acted out. Twilight was completely innocent in all this, and she regretted yelling at her now that her head had cooled down a little. "And that magic is around because of me..."
"I know this won't mean much, but these are all just mistakes that anyone could make," Celestia said. "We can't change our past mistakes. All we can do is learn from them and try to do better." Even though Sunset believed her, she still couldn't shake off how she acted toward Twilight. She hoped she'll let her apologize and forgive her, though that might take a long while for that to happen. Celestia noticed there was someone missing among the group. "Wait, what happened to So-I mean Ventus?" The principal scratched her head, still finding it ironic how Sora and Ventus looked so much alike. "I swear I'm going to get them confused if they were both here."
Out in the distance, Luna and Celestia heard faint thunderclaps and saw small flashes of thunderbolts, explosions of fire, and shards of ice dispersing in the air. "He's...busy taking care of something else that ended up coming out of those portals that brought that man-eating plant here," Sunset vaguely answered. "I'm sure he can handle it...At least I hope so..."
Ventus grunted, getting irritated by the earth Heartless as they always kept their backs to him, their spiky backs acting like an impenetrable shield similar to a Large Body's fat belly or a Defender's canine-faced shield. It didn't help that they hurt a lot more than the fire and water ones, especially when they dug themselves partway in the ground and either spun around toward him like a spiky top or dove on him like a stone drill. Even though they were in lesser numbers, they were still unknown Heartless to him and had no idea when to attack them or when to avoid their hard to read attack patterns. The aquatic ones kept him moving as they shot streams of water at him, always protecting themselves in their water barriers, and the fire ones going berserk as their bodies lit up in flames seemed to make them invulnerable as they flew around, only to dive bomb him after flying around.
Avoiding another explosion, he decided to use magic to deal with them. Aiming at the flaming Heartless, he cast Blizzaga on them, freezing them in place and even dousing out their fire. Apparently, magic really seemed to affect them, though as he was about to slash the frozen group he managed to hit, the earth Heartless rammed into him with their sharp spikes, making him scream in pain as he was flung back across the field. Growling, he cast Thundaga on them, managing to paralyze them, even striking them from behind as if their earthy spikes were too shocked to protect them. He didn't notice the geyser of water building up beneath him from the water Heartless, pushing up from the ground and knocking him into the air while getting shot by streams of water from them. Recovering in midair, he aimed his Keyblade at them and shot a Firaga spell, which managed to evaporate their shields and cause them to flail about as their bodies were singed. He was about to blast them with fire again, but the fire Heartless dove in their way, practically healing them as they lunged forward to attack Ventus, rolling out of the way to avoid them.
"Agh! Ok, I've had enough of this!" Already irritated that he had spent the last half hour trying to figure out how to fight these Heartless from the Realm of Darkness and killing them before they did him in. Keeping them in a close enough radius from him, he began building mana in his Keyblade, then glowed white as he thrust his Keyblade up toward the sky. "Faith!"
Pillars of light surrounded Ventus, which began to orbit around him faster and faster. They soon shot out from him, slicing through the Heartless as they couldn't protect themselves from their major weakness, all of them disappearing in a puff of elemental smoke as the area flashed brightly with pure light. The light had also rejuvenated Ventus a little bit, but as one of his powerful spells ended, he panted heavily and fell on his back. Whatever those Heartless were, they were nothing compared to the Neoshadows or Invisibles, proving to be more of a very painful nuisance with their ways of becoming invulnerable.
"What...were those Heartless?" Ventus asked himself, slowly catching his breath as he looked up at the sky. Even though it was partly cloudy earlier during the relay, clouds started to cover the sky, almost looking like it would storm soon, or a sign of a bad omen yet to come. "They came from the Realm of Darkness...Did Aqua fight them while she was trapped in there?"
Ventus couldn't imagine how much trouble Aqua had really gone through while wandering the Realm of Darkness for over ten years. And he thought the Dark Hide would be the worst of his problems if that monster of a Pureblood Heartless managed to come through the portal. After recovering from the near deadly fight, Ventus slowly stood back up and looked back at the school. The next event was sure to start soon, and he was sure Sunset was going to need his help if Twilight's spectrometer would end up taking her magic, even though she wasn't an Element of Harmony like the other girls. He ran back to CHS, hoping he wasn't too late."
