Sunset hummed a tune to herself as she gathered her books out of her locker, wondering what Diana had in store for her later in the day. Ever since Sunset had been selected to be a part of the obstacle course race, Diana had been surprising her each day with a different task or course for her to run.
'Of course, I just hope this one doesn't have any more fire in it,' Sunset thought with a frown. 'Lost my favorite jacket to that course. Seriously Diana, what the heck kind of family did you have, that giant geysers of fire were commonplace in your training?'
She shrugged her shoulders and closed her locker, but when she turned to head off to her class, she found a student standing in the hallway, blocking her way. It took Sunset a moment to recognized her, because she had her head hidden beneath a large hat.
"Agatha? Er, what's up?" Sunset asked with an awkward smile. Agatha's response was to slowly lift her head so that she glare into Sunset's eyes, with no emotion showing upon her face. "Um, do you need something? Can I-"
"You won't beat me," Agatha promised Sunset. All airs of niceness went out the window at those words, and Sunset crossed her arms while raising an eyebrow, a smirk slowly spreading across her face.
"Oh I won't, will I? Please, tell me why I can't beat you in the race," Sunset asked with a chuckle. But the humor died down when Agatha continued to glare down Sunset with a look that sent chills up Sunset's spine.
"Because I have to win. To prove that I am not the freak or failure everyone else thought I was. To prove that I deserve what I have been given," Agatha said in a cold voice. "And to prove to the one that taught me everything I know, that their faith in me wasn't misplaced." Sunset felt her competitive side slowly fade away as compassion and understanding replaced it.
"Agatha...I know how you-"
"Don't finish that sentence. You know nothing about me," Agatha spat back, silencing Sunset. "You're too busy being stuck in your own perfect little world. But I'm here to tear that world down and show you just how it feels to be left in the dirt."
Sunset wanted to correct her, wanted to tell her how wrong she was, but when Sunset stared into Agatha's eyes she saw only hatred and darkness. Her words would not reach the girl. So instead of trying to convince her she was wrong, Sunset instead sighed slightly before giving Agatha a cold stare.
"You're wrong about me. But you won't believe me until I prove it to you," Sunset replied in a neutral tone. Agatha sneered before turning to leave. "And I won't lose either. Because like you, there is someone that I have to prove myself to as well. Someone that I too have to win for. And I will win, even if I have to go through you to do it."
"No you won't," Agatha replied with a chuckle that made Sunset shiver. "Because you don't know how to prevail. All you know how to do is fail those that are foolish enough to put their trust in you. And I'll prove it to you, when I beat you during the race. And then we'll see what those who believe in you think then."
Agatha left after saying her piece, but the words stuck in Sunset like an arrow that had pierced her very soul. She clenched her fists as she tried to get mad at what Agatha had said, but the words had buried themselves too deeply into her to forget about them so easily.
'She's wrong. I will prevail. I will prove to Diana that she didn't make a mistake trying to teach me!' Sunset roared within her mind, trying to burn out the pain with her flames of rage. But the coldness of reality slowly began to snuff out the flames, leaving Sunset to clutch her arms as she shivered slightly with doubt.
'But what if I do lose? What if Diana sees that even with the training of a goddess, I'm still a failure? W-would she get rid of me? Or would she be disappointed with me? I don't know which would be worst, honestly.' Sunset then shook her head and tried to push the doubts to the back of her mind. 'No, all I need to do is win. If I win, then I won't have to worry about either happening. I don't care what you say to me, Agatha, I was trained by a goddess! I will not fall to a girl who thinks she can break me with just words! And I swear-'
Whatever Sunset was going to swear was interrupted by the sound of a buzzing from her bag. Her thoughts of conquest and rage were banished as she reached into her bag and pulled out her book from Equestria, which was buzzing while a magical light emanated from it. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was looking, before she sat down against the lockers and cracked it open.
