The Friendship Games Page 4

  “Ooooh!” she squealed. “Floaty!”

  Twilight didn’t notice because she was so amazed that the kids from both schools were finally getting along. But then her device began buzzing and beeping, and she popped it open. She swept it over the bleachers, and the readings went crazy. What was going on?

  Pinkie Pie was surrounded by a shimmering aura of purple that wafted away as she slowly came back down to the bleachers. “Awww,” she sighed as her ears and tail disappeared.

  She felt unexpectedly dizzy and very tired. “I am party-pooped!” she realized. She reached out to steady herself.

  The last of the purple shimmers drifted into Twilight’s device. It was spinning and shaking. Twilight saw ripples emerging from beneath the bleachers. She peeked underneath them and saw… a forest and then the town hall from Ponyville! As the ripples vanished, the mirage disappeared.

  Twilight’s device seemed to stop working. It didn’t buzz. It didn’t blink.

  Principal Cinch entered the gym, surveying the party grimly. She was not pleased. Frowning, she addressed the crowd. “Ahem,” she coughed.

  DJ Pon-3 turned off the music.

  “I’d like to thank Principal Celestia for her… unconventional welcome,” said Principal Cinch with forced politeness. “It’s been four years since the last Friendship Games, but it feels as though nothing has changed. Canterlot High continues to pick its competitors in a popularity contest, and Crystal Prep continues to field its top twelve students.”

  With a smug, self-satisfied smile, Principal Cinch gestured toward a cluster of Crystal Prep kids. “It’s a comfort to know,” she continued, “that even after so many years, your school remains committed to its ideals, however misguided they may be. I wish you all the best of luck, regardless of the inevitable outcome.”

  Pinkie Pie’s confetti covered the floor. A Canterlot High student or two kicked at it, already feeling defeated. No one felt much like partying anymore.

  Pinkie Pie was sitting hunched over on the bleachers. Applejack came over to her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought your party additions were really swell.”

  Fluttershy smiled at her. “They definitely broke the ice.”

  “If only that Principal Cinch hadn’t frozen it again,” fumed Rarity.

  “Yeah,” said Pinkie listlessly. “She’s awful.”

  Sunset Shimmer noticed that something was really the matter with Pinkie Pie. This wasn’t just disappointment; she seemed sick. “Wow. What happened to you?” she asked.

  Pinkie Pie rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know. Everyone started having fun after Twilight and I fired the party cannons, and I ponied up.…”

  “Of course you did,” said Sunset Shimmer. It seemed to happen whenever the girls were happy. But what did it mean?

  “But then the magic just drained out of me,” Pinkie Pie sighed.

  “Wait,” said Sunset Shimmer, alarmed. “What do you mean drained out?”

  “Hey, where is the other Twilight?” wondered Applejack.

  Vice Principal Luna was at the podium. “Good morning, students. I’m sure you are all thrilled to start the first day of the Friendship Games. Our competitors will face off in every aspect of the curriculum, culminating in the elimination equation finale.”

  The kids in the gymnasium cheered!

  The Friendship Games were about to begin.

  Let the Games Begin!

  The first event, the Academic Decathlon, started in the science lab. Kids crowded into the doorway and peeked through the windows to get a look at the competitors.

  Dean Cadance was explaining the rules: “You will be scored on chemistry, home ec, and everything in between. But remember, only the six students from each team with the most points will move on to event number two. Good luck!”

  The teachers and administrators stood by, scorecards in hand. The school bell rang—and the experimenting began! The Wondercolts and the Shadowbolts lit their Bunsen burners. They picked up their pipettes. They tested their test tubes.

  Twilight dripped a solution into her test tube, and it turned from red to blue.

  The Great and Powerful Trixie dripped a solution into her test tube… and it exploded. When the smoke cleared, Trixie had vanished. Sort of. She was hiding under her lab table.

  Sunset Shimmer’s test tube went from red to blue, and so did Rarity’s and Pinkie Pie’s. Flash Sentry’s turned black, but at least it didn’t explode. A girl from Crystal Prep watched as her test tube bubbled over. The judges wrote down their scores.

