> Gundam Build Fighters: EGs
>  by PoisonClaw
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Build 01
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gunpla Battle, Startup!


Heralded by the roar of an engine, Sunset pulled into the driveway of Twilight’s house, glancing up in awe at the glorified mansion of a house towering over her. Despite seeing it several times before, Sunset was still as shocked as the day she had learned Twilight and her family were loaded. I suppose it makes sense given that Twilight was going to an expensive private school like Crystal Prep, I just never figured they had this much money.

Dismounting her bike, Sunset walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. She didn’t have to wait long before the door was opened by Twilight's mother, Twilight Velvet.

“Ah, Sunset, dear! Come in, come in!” Ushering the teen inside, the woman beamed as she asks, “Would you like some tea? Coffee?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I’m really just here to see Twilight.”

“Of course, she’s upstairs. I haven’t heard a peep out of her all day, which usually means she stayed up too late working on one of her little projects. Again.” Twilight Velvet sighed, shaking her head. “I’ve told her time and time again to not stay up so late, but she can get so caught up in her work that she loses all track of time. Just like her father…”

A loud sneeze echoed from the other room, causing the pair to glance over for a brief moment.

“Thanks, I’ll go and check up on her for you.” Ascending the stairway, it wasn’t long before Sunset was standing outside the door to Twilight’s room. Raising her hand, she rapped her knuckles against Twilight’s door. “Twilight, it’s Sunset. You alive in there?” When she garnered no response, she reached down and twisted the doorknob, smiling when she found it unlocked and stepped inside.

It wasn’t hard to spot Twilight, lying slumped over her desk with her back to Sunset. Scattered across her desk were tools and pieces to… something, which Sunset couldn’t identify other than a humanoid frame that looked to be part of some kind of model. Tiptoeing across the room, Sunset snuck up behind the slumbering girl and gently shook her. “Wake up, Twilight…”

Twilight mumbled something in her sleep but remained fast asleep.

After several more attempts failed to stir Twilight from her slumber, Sunset decided it was time for more… drastic measures. “Time to take a page out of Rainbow’s book…” Popping her finger in her mouth for a moment, Sunset pulled out her drool soaked digit and stuck it swiftly into Twilight’s ear.

“Waaaaahhh!” The cold intrusion in her ear proved enough to finally snap Twilight awake, flailing back and almost falling back out of her chair if Sunset hadn’t been there to catch her.

“Whoa, easy there, Twilight!”

Blinking the sleep out her eyes, Twilight straightened her glasses as her vision began to clear. “Su-Sunset? What… how… what are you doing here?”

“Your mom let me in. Sorry to barge in like this, but you weren’t answering any of my texts, so I started to get worried.”

Glancing over at her nightstand, Twilight eyes widened as she saw the blinking notification light on her phone. “I’m so sorry! I completely forgot we were supposed to hang out today! I got so lost in my work that it completely slipped my mind!”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Sunset said before Twilight could go into full-on panic mode. “We all make mistakes, it’s nothing to worry about.” Taking another glance at Twilight’s desk, she asked, “Mind telling me what it is you were working on?” 

Twilight bit her lip, glancing away. “... Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Sunset said, going through the motions of Pinkie’s little ritual perfectly.

“Alright…” Taking a deep breath, Twilight said, “I was working on building Gunpla.”

“Gun-what?”

“‘Gunpla’. Essentially, they’re plastic scale models of giant robots called Mobile Suits from a series called Mobile Suit Gundam, with Gunpla being a play on the words ‘Gundam’ and ‘plastic’.” Spinning her chair around, Twilight began to work on attaching pieces of armor to the frame she had already finished. “I find them a fun and relaxing hobby to build and paint, and the best part is using them to complete in Gunpla Battles.”  

“Gunpla Battle? What’s that?”

“I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of it,” Twilight began to explain, still tinkering with the model as she talked. “Gunpla Battle first started in the east a few years back and only now has it started coming overseas to the west. A brilliant scientist by the name of Nils Yajima invented a particle he classified as a ‘Plavsky Particle’ for how it reacts to a certain kind of plastic, namely the kind Gunpla are made of. It’s because of his Plavsky Particle that Gunpla Battle is even possible.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at Twilight’s explanation. “And this ‘Plavsky Particle’ reacts with these models how, exactly?”

Twilight opened her mouth to delve into another explanation, but stopped herself. “Know what, it would take too long to explain. It’d be better if I just showed you.” Gasping, she spun around in her chair and leapt to her feet. “We could even invite the others and make a day of it! I’d love to show everyone how fun Gunpla Battle is!” Like a switch had been flipped, Twilight suddenly went from excited to demure, doing her best Fluttershy impression as she mumbled, “I… I mean, if you want to that is… You don’t have to…”  

Walking up to the nervous girl, Sunset put her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Why not, sounds like fun. We’ll have to ask the others first, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to join us.”

“G-great…” Twilight stuttered, slumping back in her chair and wheeling it over to her laptop. “I’ll send you all instructions on how to reach the store I get my Gunpla from, along with a time to meet-up.” As Twilight typed away at her computer, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just made a horrible mistake.  


***


The next day, the group arrived one after another at Snap Fit’s Models and Hobby Tools thanks to Twilight’s directions. As Sunset parked her bike, she took a moment to glance at the store, which was a humble looking average sized one-floor building with colorful posters and advertising displayed in the windows to entice customers inside.

“Remind me again what we’re doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked as she leaned up against the side of the building. “I can think of a bunch of other things I’d rather spend my Sunday doing than visiting a toy store.”

“Oh, hush, Rainbow,” Rarity reprimanded her. “We’re here because Twilight asked us to, and as her friend you could at least try and show some interest in her hobbies. I don’t remember Twilight complaining when you dragged her to that concert of yours, if you could even call it that.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash glowered at Rarity. “Don’t you dare diss ‘Atomic Vikings’! That concert was awesome!”

“If have a thing for premature hearing loss, maybe.”

“Why you…!”

“Do I have to separate you too again?” Sunset asked as she walked up to them, crossing her arms over her chest.

Though the pair chanced one last glare at each other, they ultimately let the matter drop as they continued to wait for Twilight. Luckily they didn’t have to wait long, as a blue SUV pulled up into the parking lot minutes later, Twilight stepping out of the passenger side with a briefcase in her hand. “Thanks for the ride, Shining!” she called out to the driver, waving as her brother drove back onto the road and quickly sped off.

Spotting her friends waiting near the side of the building, Twilight beamed as she ran up to them. “You came! I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“Course we would, Twi,” Applejack said, giving Twilight a firm pat on the back. “Y’all asked us to come, and so we did. Now, care to show us this “Gunpla Battle’ thing I keep hearin’ about?”

“Of course.” With Twilight leading the way, the group entered the store one after another. Once inside, they could truly get a feel for how big the store was compared to the outside, with numerous shelves running up and down the length of the store, the majority of which were lined with countless boxes with colorful imagery of giant robots doing battle. Several visible shelves were also stocked with a rainbow of paint selections and tools such as plastic nipper and files, among other hobby tools.

“Hello, Snap Fit!” Twilight greeted the person behind the counter, a rather portly man with dark brown hair and beard, and lightish green skin.

Glancing up at the sound of his name, Snap Fit smiled at the sight of Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle! Good to see ya again! How’s my number one customer doing?”

“Just fine, Snap Fit,” Twilight replied. “I called in yesterday about reserving one of the GB Projectors?”

“Yep, just give me a minute…” Tapping away at his computer for a moment, he nodded as he double checked the reservation. “Everything seems to be in order. You’re on projector three, and your reservation lasts until five, so try not to hog it too long, alright?”

“Thanks so much, Snap Fit. Come on girls, right this way.” Leading the group through the store, the six girls behind her couldn’t help but glance around the store, wondering just what they had unknowingly stepped into.  

Eventually, Twilight stopped next to a massive projector that looked like a massive flat table on the shape of a plus sign and formed out of four hexagon shaped machines. Hefting her briefcase onto the machine, Twilight clicked the latches open and popped the lid up to reveal the contents. Nestled inside was a white device that resembled a smartphone, a clear screen covering the front of the device and beside that was Twilight’s pride and joy: her very own personally customized Gunpla.

The model was only about six inches or so tall, depicting a humanoid machine with a V-shaped crest on its helmet. The torso was painted half dark blue and half violet, little specks of white stars standing out from the darker colors. The shoulders were pretty wide, thrusters barely visible at the very tips and were painted a lighter violet to the chest, a color that extended to all four limbs. Attached to the back of each hand was a navy-blue panel that resembled a knuckle duster, while the legs widened noticeably at the calves and ankles to accommodate thrusters in the legs. Gripped tightly in its right hand was a large beam rifle, so large in fact it needed to be propped up on its shoulder. 

The most striking feature on the Gunpla, however, was the massive backpack strapped to it, consisting of two semi-circles with three pods attached to the side of each, giving it the appearance of a six-pointed star. A pair of similar pods were also attached to the Gunpla’s hips next to the skirt armor. 

Rarity whistled in wonder at Twilight’s Gunpla. “My, my, Twilight.  I must say that looks rather exquisite.”

“Really?” Twilight blushed at the compliment, fiddling with a lock of her hair. “It’s my own variation on the Legend Gundam from Seed/Destiny. It took me an entire weekend of planning, building, and painting to get it to my intended specifications. I even considered entering it into a builders contest once, but I doubt I would have even placed.”

Rarity pursed her lips as she took a closer look at the Gunpla. “Well, I may not know much about ‘Gunpla’, as you call it, but from one artist to another I dare say you would have had a decent shot at the gold, and I’m not just saying that as your friend.”

“You… you really think so?”

“Oh, I know so.” With a gentle smile, Rarity held Twilight’s hands in her own. “You give yourself far too little credit, Twilight.”

“So…” Reaching over and grabbing Twilight’s Gunpla from the suitcase, Rainbow Dash turned it over harshly in her hand as she examined it with a bored expression. “Just how are you supposed to fight with these things again? I don’t see any kind of ON switch…”

“Hey!” Grabbing the Gunpla from Rainbow, Twilight clutched it protectively to her chest. “I said I would show you and I will!”

“Whoa!” Flinching back, Rainbow held her hands out defensively in front of her. “Geeze, it’s just a toy, no need to go and bite my head off—OW!” Rubbing the side of her head where she’d just been flicked, Rainbow glared at Rarity. “What was that for?!”

Rarity glared back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Honestly, Rainbow, have you no appreciation for art? I would be fearful too if you handled one of my pieces as roughly as you did Twilight’s.”

After looking over her Gunpla for a moment to make sure nothing was broken, Twilight walked over to a panel on the side of the machine and tapped a series of buttons. The machine slowly whirred to life, an automated voice coming from the speakers inside. 

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup. Model Damage Level, Set To C. Please Set Your GP Base.]

Picking up the phone like device, the GP Base, Twilight set it into one of the ports on the projector, the screen lighting up with her name and basic information about her Gunpla.  

[Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal…]

The projector lit up with blue light as a cascade of light particles flowed outward from the machine’s center, forming holographic barriers around the sides of the machine. At the same time, a freestanding hologram cockpit formed around Twilight, display screens on her left, right and directly ahead.  

“How pretty!” Rarity exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the starry lights. After a moment, the particles coalesced together into a realistic image of a sandy stone canyon atop the projector.  

[Field 09, Canyon. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Setting her Gunpla onto the machine as instructed, a bar of blue particles scanned vertically up the model. As it passed over the head, the once inert model tilted its head up, its eyes lighting up in a burst of green light. 

“It moved!” Fluttershy gasped, the others just as stunned as she was.

“Oh, it does more than just move,” Twilight said with a grin as a dashboard appeared in front of her accompanied by a pair of yellow orbs acting as the controls. Grabbing an orb in each hand, she readied herself as the hologram shifted to surround her Gunpla, the model now standing ready in a launching station.  

[Battle Start!]

“Twilight Sparkle, Star Nexus Gundam! Launching!”

At her command, the Gunpla was catapulted into the battlefield, its thrusters propelling it forward as the newly animated model soared through the sky. The HUD inside the cockpit displayed Twilight’s surroundings in crystal clear clarity, giving her the true experience of piloting her very own Gundam, a feeling that Twilight never grew tired of no matter how many times it happened.

With practiced ease, Twilight maneuvered her machine towards the canyon, blowing up sand as she flew in low before coming to a stop. Glancing up from her view screen, she turned to her friends, all of whom were still visible through the transparent walls of her cockpit and were all staring at the machine with wide-eyed expressions. “Pretty cool, huh?” The bespectacled girl snickered as her friends continued to stare in amazement, not that she could really blame them. 

Tapping a finger against the dashboard, a keyboard popped up, allowing her to scroll through a list of options. “Readying a simulation battle against the computer…”

[Deploying CPU Controlled Gunpla.]

After a moment, her monitor displayed a rapidly advancing speck on the horizon. Zooming in, Twilight could make out a squad of five nearly identical Gunpla headed her way. All five machines were painted a military green and had a bulky torso, thick arms and legs and a bucket helmet with a large yellow camera screen. Two of the machines were armed with a standard rifle, while the third carried a much larger Dober Gun strapped to its arm, as well as a circular shield attached to its left arm. The last two machines were also equipped with round shields, though these two were each carrying a beam saber as well.

“A squad of Leos. Perfect.” Raising her beam rifle, Twilight aimed at the Leos, the crosshairs flitting left and right as they focused on the opposing Gunpla. The second the crosshairs all aligned, Twilight press a button on her right controller and fired, a crackling beam of red energy lancing through the air.

Four of the machines were able to dodge away from the attack, but one of the beam saber wielding Leo’s wasn’t so fortunate as the beam tore through its right arm and torso like a hot knife through butter, the machine sparking for a brief moment before violently exploding. With one of their team shot down, both rifle-wielding Leo’s opened fire, peppering the canyon with a hail of beam fire. While most of the shots missed, kicking up tiny clouds of dust against the canyon floor, enough came close enough that Twilight was forced to activate her leg boosters to hover away from the onslaught.

However, this action left her open long enough for the third gun wielding Leo to take aim with its Dober gun and fire, striking the Star Nexus Gundam in the left shoulder with enough force to send the Gunpla reeling.

“Ah!” Twilight cried out as her cockpit rattled to simulate the effects of battle, forcing her to quickly catch her footing. Tapping a button on her left controller, she scrolled through a list of her abilities and weapons. “Dragoons, fly!” At her command, the pods lining the side of the Star Nexus’s backpack separated and rocketed through the air at blinding speeds.

Seeing the oncoming swarm of advancing UVAs, the Leos once again opened fire, but the Dragoons all zipped around their shots with ease. Focusing on the Dober Gun wielding Leo, the Dragoons surrounded the Gunpla and all fired beams of green energy, lancing through all four of the Leos limbs, its head and torso simultaneously and tearing them apart before the Leo exploded. 

Their initial target eliminated, the Dragoons focused their attention on the two remaining gun wielding Leos, whose attempts to shoot down the pods proved futile as one shot a beam through the helmet camera of one, while another two pierced through its gun and torso as the remaining three Dragoons shot simultaneous beams through the other Gunpla’s torso, the two machines exploding in unison.

During all this, the final Leo managed to reach the canyon floor and charged the Star Nexus, swinging its beam saber in an effort to take off the Gundam’s head. Jumping back, a panel within the Star Nexus’s leg opened up and ejected a beam saber hilt for the Gunpla to grab with its right hand, a blade of pink energy shooting out to meet the opposing machine’s saber as it took another swing at her.

The two beam weapons crackled as their blades met, each side trying to force the other back. With blinding speed, Twilight kneed the Leo in the chest, causing it to stumble back enough for her to lunge forward and drive her beam saber straight through its head. The Leo went limp before Twilight’s Dragoons came flying over and shot through the Gunpla’s body, Twilight deactivating her saber and jumping back as the Leo exploded in a flash of fire and light.  

[Battle Ended! Winner, Star Nexus Gundam!] 

Once the Dragoons had redocked onto the Star Nexus’s backpack, the entire landscape vanished in a flash of blue particles, the projectors shutting down to conserve power now that the battle had ended. As the cockpit faded as well, Twilight took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her brow before turning to her friends, grinning at the star-struck expressions on their faces. “Well? What do you think?”

No one said anything for several moments as they picked their collective jaws off the floor. Sunset was the first to recover, stuttering, “That… that was…”

“AWESOME!” Pinkie hollered, bouncing around like a caffeinated rabbit. “Twilight was like ‘BZZZT!’ and that one suit went ‘BOOM!’ and then the others went ‘PEW! PEW! and Twilight was like ‘Ahh!’, but then you were like ‘BLAM! BLAM! and they were like ‘BOOM! BOOM! It was so cool!” Bounding up to Twilight, she grabbed the startled girl’s hands and pleaded, “Let me try! Pretty pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top?”

“Settle down there, Pinkie,” Applejack said, placing a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder and pulling her back. “I reckon we all be wantin’ a chance to take that there model for a spin. How about it, Twi?”

“Er… well…” Twilight twiddled her thumbs as she debated on what to say. “Not to sound rude, but I don’t really like the thought of anyone but me using my Star Nexus. I think it would be better if you all built your own Gunpla, instead.”

“Our own?” Rainbow repeated, scratching her head. “How come?”

“Because that’s half the fun of Gunpla Battle.” Picking up her Gunpla, Twilight smiled down at her personally crafter machine, her partner. “Fighting other machines is fun, sure, but building your own Gunpla and watching it fight is even more fun.” 

“I don’t know…” Sunset remarked, glancing at the others. “Besides you, none of us have any real experience building these things.”

“It’s easy, and I’ll help you as best I can,” Twilight reassured them. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complex, just a straight build is more than enough.”

Sunset hmm’ed in thought for a moment, thinking it over. “Alright, I’m in.”

“Count me in, as well,” Applejack chorused.

“Right here!” Rainbow said, raising her hand.

“My interest has been peaked, so I would like to join as well,” Rarity added. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nodded their head to show they were in as well  

“Yay!” Twilight cheered, ecstatic that she was getting the chance to share one of her favorite hobbies with her friends. “Well, the first thing we should do is figure out what each of you are looking for in a Gunpla and start from there.” Picking up her things, Twilight led the group to a row of tables set up at the back of the store for customers to build their newly purchased kits. Sitting at an empty table, she pulled out a notepad from her back and flipped it to an empty page. “Now, what’s one thing you want your Gunpla to focus on? Performance? Speed? Power?” Rolling her pencil between her fingers, Twilight pointed her pencil at Applejack. “Applejack, anything in mind?”

“Well, I’d like it if you found somethin’ for me that ain’t too complicated. None of those flyin’ lasers or fancy tricks like yours has.”

“Hmm… IBO kits are pretty straightforward, like the Barbatos Lupus and Astaroth.” Jotting down a few options, she pointed at Rainbow next. “Rainbow, how about you?”

“Got anything fast? Like really fast?”

“I guess I should have expected that,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Well, there are any number of OO mobile suits to choose from that possess Trans-Am, as well as a host of transformable Gundam that can change into jets or aircraft like the Arios, Delta Plus, or ReZel.”

“Ohh, those jet ones sound pretty sick!”

“Right, transformable it is. Rarity, any ideas?”

“Well, I know this might sound off coming from me, but I was hoping for something… standard I suppose is the right word?”

Twilight blinked at the suggestion. “Really? I was kind of expecting you to want a fancy or pretty looking Gunpla, all things considered.”

“I am merely considering the future, Darling. If this does turn out to be more than a one-time thing, I would like a model I could customize and design to my heart’s content without having to worry about the initial details.”

“That’s fair. Astrays are pretty popular basic machines, come in multiple colors and aren’t that hard to build. Sound good?” 

“Indeed. I trust your judgment on this, Twilight.”

“Right. Pinkie?”

“Got anything with HUGE guns? I want something I can blow things up with!” Pinkie exclaimed with far too much enthusiasm to the point the others were beginning to stare worriedly at her.

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but just as quickly closed it. “Know what, I actually have the perfect Gunpla in mind for you.” Writing it down, she turned her attention then to Fluttershy. “What about you, Fluttershy? Anything in particular?”

“Uh…” Fiddling with her hair, Fluttershy muttered, “Is there any way I can maybe get something… cute?”

“How about an SD, then? Their proportions are a bit squished compared to the Real Types, but they are still pretty popular. Many also come with expressive anime-like eyes for the faces.”

Gasping, Fluttershy clasped her hands together as her eyes sparkled. “That sounds adorable!”

“One SD it is then. That just leaves you, Sunset. Anything you… Sunset?” Glancing around, Twilight noticed that a certain fiery haired girl was suddenly absent. “Where did she go?”


***


Sunset strolled up and down the aisles of the store, scanning the countless kits lining the shelves on either side of her. Every so often she would pick up a random kit to examine it, taking in the colorful artwork on the front used to promote the finished product.  

“There certainly are a ton to choose from.” Sunset was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety of models available, setting a model showcasing a machine that looked more like a teddy bear than a robot back on the shelf. “How am I ever going to decide?”

As she exited the aisle to continue her search, she noticed a display out of the corner of her eye. Her interest piqued, Sunset walked over to take a closer look. The first thing that stood out to her was a clear case containing not one, but two fully constructed models of the same Gundam standing beside each other atop a table loaded with stacks of identical kits. 

The Gundam showcased inside was painted a solid white color, a single horn protruding from its helmet. Clutched in the model’s right hand was a long-barreled blaster, while a large white shield was strapped to its left arm. Next to it stood an identical model carrying similar armaments, only this one had several panels of armor raised to reveal clear paneling underneath that seemed to glow with a fiery radiance. Also different was the head, now sporting a faceplate similar to the one on Twilight’s Gunpla and with a golden V-shaped crest on its forehead in place of the horn.  

Picking up one of the kits off the stack, Sunset examined the artwork, showing the same machine flying through a starry void. As she read the name of the kit, her eyes were drawn to two particular words, one she only vaguely knew and another she knew better than anyone.  

“Unicorn… Gundam?”

“There you are!”

“Wah!” Just barely avoiding dropping the kit, Sunset whirled around to find Twilight running up to her. “Twilight?”

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” Twilight said as she skidded to a halt. “You just disappeared all of a sudden and I was worried you might have gone home.”

“Sorry. I guess I did kind of wander off to have a look on my own. ” Glancing behind her at the shelves of kits, she remarked dryly, “You certainly didn’t make things easy for us, Twi.”

“Oh… yeah…” Twilight rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I guess this can seem pretty overwhelming to someone who isn’t used to it. Would you like some help picking a Gunpla to build? I could give you some suggestions if you’d like.”

Glancing down at the kit still in her hands, a smile slowly worked its way onto Sunset’s face. “Actually… I think I just found the perfect Gunpla for me.”


[Next Time: Unicorn Gundam, Launching!]

> Build 02
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Unicorn Gundam, Launching!


“Easy… easy…” Rainbow’s hands trembled as she carefully used a pair of tweezers to attach a minuscule piece onto her Gunpla. “Almost…”

For the last hour or so, the group had been gathered around a table, each one of them hard at work building their first Gunpla. Everyone except Twilight, who was gradually circling the table as she watched everyone’s progress and answering any questions as they popped up. After spending a few minutes explaining to everyone the various symbols on the instructions, how to carefully remove the pieces from their plastic runners with plastic cutters and also how to remove any excess plastic “nubs”, things had been going rather smoothly so far.

Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack had already finished their respective Gunpla’s minutes ago, which only left Sunset and Rainbow to put the finishing touches on theirs. “Need any help?” Twilight asked as she walked over to Rainbow Dash, a look of sheer concentration on the athlete’s face.

“Naw, I got this. Just a little bit…” Aligning the piece into place, Rainbow carefully pushed it with her thumb, earning a satisfying click as the piece snapped into place. “Done!” Rainbow shouted, throwing up her hands in triumph.

Twilight smiled, glancing up at Sunset as she too worked to snap the final piece into place. Minutes after Twilight had finished explaining the basics, Sunset had slipped into a trance as she worked on building the Unicorn Gundam, a feeling Twilight had experienced many times before upon getting into a particular “zone” during a build. Knowing this, Twilight left Sunset alone, afraid to interrupt her for fear of getting in the way and ruining Sunset’s immersion.

With steady hands, Sunset snapped the last piece into place, letting out a breath of relief as she snapped back to reality and admired the single-horned Gunpla she had built with her own hands. While hers was nowhere near as detailed or professional as the one she had seen in the display case, it still seemed to exude a powerful aura nonetheless.

“Looks like everyone’s done!” Twilight announced, drawing the group’s attention. “Unless anyone would like to add any last touches, who’s up for some Gunpla Battle?”

A round of cheers came from the group as they all gathered up their respective Gunpla and gathered around the projector. After speaking with the store owner for a moment, Twilight returned with an armful of GB Bases for everyone and laid them out. “Ok, I got enough rental Bases for everyone, so just insert it into one of the docks when the machine says so.” Crouching down, she began to punch commands into the control panel. “I’ll set the machine to Free-for-all and Damage Level C, so you shouldn’t worry about damaging your Gunpla.”

“D-damaging?” Fluttershy stuttered, clutching her Gunpla protective to her chest. “But we just built them! Why would we want to damage them?”

“We don’t, which is why I’m setting the Damage Level low,” Twilight explained as she finished prepping the settings. “This machine can be adjusted to alter the amount of physical damage a Gunpla incurs through battle. Level A, which is typically used for tournaments and such, inflicts a ratio of 1:1 damage to a Gunpla, so anything that happens in battle will be reflected on your Gunpla. Level C is the opposite, where your Gunpla will remain in one piece and unharmed no matter how much damage you receive. Level B is in the middle of the two, where your Gunpla will receive cosmetic and minor damage, but will still remain largely intact.”

