***Crystal Prep Academy, ?'s POV***
Okay, let's see... Don't need any of these books. Might as well leave my backpack here. I put it away, then close my locker.
I hate that my locker's on the top floor, especially when my final class of the day is on the bottom floor. I'm amazed my leg's still holding up from all this. Maybe because I'm so careful with how I walk up and down the stairs.
Stairs... Right... Grab both railings, lead each step with my right leg, apply as little pressure to it as I can. Every time I do this, I feel like I'm 13 again. I told the principal I can't do this every day, but she said I should suck it up.
This school is full of people, but still I don't belong
Singing?
A girl walks up to the window.
They only dream of winning,
Look at me like something's wrong
I think that's... Twilight Sparkle, the smartest student in school. Why is she singing?
Maybe I'm better off alone...
Will I find what I'm looking for if I just do it on my own?
Do it on her own? I tried being her friend, but she said she doesn't have time for relationships!
I know there's more that's out there
Something to fill this hole inside
She walks away from the window as I pass by her.
I know there's more that's out there
And I'm not afraid to try
So now she wants a friend?
There's only so much this school can offer
And I'm not saying that it's wrong
Twilight's right about one thing. All they care about is winning, and they act like I don't exist. Sugarcoat's exact words were "You're a former Canterlot High School student. We don't associate with your type." At least they don't ridicule me.
It was that reason why Principal Cinch told me to join the team for the upcoming Friendship Games. She said having a former CHS student on the team might throw them off their game, even after I told her about my history with that school. When I reminded her about my leg, she said I was handling the stairs just fine. I'm pretty sure she has it out for me. Why else would all four of my classes be on different floors?
I sigh. Sometimes I wonder if transferring here was the right thing to do. Yes, the CHS students gave me crap on a daily basis, but one boy made things a little more tolerable. The only person there who showed me any kindness. Here, I feel... alone.
I hope he's doing better...
***Canterlot High School, Cloudflare's POV***
The girls and I, sans Rainbow, are sitting in the gym. Rarity and Sunset are sitting next to me, while Pinkie, AJ, and Fluttershy are in the row in front of me.
Almost everybody looks bored. Like they don't want to be here. I don't blame them. When your rival school kicks your school's butt at everything, it's hard to get excited over facing them at anything.
"As I am sure you all know," Principal Celestia says, "tomorrow, Canterlot High School will be meeting with our fellow students from Crystal Prep Academy as we join together in the spirit of excellence, sportsmanship, and fidelity to compete in the Friendship Games."
The students' reactions mirror their expressions.
"Since the games only happen every four years, I'm sure you're all curious what goes on."
"Other than us losing?!"
I would've expected Thunderlane to say something like that, not Flash. Especially when he's on the team.
"And that is exactly why I've asked Rainbow Dash to come up and give you all a little... context."
Rainbow walks on-stage and grabs the mic. "Thank you, Principal Celestia." She clears her throat. "I know what a lot of you are thinking. 'There's no way we can beat Crystal Prep at anything.'"
"Unless it's a 'losing to Crystal Prep' competition," Pinkie shouts, "'cause we're really good at that!"
At least we've got one claim to fame.
Rainbow groans at Pinkie's outburst. "And it's true that CHS has never won the Friendship Games."
"Oh, dear," Rarity says. "I hope this speech isn't meant to be motivational."
I hear the school band start playing. "Crystal Prep students are super athletic, super smart, and super motivated. But there's one thing they aren't. They aren't Wondercolts!"
'Cause if they were, they'd be the ones who always lose.
As Rainbow starts singing, the stage curtains open, revealing members of the school band.
We've fought magic more than once
And come out on top
Well, technically -
There's other schools, but none can make those claims
Technically, only six students fought magic. Everybody else was being controlled by said magic, manipulated by magical creatures, or wearing headphones to block it out.
Also, why would any school make those claims to begin with? "Fighting magic" sounds like the plot of some little girls' show. Or a fighting game about wizards. Or some card game.
They get off the stage and walk down the aisles, continuing to play.
I look around, and I see Vinyl plug something into her turntable. Wow, guess she does take off her headphones sometimes.
A guitar riff and drum beat start playing over the gym's speakers. I gotta admit, I'm a bit more hyped now.
As the song continues, the other students start getting into it, even singing along.
