Chapter 1: Bad Blood
The snow fell outside the frosted windows, a sharp contrast to the orange warmth of the crackling fireplace behind Twilight Sparkle as she sat in her living room recliner, her feet propped up in front of her with a laptop shining in her face from her lap. She adjusted her glasses with one hand, then went right back to typing with long-practiced ease. The click-clacking of her keys meeting the popping of the log in front of her were the only noises until she heard Spike's tiny feet padding along the carpet on her right side.
"Hey, bwilighb! You gob momefing!" Spike leapt up onto the arm of her chair and opened his jaws, letting two letters fall onto her thigh. "Who are they from!?"
"Hm?" Twilight glanced down at the letter on top and plucked it from her lap. "This one's from Sunny Flare. I wonder why she sent it, we see each other every day..." She carefully pried her fingernails under the envelope's edge and peeled the glue apart, careful to leave the paper intact until she could pull out the letter and scan through it. "Hey, it's an invitation to a Hearth's Warming Eve party! That's great! My first real party with my new friends!"
Spike panted in excitement. "Yeah!? Do you think I can come too!? They're not too far, right!?"
"I'll ask her if pets are allowed." Twilight scratched under his chin with a bright grin, then moved her hand away to pluck the second letter from her lap. "This one's from Applejack! Boy, it sure is a busy night." She carefully pried the envelope open and scanned quickly through the letter. "It's an invitation to my first Hearth's Warming Eve party with my new friends..." Twilight blinked. "Uh-oh..."
"What do you mean? Isn't that great too?" Spike asked.
"Sure, if there were two of me..." Twilight gulped. "Who should I spend the day with? I can't just take a bus back and forth all day."
"Who do you want to spend the day with?" Spike asked.
"Everybody..."
"Then why not tell everybody that!?"
"I can't..." Twilight trailed off slowly, then rubbed her forehead with two fingers. "I can't freak out over every little thing... you're right Spike. I should just gather them all up and see if they want to spend the day together. They're all nice, I'm sure they'll get along just fine." Twilight plucked her phone off of the desk beside the chair and began thumbing out a pair of text messages. "I'll just have them meet at my house tomorrow, and we'll all sit down, have some cocoa, and discuss this like the calm, rational adults we all are."
***
Twilight wasn't so sure about this anymore, but the invitations had already been sent. She stared out the front window of her house, watching the snow gently drift to the ground around the approaching girl, wrapped in a thick winter jacket and pants. Twilight moved to open the door just as the girl approached it, gesturing her in quickly.
"Hey Sunny, thanks for coming." Twilight smiled broadly.
"Don't mention it." Sunny slipped her thick knit beanie off of her head and shook out her light purple hair. "I don't think you've ever invited us all over before. What's the occasion?"
"I just come over to see you girls so often, I thought it would be nice if we could all get together at my place." Twilight gave a smile she hoped didn't look too forced. "There's a pot of cocoa in the kitchen, feel free to help yourself."
"Thank you, I think I will." Sunny pulled off her scarf as she made her way into the kitchen.
Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself just before the doorbell rung again. One by one the rest of her Crystal Prep friends arrived. Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, and Lemon Zest. They all seemed to be in light spirits, and Lemon Zest was grinning ear to ear as she sat down at the sofa to pull Spike into her lap and scratch him behind the ears.
"Don't think I've forgotten about you just because I have a dog, little dude." Lemon giggled to herself as Spike's tail wagged so hard it pounded into her bicep.
Sour Sweet dropped onto the sofa beside her, clasping her hands in front of her. "So what are we doing here? Staring at this dog? That sounds like so much fun!"
"I have plenty of movies we can watch." Twilight cast a discreet glance at the clock above the television. It was just about time for the others to arrive, but she still needed to be a good host. "Has everybody seen Freezer?"
Sugarcoat raised one eyebrow. "Is that a rhetorical question?"
"I think it's a requirement to live in this country, at this point." Indigo slung her legs over the arm of the recliner as she plopped down on it, cradling her mug of cocoa in her hands. "You have to know the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, all of the presidents, and be able to sing Let It Go Already by heart."
Sour Sweet gasped in delight. "Oh I love that song! It's such a wonderful lesson to kids, telling them to $%^# their friends, family, job, and entire life so they can retreat into the mountains and build their only friends out of snow! The movie's about a crazy person!"
"That's right," Sugarcoat agreed. "The whole movie was Orelsa's fevered cold-addled mind creating a better world than the one she spent the whole time freezing to death in."
"Whoa, dude..." Lemon blinked as her jaw dropped. "It all makes sense now... the trolls must've been rock bottom."
Sunny chuckled. "That would explain the rockiness of them."
"This must be shared with the world!" Lemon whipped out her cell phone and began typing furiously with both thumbs.
Indigo scoffed. "If you ask me the trolls were the director literally trolling the audience. That's the only explanation."
Suddenly the sound of an engine pulling into the driveway outside drew all eyes towards the front door. The other five girls all exchanged quick, confused glances as Lemon began counting on her fingers, pointing at each of them in turn.
Lemon muttered, "one, two, three, four, five, six..." Spike whined, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Seven. Sorry little dude."
"Are we expecting more company?" Sunny asked.
"Uh.... maybe." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with a blush. The knock on the door came moments later, so she moved to open it. Applejack's old work truck sat out in the driveway, with the crew climbing out of it one at a time. Sunset Shimmer was standing in front of the door, giving Twilight a bright smile.
"Hey, Twi. Thanks for inviting us." Sunset stepped into the living room and gave her a firm hug, which Twilight returned. "We don't get out here to see you often e... enough..." Sunset's eyes scanned the living room, where the other girls were staring back with equally confused expressions. When Sunset pulled away from Twilight to look at her face Twilight suddenly had to adjust her glasses very furiously. "Twilight, what did you do?"
