Day: Friday
Weather: Mild
Time: 2:09pmI had a lot on my mind going into the Elimination Equation Finale, and what Principal Cinch said only added more. I was certain that she was trying to coax me into transferring to Crystal Prep, but I resisted her honeyed words and focused on solving a rather difficult mathematical equation. Unfortunately, speaking with Principal Celestia forced Twilight to be scolded, and I wasn't sure if she would forgive me for making her go through that awful experience. In what would go down as an epic clash between brilliant minds, I failed to overcome the challenge because of a small mistake on my part. Twilight won for Crystal Prep, yet her school didn't seem thrilled about it. Later, I told my friends about what happened, and despite insisting that I failed, they reassured me that I did the best that I could. It was the kind of momentum I needed, as the second event had been delayed until tomorrow. The delay proved useful, although it came at the cost of Fluttershy's magic.
The Other Journal
By Ganondorf8
April 8, 2016
Chapter 67: Suspicion.
" What didn't you consider before?" Twilight asked.
" Your pendant stole the magic from the portal, so that enabled it to create additional portals to Equestria." I answered.
" Didn't you already establish that my pendant malfunctioned after absorbing the portal?"
" No, I never knew. It wasn't until Fluttershy's magic was taken that I began putting the pieces together. If she hadn't noticed you draining her magic, I wouldn't have concluded that you had stolen the portal and would've merely attributed it to an unfortunate coincidence." I answered.
" So, you thought you could use my pendant to open a portal?"
" Not necessarily. I knew that the portal was unstable due to how Princess Twilight rigged Princess Celestia's journal to power some kind of contraption she made, so simply creating another one and going through it would've been suicidal. Your pendant created small portals that were also unstable, but they were enough to allow small creatures to come through to this world without any problems." I answered.
" How do you explain the plant monsters?" Twilight asked. She had a good point. Compared to the small sizes of the jackalope and Spike, the plants from the Everfree Forest were much larger. In theory, it would've been impossible for those monsters to have come through in such high numbers, yet there was one factor that changed everything.
Applejack had informed me after the Tri-Cross Relay had finished, her magic had been stolen by Twilight sometime during the event. When various magical energies are merged together, the resulting mass grows stronger with every bit of magic fed into it. Twilight's pendant was only capable of creating small portals that were strong enough to show an image of Equestria and nothing more, as the portal wasn't strong enough to be sustainable. Fluttershy's magic enabled that jackalope to come through without any trouble, and Applejack's magic enabled the plants to come through, although they didn't fully transition. Their heads came through, while the stems were still stuck in Equestria.
When Rainbow Dash lost her magic, it opened up a large portal that caused rain to fall down on top of us. While everyone else thought it was a sick joke on Twilight's part, I knew that it meant her pendant had absorbed enough magical energy to cause widespread destruction were it to be unleashed without the proper containments in place. If I had known much sooner about what Twilight was doing, and had she used enough common sense to stop using the pendant, what happened to her could've been avoided.
" By absorbing Applejack's magic, you gave your pendant the magical strength it needed to be able to sustain them." I answered.
" Principal Cinch said that CHS was responsible for the madness that plagued the relay."
" But in reality, it was you who had unintentionally caused it."
" My curiosity got the better of me. A voice in my head kept saying that I should continue to absorb the magic in the hopes of uncovering its secrets. I should've ignored that voice and just put it away somewhere so no one--not even me--could've gotten their hands on it." Twilight said.
Her idea that a voice told her to do wasn't entirely farfetched. One of the first lessons Princess Celestia taught me was how magic and powerful artefacts could corrupt a pony by taking advantage of their insecurities. All it takes are the right words to convince someone to lose control. Even if that someone possessed a willpower stronger than most, they could shatter if the temptation was strong enough. Twilight was corrupted too easily; she desired knowledge, but that was a mask hiding her true intention: to get back at a world which had wronged her. While I never had a voice telling me to do things, I lacked the willpower to change my destiny until Her Highness gave me a second chance.
" I could've used your pendant to open up a portal long enough to send a message through to Princess Twilight."
" Why didn't you?"
" First of all, I needed the pendant, but there was another problem."
