//------------------------------//
// Magic Unleashed 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: Friendship Games 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

The Rainbooms had just found Fluttershy, the girl almost completely passed out against the outside school wall. Pinkie soon perked her up with fifty C.Cs of sugar, putting her back on her feet. After this, they started going back to the playing field as Fluttershy explained her encounter with Flash and Twilight.

"All I did was hand Twilight a bunny, and then I ponied up."

Sunset sighed with a huge frown, "I just don't get it. Rarity's magic came out when she made us outfits, Pinkie's did when she fixed the party, and now Fluttershy…"

"And then Twilight's pendant thingy just pulled the magic right out of me." Fluttershy added while shivering, "I...I couldn't even stand up."

"That was just like me at the party!" Pinkie gasped.

"Or me right before we met this new Twilight!" Rarity finished, everyone now going wide-eyed as they started to see where this was going.

"So she's stealing magic? Why?" The pony turned human asked, rubbing her chin in thought, "Did she do that to the portal as well?"

"Ah don't know," Applejack responded while scratching her head, "She doesn't seem like the magic-stealin' type."

"Yeah...I would agree, but she had something to do with closing the portal." Sunset replied as she grit her teeth, "If her pendant can pull in magic, maybe it stole the portal's magic too. That's why those openings appeared. Its the portal magic mixing with the pony magic."

"But why would she be doing that?" Fluttershy asked, "I mean, when I talked to her, her and Flash didn't look like they were...wait, Flash got hit by the magic too!"

Sunset jerked her head, "He did?!"

Fluttershy nodded in response, "As soon as he got to close to the portal, it started zapping him. But he didn't seem hurt though..."

"Strange." Steam went out of Sunset's nostrils as her brain went over the events, "If Twilight's device stole the portal and pony magic...is the magic mistaking Flash and Twilight for their pony counterparts?!"

"But why would it attack Flash?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't think it is." She turned to Fluttershy, "You said Flash didn't look hurt afterwards, right?" Fluttershy nodded. "Then maybe it's not attacking him, and instead it's...charging him."

"Charging him?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow, "You mean, like it does with our magic?"

Sunset nodded in response, "The magic must think Flash is the same Flash from before, but then it's sensing a difference. When Flash and Twilight came here, they still had their magic, but weren't able to access it. Since this Flash and Twilight don't have magic, the portal must think something's wrong and is trying to correct what it thinks is the issue."

"So it's giving Flash magic...that's something." Applejack finished with a hum, "But what about Twilight? Why isn't it giving her magic?"

"It probably tried, but her pendant's been sucking up whatever magic it's been trying to give her. But that's not worrying me." Everyone turned to her with frowns as Sunset replied, "What worries me is that if this keeps up, Flash might end up ponying up like us."

The girls gulped at this, Rarity adding, "That's bad. What do we do Sunset?"

Sunset let out a long sigh, "I don't know. And the pony or person or princess who could help me figure this out is completely unreachable now."

"Which is too bad," Pinkie said as she pulled Sunset and Applejack into a hug before dancing around, "Because Twilight knows everything about magic and portals and magical portals and portable magics!" As she said that last bit, she leaned against the doors leading out to the playing fired. Doing so caused the door to open, making Pinkie fall face-first into the ground with a thud, Rainbow coming out to help her.

"For now, let's just focus on beating the Shadowbolts." Rainbow chimed in as the rest of the Rainbooms walked outside, "And as long as this event puts me in the playing field, I don't think we've got anything to worry about."

"Oh, it puts you on a playin' field alright." Rainbow and Pinkie turned to look at the field, now seeing it had been completely overhauled. In the center was a small obstacle course with hay bails and a pair of mud swings. Around that was a rally track along with some kind of dirt bike track with ramps made of wood and dirt, alongside tire bumps and pools of water.

The Rainbooms were all slack-jawed at the sight, Sunset speaking up, "Am I the only one who thinks this is overkill?"

Applejack moved over to a dirt mound and gave it a swift kick, seeing it was quite sturdy before turning to Rarity, "Ah don't suppose you made some motocross outfits?"

Rarity looked insulted. "Oh, don't be ridiculous." She then shined a grin as she pulled out a pair of outfits, "Of course I did!"





Meanwhile...

Twilight and Flash were now on the hunt for the girls, the duo on the other side of the playing field. "Any idea where they might be?" Flash asked Twilight, only to get a shrug in response.

"How should I know?" She looked down at her scanner, "This thing's not giving me any answers either."

"Let's just hope we can find them before the next event, or-"

"SENTRY! SPARKLE!" The two spun around to see Indigo and the rest of their remaining teammates walking up, "About time you showed up! The next event's about to start!"

"Not now," Flash told Indigo, waving her off, "We've got bigger issues to deal with than you."

"Nothing's bigger than winning the next event!" Indigo barked back, walking up and grabbing his collar, "If you're gonna go and take my spot from me, the least you can do it put your all into the match!"

Flash rolled his eyes while swatting her hand away, "Look, it's not my fault you didn't get a higher score than me. I mean, come on. Who spells artichoke with an H?"

"That's actually a common misspelling," Sugarcoat added while adjusting her glasses, "You were just lucky."

"She could have still studied better," Flash replied, shrugging at the same time.

"We don't have time for an argument!" Sunny Flare added, "The second event is about to begin!"