"Twilight?" Sunny asked worriedly as she and the other girls moved toward her from the TV. "Is everything okay?"
"Howdy Twilight, sure was nice of you to invite us all out here to see you!" Applejack's deep accent cut through the house and Twilight's nerves, as her thick cowboy boots stomped their way through the doorframe into the living room. "Is everything alright in..." She trailed off immediately as she caught site of the Crystal Prep girls. The other four Canterlot High girls entered behind her, all of them stopping dead to stare, until the entire room plunged into a deep, uncomfortable silence Twilight would give anything to banish.
"Awkwaaaaarrrrd..." Lemon Zest rubbed one arm uncomfortably.
"Twilight?" Sunny Flare put her hands on her hips. "Is there something you'd like to say to us?"
"Yeah, what in tarnation are they doing here?" Applejack asked.
"I know there's still a little animosity over how the Friendship Games ended..." Twilight rubbed her arm with a gulp. "After all, there was no winner, but I don't see any reason you all can't be friends, right? You're all good people, you appreciate friendship, and I know that deep in your hearts, you realize that the end result of the games wouldn't have mattered... so I thought we could get together and talk it out. To put it all behind us, and spend Hearthswarming Eve together."
The silence returned in force, and for a short time, Twilight had hope that it would work. That they really could resolve this silly animosity and share the holiday... but her heart cracked the moment Rainbow Dash spoke up.
"Sure, as soon as they admit that we would have won."
"You didn't win!" Indigo exclaimed. "And if you did, it was by cheating!"
"We cheated? You were the ones who made Twilight destroy the campus trying to cheat!"
Applejack scratched her head. "Yeah, and besides, what're y'all so worked up about it for? You ain't still worked up over Crystal Prep's reputation, are you?"
Sunny fielded this one, "just because Principal Cinch is a jerk who takes things way too far doesn't mean we don't care about our school. We've achieved a lot there, and we have the same pride in our school that you do in yours."
"But do you have parties!?" Pinkie exclaimed.
"We do, sometimes... two or three times a year..." Lemon Zest sighed. "I wish we had more parties."
"No showing weakness, Lemon! Not to them!" Indigo glared across the room at the Canterlot High girls.
"We're not your enemies..." Fluttershy squeaked softly.
Sour Sweet cooed. "Oohhh you are so right! I guess everything I thought was wrong just because butterfly girl said so!" Fluttershy winced and muttered something under her breath, taking a quick step back.
"Don't y'all yell at her!" Applejack took a sharp step forward, only to be met by Indigo in equal stride.
"Don't y'aaawwwwlllll come up here to our turf and start talking crap!" Indigo shouted right in her face.
Twilight buried her face in her palms, her fingers tightening over her bangs. This was going as bad as it could possibly go. This had been a huge mistake, she knew there was still bad blood between them, why did she think that had changed? Maybe she'd just assumed that because they were all nice to her and Sunset Shimmer that they could get along with each other. She was so stupid, and now she didn't know how to stop the yelling that was still going on.
"Hey, everyone SHUT UP!" Sunset Shimmer's scream finally cut through the chaos, bringing the volume in the room down to a less deafening level. "If you all want to pick a fight, that's fine, but don't do it here in Twilight's living room! Take it outside!"
There was silence on the other side of Twilight's hands, until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and a soft voice speak. "Twilight?"
Twilight slowly lowered her trembling hands, looking up at her gathered friends over her fingertips. Sunset had a comforting hand on her shoulder, and everyone else was watching her with expressions of mixed guilt and worry.
Twilight took a few deep breaths to make sure she could speak without choking up. "I-I'm sorry everyone. I got party invitations from both of you and I just... wanted to spend Hearthswarming Eve with all of my friends... but it was stupid, and I've just messed up again. Maybe I won't come to either party this year..."
Spike padded up to her feet. "But you were so psyched about spending the holiday with your friends, Twilight."
Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. "Well sometimes things don't happen the way we want."
"You don't have to spend the holiday alone, Twi." Rainbow Dash smirked and turned back toward the Crystal Prep girls. "Because I know how we can decide who you party down with."
Sunny Flare lifted a curious eyebrow. "Is that right? Do tell."
"It's time to settle the score!" Rainbow pointed dramatically at the other girls. "Us five against you five in the real Friendship Games! Winners get Twilight Sparkle to spend the holiday with them!"
"What!?" Twilight gasped.
Indigo punched one of her palms with a bright grin. "I like the sound of that!"
"That sounds like fun!" Pinkie Pie agreed energetically. "As long as it stays fun this time!"
"I'll destroy you all!" Sour Sweet agreed.
"But wait one second." Sunny Flare held up one finger. "The Friendship Games need to have an impartial referee."
"I bet Sunset Shimmer could do it!" Rarity nudged her friend. "She doesn't care much for school competitions."
"Yeah, that could work." Sunny nodded. "She's a friend to both of our groups, now. Does anyone object?" Sour Sweet's hand shot up. "Sour Sweet?"
Sour Sweet spoke through gritted teeth. "I just... can't not hate her! She looks too much like the jerk from school!"
"Ahehe..." Sunset Shimmer shrugged through her slightly pink cheeks. "Not a whole lot I can do about that, I'm afraid. But Rarity's right anyway, I'm not really into big competitions. I don't want to referee your Friendship Games or whatever."
"That's exactly why we would trust you with it," Sugarcoat pointed out. "Someone who doesn't give a crap about the result would have no reason to favor one side or the other."
"Please? You'd be doing us all a huge favor, here." Rarity batted her eyelashes with a gentle hand on her arm.
Sunset Shimmer's eyes scanned the gathered groups, all watching her with penetrating, expectant stares. "Alright, fine." Sunset Shimmer gave them a small smile. "I'll come up with some games you guys can play. We can meet at Sweet Apple Acres, there'll be plenty of room in the barn to have the games instead of doing it out in the snow."
