//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: The Game Of A Lifetime 
// Story: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - The Soul Complex 
// by Nasic the Amazon 
//------------------------------//

It was less than two days ago when Austin woke up in a body that wasn't his and a lot of things have happened. From almost dying driving a car to having an intense conversation with Sunset Shimmer. It was a hell of a day, but nothing came close to what he was feeling now. 

“OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!” he was thinking while sitting beside Fluttershy “I can't believe I’m in front of them! I can actually talk to them!”

The school day was halfway over as recess was just beginning. The group of friends walked out of the school and decided it was the perfect time for Applejack and Rainbow Dash to talk. Applejack started to move towards Rainbow while the rest of the group went to sit on the seats around the small outdoor football field.

He was a little hungry but Fluttershy’s beauty managed to get his full attention. She was wearing a tami top shirt and a light green skirt that reached her ankles. But the most beautiful part was her face. It was as if she were a supermodel.

“If this was the real world, Twitter would kill me for having a crush on fictional characters,” he thought. “Come to think of it, everyone here doesn't have any flaws in their facial features…”

“Excuse me for asking and I'm sorry if I didn't hear earlier but, what may be your name?” Fluttershy asked with a sweet voice. 

“Oh, my name is Austin” he responded while returning her smile.

“Oh, really nice to meet you Austin,” she said with glowing eyes “I just wanted to thank you for helping us clear up the problem we had before. I'm sorry you had to see us fight like that…” 

“No worries, I have a distinct ability to fix other people’s problems. It was no big deal” 

Hearing this made Fluttershy trust him even more than before. She hadn't met him before so at first, she was afraid, but now it was different. She was sure Austin wasn't a bad person and that made her feel safe.

While all of them were talking, Applejack’s boots could be heard squishing the grass as she walked towards Rainbow Dash. She was ashamed of the misinformation from the situation, and to face Rainbow like this would put a little strain on her but it was something she was willing to do. 

Rainbow Dash was at the center of the field getting ready to kick some practice goals. She looked as cool as ever with her sports outfit, her hair moving through the wind and her light blue skin shining as sweat went down her body.

“Rainbow Dash....” Applejack announced as Rainbow turned towards her “H-hello…” 

“What do you want?” she asked in an annoyed tone “Here to ask me ANOTHER favor?”

As she finished her question, she kicked a football so hard it shot into the net. It was easy to move due to the two-piece sports outfit she was wearing being able to be really flexible.

“About that... “ Applejack continued “There was a misunderstanding”

Rainbow quickly turned towards her. 

“Is that so? So you mean you didn't intentionally make me move the softball game two days after the actual Bake Sale only to be met with an empty field?” Rainbow responded while walking closer to Applejack in an aggressive way “Do you know what you did? You made me look like an idiot in front of all my classmates! Do you know how humiliating that is?!”

Applejack managed to keep her eyes looking straight at Rainbow even if it was hard to do so. She needed to survive her verbal attack before being able to explain.

“It was a misunderstanding because I never told you to move the game…” 

“Oh? I thought you were always honest Applejack! What happened to all that about honesty? Because what you just said is a LIE! I have the messages to prove it” 

“It wasn't me who sent you those messages… It was Sunset Shimmer” Applejack finally said.

This took Rainbow by surprise, what does Sunset have to do with this?

“Are you sure about that? Because it clearly has your name as the person who sent those messages” Rainbow explained. 

“We don't know how she did it, but the same thing happened with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie… Sunset sent them messages which in turn made them fight” 

“How do I know I can trust you?” 

Applejack waited a couple of seconds as she thought about what to say. It was a hard question to respond to, but an important one nonetheless.

“You don't have to trust me Rainbow… just trust your friends. They know what really happened… and when they figured out why they were fighting they were quick to make up” she finally responded “I'm sorry I didn't come to you to clear up what happened… I just thought that you made me look like a liar in front of everyone on purpose… I'm so sorry”

Rainbow took a few steps back. This was surprising to her but her honesty was straight in her face. She thought for a second and realized it would make sense. Sunset has hated them throughout the school years, and from what Applejack just showed she really does regret it. 

“I… I’m also sorry for not talking to you beforehand. I just felt that you changed the date because you didn't want me to ruin the sale with all my extreme sports” she said. 

