//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: The Final Countdown // Story: Equestria Girls 3: The Friendship Games // by EmeraldSkies //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer ran over to the snack shop to load up on more junk food, a grand delicacy of the games. They were selling rainbow cupcakes today, and they looked great! She would buy six, one for each of her friends. Wait, maybe she would get seven, so she could have two since she spent the time in getting them. Speaking of that, eight cupcakes couldn't hurt--the more the merrier, right? "A friendly welcome to Friendliness Fredrick and Friends Friendship Frontier. What would you like to have today?" Spoke a very monotone voice, the very enthusiastic cashier at the snack shop. "Wait Maud, you work here?" Sunset Shimmer said, she hadn't noticed the girl here before. Maud blinked as if she was contemplating whether or not to reply. "I'm an unpaid intern. But they told me I'd be allowed to read one of my many poems in between events. It is going to be very exciting for me." "Yes, very exciting!" Sunset Shimmer said, trying to see if the girl could ever crack a smile. Nope. "Anyway, I'll have eight of the rainbow cupcakes please," she pointed to them. Maud picked up the cupcakes slow and emotionless as ever, and placed them inside the box except for one. "Do you mind if boulder has one? He's really--" "Yes, just take it," Sunset said, grabbing the box of cupcakes and looking away as Maud cringingly shoved the cupcake at boulder. If the rock really was alive, she would of felt sorry for it. But it wasn't, and that made her feel better and worse at the same time. Maud placed boulder and his cupcake back on the counter. "Do you also mind if I could read one of my poems to you to practice?" Sunset turned back around. "Oh sure, what is it about?" "Rocks." And that is when she bolted out of there for the rest of the day. Twilight Sparkle tried to distance herself as far as she could from the rest of the Shadowbolts. They lost again! Sunny Flare said that they never lost, yet here they were now. Lost in the midst of her thoughts, she walked right in to a Canterlot High tent. "Ooh, sorry guys!" They all looked at her suddenly, and there was no movement. "Twilight is back!" One shouted, and that was when the frenzy began. A group of students took it to them to lift her up in to the air, cheering in excitement that their favorite student was back, one that had saved them twice now. None of them had any idea that they were so wrong. "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!" Twilight Sparkle fidgeted around, trying to get down and break free from these lunatics whom were obsessed with her. Enough was enough. "Stop!" Everyone stopped in their tracks. The four students slowly placed Twilight back on the ground, and looked down in shame. "Sorry, we were just so excited to see another pony." "A pony? Oh, right!" Twilight said. "I am the most graceful pony of them all -- I guess. Right? Because I'm a pony, that's me!" She said awkwardly. One of the students got down on one knee. "Yes you are, princess." The others followed suit, all surrounding her, bowing down to her almost. "I am so sorry we were to disturb you your highness. Is there anything we can do to make up for it?" She looked up, her eyes glowing a faint yet eerie green. Everyone else looked up at her too, all in unison. Their eyes, green. Twilight looked around her, they were all the same. Frozen in the same position, with their horrible eyes. Now that she was paying attention, she started to notice that the color was becoming bolder. "Yay!" Fluttershy cheered, barely audible unless you were standing one foot away from her. The roller derby event had just started, and Pinkie was the jammer. She had to try to get around the track before the Shadowbolts did twenty times. "I have to say, these are pretty good. Even though it creeps me out that they're Rainbow cupcakes," Rainbow Dash said, snatching another one from the stash. They ran back to get a couple more after demolishing the first seven. "Ah honestly can't believe that out of us, Rarity would be doing this. It seems too-- rough and tumble for her." Applejack said, finishing off her own cupcake. The day had been a blast so far, and Canterlot High was winning by far. Crystal Prep Academy needed a miracle to beat them at this point. "Maybe she's trying to 'broaden her horizons' or something like that," Sunset said, laughing." At least when she comes back, we'll be able to see easily depending on her fainting on a couch or something." She imitated one of Rarity's dramatic episodes. Woosh Lemon Zest took the lead from Pinkie Pie, flying right past her. This match unlike some others had been relatively close, the two girls were on the same lap, and near each other. Pinkie was not to have this though, as she took a powerful glide. "Woo!" She yelled excitedly, as her pony transformation started. She got her tail, and just like Sunset and Rainbow had in motocross, her helmet moulded perfectly to fit her new temporary ears. Just as Lemon Zest was approaching the defense section, Rarity and Derpy slid in at the last second and blocked her, sending her sprawling to the ground. It looked like it would of hurt a lot if she didn't have her gear on, but it probably still did regardless. Yet Lemon still got up, brushed herself off and kept on skating. "Well, let's just hope that they can finish before it rains," Applejack said, pointing to the clouds that were accumulating in the past ten minutes. "Speakin' of the weather, I thought they weren't even callin' for it today -- and I would know that." Fluttershy shrugged. "I guess mother earth had a change of mind! Eep!" Fluttershy yelped as someone from behind poked her on the shoulder. "Where is she?" Sour Sweet basically demanded, grabbing Fluttershy from the shoulders. Fluttershy jumped back trying to pry Sour Sweet off of her shoulders, but to no avail. "Who... are you.. talking.. about?" She said, her voice shaking. Sour Sweet stepped back, readjusting herself. "I mean, I'm usually the level headed one here -- but this is an emergency. We haven't been able to find Twilight for like, two hours!" Sour exaggerated with her hands. "I'm sorry you're so obsessed with her or something, but two hours isn't that long!" Rainbow put her hands on her hips like a know-it-all. "Besides, she's not a toddler, I'm pretty sure you can't lose a sixteen year old girl!" Sunset nudged Rainbow in the arm. "Actually, we kind of lost Pinkie Pie earlier this week." "We all know Pinkie has her own set of rules," she said to Sunset, then turned back to Sour Sweet. "So why are you so suddenly worried about this?" The wind started to pick up eerily, and Sour Sweet had to keep brushing her hair out of her face. "Ugh! And there's absolutely no reason why, I just want to make sure that she's -- safe!" Rainbow laughed for a bit at Sour. She didn't have the same problem with her hair, it just seemed to magically stay in place when she needed it to, courtesy to hanging out with Rarity so often. "I have to say, nice hair you got there!" Sour tried to hide her hair behind her. "And why would you need to worry about her safety anyway? It's not like she's doing anything stupid." "Other than hanging with you guys," Sunset added under her breath, getting a chuckle from Rainbow Dash. Something flashed in the sky, and the girls all cast their glances towards the growing light near the other side of the field. There was a light, and it seemed to be glowing brighter by the minute. The dark clouds that were in the sky started to slowly spiral around it, like the eye of a hurricane. "Actually, we might need to panic now."