Let the games begin!
"Good morning, students. I'm sure you're all thrilled to start the first day of the Friendship Games. Our competitors will face off in every aspect of the CHS curriculum, culminating in the elimination equation finale."
The Friendship Games had finally arrive, and the CHS students were at the top of their game. The twelve students did several more laps before coming to a stop before their coaches. Asami took the time, with the cellphone of course, and smiled. "This is incredible!" she said happily.
"I know!" Korra agreed, "They broke their record."
"Hu? Oh, yeah, yeah that too."
Korra pouted in annoyance, "You were talking about the phone, weren't you?"
"Maybe…" Asami smiled while blushing in embarrassment. She was seriously becoming addicted to this new technology.
Korra shook her head before addressing to the students, speaking with great pride. "Okay, grate practice everybody. Today is the big day, and I just want you all to know we're all supper proud of each and every one of you."
"We're totally gonna win this time!" Rainbow Dash leaped up into the air, her fists pumping.
"However, there is one thing we need you all to remember." Korra's calmness of voice got everyone's attention, "While our purpose was to help you prepare for these games, that wasn't the only reason we trained you so hard. Let's be real, whatever happens today happens, if we win then we can certainly celebrate our first victory together. But, if by chance we lose, I still consider it a victory none the less. You all pushed and trained so hard, and you did it together. You Wondercolts have more spirit and determination than any sports team I have ever met. Aside from the four of us." she gestured to herself, Bolin, Mako and Asami. "So when you go out there, don't just focus on winning, remember what you've learned these past two weeks."
"We're braver than we believe." Fluttershy said.
"Stronger than we seem." Micro Chip added.
"And smarter than we think." Flash added.
Korra smiled proudly, "Exactly." she placed her hand in front, allowing everyone to place their hand into the pile. They were ready for the games. "One, two, three!"
"Let's go! Wondercolts!"
The students cheered louder than they ever had. They had never felt more confident not only in themselves, but in each other. No matter what happens, they were in this together.
Mako clapped his hands, "Alright, go and freshen up. The games start in two hours."
The students and coaches dispersed in order to get ready in time for the competitions. They had a good feeling about this year.
(~)
With the students preparing, Asami walked down the hallways, playing with various games on the phone, completely spaced out that she didn't notice the person she had bumped into. To her surprise, it was someone she didn't expect to find so early.
"Twilight?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I--wasn't--"
"It's okay, neither was I. Were you looking for someone?"
To her surprise, the young girl blushed at the question. "Who, me? No, no of course not. Why would I be looking for somebody? Certainly not a boy, if that's what you're thinking." she giggled nervously, while fiddling with her hair. But Asami wasn't buying this charade one bit. And Twilight basically knew she didn't. "Okay, I was looking for somebody."
"Would it be a certain blue haired guitar player, by any chance?"
"How did you--"
"Lucky guess."
Twilight sighed sadly, "It doesn't matter anyway. He's on the rivaling team, Principal Cinch would have a panic attack if she found out. And worse, she'd probably have my application to Everton denied!"
"Everton?" Asami asked, unfamiliar with the name.
"It's a school I applied to for their Independent Study program. It's always been my dream to go. And if I don't help Crystal Prep win then--"
"Wait a second, your own principal is black mailing you just to win a game?" Asami was understandably appalled by this discovery.
"Well, when you put it like that, it seems…harsh."
"Because it is. Twilight, I understand how it feels to want something desperately. But sometimes the things you want aren't the things you really need. I had to learn that the hard way. I think maybe you should ask yourself the big question; Is it really worth it?"
Twilight was silent for a few seconds, taking her words to heart. "I…I never thought of it that way."
Suddenly, Twilight stepped back a couple of feet once Asami's body suddenly started to glow and her body listed up into the air. Her hair grew longer and a pair of wings emerged from her back as well as a pair of adorable pony ears. Both girls were astonished by this transformation, but it quickly took a turn for the worst.
