//------------------------------// // Chapter 65: The Friendship Games // Story: The Other Journal // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// Day: Friday Weather: Rain Time: 9:48am It took a lot of courage for me to finally reveal to my friends what I had been hiding from them. I thought they were going to chew me out for even thinking about abandoning them, but they were much more supportive than I originally thought. Perhaps it's because they knew that my heart longed for the land of my birth and felt it unfair to deny me that. For now, I planned on staying until after the Friendship Games and making a decision afterwards. When I told them about what happened to the portal, they couldn't believe it. The thought of me going back home didn't matter if there was no way for me to go there. That night, at the party to welcome Crystal Prep, I made it my goal to speak to Twilight, but I didn't get an opportunity due to the Shadowbolts and Rainbow Dash arguing and dragging me into their squabble. I guess I'll have to wait until after the first event to have a private moment with Twilight. It shouldn't be too difficult of an event, right? The Other Journal By Ganondorf8 March 26, 2016 Chapter 65: The Friendship Games. " You want to learn more about the Shadowbolts?" Twilight asked. " Our friends and I never really got to interact that much with them aside from the party and the events. I would've thought they'd have taken the opportunity to mingle with the students of CHS to remind them of their so-called superiority, but I guess Principal Cinch didn't want them to lose sight of their goal." I answered. I'm certain that the reverse was true regarding the Shadowbolts. Like us, they never got a chance to talk in hopes of maybe finding some kind of common ground. Instead of the two teams trying to beat one another through a fierce competition, we could've made it be what the name was all about... Friendship. Had that opportunity been available, the Wondercolts and the Shadowbolts could've united as one cohesive unit and shown that striving to win at all costs wasn't what we wanted. Of course, such an idea is nothing more than a dream. The Shadowbolts would never "stoop so low" as to associate with us. Principal Cinch had taught them to never talk to students of the opposing school unless it was to remind them that their chances of winning were slim to none. I can understand why she didn't want them speaking with the enemy. Despite having all that discipline, I'm certain some Crystal Prep students didn't grasp the concept of knowing how to keep secrets. If any of the Shadowbolts fell into that category, they could potentially reveal their team's strategies and give their opponents a chance at beating them. Cinch would likely lose her temper if one of them made a blunder like that, and the poor student would never be able to show their face at Crystal Prep again. I think it's unfortunate that they had so much pressure to keep tight-lipped until after the Games were over. I always believed that I had all the pressure in the world--or the most in Canterlot, anyway--given all of my obligations, yet there were others who went through a similar experience. Still, my curiosity of knowing more about Twilight's teammates was too strong for me to ignore. Despite their attitudes, they proved themselves worthy adversaries. " Whenever there was a competition that took place at a different school, the Shadowbolts were required to never talk to anyone outside of the school under any circumstances. It was Principal Cinch's way of keeping them focused on winning at all costs. If they were to lose their focus, it would result in poor performances that, in turn, would make them humiliate the academy. That was something no one ever wanted to do." Twilight said. " They take losses seriously?" " Oh, yes." " Schools lose all the time." " While that is true, Crystal Prep took it to extremes whenever they lost. It didn't matter whether or not the competition was important, a loss was seen as an embarrassment that tarnished the academy's reputation. You said that CHS rarely defeats Crystal Prep, correct?" Twilight asked. " The school beats them once or twice every year." " Prinicpal Cinch didn't take those losses with any kindness or charity." " What did she do?" " After those losses, she forced the entire student body into training extra hard for the next competition. They had to stay well past the end of the school day in order to get in the necessary training so that they would win." Twilight answered. What!? She seriously made them do that? Talk about cruelty! Cinch may be the principal, but that doesn't give her the right to run her students into the ground. I'm certain no one decided to question her actions. Doing so likely meant they weren't worthy of being at Crystal Prep and subsequently expelled. The academy at times sounded more like a military school than a simple prep school. " Crystal Prep takes its accomplishments very seriously. Our purpose was to rely on our superior education and defeat our opponents without showing mercy." Twilight said. " Was reputation really that important?" " To Principal Cinch, it meant everything. It was her reputation that was responsible for the academy being the institution it's become famous for. When you have a great reputation on your side, you have the power to influence things to your advantage." Twilight answered. " No wonder you were so miserable." " I never thought of myself as having a reputation. All I cared about was my studies, and wanting to be accepted into Everton." " At least you don't have to worry about any of that at CHS." " For that, I'm relieved. Now, you say you want to know more about the Shadowbolts? I have reason to suspect that your curiosity relates to the fact that you never heard much talk about them and Crystal Prep until the Friendship Games were drawing nearer?" Twilight asked. She was correct. I came to this world several months after the previous Games, so I never knew that CHS had a rival school until I heard Rainbow Dash mention it. When it became apparent that such a school existed, I was curious to learn more. I had no intention of seeking a transfer, as I enjoyed my current location, but I wanted to know because I could've gone there had CHS not accepted me initially. " If I must be honest with you, I only know a little bit about