“So… what yer sayin’ is that we can trash each other in battle without worryin’ none about breaking these here models to pieces?” Applejack asked, grinning as she earned a confirmative nod from Twilight. “Works for me!”

“Me too!” Rainbow grinned as well as she scooped up one of the GB Bases and rushed over to one end of the machine. “So hurry up and fire this puppy up already, Twi, cause I’m raring for a fight!”

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode Startup. Model Damage Level Set To C. Please Set Your GP Base.]

As instructed, the six set their respective base into one of the docks on the machine, their name appearing on the screen as it registered them. The centre of the projectors shined with a blue light as the particles were released, coalescing into the image of an enclosed section of space containing a debris field of asteroids of all sizes. 

[Field 01, Space. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

“Oh, one more thing!” Twilight interrupted before anyone could comply with the machine’s instructions. “When the battle starts, you have to make sure you do the launching sequence properly. Just say your name, the name of your Gunpla and end with ‘Launching!’ or something to that effect, just like I did. It helps set the mood and some might say it’s proper etiquette. Try it!”

I was wondering about that, Sunset thought with a chuckle as she placed her Gunpla onto the base, the bar of blue light scanning it before the head tilted up and its green eyes flashed to life, the launching pad forming around it moments later. 

Here goes…

[Battle Start!]

“Sunset Shimmer, Unicorn Gundam! Launching!” 

Hurtling along the launch pad at breakneck speeds, the Unicorn Gundam’s thrusters propelled it forward as the Gunpla was thrown into the void of space. Though the launch was a bit shaky at first, the Gunpla quickly corrected it’s flight path as it zipped through space, leaving a blue trail in its wake as it soared along the stars.

Inside the cockpit, Sunset was beyond ecstatic. “I’m… I’m flying! Flying through space!” In Equestria, the mere thought of space travel was little more than a flight of fantasy, an absurd nation conceived after a night of too much cider. After coming to this world, however, Sunset had been awestruck to learn that humans had already started sending manned missions into space, even to the moon! Even now, despite being a simulation, Sunset’s inner filly was having the time of her life. Laughing all the way, Sunset maneuvered her Gunpla to do flips, barrel rolls, corkscrews and whatever else aerial maneuver she could think of as she flew through space.

Her joy was short lived, however, as a blaring warning from her left side drew her attention to the screen, a warning note indicating an object of high speed hurtling towards her on a direct collision course. Jerking the controls, Sunset barely pushed herself out of the way as an orange blur cruised right by her. 

“What in Equestria was—”

“Yeehaw!” Rainbow’s voice hollered over the speakers in Sunset’s cockpit as the orange blur pulled a U-turn and sped towards her once more. This time Sunset could identify the object as an orange painted ship of some kind, a sharpened nose at the front as it came to an abrupt stop and flipped as it transformed into a more humanoid form. The pointed nose split down the centre to become a pair of wedge-shaped shields on either shoulder, the orange armor extending to the shoulders, torso and to the waist of the machine. The Gunpla’s legs each sported large sharpened fins jutting from the knees and running down the leg, another smaller fin on the front ankle armor. Four yellow spikes jutted from the Gunpla’s helmet, two from the forehead and another two from the cheeks, and in its right hand it held a double-barreled beam rifle.

“Rainbow, that you?” Sunset asked.

A blip on her screen expanded into a small video feed, showing Rainbow’s grinning mug in all its glory. “Hey, Sunset. Sorry about the fly-by there, I just can’t get over how amazing this feels! This thing can really move and I’d swear I was actually flying through space! How cool is that?”

“Pretty cool,” Sunset said with a cheeky grin, adding, “Next time though, how about you don’t almost crash into me?”

“Well, this is supposed to be a battle, isn’t it? So…” The video feed cut out as Rainbow’s machine raised its weapon, the barrels glowing a hot red as it fired a stream of plasma at Sunset, who was quick to raise her shield to block the attack.

“Nice try, but you won’t win that easy!” Doing as Twilight had and pressing a button on her right controller, Sunset quickly scrolled through her options and selected her own blaster, raising the rifle and firing a blast at Rainbow in return.

Dodging out the way, a stream of green particles flew out of the back of the Gunpla as it zigged and zagged around Sunset, firing shot after shot that Sunset did her best to either block or dodge.

She wasn’t kidding when she said her Gunpla was fast! It was taking all of Sunset’s concentration to not lose sight of Rainbow as she flew circles around her, barely staying still long enough for Sunset to get a shot of her own off. “I’ve got to figure out a way to slow her down somehow.”

At that moment, Rainbow morphed her Gunpla back into its ship mode and charge Sunset, fully intent on running straight through her. At the last second, Sunset dodged out of the way before grabbing onto the speeding Gunpla and hauling herself up on top of it.  

“Hey! No free rides!” Accelerating, Rainbow began to spin and do flips to try and dislodge the stowaway, but to no avail. Unable to transform with Sunset’s machine weighing her down, Rainbow made a beeline for the debris field. “Try and survive this!”

Sunset’s nails dug into her controllers as she tried to hold on for dear life, doing her best to avoid the oncoming debris only to have a sizable asteroid strike her Gunpla in the helmet and causing her to lose her grip on Rainbow and slam into another asteroid. Free of her passenger, Rainbow quickly morphed back into her humanoid form and aimed her weapon at Sunset, the barrel glowing red as it charged up a shot. 

“Game over, Sunse—”

“Outta the way!” 

Before Rainbow could fire her shot, something came hurtling through the debris field and clipped against Rainbow, sending her spinning end over end before she crashed into a chunk of debris. 

“Uhhh… think I’m gonna be sick…” Shaking her head to clear away any dizziness from being spun like a top, Rainbow pulled herself free as she glanced around for whatever had struck her. Seconds later, she spotted something extracting itself free from the large asteroid, revealing itself as another Gunpla.

The first thing Rainbow noted was that the Gunpla looked a bit like a mishmash of parts. The left arm was covered in blue armor with an armoured glove attached to the back of the hand, the same blue armor extending to the torso, while the right arm was a solid white and holding a rifle. Neither leg matched as well, with the right leg missing pieces of armor around the knee while the other looked like it had scrapped armor from a whole other machine. Even the head was asymmetrical, with a chest that was half flat and the other curved. The only pieces that actually looked like they matched were the large thrusters attached to the hips.

“I’m mighty surprised at ya, Rares,” Came Applejack’s voice from the asymmetrical Gunpla. “Never would have expected y’all to be one to go for a surprise attack.”

“Terribly sorry, dear, but the opportunity was too good to pass up even for me.” Coming out from behind an asteroid was another Gunpla, a standard looking Astray model with a V-shaped crest and coloured a mix of white for the head, shoulders, fingers and hips and leg armor and blue for the rest, carrying a blue shield on its left arm and holding a large bazooka in its right. “No hard feelings, I hope?”

“Naw, yer cool. Just means I’ll have to get you back is all.” Using the debris as a springboard, Applejack hurtled herself towards Rarity, aiming her rifle at her and firing a volley of slugs at her, which bounced harmlessly off Rarity’s shield.

Raising her bazooka, Rarity retaliated with a high-density burst of plasma, to which Applejack raised the gauntlet of her left arm took the blast with her arm, the armor weathering under the assault. Using her remaining momentum, Applejack flew up and punched Rarity’s Gunpla in the chest, sending the machine reeling from the force of the blow and bouncing hard against a passing by asteroid, losing her shield in the process as she floated helplessly in the void, her back thruster spitting sparks from the collision. 

Rarity grappled desperately with the controls, the hologram of her cockpit changing from blue to yellow as she tried to get her thrusters working before Applejack could attack again. “Come on, move please…”

“I’ve got you, Rarity,” Came Fluttershy’s voice from nearby as a small Gunpla zipped up and began to push Rarity’s Gunpla. The newcomer looked like if you had taken a Gunpla and chibified it, possessing stunted proportions like a big head but tiny arms and legs. As Twilight had promised, it even had large expressive green anime eyes, which even blinked as it helped support Rarity’s damaged machine. A v-crest resembling a samurai helmet was visible on the SD Gunpla’s forehead, pale pink energy wings extended from its back and attached to its hip was a sheathed katana. 

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Rarity said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Now ain’t that just the cutest thing,” Applejack remarked as she watched the tiny SD support Rarity’s much larger Gunpla, lowering her weapon. “Be pretty hard for any of us to shoot at it without feelin’ bad the whole—” Applejack was interrupted a knock to the head, disrupting her Gunpla’s visuals for a moment. “Oi!” Whipping around, she found herself face to face with Rainbow Dash’s Gunpla, even the machine seeming to glare at her angrily as a video feed of Rainbow popped into her screen.

“That was for slamming into me! I had a clean shot and you messed it up!”

“Hey, not my fault I got tossed around like a dang bowlin’ ball!”

Before the pair could come to blows for the hundredth time, a beam of plasma pierced the space between them, forcing them to back off. Glancing to the source, they saw Sunset lowering her rifle as her video feed appeared on their screens, a disappointed look on her face. “That’s enough. You two want to duke it out, then don’t do it by being a pair of sore players.”

Both Applejack and Rainbow hung their heads for a moment before Applejack said, “Sorry about gettin’ in your way, Dash.” Raising her head, she smirked as she said, “How ‘bout I make it up to ya by helpin’ ya take on Sunset here? Sound good?”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“Sounds good to me!” 

“Wait a minute! Let’s talk about th—” The video feed cut out before Sunset could dissuade either of them as both Applejack and Rainbow raised their guns at Sunset. “Uh oh.”

Before either one of them could fire a shot, however, Fluttershy asked, “Um… has anyone seen Pinkie Pie?”

“Surprise!”

As if on cue, a massive stream of plasma came hurtling out of the void, vaporizing any debris caught in its path and heading straight for the group, who quickly scattered to try and avoid the beam of death as it struck a massive asteroid and burned a clean hole straight through it, the insides reduces to a burning ring a molten slag.

“What in the Sam Hill was that!?”

“It was me!” From seemingly out of nowhere, a new Gunpla floated into view. This one was a large Gunpla coloured a light blue with orange accents around the shoulders, chest and the v fin on its head. True to her specifications, Twilight had found her a Gunpla that was positively loaded with guns, possessing a pair of hyper bazookas attached to its back and slung over the shoulders, a massive beam bazooka in its right hand, a shield with a twin-barreled turret on the front of it and finally a massive cannon embedded into the chest. “Me and my little buddy Calamity here!” Pinkie Pie said, giggling.

“Geeze, Pinkie. Give us a little warning next time you’re gonna do that!”

“Sorry, but you all looked like you were having so much fun I couldn’t resist joining the party. So… who are we up against?”

“Uh… weren’t we supposed to be fighting each other?” Fluttershy said, causing everyone to glance at one another in silence. For several moments no one so much as twitched.

And then… utter chaos.

All at once, everyone started firing at one another, save for Fluttershy who ducked and weaved around the gunfire while still supporting Rarity’s Astray. Sunset blocked a barrage from Pinkie in time to get sidelined by Rainbow Dash as she blitzed past her before quickly activating her beam saber and lopping off one of the transforming Gunpla arms in retaliation. Discarding her rifle, Applejack pulled a massive buster sword off her back, the sword extending even further until it was taller than the Gunpla holding it and leapt into the fray, shouting a battle cry as she swung her sword.

Twilight watched all of this from the sidelines, smiling as she watched all her friends having so much from her silly little hobby. This is what Gunpla Battle is truly about, being able to enjoy it with others. 


***


The hours passed in a flash, and soon it felt like no time at all had passed before everyone had to start heading home. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hitched a ride back with Applejack while Fluttershy offered to drive Rarity home, which left Twilight and Sunset waiting in the parking lot for Twilight’s brother to arrive.

“You didn’t have to stay and wait with me you know,” Twilight said as she peered down the road in search of Shining Armor’s car.

“And leave you here alone? Not a chance,” Sunset replied, looping an arm around the bespectacled girl and pulling her close. “Consider it my little way of thanking you for all the fun you introduced us to, if you must.”

“I’m glad you all enjoyed it so much. To… to tell you the truth…” Twilight suddenly became oddly quiet, rubbing her arm nervously and leaning into Sunset as she muttered, “I was… scared about today.”

“Scared? Why?”

Twilight was silent for a moment before whispering, “Because I was afraid that you would all laugh at me and my ‘silly little hobby’.”

“Whoa, back up right there.” Sunset’s eyes were filled with concern as she placed a finger to Twilight’s chin and raised her head to look her in the eyes. “We’re your friends, Twilight. We would never laugh at you like that. I mean, if you did even half of the stuff Pinkie somehow gets away then we might laugh, but not in the way you’re thinking of. If building and fighting miniature models of giant robots makes you happy, then who are we to judge you for it?” 

Slowly, a smile worked its way across Twilight’s face, leaning forward and hugging Sunset.
“Thank you… I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends than all of you.”

“Anytime, Twilight. Anytime.”  

As Twilight pulled away from Sunset, she pumped her fists as a fire suddenly burned brightly in her eyes. “That’s it, I’ve made up my mind! I’m going to start a Gunpla Battle Club at school!”


Next time: Gunpla Club, Open!

> Build 03
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gunpla Battle Club, Open!


“Hmmm…”

There was no way around it, Twilight was nervous. After spending days working on her submission to open a Gunpla Battle Club at Canterlot High, rereading and checking over everything again and again and again, she had finally worked up the nerve to submit it to Principal Celestia. The room was dead quiet save for the steady ticking of the clock on the wall, the occasional flipping of a page or a brief mumbling from Celestia as she scanned through the documents in front of her, having not said a word once she had started reading them.

It was taking all of Twilight’s willpower not to just cut her losses and run from the room in a blind panic. Breathe, Twilight, you can do this.

“Well…” Celestia finally spoke up, causing Twilight to jump slightly before the principal raised her head and smiled warmly at Twilight. “I must say, Ms. Sparkle, that this might be the most thorough submission I’ve ever read since I started working at Canterlot High.” Flipping through the pages again, she said, “Every ‘I’ has been dotted and every ‘T’ crossed, you included all the proper forms, among them a potential expenses table and you’ve even already included all the additional formwork to receive permission to use one of the school’s club rooms. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you, Principal Celestia,” Twilight replied, feeling some of her unease melt away and her shoulders relax at the principal's praise. “I really want to start this club up, so I made sure I followed everything to the letter.”

“That you did.” Closing the vanilla folder containing all the required forms, Celestia leaned forward in her seat and rested her elbow against her desk. “After going through it all, I have both good news and bad news. Which would you like first?”

Twilight gulped. This is it. “The good news first, please.”

“Very well. Given everything you’ve presented to me, as well as factoring in your current academic excellence, I see no reason why you wouldn’t be approved. In fact, I feel I can say with absolute certainty that your approval is very much a given.”

Twilight resisted the urge to leap up and cheer, instead merely showing her gratitude by smiling. “Thank you. Getting this club up and running means a lot to me. Umm… what’s the bad news then?”

“The bad news, if you can even call it that, is that I’m afraid it might take up to a week or longer until you’ll be able to get your club up and running properly, as I have to first make sure that the requested room is up to standards, put in a requisition order for one of these ‘GB Projectors” you listed and find a proper academic administrator to oversee all the club events. So I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little bit longer until your…” Flipping open the folder again, Celestia read off the intended club name. “‘Gunpla Battle Club’ is allowed to open.”

“Oh.” Twilight breathed a small sigh of both relief and disappointment. While she had been expecting much worse, she was nonetheless bummed that it might take over a week before she could officially open the club itself. “I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll try and make it so you won’t have to wait too long. Now, if there’s nothing else, you may go and celebrate. Congratulations, Ms. Sparkle.”

“Thank you.” Bowing politely, Twilight turned and left the room. As she exited Celestia’s office, she found her friends waiting outside, every one of them prepared to offer her their support.

“Well?” Sunset asked. “How did it go?”

“Pretty well, actually,” Twilight said with a smile. “It may take a while for the forms to be submitted and everything set up, but as of now the Gunpla Battle Club has the principal's approval.” 

“Yay!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she ran up and hugged Twilight, the others joining suit moments later. “You know what this means right? It means it’s time to celebrate! My treat!”

“Pinkie, you don’t have to—” Twilight tried to argue, only to be shushed by Pinkie.

“No, no, no! I won’t take no for an answer! Now come on, before they run out of seats.” Grabbing Twilight’s arm, Pinkie proceeded to yank the poor girl towards the exit, the others following after them to ensure Twilight made it to the Sweet Shoppe in one piece.  

Back in her office, Celestia glanced down at the file on her desk once more, grinning devilishly. “Oh, when I ask her she is going to flip…”


***


True to Celestia’s word, Twilight received her permission form by email in less than forty-eight hours, although that still left plenty to do before the club could officially open. With the help of her friends, Twilight administered flyers around the school advertising the opening of the ‘Gunpla Battle Club’, worked hard after school to clean out the requested club room, bring in enough tables and supplies for over a dozen people to build with and install the single GB Projector when it arrived. Twilight had also brought a box of her Gunpla from home and set them up on shelves in order to give the club some inspiration.

In what felt like no time at all, the day finally arrived. The minute the final bell rang, Sunset gathered up all her things and set off for the club room, ready to be there for her friend. What she found when she arrived at the club room, however, was the sight of Twilight pacing up and down the room, her face a mask of worry as she chewed on her nails and muttered, “This was a bad idea… a very bad idea…”

“Careful, or you’ll wear a groove into the floor if you keep pacing like that.”

Twilight jumped at the sound of Sunset’s voice, whipping around and adjusting her glasses before they could slide off her face. “S-Sunset! When did you get here?”

“Just now.” Closing the door behind her, Sunset walked up to Twilight and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Nervous?”

“How can I not be!?” Twilight shouted, slumping back into a chair. “I’ve invested the last week and a half into making this club, but what if nobody shows? I’ll be humiliated! Ostracized! Unable to show my face at school ever again!” Hiding her face in her hands, Twilight curled her legs up onto the chair, looking to all the world like she wanted to go crawl into the nearest hole. “I’m such a fool…”

“Don’t say that! Trust me, none of that will happen. Besides…” Kneeling down, Sunset flicked Twilight lightly in the forehead, smirking at Twilight grumbled in protest. “You already have me and the girls as official club members, so I’d say you’ve already managed a pretty good turn out right out the gate, huh?” Ruffling Twilight’s hair, Sunset was delighted when she saw a smile slowly form on Twilight’s face.

“You’re right,” Twilight said, a small bit of her confidence returning as she stood up. “It’s too early for me to give up. No matter what, I intend to see this through!”

“That’s the spirit!” Holding up her fist, Twilight brought her own hand up and fist-bumped Sunset’s, the two giggling at the silly gesture.

“Ah, I see you’ve already arrived.”

Both girls glanced towards the door at the sound of a new arrival, blinking at the woman standing in the doorway. “Vice Principal Luna?” Sunset said, having not expected her to appear. “What are you doing here?”

“I would think that would be obvious, Ms. Shimmer.” Strolling inside, Luna wheeled a cart loaded with several boxes behind her. “When Celestia told me of your plans to open a GB club, I knew I had to be the academic administrator overseeing the events of this club and its members. And thus, here I am.”

Twilight blinked. “You… like Gunpla Battle?”

“Does that surprise you, Ms. Sparkle?” Luna remarked, looking a touch upset as she placed her hands on her hips and frowned at the teen. “I may be a teacher, but I do have hobbies and interests outside of school and Gunpla just so happens to be one of them.”

“No, it’s just… uh…” Twilight shuffled her feet as she stuttered, “Please… please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s just… I’m having a hard time imagining you of all people being into building Gunpla.” 

“Perhaps this will serve to convince you then.” Turning towards the stack of boxes, Vice Principal Luna removed a small case and set it on the table, clicking the tabs open. Reaching inside, she pulled out a Gunpla model and set it on the table for Sunset and Twilight to see.

The cockpit was rounded at the front, a pair of vents placed on either side. The shoulders were squarish rather rounded and a pair of shields were strapped to both forearms. Attached to the back was a large aerial craft, a pod-shaped thruster behind each shoulder and a pair of large thrusters attached at the hips. Finally, the head displayed the V-fin that designated it as a Gundam. 

Twilight’s eyes widened significantly at the sight of the Gunpla, rushing over and almost pressing her face up against it. “Is… is that… a Chaos Impulse Gundam?!”

“Mmhhm,” Luna confirmed, a confident smirk on her lips. 

“But… but the Chaos Silhouette Pack was only a conceptual idea! It never showed up in the series and no kits were ever made of it! To build one you would have had to—”

“Kitbash and customize both an Impulse Gundam frame and a Chaos Gundam? Indeed. Took me the better part of a week to do so too and this little beauty managed to win me second place in a Builders Championship. The grand prize winner was a truly flawless Turn X Gundam made by a builder I greatly admire, so this Gunpla holds a special place in my heart.”

Twilight didn’t respond, still staring in total awe at the craftsmanship of the Gunpla.

“Twilight... you’re drooling,” Sunset said after an awkward pause.

“Am not!” Wiping at her mouth as she stood back up, Twilight looked away from the Gunpla and back at the vice-principal, the woman still wearing a confident smirk across her face. “W-well… I rescind my statement from before. You’ve clearly proven you have more than enough skills to oversee this club.”

“Thank you for your support, Ms. Sparkle.”

“Oh, please, just Twilight is fine, Vice-Principal Luna. Ms. Sparkle makes me sound like my mom.”

Luna seemed to consider this for a moment. “Very well, Twilight it is then. As such, I hope you would extend the same courtesy to me and simply refer to me as Luna. You as well, Ms. Shimmer, or would Sunset be better?”

“Sunset is fine, Luna.” Glancing over Luna’s shoulder, Sunset gestured towards the cart and the stack of boxes on top. “What's all this?”

“I’ll explain in a moment, but first, could you both do me the favor and show me one of your Gunpla? I wish to gauge your current skill level as builders so I know how to best assist.”

“Of course!” Reaching into her bag, Twilight withdrew her Star Nexus Gundam and placed it on the table for Luna to see.

“A Legend Gundam custom, a fine choice, Twilight.” Getting closer, Luna ran her gaze across the Gunpla with a scrutinizing eye. “Color choices are suitable and the paint is even and steady. No visible nubs that I can find and you have clearly put your heart and soul into this Gunpla. This model alone proves you are an experienced builder with a wealth of knowledge behind you.” Standing straight, she looked around the room at the Gunpla lining the shelves. “Just from a glance I can tell that all these Gunpla were constructed by your hand, am I wrong?”

“No, they’re all mine,” Twilight said, visibly blushing under Luna’s approval. “I thought it might help get others inspired.”

“Indeed, and the variety of Mobile Suits shows your knowledge of the various series. If I may ask, what was your first introduction to Gundam?”

“Gundam Seed.”

“Ah, a good starting point for many your age.” Nodding her head in approval once more, Luna turned her attention to Sunset. “Do you have a Gunpla I may see as well, Sunset?”

“I do, but don’t expect anything fancy like Twilight’s.” Reaching into her backpack, Sunset pulled out her Unicorn Gundam and set it next to Twilight’s.”I’m pretty new to this whole ‘Gunpla’ and ‘Gundam’ thing, so this is the first and only Gunpla I’ve built so far.”

Luna was silent as she stared at Sunset’s Gunpla. After a moment, she glanced back up at Sunset. “You say this is not only your first Gunpla but also the only one you’ve built so far?”

“Yeah…” Sunset scratched the back of her neck as she asked, “Is it that bad?”

“Hardly! If I didn’t know better I would say this was the work of a long time builder.”

Sunset blinked in surprise. “... Really?”

“Indeed. Your nub marks are practically nonexistent, any stickers are aligned perfectly and stuck smoothly and you’ve even taken the time to sand down the edges to a fine finish. Though it’s still a bit rough here and there, you’ve clearly done the Unicorn Gundam justice with this work, Sunset.”

“Uh… Thanks, Luna. I did my best and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher to help me,” Sunset said with a smirk, nudging Twilight lightly with her elbow. “Ain’t that right, miss ‘experienced builder’?”

“Su-Sunset!”

While the two friends giggled and laughed, Luna’s eyes remained locked onto the Unicorn Gundam Sunset had built, her face a neutral mask that left her emotions a mystery. Slowly, the fingers of her right hand curled up into a tightly clenched fist.

“Sunset.”

Sunset and Twilight both froze at the sudden sharpness of Luna’s voice. “Y-yes?” Sunset asked.

“There is a favor I wish to ask of you.”

Now Sunset was confused. “A favor? What kind of favor?”

Glancing up, Luna’s eyes met Sunset’s. “I wish to fight this Gunpla of yours.”

“What?!” Sunset shouted, aghast at the sudden offer. “But… but why? Twilight’s the better builder, you said so yourself.”

“Indeed I did, but I have already determined her level of skills and what kind of fight I would have if I squared off against her Gunpla. Yours though…” Once more, Luna turned her attention towards the Unicorn Gundam. “Yours is an enigma to me. You say that this is your first ever build, but I can see clear talent and care into its construction.” Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Luna further added, “We still have fifteen minutes before club officially starts, more than enough time for us to engage in a fight. What do you say, Sunset? Do you accept my challenge as a Gunpla Fighter?”

Sunset was stunned, unable to formulate a response as her brain tried to process the request. She glanced at Luna, then to her Gunpla, then back at Luna. After several seconds, a cocky smile appeared on Sunset’s face. “You’re on.”

An almost predatory smile work it’s way onto Luna’s lips. “Perfect.”

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode Startup. Model Damage Level Set to C. Please Set Your GB Base]

Within moments, the pair stood on either side of the small GB Projector the school had purchased for this very purpose. As both opponents docked their GP Base, the stream of blue particles gathered to form the appearance of a dense forest bordering a field of flowers.

