Alice appeared on a teleportation pad, but her surroundings were remarkably different. Rather than the mere glow of the fluorescent lights lighting the path and the ceiling, she found herself inside of a much taller room with a large glass dome that showed nothing but the pristine blue sky above her. Directly in front of her was a long stairway up to a platform at the very top.
Though she was seemingly alone, she stepped off of it and put her foot on the first step as she cupped a hand over her mouth. “Sam?!”
When a few moments passed without an answer, Alice began to chuckle as she took another step up and then another. She soon began to jog up, the literal end to her and her brother’s journey in plain sight. That was when she heard the zap of the pad behind her. Spinning around, she saw Sam standing there as he observed his new surroundings like she did. Upon sighting her a quarter of the way up the stairs, he jolted in shock before he began to run. Alice shrieked as she made her way up as fast as she could.
With Sam going up the stairs two by two, he quickly gained on her. “Sam! Screw you and your long legs!”
“Bless me and my long legs!” Sam shouted back. “I’m gonna’ face the champion!”
“No you’re not!”
Alice began to run up the stairs every other step like her brother, but her speed was still not enough to match his. With only less than a dozen steps left, Sam and Alice were nearly neck and neck. Upon reaching the top, each of them stared at each others’ feet to see who stepped on first.
“Haha!” Alice cheered, coming to a stop. “I beat you!”
“Like hell you did!” Sam shouted back. “I overtook you!”
“Then how did I get here first?”
“You didn’t!”
“You know what? You can cry about it all you want, but I’m going ahead and facing the…” As Alice turned around and stepped further onto the platform, she found her words trailing off as she and Sam suddenly realized who was on the throne.
Standing on either side of it was Gladion and Lillie, while Sun sat on the throne with his legs spread commandingly wide. The three of them were wearing similarly white-and-light-blue outfits. Sun and Lillie sporting formal clothing while Gladion’s was more casual and a bit sporty. Their appearance, along with their appearances, only served to greatly confuse Sam and Alice.
“Sun, Lillie,” Sam sputtered. “Gladion! What are you all doing here?”
“Don’t tell me that you’re still the champion after all this time!” Alice shouted.
Sun chuckled as he ran his hand along the armrests of his seat. “I remember the rush I felt when I became the first ever person to formally sit in this chair as champion. But to answer your question, Alice, those days are long behind me.”
As Sun stood up from the throne and approached the siblings, Sam looked to Lillie and Gladion, his eyes begging them for an explanation. “Then… if you’re not the champion, who is?”
Sun stopped in front of Sam and put his hand on his shoulder. “You’ll find that out in due time, but now that you and Alice are both here, there’s something very important that we’d like you to come with us for.”
“Come with…” Alice began to back away, flustered by everything she was hearing. “Why are we– Where even–?”
“We understand that this is the last thing you expected to find upon coming here,” Lillie explained, “but once everyone else arrives, we’ll be ready to go.”
“Everyone else?” As if to finally answer one of Sam and Alice’s many questions, several zaps sounded off from below, him and her sister turning toward the stairway down to the teleportation pad.
Along with the sounds of footsteps approaching them, more zaps followed. Once the noises of the teleportation pad stopped, Sam and Alice stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed as Hau came walking up the stairs. Following him were the other Kahunas and the Trial Captains, including Kaj, Dexio, Acerola, Molayne, and Kahili. Hau in particular made his way to Sun, the two platonically hugging each other.
“Good to see you, man,” Hau groaned through Sun’s squeeze.
“Same,” Sun replied.
Sam and Alice spun back around, watching as Hau moved from a handshake with Gladion to another hug with Lillie.
“Seriously!” Alice shouted. “What is going on here?”
Hapu stepped forward, her hands held behind her back in canned coyness. “I, ahah… may have also told Sun and his pals about your plans for challenging the League after we battled.”
“So that’s why you were so curious,” Sam pushed his bottom lip out a little. “Sheesh, and to think that you were genuinely interested.”
“Don’t be like that, Sam!” Kaj giggled. “We all wanted to see you battle for the championship!”
“And as eager as my friends and I are to see to it,” Sun replied, “there’s some… business, per se, that we need to conduct beforehand. I’m guessing everyone is here?”