Outside the front of the school, everyone was gathered for the final event in the Friendship Games. Both teams stood on opposite ends of the building while the other students waited in anticipation for the tie-breaking event to begin. Principal Cinch stayed with her students, intending to speak with Twilight before the final event, while Celestia and Luna stood beside Cadence as the dean began to announce the last event that will declare which school will be victorious.
"Since the score is tied, the final event will determine the winner of the Friendship Games," Cadence said through the speakers.
"Somewhere on campus, a pennant from each school has been hidden," Luna added as Celestia held up two flags, each of them bearing the two schools' colors and symbols. "The first team to find their school's flag and bring it back wins."
"And as soon as both teams are ready, we'll begin," Cadence finished as everyone waited for the twelve girls to let everyone know they were ready.
Sunset and her team weren't exactly prepared after nearly brushing past death with the portals twice in just under an hour, one from the crazy meat-eating plant monster that must have come from the Everfree Forest and the other from the Realm of Darkness and a large amount of Heartless that managed to get through. "I don't feel like playing these games anymore," Fluttershy said with a pout.
"But we have to play!" Rainbow reminded her long-time friend. "This is the last event!"
"Kind of hard to focus on that with all the magic stealing and portal opening," Rarity uttered.
"And I feel awful about what I said to Twilight," Sunset said.
Looking across the front yard of the school Sunset spotted Twilight by herself, Spike hiding in a nearby bush as he watched her clutch onto her spectrometer. "It was obvious from the beginning that she didn't mean to do any of that stuff, just like Ven said," Flash said. "Despite being from the rival school, she's nicer than any of the other students."
Sunset grunted, facepalming as she got that she messed up, yet again. "This is really going to be a running gag for me, isn't it? I get it. I screwed up. I don't want to be reminded of my mistakes all the time...I know I'm not perfect..."
"Let's just get through this final event and prove to them we aren't a bunch of cheaters," Applejack said. "Once it's all done, y'all can go over and apologize to her."
"Assuming she'll let me," Sunset mumbled.
On the other side, Cinch paced in front of her team of chosen students, giving them a little pep talk after the shocking display and two of them nearly getting eaten by the plant monster that almost ruined the Friendship Games. "I know I'm asking you to beat a team that isn't playing fair, but Canterlot High must be made to understand that even with magic at their disposal, beating Crystal Prep is simply not an option."
"What if they grow wings again?" Sugarcoat asked.
"A fair question. Though I believe we can now fight fire with fire." The principal looked at Twilight, prompting the rest of her team and a few other Crystal Prep students to do the same. The upset teen looked up from her device, Spike quickly hiding back in the bush to avoid Cinch's gaze as she approached his owner. "I've seen what your device can do, Twilight. Containing magical energy is fine, but have you ever considered releasing it?"
Twilight looked down at her spectrometer, never once considering the idea after witnessing how unstable the magic was just from it staying open after stealing the girls' magic. "...But I don't even understand how it works."
"But you'd like to," Cinch said, speaking Twilight's thoughts for her. Sunset's words to her earlier made her flinch, practically forbidding her from ever learning about Equestrian magic and what it can do. "And since our opponents have already used it to stay competitive, I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same...Unless, of course, you have no 'interest' in Everton." Twilight gasped as her principal hung the blackmail over her head once again, feeling even more helpless and alone as her dream of getting into Everton would be forever shattered. "Though, honestly, I think there's more knowledge packed in that little device than any independent study program could offer."
Twilight looked down at her device, never realizing the possibility her principal suggested. If she was able to understand how this magic worked, she could work with it a lot more than at Everton, even if part of her still wanted to go.
[Principal Cinch]
I realize that you've always been an outcast
It's not everyone at school who likes to think
To find a student that's like you
I've had one or maybe two
But the good ones disappear before I blink
[Shadowbolts]
(Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh)
Twilight was caught off guard as her principal began to sing, her classmates chanting as they all seemed to be trapping her in a corner.
[Principal Cinch]
Now, I understand you have your reservations (oh-wuh)
It's hard to have a brain as large as yours (oh-oh-oh-oh)
But if we don't win these games
Well, I think I've made it plain
What will happen if we have the losing scores!
[Shadowbolts]
(Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh)
The Crystal Prep students singing began to circle Twilight, their hands behind their backs as they leered at her like prey cornered by several predators. It didn't help with her anxiety, clutching her spectrometer tightly to her chest, their gazes only furthering their disdain to her if she didn't help her school win, even by means of cheating with the magic in her possession.