  In the home ec kitchen, kids slid their soufflés into the oven. Would they rise or would they fall? The Canterlot High team members crossed their fingers but watched, disappointed, as their soufflé went up, up, up, and then flopped hopelessly down. Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare from Crystal Prep produced a perfect soufflé. But Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy managed to create a soufflé within a soufflé that not only looked amazing but also tasted delicious.

  The next event was in the wood shop, and each team was working on building a birdhouse. Hammers pounded, drills buzzed, and saws sent sawdust up into the air. Applejack and Rainbow Dash worked together and created an architecturally sound and good-looking birdhouse. Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat made one with two stories, decorated in flames. Lyra and Bonbon’s birdhouse kept collapsing. Each judge wrote something in her book. A spelling bee was happening in the auditorium. The competitors all sat on the stage facing the judge, and one by one stood up to take the challenge. Out. Out. Out. One by one, the students were eliminated as the words got harder and harder.

  But the hardest test of all was in the math room. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight were dueling at the blackboard. They divided; they added; they erased. They were working on one of the longest, hardest equations any of the kids had ever seen. Twilight kept glancing at her pendant, distracted. She didn’t want to be competing in the Friendship Games; she wanted to be continuing with her investigation. Sunset Shimmer was sure that Twilight was up to something. But what? She couldn’t think about it. She had to focus on the equation.

  Finally, both girls put down their chalk, and the judges swooped in to check over their work. Faces peered in at the window. Kids held their breath. Who would win? Would it be the Shadowbolts again or did the Wondercolts have a chance this time?

  Principal Cinch studied Sunset Shimmer’s work. Right, right, right, WRONG. “Incorrect,” she announced triumphantly.

  Sunset Shimmer tried to hide her disappointment. She’d let down her school and her friends.

  Vice Principal Luna stepped forward. “That means the winner of the Friendship Games’ first event is Twilight Sparkle and Crystal Prep.”

  Twilight Sparkle’s teammates applauded, but they didn’t look any friendlier. The Equestria Girls, however, all crowded around Sunset Shimmer.

  “That was awesome,” said Rainbow Dash.

  Rarity nodded her head. “Truly amazing.”

  “But we didn’t win,” said Sunset Shimmer sadly.

  “Well,” said Applejack, “that was as close to winning as Canterlot’s ever been.”

  After a brief conference, the judges announced the girls moving on to the next round.

  Across the room, the Equestria Girls were hugging one another. Twilight wondered what it would feel like to be part of that kind of team. Suddenly, Flash Sentry was standing beside her.

  “Congratulations,” he said to her. “You were really great.”

  Twilight blushed. “Um… thanks.”

  “I kinda knew home ec pretty much did me in,” he said, reminding her of his collapsed soufflé. “Hey, has anyone ever told you that you look just like—”

  “Excuse me,” interrupted Twilight Sparkle. There was something she wanted to say to the Equestria Girls, and they were leaving the room.

  “Okay, then,” sighed Flash Sentry, watching her go. It was strange. Except for her glasses, she looked exactly like Twilight Sparkle.

  Playing Games

  Twilight saw the girls cha
tting together by the Wondercolt statue before heading off to their next events. Only Fluttershy remained behind. She opened her backpack and began feeding treats to a little kitten she kept hidden there. She looked up to see Twilight watching her.

  “Do you want to give her a treat?” she asked.

  Twilight smiled shyly. “Guess I’m not the only one to smuggle her pet into school.”

  Fluttershy laughed. “Not just one.” She unzipped her bag all the way, revealing a guinea pig, a bird, and a bunny in addition to the kitten.

  “Oh wow,” cooed Twilight. “All I have is Spike.” She opened her backpack, and Spike stuck out his head.

  Fluttershy could not resist. She scratched him under his chin and tickled his ears. “It really is uncanny,” she said. “Does he talk?”

  Twilight looked at her as if she were insane. “Um. Not that I know of.”