Hau nodded. “Haven’t lost anyone at the Pokémon Center as far as I know!”
“Perfect.”
Sam and Alice both watched as Sun pulled a phone similar to the one used during the EarthQuestria demonstration from his pants pocket, browsing through it until he opened up an app with the company logo as its icon. After unlocking the app with a fingerprint scan and hitting a green phone button icon on the lower corner of his screen, a single dialtone rung from it before the person on the other line picked it up.
“Sun!” Sam and Alice suddenly perked up, the voice sounding incredibly familiar. “Are they here? Is everyone–”
“Yes, Twilight. Everyone is here. We’re ready to be sent now.”
“You got it. Just give us a few moments and you’ll be on your way!”
“Thanks a lot.” Ending the call, Sun put the phone back into his pocket before motioning everyone to come closer with his fingers. “Everyone, closer to the center please.”
“Wait!” Alice panted, standing still as everyone began to gather. “We’re going to Equestria?”
“Yes,” Gladion answered. “Celestia hoped that we'd all be in attendance for what she has planned.”
“Does…” Sam’s lip quivered as his eyes glistened. “Does that mean…?”
“Starlight and Fluttershy will also be present. Now please, all together now.”
As the rest of the people crowded around, Sam and Alice beamed at each other as they stood outside the group. To their surprise, the platform beneath them began to whir and glow brighter. As well, the light fixtures along the inside of the railing around the platform began to light up too.
“Be sure to stand up straight and strong,” Lillie advised to the two siblings, “and you’ll be just fine.”
Sam and Alice then noticed an even brighter glow coming from beneath them, the Poké Ball shaped outline of the platform now being replaced by an arcane symbol.
“That’s okay, Lillie,” Sam coughed with a smile, “we’ve made this journey before.”
Rays of light shone out from the circle and the lights on the banister, soon rising high enough and growing thick enough that Sam and Alice could no longer see past them, their vision now filled with pure white. Soon, they found the weight on their feet getting heavier as the platform-turned-teleportation-pad prepared to send them to another world; a world that they could hardly wait to step foot in again.
With an even harder tug downward, gravity suddenly returned to normal and the lights quickly faded away. Rather than the champion’s chambers they had first stood in, Sam and Alice now found themselves inside a large, round, white room. Stadium seats lined the walls, and the floor was marked with painted yellow lines that formed a queue up to the platform. On four corners along the outside of the teleportation platform were four kiosks, each one being ran by two humans, two ponies, or one of each.
Upon seeing the humans on the platform arrive safely, Twilight took off her safety goggles and zipped out from one of the kiosks, landing before her numerous, surprised guests. “Yes, you all made it!”
Sam and Alice’s bodies felt twice as light as they were finally face to face with the purple alicorn once again. They stood still as Acerola stepped forward with a wide smile to give her friend a long-awaited embrace.
“It’s so good to see you again, Twilight,” Acerola croaked.
“And you’re growing your hair back!” she commented back. “I like it very much!”
“Hold on!” Alice blurted. “The champion’s arena is an EarthQuestria center, too?”
Sun responded with a single nod. “While there’re still the EarthQuestria centers in each region, the Pokémon League at Mount Lanakila has it’s own private teleportation pad that the champion and the members of the Elite Four can use any time.”
“Any…” Sam feverously rubbed his hands together. “Now I really need to win this…”
“And here are the two guests of honor!” Twilight turned her attention to Sam and Alice before the two approached her and smothered her with a hug. “Well, I mean, you’re all our honored guests today, but… I mean, you two have got your big championship match coming up! Are you excited? How’d you all do against the League?”
“Well…” Sam shrugged his shoulder and mildly swung his arms, “we beat ‘em all, and now all we have left is the champion!”
“Excellent! I knew you’d be able to!”
“And hold on,” Alice interrupted, “did you say match, as in singular?”
“Twilight,” Gladion lightly spat from behind, “as much as we’d like for everyone to catch up, the shorter we keep Celestia waiting, the faster we can let these kids battle.”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight nervously chuckled, “you’re absolutely right. Everyone, if you could just follow me!”
