For the Victory
Sunset moans in pain as two men in medical uniforms set her on one of the beds in the infirmary.
"We'll notify the school nurse," one says.
"No, no, it's okay," Sunset says. "It was just a hard blow. Nothing’s broken. Just give me an ice pack for the swelling."
Unsure, the men check her to make sure she was right. After clearing her, they give her an ice pack and some cloth for the swelling and depart.
As they leave the room, Indigo and another pair of players enter and approach Sunset.
"Hey, Shimmer, are you okay?" asks the captain.
"Yeah, it's not serious," Sunset replies. “But to fall and hurt myself so badly... I’m such an idiot."
"Can you get back in the game?"
Sunset sighs. "I don't think so. I doubt I’ll be able to walk right for a while. It would be better to put someone else in my place."
The players with Indigo do not seem convinced, but neither says anything, instead deferring to their captain.
"Are you sure?" Indigo finally asks hesitantly.
“Yeah,” Sunset says reluctantly.
"Well, if you say so…"
"Don’t worry. I’ll be cheering from the bench. Make sure you win."
"You don’t need to tell me twice!” Indigo says, her confidence returning. “Onward, team!"
With that, Indigo leads her teammates out of the room, stopping to give one last look at Sunset, who smiles and gives her a thumbs-up, before smiling and leaving.
After making sure they were gone, Sunset lets out a half-sigh, half-moan, removing the ice pack and setting it aside. She stands up slowly and stretches her arms before flexing her back, which lets out a series of pops. She moans at the release of tension before stretching her sides and neck. Finished, she sits back down and sighs.
"Well, at least it's over."
Her rest is interrupted as her ears pick up the sound of hurried footsteps growing louder and louder. Suddenly, four familiar girls crash into the room, each face the picture of worry.
"Sunset!"
"Sun-Shim!"
"Sunsite!"
"Honey!"
Sunset flinches at the sudden noise, and before she can say anything, Twilight’s worried face dominates her vision.
"Sunset! Are you okay?!"
"Did you break anything, Sun-Shim?!"
"What do we do?!" Sonata exclaims, pushing Twilight and Lemon out of the way. "We have to keep her head up!" Sonata pushes Sunset down onto the bed and yanks her head up, earning a yelp. "No, wait! We have to raise her legs!" She lets Sunset’s head drop to the mattress before grabbing and quickly raising her ankles, ignoring Sunset’s protests. "No, wait! It's the head if she’s very red and the legs if she’s pale!" Sonata raises Sunset's head again, holding her face firmly to show it to the others. "Red or pale?"
All of them are silent, surprised by such behavior.
"I would say crushed," answers Lemon finally.
That gives Sonata pause, which allows her to finally think clearly. She looks at Sunset, her gaze meeting Sunset’s glare. "… Sorry," she says sheepishly, biting her lip as she releases Sunset’s head.
Sure that Sonata won’t bowl her over, Sunny approaches and, with Lemon’s help, helps Sunset sit up.
"Are you okay, honey?"
"Girls, I'm fine," Sunset says sternly, rubbing her aching face.
"Sonata, be more careful! Sunset’s hurt," Twilight scolds.
"Sorry... I wanted to help..." Sonata mumbles sadly.
Sunny smooths Sunset's hair and runs a hand down Sunset’s cheek, worry on her face. Sunset takes in everyone’s concerned expressions.
Sunset, somewhat embarrassed, gently moves Sunny's hand and stands up. "Girls, please, I'm fine, really."
"Sunset, don’t get up!"
"I'm fine, Twi,” Sunset insists, before hesitating and taking a deep breath. “I didn't hurt myself... It was all pretend."
"Pretend?!" they all exclaim.
"What do you mean?" Sunny asks.
Sunset scratches her head nervously. “Well, I did fall, but I pretended that it hurt much more than it did... to get myself out of the game."
"What?!" Twilight yells, shocked.
"Excuse me?" Sunny snaps, upset.
"Wow, you're a good actress," Lemon says, earning a scolding look from the Twilight and Sunny. "What?"
Both decide to forget that and redirect their gaze to Sunset.
"Sunset, honey, why did you do such a thing?"
"To begin with, I didn't even want to play. They forced me," Sunset replies indifferently.