"That's right." Sour gave Flash a giant smile, "And your physical skills are just what we need to put it in the bag." Her grin quickly switched to a frown, "So you're gonna be on that field, even if I have to drag you there!"

Flash felt his muscles tense, ready to argue back, only to feel Twilight grab his arm. Turning to her, he saw a deep stare from her eyes, "Let's just go Flash. Those girls are gonna be there, so it could be the best chance to talk to them all."

Flash opened his mouth, but his brain told him that the logic worked, making him glare back at the Shadowbolts, "Fine...lead the way."





On the field's stands...

The other students were now waiting for the second event, both on two stands separating the schools. Most had taken their seats, including Lightning and his friends, who had met up with the Royal Knights.

"So..." Lightning asked with crossed arms, "You gonna finally explain what the heck is going on?!"

"And why Flash and Twilight seem so nervous," Script pointed to the group moving over to Cinch, Flash and Twilight both shifting their eyes around like a child watching out for their parents before trying to steal a cookie.

Heather let out a long sigh, "Lightning...it's not like we want to keep things from you."

First nodded in agreement, "But it is not our story to tell. Besides, you would not believe us even if we did tell you. It is...complicated."

Lightning growled at this, his foot tapping impatiently, "What the heck happened to this school after I left?! I wasn't a hodgepodge of secrets back then!"

"We can hardly believe it half of the time either buddy," Iron replied, shrugging. "For now, just wait until after the games, then talk to Sunset. If she doesn't tell you, then we can't either."





Cinch was showing a particular disgruntled face as she stared at the Shadowbolts, tapping her foot in impatience as she pointed at the first group, "You will race in pairs, with Sentry and Sugarcoat handling the motocross."

"Aye aye," Flash replying with a salute.

Cinch glared at him before turning to two other girls, "Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare have requested the short track." The two girls high fived, Cinch then pointing at the final part of the group, "Since archery is a standard requirement at our school, any of you should be able to do it. Twilight and Sour Sweet will start us off."

Twilight's eyes shrunk at this, knowing she was not good at the sport, her need for glasses for her vision not helping. The rest of the Shadowbolts all rolled their eyes at her, Sour Sweet speaking up in her happy demeanor, "Well, that's just marvellous!" Her tone then shifted into a growl, "If you wanna lose before we even start!"

Cinch patted Twilight's shoulder, "Given that Twilight won the last event single-handedly, I have every confidence that she will be able to pull her weight here." She turned to Twilight, "Won't you?"

Twilight did a long gulp before nodding, Flash clenching his fist as he wanted to intervene. But before anything could happen, Cinch walked away, telling them to go get changed. They all headed to the changing rooms, Twilight letting Spike out of the bag and telling him to hide since he said he wanted to watch the match.

Flash was the only boy in the changing room, picking a full-body dark blue leather suit with orange trim and black gloves and boots. In his hands was a blue helmet with an orange visor. And as he walked out, he saw the rest of the girls in gear, particularly smiling with a slight blush as he saw Twilight in her gear.

Twilight turned to him, seeing the red on his face as she asked, "Flash? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh uh..." Flash looked away, the heat burning his face, "I'm okay. Its just...daydreams."

"Well get your head out of the clouds," Sunny barked, Flash's blush now vanishing as he glared back at her. The bolts then made their way to the field, Flash noticing something still hanging off Twilight's neck.

"Uh...Twilight? Are you sure it's a good idea to be wearing that right now? What if something happens and it gets broken?"

Twilight turned to him with a long sigh, "I um...I thought about leaving it, but who knows what might happen while I'm away from it. Not the first time someone's snuck into my gym locker and taken my things." That statement made Flash gulp, remembering the time got a text from her, asking him to bring a spare set of clothes to the girl's locker room because somebody had nabbed hers while she was in the shower. What followed was the...king of awkward exchanges. "I know I might not know much about this...energy."

"Magic."

"Energy!" Twilight countered while rolling her eyes, "But I wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands, not that mine seems to be the right one so far."

Flash let out a low hum, "Okay, I can see that. But when this event is over, we're giving that thing to that Sunset girl, no arguments." Twilight did a slow nod, Flash registering how downtrodden she was about losing her project. And as she did this, the groups started to divide to their individual sections. "Twilight," she turned back to him, "Good luck, and be careful."

Twilight weakly smiled back, "You too." They then turned and went their separate ways, Flash and Sugarcoat climbing up to where their bikes were waiting, now seeing that Sunset and Rainbow were already there.

Sugarcoat began to get on her bike as Flash turned to the two girls, "Hey uh...I know we've had some problems, but...after the race, we need to talk about...the M."

Rainbow and Sunset went wide-eyed, Rainbow saying, "How did-"

"I had a chat with Lightning's grandfather. He told me...pretty much everything." Flash showed a small grimace, "And I still don't get any of it."

"I see..." Sunset gave him a low glare as Sugarcoat stared at the three in confusion, "Your friend has caused a lot of problems. She's messing with something best left alone."

"I know. Trust me on that one." Flash replied with a low sigh, "I just...can't stop her. When there's something she doesn't understand, she won't stop until she's figured out every little thing about it."

Rainbow chuckled at this, "Reminds me of someone else we know."

"By any chance does she look a lot like the girl currently cleaning her glasses for the fourth time in the last minute?" They all turned to Twilight, now seeing her nervously doing just that before looking back at Flash, "Grand told me about that little detail too."