"It's agreed." Sunny turned back to Rainbow Dash and held out her hand. Rainbow stared down at her hand for a moment, then reached out to take it in a firm shake. "May the best friends win."
"We will, but try to have fun anyway." Rainbow Dash gave her a crooked grin, then pulled her hand back and turned to leave. Her fingers snapped and jerked toward the door, gesturing for her friends to follow. The others all exchanged wary glances, then shared a chuckle as they followed Rainbow Dash outside toward Applejack's work truck.
Sour Sweet stuck her tongue out after Rainbow Dash. "We'll kick your butts later!"
Twilight Sparkle was still trying to process all of this as Sunny Flare approached her. "Hey, relax... it's not that serious." Sunny's hand nudged her arm companionably, but Twilight was so stiff she barely moved. Instead Sunny turned to Sunset and leaned in to whisper into the red-haired girl's ear.
"Don't worry, I got her," Sunset mumbled back in a low voice before speaking more loudly. "You girls relax in the meantime. I'll hammer out the details." Sunset waved at each of their friends as they passed. As Sour Sweet passed she gave Sunset a sharp glare and pointed at her eyes, narrowed her lids, and kept their eyes locked as she slowly made her way out the front door.
Once they were gone Sunset turned back to Twilight, moving fully in front of her and leaning down to meet her slightly downcast eyes. "You doing okay there, Twi?"
"No... this isn't what I wanted at all." Twilight's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I wanted them to spend the holiday together as friends, but all I did was start the fighting up again. I feel like the worst friend in the world..."
"Hey, come on, don't beat yourself up." Sunset Shimmer gave her a reassuring smile. "I promise by the time this is all over, they'll be laughing and talking over hot cocoa by your fireplace."
"How can you say that? All they did was yell at each other..."
"I wouldn't say that..." Sunset Shimmer pulled her smaller friend into a comforting hug, stroking her back with one hand. "Have I let you down yet, Twilight?"
Twilight accepted the hug with open arms and shook her head. "No..."
"Then trust me. I'll do everything in my power to keep the peace." Sunset Shimmer pulled back and gave her an enthusiastic wink. "I already have a few ideas... I just might need a little help with them..."
Chapter 2: Let the Games Begin
Chapter 2: Let the Games Begin
Twilight Sparkle couldn't decide exactly how uncomfortable she was. On one hand, she was surrounded by everybody she considered a friend, and even had Spike clenched tightly in her arms. On the other, Sunset Shimmer had disappeared outside of Applejack's barn somewhere while the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts glared at one-another from across the room. Aside from Rarity, who was standing close fiddling with the second reason she was so uncomfortable, the glittering golden dress that flowed from Twilight's shoulders all the way down to her feet like some kind of fairy tale princess. She couldn't believe the detail on this dress, she even had a cane clutched in one hand that looked like solid gold, though she couldn't tell for sure.
Twilight gulped and finally asked the important question. "Is this really necessary, Rarity?"
"Necessary? Of course not." Rarity waved off the question with one hand. "But you're the reason we're all here darling, you'd might as well look the part!"
Sunny Flare approached with one hand on her hip. "Look the part of what, an actual trophy?"
"Oh psh-pfft." Rarity waved the Shadowbolt off with one hand. "What lady wouldn't want to look fabulous when she's being lavished with such attention?"
"I really don't feel like I'm getting that much attention..." Twilight's blush deepened.
"Nonsense! Now come stand on this pedestal I brought for you." Rarity took her hands and guided her to a small wooden platform that was painted gold to match her dress. She pulled Twilight onto it, then stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her. "Glorious! How do you feel?"
"Kind of like a department store mannequin..." Twilight forced a chuckle.
"Hmmm... you know, you'd be prettier without these." Rarity reached up and pulled the glasses off of her face, gasping in delight as she stepped back. "Perfect!"
Twilight squinted at the snow-white blur that had suddenly appeared in front of her. "Um... not to second-guess you Rarity, but I'd like to see the games..."
"Of course you would." Sunny's voice moved closer, and moments later Twilight's glasses her placed back on her nose. Sunny turned to wave her hands at Rarity. "Now you, shoo. Leave her alone."
"Well I never!" Rarity stepped back, then forward again in righteous indignation. "I was just making things more fabulous!"
"You're making her uncomfortable!" Sunny got right in Rarity's face, but the fashionista didn't back down.
Twilight felt herself freezing up again, her arms tightening until she heard Spike whimper in pain. Immediately she relaxed her arms, leaning down to whisper in Spike's raised ear. "Sorry, Spike, I'm just really nervous... I don't see how Sunset Shimmer can make these girls stop fighting."
"She's done a lot for us already. I guess we're just gonna have to trust her," Spike whispered back. "She knows best..."
"I sure hope so... and I hope she does it soon..." No sooner did Twilight finish speaking than the overhead lights dangling from the roof suddenly cut out, plunging the group into the darkness of the night that had fallen outside. There was a surprised murmur among the gathered girls until they all went silent as a powerful spotlight came on from the door.
Sunset Shimmer stood silhouetted in the light, clad in what looked like a magician's tuxedo, leaning against a cane she held in one hand and holding a top hat on her head with the other. The spotlight behind her widened its beam to light the room, giving the girls a more clear vision of her before she sprang to life, lifting a microphone to her lips. Her voice seemed to echo from hidden speakers within, or perhaps just outside, the sturdy wooden walls.
"Welcome ladies and gentlepuppies to a very special Friendship Games!" Sunset whirled her cane beside her as she approached the group. "You're all gathered here for one reason, to win the time and attention of Twilight Sparkle, best friend to us all! The sad truth is that there's only one Twilight Sparkle..." Sunset nodded solemnly behind the end of her cane, then sprang to life once more. "So we're gonna fight for our friend and fix this problem, aren't we!?"
