Sunset and I found ourselves racing to the school one morning after an emergency text from Rainbow Dash.
For a gorram guitar string. That girl really needs to get her priorities straight.
After the girls left, Sunset and I sat down on the steps in front of the school. We sat in a comfortable silence as Sunset wrote a message to Princess Twilight.
I had my arm wrapped around her shoulder as I observed the area in front of the school. A city bus pulled up to the stop and a person in jeans and a light purple hoodie with the hood pulled up got off.
I watched the figure pull out a device that resembled the PKE meter from the old Ghostbusters movies. I raised an eyebrow before the person started scanning the Wondercolt statue, causing both to raise in alarm.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I called out, startling them, causing them to take off running.
Sunset and I ran to catch them, but passing traffic delayed us long enough for them to jump on a bus heading back into town.
"What was that all about?" Sunset asked.
"I have no idea, but they were scanning the portal" I replied, us sharing a worried look.
A little while later, we were at a pep rally for the upcoming Friendship Games. The event had been postponed due to the tragedy before the winter holidays, causing Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash to look down. The Crusaders had just been sentenced to ten years in prison for their stunt. I hoped those girls took my words to heart and did some god when they got out. They did have the possibility of parole, so there was a chance of getting early release.
After a rousing musical number by Rainbow Dash where she ponied up, we all met in the library.
"So for those of us that are from out of town what the big deal is with the Friendship Games?" I asked.
This quickly evolved into a rant about how often Crystal Prep had beaten CHS in the games.
"So basically, what was supposed to be a friendly competition to foster good relations between the schools has devolved into a competition that is all about the prestige of winning it?" I asked.
The girls nodded.
I rubbed my head. "That is insane."
The next week the delegation from Crystal Prep arrived.
As they were arriving, Principal Celestia pulled Sunset and I aside.
"I would like for the two of you to try and keep any magic out of this competition as possible. Principle Cinch might use it as a way to force CHS to forfeit the Games." She said.
I sighed. "Is she the reason that a friendly competition got so heated?" I asked.
Celestia did not reply, but her expression spoke volumes.
"Right, so I understand Sunset, but why me?" I asked her.
"While Sunset is the most knowledgeable about Equestrian magic, your particular brand could be used to contain any that arises that the girls can't control." She replied.
"Good thing I always have a full complement then. Though warning you, if it gets too hairy, I might have to break out my sword." I replied.
"You have a sword?" Both Celestia and Sunset asked.
Looking around I motioned for them to follow me to an empty classroom.
Closing the door and motioning for them to stand back, I summoned the Fusion sword with a flick of my wrist.
Both jumped at the sudden appearance of the massive multi section blade. I let go of the blade and it disappeared in a flash of Mako.
Celestia collected herself. "Yes, well try to do what you can to keep it from getting to that point." She said.
I nodded and stood at parade rest. "Yes ma'am."
After Celestia dismissed us, we headed to the band room to meet the girls.
In the room, Rarity was showing off all the outfits she had made for the girls to wear for the games, even breaking out into song with full musical accompaniment.
Then after she ponied up, she suddenly reverted back and nearly collapsed drained of energy. We all clustered around her in concern as nothing like that had ever happened.
Then the door opened.
I blinked. The resemblance was uncanny, but it seemed that the local Twilight Sparkle had arrived, and judging by the uniform, she went to Crystal Prep.
Before the girls could get over thier shock, I walked up to her and introduced myself.
"Hi, name's Talisman Stryke." I said offering my hand.
"Twilight Sparkle." She said nervously.
"Crystal Prep I assume?" I asked getting a nod. "Well, welcome to Canterlot High. Are you participating in the Games?"
"Uh, yes, I…" She started before we were interrupted by Celestia and a very stern looking woman.
"Ms. Sparkle, you are needing out in front of the school." She said.
"Y...yes Principal Cinch." Twilight replied, clearly scared of the woman.
I looked at the woman and gave a slight glare, causing her to sniff in disdain and walk off with Twilight.
"So that is this world's Twilight. I had wondered if there was one." Celestia said.
"Polar opposites those two. But then Princess Twilight is older and has more life experience. Plus she is a royal, so she would have to gain a lot of confidence to keep the nobility from walking all over her. This Twilight seems to have zero social skills. Probably focused on her academics to the detriment of all else." I replied.
Celestia hummed thoughtfully, before nodding and heading off to do whatever she was doing previously.
Sunset stepped up next to me. "Don't you find it odd that Rarity collapsed and this world's Twilight was outside the door?" She asked quietly.
I nodded. "We'll have to keep an eye on her." I said.
Not half an hour later we were standing outside, Sunset resting her hand on the portal, worrying about the silence from the princess, the surface rippling under her hand when suddenly something began tugging on her hand.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist and began pulling. After a moment, our efforts were rewarded when she was let loose, causing us to fall back.
Dusting ourselves off, Sunset went back to the portal and started panicking.
"No, no, no. Where is it?" She said before running to the other side of the statue.
I followed her and found her confronting the local Twilight.
"What did you do?!" She shouted, panic evident in her voice.
"I don't know!" Twilight shouted back, clearly unnerved by whatever had happened.
I spied an oversized compact hanging on a rope around her neck, glowing slightly.
I wrapped my arms around Sunset, causing her to slump as Twilight ran off to join her class.
"The portal, my magic, it's gone." She sobbed.
I turned her around and held her tight, while glaring at the Crystal Prep students that dared snicker at her.
"We'll figure it out my Phoenix." I said as I stroked her back.
"Phoenix?" She asked looking up at me.
I nodded. "You have risen from the ashes twice now, stronger and more beautiful than before. We will figure this out together. We're a team remember?" I said giving her a kiss, eliciting sounds of disgust from what appeared to be to females kissing.
I broke the kiss and glared at them, pushing mako into my eyes, the glow coupled with the dark, Japanese styled school uniform that Rarity had made me adding to the intimidation.
I honestly have no idea why Rarity had chosen the designs she did, but I thought I looked pretty good.
A little while later, we ran into Fluttershy, who informed us that she had run into the local Twilight and her dog Spike that she had smuggled in her backpack to the games. She said that after talking with the crying Twilight, something that made Sunset rub her arm in guilt, during that time she had ponied up and her magic had been drained out of her and a series of small portals had opened and a damned jackalope had come out of one before Spike had chased it through them before being struck by a beam of magic, causing him to gain the ability to talk.
We were all stunned by this development. Her device was draining everyone of their Equestrian magic. To what end, we could only speculate