"What are you three talking about?" Sugarcoat asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing that concerns you," Sunset told her before refocusing on Flash. "She needs to give us that pendant of hers. If she keeps taking-"

"As soon as the race is over. Just as long as you promise to explain everything about all this crazy stuff. Grand uh...he didn't know much else except this stuff is bad."

Sunset was now growling, about to raise her voice to tell him he had no right to that knowledge, only for Cadance to speak up in a microphone, "Welcome everyone, to the Friendship Games Tricross Relay!" This got a loud cheer from the CHS students while the Crystal Preppers remained their usual stoic selves. "In this event, our qualifying competitors will face off in archery, speed skating, and finally, motocross." Flash couldn't help but rev his engine at this. "So if the competitors are ready..." They all nodded as Ruby help up an airhorn.

HONK!

That loud sound signaled the event, Sour and Fluttershy running ahead as Twilight and Applejack got into position. Cadance explained the rules as the girls leapt over some hay bails and caught the arrow quivers. "Each competitor must hit a bullseye before their teammates can start the next leg of the relay."

As she finished this, Sour reached the mud swing and used it to jump over the pool. Landing onto the other side, she grabbed the bow off the ground and drew a trio of arrows that she fired all at once. Everyone watched them fly at the moving target and land, the central arrow hitting the red bullseye. The audience let out a cheer as Twilight then started her run, right as Fluttershy arrived and began firing her arrows. The first didn't even make it a few inches, Sour laughing until she looked back at Twilight.

"Ooh," Flash flinched as Twilight tripped over the hay bail and landed face first. "Walk it off Twilight!" He then saw the frustrated look on Sour's face, knowing she wasn't gonna make this any easier. Twilight grabbed her quiver and tried to swing over the mud, only for the barely get her toe to grip the side.

"Be careful Twilight!" Gorgenia yelled from the side.

"Don't worry about what your opponent's doing!" Script added just as Fluttershy managed to get an arrow to hit the bullseye. The CHS students all cheered, the girl now smiling as Applejack began her leg of the race. With Applejack's speed and Twilight's issues, the two reached the shooting location at the same time. Both grabbing the bow and firing, neither were able to hit the bullseye the first time. But while Applejack managed to hit the target in the second shot, getting a clap from Fluttershy, Twilight's was nowhere near it and got a growl from Sour Sweet.

"Relax Twilight," Flash whispered, wishing he was down there to coach her through it.

But it wasn't good. Applejack hit a bullseye next, allowing Rarity and Pinkie to begin the speed skating. "And Canterlot is off to an early lead!" Cadance announced as Twilight missed the target again.

As Rarity and Pinkie raced across the field, Twilight missed again and again. She felt her body shake more as her entire student body began to glare at her. Sour Sweet facepalmed as Twilight missed again, watching as Pinkie and Rarity were now starting their second lap. "Well, that's just fantastic! Would you hit the target already?!"

Her yell made the girl flinch, both Applejack and Fluttershy frowning at the sight as Fluttershy said, "I'm sure glad I don't go to Crystal Prep."

"You said it," Applejack added. At that moment, Pinkie let out a cry of joy as she and Rarity shot past the finish line, the score changing to show it was now two laps to zero.

Up in the box, Cadance sighed before making an announcement, "If CPA can't hit another bullseye soon, they'll be out of this race." This statement didn't help Twilight, making her accidentally drop her arrow with tears in her eyes.

Up atop the motocross ramp, Flash's heart ached to see her in distress. It didn't help that Sugarcoat decided to give her overly honest brand of support, "You're really bad at this!"

Flash turned to her, almost going red in anger, "DO YOU HAVE AN OFF SWITCH?!" Sugarcoat just shrugged, about to tell him she was right, only for Sunset to grab Flash's shoulder.

"Relax. I think your friend will be just fine." Flash turned to her, only see her pointing at Twilight as Applejack made her way over to her, "She's about to get some great advice."

"Huh?" Flash now noticed Applejack, raising an eyebrow at the sight, "Why would she do that?"

"Because that's who Applejack is," Rainbow added.

True to Sunset and Rainbow's word, Applejack was now patting Twilight's shoulder as she said, "Ya'll have to stop aimin' at the target."

Twilight blinked at her, Sour now commenting, "Oh, that makes perfect sense! Don't aim at the target! Thanks so much!"

Applejack glared at her before looking back at Twilight, "Don't listen to her. All ya'll have to do is stop aimin' at where the target is, and aim at where the target's gonna be."

Sour just growled at this, her voice dripping in sarcasm, "Yeah! Definitely take advice from the person you're competing against!" That last part was screamed at the top of her voice, making Twilight panic as she felt she was attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis.

Applejack rolled her eyes before looking back at Twilight, "Do you wanna hit the bullseye or not?" Twilight whipped her eyes at her and nodded, "Then trust me." She helped her steady the bow, "Take a deep breath." Twilight did as instructed, "And let the arrow go...riiiiight...." They watched as they target spun around the board, "NOW!" Twilight fired, the world seeming to shift into slow motion as the arrow flew into the board, time shifting back as it hit dead center.

The crowd began to cheer as Sunny and Lemon shot ahead, Spike coming out of his hiding place to cheer, "Yeah!" He jumped into her arms, "That's my girl!"

