So Her Legacy Will Endure
So Her Legacy Will Endure
by Present Perfect
Marigold's heels stuck out of the backs of her shoes, which slapped against them as she half-staggered, half-shuffled across the living room carpet.
"Moooom! My school shoes don't fit anymore!"
"Again?" Her mother leaned out from the kitchen, a bagel in her hand and resignation patent on her face. "Sweetie, that is the third time this semester! Can't you wait until winter break to start growing?"
Mari scowled. "Mo-ther, this isn't funny! I tried putting them on, and they're pinching!" She kicked one of the shoes across the kitchen floor for emphasis.
Her mother sighed, rolled her eyes, and snatched it up before it hit the far cabinet. "Honestly, Marigold, I don't know what to do with you. I'll place an order with the uniform company, but you'll have to put up with it for a few days until new shoes arrive."
Mari grunted. That was the best she could hope for, at any rate. She took the shoe back from her mother and tried to jam her foot back into it.
"She can borrow a pair of my shoes, Mother!" her sister said sweetly.
Their mother smiled. "That's nice of you to offer, Sour!"
Sour Sweet's smile turned quickly into a scowl. "Or we could just cut her feet off."
"Don't start," their mother said, shaking a finger at her. "You two are already running late as it is. Mari, go get some shoes out of your sister's closet and get your butt out that door!"
"Yes, Mother!"
She blew a raspberry at her sister, kicked her other shoe to the side and dashed up the stairs. Reaching the top, she faceplanted. Rubbing her head, she made her way much more slowly into that oh-so-tantalizing no-Mari's-land that was her sister's room and opened the closet.
As she looked over the various drab school uniforms and more eclectic casual outfits, the devious urge to take more than just shoes welled up in her chest, where it warred with the pressing need to be on time for school. Giving in to the relentless press of time, she tried one pair and found it too large. She tried another and found it too small. With a grunt, she snatched the larger pair and made for the stairs. Those would at least be better than the mousetraps that were her own shoes.
"Mari!"
Shoes on, she scrambled down the steps, heeding the frantic note in her mother's voice. Somehow, she made it to the bottom without falling; it was only when she tripped over her own shoes, left in the living room, that she ate carpet. Sour Sweet passed by, snickering.
"My darling little sister is such an early bloomer! Blooming like a stinkweed!"
Mari scowled and hefted herself up. "Go take your crazy pills, you schizo."
"Marigold Medley!"
Mari cringed away from her mother's gaze.
"Do not speak to your sister that way! She is doing her best with what she has, and you would do well to learn from her example!" She thrust Mari's backpack into her hands. "Now go, the bus is here!"
Mari tripped getting onto the bus. Sour Sweet cackled at her the whole way to school.
First period was not a good time for a subject like orchestra. Few students were ever fully awake at the start of school, and Mister Harpo never missed an opportunity to grouse about the lack of attentiveness. But freshmen weren't given the luxury of setting their own schedules, and so it was that Marigold's favorite class was also her first. At least she began her school days on a high note.
Given how frequently students were trying to wake themselves in class, that high note tended to come with a lot of sour ones.
On that particular day, there was also an interesting note in the form of a PA announcement from Dean Cadence.
"...pleased to announce the commencement of the fiftieth Friendship Games with Canterlot High School! Our team roster will be posted later today on the main announcement board, so keep your eyes open to see if you made the cut!"
It was less the announcement itself and more what followed that stuck in Marigold's mind: silence. The bell rang after the speech was over, and everyone simply set about packing up to go to their next class.
"Isn't this exciting?" she asked Sherbet Swirl, her orchestra buddy. "The Friendship Games! They only happen every four years, so this'll be the only time we get to see them!"
"Eh." Sherbet shrugged. "My sister told me about them. They're not that big a deal."
"They're not?" Marigold shouldered her backpack, trying to formulate a response as Sherbet walked out of the room. "Oh. Uh, okay then, see you... tomorrow..."
Through second-period history, Marigold maintained her excitement, but no one was talking about the announcement. She couldn't figure out why; surely there would be some surreptitious whispering in the back of the classroom, at least!
"Who do you think will be on the roster?" she asked the girl beside her. She only earned a confused glare in return. "I mean, it could be anyone, right? I'll bet they don't pick freshmen, but hey, you never know!"
The girl rolled her eyes. "Just look at the academic standings. Like, it'll be the top twelve students. It always is, it's hardly a surprise."
"Are you sure--"
Up at the blackboard, Mister Pants cleared his throat.
"Miss Medley, since you're feeling chatty today, would you kindly explain to the class what happened to the eastern trade after the fall of King Grover of Griffonstone?"
