The alarm clock blared to life brazenly, completely unaware of its impending fate. Mere moments later, a curled cyan fist groped its way out from under the covers, flailing blindly as it slammed up and down against the nightstand, seeking the source of the infernal buzzing. Eventually, the fist found its mark, silencing the offensive noise that was reverberating like a vuvuzela on steroids.
Rainbow Dash stretched and sat up as her senses returned from the realm of dreams. Something wasn't right...school was out for summer, so why had she set her alarm? As her head plopped back down on her pillow, Rainbow Dash's gaze drifted over her bedroom wall and finally settled on a poster hanging near the door. The bright yellow and green colors were giving off a gleam in the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window: two legs, vying for control of a ball. But the words in the center were what finally brought Rainbow Dash into full focus.
2014 FIFA World Cup
Brazil
Rainbow Dash shot up again in bed, this time knocking the covers off of her as she remembered what today was, why today was special, worthy of an early rising. Today was the first day of matches for the World Cup! The most awesome sporting event ever!
Quivering with excitement, Rainbow Dash hopped out of bed, bouncing around on one leg to struggle into a pair of shorts before making her way to the bathroom to wash the remaining sleep from her eyes. Once her morning necessities were complete, Rainbow Dash bolted downstairs, her excitement having awakened her appetite. Rainbow saw that her parents had left her half a pot of coffee, and she went to pour a cup before going to rummage around in the refrigerator for some breakfast.
Rainbow Dash very nearly missed seeing the note that had been taped to the refrigerator door, but at the last minute, the canary-colored Post-It note flared in her face almost like a yellow card.
Rainbow,
Your father and I will be in Cloudsdale all day, there's some leftovers you can use or make a sandwich. We should be back tonight late.
Oh, the cable has been acting up again, there is a technician scheduled to come between 1PM and 5PM today, please make sure you are home to let him in.
Love,
Mom
Rainbow Dash grabbed some fruit from the refrigerator and then turned her attention to making one of her highest culinary achievements she could, toast with jelly. As she sat down to eat, something in the back of her mind kept dogging her. Rainbow Dash took another sip of coffee, and as the realization hit her, she nearly spit out her drink.
They were going to be working on the TV. Today. TODAY!
Rainbow Dash groaned, her shoulders slumping. Why today? Today of all days? The first World Cup game was scheduled for broadcast at 2PM local time, right in the middle of the "Window of Doom". With her luck, the stupid cable guy would show up right at 1:45, ruining her chance to watch the opening kickoff.
Finishing her breakfast, Rainbow Dash headed upstairs, already trying to think of backup plans. Calling the cable company to reschedule was out, her parents would kill her, or worse...ground her from watching the rest of the matches. No, she would have to be more clever, Rainbow Dash decided.
Rainbow Dash's next thoughts were to see if any of her friends could house-sit for her, that could work, right? Rainbow ran down her mental list. While things were going good with Mac, Rainbow was pretty sure he would be tied up with chores at the farm all afternoon. Likewise for Applejack, doubtless. Pinkie would be working with the Cakes and Fluttershy would be busy also now that she was volunteering full-time at the Canterlot Animal Shelter.
Twilight would be in summer school, naturally, and her place likely wouldn't have any of the sports channels on TV. Rainbow crossed Twilight off her list of possibilities.
Rainbow Dash briefly entertained the idea of calling Rarity, before realizing that would only give Rarity a bargaining chip to cajole Rainbow Dash into spending a day at the Boutique trying on outfit after outfit which was something she had been able to avoid for the most part.
Rainbow Dash sighed, no closer to her goal and the morning was slipping away from her. She knew she could call Scootaloo, and the young girl would certainly agree, but Rainbow didn't want to take advantage of her younger idol's adoration for a boring errand. Immediately afterwards, Rainbow Dash felt a pang of guilt, realizing that she had just been debating doing the very same thing for her other friends. No, this problem was hers to solve, not someone else's burden.
The house was starting to feel more like a penalty box than a place to relax for the morning, so Rainbow Dash decided it was time to get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. Being active always helped her think better anyway.