Applejack chuckled at this, turning to Sour as she slowly backed away. She spun back to Twilight as she came over, expecting a high-five, but getting a hug instead, "See?" She patted her shoulder, "Ah was tellin' ya the truth."

And as soon as those words came out of her mouth, a bright green aura appeared around her. Twilight gasped at the sight, now seeing Applejack's ears and tail begin to grow. But as this happened, her scanner began to beep, making Twilight look down and see the device open, "NO!"

But it was too late. The green light began to be sucked inside the scanner, causing Applejack to slump over, "Huh?" She began to moan as she looked at Twilight, "What...are you...doing?!"

"I don't know!" Twilight cried before the last of the magic was sucked out, making Applejack fall to her knees. While that happened, Twilight was still trying to close the scanner, backpedaling as she managed to shut it...and then trip over Spike. "Ah!" she yelped, falling off the stage as the scanner fell out of her hands. The device hit the raceway dirt, making it open up and fire a bolt of purple energy out, making a portal appear before a tentacle suddenly shot out of the wormhole.





Back at the race...

Flash was sighing as he saw the race still going, now looking away from Applejack and Twilight due to knowing that he would have to get his bike going soon. He glanced back once, but he saw nothing, figuring Twilight had run off to hide Spike, not knowing what she had done.

Looking down below now, Rarity and Pinkie passed the finish line again, "Canterlot only has two laps to go!" Cadance announced, "But it looks like Crystal Prep is making up for lost time!" Flash saw this happening, now seeing the Shadowbolts quickly closing the gap as Rarity and Pinkie began their sixth lap.

The CPA students were all cheering as they watched their school getting closer, soon flying past the girls as they started to get a little winded. As this happened, Lemon unknowingly kicked Twilight's scanner, knocking it over to the motocross track. As it did this, several sparks flew out of the device, bolts zapping across the area as it began to summon more portals, large vines now rushing out of them. Twilight tried to run over to the scanner, only for one of those vines to wrap around it, pulling the device away.

As this happened, the Shadowbolts took the lead as Rarity looked back at Pinkie, "Come on!" She held out her leg, Pinkie getting the idea and grabbing hold of it. As soon as she had a grip, Rarity swung her leg around, catapulting the cotton candy girl forward.

Pinkie balled herself up for greater speed, managing to shoot past the Shadowbolts and fly right into the finish line before them. This got the Wondercolt fans cheering as Cadance yelled, "What a finish!"

The lights for both teams went green, bikes now kicking into first gear as they shot off the ramp. As this happened, Twilight was now pulling at the vines to get her scanner, only to feel something wrap around her ankle. She looked down and gasped, now seeing an entire plant come out of a portal, a snake-like flower with a bulb that had a giant mouth on it. "AAH!" She screamed, clawing at the ground to try and get away.

Back at the race, Rainbow had taken the lead with Flash not far behind, Sugarcoat next while Sunset brought up the rear. "Awesome!" The athlete cheered as she raced up a ramp, flying over a pool of water before landing on the other side. She continued to race ahead, only to see a portal open up in front of her. Gasping at the sight, she tried to hit the brakes as another plant shot out while making a mighty roar.

"What the heck?!" Flash yelped as the plant thrust its mouth forward, Flash pulling his bike to the side before sliding under one of its vines. He quickly started the brakes as he dodged another vine, now staring at the portals as he whispered, "Oh no...Twilight."

As this happened, Sugarcoat and Sunset both came up to the plant, Sugarcoat managing to outmaneuver it while a vine swung at Sunset, making her leap off her bike. The ride was then gripped by the vine, crushing it in one blow. Rainbow heard the sound and looked back, seeing both Flash and Sugarcoat coming up before spotting Sunset. Without even a second's hesitation, she pulled her bike to a stop and spun around, Flash passing her as she revved her engine, shooting past Sugarcoat next.

Sunset shook her head as the sound of growls made her look up, now seeing the plant preparing to strike. But as it thrust its head forward, Rainbow drove up and held out a hand. Sunset managed to grab hold and was pulled up onto the bike, right before the plant bit down. Sunset sighed in relief before giving Rainbow a hug, "Dash, you saved me!"

"I wasn't about to let my friend become plant food!" Rainbow declared as a blue light began to surround her. Sensing this, Rainbow pulled the bike to a stop and jumped off, throwing her helmet off as her ears morphed and her hair grew longer, wings now sprouting from her back.

Over with the judges, Cinch, Ruby and Cadance all went wide-eyed with Rainbow's transformation, Cinch turning to Celestia and Luna, the duo giving sheepish smiles. At the same time, the students were also showing the same expressions, Lightning yelping, "What the heck?!" He then turned to Iron, Heather and First, the three looking away with sweat pouring down their faces as they watched Sunset and Rainbow continue to race.





Flash had just reached Twilight as he saw her leg being wrapped around by a vine, Spike trying to bite through it until he was grabbed by another. "Hang on!" He pumped his engine and did a wheelie to cut through the vine holding Spike. He caught the puppy before slamming the wheel onto the one holding Twilight, cutting through it before leaping off as the plant tried to bite him.

Landing just a bit away, he saw the scanner in the distance, "That's it! This...ends...NOW!" He threw Spike over to Twilight before running at the device, only for a vine to grab his wrists, pulling him away from the scanner. "No!"

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she saw him get lifted up, the other students gasping at the sight.