them, myself. After all, I preferred the company of Spike instead of actual people." Twilight said. " Anything will do to give me some insight." " The first six members you and the Wondercolts faced during the Games consisted of Jet Set, Upper Crust, Neon Lights, Suri Polomare, Trenderhoof, and Royal Pin. The reason why I bunched them all together is because they didn't get past the first event, so you pretty much didn't even know they were there." Twilight said. " A couple of them have pony references in their names." " It's what their parents called them. Anyway, Jet Set and Upper Crust are very snobbish, and they look down on everyone and label them as savage boars. I can tell you they aren't as high up on the social ladder as they claim. Suri Polomare, from what I recall of my brief encounter with her several months ago, has the desire to either go into the fashion business or become a respectable baker. Some say that she is the counterpart to Rarity, but I personally don't believe that. Suri is good at what she does, but she doesn't hold a candle to the likes of Rarity. Trenderhoof keeps to himself but is known for writing articles about what he experiences and publishes them online. The other two I've never spoken to, so I don't have any opinions on them." Twilight said. While that was informative, it wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted to know more about the main members of the Shadowbolts, the ones who got in my way during the party and prevented me from stopping the problem. They were among the best that Crystal Prep had to offer, so they had earned a lot of praise from Cinch for their dedication. " No, I meant the other five." " Most of CHS remembers them, yet sometimes I wish that I could forget them." " How come?" " They all treated me coldly before we even arrived at CHS that morning. I got used to being picked on by other students, yet those five gave me the hardest time. They were among the best that Crystal Prep had produced in recent memory, yet I always overshadowed them. I received many recognitions and accolades, while they were ignored. Principal Cinch knew this, but continued to praise me for my contributions, and that encouraged them to see me as a threat to their chances of being praised in the same manner." Twilight answered. " That one girl--Indigo Zap, I believe it was--seemed really arrogant." " I could tell you that even without what you wrote about her. She loves competing in everything imaginable but is hot-headed and refuses to acknowledge that she has an ego. I'd say she is a lot like Rainbow Dash but not as loyal to her friends." Twilight said. That was exactly what I was thinking! I knew there was something familiar about her, and Twilight's words put it all together for me. No wonder Indigo Zap annoyed me so much. Her similar personality to Rainbow is what clued me in. While Rainbow and I are friends, I continue having problems dealing with her arrogance and lack of understanding regarding my feelings. " Sugarcoat is a dead ringer to Applejack. Both of them speak the truth without worrying about the consequences, but I prefer how Applejack handles things." " Why?" " Sugarcoat is very blunt. She speaks her mind with all the affect and empathy of a robot. What she lacks in tact she makes up for with cruel bluntness." Twilight answered. I remember Sugarcoat now! She was the one who wore glasses and told Applejack that the Friendship Games weren't really a competition due to Crystal Prep always winning it. I also recall what she said in response to Cinch's manipulation of Twilight. Still, I'm sure her attitude has garnered some fans. " Sour Sweet acts all cute and innocent, but she can suddenly change into someone who downright insults you. She is like Fluttershy during her cute ploy, but that's as far as it goes." " She's two-faced?" " Yes, and she isn't afraid to unleash her mean streak whenever anything upsets her. Lemon Zest doesn't say all that much, but she loves listening to music and almost never takes off her headphones. Her taste in music is questionable, however. She wanted me to listen to what she was playing on her iPad on our way to CHS, and I thought my ears would bleed out blood because of how horrible it sounded. She follows the beat of her own drums, and loves having fun whenever she doesn't have to focus on her studies." Twilight answered. I didn't see her during the party, or I did but didn't pay much attention to her. Lemon Zest bore some similarities with Pinkie Pie, but there wasn't much to go on. The more I heard Twilight talking about those girls, it dawned on me that they were like counterparts to our friends. Yet, Twilight was my counterpart given how we both felt like outcasts in a world that doesn't understand us. No wonder the Games came down to a battle between opposites for the crown. The Shadowbolts--well, those five, including Twilight--were like my anti-friends. " What about the last one?" I asked. " Sunny Flare? She's a stuck-up diva who doesn't like it when people touch her." " That doesn't sound like Rarity to me." " I honestly know her the least among those five." " In any case, I'm glad you told me about them." " You are?" " It makes talking about what happened during the first event that much easier. I recall not seeing you during the baking and birdhouse-making portions of the event, so I'll assume that you were preparing yourself for something challenging." I answered. " You could say that." " I watched everything carefully in order to see how good the Shadowbolts really were. I thought about talking with Rainbow Dash, but I knew she would only want to talk about beating Crystal Prep and bragging about how we were going to win. It turned out that she was the only one I could talk to, though, as everyone else was busy competing in the areas they excelled in. She actually had some pretty good insight on what was going on, and even helped me understand some of the more difficult nuances of the event." I said. The party ended up being a mixed blessing, although the negatives did outweigh the positives. I wanted to speak to Twilight so badly about what happened at the statue, but I couldn't get a free moment due to getting embroiled in an argument between Rainbow Dash and our opponents, the Shadowbolts. While I wanted to throttle Rainbow for dragging me into her own petty squabbles, it actually