"And the winner of the second heat is Sunny Flare!" Principal Celestia announced into the microphone. The students of Canterlot High clapped politely. The students of Crystal Prep Academy, however, erupted into a cheer.
"Sunny! Sunny! Sunny!"
15-year-old Sunny Flare beamed and waved to her fans.
"Thanks, guys!" she called, as she skated onto a bench.
"Good job, Sunny!" Pinkie Pie congratulated her.
"Thanks, Pinkie Pie!" Sunny smiled back. Though she didn't usually associate with competitors, Pinkie was someone you couldn't resist talking to.
"Hey, Sunny!" Pinkie scooted closer. "Wanna join my super awesome Master Shipper's group?"
"Master Shippers?" Sunny repeated as she removed her helmet. "What does that mean?"
"Like, you pick two people and pair them together!" Pinkie exclaimed. "From CHS, CPA, anywhere!"
"Okay!" Sunny nodded. That's simple enough. I can totally beat Pinkie at this.
"Any two people, right?" she repeated.
"Yup!" Pinkie nodded intensely.
"Got it. How about..." Sunny gazed around at the many students that surrounded them. "How about that girl and that boy?" She pointed to two Fashionistas in the bleachers. The girl was wearing yellow sunglasses on her head. The boy looked like a hipster or something, in Sunny's opinion.
"Blueberry and Norman?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Wow, you're good! Everybody at CHS knows that Blueberry has a crush on Norman! Are you a spy?"
Sunny laughed at Pinkie's ridiculous accusation.
"No way, Pinkie Pie. That would be cheating! Should I go again? Or do you go?"
"I'll take a turn!" Pinkie stood up. She shaded her eyes against the sun as she looked around. "What about that girl with the spiky orange hair, she's on your team, and Crimson Napalm?"
"Is that the guy Lightning Dust is talking to?" Sunny shaded her eyes as well. "The guy with the red mohawk?"
"The one and only!"
"Yeah, I could see that happening!" Sunny smiled and nodded. "Lightning Dust digs mohawks. She has one herself, obviously."
"Hey, let's all get mohawks!" Pinkie exclaimed suddenly. She immediately slicked her poofy hair up into a mohawk. Sunny's mouth dropped open.
"How did you get that mess to stand up straight in two seconds?"
"I'm just a good hairstylist!" Pinkie responded with a shrug. "Your turn now!"
"What? Oh, right!" Sunny resumed her scan of the track. "Nightingale and Descent, those two archers. They've been best friends for a long time."
"Those are the best couples!" Pinkie stated confidently.
"I know!" Sunny agreed.
I don't read a lot of romances, but whatever, she thought. It sounds cute.
"Hey, who's that?" Sunny asked, pointing to a girl with gorgeous, fiery red hair. She wore a tough-looking leather jacket, and her arm was wrapped around another boy, clearly her boyfriend.
"Her? She's Sunset Shimmer." Saying the name, Pinkie seemed to deflate a little bit. "She's kinda mean. Why do you ask?"
"I ship her with him!" Sunny confidently pointed at a boy near Sunset's boyfriend. This one had cerulean hair and pale blue skin.
"Thunderbass?" Pinkie asked in surprise. "He's Flash Sentry's- Flash is Sunset's boyfriend, that guy up there, by the way- Flash Sentry's best friend, so there's no way they'll ever get together because Sunset has Flash wrapped around her crooked finger like this!" Pinkie wrapped some hair around her finger to demonstrate her point.
"So? I bet once Sunset dumps Flash- or Flash grows a spine and dumps her- Sunset and Thunderbass will go out." Sunny folded her arms as if the matter was settled.
Pinkie gasped loudly.
"What? What is it?" Sunny asked, looking around. "Did Lemon Zest win the third heat?"
"How can Flash survive if he doesn't have a backbone?" Pinkie asked. "We have to help him!"
"No, Pinkie," Sunny responded with a roll of her eyes, "you just made it sound like Sunset controls him. 'Grow a backbone' means he gets the guts to stand up to her.
"So, back to shipping?"
"Alrighty!" Pinkie agreed. "I ship those two birds!"
"What?" Sunny looked around. "I thought we were only shipping people!"
"All's fair in shipping and war!" Pinkie said with a wink. "I could ship you with an orange peel, you know."
"Don't you dare!" Sunny gasped. "I'll ship you with a window!"
"I'll ship her with the wall!" Pinkie yelled, pointing at a nearby rollerblader who had already been eliminated.
"It's true! I gave the wall my cookies and half a chocolate bar!" the girl yelled back.
"Keep that relationship going, Tangerine!" Pinkie yelled back. Turning back to Sunny, she made a duck face. "Who's the master shipper now?"
"Oh yeah?" Sunny looked around for another victim. "Well, I ship that girl with the ponytail" -she pointed- "with an ear of corn!" The girl in question looked over, unamused.
"I told everyone, I don't like him!" she yelled. Tangerine hit her in the arm, a smirk on her face.
"Are you guys playing the shipping game?" interrupted Sugarcoat, coming from nowhere.
"Yup!" Pinkie and Sunny confirmed. Sugarcoat grinned.
"Great! I ship Sunny and Lyra Heartstrings!" she cried.
"Woah!" Sunny held up her hands. "I ship Lyra and Bon Bon!"
"I ship Lyra and Bon Bon, too!" Pinkie added. "Two to one!"
"Dang it!" Sugarcoat shook her head good-naturedly.
"I'm a Master Shipper!" Sunny boasted to her motorcross friend.
"I guess you are!" Pinkie agreed. She grabbed a notebook out of her mohawk and began writing.
"Sunny Flare has been added to the official list of Master Shippers!" she announced.
"Who else is on there?" Sugarcoat asked. She and Sunny crowded around Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, there's me, you, Tangerine Tropics, Raspberry Fluff, Rad, Vice Principal Luna, Cloudy Kicks, Gilda, Amethyst Star, Lemony Gems, Mr. Discord the janitor..." As Pinkie Pie rambled on, Sunny and Sugarcoat stared at her in shock.
"I don't even know half those people," Sugarcoat remarked.
"I wonder if Lemony Gems is related to Lemon Zest," Sunny added.
"...Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, Lightning Strike, Heath Burns, Bubble Berry..."
"Will Sunny Flare of the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts please report to the starting line for the rollerblading finals?" Principal Celestia asked through the loudspeaker.
Sunny's eyes widened. I totally forgot!
"I have to go, guys. See ya, Pinkie Pie!" Sunny Flare called as she skated off.
"Bye, Sunny!" Pinkie waved. "Good luck!"
Sunny smirked.
"I don't need luck!"