[Field 03, Forest. Please Set Your Gunpla]

As Sunset set her Gunpla onto the base to scan, she looked over to see Luna step away from the projector for a moment to place her Chaos Impulse Gundam back into the case. “Aren’t you going to fight with that?”

“While the Chaos Impulse Gundam does hold significance to me, it is not the unit with which I fight. This is what you will be up against.” Pulling out a second Gunpla from the case, Luna set it onto the base to be scanned. The new model looks like something plucked straight out of a horror movie, massive gnarled bat wings spreading from it’s back, a large laser scythe clutched in its right hand and a shield in the shape of a coffin on its left. The armor paneling of the Gunpla had been painted a midnight blue overtop a pitch black coating, and the whole machine seemed to shine from a layer of topcoat. Just the sight of it caused a spike of fear to shoot up Sunset’s spine.

“A Wing era Gundam?” Twilight inquired from the sidelines.

“Indeed. Prepare yourself, Sunset, for you are about to face my personal Gunpla, the Deathscythe Nightmare.”

Sunset gulped as the cockpit formed around her, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the controllers. Come on, get a grip, Sunset. It’s just a model, there’s nothing to be afraid of… Right?

[Battle Start!]

“Sunset Shimmer, Unicorn Gundam! Launching!”

“Luna, Deathscythe Nightmare! Time to hunt!”

The Unicorn Gundam was catapulted into the arena, soaring over the field of flowers before dropping down outside the edge of the forest. Sunset was on high alert, her senses primed to catch even the smallest sound or sight of Luna’s machine. A blanket of silence filled the air, only interrupted by the occasional chirping bird and the steady sound of tree branches rustling in the breeze.

Come on, show yourself!

A flash of green blades was her only warning before an energy buzzsaw sliced straight through a path of trees and hurtled towards her. Sunset was quick to raise her shield to intercept the weapon, the green blades grinding against her shield as she felt herself pushed back, the Gunpla’s feet digging grooves into the ground as a flurry of petals were thrown into the air. Pushing back with her shield, Sunset sent the weapon flying back, the weapon spinning through the air for a moment before crashing down onto the ground, the head of the Deathscythe’s signature weapon embedding into the ground.

From the other end of the decimated row of trees, a black shape lunged at Sunset from the shadows. Quickly raising her beam rifle, Sunset fired off a blast at the advancing figure, only for her eyes to widen as the figure easily evaded her shot like a living shadow. In a panic, Sunset fired one shot after another, many of them going wide and missing the figure by a mile as it advanced on Sunset at blinding speeds.

An arm shot out of the figure as it advanced, grabbing onto the end of the beam scythe and swinging it upward in an arc at the Unicorn Gundam, slicing straight through the barrel of Sunset’s beam rifle and leaping back as the weapon exploded in the Unicorn Gundam’s hand. As the smoke began to clear, the Unicorn Gundam’s right hand had been completely blown off, sparks shooting up its damaged right arm.

“I must commend you for blocking my initial attack, Sunset,” Luna said as she swung her scythe up and held it with both hands. “However, without your dominant hand, you are at a severe disadvantage.”

“Who said that was my dominant hand?” Sunset grinned as she lunged at the Deathscythe Nightmare, her damaged right arm ejecting a beam saber to be grabbed by her left hand in mid-air as she swung it down at Luna, who raised her weapon to catch the beam against the scythe’s staff.

“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Luna said, letting out a hearty laugh as she pushed back with her scythe and swung it around in an arc to take off the opposing Gunpla’s head. Even while holding her weapon in her left hand, Sunset was still quick enough to raise her shield to intercept the blow, through the shield still suffered a deep gouge from the attack, sending Sunset reeling back. Seeing her chance, Luna drove her foot into the Unicorn Gundam’s chest and kicked it across the arena, the white Mobile Suit crashing through a row of trees before slamming into one of them and sliding to an abrupt stop, the Gunpla laying motionless as sparks arced across its form.

Sunset panted heavily, suddenly out of breath from that single encounter. The inside of her cockpit had changed from a healthy blue to a dark yellow, signifying her Gunpla had suffered significant damage. She’s strong, and it’s not just because of the quality of her Gunpla. Her reaction time, judgment and overall ability… “I’m outmatched… I can’t win...”

“I’m disappointed, Sunset,” Luna muttered as she stalked towards the downed Mobile Suit. “To give up so easily… perhaps I was wrong when I saw potential in you as both a builder and a fighter.” 

Sunset was frozen, her fingers trembling as she found herself unable to move. Is there nothing I can do? Is the gap between us just too great? Should I just give up and save myself—

“Don’t give up, Sunset! You can do it!”

Sunset snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice from the sidelines “Twilight?”

Standing over her opponent, Luna raised her scythe to deliver the final blow. “This the end, Sunset.”

“Like hell it is!” With renewed strength, Sunset cried out as she jerked the controllers at the last moment, the Unicorn Gundam’s right arm swinging upward to take the attack as her left arm flung up and swung its beam saber in a wide arc, lopping off a chunk of shoulder armor from the Deathscythe and forcing it to jump back.

As the Unicorn Gundam climbed up onto its feet, Sunset clenched her fingers against the controllers, determination burning in her eyes. “Come on, Unicorn, let’s show her what we’re made of!” With a twist of her wrist, Sunset quickly scrolled through her abilities before landing on one marked “Special”. “Destroy Mode, engage!”

The Unicorn’s eyes lit up with a flash of light as a wave of energy coursed through the Gundam, sections of paneling along its body rising up to reveal the psycho-frame within that burned with a fierce radiance. The faceplate on the Unicorn Gundam shifted, revealing a more Gundam looking face beneath as the Gunpla’s horn split into a golden V-chest.

“So, you do have some fight left,” Luna remarked, grinning excitedly. “Excellent!” Charging forward, she swung her scythe at the Unicorn’s ribs, only for the Gunpla to leap out of the way with a sudden burst of speed, the blade cleaving through the tree behind her instead. Whipping around, Luna was unprepared for a sucker punch to the head, sending her and the Deathscythe reeling back as Sunset bore on her, swinging her beam saber and slashing it across the Deathscythe’s chest.

Despite the large gash across its chest, the Deathscythe refused to let up, pushing forward and slamming the head of its weapon into the Unicorn Gundam's face, rattling the machine as it stumbled back. But Sunset would not be so easily deterred either, digging her machine's feet into the dirt as she pressed forward and swung her beam saber with reckless abandon. A cyclone of flower petals swirled around the pair in a cascade of color as the two machines continued to trade blows, neither fighter willing to give the other an inch.   

Extending her wings, Luna shot into the air, hovering over the battlefield for a moment before sweeping down like a bird of prey as she held her scythe ready to swing. Seeing this, Sunset prepared to face her head on, her own weapon raised to retaliate. In the span of blink, the two machines met in a flash of blades, the Deathscythe coming to a grinding halt several feet behind the Unicorn. Neither machine made a move, a breeze blowing through the arena.

Then, the Unicorn Gundam slumped forward, its beam saber slipping from its hand as a massive gouge across the Gunpla’s chest sparked for a moment before the machine exploded in a ball of fire.

[Battle Ended! Winner, Deathscythe Nightmare!]

As the holograms faded, Sunset’s arms slumped against her side. “I lost.”

“Often times, we learn more from failure than we do from success, something I think you would know better than anyone, Sunset,” Luna said with a smile, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do not let it disparage you, for it is clear that what you lack is the experience of both a potential builder and a fighter, experience that can be learned with time. I ask you then, Sunset, will you let this defeat define you, or will you plow ahead?”

“Like you even have to ask.” Tilting her head up, Sunset smiled as she looked Luna in the eyes and said, “I’m going to want a rematch someday.”

“I look forward to it.”

A wave of applause welcomed the two fighters, the pair glancing over to find they weren’t as alone as when they had started. Behind Twilight stood a small group of people, among them Sunset could pick out the faces of Apple Bloom, Vinyl, Flash, Sandalwood, Microchip, Derpy, Cloudkicker, and even Rainbow and the rest of her friends, among several others.

“It would seem we have a bit of an audience,” Luna remarked with a chuckle.

“When did you all get here?” Sunset asked incredulously.

“We all showed up while you and Vice-Principal Luna were duking it out,” Rainbow explained. “Which, might I add, was freaking awesome!” Cheers of confirmation came from several other members of the group.

“It would appear that everyone is here, so we should get started right away.” Walking over to the cart, Luna grabbed the topmost box and moved it to a nearby table. “And what would a Gunpla club be without any Gunpla to build?” Opening the box, Luna began to pull out several models kits and set them one after another on the table.

“Are all these filled with Gunpla kits?” Twilight asked. “Where did—”

“The result of having a comfortable disposable income and not enough free time. Better they get built here than gathering dust at home. Pick any one you like and we can begin.” Holding out her arms, Luna proudly proclaimed, “And welcome, everyone, to the official opening of the Canterlot High Gunpla Battle Club!”


Next Time: Samurai and Demons, Descend!

> Build 04
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Samurai and Demons, Descend!


Sunset sat slumped over one of the tables in the club room, sighing as she stared across the table at her Unicorn Gundam Gunpla. Several weeks had passed since the Gunpla Battle Club had been officially opened and the club thus far had been a roaring success, attracting a wealth of students into the world of Gunpla. Ever since her battle against Vice-Principal Luna, Sunset’s own skills as both a Gunpla builder and a fighter had significantly improved, but Sunset still couldn’t shake the lingering feeling that she was missing something.

“Everything alright, Sunset?” Twilight asked as she pulled up a chair and sat down next to Sunset.

Sighing, Sunset buried her head in her arms. “I don’t know, Twilight…” she mumbled, raising her head after a moment to continue her staring contest with the Gunpla. “Ever since this club started, I’ve built more than a few Gunpla, but I can’t help but keep coming back to this one in particular.”

“Well, it was the first one you ever built, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be special to you.”

“But I feel like I could do better, like there’s some way I could make this Unicorn Gundam even better.” Sighing again, Sunset sat up straighter and reached across the table to pick up the Gunpla. “Maybe even like what you and Luna have.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly. “Me and Luna?”

“You know, you own personal Gunpla, one that is uniquely yours and yours alone. Luna has her Deathscythe Nightmare and you have your Star Nexus, but all I have is this regular Gunpla.”

“Ah, I see,” Twilight said, now understanding Sunset’s plight. “You want to customize and personalize your Gunpla, but you don’t know where to start, do you?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I could always just paint it, I guess, but even that doesn’t feel like enough. I might be overestimating myself and my abilities just a little, but I can’t help but want something more than that.” In her mind's eye, a blurry image began to form. “Like there’s this image in my head that I can’t quite grasp just yet, and it’s driving me nuts.”

Silence hovered between the two for several moments before Twilight put her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “I’ve got an idea, how about a quick battle to take your mind off of this for now?”

Thinking it over, Sunset signed yet again. “Sure, a quick battle sounds like a good way to cheer me up.”

“Excellent!” Grabbing Sunset’s wrist, Twilight led her towards the clear cases containing the club’s completed Gunpla, the number of Gunpla inside having multiplied a considerable amount since the club had started. “It might be a good idea if you used a Gunpla you’re not familiar with. Now let’s see… ah ha!” Reaching into one of the cases, Twilight selected one of the Gunpla and set it on the table.

The chosen Gunpla was largely white in color, with rare accents of blue and yellow such as on the vents in the chest and along the large wings on its back. While the Gunpla was still humanoid, several features like the horns on its head or the sharpened look of the feet gave the model an almost demonic look. Attached at the back of the waist was a holster carrying a pair of golden bladed swords and on its left shoulder was the insignia of a blue horn.  

“What’s this?” Sunset asked as she picked up the Gunpla for a closer look.

“Gundam Bael, the first of seventy-two Gundam Frames created by the founder of Gjallarhorn, Agnika Kaieru, during the conflict known as the Calamity War,” Twilight explained, her voice taking on the tone of someone about to give a history lecture. “Thanks to the revolutionary ‘Alaya-Vijnana System’, it was able to directly connect to the pilot’s spine, allowing them to process incoming information at a much faster rate and granting them the ability to control the Gundam as seamlessly as their own body. After the Calamity War ended, it was kept locked away for three hundred years before McGillis Fareed attempted to—”

“Ok, ok, I get the picture,” Sunset interjected before Twilight could go on for the next hour. Turning the Gunpla over in her hand, Sunset asked, “So you want me to fight with this?”

Nodding her head, Twilight said, “Who knows, it might give you a new perspective on what your Gunpla is lacking and maybe even help clear up that image in your head a little.” Turning her attention back towards the cases, Twilight began to glance from one Gunpla to another. “And I think I’ll use—”

Suddenly, the door to the club room was thrown open and a trio of rambunctious pre-teens came rushing in. In the lead was Apple Bloom, while her fellow “Crusaders”, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, followed right behind her. Before Sunset and Twilight knew it, the group blew through the room like an F-4 tornado, scattering supplies and knocking yet to be built kits off the counter as Gunpla seemed to quiver in their cases. 

“Girls!” Twilight finally shouted, managing to get the group to stop for a moment before they could completely tear the room apart. “Could you all please settle down? We are still in school, after all…”

“Oh… sorry, Twilight,” Apple Bloom apologized, looking downcast upon noticing the mess they’d made. “I guess we just got excited, was all. I’ve been tellin’ the Crusaders about how fun the Gunpla Battle Club has been, but Scootaloo keeps sayin’ it’s just for nerds!”

“Well, it is!” Scootaloo said. “I mean, playing with dolls? That’s little kids stuff!”

Apple Bloom huffed, puffing her cheeks out. “I keep tellin’ ya that they ain’t dolls! They’re models of giant robots!”

“Same thing,” Scootaloo remarked. “I mean, you wouldn’t catch Rainbow Dash playing with one of them, that’s for sure.”

“Actually…” Twilight interjected. “Rainbow Dash has been a member of the Gunpla Battle Club ever since its inception.”

Scootaloo snorted dismissively. “Yeah right, you’re just saying that…”

“No, it’s true. In fact, I have one of her Gunpla right here.” Moving to a different case, Twilight pulled out Rainbow’s Arios Gundam to show her. Walking up to her, Twilight knelt down and held the Gunpla out to her. “See?”

Scootaloo seemed taken aback by the Gunpla in Twilight’s grip. “R-Rainbow Dash built this?”

“Mmhmm.”

Taking the Gunpla in her hands like it was the most precious of treasures, Scootaloo admired the complete Gunpla. “I… I guess if Rainbow Dash thinks it’s cool, then it can’t be all bad…”

“Ha! Told ya you’d like it!” Apple Bloom smirked triumphantly. “Oh! I just remembered!” Rummaging around in her bag for a moment, Apple Bloom pulled something out and held it up for Twilight to see. “I wanted to show you the Gunpla I just finished!”

Nestled in Apple Blooms outstretched hands was an SD Gundam, covered in crimson and gold armor befitting a feudal era samurai and carrying a large katana at its hip. Strapped to its back were also a musket style firearm and a spear with a curved golden blade.

“This looks wonderful, Apple Bloom!” Twilight praised her as she admired the SD. “It looks like you’ve even taken the time to apply a fresh coat of paint and panel line it.”

“Yep! I worked super hard on this one this time.”

“I can see that.” Getting a thoughtful look in her eyes, Twilight glanced at Sunset for a moment before turning back to Apple Bloom. “Say… how would you like to test out your new Gunpla in a battle right now?”

“Really?” Apple Bloom’s eyes sparkled at the offer. “Of course! I can show Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle how cool Gunpla Battle is!”

“Sunset, would you mind?” Twilight asked, glancing at the GB projector for a moment.

“Not at all. Looks like I’m your opponent for this fight, Apple Bloom.”

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup. Model Damage Level Set to C. Please Set Your GP Base.]

As the two fighters docked their GP Bases, the blue particles of the projector were released, forming a sprawling feudal castle straight out the Sengoku Era, the full moon in the night sky bathing the castle in a glow of pale moonlight.  

[Field 11, Castle. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

“Alright, Gundam Bael, let’s see what you can do.” Setting the Gundam Bael onto the base, the Gunpla came to life as it was bathed in blue light, standing at the ready to fight.

[Battle Start!]

“Sunset Shimmer, Gundam Bael!”

“Apple Bloom, SD Musha Gundam!”

“Launching!”

Soaring across the night sky, it wasn’t long before the Gundam Bael touched down outside the gates to the castle, its eyes drawn to the top of the structure. Silhouetted against the moon was a lone samurai, sworn on his honor to defend the keep belonging to his lord. Leaping from one tower to another, the Musha Gundam dropped onto the ground in front of the castle gates, gazing up at the towering demon hoping to seek entry.

Neither machine spoke a word, a silent understanding passing between them. Slowly, Gundam Bael drew both of its swords and held them ready at its sides, the Musha Gundam doing the same as it unsheathed its katana and prepared to defend the castle with its very life. A blanket of silence settled over the pair as neither machine moved an inch, a light breeze sweeping through the castle grounds as a leaf drifted off a lone tree branch and lightly touched the ground.

In a flash, both Gunpla blitzed forward, the Gundam Bael swinging its swords in a downward slashing motion, only for the Musha Gundam to sheath its katana and slid right between the Gundam’s legs to behind it. As soon at it stopped sliding, the Musha Gundam spun on its heel and drew its katana with lightning speed, slashing the demonic Gunpla across the back in a flash of steel.

The Gundam Bael reacted just as quickly, spreading its wings and shooting up into the sky in a trail of blue light, the attack only doing minor damage to its wings. Looping around, the Gundam Bael dive-bombed the Musha Gundam, forcing the SD Gunpla to dodge roll out of the way, it’s much smaller size granting it a degree of greater speed and mobility compared to the larger Real Types.

Leaping onto a nearby overhang, the Musha leapt into the air, whipping its mucket off its back and firing a quick shot of lead at the still airborne Gundam Bael. In a flash of gold, however, the Gundam Bael spun back around and deflected the rounds with its swords, dropping down and bracing its legs against the ground before catapulting itself into the air and slamming into the SD Gundam with enough force to send it rocketing through the sky like a volleyed football, smashing through an observation tower before crashing within the castle courtyard and skipping across the ground like a stone across water before finally coming to a gradual stop.

The Musha Gundam lay motionless as the Gundam Bael burst through the castle gates, tearing through the reinforced wood like it was wet tissue paper. Spotting its prey lying defenseless on the ground, the demon Gunpla fired up its thrusters and launched itself across the courtyard with the intent of rending its prey to pieces.

Just as the Gundam Bael swung its swords, however, the Musha Gundam suddenly snapped awake, flipping around and kicking the sword clean out of the Gundam’s hand and sending it shooting across the courtyard to embed itself deep into the stone wall. In the same second, the Musha Gundam raised its musket and fired a second volley, the buckshot hitting home as the right half the Gundam Bael’s face was blown off, forcing it to reel back as it seemingly cried out in agony.

Rolling to its feet, the SD Gundam quickly grabbed its spear off its back and brandished it, the golden blade glinting in the pale moonlight as the SD leapt up and swung the weapon across the Gundam’s shoulder, tearing a large gash across the Gjallarhorn insignia. As the Gundam Bael staggered back, the SD Gundam continued to hop around like a jackrabbit, slashing at it at every turn as it backed the Gundam closer and closer to the wall.

Any attempts to repel the jumping SD proved futile, as the machine was too quick to swat aside, easily knocking the Gundam Bael’s remaining sword out of its grip and forcing the Gundam on the defensive as it held its arms up to defend itself, its armor now covered in scores of nicks and gashes.

Spinning its spear, the crescent blade glowed with a golden light as the samurai harnessed his ki into the blade, prepared to strike the final blow. With one final leap, it spun it spear over its head as it aimed for the Gundam’s head.

In a blink of motion, the Gundam Bael slammed its foot onto the hilt of its dropped sword, sending the blade flipping up and back into its hand as it put all it had into its thrusters and blitzed forward, a slash of steel cutting through the night sky as it landed on the other side of the courtyard and calmly sheathed its sword.  

The headless SD dropped to the ground moments later, the head joining it soon after as it slammed into the dirt, the eyes replaced with cartoonish X’s.  

[Battle Ended! Winner, Gundam Bael!]

“Aww… I lost.” Despite the loss, however, Apple Bloom was still smiling from ear to ear. “That was fun! Thanks so much for battlin’ against me, Sunset.”

“No problem,” Sunset replied, also smiling. “You almost had me there near the end though, so maybe next time?”

“Maybe!” Grabbing her Gunpla off the machine, Apple Bloom ran up to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Well? What ya think?”

“Gotta say,” Scootaloo begrudgingly said, “That was pretty cool.”

“Shame you didn’t win though,” Sweetie Belle added, frowning slightly.

“Winnin’ would have been nice, but the best part of Gunpla Battle is that y’all can have fun even if ya don’t win! Want to try?”

“Definitely!” Sweetie Belle replied, both her and glancing at Scootaloo with hopeful looks on their faces.  

“... Fiiine…”

“Yay!” The two cheered as they hugged the tomboy, who grumbled under the sudden show of affection. 

Twilight couldn’t help but smile as the three talked amongst themselves. Looks like the Gunpla Battle Club just got itself two new members.

As Sunset watched, the image in her mind from before slowly began to become a little bit clearer. Looks like Twilight was right, all I needed was a different perspective. Just wait a little longer, Unicorn Gundam, and I’ll be able to make this image a reality. 


***


Meanwhile, Principal Celestia was going over some paperwork in her office when the phone on her desk rang. Snatching it up on the second ring, Celestia raised the receiver to her ear. “Principal Celestia speaking.”

“Why, hello, Principal Celestia.”

Celestia scowled, her teeth grinding together at the sound of the familiar and unwanted voice. “Principal Cinch. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Such hostilities, Celestia. Is that any way to talk to your fellow principal?”

“It is after what happened at the Friendship Game,” Celestia retorted bluntly. “Luckily, Twilight Sparkle is doing much better here at Canterlot High alongside her new friends.”

“Ah, yes, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia could positively feel the utter disdain for the girl in Cinch’s voice. “What happened during the Friendship Games was… unfortunate, but I feel we can put the past behind us and move on with fostering good relations between our two schools, just like you always wanted.”

Yeah right, and I’m a magical princess. “You still haven’t told me the reason for your call.” 

“Ah, forgive me. Word through the grapevine is that Canterlot High finally started their own Gunpla model club. Of course, Crystal Prep has already had a model club for several years now, and many of our students have gone on to win Builders Contests all over the country—”

“Get to the point, Cinch.” Celestia harshly interrupted. “Because if you just called to gloat—”

“Oh, perish the thought! I merely wished to inform you about a certain proposition of mine.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow skeptically. “... What kind of ‘proposition’?”

“Why, a Gunpla Battle tournament between our two schools, of course! Sixteen students competing in single elimination, one on one fights. I think It would be a great way for our students to bond over their shared hobby and swap techniques, don’t you?”

“... What’s the catch?”

“Principal Celestia! Is it so hard to believe I generally want our students to prosper without any kind of alternative motive? In fact, as a show of good faith, I am willing to supply Canterlot High with a supply of GB Projectors for this very purpose. Of course, given how expensive these machines can be, I think it only fair that they go to the winner after all is said and done. What do you say?”

Principal Celestia was silent, going over everything in her head and finding herself at a crossroads. On the one hand, Celestia’s opinion of her fellow principal had fallen significantly after the stunt she’d pulled at the Friendship Games, endangering not only the lives of their students but potentially the whole world if what Sunset had said was true, all in the pursuit of her own inflated ego. Celestia had wanted to believe that Cinch, despite her overbearing personality, truly cared for the well-being of her students as a fellow principal, but in the end, Celestia had been gravely mistaken.

On the other hand, however… Cinch did have a point, as hard as that was to admit. The one good thing that Celestia could say had been brought about by the most recent Friendship Games had been that the Crystal Prep students had been quick to realize their mistake and had been adamant on making amends, resulting in several budding friendships that wouldn’t have been able to have formed otherwise. This tournament could very well have the same effect in the long run, even if it was still just a thinly veiled attempt for Cinch to lord her superior over Celestia and her school. 

Even more, Celestia knew that even if she refused Cinch’s offer, then the woman would likely just find some other way of trying to get back at Canterlot High before long. This could be just the way for Celestia to nip that problem in the bud before it could be allowed to fester. But did all that justify the potential risks that could still happen?

“... Alright, Cinch, I accept your proposal,” Celestia finally said, despite her misgivings. “However, I do have one condition first.”

“And what might that be?”

“You agree to a full system diagnosis of all the GB Projectors to be used for this tournament, in order to ensure there won’t be any tampering or sabotage that could unfairly affect the outcome of the tournament. Sound fair?”

“Of course. I was also thinking, to make it more interesting, how about we set the Damage Level to A for this event?”

“Absolutely not.” Celestia was quick to reply, having done her research beforehand. “My students have worked hard to build their Gunpla, I will not see them needlessly destroyed for the sake of entertainment. Level C is more than fine.”

“I disagree. Without some kind of consequences, how will we ensure that the contestants will fight to the absolute best of their abilities? Level C is so boring, at least compromise and raise it to B for the tournament.”

Again, Celestia found herself at a crossroads. Even knowing it was a potentially dangerous idea, Celestia knew that if she didn’t agree to this then Cinch wouldn’t rest until she was able to weasel some kind of concession out of her. At least this way she could hope to mitigate any potential damage to the mentality of her students. “Very well, Level B it is.”

“Wonderful! The tournament will be scheduled for one week from now, which should give everyone ample time to prepare. Does that sound acceptable?”