The class snickered. Marigold wished she were anywhere else.
"I don't get it. Why's everyone being so weird about the Friendship Games?"
By third period and the drudgery known as algebra, Marigold was feeling distinctly crestfallen. At least algebra came with one solace: Mane Event. A sophomore with hair that shone like the sun, he sat directly in front of her. Whenever she got bored with class, which was all the time, she could while it away staring into his luscious golden locks.
As a bonus, he liked talking to her after class. While her sister was generally content to let her flounder on her own, he had taken it upon himself to show her around school on the first day. He'd said it was returning a favor, and she'd never asked for more than that. She was perfectly happy just walking through the halls with him to the spot where they parted to go to their fourth-period classes: he to history, she to literature.
Today, his hair had helped take her mind off her Friendship Games confusion, but she found herself full of questions by the end of the period. Mane seemed put off by her inquiry, however.
"Weird how?"
She clutched her binder tight to her chest as a purple-haired girl with glasses nearly bumped into them. "Weird like... I dunno, it seems like a major event, but no one really cares?"
"Ohh." He shook his head slowly, his golden hair waving like a field of grain. "The Friendship Games aren't really a big deal. I mean, I'll probably go, but..."
He stopped when he glanced at her. Her lower lip stuck out, and she had a hard time meeting his gaze. Not a big deal? But it only came once every four years! How could that not be a big deal?
"Didn't your mom ever tell you about them?" he asked.
"No," she mumbled. "She doesn't really talk about her time at Crystal Prep."
"Hey." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I can tell they're important to you. Just go see them and concentrate on having a good time. That's realistic."
Despite his cold words, his touch was like the softest, warmest blanket she could ask for. All her pent-up frustrations drained away. Angels sang, making her so light-headed she could only nod in reply.
"Catch you later, Mari!" he called, and turned off to go to his fourth-period class.
Marigold didn't really notice. She was too busy walking into an open locker.
"So like, so like, I'm thinking about taking up the bass. You play an instrument, right, Mari?"
Marigold stood with her best friends, just inside the school entryway. Peppermint Twist was busy watching some girl singing in the middle of the hall, while Navy Blue had brought up the music thing. Mari shrugged.
"Sure, but oboe's pretty different from bass guitar. That... is what you mean, right?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Navy grinned and strummed a few chords of air guitar. "My big sister Indigo knows guitar, and I was thinking maybe if she ever starts a band, I could play too! Wouldn't that be sweet?"
"Yeah, sweet, sure..." Mari's gaze drifted off toward the singing girl who so held Twist's fascination. She thought the purple-striped hair seemed familiar somehow, but couldn't place it.
"What's wrong?" Twist asked, prodding her shoulder.
"Huh?" Mari shook her head and blinked. "Wrong? Why do you think anything's wrong?"
"Because you're totally thp... thp... sssspacing out there," Twist said, raising an eyebrow.
Navy's eyes flicked over to the singing girl, lurching off down the hall. "What's with her?"
"Eh," said Marigold with a shrug, "who cares?"
"What's with you?" Navy frowned at her. "Like, like, what happened to bubbly, excitable Marigold?"
Mari scoffed. "She's off wondering just why no one cares about the biggest sporting event of our high school careers."
Navy and Twist exchanged glances. "That's what you're upset about?"
"Yeah, I guess." Mari turned away from them. "It just seems like the kind of thing that should, you know, inspire school spirit or something."
"I heard we always win," said Twist. "That doesn't seem too ekthit--exciting. If you ask me."
Mari grunted. "We can't always win. I mean, no one always wins, right?" She stared at them, but only got stares in return. "Right, girls?"
Navy shrugged. "Like, like, that's what my sister said, too."
Their attentions were grabbed by a loud squeal across the hall. Dean Cadence had opened the announcements case and was tacking a sheet of paper inside. Marigold found herself moving towards it instinctively before the Dean had even had a chance to shut the case.
"Excited about the Games, are we?" Cadence said, smiling. "Glad to see that school spirit."
Marigold watched Cadence retreat back toward the offices. She had seemed happy, but not too happy. And for all that pensive melancholy had been the order of the late morning for Marigold, she was growing considerably more excited.
"Who made the list?" she wondered aloud, peering into the glass.
"Look, look," said Navy, coming up behind her, "it's just the top twelve students on the academic achievements list."
Marigold scanned the roster, then glanced at the aforementioned list to its side. After a moment, she realized they were the same. Their team for the Friendship Games consisted of the top twelve students in school, as determined by the top hundred list -- updated weekly -- printed in alphabetical order. There was her sister, and Navy's sister, Indigo Zap. Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest were other names she recognized as upperclassmen her sister hung out with.