proved beneficial. We had no idea who the Shadowbolts were, but now we had a good understanding of their skills. What was the most eerie thing in all this was how Indigo Zap and her crew were the polar opposites of my friends. Well, some of them felt that way to me. If the Friendship Games were to come down to individual skills instead of a team effort, both sides would experience a mirror match. Another problem that occurred was Pinkie Pie ponying up without playing her drums. She was now the fourth one of us to have experienced a change in magic, and that left only Fluttershy and Applejack as not yet having gone through that. I wasn't going to try and hope that they wouldn't experience anything. I knew they were going to pony up without using the traditional means we've come to expect. It was only a matter of time. Just like with Rarity, Pinkie suddenly found herself exhausted, and that was due to her magic suddenly being drained from her. The same thing happened with the portal, and that lead me to suspect it wasn't just a coincidence. I still believed that Twilight had something to do with making the portal disappear, yet I had no proof other than her pendant crackling. I knew that it wasn't a typical pendant, yet it had caused a tremendous disaster. While my friends were shocked at how my connection to Equestria had vanished, I sensed that they weren't as upset as I was. After all, they still didn't fully understand the ramifications behind the portal. None of them have ever used it, so they lacked any heartfelt connection to it. To me, the portal had been a lifeline that connected me to my home, and now, it had been severed. Worst of all, Princess Twilight was now unable to help us deal with any magical problems. Should such problems rear their ugly heads, I was the one that would have to find a solution. In other words, we were on our own and with someone whose magical experience was limited compared with Her Highness. The next morning, I tried my hardest to ignore what had happened during the party and instead focus on the Friendship Games. It wasn't easy for me. The thought of being stuck in this world forever really struck home for me, yet my friends viewed that as a blessing. They had come to terms with the fact that I desired to return home, but now that option was lost, so they didn't need to bring it up. I just wanted the Games to be over and done with. I was so desperate to find out why the portal closed, I had actually considered dropping out of the Wondercolts in order to pursue the answer. And yet, I couldn't do that. Doing so would only break my friends' hearts, and I would never do anything to hurt them. We had been through too much to resort to breaking promises. Vice Principal Luna announced on the P.A. system that the first event would focus on the entire CHS curriculum, so at the very least, our team should've had some kind of advantage, as we knew our school's subjects better than anyone. Unfortunately, the curriculum that was used for the event were ones familiar to Crystal Prep. Both teams were on equal footing, and that spelt trouble for the Wondercolts. In a head-on matchup, we were no match for the Shadowbolts, as they had more skill, but then, predictions weren't always accurate. They were known for failing because of not taking certain factors into consideration. Luna also mentioned something called the "Elimination Equation Finale", and that told me there was going to be a mathematical portion of the Games. Once both teams, spectators, principals, and assistants had gathered, we were told what the first event was going to be. " Welcome to the first event: the Academic Decathlon!" Dean Cadance announced. She had taken it upon herself to introduce and explain how the events were going to work, and she certainly had people's attention. My friends and I were excited to get things started, yet our opponents didn't seem very thrilled. This was especially true of Principal Cinch, who looked fed up with having to be at a school beneath her notice. I would've preferred it if she wasn't around, but she was obligated to be on hand as one of the judges. " You'll be scored on chemistry, home-ec, and woodshop during the first part of this event. The six students from each team with the most points will move onto the second stage. Stage two involves a spelling bee using words that have been given during official spelling bees across the country." Dean Cadance said. I wasn't liking the sound of home economics and woodshop, as I had next to no skills in those two categories. I was thrilled with the chemistry and spelling bee components, though, so I had something to look forward to. I quickly turned my attention towards Twilight to see her reaction. She appeared excited about the same things that appealed to me, and it made me suspect she was going to be the biggest threat throughout the Games. I knew she lacked any muscular fortitude but possessed a superior intellect, and that can be very dangerous in the hands of someone who knew what to do with it. " Finally, the best student from each team will face off in the Elimination Equation Finale. In this last part, they will both attempt to solve the same mathematical equation. The one who solves it correctly and more quickly will be declared the winner, and their respective school shall win the first event. Once the winner has been determined, we shall calculate the points to see which of the six students from each team with the most points will move on to event number two. Now, would everyone please follow me to the science lab? The decathlon shall begin with the chemistry component." Dean Cadance announced. It took us a few minutes to make it to the science lab. Upon entering, we were surprised to see two tables had been set up with twelve identical stations on each one. In front of the stations were numerous chemicals that had been placed into a rack to prevent anything from being spilt. " I'm not sure I get this set-up." I said. " You will once we get things underway." Dean Cadance said. " What do you mean?" " Students must mix together the right chemicals in order to produce the desired result as seen on that chart to your right. If you get the mixture incorrect, or you don't warm it up appropriately using the Bunsen burners, you'll be eliminated from this event." Dean Cadance answered. She pointed her finger at a large