He started pulling at the vines, but it wasn't enough. The plant kept tightening its grip, making him yell out in pain. But as this happened, another portal opened right behind him before firing out a beam of magic right into his back. "GYAH!" He cried, feeling his back now be struck.

"FLASH!" His eyes shot open despite the pain, making him looked down to see Twilight staring up at him. The look on her face showed nothing but fear, something that was on his face as well.

But as he saw this, a new vine began to appear behind Twilight, making him growl. Fear left him as he knew he had to do one thing. He wanted to save her. "Get..." Orange energy began to build around him, "off..." he closed his eyes as the pressure in his back began to hit its peak, "of...ME!" His eyes flew open, energy exploding off of him. The blast burned the vines, releasing him from the midair grip...but he didn't fall.

He stayed in the air, his ears morphing to be like Rainbow's as a small ponytail formed out the back of his head, a pair of wings now bursting out of his back. Everyone gasped again, the glow around Flash's eyes dying down as he looked down at his hands, feeling strength pour into his body, "Whoa...I feel...powerful!" But as he said that, he looked up to see another predaplant attacking, Flash flapping his wings to effortlessly dodge it. He didn't know how he knew how to fly, but he could. The teen quickly spun around, kicking the plant in the head, "Back off ugly!"

ROAR!

"Oh yeah?! Come and get me!" Flash barked back, the plant firing a pair of vines at him. Flash began to dance around the attack, both vines slithering around in the air. But as they were about to grab him, Flash came to a stop. "You're done."

The vines just tried to move at him...only to feel themselves pull back. It was here that the plant saw that Flash had to tied the vines while he dodged them, the final knot being right after his taunt. "HA!" Flash laughed before looking down at the scanner, "Now to put an end to this."

Twilight's jaw was fully dropped as she watched this, her brain now going into overdrive. She could not comprehend what was happening, her eyes twitching at the sight. Her mind could only say one thing: This...is magic.

But as the acceptance of this fact went into her brain, she then Flash land near the scanner, her eyes going wide as she realized what would happen, "FLASH, NO!"

Her words fell on deaf ears as Flash reached for the scanner, only for it to start beeping. In quick motion, it opened up, blasting him with a burst of energy before sucking every bit of power out of him, "AUGH!" He fell to his knees, his body freezing before slumping over as Twilight grabbed the scanner, trying to shut it again.

As this happened, Rainbow and Sunset saw what had happened before Flash ponied up, Rainbow saying they would deal with it after the race. Agreeing with this, Sunset kept her focus the competition, Rainbow guarding her from plants as Sunset went into Mach two. At this speed, she caught up to Sugarcoat, the two glaring at each other as they both floored it, pushing their bikes to the limit.

And then the red tape at the end broke.

"Canterlot wins!" Cadance announced, the Wondercolts all cheering at the victory. The CPA students were wide-eyed, not happy while Lightning and his friends were just staring at Flash and Twilight in pure confused shock. As for Cinch, she was absolutely livid, anger peaking as she not only had lost, but two of the students had transformed into...something. Cadance saw the anger on her face, gulping as she and Ruby shared before the dean made another announcement, "Attention students, please proceed to the gym."

And as she said this, Twilight had now managed to push the scanner shut, cutting off the energy drain. The portals began to fade away, the plants all being beheaded as the wormholes closed. As this happened, Flash let out a breath of pain, then fell over into the dirt.

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she and Spike ran over to him, "Are you okay?"

"I don't wanna go to school today." Flash muttered out.

Spike laughed, "He's fine."

"This isn't funny Spike," Twilight growled before looking down at the scanner. "Oh...what do I do?!"





Meanwhile...

"Is everybody all right?" Applejack asked as the Rainbooms regrouped, the girl only now recovering from the previous magic drain.

"Better than all right!" Rainbow cheered, "We won!"

Rarity and Pinkie were about to celebrate with her, but Sunset next words stopped all celebrations in their tracks. "Yeah, we won." She pulled off her helmet, "but somebody could've been seriously hurt. The magic is going haywire and I have no idea how to fix it!"

"Magic?" They all turned to see the Royal Knights, Lightning and his friends all glaring at them. "That's what's going on?" Lightning asked, Sunset now freezing up at his glare.

"Lightning...stop." they all turned to see Flash, Twilight using every bit of her strength to help him up. "Calm down. It's...complicated."

"Obviously," Lightning replied while Iron and Wild ran over to help keep him upright.

With Flash properly cared for, Twilight did a long gulp before turning to the Rainbooms, "Um, excuse me?" They all turned to her, "Um...I uh...I'm sorry. This is um...my fault."

"Why would this weird stuff be your fault? Aren't they changing into flying glowing things?" Wild asked with a raised eyebrow. "You know, except Flash."

Twilight shook her head in response, "No...my scanner is uh...doing this. I um...didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to learn about the strange energy coming from this school. I didn't know that it was magic or...how it works."

Rainbow laughed as she started to walk over to her, "That's okay. Neither do we." But as she got close, Twilight's pendant started beeping again before opening up.

"Oh no!" Twilight yelped as it started sucking Rainbow's magic out of her. "Oh, no no no! Not again!" Everyone gasped, Sunset rushing over to Rainbow as she fell to her knees. "I'm sorry!" Twilight yelled as she started trying to shut the device again, "It just started absorbing the magic on its own, but I'm not sure how!"

