//------------------------------// // Kindness and Canines // Story: Friendship Games: Another Story // by ArcanaMaverick7 //------------------------------// The Rainbooms and Fragment Hunter were all hanging out at the Wondercolt Statue and talking about some of the things that the latter did in Remnant. "And when Azalea was getting pushed back by Tremor, I jumped in and kicked the guy in the face to end his combo attack before I was out of the battle," Rua explained as she recalled the time that Fragment Hunter had to rescue Azalea from a gang of thieves. "They fought on even ground before he eventually maneuvered behind Azalea and overpowered her. I think he said something like 'You won't hear the full ten count' and he knocked Lea to the ground." "Whoa! What happened next," Rainbow Dash asked as she was excited to hear the rest of Silver and Rua's side of the story. "As Azalea was getting back up, she was determined to not lose after all that we did for her. Her Semblance kicked in and she let off a bright glow," Silver told the Rainbooms. "With Tremor blinded, she rushed him similar to how she dealt with Adagio by punching him in the arm when he tried to strike back and the pain left his face wide open. After depleting his Aura, Azalea uppercutted him into the air before ending it with a lariat." "Awesome," Rainbow Dash practically squealed in excitement over the story. "Well, it also explains that light Cereza, Celadon, and Layla saw. Even without being directly nearby, Azalea still assisted her friends handle that 'Rouge' woman," Rarity mentioned. As the large group continued to talk, Twilight hid behind a pole near the school entrance to spy on them and see how they were involved with her research. "Well, I could use a snack before the next event," Applejack said as she started to head back into the school. "Any of ya'll want to come with?" Fragment Hunter and most of the Rainbooms all agreed, but Fluttershy opted out. "I have something else to do. I'll catch up," Fluttershy told them as she headed off in the opposite direction. As Pinkie Pie and Azalea jumped off the statue, the latter dropped something and didn't notice immediately as the group was talking about a few things. Twilight turned her focus on the lone girl who walked over to the bushes in front of the school and made sure that nobody was around before she opened up her backpack. Popping out of her bag was a small gray kitty that Fluttershy started to nuzzle and Twilight poked her head through the bushes to see what was happening. Seeing Sci-Twi, Fluttershy spoke to the girl who resembled her friend. "Do you wanna give her a treat," she asked as she referred to the kitty. Twilight thought it over as she looked at her amulet and saw it wasn't humming, beeping, or lighting up. Thinking there wasn't any harm in speaking to Fluttershy at the moment, Twilight decided to join the girl and sat down next to her. "Guess I'm not the only one to smuggle her pet into school," Twilight mentioned as she referred to her dog that Fluttershy met earlier. "Not just one," Fluttershy giggled before unzipping her backpack to reveal that she also had a bird, a hamster, and her pet rabbit, Angel Bunny with her. "Oh, wow," Twilight said as she saw the bird fly by her and circle around Fluttershy's location. "All I have is Spike," she told Fluttershy as she let the puppy out of her bag. Spike was happy to get some fresh air and see Fluttershy again. "It really is uncanny," Fluttershy said as she picked the puppy up, remembering the alternate Spike that came with Princess Twilight. "Does he talk?" "Um, not that I know of," Twilight said as she adjusted her glasses. Soon, the two girls heard footsteps and a familiar voice approaching. "Where did I drop it? Ah, there you are," Azalea said as she picked her misplaced item up off the ground. Standing back up, she saw Fluttershy and Sci-Twi sitting around and relaxing with their pets after the first round of the Friendship Games. "Mind if I join you," Azalea asked. "Of course," Fluttershy told the girl and gestured to a place to sit down. When Azalea did, the cat immediately climbed onto her lap and started purring. "I'm feeling like the odd one out here," Azalea said as she pet the kitty on her lap. "My pets are back home on the farm." "What do you have," Fluttershy asked as she leaned in toward Azalea. "A collie to help with animals, a corgi named Drei, and then there's my dad's hunting dog, Dante," Azalea said. "There's also a few cats to help with any rodent problems, but they aren't as friendly