"I need a new product," said Pipp as she was in her dorm room. The girl was at her desk as she tapped the end of her pencil against her mouth; she was thinking about what new products they could sell at Mane Melody, but nothing was coming up.

"Ugh, this is too stressful. I need a salad," stated the teen as she got up, grabbed her satchel purse, and headed out the door.

The social media girl was heading across the campus ground, near the soccer field, and a food truck was parked. Several kids were gathered around the food truck, looking to get some grub. Pipp arrived as several students were making noise, and they were soon silenced by a loud listen.

"Alright! Order up!" said the person, tossing the containers from the window. They were all caught by the students who ordered them as they all began to walk away.

Soon, Pipp approached the window.

"Welcome to the Grub Truck. What do you.., oh, it's you, chica," said Mario as he lifted his cap to see Pipp.

"Hey, handsome," flirted the girl as Mario rolled his eyes. "Just need a thinking salad."

"Yeah, what kind?" said Mario as he had a notepad to write down the girl's order.

"Let me get a chicken salad. Toss in some almonds, green onions, salt and pepper, lemon juice, red tomatoes, bits of carrot, Italian dressing, and some lettuce," stated Pipp.

"Want to add a smoothie to that?" said Sunny as she appeared from the side with her head sticking out.

She and Mario had gotten jobs working the food trunk as the owner was a friend of Celestia and Luna, and the two principals allowed his business on school grounds. And in return, the man allowed some students to work. He especially wanted Sunny onboard as it allowed the girl to sell her family smoothies, as it was a big hit.

"Sure, why not? Make it a Strawberry ripple," stated Pipp.

"You got it, Pipp!" said Sunny as she zoomed away to take care of that.

"Alright, one salad coming up," said Mario.

The boy made his way to the salad bar section of the food truck, grabbed a container, and began working on the girl's food. Within seconds, he finished it as he reappeared, and Pipp gave him her student ID card.

"Cash or student credit?" asked Mario as he swiped the card through the scanner.

"Student credit," said Pipp as she was already sipping the smoothie that Sunny gave her as she enjoyed it.

"Alright, all set. Here you go," said Mario as he leaned out a bit of the window to hand the food to their friend.

"Thanks, you're the best," said Pipp.

"So, any new ideas for Mane Melody?" asked Sunny as she leaned against the counter.

"Ugh, totally blanking on that. Honestly, if I don't come up with something soon, I might as well hang up my tiara," said Pipp before taking a bite of the salad.

"Mmm. This is really good," said the girl with her mouthful as she enjoyed the salad made by her crush.

"Please tell me that you completed your half of the history assignment?" Mario asked as he stepped out of the food truck.

"Of course. Come on, Mario. I learned my lesson the last time. What do you take me for?"

"Uh, someone who can't put her phone down and has to record every single thing for content instead of experiencing it in the moment," snickered the boy as the girl glared before stuffing her face with another bite as she wouldn't let his antics get to her.

"Great work, as always, kids," said the food truck owner as he appeared. "Feel free to head on out."

"Thanks, Mr. Omar," said Sunny to her and Mario's boss as the pair took off their aprons and caps and gathered their backpacks.

The trio then waved goodbye as they headed to the boy's dorm. They arrived, and inside were Mario's little sister and Izzy as they reviewed their Math Concepts homework.

"Izzy, uh, you have the right answers, but why did you draw on your packet?" asked Roll as she saw the girl had some doodles as they covered her work.

"Oh, those aren't doodles. They're visual aids," clarified Izzy.

"Right," Roll said as her brother and other friends sat in the living room. "So, how was work?"

"Eh, same old, same old," stated Mario as he spread his arms on the couch. Pipp took that opportunity to slide next to her crush as she put her head on his arm before Mario retracted it and let the girl fall onto the couch.

"So the Fall Formal is only two weeks away. Which means we still have a lot to do before then," stated Sunny.

"Sunny is right. Izzy and I have this new routine I've developed, and I can't wait to go over it with the squad."

"And Sunny and I have a big musical piece that Ms. Octavia has given us," said Roll.

While the girls were talking, Mario's phone went off. He opened it as Zipp had sent a message to their group chat. The boy opened it, and he saw the girl had sent him a link to a video.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is DMNN bringing you the latest and developing news in the dueling world. This just in: we received word that an invitational tournament will take place in the following weeks to crown the next challenger for the World Champion. Sixteen duelists will be selected, and the tournament winner will challenge the World Champion at this year's dueling event, Crown Jewel." stated the male lead announcer.

