//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4- The Pick 
// Story: Equestria Girls: Friendship Makes Magic 
// by ImNoPony 
//------------------------------//

"Mark My Words Twilight Sparkle, You Will REGRET This!" screamed Sunset Shimmer as she bursts out of the gym in anger. Her two terrified lackeys were right behind her, fully expecting Sunset to yell at them if they don't follow. Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie stood in the doorway, watching as she storms down the hall.

Left somewhat impressed, Applejack pat Twilight on the back and commented: "Well I gotta say, I don't know if it was the best'est move you could have done Twilight, but it takes a lotta guts to stand up to Sunset Shimmer like that."

"Yeah, about that..." Twilight says nervously. "... I suppose it's too late for me to sign up for party committee, isn't it?"

"Sorry" Pinkie replied as she put both clip boards back into her hair. "A princess candidate can't run AND be in the party committee at the same time. She would have an opportunity to get her hands on the votes and stuff."

When she hears the unfortunate answer, Twilight bangs her head in frustration. She then began mope towards the stage while saying: "Well that's just great."

Coming up to her side with Pinkie, AJ asks: "Well then why did ya do it?"

"I... couldn't just stood there and do nothing" Twilight replied. "It was the only thing I could think of without running off and finding a teacher."

Clearly seeing Twilight depressed, Pinkie got up beside and told her: "Oh don't feel so sad about yourself Twilight. Standing up to Sunset Shimmer just to help US... That was really AMAZING!" Pinkie then pulls Twilight towards her and have her a nice warm hug. Even thought she was surpised by this, Twilight found the hug very comforting. However, Pinkie then ruined the mood by saying: "But then again: you did made Sunny really, really mad at you. And when she gets that kind of mad, she would do everything that she can to totally humiliate you. In fact, I think you made her madder than that." And from saying that, despite still being in Pinkie's comforting hug, Twilight's eyes widened in fear.

Pulling out from Pinkie's hug, Twilight then told her: "Thanks for trying to comfort me Pinkie, but now I have a lot of things to do and so little time." Becoming lost in worry and details, she explains that: "First, I have to research what people want to see in a princess, something which I NEVER cared about before. And then, because I'm the new girl, I have to look up the history of the school just to know about popular events that happened. THEN, I have to get everyone to vote for me, which would be really hard by how the student body got their own little cliques and that. AND... I have to do all of that under 3 DAYS!"

But then, before Twilight could panic some more, Spike let out a loud bark to snap her out of it. "TWILIGHT!" Spike barked. However, even though she had stopped panicking, it did nothing to ease the pressure in her mind.

Seeing how much pressure she was feeling, Applejack told Twilight: “Don't worry Twilight, you got nothin’ to worry about. You already got two votes right here.” She then pulled in Pinkie and says: “In fact, we would be happy to convince other people that we know to vote for you.”

Twilight smiled when she heard the kind words. “Thanks for the sentiment girls, but you don’t need to worry about me. I usually handle everything on my own.”

As Twilight grabbed Spike and her bag and was about to leave, she was stop by Pinkie who says: “Oh come on Twilight! Doing it with friends is way much better than doing it on your own. I know you haven’t been her long, but I’m sure you made other friends here who wouldn’t mind helping you.”

Twilight’s initial thought that wasn’t true. But when she stop and think about, she could think of a few people who might help her. She knows that Fluttershy would defiantly vote for her and maybe Rainbow Dash would too. When Twilight thinks a bit harder, she slowly remember Rarity and was sure she can convince her. However, that is only 5 people and 5 people isn't going to be enough.

When she sees Twilight thinking, Pinkie interrupts her and suggests: “Well… even if you don’t know a lot of people here, I know somebody who would help if you just ask.”

“Who?”

“Rainbow Dash!”

But then, before Twilight could respond , Applejack butted in: “I wouldn’t recommend going to her if I were you Twilight.”

Confused, Twilight asks: “Why?”

Applejack explains to her that: “Rainbow is a back-stabbing snake who is as bad as Sunset. One time, I had a really important back sale and she’d said that can she'd get the softball team to make an appearance. I tell everybody they're comin', but not one of 'em shows up!”