piece of cardboard that had been taped down to a third table, and everyone's eyes veered off in that direction. The chart displayed the resulting compound we needed to figure out, yet what was needed to reach that was nothing but question marks, indicating that we had to solve the problem ourselves. " Any questions?" " How much time do we have?" Twilight asked. " You'll be given exactly twenty minutes to come up with the correct compound, or as close as you can get." " Ooh! I like a challenge." " It seems you're the only one who feels that way." Dean Cadance said. I looked around at the other members of both teams, and many didn't seem thrilled about the time limit given, but they should've been more accepting of it. After all, we were considered the best from both schools, so being given twenty minutes was fair for those with our level of skill. Twilight and I were both excited, not for the time limit, but for working with chemicals in a scientific setting. " Is everyone ready? Your time starts now!" Dean Cadance announced whilst sounding a tiny bell she held in her hand. Without warning, everyone else scrambled over to their respective tables and got to work grabbing test tubes in an effort to create the desired compound. Twilight and I were the only ones who didn't run over in a mad panic. I glared at her--a reminder of what I suspected her of doing--before heading over to my table. My friends and other teammates had gotten a slight head start, but I knew I could easily catch up with them. The compound depicted on the cardboard was one I recognized from a previous science class, but I needed to remember exactly what was needed to produce it. I knew that it needed to be warmed up for about thirty seconds, but the prospect of being eliminated meant I had to get everything right on the first attempt. After all, I only had twenty minutes and little in the way of resources since everyone else on my team took what they wanted. Grabbing a couple of test tubes, I began pouring the contents of one into the other, stopping short at several millilitres. I put one back and picked up another only to put it back again, as it wasn't what I needed. My mind started to recall how to produce what was needed to move onto the next stage, and luckily, my team had left me enough of the key chemical necessary for the final result. Picking up a tube filled with green liquid, I added it to the tube of blue liquid I had before adding a red liquid followed by a pink liquid. This turned the entire mixture blue, and upon quickly looking at what my teammates had done, they had all achieved the same thing. Now it came down to warming it up with the Bunsen burners. Putting on my goggles after taking them off briefly to rub my forehead, I turned on the burner, attached the tube to a clamp, and began to warm it up. I had to be careful at this stage of the process. The liquid had the potential to explode if it received too much heat. It needed just the right amount of heat before the final process could begin, and that was perhaps the hardest part. We had to shake our test tubes a few times to see if the liquid remained stable. If it remains blue in colour, then we've achieved our goal. If not, then it could blow up and would give one school, both, or neither an advantage in the baking portion of the event. Once I was satisfied that I had warmed up my compound, I shook it several times and closed my eyes, fearing what might happen. To my pleasure, the liquid remained blue, so then I looked to see if everyone else on the team had achieved the same thing. Everyone had blue liquid in their test tubes, aside from Derpy, who ended up with red. Before I could say something, it exploded in her face, but luckily, all she received was a face full of smoke. I didn't pay attention to what Derpy had done, so I couldn't tell where she went wrong. Fifteen minutes later, after cleaning up the mess Derpy had accidentally caused, we had all made our way to the kitchen for the baking contest. Aside from Rainbow Dash and myself--the worst cooks on the team--everyone else was busy working on their creations. " A shame that you and I aren't baking anything." I said. " I'm not complaining, and neither should you, Sunset. If either one of us had to go over there and bake something, we'd have probably caused a fire or something. I'll admit that cooking isn't my specialty, but it's pretty lame anyway, so I never bothered practicing." Rainbow Dash said. " Dean Cadance was pretty clear about what they had to do." " Which is why we oughta be thankful." " I'm surprised they were given so much freedom to bake whatever they wanted." " I'm not. I've seen Pinkie bake, and I know you can make really cool stuff. I just don't want to. Pinkie, though? I know she is going to cream those Shadowbolts; this is her specialty. All those years of baking are gonna pay off for us big time!" Rainbow Dash said. I stared at her, a glum expression appearing on my face, and she immediately knew that wasn't what I had in mind. I was grateful for the insight--unexpected from her--but I wanted a concise explanation of the rules. " Okay, Sunset! No need to give me that look!" " Then can you explain why they have freedom?" " Sure! Dean Cadance told them to bake something of their own design using whatever ingredients they wanted. The challenge here is working under a strict time limit and knowing how you think it will turn out. Judging from what I can see, some of those cakes look like they belong in a garbage bin or need to be put out of their misery. Glad I'm not gonna be embarrassed when the judges come along to taste those things." Rainbow Dash answered. I looked at the cakes to see for myself, and I agreed completely with her opinion. The cakes baked by the boys looked really unappetizing, and one of them was just a loaf of bread with sprinkles placed on top of it. I knew right away that wasn't going to impress Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, and Dean Cadance, the judges who had to taste each cake to determine who would move onto the next stage. " Who baked the bread?" I asked. " Flash Sentry and Bon Bon. I heard the latter comes from a long line of bakers, but maybe that was an overstatement." " What's that one cake that's supposed to be smiling, but looks really sad?" " I call it a mess." " Rainbow!" " What? It's true! Just look at that thing! I don't think anyone in their right mind would eat that!" " Guess it's up to Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy to get through to the spelling bee." I said. The judges had since ignored the two undesirable cakes, yet they also passed over on what looked like a pretty good creation from Rarity and Applejack. Upon a closer inspection, it looked presentable, but all those different things didn't exactly mesh that well together. At least it wasn't bread and whatever the other cake was. The three judges then made their way over to the last entry from the Shadowbolts, and it was definitely better-looking than the other entries thus far. The two bakers appeared confident that they had a real winner, but the look of their cake meant nothing if it wasn't tasty. It had been emblazoned with the Shadowbolts' emblem, a rather cocky maneuver, but also meant to provide additional decoration. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance were each given a slice and enjoyed the taste, going by their smiling faces. This was going to be a difficult cake to beat, but Pinkie Pie once again decided to defy reality. When she cut her cake in half--it was about half her size--it opened up and revealed an exact replica of the "Mona Lisa". How in the world did she do that!? How did she produce a cake version of one of this world's greatest masterpieces? Even the judges were shocked and dropped their forks in response. " Unbelievable!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. " I think we know who won this baking contest." I said. " Only Pinkie could've come up with something like that, but how did she come up with that?" " You're asking the wrong person." " At least we won this stage." " Yeah, but you have to wonder how the Shadowbolts must feel for losing." I said. My answer quickly came when I caught Principal Cinch out of the corner of my eye. She approached the two students and glared at them with so much disappointment, one of the girls accidentally dropped the cake onto the floor. It splattered all over. I felt bad that Cinch had to treat her like a failure. Even her own partner gave her the same glaring expression. Teamwork wasn't a strong concept for Crystal Prep, judging from what I had just seen. If one of their own shows weakness, they were treated as such and shunned in the process. As much as I enjoyed my friends winning the baking contest, I didn't like what the Shadowbolts were doing to one another. They truly did care only about winning and would cast aside their very own if it meant securing a victory. " Pinkie made a cake that contained within it one of the greatest works of art in modern history?" Twilight asked. " Surprising, isn't it?" I asked. " Not to mention highly illogical, but I guess it is Pinkie." " Regardless, it was enough to give CHS a victory in the baking contest of the decathlon. I admit what I said about feeling bad about those two Crystal Prep students who got chewed out by Principal Cinch. I mean, their cake looked really good and definitely had a lot of work put into it, but it just wasn't enough." I said. " Like I said to you before, Sunset, victory means everything to Crystal Prep. To Principal Cinch, you must win no matter what, otherwise you were weak and quite worthless to the academy. The two students in question were Suri Polomare and Upper Crust. They usually don't work on anything together, as the latter prefers to do anything with Jet Set. By the way, you should know that I wasn't there to witness the baking contest." Twilight stated. I nodded my head but refused to say anything more about that subject. In truth, I was so fixated on the different cakes, her lack of presence never registered with me. I just assumed she was somewhere hiding in the back, but she didn't even see any of the impressive--and not-so-impressive--designs. Perhaps Twilight wanted to focus on what she thought was important, namely, the spelling bee, as that, along with the finale, were right up her alley. Or maybe, she wanted to check to see if her pendant could detect any magic within the vicinity. I'm personally leaning towards the former, but the latter is most certainly possible. Our friends and I did everything in our power to make sure our magic didn't make itself known. Some might say that Pinkie's Mona Lisa cake came about as a result of magic, but I don't agree with that in the least. I'd say it was her unique skill to make anything out of baked goods, defying logic at the same time. " You could tell that CHS came to compete despite the odds against us." I said. " I don't think Principal Cinch was expecting your team to last all that long." " Never underestimate anyone; you never know what they're capable of." " What happened to Derpy?" " She wasn't hurt or anything when her test tube blew up in her face." " Your journal mentioned she was covered in black smoke." " It took less than two minutes to clean her up. Again, she was fine, although she was disappointed that she was eliminated so early in the competition. I thought she was going to go far, but destiny had other plans." I said. Turning onto the next page of the journal, another photo greeted Twilight and me, depicting what looked like a birdhouse, yet the project appeared deformed in a few places. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, and Twilight asked what was wrong. Again, she didn't witness this part of the decathlon. She should've paid attention, as woodshop is pretty cool to watch--not to actually make anything out of wood--but still to watch. " In woodshop, teams of two had to build birdhouses, yet you'd think they'd know how to make one. This was one of the 'finished' results, and I do take that term lightly." " It resembles something you would find out in the woods, or maybe in a landfill." " More like a mixture of the two." " What happened here?" " The Wondercolts learned a valuable lesson, and that was to make sure your blueprint was up to snuff." So far, the Academic Decathlon was progressing smoothly. Only a few students from each team had been eliminated, yet many at CHS had expected a blowout instead. They believed Crystal Prep would have won the event within the first stage, but the Wondercolts had proven themselves to have a lot more mettle than the Shadowbolts--or fellow CHS students--thought. Because we were still in it, the event shifted from cooking to