"And in other news, while that is taking place. It seems the World Champion has his hands full with another challenger. This video is from last's night event in Baltimare." stated the female reporters as the video came on the screen.

At this point, the girls heard the video Mario was watching as they all pulled out their phones. They looked at the group chat and clicked the link that Zipp sent as they were watching the video. It showed the arena as Mario and Roll's father had just finished his latest title defense, coming out to address the crowd was the manager of his next challenger.

"Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mr. Lee, and I'm the advocate for my client and your next challenger for your title as Duel Monsters World Champion, Mr. Isaac. He is the almighty, the all-powerful, the juggernaut of Duel Monsters, Walter!" said Mr. Lee as he put over his client, Isaac's next dueling opponent. "And at Worlds Collide, my client will conquer you and take away your precious title of World Champion."

From the dueling field, Isaac merely looked at the rampway as he eyed the manager at the top.

"I think it's very courageous, Mr. Isaac, for you to realize the beating that is coming your way. Do you know what it's like to be victimized? I mean, you've suffered from defeat and rose to the occasion; you've taken beatings before. And you've come back and exacted revenge... but you've never, never in your life, been victimized! You, sir, are on the defensive. You want to defend your title. You want to survive against my client. But my client, Walter, is looking to conquer you, sir. And that's the difference. My client is charging forward. My client is on the offensive. Because Walter's not just going to defeat Isaac. Walter's not just going to beat Isaac. Walter is going to victimize Isaac ruthlessly! Mercilessly! You're a man of great passion, Mr. Isaac. You love being World Champion. You love representing those who support you, who cheer for you, and even those who hate you! You love being on that dueling field. You love being here, but Walter is only passionate about the sadistic pleasure he gets when he realizes that he is inflicting pain on his victim! My client is salivating at the fact that when you wake up from the beating he's gonna give you at Worlds Collide, you're gonna realize you're no longer World Champion! All you're gonna be, Mr. Isaac, is beaten... victimized... conquered!"

After taking a moment to take in what was said, Isaac ran his hand through his hair before placing his cap back on and addressing the man at the top of the ramp.

"I'm sick of your crap, and I want to talk to you real for one second, one second. Something you and I can relate to. You said the word passion! The word passion is something even you, Mr. Lee, can understand. You and I, sir, we share passion! This is it for me! This is my friggin' life! And good, bad, or indifferent, I show up to work on time! I work my ass off because I love this game, and I love what it represents, and I have passion for it! And I have passion for this!" stated Isaac as the crowd seemed to get behind him.

"That 300-pound gorilla you tote around whenever he wants to show up has no passion for anything but himself! He is big. He is strong. He is a super athlete. But what separates me from him, jack, is heart! And when the chips are down, he may beat the hell out of me! But he's gonna have to beat every last breath out of this body! Because I'm headed to Worlds Collide as World Champion, and I plan on walking out with this son of bitch intact!"

Isaac slammed down the mic he was holding as the crowd roared and cheered him on. Mr. Lee looked at the World Champion as the passion he was talking about burned brightly in the man's eyes.

"It seems like the World Champion might not be champion by the time we get to Crown Jewel. Because in just under two weeks, he will defend his title at the next Duel Monsters Premium Live Event, Worlds Collide. Against an opponent who's beaten all his challengers in less than five minutes. Will Isaac meet the same fate? Will Walter, the juggernaut, claim his rightful place and dethrone the Prince from his throne? Or can the ultimate underdog and reigning Prince find some way to slay his next foe?"

"And let's not forget the invitational tournament that will kick off soon. At Worlds Collide, some of the best duelists from around the globe will compete. And the main event looks to be one to remember."

The video ended as the Duel Monsters News Network logo came on screen as music played, fading to black. All the teens finished watching the video as they looked at each other to process what they saw... apart from Mario.

"Looks like your father has his next challenge," stated Sunny.

"Yeah, it's against a big, scary guy," responded Izzy as she looked at images of Isaac's next challenger; she could see it would be a tough fight.

"If anybody can slay him, it's my dad. He's faced the best of the best for over twenty years. This'll be a walk in the park." stated Roll as she had confidence her father was gonna be fine.

"You're that confident?" asked Pipp.

"It's my dad. I know him," smiled Roll.

Mario just kept glancing at his phone. The video was over, but he kept hearing the words that his father just said.