Hearing this, Sunset glared at her, "What do you mean you don't know how?! Didn't you make that?!" She reached for the scanner and tried to shut it, but before she could, it unleashed a beam that flew up into the air. After a few feet, the beam burst into a large portal above everyone's heads, this one showing night time.

"You guys are seeing that too, right?" Gorgenia asked.

"Yeah..." Wild nodded with a dropped jaw, "I see it."

"But I don't believe it," Script finished, all staring at the portal as Cinch returned and secretly saw the whole thing.

Twilight groaned as she tried to push the scanner shut, "It also causes these corresponding rifts to appear! I don't know how that works either."

Sunset looked down from the portal and glared at Twilight...and didn't see the Twilight she knew. What she saw was a girl who thought she was too smart to think about the consequences of her actions, one who only cared about what she wanted, not caring about the damage she might do to those around her. What she saw...was herself.

And in a single motion, her face turned red in anger as Sunset yelled, "Is there anything you do know?!" She started getting right up in Twilight's face, "Like how to get our magic back?! Or how to fix the portal to Equestria?!"

Twilight started to backpedal as she whimpered out, "Equestria?"

Sunset didn't answer her question, instead continuing to berate her, "You're supposed to be so smart, but did you ever think that you shouldn't be messing around with something this dangerous?!" She snatched the scanner, using all of her anger induced strength to slam the device shut. "Flash told me you talked to Grand. Didn't he tell you that you shouldn't be messing with this, especially something you don't understand?!"

Doing so closed the portal, Twilight looking close to tears. "But I wanna understand!"

"But you don't!" Sunset slapped the device away. "Instead, you decided to take our magic and hurt us without a care in the world, thinking you're just allowed to do whatever you want. And worst of all, you put the lives of my friends in danger, and you don't care!"

Those last words finally did it, tears now pouring down Twilight's face. "I'm sorry," she squeaked out, "I didn't mean to."

With that, she ran off while beginning to bawl her eyes out. "Twilight!" Spike yelled as he ran after her, "Wait!"

Flash tried to do the same, pushing himself out of the others' grip before falling to his knees. "Flash!" Heather and First knelt down, trying to stop him, "Stop! Don't push yourself."

Sunset was now panting, Rainbow pulling her out of her rage by placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to her friend before sighing, "Sorry." A few glared at the teen, remembering the old version of her for a second before she turned to Iron, "Could you take Flash inside? He'll be okay after some rest." Iron nodded and moved over to help Flash back up, the Royal Knights helping him. Sunset then turned to Lightning, his friends showing nothing but confusion while Lightning was a little hesitant to look at Sunset. Despite this, she said, "Sorry you had to see that. I'm guessing you all probably have a lot of questions," they all nodded. "Well, can you ask Iron or someone else? We...we have other matters to deal with."

"Yeah...I can see that." Lightning replied, biting his lip at the same time before looking at his friends, "Come on." They all nodded, turning away with unsure looks on their faces.

As this happened, Cinch was speaking with Celestia with a death-piercing glare, "You can't possibly call that a fair race."

Celestia frowned back, "Principal Cinch, we all saw what happened. You can't think CHS had some kind of advantage."

"Can't I?" Cinch asked before pointing at Rainbow, "Even without your trained attack plants, your students have wings!"

"Um, principal," Ruby spoke up. "Might I remind you that one of our students also grew wings." Cinch turned to glare at her, Ruby just shrugging back.

Celestia shook her head, "Well, the race certainly had some...extenuating circumstances. Perhaps we should end the games now and declare a tie."

"A tie?!" Cinch gasped, "Was this your strategy all along?! To force us into accepting you as equals?!" Ruby, Cadance and Luna all rolled their eyes as Cinch continued, "I think not! The games will continue and Crystal Prep will prevail despite your antics and whatever performance-enhancing regimen your students are on!" With that, the principal did an almost military turn to the right and marched back into the school.

Once she was gone, Sunset walked up to Celestia, "I'm sorry I couldn't stop all of this from happening."

Celestia shook her head again, "It's not your fault, Sunset."

"Isn't it?" Sunset asked, "I should know how to control the magic I brought here, but I don't." she began to slump over as all her failings began to pile up. "I let everyone down, and now Principal Cinch thinks we're cheating."

Celestia placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder, "It doesn't matter what Principal Cinch thinks."

"But it does," Sunset pulled away, "The students here at CHS don't just wanna win. They wanna beat Crystal Prep. It isn't gonna count if the other side doesn't really think they lost. Crystal Prep is never gonna believe we won fair and square if there's magic around. And that magic is only around...because of me."

Everyone else frowned, not able to reply to her. And as this happened, Celestia saw the glares from Cadance and Ruby. "Perhaps we can start fixing this by explaining a few things."





In another room where magical education was also happening...

Iron had led Flash and the others to the music room, the teen resting on the floor while using his blazer as a cushion. First had gone off to the locker room to collect Flash's stuff, allowing him to change into his regular clothes before resting.

"And that's about it," Heather finished, now staring at Lightning, Script, Gorgenia and Wild as they all shared slack-jawed looks from the story, "I know it's a lot to take in, but it's all completely true."

"It's just..." Script started, "A bit too much."

"Oh, we know." Iron grumbled with crossed arms, "We don't believe it half the time either."