Twilight walked over to the gateway exit from the teleportation platform, which began to open on its own. Sam and Alice were the first to keep up with her, the other trainers following them in rows of two. Walking around the platform toward a large metal door, Twilight charged the magic in her horn to cover a touchpad beside the door in a similar aura. With a picture of Twilight appearing on it with a green, affirmative box around it and a message reading “TWILIGHT SPARKLE: MAGICAL SIGNATURE APPROVED” below it, the door began to partly open for the group to exit.
As Twilight, Sam and Alice turned the corner into a large, spacious lobby lit by the sunlight streaming through massive windows lining the walls, they found a large crowd of Equestrians awaiting them, the group comprised of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Comfey, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike, Starlight, Lady, Discord, Thorax, Chrysalis, Trixie, Shining Armor, Cadance, Sunburst, Flurry Heart, Fizzlepop, Grubber, Capper, Skystar, Celaeno, her crew, Ember, as well as the Pillars of Equestria, Celestia, and Luna. Though at first a little confused, Sam and Alice also noticed Flannery standing amongst the Equestrians, greeting them with a wave.
Among those who Sam didn’t recognize included the large red stallion who only Alice seemed to identify along with a trio of fillies: a yellow earth pony, a white unicorn, and an orange pegasus, each one with a shield-shaped cutie mark with red, pink, and purple stripes. Upon Sam, Alice, and the other humans appearing from the teleportation terminal, the Equestrians erupted into cheers, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash among them holding up poles carrying a large banner over their entire group reading, “Welcome, future champion!” At once, the eyes of each individual human drew themselves to a pony that they remembered, grinning and laughing with teary eyes to see their friends once again.
Sam, upon finding Starlight in the group, couldn’t hold up his smile any longer, and with an overwhelmed frown, he began to jog up toward her, prompting Alice to do the same. Seeing Sam and Alice approach, Starlight and Fluttershy galloped to them with wet eyes, throwing themselves onto the siblings and making them fall to their knees. Putting an arm around each of their backs, Sam and Alice pulled them close as their tears fell to the floor. Lady and Comfey approached from the sides, embracing them with their feelers and tail, respectively. Sam tried to speak words, but they only came out as blubbered sobs.
“We know,” Fluttershy tearfully squealed, patting Sam’s back, “we missed you too!”
The other humans and Equestrians could no longer wait themselves, and they too began to approach their friends in their long-awaited reunion. Olivia knelt down to Applejack and Rarity as both ponies hugged her around the chest and neck.
“Oh, Olivia darling!” Rarity wailed. “How great it is to finally see you again!”
Olivia nodded as she forced her lips shut to keep them from betraying their quivering. “Same, sugar…”
The red stallion and three fillies approached the three, already smiling fondly at the human whom they already knew much about.
Seeing them approach, Applejack got off of Olivia and motioned toward the other four ponies. “Olivia, this is my brother Big Macintosh, my sister Apple Bloom, and her two friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo! Guys, this is Olivia. She’s the one who kept Rarity and I safe while we were, *ahem* away from home.”
“Eeyup!” Big Macintosh walked up to Olivia as she stood and offered her his hoof to shake. “And please, my friends call me Big Mac. My sis had quite the kind word to say about you, and I just want to personally thank you for everything you’ve done for her.”
“Nothing gave me more pleasure,” Olivia responded.
“Wow!” Scootaloo breathed out as her and her two friends surrounded her. “She’s way cooler than you guys described!”
“Oh really?” Olivia smirked to Applejack and Rarity and put her hands to her hips. “And how exactly did you two describe me?” As Applejack and Rarity looked away, nervously rubbing their arms, Olivia’s smile got wider and more comfortable. “Relax, I’m just messing with you! Follow me, I’ll introduce you to some other friends of mine.”
Applejack and Rarity blew a sigh of relief as she followed Olivia through the merging of the two groups as Big Mac and the three fillies followed them. As Sam, Alice, and their friends continued to hug, Alice was tapped on the shoulder, and as she looked up, she saw Fizzlepop and Grubber standing in front of her, with Celaeno, Capper, Ember and Skystar all behind her. Alice patted Sam’s back before she stood up to allow Fizzlepop to stand on her hind legs and give a hug to her friend.
“It’s so good to see you again!” Fizzlepop whispered contently.
Alice rubbed up and down her back as she nodded in agreement. Sam, seeing the friends he made in his and Alice’s arrival in Equestria, approached Celaeno first, shaking hands before they put their arms around each other’s backs, nuzzling into each other.