This is it for me! This is my friggin' life! And good, bad, or indifferent, I show up to work on time! I work my ass off because I love this game, and I love what it represents, and I have passion for it!

"You're just a junkie," muttered Mario as he didn't buy what his father just said.


In Ms. Octavia's class, the woman had her students singing. The students sang harmoniously as they went over their usual singing exercises. They soon reached the song's end as Ms. Octavia waved her hand about.

"Excellent, excellent," stated the woman.

The school bell rang as the students grabbed their backpacks and looked to leave.

"Uh, uh, not so fast. Let's talk about your homework assignment," stated the music teacher as she got her students to sit down. "You all have to do a song, and your performance will count as one-third of your semester grade."

"We have to sing a solo?" asked a student.

"It can be a solo, or you can pair up with someone in this class and sing a duet," stated Octavia. "But just solos and duets. Nothing else."

The students were filing out as Roll approached Sunny.

"So, Sunny, what should..."

"I already called Sunny!" shouted another student.

"Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? I called her!" yelled another student.

Soon, several students began to crowd Sunny as Roll was pushed aside. The girl was taken aback by how many people wanted to partner with her. Seeing her talent, everybody was looking for a chance to work with the teen in hopes of getting a good grade.

"Hey, hey, hey!" shouted Sunny as she got the attention of her classmates in front of her. "You guys can't just call me. I am not the front seat in your mom's minivan. I'm singing a solo, okay?" stated the girl to her classmates as she grabbed her bookbag and binder before leaving the room.

In the hallway, Hitch was currently looking through something on his phone.

"Hey, Hitch!" shouted Zipp as the boy looked up and saw his friend approaching.

"What's up, Zipp?" stated the boy as he readjusted his bookbag that he had slung over his left shoulder.

"So you know about that Invitational Tournament that's taking place?" asked the girl. "Well, check this out. They just revealed three participants."

The teen showed her phone to her friend as he leaned into view her screen. Zipp pressed play as the video played.

"And so, with the Invitational Tournament gaining traction, we are pleased to announce that three out of the 16 participants have been revealed."

The screen then showed the entire bracket as three different slots were filled.

"The first one is Ms. Rainbow Dash. It seems she wants another shot at the World Championship, and to do that, she will have to run the gauntlet and survive 16 other competitors. And the second one happens to be her rival, Indigo Zap. Where Rainbow Dash goes, she's sure to follow. And given how she lost her chance to take on the World Champion by losing to Ms. Dash, this seems like the perfect chance to get that title shot."

The third person was revealed as Hitch gasped upon seeing who it was.

"And the third person is none other than Ms. Applejack. She's currently the fifth-ranked duelist in the world. And it seems she's potentially throwing her name in the hat to take on the World Champion. Ms. Applejack is an exceptional and tough duelist. Her deck of Predaplants is more than just wimpy petunias."

"She's in?" muttered Hitch after seeing Aj's profile pic.

"Huh? You say something?" asked Zipp.

"Oh, nothing," chuckled the boy sheepishly.

So, I faced the fifth-ranked duelist. No wonder she was tough. She ran through me like I was nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if she were toying with me all along.

"I got to go. Catch you later, Zipp," said Hitch as he left. The girl raised an eyebrow at seeing her friend act.

Sunny was at her locker as she was getting something out. She was soon approached by a boy who was in her music class.

"Sunny."

"Oh, hi," said the girl to the boy approaching her.

"Ashe," said the boy as he introduced himself and put his hand out for her to shake.

"I know your name, Ashe," chuckled the girl nervously as she shook his hand and felt something.

"So I was wondering if maybe you-"

"Look, I really can't sing a duet with you," said Sunny as she figured the boy approaching her would ask her that, as so many of her classmates had been doing that since she left her class.

"No, that's not what I was going to ask you," stated Ashe.

"It's not?" replied the girl, shocked to hear that.

"I was going to see if maybe you wanted to, you know, hang out. Or I should probably just-" said Ashe as he looked to leave.

"No! Wait!" shouted Sunny as she grabbed the boy's shirt to keep him from leaving. "I'd love to hang out sometime, and wow, your arm is hard." The girl chuckled nervously even more as she felt the muscles on the boy.

"Thanks," responded Ashe with his own chuckle. "So, we'll grab sushi or something."

"Yes! I mean, yes, yes. I want to do that." Sunny said as she flipped a bit of her hair over her shoulder to flirt with the boy while smiling.