"That’s no excuse to lie like that," the scientist says, Sunny nodding in agreement as the two continue their accusatory gazes.
"Ah, come on, quit looking at me like that," Sunset says.
Twilight raises her voice. "You had us worried sick, and it was all fake!"
The shout makes the former equine retreat and raise their hands in defense. "I-I'm sorry. I… didn’t mean to worry you..."
The apology has no effect. Twilight crosses her arms and Sunny puts her hands on her hips, both of them glaring at her.
"Look, I'm sorry if...” Sunset changes tack. “I just thought the team would be better without me..."
"And what does that mean?" Sunny questions.
"I just... I've only been on the team for a few days. I don't have the ability to participate in a game like this. They'll be better off if they use a more prepared player."
The explanation makes both look at each other for a moment before looking back to Sunset.
"Even so, that’s not an excuse for such an act. You could have just refused."
"... I really couldn’t..."
*S*A*S*
All sans Sonata stare with surprise after Sunset’s explanation of her situation, Sonata not really understanding the gravity of the situation.
"… I don't get it," says Lemon. "Why would P-Cinch want you on the team?"
"And why to the point of threatening the sports teams?" questions Twilight. "That... doesn't sound logical."
"I know, but she wouldn’t let me give up the game like that," Sunset explains. "And I couldn't risk the team. I know this is important for the school, and that's why it's better to use someone better prepared."
Sunny, although she seemed to understand, still does not look very convinced. Twilight overcame her displeasure, looking intrigued now, while Lemon was only slightly curious. Sonata is the only one still lost.
"Well, I don't really understand," the siren says. "But what will we do with the pom-poms now?" She shakes said pom-poms as if to emphasize her question.
"Well... you can still support the team."
"But what about the part that we put on our Sunset shirts and shout your name?"
"Just leave that part out. Look, I'm sorry, but I didn't ask to be in this game, and I didn't want to play. I was forced, and staying will just disadvantage the team. This game is important for Indigo and everyone else, so if they want to win, they have to use someone better. Everyone wins."
There is silence, each one seems to show different mixtures of feelings, from understanding to disgust.
Not long after, they decide unanimously to return to see the game. The "cheerleaders" go first.
"Do you think it's too late to write 'Shadowbolts' on our bellies?"
"Sonata!"
*S*A*S*
Sunset inches her way to the bench on the sidelines, growing more nervous as her teammates’ eyes fall on her. She makes a show of limping and moaning as she sits at the end to convince them that she’s hurt. None seems interested in helping her, which, for once, is fine by her. She simply sits and watches the game.
Indigo intercepts a pass from Trottingham and immediately blazes down the field. Many try to stop her, but the girl demonstrates her mastery in the sport, dodging and passing everyone in her path.
Finally, she reaches Trottingham’s half of the field and bypasses the defense. She approaches the goal, and she and the goalie lock eyes for a moment.
Indigo sees a chance and fires the ball toward the goal. The goalie remains motionless for a moment, watching the shot carefully. Finally, he flexes his knees and jumps to the right with surprising speed, catching the ball and falling to the ground with it in his arms.
He smiles, satisfied. Indigo scowls, and the game continues when the goalie throws the ball towards his teammates.
*S*A*S*
After fighting for control several tense seconds, Lightning Dust manages to take possession of the ball and starts running. Two Trottingham players follow her from behind, both right on her heels. Lightning accelerates in order to outrun them, but two players suddenly appear, blocking her. She stops and holds the ball with her foot so as not to lose it, but she is surrounded on all sides.
The blonde girl looks around, but they have her trapped. Thinking quickly, she sends the ball flying into the air. The five direct their eyes towards it. As it approaches the ground, Lightning suddenly takes a big leap. The other four do the same, but Lightning’s slight head start is all she needed. She hits the ball with her head, sending it forward to be picking up by Indigo, who starts running with it.
A Trottingham player quickly intercepts, and Indigo makes a desperate shot toward the goal, but the goalie stops it with no problem.
Nobody from Crystal Prep looks happy, neither in the game nor in the stands.
Cinch, who watches carefully from an exclusive area assigned to teachers and authorities, maintains a cold expression of disapproval.