Unleash the magic, unleash the magic
If we lose, then you're to blame (ah, ah-ah-ah)
They all have used it, maybe abused it (ah-ah-ah)
So then why can't we do the same?
(Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh)
[Principal Cinch]
Call it power, call it magic
If we lose, it will be tragic
More important is the knowledge we'll have lost (oh-oh-oh-oh)
A chance like this won't come again
You'll regret not giving in
Isn't understanding magic worth the cost?
[Shadowbolts]
(Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh)
Twilight's teammates were now ganging up on her, Cinch standing behind her to keep her from backing away as she leered down at her. She was under so much pressure, she didn't know what to do. They say they want her to unleash the magic, learn more about it and use it to win the Friendship Games for them. She wished someone would help her, anyone, but she was all alone; she has no friends from either school aside from Spike, who was a companion and loyal pet, not a person despite now being able to talk.
Unleash the magic, unleash the magic
We're not friends here after all
Our only interest in this business (ah-ah-ah)
Is seeing Canterlot High School fall
(Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh)
Those words her classmates said stung her, knowing it was the truth that none of her were nor ever will be her friends. She flinched when she felt Cinch place her hands on her shoulders, her 'convincing' reasonings further pushing her toward releasing the magic she held tightly in her hands as she gently guided her forward.
[Principal Cinch]
What I'm suggesting's very simple
And since it's win-win on all scores
You only want to learn about the
Magic that you have stored
And as for me and all the others
We only want what we deserve
That our school will clinch the win
And my...
[Principal Cinch and Shadowbolts]
...legacy will endure
Cinch gave Twilight a light shove forward, making her stumble as she regained her balance. She was the only one out of her teammates who had stepped forward, though more by force, looking behind her at her peers and principal, then back forward to CHS's team. She gulped nervously as she saw Sunset, but with a heavy burden weighing on her shoulders, she was going to go through with her principal's idea, her heart racing as she slowly stepped forward.
Unleash the magic, unleash the magic
If we lose, then it's a crime
But we can win it if you begin it (ah-ah-ah)
It's up to you to not fail this time
Fluttershy caught Sunset's attention as she pointed to the Crystal Prep team, turning around to see Twilight stepping forward. Apparently ready to start, she let out a sigh and stepped forward herself, getting the judges' attention as the two smartest girls from both schools showed they were both ready to begin the last event.
[Male Shadowbolts]
Unleash the magic, free the magic now
[Female Shadowbolts]
Unleash the magic, free the magic now
Her classmates continued chanting, alternating from male and female vocals as Twilight slowly took her pendant off from around her neck. Spike snuck out of his hiding spot, trying to get closer as he grew worried, sensing the trepidation from his owner.
[Sci-Twi]
Imagine all I'll learn by setting it free
"If both teams are ready..." Luna announced, her voice amplified on the speakers that echoed the entirety of the school.
In the back of the school, Ventus finally arrived and heard Luna begin the announcement of the last event. "Oh, no. Come on, don't start now!" he begged, running toward the building and leapt up to the wall, running up to the roof as the only fastest way to get to the front of the school in time.
And now winning these games depends on me
Pressing the button on her device, Twilight unlocked the pendant manually, feeling nervous about opening it up. Sunset raised a brow in confusion as to what she was doing with it while Spike snaked his way through the Crystal Prep students to try to stop her, knowing this was going to end badly if she opened her device. Ventus reached the roof and ran over to the edge, looking down and gasping as he saw Twilight about ready to open the pendant.
And what doors might open if I try to use it
"The last event of the Friendship Games begins..." Cadence said, raising her hand as she prepared to begin the race.
But the magic's what I really want to see
Sunset watched Twilight begin to slowly open the spectrometer, gasping in shock and tried to run at her to stop her, Cinch grinning as she eagerly awaited her surefire victory with Twilight using the stolen Equestrian magic. "Twilight, no!" Spike called out, running as fast as he could to stop her along with Sunset.
Ventus quickly jumped off the roof, planting his feet against the wall and pushed off hard, sending himself gliding at blinding speed toward Twilight. "NO!" he shouted, interrupting Cadence and Luna as they were about to start the event, landing at a dead stop in front of Twilight, startling her as he clasped his hands down around hers tightly, keeping the pendant sealed shut. Sunset and Spike skid to a halt as everyone stared at him in surprise while awed at his speed, Cinch scowling as Ventus stopped Twilight from releasing the magic. Recovering from her shock, Twilight tried to pry her hands away from his, but he was much stronger than her as he kept a firm grip over hers and her device. "Twilight, don't open it..."