"Cool. Well then, I'll talk to you later," said Ashe as he walked away.

"Later. Yeah," said Sunny as she took a deep breath after seeing the handsome boy walk away.

"Sunny!"

The girl's attention was returned to reality as she turned to see Hitch and Zipp walking toward her as they ran into Mario on their way to soccer practice.

"Oh, hey, guys!" said the girl as she had a bit of pep in her voice, which didn't go unnoticed by Hitch.

"So, what's got you in a good mood?" asked the boy to his childhood friend.

"Well... Ashe just asked if we could hang out," smiled the girl.

"What?" said Hitch, stunned to hear that detail.

"You talking about the hot boy in your music class?" asked Mario as he knew about him from his little sister, who noticed him but could tell Sunny had a little thing for him.

"Yup," said Sunny as she was a bit in dreamland.

"Hey, as long as he's not making a move on my sister, I'm good," stated the boy.

"I don't know... I don't trust him," stated Zipp.

"You don't trust anybody!" said all three of them in unison toward their athletic friend.

"That could not be more true!" shouted Zipp to her friends as she was looking to defend herself and justify her reasoning. "Look, I'm just saying any dude that hot and that perfect has to be hiding something." stated the girl as she had past relationships with similar boys like the one Sunny had a small crush on.

"So... I guess... You think Mario's hiding something? You know, because he's hot and all?" said Sunny with a smug smile.

"Exactly!" confirmed Zipp.

"Wait, what did you just say?" said Mario as he wasn't fully hearing what the girl just confirmed.

"N-Nothing! Just forget what I said!" responded Zipp as she fumbled over her words.

The girl realized Sunny had tricked her into admitting that Mario was hot as she cursed her breath. Her cheeks were red from embarrassment and another feeling as she quickly walked away to avoid further discussion.

"Hold on, rich girl. What did you confirm?!" said Mario as he went after Zipp to clarify what she said to Sunny's question.

Sunny merely chuckled to herself for playing that trick on her friend.

"So this Ashe guy, he just asked you out, and you said sure?" said Hitch to his best friend.

"He didn't ask me out. We're hanging out," clarified Sunny.

"What difference does it make?" responded Hitch.

"Look, it's nothing big, Hitch. He's gonna come over after school to my dorm building. That's it." the girl told her friend to stop him from worrying.

"I'm just concerned, is all. I mean, what if what Zipp said is true? The guy is hiding something. We've been friends since we were kids, Sunny. I can't bear the thought of something terrible happening to you." stated the boy as he was looking out for his friend.

"Don't worry, Hitch. It's sweet that you're concerned about me. It really is." Sunny said as she touched his arm. "But I'm not a little kid anymore. I can take care of myself."

Sunny smiled and left as she went to her dorm building. Hitch watched his best friend walk away as he hoped that what Zipp said was just her speculating and that Sunny wasn't in any real danger.


The girl made it back to her dorm building as she was in the place's kitchen. She was at the counter in the middle, with a food bowl on the stove. The girl's hands were covered in the stuff as she tried to compress them into a shape but was having difficulty as her hands were getting messy.

"Oh!" complained Sunny as the shape kept falling apart.

At that moment, Pipp came in as she looked to stop by her friend's place. However, she was acting strange as she seemed to walk funny.

"Ugh!" groaned Pipp as she bent down and stretched her arms forward while throwing her butt back.

"Pipp, can you help me out, please?" asked Sunny to her friend.

"Busy," said the social media girl as she moved from side to side while keeping her behind out and stretching her legs. Sunny looked at her with a confused look before going back to attempt to make some sushi balls. "Are you making sushi?" asked Pipp as she turned her head.

"Yeah. Will you just read me the directions that are right over-" said Sunny as there was a book on the counter to the left, but she couldn't get it because of the stuff on her hands.

"Sorry, Sunny. I just got these jeans, and I gotta stretch them out," stated Pipp, which was why she was walking weirdly.

Sunny gave another confused look before trying to make another attempt. Pipp was still stretching from side to side as her butt rubbed against the countertop Sunny was cooking on.

"You know, I'm trying to cook here, right?" said Sunny as she didn't appreciate her friend's behind getting all up in her face while trying to make some food.

"Fine," said Pipp as she moved, stretching against the table nearby as Sunny scoffed again.

"And that's the table I eat on. Well, used to anyway," said Sunny after seeing Pipp rub her butt along the edge of the wooden structure.