Cadance, sitting next to her, has an expression of wonder and worry. "Trottingham has improved a lot."
"It appears so. Our team, on the other hand, has certainly declined."
"Um, you think so? They seem to be doing a very good job."
"'A very good job' is not good enough. Our students must be outstanding in every area, both mental and physical. Defeat is unacceptable."
Cadance looks at Cinch worriedly. "But... they're not losing. Both teams—"
"They have not scored any points. It does not matter if Trottingham hasn’t, either. If we walk away without a victory, it’s defeat."
Cadance, unsure of how to respond to the extreme declaration, simply returns her attention to the game.
Cinch keeps her cold expression, trying her best to hide the shadow of discomfort in her gaze.
*S*A*S*
Trottingham attacks, but the good reflexes of the new boy in Crystal Prep's goal allows him to block the shot.
Lightning catches the ball on the rebound and runs with it but does not advance much before three players block her. Unable to go forward, she decides to run to the side. The three of them run in the same direction, always in front to block her.
Lightning snarls but cannot do more than pass to a partner. The receiving girl takes the ball and advances, passing the ball herself when Trottingham tries to steal it. A boy receives it and kicks it into the air. A player from each team notices that and quickly jumps to get it.
With a headbutt, the ball ends in Trottingham’s possession, and they return the attack.
*S*A*S*
Sunset sighs, seeing the score unchanged as time ticks ever onward toward the end of the game. "I don’t think they’ll make it...” she thinks, full of grief and guilt. “If I hadn’t been in the first half, maybe things would have been different."
With another attack blocked and the ball still in progress going from one end of the field to the other, Sunset can only sigh again. "I need a soda."
She stands up, for a moment forgetting her fake injury. Her team’s scrutinizing gaze reminds her, though, and she once again fakes a limp to keep up appearances.
*S*A*S*
Sunset finally reaches the vending machine a distance away from the field, her thighs burning from the unneeded limping. She reaches a hand into her pocket but pauses. "I left my money in my jacket. Ugh..."
She curses herself and looks back at the field, the cheers and words of the commentator still audible, albeit unintelligible. The limp back was not going to be fun.
"Miss Shimmer?"
Sunset whirls around, finding a young Crystal Prep student nearby. It takes a moment, but Sunset recognizes her as the girl that Sour Sweet had discovered as the creator of that blog against her.
"You’re... Susi, right?"
"Um, it's Suri. Suri Polomare."
"Oh, yeah. Suri. Sorry."
"Um, what are you doing here?"
"I was coming for a drink. The game was making me anxious, and I need the sugar."
"But... your leg?"
The younger looks at the older girl's leg, who tries on instinct to pretend it was hurt but quickly realizes she’s found out. "Ugh, look, Suri. The truth is... I didn't hurt myself. I faked it to get out of the game."
Suri is slightly surprised. "Oh..."
There is silence, but soon, Suri gives a curious smile. "Wow, Miss Shimmer. I didn't know that you were capable of such a... dirty trick."
Sunset looks to the side in shame. "It's not like that. It’s just that Cinch—"
"No, no, it's fine. I also play a little dirty at school. It's not easy to deal with older students."
Suri's smile turns somewhat malicious, disconcerting Sunset. "… Sure…"
Suri giggles. "Miss Shimmer has a bad side. Interesting," she says with a scrutinizing gaze and a smile that could almost be described as sinister, complete with a hand on her cheek as she peers at Sunset.
Sunset was surprised, to say the least; this was a totally opposite view to the girl who was crying when she was being interrogated.
An unnerving though came to Sunset. What if… she was faking it.
Sunset shook her head. That couldn’t be. Her crying looked too real. No one could pretend like that.
… Right?
"Did you say you were looking for something to drink?"
The question shakes Sunset from their thoughts. "Huh? Uh, yeah... but I left my money with my jacket."
"Oh, let me, please." Without waiting for an answer, Suri takes out her purse, inserts some money, and grabs the soda after the can rumbles out of the machine. She extends it to Sunset with a friendly smile. "Here."
"Oh... I couldn't..."
"Please, I insist."
She extends the can a little more to Sunset, who finally, with a little smile, accepts it. "Thanks. You didn’t have to do that."
Suri doesn’t reply. She just keeps smiling. But, there’s something more.
“Is she… blushing?” Sunset thinks, before deciding that it can wait until after her drink. She opens the can and takes a swig, sighing at the cold liquid. "Ah... Much better."
"Miss Shimmer."
"Yeah?"
"You said you were anxious. Is something wrong?"
Sunset couldn’t tell if the concern in Suri’s voice was real. She is much harder to read than at first glance. "Um, it's nothing. I just feel bad for the team."
"The team?"
After another swig, Sunset says, "This game… It's important for Indigo and the team and... for the school in general. And... they're not doing very well..."
"Yes, Trottingham is better than we thought." The younger girl looks down slightly.
Sunset sighs with guilt. "If only I hadn't been on the team..."
Suri looks up, intrigued. "What do you mean?"
"They put me on the team at the last moment. I barely had time to learn the plays. If they had put in someone with more experience and better training, maybe they would have had a better advantage."
"Don't underestimate yourself like at," Suri insists. "You played great."
"Thanks, but I'm not at the level. It's obvious that everyone there is better than me." Sunset punctuates her sentence with a swig of soda.
"That’s not true!" Suri screams, rapidly approaching and standing on her toes to be face-to-face with Sunset, who spilled some of her soda, startled at the scream. "You’re amazing! In such a short time, you were able to put yourself at everyone's level and stand up against Trottingham, who turned out to be better than any of us expected."
Sunset stares in surprise before quietly saying, "I just played support. I didn't do anything special."
"You’re wrong!" Suri screams again, forcing Sunset to recoil. "I saw you play! You were able to outwit Trottingham and keep up with our team. Don't say that the others are better! You are just as good as them!"
"But—"
"You’re smart! You’re strong! You’re… You’re beautiful! You’re awesome, and you can do anything!"
Sunset blushes at Suri’s cascade of compliments, hiding it with a drink of soda.
"And… And also..." Suri looks away, the fire leaving her eyes. "When the others accused me about that blog... only you believed me. I... I wouldn't have believed that someone would defend me, even when you discovered that I was the one behind the blog..."
Sunset remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to say as her doubts about Suri’s behavior during the interrogation evaporated. "It was the right thing to do," Sunset finally says in a subdued voice.
"You’re noble and kind. I… I really admire you, Miss Shimmer," Suri says, her eyes full of wonder as she puts her hands together and interlaces her fingers, smiling at the former equine, who is having problems processing the scene.
"I... I... Thanks..."
"You can do anything, Miss Shimmer. I believe in you."
Sunset gives a giggle in an attempt to remove her embarrassment. "... Thanks." Sunset looks down, smiling in good cheer. She takes one last drink and gives the can to Suri. "Thanks for the soda, Suri, and… for everything."
Suri just smiles tenderly, a slight blush on her cheeks. Sunset smiles at her, and then looks back at the field.
"Let's get back before the game ends."
"Oh, uh... You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Sunset nods with a smile and makes her way back to the field.
Suri watches her go before turning her eyes to the can. She shakes it a little and realizes that it still has some liquid in it.
She looks up. Sunset is already some distance away. She looks at the can again... She feels her hands tremble slightly and her cheeks redden as her breath starts quivering.
With her legs shaking, she slowly brings the can to her lips. Her blush increases. She hears her own heart pound in her chest... She separates her lips...
"Suri! There you are!" shouts a close voice.
Suri lets out a yelp as the shout startles her, throwing away the can. By the time she calms down enough to think clearly, she looks back to the can with wide eyes, her lips quivering as she sees that its contents were spilled all over the grass as a girl with soft, cream-colored skin and sky-blue hair runs up to her.
"I was looking all over for you, Suri. The game’s almost over. Don’t you want to watch?"
Suri trembles, watching the soda—Miss Shimmer’s soda—soak into the ground. She clenches her teeth and growls, whirling on the intruder. "GOD DAMNIT, COCO!"
The girl recoils at the scream, shrinking into herself. "Wh-What's wrong?"
"You always ruin everything!"
Suri turns and stomps away, tears in her eyes, though not even she knows if they are tears of anger or of pain.