“I would never do that Rainbow… And even if I did, it would have been because you would steal the show at the event” Applejack responded with a chuckle that made even Rainbow Dash smile. 

A few seconds of silence happened as both students processed the situation when Applejack decided to continue.

“Friends?”

“Friends” Rainbow said as they both shook each other's hand.

Back in the seats Austin and Fluttershy continued talking. 

“I have always loved animals, they are just the most precious things! I remember when my dad first got me a dog. I was very little and he always wanted to play, but every time I would go back into the house covered in dog hair. I was so covered that my parents called me a furball” She said with excitement. 

Austin laughed at her comment. He never expected her to be this 3 dimensional. Before, all he could go by when analyzing her was by pretty limited animated shorts and the movies, but here she has more to her than the books made her out to be. 

“Could I ask one last question?” Fluttershy asked.

“Shoot away”

“Do you think they will make up? They have been there for a while and I’m just scared things might not end up well” she said with a worried face. 

“No need to worry. I'm a professional in this, they should be coming here any second now” 

Just as he finished saying that Rarity entered the conversation. 

“Look! Here they come!” She said as both Applejack and Rainbow dash walked towards the seats. 

“Somebody, and I think we all know who, sent a message to Rainbow Dash saying my Bake sale had been moved to a different day” Applejack exclaimed “Then Rainbow showed up with all the softball team and thought I canceled on her” 

Just as this was explained, Rainbow looked at Twilight for a few seconds. She wanted to see the person who stood up to Sunset Shimmer. 

“So… you are looking to de-throne Sunset Shimmer and become the princess of the fall formal huh?” she asked with curious eyes. 

Twilight nodded her head nervously in response.

“Gotta say, I would really love to see that happen! I’ll totally help you out” she continued while kicking a football up and down “All you gotta do is beat me in a game of one on one” 

This made Twilight freak out a little. She didn't know anything about this world and now she needed to compete in a sport she hasn't even heard of. 

“W-what?” she exclaimed with worry. 

“First to five goals win!” Rainbow responded while also kicking the ball hard enough to make a goal “1-0!” 

Twilight gets up and prepares herself for the challenge but does not know WHAT to actually do. Seeing her distress, Austin gets up and walks towards her. 

“It's okay. This is just a 1v1 practice, which means you don't have to follow any technical rules” he said, trying to physically comfort her “Just make sure to kick the ball with your legs, never grab it. The goal is to make the football hit the net of the opposing team”

She looked at him while analyzing his words and then nodded. 

“Wish me luck!” she said while heading towards the center of the field. 

“You got this!” Austin replied, waving at her.

Rarity took notice of them and got just a tiny bit curious about their relationship. 

“So… darling, what may your name be?” she asked with a polite tone. 

“Oh, I’m Austin Bradly. It's a pleasure to meet you all” He responded. 

“The pleasure is all mine!” Pinki said while walking around him “Wait! Aren't you someone that lives in Equestria City? The same as Twilight?” 

Austin gets a little bit nervous due to that question, he has to watch what he says. 

“You could say we’re good friends. I promised her I would help you guys out” 

“By the way, I wanted to ask about that. Why is she so interested in us? She barely knows us and we barely know her” Rarity asked curiously. 

“Ahm, well... The only thing I can say is that she has a kind heart and she's willing to do anything to help others. I think she saw how you guys were having trouble and decided to help you out” Austin remarked. 

“Well I gotta say, she did help us out in the end. We’re grateful to both of y'all” Applejack said with a smile. 

“It's no problem. Twilight did all the work really, I don't deserve your praise” he said as an autopilot answer.

His response caught them by surprise. They never expected this, especially after playing a big part in why they were all able to forgive each other, but to Austin he just thought the same he always did: He is just dirt on the ground, helping others is why he exists. 

Before any of them could respond, Twilight and Rainbow Dash caught all of their attention.  

Rainbow could be seen running as Twilight prepared to stop the ball from touching the net. She still wasn't sure what to do completely but her determination was stronger than her fear.

“I CAN DO THIS!” She thought as her opponent closed the distance between them. 

With a fast and seamless move, Rainbow lifted up the ball and kicked it so hard Twilight barely was able to crouch down and avoid getting hit. 

“2-0!” Rainbow said while walking towards Twilight. 

She picked up the ball from the net and placed it in front of Twi, but before she could do anything with it Rainbow snatched it with her foot and kicked it towards her net. 