  “Congratulations on winning, by the way,” said Fluttershy. “Though it didn’t seem like anyone on your team was very excited about it.”

  Twilight’s shoulders slumped. “No one at my school gets excited about anything they didn’t do themselves.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

  “That sounds awful.” Fluttershy reached into her backpack. “Here. Hold this.” She handed Twilight her bunny, and Twilight held it awkwardly in her lap.

  “Why?” asked Twilight, confused.

  “Holding a bunny always makes me feel better,” Fluttershy explained.

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Twilight. But the moment the bunny nuzzled her face, she began to grin. “It actually kind of works.”

  Twilight patted the bunny, and Fluttershy sat happily beside her. It took Twilight a little while to realize how strange this was. “But I’m on the other team and you just lost. Why are you being so nice to me?”

  “You looked like you needed it,” answered Fluttershy honestly. Fluttershy’s greatest joy was rescuing lost animals—and Twilight had seemed lost to her from the moment she had arrived at Canterlot High. Little acts of kindness always made Fluttershy happy. She was so happy, ears poked through her hair, her tail grew, and the shimmering purple aura sparkled around her.

  Twilight was stunned. “What in the world is that?”

  Twilight pulled out her device. The readings were going crazy. Streams of energy were emanating from Fluttershy. Nearby, strange ripples appeared in the grass, and a mythic jackalope appeared out of that other dimension and hopped toward them. Spike lunged for it, barking, and the jackalope retreated. Spike followed it, disappearing through the ripples. He was gone!

  “Spike!” yelled the girls together.

  Fluttershy dropped to the ground, stuck her hand right into the strange ripple, and started to fall into it. Twilight grabbed Fluttershy’s feet just in time and pulled her out, with Spike in her arms. The ripples dissolved and vanished.

  Purple shimmers poured out of Fluttershy and into Twilight Sparkle’s device. Fluttershy looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion. Her tail and her ears disappeared. Spike jumped out of her arms and back into Twilight’s.

  “Spike, are you okay?” asked Twilight.

  “I think so,” answered Spike. Something had happened to him! All of a sudden, he could talk.

  Twilight was stunned. She couldn’t believe her ears. Was she going crazy? “AAAAAAHHHH!” she screamed, and ran off.

  Poor Spike was freaked out, too, and he ran in the opposite direction.

  “Bye,” said Fluttershy weakly.

  Spike stopped, turned, and started running in the direction of Twilight. “Twilight, wait!” called the dog.

  Game’s Up

  Spike put his nose to the ground and followed Twilight into the high school and down the hallway. “Twilight, come on,” he yipped. “Wait for me!”

  At last, she stopped to catch her breath. Spike bounded over to her. There was still fear and confusion in her eyes.

  “Why did you run away like that?” asked her dog.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” panted Twilight. “Maybe it has something to do with the glowing girl or the hole in space or the talking dog!”

  Spike scratched his ear with his back paw. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Weird, right?”

  Twilight softened. Spike was still her dog, after all, even if he could now speak. “Are you okay? How do you feel? What happened? Where did you go?”

  “Hey!” Spike held up a paw. “One question at a time. This is pretty new to me, too.”

  Twilight picked up her pooch. “Sorry,” she apologized.

  “All I know is that I chased that pointy rabbit through the glowy thing, and then I was somewhere else.” It felt good to be back with Twilight Sparkle. “The next thing I knew, I was back in that nice girl’s arms and I could talk. I don’t really understand why I couldn’t before. It’s so easy.”

  Twilight peered inside his mouth but was stopped from any further investigation by Principal Cinch.

  “Twilight?” she said severely from the other end of the hall.

  “Quick,” whispered Twilight to Spike. “Hide in here!” She wasn’t even supposed to have a pet dog, much less a talking one. She opened a locker door, and Spike jumped inside.

  “Twilight, who were you talking to?” asked the principal.

  Twilight shrugged. “Myself. It’s a nervous habit. Were you looking for me?”