"Is Sugarcoat there?" Twist shoved the other two aside, pressing her nose against the case.
"I just said it was the top twelve students." Navy scoffed. "Of course, of course she's there."
Twist huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, I can still get ekthited about her if I want, can't I?"
Navy slugged her in the arm.
"Ow!"
"One for not correcting!"
Marigold smiled, ignoring them. Something inside her was bursting to make itself known.
"If Twist can get excited, why not everyone else?"
Navy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, but Twist always gets weird whenever Sugarcoat's involved."
Twist scowled. "Hey! I do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too, do too!"
"Girls!" Marigold stepped between them, spreading her arms. "If one of us can be excited, then there's no reason no one else can be." The words came by themselves. "We just need to find a way to get everyone in school cheering the team on!"
"How?" Navy asked.
"Yeah, what's your plan?" said Twist.
"I don't know." Mari frowned. At least the two of them seemed like they might help, even if they didn't share her enthusiasm. Her frown lessened.
"Yet."
The question of how to go about getting everyone at Crystal Prep excited about the Games plagued Marigold for the rest of the day. More than once, she was caught daydreaming in class and brought up to the board for a reprimand. Still, the problem wouldn't leave her alone. The answer, as it turned out, came from the unlikeliest of places.
On the bus trip home, Mari noticed numerous teenagers walking and even driving around town, wearing headbands with little plush yellow ears. She turned around and poked her head over the seat back to look at her sister.
"Hey, Sour."
Sour glanced up, her face dripping with kindness. "Whatever do you need, dear sister?"
"What's with those kids wearing ears out there?" She jabbed a finger at the window.
Sour turned her gaze out, and her smile slid into a sneer.
"Ugh. They're all losers from Canterlot High."
Sugarcoat, sitting next to Sour, looked up from her book.
"You probably shouldn't stare. You'll only make them feel more self-conscious." She went back to her book.
Mari faced forward and slid down into her seat. She glanced out the window again. Those kids were all smiling and laughing; they didn't look embarrassed. Maybe they were on to something.
She grabbed her phone and sent a message to Twist.
do u have a sewing kit? bring to my place 5 PM
She sent another to Navy.
my place 5 PM bring lots of pleasing hang beans
pleasure heed bones
PLASTIC HEADBANDS
Not even autocorrect failure could dampen Marigold's spirits. It was arts and crafts time.
Though Marigold had designed the pattern for the ears, her proof of concept hadn't turned out so well. They had all had a good laugh, though, and she wore the three-eared headband proudly for the remainder of the afternoon, as an example of what not to do. Twist had been put in charge of sewing in her place, Mari cut the pieces, and Navy wielded the hot glue gun like a champ, affixing each pair of ears to one of the numerous headbands she'd brought, and not a few of her fingers to each other. It had been tiring work, but they had persevered. As of that morning, they had two backpacks full of freshly made ear headbands.
Ear headbands that were not exactly flying off the proverbial shelves.
Mari's first attempt to hand them out in orchestra class had resulted in a lot of bleary-eyed scowls. Figuring it was just a product of students shaking the last bits of sleep from their minds, she tried again in second period. Then again in third. It was, as they say, the charm.
"Sure, I'll take one," Mane Event said, scratching the back of his head, "but I don't think you'll be able to convince anyone to wear them."
"Aww, why not?" Marigold couldn't help but pout. Third period had been a charm, all right, but a single headband given away was hardly a worthy victory.
"It's..." He sighed, stashing the headband in his backpack. "Well, because no one really cares, I guess?"
"Yeah, but why?" Mari stomped her foot. "Why does no one care? Even if these aren't enough to change their minds--" she waved two headbands in the air-- "what would be?"
Mane shook his head and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I can't say. If you want my opinion, I think you should just play it cool. I mean, it's great that you care, but it's gotta be hard being the only one who does. Find something less stressful to do, yeah? I don't like seeing you so upset."
He moved off toward his class, and she touched the spot on her shoulder where his hand had been. He didn't like seeing her upset? The knowledge that he cared about her warred with the butterflies in her stomach. She was the only one who cared, but there was nothing else she could do.
"It's not like I've got anything better to do with my life," she whispered.
She shook herself. She was not going to give up. This wasn't like her orchestra practice, where she maybe liked playing the oboe and maybe liked playing cymbals and maybe, just maybe had thought about conducting someday, but was too shy and afraid of failure to try it out. This was something she could do. Had done! Didn't she have a backpack of successfully completed headbands? That was demonstrable. This would work.
"This isn't working," Navy groaned, hanging her head.