“3-0,” she said while making a competitive face.

This made Austin start to think. What if in this timeline Rainbow doesn’t help them because Twilight loses? It's a long stretch, but anything can happen now and nothing is guaranteed. 

“Do I risk it? Or do I try to help?” he thought while watching Rainbow Dash score another point “No… I have trust in Rainbow Dash. She would not be that kind of person”

It was the last point now and Twilight had the ball. She started to run with it but it was hard to maintain it centered with her new body. Luckily she managed to be in a position where she could kick it towards the net. And before she knew it her leg moved to a kicking position. She poured all her strength and impacted the ball, but the impact was so weak that the football only rolled towards Rainbow, who was guarding the goal. 

She stopped the ball from hitting the net and then kicked it towards Twilight’s side. The football went flying far and perfectly hit the net in the middle as if it were a bullseye. 

“5-0!” She celebrated as Twilight fell on the grass while breathing heavily “That’s game!”

“WAIT!” Austin exclaimed as Rainbow walked towards Twilight.

All the girls looked at him, trying to anticipate what his next words would be. He didn't know why he spoke up, it was like what happened with Sunset Shimmer the night before. As if his body WANTED this to happen. 

“I know you said it was a 1v1… but… could we do one last point? This time 2v1?” he asked “You see, Twilight doesn't really do sports but she tried her best! And well…”

Suddenly he remembered what Twilight from Crystal Prep told him. Jake was good at sports! And with all that's happened to him, Austin knew his body was capable of keeping up with Rainbow. He needed to gain her attention and convince her, lucky he knew how.

“I'm one of the best at my school. So if you are looking for a challenge the two of us might be able to do something” he finished with an unintentional smirk. 

Rainbow looked at him for a while. She was thinking hard about what she would do. She had planned to test Twilight’s determination by making her play, and she passed, but this boy was different. 

“What's your name?” She asked.

“Austin Bradly” 

“Well, Austin I gotta say… I do love a challenge. You're on!” She said while helping Twilight up. 

“2v1, same rules as before. ONE GOAL wins everything” 

Austin turned to look at Twilight who was still breathing heavily. She smiled at him. Knowing he had her back was a big relief, but now they had to work together. 

The two of them walked towards their side of the field. 

“What are we gonna do?” Twilight asked him. 

“Ok, I think that the most optimal strategy is for you to maintain a defensive position while I go on the offensive. I'll try to make her stay away, and if she ever kicks the ball from afar, you'll be able to easily stop it. And keep in mind that you can stop it with your hands”

“Wha? I thought I could only kick it” she said in confusion. 

“You can only grab it if you are the goalkeeper” 

“Oh… I didn't know that…” 

“That’s why I’m here,” Austin responded. 

Twilight couldn't hope but smile as they got in their positions.

“I'll let you have the ball Austin! Make sure to give it your all!” Rainbow said as she threw the football towards him. 

The ball rolled right between his legs and stopped in front. He didn't know why this was happening, if his body demanded to do this then the only thing he could do was roll with it. 

“Come on Austin, the best way to win is if my body takes full control,” he thought while touching the ball with his foot. 

For the first time, he let his body move on its own. By instinct. He lifted the ball and mimicked the way Rainbow Dash was moving before. With his super memory and his autopilot body, he managed to maintain the ball in the air for about 5 seconds before it slipped from his leg. It might have been short, but he understood exactly what to do and how to do it. 

Before heading into the storm that was Rainbow Dash he tried to remember all the instances he has seen Soccer in his world. As soon as he thought he was ready, his legs began to move. 
He could feel the wind pushing against his body, brushing through his hair. 

He kicked the ball with his left foot, then his right one in a way that made it possible to control it without a problem.

“It seems you've played Soccer before, right Jake?” he thought while easily controlling his movement.

Rainbow Dash was surprised. This kid who she barely knew was doing advanced soccer techniques that she did, copying her. 

“OH, IT'S ON!” Rainbow thought as she started to run towards him. 

A few seconds passed and both of them were now at the center of the field. A fierce battle began as Austin moved the ball from left to right and Rainbow Dash followed him. She wasn't planning on letting him past her. The ball moved so fast that only they could follow what was happening. 

“Wow…” all the girls in the stands said. 