“Looks like life’s been treating you well,” she said to him.
“It certainly is now,” he croaked.
As Flannery approached, Alice let Fizzlepop down as she turned her way toward her. “Flannery? How’d you get here?”
“I mean,” she said sheepishly, “they asked if I wanted to be their guinea pig for the Mauville EarthQuestria center, and I mean, how could I refuse? Also, they really wanted me to come for this…”
“Well, it’s good to have you!” Alice and Flannery shook each others hands, looking intensely into each others’ eyes.
As Dexio walked through, Ember, Capper, and Skystar cheered his arrival as the Pillars approached him too.
“Dexio, my friend,” Starswirl spoke, “it is truly great to once again be in your company!”
“Ditto.” Dexio knelt to the wizened unicorn and held out his new, mechanical hand, something that took him and the others around him by surprise.
“Your hand!” Starswirl was even more shocked to see it close around his outstretched hoof and shake it so dexterously. “It’s as good as new!”
“Eh, I’m still getting a bit used to it.”
Capper reached to Dexio and helped pull him up back onto his feet, taking the opportunity to feel his new appendage. “Mmm, nice! Come on, you need to show Celaeno! She’s gonna’ flip!”
Meanwhile, Olivia, Applejack, Rarity, and Big Mac stood around Hau as he knelt down in front of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. After petting Scootaloo down her neck to the center of her back, the three fillies leapt onto the young Kahuna and smothered him with affection, Hau catching all three to keep them close.
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came toward the group with Gladion, the former pony perking up upon seeing the three fillies, who Hau let go to let them speak with her. “There you all are! Girls, this is a really close friend of ours, Gladion! We had a few bumps getting to know each other, but he’s a seriously awesome dude!”
“Cool!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “How many Team Prism butts did you kick?!”
Gladion chuckled as he squatted down close to their level. “Not nearly enough of them.”
“Well, thanks to you and your friends,” Apple Bloom spoke up, “Equestria is safe, and as a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I’d like to say thank you on all our behalves!”
“You’re very much welcome.” Gladion put his hand down toward her, and after she stared at it, a little awestruck, Apple Bloom smiled wide as she found the courage to put her hoof out and shake the hero’s hand.
Celestia and Luna stood close-by as they watched human and Equestrian alike continue their reunions. Finally, the two nodded to each other, feeling as though they had been given enough time.
Celestia cleared her throat, a gesture that received little attention. “My fellow Equestrians, my esteemed human guests!” Now, all heads were turned toward her, the room’s echo quickly dying down so that only her voice would ring out. “Though gladdened to see you all reunite with your friends once again, we promise that you will have plenty of time to socialize at tonight’s banquet. As for now, we ask that you follow my sister and I to the Canterlot palace, where there is something that we wish to show you and the rest of our audience. Come, please.”
Celestia and Luna walked over to the large exit doors prompting the humans and Equestrians closest to her to begin following her outside. Once it was their turn to move, Sam and Alice followed the group with Starlight, Fluttershy, and their Pokémon all alongside them.
Starlight trotted out just a bit further to get Sam’s attention in the lower corners of his peripherals. “So… glad to be back?”
Sam chuckled, the clear goodwill in her joke noted. “Extremely.”
Fluttershy hopped ahead forward. “How’ve your other trials gone? You’ve defeated the Pokémon League already, haven’t you?”
“You better believe we did!” Alice purred. “Can’t wait to tell you all about it!”
“To be fair,” Starlight butted in, “we have a little bit of a walk until we reach the palace. You can tell us all about it along the way.”
Sam drew a sigh. “I’d like nothing more than that!”
With the few rows of people and Equestrians in front of them heading out through the doorway, Sam breathed in deep as he readied himself for his first exposure to the Equestrian sun, which hung high in the peerless blue sky.
Hundreds of ponies, some of whom were dressed in aristocratic clothing, and a handful of human photographers lined the edges of the Canterlot palace hallways as they murmured amongst each other, unsure of when the event they came for was going to begin. Along the walls, roughly ten feet apart, several stained glass window displays were visible, many of which depicted Twilight and her friends defeating several creatures, among them Discord himself. The window most of the spectators seemed to keep turning up to was draped in a thick curtain that not even the sunlight could shine through, which faced the intersection leading further into the palace.
