A/N: According to Twilight's calendar, the Friendship Games take place on the second Thursday of the month. Based on Luna's "first day of the Friendship Games" announcement, saving the Tri-Cross Relay for Friday makes sense. However, Fluttershy's encounter with Twilight implies everything took place on the same day (especially when Twilight said the Wondercolts "just lost" the first event).
I moved everything to Friday because that's the day of the week the elementary and middle schools I went to held these types of events, and it makes more sense to me.
"Welcome to the first event: The Academic Decathlon!" Dean Cadance says. "You'll 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!"
Olivia still looks mad at me. I don't blame her. I just hope I get the chance to properly explain.
The chemistry round was really simple. Follow the directions and be careful. Couldn't be easier! Yet somehow, that muffin girl managed to screw it up. I guess when you can't even focus your eyes...
I hadn't expected a round involving making screwdrivers in metal shop, especially when we don't have several days. Luckily, all we had to do was drill a hole in the handle, cut the metal rod to the correct length, forge the end of it, then glue them together. Rainbow took care of the handle, and I handled the metal. It turned out pretty well, considering I've never done any metal work before.
The cake-making round was extremely easy, since I was paired up with Pinkie. I handed her the ingredients she needed and she mixed them together. Somehow, she got the inside of the cake to look like the Mona Lisa. That shouldn't be possible, but this is Pinkie Pie. What also shouldn't be possible is Flash and Sweetie Drops making bread in a cake contest...
"It is now time for the spelling bee!" Principal Celestia announces. The crowd cheers.
"The rules are simple," Dean Cadance says. "The students will step up to the microphone one at a time and will be given a word to spell. They may ask for the definition or to hear it used in a sentence if it they think it could help. They will say the word, spell the word, then say the word again."
"No backpedaling," Principal Cinch says. "Once you say a letter, you must continue. You will have thirty seconds to begin spelling the word and seven seconds to give us the next letter. Spell it wrong, you're out."
Okay, I got this. Last in line on my team, so I have the most time to mentally prepare myself. As long as there aren't any rare, complex words, I should do fine.
"Since Canterlot High is hosting the Friendship Games this year," Luna says, "they will go first."
Rainbow walks up to the mic.
"First word... 'hippopotamus'."
Not a tough word, but I can see how the double-P could throw some people off.
"Hippopotamus: H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M... A-S? 'Hippopotamas'?"
A buzzer sounds.
Really, Dash? A-S?
Well, this is off to a fantastic start...
Olivia walks up to the mic next.
"Next word... 'scoundrel'."
Hm... Is that A-L or E-L?
"Scoundrel..."
Pretty sure it's E-L.
"S-C-O-U-N-D-R-A-L. 'Scoundral'."
The buzzer sounds. Yup, I was right.
Pinkie skips up to the mic.
"Next word... 'sarsaparilla'."
Wow... Silent consonant words already?
"Ooh! That's an easy one! Sarsaparilla: S-A-R-S-P-A-R-I-L-L-A. 'Sarsparilla'!"
The buzzer sounds.
"What?!"
How was that wrong?! There is a silent 'R', right?
Nobody has spelled anything correctly so far. I guess when the first student fails to spell a word as simple as 'hippopotamus', it throws everyone off their game.
I walk to the mic. I need to get this right to give CHS any chance of winning. No pressure...
"Next word... 'algebraic'.
Hm... I know the 'algebra' part. Is it A-I-C or A-E-I-C? The change in pronunciation is what's throwing me off.
"Algebraic..."
I hope this is right.
"A-L-G-E-B-R-A-I-C. 'Algebraic'."
A bell sounds.
That was lucky. I return to my seat and Twilight takes the mic.
"Next word... isosceles'."
Of course you give the smartest student at Crystal Prep a geometry word.
"Isosceles: I-S-O-S-C-E-L-E-S. 'Isosceles'."
The bell sounds.
Yeah, knew she'd get that one.
So now it's down to me and her... Crystal Prep's smartest student... The entire CHS student body is counting on me.
As I walk to the mic, I close my eyes and take a couple deep breaths. I can do this... Just need to stay focused.
"Next word... 'onomatopoeic'."
'-poeic'? Didn't know there was an '-ic' version of that word.
"Onomatopoeic..."
Okay, remember the cartoon...
"O-N-O... M-A-T-O..." Just relax. Maybe if I close my eyes... "P-O... E-I-C. 'Onomatopoeic'."
The bell sounds.
As Twilight takes my place at the mic, I take another deep breath. That was way tougher than I thought it'd be. Not looking at anything helped a little.
"Next word... 'linguistics'."
"Linguistics: L-I-N-G-U-I-S-T-I-C-S. 'Linguistics'."
The bell sounds.
No hesitation. How can she be so calm and collected?
"Next word... 'loquacious'."
Sounds like a word from the mid-1800s.
"Can I have the definition?"
"Talkative or chatty."
Looks like I have a new word to describe Pinkie.
I close my eyes. Let's see... Sound it out... "Lo... qua... cious..." Okay, the first syllable's easy. "L-O..." 'Kway'... Sounds like 'quail', but I'm not sure if the 'i' is there or not. "Q-U-A..." Hope that was right. Last syllable's also easy. "C-I-O-U-S. 'Loquacious'."
I hear the bell and return to my seat.
"Next word... 'sesquipedalian'."
Twilight doesn't answer right away. Does she not know this one?
"May I have the definition, please?"
"A long word, or a person who uses long words."
To be honest, I'm not sure if I know this either.
"Sesquipedalian..." She looks unsure of herself. "S-E-S... Q-U-I-P... E-D-A-L... I-E-N. 'Sesquipedalien'."
The buzzer sounds.
"What?! How is that not right?"
"Sorry, Twilight," Dean Cadance says.
She walks back to her spot, disappointed.
I step up to the mic and close my eyes.
"Cloudflare. If you spell this word correctly," Luna says, "your team wins this game. If you spell it wrong, Twilight will have a chance to steal."
So much pressure... I take a few more deep breaths. My heart's racing, but I think I'm focused enough.
"Your word is..."
...
"'Quinquagenarian'."
...Kwing-what?
"One more time?"
"'Quinquagenarian'."
That's a word?!
"Definition?"
"Someone who is between the ages of 50 and 60."
Geez, I was hoping for a somewhat easy word to screw up on...
Okay... Clear mind... Approach this like the other unfamiliar words.
'Kween' sounds like it starts with Q-U, and it reminds me of the word 'wean'. ...Except that's spelled E-A. Q-U-E-A-N doesn't seem right. Maybe it's Q-U-I, like in 'quiche'. That starts with Q-U-I, right?
"Fifteen seconds."
Okay, I'm going with that. Just stay calm...
'Kween-kwah'... Kwah... Kwah... Kwah..k... 'Quack'! Q-U-A! Not a perfect match, but good enough.
I know how to spell 'octogenarian', so the last part's not an issue. Now to put it all together.
"Quinquagenarian..."
'Quiche', 'quack'. 'Quiche', 'quack'.
"Q-U-I-N..." I take another deep breath. "Q-U-A..." That takes care of the tough parts. Now to not screw up the easy one. "G-E-N... A-R... I... A-N. 'Quinquagenarian'."
...
"Cloudflare..."
I open my eyes. The CHS side is watching intently, and most of the CPA side is glaring at me. I am so glad I blocked them out. I would've cracked.
Now I know how Fluttershy feels.
"Your spelling was..."
...
Why the suspense? Now I feel even more nervous!
...
"...correct."
"YES!"
The CHS side erupts into cheers and applause.
"WOO!" I can hardly contain my excitement!
I look at my teammates, and they're applauding as well. It sounds like Sunset is cheering the loudest.
I run past the others and pull her into a hug.
...
I let go. "S-Sorry..."
"No, it's alright." She's blushing.
Gotta save the affection for later.
Twilight and Sunset are solving a geometry problem, and whoever gets it right, or right first, wins the first event for their team.
With the help of being paired with Pinkie during the cake round and my word knowledge from the spelling bee, I advanced to the second event. The Rainbooms, minus Fluttershy, also advanced. When I found out the final round was geometry, I asked the principals if Sunset could take my place. She's better at it than I am.
It looks like Sunset is slightly ahead, judging by how much they've written. I can't tell if they're doing it right. Angles of ACB, BDF, CEF... It's been a year since I've done this stuff, and I barely remember any of it. Triangle ABF is simple, since two angles are already given. Everything else, no idea.
Sunset sets her piece of chalk down, followed by Twilight. Principal Cinch checks the answers.
She points to Sunset. "Incorrect."
Can't say I'm surprised. CHS has never won the first event.
I hear the sound of a camera shutter. I look into the crowd. Photo Finish is holding her camera. I thought the idea was to take pictures of positive moments.
"That means the winner of the Friendship Games' first event," Luna says, "is Twilight Sparkle and Crystal Prep!"
The Crystal Prep side doesn't sound very excited. I could've sworn they cared about winning.
Rainbow runs onto the stage and puts her arm around the back of Sunset. "That was awesome!"
The rest of us join them. "Truly amazing!" Rarity says.
"But we didn't win!" Sunset says.
"That was as close to winnin' as CHS has ever been," AJ says.
"You and Cloudflare knocked it out of the park!" Rainbow says.
All I did was spell words, though.
The Shadowbolts walk onto the stage. "After a careful tally of the points," Dean Cadance says, "we'd like to present the students moving on to the Friendship Games' second event."
Olivia's not looking at us. I really hope I can explain myself before the games are over.
"You guys go on ahead," Fluttershy says as we're standing at the statue. "I need to check on my animals."