"L-Let go," she demanded weakly, continuing to pull her spectrometer free from his hands to no avail.
"You know what'll happen if you let this magic run wild," Ventus said. "We all saw what happened when it went haywire just after sucking away the girls' magic. Who knows what it'll do now that you have five magical energies you took and the magic from the portal?"
"Don't you?" Twilight questioned. "You have magic, too...Why didn't it take yours?"
The Keyblade wielder shut his eyes, letting out a sigh as he shook his head. "I can't explain it...There are things in this world you can't understand...and you shouldn't." Twilight leered at him, starting to get tired of not being given the answers to her questions. "It's for your own good and everyone else's."
"What do you think you're doing, young man!?" Principal Cinch exclaimed. "Quit harassing my student and interrupting the games!"
Ventus growled, ignoring the principal for now as he focused on trying to get Twilight to give up the pendant. "Twilight, you have to trust me. Don't listen to her. She's only using you with that blackmail about that application thing."
"...Just who are you?" Twilight asked. "...You're not a normal person...And you knew that world that appeared back on the field..." She recalled the black monsters that spawned from that portal, and what Sunset had called them. "...Those monsters...Sunset called them Heartless." The Keyblade wielder quickly looked at Sunset, the teen wincing a little at her accidental slip-up of what they were really called. "...What are they?"
"...I can't tell you," Ventus growled, slowly losing his patience as Twilight still tried to ask questions from her overly curious nature.
"Why not!?" Twilight shouted.
"Because you aren't supposed to know about them!" Ventus argued. "The less you know about them, the safer you'll be! All I can tell you is that they're dangerous! That's it!" He quickly composed himself, remembering that this wasn't the Twilight he knew, just an innocent double of her with innocent questions, and is really sensitive. "I know you want answers, but the fact is that some answers are better left unsaid. And undiscovered...Just drop these questions, because you're dealing with something you can't comprehend." Twilight felt hurt as she teared up, thinking she could trust Ventus after how nicely he treated her. He was denying her what she wanted to know, and because of that, she was never going to get into Everton, she'll never learn how the magic she has works, and all the possibilities of gaining more knowledge about the world around her, and even beyond. "Now...let go of the pendant...please...It's for your own good."
"You dare deny my student learning about something she had just discovered!?" Cinch shouted, distracting Ventus as he glared at her. "I saw what came out of that mysterious portal; those black creatures clearly your pets you planned to use to help your school cheat their way into winning the Friendship Games!"
"Those creatures could have killed innocent people if I let didn't kill-!" Ventus suddenly yelped in utter agony as Twilight let out a grunt, kicking him right between the legs hard. His eyes bulged out of his head, squeaking in pain, forcing his weakening hands to stay over Twilight's hands and spectrometer instead of over his crotch, but it was becoming a losing battle as he felt weak in the knees from the blow down below. All the male students cringed, looking away as they actually seemed to feel the amount of pain the young teen was in. "N-Now...I know...how Sora feels..."
Losing his grip, Twilight yanked her arms away from Ventus's, then kicked him hard in the chest, sending him falling over on his back as he curled up in a ball, the girls and Flash all running up to him to make sure he was ok. "I want to understand how it works," Twilight uttered. "All I wanted was to figure out what it does, how it functions, why it exists...Why can't I just do whatever I want without everyone looking down at me, forcing me to compete in these stupid games, and telling me I can never learn what I want!?" Expressing her anger as she tipped over the breaking point, she didn't notice her hands covered in a dark aura, being absorbed into the slightly opened pendant as it swirled with the stolen magic. Glaring at Sunset, she held out her spectrometer, tears streaming down her face as she was no longer going to be told what to do by anyone: not Sunset, Ventus, not even Principal Cinch. "I'm unleashing this magic, and I don't care what happens as long as I have the brains to finally understand it once I do!"
"No, Twilight!" Sunset exclaimed, but she was too late as Twilight opened the pendant, releasing the small sphere of contained magic out of its seal.
It began glowing bright, Sunset noticing a faint swirl of darkness in the center of it. Before she could do anything, the magical orb released a shockwave, knocking everyone to the ground and sent flying back a few feet, Twilight remaining standing as she stared in fear, regretting what she had just done, her glasses sent flying off her face and undoing her bun as her hair billowed wildly against the magical energy slowly growing before her. She lost her grip on her device as she began floating up with the energy, clattering to the ground as it powered down.