Rainbow Dash had one easy decision for the day, her wardrobe. She donned her undershirt and socks, then reached over to grab her tennis shoes. Rainbow walked over to the closet and dug around inside, searching for one specific thing to wear. With a cat-like grin, Rainbow Dash took out the jersey her father had bought for her on her last birthday. The red, white, and blue colors were vibrant, the jersey having only been worn once before. Rainbow Dash had been saving it for today, now it was time for her to wear the colors proudly.
Rainbow Dash's finger traced lightly over the number "10" on the back as she read the name "Donovan" embroidered over the shoulders. Rainbow's lips curled into a slightly sad smile. She knew that the game always moved on, and younger, faster players rose to take the place of even the greatest of idols. Rainbow wondered if someday, someone might hold up a similar jersey with the number "4", her number from high school, and "Dash" written on the back. Rainbow Dash slipped the jersey over her head, and used her foot to drag out her soccer ball, digging her toe under the ball and bouncing it on her foot, then her knee, then back down to her foot.
With a grin, Rainbow Dash grabbed her keys off the nightstand and headed downstairs. The pitch was calling!
When Rainbow Dash arrived at the athletic fields at Canterlot High, she noticed only a handful of cars parked in the lot. It wasn't surprising, only a few of the student athletes (such as herself, of course) maintained any kind of training program during the summer months. Rainbow Dash parked her car and started to walk over to the soccer field where she thought she saw a trio of boys kicking around a ball. If nothing else, maybe she could talk them into some two-on-two.
Rainbow Dash's attention was so caught up on the potential for a game that she didn't hear her name being called, didn't notice the other girl with the fiery hair jogging over to her from the running track until she interposed herself right in Rainbow's path.
"Hey, Dash!" Sunset Shimmer greeted Rainbow Dash warmly. "Out for some exercise?"
Rainbow Dash's face broke into a wide grin at the sight of her friend. "Hey, Sunset!" Rainbow replied, extending her fist for a bump, which Sunset returned with a smile of her own. "Yeah, I just needed to think and I do it better here than sitting around at home."
"I can relate, I don't like being idle for too long either," Sunset agreed. "I was just out for a bit of a gallop, err...a jog around the track. So what's up?"
"Today's the first day of World Cup!" Rainbow Dash replied enthusiastically. "The only bummer is they are coming to work on the TV at home this afternoon, so I may not get to watch the match."
"Why don't you just go watch it in person?" Sunset Shimmer asked sincerely.
Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Because it's in Brazil, that's another country. And I don't think I could pull off stealing a jet anyway without getting in trouble." Sunset Shimmer grinned back, not at all put off by her faux pas. Geography wasn't something she had really bothered to study yet, anyway.
"I was just about to ask those guys over there if they might like to play a short match, you want to go see if we could take them on?" Rainbow Dash asked, her feet unable to stay still from juggling the football around.
"Hmm...two versus three. That's not really going to be very fair, is it?" Sunset said thoughtfully.
"No, it's not," Rainbow acknowledged. "Still, I'm sure we won't embarrass them too badly. C'mon, let's go!"
True enough to teenage male pride, a game was quickly agreed upon with the first team to ten points winning. Sunset chose to take the backfield, leaving Rainbow Dash as their attacker. The boys deployed two up front, with the larger of the trio playing keeper. After a brief round of handshakes, the match was on.
It didn't take long at all for Rainbow to weave her way through the two forwards, giving her a clear shot on goal. With a slight leap into the air, Rainbow Dash spun around in a full circle to add even more power to her strike, burying the ball into the left upper corner of the net as the keeper's outstretched fingertips could only brush at the ball.
"One-Zip!" Rainbow called out as she pumped her fist in the air. From her position back by her net, Sunset flashed a sly little grin. Rainbow had been right. This wasn't going to be a fair match at all.
Once the final point had been scored, Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer gave each of their opponents a fist-bump, offering their thanks for a fun game. The three boys were smart enough to salvage what was left of their manhood by accepting their defeat gracefully. Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer headed to the bleachers, to sit and rest for a bit.
"I can't believe you let them score one," Sunset Shimmer groused playfully. "I thought Rarity was the generous one."
"Hey, it was a good shot, and besides, I normally don't play a lot of defense," Rainbow shrugged. She took a sip of water, before looking back over at Sunset Shimmer.