"I don't think she's gonna take no for an answer," Twist muttered.
Neither had had any more luck than Marigold in giving their headbands away during class, so now the three turned to more desperate measures: throwing them at people in the lunchroom. Marigold, adorned with her own three-eared piece, stood atop one of the tables, ignoring her friends' griping while shouting at the top of her lungs.
"You want a headband, I know you do! You over there in the pigtails, you definitely look like the kind of girl who's full of school spirit! Yeah, good catch there, quarterback guy! Hey, sunglasses, think fast! You're all getting into the swing of things, Crystal Prep!"
"Uh. Marigold!"
Mari looked down. Navy was quickly retreating, eyes wide. Twist was under the table. And the rest of the lunchroom, it seemed, had risen from their chairs. As one, they drew their arms back. Mari's heart filled with hope. Had she spurred them into yelling a school cheer?
Rather than cheers, she was showered in dozens of plastic headbands. They were accompanied by boos, jeers, and shouts of "You suck, fresh meat!" and "Go back to CHS, loser!" Before she knew it, she was buried under every single headband she had brought to school with her. The room filled with whoops and hollers until the lunchroom doors swung open with a deafening boom. Every student shut up and sat down as Principal Cinch strode in.
"What," she cried, her voice resounding along the high ceiling, "is the meaning of this?"
A hundred fingers pointed at Marigold. She tried her best to hide beneath the headbands.
"Young lady," Cinch said, crossing the space to her, "this is not how we at Crystal Prep demonstrate our enthusiasm. And these--" she plucked the headband from Mari's head, scowling at it before tossing it into a nearby trash can-- "are a violation of section thirty-three, paragraph four of the School Code. Namely--" she leaned in so that Mari could smell her strangely oniony breath-- "the dress code. You will get rid of every last one of these awful things and serve detention after school in my office!"
So saying, Principal Cinch turned on her heel and stormed out of the lunchroom.
Detention was served in Dean Cadence's office, as the Principal had some pressing pre-Games business to attend to. Though Marigold was of the mindset that this was, indeed, a better outcome, writing out the section of the School Code she had violated over and over by hand still fell dreadfully short of her definition of 'fun'. As Marigold reached the one-third mark on her fifth run, Cadence cleared her throat.
"Far be it from me to make detention any easier on a student, but... Principal Cinch didn't tell me why you were doing what you did. Care to enlighten me?"
Mari sat back and massaged her writing hand.
"Well, Dean Cadence, I, uh... I was just trying to get everyone excited about the Friendship Games. It sounds like such a cool event, but none of the students here seem to care." Her head drooped.
Cadence gave her what could only be termed an Adult Look. "And you thought fake animal ears would get everyone excited about the Games."
"I saw the CHS students wearing them, and they looked happy. I just thought maybe..." Mari gave a short, bitter laugh. "I guess it wasn't such a great idea after all."
"I see."
"Dean Cadence, do you know why no one's excited?"
"Honestly, no." Cadence frowned ever so slightly. "When I was in the Games, everyone enjoyed it. Maybe students just care about different things these days?" She shrugged. "It's a pretty weak guess. But we always win. What's not to get excited about?"
Mari sat back in her seat and pursed her lips. Cadence glanced at the clock before going back to her paperwork.
"When you've finished your current transcription, you may go."
Marigold got back to work, but her mind wasn't exactly on the School Code.
"Cheerleading?"
"Yeah!" Marigold, eyes shining, ignored the palpable derision in Navy's voice. "I talked with a couple freshmen from CHS: Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and--"
"Apple Bloom?"
Mari's vision was suddenly full of purple-rimmed glasses and curly red hair. "You thaw Apple Bloom?"
"Wha?" Marigold could only blink at Twist. "You know her?"
"One for not correcting!" Navy shouted.
Twist winced, backing off and rubbing her arm. "Yeah, we were friends before I moved to the city!"
Mari flashed Navy a big smile. "Well, what d'you know? Small world, isn't it?"
Navy shook her hand out. "So about these other freshmen..."
"Right. They're all sisters of three of the students on CHS's team, and they're gonna be cheering them on! Like, psyching them up between events and stuff! So I thought we could do the same for our team. It'll help!"
Navy stuck her tongue out. "Ugh. Ugh. We don't have to wear miniskirts and pom-poms, do we?"
Twist snickered. "I bet you'd look cute in a cheerleader outfit."
"I am not, I am not cute! I'll sock you another one!"
Navy snarled and lunged for Twist, hands outstretched like claws, but Twist giggled and darted away, leading her on a chase.
"Girls, be serious!" Mari stomped her foot. "This is important!"