One week, more than enough time to prepare my students for anything that might lay ahead. “That sounds fine with me.”

“Good. See you then, and good luck!” With a click, Cinch hung up without another word. Placing the phone back onto its cradle, Celestia slumped back in her chair, sighing as she felt a heavy weight set over her shoulders.

“I have to inform Luna about this and fast. Hopefully, I didn’t just make a huge mistake…”


[Next Time: Gunpla Training Camp, Begins!]

> Build 05
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gunpla Training Camp, Begins!


Vice-Principal Luna was noticeably tense as she stood at the front of the club room. She had called an emergency meeting of the Gunpla Battle Club just minutes before, waiting patiently as everyone arrived. The atmosphere in the room was equally as tense as everyone waited for Luna to explain the reason for such a sudden meeting.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming so suddenly. The reason I’ve called you here is that I’ve recently been informed by Principal Celestia that we have been issued a challenge.”

“A challenge?” Rainbow repeated, asking the question everyone was thinking. “Against who?”

“Crystal’s Prep’s own Gunpla Club.”

This was met with a round of booing from most of the members of the club. Cloudkicker blew a raspberry as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Can’t those Crystal Preppers let it go, already? Especially after that stunt they pulled at the Friendship Games like a bunch of sore losers?”

At the mere mention of the Friendship Games, Twilight slumped dejectedly in her seat at the memory of her own part in the disastrous finale to the event, a noticeable sour mood hovering over her.

A swift elbow to the ribs from Applejack made Cloudkicker realize what she’d unknowingly done, scrambling to add, “Which wasn’t in any way Twilight’s fault at all! And even if it was, which, again, it was not, it doesn't matter because we’ve already forgiven her!” Several other members voiced up with similar sentiments, which helped to lead the misery cloud away from above Twilight.

“Indeed, what happened at the Friendship Games is in the past and you’ve all become better people since then, as have the students of Crystal Prep.” Murmurs of admittance came from the group as they remembered the good times they had spent with the students of Crystal Prep while cleaning up after the Friendship Games. “However, from the information I’ve received, this challenge was not issued on behalf of the students, but came instead from Crystal Prep’s principal, Abacus Cinch.”

This announcement was met with even louder booing than before. “Not her!” Sandalwood grumbled from the back. “Even her own students backed us up that she was mostly at fault! What is the principal thinking agreeing to this?”

Sandalwood was silenced by a fierce glare from Vice-Principal Luna. “I would appreciate it if you refrained from blaming Principal Celestia for this. Despite her misgivings, it was clear that Cinch would not be willing to take no for answer on this matter, and the principal did what she could to prevent Cinch from pulling any more tricks like before. For example, Cinch was adamant that we would be using Damage Level A throughout, but Celestia was able to negotiate it down to Level B to keep anyone’s Gunpla from being irreplaceable destroyed.”

Wheeling over a whiteboard, Luna grabbed a marker as she began to draw up a quick tournament roster bracket. “As for the challenge itself, Cinch has proposed a single elimination tournament consisting of eight students from Canterlot High and eight students from Crystal Prep, for a total roster of sixteen fighters. As I have already said, the Damage Level will be set to B for this event, so while your Gunpla will remain in one piece, it will still be capable of suffering damage, something I ask you be prepared for.

“In addition, Crystal Prep will be supplying several brand new GB Projectors for this event, all of which will undergo regular checks prior to and during the tournament to catch any potential sabotage or fault,” Luna was quick to explain, causing more than a ready to be asked concerns to vanish from the group. “The event itself will be held exactly one week from now, and Celestia has already arranged several class-free days for students to attend and cheer us on throughout.” As Luna finished her explanation, she pointed at Rarity as the girl raised her hand. “Yes, Rarity?”

“As much as I would love to overstate our chances, I must ask… do you think we can win? Many of us are still new to this, and knowing Crystal Prep they’ll only choose their most experienced members to compete.”

Luna sighed, closing her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. “To be honest... it won’t be easy. Crystal Prep has proven their building experience by winning more than a few Builders Contests, and I don’t doubt their battling experience is just as high level. This will be an uphill battle for us, that much is certain. However!” Luna’s expression shifted to a much more confident one as a cloud of disparity struggled to form over the heads of the club members. “I am proud to say that all of you have improved greatly since you all joined this club, both as Gunpla builders and as Gunpla fighters. No matter how difficult it might seem, I have no doubt that all of you will be able to rise to the occasion and show Crystal Prep that we aren’t to be underestimated! Who’s with me?”

A roar of cheering filled the club room as everyone joined together in reinforcing Luna’s praise of them. Luna smiled warmly, waiting for everyone to quiet down before she continued. “To both reward you for all your hard work, I have already contacted the directors at Camp Everfree and asked if they would be able to accommodate us for the upcoming weekend to hold a training camp of sorts, to which they so graciously agreed to. There, we will be able to hone your skills further in preparation for the tournament, as well as enjoy ourselves at the same time.”

“Way to go, Vice-Principal Luna!” Flash shouted, soon joined by others announcing their own thanks for such a sweet reward. 

Grinning devilishly, Sunset inched closer to Twilight and nudged her in the side, whispering in her ear, “Looks like you’ll get a chance to hang out with your boyfriend, Twilight.”

Twilight squeaked as she buried her blushing face in her hands.


***


After notifying their parents about the upcoming trip, the Gunpla Battle Club arrived at Canterlot High that Saturday morning before being quickly ushered onto a bus. An hour-long drive later, the freshly painted banner for Camp Everfree finally came into view.

“We’re here,” Luna announced as the bus rattled to a stop. “Please exit the bus in an orderly fashion and collect your belongings.” As she was supervising the gathering of students as they stepped off the bus and grabbed their things, she noticed a figure approaching her out of the corner of her eye. Turning to face them, she smiled as she recognized the figure. “Gloriosa! So glad to see you again so soon!”

“Likewise,” Gloriosa Daisy said with a smile as she stepped forward for a brief moment to hug the Vice-Principal before stepping back and watching the group of students. “My, looks like we have a busy weekend ahead of us. I’m going to have to tell Timber to get the barbeques set up early if we’re going to have enough food for tonight.”

“Thanks so much again for agreeing to accommodate us for the weekend. I know it was pretty last minute…”

Gloriosa snorted. “Oh, please, it was no trouble at all. This is the dry season anyway, so we’ve been pretty bored around here as of late. Besides, I own you and your students the world for ensuring we’ll be able to keep Camp Everfree running for years to come. Compared to that, giving you all a place to stay while you do your ‘training camp’ is the least I could do.” Turning around, she began to head back to the main cabin. “Well, I’ll let you all get settled while I finish setting up lunch in the main hall. Hope you all brought your appetite!”

“For growing teenagers, all the food in the world isn’t enough,” Luna remarked with a chuckle.

Back at the bus, Twilight was unprepared for a pair of hands to suddenly cover her eyes, gasping in fright before a familiar voice whispered, “Guess who?” into her ear.

“Timber!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly, whirling around and hugging Timber Spruce. “It’s so nice to see you again!”

“Funny, I was just about to say the same thing,” Timber Spruce chuckled as he extracted himself from Twilight’s embrace. “Hope you’re ready for a fun weekend ahead.”

“Of course! Only in my wildest dreams could I imagine getting to attend a camp entirely devoted to Gunpla! It’s like something straight out an anime!” After a moment, Twilight blinked as she looked over at Timber Spruce. “Of course, getting to spend it with you makes it even better.”  

“You really know how to make a guy feel loved, don’t you?” Timber teased. “Well, if you’re not too busy later, I could really use some help—”

“Timber!” Gloriosa hollered across the field from the main hall. “I need your help in here!”

“Whoops, duty calls.” Chancing a quick peck to Twilight’s cheek, Timber Spruce raced off to help his sister, waving behind him briefly at the blushing girl left behind. 

Twilight giggled, sighing wistfully as she touched the spot on her cheek Timber had kissed. The sound of light snickering from behind her immediately caught her attention, her blush changing to one of embarrassment as she turned to find all her friends standing several feet away, every single one of them snickering. “S-stop laughing!” Twilight sputtered.

“Aww, but you two make such an adorable couple!” Rarity cooed, which did little to help the others contain their building laughter.

“Attention, everyone!” Luna called out, garnering the club’s attention and saving Twilight from further teasing as all eyes turned towards the Vice-Principal. “Before we get started, I just want to say one thing. While our purpose here might be to prepare ourselves for the upcoming fight against Crystal Prep’s Gunpla Club, never forget to also have fun while you’re here. At its core, Gunpla Battle is all about getting to enjoy it with those around you, so the most important thing is to always remember to have fun. Does everyone understand?”

Luna’s words were met with a wave of cheers from the gathered club members, echoing Luna’s sentiments.

“Well, with that out of the way, let the Gunpla Training Camp commence!”


***


After a hearty lunch to satiate the starving pack of students, the training camp began in earnest, the students jumping to action without a moment to spare. Just outside the main cabin, multiple tablecloth covered picnic tables had been set up in two rows as designated building stations to not only improve your building skills but actively assist others by swapping technique, tips and other helpful tricks that could be used to improve the performance of one’s Gunpla significantly.

As luck would have it, Gloriosa had seen fit to order several GB Projectors some weeks ago after hearing about the new craze of “Gunpla Battle” and hoping to include a new means of entertainment for future campers alongside their regular activities. Thus, several projectors had been set up in the main hall for club members to practice against one another, as well as get a feel for battling at Damage Level B in preparation for the tournament. Many were left unprepared and somewhat heartbroken at seeing their beloved Gunpla suffer such serious damage, having only battled within the safety of Damage Level C up until then.

At one of the projectors, Rarity was currently facing off against a customized Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex in a space field, a formidable machine upgraded with the backpack from a Destiny Gundam to enhance its already dangerous speed as it charged at her with a large buster sword in its grip and tried to squish her Gunpla like a bug. Not to be taken lightly, however, Rarity was flying circles around the Gunpla using her own newly constructed Destiny Gundam, the Gunpla evading the beastly Gundam at every turn as it swung its sword around like a club.

Leaving a trail of light in her wake, wings of violet light burst from the Destiny’s back as it extended one of the packs on its back, the weapon folding out to form an anti-ship blade with a solid frame and a beam blade. Like a shooting star, Rarity shot across the battlefield and swooped under the Rex’s club as it swung at her, swinging her sword and bisecting the Gunpla at the waist, the area around the cut reduced to molten slag as the machine violently exploded.  

[Battle Ended! Winner, Destiny Gundam!]

“So sorry, Polished Blade,” Rarity said to her fellow club member. “I could help you repair it if you'd like.”

Shaking his head, Polished Blade picked up his damaged Gunpla and set off for the building station to repair it back to fighting form. With her battle finished, Rarity deactivated the hologram around her and glanced over at Sunset, who was currently engaged against a bulky militaristic Gunpla with only a single eye camera called a Gouf. Rarity scoffed at the opposing Gunpla. “Really? Black and red? Who would ever choose such a garish color combination?”

Raising her shield to block an incoming barrage of laser fire, Sunset revved her thrusters as she charged the Gouf, shoulder checking the Gunpla before knocking his beam rifle from his hand and taking it for herself. Now armed with twice the firepower, Sunset pointed the rifles at the Gouf, her finger itching to pull the trigger as its single golden eye stared down the barrel of the weapon.

“Your move, buddy.”

The opposing Gunpla raised its arms in surrender, sending out the forfeit signal a moment later. As the battlefield dissipated, Sunset glanced at her Gunpla, the image in her head clearing up a tiny bit more. With every new experience, Sunset could almost feel the image calling out to her more and more, now close enough that she could almost reach her hand out and grab it. Just a little bit more…

“Well, well! Someone’s looking a bit cheerier than they have been lately.” Rarity remarked.

“Huh? What are you—”

“Oh, don’t try to deny it, Sunset,” Rarity said with a cow smile. “I know the look of artist’s block when I see it, having suffered through my own lengths were ideas refuse to come my way.”

“It’s not that I can’t come up with any ideas…” Sunset was quick to clarify, leaning up against the GB Projector. “It’s just there’s this image in my head I can’t quite reach just yet, and with each battle, I seem to get one small step closer to finally realizing it.”

“Ah, I know the feeling, darling. Oh, the hours I’ve whittled away staring at a blank canvas as I’ve tried again and again to make the image in my head a reality. Right now I’ve hit a wall on how best to customize my Astray for our upcoming fight, so I thought trying out a Gunpla I was unfamiliar with might help spark my muse.” 

Picking up the Destiny Gundam, Rarity scrutinized the machine. “This one… has piqued my interest. While rough, I can still see a glimmer of potential within. With the right pilot, I could foresee great things from it, but sadly I am not that pilot. Still, it is not without its good ideas.” Humming in thought, Rarity met Sunset’s eyes. “Say, you said that each battle has brought you closer and closer towards the image in your mind, is that correct?” When Sunset nodded in confirmation, Rarity smiled. “Then perhaps we could stand to help each other. Care to battle me?”  

Sunset grinned. “You’re on.”

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup…]


***


At the same time, Twilight was sitting at one of the picnic tables tuning up her Star Nexus, making sure every piece was as smooth and polished as she could make it in order to improve its overall performance. Even something as insignificant as a tiny nub on one of the Dragoons could drastically alter its trajectory and stability, which could mean the difference between victory or defeat.

“Got a minute to talk?” Timber Spruce asked as he sat opposite Twilight, who was still focused intently on her work.

“Just a second…” After spending a moment longer wiping down the Star Nexus’s right arm with a cloth, Twilight carefully reconnected it before setting her Gunpla aside. “So… what was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Oh, just stuff. Honestly, this is the first break I’ve had in the last few hours, so I thought, ‘What better way to spend it than with my favorite person?’”

Twilight blushed, fiddling with her hair.

“So...,” Timber continued, “a little birdy told me you were the person who started this whole Gunpla Battle Club. Pretty impressive, I’d say.”

“Oh, it was nothing like that. My friends and Vice-Principal Luna did most of the work, all I really did was fill out a stack of forms and submit them for approval.”

“And there you go selling yourself short again. I’m all for being humble, but you deserve to take some credit for your accomplishments every once in a while, especially given all of… this.” Timber gestured to the group of students around them, several groups engaging in idle conversation or helping with the build process of one or more Gunpla nearby.

“Yeah, I suppose it is kind of cool. So many people enjoying Gunpla… it’s like a dream come true.”  Smiling, Twilight looked over an adjoining table where a group of friends sat together, the two in front laughing as they played with their Gunpla, like the toys they were, waving them around to fly and making laser sounds with their mouths as they played out an imaginary battle. The one member, a boy with orange hair and green eyes was using a recolored silver and white Destiny Gundam, while the other boy possessing a pale complexion and short brown hair was using a Gundam Delta Kai was a blue camo design. Nearby, another member put the finishing touches on a canine looking Gunpla with three heads, one as the main head and one attached to each shoulder.  

“For the longest time… I was ashamed of this hobby, thinking that others would instantly laugh at me for liking something so silly. But seeing everyone in the Gunpla Battle Club enjoying themselves so earnestly because of my ‘silly little hobby’... it makes me so happy that I started this club in the first place.”  

“Now there’s a face I like to see,” Timber remarked, grinning. “Anyway, there was something else I wanted to ask you if you have the time.” Reaching into a pouch at his hip, Timber pulled out a Gunpla and set it on the table. “Think you could help me a little with this?” 

Timber’s Gunpla was a slender machine with broad shoulder pads and light armor paneling, possessing a pair of claw-type weapons on each arm and with four wing-like flaps lying flat against its back. Other than the claws, the Gunpla didn’t have any other noticeable weapons of any kind. Along with the blue coloring of the chest, forearm and skirt armor, the machine was mostly standard white with a fresh paint of forest green lining the shoulders and lower half of the chest.

“A Burning Gundam, huh?” Looking the Gunpla over for a moment, Twilight gestured at Timber. “May I?” After receiving a nod, Twilight gently picked the machine up, turning it over in her hands as she tested its joints and articulation. “Shoulder joints are a touch stiff, which isn’t a good thing for a close-range Mobile Suit like the Burning. Bend at the waist and knees are good though, so it’s still pretty mobile overall. Does it have a name, by any chance?”

“I was thinking of calling it the ‘Wild Burning Gundam’. What do you think, pretty snazzy name, huh?”

“Somehow it suits you,” Twilight replied, giggling as Timber pouted her way. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! It was a compliment!” Twilight snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter.  


***


Night had fallen over Camp Everfree, and the members of the Gunpla Battle club were all asleep in their cabins. For Sunset Shimmer, however, her sleep was anything but peaceful as she tossed and turned in bed, grunting as her face contorted in her sleep into a look of discomfort.

Sunset was running. She didn’t know where to or why, all she knew was that she couldn’t stop. Her lungs were on fire as she struggled to draw breath, and her legs felt like they were just about ready to snap like toothpicks, and yet she just kept on running. Running on and on, until…

In a blink, the land beneath her feet disappeared, fresh screams ripped from her throat as she plummeted into the abyss, tumbling end over end through nothingness as she continued to fall. After what felt like an eternity tumbling through the void, Sunset slammed into something solid, the breath knocked from her chest as she faceplanted against solid ground. Grunting as she picked herself up, Sunset managed to claw her way up onto her knees, staring up into the endless black surrounding her.

Then, a single ray of blinding light cut through the darkness like a beacon, forcing Sunset to hold an arm over her face as she staggered to her feet and steadily began to head towards the light. With each step forward, Sunset felt herself getting closer and closer to the source, the light guiding her along. Then, in a flash, the ray seemed to collapse in on itself for a brief second before expanding outward, the light too much for Sunset as she clamped her eyes shut to keep from going blind.

When she opened them again, she gasped at what she saw. Sunset was floating freely in open space now, staring at a massive star as it burned brightly before her, a corona of light forming a barrier around the star to hold back the darkness.

Floating closer, Sunset could feel a steady warmth being giving off by the star, though never enough that it was never unwelcome or uncomfortable. As she got closer and closer, she could just make out the silhouette of a figure floating in the heart of the star, a figure with a single spiral horn and a pair of glowing green eyes.

“You… You’re…” Reaching out her hand, the figure did the same, the pair gradually inching closer and closer together. As they came within arms reach of the other, their outstretched hands finally met, a warm light emanating outward from the contact between them.

Sunset snapped awake, panting for breath as she stared up at the ceiling of her bunk. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair as she tried to sort through her thought. “That… that dream… it felt so real…” Glancing down at her hand, she slowly curled her fingers into a fist as the memories of her dream remained fresh in her mind. However, burning even brighter in Sunset’s mind was a single image, an image that Sunset had struggled to grasp yet now was as clear as day. 

“I can finally see it… The image of my own unique Gunpla!” Leaping out of bed, Sunset grabbed a notebook from her bag and ran over to the desk in the corner of the room, switching the desk lamp on before pulling out the chair and sitting down. Yanking the pencil from the binding, she snapped the notebook open to a blank page and hurriedly began to draw while the image was still fresh in her mind.


*** 


As the sun rose over Camp Everfree the next morning and the animals began to stir from their hidey holes, so too did Twilight Sparkle, yawning loudly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Grabbing her glasses from beside her and popping them on her face, Twilight fought back another yawn as she climbed out of bed and stretched her arms over her head. 

“Morning, Sunset.” Looking at the bed across from her, she was surprised to find it empty, the covers messy as if thrown off in a haste. “Sunset?” The smallest tinge of worry gnawed at Twilight’s heart as she looked around the room for any sign of the redhead, sighing in relief when she quickly discovered Sunset slumped against the desk, fast asleep. 

Smiling, Twilight grabbed the covers off Sunset’s bed and walked up behind the sleeping girl, laying the covers over her shoulders to keep her warm. As she did so, she noticed Sunset was using her notebook as a makeshift pillow, the image of something freshly drawn on the page. Her curiosity piqued, Twilight carefully extracted the notebook as to not wake Sunset, her eyes widening as she took in the images on it.

“This is…” Twilight could tell that the image was of the Unicorn Gundam, but only just, as Sunset had radically redesigned large sections of the machine from the ground up, incorporating new armor, weapons and listing possible options to consider. Twilight squinted as she picked up on writing in the margins, adjusting her glasses slightly as she tried to make it out. Several lines had been crossed out, but one, in particular, had not only been circled but underlined twice.  

“Gundam Unicorn Nova...”


Next Time: Unicorn Nova, Soar!

> Build 06
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Unicorn Nova, Soar!


Fluttershy absentmindedly poked at her mashed potatoes, drowning out the sounds of the cafeteria around her as she looked around the table at most of her friends. “Anyone heard from Twilight and Sunset lately?”

“Nope,” Applejack replied, bracing her elbow against the table as she held up her head to keep from nodding off, noticeable bags under her eyes. The rest of the table had equally tired looks on their faces, though Rarity had done a magnificent job of masking hers using makeup. “Haven’t heard a thing from those two ever since we done got back from the trainin’ camp. If’n I didn’t share a class with ‘em, I doubt I would have seen either of them at all this week.” Sighing, she pushed her tray away as she leaned back in her chair. “Course, I can’t really blame them none, given that our battle with Crystal Prep is tomorrow.”

“Indeed,” Rarity spoke up, fighting back a yawn. “Granted, this may not be the first all-nighter I’ve ever pulled, but getting my Gunpla ready for the competition wore me out more than I anticipated. I know Vice-Principal Luna said that the most important thing is for us to have fun, but we still have the pride of the GB Club on the line.”

Pinkie Pie mumbled in agreement, her face firmly planted against the table.

“We’re really coming down to the wire here,” Rainbow added. “Sunset has to finish her Gunpla today to be registered into the roster, and the last thing any of us want is to be is falling over ourselves trying to stay awake during the tournament itself.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Rainbow.” Rarity said, this time unable to stop herself as she loudly yawned. “Sunset will come through, she always does. Besides, she’s got Twilight helping her, and I don’t doubt she could build a Gunpla in her sleep. They’ll be fine.”

“Still would be nice if they answered their phone every once in a while…” Rainbow mumbled.

As if on cue from on up high, all five of their cellphones went off in perfect unison, a cacophony of ringtones filling the air as the group all grappled for their phones to check their messages.

“It’s from Sunset!” Fluttershy announced, having gotten to her phone first. As the others checked their own phones, they quickly discovered that they had all received the exact same text, which was only two lines long and read, It’s finally done. Come to the club room after the final bell.


***


At the same time, Luna was working on paperwork in her office, sighing from boredom. As much as she knew how important these were to ensure the school continued to function day to day, some days she wished she could just throw them aside and do something fun instead, like continue working on the Gunpla stashed in the bottom drawer of her desk, the one that Celestia didn’t know about. “Well, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her…”

Light knocking against the door to her office harpooned those plans as Luna quickly snapped to attention, focusing again on her paperwork as she yelled, “Come in!” Her stern expression gave way to delight as Sunset Shimmer stepped into her office. “Ah, Sunset! To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? It wouldn’t happen to be club related, would it?” Luna asked, hopefully.

“As a matter of fact, it does. I take it you’ve already noticed how me and Twilight haven’t been to club lately?”

“That I have,” Luna replied, folding her hands on her desk. “Your absence is especially strange given that tomorrow is our battle against Crystal Prep, so I was starting to worry you might have quit the club altogether. You’re… you’re not quitting, are you?”

Sunset chuckled, assailing Luna’s fears. “Don’t worry, we're’ not going anywhere anytime soon. We’ve just been a little busy working on our Gunpla for the tournament. Speaking of which… it’s finally done. My own take on the Unicorn Gundam is complete, and not a moment too soon.”

“Wonderful! I’m certainly looking forward to getting to see what you’ve envisioned in action firsthand.”

“You may get your chance sooner than you think…” Sunset remarked cryptically. “See, the reason I’m here wasn’t just to tell you the good news, but to make good on our promise.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “And what promise would that be?”

“When we battled on the day of the club opening, I said I’d like a rematch someday, and what better way to test out my new Gunpla and show how much I’ve grown as both a Gunpla builder and fighter than by facing off against your Deathscythe Nightmare again? What do you say?”

Luna was quiet for several seconds as she considered Sunset’s offer. “Let me make sure of something first. You said you just finished your Gunpla, so am I to understand that you’ve yet to test it out and that I’ll be the first person to face off against it?”

“Yep.”

With a grin, Luna met Sunset’s eyes. “Then, as a Gunpla fighter, I am honored to accept your challenge.”

“I figured you would,” Sunset remarked with a cheeky grin of her own. “How does the club room after school sound? You won’t be too busy, will you?”

Glancing down briefly at the stacks of paperwork across her desk, Luna replied, “I’ll be there no matter what, that you can count on.”

“I’ll hold you to it. See you then!” With that, Sunset turned and exited Luna’s office. As soon as the door shut behind her, Luna dove into the paperwork with renewed determination, hellbent on getting it done before the final bell now that she had the promise of a Gunpla Battle waiting for her at the end of it all.


***


Finishing the last form with a minute to spare, Luna quickly tidied up her desk before grabbing her bag and stepping out into the hall just as the final bell rang, a rush of students stampeding out of the rooms and filling the halls as they all rushed to get home. Slipping past the crowds of teenagers with practiced ease, it wasn’t long before Luna arrived at the Gunpla Battle Club, opening the door to find Sunset and her friends already waiting for her. “Hello, everyone. I do hope I’m not late?”

“Vice-Principal Luna?” Rainbow asked, looking to Sunset. “Did you invite her too?”

“I was getting to that, Rainbow,” Sunset quickly said, carrying a case in her hand as she walked over to the GB Projector. “I figured Luna would be the best person to show how I’ve improved my Gunpla, with Twilight’s help, of course.”