"So, do you watch any sports on TV?" Rainbow asked.
"Not much, I've never really been much of a spectator," Sunset confessed. "I never really had any interest in sports growing up. When I was younger, my father took me to Cloudsdale to watch the Equestria Games, and I think I had my nose buried in a book almost the entire time."
Rainbow Dash coughed a little, having swallowed her water the wrong way. "Sorry," Rainbow sputtered. "It always catches me off-guard when you talk about places back in Equestria that sound so much like here."
Sunset Shimmer smiled understandingly. "It's OK, I know it's odd for you and the girls, I try not to bring it up too much. I'd rather you know me as the person I'm becoming rather than the pony I was."
"I know and it's cool," Rainbow Dash said. "Still just crazy how similar things are sometimes. Makes you kinda wonder."
"Trust me, when I first got here, I went through the same thing," Sunset replied. Not wanting to dwell on the subject, Sunset asked Rainbow Dash, "So have you figured out what to do about this afternoon?"
Rainbow shook her head. "Not really. I mean, even if I could find someone to house-sit for me, where would I go to watch the game? I can't really get into a sports bar or such, and I don't know anyone who's not busy that might let me crash their place and steal the TV for a couple of hours."
"You mean, except me?" Sunset Shimmer smirked, giving Rainbow a playful punch on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I....whoa, wait!" Rainbow Dash gushed, finally processing what Sunset had said. "You'd let me watch the game at your place? I thought you said you weren't into watching sports!"
"I'm not," Sunset replied. "But that doesn't mean I don't have a TV that gets the proper channels. What do you think I used for so long to learn about this place once I got here?" Sunset asked.
"I'd never thought about it," Rainbow Dash confessed. "But does that mean that you'll..."
"Go sit at your place? Sure, that's what friends do, right? Do favors for each other?" Sunset confirmed.
"Ohmygosh!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her face lighting up. "That is totally awesome, Sunset. I will totally owe you."
"It's no big deal, Dash. I didn't really have plans for the afternoon." Sunset Shimmer said nonchalantly. "Just one thing. You have to promise you won't touch anything at my place. I have a few...things...that you really might not want to disturb."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Things? Like in, things from..."
"Yeah, things like that," Sunset Shimmer nodded. "But you're welcome to curl up on the couch and watch the Cup of the World if you like."
"World Cup," Rainbow Dash corrected. "This is so awesome! Thank you sooooo much, Sunset!"
"My pleasure, Rainbow," Sunset said, pulling out her keys and handing them over.
It was just about 2PM by the time that Rainbow Dash had made it to Sunset Shimmer's apartment. The complex was in an unfamiliar part of town, one that was almost seedy by Rainbow's standards, and it had taken Rainbow Dash extra time to find the address. Rainbow Dash parked her car in front of the building and took extra care to make sure it was locked securely before heading up the stairs to apartment 207. Twisting the key in the lock, Rainbow Dash cracked open the door and walked inside.
The apartment was a simple one-bedroom, quite modest in size. There was little in the way of decoration and not much more to be said in the way of furnishings. A small bed was pressed against one corner of the room, away from the kitchenette. A small couch faced the largest bare wall, next to which sat what looked like a well-aged TV stand with the Holy Grail of the afternoon, a glorious 32-inch television on top.
Rainbow Dash walked into the kitchenette, and set down her pack onto the counter. She had forgotten to ask Sunset Shimmer if she needed to bring her own drinks, and she was loathe to start digging around in her friend's refrigerator without permission. Rainbow spied a glass sitting on the counter and went to the sink to rinse it out before filling it back up with water.
As Rainbow turned to head for the couch, a glint over by the bed caught her eye. Curiosity got the better of her, and Rainbow Dash walked over to see what had gleamed so brightly. To her surprise, on a small bookshelf near the end of the bed was a small leather sack which looked to have tilted to the side. From the top of the open pouch, a small number of what looked like gold coins shone brilliantly. Next to the sack was what looked like something from an alchemist's workshop. A small crucible, tongs, and a little metal mold.