as Dante and Drei are. Kind of like Crystal Prep was earlier." "Congratulations on winning, by the way," Fluttershy said to Twilight as she rubbed Spike's belly and the bird landed on her finger. "But, Azalea's right. It didn't seem like anyone on your team was very excited about your victory." "No one at my school gets excited about anything they didn't do themselves," Twilight told the girls. "That sounds awful," Fluttershy said as she and Azalea were told about the truth of Crystal Prep. Azalea grit her teeth in annoyance at Crystal Prep's behavior when it came to accomplishments. The two girls also saw Twilight looking depressed about how her school treats her and Fluttershy wondered how she could help cheer up Twilight. Seeing Angel at her feet, Fluttershy picked up her rabbit and held him out to Twilight. "Here. Hold this." Twilight nervously took the bunny from Fluttershy and questioned why she should. "Holding a bunny always makes me feel better," Fluttershy told Twilight. "Well, that's ridiculous," Twilight dismissed before Angel started to nuzzle up to Twilight. "But... Ooh. It actually kind of works," Twilight as she began to nuzzle Angel Bunny back and hold him warmly. Twilight turned back to Fluttershy and Azalea to see the two girls smiling at her. "I'm on the other team and you just lost. Why are you being so nice to me," she asked them. "You looked like you needed it," Fluttershy stated like it was the simplest answer in the world. Soon, her body began to glow in a yellow aura and she began to transform. Her ears changed shape and position, she grew yellow feathered wings, and her long pink hair grew longer to resembled a tail. As Fluttershy floated in front of Twilight and Azalea, the two were amazed at the transformation before Twilight's amulet acted on its own. Floating in Fluttershy's direction, it opened up and began to absorb her magic. Just as the amulet opened, it sparked and several purple rifts opened around the girls. Just out of sight near the Wondercolt Statue, three different rifts opened up. The first two were the same red, black, white, and yellow rift that brought the Geists, but you could see locations through them. The first one showed an abandoned city in ruins while the second revealed a body of water with floating islands high above it. The third rift was much different however as it was silver in color with a rainbow-colored border. Back with the girls and Spike, they looked around at the purple rifts wondering what they were. Spike looked at a rift that appeared in front of him and saw a rabbit of sorts with antlers like a deer jump out. Growling at the animal, Spike began to chase it on instinct when it ran back into the rift. "Spike," Twilight called out to her dog as she, Azalea, and Fluttershy watched the dog jumping in and out of the multiple rifts that appeared around them. Eventually, a new rift opened up in front of the stream of Fluttershy's magic and Spike ended up falling into it. "Spike," Twilight cried out in fear and worry when she heard him yowling in pain. Fluttershy managed to catch Spike in her arms while Twilight's amulet continued to drain her magic from her. Twilight managed to close her amulet while Azalea made sure that Fluttershy was safely on the ground. When the pendant was shut, the purple rifts closed as well. Fluttershy shuddered as she transformed back to normal and gave Spike back to Twilight, but she then heard something. "What's that sound," she asked as the girls all turned to see two sinister creatures near the Wondercolt Statue. The first resembled Silver's sculpture from the first round, but with black smoke emanating from its body and its glowing eyes left a red trail of light when it moved its head. The second monster looked like a large boar with black fur, four red eyes, white bone plates all over its body, and large tusks. The boar snorted at the three girls as it scraped the ground with its foot while the wolf-like beast growled menacingly. "A-are those..." "Grimm," Azalea stated as she stood up. "You two stay back. I can handle this," she told Fluttershy and Twilight as she pulled out her weapon and extended it. The werewolf monster started its attack by leaping toward Azalea and going in for a slash of its claws. Azalea countered by swinging her baton and releasing a gust of wind that sent the Grimm flying into the street. The second boar-like Grimm rolled up into a ball and spun in place before charging at Azalea. The rookie Huntress managed to stop the monster's attack by grabbing at its tusks and pushing