Even Twilight was amazed at his level of skill. Compared to everyone Austin was playing like the best player in the world, but not for Rainbow. She was easily catching up to him. This didn't catch him by surprise though. 

As fast as he could, his body tried multiple techniques he had seen back in his world. Some of them were getting canceled by Rainbow, but a few surprised her. As the battle continued both of them clashed with each other until Austin finally managed to fool her. He did an easy lift-off on the ball and it passed right on top of Rainbow. 
Soon Austin passed her and headed towards the ball. 

Surprised by this, Rainbow stopped holding back. 

“Let's get serious!” She thought while catching up to Austin.

From the movement, their bodies showed how both of them had the stamina of athletes and the physical capability to back up each hit they did on the ball. 

Rainbow caught up and with a quick move from her leg took the ball away from Austin’s feet, but before she could get away with it Austin showed a fast reaction. He stopped her with his left foot. It became a struggle. The ball went from left to right as the control switched from one of the players to the other. 

The victory of the struggle was Rainbow Dash as she made Austin trip and lose his balance. She began to run towards Twilight as panic could be seen in the goalkeeper’s eyes. She was so close to kicking the ball, but Austin managed to pass her and block the ball with his body. 
The football flew in the air for a couple of seconds and hit the grass behind Rainbow Dash but before she could react Austin took the first steps and managed to get it first. 

With Rainbow Dash behind him, he had the perfect chance to shoot and hit the goal. He ran and ran until being 10 meters from the net, but as he kicked the ball he slipped due to a little bit of wet grass. This made the ball fly so far that it left school grounds. 

“Ow!” Austin exclaimed as his clothes started to get wet. 

Rainbow Dash stared at him amazed while he got up. She had never seen anyone hit the ball that hard, but what surprised her more was the way he moved. He kept up with her without even sweating.

“Dude… That was... AWESOME!” she said in between deep breaths. 

“Thanks… but you were even more awesome” he responded with a smile. 

This made her heart skip a beat. It wasn't every day she met someone as skilled as her on the field and for him to show such sportsmanship made her very happy. 

“I guess this means we lost?” Austin continued “I kind of accidentally made the ball fly to the moon” 

Before Rainbow could answer all the girls were walking towards them. 

“That was AMAZING!” Pinkie fanboyed.

“That was really exciting” Fluttershy joined in. 

“Now that's what I call hard work!” Applejack said.

Rainbow turned towards Austin and made a confident face. 

“You played your heart out there, both of you. I respect that, but most importantly that's a quality NEEDED in a Fall Formal Princess” she said while looking at Twilight “Of course I will help you guy’s out”

Twilight smiled so much her cheeks started to hurt. She immediately went towards Austin and hugged him. 

“Thank you!” she said, but no one gave a response. 

It was… weird. No one has hugged him in more than 4 years, and to him, it felt uncomfortable. He was used to“Thank you” or “Thanks” or even a punch to the face, but a hug? 

He slowly pushed her back, trying to calm her down. 

“It’s no problem, what are friends for right?” he said with a nervous tone. 

“Let's go!” Pinkie screamed with multiple canons of confetti firing.

And as all of them began to laugh at the now covered with confetti Pinkie, Sunset Shimmer looked from far away at the group. She wasn't disappointed, she was mostly amazed at the moves Austin showed when playing against Rainbow. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Rainbow try her best, especially in a practice match. 
Nonetheless, he decided to ignore Sunset’s advice. 

“Dammit!” she thought while looking at the group laughing. 

She wasn't mad that Austin had chosen to be a bump in the road, she was mad that they were all having a good time. The laughter they emanated reminded her of why she separated them in the first place. Who would have thought that a little bit of jealousy could hurt a lot of people?

She remembered the feeling of loneliness she had 3 years ago. And seeing them laugh together made her angry. She didn’t want to feel that pain… the only way to forget is to remove reminders… and that’s what she did.

While she was thinking, Snips and Snails were cracking up with laughter. 

“Stop laughing! You might attract unwanted attention!” she whispered towards them.

As a response, they showed her their phones. There were multiple pictures of Twilight and Austin playing soccer against Rainbow Dash. The pictures alone were harmless, but with a little editing, they could become something more... useful. 

As she saw them, plans were starting to form in her head. Plans that would shut Twilight down and kick Austin from the school. A little devilish smile could be seen forming on her face.