Surprised, Twilight yells: “Really!”

However, Pinkie butted in and says: "Hand on a minute Applejack. Rainbow says that she did arrived and couldn't find anyone."

In an unpleasant mood, Applejack retorts: "Are you callin' me a liar!"

Stopped in her tracks, Pinkie hesitantly replied: "Well... I mean..."

"Everyone kept askin' me: "Where's Rainbow Dash?, Where's Rainbow Dash?" I was made a fool in front of my entire family!"

As the two began to argue, Twilight was left confused. As she can recall, Rainbow Dash told her the same story too, but it was the other way around. Either she was lying or it’s Applejack who isn’t telling the truth and Twilight didn't which story to believe.

And then, to make the situation worse, Applejack turns to her and asks: "What do you think Twilight!?"

"What!"

"Do you think I'm telling the truth" AJ reiterate.

Twilight was left frozen and didn't know what to say, didn't know who to choose. It wasn't until Spike gently tugs on her hair that she replies: "I think... I should be going now to do my research."

Seeing how nervous and confused she was, Applejack calmed down and says: "Oh right, sorry. I forgot that you have nothin' to do with this."

"That's ok. Well... it's nice meeting you two" she replied as she began making her leave.

"Same here" AJ replied back. "And good luck on becoming princess!"

Pinkie then yelled: "And Don't Forget About Your Friends! OH! And Thank You For Helping Us! OH! AND LET HANG OUT SOMETIME!"

Twilight wave back them as she bid farewell to them. However, when she left the gym, she let out the stress that she was feeling with a masive breath. Not only does she need to uncover the mystery of the crown and why Sunset has a grudge against her, but now she also have to participate in the princess ballad too. Twilight couldn't how much that she have in one day.


_ _ _ _ _


Finally, after an hour or two later, Twilight's first day at Canterlot High was over. Students were leaving and the only ones who were staying were for club activities. Twilight could stay a little bit longer, but she now has preparations to make which she couldn't do at school. Honestly, she didn't know what to make out of Canterlot High. The mysteries that she involved herself in and her undeserved bitterness from Sunset Shimmer had truly soured her experience. However, Twilight still wishes to like the school more by the still friendlier atmosphere than Crystal Prep and still trustworthy education. The only thing that she can do is to prepare herself for another day.

That is, if she can return home safely first?

As all the other students were streaming out of the door and making their way off the premises, Twilight was carrying a ton of books that she borrowed from the library as well as several lists and notes that she made for herself. With her only companion being Spike, she has no one else to help her with the heavy load. 

However, Spike is one reliable dog. Swiftly barking: "Stop!" and "Go!" to save her from making any collisions. Other students notice the barking and get out of the way from Twilight's path. It was a good enough strategy that got them to the front door.

As Twilight was now leaving the building, Spike then tried to say to Twilight: "Ok Twilight, this next part is going to be a bit tricky. You have to step carefully if you don't want to fall down the..." But unfortunately, despite how much they know about each other, Twilight still didn't know the language of dog and didn't know what he was say. As soon as she put her foot out, Twilight quickly began to stumble over the steps.

"Whoa!" Twilight yelled as she was losing her balance.

Meanwhile, they was a guy who was anxiously searching for something at the bottom of the steps. When he heard a yelling, he looked up and see Twilight who was about to fall. Before he can think, the guy rushes up and tries to save her. However, he wasn't quite fast enough and Twilight fall on top of him, stumbling both of them down the steps until they hit the bottom.

"...Stairs" Spike "said" after everything was too late.

Twilight and the guy was lying on the fall in agony, waiting for the pain to go away. Half of the students who saw it just laughed at their misery while the other half just stood there bewildered. But even though both were still very sore, each of them could still got up on their own.

"Are you ok?" the guy asks worryingly.

"Yeah OW!... Thanks for saving me. Sort of" Twilight replied.