“Oh, I just helped recommend the right kits to borrow parts from, you did most of the work, Sunset,” Twilight said. “You should be proud of how far you’ve come since you first built the Unicorn Gundam.”

“I shall be the judge of that,” Luna said as she stepped up to the projector.

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup. Model Damage Level, Set To C. Please Set Your GP Base.]

Docking their respective bases, the Plavsky Particles dispersed and formed into a space stage, a large asteroid occupied by a colony taking up a sizable portion of the arena.

[Field 01, Space. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Taking out her Deathscythe Nightmare and placing it on the base, Luna looked across the projector at Sunset. “Moment of truth, Sunset. If you wish to fight me, then you won’t be able to keep your Gunpla a secret anymore.”

“I’m with Luna,” Applejack remarked from the sidelines. “Enough with the suspense! Y’all called us here to show us your new Gunpla, so show us already!”

“Alright, since you’ve all been so patient so far…” Bringing up the case and setting it on a nearby table, Sunset opened up the lid and pulled out her new Gunpla, the one she had spent the last week pouring her heart and soul into. “Time for your debut, Unicorn Nova Gundam.”

Luna’s eyes widened, her normally calm demeanor shattered as she got her first glimpse of the new Unicorn Gundam. “My word… “ was all she could think to say in response to what lay before her.

The Gunpla still used the Unicorn Gundam’s basic design but had been greatly modified since. Rounded bracers had been seamlessly attached to the side of both forearms, while the Gunpla held a modified beam rifle in its right hand, likely one that had been adjusted to amount for any recoil. Grenade racks holding three grenades each had been attached to the machine, two on the sides of each leg and one on each shoulder, for a total of eighteen, while Luna could just make out a pair of shields attached to the back like a backpack. Finally, the entire thing had been painted a brilliant shade of amber, the insignia of a two-toned red and yellow sun design emblazoned across the chest.

Luna was rendered speechless for a brief moment before she collected herself. “I will say now that your skills as a builder certainly have improved considerably. However, I’m assuming you didn’t build it simply to be displayed on a shelf, so the real test will come from how it fares in this battle. Prepare yourself, Sunset, because I have no intention of holding back simply because this will be your new Gunpla’s first fight.” 

Sunset smirked. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Placing the Unicorn Nova onto the base, the Gunpla was quickly scanned before coming to life, standing tall as it readied itself for its debut.

[Battle Start!]

“Luna, Deathscythe Nightmare! Time to hunt!”

“Sunset Shimmer, Unicorn Nova! Let’s fly!”

Like two comets streaking through the sky, the two Gunpla were launched into the battlefield at blinding speeds, glowing trails left in their wake as they blitzed towards each other on a  direct collision course, neither one moving an inch in this game of chicken. Then, in a blink, both Gunpla literally collided, their foreheads smashing together with a metallic clang as they were both knocked back from the force of the impact.

“Ooh!” Applejack winced at the impact. “That looked like it hurt somethin’ mighty fierce.”

As both fighters regained their bearings, Sunset quickly fired a shot from her beam rifle at the Deathscythe Nightmare, who raised its shield just as quickly to block the attack, the beam slamming harmlessly against it. Not missing a beat, Luna readied her scythe as she charged Sunset, swinging her scythe with deadly intent.

Firing up her thrusters, Sunset flew upward just in time to dodge Luna’s scythe before launching a volley of RPGs from the racks on her legs and shoulders, the rain of grenades homing in on the Deathscythe from all sides. Unafraid, Luna one handed her scythe as a beam saber extended from the end of her shield, using her leg thrusters to send her spinning around in a cyclone of death as she sliced through the grenades the moment they came within range, exploding harmlessly into clouds of purple smoke.

“It’ll take more than a few grenades to stop me!” Reorienting her thrusters, the Deathscythe Nightmare once more descended upon the Unicorn Nova, the horned Gunpla firing another shot at the advancing machine. Instead of blocking or dodging this time, however, Luna instead swung her scythe and bisected the beam straight down the middle, sending the two halves shooting around her as she swung her scythe again at the Unicorn Nova.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Sunset commanded the left shield on the Unicorn Nova’s back to detach and then reattach to the left forearm, raising her new shield to block the beam scythe. Shoving the scythe aside, Sunset raised her beam rifle once more and fired close range, the Deathscythe barely managing to shroud itself in its wings as the beam slammed into its chest, the force of the blast pushing it back a considerable distance.

Before Luna could recover fully, Sunset fired off the rest of her grenades, the projectiles once more homing in on Luna’s position as she readied her weapon to repel them a second time. Suddenly, the grenades all exploded before they could reach her, casting a veil of purple smoke around her and the Deathscythe Nightmare.

“A smokescreen!” Cursing under her breath, Luna jerked her controls as she hastily gunned her thrusters to try and escape the smoke cloud. Before she could though, a beam of plasma pierced through the cloud, Luna’s instincts the only thing saving her from taking a direct shot as she dodged, the beam striking the Deathscythe in its left leg and causing the limb to explode. As Luna managed to flee the smoke cloud, she glanced down at the missing limb of her Gunpla, still smoking from the blast.

“You may have drawn first blood, but do not think for a moment you have won this battle yet!” The Deathscythe eyes flashed briefly as the entire Gunpla seemed to shimmer like a mirage, before vanishing from sight.

Twilight gasped. “Mirage coating?!”

Grunting, Sunset glanced wildly as her displays, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the Deathscythe. “Where did she g—” A blaring warning on her right was Sunset’s only cue as something slammed into the right side of her Gunpla, catching the smallest flash of green out of the corner of her eye before it vanished again. In the span of a breath, something struck the Unicorn Nova across the back, sending it reeling for a moment before spinning around and raising her rifle to fire, only to find nothing behind her.

“So, she wants to play hide and go seek, huh?” Sunset said with a chuckle. “Sorry to disappoint you, Luna, but I never used to play fair during playground games.” Activating her other shield, it attached itself to her other arm as a pair of barrels flipped out from the sides of both shields, primed and ready to fire. Raising the Unicorn Nova’s arms, Sunset copied Luna’s tactic from before and spun the Unicorn Nova around like a top, launching a spread of gunfire in every direction.

Amidst the hail of beam fire, one of them stuck open space, creating a visible flash of light as it impacted against it.

“There you are!” Gunning her engines, Sunset rammed into Luna before she could flee, her cloaking coming undone as the Unicorn held the Deathscythe in the bearhug, the opposing Gunpla struggling valiantly to free itself. It wasn’t long before the two machines slammed into the colony, breaking through the walls and into the structure itself, the tear beginning to suck stray objects out into the void.   

[Object Crash, State Change.]

Emergency bulkheads lining the colony walls quickly went to work sealing the tear before it could cause irreparable damage to the colony. A shockwave rocked the colony as the two Gunpla slammed into the city, plowing through a skyscraper as they came skidding to a stop on the streets. Having been knocked free of the Unicorn Gundam’s grip by the crash, the Deathscythe struggled to pick itself up, its destroyed left leg hampering it greatly in an environment with earth like gravity as sparks arced across its damaged body

Left leg is gone, Mirage System is offline, Gunpla operating at fifty-seven percent efficiency, particle speed is still normal… Despite the blaring alerts going off in her cockpit, Luna was still grinning excitedly. Extending the Deathscythe’s wings, Luna took to the air, hovering for a moment like a predator preparing to pounce before dive bombing the Unicorn Gundam as it reached its feet, slamming into it and tossing it to another office building, knocking out the lower levels and sending the structure crashing to the streets.

Sunset followed the Deathscythe as it came in for another swipe, swiftly leaping out of the way. Time to finish this, Luna! In a flash of light, Sunset activated the Unicorn’s Destroy Mode, a pulse of energy coursing through the machine as its armor rose up to reveal the burning psycho-frame underneath. This time, however, a stream of particles swirled behind the Unicorn to form a vertical ring of orange light, a pair of wings formed from the same particles extending from the sides of the ring.

As Luna came in for another strike, Sunset leapt over her, her new wings granting her the ability of flight as she spun around and pointed her rifle at the Deathscythe’s back. With but a thought, all three shields separated from the Unicorn Gundam and flew through the air around the rifle as the first folded into an adapter and docked onto the top of the rifle, the other two shields docking on either side as a focusing array formed over the barrel. Crosshairs flitted across Sunset’s display as she took aim at the Deathscythe, locking on seconds later.    

“Fire!”

Pulling the trigger, a massive cascade of plasma barreled forward from the augmented weapon, giving the Deathscythe barely enough time to turn around before it was swallowed up by the hyper particle beam, the beam piercing through the colony wall with little resistance as it shot through the void of space for hundreds of miles before finally fading.

[Battle Ended! Winner, Unicorn Nova!]

As her cockpit vanished, Sunset was nearly knocked over as Twilight ran over and hugged her. “Whoa!”

“You won!” Twilight cheered, soon joined by the others as they all rushed over to congratulate Sunset.

“Congratulations, Sunset.” 

“A marvelous victory, darling.” 

“That was AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both said in unison.

“With that kinda firepower, I reckon them Crystal Prep students don’t stand a salt lick of a chance.”

“Thanks, girls.” Sunset smiled, though it slipped from her face when she noticed a slight hiccuping sound from the other side of the room. Looking over a Luna, she winced when she saw Luna had her head lowered, her shoulders trembling as she clenched her fists tightly. “Uh… Luna? Are you alri—” 

Throwing her head back, a hearty laugh filled the room as Luna trembled with unrestrained laughter, having to brace herself against the projector to keep herself from falling over. After nearly a full minute of boisterous laughter, Luna managed to finally collect herself, wiping a stray tear from her eye as she looked at the seven girls, all staring wide-eyed at her. “I do apologize for that, but it has been far too long since I’ve been able to have this much fun during a battle. I thank you, Sunset, for allowing me to experience this joy once more.”

“Er… no problem?” Sunset replied, still a little taken aback at seeing the usually stern Vice-Principal openly enjoying herself like this.

Still smirking, Luna turned her attention towards Sunset’s Gunpla. “I must say, this new Gunpla is a marvelous creation, and I was definitely surprised at the amount of detail and forethought you put into the Unicorn Gundam’s redesign. Tell me, how ever did you come up with it?”

Sunset chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. “Oh, you could say it just came to me in a dream…”


***


Across the city, at the illustrious private school known as Crystal Prep, the school’s Gunpla and Model Club were making their own final preparations for their tournament with Canterlot High’s Gunpla Battle Club, fully intent on sweeping the tournament. As they made final tune-ups to their Gunpla, however, they were rudely interrupted by two figures barging into the club room and challenging them to a Gunpla Battle out of the blue. Always itching for a challenge, the typically laid-back Lemon Zest stepped up to teach these pair of interlopers a lesson.

It was all over before anyone could even process what had happened.  

[Battle Ended!]

A shocked squeak escaped Lemon Zest’s throat as she stared wide-eyed at her Gunpla. Or rather what little remained of it, as the Gunpla had been thoroughly torn to pieces as if mauled by a savage beast. Around her were her fellow Shadowbolts, who all stood in equal states of shock at the sheer level of brutality with which Lemon Zest’s Gunpla had been ripped to shreds.

Dropping to her knees, Lemon Zest trembled as she scooped up the pieces of her treasured Gunpla. “My… my Susanowo…

“Pathetic.”

With tears in her eyes, Lemon Zest glared up at her opponent. “W-what?” she choked out. 

“I said you’re pathetic,” she repeated, a condescending smirk on her lips. “Getting so emotional over a little game.” Scoffing, the figure turned to take in the rest of the room, her piercing eyes freezing the students to their core. “If this is the level of fighters I can expect from this so-called ‘Gunpla club”, then it’s no wonder your principal called the two of us in to ‘assist’. Isn’t that right?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder at her compatriot, who just snorted in response. “Now…” Her already chilling eyes took on a more sinister gleam as she glanced from one student to another. 

“Who’s next?”   

Next Time: Canterlot High Vs. Crystal Prep, Begins! Fight 1, Rainbow Dash Vs. Indigo Zap!
> Build 07
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Canterlot High Vs. Crystal Prep, Begins! Fight 1, Rainbow Dash Vs. Indigo Zap!


Finally, the day had arrived. The tournament between Canterlot High’s Gunpla Battle Club and rival school Crystal Prep’s Gunpla and Model Club was set to start within the hour. Classes had been cut short to allow students to attend the event, with students steadily filling up the bleachers in the gymnasium where the seven GB Projectors had been set up in a single large flower formation for the event. Despite the fact that many students had no idea what a “Gunpla” even was, they weren’t going to pass up a chance to cheer their fellow Wondercolts on, especially against the likes of Crystal Prep’s Shadowbolts.

Even though new friendships had been sparked between the two schools ever since the Friendship Games, some rivalries ran far too deep to be simply forgotten after a single event.

Meanwhile, in the Gunpla Battle Club room, Luna was preparing to give one final pep talk to the eight students chosen to compete in the tournament. Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Flash Sentry and Vinyl Scratch all waited patiently as Luna took a deep breath.

“So, the day has finally come for our fight against Crystal Prep. As much as I wish we could have had more time to prepare, I’m happy to say that the eight of you have made leaps in bounds in both your building and fighting skills, proving yourselves amongst the best our club has to offer.” 

Luna smiled proudly as she looked from one smiling face to another. “As a teacher, a club administrator and a Gunpla fan, it makes me so proud to see how far every member of this club has come since the beginning, and I just want to say that, while I expect you all to represent Canterlot High in this tournament, I hope none of you forget to also have fun out there. Now…” Pumping her fist into the air, Luna shouted, “Who’s ready to show Crystal Prep what we’re made of!?”

Eight fists shot into the air as excited cheers filled the club room.

With nothing more to say, the group set off for the gymnasium. As they were walking down the halls, however, a voice positively dripping with self-assuredness called out to them from down the hall. “Why, Vice-Principal Luna, how nice to run into you here.”

Making a face like she’d just bitten into an onion, Luna took a deep breath to collect herself before turning to face the speaker. “Hello, Principal Cinch,” Luna replied, trying her best not to make a face in the presence of the woman. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Principal Cinch sneered at the group, turning her nose up at them as she looked from one to another. Behind her were four Crystal Prep students, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Neon Lights and Sunny Flare, the sour looks on their faces making it clear that they were just as tired of Cinch as everyone else.

“Why, I thought it might be good for my students to see who they’re up against. Although, if this is the group you intend to compete with, then it might be more humble just to surrender now and save yourself—”

“Save it, Cinch,” Luna cut her off, crossing her arms over her chest as she aimed a glower at the woman. “I think you’ll find that my students will be more of a match for yours.”

“Hmm. We’ll see…” With that, Cinch pushed passed them and strode down the hall, disappearing around the corner moments later.

“Don’t listen to that blowhard,” Indigo Zap said, grinning as she walked up to the group and held her hand out. “Cinch may only care about winning, but we’ll make sure she doesn’t pull anything this time. Promise!”

“Seems somebody learned their lesson from last time!” Rainbow said as she walked up and shook Indigo Zap’s hand. “Don’t expect an easy time, though. We don’t plan on holding back, right, everyone?” Glancing over her shoulder, she was met with nods in return.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Indigo replied with a grin. “We better get going before Cinch sends her hounds after us, but looking forward to meeting up again on the battlefield, Dash!”

“Same,” Rainbow replied before the two groups parted ways and headed in opposite directions towards the gym, arriving in time to watch Principal Celestia take the stage.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming out to show your support for this event,” she announced, getting the gathered student’s attention as she continued. “Today, we will watch as two teams go head-to-head in the latest of spectacle sports straight from the East, Gunpla Battle! From Canterlot High, let me introduce our very own Gunpla Battle Club!” A cacophony of cheers filled the auditorium as Celestia gestured to the right of the room where the competing club members stood, fellow club members cheering the loudest to offer their support. 

“And facing off against them…” Celestia began once the cheering had died down, “...is Crystal Preps very own Gunpla and Model Club!” The bleachers containing the visiting Crystal Prep students erupted into equally deafening cheers for their fellow students. 

Once more sparing a moment for the applause to die down, Celestia stepped aside as she gestured to off stage. “And, announcing the brackets for this tournament, allow me to introduce our presenter, Fluttershy!”

A hush fell over the crowd as Fluttershy stepped into view, more than few hearts melting at the site of the demure girl. Dressed in a leaf green dress that ran past her knees, pink boots and with a pink bow wrapped around her waist, Fluttershy looked the very image of an idol standing on stage. To up the cuteness factor even more, she was wearing a pair of felt cat ears poking through her silky hair, small white flowers woven delicately into her hair.

More than a few males and even some females in the audience had to clutch a hand to their nose to hold back a nosebleed.

Gulping, Fluttershy steadied her nerves as she took the mic from the principal and raised it to her lips. “Um… hello, everyone,” she greeted, the auditorium going dead quiet as she spoke. “I know this is a tournament, but I just want to wish everyone good luck in the fights ahead, and hope that everyone has fun no matter who wins. With that, we’ll draw lots to determine the brackets for this tournament, starting with… oh my…” Fluttershy seemed confused as she noticed the competing Crystal Prep students were missing a few members. “Uh… if I may ask, where are the—”

“Unfortunately, two of my competing students will be a bit late today,” Cinch said as she stepped into view, scowling as several students from both sides booed at her presence. “I have already notified Principal Celestia of this matter and have agreed that if they do not arrive in time for their scheduled fight, they will be swiftly disqualified. Please continue while we wait for them to arrive.”

“Oh… al-alright…” Fluttershy stuttered, as she shied away from the icy woman. Taking a box filled with numbered slips from Principal Celestia, she called up the sixteen competing students one after another to draw a slip, wherein Celestia would jot the drawn number down in a notebook.


“Before I announce the first bracket, allow me to quickly go over the rules,“ Fluttershy announced. “All battles will be one on one battles with a time limit of fifteen minutes. Should there be no clear winner by the end of the time limit, either by knocking your opponent’s Gunpla from the arena or when a Gunpla is unable to battle anymore, then a quick sudden death match will be held. Now, the first battle of today... will be Rainbow Dash from Canterlot High versus Indigo Zap from Crystal Prep!”

“Yes, I’m first!” Bolting up to the projector, Rainbow placed a hand on hip as she watched Indigo Zap step up to her side of the projector. “How about that? Looks like we get to square off after all. Must be fate.”

“Eh…” Indigo Zap remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t believe much in fate, more in happy coincidences. Still…” Grinning, she crossed her arms as she regarded her opponent. “Hope you weren’t lying before, cause you’re gonna need to bring your A game if’n ya want to stand a chance against me!”

“Hey, that’s my line!” Rainbow retorted back.      

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode Startup. Model Damage Level, Set To B. Please Set Your GP Bases.]

As the pair set their bases, they couldn’t help but lock eyes from across the projectors, the matching confident smirk on each other’s face announcing loud and clear to their opponent, “I’m going to win.”

[Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal…]

In a shower of blue particles, the projector displayed a barren desert landscape, sand dunes dotting the field as a fierce breeze blew a steady flow of sand through the air.  

[Field 02, Desert. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

As Rainbow Dash set her Arios Gundam onto the base, she looked over at Indigo Zap’s Gunpla, raising an eyebrow at what she saw. “Really? That’s what you’re fighting with?”

Indigo Zap’s Gunpla was, in a word, bulky, covered in heavy, thick armor around the machine’s arms and legs, its head tiny by comparison even with the squat helm it was wearing. Strapped to the Gunpla’s shoulders were a pair of equally bulky beam cannons and in its right hand it carried a massive beam bazooka.

“Hey, don’t go underestimating the Virtue!” Indigo quickly retorted, eying Rainbow’s remodeled Arios Gundam, the once orange machine now painted a familiar sky blue color and armed with additional missile pods on its back, as well as a long-barreled beam rifle in-place of its regular weapon. As the cockpits formed around the two fighters, Indigo Zap chuckled under her breath. “This’ll be fun…”

[Battle Start!]  

“Rainbow Dash, Gundam Arios Dash!”

“Indigo Zap, Gundam Virtue!”

“Launching!”

“Hmm… this’ll be an interesting fight,” Twilight mused from the sidelines. “Both Gundams are models produced by the private organization Celestia Being, and couldn’t be more opposite in terms of design. Where the Arios excels in speed, the Virtue is superior in sheer firepower and defensive capabilities. Rainbow Dash is going to have to be cautious in this fight.”

From beside her, Sunset snickered lightly. “Rainbow Dash? Careful?”

Twilight sighed. “Point.”

On the opposite side of the room, Sugarcoat deadpanned, “She named her Gunpla after herself… How childish.”

Like a blue blur, the Arios raced through the sky in jet mode, as Rainbow Dash scanned the surrounding area for the Virtue. “Where did she go? 

“Who’s hiding?”

From in the distance, twin streams of plasma lanced through the sky, forcing Rainbow to swerve rapidly to avoid being taken out from the first assault. Flying a corkscrew around the twin blasts, Rainbow finally spotted the form of the Virtue hovering above the desert sands.   

“Doesn’t matter how powerful you are if you can’t hit squat!” Morphing to fighter mode, the Arios Dash raised its beam rifle and fired off a shot, the beam bouncing harmlessly against a barrier of green particles encapsulating the Virtue.

“Ha! Doesn’t matter how fast you are if you can’t break through my shield!” Gripping its handheld cannon, the Virtue returned fire with a single mega particle blast, forcing the Arios to once more maneuver around the beams.

Rainbow winced as she narrowly avoided being taken out by another volley of plasma beams. “Shoot, gotta figure out a way to bust through that shield!” Morphing back to jet mode, the Arios sped higher into the air as it released its load of missiles, the missile pods falling aside as a wave of particle laced missiles homed in on the Virtue and exploded violently against its shield.

“Sorry, Dash, but a few missiles aren’t gonna be enough to bust through—”

From the smoke, the Arios Dash slammed into the Virtue’s GN Shield, bolts of feedback jumping from the point of contact and through up bursts of sand into the air. A battle cry ripped free from Rainbow’s throat as she pushed her Gunpla with all her might, the Arios Dash responding in kind and cutting through the field to slam into the Virtue hard, pushing it back. Flipping up and over the Virtue as it morphed back into its fighter mode, the Arios skidded across the desert from the momentum as it raised its rifle and took a shot at the Virtue’s back, nailing a clean shot on the Gunpla’s left shoulder cannon that swiftly took it out of commission.

Whipping around to retaliate, the Virtue fired a beam from its bazooka, only for the speedier Gunpla to easily dodge the haphazard shot, zigzagging through the sand and making it difficult to get a clear shot. Indigo Zap cursed under her breath as another shot took out her remaining shoulder cannon, a flash of blue out of the corner her only warning as she dodged out of the way, the blade of a beam saber missing the Virtue’s head by a hair’s width. Firing a blast from her bazooka, Indigo finally managed to drive Rainbow Dash back, securing her a moment to catch her breath.

“Looks like I underestimated her,” Indigo muttered in-between panting breaths, her eyes locked onto the Arios as it charged at her. “I’m gonna have to get serious if I want to win…” With a flick of her wrist, a jolt of energy coursed through her Gunpla, the armor plating shifting as it rose up off the Gunpla’s frame. “Cast off!”     

From the sidelines, Twilight gasped before calling out, “Rainbow, watch out!”

Her warning came too late, however, as the Virtue’s armor flew off in large pieces, several which slammed hard into the Arios Dash and sent it careening back from the impact.   

“It… it shed its armor?!” Rainbow exclaimed as she drove her Gunpla’s feet into the sand to slow herself down, digging trenches in the sand before coming to a gradual stop. 

“Where did—” The hairs on the back of Rainbow’s neck stood on end, her instincts screaming at her as she whirled around in time to narrowly avoid a swipe from a beam saber, only to have a heel driven hard into her Gunpla’s torso and sending her rolling against the desert floor. Wincing, Rainbow struggled to pick herself back up as she got a good look at the armorless Virtue.

Now devoid of its armor, the Gunpla looked like a skeleton of its former self, not helped by the almost solid white coloring of its frame. Hanging down from its head were twin bangs of red cables that could be mistaken for hair at a glance, as well as a longer braid of cables that flowed from the back of the Gunpla’s head to past its waist and blew in the desert breeze.

“Nice job managing to dodge that, Rainbow,” Indigo congratulated her as she readied her beam saber. “But your luck’s run out. I’ve yet to lose after needing to reveal my Gundam Nadleeh.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything!” Rainbow countered as she raised her beam rifle and fired off a shot, only for the armorless Gunpla to avoid it with speed almost on par with her own, quickly shortening the distance between them as Rainbow missed one shot after another and sliced straight through Rainbow’s weapon, forcing her to leap back to avoid the explosion. Before she could fully catch her bearings, the Nadleeh leap out from the cloud of smoke and clocked the Arios Dash clear across the head with a metallic clang, sending it reeling before swiping down and slice the Ario’s arm off at the elbow.

Raising her remaining arm, Rainbow was quick to fire off a stream of vulcan fire from her Gunpla’s wrist, forcing the Nadleeh back enough for her to catch her breath.

“Rainbow looks like she’s in trouble…” Sunset worriedly remarked as she watched the battle unfold.

“She still has her trump card,” Twilight said, wincing as she added, “The problem is Indigo Zap has it as well...”  

At that moment, both fighters were like mirror images of one another as a grin spread across their lips, their hands twisting to scroll through their abilities. In perfect unison, they cried out, “Trans Am!”

In a flash, both Gunpla became bathed in a bright red light as a shower of particles filled the space between them, a cascade of rainbow-colored energy forming a ponytail behind the Arios Dash to match the Nadleeh’s own locks. In a blink, both Gunpla charged one another, slamming togethering and shooting up into the air, each one trailing particles in its wake.