the beast back before kicking it aside. Making sure she held onto its tusks, the Grimm's natural weapons were ripped off its body when it was kicked away and it landed on its unarmored back. Azalea took the chance to kill the monster by jumping at it and impaling the boar with its own tusks. Twilight and Fluttershy gulped at the monster's death and stared as its body disappeared. The werewolf soon raced back at Azalea, who only changed the setting of her weapon to create a blade of ice over her baton. When the beast reached Azalea, she dodged out of the way and cut off the monster's arm. As the Grimm roared in pain, Azalea ended the battle by stabbing its neck and decapitating the beast in one swing as the ice shattered off her baton. As the Grimm's corpse turned into black smoke, Fluttershy and Twilight were amazed by what Azalea did. "I- Just... What were those things," Twilight asked as she processed everything. "Creatures of Grimm. Specifically, a Beowolf and a Boarbatusk," Azalea stated. "Beowolves are one of the most common Grimm and Boarbatusks can be trouble for some fighters, but I've had training to handle them. At least it was just these two and not something like a Death Stalker or... a..." Azalea said before she heard a buzzing sound. Turning around, she and the others saw a giant wasp-like creature with red eyes, red wings, and an armored body crawling on the Wondercolt Statue. Azalea's eyes widened in fear as she stepped back to Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy. The Grimm insect began to fly and fired its stinger on an organic tether at the girls like a harpoon. Azalea shoved the others to safety as she dodged the attack, but she ran instead instead of fighting back. "What is that thing," Twilight asked in fear as the girls were now back up against the wall of the school. "Lancer... Why a Lancer," Azalea said in a shaky voice as the Grimm flew higher. Sensing fear from all three girls, the giant bug began to dive at them. Azalea could only scream as the wasp came flying at the girls, but they all saw something that they couldn't believe. Before the Lancer could strike them, it bounced off of a green barrier that shielded the three. The Lancer, Azalea, Fluttershy, and Twilight all heard a growling sound and turned to see what it was. A large Wolfhound-Great Dane mixed breed with a reddish coat, brown eyes, and a green collar with a tag that showed an emblem that resembled a dog's head on a shield was growling viciously at the big bug. The Grimm turned to the angry canine and fired its stinger at the animal, but the dog jumped out of the way before it leapt at the Lancer. The wasp flew out of the way before flying back at the beast, only for the dog's eyes to flash green and a green bubble formed around him. Smacking into the barrier, the Lancer was soon pushed back as the dog expanded it and charged at the Grimm. The monster wasp soon chose to fire its stinger harpoon again, but the hound jumped onto the statue to dodge and kicked off of it to leap at the flying Grimm insect. With his eyes flashing green again, a green barrier formed on the dog's muzzle that resembled a beak or a drill. Firing its stinger at the dog's face, the Lancer saw that the attack was useless when it bounced off the dog's 'weapon' and cut up its wings. Seeing the two beasts falling to the ground, Azalea, Twilight, and Fluttershy witnessed the dog bite down on the Grimm's neck and shake it around violently while growling. With the Lancer weakened, the hound bit down harder and decapitated the monstrous wasp with a sickening crunch. When the Lancer's head and body fell, they both dissolved upon death and the dog only stared at the three girls. Seeing the dog, Azalea slowly stepped forward and the dog approached her. "Wait, Azalea," Twilight tried to warn the girl, but the dog jumped at the three and landed on the Huntress. However, Twilight wasn't expecting the dog to do what it was doing now after witnessing it kill a demonic wasp. The huge dog was licking at Azalea's face with a happy smile as if it was reunited with a beloved owner. Azalea kept laughing at the dog and tried to push him away. "Hahahaha! Dante, stop it! I'm glad to see you, too," Azalea giggled as she managed to sit up straight. "That's Dante," Fluttershy asked as the dog approached her and proceeded to lick her cheek. Fluttershy giggled at the affectionate hunting dog before remembering the other dog with them. "Oh, how's Spike," Fluttershy asked Twilight. After all the chaos that happened with the monsters