Without her consent, Twilight's device suddenly opened up, revealing the glowing orb within, changing various colors before sucking up the energy within Asami. The heiress strained as the magic was being sucked right out of her body.
Meanwhile, on the playing field, Korra heard the sound again. She could hear it coming from inside the building.
Asami landed on her knees, feeling unbelievably weak, her pony features were now gone and Twilight's device closed, glowing bright once more. She quickly closed the lip before anything else happened and ran from the scene, shouting back, "I'm sorry!"
Asami could barely stand up when Korra finally arrived. "Asami! What happened?"
"Eh…Twilight…pony up…tired…" the heiress leaned against her friend, too exhausted to complete her sentence.
Korra's eyes narrowed in anger. First Rarity, then the portal and her magic, then Pinkie Pie, and now Asami, who apparently managed to pony up just like Mako did. It wasn't just the Rainbooms who were in danger, but all of her friends. This was all the evidence she needed.
(~)
Bolin handed Asami a glass of water to boost her energy. The young woman sat on a desk in the music room, slowly regaining her strength. "It was so weird. One minute I'm talking to the kid and the next I'm sprouting wings and a tail."
"Still don't think it should be called a 'tail'." said Bolin, "Maybe a supper long pony tail, it would make more sense and it's a funny play one words and…" he noticed Korra's stern expression, "I'll stop now."
"I knew she was trouble!" Korra exclaimed in anger, "She's stealing all of our magic!"
"Wait, Korra." Mako intervened, "She didn't steal all of it. Remember, you still have your bending."
Korra growled in frustration, "Okay, yes, but I can sense half of my power is gone. She may not have taken my bending, but that doesn't mean she didn't steal something! She stole magic from the portal! Our one way ticket back home!"
"So what do we do?" Bolin asked.
"I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" Korra marched towards the door, ready to finally confront that other Twilight, until she stopped when Asami spoke up.
"Korra, wait! I don't think she even knows what she's doing. When that device took whatever magic I had, she was scared. Like she didn't understand what was happening. And I talked to her, she reminded me so much of our Twilight. Maybe she's not the one to blame here."
Korra growled in anger at the older girl, "This all started happening when she showed up! She closed the portal, she caused it to go haywire, this is all her fault!!"
The room was silent for two seconds before the Avatar broke down crying, sinking into a puddle on the floor. She was really missing home, she was terrified they would never get back. Mako squatted down and held her close, not saying a word. His closeness said more than any word could.
Bolin and Asami exchanged saddened expressions before joining in the group hug. Naga and Pabu joined in as well, showing their support and love. After a while, Korra's sobbing died down and the embrace loosened. She smiled at her friends. "Thanks, you guys."
"No matter what happens, we're in this together." Mako said.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Bolin assured.
The three helped her stand up and Naga leaped into her arms, licking away her tears. "You sure you want to go out there?" Asami asked, uncertain if Korra was in the right mind set to coach the teams.
"I'll be okay. We made a commitment to those kids, so we're sticking through."
(~)
"Welcome to the first event, the Academic Decathlon!" Cadance's radiant smile brightened the room filled with CHS and CPA students alike. While the two principals were smiling happily, Principal Cinch and her students just glared at their opponents.
Team Avatar stood beside Celestia and Luna while the Flim Flam brothers stood with the Shadowbolts. Among the students, Flash spotted Twilight and send her a wave and a smile. Twilight returned the gesture with equal enthusiasm. She flinched when Sour Sweet spoke to her.
"Awww! That's so romantic!" she said sweetly…right before turning sour again, "Quit flirting with the competition!"
Twilight sunk down in shame while rubbing her arm. In a cruel way, she was right. She needed to focus, she couldn't allow a simple crush to cloud her judgment.
"You'll be scored on chemistry, home-ec and everything in between. But remember, only the six students from each team with the most points will move on to event number 2. Good luck!"
And so, the games began!…and Asami had the camera phone ready!