Windmilling her arms and screeching incoherently was enough to get her friends' attention, as well as that of everyone on this part of Canterlot High's campus. She ignored the stares and adjusted her uniform as her friends settled down.
"Now listen. We need to come up with what we're gonna do to help out our team!"
All three put hand to chin, humming and frowning.
"That... That wasn't worth losing my pants over."
There was a flush in the stall next to Marigold as Navy ditched her pom-poms. When she opened the door of Mari's stall, she was dressed in the cheerleader skirt she'd refused to wear during the plan. It was the only thing Navy had that wasn't irreparably stained with chocolate pudding.
"I hope you're happy," Navy groused.
Marigold groaned. "I should've known my sister could aim as good in food fights as she does archery." She rubbed the lump on her forehead and winced.
"I thought Indi was really into our chant, too," Navy said, pouting. "I don't think Lemon Zest even noticed..."
Twist, staring at herself in the mirror, gently rubbed one cheek. "Sugarcoat talked to me."
Mari looked up. "She called you an embarrassment to the English language."
"Yeah, yeah," Navy added. "And didn't she punch you?"
"I'm never washing my face again," Twist whispered reverently.
"Well," said Navy, "I'm out of ideas. Mari?"
"I give up," Marigold said, hanging her head.
Navy frowned and shrugged. "Well... Well, we won the first event."
"No thanks to us," Mari said, moping out of the stall past her. "Maybe it really doesn't matter."
Twist turned to them, staring off into space. "Do you think you can frame thkin?"
"One for not correcting!" Navy shouted, and socked her in the arm. When Twist didn't react beyond drooling a little more, Navy took a step backward. "Okay, okay. You've really got it bad. Also, you're starting to freak me out."
Feet dragging, Marigold made her way for the bathroom door. She was interrupted as the door opened into her face.
"Oh, hi there!" said a cheerful voice belonging to a purple-haired girl in glasses. "You must be Sour Sweet's sister! Fancy meeting you here!"
Eyes clenched shut, Marigold rubbed at her nose. "Freshmen pee too, y'know."
"Hahaha, yes, of course!" Twilight twirled a lock of her hair, looking away. "I just heard that you were trying to cheer on the other members of our team and, well, I wondered if you had any encouragement for me." She grinned far too wide for Mari to be comfortable.
Body sagging, Marigold glanced at her friends. Then she pointed to Twilight.
"You're the tee to the double-you eye, ell-eye-gee-aitch-tee," she deadpanned. "You're prob'ly gonna lead us all to victory. You're Twilight Sparkle." She rolled her eyes and stomped past Twilight. "C'mon, girls, let's go enjoy the rest of the Games."
Navy grabbed Twist by the collar and dragged her away, muttering "Weirdo" under her breath as she passed. Twist just let out a heartfelt sigh and watched the ceiling.
"Hey, Apple Bloom!" Marigold shouted. She rushed up to the red-haired girl, waving her arms excitedly, her friends hot on her heels.
"Oh, hi, Marigold!" Apple Bloom said, her own friends waving at them.
Marigold tripped and faceplanted halfway to her target, but that didn't stop her smile. "Did you see that? That was incredible!"
"Yeah!" shouted Scootaloo. "I can't believe we won!"
Navy and Twist tried to help Mari to her feet, Navy asking, "Mari, why are you so excited about us losing?"
"Don't you get it?" Mari went limp and flipped onto her back. "Everyone in the stands was cheering! Canterlot High students and Crystal Prep students! It all makes sense now!"
Sweetie Belle pursed her lips and knitted her brow. "Do you think she hit her head or something?"
Navy shrugged. "I thought you gave up on that, Mari." She yelped as Mari grabbed her and pulled her onto her back. She had to shade her eyes from the sun.
"How could I give up when the answer was staring me in the face all this time?"
Marigold flailed her arms and legs so hard, her shoes flew off. The others gathered around, giving her worried looks.
"Crystal Prep Academy students don't care about the games because we always win!"
"What?" Scootaloo frowned. "I don't get it. I mean, I love winning. Who doesn't?"
"Someone who wins all the time." Mari looked from Scootaloo to Navy. "Someone who's won so many times that there's no competition, no challenge. Crystal Prep expects to beat Canterlot High. There's no question in the students' minds they'll win, so why bother getting excited about it?"
She sat up suddenly, Navy rolling away with a shout. "Only now CHS gave us a run for our money! I'll bet they haven't won even a single event in decades! It's anyone's game, and that makes it exciting! So now it's time for my best. Plan. Ever!"
"Uh-oh," Twist said, backing away. "I know that look..."
"The way to get Crystal Prep students excited about the Friendship Games..." Marigold bit her lower lip. "Is to make sure we lose!"