  Principal Cinch was suspicious. “Indeed I was. Quite a coincidence that the Canterlot High students moving on to the next event are the same nice girls who were so interested in you. Don’t you think?”

  “I’m not sure,” said Twilight, trying to keep her face expressionless.

  “Perhaps you should get to know them after all,” Principal Cinch suggested.

  Twilight was confused. “But I thought you didn’t want me to.”

  “Let’s just say I’m covering my bases. Who knows? Perhaps they will reveal to you the secret of Canterlot High’s newfound success.”

  “Spying feels kind of wrong,” said Twilight.

  “It’s your decision,” said the principal, looking down her nose at her prize student. “It’s not as though your application hangs in the balance.” She smiled. “On second thought, yes, it does.”

  She strode off down the corridor, her high heels clicking against the tiles.

  Twilight waited until she’d turned the corner to let Spike out of the locker. He’d heard everything.

  “She is awful. What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know, Spike,” sighed Twilight. “I don’t know.”

  Back in the Game

  The girls were headed out to the athletic fields for the second event. Fluttershy was filling everyone in on the strange happenings around the statue. “All I did was hand Twilight a bunny. Then I ponied up.”

  Sunset Shimmer was frustrated. “I just don’t get it. Rarity’s magic came out when she made us outfits, Pinkie’s when she fixed the party, and now Fluttershy.” She felt like she was looking at a puzzle, and she couldn’t find the missing piece.

  “Twilight’s pendant thing just pulled the magic right out of me. I couldn’t even stand up,” Fluttershy continued.

  “Like me at the party!” squealed Pinkie Pie.

  “Or me right before we met Twilight,” Rarity added.

  Sunset Shimmer stopped in her tracks. “So she’s stealing magic,” she hypothesized.

  Applejack shook her head. “I don’t know. She doesn’t seem like the magic-stealing type.”

  “I know,” agreed Sunset Shimmer. “But she had something to do with closing the portal. If her pendant can suck up magic, maybe it sucked up the portal, too.”

  “How?” wondered Fluttershy.

  “I don’t know,” Sunset Shimmer answered. “The only pony, person, or princess who could help me figure this out is completely unreachable now.”

  “Yeah, she knows everything about magic and portals and portals and magic and magical portals and portable magics,” said Pinkie Pie.

  Rainbow Dash had to put an
end to this distraction. There was another event, and the Wondercolts were already losing. They had to win this time. “Let’s just focus on beating the Shadowbolts. As long as this event puts me on a playing field, I don’t think we’ve got anything else to worry about.”

  The girls reached the top of the grassy rise leading to the fields, and for the first time saw how they had been remodeled and transformed for the Games. In the center of the soccer field was an archery range, around it was a track, and around that was a motocross speedway with ramps and jumps. The girls’ mouths dropped open.

  “Am I the only one who thinks this is overkill?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

  Applejack turned to Rarity. “I don’t suppose you made motocross outfits?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Rarity grinned. “Of course I did.” She was prepared for everything.

  Down on the field, Principal Cinch was reviewing strategy with the Shadowbolts team. “You will race in pairs,” she told them. “Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat will handle the motocross.”

  “Yes!” Indigo Zap pumped her fist in the air.

  “Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare have requested the short track,” continued the principal, “and since archery is a standard requirement at our school, any of you should be able to do it.”

  The entire team stared at Twilight. Twilight squirmed uncomfortably. Equations were one thing, bows and arrows another.

  “Twilight and Sour Sweet will start us off,” Principal Cinch confirmed.

  Sour Sweet sneered. “That’s just marvelous. If you want to lose before we even start.”

  Principal Cinch glared at her. “Given that Twilight won the last event single-handedly, I have every confidence that she’ll be able to pull her weight here.” She turned to Twilight. “Won’t you?”

  Twilight nodded, terrified.

  Students from both schools filled the stands. They were carrying banners and posters, and everyone was eager for the event to start. Spike was scampering around, looking for a seat with a good view. The administrators sat in a raised press box overlooking the field.