Wondercolts;
Ho! We're gonna take you down
Ho! We're gonna take you down!
Take you down!
(Ho! We're gonna take you down!)
Take you down!
(Down, down, down)
The first event was chemistry. This was an easy challenge, since most CHS students were snacks at this. However, Derpy did make one beaker explode in her face. Literally.
Shadowbolts;
(Oh oh!)
We're here to take you out
(Aw aw!) We're here to take you out (Aw aw!)
Take you out!
(We're here take you out!)
Take you out!
The next event was baking. Bolin gave Flash and Bon Bone one final pep talk before the event. They were more than ready for this.
Wondercolts;
We're not about to let you win, so get out of our way
Think you got us beat, but we're here to stay
United strong, yeah, we'll take you down
You're not so tough, now you're in our town
Asami recorded the whole event, the CPA kids were well trained and focus, that much was certain. The Flim Flam brothers smiled smugly at Team Avatar, who only rolled their eyes. Suri Pomel and Upper Crust were paired up for the baking competition. They baked and decorated an elaborate Shadowbolts cake, with the emblem and everything.
Pinkie Pie was working her baking magic skills on her and Fluttershy's cake. She was the best baker in school.
Flash Sentry and Bon Bon had baked a gorgeous cake, decorated with a pegasus on the side. Somehow the idea just came to Flash. Bon Bon added the sprinkles and smaller details. It was a first price cake for sure. Bolin was so proud, they used their creativity flawlessly just as he knew they would.
All of the times we lost before
Not about to give up, we're only bringin' it more
We can smell your fear, we can see your sweat
Hope you didn't spend money 'cause you're losin' this bet!
The judging began, the two principals and Dean inspected the cakes. Applejack and Rarity's combined the best of their talents; detail and quality.
Shadowbolts', Neon Lights and Jet Set's cake was…far from impressive. Flash and Bon Bon's cake was truly eye catching, and delicious. The two hight fived one another at their accomplishment.
Upper Crust and Suri smiled smugly at their cake, which was just as stunning, perfectly detailed and delicious. But the one cake that ruled them all was Pinkie's and Fluttershy's, which was tall and lovely decorated with buttercream rosettes. But once Pinkie cut it in half…a Mona Lisa imaged made entirely out of frosting shocked the judges.
Flim and Flam were jaw dropped while Team Avatar high fived in victory. A win for CHS!
Bolin hugged Flash and Bon Bon, feeling immense pride, and Asami took a self. However, Principal Cinch was far from impressed with her students. Suri and Upper Crust were terrified and ashamed they had disappointed their principal. They looked like their self esteem had just lowered.
You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Wondercolts!
You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Wondercolts!
Korra took notice of this, feeling bad for the students. Their Principal certainly was a tough cookie. To make them feel better, Korra caught their cake, which nearly fell due to Suri's nervousness at seeing their angry principal, and took a finger full of frosting, complimenting the taste, much to the Shadowbolts' surprise.
Cinch rolled her eyes and walked off in a huff and Korra placed some frosting on Suri's nose, making her giggle. They didn't feel so bad about loosing anymore.
The next competition was bird building.
Shadowbolts;
Talk a little too much for a school that never wins
Maybe you should just stop 'fore you even begin
We are Crystal Prep High and we have a reputation
Every little moment is about our education
The CHS students placed all of their efforts into their bored houses, which were all done beautifully. But the one that stood out the most as Sandlewood's and Micro Chips's. It combined the best of their abilities, natural resources and technology, mainly in structure. It was practically an advanced styled structure made entirely out of wood. However, Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap's tree house was two stories high, with flames and a perfectly symmetrical structure. It wasn't as imaginative as Sandlewood's and Micro Chips, but both were so good so it was a tie. Which was something the Shadowbolts did not like at all.
