//------------------------------//
// 33.- On Our Way to the Round of Eight! 
// Story: Canterlot High's Sports Challenge 
// by LiQuiD 
//------------------------------//



 


- CHAPTER 33 -



ON OUR WAY TO THE ROUND OF EIGHT!






As soon as you open the Principal Celestia's office door you see Superintendent Discord giving you a warm but at the same time menacing embrace.

"Good morning Anon...how are you feeling today?" He asks, while sipping some coffee.

"I-uh good I guess, what's this all about?" You say, feeling a bit of distrust towards the ill-intentioned official standing in front of you. Both Celestia and Luna are wondering that too, they look like they didn't get any sleep and that their nerves are about to crack in any second.

"Why don't you take a seat over here?" Superintendent Discord says as he grabs your shoulder and forces you to sit down, causing you to feel a bit of pain on your arm and on your bruised knee from the sudden movement, "I want to discuss something with you for a bit. You know, just a nonchalant chat. Want some coffee?"

"I already had some with Sunset...thanks," you kindly reject his offer, Superintendent Discord just chuckles and places his feet on Principal Celestia's desk...staining some important documents she had on it with some coffee drops and some mud from his shoes.

"I'll get straight to the point Anon. Congratulations on your victory yesterday," he says it, "it seems it even made it to the news..."

"You didn't look so pleased yesterday Superintendent..." you say with a tone of defiance while both Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna give a horrorized look at your bold words, "in fact you seemed to root for Kindiak Park team all the time."

"...What can I say?" Superintendent Discord grabs his spoon and messes around with his coffee for a bit, "I guess I didn't want the team who has relied on outside help to move on to the round of eight."

"Outside help?" You say in disbelief.

"It seems that both your team and Pleasantview High have made some...connections over the past few weeks, Principal High Noon of Pleasantview High confirmed that your team and the one led by that girl Sandy Prattle have been seeing each other for training sessions.

"And I'm calling it RIGGING!" Superintendent Discord suddenly stands up and slams some paperwork on Principal Celestia's desk that can be read as a just cause to disqualify both Canterlot High and Pleasantview High, there are some signatures on it, Kindiak Park's Principal and Superintendent Discord's of course, "all of this was orchestrated by YOU and that blondie girl!"

"ME?!" You angrily say, "that's ridiculous, Superintendent Discord...that's slander! In any case, if we had to rig the competition, we would STILL have to face each other! Have you looked at the qualifying table? Any of our teams can be eliminated at any time! That doesn't prove anything! We trained together to get better in our respective events! That's all."

"Anon! Control yourself!" Vice Principal Luna angrily yells at you as Principal Celestia almost faints after hearing your outburst.

"Ha ha ha..." Superintendent Discord however lets out a small laugh, impressed by your sudden will to keep on fighting, "tell me exactly, why did you do this anyways? Think fast though, if your reason is not good enough...I'll have you expelled from Canterlot High. Not the team, but the school."

You take a deep breath and look at Superintendent Discord in the eyes. You know he's just trying to intimidate you, but you refuse to back down. You think about your teammates, your captain, and all the hard work you've put into preparing for the sports challenge.

"We trained with Pleasantview High because we wanted to improve our skills and have some friendly competition," you say firmly, "we didn't rig anything. We didn't cheat. We just wanted to be the best we could be."

Superintendent Discord raises an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "And why didn't you tell anyone about these training sessions? Why keep it a secret?"

You pause, thinking about your answer. "We didn't think it was necessary to tell anyone. We weren't doing anything wrong. And we didn't want to distract from the competition itself. We all became friends in the process."

Superintendent Discord leans back in his chair, stroking his goatee. "Interesting. But unfortunately, I don't believe you."

You feel a pit in your stomach as he continues. "In fact, I have reason to believe that your team and Pleasantview High have been colluding to cheat...sorry, I mean...help each other out," Superintendent Discord says with quotations, "and I have evidence to back it up."

He pulls out a folder from his briefcase and tosses it onto Principal Celestia's desk. "Take a look at these documents. They show multiple instances of both teams working together to gain an unfair advantage over the other competitors."

You feel your heart sink as you skim through the documents. They include photographs of your team at Pleasantview High and screenshots of the texts Sandy sent to Nelly...perhaps forced out of her phone by principal High Noon, along with more photos of your team with the Pleasantview High team training together, sharing tips and strategies, and your training sessions with Sandy and Nelly.

"This is all a misunderstanding," you say desperately, trying to come up with a way to explain away the 'evidence'. "We were just trying to help each other out. We didn't mean to cheat!"

But Superintendent Discord just shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Anon. But the evidence is clear. You and your team have violated the rules of the sports challenge. And as the superintendent, it's my duty to take action."

He stands up and heads for the door. "Consider yourselves disqualified from the competition. And as for you, Anon," he turns back to you with a cold smile, "I think it's time for you to find a new school."