"Sorry, my butt's gotta breathe," responded Pipp as she stretched from side to side, her legs swaying. "And why are you making sushi?" The social media girl was now getting up and doing some lunges in her jeans to help stretch them out.

"I wanted to surprise Ashe for when he comes over later," said Sunny with a smile.

"Ashe? The super hot guy in your music class?" asked Pipp.

"Yeah," said Sunny in a dreamlike voice while pounding some food together into a shape.

"So, Ms. Smoothie Girl finally came out of her shell and is going on a date?" said Pipp as she got on a nearby ledge and put a leg up to stretch her other one out.

"It's not a date. It's just a hangout," clarified Sunny.

"What's the difference?" responded Pipp nonchalantly as she said the same thing Hitch told her as Sunny gave a funny, glaring look.

"Did Hitch put you up to this?" said the girl, as she couldn't believe Pipp said the same thing as their male companion.

"No," answered the girl truthfully as she stretched and made sounds. "Anyways... be careful."

"Why?" asked Sunny.

"He's dated many girls way before you, Sunny. You know my friend, Eliza?" asked Pipp.

"Eliza doesn't like you," said Sunny bluntly.

"So? I know her," countered Pipp as Sunny rolled her eyes. "Anyways, that's not the point. Look, she went out with Ashe two weeks ago, and he totally broke her heart."

"He dumped her?" asked Sunny to her friend.

"Like, with no warning. Just boom! Over." stated Pipp as she extended a leg to kick into the air when she said boom to emphasize her point. "Besides, texting is the best way to break up with someone." clarified the girl from her past experiences with boys and breakups.

"Well, maybe he had a good reason," said Sunny, as she didn't fully know what both sisters were saying about the boy she liked.

Pipp sighed at how sweet and naive little Sunny was. She then noticed the shape he held in her hand made of food.

"What is that?"

"It's a... spicy tuna ball," said Sunny hesitantly as she looked at the round ball in her hand that was a mix and match of things. The girl tried to play it off as she smiled at her friend, to which Pipp rolled her eyes.

It was later as Ashe came over to Sunny's dorm building. The two were now in the living room as the girl had said they would eat her spicy tuna balls, saying it was better than eating at the table. The boy found it odd but agreed, fully unaware of what Pipp did to the wooden structure earlier when stretching out her jeans. So, the two teens were on the couch with chopsticks as they attempted to eat Sunny's creations. The girl saw the boy take a bit of her food as she chuckled.

"So... how's your spicy tuna ball?" asked the girl, hoping he'd liked it.

"Well... I've never had sushi like this before," said Ashe with a smile. "It's good, though."

"Oh, thank you," responded Sunny. "So listen."

"Mm-hmm?"

The two set their food down on the table as Sunny wanted to talk to him.

"I gotta ask you something."

"Hit me," stated Ashe as he turned to face Sunny, who grabbed a cup of tea.

"Okay. So... we've been in the same class since the beginning of the semester... "

"Uh-huh."

"... And we've, like, never even talked or anything, and then you just decide to hang out with me."

"All true," confirmed Ashe with a smile.

"Why?" asked Sunny.

"I don't know. I guess... I was nervous to talk to you."

"But that's insane," said Sunny as she almost choked on her, taking a sip upon hearing Ashe's answer. "You're all hot and stuff, Mr. Hard Muscles." The girl nervously chuckled as she touched his right arm and felt it when she squeezed.

"What about you, Ms. Cheekbones?" responded Ashe as she raised a hand and pinched Sunny's perfect cheeks.

"Stop!" the girl giggled as she almost lost it upon feeling his touch.

"No, I mean, come on. You're pretty, you're an amazing singer, a great student. You can make whatever this is." Ashe held up his plate with the spicy tuna ball. Sunny smiled, seeing that. "Oh, hey, do you have a bathroom?"

"Oh, yeah. Uh, through there. First door on your left." stated Sunny.

"Thanks," said Ashe as he got up and headed toward the restroom to take care of his business.

"Sure," said Sunny as she watched the boy disappear.

The girl kept her smile as, in the background, Pipp was shown emerging from the other half of the hallway. The social media girl slowly snuck up to the couch Sunny was on as the girl was unaware until...

"Hey!" shouted Pipp.

"Ah!" yelled Sunny as she was scared out of her wits upon seeing a stranger sneak up on her. She soon calmed herself and collected her thoughts after seeing that it wasn't a stranger but her friend. "Where did you come from? Have you been eavesdropping?"