Put your ear to the ground
Listen to that sound
You're a house of cards
And it's about to fall down (fall down)
About to fall down (fall down), hit the ground
Asami hugged the two boys and took another selfie. She was so proud of their accomplishment, she didn't even care if it was a tie. However, the Shadowbolts were so bitter about it that they pushed the birdhouse off the table. Thankfully, Applejack caught it and she and Fluttershy each placed a hand on the boys' shoulders, showing that they were a team through and through.
Where was this kind of teamwork and selfless bonds the Shadowbolts were so clearly lacking? But that wasn't going to stop them.
You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Shadowbolts!
You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Shadowbolts!
The following event was the spelling Bee. The Wondercolts were more than ready. The six students with the highest scores were the Rainbooms, and Mako watched proudly as they managed to spell nearly every single word right. But even with their training, one by one, each Wondercolt and Shadowbolt lost. However, that didn't diminish Mako's pride for his students. They all did sow splendidly well and held on for much longer than even they ever thought they could. He couldn't ask for more.
Wondercolts;
Pressure's on, now we're gonna beat you
Step aside, it's time that we defeat you
Crystal Prep yourself 'cause you're about to go
Down, down, down, down
Shadowbolts;
Pressure's on, you know we're gonna take you
Just give up before we have to break you
Canter-not-a-lot, you're about to go
Down, down, down, down
The two students who managed to hold up through the spelling Bee were Sunset Shimmer…and Twilight Sparkle. The Wondercolts and Team Avatar cheered her on, while the Shadowbolts practically yelled at Twilight not to mess it up.
Wondercolts;
Take it up to the top
'Cause we know we can win
Shadowbolts;
Maybe you should just stop
'Cause we've seen you give in
Wondercolts;
We believe in ourselves
And we've got what it takes
All;
And we're not gonna stop!
Sunset was now face to face with the magic stealer. No matter how innocent she looked, she was not about to let her get away with what she had done. She hurt her friends and could have possibly stranded Team Avatar here. No matter what, she needed to find out what she had done, not for herself, but for her friends.
Twilight:
I can't wait 'til this is all over
There's so much more that's going on
Sunset Shimmer;
And before these games are over
I'll find out just what she's done
Their competition was to solve a math equation. Both teams watched in anticipation as the two braniacs went head to head. Asami was, of course, recording the whole thing, while Bolin was bitting on his nails nervously while sweating. Korra and Mako held each other's hands in anticipation while Flim and Flam were both pulling their hair and mustache as the hands on the clock continued to move.
Both girls were sweating while their brains were working overtime. Things were really heating up now.
All;
Can she do it? Will she make it?
Who will win it? Who will take it?
Can she do it? Who will take it?
Did she win it? Did she make it?
Who's the winner? Who's the reject?
How did she answer?
Principal Cinch studied both blackboards and came to her conclusion. "Incorrect!" She said. Her finger pointing at…Sunset Shimmer.
The girl's eyes shimmered with guilt as a flash of a camera went off. Photo Finish had just taken a photo, but now was really not the best time. She got that much from the looks of the students.
Bolin nearly passed out, exhausted from the anxiety and was caught by his girlfriend. Vice Principal Luna stood up from where she sat alongside Cadance and Celestia. "That means the winner of the Friendship Games' first event is Twilight Sparkle and Crystal Prep!" said the Vice Principal.
Twilight smiled with glee. She won! She actually won an event for her school! Surely her classmates must be…completely unimpressed. The Crystal Prep students didn't show any enthusiasm whatsoever that she won. They only sighed and applauded weakly. She should have expected this. If they didn't win it themselves they wouldn't be reacting like this. She may have won, but she still felt like a looser.
The Rainbooms and Team Avatar came rushing onto the stage, embracing Sunset Shimmer. Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around her friend, "That was awesome!"
"Truly amazing!" Rarity complimented.
"Go Sunset!" Bolin cheered, "You were on fireeeeeeeee!" he hollered
"But we didn't win!" Sunset said, rather surprised by their reactions.
"That was as close to winnin' Canterlot's ever been." said Applejack.
"But not close enough!" said Flim to the teens, his brother smiling smugly.