The other girls except for Twilight gathered around her, hooting in agreement and pumping their fists into the air. Twilight didn't want to move from her pedestal where Rarity put her. She wasn't really a part of this, after all... even though she was the reason everybody was here.
"We have five challenges tonight for two contestants apiece! Each of you will compete in one challenge, so choose your representative for each one carefully! This is a best of five, so whoever wins three rounds takes the Friendship Games and the hand of our lovely princess!" Sunset Shimmer marched confidently over to Twilight, taking her hand into the air and giving her a wink. Twilight could only blush, her brain drawing a complete blank for any response. "So everybody to your corners and decide who's going to be competing in round one!"
"Alright!" Indigo Zap and Rainbow Dash nearly mirrored one-another's sentiments as they rushed to each side of the spacious barn, which had been cleared of most of its hay and animals for the duration of the games. It was just them, plenty of floor space, and evidently, walls filled with speakers and specially installed lighting displays that came on to shine straight onto each group of whispering girls.
"How did you set all of this up?" Twilight finally found her presence of mind enough to question Sunset Shimmer. "Now that I think about it, how are you controlling all of these things from inside?"
"I got a little help from school." Sunset winked.
"Oh..." Twilight gulped. "I don't get it. Isn't building up the competition like this only going to make them more competitive? That's the opposite of what I wanted."
"Twilight..." Sunset's head jerked around when the two groups of girls dispersed and approached one-another. "Just trust me."
Sunset rushed back out to step between the two groups, lifting her mic to her lips again. "So what will it be girls? Who's stepping into the arena first?"
"I'm taking the first one." Rainbow Dash stepped forward with a cocky grin. "You girls can choose who's gonna lose."
"You talk a lot, but I'm gonna put a stop to that once we get started." Indigo Zap stepped forward with her arms folded in front of her.
"We have our competitors! Bystanders, clear the area!" Sunny swept her arm across the barn, and the rest of the girls cleared out the center of the barn, moving over to the walls. "Assistant! Let's get our first competition set up in here!"
There was a brief mumble of confusion before the lights from outside the barn doors began to move closer, and the sound of a roaring engine echoed through the structure. The interior lights of the barn flared to life, revealing Vinyl Scratch riding on her massive wheeled speaker system. It suddenly began spitting out racing hurdles like staples from a staple-gun, which slammed into the wooden floors and embedded themselves upright in a wide pattern around the barn.
"Vinyl!" Lemon Zest jumped up and waved her arms. "Hey baby! Good to see you!"
Rainbow Dash shouted from the center of the room. "No flirting with the organizers!"
"Oh you hush up! She's an assistant, not the ref!" Lemon shouted back. Vinyl responded with a grin, a thumbs up, and a wiggy wiggy woooooo scratch on her turntable.
Sunset's voice echoing from the wall speakers cut off any further arguments. "As you may have guessed, the first challenge is a hundred meter dash! Racers will start here, and run three laps around the course! Skip any hurdles, and you lose! Touch each other, and you lose! We're running a good clean race here, ladies!"
Rainbow stuck out her chest. "Yeah, yeah, I don't need to knock her out to win! Dash is my middle name!"
Indigo snickered. "Rainbow Dash Dash? That just sounds like an old dance."
"Yeah... you... shut up!"
"Racers take your positions!" Sunset barked through her microphone. Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap squeaked and rushed to move where Sunset indicated, right in front of the first hurdle. Sunset raised a white flag high overhead. "Begin in three... two... one... go!" She brought the flag down and the racers were off.
Indigo Zap took an early lead as a pounding bass beat began to echo throughout the barn. Vinyl Scratch bobbed in time to the beat while the rest of those gathered began hooting and shouting for their racer to finish first. The room was full of lively energy, Twilight had to admit. It felt like a real competition, despite them being the only ones there. She just wasn't sure what Sunset Shimmer meant to accomplish by this. The gathered crowd was only getting more rowdy as the racers leapt nimbly over each hurdle, clearing the first lap in very short order.
"Yeah! Go Indigo!" "You can do it! Just focus!" "You're losing! Run faster!" The shouts from the Crystal Prep corner of the barn rose above the beat of Vinyl's race music.
"You've got 'er on the ropes!" "You're the dashiest, Dash!" "Yaaaaay." The shouts from the CHS side of the barn were almost as loud aside from Fluttershy, who was almost completely drowned out by the music.
The second lap finished with Rainbow Dash in the lead, but Indigo Zap was straining to catch up. Her teeth gritted and her arms pumped at her sides as she slowly closed the distance between them. They were rounding the last turn into the final stretch of the course as Indigo Zap caught up, pacing Rainbow Dash for two hurdles before they reached the last one, right in front of the finish line. She leapt to the air with all her strength, her ankle slammed into the top of the hurdle.
"Gaaahhhhh!" Indigo Zap screamed in surprise as her body flipped forward, slamming her face into the floor and sending her tumbling as Rainbow Dash darted straight across the finish line. The white flag waved through the air as Indigo slid to a stop on her back with her feet just inches from the white line. "Uuuugh..."
The others all ran up to stand around her, looking worried down at her. Twilight wanted to join them, but there were a lot of people out there, and Rarity had wanted her to stay put. They could take care of Indigo.
"You know..." Sugarcoat mused. "You probably should've jumped about three inches higher."
"Gee, you think...?" Indigo grunted as Sunny and Sour Sweet grabbed her arms to heft her from the floorboards.
"Rainbow Dash wins!" Sunset's voice announced over the speakers as a powerful victorious horn section echoed alongside her. The roar from the CHS students was met with the groans from the CPA students, though Rainbow Dash did break off from the crowd to approach Indigo Zap.