Some of the band members throw things into the crowd. It's those Wondercolts ears. The same ones from back at the Fall Formal. I'm not sure what it is about those that hypes everyone up, but they sure are effective.
Na, na, na na na na
Wondercolts united together
Okay, how do they all know the words? Is there a version of the Wondercolts anthem with lyrics that I'm not aware of?
As the song nears its conclusion, Rainbow... ponies up? How? Her guitar's nowhere near her. The other girl throws her baton in the air and Rainbow catches it as the song ends. The crowd cheers.
We meet with Rainbow behind the stage's curtain after everyone else has cleared out.
"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy says, "that... was... amazing! Even I feel like we can win this year!"
"I feel like my school pride is at an all-time high!" Rarity says.
"I've never felt so hyped up about anything in this school before!" I say.
"I'm not the only person wonderin' how Dash ponied up without her guitar, right?" AJ asks.
"Probably because I'm so awesome!"
"Maybe," Sunset says. "I mean, you are awesome, but there's gotta be more to it than that, right? It just seems so random."
"Well, it would be nice if all of you could get a handle on it." Vice Principal Luna is standing behind Sunset. "We'd like to keep magic as far away from the Friendship Games as possible. We don't want to be accused of cheating."
"We don't need magic to defeat those hoity-toity Crystal Preppers!" Rarity says.
The others agree with her.
Wait. "We don't?"
"Of course we don't!" Rainbow says.
"I thought your song was saying we can win this time because we have magic on our side."
"Why would I write a song about cheating to win?!"
"You showed demon Sunset and the sirens when you were singing, 'We overcame the obstacles we faced'. If that doesn't send the message 'We can win because we have magic'..."
"Enough, you two," Luna interrupts. She looks at Sunset. "Sunset Shimmer, you came here from a world of magic. Perhaps you can get to the bottom of our magical development."
"I'll do my best."
Luna nods, then leaves.
"Okay. Anybody have any guesses what the events are gonna be?" Rainbow asks.
Pinkie pulls a pie out of her hair. "Pie eating?" Then a cake. "Cake eating?" She gasps, then slams the two together. "PIE-CAKE EATING?!"
How did she...
"They won't even let us see the field," AJ says. "Ya think they'd at least tell competitors what they're competing in."
"It could be anything," Fluttershy says.
"Anything?!" Rarity exclaims. "How will I ever pick the right outfit?!"
"You don't need to make outfits for everything we do," I say.
"Nonsense. We have to look our best at these events."
"I really wanna help," Sunset says, "but I think I should focus on figuring out why Rainbow Dash ponied up. See ya later!" She leaves for the library.
"Seems like she's got everything under control," Pinkie says. "Nothing to worry about."
I hope you're right.
I may not know what the future holds
But hear me when I say
That my past does not define me
'Cause my past is not today
As we finish the song, the girls' pony ears and wings disappear. I kinda feel left out by not being able to pony up.
"I hope the Friendship Games have a music competition," Rainbow says, "'cause we'd totally rock it!"
After last month, I'm not sure they'll do another one of those anytime soon.
"We're supposed to keep magic out of the Friendship Games, remember?" Sunset says.
"Just do what you did at the Battle to keep from ponying up," I say.
"Well," Rarity says, "while Sunset works on keeping the magic out of the games, I've been working on what to put in!"
"Rarity, what did you do?" AJ asks.
She brings in a bunch of outfits on clothing racks. "Well, I had a little time on my hands, and since we don't know what the events are, I made a few options for uniforms!"
I look through the ones on the rack she put next to me. "Cowboy, wrestler... Something that looks like it's worn by Sgt. Paprika's band? What event could this possibly be suited for?"
"70s-style music competition?"
"You really didn't have to do all this," Rainbow says.
"I know."
"No, seriously," I say. "You really didn't have to."
"I know! Oh, that reminds me. Cloudflare, I don't have your measurements. Could you drop by the boutique after the Crystal Prep students leave?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather wear my everyday clothes."
"Oh, but I insist. Like I said earlier, we all need to look our best."
"You know how I feel about fancy outfits."
"Formal attire is my specialty, but it's not the only thing I make. If you want something simple, I'll do it."
"You promise it won't be some fancy, frou-frou suit or anything like that, right?"
"I Pinkie Promise." She goes through the motions.
I sigh. "Okay..."
"Excellent!"