Wild spoke up next, "So what you're saying is..." He turned to Lightning and laughed, "You dated a horse?!"

Lightning glared back at him, Gorgenia chiming in next, "Not the time Wild."

"So Twilight's been stealing the magic from the girls?" Lightning asked as he looked back at Iron, "I'm guessing that's not a good thing."

"You saw what happened," Iron replied, "She stole the portal and now it's getting pumped up by the other magic she stole. If Sunset can't find a way to fix this, who knows what might happen."

"We have to find Twilight," they all turned to the voice, now seeing Flash get up.

Heather ran over to him, "Flash, you have to rest. You're-"

"I'm fine," Flash interrupted, his legs wobbling as he tried to stand up, "I'm...okay. What matters right now is making sure Twilight's okay." Flash's face started to show a tinge of anger, "After what that girl said to her, she's gotta be a wreck."

"Please don't be angry at Sunset," Heather told him. "She's been under a lot of stress and almost seeing her friends get eaten likely put her over the edge. I'm sure once she calms down, she'll want to apologize to Twilight."

"That's fine," Flash grumbled, "But I've gotta find her before she does something stupid. Who knows what might happen if she absorbs any more magic. That scanner could blow us all to kingdom come."

"But we have no idea where she is," Gorgenia added.

"Well it's a good thing I do," they all turned to the door and saw Spike walk inside. Lightning and his friends just stared at the dog as he moved over to Flash, "Twilight wanted me to come check and see if you were alright. My trusty nose can always find you."

"Did...did that dog just speak?" Wild asked.

"Yes, he did. We'll explain later." Flash grumbled as he picked up Spike, "Where's Twilight?"

"She's getting ready for the final event." said a new voice, everyone turning to the room's door to see Cinch. Flash went wide-eyed before trying to hide Spike behind his back, "Don't bother. I spotted your little pet and figured I'd follow, hoping to find Twilight. But I'm glad I found you instead."

"Uh...why?" Flash replied, his words slowly coming out of his mouth.

Cinch grabbed the tip of her glasses and adjusted them, "Flash, it's come to my attention that the only way CHS was able to get to our level is because of the magic they have. In order to put things back on an even footing, Crystal Prep must fight fire with fire."

Everyone shared a glance, Lightning then asking, "Wait...you don't mean you want to use magic, do you?"

"Exactly." Cinch responded, everyone going wide-eyed.

"Are you insane?!" Flash yelped while Spike leapt out from behind him and growled.

"I am not," Cinch replied before glaring down at the dog. "It's only fair that if CHS insists on cheating, the only way to level to playing field is to use the same method."

"The girls aren't cheating," Heather told her. "They don't know how their magic works. In fact, they wanted to compete without it. Twilight's the one that's been causing all these problems."

Flash shot her a glare, but Cinch took his attention back as she said, "Of course you'd say that, since it's your school that's cheating." She then walked up and put a hand on Flash's shoulder, "Now then, are you ready to do what you must for your school?"

"No!" Flash swatted her hand away, "I'm not gonna use something I know nothing about just so you can win some stupid game."

"You will use the magic," Cinch growled as she walked back to the door before pointing at him, "Don't forget, your entire educational life is in my hands. And not just yours."

"Hang on. He probably couldn't do it if he wanted too," Lightning chimed in. "Twilight's pendant thingy zapped all the magic out of him."

Flash glanced at him before nodding, "Yeah, that's right. And it did the same to the rest of the girls. None of us have any magic. It's all inside Twilight's device." He then went wide-eyed as he realized what he had said before seeing a sinister smile appear on Cinch's lips. "No. You can't!"

"Oh, but I can and will. Twilight will use the magic and claim victory for Crystal Prep."

"There's no way she'd do that," he barked back, "You're crazy!"

"Oh, she will do as I say. After all, she and I have an agreement." She shined an extra big grin as she saw confusion grace Flash's face, "What, she didn't tell you? If Crystal Prep loses the games, then I'll be forced to expel a certain student. You."

"WHAT?!" Flash screeched, about to run after her before she pulled her arms out and grabbed the room's doors, slamming them shut. "HEY!"

"I'm sorry, but it seems none of you will be able to attend the final event of the games. Don't worry, I'll make sure someone's filming so you can see us beat this school once again later."

The eight teens and puppy then ran to the door, only for a clicking noise to sound out. They quickly tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge, "Let me out!" Flash yelled before beginning to bang on the doors, "LET ME OUT!"

"Flash, its no use." Lightning pulled him away, "She's locked it."

"How the heck did she get a key?!" Heather asked next.

"That does not matter now," First told her. "What matters is getting out of here and warning Twilight before it is too late."

But as these words left First's mouth, they fell on deaf ears as Flash pulled himself out of Lightning's grip and started slamming on the doors again.





Outside, everyone was waiting for the final event while standing at the front of the school. Cadance and Luna then walked up, Luna holding a pair of flags while Cadance explained, "Since the score's tied, the final event will determine the winner of the Friendship Games."

Luna waved the flags. "Somewhere on campus, a pennant from each school has been hidden. The first team to find their school's flag and bring it back wins."

Cadance nodded in response, "And as soon as our teams are ready, we'll begin."

As this happened, the Rainbooms stared at the Shadowbolts as Fluttershy said, "I um...I don't feel like playing these games anymore."

"But we have to play," Rainbow told her. "This is the last event!"