I'm amazed the animals don't mind it in there. It's dark and cramped. I'm not claustrophobic, but I wouldn't want to be stuffed into a backpack for the entire day.
"Cloudflare!"
I look toward the school. It's Olivia.
"We need to talk."
That takes care of that. I look at the others. "I'll catch up." I turn back to Olivia.
"I thought about what you said about Sunset Shimmer."
"Like I said, she's changed."
"I want to believe you. I'm just having trouble seeing her as a nice girl."
"I was the same way. How could someone who made my life a living hell suddenly turn over a new leaf?"
"Exactly!"
"But then I saw her help save the school last month, and I was convinced."
"Save the school?"
"It's a long story."
I look to my left. Fluttershy is talking to somebody with dark blue hair.
Twilight?
Fluttershy starts glowing, then hovers into the air. Her pony ears and wings appear.
"Of course... another pony-up." I run over to her.
"Hey, wait up!"
Pinkie said the magic... leaked out of her... and she was just as exhausted as Rarity was. I'm curious to see what that looks like
I glance at Twilight. The thing around her neck floats in front of her. What is that...?
It opens, and starts taking in Fluttershy's magic. That looks more like draining.
Several small holes open up, and a rabbit with antlers jumps out from one of them. That solves the portal mystery.
"What the hell..." Olivia caught up to me.
Spike chases the rabbit through one of the portals. When he comes out of another, he gets caught in the stream of magic.
"Spike!" Twilight forces the device closed, and the portals disappear. Fluttershy catches Spike and weakly hands him to Twilight.
"Spike! Are you okay?"
"Um... I think so."
...
Equestrian magic makes dogs talk. Sure, why not?
Twilight yelps and lets go of Spike. She runs away, and he gives chase.
"Twilight, wait!"
"Uh... I better get going," Olivia nervously says. "I need to... adjust my prosthetic." She walks away.
"Olivia..."
...
I look at Fluttershy. She's lying on the ground. I walk up to her. "Are you okay?"
"Fine... Just... tired..."
"All I did was hand Twilight a bunny. Then I ponied up."
"I don't get it," Sunset says. "Rarity's magic came out when she made us outfits, Pinkie's when she fixed the party, and now Fluttershy."
"Then Twilight's pendant thingy just pulled the magic right out of me. I couldn't even stand up."
"Like me at the party!" Pinkie says.
"Or me right before we met Twilight," Rarity says.
"So she's stealing magic?" Sunset asks.
"I don't know..." AJ says. "She doesn't seem like the magic-stealin' type."
"The pendant thing started floating right before it drained Fluttershy's magic," I say. "I don't think Twilight was in control of it."
"Still," Sunset says, "she had something to do with closing the portal. If her pendant can pull in magic, maybe it stole the portal, too."
"How?" Fluttershy asks.
"It's a magic portal," I say. "It has 'magic' in the name."
"And the pony or person or princess who could help me figure all this out is completely unreachable now," Sunset says.
Element of Generosity, Rarity said she likes making outfits for her friends, Rarity ponied up. Element of Laughter, Pinkie got everyone together and having a good time, Pinkie ponied up. Element of Kindness, Fluttershy was being kind to Twilight, Fluttershy ponied up. How have you not figured this out on your own yet? You're the one who told me about the Elements in the first place!
We walk outside. "For now, let's just focus on beating the Shadowbolts," Rainbow says. "And as long as this event puts me in a playing field, I don't think we've got anything to worry about."
"Oh, it puts you on a playin' field, alright..."
I look where AJ's pointing.
Um... Well then... That's certainly a playing field.
In the center of the field is some type of obstacle course. There are four hay bales near the start and a set of targets at the end. Around that is a small track of some sort. Around that is a motocross course.
...What kind of school-sanctioned course is this?!
"Am I the only one who thinks this is overkill?" Sunset asks.
"It's overkill and it's unsafe. A jump from dirt to a vert ramp, then back to dirt, and then a transition between two more ramps? This is ridiculous! The permission slip said the school's not responsible for anything that happens, but that doesn't give you an excuse to make a track like this!"
"Relax, Cloudflare," Rainbow says.
"Relax? How can I relax when the principals don't give a crap about student safety?!"
"They're giving us helmets!"
"Whew! That's a relief. We'll probably break some ribs when we crash into the edge of the ramp, but at least we won't get a concussion!"
She puts her hand over my mouth. "We get it! The track isn't a hundred percent safe! Just shut up!"
...
I really need to stop doing that.
She uncovers my mouth.
"Sorry. Whenever something doesn't make sense to me, I end up ranting about it."
"Why don't you ever rant about Pinkie?"
"If I did, that's all you'd ever hear me talk about."
"Good point."
"I don't suppose you made motocross outfits," AJ says to Rarity.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Of course I did!"
...Where was she hiding those?