"Come back after some practice." Rainbow punched her lightly on the shoulder with a grin. "You weren't terrible, you're just not as good as me. Don't take it personally, nobody is as good as me."
"Yeah, keep talking." Indigo smirked back. "If I cleared that hurdle I would've had you."
"Maybe we'll find out some other time." Rainbow Dash winked and turned to rejoin her classmates on their side of the barn.
"After a thrilling round one, the score stands at one to zero!"
"What else would it be after round one...?" Sugarcoat mused softly.
Sunset continued. "Vinyl, if you'll do the honors!" Sunset whipped her hand dramatically toward the towering speaker machine at the barn entrance. A powerful vibration flowed through the barn, and soon the hurdles that had been set up went flying back towards the top of the machine, vanishing back into its mechanical folds. "Teams, choose your next competitors!"
The two teams split up while Sunset made her way over to Vinyl, whispering with her in hushed tones. Twilight Sparkle's gaze darted between each of the three groups, only growing more uneasy at how far apart they all were.
"Are you okay Twilight?" Spike was looking up at her face from her arms with a worried look. "You should try to relax, I mean, everyone else is relaxed."
"Are they? They're competing with each other! How relaxed could they be?" Twilight shivered. "They're competing with each other over me... ugh, I wish I'd just been able to make a decision! This is my problem, not theirs!"
Her attention was pulled back to the center of the barn when Sunset Shimmer's voice echoed from the wall speakers again. "The competitors have been chosen!" Twilight hesitated to look, but she finally forced herself to see Rarity and Sugarcoat standing in the middle of the barn, facing off with sour looks on their faces. "Rarity, Sugarcoat, it's time for the intellectual portion of our contest, the trivia round!"
Sunset Shimmer flipped her right hand up beside her and several white cards popped out of her tuxedo sleeve. "On these cards I have a variety of questions to ask each of you. The first girl to answer a question wrong will be disqualified, just like a spelling bee."
"One miss and we're done?" Sugarcoat peered at Rarity through the lenses of her glasses. "Good. I hate dragging out funerals."
"Well if you're going to be like that there's no way I'm letting you win!" Rarity clenched her fist. "Bring it on!"
Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat before continuing in a strong official announcer voice. "Question one. Sugarcoat, what is the capital city of the Northlands?"
"Griffonstone." Sugarcoat responded without hesitation.
"Rarity, the colors on the official flag of Griffonstone."
"Brown, white, and gold."
"The total population of Gallopvania!"
"Twenty two thousand thirty six... wait, seven now."
"How many licks to the center of a tootsie roll pop?"
"Two hundred and fifty two, on average."
"How many bees are in the average hive?"
"Roughly forty-five thousand, depending on how frisky the queen gets."
Twilight Sparkle had to admit, she was impressed with the smoothness and correctness of the answers. She knew Sugarcoat was her intellectual partner, but she'd always underestimated Rarity, it seemed. As the questions droned on for quite a while, the tension in the air was growing thicker, aided perhaps by the long tense note that Vinyl began pumping through the speakers, giving the air of a game show getting more intense.
"Rarity, how many babies will the average rabbit give birth to in its lifetime?"
"About a thousand... also ewe."
"How large on average is a human male's bicep?"
"Fourteen inches. And thank you for not taking that where I thought you were."
"How many shoes do women own on average?"
"Twenty-seven, and all totally necessary."
"How fast does a person's hair grow?"
"Half an inch a month."
"What is the most popular television show on right now?"
Rarity opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her mouth slowly closed as her eyes glazed over, then she hung her head. "I have no idea..."
"Seriously!?" Rainbow Dash screamed from the sidelines.
"I don't watch television."
"Sugarcoat wins!"
The roar from the Shadowbolts drowned out the victory fanfare from Vinyl's speakers as Rarity's shoulders slumped at her sides.
Sugarcoat approached her fallen competitor. "Actually, I probably wouldn't have known that one. I don't watch television either."
"Thank you!" Rarity exclaimed "Who watches television these days? Whoever made those cards needs to get with the times, we have the internet now."
"I made the cards," Sunset Shimmer revealed.
"Oh... uh..." Rarity patted her shoulder. "And what lovely cards they were. I... I like the font you used!"
Sugarcoat smirked. "And they say I lack tact."
Sunset Shimmer lifted her mic to her lips. "Teams, pick the next contestants!" Rarity squeaked and rushed back to her corner while Sugarcoat made her way back to her own, meeting up with her team to discuss the next contest.
Twilight Sparkle was snuggling her puppy against her chest with all her might as she watched them whisper heatedly among themselves. Well, at least that one hadn't been so bad, she thought to herself. A little trivia contest was all in good fun, like a board game they could play on a slow Saturday night. Maybe Sunset Shimmer had thought ahead and made the rest of the games that way. Then they could have fun together without such intense competition...
Twilight took another deep breath as Fluttershy and Sour Sweet broke away from their respective corners pretty quickly, approaching Sunset Shimmer in the middle of the room.
"And we're keeping this party moving! I like it! Are you two all fired up?"
"#$%^ yeah!" Sour Sweet grinned enthusiastically with a clenched fist.
"Um... yes," Fluttershy whispered barely above the sound of Vinyl's muted car engine.
"You better get ready for this one, because it's gonna be the most intense game yet!" Sunset Shimmer whirled back towards Vinyl's car, where a massive monitor was lifting out of the top of the machine. It flared to life, millions of colors swirling around one-another in a beautiful cascade of colors until it finally began to slow and solidify into the form of a square checkered board with familiar pieces sitting in some of the squares. "It's time for chess!"
The room fell quiet for a moment before Rainbow Dash quipped. "Really?"