"You should just quit while you're ahead." Flam said.
Mako crossed his arms an arched an eyebrow, "You do realize CHS has won two events thus far."
"You also forget one of them was a tie, my boy."
"Which also indicates that your team didn't exactly win by default either." Mako smiled cockily, "So I wouldn't count us out just yet."
The two brothers then smiled mischievously, "So confident are ya? Well, how's about we make things interesting?"
Mako looked at them suspiciously before Flim addressed the offer, "If your school wins, then we'll do whatever one request you ask of us."
"But when our schools wins, we take your two lovely lady friends for a night out on the town. What'ya say?"
"What are you crazy?!" Mako jumped down from the stage and glared at the two, "You really think I would sink so low as to treat people like trophies? You're more sick in the head than I thought!"
"Sounds more like you're scared of loosing the bet, doesn't it, Flim?"
"It most certainly does, brother."
Mako was just about ready to sucker punch these two in the mouths, until both Asami and Korra stopped him. Both girls gave him some mischievous grins of their own.
"Why wait till the game is over?" Asami said to the two brothers in a flirtatious tone.
The two girls each took one of the brothers by the arm, still grinning. "We know a nice place we can talk." Korra suggested, using the same flirty tone as Asami.
The two brothers smiled in victory, "Nice to know you ladies know winners when you see one." said Flam.
The girls led the brothers way, while Bolin and Mako only counted the seconds that lasted. "Three…two…one…"
The Rainbooms flinched and cringed at the sight, followed but the sound of crashing. Korra and Asami returned, wiping their hands clean of the brother's touch and returned to their respected boyfriends.
The Flim Flam brothers were now placed upside-down and stuffed into a single garbage can. That would show them not to mess with these girls.
Dean Cadance walked up to the stage to announce who would be going onto the final event. "After a careful tally of the points, we'd like to present the students moving on to the Friendship Games' second event."
The remaining students from Crystal Prep were Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest and Twilight Sparkle. While they all looked on smugly at the crowd, the Rainbooms cheered in a group hug alongside Team Avatar.
Twilight Sparkle sadly watched as the opposing team celebrated getting into the second event. It was strange, this school was so different from Crystal Prep. Everyone seemed to care and look out for each other. She was especially amazed when one of CHS's coaches, the tan skinned girl, was being nice to some of the Shadowbolts after they lost. She had seen kindness being displayed before, but she always thought only people who deserved it would receive kindness. But then, her mind went back to Flash Sentry, who was kind to her from the start.
She woke from her thoughts when her teammates walked off the stage. She quickly followed but stopped when a certain musician appeared before her.
"Congratulations! You were really great!"
"Oh, thanks." she replied shyly, "You're not upset?"
"Why would I be upset?"
"Well, it's just--" she was interrupted when her device started humming again. For a moment she felt torn. Should she keep talking to Flash or follow the energy? After what happened earlier with one of the coaches, was it even worth it? Still, even if she did stay and talk there was no way her device would give her a chance to.
"I'm sorry, can we talk latter?" she sadly turned away, looking down at her device so she wouldn't have to see Flash's disappointment.
"Okay, then. Aw." the boy sighed sadly. It was strange, one minute they're hanging out, enjoying each other's company, and now she was avoiding him.
Girls were complicated.
(~)
Twilight went to where her device led her, and as suspected…it led her back to the six girls who would compete against her and her school. They appeared to be talking about something but she didn't get a chance to hear the whole conversation. As the group was about to leave she did manage to hear the blue eyed tan-skinned girl speak up.
"Come on, Principal Celestia said she wants to see us before the second event." she said to the Rainbooms, until her pet dog started to whimper. It was her feeding time. Thankfully, Fluttershy was more than happy to care for her.
"Don't worry, I've got plenty of treats. I'll keep an eye on her for you."
"Thanks, Fluttershy."
Pabu leaped from Bolin's shoulder and onto Fluttershy's, who tickled his chin, "You must be hungry too, hu?"
