//------------------------------// // Days gone by // Story: Pony heart // by sunsetsjournal //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Days gone by “Over here!” shouted Rainbow Dash, as she noticed a team mate of hers struggling to get across the playing field, while trying to keep control of the ball, surrounded by at least five players of the opponent team: “C’mon, give it here!” constantly repeated the girl, making another attempt to gain his attention. There was something in that dark haired guy although, probably a spark of pride, that stopped him from understanding the meaning of team work, so he still refused to give up the ball and forced his way through his opponents, pushing them away with great violence. He headed to the right edge of the playing field, galloping more than a stallion in a meadow and kicked the ball with all the strength he had, hoping that his effort would be rewarded by the pleasure of scoring a point. As his eyes saw the ball slipping away from the goal keeper’s hands, he felt his spirit, thrilled by the excitement of the competition, soar to the sky, then decided to jump. At that very moment one could see a smile appearing on his face, apart from the sweat, dropping from his white t-shirt which appeared to have been worn multiple times already and from which could be smelt a rather unpleasant scent; the same one athletes are unfortunately familiar with. Yet his joy did not last long, for after just a few instants the ball had entered the goal, he heard the loud noise of the arbitrator’s whistle: “What happened now?” said the boy, clearly bothered by the man’s interruption: “lack of sport spirit youngster, you’re out of the game” “what?! That’s not fair, I haven’t done anything wrong!” “keep arguing and your team will get a penalty” “Yeah right, like I cared” whispered the guy, as he reluctantly left the playing field. After this unexpected turn of events, Rainbow Dash and her team did the best they could to catch up with the opposing team; Sunset was there too, observing from distance the effort they made in each one of their attempt to to reach the goal, the perfection in their every movement, their skilfully planned tactic, plus the energy Pinkie Pie put in her cheering every time she shouted: “Go Wondercolts!” from outside the field, as she shacked her pom-poms. Eventually, despite everyone’s attempt, the opposing team proved to be no inferior in matter of playing skills and won the match. As the winners celebrated their victory and the students from CHS directed to their changing rooms with a broken heart and a shuttered dignity, Rainbow Dash reached her friend, waiting for her at the edge of the field: “Nuts!” she complained: “I was just about to...one more second and I would have scored the point we needed” “It’s okay, Dash” answered Sunset:“You did manage to pick up the slack between the two teams and you clearly did the best you could during the match” “You’re right; it’s not my fault: if only one of the other players hadn’t been trying to win this thing all alone, we could have succeeded” “Okay, he may have tried to outshine the others, but...” “but what? He caused us to loose, he’s the only one to blame; just wait Sunset and you’ll see what I have in store for him!” “Sure, thing” answered the girl, trying to calm her friend: “but, since you are such an amazing soccer player, why don’t you go explain to him what he is supposed to be doing during a match, instead of lashing out of him which, if you ask me, would not bring to any conclusion?” hearing those word made Rainbow Dash realize her friend was right, so after taking a deep breath, she answered: “Fine, I suppose a conversation would be better than starting a fuss; we’re all team mates after all” “It’s a good thing you’ve come to your senses: now, how about we reach the others in the music room? I’m sure they’re waiting for us to try playing that new song Fluttershy wrote” “Sure, give me just a second to get changed and I’ll catch up”. After Rainbow Dash had left her, headed to the changing room in order to have a well deserved shower and change into something cleaner than her sweated uniform, Sunset got comfy on the ground, under the shadow of a tree, she took her dear journal and a pen out of the handbag hanging over her shoulder: it had been no more than half a day she had written to Twilight, yet she felt the irresistible desire of hearing from her once more, so she carefully placed the journal on her knees and started writing without a second thought: “Dear princess Twilight, how is it going back in Equestria? All smoothly I bet; anyway I just wanted to chat a bit, as for me, nothing unusual is happening here at CHS, well If you exclude the whole ponying up thing, that is. I also wished to tell you that we’re all getting ready for the Friendship Games: apparently it’s some kind of competition, happening every four years, between Canterlot High and another school from the city, named Crystal Prep. ‘Though lots of students don’t seem that excited to take part in the event, I’m looking forward to giving in everything I’ve got to help my school to win. I wish you could come and compete by our side: I must confess that your presence here would make me even happier, but I guess you have your hooves full with your role as a princess in Equestria. But remember to drop by, if you happen to have some spare time; your friend Sunset Shimmer.” The girl placed the journal on her chest, while closing it: at