The other girls gasped. Mari just kept on grinning.
"And I'm gonna need you girls' help to pull it off!"
"Mind tellin' me again why we're hidin' in the bushes?"
Marigold, Apple Bloom, Navy Blue, Scootaloo, Twist and Sweetie Belle had piled into the biggest bush on CHS's campus they could find. They still were invading one another's personal space, but at least they could see out into the yard, where a group of staff members were putting the finishing touches on placing fake flags to throw the students off the real ones.
"We're using what we've got," Marigold said, closely watching a teacher who'd been identified to her as Mr. Doodle. Once Vice Principal Luna had announced the rules for the final event of the Friendship Games, Mari had dragged all her friends out to the concourse, the location of which had been bought from a janitor for an apple pie. "Now we just have to find CHS's flag and bring it your guys's team."
"But isn't this cheating?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"It's only cheating if we win." Marigold rolled her eyes. "Which is why you three are gonna stay here and play lookout while we help our team lose!"
Scootaloo placed both hands atop her head. "I still don't get this. It doesn't make any sense!"
"It doesn't have to," Navy said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And, and it doesn't anyway. Just go with it."
"It makes more th... sense than meeting outside the school when Dean Cadence said to meet in the gym," Twist mumbled.
"Okay," Mari said, crouching and pulling the leaves in behind her, "it looks like they're done. They're singing, so the event hasn't started yet, and that means we've got some time. Twist, you take the left. Navy, take right. I'll search the edge of the building. Ready?"
"Ready, I guess..." Navy said, shrugging at Twist.
"On my mark." Marigold narrowed her eyes, coiling like a tiger ready to spring.
She took two steps and faceplanted as an explosion rocked the ground.
"What in the sam hill?" Apple Bloom shouted, standing straight up out of the bush.
"C'mon!" Scootaloo yelled, tugging on Mari's sleeve. "If you thought the Friendship Games were exciting, wait until you see Rainbow Dash and her friends do magic!"
"But... the Games..."
Mari pulled herself to her feet and stared after them. This hadn't been the plan. Didn't they care about the games? As she staggered off in the direction they'd gone, she had to wonder if apathy was contagious.
Marigold couldn't believe her eyes. Twilight Sparkle, that weird girl from her school, had turned into some kind of bat-winged demon and was blasting holes in reality with freaky laser beams. Students had fallen through some; monsters emerged from others. Everywhere she looked, chaos reigned. The thought occurred to her that she should have been more concerned about what was going on right then, but she couldn't help focusing on one single thing.
"I've gotta find that pennant."
The ground was too unstable and the students running around too much for her to make a break back for the concourse. She rued having followed her friends out here. Wracking her brain, sweating and shaking, she glanced this way and that until her gaze alighted on the front of the school.
There, on a temporary stage, were Principal Celestia, Dean Cadence and Vice-Principal Luna. All watched the proceedings in open-mouthed shock. And in the latter's hand were two pennants.
Marigold knew what she had to do.
Dodging some kind of large bat-creature, Marigold sprinted behind the bleachers, hoping they would shelter her from the worst of what was going on. Better than that, they shielded her from Luna's sight, so that when she leapt onto the stage to tackle her, the Vice-Principal was taken completely unawares.
"What do you think you are doing, young lady?"
The other two women didn't seem to notice. Marigold snatched the CHS pennant from where it had fallen and dashed off the stage, whooping and hollering.
She tried to find her friends, but in all the confusion, they were nowhere to be seen. Who she could see was the CHS student team in all their colorful glory. There was a flash of light in their vicinity, and she had to shield her eyes for a moment. It was just long enough for her to fall on her face one more time.
Something in her ankle moved in a way it shouldn't have. She cried out, tears welling in her eyes. She was so close! She couldn't let pain stop her when she was so close!
"Stupid shoes!"
Kicking out with her uninjured leg was enough to free her foot from its housing, but even touching the other one brought a new wave of pain and fresh tears. She looked at the pink, yellow and green blur that was the nearest CHS student, so near yet so far out of her reach.
Suddenly, she was being lifted off the ground. She panicked a moment before looking up into Navy Blue's tense smile.
"M-my ankle," she gasped, "it's--"
"Are, are those them?" Navy asked.
Marigold nodded.
"C'mon girlth!" Twist shouted. "Let'th do thith!"
Each of them took one of Marigold's limbs, and Sweetie Belle held her injured foot straight. Marigold yelped as they flipped her onto her back. Then, with a combined cry, all five rushed her straight for the CHS team as the light around them became even more blinding.