Finally, the doors loudly creaked, drawing the attentions of everyone in their vicinity toward them. With the handles encased in the unmistakable yellow glow of Celestia’s magic, the ponies’ whispers turned to excited clamoring and cheers as the doors came open, revealing Celestia, Luna, and the integrated groups of Equestrians and humans on the other side. Celestia and Luna continued to lead everyone further through the hall and the cloaked window overlooking it. The humans glanced about at their audience, who displayed a wide display of emotions, among them doubt and intrigue. The vast majority of the gathered ponies appeared to be in an optimistic uproar, filling the humans with much needed comfort. With camera flashes also flaring out from within the crowd, it only inspired the group further to keep up their smiles.
Upon reaching the center of the main hall branching out to the left and right, Celestia and Luna stepped aside on either side and allowed the humans and Equestrians to stand at the intersection and fill the space. Big Mac began usher Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo over to the side to join the rest of the crowd, the four of them squeezing in between the others. Once everyone human and Equestrian alike had been gathered and was standing still, Celestia and Luna both flashed their horns with soft, but noticeable light, prompting the ponies to quiet down and let their leaders speak.
“Greetings fillies and gentlecolts…” Celestia then cleared her throat again “…ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I welcome the heroes of the world of Pokémon to the land of Equestria!”
More cheering erupted from the crowds, along with the flashes and clicks of cameras and their shutters. Luna raised her hoof up, effortlessly commanding silence among them all.
“Over a month ago,” Celestia resumed, “when a terrible accident pulled my former student Twilight Sparkle and seven of her close friends to this then unfamiliar world, these humans found the bravery and kindness within them to keep them safe and attempt to bring them back home where they belonged. Unbeknownst to us then, this was the work of an ancient evil that my sister and I thought we had defeated so long ago, an evil named… Necrozma.
“After more Equestrians found their way to the world of Pokémon,” she said, slyly turning her gaze in Sam and Alice’s direction, “and three particular humans found themselves in Equestria, it took the combined efforts of the Equestrians, along with these humans and their creature companions they call Pokémon, to finally end Necrozma’s reign of terror once and for all, and today, we formally celebrate the efforts that led us to this victory.”
Celestia and Luna both charged their horns, each grabbing an inner end of the curtain keeping the window behind it hidden. With steady pulls, sunlight shone brightly through the colored glass as more of the image formed from it was revealed. Once the two regal alicorn sisters had unveiled the entire window, another set of cheers and camera flashes rung out from the crowds, which Celestia and Luna allowed to persist while the others could marvel at the image the window presented.
Appearing bigger and wider than any of the windows on either side of it, the Equestrians and humans were quick to notice both Hau’oli City and Canterlot crafted in the backgrounds of the image. On the Hau’oli Side, the humans and Equestrians eagerly pointed themselves out upon spotting their likeness in the image. On the left Hau’oli city side, looking up at Necrozma who took up the upper center portion of the window, were Twilight and her seven closest friends, Shining Armor, Discord, Trixie, Chrysalis, Cocoon, Thorax, along with Sun, Lillie, Gladion, Professor Kukui, each of the Trial Captains, Flannery, the Elite Four, Kaj and Nanu, who Acerola sniffed and applauded at with a saddened grimace. Swirling around from behind and toward Necrozma in beams of bright yellow light were Hau and Hapu.
“Sam, Sam!” Alice gripped Sam’s shoulder and pointed out at the right Canterlot side, spotting themselves beneath Necrozma alongside Dexio.
Joining the three humans on the window were the seven Pillars of Equestria, Celestia, Luna, Fizzlepop, Grubber, Ember, Capper, Skystar, Celaeno, and her crew. Soaring in at Necrozma from the right in a symmetrical fashion to Hau and Hapu were Olivia and Guzma. Even with their images permanently emblazoned on this tremendous piece of art, the sheer size and scope of it left every creature able to see it clearly in complete awe.
“For your indomitable courage and the love and friendship shared between you,” Celestia boomed, prompting the audience to calm back down, “you are now a part of Equestrian history forever!”