that very moment she felt her heart pounding faster by the minute, as she set her gaze on the blue sky, where the sun was shining bright among the white clouds: “Yes...”sighed Sunset: “...it would be very nice” “mmm, you bet it would be!” “Ah?!” exclaimed the girl, surprised and perhaps even embarrassed at the same time to find out that somebody had caught her daydreaming, lost in her deepest thoughts: “Where…?” said Sunset without the slightest idea where to look for the one who had disturbed her: “Over here!” shouted a cheerful and rather familiar voice: “Pinkie Pie!”said the girl taking a breath of relief: “Hi Sunset, what are you up to?” “I could ask you the same: what are you doing up there?” questioned Sunset, pointed out the fact that her friend was hanging from a tree branch with her head upside down: “Isn’t it obvious? Trying to find the inspiration for our next art class, just like you said, I want to paint something amazing!” “Like I said, how so?” “Don’t you remember, it happened just yesterday during our last...” “Pinkie, the last time we had art was last Thursday and today is Tuesday; it’s almost been a week” “Oh, I guess then that my memory is so vivid, it fees like it happened no more than a couple of days ago” “Pinkie, would you mind telling me what the point is, please?” “Sure, we were in the art classroom, but I had no idea what to paint, until you said to me to draw something inspiring, so I tried and tried and retired to find something unique that would get my creative juices flowing and in the end I painted you!” “Yes, now it definitely rings a bell” giggled Sunset who suddenly had recalled what Pinkie was talking about: “Now, would you be so kind to tell me, how hanging over a tree helps you find artistic inspiration?” “Everyone knows great painters find their inspiration in nature, in fact I think just found mine” “and that is?” “Cotton candy: those fluffy clouds remind me of cotton candy!” “Mmm….” whispered Sunset, while turning her head towards the clouds: “you know what?” said the girl in the end: “I think you’re right and suddenly I’m craving for some cotton candy, too” “Of course silly, who doesn’t like it? Wanna go get some? I’ve heard there’s a new sweet shop at the mall that makes the best cotton candy in town!” “maybe later Pinkie, we still have to reach the others in the music room and try out that new song Fluttershy wrote for the Rainbooms” “Right, almost forgot, I’m ready to get drumming!” “Looks like it’s settled then.” The two girls headed to the school building and it was right next to the main entrance that they found Flittershy, half hidden by a bush, having one of her usual tea parties with her animal friends: “Hey!” greeted her Sunset and Pinkie: “Hello girls, doing anything special?” answered them the girl with her delicate voice : “Actually, we were just heading to the music room to try playing our newest song. You know in case the Friendship Games have a music competition” “Oh, that’s right! Let me just clean up!” said Fluttershy, as she got up and started picking the remainder of her picnic” “Want some help?” questioned Pinkie: “That would be lovely” “I know you haven’t showed it to anyone, yet” Asked Sunset, after they had finished their work: “But I was wondering if you could just let us take one little pick at your new song?” “Sure, why not” giggled Fluttershy. The girl grabbed a notebook from her backpack and gave it to her friends: “Wow!” exclaimed the two girls all together, after taking a look at the page where Fluttershy had written her newest song for the Rainbooms: “It’s spectacular” “No” interrupted Pinkie: “It’s even more than just spectacular, it’s marverific!” “Ha?” said the others, laying their confused eyes on Pinkie: “Seriously, none of you get it? It’s marvellous plus terrific!” “You did an amazing job Fluttershy” went on Sunset: “I especially like the part that says that the light that ignites in the dark makes us all glow and shine like rainbows!” “Thanks, glad you like!” “Hey guys!” said Rainbow Dash, arriving: “Ready to rock?!” “Yeah!” shouted the girls loudly: “The let’s go rock the entire school!” As her friends walked through the main entrance, Sunset turned back, sat on the staircase just in front of the school door, took her journal from the handbag and opened it: “Weird” said Sunset with a tone of unusual disappointment in her voice: “No reply!” the girl was indeed sad, for that was the first time Twilight did not reply to her shortly after she had written something in her journal. The girl lowered her gaze, while slowly getting lost into her deepest thoughts; when suddenly something made her raise her eyes and look at the portal to Equestria in the Wondercolt statue. Sunset would have probably spent hours reflecting whether it was a good idea to use that very portal to reach Twilight right away or not, if she had not been interrupted by Rainbow Dash who had noticed that her friend was suddenly missing: “Are you coming or what?” asked her the girl: “whaa...” exclaimed Sunset who felt like she had been awoken from a long sleep: “Of course, be right there”. The girl got up and followed her friend, headed once more to the school main entrance, yet before walking through the door, she stopped and looked back at the portal, while sighing mysteriously: “Sunset!”, but hearing the sound of Rainbow Dash’s clearly annoyed voice, made the girl sweep away, even if only temporally, her bothering worries and reach her friends in the music room.