"Yes," confirmed Pipp. "Check his phone."

"What?" shouted Sunny to her friend as she pointed at Ashe's phone that he left behind on the couch.

"Shh!" said Pipp to her friend to be quiet. "You don't have much time. Boys pee fast."

"H-How do you know that?" asked Sunny as she had some questions for her friend.

"Just check his phone."

"For what?"

"You could always find out a person's secrets by checking their phone," said Pipp as she grabbed the boy's device and offered it to Sunny.

"But why are you-"

"Hurry!" said Pipp as she shoved the phone into Sunny's hands. She quickly left and returned to hide behind the hallway she came from.

Sunny got up and checked, but to her surprise, Pipp was no longer there. It was almost like she vanished. Confused, Sunny returned to the couch with the phone in hand as she took a deep breath. She began doing what her friend said and slowly read Ashe's text messages. A small giggle came on the girl's face as she read something; she was unaware of Ashe returning from the bathroom.

"Help you find something?" stated Ashe as Sunny screamed once more as she did with Pipp sneaking up on her.

"Ah!" yelled Sunny, seeing the boy was back. She regained her composure as she addressed her classmate. "Wow, you guys do pee fast."

"Were you reading my text messages?" asked Ashe.

"No," said Sunny confidently. As if on cue, the phone in her hand went off as it received a text notification. She quickly glanced at the phone before looking back at the boy.

"Dude!" said Ashe as he reached over and took his phone back.

"I'm sorry, okay? I was snooping," apologized Sunny.

"Wow. We've been hanging out for, like, 46 minutes, and you already don't trust me," stated the boy.

"No, no, I'm not like that," stated the girl as she stood up.

"Are you sure? 'Cause I think maybe you're exactly like that," scoffed Ashe.

Sunny gasped as Ashe began to grab his jacket off the couch.

"No, wait..." said Sunny.

"I gotta go," stated the teen as he looked to exit.

"But what about your spicy tuna balls?" said Sunny as she lifted the plate they were on, hoping the food would convince her classmate to stay and forgive her.

"I'll see you later," said Ashe as he left and shut the door.

Sunny sighed as she set the plate down. The girl felt so bad for doing what she did as she slumped against the couch and had her hands on her forehead. The following day, Sunny was shown entering the school with a donut in her hand that she took a single bite from. The girl was in the main foyer looking around for Ashe, hoping to talk with him about last night.

"Hey! Have you guys seen Ashe?" asked Sunny to a group of kids.

"No."

"Not today."

The girl saw the boy coming down the stairs from the second floor.

"Ah, there he is!" said Sunny as she shoved her donut into the mouth of one of the kids.

The girl went to confront her classmate as Ashe noticed Sunny approaching her and let out a deep sigh.

"Hey," said the girl.

"Hey," responded the boy with his hands in his pockets.

"Did you get my text messages?" asked Sunny.

"Yeah. You wanna check my phone to make sure I'm not lying?" said Ashe as he pulled out his device and scoffed at the girl, given last night.

"I'm sorry. I was so wrong to snoop on your phone. And if you just give me another chance, I promise I will trust you, and I will never, ever, ever give you spicy tuna balls ever again." stated Sunny.

"I kind of liked the spicy tuna balls," Ashe smiled as it got Sunny to smile.

"So you want to come over tonight?" asked the girl.

"I can't. I gotta pick a song for Ms. Octavia's class. I gotta start rehearsing it." stated the boy, as their assignment was due by tomorrow.

"Aww," said Sunny with disappointment.

"Look, I gotta. And I don't even know what song I'm gonna do yet," stated the boy.

"You don't?" repeated Sunny.

"No. I just- I get so scared to sing alone," confessed the boy.

"Well, maybe we could do a song together," suggested Sunny. "A little, uh, duet action, hmm?"

"That sounds nice," said Ashe as Sunny stared at him. "You make me feel safe." The boy placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, which made Sunny smile even more. At that moment, Izzy came strolling by.

"Hey, do you guys know if it's possible for a man to perform CPR on himself?" asked Izzy to the pair.

The duo looked at each other to share glances on Izzy's question.

"I don't think so," answered Ashe.

"I doubt it," backed up Sunny.

"Yeah, me too," said Izzy, looking at her phone and bringing it to her ear. "Sir, I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. But my supervisor," Izzy poked Sunny when she said that, "says it's impossible for you to give yourself CPR. Okay?"