With the speech concluded, the crowd surrounding Sam, Alice, and the numerous friends they’ve made all cheered even louder than before, the cacophony almost deafening now. Sam, Alice, and the others also joined in, wanting to give their thanks and appreciation to each other as well.
Sam leaned his face close to Alice’s ear. “I think it’s safe to say we’ve made it.”
“Yeah,” Alice shouted over the ongoing applause. “Totally!”
With the clapping and cheers going on without an end in sight, Sam and Alice looked around each other, watching as their other friends also looked up at the other humans and Equestrians who helped them get to where they were in that moment. Though spirits were high and joy was saturating the room, Sam and Alice began to take deep breaths through their mouths, knowing that they’d soon come close to the end of their own journey.
Celestia and Luna began to flash their horns again, rendering the crowd silent once again. “However,” Luna spoke in, “this is not the only reason we have all gathered here on this day. After landing in the world of Pokémon, two Pokémon trainers saw fit to be the guardians of Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy upon landing on the same island as them. As these four friends searched tirelessly for the ponies’ other friends, these trainers had embarked on what is known as the Island Trials, making themselves and their Pokémon stronger along the way.”
Sam and Alice suddenly noticed as the circle of friends surrounding them began to split apart, leaving them standing alone as the new center of attention. Looking left and right, the humans and Equestrians nodded acceptingly to them, ensuring them that this moment was theirs and theirs alone.
“After encountering strong Pokémon of all shapes and sizes,” Luna continued, “after battling the revered Kahunas on each island, after fighting tooth and nail against the forces that saw to harm my little ponies, and after defeating the Pokémon League…” She suddenly stretched her head out and whispered to the two siblings. “You have beaten the trainers of the Pokémon League, right?” Sam and Alice both nodded affirmatively, prompting Luna to stand up straight again. “They have now reached the point of the final battle on their long, arduous journey, in which they will battle to attain the rank of Champion of Alola!”
“Hold on!” The beginnings of more applause were killed instantly by Sam’s sudden inquiry. “We don’t even know who the champion is!”
“Ha!” Guzma stepped out into sight and crossed his arms. “You two really haven’t figured it out yet?”
Alice huffed out a laugh, Guzma’s remark all the confirmation she needed.
Hau then stepped forward. “I was the last trainer to hold the rank of the Alolan champion. I stepped down after my gramps died and became the new Kahuna of Melemele Island. Not one trainer since has ever made it far enough to reach the throne again… until you two.”
Sam’s mouth parted in mounting realization, one that his human and Equestrian friends could hardly get enough of at that moment. “So… that means…”
“Yeah, Sam. Our championship battle… is with each other.”
Sam’s breathing began to quicken ever so slightly, completely unprepared for this news.
“We have made preparations for your battle at the ancient jousting coliseum,” Luna spoke. “For those who wish to attend the battle, you are free to make your way there now. As for you, Sam and Alice, once you and your Pokémon are all prepared, please make your way to the coliseum as well.”
Alice nodded, and with some hesitation from Sam, he also tilted his head in understanding.
“Very good. We shall await you.” With that, Celestia and Luna began to walk to the hallway exit they had just come from, passing Sam and Alice on either side.
Once both princesses were out of sight, the crowds began to disperse and make their way out of the hallway, some staying behind to get a better look at the window.
“Come on, Big Mac!” Apple Bloom began tugging on the stallion’s forearm as her two friends eagerly swung around to each side of her. “Let’s try and get good seats!”
“Mmhm.” Big Mac led the three fillies down the hall, merging into the stream of ponies and people leaving.
As Sam and Alice continued standing still, still paralyzed with bewilderment, Lillie weaved her way between the ponies to reach them. “There’s healing station at the EarthQuestria center. Follow me and we’ll take care of your Pokémon before your big battle!”
“Yeah,” Alice sighed. “Totally.”
Sam groaned as he and Alice began to walk behind Lillie on their way out. “Really wish I knew that before I healed my team up.”
Alice jerked her head to him. “You seriously healed your Pokémon right after your last battle?”
“What? It’s not like I knew we were going to be given a freebie or anything, yet alone that we were facing each other!”
“Shame. If you just went and did it after, you would have beaten me up those stairs.”
“Shut up.”
Alice looked down and laughed to herself. As they neared the exit, Sam, Alice, and Lillie were folded into the masses of ponies as they converged through the doorway.