" What's that?"
" Since the portals were opening up to random locations across Equestria, there was no way of knowing where my message would've ended up. Her Highness could've received it were luck on my side, or it could've been found by a pony I probably don't even know about." I answered.
" I'm sorry for using my pendant the way I did." Twilight said, tears trickling down her face. She was a lot like me in that our past mistakes haunted us after committing them. I had overcome my own inner demons, aside from reconciling with Princess Celestia, but Twilight continued to come to terms with becoming a monster that almost brought about the end of two worlds all for the sake of knowledge. I placed my hand on her shoulder and followed up with a hug, making sure her tears didn't stain her clothes and fog up her glasses. She wasn't bawling or anything but rather shedding several tears out of a sense of regret.
" Twilight... It's like I said to you before. Going by my own experiences, the others from both schools will forgive you. Right now, they will give you a hard time, but that's only natural, as they have no other means of expressing their feelings over what happened. Just give it about a few weeks. Although, I'm not sure if Principal Cinch is going to be willing to forgive you. She's an entirely different beast in and of herself. Now, to change the subject, what was your reaction to Spike talking?" I asked.
" Thank you." Twilight answered, wiping away her own tears before regaining her composure. " I must admit that I was surprised to hear him speak like we do. I've always been a firm believer of science, and seeing a talking dog defied logic. Yet, I see it as a blessing, as now we can talk to one another instead of my doing all the talking." Twilight then took off her glasses in order to adjust them. Before putting them back on her nose, she looked up at the ceiling as though she were in deep thought about something. " Principal Cinch approached me soon after Spike started talking and made a suggestion that horrified me."
" What was it?" I asked.
" She wanted me to spy on you and our friends."
" For what reason?"
" It was her aim to understand what was behind the secret to CHS's 'new-found success', as she coined it. She wanted me to get to know each of you better so that you would divulge some secrets she could use to give the Shadowbolts an advantage. I told her spying was wrong and refused to go along with it, but she countered by reminding me about my application to Everton. It was my Achilles Heel." Twilight answered.
" Want to talk about it?"
" Maybe later. Right now, I want to know what happened to Fluttershy."
" Before I go into that, there is something that occurred before our friends and I ran into her. After speaking with them about what happened during the finale of the decathlon, I had to deal with Flash Sentry, who was concerned about my well-being. He also wanted to know whether or not Princess Twilight was coming. It's a brief conversation, as he did have somewhere else to go." I said.
In the eyes of my friends, I had gotten over my mistake that cost me the win during the Academic Decathlon. In truth, I still felt miserable about it. I wasn't upset over not winning, as I personally didn't care about that. No, what had gotten under my skin was knowing that I made such an amateur mistake. Someone of my intellect should've noticed that I didn't include the remainder. If I had listened to Principal Celestia, I could've forced a sudden death scenario against Twilight. Were she to have won like that, I'd be more inclined towards accepting my loss and not mope about, like I had been doing.
What was really unusual was how my friends congratulated me on getting as far as I did. Were they serious about CHS never having gotten so close to winning the first event of the Friendship Games? Or, did they say that in order to brighten my mood? If I were to be honest with all of this, I was expecting Rainbow Dash to have scolded me for not winning the event, yet she said that I was awesome for having come so close. Had I been wrong about her regarding my feelings all that time? It quickly became obvious that the other CHS students didn't feel the same way my friends did about my performance. It made sense that they were upset. After all, Rainbow had given them a pep talk in an attempt to bolster their confidence, and that meant beating Crystal Prep despite the odds. That never happened.
Twilight proved that she was just as smart as I suspected her to be. She didn't allow her emotions to cloud her mind, while I couldn't stop thinking about what Principal Cinch said to me just before the finale started. Coupled with the other issues that resulted in my stress, it was a miracle that I even functioned properly. And yet, I suspected Twilight had her own inner demons to worry about. Whenever she looked at her fellow students, they looked back with disappointing glares. She was proclaimed by Cinch to be their best, so why not rally behind her instead of shunning her? I guess it doesn't matter. Who was I to get involved in affairs that didn't concern me? Still, I felt worried for Twilight's well-being despite what she supposedly did to the portal.