Rarity sighed and shook her head, "It is a little hard to focus with all the magic stealing and portal opening."

"And I feel awful about what I said to Twilight," Sunset moaned as she slumped over before looking at the opposing group. There she saw the girl in question, a look of panic on her face as she shook like a leaf. She also noticed that Flash wasn't there.

"Especially since she obviously didn't mean to do all the stuff she did," Sunset heard Fluttershy say. "She's actually really nice." This made Sunset facepalm, causing the rest of the girls to shoot Fluttershy a glare, making her slowly hide behind Pinkie.

Applejack then patted Sunset's shoulder, "Come on Sunset, let's just get through this last event and prove we're not a bunch of cheaters. Then you can go over and apologize." Sunset did a small nod of agreement, happy to see her friends were still with her.

As this happened, Twilight kept looking around for Flash, only for Cinch to walk in front of the Shadowbolts, "Girls, I'm afraid Mr. Sentry is still feeling a little worn out due to what happened during the last event." This made Twilight gasp, her eyes shrinking at the statement as Cinch continued, "As such, Miss Zap will be standing in for him during the last event."

"Aw yeah!" The girl pumped her arms. "Let's do this!"

"Hang on, does it even matter?" Sunny asked, "How are we supposed to win against a bunch of girls that can do what they did before."

Cinch shook her head before glaring at the girls in question, "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 this odd things they can do at their disposal, beating Crystal Prep is simply not an option."

"What if they grow wings again?" Sugarcoat asked, "I mean, Flash was the only one affected by that weird stuff. We can't do that."

"A fair question," Cinch turned to Twilight, "Though I believe we can now fight fire with fire." Twilight began to shrink back, placing her hand on the scanner nervously. "I've seen what your device can do Twilight. Containing magical energy is fine, but have you considered releasing it?"

Twilight's eyes shrunk at the suggestion, making her squeak out, "But...but I don't even understand how it works."

"But you'd like to," Cinch told her as the rest of the Shadowbolts began to crowd around her. "And since our opponents have already used it to stay competitive, I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same." She leaned down, glaring right into the shivering teen's eyes, "Unless of course, you don't care about what happens to Flash." Twilight's heart almost stopped. "Or have no interest in Everton. Though honestly, I think there's more knowledge packed in that little device than any independent study program could offer."

She then tapped the device, a huge grin on her face as she asked one last question, "What do you think you should do?"





Meanwhile...

"Three...two...ONE!" Flash, Lightning and Iron all body tackled the door, the wood not even budging as they all fell back.

Spike ran up next, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Flash groaned as he picked himself up. "Again."

"It's useless Flash," First told him. "This room was designed to be soundproof. Every inch of it is reinforced so sound will be unable to get through."

Heather nodded in agreement, "Not even a battering ram could get through it."

"We have to," Flash slammed a fist into door before falling back again, "I'm supposed to protect her." He groaned as he everyone stared at him, "But now...but now I might be why she gets hurt."

"Flash," Gorgenia placed a hand on his shoulder, "This isn't your fault."

"You heard Cinch. Twilight's only doing this because she threatened to expel me." He looked down in shame, "I always thought the reason I met Twilight and became her friend was so she could be safe. But now...now I'm putting her in danger, and its all my fault."

"Flash, Cinch would have just used some other way to blackmail her even if you weren't here." Spike told him as he placed his head in Flash's lap. "You might not see it, but you give Twilight strength. Even when you're not there, your influence has made her stronger. Not strong enough to not be taken advantage of, but that's just because she's gotten use to you being there."

"He's right," Lightning added, "She'll learn to stand up for herself without you, but it'll take time. You need to stand back and let her face stuff alone, and when that time comes, she'll tell you when she needs your help." He then looked back at the door, "But this is a time you do need to be there for her."

Flash sighed and shook his head, getting back up as he glared at the door. "I know. I need to get out of here now."

"Let's try one more time." Iron added as they got ready to charge. But as they got into position-

Click, click, clack.

"Anyone in here?" Everyone went wide-eyed as they saw Grand open the door, "What are you all doing in here? I heard banging, and-" He didn't get to finish as he was suddenly tackled by Flash, the teen hugging him tight enough to almost break his bones.

"Thank you!" He yelled, tears almost streaming from his eyes. Before Grand could ask what was going on, Flash let him go and shot down the corridor with Spike by his side.

"What the heck?!" He asked as Lightning and the others raced out of the music room.

"Sorry gramps, no time!" his grandson yelled back.

"Magical emergency!" Heather added as they ran. Grand blinking at the sight before trying to run after them.

Flash was at the front of the group, running as fast as he could with Spike at his heels. They then reached the doors and burst through them, now finding themselves at the side of the school. "This way!" Spike told him, running around the building with the humans following after him.

They soon came across the back of a large group of Crystal Prep students, all raising an eyebrow as they heard them singing. But it was the words they sung that scared Flash. "Unleash the magic! Free the magic!" Flash then saw Twilight walking out to the center of the field, the teen and Spike beginning to push through the group as they heard Cadance speak.

"The last event of the Friendship Games begins..."

He then reached the front and saw Twilight holding up her pendant. "Twilight!" Spike cried as she began to open it, Sunset running up to stop her.

"NO!" Flash yelled, jumping at her to do the same.

But it was too late. Twilight opened the pendant, causing a blinding white light to explode out.