The Friendship Games

by Perdita Finn

  “They won’t even let us see what they’re doing to the field. You’d think they’d at least tell the competitors what they’re competing in,” said Applejack.

  “It could be anything,” Fluttershy realized.

  “Anything?” Rarity was alarmed. “How will I ever pick the right outfit?”

  Sunset Shimmer was distracted by something, something she couldn’t figure out, and as one of the smartest kids at Canterlot High, she could usually figure out everything. “I really want to help,” she said to the other girls. “But I think I better go focus on why Rainbow Dash ponied up. See ya later!”

  The girls stared at her as she exited the gymnasium by herself.

  Pinkie Pie was the first to speak. “Seems like she’s got everything under control. Nothing to worry about.”

  But Sunset Shimmer didn’t share her confidence. In the library, she took out her magic journal and dashed off another letter to Twilight Sparkle.

  Hey, Twilight, she wrote. Haven’t heard back from you yet. I guess you must be pretty busy with your role as princess, but I could really use your advice right now. You see, I have been given the job of keeping magic under control here at CHS, even though I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around it, and now, after seeing Rainbow Dash pony up the way she did, it makes me think our magic might be changing. Everyone is looking to me to figure things out and I really don’t want to let them down, but I am not sure I have enough experience with friendship magic to solve this.…

  She put down her pen and sighed. Hopefully, she would hear back from Twilight Sparkle before the Friendship Games started. Why wasn’t she answering her?

  She’s Got Game

  A bell rang, and students in plaid uniforms with the Crystal Prep crest on their red jacket lapels rushed through the halls to class. Twilight Sparkle wove in between them.

  “Sorry!” she apologized as she brushed past a group of girls. “Pardon me.”

  Girls rolled their eyes as she hurried past. Crystal Prep was a very prestigious school, but it wasn’t always the friendliest place to be a student. In fact, the kids weren’t just determined to beat other schools, they were cold and competitive with one another. Twilight Sparkle was one of the very best students at Crystal Prep, but not always the happiest. The hardest part of her day was when she wasn’t in the classroom or the library.

  Twilight Sparkle raced up a flight of stairs, down a corridor, and burst through the door of her bedroom. She tripped over her dog, Spike, and he tumbled into the trash can. Twilight Sparkle leaned against the door, at last able to relax. “Spike!” she called. Where was he?

  With a cheerful yap, Spike scrambled out of the trash can and hopped onto Twilight Sparkle’s desk.

  “There you are!” exclaimed Twilight Sparkle.

  Her beloved pooch gave an excited bark, wagged his tail, and covered Twilight Sparkle’s face in kisses.

  “Okay, okay.” She giggled, already feeling better.

  Twilight pulled open her desk drawer and took out her laptop. From her pocket, she removed the small electronic device she had activated and plugged it into her computer. Data whizzed across the screen. Twilight Sparkle watched, excited.

  She turned to Spike. “Last night’s field test confirmed it,” she explained. “With this device, I can track and contain the bizarre energy coming from Canterlot High.”

  Spike growled.

  “I know you don’t like me going over there, but I just couldn’t wait. And soon I’ll have all the time I need.” She closed her computer and went to lie down on her bed. “All of Crystal Prep is going to be there for the Friendship Games. I just hope all that rivalry nonsense doesn’t get in the way of my research.”

  Twilight Sparkle reached under her bed and pulled out a thick file of scientific-looking papers. “If I can collect enough data on these EM frequencies, I should be able to extrapolate the waveforms and determine their origin. That would practically guarantee my admission to the Everton Independent Study Program.”

  Spike tilted his head, confused by all the big words. But he did know that Twilight really wanted to advance her studies on her own.

  Someone knocked at the door, and Twilight quickly shoved her papers under the bed. She opened the door, and Dean Cadance spotted Spike. She shook her head. “Twilight, you know the rules against pets.”