woodshop. I had never taken a course in woodshop before, so I couldn't participate even if I had been forced. I guess it was lucky that my compound was declared the best during the chemistry segment. If not for that, I'd be on the sidelines watching my friends. What was strange was Rainbow Dash somehow getting the runner-up score even though she didn't like science all that much. Twilight had proven why she was the best student at Crystal Prep by receiving the best score on her team, allowing her to bypass into the spelling bee. Her score was identical to mine, so it looked like my intellect would be pitted against hers. However, her teammates weren't thrilled that she beat them. I could tell they were unhappy, as they shot her dirty looks, letting her know she was unwanted. I would've said something in protest, but I doubt Principal Cinch would've allowed my complaint to stand. She was one of the judges, so she could accept or refuse any issues an athlete might have. Despite that one slight, the woodshop section proved to be very interesting. While the baking contest produced some undesirable results, woodshop was more refined in that students didn't have to make something ugly. That's what I thought would happen, but I was surprised by how some students clearly didn't understand the concept of making something relatively simple. " In this stage of the event, students will work in teams of two in order to build a birdhouse." Dean Cadance announced. " That's it!? I was expecting more of a challenge!" Sour Sweet said. " Normally, you would receive a blueprint to act as a guide, but not in this contest. You will need to work together to come up with an ideal blueprint and use that to make a birdhouse using materials found in this room." Dean Cadance said. " Okay. That does make it a bit more difficult. We'll still win anyway!" " Please make sure you don't argue over who gets to use the equipment first. Despite this being a contest, have the courtesy to refrain from doing anything that could cause someone to get hurt. Remember, these are dangerous machines that can cause serious injury. You will have thirty minutes to build a birdhouse of your own design. The more effort you put into it, the more points you will receive from the judges." Dean Cadance said. " Do we get time to make a blueprint?" " You will have ten additional minutes beforehand to create one. Now, you do not have to follow the design on the blueprint your team creates. Rather, it will serve as a reference guide should you have need of it. How you make your birdhouse is entirely up to you. Safety goggles must be worn at all times! Are both teams ready? You may begin this stage of the decathlon... now!" Dean Cadance answered, ringing her tiny bell to signal the start. The woodshop room had been set up to accommodate the two teams by having two large tables complete with blank blueprints and measuring tools. The machines had all been prepped and ready to go a couple of days before so that there wouldn't be any problems. Like a flurry of bees, both teams began to work on what kind of model they wanted to use to act as a guide for their respective birdhouses. Since only six students remained on either team, three birdhouses would be made for each. Five minutes into the blueprint design phase, both teams were feverishly hard at work coming up with something. " What is our team doing over there?" Rainbow Dash asked. " I've got no idea, but they seem to be struggling with jotting something down." I answered. " How could they be stumped by a blueprint!? It should be easy to come up with a plan." " Maybe not as easy as we thought." " If I were helping them make a blueprint, I'd show them how it's done!" Rainbow Dash said. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention towards what was happening. Rainbow was a lot of things, but she wasn't skilled in woodshop. She had often ignored it--it was an elective--yet I was the same. I wasn't good at working with wood, but at least I graciously admitted my fault. Rainbow was more vocal because of seeing our team struggle. She eventually caught onto my eye-rolling and responded in kind. " Okay! I get it! I know I'm acting like a complete jerk, but I mean, why is our team having so much trouble? Aren't they some of the best students woodshop has had?" " Maybe the pressure is getting to them?" " I hope not. They need to remain calm if they hope to beat Crystal Prep." " You should follow your own advice sometime." " Point taken." Rainbow Dash said, blushing slightly before focusing on our team. It took them until the end of the ten minute grace period before they finally produced a blueprint, and I was shocked at what they had produced. Rainbow looked for herself, and she slapped her forehead before groaning. Their blueprint consisted of a crude drawing of a birdhouse with three question marks beside it. Was that their strategy? To just go with it? I wasn't feeling confident about their chances of winning, especially when the Shadowbolts presented their blueprint. What they had looked incredibly professional and was detailed right down to the smallest detail. It was pretty obvious who was going to win this stage of the decathlon. Once the teams were ready, they scrambled to get to the appropriate machines and started cutting pieces of wood. Since the Wondercolts were winging it, they had no proper measurements to work with, and that meant cutting in random spots if they thought it was enough. The Shadowbolts, for their part, made sure every piece was cut at the right length, and any pieces deemed unfit were tossed away. I had to admit their superior skill was very much evident instead of just bragging. Cutting the wood was one thing, but painting and building was another. The teams could go with any colours they wanted, but they needed to use the correct nails to keep their birdhouses together. Using the wrong nails would cause the entire thing to either fall apart or become full of holes. I noticed that Indigo Zap and her partner were making sure no one saw what they were working on. Were they afraid of someone coping them? Or, did they want to keep it a surprise for later? Either way, they were working in unison with one another, switching between different phases to ensure both got equal time with the machinery, paint, and nails. After what felt like forever, Dean Cadance rang her tiny bell to signal that time was up, and then she, along with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, began to walk along to judge the different birdhouses. Not only did CHS struggle with the task, but Crystal Prep also had problems. Many of the birdhouses had the tiny ledge in the wrong location or at a different angle, but the worst one belonged to Sandalwood and Microchips. Their birdhouse looked like it had been put together without any effort, and Luna reminded them of that fact by using a tiny hammer to knock it down. In comparison, Indigo Zap and her partner finally presented their work, shocking everyone in the room. Not only was their birdhouse perfect but they had also turned it into a duplex. No doubt, Crystal Prep had won this stage of the decathlon. Now all that remained was the spelling bee and the finale, and the former was the one part I had been looking forward to. Some time later, we had all gathered back in the gym to begin the spelling bee. My friends and I managed to make it to this stage. Representing the Shadowbolts were Indigo Zap, Twilight, and what I assumed were the former's closest friends. We had been asked to wait in wooden booths until we were called to come up. I wasn't nervous but rather excited over showing off my spelling skills, yet I wasn't the only one who felt that way. I could tell that Twilight was just as excited as I was. We were both in our natural element, with our teammates merely being there to fall aside while we proceeded forward. It sounded rather harsh to think of it like that, but it would soon be proven accurate. " Congratulations on everyone making it this far." Dean Cadance announced. " Now that half of each team remains, it's time to whittle down the numbers even further until one member from each team is left." Principal Celestia said. " Each of you will come up onto the stage and spell out a word correctly. As I mentioned before the start, these words were used in official spelling bee competitions, so don't expect an easy treatment. If you spell your word incorrectly, you will be eliminated immediately and be asked to return to your corner until this stage has concluded." Dean Cadance said. " If you want to have a sentence associated with the word you're given, you may ask one of us to do so." " We do accept alternate spellings of a word should any exist, as long as it is an official spelling of the word. As an example, the word 'colour' may be spelt 'C, O, L, O, U, R' or 'C, O, L, O, R'." " One student from CHS and one student from Crystal Prep will face off against each other at a time." " Each of you will be given at least one word, so don't think you can just go through if you're the only one left on your team." " Would Rainbow Dash and Lemon Zest please come up to the stage? You two shall be the first to begin the spelling bee. You already tossed a coin earlier to determine which school goes first, and we can announce that CHS won the toss." Principal Celestia said. Rainbow wasn't happy about having to go first, but she quickly accepted her fate and walked up to the stage until she was standing opposite of Lemon Zest, who seemed oblivious to her surroundings. She was wearing her headphones, showing a lack of care, but she had the volume off in order to hear the incoming words. " Is everyone ready? Good! Now, let's get started. Rainbow Dash, would you please spell 'hippopotamus'?" Principal Celestia asked. " This'll be a piece of cake. Hippopotamus: H, I, P, P, O, P, O, T, A, M, A, S!" Rainbow Dash answered. " Sorry, but that's wrong." Principal Celestia said, shaking her head slowly. " What do you mean 'that's wrong'!?" " Hippopotamus is spelt with a 'U' in-between the 'M' and 'S'. You spelt it with an 'A' instead, and so you are wrong." Principal Celestia answered. Rainbow then returned to her seat, obviously frustrated over how she got such an easy word wrong, but I had to focus on when my turn was coming up. " Alright, it's your turn now, Lemon Zest, so please spell out the word 'Munchausenism'? Do you require a sentence first?" " Nope! I'm fine." Lemon Zest answered, adjusting her headphones. " M, U, N, C, H, O, U, S, E, N, I, S, M." " I'm afraid that's wrong." " Bummer." " There is no 'O' in Munchausenism, so please sit back down, and we shall ask the next students to come up to the stage." Principal Celesita said. This carried on for several rounds, with one student from each team coming up to spell a word, yet it quickly became apparent that none of us were prepared to be on the spot. Words that they got wrong included "immigration", "chauffeur", "rhombus", "onomatopoeia", and "cymotrichous", just to name a few. I wasn't surprised with so many wrong answers, yet I thought this stage would last a while. I guess we weren't prepared to handle something like this, yet I was quickly proven wrong when Twilight spelt her word--"isosceles"--correctly without breaking a sweat. With her getting it right, it fell to me to get my word correct. " Alright, Sunset. You're the only one left representing the Wondercolts. If you get this word wrong, you will be eliminated, and Crystal Prep will automatically get the victory. I know there is a lot of pressure riding on this, but please take your time." Principal Celestia said. " I'm used to having pressure." I said. " Just because I'm your principal doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Now, the word I want you to spell is 'Unnilennium'." Principal Celestia said. The word sounded familiar, but I couldn't think where I heard it before. It didn't really matter, as I had to spell it out either way or lose and give Twilight and Crystal Prep the victory. That would lower morale for CHS, and to lose that early in the Games would make us nothing but a stepping stone. I thought about asking for the word to be used in a sentence, yet no one else had asked when they were given their words. Resorting to an easy alternative like that would've labelled me weak. My only option was to spell it out correctly without any assistance. " Unnilennium... Unnilennium." I said, quietly while trying to sound the individual letters to myself. " You have plenty of time to answer, Sunset." " I know." " Also, if you even mumble something that can be interpreted as an answer, that will be accepted as such." Principal Celestia said. I immediately closed my mouth. I almost lost the event for my team all because of quietly speaking the letters. If Principal Cinch had been one of the judges for the spelling bee, she would've declared me eliminated, but fortunately, I had Celestia, Luna, and Cadance as judges. Knowing that I had to keep quiet, I began imaging what unnilennium would sound like in my head. I made sure each letter was articulated properly before I felt comfortable enough to say something. " Unnilennium... U, N, N, I, L, E, N, N, I, U, M." " That is correct." Principal Celestia announced. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I had gotten it right. I turned to face my teammates, who were happy that I was moving on, yet the same couldn't be said for the Shadowbolts. They glared at me before doing the same thing to Twilight. Why would they give her such unwarranted displeasure? They should be happy one of their own was joining me in the final stage. Principal Cinch then walked up onto the stage, looked at both Twilight and me, and then pointed at a pair of chalkboards that had been set up behind us before the spelling bee had begun. " I am certainly surprised that someone from Canterlot High has made it this far. In the past, none of you had ever made it past the first stage of the first event, but here one of you has achieved the impossible. Perhaps you have the potential to become a fine student at this institution, or perhaps at Crystal Prep, should you wish it. We shall now proceed with the final stage of this event." Principal Cinch said. Was she trying to convince me to transfer over to Crystal Prep? I won't deny that I had originally considered it as an option when I first came to this world, but then, that was because my thought process at the time involved seeking a school that was easy for me to conquer. CHS had succeeded in turning me around for the better, so would going to the academy reverse that and turn me back into a cruel person? I felt compelled to keep a close eye on Principal Cinch. She may have been coy with her choice of words, but I knew what she had in mind. She saw me as CHS's best chance at beating her own best student, Twilight, so she figured having two geniuses would allow Crystal Prep to dominate everything. No matter what, I had to remain true to my school and fight off any attempts at her luring me away. " Why are you stopping there?" Twilight asked. " All of that reading really took a lot out of me." I answered. " It feels weird how you purposely stopped shy of the final part that pitted our intellects against one another." " To be honest, I think it's best to explain what was going on in my mind during the finale once I've regained my composure. When the event was over, you clearly beat me, but our friends wanted to know what happened that caused me to get the incorrect answer." I said. Everyone at CHS already knew that I was the best student, yet it was something I never really considered important. I just wanted to be seen as an ordinary girl who happened to excel in her studies. I never felt the desire to brag. That was an act the old Sunset Shimmer wouldn't hesitate to do. My thoughts during the event remain true even now. Cinch wanted me to transfer to her academy in an effort to further solidify her school's position as the best in Canterlot. I didn't know it at the time, but there was also another reason behind her actions. Twilight had proven difficult to rein in, so maybe Cinch wanted to give her a true competitive rival that would give her the incentive to want to work even harder than ever. That, in turn, would make Twilight decline her application to Everton and remain at Crystal Prep of her own volition. Good thing that never happened. I proved too strong to be swayed by the prestige that surrounded Crystal Prep. " Do you remember where you went wrong in your calculations?" " Yes, and I can't believe that I didn't carry over the two. If I had done that, I'd have gotten the exact same answer." " Perhaps the pressure got to you? It certainly made me uncomfortable." " When you've got students and school administrators watching you, it's impossible to feel calm all while working on a complex equation." " I am shocked at what Principal Cinch said to you." " She made certain to look me in the eye when she did." " But, do you really think she wanted you to transfer to Crystal Prep?" " In her mind, I had the same level of intelligence that you did. To have someone who was on equal footing with her best student, and from a different school, was unacceptable, so she wanted to convince me to abandon everyone I held dear in order to focus my efforts towards my education. I know that's what I got from her little speech, and you may not agree with me entirely, but that's what my heart was telling me. The old me would've left CHS the instant she said those words, but the current me wasn't about to give up on those who had finally welcomed me with open arms." I answered. " Did Principal Celestia say anything?" " No, but she and Vice Principal Luna gave Cinch quite the disapproving glare." I answered. Who could blame them for reacting like that? Cinch wanted me for my brain. Any extra baggage attached to it wasn't her concern. It was strange that she never attempted to coerce me like that again. Maybe she thought her true intentions were being exposed, so she doubled back and decided instead to focus on having her students win the Friendship Games? Leaving CHS would also mean the magic problem would have no one experienced to try and understand it. Also, the portal would remain unprotected from those who get too curious for their own good. Then, there was Princess Twilight and the possible reaction she would have had had I taken up Cinch's offer. Her Highness would've been proud that I desired the pursuit of knowledge but heartbroken over abandoning friendship in return. " Dean Cadance remained indifferent." " No surprise there, but then, she didn't have much of a choice." " She always did question Principal Cinch's actions without her knowledge. She confided in me a lot." " At least you had one human friend there." " I don't believe we ever discussed your level of intelligence tonight, did we?" " No, but I'm glad you brought it up. In order to understand what I was going through while working on that mathematical equation, I should tell you about how others felt about my intelligence and my own personal opinions." I answered.