"These outfits are great n' all," AJ says, "but why would you put so much time and effort into clothes we might not even wear? You're gonna exhaust yourself before the games even start."
"Oh, pfft! Don't be silly, darling! I love putting effort into clothes, and spending time on my friends fills me with energy!" Suddenly, she ponies up.
Hm... Rainbow was rallying the students, and Rarity was making clothes for her friends. Making clothes is practically Rarity's career, but I don't think Rainbow wants to make a career out of hosting pep rallies.
Sunset mentioned something about the Elements of Harmony, but I wasn't really paying attention. Well, I was paying attention to her. Just not what she was saying. What were they, again? Friendship...
"Actually..." Rarity suddenly sounds out of breath. "Now that you... mention it... I suppose I could use... a tiny break..." She faints.
"I told you..."
The door opens. A girl walks in. It looks like...
"Twilight?"
"Uh... yes?"
Everyone walks up to her.
"Well, I'll be!" AJ says. "You shoulda told us you were comin'."
Something seems... off.
"Darling, those glasses... And what on earth are you wearing? It's so... severe."
"My... uniform?"
"You can critique her fashion choice later," I say. I take a closer look at her.
"Uh..."
"She certainly resembles Twilight. Same skin color, same hair color, same voice..."
A dog pokes its head out of her backpack and barks.
"Same dog..."
"Spike!"
'Twilight' gasps. "You know my dog's name, too?"
"Even if I hadn't seen someone with her hairstyle in the city before," I say, "the Crystal Prep uniform is a dead giveaway."
"Wait... Crystal Prep?" Rainbow says.
I wonder...
"Twilight?" Principal Celestia's here.
"This is getting ridiculous..."
"I must apologize for the curiosity of my top student." Guess she's showing Principal... Cinch, I believe her name is? ...around the school.
"Your student?"
"The smart ones are always curious. I'll get her back to the rest of her classmates to check in." She leaves with 'Twilight'.
Celestia looks at us. "I didn't know Twilight had a twin sister."
"She doesn't!" Pinkie says. "That Twilight is obviously the Twilight from this world since it couldn't possibly be the Twilight from the pony world since the Twilight from the pony world doesn't go to Crystal Prep or wear glasses!"
That's... pretty much what I was thinking.
Celestia is about to say something, but stops herself.
"Also, pony Twilight doesn't tie her hair in a bun or have bangs," I add.
"Never mind." She leaves.
"I can't believe our world's Twilight goes to Crystal Prep!" Rarity says.
"You're saying that Twilight's gonna play against us?" Rainbow says. "She'd never do that"
"This isn't our Twilight," Fluttershy says.
"Our Twilight is a princess in Equestria and an expert in friendship magic, and if she was here, we'd have already figured out why magic is randomly popping up during pep rallies and costume changes!" Sunset pauses, then takes a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm just frustrated that I haven't heard back from her."
"She's probably got her own princess problems to deal with," AJ says.
"We can't expect her to just drop everything and jump through the portal whenever," Rarity says, "especially for something as minor as a few random pony-ups."
"But they aren't minor! Magic came into this world when I stole Twilight's crown. It's taken a lot for me to earn everyone's trust. If we have to forfeit the games because I can't think of a way to keep it under control..."
"It's like I told you earlier," I say. "Just keep at it. You're sure to figure everything out."
"You're the one who helped us understand what was goin' on with the sirens," AJ says. "Remember?"
"I guess... But Twilight was the one who really figured out what we needed to defeat them."
"Don't you remember, darling? What we needed to defeat them... was you."
She sighs. "Alright."
"Okay!"
"Woo-hoo!"
"Come on, guys!" Rainbow says. "Let's see if we can find any info about the events and come up with a strategy. You comin', Sunset?"
I look back.
"I'll... catch up with you guys in a bit."
Hm...
"I'll go with her, too." I walk up to Sunset. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all."
We walk outside the school. The Crystal Prep buses are parked, and some of the students are standing next to them.
"Still no reply..."
Sunset has her book open, and the page is blank.
"How do you know when Twilight responds? Do you just have to keep checking?"
"When I used this back in Equestria, it would glow and vibrate whenever Princess Celestia had a message for me. I'm not sure if it still does that, though. The last message I got was the day before I went through the portal."
"So it's basically like a cell phone? Well, a cell phone that can only send texts..."
