by Perdita Finn
“So what’s your answer?” Sunny Flare asked.
“I hope it’s not me,” Pinkie Pie blurted out. “I mean, I’m sorry if it is. But you should remember I’ve come to every single one of your games and cheered. I’d have a lot of energy if you were stuck with me on a desert island. I’d make huts and build rescue fires. You know it, right?”
Rainbow Dash laughed despite herself. Pinkie Pie always made her laugh. Each of the girls was special to her in a different way. Each of them would be wonderful to have on a desert island. Fluttershy would tame the local monkeys—that was for sure—and Rarity would figure out how to dress them all in banana leaves. She didn’t like to leave anyone out. She didn’t want say any of the Crystal Prep girls. She was just getting to know them—that would make them feel terrible. Hmm, she thought. What could she say? How could she keep from hurting anyone’s feelings? Then it hit her.
Rainbow Dash grinned. “I know who I would least like to be stuck with on a desert island?”
“Who?” asked everyone together.
“Myself,” she said.
“No fair,” said Sunny Flare, pouting.
“It is fair,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’d hate to be alone. I like to be with my friends.”
“Good answer,” said Applejack approvingly. “Oh. Well, I’ll guess I’ll have to tell the truth, too. I’m next.” She grabbed a card. “If you had to choose between Fluttershy and Rarity, who would you choose for a best friend?”
Applejack gulped. This was a terrible question! Fluttershy was so sensitive that Applejack didn’t want to hurt her. But she adored Rarity, and just because she didn’t always share her enthusiasm for fashion didn’t mean that they weren’t friends.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“You have to answer the question,” insisted Sunny Flare
“I don’t want to.” Applejack folded her arms.
“It’s because I’m not your best friend, am I?” Big tears were welling up in Fluttershy’s eyes.
“No!” Applejack exclaimed.
“No, what?” whispered Fluttershy.
“Nope. I’m not answering and that’s that.”
“That’s not how you play!” exclaimed Sunny Flare.
“It’s how I’m playing,” Applejack announced firmly.
Sunny Flare made a noise of disgust. “I guess it’s my turn. I’m going to have to show you girls how to play this game. I’m taking a dare card”
Sunny Flare picked a card. She read the dare to herself. She read it again. She placed it down carefully behind her.
“I don’t want to do this!” She sighed dramatically. “I don’t want to have to do this, but a dare is a dare.”
Sunset Shimmer was studying her. Something didn’t feel right. “What did it say?”
“I hate to have to do this…” began Sunny Flare.
“What? What?” asked the girls.
“It said Do You Best Impression of…” She paused. “Midnight Sparkle! Here goes!”
She stood up and held her arms over her head and opened her mouth as wide as she could. She rumpled up her hair. She crossed her eyes. She howled and bellowed.
Everyone froze.
It was awful. It was mean. Really mean.
Tears were welling up in Twilight Sparkle’s eyes.
“Stop that right now,” ordered Sunset Shimmer.
“You’re ruining the party,” said Sour Sweet.
“Why do you always have to do that?” Sugarcoat asked. “Why can’t we just have fun for once? Why can’t we just be nice to each other—like these girls?”
Sunny Flare had been laughing, but she stopped. No one thought she was funny.
Fluttershy had reached out and patted Twilight Sparkle on the back. Applejack was sitting beside her protectively.
Rarity cleared her throat. “Sunny Flare. This is my house and my spa party, and we are not playing games like this anymore. Maybe you should go home.…”
“No!”
It was Twilight.
You Gotta Have Friends
“Sunny Flare, you don’t have to be like this. You don’t have to be mean. You can have friends if you want them,” announced Twilight.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been where you are. I’ve been a monster, too. I thought winning was more important than friends. But there’s nothing more important than friends. Nothing in the whole world.”
“I have friends,” Sunny Flare protested.
“Kind of,” admitted Sugarcoat.
“When you’re nice,” agreed Sour Sweet.
“I just wish we could have fun like these girls,” Sugarcoat added.
Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer had picked up the dare card. “I thought so,” she announced. “It says Do a stupid dance. It doesn’t say Imitate Midnight Sparkle. That was your own idea. You came up with that yourself.”
“Twilight’s the one who’s a real monster. Not me,” protested Sunny Flare.
“We can all turn into monsters sometimes,” said Sunset Shimmer. “But the important thing is to know when you do.”
“And there’s something even more important than that.” Twilight’s voice fell to a hush. “We’re all going to forgive you when you do. That’s what these girls from Canterlot High have taught me. We all make mistakes some times.”
“You’d forgive me? Really?” Sunny Flare couldn’t believe it.
“I would,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Just don’t do it again, okay?”
“If Twilight forgives you,” said Rarity. “We all do.”
Sunny Flare looked around her at the smiling faces. Suddenly, she felt silly and a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, everyone. Really. Maybe it would be more fun to give one another new hairstyles than play Truth or Dare.”
No one disagreed with her.
The girls settled down to primp and fuss and have a silly pajama fashion show. They even played Flashlight Tag in the darkened living room. Everybody was finally having a good time.
Later on they decided to go back to their friendship bracelets. They made special ones for one another.