The girl walked while humming as Ashe and Sunny were left speechless.

"What did she..."

"Just don't ask," said Sunny, as she didn't want to find out what was cooking in Izzy's mind as of late.


It was later as Sunny and Ashe was recording the song they were gonna sing. On the table nearby was a computer recording their singing as the melody of the son played. The pair had microphones as they faced each other and sang while seated.

Shelter my eyes from the sun
And wait for the birds to fly by
You're deep in my head now
It's like I'm dreaming.

The two reached the end of their song as Sunny stopped the recording. She then began to save the music file to transfer it to the flash drive she had attached to the laptop and pulled it out. Their assignment was now complete.

"That was fantastic," said the girl as she stood up.

"You're fantastic," the boy stated as he stood up.

The two teens smiled and looked at each other as Ashe found himself leaning in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Sunny as she put her hands out to stop the boy.

"What?" asked Ashe.

"Were you... about to kiss me?" asked Sunny.

"Yeah," confessed the boy.

"Oh... okay," said Sunny as she just wanted confirmation and smiled.

Ashe put a hand on Sunny's waist, leaned in, and looked to plant one on the girl. Just as Sunny began to close her eyes, the door to the room opened.

"Hey, Sunny!"

"Ah!" shouted the girl as she was spooked again by one of her friends sneaking up on her.

"Am I... interrupting anything?" asked Roll as she clicked her tongue.

"Yes!" shouted the girl.

"Well, sorry. But the others are waiting for us. So, vamos!" stated Roll.

"I'll be there in a second," said Sunny through her teeth before turning back to look at Ashe.

"Hoy no, Julieta! Come on!" said Roll as she didn't listen to Sunny's plea and grabbed her collar to drag her away.

"Text me later!" shouted Sunny as she was dragged away and quickly grabbed her bookbag before she exited the room.

Ashe smiled as he turned off the laptop and grabbed the flash drive that had their song. He placed it in his backpack and left the room. Hitch was leaving his theatrics class when he approached someone.

"Oh, hey, Eliza!"

"Oh... Hitch, right?" asked the girl.

"Yeah," confirmed the boy.

"I've seen you on the soccer team. You're a pretty good player," stated the girl.

"Thanks. But I'm nothing like Zipp," chuckled the boy. "But hey, listen, I heard you used to date someone. Does the name Ashe ring any bells?"

"Yeah, I do," groaned the girl after hearing the boy's name being mentioned. "I thought I was dating him. Then I found out his little game."

"Keep going," said Hitch, looking for answers like a sheriff interrogating suspects.

"Okay. So Ashe talked me into dancing with him for a class project, you know, 'cause I'm a good dancer. And then, right after I helped him get an 'A,' he never called me again."

"Oh," said Hitch after hearing that. "You must have felt so dirty."

"Nah, he does it to a lot of girls. He uses them to get a good grade, then see ya," stated Eliza. "But I should have known."

The girl left as Hitch processed what was revealed to him. With the new information given, he began to get to work.

It was evening as at Sunny's dorm, everyone was gathered. They all told the girl the truth about the boy she'd been hanging around with.

"So, Hitch told us," said Pipp.

"So we checked it out with some of the other girls Ashe's gone out with," stated Zipp.

"And it's true," stated Roll with a sad expression.

Sunny was in shock after hearing all this.

"So-So he's just using me to get a good grade?" stated the girl.

"Sorry, Sunny," responded Zipp.

"You must feel pretty stupid right now," stated Izzy.

"Izzy!" shouted the others as they all looked at her while Sunny kept her sad expression.

"Okay, that's a time-out!" stated Mario.

"No, I was just trying to-"

"Got sit in the time-out corner!" yelled the boy.

Izzy felt bad as she walked over to a wall and sat down to face it; she felt like a preschooler who'd done something bad and was being punished.

"So, what do I do now?" asked Sunny as she got up.

"Well, you're still not gonna sing a duel with that jerk, right?" asked Zipp.

"Ugh, no way," responded Sunny.

"Good. So he'll fail!" stated Hitch.

"Yeah, but I don't want to fail, too," responded the girl to her friend.

"So, what are you gonna sing?" asked Pipp.

"I don't know," confessed the girl.

Mario, leaning against a wall, simply exited the building. The others remained as Sunny returned to the couch and looked depressed.

"If you want, we can stay and help you," offered Pipp as she sat down next to her friend and patted her knee.

"Thanks, Pipp. But... I just want some time alone."