"Huh... I guess it is. Never thought of it that way before."
We walk up to the statue.
"Maybe there's another way I could reach her," she says.
"Like what?"
"I dunno..." She puts a hand on the portal. "Maybe -" As soon as it touches the portal, a small ring of fire forms around it. "Hey! Let go!" She tries pulling her hand off of the portal with her free hand, then puts that hand on the portal.
Crap! She's stuck!
I grab her right wrist with both of my hands and try pulling her off.
Not... working...
Suddenly, her hands become unglued from the portal, causing us both to lose our balance and fall back.
I look up. This world's Twilight is on the ground as well. I tap Sunset's shoulder to get her attention, then point toward Twilight.
"What did you do?!"
Twilight looks nervous.
"Twilight, you have to check in with the others," someone else says.
Twilight runs off in that direction before either of us can say anything else.
"You okay?" I ask Sunset.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She looks at her wrist. "My wrist is a little red, though."
"Sorry about that."
"It's no big deal."
I look at the portal. I carefully put my hand on it, then take it off. At least it doesn't do that anymore.
Wait... I put my hand back on it.
It doesn't do anything anymore!
"So, um... About the portal... It's... It's gone."
"Gone? How can it be gone?" She walks over and puts her hand on it. "It's gone!"
"Told you."
"What do ya mean the portal's gone?" AJ asks.
"I mean it's gone!" Sunset says. "It's closed! It vanished! It's not there anymore!"
We walk into the gym.
"How did that happen?" Rainbow asks.
"Ask our world's Twilight," I say. "She was on the other side of the statue when the portal disappeared."
I look around. They did a good job sprucing up the place. There's a generic "Welcome Crystal Prep" banner hanging above the stage. What happened to the one Flash and the others made? He told me Vice Principal Luna loved it. Did her sister not?
Vinyl is sitting at her DJ booth. As usual, she's wearing her headphones. Since she's in a DJ booth, I guess it's excusable.
A girl is standing at the snack table.
Is that her? Anybody could have brown hair, but she's the only brown-haired girl I know who wears socks that cover her knees, but don't go all the way up her thighs.
I walk up to her. "Olivia?"
She turns around.
Yup, it's her.
"Cloudflare?"
I smile. "It's been a while."
"Oh my gosh, I knew it was you!" The two of us hug.
"I didn't know you went to Crystal Prep. How have things been going for you?"
"Well, the students aren't teasing me. They're not talking to me at all, actually. Aside from one... weird student."
"Weird how?"
"He has some... obsession with feet. I don't wanna go into it."
I can imagine how that one went. At least he didn't tell everyone. "I see... So you're on the Shadowbolts team for the Friendship Games?"
"Principal Cinch forced me to join. She said it would throw you guys off your game to see an ex-Wondercolt. Though from what I've seen, they don't even remember me."
"I heard a rumor that one of the events is jumping over hay bales. Doesn't she know about your prosthetic?"
"Wait, what?! I have to jump over..." She groans. "What the hell?! That b**** does have it out for me!"
"Calm down. I'm sure she just forgot."
"My classes are across all three floors! I have to go up and down 240 steps every day!"
240?! She actually counted them?!
"Hello, everyone!" Principal Celestia is standing on the stage. "I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all of our visitors from Crystal Prep Academy and welcome them to CHS."
"Are they still incompetent?" Olivia asks me.
"Sorta," I say. "They still seem oblivious to most of the stuff that goes on."
"Sunset Shimmer still runs the place, huh?"
Oh right... I forgot about that. "Uh... Well..."
"And lastly," Celestia says, "I would like to recognize the twelve students that CHS has elected to compete." I wave to the other students. "I don't think we could have chosen a better group to represent the excellence, sportsmanship, and friendship the games stand for."
"She could've chosen somebody other than Shimmer. But I guess when you have the principals in the palms of your hands..."
"Yeah... About that..." I should just tell her. "Sunset Shimmer is... Well... She's..."
The lights go out and a disco ball lowers from the ceiling. Vinyl starts playing a song at her booth.
"Nice way to break the ice," Olivia says.
"Yeah, Pinkie's good at that. So anyway, as I was saying... Sunset Shimmer..."
There's a loud bang, and confetti starts raining down. What else is gonna interrupt me?!