'Hello Sunset, Twilight here,' the message within the book read. 'I've been looking into what you asked me, about a barrier around your world that would be able to keep out evil forces, and I think I've found a way that it might work. See, while we may not have Elements anymore on our world, you and your friends in your world still possess their power. And as the Elements combat evil emotions such as hatred, jealously and intent to harm others, it isn't impossible that they might be able to create the barrier that you are asking for.'
'However, there is a little bit more to this. While the Elements might be capable of producing such a field, the six of you might not be able to handle the sheer magical power that would be produced. If you do try to create a barrier like that, you might need something that could handle the sheer magical power of the six Elements. However, I still believe that the Elements can manage a barrier. I'd just prefer you having a strong conduit for their power. I'll keep looking to see if there might be anything I missed. How are you doing by the way? I've heard through the grapevine that things might be getting hectic at your school. Do you need my help?'
'Twilight.'
Sunset smiled at the Twilight's offer to help before pondering over what she had written, about needing a source that could channel the full power of all six Elements at once. 'Didn't I do that when I helped this world's Twilight fight down the evil that was possessing her? Or is this different?' Sunset asked herself. When she couldn't think of any reasonable answer, she sighed and instead decided to answer Twilight.
'Dear Twilight,'
'Thank you for the offer to come over and help, but we've got things under control for the most part. Don't worry, me and the others are safe. We've just had a few creatures attack us, nothing we can't handle. Instead, I'd like you to look into more about a source that can handle all six of the Elements' full power. If it does come down to needing that conduit, then I want to have as many options as possible. And again, don't worry about me. I've got a...an ally here that is even stronger than Celestia and Luna. There's something for you to chew over until we talk next.'
'Sunset.'
Sunset then closed the book and smiled to herself, able to see the reaction on Twilight's face when she read that last bit. The bell for class then rang and a swear escaped Sunset's lips as she realized she was late for Diana's class. She shoved the book into her bag while pushing herself to her feet, sprinting down the hallway the second she was vertical. She was so focused on getting to class that she didn't see the figure emerge out of one of the shadows, a figure that had a smile on their face...but it was hidden beneath a skeletal helmet.
'So that's how you're contacting the other world...with that magical little book of yours,' the knight thought to itself before cackling once as it returned back into the shadows. 'Well, destroying that should be easy enough. But first, I'm going to destroy you at the race, Sunset. I'll destroy your connections to both your friends here and the friends in the other world.'
=wWw=
"Sharp! Sharp! Why is everything sharp?!" Sunset screamed as she barely ducked under another arrow, which nearly made her lose her balance on the thin bridge she was standing upon. "If this is how your sisters showed they loved you back on your island, then it's a weird way of showing it!" she yelled down at Diana.
"Come now Sunset, haven't you heard of cupid? Arrows represent love," Diana said with a laugh in reply, while she loaded another arrow and aimed at her student. "For example, I would love for you to get out of the way of these next couple of shots."
Sunset yelped as she ducked down while the arrow tore over her head. She watched as Diana began nocking the next three arrows, the sight of which gave her the strength to run to the end of the bridge with as much speed as she could muster. Right as Diana took aim at her Sunset rolled behind a large sheet of wood that had been constructed as cover, taking the reprieve to gather her breath and thoughts.
"I thought you were being paid a teacher's salary! How in the heck did you manage to build all of this?!" Sunset called to Diana from behind the wall, glancing down at the rest of the course with disbelief. Diana's response was to let an arrow fly, an arrow that pierced through the wall that Sunset was leaning again and emerged right next to her hand. Sunset yelped and began to race down the rest of the course.
"I may being paid a feeble excuse of a salary for teaching, but I also have a good supply of gold, thanks to...family," Diana replied as Sunset rolled under the next arrow, but her evasive tactics nearly rolled her off the edge of the course. Sunset reached out with her right hand and managed to grip the edge of the course, sighing in relief when she glanced down at the drop she would have had. But her moment of relief turned into a moment of terror as she glanced over at Diana to see her reaching back into her quiver.
