Meanwhile, in the past...
“Spying on our doubles?” Wits End asked, futilely trying to reach a basketball stuck behind the stands. “Not that I have anything against a good bout of subterfuge and skulduggery, but why?”
“Twilight—the pony version—has a theory,” Sunset Shimmer said, jabbing the basketball with a broom handle, causing it to dislodge and roll closer to the mint-colored teen. “Something about trying to see if the versions of you three that’re in Equestria are like you guys, or the ones that are native to this world.”
Wits took the offered broom handle and used it to unstick another two balls. “Thanks. How does that help us find a way to get us back to our world?”
“I’m not entirely certain, but I’m sure Twilight will find a way to tie it all back together.”
“She usually does.”
“Why are you cleaning the gym, anyway?”
Wits groaned, pulling the now freed basketballs out from between the stairs and dropping them into a cart. “Apparently, the powers that be take some issue with a new student skipping out on P.E. on their first day.”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re in detention.”
“That means I’m one of the cool kids, right?”
“I’m not going to answer that.” She sighed. “Think you can finish soon enough to help us spy on your alternate self? Purple Heart and Light Patch already agreed.”
“I might be able to,” Wits said as he tossed the last of the balls into the cart. “Who’s on the team to spy on me?”
“Me.”
“Oh…”
“And Fluttershy.”
“I’m in.”
Sunset glared at the back of Wits’ head as he pushed the cart towards the wall. The mint-colored teen was humming some happy tune as he walked. “Do you have some sort of crush on her or something?”
Several things happened in rapid succession. First, Wits End made a high-pitched “Eep” sound, dropping the broom handle. Second, the broom caught in the wheel of the cart, flipping around and catching against the main body. As a direct result, the cart came to a sudden halt; a halt that was not shared by the teenager, who tripped over a jutting section of broom handle, pivoted cleanly over the cart handle, and fell face-first into the collection of basketballs. Finally, with the added weight, the cart tipped over, landing with a crash as balls and one teenage boy sprawled across the disaster area.
“Are you alright?” Sunset asked.
“This world is doing a better job of killing me than the one Discord created…” Wits moaned, pulling a basketball out from under his back.
Sunset closed the distance between them, nudging a few freedom-seeking basketballs back towards the upturned cart. “Come on,” she said, grabbing him by the arm and helping him back on his feet. “So you do like her, then?”
“I’m not answering that.” Wits took a moment to dislodge the broom handle from the cart wheel, and stood it back up. “The universe will make another attempt on my life.” He looked back to see a smug smile spreading over Sunset’s face. “Oh boy.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna make fun of you.”
“Somehow that makes me more worried,” Wits muttered, tossing a couple of the balls back into the cart.
“...So why don’t you ask her out?”
Wits slammed a ball into the cart, causing another one to ricochet back out and into his face. “Are you crazy?” he shouted, his voice cracking as his face reddened both from embarrassment and the force of impact. “If I do that I’ll actually die! A piano will drop out of the sky Looney Tunes-style and that’ll be the end of me!”
Sunset laughed, holding both hands out as if to keep him at bay. “Alright, alright. I’m just saying, you’ve got the perfect opportunity by coming with us. You could call it a date, if you wanted to.”
“Of course I’d want-” Wits was cut off by a buzzing from his pocket. “Hang on.” He fished the vibrating smartphone out and unlocked it. “A text from Kibarashi.”
“From who?”
“Some mystery person who set it up so I’d find this phone. It seems like they know something about our adventures in Discord’s game.” He shifted his glasses to read the text. “Looks like an address and a time. It’s pretty close to now...”
Sunset sighed and shook her head. “Tell them you’re busy. You’ve got a date with destiny, and also Fluttershy, remember?”
Wits bit his lower lip as he thought. Finally, he shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Sorry, but I gotta take care of this.” He tossed the last of the balls into the cart and slid it into place along the wall. “You and Fluttershy should be able to handle spying on this universe’s version of me. High school me wasn’t very observant.”
“Wait, but-”
“I’m in the process of believing in you two!” With that, Wits End dashed out of the gym, his footfalls rapidly fading into the distance.
Sunset let out a growl. “Boys.”