"Wait, Pinkie used an actual party cannon? I thought that was a metaphor for the meet-n-greet being a blast."
"At least it got everyone together."
All the students, CHS and Crystal Prep alike, have started dancing.
"Things sure have changed since I left."
"You have no idea how much..." I mutter.
"What was that?"
I sigh. Just gonna say it. "Sunset Shimmer and I are friends."
...
"Sunset Shimmer? The same Sunset Shimmer who ruined my life and yours? Did you hit your head on something?!"
That's the reaction I expected.
"She's changed! She's nice now."
"You've gotta be kidding! This is Sunset Shimmer we're talking about!"
"Yes, and Sunset Shimmer isn't a heartless -"
Someone taps on a microphone, producing loud feedback. The lights turn back on.
Principal Cinch is standing on-stage. "I'd like to thank Principal Celestia for her unconventional welcome. 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."
You mean its top eleven students and one you roped in.
The students walk back to their respective side, Olivia included. She's a bit mad at me.
"It is a comfort to know that even after so many years of losses, 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."
Why would Olivia go to Crystal Prep to begin with? I know she doesn't care about the rivalry, but she's a former Wondercolt! Surely she'd know how she'd look in their eyes. Maybe it was the only option available on such short notice...
I thought I'd be happier when I saw her again, since we dated for a few months until the students' torment forced us to break up. I still liked her when she left, but now I feel... nothing. Not even a little bit of interest. I guess my feelings for Sunset are too strong. That, or it's because Olivia and I have been apart for so long.
I walk back to the Rainbooms. Pinkie looks exhausted.
"You okay, Pinkie?" I ask. "What happened?"
"I don't know," she says. "Everyone started having fun after Twilight and I fired the party cannons and I ponied up."
"Another pony-up, huh?" Hm...
"But then the magic... It felt like it leaked out of me."
Rainbow Dash ponied up when she was showing CHS school spirit, Rarity ponied up when she said she loved making outfits for her friends, and now Pinkie Pie ponied up when she got everybody together in a party-type environment.
Think... What were the Elements of Harmony...
...
Loyalty... Laughter...
...
"Wait, it leaked out of you? What does that... Never mind. I don't wanna know."
I walk out of the boutique.
Now the shOw is donE
You tHink that you have won
Yeah, they were evil, but the song was catchy enough that I wanted to come up with my own lyrics.
But my time is noW
I'm gonna take you dowN
I wish I didn't have a bad singing voice. At least it's not as bad as the magic-less sirens.
My phone rings. It's Sunset.
"Hey, Sunset."
"Hi, Cloudflare. How'd things go with Rarity?"
"Just finished up. She showed me a few of her basic designs, and said she could make them fit whatever events there might be without going overboard."
"She took your measurements, huh?"
"Yup."
"She didn't... um... make you..."
"No, I was allowed to keep my clothes on."
"Oh, good..." She sounds relieved.
"Why is that?"
"Uh... W-Well, uh... You know... Sh-She didn't force you to do something you didn't want to."
Mm-hmm... "Right."
...
"So... Any luck figuring out the random pony-ups?"
"Not yet. I looked through the library trying to find anything that could explain it, but came up empty."
"You're the one who brought magic into this world at the beginning of the school year. Why would the library have books on it?"
"Why would the library have a book on magic portal maintenance?"
"I guess you've got a point there."
She sighs. "I thought I knew enough about magic to figure this out."
"Just keep at it. If anybody can make sense of it, it's you."
"Thanks, Flare."
"I'll let you get back to it."
"Okay. I'll see ya later."
"'Kay. Bye."
"Bye."
We hang up.
...
She called me "Flare"...
She's never called me that before.
And her reaction...
...
She likes me. I'm a hundred percent sure of it now. I'm not worried about it being too early anymore. I'm asking her out after the Friendship Games!
As long as I don't chicken out...
A/N: Olivia's skin color is light grey (a bit lighter than Derpy's), and her hairstyle is the same as Mystery Mint's (timestamp 0:10:25 in the non-TV versions, far left), but about 2 inches shorter. She's missing her leg from below her knee, so she wears a prosthetic leg. She's a bit more foul-mouthed than Cloudflare.
The lyrics are set to the sirens' verse of "Welcome to the Show" and are from a scrapped idea I had for the previous story. Certain letters are bolded, capitalized, and/or de-italicized to show he's not too good at singing.