"What?" Sunset Shimmer glanced around the room. "Come on, it's the ultimate game of wits and strategy! Don't tell me I'm the only one here who likes Chess."
Twilight raised one hand from her pedestal. "I like Chess."
Sour Sweet squealed in delight. "Oh I love Chess too! Adrenaline, fun, and excitement are for losers."
Sunset Shimmer sighed. "Well I don't have any other games lined up so you're just gonna have to play. I assume you know how, at least?" The two girls nodded. "Good, let's get this started." Sunset slipped a coin out of her sleeve and flipped it into the air in front of her. "Sour Sweet, call it."
"Butts."
Sunset snatched it out of the air and slapped it down on her wrist. "Tails it is, you're up first."
This was the first game played all evening that Twilight Sparkle was genuinely interested in watching, but unfortunately her enthusiasm clearly wasn't shared by her friends. Yawns were spreading among the girls like an airborne plague, even Sour Sweet wouldn't stop grumbling and mumbling to herself as she told Vinyl where she wanted the pieces to move to. Sunset Shimmer was standing off to one side with a nervous blush on her cheeks.
"So... what are you ladies doing after this is done?" Rarity called across the room.
"Probably dragging Twilight back to our evil lair for cookies," Sunny Flare shrugged.
"Hah, you still think you're winning." Rainbow Dash snickered. "I'll have you know Fluttershy is really smart. She can win this game easily."
"She has made five misplays already," Sugarcoat quipped.
Fluttershy squeaked from the center of the room, but Applejack hollered encouragement. "Don't listen to her sugar, you're doin' fine."
"It doesn't matter, Sour Sweet's totally gonna win!" Indigo grinned.
"It doesn't even matter if she does! We're winning the whole thing!" Rainbow Dash countered.
"I could beat you at anything right here, right now!"
"Rock, paper scissors! Let's go!"
"You're on!" The two girls approached each other in the center of the room behind the two competitors to begin their game.
"Go Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie bounced up behind her friend with a pair of pom-poms. "You can do it, I know you can, you can do it, because you're the man! Philosophically speaking."
Rainbow glared back over her shoulder. "Is that a gay joke?"
Rarity approached with a smirk. "It's Pinkie Pie, do you think it is?"
"Good point." Rainbow Dash turned back toward Indigo Zap and clenched her fists. "Best two out of three?"
"Works for me!" Indigo raised her fists. "I'm gonna cream you!"
Sunny Flare rubbed her forehead as she approached. "Um, you girls do realize the Chess match isn't over, right?"
Sugarcoat moved closer to the impending Rock, Paper, Scissors match. "Frankly this is more interesting. Don't get me wrong, I like Chess well enough, but only when I'm involved. Watching Chess is like watching gardening. It's only interesting if you're involved."
Rainbow Dash stared in surprise. "Did you just burn yourself?"
"I've never denied my nerdiness." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "I'm just capable of identifying bad ideas when I see them."
"Okay, okay, I get it! I'm sorry I picked this one!" Sunset Shimmer huffed.
"You should be," Sugarcoat nodded.
"On three!" Rainbow Dash held her hands in front of her. "One, two-"
"Hah! I won! Hooray!" Sour Sweet pumped her arms into the air and gave a delighted squeal, then whirled on Fluttershy. "Suck it!"
"Aw man, I was just about to kick her butt." Indigo Zap grumbled.
"Well you two had your fun already, so why don't you all go back to your corners and pick the next challengers? The score is one to two in favor of the Shadowbolts." Sunset Shimmer was in slightly lesser spirits as the girls reluctantly returned to their sides of the barn. Twilight had half a mind to go out there and comfort the poor girl, but it felt like her glittery shoes were glued to the pedestal. She barely knew what was happening here, she didn't want to mess up Sunset's plans.
Sunset Shimmer was visibly composing herself while the two sides debated who to send out next, straightening her tux and taking deep, steadying breaths. She was back to her enthusiastic persona by the time Applejack and Sunny Flare broke off from the crowds to approach her.
"Sunny Flare versus Applejack in the penultimate showdown!" Sunset Shimmer lifted her hand dramatically in front of her. "Take your corners and put your game faces on, because it's time to fight! Two enter the ring, one walks back out! But remember, this is a game, so any major injuries are immediate disqualification! The first combatant to take their opponent to the ground for five seconds will be declared the winner! Now get ready!"
The two girls retreated to their sides of the barn, where the others helped them get ready for battle. Twilight Sparkle felt like she was going to faint, but feeling Spike's warmth against her chest was just enough comfort to keep her from completely wigging out. When Sunset Shimmer made her way over she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
"How are you holding up, Twi?" Sunset asked.
"Holding up?" Twilight gasped. "They're going to fight? Like physically fight? How is that going to bring them closer as friends? That didn't happen when I made any of my friends! None of this makes any sense to me!"
"Twilight, calm down." Sunset Shimmer gripped her shoulders roughly. "Please just trust me. Maybe we had a little hiccup a few minutes ago, but I know I can do this. We can't give up on it yet."
"Just... are you sure about this, Sunset?"
"You know me, Twi. Would I be doing this if I wasn't?"
"No..." Twilight shook her head. "No, I don't think so."
"Then just sit back, relax, and watch the rest of the show. Only two more events left and we can chill out for the rest of the night." She winked before looking back over her shoulder. "Looks like they're about ready. I'll see you when this is all over." She rushed back into the center of the barn.
Twilight gulped and cast her gaze toward the Crystal Prep corner. Sunny Flare had taken off her jacket, and undershirt, wearing a loose but light tank top underneath. Her body was curvy and somewhat thin, but Twilight Sparkle knew that she regularly attended martial arts classes. If any Shadowbolt was ready for a fight, it was Sunny Flare.