No matter what, though, tomorrow's second event was a crucial one. A victory for CHS meant the final and deciding event would take place, and we would still have a chance to pull off an upset that had never happened before. If Crystal Prep won, then the Games were over, and our efforts would amount to nothing. My mistake wasn't about to suddenly go away just because my friends made me feel better. My fellow students were going to watch me to ensure that I didn't mess up again and cost the school its one chance of actually beating its greatest rival. Would there be more chances in the future? Perhaps, but only if CHS won. A loss would shatter what little morale we had.
After leaving Fluttershy, my friends asked me to go to the cafeteria with them, but I politely declined, saying that I needed some time alone to think about how to approach tomorrow's event. I was fortunate that the construction workers still needed more time in order to perfect the playing field. Yet, having to wait a while longer meant being nagged by my insecurities over whether I'd make another mistake that would cost CHS the Games.
Making my way to the stairs that lead up to the upper level of the library, I sat down at the bottom and began thinking about everything that had happened. Stress had been something I had accepted, given how much I often received from day to day, but it was beginning to tear me apart. Everything that plagued me prior to the Friendship Games were still there, yet now there was the missing portal, failing to live up to my school's expectations, and even the idea of transferring to Crystal Prep. If not for Princess Celestia having taught me about discipline--one of her greatest lessons I neglected after our falling out but rekindled later--I'd have cracked several times over.
" Something on your mind?"
" Huh?" I exclaimed, looking over my shoulder. Standing behind me, body tilted forward, was Flash Sentry. I was surprised to see him there, as I thought he would still be upset over being knocked out of the Games due to his performance during the baking contest.
" You seemed to be upset, so I thought maybe I could talk to you about it. That is, if you want to."
" I actually could do with someone to talk to."
" Can't say that I'm jealous that you and your friends are moving onto the second event." Flash said as he sat down next to me. " You girls totally deserve the chance to truly represent our school. If me and Bon Bon had done better than we did, I'm sure one of us would be competing tomorrow."
" You two baked bread with sprinkles." I said, glaring at him with disappointment.
" Not our greatest moment."
" What happened?"
" Bon Bon is an excellent baker, but she can only bake when there's no time limit or pressure on her. Whenever she baked something in her parents' business, she took her time to make sure it was perfect. The Games didn't exactly give her the opportunity to go with her strengths, so she fell apart once the time restriction kicked in." Flash answered. I was surprised at how articulate he was regarding how Bon Bon felt. If not for the time limit, she could've shown everyone that her training had been worth the effort. Unfortunately, destiny had other plans that didn't involve her. " And don't get me started with how bad I was."
" I take it you're not baker material?"
" Never did have an interest in it, but I knew some of the basics, so I wasn't completely pathetic. If the event had been something music-related, I'm sure that I'd have made it to the second event, but that would've meant competing against you and the other Rainbooms." Flash answered. I then noticed him blushing, and my first instinct was telling me that he still had some kind of feelings towards me.
That notion quickly left my mind when I allowed common sense to correct me. Flash and I were just friends and nothing more. The chances of the two of getting back together again were slim to none. In his heart, he only had one person on his mind, and that was Princess Twilight.
Despite how cute they were together, I just saw it as nothing more than a crush he had until he found someone else who was within the realm of possibility. I wasn't saying that Flash was no good for Her Highness, but I mean, come on, the fact that she came from a different world prevented it from being a reality. Still, I had to admire his tenacity.
" I know what you're thinking about."
" Was it that obvious?" Flash asked. I nodded my head while closing my eyes, and he felt slightly embarrassed. Until Princess Twilight first came here, Flash never used to be nervous about expressing his feelings and keeping them under control. I actually liked this change about him; it meant he wasn't one-dimensional. " I just can't stop thinking about her and whether or not she's okay where she is. It's been several months since she last paid CHS a visit, so I always worry if my own actions caused her to want to stay away." He didn't know about my meeting with Her Highness, but that was something I didn't want him to know about. It was beyond his realm of understanding, given how he and the majority of CHS were clueless about the magic swirling around them.
" She'd love nothing more than to come here, Flash, but her commitments prevent her from doing so."