“Every bracelet is so different and pretty,” said Fluttershy.
“Just like every friendship,” said Twilight Sparkle.
Just as the evening was winding down and the girls were settling into their sleeping bags, Sunny Flare brought out what looked like a large shiny bracelet covered in jewels.
“What’s that?”
“Is that for a giant?”
“Nope!” said Sunny Flare. “It’s a crown I made. For Twilight Sparkle. For a long time, we’ve told her that she was no good at friendship, but that’s not true. We weren’t. We were terrible at friendship. She’s the one who knows how to reach out and be brave and friendly. It’s like she’s a princess of friendship.” She placed the crown on Twilight’s head.
“Woof!” barked Spike. “Now you really are just like the princess!”
“What princess?” asked Sour Sweet.
“It’s a long story!” said Rarity.
And they stayed up late into the night telling their new friends all about Equestria.
Getting to Know You
Twilight Sparkle decided it was time for her to throw her own slumber party—so the girls could get to know one another even better. Her new friends. Her old friends, or rather, her new new friends. Sometimes it was still a little scary reaching out to the Crystal Prep girls, but the more she did, the more they sought her help. She made sure to invite them all over to her house to get to know the Canterlot High crew one-on-one before her party.
Applejack came over the first afternoon with Sunny Flare. They blared country music while breaking eggs and peeling apples. They danced and were silly and made jokes—and they forgot about the cupcakes, which burned. Sunny Flare was very upset about it.
“It’s okay to make mistakes,” said Twilight Sparkle, laughing.
Sheepishly, Sunny Flare pulled out a little notebook and wrote down what she said.
Twilight Sparkle laughed again. “Put that away, girl, and trust yourself. You don’t need a list.”
“No, no, no,” agreed Applejack. “What we need is to make some more cupcakes!”
Pinkie Pie had offered to help out with decorations for the party, and the next day, Twilight Sparkle went over to her house with Sour Sweet. Under her bed, Pinkie Pie had boxes and boxes of streamers, balloons, decals, paper plates, stickers, markers, and posterboard. “What kind of theme shall we do for the party?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“It’s a Friendship Star party,” Twilight Sparkle reminded her.
“Hmm,” thought Pinkie Pie aloud. “We need to shine up our friendships, don’t we? So we need shiny things.”
Sour Sweet’s eyes lit up. “Glitter and metallic streamers and…” She jumped up and down, very excited. “And we need sparkles. Lots of sparkles. For Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight Sparkle laughed. “Really? You won’t have too much of me?”
“Never!” Sour Sweet announced. “Let’s put sparkles on our nails, too, okay?”
“Yes!” agreed Twilight Sparkle.
“I’m not being too enthusiastic, am I?” worried Sour Sweet a moment later.
“Never,” said Pinkie Pie.
The next day, Twilight Sparkle stopped at the Animal Rescue Center with Spike. She peeked in through the door. Fluttershy was surrounded by puppies and kittens—and Sugarcoat was there.
“Can we come in?” she asked.
“Of course!” answered Fluttershy. “I was thinking we should teach Spike a new trick for the party!”
“That’s a great idea,” agreed Twilight Sparkle.
“It is!” agreed Spike.
“Sugarcoat is gifted with animals,” she told Twilight Sparkle. “She’s such a help!”
“Do you think she’s telling me the truth?” whispered Sugarcoat to Twilight Sparkle nervously.
Twilight Sparkle laughed. A whole litter of kittens had fallen asleep in Sugarcoat’s lap. “You can trust Fluttershy. You can trust your friends.”
Just before bed, Twilight Sparkle texted Rarity. Could you come over before the party and help me decide what to wear?
Yes! came the immediate answer. Would you like to borrow my purple shirt?
Really?
Really!
Twilight Sparkle lay in bed that night, tired but happy. What a busy week she was having! She had so many friends to keep up with these days. It was so much easier and more fun to have a lot of friends—friends to bake with, friends to giggle with, friends who loved animals, friends who played sports, friends who knew how to make you look your best, and friends who had seen you at your worst. Like Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset Shimmer had taught the most important lesson about friendship of all—and that was forgiveness.
The next day, Twilight met Sunset Shimmer at the Sweet Shoppe. Twilight ordered two hot chocolates with whipped cream and extra sprinkles.
“My favorite! And extra sprinkles, too,” said Sunset Shimmer, sitting down with her at a booth. “You remembered!” She took a sip of her hot chocolate and smiled. “This hot chocolate is perfect!”
“Thanks to the extra sprinkles,” said Twilight Sparkle. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Anything,” Sunset Shimmer said.
“I want to make a really special playlist for the party, and I want there to be songs each girl likes. Can you help me do that? You know them so well.”
Sunset Shimmer grinned. “I would love to.”
“Do you think I’m ready for the school trip to Camp Everfree?”
“You’re more ready than anyone,” said Sunset Shimmer.
“Sometimes I worry I might turn into Midnight Sparkle again someday.…”
“Well, if you do, I’ll let you know! And you’ll let me know if I’m ever a crown-stealing she-demon. Deal?”
“Deal!”