*S*A*S*
Sunset returns to the locker room, keeping her false limp as she walks, but she freezes when she sees almost all of the team inside. They are surrounding Indigo, who sits on one of the benches, holding her ankle in pain.
"Indigo!" exclaims Sunset, hurrying over, forgetting her limp.
"Hey, Sunset. I was wondering where you went," Indigo responds calmly.
"What happened to you?" Sunset asks, concerned.
"A Trottingham guy kicked my ankle when he tried to steal the ball from me."
Sunset doesn’t answer, but surprise and worry fill her face.
"Don't worry; it's not serious," Indigo says.
Another player replies, "It may not be serious, but you can’t go back to the game."
"Bullshit!" Indigo exclaims. "I can still play!"
Indigo suddenly stands and begins walking to the door, but she only makes it a few steps before the pain in her ankle makes her stumble. Thankfully, two nearby players catch her.
"She's right, captain," another player says. "You can't play that way."
"Well, what do you suggest?" Indigo demands. "We don't have any more fresh substitutes. We’ll have to put a winded player in."
"There are only a few minutes left," the first girl says. "Surely, someone can handle that."
Another player looks at Sunset—or, more specifically, at her leg—and says, "What about you, Shimmer?"
Surprised, Sunset says, "What?"
"It seems your leg is better."
The phrase and clearly accusing look fills Sunset with worry. "Uh… W-Well, about… About that…"
"Leave her alone," orders Indigo. "Just give me some ice and something to wrap it on. I’m going back out there."
No one is sure of the situation, not even Sunset.
Sunset closes her eyes, thinks for a moment, and decides. "I’ll do it."
That surprises the team, including Indigo and Lightning.
"He’s right; my leg does feel better. Guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought. And it’s just a few minutes, anyway. I think I can manage."
Indigo looks at Sunset a moment, before she smiles.
*S*A*S*
The players of Crystal Prep huddle at the side of the field, and Indigo gets everyone’s attention.
"Alright, listen. We don't have too much time, so we can only make one more attack. We’re going with ‘Lightning Dominoes’."
One of the players speaks. "Um, no offense, captain, but Trottingham has been on Lightning since the second half began. They won’t let her do anything."
The blonde girl growls, annoyed at the reminder.
"I know," announces the captain, "but that goalie… I don't know if he's an alien or did some dark ritual, but he doesn’t seem human. Lightning was the only one who even came close to scoring against him. It has to be her."
The rest of the team still look at her unsurely, but orders are orders, so they decide to give it a shot.
*S*A*S*
The players advance towards the field. As usual, Sunset is last in line. That is, until Lightning falls back to walk side-by-side with her.
The blonde does not look at her, but she speaks in a strange tone. "Shimmer." Sunset turns to see her, but Lightning keeps looking forward as she continues, "You know this game is important for the school, right?"
"Yeah…"
"How important is it for you?"
Sunset is a little surprised by the question. Unable to answer, she just looks down.
Lightning, noticing the silence, just presses onward. "We been preparing for this game for months, and a lot is at stake: our pride, our reputation… Tell me, Shimmer: Can I count on you?"
She suddenly looks at Sunset, her orange eyes meeting Sunset’s emerald eyes. Sunset looks back at her and, filled with the determination she saw in Lightning’s own eyes, nods her answer.
Neither says anything else as they take their places.
*S*A*S*
The voice of the announcer booms over the loudspeaker. "Only a few minutes from the end, and both teams are still tied at zero! At this point, whoever scores the first point is sure to win. Crystal returns to the field after the loss of no less than their own captain! Will they have the strategy to defeat Trottingham after such a loss, or will Trottingham push through their defenses for the victory?"
"Boneless and I both agree that this’ll be an exciting last few minutes!"
"How did you get back in here?!"
"You never closed the door."
All eyes are on the field as everyone anxiously awaits the final result. Only three minutes remain on the clock. Both teams are in position, and the referee takes his place with the ball.
Sunset breathes deeply, feeling the anxiety herself. She looks to the sideline and finds her cheerleaders smiling and waving, preparing to begin cheering. The sight lifts her spirits and calms her nerves… and heats up her face as Sonata reaches down and grabs the hem of her shirt before Twilight swats her hands away.
Rolling her eyes, Sunset returns her eyes forward.
Finally, the whistle sounds, and the last few minutes begin
Crystal Prep and Trottingham compete for control of the ball for a few seconds before Trottingham tears off with it. Crystal Prep fiercely launches after them, forcing Trottingham to send pass after pass to overcome Crystal Prep’s defense.
At just over two minutes remaining, Crystal Prep manages to steal the ball and begins ‘Lightning Dominoes’.
As Sunset receives her pass, she is quickly waylaid by three players advancing upon her. Thinking quickly and performing a few quick calculations, she kicks the ball to her right, sending it soaring through a player’s legs toward her waiting teammate, who gives Sunset a surprised but pleased thumbs-up.
Up in the stands, some of the Crystal Prep students finally drop their indifferent facades and give slight, impressed smiles at Sunset’s gambit, as do some of the Trottingham students.
"That’s how you do it, Sunset! Hurray!" Sonata shouts as the cheerleaders shake their pom-poms and jump excitedly.
The Crystal Prep player starts running, and the three who accosted Sunset turn and run after him.
Sunset lowers her speed to a jog, staring at Lightning Dust on the other side of the field. "It’s all on you, Lighting Dust."
Lightning Dust keeps her eye trained on the ball, eagerly awaiting her moment. Finally, the ball soars in her direction.
As if in slow motion, she lifts her leg, using her knee to stop the ball and drop it to her feet, and then, she’s races off with it toward Trottingham’s goal.
"Crystal Prep is in control!” the announcer shouts. “And here’s their opportunity to take home the trophy! Can they do what until now has been impossible?"
"Boneless feels his bones burning in excitement!"
"Can somebody take this boy out of here?!"
Lightning runs quickly, easily evading a couple of players trying to intercept. The goal is in her sights. She gets closer with every passing second… until a wall of Trottingham students wraps around her front arc, forcing her to stop.
"Crystal Prep had the lead, but Trottingham seems to have put up a wall in just seconds! What will Crystal Prep do?"
With less than a minute to go, all eyes go to Lightning: students, teachers, the dean, and most of all, Cinch.
Lightning remains motionless with firm control of the ball but unable to move. After what feels like an eternity, she extends her leg and prepares to kick. The students close in, an impenetrable wall. At the goal, the goalie waits patiently, a confident smile on his face.
Finally, Lightning kicks, digging her foot under the ball and sending it skyward. Some of the Trottingham players watch it, ready to jump, but Lightning suddenly shouts.
"Shimmer!"
The shout surprises everyone, especially when they all see Sunset racing towards Lightning. She takes a leap, and Lightning joins her hands, catching Sunset’s foot and ignoring the pain from Sunset’s cleats. Immediately, the former equine feels as if a current of electricity rushes through her leg as the blond sportswoman forces Sunset upwards into the air above the others.
No one can understand what they are seeing, and that shows in their expressions.
With the ball falling and she rising, Sunset leans her body slightly, still feeling that electric current surrounding her and starting to burn with the amount of energy running through her legs.
In a single movement, she kicks the ball, sending it flying at an extraordinary speed towards the goal. It collides with the waiting goalie, who holds it against is torso, trying to use friction to stop its rotation, but it doesn’t stop. The ball never loses speed as it spins against him, burning his uniform and causing smoke to rise from it from the friction burns. Arcs of static electricity start to run around his entire body.
All eyes are on him as he suddenly flies backward as if the ball never lost momentum, hitting and breaking through the net at the back of the goal. His helmet flies away, revealing his hair standing on end from the electricity. The front of his uniform is torn and burnt, and out of his pocket falls a book: The Secret of Sport, by Iron Will.
There is silence, then, suddenly, the announcer shouts, "It's… It's… It’s a goal! Crystal Prep scores!"
No sooner do the words leave his lips than the referee blows the final whistle. All eyes turn to the scoreboard.
'Home: 1 - Away: 0'
"Crystal Prep broke the tie! Crystal Prep wins!"
The stands of Crystal Prep explode with applause and cheers.
There is celebration throughout the field as the Shadowbolts get together and embrace, congratulating each other.
The Trottingham students remain silent for a moment, but eventually, they also smile and begin to applaud and congratulate the winning team, as does the Trottingham team, exchanging handshakes and high fives with Crystal Prep.
Finally, the goalie recovers, eyeing the broken net and the ball next to it. He frowns for a moment, but in the end, he also grins. He spots his fallen book and picks it up.
In the middle of the field, leaning over and trying to catch her breath, stands Lightning Dust, her back to Trottingham’s goal.
Suddenly, she sees a hand extend towards her and looks up, finding Sunset standing before her and giving her a kind smile.
For a moment, she does not respond, but finally, she accepts the hand of the former equine, who supports her and helps her straighten up. Neither speaks, but soon, Lightning returns Sunset’s smile with her own.
Within moments, the two are charged by their teammates, who lift them off the ground in celebration. Sunset can’t help but laugh at the gesture, especially as she hears her cheerleaders from the sidelines.
"Hurray, Sunsite! YAY!"
"That's our Sun-Shim!"
"You did it, Sunset! WOO!"
Between ups and downs, Sunset sends a smile to her friends.
Even the teachers celebrate amongst themselves, though not as actively as the students.
Cadance beams a big smile toward Cinch. "They did it! They won! Isn’t it wonderful?"
Cinch does not smile, but in her serious expression, there seems to be a hint of satisfaction. "Indeed, it is. I would have preferred a landslide victory, but breaking a stalemate with a literal last-minute point does carry a certain sweetness. And victory is victory, after all."
Adjusting her glasses, she looks at the fire-haired girl, currently going to the locker room with her companions.
*S*A*S*
"Let's go, Shadowbolts!"
"Shadowbolts!"
The whole team is gathered in the locker room, the good mood tangible in the room.
Indigo shouts, "Woohoo! Victory is ours! Who’s the best?"
"Crystal Prep!"
"That's right! I won’t lie; it wasn’t easy, but once again, we have shown our superiority! And let’s not forget the shining stars! Sunset! Lightning! Come here!" She extends her arm to beckon the two girls, who lie on the benches.
Lightning looks with some annoyance at the captain. "My legs are heavier than your tits. I’m not getting up."
"My tits are not heavy!" Indigo snaps. Sunset snorts a laugh at the response, and Indigo rolls her eyes. "Anyway, that was awesome! When did you plan that move?"
Everyone watches the girls, waiting for the answer. The two girls in question exchange glances, before Lightning responds somewhat hesitantly, "We didn't."
Judging by everyone’s expression, that clearly is not what anyone expected to hear. Sunset herself can’t add more than a shrug and a nod.
Indigo waves off the matter. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. The point is, we won!"
Everyone pumps their fists in celebration.
"And this deserves a celebration, Shadowbolts style."
The answer is a cry of shared joy. Even Lightning gets into the mood, struggling to sit up despite her fatigue. Sunset smiles, though not as animatedly.
Indigo notices Sunset’s reservations. "You’re coming, too, Sunset."
"What?"
"You’re part of the team, you’re coming with us to celebrate," declares the captain.
The rest of the team nod in agreement, including Lightning Dust.
"Um, thanks for the invitation," Sunset says sadly. "But... I have plans..."
"Come on. It'll be fun," Indigo insists.
"Really, I'm sorry, but I have something I need to take care of."
"Do you really, or do you just not want to hang out with us?" Lightning asks pointedly, an eyebrow raised.
"No, it's not that! It's just, I..."
It's not that the concert or the band was a secret, but Sunset really, really wanted to avoid anything that could draw attention to her even more.
Still, looking at the expectant eyes of her teammates, she knew she was defeated.
Sunset sighs. "Well, I have a... a kind of… concert..."
The answer leaves everyone intrigued. "You play?" someone asks.
"Guitar... And, well... I'm in this... uh, this band... and—"
"Say no more!" Indigo interrupts suddenly, before smiling at the whole team. "Change of plans, guys! We’re gonna hang with Sunset tonight!"
The entire team agrees enthusiastically, except for Sunset herself.
"What?!"
All right!
Sorry for the wait, I hope everyone will like the chapter. 
As always I want to thank all the follow-ups that have been done to the fic. The Follows and Favorites, and most of all, the comments always encourage me. 
And of course thanks to icecreammac for the editing and correction of the episode. Wonderful job. 
Thank you all, I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story. 
---
In the Next Episode:
Lemon hurries to the microphone and removes it from the support to speak. "Who is ready to rock ?!"
Her scream resounds through the loudspeakers of the place, and the response soon arrives at way of excited screams.
"We are Sunset Among Shadows! And we come here to blow up this place!"
Again shouts of emotion hear from the place.
At the tables, Indigo shouts with great emotion and her colleagues back it. Adagio and Aria do not seem to share the emotion of the rest, but they look expectantly at their sister.
"Sunset! Good luck honey!" Sunny exclaims.
"Sunset encourage! You too Twilight!" Cry Flash to both girls.
Our girls from the stage, do not take too long to find their schoolmates and the three visits they have in place.
"Well let's not waste any more time!" Announces Lemon Zest. "Let's enjoy!"
Again, shouts of emotion don what you hear.
Lemon returned the microphone to its place and hurries back to her place, and watches the whole band. Sonata seems to want to explode with joy, Twilight is nervous, moves her fingers a bit to remove the tremors.
The looks of the three go to Sunset, who upon seeing them, can only sigh. "Well, let's start and finish with this"
Closes her eyes and take a few seconds, and start playing.
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Great chapter! Keep going!
Well the waiting was worth of it.
Also... GOAL!! GOAL!! GOOOAL!!
9422427
I always new every version of her would be crazy in some way.
Canterlot high school is in big trouble now. The only chance they had for winning against Crystal Prep is now on the other team. And The bittersweetness is that it was their own fault. Canterlot high school defeat will be their worse one yet
Epic win for Sunset & the team, however.....
As if Sci-Twi didn't have enough competition for Sunset's heart in Twilight & Sunny, now she has worry about a Tsundere (I'm positive I picked the wrong anime term) in Suri!
Tip for translating is use google translate.
This is the next chapter:
Las nubes habían tomado un descanso, dejando a la luna brillar tenuemente en el cielo.
Which translates into this this:
The clouds had taken a rest, letting the moon Glimmer in the sky.
( is that a fairly accurate translation?) if so google will let you do the whole chapter.
9432715
Yes, it's an accurate translation, but it's different to let Google translate a single sentence to a whole paragraph, and Google is inaccurate most of the time
9437328
I don’t think it’s inaccurate. I think it just requires a little bit of rearranging the words.
WELL! That ending was Anime as all get-out!
Still awesome, though!
Glad to see this back again! Was wondering what happened to it. And the grammar has been elevated a ton in the time between this and the previous chapter! Nice job to y'all who translate and edit!
Isn't that a scene from a Tinkerbell Movie? I'm pretty sure I've seen that and it is making this even more hilarious xD
9422339
Thanks
9422427
she's adorable, do not you think?
9422479
Crystal Wins!
9422638
Karma is a bitch
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Someday someone will conquer the heart of our favorite fire haired girl?
9438603
Grammar is thanks to icecreammac
And thanks for enjoying my story
9441809
Yes! Yes it is
9442516
Damn your ship teasing!
How does this story not have a romance tag with all the ship teasing you are doing?! Still good though.
Victory is sweet when earned fairly
Dust used magic!
Stage blows up in a spectacular explosion.
I stopped following this story for a while until the chapters were fixed up, which I’m glad for. But I think there’s a lot of mistranslation or communication in this chapter. It just seems as though it’s a mix between American football and European football (soccer). I know the story’s over and it’s not that big of a deal, but it just bugs me a bit with how three to four players will block one player, but won’t make a mover on them. It could be possible that the translation of futbol in Spanish could’ve been confused with both football (soccer) and American football. The entire games seems like a blend of the two, but still overall great chapter and even greater story.
For a change I have more comments in this chapter than just a few sentences one Suri sounds like she needs a new pair of drawers because I'm pretty sure she just got a little steamy down there, two; damn that was one hell of a kick I'm pretty sure that will have just put rainbow Dash's goalie kick to shame, and three three I'm pretty sure the author of this book had SpongeBob SquarePants in mind when it came to the bit with the whole announcer thing
This sounds like the part from a tinker bell movie