" You girls never did mention where she goes whenever she has to leave." Flash said. I gulped heavily before turning my head away from him. Only my friends and I knew the truth about where she went after finishing her business. I doubted anyone would believe that Her Highness and I came from a world filled with talking, pastel-coloured ponies. Turning back towards Flash, he was annoyed at how I suddenly ignored him, but he shrugged his shoulders. " Figured it's something you don't want to mention, but I suppose nothing I say will change your mind."
" It's hard to explain."
" Most likely, so I won't say anything more about it, but you should think hard about trusting others with certain secrets. Anyway, so what's been bothering you, Sunset? You didn't come here just to sit down and sulk. I know you better than that." Flash said.
" I've been moping ever since losing the Elimination Equation Finale."
" Oh, that. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it."
" What do you mean? You saw how disappointed everyone in CHS was when Twilight was declared the winner."
" Sure, they were upset that Crystal Prep won, but they are happy with the fact that the Wondercolts actually put up a decent fight. In the past, we always got creamed before the first event had truly gotten underway, so seeing how well we did definitely made an impact that's gotten the Shadowbolts worried." Flash said.
" That's not what I saw when they looked at me."
" Everyone was just shocked that you lost, but they'll get over it."
" I made a small mistake!"
" So?"
" What do you mean 'so'?"
" No one's perfect, Sunset, not even you. Everyone makes mistakes. It's just a fact of life that we all have to accept. If you ask me, being perfect would be pretty boring; it means no one would have any flaws that they could improve on, and we'd all be the same as each other." Flash answered. His logic didn't make much sense, but I understood what he was saying. My mistake wasn't as bad as I was making out to be. If someone else had been in my position, they could've have made the same mistake, or a different one, anyway. I shouldn't be beating myself up over something that was beyond my ability to control. " Oh, and you can blame Principal Cinch for making you feel uncomfortable."
" You actually caught that?"
" Both schools heard her say that, but I figured she was referring to you. I don't know why she said that, but don't let her words get you down; the same thing goes with your moping over making an honest mistake. CHS may be down right now, but we'll bounce back when the second event happens tomorrow. I still wish that I could be competing, but I know that you and the others have to do what the rest of us couldn't. Just don't let expectations control your mind, okay? Anyway, I've got to get going and meet up with my bandmates for a jam session. Might as well not sit around and do nothing." Flash answered.
" Guess I'll see you at the field tomorrow... and thank you."
" We may not be together anymore, but you can always come to me whenever you have a problem." Flash said. He then got up and started walking to the right, turned around, and winked at me before leaving the area. I didn't know if his winking gesture was an attempt to woo me or was his way of reminding me that he would always be there to listen to my problems.
In any case, Flash had reassured what my friends had told me. I shouldn't have been kicking myself over losing the Academic Decathlon because of one mistake. I did the best that I could given how much stress I was under and made dozens of mistakes in the process. That alone would've humiliated me in front of both schools, so I should be grateful that I gave Twilight a worthy challenge despite not beating her.
Yet, I still felt uneasy over how the rest of Crystal Prep treated her after she had won the event in their name. Was this something that all Crystal Prep students did to one another, or was it just towards Twilight? If she were truly miserable being there, why not request for a transfer? Did Crystal Prep even understand what it meant to showcase compassion towards one another? Those were questions I had no answers to. If I had gotten to speak with Twilight, perhaps I could've gotten a better understanding of her situation rather than guessing.
Knowing that I had to get physically and mentally prepared for the next event, I got up and was just about to find my friends when they found me instead. Something didn't look right at first, and upon them reaching me, it became obvious that something was definitely not right. Fluttershy seemed exhausted and was leaning on Pinkie and Rarity to walk. Had someone decided to pick on her? Maybe she tripped after we left her and couldn't walk? Or, maybe she suddenly came down with an illness? Fearing the worst, I asked Applejack what the problem was. Her answer chilled me to the core.
Fluttershy had become the latest.
" Since I already know what happened to Fluttershy--I unintentionally absorbed her magic--we can focus on what Flash Sentry said. I'm surprised that he didn't mention anything about me to you." Twilight said.