You watch in shock as he leaves the room, leaving you and the principals behind. Principal Celestia looks like she's about to cry, and Vice Principal Luna looks like she's ready to punch someone.

"What am I going to do?" you ask, feeling helpless.

Principal Celestia takes a deep breath and looks at you with determination. "We're going to fight this. We're going to prove that you and your team did nothing wrong. And we're going to make sure that Superintendent Discord doesn't get away with this."

You nod, feeling a glimmer of hope. You know it won't be easy, but you're not willing to give up without a fight. You and the principals begin to plan your next move, determined to clear your name and get back into the sports challenge.

"That sneaky Superintendent...he's really trying his best to get us out of the competition using dirty tricks. Can't you submit an appeal to the Ministry of Education Principal Celestia?" You angrily say, "he's on a power trip!"

"I will Anon..." Principal Celestia tries to clear the tears off her face. "I'll make some calls. You keep on training, here's the list of events that will take place in the next couple of weeks."

You read the list of events from a paper Celestia gave you, "...Volleyball, Hurdling, Javelin throw and Racewalking...huh, these should be interesting."





As you get out of the Principal's office, you meet up with your teammates to discuss the situation. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE OUT OF THE COMPETITION?!" Rainbow Dash angrily yells as she shakes you by your shirt, "what did you DO?! What am I going to do?!"

"RELAX CAPTAIN!" You angrily swat away Rainbow Dash's hands, she steps off from your sudden violent outburst, "You're out of the competition and I have been expelled...stop thinking about yourself for once and let me finish okay?!"

Rainbow Dash looks taken aback by your response, and the rest of your teammates exchange worried glances. "Sorry, Anon," she says, sheepishly.

"It's fine, Dash," you say, taking a deep breath to calm yourself down. "We're not out of the competition yet. Principal Celestia is going to appeal the decision, and we're going to keep training for the next events. We're not giving up."

Just then, Pinkie Pie pops up from behind a nearby plant, holding a tray of cupcakes. "Did someone say cupcakes?" she asks, grinning widely.

Everyone groans.

"Timing Pinkie Pie..." Sonata Dusk says, placing a hand on her hip.

"You klutz..." Aria adds rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

"Pinkie, this is not the time for cupcakes," Twilight says, shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose as her glasses rest on her fingers.

"But cupcakes make everything better!" Pinkie insists, offering the tray to everyone.

"Actually, I could use a cupcake," Fluttershy says, taking one from the tray.

Bulk Biceps and Applejack both grab one too, but you decline. "No thanks, Pinkie. I'm not really hungry right now."

"Okay, but if you change your mind, I've got a rainbow-colored one with your name on it!" Pinkie says, winking at you.

Rainbow Dash blushes and snatches it away from Pinkie's tray, causing her to protest.

"Hey, that was for Anon!" Pinkie pouts, crossing her arms.

You let out a chuckle, "it's okay Pinkie, I guess Rainbow couldn't stand watching me eat her out," Pinkie tries her best not to laugh at your slightly dirty joke made at Rainbow's expense and her resemblance to the cupcake. Rainbow blushes hard and blurts out "I hate you so much Anon..." from the sudden embarrassment.

The rest of the group bursts out laughing, including Twilight who is trying to stifle her giggles behind her hand. Even Sonata and Aria can't help but crack a smile.

"Anon, that was so inappropriate," Twilight scolds, though she's still grinning.

"I couldn't resist," you say, shrugging. "Besides, Rainbow has been teasing me all week. It's only fair that I get my revenge."

Rainbow shakes her head, still red-faced. "You're impossible, Anon."

"But we still love him," Fluttershy says, giving Rainbow a reassuring pat on the back.

Rainbow rolls her eyes but can't help but smile. She takes a bite of the cupcake and lets out a contented sigh. "Okay, maybe cupcakes do make everything better."

Suddenly, the door to the Principal's office bursts open, and Vice Principal Luna rushes out, looking panicked. "Everyone, we have a problem!" she says. "Superintendent Discord just announced that he's canceling the rest of the sports challenge!"

"What?!" everyone shouts in unison.

"Apparently, he's claiming that there have been too many incidents and that it's not safe to continue," Vice Principal Luna explains.

"This is ridiculous!" Rainbow Dash yells. "We can't let him get away with this!"

"We won't," Principal Celestia says, emerging from her office. "I've contacted the Ministry of Education, and they're sending someone to investigate Superintendent Discord's actions. We just have to be patient and wait for their decision."

Principal Celestia gets inside her beat-up car and Luna follows behind stashing some boxes of paperwork in the trunk, then she gets inside the car, "you keep on training, we'll handle this!" Luna says as Celestia drives off.

You ponder for a bit "...maybe there was some ill-action behind those pictures. Foul play if you will."