appearing, Twilight almost forgot about the puppy she held in her arms. "Spike, are you okay," she asked the dog as he began to wake up from his daze. "Um, I think so," Spike said. Twilight and the others were happy that Spike was okay, but they all realized something after a brief moment of peace. Spike spoke to Twilight. The girl and her dog both screamed in shock at what they heard while Azalea could only stare in surprise while Dante let Fluttershy lean against him. Twilight ran off on her own as she just heard her pet speaking to her. "Twilight, wait," Spike called out as he chased after her. "Okay, this just got even weirder," Azalea mentioned. "I'm going to check on them. You stay with Dante and try to recover," she said to Fluttershy. Fluttershy waved weakly as Azalea went to check on Twilight, but she smiled as she scratched Dante behind his ears. Running into the school, Twilight went through the foyer as Spike was following her. At the same time, Azalea chased after the girl and her dog. "Twilight, come on! Wait for me," Spike called out, but Twilight just covered her ears because she couldn't believe anything that was happening. She soon reached a dead end in a hallway and saw Spike in her view when she turned around. She kept her distance from him and tried to circle around the puppy as he spoke. "Why did you run away like that," Spike asked. "Um, oh, I don't know," Twilight said as she believed that she was losing her mind. "Maybe it has something to do with the glowing girl, or the hole in space. How about the black monsters? Or my talking dog," she listed off just as Azalea caught up with Twilight and Spike. "Yeah. Weird, right," Spike said as he scratched himself with his hind leg. Seeing that Spike was perfectly normal aside from his new ability to talk, Twilight calmed down and examined her dog closer. "Are you okay? How do you feel? What happened? Where did you go," Twilight asked as she scratched Spike's chin and held his face. Spike licked Twilight's face to get her to back away. "Hey, one question at a time. This is pretty new to me, too," Spike reminded. After Twilight apologized, Spike spoke up again. "All I know is I chased that pointy rabbit through the glowy thing and then I was somewhere else. Next thing I knew, I was back in that nice girl's arms and I could talk," he explained and Twilight thought of what he said. "I don't really understand why I couldn't before. I mean, it's so easy." Soon, Twilight, Azalea, and Spike all heard Principal Cinch call out for Twilight. Twilight began to panic and thought of how to hide her dog, but Azalea was quicker to act. Grabbing a hold of Spike, Azalea used her Semblance to make Spike and herself invisible. While Twilight was surprised by that, Cinch walked toward her. "Twilight, who were you talking to," she asked. "Um, myself. It's a nervous habit," Twilight lied as played with her hair. "Were you looking for me?" "Indeed I was," Cinch stated. "Quite a coincidence that the CHS students moving on to the next event are the same nice girls who were so interested in you, don't you think?" "I'm not sure," Twilight said as she rubbed her arm nervously. "Perhaps you should get to know them after all," Cinch told Twilight as she paced in front of her. This surprised Twilight because of Cinch's earlier comments about not getting involved with the Canterlot students. "But I thought you didn't want me to." "Let's just say I'm covering my bases," Cinch explained. "Who knows? Perhaps they will reveal to you the secret to Canterlot High's newfound success." Twilight heard Cinch's implied task and felt uncomfortable about spying on the Rainbooms. Investigating them for her research was one thing, but doing it just to help Crystal Prep win a sporting event was a different story. "I dunno. Spying feels kind of... wrong." "Well, it's your decision, Twilight," Cinch said as she walked away. "It's not as if your application hangs in the balance. On second thought, yes, it does," she reminded Twilight. As soon as Cinch left, Azalea and Spike came out of hiding. "Man, she's awful," Spike said as he voiced his opinion about Principal Cinch. "What are you going to do," he asked Twilight. "I don't know, Spike. I don't know," Twilight sighed before Azalea placed her hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You have questions that you want answers to. I can help with some of them," Azalea said before pulling out her Scroll and calling somebody. "Guys, we need to talk to Twilight about everything. Meet us in the gym and bring the Rainbooms."