From that moment on, it was like trying to watch a fight between a pair of shooting stars, as the two Gunpla blitzed across the arena at blinding speeds, leaving two trails of crimson light behind them. As the trails became intertwined, they streaked towards the ground at breakneck speeds before slamming into the desert floor like a meteorite, sending up a dense cloud of sand that obscured the arena from view. Squinting, the audience held their breath in anticipation as the dust began to clear.

The Nadleeh Gundam stood hunched over the Arios Dash, the beam saber in its hand piercing the Arios’s chest.    

[Winner, Gundam Nadleeh!]

Cheering erupted from the crowd as the intense battle came to a close. As the holograms dispersed, Rainbow Dash picked up her damaged Arios Dash in one hand as she walked around the projector until she was standing in front of Indigo Zap. Holding out her hand, she met Indigo’s eye as she said, “Good match.”

“Same,” Indigo replied, her voice filled with respect as she shook Rainbow’s hand firmly.  

“With that exciting battle, Indigo Zap moves onto the second round,” Fluttershy announced, gesturing to a whiteboard behind her as Indigo Zap’s name moved up the bracket and Rainbow’s name was crossed out. “For the next battle, Rarity from Canterlot High will be facing off against Suri Polomare from Crystal Prep!”

As Rainbow neared the bench where her teammates were waiting, she paused as Rarity walked up to her. Hanging her head, she muttered, “Sorry I got knocked out in the first round. I really let the team down…”

“Fret not, dear,” Rarity said, placing a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “You tried your best, and that’s what’s most important. Make no mistake, I will do my utmost to avenge you.” As Rarity approached the projector, she caught sight of her opponent approaching as well, a girl around her age with like pinkish skin and very dark hair tied up into a bun. Smiling, Rarity walked up to Suri and extended her hand out to her. “Here’s to a nice, clean match between—”

Rarity was shocked when Suri slapped her hand away instead, causing Rarity to flinch back at the intense scowl aimed her way.   

As Suri turned her back to Rarity and walked away, she clenched her hand into a fist and quietly muttered under her breath, “I’m going to crush you.”   

“Hmph! How very rude!” Walking back around to her side of the projector, Rarity slotted in her GP Base, as the particles formed into a space field overlooking the earth. 

[Field 01, Space. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Reaching into her purse, Rarity pulled out her newly customized Gunpla. While the machine still retained much of the Astray’s base frame, such as the head design, new finely polished and slim armor had been added overtop, giving the machine a feminine design as the armor seemed to hug every curve like a fine dress. A pair of diamond blue wings were folded up neatly against the Gunpla’s back, and a thin band of blue fabric had been wrapped around the Gunpla’s neck. Strapped to the hips were a pair of holsters, each with a beam saber tucked inside and finally, the image of three diamonds was displayed on the Gunpla’s chest, with the middle diamond placed over the cockpit.

Setting the Gunpla onto the machine, the band of blue fabric seemed to react to the shower of particles, forming a shawl of blue energy that draped over the Gunpla’s shoulders.

[Battle Start!] 

Tossing her curls over her shoulder, Rarity flashed a smile as she gripped the controllers. “Rarity, Astray Glamour! Launching!”


Next Time: Battle of the Fashionistas! Rarity Vs. Suri Polomare!

> Build 08
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Battle of the Fashionistas! Rarity Vs. Suri Polomare!


[Battle Start!]

“Rarity, Astray Glamour! Launching!”

Like a shooting star, Rarity’s customized Gunpla rocketed into the field, soaring through the endless abyss of space while also marveling at the shining jewel that was the Earth. But Rarity knew she couldn’t get distracted, and quickly turned her attention forward as she tried to spot her opponent’s Gunpla.

Within seconds, she noticed a red star rocketing towards her. As it approached, Rarity was able to pick up more details, such as the pair of silver shields attached to the Gunpla’s shoulders, each one with three yellow cylinders attached to the front. The Mobile Suit itself was colored a bright red with silver paneling on the torso, legs and what resembled a silver mask with a very avian appearance on the head, a single pink eye rolling back and forth between the eye holes of the faceplate. Attached to its left elbow was a round, silver shield and in its right hand it carried a beam assault rifle.

Rarity recognized the machine, having seen one among the ones Twilight had set up around the club room. A Jagd Doga, was it?

The moment the Gunpla spotted the Astray Glamour, the six yellow cylinders attached to its shoulders detached from the Gunpla, their backs opening to form fins as they rocketed through the air in a blinding spiral of movement, each one firing thin beams towards the Astray.

Being no stranger to encountering UVAs thanks to fighting against Twilight’s Star Nexus, Rarity weaved around the funnels with ease, kicking one aside as she used her billowing shawl to block several shots before drawing one of her beam sabers from her Gunpla’s hip, the weapon forming an ornate guard as the beam formed into a thin sabre. Holding her weapon straight out in front of her, Rarity proudly proclaimed, “En Garde!”

Recalling its funnels, the Jagd Doga raised its rifle and fired off a steady stream of shots at the Astray, only to have them repelled by the Gunpla’s flowing energy shawl as Rarity quickly shortened the distance between them. Flipping its shield around, the Gunpla raised its arm in time to intercept the beam weapon as it clashed against the shield.

“... I will crush you…” Suri Polomare muttered as she gripped the controllers tighter, her eyes hardening even more as a scowl worked its way across her lips. Pushing the beam sabre aside, Suri bashed her shield into the Astray’s head, producing a metallic clang as the Gunpla was forcibly shoved back. “I will crush you! You and your stupid Wondercolts!”

Recovering quickly, Rarity threw up her shawl to block a barrage of beam fire as she was steadily pushed back. “Such anger! What did we ever do to you?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb! Do you have any idea what I’ve suffered through because of you and your friends?” Suri replied scornfully as she continued her assault. “Victory is all that matters at Crystal Prep, and I was all set to win my part of the Friendship Games, when those two pink haired losers had to come along and ruin everything! You have no idea the kind of humiliation I suffered from losing to Canterlot High so easily, and I plan to pay you all back for every minute of it, starting with you!” Deploying her funnels once more, Suri kept up her assault, forcing Rarity on the defensive as she blocked beam after beam.

With sabre in hand, Rarity thrust forward and skewered one of the funnels on her weapon before sidestepping to avoid another and slashing it in two. “While I am sorry that happened, I fail to see how winning this tournament will wash away the memory of losing at a baking contest…”

“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!”

Sunset suddenly winced like she’d been struck, clutching the geode pendant around her neck tightly.

“Sunset? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked worriedly. 

“Her hatred… I can feel it even from here…” she said, frowning as she looked across the room towards Suri Polomare, who seemed to almost radiate a visible red aura.

Dancing around the beams aimed at it, the Astray Glamour wrapped its shawl around itself like a cloak to block another barrage from the Jagd Doga’s assault rifle. With a sigh, Rarity said, “No matter what happened to you in the past, I had just as much a reason to win then as I do now, so I can’t afford to lose!” With determination, Rarity drew her other sabre while at the same time extending her Gunpla’s wings, creating wings of blue light that draped across her Gunpla’s frame like a silk dress. In the void of space, Rarity created a panel of energy beneath the Astray’s heel before pirouetting with both her sabres extended, her swords slicing through the remaining funnels as they swooped in to strike.

Growling, Suri flicked her wrist, commanding the silver shoulder pads to move up to reveal missile pods hidden beneath, three on each side that wasted little time in launching a volley of missiles towards Rarity. 

“While I consider myself nowhere near an expert…” Rarity said as she casually dodged the oncoming missiles, “I’ve come to appreciate the subtle art of Gunpla, and I take joy in seeing how others have imparted their love for Gunpla into each model. Your Gunpla, however…” Draping herself in her wings of light, Rarity let her Gunpla weather the barrage of missiles, the smoke cloud clearing seconds later to reveal the Astray Glamour largely unscathed. “Your Gunpla is cold and devoid of any love.” 

“So what?!” Suri countered angrily, her Gunpla’s thrusters firing up as she charged the Astray Glamour, drawing her own beam saber from a slot in the Jagd Doga’s hip. “This isn’t some kind of beauty contest! This is Gunpla Battle!”

“Indeed.” Crossing her beam sabers, Rarity easily blocked Suri’s own beam saber. “And I think it’s time this battle came to an end.” Jumping back, Rarity threw the saber in her left hand like a javelin, the beam weapon piercing the Jagd Doga’s right shoulder, briefly causing the wound to spark before the entire appendage exploded in a cloud of purple smoke. As the Jagd Doga recoiled from the destruction of its arm, Rarity lunged through the smoke and impaled the Gunpla straight through the chest, the Gunpla emitting sparks for a few seconds before going limp, its single eye blinking out.    

[Battle Ended! Winner, Astray Glamour!]

A wave of cheers erupted from the gathered Canterlot High students at their first victory for the day. As the cockpits faded, Rarity glanced over at Suri, who appeared to be staring down at her damaged Gunpla. “Suri, I—” 

“Useless!” Grabbing her Gunpla, Suri raised it over her head before tossing it harshly onto the ground like a football. “Useless piece of junk!” With a huff, Suri turned and stormed off, rudely pushing past her concerned teammates when they attempted to comfort her.

Rarity stood stunned for a moment following Suri’s outburst, before walking over to the discarded Gunpla and picking it up. A frown crossed her face as she looked over the Gunpla, running a finger delicately along the faceplate. Without a second thought, she placed the Gunpla gently into her purse before turning around and walking back towards where her teammates eagerly awaited her with cheers and congratulations.

“And Rarity moves on to the next round!” Fluttershy proudly announced, a noticeable spring in her step. “Jumping right into our next fight, this round will be Twilight Sparkle from Canterlot High versus Crystal Prep’s Starlight Glimmer!”         

“Starlight Glimmer?” Sunset recognized the name, having seen it several times in correspondences with Princess Twilight. Indeed, the person walking up to the projector mostly fit the description given by the princess, with her pale violet complexion, blue eyes and purple hair streaked with teal. Unlike her peers, however, Starlight wasn’t dressed in the standard Crystal Prep uniform, but instead a ripped and torn studded leather jacket similar to Sunset’s own, a pair of equally torn black jeans, and heavy studded combat boots. A studded choker was clipped around her neck and a pair of dog tags hung loosely against her chest on a chain, and she had even gone as far as to wear black lipstick and black eyeliner.

“Oh my…” Rarity remarked from beside Sunset. “Someone should let her know the goth look is so last season…”

Twilight gulped from the intimidating sight of her opponent. “Uh… hi?” she greeted, trying not to sound nervous. “Nice to meet you, Starlight.”

Letting out a long sigh, Starlight seemed to ignore Twilight entirely as she went ahead and docked her GP Base with disinterest, muttering, “Let’s just get this over with…”

[Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal…]

As the particles gathered together, they formed what could only be described as a starship graveyard. Decrepit husks of metal floated along in a debris field marked by death, the remains of the ships having either been blasted or physically torn apart.

[Field 01: Space. Please Set Your Gunpla.] 

As Twilight set her Gunpla onto her base, she looked across the projector as her opponent did the same. Starlight’s Gunpla looked almost regal with its smooth armor and pointed shoulder pads. Twin solar reactors were attached to the Gunpla’s elbows, and strapped to its left arm was a cross-shaped shield while in its right hand was a long barreled rifle. Embedded in the center of the Gunpla’s chest was a deep purple crystal, the same purple accenting its white and golden colored armor.    

A 1.5 Gundam? No... a Reborns Gundam perhaps? Already I can tell it’s been heavily customized, and its construction is almost World Level. Either someone built it for her, or she’s an incredibly skilled builder, either of which are frightening thoughts. Just who is she? I don’t recall ever seeing her at Crystal Prep before...  

[Battle Start!] 

“Twilight Sparkle, Star Nexus Gundam! Launching!”

With an almost bored expression on her face, Starlight halfheartedly announced, “Starlight Glimmer, Equalize Gundam. Launching.”

Flying into the debris field, Twilight was quick to hide behind a large chunk of debris as she scanned the surrounding area for Starlight’s Gunpla. Should I send out one of my Dragoons to act as a scouting drone? But that might potentially compromise my position… Take a shot in the dark and hope I hit something, maybe? Perhaps—

A beam of plasma shot out of the darkness straight for Twilight’s position, forcing her out of cover as the hunk of ship debris melted into burning slag. Luckily, Twilight had been able to spot the direction the beam had originated from, her analytical mind crunching the numbers as she quickly triangulated her opponent’s position. “There!” Raising her weapon, Twilight fired off a blast of superheated plasma of her own into open space, smirking when it hit something.

Her joy was short-lived, however, as the Equalize Gundam came barrelling through the smoke cloud directly for her. Twilight fired again and again, but the Equalize weaved around them like a blur as she fired a perfect shot at the joint connecting the Star Nexus’s left arm to its body, severing the limb with almost surgical precision and forcing the Star Nexus to recoil back.

“How… how did she—?

“Pathetic,” Starlight Glimmer muttered as she loomed over the damaged Star Nexus. “I was expecting a challenge from Canterlot High, but it seems I was mistaken. Guess I’ll just have to entertain myself somehow… Trans-Am.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as the Equalize Gundam became cloaked in a wave of particles, turning the machine a burning red color. She’s activating Trans-Am now!? But the fight’s only just started! Taking a deep breath, Twilight tried to steady her nerves as her eyes glanced back and forth to keep sight of the overclocked Gunpla as it blitzed through space. Okay, don’t panic, Twilight. If I can survive until Trans-Am runs out, then she’ll be at a serious disadvantage. And I know just how to keep her busy… “Dragoons!” 

On her command, all her Dragoons flew off and streaked through the air and homed in on the Equalize Gundam. Empowered by Trans-Am, the Gunpla left red afterimages in its wake as it zigzagged around the Dragoons, dodging them and their beams with unparalleled ease. A flash of laser fire was the only warning before one of the Dragoons violently exploded, leaving a puff of purple smoke in its wake as one Dragoon after another was shot out of the air. In a matter of seconds, all of Twilight’s Dragoon’s had been shot down, the plumes of smoke obscuring the Equalize Gundam from view.

Peering through her crosshairs, Twilight whipped around as she tried to lock back on to her opponent’s Gunpla. From within the cloud of smoke, a single beam lanced through and pierced through the Star Nexus’s weapon, and it was only Twilight’s quick reflexes that allowed her to toss the weapon aside before it took her Gunpla’s remaining arm with it. With no other weapons, Twilight drew her beam saber and prepared to fight in close combat when she was suddenly sidelined from her left, knocking her aside before another strike at her back left her with no time to react.       

“She’s… she’s only attacking the broken parts!” Sunset realized, standing straight up as she watched the battle unfold. “Is she trying to draw this battle out?”

“No… It’s… worse than that…” Fluttershy said from nearby, having seen this display many times before. “She’s toying with her, like an animal playing with its food.”

Again and again, Starlight made passes at the Star Nexus, knocking it around as chunks of armor were torn off with each pass, adding even more debris to the field around them. Warning signals blared all around Twilight as one system after another were knocked offline. “I can’t let her keep this up… I have to forfeit…” Pressing a button on her console, a screen popped up with the word “Forfeit?” displayed across it and “Yes?” and “No?” buttons below it.  

“I won’t let you!” From out of nowhere, the Equalize Gundam flew in and drew its beam saber as it sliced off both the Star Nexus’s legs, before rearing back and kicking the Gunpla across the field, the impact jostling Twilight enough that she was unable to press the “Yes” key. “If you’re going to ruin my fun, then I’ll just end it now!”

Spinning around, the Equalize Gundam’s limbs spun around as well until they were facing back as a panel rose up from the Gunpla’s back and a second head with a single camera panel rose up, lighting up as the wings on the Gunpla’s back began to hum with energy, balls of plasma forming at the ends as it focused on the helpless Star Nexus. 

“Fire!” 

A massive column of energy blazed through space, producing a massive explosion of light that could be seen for miles as the Star Nexus was swallowed up.      

[Battle Ended! Winner, Equalize Gundam!]

This time no cheers followed in the wake of the battle, the whole crowd stunned speechless at the sheer brutality they had just witnessed. Dropping to her knees, Twilight shook as she stared wide-eyed at the ruined remains of her prized Star Nexus, scorched and lying in pieces across the projector, sniffling as tears threatened to leak at the corner of her eyes. 

“Twilight!” Her friends were beside her in a heartbeat, ever one of them doing their best try and console the poor girl. 

Without a word, Starlight turned her nose up at the group and walked off, but Sunset still caught the briefest look of a grin forming across Starlight’s face.          


Next Time: Apples To Turtles, Applejack Vs. Sugarcoat!

> Build 09
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Apples and Turtles, Applejack Vs. Sugarcoat!


Twilight started listlessly at the remains of her Star Nexus laid out before her. After her fight against Starlight Glimmer, a short intermission had been called to allow everyone to take a break and stretch their legs before the tournament continued. For Twilight, it gave her a chance to retreat to the club room in order to survey the damage to her Gunpla, and so far it wasn’t looking good. Despite having only been at Damage Level B, the damage to the Star Nexus Gundam was still extensive, covered nearly head to toe in dark scorch marks that made it look like it had been freshly pulled from a fire. If that wasn’t enough, the left arm had been severed completely at the shoulder, and both knees had been totaled to the point the Gunpla could no longer support its own weight without flopping over. 

Around her were her friends, each of them with growing looks of concern on their face. They all wanted to say something, anything to possibly comfort Twilight after the brutal destruction of her beloved Star Nexus, but none of them had yet to work up the courage to do so. Several minutes passed before Applejack finally broke the oppressive silence hanging overhead. “So… y’all can fix it, can’t ya, Twi?”

Sighing, Twilight picked up the Star Nexus’s left arm and turned it over in her hand. “I could try, but it won’t be easy. Even if I had all my tools, it could still take days worth of work to reverse this much damage. Had we been fighting at Damage Level A like Cinch originally wanted, I doubt there would be anything left to fix.” With another defeated sigh, Twilight set the piece back down as she placed her hands in her lap. “That Starlight Glimmer… her fighting ability is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I should have known that I didn’t stand a chance of winning from the start…”

“It doesn’t matter how much talent she might have,” Rarity said with a frown, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall, “That’s still no excuse for treating her opponent so harshly. Why I’m sorely tempted to go and give that girl a piece of my min—”   

Light knocking against the club room door drew everyone’s attention. Crossing the room, Applejack peeked outside to see who it was, only to scowl when she did. “What do ya want, Lemon Zest?” Applejack muttered, prompting Lemon Zest to flinch back slightly from the ire in her voice.

“I… I came to see if Twilight was alright…” Lemon Zest stuttered, shrinking under the death glare Applejack was giving her. “She seemed pretty upset after what happened…”

“She’s fine, no thanks to you and yer Shadowbolt buddies. Knew it was too good to be true to think you Crystal Preppers had turned over a new leaf—”

“Applejack! That’s enough!” Fluttershy harshly reprimanded as she shoved Applejack aside and offered Lemon Zest a friendly smile. “Sorry about that. Why don’t you come in and say hello?”

Though strangely apprehensive, Lemon Zest did her best to ignore Applejack’s gaze as she stepped into the Club Room. The moment she noticed Twilight looking her way, the bombastic girl seemed to freeze like a deer in headlights, slowly rubbing the back of her neck. “Uh… hey, Twilight. Long time no see, huh?”

“It… it has been,” Twilight replied, gripping her skirt tightly from a mix of uncertainty and growing apprehension. “I mean… we never really hung out or anything when I was at Crystal Prep, but it is… nice to see you too?”

“Yeah… same…” Lemon Zest said before the pair fell silent, the previous awkward tension returning in full force as neither girl knew what to say next.

After a moment, Lemon Zest squeezed her eyes shut with a grunt before reaching up and slapping her cheeks, followed by a quick shake of her head to compose herself. “Look! I’m really sorry about what happened to your Gunpla! What Starlight did was crossing the line, and I know how you must feel after seeing your Gunpla destroyed like that. After all…” Reaching into her pocket, Lemon Zest withdrew a small plastic bag filled with seemingly random pieces of plastic and held it up for Twilight to see. “You’re not Starlight’s first victim.”

Twilight’s eyes widened at the bag in Lemon Zest’s hand. “Is… is that…?”

“Yep, this is all that’s left of my Gunpla, Susanowo. Be glad that you were only fighting at Damage Level B, I, unfortunately, wasn’t so lucky, since Starlight made extra sure there wasn’t enough left for me to put it back together.”  

“Well, perhaps you should do a better job of controlling your teammate then,” Rarity rudely remarked.

“She’s not my teammate!” Lemon Zest said with a scowl. “In fact, she’s not even a Crystal Prep student!”

Silence filled the room as everyone took a moment to process Lemon Zest’s words. “What do you mean she’s not a Crystal Prep student?” Sunset finally asked.

Lemon Zest scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Cinch called her in from somewhere as ‘insurance for our victory’.” Making sure to add in the air quotes with her fingers, Lemon Zest continued by saying, “Despite her skill, Starlight doesn’t seem to care a flying feather about Gunpla. All she seems to care about is proving she’s better than everyone and utterly destroying their Gunpla in the process.”

“That snake!” Applejack growled, driving her fist into the palm of her other hand. “Knew that seedy Cinch couldn’t be trusted not to pull somethin’! We should go to Principal Celestia right away and—”

“And what?” Lemon Zest interjected, shaking her head. “Get her disqualified? Sorry to be the party pooper here, but it won’t work. Not only will both of them deny it, but, knowing Cinch like I do, she’s already seen fit to fill out all the proper paperwork counting Starlight Glimmer among the students. On paper anyway, she’s ‘technically’ still a Crystal Prep student, no matter how much the rest of us don’t like her. And trust me when I say we reeeally don’t like her.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Applejack asked.

Like it was the most obvious answer in the world, Lemon Zest simply said, “You fight and you win. Prove that you’re better than her and her way of thinking by winning the right to fight her. Course, that’s easier said than done given the rest of us aren’t just gonna roll over so you can settle a grudge...”

Static from the PA system filled the air as Principal Celestia’s voice echoed through the halls. “Attention students. We will be resuming the next round of the tournament in five minutes. Again, the tournament will resume in five minutes, so would all participants please report to the gymnasium...”

“Well, that’s my cue to leave.” Lemon Zest made it several steps towards the door before she suddenly stopped. “Oh, by the way, I got a glance at the roster while we were waiting, so, as I favor to Twilight, I’ll let you all in on two things.” Turning back around, she pointed a finger at Applejack. “One, you’ll be facing off against Sugarcoat in the next bout. Sugarcoat’s been really looking forward to showing off her new Gunpla too, so you better not disappoint.”

Applejack grinned. “Don’t worry none, if y’all really intend to give it yer all, then I don’t plan on makin’ it easy for her either.”

“Good. And two…” Turning her attention towards Sunset, Lemon Zest’s eyes hardened as a frown crossed her face. “Watch yourself, Sunset.”

Though taken aback by the sudden change in Lemon Zest’s demeanor, Sunset didn’t let it show on her face, meeting Lemon Zest’s hardened stare with her own as she calmly replied, “Is that supposed to be a threat?”

“A warning, actually. Starlight wasn’t the only help Cinch called in, and she’ll be your opponent pretty soon. From what I can gather, she’s got a bit of a bone to pick with you to boot, so I’d watch your back if you don’t want your Gunpla to end up like mine or Twilight’s.” With that, Lemon Zest walked out of the Club Room and closed the door behind her, leaving the others to remark on her words.

“Now who do you think she was talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked as she glanced at Sunset. “Anyone we know?”

“Maybe, hard to say…” Sighing, Sunset leaned against the wall as she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m not proud of all the people I hurt in the past, and there are more than a few who I never got the chance to apologize to. They could be anyone for all I know.”

“Well, frettin’ ‘bout it ain’t gonna help us none,” Applejack said, flashing Sunset a warm smile that helped put the former bully at ease. “Best we can do is get back out there and show those Crystal Preppers we’re not the kind of folks to back down from a challenge! Now, who’s with me?”   

Six arms shot into the air beside Applejack’s, followed by cheering that filled the small club room.

***


Meanwhile, Starlight Glimmer sat alone in a small room granted to Crystal Prep for the duration of the tournament, wiping away what little damage her Gunpla had received from her bout with Twilight Sparkle.

“For someone who used to be one of the top students at Crystal Prep, I was expecting much more of a challenge, but I guess that’s what I get for being hopeful…” With a sigh, she picked up her Equalize Gundam and turned it over in her hand, a downtrodden look in her eyes. “Isn’t there anyone who can finally offer me a worthy fight, or am I doomed to be surrounded by children who treat this like a simple game?”

Starlight’s musings were interrupted by the door to the room opening to allow a figure to step inside. Starlight didn’t turn around to greet them, a scowl working its way across her face. “What do you want, Cinch?”

“That’s Principal Cinch. Don’t forget it.” Cinch harshly reprimanded, her arms crossed over her chest as she walked around the table Starlight was seated at. “I simply wished to congratulate you on your victory, as well as for putting that traitorous Twilight Sparkle in her place.” Cinch clenched her fist, grinning devilishly at the memory of Twilight reduced to tears after having her Gunpla torn apart. “The nerve of her, absconding to Canterlot High with all our secrets and thinking she wouldn’t face retribution for it…”

“I couldn’t care less about your history with that girl,” Starlight replied, having not once glanced up from her Gunpla to even look at Cinch. “You hired me to win, and that’s what I did, plain and simple.”

“That you did, and I expect you to continue to win. You remember our little deal, correct? You stomp Canterlot High’s little club into the ground, and, in return, I’ll use my extensive connections to guarantee you entry into any college you want.”