  “Spike isn’t a pet,” Twilight explained. “He’s the focus of my research project ‘Human-Canine Cohabitation: Its Effects and Implications.’”

  She blinked her eyes innocently, but Dean Cadance wasn’t fooled. “If you say so, but Principal Cinch is highly allergic, so I suggest you put on a clean shirt.” She plucked a dog hair from Twilight’s jacket.

  “Why?” asked Twilight.

  “Because she wants to see you,” the dean answered. “Get changed and meet me in her office.”

  “Maybe she has news about my application to Everton!” Twilight Sparkle said.

  The dean looked concerned. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Are you sure that’s what you really want?”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “A program that allows me to focus all my attention on my own advanced math and science projects! What a dream come true.”

  “But there aren’t any classrooms with other students,” Dean Cadance reminded her. “You’ll be doing everything on your own.”

  Twilight Sparkle grinned. “That is why it’s called an independent study program.”

  “I just don’t want you to miss out on anything. That’s all. Being around other people isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes it’s how you learn the most about yourself,” Dean Cadance said gently.

  Twilight Sparkle shrugged, thinking of the unfriendly students she had passed in the hall just moments earlier. “I guess.”

  Dean Cadance sighed. “Meet you in Principal Cinch’s office in a few minutes.”

  When the door was shut behind her, Twilight was perplexed. “What’s she so worried about? Everton is exactly what I need right now. It’s not like I have anything left to learn at Crystal Prep.”

  Twilight Sparkle slipped through the halls, avoiding as many of the other kids as she could. Twilight opened the door to the dark, wood-paneled office of the principal. There was a thick rug on the floor, serious-looking paintings of serious-looking people on the walls, and a high-backed chair in front of the principal’s desk, which Twilight sat down in. A clock ticked and chimed.

  Shining Armor entered the room. His dark hair was brushed off his face, and he looked particularly handsome.

  Twilight Sparkle was surprised. “Why is my brother here?” she asked Dean Cadance.

  Dean Cadance smiled shyly at Shining Armor. He smiled back at her.

  Dean Cadance cleared her throat. “Principal Cinch thought that he could, as an alumni, provide some unique perspective—”

  “Perspective on what?” interrupted Twilight Sparkle.

  “Why, the Friendship Games,” announced Principal Cinch, appearing through another door and taking a seat at her desk. “You competed in the Games, did you not, Shining Armor?”

  “I did,” he acknowledged.

  “And do you happen to recall who won?” the principal asked.

  Shining Armor burst out laughing. “Crystal Prep did. We always win.”

  The principal nodded her head and repeated his words: “We always win.”

  Twilight Sparkle couldn’t figure out what was going on. “Principal Cinch, why did you ask to see me?”

  The principal gestured to a glass case filled with trophies and plaques and medals. “Twilight, I’ll be honest. It doesn’t matter whether or not Crystal Prep wins or loses. The important thing is that we are expected to win because Crystal Prep has a reputation. And it is that reputation, my reputation, that is responsible for everything we have here.” She gestured out the window at the beautiful grounds, the stately buildings, the pristine athletic fields. “You’ve done quite a lot, haven’t you?”

  Twili
ght blushed. “I don’t know. I guess.”

  “Don’t be modest,” said Principal Cinch. “You’re the best student this school has ever seen. But what I can’t understand is why my best student wouldn’t want to compete.”

  “In the Friendship Games?” Twilight Sparkle was baffled. The games had nothing to do with academic excellence.

  “Look, Twily,” said her brother, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s not really your thing, but representing the school is kind of a big deal. Plus, they could really use your help.”

  “It seems,” explained the principal, “that Canterlot High is undergoing something of a renaissance. Test scores are up, grades, even athletics are on the rise. You see, they are developing something of a reputation.” Principal Cinch’s eyes narrowed. “This. Cannot. Happen.”

  Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “I can’t possibly participate in the Games; my work is—”

  “Ah yes,” the principal interrupted. “Your work. Cadance, could you and Shining Armor find my contact sheet for the Everton Independent Study Program?”