" Yes, I did view that as rather odd. Despite his best intentions, Flash usually bumps into Princess Twilight whenever she pays a visit. The two of them are magnetically drawn to each other, and I like to think the same thing applies to you, as well. After all, you bumped into him when you decided to follow the magic your pendant had pinpointed." I said.
" He actually thought I was Her Highness."
" Despite looking completely different, I think Flash ignored all of that and instead focused on what was on the inside."
" Oh, and he thought that I was going to help CHS win."
" I don't blame him for thinking that."
" Did Her Highness' contributions truly affect everyone?"
" Like I said before, she was able to fix the damage I had been causing for three years, and CHS has been better ever since. She may be a princess, but Her Highness often puts the needs of her subjects before her own pleasures. Sometimes, those personal pleasures do cause some interesting scenarios to develop." I answered. I began giggling to myself for a moment while Twilight looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face.
Regaining my composure, I told her that I was just remembering some of the things Princess Twilight told me about while responding to my Friendship Reports. Before and after becoming a princess, she went through some experiences that involved her wanting to fulfill some personal problems. One example was sending Princess Celestia a message every week that reflected upon the friendship lessons she learned. She was so desperate to solve a friendship problem, she actually used a spell to create a problem. From what she told me, it almost caused the downfall of Ponyville, as ponies were fighting over a stuffed pony toy Her Highness had as a filly. It sounded strange, but she insisted that happened.
Another instant she expressed to fulfill a personal desire involved not having to deal with the likes of Discord. I personally never met him but heard stories about what he used to do and how he was reformed by the pony version of Fluttershy. If Princess Twilight had her way, she would've banished him from Equestria several times over, but knows she must give him a chance to prove himself worthy to be around them.
Twilight then glared at me, and I knew she wanted to know what was funny. I then explained to her about the Smarty Pants--the name of her stuffed pony toy--incident, since that one was meant to be made public. Her Highness told me that abusing magic would only lead to further problems being created. She also said to never rely on magic to solve all of one's problems, as other methods had less side effects. Wanting something and being responsible went hand-in-hand, even when many ponies didn't think that was the case.
" And here I thought she was elegant."
" Princesses in Equestria do have to abide by some rules, but much of the time, they act of their own accord."
" Did Flash know you were from another world?"
" He sometimes said that I was different from other girls. I thought he was trying to make me sound special, but I think that deep down, he knew that I wasn't really human, but his mind and heart couldn't agree on whether to accept that as the honest truth. Even when I was using him to increase my popularity, I never mentioned Equestria, thinking that he was just a stupid human." I answered.
" You would learn that he wasn't like that, right?"
" Flash does portray stereotypical jock characteristics, but he has a good heart and knows how to help his friends. You know, he would be similar to Fluttershy if not for those characteristics. That, and he lacks her strong connection with animals." I answered.
" Did what she say help you figure out what I was doing?"
" Yes, but there was still one answer left."
" What was it?"
" Why?"
Flash's kind words had been enough to make me not worry about my stress-related problems, yet when my friends presented an exhausted Fluttershy to me, those words went right out the window, and my stress suddenly returned stronger than before. Applejack had told me that she spotted Fluttershy laying down on the front lawn. We shouldn't have left her on her own despite her saying that she would be fine. Fortunately, the only problem she was suffering from was fatigue brought on by having her magic drained from her. And yet, it was a serious issue that had gotten much worse.
Despite Applejack telling me what had happened, I wanted to hear from Fluttershy herself. After all, she witnessed her magic being drained, so her perspective was all the more important. She said that after she walked off to feed her pets, Twilight came from behind a bush, and the two had a friendly conversation. It was strange that Twilight came into the area in such an unusual manner rather than using the sidewalk. Could it be that she had intended to spy on Fluttershy? It sounded ridiculous, but had to be taken into consideration.
I learned something serious from Fluttershy's encounter with Twilight, and it related to my own thoughts. The latter told the former that Crystal Prep students only cared about things they did themselves and shunned the efforts of others who achieved the same goal. No wonder they acted that way after Twilight won the event for them. It was common practice for them to react in that manner. Twilight was just an unfortunate coincidence because of her intellect.