"Hey!" Mari yelled as they got close. She waved her arm as much as she could. "Hey, I've got your pennant!"
"What?" The pink-haired girl regarded her with a woozy expression, and she reeled slightly from turning. "Oh, um. I don't think that's very imp--"
"Just take it!" Mari's friends set her down, and Navy kept one arm around her. The tears in Mari's eyes weren't from pain. "Please! I want... No, I need you to take this pennant!"
"Oh." The pink-haired girl shrank back, but held out her hand. "If it means that much to you, I guess..."
Marigold slapped the pennant into her hand. Then she fell over, bringing Navy down with her. Despite the tears, she was laughing.
"We did it!" she cried. "CHS wo--"
There was an explosion, and the light flared to blind them all. When it subsided, Twilight Sparkle and an orange girl Mari didn't know the name of were floating down a column of luminescence. What happened next seemed like something out of a dream.
Words were spoken that she couldn't quite hear. There was a heartfelt hug, and all the students started cheering like crazy. She looked at Navy, who only smiled at her, then back at Twilight and her new friend.
Over near the stage, Principal Cinch was yelling at Principal Celestia, but Mari's sister, and her sister's friends, were there, and something they said made her back down. There was a dog and it looked like it was talking. What Principal Celestia said next, there was no mistaking.
"I think it's fair to declare us all winners!"
All winners. The words reverberated through Marigold's head like the clapper of a bell. All her hard work, all the scrapes and bruises and even a twisted ankle, for what? She hadn't come this far just for everyone to win. No one would care about a contest where everyone wins!
She lay in the damp grass, tears streaking her cheeks. The pink-haired CHS girl noticed her and gave her a tiny smile. She waved the pennant, that hard-earned, hard-fought-for pennant, and cheered a feeble "Woo-hoo!"
Marigold's heart broke.
Marigold sat sullenly on the steps of Canterlot High, holding a bag of ice on her ankle, with Twist and Navy Blue on either side of her. Her shoes had been lost somewhere during the magical battle.
"Aw, cheer up, Mari," Twist said, hugging her gently. "Your plan actually worked!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Navy said. "You stayed positive and actually pulled it off! That totally makes you a winner in my book!"
"A-and..." Twist paused, glancing down at her feet. "I mean, everyone's really happy now. Isn't that what you wanted?"
Mari sighed. "It is. But... I wanted to get everyone excited." She felt like she should be crying, but the numbness of her iced ankle had spread to her heart. "Is that selfish?"
Navy and Twist shared a look.
"I don't..." Navy shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean, it's not bad to want to be noticed or remembered by people, right?"
"I gueth," Twist said, flinching when Navy swung at her.
"Hey, hey! One for not correcting!"
"Ow!"
"Oh, oh yeah..." Navy slugged her again. "And that's one for earlier!"
"Lay off, Navy!" Twist scowled at her, rubbing her arm. "Do you keep track or something?"
Navy shrugged and grinned. "Just helping out my friend the best way I know how!"
Mari buried her face in her arms. "It doesn't matter. I didn't get what I wanted, and now the Games are over, and I'll never see them again."
"I wouldn't say that," said a calm voice from overhead.
The three looked up to see Dean Cadence smiling at them.
"How are you feeling, Miss Medley?"
"Oh." Mari averted her gaze. "Okay, I guess."
"You should consider trying out for the soccer team," Cadence said with a smile. "That was quite the football tackle you used on Vice-Principal Luna."
Mari cringed. "She's not hurt or mad, is she?"
"No, don't worry." Cadence chuckled. "I think she attributes what happened to the general pandemonium going on at the time."
"Dean Cadence?" Twist asked. "Why did we meet in the courtyard after you th... said to meet in the gym?"
Cadence started and blinked at her. "It seems Canterlot High's gymnasium is regularly demolished by these 'magical'--" she made air quotes-- "mishaps. Principal Celestia informed me of the change in locale a little late. Why do you ask?"
Twist shrugged. "Just bothered me, I guess."
Now it was Navy's turn. "So, so why'd you come to see Marigold, Dean Cadence?"
Cadence smiled. "Well, I of course want to make sure her ankle is okay. But more than that, I attribute what happened to enthusiasm." She rested her hand on Marigold's shoulder. "Marigold Medley, the kind of school spirit you displayed, even if it led to some questionable outcomes, is something I haven't seen at Crystal Prep in... well, ever. You showed that the Friendship Games really are worth getting excited over."
Marigold shrugged the hand off. "But who cares? Everyone's all excited because there was magic and stuff, not for anything I did."
Her breath caught in her throat as Dean Cadence lifted her chin with a hand.