The Magic of Friendship
When the girls arrived at Twilight Sparkle’s, the house was pitch-black and absolutely quiet. But the moment they rang the doorbell, a light flickered on. As they entered the living room, everything was shimmering and glimmering, thanks to Pinkie Pie’s decorating talents. But there was one surprise even for her. On the ceiling were constellations of glowing stars.
“Hey,” Pinkie Pie said first, pointing at a bright star in the center of the room, “that star has my name on it!”
“And that one’s got mine!” Sour Sweet exclaimed.
One by one, the girls realized that each of their names was on a special star.
“Each of you has lit up my world,” explained Twilight Sparkle. “Each of you is a star in my sky.”
Fluttershy wiped away a tear.
Rarity wrapped Twilight Sparkle in a hug. “This is the most beautiful slumber party I’ve ever been to.”
“Thanks.” Twilight Sparkle blushed. “I hope it’s the most fun, too!”
There was so much to do. They played Flashlight Tag, and afterward, they came inside, put on their pajamas, and giggled as they pretended to strut their fashions on the runway. They made their own pizzas, topping them with cheese and sauce and vegetables. For dessert, there were the cupcakes—the second batch—that Twilight Sparkle and Applejack and Sunny Flare had baked.
“Now it’s time for a performance,” announced Fluttershy.
Twilight Sparkle clicked on some music—and Spike bounded to the center of the room. He was going to dance! He tapped his feet and wiggled his tail and sang along to the song. He was adorable, absolutely adorable.
“Spike wins the dance competition.” Applejack laughed. “Now the rest of us need to join in!”
“I’ve got the perfect playlist,” said Twilight Sparkle, beaming at Sunset Shimmer.
“This is my favorite song!” Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping up. “How did you know?”
Twilight Sparkle winked at Sunset Shimmer. “I had a little help from one of my friends.”
The girls jammed to the music. They danced and danced. They pranced and pounced. Breathless, they laughed and giggled and sang along.
“Rainbow Rocks” began to play. Hearing the familiar beat, the girls clapped their hands delightedly.
“We used to fight with one another; that was before we discovered that when your friendship is real, you say what you feel!”
The girls lifted their knees, waved their hands, and stepped in time to the music.
Twilight Sparkle let loose. She didn’t even know it. She wasn’t thinking about anything. She was just listening to her friends sing along to the music and dancing because she was so happy. She was silly and happy, happier than she had ever been.
Maybe she really did know something about friendship after all.
No One Gets Left Out
Twilight Sparkle was busier than she’d ever been. She was managing Rainbow Dash’s soccer team, building a website for Rarity’s fashions, and volunteering at the Animal Rescue Center with Fluttershy. She got together on the weekends with the Crystal Prep girls and went to bake-offs with Applejack. She never missed a chance to share a giggle with Pinkie Pie. Most afternoons, she and Sunset Shimmer hit the library to do their homework together. Twilight Sparkle had so many friends.
One day, Trixie came up to her in the hallway at school. “You have more friends than anyone in this whole school! How do you do it? What’s your secret?”
“I just have fun!” responded Twilight.
“Really?” asked Trixie.
“Really,” said Twilight Sparkle. “We should hang out sometime. Do you want to?”
Trixie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really,” said Twilight Sparkle. She skipped down the hall happily. She might not ever be the Princess of Friendship, but she didn’t need to be. She just liked being a friend.
Looking for your next adventure?
Ready to grab the latest and greatest in middle-grade reading?
Want to stay updated with news about your favorite authors?
Find reading guides, downloadable activities, videos, and more! Visit LB Kids online:
lb-kids.com
Twitter.com/lbkids
Pinterest.com/lbkids
Turn the page for the beginning of Equestria Girls: Friendship Games.
A Whole New Ball Game
Sunset Shimmer dashed toward Canterlot High. Her red-gold hair wafted behind her like a pony’s wavy mane. She was so excited! She glanced at her phone one more time. Could the news really be true?
She ran over to the statue of the Wondercolt. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were already there, and the other girls were seconds behind her. “I got your text, Rainbow Dash,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed breathlessly. “Did something come through the portal? Is Equestrian magic on the loose? Did Twilight come back with a problem that only we can solve?”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Has a giant cake monster covered all the cakes in the world in cake?”
Rainbow Dash was surprised that all the girls had overreacted. What did they want? Another trio of evil Sirens to infiltrate their school and try to sow disharmony? She held up her guitar. The emergency was that she had broken a string—and she really wanted to practice some new songs for their band, the Sonic Rainbooms.
Sunset Shimmer wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t understand.”
“I was just telling Rainbow Dash here”—Applejack sighed—“that a broken guitar string doesn’t really qualify as an emergency.”
“It totally does!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe that Applejack, who played the bass, didn’t get it.
But no one did.
Rarity was put out. “Really, Rainbow Dash, I was in the middle of sewing a very complex appliqué on my latest frock.”
“And I was just about to tuck in my pets at the shelter. Now we’ll have to start stories all over again.” Even gentle Fluttershy was annoyed.
Something just didn’t seem right, but Sunset Shimmer couldn’t figure out what it was. “Why would you send all of us an emergency text for a guitar string?”