“I haven't forgotten…” Starlight replied, finally looking up at Cinch with venomous intent in her eyes. “The bigger question is whether you’d forgotten our little agreement. I will win and you will carry through with your side of the bargain.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a woman of my word. Now…” Cinch scoffed as she glanced out the window. “If only that friend of yours would show up already...”

“She’s not my friend,” Starlight was quick to reply. “I barely even know her. All I know is her goals aligned with mine, so I let her tag along and supplied her with a suitable Gunpla for this tournament. If she’s late and gets disqualified, it’s her own fault. Now, if there’s nothing else, then get lost already so I can prepare for the next round.”

Cinch scowled at Starlight’s attitude but did as she asked and slinked out of the room. As Cinch closed the door behind her, she clenched her fists and stormed off, muttering, “Such a crude degenerate. To think this is the level I must stoop down to in order to return Crystal Prep to its rightful glory…”     


***


“Time for the next match!” Fluttershy announced, spurring the crowd of students into an uproar of cheers as they eagerly awaited the next bout. “For this match, would Applejack from Canterlot High and Sugarcoat from Crystal Prep please step forward?”

As the two fighters stepped up to opposite sides of the projector, Applejack smirked at her opponent. “Hope yer up and ready for a brawl, cause I intend to win this fight.”

Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses slightly, visible undeterred by Applejack’s boast. “Victory seems highly unlikely for you. I have much more experience in both building and fighting Gunpla after all.”

“Won’t know until I try!” Applejack countered as the pair docked their GP Bases. 

[Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal…]

In a familiar shower of blue particles, the image of a metropolitan city appeared, filled with taller and taller skyscrapers that seemed to be in competition with one another to reach the sky.

[Field 05: City. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Applejack had added a few upgrades to her Gundam Astaroth for the tournament, such as a large shield to its right shoulder and a much larger buster knuckle to the left arm. As she set it onto her GP Base, she looked over at her opponent’s machine, raising an eyebrow at what she saw. “Is… is that a…”

Sugarcoat’s Gunpla looked like an oversized turtle, covered in large and bulbous blue armor across its body. The torso had even been painted shades of brown and yellow to even more resemble a turtle shell, a pair of cannons perched atop its shoulders, and a massive hammer clutched in its hand. Applejack couldn’t get over how silly it looked, and yet she also couldn’t shake the strangest feeling that she had seen it somewhere before…

Applejack wasn’t the only one surprised by the large Gunpla, as Rainbow Dash shot out of her seat with slowly widening eyes. “No way! It can’t be!”  

[Battle Start!]

“Applejack, Gundam Astaroth RG…”

“Sugarcoat, Blastoise Gundam…”

“Launching!”

“Huh…” Indigo Zap muttered from the sidelines. “I wouldn’t have taken Sugarcoat for a Pokemon fan…”

“Of course!” Lemon Zest said, startling the indigo haired girl as she popped up from behind her. “Who do you think I play against all the time at lunch?”

“Lemon Zest! I told you to stop sneaking up on me like that!”

“Sorry!”

Back on the battlefield, both combatants set down on opposite ends of a main street. Like something straight out a western film, neither Gunpla made a move to strike, staring down their opponent from across the way. In their respective cockpits, Applejack licked her lips, her fingers tapping against the controllers in anticipation while Sugarcoat stared straight ahead, an icy look in her eyes.

In the span of a single breath, both Gunpla made their move.

The twin cannons on the Blastoise Gundam’s shoulders lit up as twin beams of blue plasma streaked through the sky. Raising its left fist, the beams refracted off the Gundam Astaroth RG’s buster knuckle as it pushed forward, stray beams striking the streets below and setting the suburb alight. Crushing a car beneath its foot, the mismatched Gunpla reached up with its right hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword on its back, unsheathing the large blade that unfolded until it was larger than the Gunpla wielding it. Gripping the weapon with both hands, the Gundam Astaroth RG lunged forward, a battle cry coming from Applejack’s lips as her blade sliced through a row of buildings like they were made of cardboard.

Raising its massive hammer, the Blastoise Gundam took the blow head-on, slamming its hammer down onto the oversized blade and stopping it in place. Sparks flew as the two machines tried to overpower the other, the Blastoise Gundam’s feet digging into the pavement as it was gradually pushed back.

“You’re strong, I’ll say that much,” Sugarcoat admitted, bracing herself as best she could to keep from being overwhelmed. “But brute strength alone won’t be enough to win!” Pushing back, the cannon over her Gunpla’s right shoulder tilted slightly as it aimed for the Astaroth’s head, firing off a quick shot.

The Astaroth avoided the shot by tilting its head slightly at the right moment, the beam streaking past its shoulder to collide with the eighteenth floor of an office building behind them, blowing out the whole floor and causing the building to sway against its foundation. 

“Pretty cheap shot, if’n ya asked me. I was told y’all had more than that!” Gripping her weapon tightly, Applejack jerked her sword upward, sending the Blastoise Gundam’s hammer sailing through the air to crash down in another part of the city. Reeling back her left arm, she then clocked the Blastoise Gundam right in the chest, sending the rotund Gunpla stumbling back several feet to crash through a parking garage. A noticeable dent was left behind in the Gunpla’s chest armor as it picked itself up.

Sugarcoat had but a moment to react before the Astaroth came lunging at her, sword raised to bisect her Gunpla like a piece of lumber. Moving with speed unbefitting its large nature, the Blastoise Gundam crossed its arms over its head and intercepted the deadly weapon, the Gunpla’s heavy armor doing much to diminish the force of the strike. Activating thrusters in its back and leg, the Blastoise Gundam lunged forward and bodychecked the opposing Gunpla, sending it crashing backwards onto the streets below. With its opponent disoriented, the Blastoise Gundam leveled its cannons at the prone Gunpla, the barrels glowing with blue light as it launched a volley of crackling plasma.

“Shoot!” Revving her thrusters for all they were worth, Applejack sent her Gunpla skidding backwards down the street on its back, tearing up the pavement at it narrowly avoided being taken out by the Blastoise Gundam’s cannons. Managing to right itself during this backwards retreat, the Astaroth slammed a hand into the ground to halt its momentum, digging large craters in the already destroyed streets as buildings burned around them.

Sweat dripped down Applejack’s forehead as she panted for breath. “That was too close… Reckon I better pick up the pace if’n I want to win!” Switching her sword into her left hand, Applejack drew the rifle attached to the Gunpla’s side, aiming it at the Blastoise Gundam as she fired off a quick volley of metal slugs at the oversized machine.

Despite its armor, the Blastoise Gundam was steadily being pushed back by the heavy onslaught of gunfire. Revving its leg thrusters, the Gunpla swerved around the ruined remains of what few buildings remained standing, using them as quick cover as its cannons sent another blast of beam fire hurtling towards the Astaroth.  

Leaping behind a still standing skyscraper, the Astaroth hunkered down as it waited for an opening to arise. The second the Blastoise Gundam came out of cover, the Astaroth fired off a shot, scoring a hit directly at the Gunpla’s head and managing to take out one of its eyes.

Sugarcoat grunted as her video feed on her left side was filled with static. “That does it, no more playing around!” With a flick of her wrist, a surge of power coursed through her Gunpla, the cannons on its back glowing with a blinding radiance as a huge amount of energy was channeled into it that dwarf any of its previous shots.   

“HYPER BEAM!”

A massive beam of pure plasma streaked out of the Blastoise Gundam’s cannons, vaporizing any and everything in its path. Faced with the sheer size of the attack, Applejack knew dodging it would be out of the question, so that left her but one option:

Take it head-on.

Holding her sword out in front of her like a shield, Applejack braced herself as the pillar of plasma slammed into the Astaroth, forcing it back several feet before the suit was eclipsed completely by the attack. As the attack hit home, a massive explosion rocked the city, sending out a shockwave that shattered windows for miles, picked up and tossed around cars and trucks like they weighed next to nothing and blew up a cloud of acrid black smoke that likely could have been seen from space.

As the smoke cloud filled the air, crackles of energy shot up the Blastoise Gundam’s left cannon before it exploding, driving the Gunpla to its knees from the force of the explosion. Warning beacons blared all around Sugarcoat as the system showed one crippled system after another, all of which were being swiftly ignored by Sugarcoat as she kept her focus on the billowing wall of smoke. Until she heard the system declare a winner, Sugarcoat couldn’t let herself relax. “Nothing could have survived that, I’m sure of it…”

And yet, as the smoke began to dissipate, Sugarcoat’s eyes widened in disbelief as a lurching figure slowly became visible through the smoke. “It… it can’t be!”

Stepping out from the smoke was none other than the Gundam Astaroth RG, though not unscathed. The blade of its sword had been melted into molten slag from the sheer heat of the blast, the few feet of blade still left dragging behind it as the Gunpla continued clutching it tightly in its left arm, its entire right arm completely blown off at the shoulder and with only small chunks of armor managing to remain clinging to the Gunpla’s frame, making it resemble a shambling skeleton. And yet, the Gunpla still remained functioning, stalking towards the Blastoise Gundam as its sword slipped from its grip finally and clattered uselessly to the ground. Even still, the Astaroth refused to give up, going from a shambling walk into a determined run as it barreled towards the Sugarcoat.

“Move!” Sugarcoat pleaded, fighting with the controls to get her Gunpla to do something–Anything!–and only getting error messages in return, having short circuited several main systems with that last attack. Sugarcoat could do nothing but stand there as the Astaroth pulled its left fist back and lunged at her.

As the Astaroth came down, its left leg finally gave out, snapping like a twig and sending the Astaroth collapsing into a heap before the Blastoise Gundam, but not before its final attack struck, slamming through the rotund Gunpla’s armor like it was paper and burying its fist knuckle deep in the Gunpla’s chest. Neither Gunpla made a move after that, even as rain clouds filled the skies overhead and unleashed a downpour of rain onto the ruined remains of the city. Yet the Blastoise Gundam remained functioning, its one remaining eye still alight.       

[Battle Ended! Winner, Blastoise Gundam!]

Silence filled the room for a moment as the audience took in outcome of the battle. Then, loud clapping began to spread throughout the crowd in celebration of not just the winner, but both fighters.        

“Well shoot…” Applejack remarked as the holograms faded away, tilting her Stetson back slightly. “Looks like I lost. Guessin’ you were right about…” Applejack trailed off upon noticing Sugarcoat holding her damaged Blastoise Gundam in her hand while looking at it with a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Uh… hey, are ya alright? I’m sorry if I hurt your Gunpla, sometimes I just don’t know my own stre—”

“No, it’s not that,” Sugarcoat interjected, suddenly not looking very pleased with her win as she hung her head. “I… I may have unfairly underestimated you. Had that last attack connected at full strength, the outcome might have been far different. I can’t help but feel you are far more deserving of victory than me for looking down on my opponent like I did. I—” Sugarcoat stopped rambling as she felt a hand touch her shoulder, glancing up to find Applejack smiling down at her.

“Hey now, you won, simple as that. No need to overthink could’a beens and what not, just focus on the now, I always say. Besides…” Stepping back, Applejack held her hand out to Sugarcoat. “This just means I gotta up my game for next time, eh?”

Sugarcoat looked at Applejack’s outstretched hand with initial uncertainty, before reaching down and shaking it, a smile slowly working its way across Sugarcoat’s face. “Indeed. Next time will be a quite different fight.”

“I’ll hold you to that!” Applejack replied with a grin before the pair broke out into a fit of chuckles. 

From the sidelines, Principal Celestia smiled at the scene before her. Despite the pretense behind this whole tournament, she was glad that budding friendships had been able to still form between the rivaling schools. Now if only the same could be said about their principal… Celestia grimly thought, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the woman in question, who seemed completely disinterested with the way the students were interacting, only that another victory for Crystal Prep had been claimed.             

Cinch… when will you learn that there are more important things than simply winning? What’s the point of being the best if you have no one to congratulate and cheer you on afterwards?


***


Outside the school, a city bus pulled up to the curb to allow a single young woman to step off before driving off again. The woman glanced up at the school, a deep-seated scowl etched across her face.

“To think I’d ever be coming back to this place…” Spitting onto the ground in disgust, she began a slow walk towards the school, her hands clenched into tight fists. “Mark my words, Sunset Shimmer, you will rue the day you made an enemy of me…”


Next Time: The Fury of a Demon! Flash Sentry Vs. Fleur!

> Build 10
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The Fury of a Demon! Flash Vs. Fleur!


On the surface of the moon, a battle was raging against two fighters, flashes of plasma fire marking new craters in the moon’s already dotted landscape. 

Emerging from a cloud of moondust, a Mobile Suit came charging forward, the thrusters in its calves allowing it to hover several feet above the ground. This particular MS was a variant of the Zaku 2, a favorite of the Zeon forces, painted with a mix of dark grey armor around the legs, torso, and head with purple armor on the arms and chest. A single red mono-eye flitted left and right across the rounded helmet, hoses connected to the mouthplate to run back into the backpack to supply oxygen to the machine. A large shield was attached to the left shoulder and adorned with the image of three black stars, while a smaller, rounder shoulder pad with a row of spikes had been fitted onto the right shoulder. Finally, the Zaku 2 carried in both hands a massive battle axe, the blade glowing a foreboding neon orange as it was swung at the opposing MS, who swiftly leaped out of the way to avoid being cleaved in two.

The other Mobile Suit resembled the more standard Gundam model, possessing the golden V-fin on its forehead that signified its Gundam status. The torso had been painted in a dark blue, with slight hints of yellow around the collar and vents, and red on either side of the waist. Everything else was a solid white, through the suit also possessed several uniquely clear sections along its legs, knees, arms, and shoulders that glowed with a faint blue light. The strangest part of the Gundam, however, was its choice of weaponry. At first glance, the beam rifle and shield combo the MS had been outfitted with didn’t seem too unusual, but a closer inspection would reveal that the rifle had been forged in the shape of an electric guitar, with the shield resembling a guitar case to match.

A shower of blue particles poured from the Gundam’s thrusters as it shot into the air, pointing it's oddly shaped beam rifle at the Zaku and firing a volley of shots at it, only for the Zaku to swerve around the shots with ease as it lunged at the airborne MS, the lower gravity of the moon allowing it to close the distance in an instance. 

Gripping its weapon with both hands, the Zaku swung the axe at the Gundam, the latter machine raising its shield to intercept the blow, only for the sheer force of the attack to swat the Gundam out of the air like a softball. Hurtling back towards the ground, the Gundam crashed hard against the moon’s surface, the beam rifle slipping from its hand and skidding across the ground.

Seeing an opportunity to strike, the Zaku gunned its thrusters and dove for the prone Gundam, its single eye glinting as it raised its axe above its head and slammed it down, blowing up a fresh cloud of moondust that obscured both machines from sight. From within the cloud, the Gundam emerged, now missing its right leg from the knee down, as it cartwheeled over to its discarded rifle and scooped it up. 

When the Zaku looked up, it found itself staring down the glowing barrel of the Gundam’s rifle.

Pulling the trigger, a beam of blue plasma lanced through the Zaku’s head, causing it to explode in a cloud of purple smoke. As the headless Zaku stumbled back, three more shots were loosed into the Zaku’s chest in quick succession, finally causing the MS to explode in a burst of purple smoke and shrapnel.      

[Battle Ended!]

“Man! Total crash and burn!” Neon Lights exclaimed as the holograms faded, the spiky-haired teen fishing his sunglasses out his jacket pocket and popping them back on his face. “Thought I had you there for a minute, Scratch, but what a sick turn-around!”

Vinyl Scratch, Canterlot High’s resident electronic music expert, and aspiring DJ, shot her opponent a grin as she picked up her Gunpla off the projector. Unlike her opponent, Vinyl had elected to keep her signature purple tinted shades on all throughout the match along with the white headphones she was almost never seen without. “Sorry to break it to ya, Neon, but I wasn’t about to let Crystal Prep score another point, even if I had to take ya down to do it. Anytime you want a rematch, though, you know where to find me.”

“Sick! I’m game for another round when you are,” Neon Lights said as he walked over to Vinyl and held out his fist, quickly getting a fist bump in response.

“And Vinyl Scratch moves onto the next round!” Fluttershy proudly announced, earning a round of cheering from the Canterlot High students in the audience as Vinyl gave them a double thumbs up before walking off. “For the next matchup, would Flash Sentry from Canterlot High and Fleur from Crystal Prep please step forward?”

As Flash strolled up to the projector, he smiled and waved at the audience, causing them to go right back to cheering as he gave them a cheeky wink. Turning away from the audience, Flash saw that his opponent was a girl with ivory white skin and pale magenta hair. Grinning, Flash chuckled as he said, “No hard feelings no matter who wins or loses, okay?”

Fleur just turned her nose up at Flash and muttered, “As if…”

[Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal…]

In a familiar shower of blue particles, the image of a large canyon riddled with narrow passages appeared on the projector.

[Field 09: Canyon. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Setting their Gunpla onto their respective bases, Flash’s Gunpla was an almost demonic looking suit painted mostly in white with traces of blue and yellow around the torso and head. This Gunpla’s hands and feet more resembled claws, only adding to the demonic resemblance as it carried a large slab of metal in the shape of a sword in its right hand. Both shoulders had been done up in a red color, an emblem resembling some sort of flower on them.

Unlike Flash’s Gunpla, Fleur’s appeared to be a much more elegant machine, looking almost like a standard Gundam frame painted in a mix of light pinks and reds. Strapped to the Gunpla’s back was a large winged backpack, a pair of shoulder cannons mounted on either side of the Gunpla’s head while the shield it carried also possessed a massive Gatling gun on the front of it.

In the stands, Twilight’s eyes widened at the upcoming matchup. “Oh, that’s not good…” she mumbled as she bit her thumb, a small ball of worry forming in the pit of her stomach.

[Battle Start!]

“Flash Sentry, Barbatos Lupus! Launching!”

Tossing a lock of her hair over her shoulder, Fleur smiled as she took hold of the controls. “Fleur De Lis, Strike Rouge! Launching!”

Launching into the canyon, Flash wasted little time in gunning his thrusters as he zipped through the canyon, leaving a dust cloud in his wake as he scanned the terrain for the smallest glimpse of the opposing Gunpla. A glint out of the corner of his eye was his only warning before a hail of bullets rain down upon him, forcing him to zigzag to avoid the onslaught of gunfire. Spinning around, he spotted the Strike Rouge standing confidently on top of the nearby rock formation. 

“Got ya!” Leaping into the air, Flash bounded up the canyon walls until he was high enough to leap over the Strike Rouge, his weapon gripped tightly in both clawed hands and he brought it down to split the opposing Gunpla in two. 

Instead of raising her shield to deflect the blow, Fleur just smirked as she stood there and took the blow, only for the large slab of metal to glance off her Gunpla’s shoulder with little more than a small shower of sparks like it was nothing. 

“What the-?!” Jumping back, Flash tried charging in again and going for the Strike Rouge’s waist, only for the Gunpla to again the tank the blow as Flash’s sword glanced off the side of the other suit.

“I was afraid of this,” Twilight said, earning a confused glance from her friends. “The Strike Rouge is equipped with Phase Shift Armor, which deflects non-beam attacks and leaves the suit unharmed. Unfortunately for Flash, the Barbatos Lupus has nothing but non-beam attacks in its arsenal.”

“So… you’re saying Flash can’t so much as make a dent in that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, earning a silent nod from Twilight. “Oh boy, that’s bad...”

“Just give up, boy,” Fleur spoke in a haughty tone. “This battle was decided from the very beginning. Surrender now and I might consider leaving your Gunpla in one piece.”

Flash winced. Things were not looking good for him right now. How am I supposed to fight back if all my attacks can’t even touch her? Tightening his grip on his sword, Flash pointed it at the Strike Rogue. “Sorry, but we at CH are far too stubborn to just give up! You want to win, you’ll have to beat me first!”

Fleur responded with an exasperated sigh. “Your funeral.” Raising her Gatling gun, Fleur unloaded another volley of gunfire at the Barbatos Lupus, who sped out of the way to avoid it before leaping over the gap onto another rock formation and speeding off.

Got to get some distance between us while I try and come up with a plan to fight her! 

“Running away won’t save you!” Firing up her thrusters, Fleur took to the sky as she trailed the fleeing Gunpla from above, her eyes scanning back and forth as she tried to calculate its projected path. Both her Gunpla’s shoulder cannons took aim as she fired directly in the Baratos Lupus’s path, sending up a shower of sand and blasted rock.

Unprepared from the attack, the Barbatos Lupus was knocked back and sent sailing over the edge of the canyon wall, slamming into canyon floor with an almost comedic tumble like something straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Struggling to get back up, Flash spotted his sword lying nearby just as Fleur came floating down to hover in front of him.

“This is boring…” Fleur muttered as she leveled both her shoulder cannons at the downed Gunpla. “Oh, if only I could have had the chance to destroy that dumb Twilight Sparkle as opposed to some pathetic newbie like you…”

As her weapons fired, the Barbatos Lupus lunged with unreal speed and grabbed it’s sword, using it to bat the shits aside and sending them slamming into a nearby rock wall, an avalanche of blasted rock raining down behind the Barbatos Lupus.

“Wha-what?” Fleur stared wide-eyed at how fast the Gunpla had just reacted. “How–”

“Say that again,” Flash said, his tone calm, yet laced with noticeable anger as he looked at Fleur. “What did you just say about Twilight?”

“Oh, have I hit a nerve, pretty boy?” Fleur threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, how cute! Seems she’s managed to fool you too! Since you clearly haven’t figured it out, allow me to clue you in. She may put on this appearance of this cute, yet dorky girl who just wants to do her best, but I can see right through her act! She’s really nothing but a scheming fraud who thinks she’s better than everyone and loves crushing everyone else beneath her heel!”

“...What?” Twilight whispered, honestly taken aback from Fleur’s sudden accusations. “I’m… I’m not…” Sniffling, Twilight felt a comforting hand on her shoulder from Sunset.

“Don’t listen to her, Twilight. We all know you’re nothing like that,” Sunset reassured her friend.

“Yep, that girl’s full of horse apples,” Applejack remarked with a frown. “Who does she think she is, goin’ ‘round spoutin’ such nonsense? Aint her momma ever teach her any manners?”

Flash was in full agreement with Applejack and the others, his grip tightening on his controls as she glared at Fleur. “You’re lying. If you knew Twilight like I do—”

“Ha! It’s funny that you think you know anything about her!” Fleur countered, her face twisting into a scowl. “Everyone at Crystal Prep strives to be the best, and we all work our butts off to accomplish that, no one more than me! I was the top student at Crystal Prep, until ‘Little Miss Perfect’ showed up! She just strolls in, all quiet and such and proceeded to blow all my accomplishments out of the water without any kind of effort! And then just because she knows Dean Cadance she can do whatever the hell she wants and get special privileges that the rest of us can only ever dream of?! What a load!”

“Shut up…”

“I mean, come on! It’s obvious that between the two of us I have both brains and good looks, what with those ugly looking glasses she wears! She must have cheated in order to surpass me, it’s the only explanation! But no one would believe me, even Principal Cinch told me to let it go!”

“Shut. Up!” 

Fleur flashed a malevolent smirk. “Watching Starlight tear apart her treasured Gunpla and knock her down a few pegs was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever seen. I would have brought a video camera if I had known—”

“Shut up! Aaaaaah!” Letting out a roar, Flash charged Fleur, the eyes of his Barbatos Lupus glowing bright red as he slashed his sword across the Strike Rouge’s chest, the blow glancing against the Gunpla’s Phase Shift Armor like before.

“Silly boy,” Fleur mocked as she blasting him with her Gunpla’s cannon’s, sending him sliding back and dropping him onto one knee. Walking towards him, she continued to say, “Even after everything she did at the Friendship Game, you still want to defend her? Turning into that monster was just her way of finally giving up her facade and revealing her true self to the world. Face it, she’s nothing but a—”

“I said…” Curling its fingers into a fist, the Barbatos Lupus pulled back and punched the Strike Rouge hard in the face, actually sending the Gunpla reeling as the hit registered. “...shut up.”

“What the… how…!” Grunting, Fleur trained both her shoulder cannons on the Barbatos Lupus and fired, only for the Gunpla to swerve out of the path of the blasts at the last minute and shoulder check the Strike Rogue. 

Before the Rogue could recover, the Lupus was already on it, digging its fingers into the left shoulder as it wrapped its hand around the elbow joint of the opposing Gunpla’s arm. With a guttural yell, Flash pulled with all his might, cracks quickly forming across the Rouge’s arm as it was pulled apart.

“Hey! Let go!” Punching the Lupus with her good arm, the Gunpla brushed off the attacks like they were little more than an annoying fly as it continued to pull. Sparks leaped off the Rogue’s arm as, with one final pull, the limb was yanked off at the elbow, allowing the Strike Rouge to finally pull away as it leaped back to put distance between it and the Barbatos Lupus, the demonic-looking Gundam tossing aside the dismembered arm like little more than useless scrap.

Fleur growled as alarms went off on her left side. “Son of a—” Reaching behind her with her Gunpla’s remaining arm, Fleur unsheathed a sword just as long as the Barbatos Lupus’s weapon and gunned her thrusters as she charged the Barbatos Lupus.

Blue flames spewed from the Lupus’s shoulders as Flash grabbed his weapon back up and met Fleur head-on, meeting in a clash of blades. It was a short contest before the Barbatos Lupus pushed the Strike Rouge back with overwhelming strength, knocking Fleur’s weapon from her Gunpla’s hand with relative ease. Before the Strike Rouge could aim either of its shoulder cannons at the Lupus, Flash dropped his weapon at his feet before grabbing both cannons and yanking them both off.