"Pictures? What pictures?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Someone must've ratted us out claiming we were rigging the competition by presenting Superintendent Discord out-of-context pictures of us at Pleasantview High..." you continue thinking, "couldn't be Zephyr Breeze...he didn't follow us there."

Fluttershy sinks from the embarrassment her brother has caused her, but doesn't blame you for thinking he must've done it, after all, yesterday's events exposed his ill-nature against you once again.

"Hmm...maybe was somebody at Pleasantview High?" You keep on pondering as a sudden idea of the culprit gets into your mind, "...ARTIC THUNDER!"

"The guy who beat me up, and that Nelly ended up almost destroying him, remember?" you say.

"Oh, that guy!" Rainbow Dash says, nodding her head. "But why would he do something like that? He doesn't even know us."

"That's true, but he could have been paid to do it," you suggest. "Or maybe he has a grudge against one of us for some reason."

"I don't like this," Fluttershy says, looking worried. "I hope the Ministry of Education finds out the truth soon."

"Me too," Rainbow Dash says, putting a reassuring hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "But for now, let's focus on our training. We can't let this setback stop us from being the best team we can be."

"Right," you say, determined to not let this stop you from achieving your goals. "We'll keep practicing and be ready for whatever comes next."

Suddenly you receive a phone call...it's Nelly, but instead of using her delightful voice she cries into the speaker, almost deafening you.

"ANOOOOON" She cries and sobs loudly, "OUR TEAM HAS BEEN DISQUALIFIEEEEED!"

"Nelly! I'm so glad to hear your voice right now...yeah, something bad really happened right now. How are your sisters taking the news?" You ask.

"They're devastated, Anon," Nelly sobs. "My sisters were training when they received the news, and now everything's ruined..."

"That's terrible, Nelly," you say sympathetically. "But we can't give up just yet. We need to find out who's behind all of this and clear our names. Have you talked to anyone at Pleasantview High who might know something?"

"My sister Sandy is speaking with Principal High Noon, and Mirage has been trying to get in touch with some of the students we met there, but no one's answering," Nelly says. "I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry, Nelly, I'll handle this," you say confidently. "Just focus on taking care of your sisters and let me take care of the rest. I'll keep you updated on any developments."

"Thank you, Anon," Nelly says, her voice still shaky with emotion. "I knew I could count on you."

"Look, I think I might have a culprit, remember that guy who hated my guts and who you rejected once? Artic Thunder? The guy you almost send to the morgue..."

"A-ANON?! What are you saying?!" Nelly gets all flustered, "I did it because he was mean to you remember?" she whispers.

You reassure Nelly that you were just joking and that you appreciate her loyalty and support. You explain your theory about Artic Thunder being the one responsible for the out-of-context pictures that led to the disqualification of their team. Nelly listens intently and agrees that it's a possibility.

"I remember seeing him lurking around during the competition," Nelly says. "Maybe he took those pictures and gave them to Superintendent Discord to sabotage us."

"But how do we prove it?" Nelly asks.

"We'll have to investigate and gather evidence," you say. "Maybe we can talk to some of the students at Pleasantview High who might have seen or heard something. We could also try to track down Artic Thunder himself and see if he slips up and gives himself away."

Nelly nods in agreement, "I'm in, Anon. Let's do this!"

You smile, feeling grateful for Nelly's unwavering support and determination. "Alright, let's get to work. We'll need all the help we can get if we're going to clear our names and get back in the competition."

"It's definitely worth looking into," you say. "I'll talk to the others and we'll try to gather some evidence."

"Be careful, Anon," Nelly warns. "Artic Thunder is not someone to be messed with."

"Don't worry, Nelly. We'll handle it," you say confidently.

You end the call and turn to the others. "Guys, I have a strong suspicion that Artic Thunder might be behind our disqualification," you say.

Everyone looks at you with surprise and curiosity.

"Remember how he beat me up and how Nelly almost destroyed him?" you ask. "He clearly has a grudge against us. And Nelly said she remembered seeing him lurking around during our training sessions. Maybe he took those pictures and gave them to Superintendent Discord to sabotage us."

"That's a possibility," Rainbow Dash says, nodding her head. "We need to gather some evidence however."

"One thing is for sure, I can't let him get away with this...." You spot a familiar bus driving to the nearest bus stop and grab it, it's a bus heading to Pleasantview Town.

"Anon! What are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash yells.

"Trust me! I'll be back soon!" You yell from the bus's window.

"We can't be on Pleasantview High's premises remember?!" Rainbow Dash yells once again.

"It's okay, I've been expelled remember? I'm not one of your classmates anymore..!"

"Anon..." Rainbow Dash lets out a worried sigh, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"There he goes...my hero," Trixie lets out a content sigh, remembering the accidental kiss you gave her, annoying Rainbow Dash from seeing Trixie's flustered face. "HAS ANYONE GIVEN TRIXIE THAT LEMON?!"