Everyone watched in horror as Twilight slowly began to panic, the energy starting to consume her hands as it grew bigger, intending to trap her. Ventus groaned as he tried to sit up after tumbling back, looking up in shock through his pain as Twilight was being engulfed by the magic. He even sensed the darkness inside of it that came from her, forcing himself to stand up and summon his Keyblade. Twilight looked back at her classmates and principal, Cinch suddenly rethinking to herself that this wasn't the best idea after all as she helplessly watched. She begged any of them to help her, struggling to pull herself out as the energy began to cover more and more of her.
"H-Help...me...!" she begged, managing to free one of her arms and reach out to her peers, desperately grasping for someone's hand to pull her out.
Ventus threw his Keyblade in the air, disappearing through the clouds as it shimmered for a brief moment. Falling back down was his glider, quickly leaping on it, surprising everyone as they had no idea where it came from before flying up to grab Twilight's hand.
"I've got you!" he said, pulling as hard as he could while staying on his glider, but she wouldn't budge. The energy soon consumed most of her body, Twilight letting out a pained shriek as her tears evaporated from the magical sphere's growth, her grip lost as her fingers clenched before a powerful shockwave pushed the Keyblade wielder back and eat up her outstretched arm. "NO! TWILIGHT!"
Now fully swallowed up, Twilight began transforming as the magic and darkness around her was absorbed into her. Her school clothes changed into a dark purple and pink dress, the dark purple skirt reaching only up to her knees under the slightly shorter dark fuchsia one above it, barely concealing the image of a few multi-pointed stars on it, and a choker with a six-pointed fuchsia star. A pair of thin, heeled boots with holes appeared around her legs with glowing blue soles, a pink jeweled toe on each one, and a pair of wings sticking out from the heel as part of its design, along with fingerless gloves of the same color and holes, reaching up to her knees and elbows respectively. Her hair turned a shade darker as it billowed wildly, almost as if it was made of fire and flickered in dark purples and fuchsia, a tail of dark lavender growing out from her hair as well. Along with the equine tail, she grew a pair of large, dark purple wings on her back, and a long, thin horn made out of blue aura on her forehead, the horn looking crooked and demonic with the small dents running along it. When the light faded, everyone getting a good look at the transformed teen, she opened her eyes, a pair of blue aura-like glasses appearing on her face as her eyes glowed a similar shade of blue, her pupils shrunk and turned yellow as she wore a manic smirk.
Everyone gasped at her transformation, shocking Crystal Prep as they looked at their fellow student in fear, Cinch cringing in fright as well as she slowly backed away. CHS was just as terrified, but Sunset, Flash, Ventus, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Rarity were afraid FOR Twilight. Ventus recognized this similar form human Twilight was in, alicorn Twilight having transformed exactly like this when her mind was manipulated into unleashing her darkness by Maleficent, nearly killing Sora and Kairi as the corruption of envy fueled her darkness. He was thankful that her eyes weren't green, but it didn't help the fact that she was now under the power of darkness and Equestrian magic, those powers combined together could only spew trouble. He could even Spike whimper in fear, watching the girl who raised him turn into a monster.
Twilight looked down at her hands, then began to laugh as she clenched her fists, feeling the overwhelming power flowing through her. "You were right," she said to Sunset as she looked down at her. "I didn't understand magic before...But I do NOW!!!!"
Her ethereal horn lit up, glowing brightly as she held out her hand and fired a massive beam of magic at the statue. Sunset and Ventus gasped as she aimed at it, but thankfully, she only blew up the horse statue, leaving the podium intact, everyone shielding themselves from the shattered debris. Suddenly appearing in front of the broken statue was a rift, opening a portal into Equestria, which began to crack the ground underneath where it appeared. Everyone could see the entrance to the castle, and exiting the front doors to figure out what the strange sound was Riku, Terra, Aqua, and Kairi.
"What the hell!?" Riku exclaimed, Ventus jumping off his glider as he stood in front of the portal.
"Ven!" Aqua ran up to the rift, the other three following after her, the blue unicorn looking incredibly worried as she saw the transformed human Twilight cackling as she charged up another beam. "Ven, what is going on?"
"Uhh, kind of hard to explain right now," Ventus said, turning around and looking up, his Keyblade in hand as he prepared to face the angry, manic, and magically overpowered teenager fueled by the power of darkness. "I could use a bit of help, though..."