  Dean Cadance nodded. Shining Armor opened the door for her awkwardly, blushing.

  When they had left, Principal Cinch leaned closer to Twilight Sparkle. “I understand you’ve applied for admission. You see, one of the advantages of having a reputation is a certain amount of influence in such things. So let me offer you a deal. In return for contributing your agile mind to these Games, I will use my influence to guarantee your application is approved.” She leaned back in her chair, smiling. “Though I suppose I could also have it denied.”

  Twilight Sparkle was stunned. She had no idea what to say.

  But Principal Cinch knew she had Twilight right where she wanted her. “What do you think I should do?”

  Twilight Sparkle was overwhelmed. What should she do? She wanted to get into the program more than anything—but the last thing she wanted to do was join the other kids in the Friendship Games. There really wasn’t a choice. She would do what she had to.

  Principal Cinch gloated triumphantly. Crystal Prep would win again!

  A Losing Game

  Twilight was packing for the Friendship Games back in her room and trying to convince herself that this wasn’t going to be the worst experience in the whole world. Spike grabbed at a sweater she had put in her suitcase and pulled it out.

  “Come on, Spike!” Twilight sighed. “I was always going to go to Canterlot High for the Friendship Games. The only difference now is that I have to compete. Besides, it’s not like Principal Cinch gave me much of a choice.”

  Spike growled. Twilight Sparkle took the sweater back from him.

  “I know. I don’t like it, either. I probably won’t be able to collect anywhere near as much data as I thought.” She looked at the device attached to her computer. Instantly, she brightened. She had an idea. “Maybe I can still get some.…”

  Twilight Sparkle rummaged through her jewelry box and fastened the device to one of her necklaces. It looked like a large pendant. She grinned as she put it on. She grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door. Spike whimpered.

  “I wouldn’t leave without you,” said Twilight Sparkle reassuringly. “Just remember to be quiet. And try not to shed.” She opened up her backpack. Spike hopped in. Twilight zipped the bag and headed downstairs to the waiting buses.

  There were two buses in front of the school—one a regular school bus and the other a sleek tour bus.

  “Dean Cadance?” Twilight asked. “I’m not really sure where to go.”

  Two girls waiting to get on board glared at her.

  “You could try the end of the line,” whispered Sour Sweet. Her neat ponytail was held in place by a pea-pod-shaped clip.

  “What did you say?” asked Twilight.

  Sour Sweet smiled insincerely. “Just that someone as smart as you should definitely go first. Right, Sunny Flare?”

  She turned to her friend beside her.

  “Absolutely, Sour Sweet,” the girl answered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “On the other hand, you could try waiting in line like everyone else.”

  Twilight was embarrassed. It seemed like she was always saying the wrong thing. “I-I didn’t mean to…” she stuttered. “I was just asking…”

  Dean Cadance checked a name off her clipboard. “This is the right bus, Twilight. Go ’head.”

  “But… I didn’t mean to cut,” stammered Twilight.

  Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet rolled their eyes at each other.

  “It’s too late now,” said Sour Sweet under her breath.

  Twilight picked up her suitcase and her backpack and headed onto the bus. It helped to know Spike was with her, even if no one else could see him. As she looked for a seat, a girl with flaming orange hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose grabbed her arm. “Are we gonna win?”

  Twilight threw up her hands. “I don’t know.”

  “Wrong answer!” exclaimed the girl, horrified. “Try again. Are we gonna win?”

  Twilight gulped. “Um… I guess. I’m sorry. It’s just that…” Twilight looked at the bus full of kids, shaking their heads, snickering, and whispering about her. “I mean, I heard that Canterlot High is doing well… with their reputation… and I mean, it’s not better than ours, of course, but we can’t let them do it. You know? Win, I mean. Right?”

  Kids were looking at her like she was a lunatic.

  “You’re gonna have to take a seat,” said the bus driver. Twilight Sparkle was holding up the line.