She had her arms up, letting Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest slide a pair of boxing gloves on her hands while Indigo Zap hovered around her shoulder. "You're gonna win!" Indigo Zap insisted. "You're gonna wrap this up like a Hearth's Warming present! You're gonna cream her like cheese! You're gonna-"
"I know what I'm going to do, thank you." Sunny took a breath and punched her boxing gloves together once they were secure.
"Just watch out for those muscles." Sugarcoat looked across the way at her opponent. "She looks like she could bench-press a horse and snap you in half. At the same time."
Indigo Zap rolled her eyes. "Dude, that's not encouragement!"
"It wasn't meant to be."
Twilight turned her gaze to the other girls, only to see how true Sugarcoat's statement was. Applejack had also taken off her jacket and undershirt, leaving her in a loose-fitting tank top. Her body looked like it was fit for a starring role in an action movie, with every inch of her torso covered in muscles that rippled with every movement of her arms. When she lifted her arms to let Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash put her gloves on, Twilight could even see her chiseled, rock hard abs.
"Just be careful you don't break her AJ. We don't need to forfeit." Rainbow Dash snickered.
"I ain't here to hurt nobody." Applejack shook her head, then stopped and shook her head again. She glanced behind her back at Rarity. "Rarity, did you put earrings on me?"
Rarity huffed. "Whaaaat? Is there a rule that says you can't look fabulous when you win?" Applejack didn't alter her glare, but Rarity soon sighed and moved toward her again. "Fine, you can look like a boy when you stand victorious over her."
"Uh, yeah, this shirt does not make her look like a boy." Rainbow Dash cackled. "Or do we need to have 'the talk'?"
"Oh hush, that's not what I meant."
Applejack stood up and stretched her arms over her head, her muscles rippling with every motion. "Well, we should get this hoedown started."
In the other corner, Sugarcoat turned to Sunny Flare. "Can I have your book collection after this is over?"
"No." Sunny moved past her toward the center of the barn, where Applejack and Sunset Shimmer were gathering as well.
Sunset's voice echoed from the speakers. "Applejack, are you ready?"
Applejack put one foot behind her and put her gloved fists up in front of her face. "Ready and waitin'."
"Sunny Flare, are you ready?"
Sunny turned sideways and dropped into a half-crouch, one hand by her stomach and the other just in front of her chin. "Ready."
Sunset Shimmer raised her white flag between them. "This is it! One round fall! It's time for Mortaaaalll Kombaaaat!" The flag cut between them and Sunset hurried to back away from them. A powerful techno-beat began echoing from the walls around them, drowning the entire cabin in almost palpable energy.
Applejack stepped forward with her guard up, her boots shuffling across the thick wood. "Nobody'll blame you for givin' up right now, sugar."
"I don't give up on people important to me."
"That makes two of us. Let's do this, then!" Applejack took a step forward with a strong right straight punch, but Sunny Flare dipped under her arm so fast she didn't even have time to pull her arm back before two solid blows landed on her gut and Sunny danced away behind her. "Ooouff! Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh? You remember I tried to be nice!"
"I didn't ask you to." Sunny Flare bobbed back and forth with a light step, her toes tapping on the wood as the two faced off once again. The next exchange was started by Sunny, who jerked to her right, then swung left and slammed a glove into Applejack's shoulder as she passed, a second blow connecting with her waist as she moved around behind the farmgirl. Applejack whirled the other way however, bringing her giant punch around with surprising speed, and only missing the martial artist by inches as she turned slightly and leaned back to avoid it like she was in a movie.
Sunny wrapped both arms around Applejack's and spun inward toward her stomach before jerking her forward in a solid hip-toss that sent the farmgirl sprawling out on her back. Her muscular mass made a thumping sound so loud it made Twilight, and the rest of the gathered girls, wince. Sunny danced away again as Applejack groaned and rubbed her head, where her hat had been moments before.
"One! Two! Three!" Sunset Shimmer began to count, but Applejack jerked quickly up into a sitting position and climbed to her knees, kneeling for several long moments and just glaring at Sunny.
"Nobody'll blame you for giving up right now... sugar." Sunny Flare winked.
Applejack lumbered to her feet with a wry smirk on her face and put her gloves up again. The two girls approached one-another cautiously, Applejack's waist jerking from one side to the other, but Sunny didn't fall for any of the feints. The tense face-off showed no signs of ending for several minutes before Sunny lunged suddenly, lowering her body and hurling herself towards Applejack's stomach, but the larger girl was, once again, faster than she looked.
Applejack's arms locked around Sunny's waist, grabbing her before she could connect with her stomach, and hefted the smaller girl clean off of the ground. Applejack straightened up and slung her arms back behind her head, sending Sunny hurtling end over end through the air like a child's toy until she hit the floor in a stunned heap, rolling for a good two feet before coming to a stop.
"And she's finished," Sugarcoat noted from the sidelines.
"One, two, three, four, five! Applejack wins!" Sunset Shimmer raised an arm towards Applejack.
Twilight moved to leap from her pedestal, but she stopped when she realized Applejack was already kneeling beside the downed girl, her gloves already dropped to the wooden floor as she rubbed Sunny's shoulders until she began to stir.
"Hey, you alright, there?" Applejack gripped her shoulders as Sunny began to stir and lifted her head. "Sorry 'bout that, I tried not to make you tumble too much."
"Heh, I'm alright... just a bit winded." Sunny grunted as she pushed herself up, Applejack's hands helping her climb back to her feet and steady herself. "Thank you. You really caught me off-guard. You're pretty fast when you want to be."
"I had to give it my best to keep up with you." Applejack punched her shoulder lightly. "Like trying to nail a lizard with a rubber band gun."
"Maybe things will go differently next time." With a ghost of a smile, Sunny turned to walk back toward her group, who greeted her with expressions and questions of concern that she brushed off casually.