Fluttershy ponied up after displaying her kindness, and that's when Twilight's pendant absorbed her magic, resulting in several small portals opening up and her pet dog becoming capable of talking after being blasted by the magic transferring between Fluttershy's body and the pendant.
It then hit me that the pendant around Twilight's neck was the reason why all of us aside from Applejack and Rainbow Dash had suddenly been drained of our magic. Why didn't I notice that before? How could I have been so blind? That pendant didn't look normal, and Twilight did use it in the gym during the party for bizarre reasons that were slowly making sense.
" Are you serious!?" I exclaimed.
" Y'all certain 'bout this, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
" All I did was hand Twilight a bunny. Then, I ponied up. If you had seen how sad she looked, you would've done the exact same thing in my shoes. She felt like her entire school was against her. I thought about asking, but I held back in case I was prying into something I shouldn't know about. She was really nice compared to the other Shadowbolts." Fluttershy answered.
" Reckon that's plumb unusual."
" How so?" I asked.
" Students at Crystal Prep have been badmouthin' us for years, so it feels mighty strange to find one of their own acting differently."
" I thought it was pleasant." Fluttershy said.
" Of course you would think that." Rainbow Dash said.
" It just doesn't make sense." I said.
" What doesn't?"
" Why each of you have been ponying up unexpectedly without playing your instruments. Rarity's magic came out when she made us outfits. Pinkie's when she fixed the party, and now Fluttershy by showing compassion towards Twilight." I answered. I didn't mention anything about what happened to me. My magic was drained before I could pony up, yet I still experienced something different when I gained those phoenix wings several months ago. There was something that was so obvious at work, yet I just couldn't figure it out. It would be revealed to me in due course, but at that moment, it did nothing but gnaw away at my mind with all my other stresses.
" And then, Twilight's pendant thingy just pulled the magic right out of me. I couldn't even stand up." Fluttershy said.
" Are you certain that it was a pendant, darling?" Rarity asked.
" Um, yes."
" From what I saw of it when Twilight graced us with her presence, it looked like something a mad scientist would have invented, or perhaps some kind of prop. Either way, I would still question her fashion sense, wearing something that obviously clashes with her uniform." Rarity said. Despite the others groaning in response to what she said, I actually thought Rarity made a good point. The pendant was making sounds when Twilight was near the statue when I thought about going to Equestria. A regular pendant wouldn't sound like something mechanical, so it was more than just a mere accessory.
" When my magic left me, it felt like my very energy was being taken as well." Fluttershy said.
" Like me at the party!" Pinkie Pie said.
" Or me right before we met Twilight." Rarity added.
" Then there's only one logical explanation." I said.
" What's that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" Twilight is stealing magic." I answered. My friends reacted in horror to my accusation, but the signs were pointing in that direction. I began scratching my head, thinking that perhaps I had overstepped my boundaries, but deep down, I knew that I was correct. I shook my head several times to get rid of any doubts over my claim, and Pinkie decided to do the same, likely thinking it was some kind of game until I glared at her, prompting her to stop.
" Seriously!?"
" What other reason could there be?"
" Anything!?
" I don't know. She doesn't seem like the magic-stealin' type." Applejack said.
" Do you have any other explanations?" I asked.
" No, but I'm not sure if y'all have your facts straight. I know Twilight has been actin' mighty weird since she first arrived with the rest of Crystal Prep, but that don't mean she stole our magic by usin' a freaky pendant. It could be some other kind of force responsible for doin' that to us. What I do know is that Twilight ain't doin' anythin' to give her team the advantage in the Friendship Games." Applejack answered. Her answer was expected. Like I said before, my friends knew little about magic, hence why I was the magical expert who had to figure out problems beyond their comprehension.
" She had something to do with closing the portal, and you can't deny that!"
" I suppose so."
" If her pendant can pull in magic, maybe it stole the portal, too."
" How?" Fluttershy asked.
" Honestly, I just don't know. There have been so many strange things happening around here since Crystal Prep came, and I haven't been able to come up with an answer for any of them that sounds right. And the pony or person or princess who could help me figure this out is completely unreachable now. If Her Highness were here, she would know exactly what to do without a second thought. Magic is her specialty, not mine." I answered.