"Don't discount yourself. You may not have caused the celebration, but you can certainly continue it. Keep that enthusiasm with you, and you'll be able to help your fellow students keep their spirits up." Her smiled took on an enigmatic edge. "You might even consider starting a club!"
"A club?" Marigold blinked at her.
"Think about it. And come to me if you need any help!" Cadence gave her another smile, then stepped away.
"Well, that... That was cool," Navy said, eyebrows raised.
"Marigold, there you are!"
The three of them turned their heads to see Marigold's mother flouncing up the sidewalk past Dean Cadence.
"Oh, my poor baby! They told me you got hurt, and I rushed right over!"
Mari grunted as her mother embraced her. "It's okay, Mom, just a sprain, I'll be fine. It was those stupid shoes Sour loaned me..."
"Well then, I think you'll like this!" Her mother rummaged in her designer bag, producing a pair of uniform shoes. "Your shoes arrived today!"
"Like, like, thank goodness for small victories, right?" Navy said, punching Mari lightly.
Taking the shoes, Marigold gave a genuine smile for the first time in a day. After everything that had happened, after her near victories and humiliating defeats, the thought that she wouldn't have to waddle around in clown shoes Monday warmed her heart.
"Thanks, Mom," she said, voice breaking.
"Oh, honey." Her mother put an arm around her and helped her stand. "It must hurt awfully. Come on, I'll take you to the med center on the way home. Maybe they can give you something for the pain."
"We'll see you at school next week, Mari!" Twist called, waving as Marigold limped off.
"I'd, I'd tell you to break a leg," Navy added, "but you kind of already did!"
Marigold couldn't help laughing.
"Hey, wait!"
"Mom..." Marigold stopped, turning to look at the source of the voice.
On the path, between her and where Twist and Navy were gathering their things to get on the bus home, stood Mane Event. He was looking a little dishevelled, like most of the Crystal Prep students after the brouhaha, though his hair was impeccable as always. Her eyes widened and she gasped at the Shadowbolt headband on his head. Her vision got misty as she recognized the one he was carrying. It had three ears.
"I, uh, found this in the trash," he said, holding it out to her. "After everything that happened, I realized you were right about the Friendship Games. I'm sorry I didn't take them more seriously, but I'm glad I got to enjoy them this one time."
She took the headband and placed it on her head, laughing.
"You know animals don't usually have three ears, right, dear?" her mother asked.
"Don't worry about it, ma'am," Mane said. "I think it looks just fine on her. Uh, I mean, it looks... It's okay, is what I'm saying." His cheeks began to flush.
"Thank you, Mane," Mari said softly.
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, uh, this is probably a really awkward time, but... I was wondering if you wanted to maybe hang out later. Uh, when you're feeling better and all. I found out there's a neat bake shop near CHS. Maybe we could go there?"
Mari felt heat rise into her face. "I'd love that," she squeaked.
"Okay." He handed her a piece of folded up paper. "Call me. Y'know, whenever's good for you."
"I will," she said, taking the paper and tucking it into her pocket.
"All right, well." He rocked on his heels for a moment. "See you around, I guess, Mari."
"Yeah." She bit her lip. "See you, Mane."
He gave her an awkward wave, then loped off toward the buses.
By the time Marigold's heart slowed down to a normal rhythm, she realized that she was still standing where she'd stopped. She looked up to her mother, who was grinning ear to ear.
"My little girl's going on her first date!" she squealed. "Oh, this is exciting!
"I don't know who that was," she continued, tone suddenly serious, "but you and I are going to have a very long talk about boys tonight."
Marigold shook her head and chuckled as they made their slow progress to the car.
"Geez, mom. Not everything's worth getting so excited about."
Author's Note
It's funny; this is the big story, the good one, that delayed posting of Fast Times at Stinky Sugar by a good three weeks. And now here I am, posting it on its own at the behest of Pascoite. <.< Sheesh.
Originally, I just wanted to write a story about a student tackling Luna to get the pennant she was holding. Then I thought it would be funnier if I built up a whole character and backstory about them failing at everything, and still failing at the end. Then I ended up rewriting the entire movie from another perspective, which was a huge mistake but here we are. D:
If you want to see her friends, you can find them all hanging out in the background here. Here's one with Sherbet Swirl. Here she is dancing with the CMCs. And here's the scene where she and Mane Event bump into Twilight. Apparently, Derpibooru named her "Orange Sherbette", but fuck that. :V
Thanks go to KitsuneRisu and Noble Thought for helping me come up with her name and personality. Big thanks to Pascoite for edits, general encouragement, and of course, convincing me to post this solo.
Now I need to find more excuses to write fake autocorrect, because holy shit is that fun to do. :D