As the two was finally on their feet, they finally looked at each other to see who they just meet. The guy had a black leather jacket with a shirt of a shield and lightning bolt underneath and had slit back and blue hair. When Twilight looked at him, she could see that he was under the term: "good looking"... but felt no attraction towards. She felt nothing other than appreciation for catching her and guilt for falling on him.

But for the guy on the ohter hand, he was absolutly star struck. Gazing at Twilight's face, he was feeling a warm attraction which he doesn't often feel towards other girls. He couldn't explain why, but looking at her cute face makes him want to know more about her.

However, his staring was creeping Twilight out. "Are you ok?" she ask, hoping it would cause him to stop.

Snapping him out of it, he realizes he was being creepy and replies: "Oh! Yeah, I'm ok."

For a moment, the two just stood there, unsure or too nerves on what to say. It wasn't until the wind slightly picks up that Twilight realized that her stuff is about be blown away. "AH! My Stuff!" she yells before she rushes down and begin picking up her fallen books and notes.

"Let me help you with that" the guy says as he begins to assist her. As they were collecting Twilight's fallen books, the guy tries to struck up a conversation. "My name's Flash Sentry by the way."

"Ok, but get my stuff first before we lose it forever" Twilight replied, more worried about her notes at the moment than boys.

In no time at all, both Flash and Twilight quickly rounded up her stuff before the wind could claim it. As Flash handed the stuff he collected over to her, he asks her: "Can I get you name?"

"Twilight Sparkle" she replied politely.

"So... I haven't seen you before. Was this you first day?"

"It was! And after just one day, I already have so many things to do."

"Really!? Well those are always a bummer."

"Yeah, sometimes."

After both of them chuckled, Flash smiles as they were becoming acquainted. Even though it was meant to be a cute moment, Twilight didn't feel the same way. Instead, she felt that she had enough time talking and began to make her move to leave.

"Ok then, I better be going now. This work can't get itself done, am I right"

As Twilight was about to leave, Flash calls out: "Wait! Don't you want someone to help carry your stuff?"

Know the obvious move that it was, Twilight turn back and asks: "Are you saying that you want to carry my books?"

Flash froze, unsure on what to say. Whenever he meets a girl for the first time, they are usually just star struck as he is right now. He never met a girl who isn't charmed by his appearance. Hesitantly, he replied: "... yes"?

"Um... that's ok. I can carry these all on my own" Twilight replied trying to be as polite as she can be.

Devastated, the only thing that Flash could say was: "Well... Ok. I guess we can chat more some other time."

"Maybe" she said back to him. As she was leaving, she didn't heard Flash trying to call out to her and breathe a sigh of relief.

While she was walking, she spotted Spike running up towards her side. "Well then Twilight, I guess we now know who your first boyfriend is gunna be" he thought to Twilight, grinning towards her.

"Spike! Stop That!" Twilight yells at him, forcing him to stop. "I was never interested in finding a boyfriend and I don't have reason to start now, especially after everything that happened today."

"Yeah, but didn't you see him back there? He really likes you. I don't remember any boys from your old school who likes you as much as he does."

"Come now Spike. I know he's a nice guy and all, but I can't really like him-like him purely on his good looks alone. He must have something in order to make me like him more. And he's..."

Before finally leaving the school ground, Twilight stopped so she can have one more good look at Flash before going. But when she turn around, she saw him crawling around the ground, looking like he was still looking for something. Left too confused to leave, Twilight goes back to see what he's doing.

Flash didn't heard Twilight's footsteps coming back to him, even when she walked got right next to him. When she looked down, she saw him seething through the dirt, looking for something that must be really small.

"Flash?"

Flash jumped when he heard his name. When he look up and discover Twilight towering over him, she asked him: "What are you doing?"

"I um... looking for my pick. You see; a pick is what a guitarists use to..."

"I know what a music pick is!" she stated strongly. "Why are you looking for it on the ground?"

Embarrassingly, Flash admits that: "I kind of... lost it and I really need it for band practice in a minute."

"I see...... Well I hope you'll find it." she said as turns back and began walking home again.

Flash, not hearing what she said, says back to her: "Nah, that's ok Twilight. I can find it on my own." It wasn't until he finished speaking that he realized that she walked away.