" Well, she ain't comin', so that means you're the only one who can figure this out." Applejack said.
" It's too bad that Princess Twilight isn't here." Pinkie Pie said. " She knows everything about magic and portals and magical portals and portable magics!" She began popping up in random locations, such as inside of a locker, behind Rarity, an air vent on the ceiling, a grate on the ground near a water fountain, before finally stopping by opening a side door and falling flat on her face. While her antics were amusing, it didn't make me feel better knowing that I had more pressure now than ever. At least I now knew that Twilight was involved in our magic being drained from us, but what did she plan on doing with it? That was the one question which needed an answer. " Hey! You guys need to come out here!" Pinkie Pie announced.
" Get back in here, Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash said, slapping her forehead. " You know we're not allowed out there until the construction workers have finished."
" But they have finished!"
" How do you know?"
" I don't hear the sounds of vehicles or workers running around." Pinkie Pie answered. We all went quiet to confirm if she was telling us the truth. Sure enough, the field outside was remarkably quiet. Had they finished those last-minute extras that required the Games to be delayed by an extra day? I wonder if they informed Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna about it? Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and I walked outside, helping Pinkie back onto her feet, and all of us save her suddenly dropped our jaws slightly and stared at what the field had been transformed into.
" For now, let's just focus on beating the Shadowbolts. And as long as this event puts me in a playing field, I don't think we've got anything to worry about. I know it sounds like I'm bragging, but we need to win tomorrow to force the final event." Rainbow Dash said. She then noticed that all of us aside from Pinkie were ignoring her in favour of looking at the changes made to the field. Stating that things were about to get much tougher would've been an understatement, as the second event looked to pull out all of the stops to test us in ways we may not have been prepared for. " Guys? Why the sudden silent treatment? Did you hear what I said?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" We did." I answered.
" And?"
" Let's just say that it puts you on a playin' field all right." Applejack answered. Both Rainbow and Pinkie--whose eyes had been looking in opposite directions--turned to see what Applejack was talking about, and their jaws also dropped at the sight of what we had been looking at.
The field had been transformed into a motocross track that surrounded a track-and-field course. In the middle of this was an area that featured several bales of hay and a sand pit with ropes dangling above it like the kind seen in an obstacle course. At the far end was a wall that had been mounted with several archery targets. The construction workers had definitely been busy to have come up with something like that, yet there were many questions left unanswered. What was the purpose of having three different sports taking place in the same location? Were competitors required to participate in one, two, or all three disciplines? Why keep this a secret? Finally, were there any additional factors none of us could see?
My own personal question was how much Principal Celestia spent on making this thing. I was curious to know despite never once inquiring about the financial expenditures used by CHS.
Rainbow Dash wanted a challenge, and now, she had gotten one. You had to wonder how they managed to keep so much dirt in place without it loosening and crumbling away.
" Am I the only one who thinks this is overkill?"
" Well, they certainly wanted it to be a challenge." Rarity answered.
" More like they went overboard." Applejack added. She then walked over to a corner of the motocross track that was closest to us, kicking it a few times, causing some dirt to crumble away and fall to the ground. I didn't know if she was trying to see how sturdy it was or wanted to let off some steam over what I said about Twilight stealing our magic, but she eventually stopped when Rarity walked up to her. " I don't suppose you made motocross outfits?"
" Oh, don't be ridiculous." Rarity answered, before pulling out two highly stylish costumes from behind her back. " Of course I did! You know that I always have a costume for any kind of emergency, darling, yet I wasn't expecting them to actually have a motocross event in the Games." The big question now was who would be wearing those outfits and racing on the motocross track.
Each of us were capable of riding bicycles, and motorbikes were basically the same thing, but with engines that did the work. I was more curious about what else had been built in preparation for this event. Did all six of us have to use all three sections of this field starting from the inside and going out? Or, were we restricted to just a specific part? There were other questions that were Friendship Games related, but I suspected they would be revealed tomorrow, so there was no point in trying to figure them out for ourselves.