"We'll catch you guys in a bit." Korra waved to the younger teens while she and her friends headed to meet up with the principal. Twilight hid behind a pillar, still following the glowing from her device. It seemed to be targeting that one girl with the animals.
Fluttershy hid behind the bushes and opened her backpack, revealing a cute kitty cat inside, who purred as she nuzzled against her face. She heard a rustling from the bushes and saw Twilight peaking her head. Fluttershy only smiled kindly at the alternative Twilight Sparkle, while Naga wagged her tail at the sight of her.
"Do you wanna give her a treat?"
Twilight was uncertain at first. She should be continuing her research…then again, it had been a long and exhausting day. Maybe giving a cat a treat wouldn't be so bad. The girl with glasses smiled as she sat beside her companion.
"Guess I'm not the only one to smuggle her pet into school.
Fluttershy giggled, "Not just one." she unzipped her backpack, revealing she also carried a hamster, a bunny and a bird. Twilight was impressed by so many animals.
"Oh, wow. All I have is Spike." she unzipped her backpack and the adorable little puppy stuck his head out, panting happily. Fluttershy gently took him into her arms.
"It really is uncanny. Does he talk?"
"Um, not that I know of--Whoa!" Twilight was rather surprised when the white labrador suddenly leaped into her arms and licked her face. "Okay, okay! Naga, good girl." she said, remembering her name. Even the little ferret nuzzled against her legs.
"Congratulations on winning, by the way." Fluttershy said while tickling Spike's tummy and allowing her bird to land on her finger, "Though, it didn't seem like anyone on your team was very excited about it."
"No one at my school gets excited about anything they didn't do themselves."
"That sounds awful."
"Eh, I'm used to it." she sighed. Naga whimpered sadly at this and nuzzled her hands for comfort. "At least you like me. Can't say the same for your owner."
"You mean Korra?" Fluttershy asked, "She's not so bad. She's actually really nice."
"Not to me she's not."
"She's just going through a rough time right now. I'm sure once you talk things over she'll understand."
"I'm not so sure. She made her point pretty clear." Twilight said sadly.
Fluttershy couldn't bare to see this girl so sad. Good thing she had the perfect remedy.
"Here. Hold this."
Twilight looked in confusion at the fuzzy white rabbinate Fluttershy held in front of her. She hesitantly took it, "Um, why?"
"Holding a bunny always makes me feel better."
"Well, that's ridiculous. But…" the cute little bunny smiled and nuzzled his head against her cheek. The warmth and softness of his fur tickled her skin, making her smile. "Ooh. It actually kind of works."
Fluttershy was right, petting a bunny really does make a person feel better. Yet, why was she doing this? She was on the opposing team, who was she showing her any act of kindness at all?
"I'm on the other team and you just lost. Why are you being so nice to me?"
"You looked like you needed it."
Twilight gasped once Fluttershy's body started to glow and rise up into the air. She released the bunny and watched in awe as the girl's hair grew longer and a set of wings emerged on her back, followed by a pair of pony ears on her head. It was just like what happened to Asami earlier. It truly was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
"Whoa!"
Her device suddenly levitated, the lid glowed once more before opening. The magical yellow colored energy was suddenly being absorbed into the spear, and Fluttershy could feel her magic fading.
Small specks of lightning came shooting out of the spear, creating various wormhole-like openings through space, glowing with purple outlines. A strange rabbit creature with antlers jumped out, making Spike growl at it. He barked and followed the creature into the other dimension. Naga and Pabu ran after him to make sure he would not be harmed.
"Spike!"
Twilight watched as the two dogs and ferrets jumped from portal to portal before suddenly being stroked by the yellow energy coming out of the glowing girl with wings. But it wasn't just Spike, Naga and Pabu were effected as well.
Spike landed in Fluttershy's arms while Naga and Pabu landed safely onto the grass.
"Spike!" Twilight forcibly closed the device and a disoriented Fluttershy managed to hand the dog over to his owner before passing out and loosing her pony features in the process.