Sunset reached up with her other hand and began to pull herself up, trying not to focus on the fact that Diana was nocking another arrow. Sunset pulled herself back onto the course just as Diana took aim. The moment she was back on the course Sunset took off down the rest of it, spying the flag that awaited her at the end...of multiple pillars of different heights that she'd have to jump across.
"Of course you'd do this to me," Sunset grumbled before hurling herself onto the first pillar. Sunset staggered slightly, but managed to remain balanced. She then remembered Diana and moved herself slightly to the side...just in time to watch as an arrow whizzed by her head.
"That's a fifty point deduction, Sunset," Diana called out as she reached back into her quiver. "If I was trying to kill you that last arrow would have struck you in the back of your skull." Sunset nodded before leaping to the next pillar, managing to land with both feet. She quickly kicked off and landed once more, but this time she ducked down and swung herself over the side of the pillar. Diana smirked when she found she couldn't get a clear shot and was forced to watch as Sunset flung herself from the side of the pillars, using them as a shield from the arrows.
"She might make it to the end," Diana realized as she removed the arrow from her bow and drew another arrow that she had hidden in the quiver. "We can't have that now, can we?"
'I can see the end!' Sunset thought as she reached the last pillar, having one more jump before she arrived at the end. 'All I have to do is make this jump.' She then dared a glance back at Diana, spying that she only had one arrow left in her quiver and was drawing it. 'All I have to do is dodge that arrow then I'm home free. Come on legs don't fail me now!'
Sunset crouched down and tensed her muscles, preparing everything she had for the last jump. She then leapt forward with an explosion of energy, hurling herself over the last gap and towards the end. She had timed it perfectly, so that she would land right on the end. That was until a boxing glove punched her right in the gut.
"Urk," was all Sunset managed to get out before she began to plummet down to the ground below. Before she managed to actually fall though, Diana appeared beneath her and caught Sunset out of the air. "What...the hell...was that?" Sunset wheezed.
"The Green Arrow special," Diana replied with a laugh as she landed, gently placing Sunset on the ground while retrieving the arrow. "The boxing glove arrow." Sunset took the arrow when Diana offered it to her, amazed that the name described what had hit her perfectly.
"Why the heck do you have an arrow like that?" Sunset choked out as Diana helped her to her feet. "And why did you have to shoot me in the gut with it?"
"Because while it is not practical for actual combat, I do admit that the idea amuses me," Diana admitted as Sunset leaned against her teacher, still trying to regain her breath. "And because you don't know what you'll be up against in the course tomorrow. Athena informed me that Cinch has yet to tell Agatha anything about the course, so in order to be fair I will have you go in blind as well."
"If I recover from that," Sunset half laughed before the words of Agatha came back to her. She clutched at her stomach a little harder and gazed away from Diana, something that Diana noticed. "Hey Diana, I know that with all this training and everything that there should be no way that I can lose, but...are you worried that I might lose tomorrow?"
"Not in the least," Diana replied with pure confidence. "I have watched as you have progressed these past months and I am completely certain that you will be able to handle whatever Cinch throws at you. As long as you do your best, I am absolutely certain that you will win. I have taught you everything you need to know. I know you will make me proud."
Sunset's stomach tied itself into a knot at Diana's words, but their conversation was ruined as a vortex of magic tore through reality before the both of them. A creature then jumped through the portal and landed before the two, roaring fiercely as it did so. It had three heads, with one being a tiger, another a snake and the final one a goat. It just finished its roar before a fist slammed into one of the heads and sent the body flying across the training area.
"Well, you certainly picked the worst possible place to appear," Diana said as she cracked her knuckles and glared down at the creature, with Sunset mimicking her teacher's stare. "Welcome to this planet. Don't worry, you won't be staying long."