Rainbow blinked her eyes, certainly Sunset Shimmer wouldn't have a bag of gold just lying around her apartment. Rainbow Dash prodded the side of the sack, and one of the coins spilled out. Rainbow picked it up, turning it over in her hand. It sure looked like gold, and didn't feel like it was just a coating over something else. Remembering this wasn't her place, Rainbow Dash dropped the golden coin back in the sack and headed for the couch.
The TV remote was in plain sight on one arm of the couch, and Rainbow Dash took it in one hand and pointed it at the television. Before she could press the button, however, Rainbow's eye was drawn to a curious small little sphere sitting on a wooden stand on the shelf under the TV. The orb was about the size of a baseball, and looked to be made of some sort of cut crystal. Even in the dim light of the apartment, the sphere seemed to scintillate from within.
Rainbow Dash set down the remote and reached for the sphere, but then drew her hand back. "Don't do it, Rainbow," she whispered to herself. For several moments, Rainbow Dash fought a silent battle of wills within herself, but in the end, her curiosity was too great. Rainbow Dash reached over, and lifted the orb in one palm for a closer look.
As Rainbow Dash drew the sphere closer to her face, it suddenly grew very warm in her palm, startling her such that she dropped the sphere. But rather than falling to the ground, the sphere hovered in the air. The lights within started to dance more excitedly, and suddenly a burst of light temporarily dazzled Rainbow Dash. When her vision had cleared, she could hardly believe her eyes.
In the room, only a couple of feet away from Rainbow Dash were two ponies. One was much taller, with a white coat, wings and a horn. Her mane appeared to be almost ethereal, and moved to an unseen wind. The other pony was a unicorn, from the horn on her head, that was more butterscotch in color, with a fiery red and yellow mane that looked familiar somehow to Rainbow Dash. They appeared to be walking somewhere, but they moved in place without traveling.
The larger pony then spoke, with a voice that Rainbow Dash was sure she had heard before somewhere else.
"Sunset Shimmer, I have heard that you're not getting along well with the other students—we've talked about the fact that personal relationships..."
The other pony cut the larger pony off.
"Personal relationships? Who needs anypony? The important thing in life is to be the best." Rainbow Dash blinked. That was Sunset Shimmer's voice, sure enough.
Again the white winged, horned pony spoke.
"We've talked about friendship and its importance before, and we discussed that you need to start opening yourself up to new friends. Remember that talk we had about humility?" the larger pony asked.
The smaller pony appeared to try to keep from rolling her eyes. "I remember how boring it was."
Just then, a hand reached out and wrapped itself around the floating sphere, causing the projected scene to vanish.
"I think that's enough," Sunset Shimmer said quietly from beside Rainbow Dash, who nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise.
"Sunset! I...ah, I didn't hear you come in," Rainbow Dash squeaked.
"I know. And I'm pretty sure I asked you not to touch anything," Sunset Shimmer sighed, placing the small sphere back on it's little wooden stand.
"What...what was that? That was you?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.
Sunset Shimmer didn't turn around at first. "It's a memory gem. It's a way for a magic user to capture memories and store them for later viewing. One of the few pieces of my former home I've kept. That lesson means a lot more to me now, than it did back then."
Rainbow Dash just nodded dumbly. "Sunset...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to violate your privacy," Rainbow mumbled at last.
"No harm done, Rainbow, I forgive you," Sunset Shimmer said at last. "Oh, and the TV tech showed up right at one o'clock and was done in about thirty minutes. So you can go watch the game back on your big-screen at home if you like." Sunset then turned around, and her face held a ghost of a smile. "Or, if you like, stay and we can watch it together. You've seen a bit more of my past, I'd like to understand more about yours why this is such a big deal for you."
Rainbow Dash smiled back, then handed the remote to Sunset Shimmer. "Then let's watch the World Cup together. That's what friends do, right?"
Sunset took the remote and turned on the TV. "That they do, Dash. That they do. But it's on you to make the first bowl of popcorn, in the pantry, middle shelf."
"You've got a deal!" Rainbow Dash said, heading for the kitchen to make the snacks as Sunset changed the channel to the last few moments of the opening ceremonies. The World Cup was just about to begin and this time, spectators from two worlds would be watching the Beautiful Game.