Twilight held her beloved pet close to her heart, "Spike, are you okay?"
"…Um, I think so."………
"Daaaah!!!" Twilight and Spike both screamed at the realization that he could actual talk! He was speaking actual english words!
Twilight beyond freaked out right now, first two girls started glowing, then the portals through space, and now her dog was talking. This was all too much. In her reaction, she dropped Spike and started running.
"Twilight, wait!" Spike ran after his friend in hopes of explaining what happened.
Fluttershy sighed in exhaustion and waved, "Bye."
Naga shook her head, still feeling woozy from the adventure just now. "That was weird."
"You said it."….
"Ahhhhhh! You can talk!!"
"Wait, how can we talk?" Pabu asked.
"I have no idea." Naga responded, "When Spike was hit by that magical energy so were we."
"Fluttershy!" a voice called out, revealing to be Korra and the rest of Team Avatar. "Fluttershy, what happened?!" she asked as she held the tired girl in her arms. "Was Twilight here?"
"Yeah, she was. You just missed her."
….Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami all dropped their jaws and their eyes flew open wide, wondering if they had all just heart the exact same thing.
"Did anybody else hear that?" Mako asked, still in a state of disbelief.
"We can explain." Naga said to her owner, who was just as stunned as the rest.
"Okay…how are you talking?!"
"Long story, short: Fluttershy was talking to Twilight, she gave her a bunny, she felt better, Fluttershy started glowing, she ponied up, weird necklace things as glowing, portals appearing all over the place, Spike got hit by magic, so did me and Pabu, next thing you know--Poof!--this happened."
Korra, really had no other reaction to this aside from stunned. She had known Naga all of her life, and hearing her speak was both amazing and really, very peculiar. Bolin was probably the only one who took this transformation well once he took the ferret into his arms.
"Pabu! Buddy, you can talk! You can actually talk!"
"Naturally, I've been talking the whole time. You humans just never listen. Btw, if Varrick ever asks to make another Nuktuk movie, say no! You're a good actor but those films don't do your talent justice. Just sayin', get a better agent."
(~)
Twilight continued to run down the hallways of the school desperately trying to cancel out the fact that her dog was actually calling for her…using actual words! The little dog panted as he chased her.
"Twilight, come on! Wait for me!"
The girl stopped at a wall, turning around to face the puppy, who panted in exhaustion once he caught up to her. Twilight slide towards the lockers, taking in repetitive deep breaths. Her heart was still pounding and her brain struggled to process all of this.
"Why did you run away like that?" Spike asked.
"Um, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the glowing girl, or the hole in space. Or my talking dog!"
"Yeah. Weird, right?"
It was strange, he didn't seem that different from how he was before. He was still as happy and playful as ever, only now he could use words. Gazing into his eyes she knew he was still her Spike. The Spike she always knew and loved. Maybe she had overreacted, after all he seemed to be taking this whole thing better than she was. She squatted down and held his head.
"Are you okay? How do you feel? What happened? Where did you go?"
Spike licked her nose to calm her down, "Hey, one question at a time! This is pretty new to me, too."
"Sorry."
"All I know is I chased that pointy rabbit through the glowy thing then I was somewhere else. Next thing I knew, I was back in that nice girl's arms and I could talk! I don't really understand why I couldn't before. I mean, it's so easy."
"Twilight."
The two heard the voice of Principal Cinch approaching from a corner of the hallway. Twilight opened a locker and told Spike to jump inside it. "Quick! Hide in here!"
The dog complied and hid himself right before Twilight closed the door and was now face to face with her principal.
"Who are you talking to?" she asked, rather suspiciously.
"Um, myself. It's a nervous habit. Were you looking for me?"
"Indeed I was." the woman began pacing back and forth in front of her student, almost like a snake slithering around its pray. "Quite a coincidence that the CHS students moving on to the next event are the same nice girls who were so interested in you, don't you think?"