Sunny was firm in her belief as she put her head down.

"Come on, guys. Let's give her some space," said Zipp as they all began to grab their stuff and leave.

Roll grabbed Izzy by the collar as the girl waved goodbye while being dragged away. Hitch was about to follow them when he looked back and saw his best friend; he could see how distraught she was. The boy closed the door as he decided to stay and talk with Sunny.

"I'm right here if you need to talk, Sunny," stated Hitch.

The girl didn't respond as Hitch sat beside her and hunched forward with his hands together as he waited for her to speak.

"I should have listened to you, Hitch."

"Hey, now. Don't say that," stated the boy.

"But you and the others were right. I should have known I was being played. Nobody would ever ask me out." said Sunny.

"Sunny, that's not true. Come on," said Hitch as he reached over and grabbed one of her hands. "Anybody would kill to go out with a girl like. You're smart, pretty, talented, make a mean smoothie. If anything, he's the one who can't see what a good thing you are."

Sunny smiled a bit after hearing the words from her childhood friend.

"Thanks, Hitch. But... that still doesn't change the fact that I have nothing for class tomorrow."

Soon, the door to her dorm building opened.

"Okay, Sunny. All taken care of. Here you go!" said Mario as he came bursting through and tossed something at the girl.

Sunny caught it as the object was the flash drive that she had downloaded the song she and Ashe had sung earlier. The girl was stunned to see that Mario had this, as she had completely forgotten it.

"You're welcome, by the way," responded Mario nonchalantly.

"Mario! What did you do-"

"See ya tomorrow!" shouted the boy as he was already out the door.

Hitch got up and closed the door as he caught a final glimpse of Mario deactivating his Duel Disk as if to indicate what he'd done when he snuck away earlier.

"Well... I guess that problem is solved," said Hitch as he leaned against the door after closing it.

"Yeah," said Sunny as she looked at the flash drive before setting it on the table.

"You gonna get rid of it?" asked the boy.

"I don't know. Not like it'll matter. I can't come up with a song overnight, all by myself." stated Sunny.

"You're right, but... you're not alone," said Hitch. He quickly began to call Pipp; minutes later, the girl and everybody else, minus Mario, were all back at Sunny's dorm.

The social media teen was now working with Sunny to help her develop a new song for class. Using some leftover audio from Roll's composition, the group began to get things done quickly as soon they had a new piece all set for Sunny. The girl recorded her voice singing the lines as it was saved and downloaded from Pipp's laptop onto her flash drive.

"All set," stated Pipp.

"Thanks so much, everyone. I can't begin to explain how much it means that you all helped me," said Sunny as the others all smiled.

"Anything for a friend," said Zipp as she patted Sunny's on the back.

Soon, they all began to leave as it was nearly curfew.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Hitch," said Sunny to her friend.

"No problem. It's like Zipp said, friends help each other."

"Yeah. I'm really glad to have you as my best friend. Besides, friendship is better than hot muscles and perfect hair. His wasn't all that great. Compared to yours, " joked Sunny as she squeezed Hitch's arm to feel his muscles as the two friends laughed. Thought Sunny did feel some red when she felt her friend's arm.

"Take care, Sunny."

"Good night."

The boy lifted his hand to signal what he wanted. Sunny smiled as she lifted hers.

"Up high, down low. Hitch it to a post. Flip it sunny side up and on a piece of toast."

The two teens did their handshake, and it finished with Sunny playfully punching Hitch's shoulder as they laughed. The girl then hugged her friend as she wrapped her arms around him. The boy smiled as he embraced her and placed his chin on her head, enjoying their hug. It soon ended as they broke apart, and Hitch waved goodbye to his friend. Sunny smiled and sighed as she watched the boy leave until he was out of sight as she shut the door. Sunny went to her room, jumped onto her bed, and reached into a drawer to pull out a notebook. The girl opened her journal to an empty page as she began writing about her day. The stars above lit up the night sky, sparkling even brighter than usual.

Author's Note: Gotta love moments that involve best friends because those are the ones that have the most care put into them. And in this chapter, Hitch was concerned for Sunny as he didn't want anything bad to happen to her and was willing to get the others to help her in a dire time. Meanwhile, Mario and Roll's father now has his next challenger and it's a major threat. And in addition, the InvitationalTournament being held and Applejack being announced as a participant along with Rainbow. One thing is for sure, the date of the Fall Formal is going to be an interesting one with all these events happening.