Still, I was shocked at how much had been put into this structure, and all for just a simple competition between two high schools. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this had been designed to accommodate Olympic athletes or similar groups that were on an international level. Was the aim of these games designed to push us to the limits of endurance? If so, then why put us through it? Why not go with something within reason? If this was Principal Celestia and Principal Cinch's attempt at outdoing one another by throwing their students into extreme situations, I shudder to think what was going on in their minds.
" Quite convenient that Rarity would have two motocross outfits on her person." Twilight said.
" She always likes to be prepared for any kind of fashion emergency. To be honest, I never noticed those two outfits on her costume racks when she asked us to try them out before you entered our lives." I said.
" Do you think they were last-minute additions?"
" I'd like to think so."
" Oh, and you do realize that riding a motorbike is different from riding a bicycle, right? The former just having an engine doesn't make the two identical. They're more difficult to control because of the additional weight coming from the engine and other metal parts used in its construction. You also need to have authentication to be allowed to ride one by passing a difficult test. Before I forget, bicycles don't have much in power, even if the rider is a first-class athlete. Motorbikes can reach incredible speeds. Not like planes or specially designed cars, but still pretty fast." Twilight said.
It was actually coincidental that I had received my license to ride a motorbike. Rainbow Dash, at the beginning of the year, wanted to get her license because of "a need for speed". She didn't like the idea of being the only one getting hers, so she managed to entice me into going for mine as well. I'll admit that it was a cool experience, and it gave me something new that isn't possible back in Equestria. I just wished that Rainbow had asked if I wanted to go with her down to the DMV instead of simply dragging me down there by my arm.
Of course, that meant that Rainbow and I were chosen by Principal Celestia to handle the motocross section of the Tri-Cross Relay. She knew we had gotten our licenses, so we were the only ones who could handle the track. So long as we were civil about it and not relying on crazy stunts like they have at official competitions, she had absolute faith in our abilities. I did find reading the manual to be rather cumbersome. This world has so many rules regarding even the smallest of things. Equestria had its own rules ponies followed, but they were few in number compared with what happens around here.
" Rainbow Dash and I already had our licenses, but the others were still debating on whether or not to get theirs."
" Then it's fortunate that Principal Celestia knew that. If she had chosen, say, Pinkie Pie, to handle the motocross, CHS would've been forced to forfeit unless an appeal were made to switch her with someone else who could." Twilight said.
" For that, we were relieved."
" Did you really think I was 'stealing' magic?"
" It was the only explanation I could come up with."
" I guess I didn't exactly come off as being someone trustworthy."
" Since Fluttershy clearly saw you using that pendant to steal her magic, that was the deduction I chose to go with. I suppose the right thing would have been to speak to you about what you were doing and find a way to resolve the problem before it could get any worse." I said. That proved difficult, since Twilight was hard to track down. She did a good job of keeping away from us after I suspected her of stealing our magic. At the same time, Principal Cinch was keeping a close eye on her prized student, so the chances of talking to her were slim to none.
Of course, when I finally confronted her over what she had been doing, I wasn't what you would call subtle. My anger had been growing at the time, and I was ready to vent out my frustration towards anyone who happened to be in front of me. Twilight ended up being the poor victim who I berated for messing around with magic. Not a day goes by that I don't regret treating her like that.
" You did speak to me eventually."
" And I continue regretting what happened."
" It's not your fault that you shouted at me like that, Sunset."
" Well, it felt that way to me."
" Granted, I should've asked someone about your temperment before confronting you and our friends after the relay. That would've saved me some time and prevented you from letting loose your verbal tirade against me." Twilight said. While she may have been forgiving about what I did, I wasn't about to forgive myself for acting way out of line. I should've been kicked out of the Friendship Games for acting like the monster I used to be. Even if it meant giving Crystal Prep an advantage, I did something that was unacceptable. Her Highness would've been heartbroken had I not explained myself when she finally returned after the Games. " How did you feel about the Tri-Cross Relay?" Twilight asked.
" How did I feel about it?"
" Yes."
" Well, it wasn't what anyone was expecting, but I do have something to say about the layout in addition to what happened.
" So you witnessed everything?"
" No; my vision was obstructed and I had to deal with the competition taunting me."
" Guess I've got some more explaining to do."
" That depends on what it is."