"I'm not sure."
"Perhaps you should get to know them after all."
"But I thought you didn't want me to."
"Let's just say I'm covering my bases." Cinch smiled while placing her hands on Twilight's shoulders, "Who knows? Perhaps they will reveal to you the secret to Canterlot High's newfound success."
The girl knew exactly what this woman was implying. But, why would she? Crystal Prep always wins, why would she want her to do this. It just didn't feel right, she couldn't do it.
"I dunno. Spying feels kind of…wrong."
It was clear, by the look in her eyes, that Cinch did not like her student's reply. However, she was not about to let this get in her way. She adjusted her spectacles and began to slowly walk away.
"Well, it's your decision, Twilight. It's not as if your application hangs in the balance." she briefly stopped, "On second thought, yes, it does."
The sound of her shoes hitting against the floor was the only sound Twilight could hear, aside from the nervous beating of her heart. The locker from which Spike was hiding opened and he came out.
"Man, she's awful. What are you gonna do?"
"I don't know, Spike. I don't know."
Twilight sat down near the lockers, while the sad puppy sat beside her. What would she do? Spying on these girls, and after one of them was so nice to her? She couldn't do that. Besides, it certainly wouldn't get her on good terms with that blue-eyed coach. She didn't understand why but she really didn't want her to hate her. Maybe she was doing something wrong, maybe all of this searching for mysterious energies was getting out of hand. But, what more could she do? She wanted to go to Everton, she always wanted to go…but, like Asami said; was it even worth it now?
The sound of footsteps caught her attention, but she knew they weren't of Principal Cinch. Her heart felt so relieved to see such a familiar face.
"Flash? How…how much of that did you hear?"
"Enough. Not counting what your dog said."
"What?! I--I can explain!"
"Don't worry. It'll be our little secret." he said with a smile and took a seat beside her. Spike barked and jumped into his lap. He really did like this fella.
"You know, you don't have to do as she says."
"I kind of do. If I don't then I'll never get accepted into Everton."
"That's pretty far away." Flash said sadly, "I would barely see you."
Twilight gasped, "You…want to keep seeing me?"
"Of course. I thought after the games were over we could still keep in touch. Maybe write another song sometime."
"I really did enjoy singing with you yesterday." she admitted with a blush before frowning, "But this is the chance I've working for my whole life. I can't pass it up."
"So, are you going to do it?"
"I don't want to."
"Is going to Everton really worth your integrity?"
This was all becoming too much for Twilight. Her conscience was already being torn she didn't need another lecture from him. She stood up, her fists clenching.
"I'm sorry, Flash. But you wouldn't understand!" hiding her face so he wouldn't see her tears, she ran off. Spike followed and Flash was left alone to sadly watch as she escape once more.
Twilight had never been more confused in her life. She didn't know what to do, what to think or what to say. She was always so sure of what she wanted, but now…now she didn't know anymore. She still wanted Everton, but then she came here, she saw things she never imagined, she saw students love and care for one another, she met girls who gave her a chance, a boy who saw beyond her own glasses, but then what could she gain here? What if Flash eventually grew tired of her? What if everyone here grew tired of her? What if this was only temporary? Or was Everton only temporary? She really didn't know anymore.
(If only, from Descendants)
A million thoughts in my head
Should I let my heart keep listening?
Cause up till now, I've walked the line
Nothing lost
But something missing
I can't decide what's wrong what's right
Which way should I go?
If only I knew what my heart was telling me
Don't know what I'm feeling
Is this just a dream
Oh, oh, yeah
If only I could read the
Signs in front of me
I could find a way to
Who I'm meant to be
Oh, oh,
If only
Yeah!
Am I crazy?
Maybe, we could happen
Yeah
Will you still be with me
When the magic's all run out…?
If only I knew what my heart was telling me
Don't know what I'm feeling
Is this just a dream?
Oh, oh
If only
Yeah!
If only
Yeah!
If only
If only….
"If only…."
(~)