"This is it folks! The Friendship Games are nearing their end with the final event!" Sunset Shimmer approached Vinyl's car as she exclaimed excitedly into her microphone. "Pinkie Pie, Lemon Zest, are you two ready!?"
"Nope!" Pinkie Pie pulled a giant crimson letter out of her pocket as she approached. "This is Red E!"
"Haaaahahahaha!" Lemon Zest laughed for a moment before suddenly seeming to catch herself and cross her arms over her stomach. "I mean... yeah I'm ready! You're going down! Grrrr!"
Pinkie Pie beamed at Lemon Zest's laugh and let the letter fall from her fingers. "I'm not going down, I'm going that way!" She pointed toward Vinyl's speaker machine. "I think?"
"That's right, Pinkie Pie!" Sunset Shimmer swept her cane grandly toward Vinyl's machine as it once again began to shift in front of them, the panels on either side opening up into two massive arcade machines with glowing screens on top and pads that extended outward on the floor, and cameras coming out of the top. Driving music began pumping from the walls as various colored fruits fell through the screens. "Beetmania fifteen! So get ready to do the Rainbow Dash Dash!"
Laughter bubbled out of the entire crowd except for Rainbow Dash, who blushed and rolled her eyes. "Hardy har..."
"Ladies, take your positions!" Sunset Shimmer swept grandly out of the way so the two girls could move into position in front of each screen. The music from the speakers fell silent and the fruit slid off-screen as a different tune began to start up. "Two enter, one gets the highest score and scores a point for their team! Vinyl, take it away!"
Vinyl Scratch grinned with a thumbs up as the screens cleared and a different tune began reverberating throughout the room. The first patterns slid down the screen in the shape of a human body and both girls struck the pose just as it reached their side of the screen, their motions being captured by the cameras overhead. Their heels tapped on the pads and their bodies rocked as the opening notes began.
I feel it stirring deep down inside my soul.
The rhythm's taken hold.
And it's about to roll.
A million sparkles falling across the floor
So DJ give me more.
It's what we're looking for.
Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest were moving together across the dance pads, their arms making large, graceful sweeps through the air as they spun in time with the beat and the images on screen. The two were in such perfect sync that Twilight could easily believe they had rehearsed this routine.
Dance the night away.
All our friends right by our side.
It doesn't matter what style you bring.
We're about to go on that ride.
As the beat picked up the girls began to groove with the music, their bodies moving in nearly perfect unison as their arms pumped and waved, and their legs slid smoothly across the play mats. In her machine Vinyl Scratch was bouncing back and forth with her arm pumping in front of her, and on the floor surrounding the dance machines even Twilight Sparkle could feel the palpable excitement and energy surrounding the rest of the girls, whose bodies were moving with the rhythm.
She could barely believe what she was seeing. The two groups of girls weren't separated anymore. they were bunched around the machines, their fists pumping excitedly into the air heedless of who was right beside them. The hooting and hollering almost drowned out the pounding techno beat, and the two girls in the center looked like they were having the time of their lives. Pinkie and Lemon both had wide grins on their faces, and even changed some moves by clapping hands between them during a spin.
Dance magic.
And it's electric.
Let your body move to the music.
Pinkie and Lemon both raised their hands to the sky in front of them as the final notes of the song faded out, their chests heaving with labored breath despite the grins on their lips. The machine lit up in front of them, a flash of white that drowned out the fruits behind the note track for a few moments before two scores appeared on the screen in bold black lettering. Two identical scores.
"And we have a tie!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed into the mic. "Two perfect scores! Well done, ladies!"
"Woohoo!" Lemon and Pinkie leapt past each other with a vigorous high-five, landing on each-other's dance pads.
"Wait..." Lemon stood up and growled. "I mean, grrrr, I was gonna win! Recount!"
"Recount? It's a machine! There's nothing to count!" Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"But this doesn't actually solve anything," Sugarcoat pointed out. "There's still only one Twilight Sparkle, and two groups of us."
Twilight bit her lip. She was right of course, this only made things worse...
She was terrified that another argument was fixing to break out, but Applejack stepped forward before it could, one hand clenching the towel around her shoulders. "Well, how 'bout we get out of this drafty barn and talk 'bout this over some nice warm cider in my house? All of us?"
Sunny Flare glanced around at her friends for a moment, then stepped forward with a nod and a smile. "I think that sounds lovely, thank you."
Twilight stared blankly as the girls moved to gather up their jackets, laughing and making light comments as they prepared to head out into the dark, snowy night outside of the barn. The lights from Vinyl's speaker car dimmed, but didn't go out as it folded in on itself, becoming once again the wheeled vehicle it had begun as so that its driver could climb out and join the others. Lemon greeted her with a squeal and a hug while the group, as one, made its way outside.
Sunset Shimmer approached Twilight with a grin. "Did I tell you I'd take care of everything or what?"
"I..." Twilight squeaked under her breath. "I'm so confused."
"You were right, Twilight, they're all good girls with a lot in common. They just needed to work out their frustration and break the ice with some good old fashioned playing around." Sunset took one of her hands and pulled her from the pedestal. "I think I made a pretty good hostess, if I say so myself. Maybe I can quit my job and take that on. Sunset Shimmer, Magic Investigator and Competition Organizer!"
"Heh, maybe..." Twilight grinned and leaned against her, throwing her arms around her in a tight hug. Spike dropped to the floor just time to avoid squishing. "Thank you so much..."
"Now come on, that dress looks really beautiful on you, but it doesn't look all that warm."
Twilight blushed. "It's kind of not, actually."
"Here." Sunset slipped off the jacket of her tux and threw it around Twilight's shoulders. "We'll hurry to the house."
"Right... thank you..." Twilight let Sunset Shimmer take her by the shoulders and lead her out into the snow and towards the house, where the others were just piling their way inside.