What… what is he?! Fleur had very little time to question as a clawed hand shot forward like a snake and grabbed her Gunpla by the throat, lifting it up several feet off the ground. Fleur tried to free herself by firing her Gunpla’s head mounted vulcans, but the bullets just seemed to bounce off the Barbatos Lupus as it grabbed the Strike Rouge’s head in its other hand and crushed it like a soda can. Still gripping the Strike Rouge, Flash slammed the heavily damaged machine against the canyon floor, towering menacingly over it.

“Now…” Flash said as he drew panting breaths, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face. “... you listen. You seem to think so highly of yourself, and yet all I hear is some petty brat running her mouth and throwing a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way. For your information, Twilight is everything you’re not. She’s kind, smart while still being humble, and knows when to take responsibility for her mistakes! The reason it was so easy for her to surpass you was because she truly is better than you in every. Single. Way.”

Raising its other hand, the Barbatos Lupus straighten its fingers and pointed them down at the cockpit section of the Strike Rouge. “So just shut up already.” In a blink, the Barbatos Lupus drove its hand into the Strike Rouge’s chest, the damaged Gunpla convulsing for a moment as the Lupus pulled out the Gunpla’s core and crushed it in its hand.

[Battle Ended! Winner: Barbatos Lupus!]

A hushed silence had settled over the crowd, with many in the audience unsure of how to react to what they had just witnessed. Eventually, a small group of people began to clap, ballooning quickly as the rest of the crowd gradually joined in. Grabbing his Gunpla without a word, Flash turned and headed straight for the gym doors.

Sunset watched him go from her seat, a frown crossing her lips. “Flash…” Getting up, she quickly moved to follow him.

Outside of the gym, Flash rested his head against the hallway wall, clenching his teeth together as he pounded one hand against the wall while gripping his Gunpla tightly in his other hand. Who does that girl think she is?! Flash hissed as he hit the wall again, his hand throbbing slightly from the repeated blows. Still, he ignored them as he took a deep breath. Calm down… I just need to calm down…

“Flash?”

“Hmm?” Turning around at the familiar voice, Flash spotted Sunset walking up to him. “What is it, Sunset?”

“Are you alright?” Sunset asked, worry reflected across her face. “You ran off so suddenly after the fight, I just thought—”

“I’m fine,” Flash quickly replied, perhaps a bit too quickly considering how Sunset flinched back. “It’s nothing. You should be more concerned about your match.” Turning his back to Sunset, Flash began to walk away.

“Wait!” Running up him, Sunset reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

Flash froze as he felt Sunset’s hand grip his wrist. Sighing, he glanced over his shoulder towards her and asked, “... What did you see?”

"I didn’t see anything, you doofus,” Sunset countered as she released her grip on Flash’s arm, frowning as she pointed at the pendant around her neck. “I don’t need this to know when something’s wrong with you. We were pretty close for some time, after all.”

“If you can even call it that…” The moment the words left his mouth, Flash regretted even thinking them, shame welling up inside him as he watched Sunset lower her head and stare at the floor, her shoulders tense. “Sorry, I didn’t mean–”

“No, you’re right. I used you, Flash, and for that, I am truly sorry. Of all the things I’ve done, using you as little more than a quick stepping stone towards my goals still remains as one of the worst, if not the worst thing I’ve ever done.” Clenching her fist tightly, Sunset sighed as she looked back up at Flash. “Which is why I came to make sure you’re alright, not just to try and correct what I did, but because I really am worried about you.”

Flash was silent for a moment, before slumping against the wall and sliding down it to sit on the floor. “I… I lost my temper…”

“I’ll say…” Sunset said as she sat down next to him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get that angry before. I know Fleur said some pretty harsh things about Twilight, but you know none of them are tr–”

“It’s not just what she said,” Flash was quick to interrupt, “But also how she said it. I could tell right away that everything she said was little more than some story she worked up not to try and convince others but instead convince herself that there had to be a reason someone else could ever possibly be better than her. It’s obvious she hadn’t once considered getting to know Twilight like we have, despite the fact that they used to go to the same school. Just… what kind of place actually encourages that kind of behavior? Just thinking about Twilight being in that kind of environment, and for so long…” A growl worked its way through Flash’s teeth as he clenched his fists.

Flash blinked, his anger beginning to dissipate as he felt Sunset place her hand on his. “I know how you must feel, Flash. Believe me when I say I doubt I wouldn’t have done the same thing if I were in your place, but Twilight’s with us now, with friends she can trust and who can trust her. Friends like you and for, example.”

Flash sighed, a small smile crossing his lips. “Your right, as usual.”

“Flash! Sunset!”

The pair glanced up to see Twilight running up to them. “Is everything alright? I started to get worried after you two were gone for so long.”

Standing back up, Flash smiled at Twilight. “Yeah, we’re fine. Ain’t that right, Sunset?”

Sunset smiled as she too stood up. “Yep, we’re good now. How’s the match going?”

“Well…”

Twilight was cut off by the sound of loud cheering coming from the gym. “Oh, sounds like the match might be over! That means your match is next, Sunset, so we better head back.” Twilight moved to head back towards the gym but paused for a moment as she glanced at Flash. “Oh… thanks for standing up for me back there, Flash. Even if you did it in a… somewhat violent manner, it was still nice to hear you say all that.”

“Oh… uh…” Flush chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as a small blush began to spread across his cheeks. “It...it was nothing, Twilight.”

As Twilight ran back to the gym, Sunset nudged Flash in the side while wearing a teasing grin on her face. “Easy there, lover boy. You blush anymore and people will start mistaking you for a tomato.”

“H-hey!” Before Flash could retort, Sunset was already running down the hall towards the gym. “Sunset!”







[Battle Ended!]

As Sunset entered the gym, she saw that the fight was indeed over. For this round, Pinkie had been facing off against Sunny Flare, with Sunny Flare having emerged victorious judging from the cheering from the Crystal Prep side of the audience. Still, Pinkie seemed to still be in good spirits as she ran over and pulled Sunny Flare into a bear hug, despite Sunny Flare’s best attempts to wiggle free.

During all this, Sunset was able to spot Sunny Flare’s Gunpla still resting on the projector, an armored SD Gundam that appeared to have a pair of shoulder mounted cannons, plus a samurai sword attached at the hip. An SD user, huh? I’ll have to keep that in mind for when I face her in the next round. 

Sunset was determined to win, no matter who her opponent was.

“And with that amazing match, Sunny Flare has moved onto the next round!” Fluttershy announced as Pinkie Pie and Sunny Flare returned to their respective teams. “Now, for the final match of round one, it’s none other than Canterlot High’s very own Sunset Shimmer!”

That’s my cue. Walking towards the projector, Sunset waved to the crowd as they let out a loud cheer, some of them even chanting her name.

“And from Crystal prep we have…” Fluttershy seemed to freeze in place, earning several confused looks from the audience as she scanned the listing in front of her. “This… this can’t be right…”

“Oh, but it is.”

Everyone turned to look at the rear facing doors as a hooded figure stepped into the gymnasium, reaching up and pulling their hood back to reveal themselves. Purple hair with lime green streaks burst outward, a pair of long pigtails now free from the confines of the girl’s hood. Her light purple skin helped to compliment her darker purple eyeshadow and violet eyes, which started with utter hatred directed towards her opponent. 

Sunset gasped, not believing what she was seeing. “Ar-Aria Blaze!?”


Next Time: A Siren’s Requiem! Sunset Shimmer Vs Aria Blaze!

> Build 11
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A Siren’s Requiem! Sunset Shimmer Vs. Aria Blaze!


“What’s wrong?” Aria Blaze remarked with an almost Cheshire Cat-like grin on her face. “You all look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Indeed, a deafening silence had fallen over the gymnasium as nearly every Canterlot High student stared in disbelief at the return of one of the Dazzlings, having experienced first hand the power of their siren song during the Battle of the Bands. Many of the Crystal Prep students were also staring in confusion, largely because none of them could remember having seen this girl until today, despite her apparently being a Crystal Prep student too.

They weren’t the only ones to notice something was off, as Luna glanced at Cinch from where they were seated. “What is she doing here?”

“Oh? I was unaware you were all acquainted with her,” Cinch remarked, seemingly undeterred by this sudden turn of events. “Regardless, I fail to see any problem here.”

“Don’t lie!” Luna hissed at her, standing up from her seat and looming over Cinch. “You know full well she’s not a Crystal Prep stud–”

“Oh, but she is,” Cinch replied with a smirk that caused Luna’s hand to instinctively clench into a fist. “Or would you prefer I pull up her acceptance forms just to prove it?”

Luna growled, reluctantly sitting back down as she realized fighting with Cinch at this juncture would only be a waste of time.

Celestia, however, was not about to let Cinch have the last word so easily. “Abacus, if you try and pull any kind of tricks again like you did during the Friendship Games–”

“Oh, perish the thought!” Cinch replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“It’s been a while,” Sunset finally said after a moment. “Last time anyone saw you was when you ran off after the Battle of the Bands.”

“And whose fault was that?!” Aria snarled, slamming her hand against the top of the projector. “Everything was going perfect for us, but you and your friends just had to mess it all up! Do you have any idea how hard it’s been since you shattered our gems? We actually had to live like… like humans!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I fail to see how that’s a bad thing…”

“We had power! Now we actually had to get jobs and work to keep from going hungry! Adagio and that airheaded Sonata may be fine with it, but I won’t rest until I get you back for what you did to us, Sunset Shimmer! And if thrashing you in this silly little game will help me do that, then fine by me!”

“Um…” Twilight looked around at her friends, each of them with a stern look on their faces. “Anybody want to tell me what’s going on? Who is that girl?”

“Nothin’ but trouble, that’s what,” Applejack replied. “Last time she and her buddies showed their faces, they tried to use their wicked magic to turn the school against itself.”

“And they might very well have succeeded, were it not for some much-needed help from Sunset and Princess Twilight,” Rarity added. “After we managed to stop them, they all ran off and haven’t been seen since… till now that is.”

“Knew that Cinch was a real rotten piece of work, but to call in one of them to do her dirty work for her…” Rainbow said, clenching her fists tightly and looking like she was just barely restraining herself from going down there and dealing with the Siren herself.

[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup.]

As the projector dispersed a cloud of particles, it formed into an island surrounded on all sides by a crystal clear ocean. 

[Field 12, Island. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Docking her Unicorn Nova Gundam onto the base, Sunset gripped both controllers tightly as she waited for the signal to begin. 

[Battle Start!] 

“Unicorn Nova Gundam! Launching!”

Launching into the field, Sunset quickly came up on the island in the center of the arena, setting down within a small forest of trees near the coast as she braced herself behind a row of trees as she scanned her surroundings in search of her opponent. The trees swayed in the breeze, the calming sounds of waves crashing up against the shore as several seconds slowly ticked by without so much as a twig snapping underfoot.   

I don’t like this… Why hasn’t she attacked me yet? Slowly inching herself forward, Sunset would pause every few steps to peer through her rifle’s sight. Her senses were on high alert as she moved across the island, her muscles coiled like a snake ready to strike as she prepared for her opponent to announce themselves.   

Suddenly, a beam of orange plasma lanced through the treeline, forcing Sunset to quickly dive to the side to avoid being blasted. Spinning around, Sunset pointed her rifle in the direction the beam had come from and fired off a return shot. The beam cut through the treeline like a knife through butter, scorching a section of beach as the shot slammed into the ocean and blasted a tower of water into the air.

Before Sunset could even stop to catch her breath, another orange beam shot towards her from a completely different angle, just barely crazing the Unicorn Nova’s shoulder. Yet another beam quickly followed, forcing Sunset to duck and roll to avoid the attack. Breaking out into a run, Sunset returned fire again and again as trees exploded around her, any cover she could find slowly dwindling with each passing second. 

She’s herding me out into the open, but unless I can figure out where she’s firing from I’m a sitting duck either way!

Skidding to a halt on the beach, Sunset jerked her rifle to the left before sweeping it around to the right, posed to fire off a shot the second she saw even the slightest of movement. “Come out already, you coward!”   

“Careful what you wish for…”

With the speed of a viper, a thick cable shot out of the water and wrapped itself around the Unicorn Nova’s left ankle. Before Sunset could make a move to blast the cable, several more lanced out of the water and wrapped themselves around her Gunpla’s other ankle, both arms, waist, and neck, holding them in place as the Unicorn Nova was slowly dragged it towards the open water.

“The water!” Grunting, Sunset struggled desperately against her binds, digging her Gunpla’s heels into the sand to try and keep from being pulled below. Chancing a glance towards the ocean, she saw a small break in the calm waters as a dark green armored head rose up, a small slit across its black visor flashing with a green light. Fighting with her controls, Sunset managed to raise her Gunpla’s arm enough to aim her rifle at the exposed Mobile Suit, the targeting reticles flitting across her screen as she tried to line up a shot.

The second the reticles aligned, a blast of crimson plasma barreled through the air from Sunset’s rifle, only for the opposing Gunpla to swiftly duck back under the waters, the shot slamming into the water and blasting up another spray of water up into the air.

“Shoot, missed!” Sunset hissed through clenched teeth as she continued to fight against the cables pulling her ever closer and closer towards the ocean.

“Struggle all you want…” Aria taunted through the commlinks. “... It only makes the hunt that much more interesting.”

Already the Unicorn Nova was beginning to tread water, both feet desperately trying to regain traction as the water rose higher and higher up its legs. No matter how much she struggled though, the Unicorn Nova was held fast by the thick cables wrapped around its limbs until with one last pull, the Gunpla was yanked into the water with a large splash and vanished beneath the surface.

“Where’d she go?” Rainbow asked. As if hearing her inquiry, the scene changed from a view of the island to an underwater camera, focusing on the Unicorn Nova as it continued to struggle against its binds.       

“This is bad... “ Twilight muttered as she bit her nails with worry. “Despite being designed primarily for space, most Mobile Suits are at a severe disadvantage when in the water. Especially if her opponent’s Gunpla has been designed for underwater combat like I suspect it has…” 

As Sunset continued to sink deeper and deeper into the dark depths, she finally got her first glimpse of Aria’s Gunpla as it finally emerged from the shadows to loom over its captured prey.

The Gunpla was a large and imposing figure, covered in thick armor that made it look almost bestial in nature. Five glowing jewels were arranged in a star-like pattern on the Gunpla’s chest, and at the end of its armored hands it possessed large, yellow claws. Sunset could just barely make out a tail armed with a beam rifle behind it, as the thick cables extending out from the Gunpla’s wrists continued to constrict around the Unicorn Nova. The armored head that had briefly poked up out of the water now stared down at her, lacking any visible eyes save for the thin line that glowed across its visor.

“Like it? I call it the Baqto Siren.” Aria smirked as she continued to tighten her hold on her prey. “That stuck-up Starlight made it for me specifically to crush you and your stupid friends and so far it seems to be doing its job quite well, wouldn’t you agree?”

Warning lights flashed all around Sunset as her Gunpla began to succumb to both its rapidly tightening binds and the sudden increase in water pressure around it, its joints and armor beginning to creak and bend under the pressure. Struggling against the cables, Sunset tried to reach for a beam saber, only for her entire Gunpla to be jerked around as Aria took off even deeper down into the ocean. With each passing second, the Unicorn Nova’s armor was beginning to buckle and crack more and more.

I gotta figure out a way out of this fast before she crushes me like a tin can!

Trying to raise her rifle despite her rapid descent, she tried to fire off a shot when Aria’s Gunpla suddenly jerked around and changed direction. Swimming up to the Unicorn Nova, Aria easily swiped the rifle out its hands, snapping it in half like it was made out of tissue paper and letting it sink to the bottom of the ocean.

“Can’t have that now, can we? You’re in my domain now, and I haven’t finished having my fun!”

She’s right, while in the water I’m completely at her mercy. I have to get back on dry land if I want a fighting chance! Bringing up her side console, Sunset hurriedly began to type, ignoring the warning signals going off around her eyes scanned through her Gunpla’s system outputs as fast as they could.

Reconnect the neural linkage network… Renew Meta-Active Field… Adjust Plavisky Particle transmission speed by 0.64 percent… Redirect power from the lower systems to backpack thrusters… Overwrite failsafe recoils... Initiate power overflow… 

“What’s wrong?” Aria said with a smirk as the Unicorn Nova stopped struggling, swimming up to its face and leaning in closer. “Giving up already?”  

Here goes nothing! “Destroy Mode, engage!”

Within the darkened depths, a bright radiance momentarily blinded Aria as the Baqto Siren recoiled back. Despite the crushing force of its bonds, the Unicorn Nova was still able to fully engage its Destroy Mode as the Psycho-Frame within its body activated and poured reserved strength into its systems. Without waiting a moment, Sunset gunned the Unicorn Nova’s thrusters, jets of blue plasma shooting out that caused the water all around the two combatants to bubble and boil as the Unicorn Nova rapidly began to ascend back towards the surface.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Gunning her own Gunpla’s thrusters, Aria was able to slow her upward momentum enough to allow her a moment to pull down on the binds still wrapped around Sunset’s Gunpla, halting both Gunpla in place as they engaged in a power struggle between Sunset desperate attempt to escape the cold depths and Aria’s own attempts to drag her back down into them, knowing that if she managed to do that her opponent would once more be at her mercy.

Pushing her thrusters to their absolute breaking point, Sunset inevitably won the tug-o-war between them, shooting up towards the surface with Aria helplessly dragging behind her. As the Unicorn Nova breached the surface with Aria in tow, it was able to travel several feet into the air before its thrusters finally gave out, sending the pair hurtling back down towards the island to crashland onto the sandy beach and fill the air with a cloud of kicked up sand.  

As the sand cloud began to clear, the audience was finally able to see what had become of the two Gunpla, both Mobile Suits standing opposite one another like something out of a western movie. Thanks to a momentary slack in her bonds, Sunset had quickly used the opportunity to tear the cables from her Gunpla, finally freeing itself. However, it was not without a cost, as smoke poured from the Unicorn Nova’s vertical thrusters.

Unfortunately, Aria’s Gunpla was anything but a fish out of water, as it had remained largely undamaged from the crash and giving it the advantage.

Despite it all, however, Sunset was still smiling. She had an ace up her sleeve for just such an occasion. Switching to an option on her dash, the paneling that had risen up to reveal the Unicorn Nova’s Psycho-Frame System slid back into place as the Gunpla reverted back to its one-horned form. However, the glow of the Psycho-Frames could still barely be seen shining through the panels of the Gunpla, as if a great power was begging to be released.

“Whatever is Sunset doing?” Rarity asked.

“Bringing out her trump card,” Twilight replied with a smirk. “While we were designing the Unicorn Nova, Sunset made it very clear that she wanted a means to improve her Gunpla’s Unicorn Mode to be able to keep up with an enemy Gunpla without worrying of draining her systems dry through Destroy Mode. It’s called…”

“Daydream Mode!” Reaching up and grabbing one of the beam sabers attached to its backpack, one of the Unicorn Nova’s shields attached itself to the Gunpla’s left forearm as Sunset took up a battle-ready stance, preparing for Aria to react.

Growling, Aria glared at the Unicorn Nova through her monitors. “Fine, you want to do this the hard way, we can do this the hard way!” Moving with speed unbefitting its large stature, the Baqto Siren bored down on the Unicorn Nova, its large claws itching to tear the Gunpla limb from limb.

However, the Unicorn Nova too moved with unparalleled speed as it dodged a swipe from the Baqto Siren’s claws and slammed its shield into the bestial Gunpla, causing it to stumble back a step as Sunset brought her beam saber down to sever one of the opposing Gunpla’s arms. Raising its arm to block, a deep gash ran across the Baqto Siren’s forearm as it held the beam saber in place. With the attack blocked for now, the Gunpla’s tail flipped up and into its shoulder, the barrel of the beam rifle glowing yellow as it fired off an almost point-blank shot at Sunset.

Twisting its head to let the shot sail over its shoulder, Sunset deactivated her beam saber for a moment as she pulled her arm back and punched the Baqto Siren square in its non-existent jaw with a loud metallic clang. Jumping back to put some space between it and the Baqto Siren, the gun barrels on the sides of the Unicorn Nova’s shield extended as Sunset raised her shield and fired a barrage of plasma at the opposing Gunpla.

Each shot slammed into the Baqto Aria’s armor with enough force to drive it back, cracks slowly beginning to form in the thick armor. Steadying itself before the assault, the five crystals in the Gunpla’s chest glowed bright yellow before firing off a series of beams that coalesced into a singular blast that swallowed up the smaller blasts and hurtled towards Sunset, who was able to raise her shield in time to block most of the beam, though it still pushed her back a ways and left a smoking blast mark on her shield. 

Raising its arms, the tips of the Baqto Siren’s fingers opened up to reveal small blaster ports that went to work launching off a quick barrage of blasts that rained down onto the beach towards the Unicorn Nova. 

With another burst of speed, the Unicorn Nova swerved left and right as it avoided the oncoming barrage, moving with the fluidity and grace comparable to that of an experienced ice skater gliding effortlessly across the ice.  

“Wowee, look at her go!” Rainbow Dash remarked with clear amazement across her face.

“Yep. While the power boost Daydream Mode gives isn’t even half of that given by Destroy Mode, the uptick in speed and reduced power drain more than makes up for it, making it almost comparable to Trans-Am in many ways. However, like Trans-Am it isn’t infinite, so Sunset still needs to figure out a way to end this fight, and fast…”   
         
“Grrr… Sit still and let me destroy you already!” Aria spat out at Sunset as her attempts to hit the Gunpla proved futile. “I swear I’ll get you back for what you did to me!”

“And then what?” Sunset called out as she continued to dodge the blanket of blasts. “Defeating me won’t solve anything!”

“It’ll make me feel better! And maybe prove to Adagio and Sonata that I was right after all!” Powering up her chest blaster, Aria fired off everything she had in one large blast that slammed into the Unicorn Nova with a pronounced explosion that left a cloud of smoke clouding the area. “Got ya!”

Her joy was short-lived, however, as the Unicorn Nova, having now discarded its shield in favor of wielding a beam saber in both hands, leaped out of the smoke and into the air, its shadow looming over the Baqto Siren.

“This ends now!” With beam sabers in hand, Sunset plummeted down and slammed both of them down onto the top of the Baqto Siren’s head, the beams of hot plasma slicing through it like a hot knife through butter as gravity helped drive the attack downward until Sunset landed back on her feet on the beach, the beams of her sabers cutting out as the Baqto Siren stood perfectly still for a moment before an orange glow appeared straight down the length of the Gunpla, the two bisected halves topping over before sparking and exploding.   

[Battle Ended! Winner: Unicorn Nova!]

Thunderous applause erupted from the stands as the match came to a glorious end, securing yet another win for Canterlot High. As the projector shut down and the image of battle faded away, Sunset breathed a long sigh of relief at having come out on top once more. Picking up her Gunpla, she smiled down at her partner. “Good work out there, Nova.” Her smile vanished, however, as she glanced over at Aria Blaze, the former siren looking like she was seconds away from a complete meltdown.

“Damn it!” Aria swore as she slammed both fists against the projector, breathing through clenched teeth as her shoulders shook with barely restrained rage. “Why do I always lose? Just once can’t things go my way, is that too much to ask!?” A choked sob escaped the girl as it took her everything she had to not start crying right there and now.

Despite everything that Aria had put Sunset and her friends through… she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Walking up to her, Sunset put her hand on the trembling girl’s shoulder. “Hey, Aria–”

“What do you want?!” Aria snapped back, whipping her head up to glare at Sunset. “Come to gloat?”

“No, I…” Sunset didn’t know what she could possibly say to Aria to make up for everything, but still she said, “I… I just want you to know that you put up a good fight back there. If you ever want to Gunpla Battle again, or… or even just need to talk, you know where to find me, okay?”

Aria looked genuinely confused for a moment, opening her mouth as if to respond, only to close it again and look away. “Whatever…” With that, Aria turned around and walked towards the exit.

As Sunset watched Aria leave, she still didn’t know if she had done the right thing. In the end, she had offered Aria the chance to come to her if or when she needed to, and the fact that Aria hadn’t loudly refused her offer outright meant there might have still been hope for her. In the end, it would all come down to Aria to make that decision to take the first step, just like Sunset had taken that same step all those months ago.

During all this, no one seemed to notice as Starlight Glimmer suddenly stepped out from the shadows. Walking up to the projector, she picked up the bisected remains of the Baqto Siren and seemed to analyze it for a moment, before casting her gaze over at Sunset.

“Sunset Shimmer… will you be the one who can offer me a worthy challenge?”


Next Time: The Quarterfinals Begin!     

> Gunpla Glossary
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Star Nexus Gundam
Legend Gundam
Twilight Sparkle






Unicorn Nova
Unicorn Gundam
Sunset Shimmer






Arios Dash
Arios Gundam
Rainbow Dash






Gundam Astaroth RG
Gundam Astaroth
Applejack






Astray Glamour
Astray Blue Frame
Rarity






SD Musha Victory
Gundam Victor
Fluttershy






Calamity Gundam
Pinkie Pie






Deathscythe Nightmare
Deathscythe Hell
Principal Luna






Gundam Bael
Sunset Shimmer (Temporary)






SD Musha Gundam
Applebloom






Destiny Gundam
Rarity (Temporary)






Wild Burning Gundam
Burning Gundam
Timber Spruce






Susanowo
Lemon Zest






Gundam Virtue/Nadleeh
Indigo Zap






Jagd Doga Quess
Suri Polomare






Equalize Gundam
Reborns Gundam
Starlight Glimmer






Blastoise Gundam
Gundam Gusion
Sugar Coat






Extreme Gundam
Vinyl Scratch






Zaku II High Mobility Type
Neon Lights






Barbatos Lupus
Flash Sentry






Strike Rouge IWSP
Fleur






Baqto Siren
Baqto/Wrozzo Kitbash
Aria Blaze