"Can somebody please explain what's happening?" Applejack asked, feeling Pinkie's forehead worriedly. "I know we've been in the same position twice but the explanation slips away from me every time."
"Allow me to elaborate, since Sour Sweet here has already revealed the plan," Windlash began, pushing Sour Sweet out of the way.
"Remind you of anybody?" Aria muttered, sending a pointed glance at Sonata. Sonata stuck her tongue.
"We Shadowcolts are a street gang," Windlash explained. "When we got bored, we decided to steal some magic."
"And it's working!" Lemon Zest added. "Your friend Pinkie Pie here, we're draining her magic as I speak, and Tennis Match, too!"
"I forgot about her!" Rarity realized.
"Well, they'll be fine, this magic is draining their life away," Twilight reasoned. "If anything, it's good their getting the excess magic out of Pinkie and Tennis Match!"
"Tennis Match did say she didn't want to be anthro," Fluttershy added. Everyone smiled at Windlash.
"Carry on," Glasses told her. Windlash smirked and strolled over to Pinkie Pie, who was still sleeping on the ground.
"Oh, we're not draining the excess magic," she corrected, "we're-
"We're draining all her magic!" Sugar Coat interuppted, chomping loudly on her gum.
"That's right!" Flash added, a triumphant smirk on his face, which was mostly aimed at Twilight. "The 'magic of friendship' that exists inside of all of us, like you claim-"
"It's gonna be all sucked up!" Sunny Flare added. "When Pinkie wakes up, she'll be cruel and heartless forever!"
"Like Discord!" Twilight realized, though nobody else had any clue what she was talking about.
"You give us Pinkie Pie back right now!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Hold on," Windlash snapped. She looked at Adagio. "Adagio Dazzle, didn't you used to lead a team of evil as well?"
"Sure did," Adagio confirmed, narrowing her eyes.
"Did you get interrupted left and right?" Windlash asked.
"Yes!" Adagio agreed, instantly perking up. "It was so annoying!"
"I know!" Windlash agreed. "I mean, I'm the leader-"
"-and the leader makes all the descions and says the exposition!" the two finished at once.
"You're like the sister I never had!" Adagio exclaimed, hugging Windlash.
"You're like the sister I had but much nicer!" Windlash responded, hugging Adagio back.
"That was the creepiest thing I've ever heard," Applejack stated.
After half an hour, or something, Adagio and Windlash stopped hugging.
"Okay, now we get back to the battle," Windlash commented. "Pinkie Pie's magic won't be fully taken by the end of our archery round. If, by some miracle, you do manage to beat us, we'll restore Pinkie Pie's and Tennis Match's magic to normal levels." She smirked. "But that won't happen, will it?"
"Don't be too sure," Twilight responded. The ten girls narrowed their eyes in determination. The Shadowcolts and Flash smirked. Pinkie snorted.
"Can I be the scorekeeper?" volunteered the guy from earlier, Zero.
"Hey, I was gonna be scorekeeper!" Bon Bon pouted.
"Uh, sure," Silver Arrow replied. "We were gonna have Bon Bon, but I guess you can be scorekeeper."
"Hooray!"
Silver Arrow rolled her eyes.
"Alright, each player gets three shots. When everybody's taken a turn, the team with the most points wins. Got it?"
"Hang on, will you be participating?" Applejack questioned.
"That depends," Silver Arrow told her. "At first, the teams were even, eleven to eleven. Pinkie's down, making it eleven to ten."
"Am I shooting?" Flash asked Windlash hopefully.
"Do you want pony ears and a doll?"
"... No?"
"Flash is shooting," Windlash confirmed.
"That makes it ten to twel-"
"WAIT!" Sour Sweet ran up to Silver Arrow and whispered something in her ear. After a moment, Silver Arrow nodded.
"Alright, I won't be participating," she stated.
"What?" Rainbow Dash cried. "You just said we'd be up against twelve!"
"You'll do fine," Silver Arrow assured them. "Who's first?"
"I am!" Indigo Zap yelled, stepping up. She did all the preparation stuff and then shot the arrow.
"Bulls-eye!" she cheered when the arrow hit the center of the target. Descent and Nightingale high-fived her. Zero wrote down a three on the Shadowcolt's side of the scoreboard.
Indigo made five more points, and she got a power up of pony ears and a tail. Sonata went like this:
On her turn, she scored a point and a half. Adagio, Aria, and Applejack face-palmed.
"Hey, I got ears and a tail!" she exclaimed after the experience happened to herself. "No wings, though. I wonder why?" Aria groaned.
"My turn," Windlash commented. As she gained pony ears, a pony tail, and a set of feathery wings, her arrows hit the target every time.
"Nine points!" Zero exclaimed, writing the number down on the scoreboard.
"Isn't she amazing?" Flash asked Descent. Descent punched him in the arm.
"There's a reason i'm the only dude in the Shadowcolts," he replied. Flash put a finger up to protest. Descent rolled his eyes.
"Don't protest."
Meanwhile, the Rainbooms were losing 29-31. Almost everybody on the team had been ponied up. The last girl to go would be Fluttershy.
"You can do this, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Um, yeah." A bead of sweat slid down Fluttershy's brow.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy!" Sunset encouraged.
"Eep!" Fluttershy released her arrow too soon! It flew way off course. No where near the target. A complete bust.
"Zero points!" called out Zero.
"It's alright, Fluttershy!" Applejack enouraged.
"Yeah, the only thing on the line is Pinkie Pie's very personality!" Sonata Dusk added. "Chill!"
"Uh, pleasestopsayingstuffyourmakingmenervousthanks!" Fluttershy squeaked, trying to align her arrow properly.
"What was that, darling?' Rarity asked. Fluttershy glanced away.
"What was tha- Oh no!" She accidentally let go, and the arrow flew up in the sky. Once again, she had missed the target.
"One more chance," Adagio pointed out.
"Let's hope you don't miss," Aria added.
Fluttershy missed.
"That's zero points added!" Zero announced again.
"Ouch!" Lemon Zest mimicked being burned as she remarked snidely, "That burns!"
"It's my turn now!" Sour Sweet exclaimed, walking up to the line.
To be continued...