  But there was nowhere for Twilight Sparkle to sit. Kids put their backpacks on the empty seats or stretched out their legs or made it clear by glaring at her that the girl who didn’t think they were going to win was not welcome, not welcome at all, to sit with them.

  Finally, she found a place in the way back next to a girl with yellow hair who was listening to music and hadn’t heard what she’d said. The girl across the aisle was staring at her. “Hi, Sugarcoat,” Twilight said, trying to be nice.

  Sugarcoat stared at her, expressionless. “That was a really bad speech. You should consider not speaking in public.”

  Twilight wished she could disappear. At least she had Spike with her. She pulled her backpack onto her lap and unzipped it just enough to peek in at him. Spike nuzzled her hand but began whimpering when the blond girl beside Twilight Sparkle started rocking out to her music. Spike put his paws over his ears.

  “Oh man!” The blond girl grinned. “You have got to hear this!” She pulled out one of her earbuds and stuck it in Twilight Sparkle’s ear.

  Twilight’s eyes widened, horrified by the loud, crazy music.

  She closed her eyes and thought about her independent study. She could endure this. She had to. It was her only way out of Crystal Prep—and she had to get out.

  Fun and Games

  The Sonic Rainbooms were practicing in the music room. They were just finishing a song, and they had ponied up. Their manes were flouncing, their pony tails were swinging, and their pony ears poked through their hair. Rainbow Dash strummed her guitar for one last mighty note. They sounded better than ever.

  “I hope the Friendship Games have a music competition,” she said. “Because we would totally rock it!”

  As the last strains of the music faded away, the girls’ pony features disappeared. “We’re supposed to keep magic out of the Friendship Games,” Fluttershy reminded them.

  “Easier said than done, darling,” noted Rarity. “I’m sure in Equestria, magic does whatever you want, but…”

  “This isn’t Equestria,” completed Sunset Shimmer. She was actually from the magical land of ponies. Every now and then, she still missed her old home.

  “Well, when it comes to magic, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” said Applejack to Sunset Shimmer. “Even if it’s how to turn it off.”

  “Yeah!”

  “Totally.”

  All the girls agreed. Since their trouble with the Sirens, they had all come to trust Sunset
Shimmer—and to count on her. Sunset Shimmer was pleased.

  “And while Sunset works on keeping magic out of the Games, I’ve been working on what to put in!” announced Rarity. She pulled a rack of clothes into the center of the room.

  “Rarity, what did you go and do?” wondered Applejack.

  “I had a little time on my hands,” Rarity explained. “And since we don’t know what the Friendship Games’ events are… I made a few options for uniforms!” She held up one of her latest designs.

  “You really didn’t have to do that,” said Rainbow Dash.

  Rarity grinned. “I know.” But she also knew the girls couldn’t resist trying on her fabulous fashions. There were special soccer outfits that looked just like what the players wore at the World Cup. There were baseball uniforms, cowboy costumes, and even judges’ robes in case someone was a judge instead of a player. Rarity had thought of everything.

  Now, if only they knew what they were going to be doing in the competition. That was the big surprise.

  Two Can Play at That Game

  Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were waiting outside the school when the buses from Crystal Prep arrived. Principal Cinch could barely hide her disdain when she shook the hands of the administrators. She wrinkled her nose when Principal Celestia offered to show her all the new improvements and changes to the school.

  “Oh yes.” She smiled with forced politeness. “I’m sure that would be… fascinating.”

  Vice Principal Luna smiled at Dean Cadance. “It’s always a pleasure to see you,” she said. “Even if it means another defeat.”

  “Thank you, but I hear it’s not going to be so easy this time.”

  As the Crystal Prep students filed off the bus, they checked in with Dean Cadance. Indigo Zap cut in front of Twilight Sparkle. “Coming through,” she said, pushing her aside.

  “Oh, sorry,” said Twilight Sparkle. She took a step backward and bumped into Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet.