Chapter 4

Tag him/her with lasers!

A month has passed since Scroll Pen enrolled in Canterlot High.

He could safely say now that he did not regret it in the slightest. A month in CHS felt better than a year in Cloudsdale High. Previously, Scroll always walked to school with trepidation, since he had to worry about avoiding the persons he really did not need any contact with, and being careful not to get caught by someone who would pick a fight - an unfair one, with numerical advantage on the enemy's side.

Such events happened to him only three times in his living memory, and each of them had to end with him retreating, and then having to endure the jocks' sneers at the "coward". Scroll called bullshit on that - he was not stupid enough to let himself be beaten, and in his book, not going at him one on one and charging with the whole pack was the true cowardice, so he contemptuously dismissed the sneers.

Such was not the case at Canterlot High. While there indeed was a small pack of hooligans, they were nowhere near the level of Cloudsdale's jocks, and were not particularly threatening to him, so he did not have to worry for his life.

His social standing was also a lot better. While being a nerd still carried some penalties in that regard, Scroll managed to find acquaintances he genuinely enjoyed spending time with. Flash Sentry, Micro Chips and Sandalwood became the guys he talked with most often, since they had an active Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

Micro Chips was somewhat of a tech geek, and Scroll often found himself chatting with him on things related to information technology. Mostly it revolved around software they were familiar with, and the advantages and disadvantages of this or that program. Some other times, they talked about gadgets, like their smartphones, tablet PCs or something else. They also talked about videogames sometimes, although Micro Chips was not as much of a game enthusiast as Scroll was.

Sandalwood was a so-called eco-kid, and he made sure to tell Scroll of various ways to conserve energy and water. Scroll was not much of a Green Party supporter, but was surprised to discover that some pieces of advice did indeed cut the bills for modern conveniences, and have persuaded his father to try some of them. When they worked, Scroll thanked Sandalwood wholeheartedly.

Flash Sentry was something of a unique kind. Scroll was very surprised to learn that Flash played electric guitar and even had his own band, yet did not strut around like a peacock. The blue-haired rocker admitted that he had indeed had a period of having too high of an opinion of himself, and that it still showed sometimes, but after one big mess, an argument between him and his band-mates and a thorough dressing-down from his parents, he made sure to be a better person. Scroll had listened to Flash Drive rehearsing several times, and admitted that they played well for a garage band. Flash tried to get Scroll into modern rock music, but the latter was very slow to converse.

The new circle of acquaintances of Scroll's also included girls now, which he secretly was very happy about. He managed to get along with Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody, a strange artistic duet of a modern dubstep and beats fan and a classical music enthusiast. Their music was... unique in its own regard. Scroll did not particularly enjoy mixing old and new, but Vinyl and Octavia kept the balance somehow, and made quite enjoyable pieces. When Scroll discovered they had an account on one of the sites for independent music creators, he made sure to register there and spend some of his savings on donations to them. That earned him a gratitude and a promise of best tickets to wherever they performed.

He also got along with the inseparable duo - Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops. The mint-skinned girl had a passion for zoology, and the bicolour-haired girl had a thing for spy novels and movies. While both were not a topic Scroll was well-versed with, the girls managed to keep the conversations interesting. In return, Scroll shared stories of some of his Cloudsdale adventures, which Sweetie found quite interesting when it involved chasing or sneaking around.

Most importantly, though, he found great friends in Sunset Shimmer and her group of friends... well, almost all of them.

Scroll was the type of a person who valued intelligence in women, so he never had problems with someone having higher grades than him - provided they were deserved, of course; he remembered the scandal where one of the teachers had an illicit relationship with a female student in return for grades - but after the transfer, he had to get used to having competition in the academic field. Twilight "Sci-Twi" Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer were, as he learned later, two of the CHS' top students. Twilight had an advantage of having aced the curriculum of Crystal Prep Academy, while Sunset just strived to maintain her excellent academic record. Both girls could give him a run for his money in terms of grades and overall intelligence, which stung him a bit initially - he prided himself on his academic exellence, after all. Not willing to just give up, Scroll made sure to do his best in terms of academics as well and climb the ladder to the top. Having a challenge felt a little refreshing for him, so he did not complain.

Applejack and Rarity were an odd pair he could barely imagine as friends, due to their almost diametrically opposite outlooks and personalities, yet he had found himself caught in their conversations on several occasions. Applejack usually brought up her family, the apple farm she grew up and worked on or something agriculture-related as a topic, while Rarity delved into fashion and high-class art. Scroll mostly listened, absorbing their world views and occasionally making a comment. The alabaster-skinned fashionista had already managed to get him to agree to her getting his measurements, and he promised Applejack to come visit the Sweet Apple Acres one day. All in all, he genuinely liked the girls' company.

Scroll did not interact much with Fluttershy, as the girl was usually very quiet and he did not want to force her out of her shell, thinking it would do more harm than good. One day, however, one of the talks happened to turn to animals, and Fluttershy became so engaged in the conversation that Scroll could not believe he was seeing the same person. The young man was only moderately interested in animals, but he expressed his approval when he learned about Fluttershy volunteering at the local animal shelter. The girl felt embarrassed, but still thanked him, and told Scroll he could come and help at any time. Scroll promised to make a time in his calendar for that.

Pinkie Pie was an oddball who could incite either genuine amusement or drive to a headache, with no derivable pattern. Scroll could not find any reasonable explanation to the girl's hyperactiveness and an uncanny ability to appear at the right or wrong time (and was persuaded by others to spare himself the headache and drop the subject), and mentally facepalmed at her antics more than once. He usually could not stand airheaded girls, and Pinkie fit the bill perfectly - yet she was quite smart, despite what one would expect. Some time later, Scroll got more used to Pinkie being... well, Pinkie, and decided that the poofy-haired party girl definitely was a good friend to laugh with.

As for Rainbow Dash...

Scroll took Applejack's advice to heart, and tried his best to tolerate the cocky prismatic-haired tomboy. The task was not that simple, however.

The more they chatted, the more Scroll was sure that he and Rainbow Dash were almost polar opposites. Scroll valued academical success without denying the need to remain fit, while Rainbow seemed to eschew everything in favour of sports; not once and not twice did the young man facepalm mentally (or literally) when he caught sight of some grammatic or spelling error done by the cyan-skinned girl. There were times when he was sorely tempted to grab a dictionary (preferably a very heavy dictionary) and beat her senseless with it. His remarks on academics' importance were usually dismissed with a "nerd alert!" from her, which did not improve the situation.

While both loved videogames, it turned out that aside from some fighting games, their tastes barely overlapped. Rainbow preferred games where reflexes and reaction speed was the cornerstone - mostly first person or third person shooters, or racing games. Scroll favoured thinking and planning, which lead him to enjoy real-time strategies most of the time. He was not averse to other genres, though, if they necessitated tactical thinking. One time, he and Rainbow Dash got into an online match in Modern Battlegrounds 5, a first-person shooter where personal and small-unit tactics were as important as reflexes and reaction time and which both of them actually enjoyed playing. After some action in team deathmatch mode on public servers, she challenged him to a duel, and he agreed. Said duel ended with him gaining victory through knowledge of the map, correct loadout and clever trap placement, which Rainbow tried to counter with heavy weapons fire and anti-camping tactics; however, the final count was 51:43 in Scroll's favour.

Rainbow had a very unhappy facial expression the next day when Scroll saw her in school. Confirming her loss as the reason behind it from other girls, he concluded that Rainbow was quite a sore loser, which did not cast her in any favourable light for him.

Admittedly, he himself really hated being shown up by Rainbow Dash in P.E. class. Despite his best efforts, Rainbow remained a better athlete than him (and got better grades), and she never hesitated to remind him of it whenever he lagged behind her. Scroll usually put on a cool, disinterested face in response to her taunts, or responded with a snarky remark, but if his defeat was especially embarrassing to him, this usually resulted in him and Rainbow going at each other in an online game challenge, and Scroll not feeling satisfied unless he made the cyan-skinned tomboy eat his dirt in a game and got her to type a swear word (or several) in the game chat.

For the month, both settled into the routine of mutual trolling. One day, however, the situation escalated to a full-blown war...

Scroll Pen was genuinely impressed with the library that Canterlot High had at its disposal. Holding both mandatory curriculum books and advanced-level materials on certain subjects, as well as an impressive collection of both classic and modern literature, it took a lot of space in the building, which by itself was rather large and impressive.

The young teen was killing time while Miss Cheerilee was picking the books he needed. When the teacher and part-time librarian returned, he re-focused his attention to her. He wrote the date and his signature on the books' library cards and Miss Cheerilee put them away in a small folder with his name.

"Thank you, Miss Cheerilee," Scroll said.

"You're welcome, Scroll. Oh, may I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course."

"I've noticed that you hang around a group of girls that includes Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes, I do at times. Something the matter?"

"Yes, Miss Dash has several books that are overdue. Could you please remind her about this?"

"Yes, no problem. Should we cross paths, I'll tell her. Thank you again, Miss Cheerilee."

"You're welcome, and have a good day."

"You too, Miss Cheerilee."

Scroll exited the library and went to the vending machine to get a small snack. Putting in the money and choosing a chocolate bar, he went out to the stadium, as it was empty and he could do some of his work there in silence while breathing fresh air.

Or so he thought.

While the stadium was indeed empty at first, his studies got interrupted twenty minutes after he started. A small group of athletes, led by Rainbow Dash, arrived at the stadium, with Applejack and Fluttershy trailing behind.

"Oh, hey, Scroll!" the athlete shouted in her trademark loud, slightly raspy voice.

"Hey, Dash. Hi there, guys. Whatcha doing?"

"Came to practice here a bit," Rainbow proved her words by kicking a soccer ball upwards with her knees, changing it every time she hit the ball. "What're you doing over there?"

"Got some homework to do and I'm not in the mood to sit inside, so I came here. You came to practice?"

"Yeah, except Applejack and Fluttershy. Flutters is here to cheer for me, and Applejack just wants me to mess up so she could troll me."

"Ah resent yer accusations, Rainbow!" the blonde farm girl shouted. Scroll chuckled quietly, which was not unnoticed by Applejack.

"Ah said somethin' funny, pardner?"

"Sorry, Applejack, but I'll believe it when I see it. Your rivalry with Dash is a stuff of legends here. It's no secret that you want to one-up her at something."

"Wha?" Applejack was puzzled. "It's that wide-known?"

"Yep-yep."

"Well Ah'll be... wow. Didn't see that one comin'."

"Chill, AJ!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "This makes things better, 'cause more people will learn how awesome I am!"

Applejack facepalmed, and Scroll barely resisted the temptation to copy her.

"That said, Rainbow Dash," the young man called out to her, "I've been to the library, and Miss Cheerilee said that you have overdue books and asked me to pass this along."

"Ah snap, it's "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone" that I owe her, plus some school books," the prismatic-haired athlete responded. "Thanks for telling me, Scroll."

"No problem. Although... Daring Do? You're reading this series?"

"Yeah, it's way more awesome than all that boring reading stuff for eggheads. What? Something wrong with it?"

"Aside from the fact that what's written in those books shows what archaeology isn't? No."

"What do you mean by "what archaeology isn't", Scroll?"

"Exactly what I mean," Scroll looked up, his eyes boring into Rainbow's. "Daring Do is an adventure novel that has nothing to do with how archaeology works in real life. None of the recent archaeological expeditions in the last three years have discovered tombs filled with elaborate traps, or treasures of ancient gods capable of spelling doom for the whole mankind, and even though the part about fighting evil is partially true, considering that there are criminal organizations dedicated to robbing graves and selling antiques on the black market, a lone archaeologist cannot possess the skills of Daring Do unless they had served in the special operations branch of the military, and even then the whole skill set of the main character is barely realistic and sometimes contains factual errors. It may be fun to read about a badass archaeologist, but from the point of view of realism, Daring Do fails in that regard."

Silence fell as every person in the vicinity stared at him as he finished speaking.

Aaaaaaand now you have totally killed your social standing here, Scroll told himself. Then again, why should I have expected them to be into something classical?

Then he noticed that Rainbow was giving him a positively angry look.

Oops. The brown stinking mass of feces is about to hit a rotary circulation device designed for blowing air.

"Scroll?" Applejack spoke up quietly. "Brace yerself. Rainbow Dash's fan rage is incomin'."

"Thanks for the warning," the young man whispered back.

"So you think Daring Do sucks?" the prismatic-haired athlete did not disappoint, putting hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in outrage and firing invisible rays of death at him.

"I think that this book is not worth the hype that surrounds it."

"Jeez, what sort of an egghead are you? Don't you people read, like, every book?"

"I was not aware there are sorts of eggheads, although there are sorts of eggs, actually. To answer your last question, not necessarily. Daring Do is not a series that belongs to higher class of literature."

"Say what?" Rainbow exclaimed in a surprised voice. "But these books are bestsellers!"

"Quantity does not equal quality."

"So you're saying you're too good for Daring Do, now?"

Heavens above, you're so annoying! Before Scroll properly thought the situation through, he leaned forward in a challenging pose and said:

"What if I am? What are you going to do, Dash?"

"I'm gonna kick your butt and make you a fan of Daring Do!" Rainbow's expression was deadly serious.

Well done, Scroll, you've stepped into a shit-mire now. "Kick my butt? At what?"

"I dunno, pick your poison. I bet anything you can do, I can do better. But no videogames!"

Hmmm... in terms of athletics, Rainbow will certainly beat me, so I must find something to play to my strengths. Think, think! Where do you have a chance in beating her? Where did you fare well against jocks back in Cloudsdale, Scroll? the challenged self-proclaimed nerd thought furiously.

Then he remembered.

"Are there lasertag arenas in Canterlot?"

"Sure are," Rainbow said. "That new closed arena just opened recently. Red Lamp Shots Arena, it's called. It's mega-cool, they have several halls with changeable cover configurations, and many scenarios, starting from old wars to imaginations of future wars, and many options for loadout choice. You wanna try lasertag against me, Scroll?"

"Yes. This Sunday, two p.m. One-on-one duel. I'll make reservations. Don't be late."

"Alright, you're on! Get ready to get your butt kicked! In the meantime... Gang!" Rainbow shouted at her teammates. "Let's practice, time's a-wasting!"

Don't count your leftovers until they're actually left over, Rainbow Dash, Scroll returned to his hometask.

"Scroll," Applejack asked him quietly as Rainbow and the athletes began running around the field, "are you sure this is a good idea? No offense, but Rainbow's more athletic than you."

"None taken, Applejack. Rainbow made a mistake when she let me choose a thing to compete against her at. Back in Cloudsdale, I was very good at lasertag. Even those stronger than me were felled by my shots, so to speak. Lasertag is not only about physical strength, after all."

"How did ya win against those jocks, then?"

"It's all in the head, Applejack," Scroll tapped his temple. "Tactics, knowledge of terrain, good cover and correct loadout can negate the physical advantage, at least partially. And preserving strength for when it truly matters."

"So y'think you can win?"

"At worst I won't suffer a humiliating defeat. But yes, I can win. Or at least I estimate the chances of me winning as fifty percent."

"You sure got guts."

"Ha ha. Thanks, Applejack."

"Yay," a soft voice sounded to the side. Scroll felt his eyebrows rising.

"Was that... Fluttershy cheering?"

"Flutters rarely, if ever, cheers loudly."

"...she sure fits the "shy" part in her name."

"So you decided to go off against the top athlete while relying on your head?" Thunder Barrel asked his son as both of them ate their supper. "Gutsy, but not very smart. You do know that your endurance is not the best and you lose your advantage as time goes?"

"I know, Dad," Scroll replied. "But we will only play for one hour. I already made reservations via Internet and Rainbow doesn't mind."

"So what's our plan?"

"I will scout out the arena and check the terrain, to see where it is best to hide or camp, as well as plan for anti-camping tactics."

"You think that this Dash girl won't do the same?"

"It's possible, but unlikely. Whenever we played online, she seemed to put more importance on reflexes than tactics. It is unlikely that she has a different approach to lasertag."

"What if she does?"

"I adapt, like I always do, and gauge her strengths and weaknesses."

"How certain are you of your victory chances?"

"My gut says... about fifty or so percent, Dad. But do not worry. Even if she beats me, it won't be a humiliating defeat, like one of my first times when I lost twenty-five versus fifty."

"Well, son, then I will be very curious as to your results. I am afraid I won't be able to root for you on Saturday - the local military command needs me for some damn paperwork, and that's gonna take a long time."

"No prob, Dad. I appreciate the thought. I won't embarrass our name."

"You'd better not, son, or I'll marry you off to this Dash girl."

"Oh come on, Dad!"

The Red Lamp Shots Arena, despite its somewhat funny name, had the most impressive facilities Scroll Pen has ever seen, and he had played lasertag at military training arenas back in Cloudsdale, so he could afford calling himself a "pro" when it came to arena choices.

The big hall chosen for his duel against Rainbow Dash was themed after modern urban warfare and did not boast arrangeable cover, but the selection of lasertag weapons available for loadout was very impressive. Scroll had taken care to watch several matches in that arena before Saturday arrived, and has already managed to map several good camping points, as well as plans for attack - or withdrawal, if needed.

Most impressive. Even if Rainbow Dash had played here before, I should be able to dish it out properly, he thought.

Now, it was Saturday, 13:49, and Scroll was standing near the entrance to Red Lamp Shots Arena, when he saw the familiar rainbow-coloured hair... as well as other familiar hair. As the group came closer, he recognized other girls from Rainbow's usual posse. He raised his eyebrows, but otherwise maintained his composure.

"Sup, Scroll?" Rainbow raised her hand in greetings, a confident smile on her face.

"Doing fine. Hi, girls. A pleasure to see you, although I must admit I am surprised to see you here."

"We were curious as to how you and Rainbow would play against each other," Sunset Shimmer said. "I only vaguely heard of lasertag before."

"Is this fun?" Pinkie bounced in place.

"It sounds scary," Fluttershy almost whispered.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," Scroll said, "infrared beams used in lasertag are harmless, so both of us will be fine... unless things come to fisticuffs, that is. However, fist fights are banned in lasertag games, so we should be fine."

"That doesn't sound reassuring..."

"Alright, let's get inside, our time's about to start," Scroll said, turning to the entrance. "Come on!"

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be awesome!" Rainbow shouted, rushing inside.

After getting inside and listening to the safety instructions, Scroll Pen and Rainbow Dash parted ways and entered their respective rooms where they would change to urban digital-pattern camouflage, get the sensors on their persons and choose their loadout.

Having scouted the area before, Scroll had an inclination as to how he would proceed. The area had several spots where he could have a decent view on the battlefield and cover most of the area, and he already saw the one that would suit him best from the end he was about to enter.

Which left the notion of his loadout. The duel did not have any limits on that, which meant he was free to pick whatever would suit him best. His choice would depend on two factors: terrain and Rainbow Dash's behaviour.

The terrain did not favour cumbersome weapons if one planned to stay mobile or wanted to be able to relocate quickly in case of emergency, so anything heavy or cumbersome was out of the question. On the other hand, camping spots were good for marksman and sniper fire, but sniper rifles would be useless at close distances. Marksman rifles would do better, but maneuvering around with them would be slightly problematic in the arena.

Rainbow's possible tactics were a potential big spanner in the works. Scroll doubted that Rainbow could break and enter cover properly, as this was something taught in infantry military academies, but depending on her speed, one would require either precise marksman fire or "spray and pray" tactics to get her while she was in the open. Another factor was whether Rainbow would try to rush him as quickly as possible and beat him in close quarters or try to rattle him from medium distance. He could theoretically deal with the latter, but not the former if he did not have a weapon with a suitable rate of fire. There could also be a problem of grenades being used to flush him out of cover, which added more prudence to keeing Rainbow at bay - but Scroll knew that sooner or later Rainbow would know where he was, and then he would need to change the marksman spot quickly. And if he needed to change his cover, the rate of fire would come into play, as chances of hitting Rainbow with precise fire dropped close to zero for him.

On some pondering, Scroll decided to pick an assault carbine with a collimator sight and a foregrip as his primary weapon. He could do marksman fire pretty well with it, and it was not as unwieldy as an assault rifle or a marksman rifle would be during movement. As for the secondary weapon, he decided to pick a pistol classed as a "personal defense weapon" - with automatic fire, that is - for emergencies, and several "frag" and smoke grenades.

Should do fine for a starting loadout, and then I will change if necessary.

"Alright, I am ready," he told the attendant.

"Good," the young man, only a decade older than Scroll, spoke into his walkie-talkie:

"We're ready."

"Alright, so are we. Let him out, the lass here looks like she will kick me in the balls if we delay further."

"Got ya," the attendant unlocked the door. "OK lad, you can move to the starting position. When the gong sounds, the game begins and I go back; then you're on your own."

"Copy," Scroll rolled his neck and moved out, standing on one knee within the red rectangle near his exit.

"The game begins in five," the loud announcement reverberated across the arena, "four, three, two, one..."

GONG!

Scroll sprung up, dashing to one of the predesignated positions on his left - a small personal bunker of sorts, with an opening specifically made for firing. The young teenager set himself into position and looked down the collimator sight, trying to determine where a certain rainbow-haired jockette would happen to be.

He did not have to wait long, as he saw Rainbow Dash running in his general direction while outside cover. Hastily aiming his gun at the sensors set on her, Scroll pulled the trigger.

The sound processors gave out the gunfire sounds, and a feedback device made the gun kick back - although not as much as an actual carbine would have - and infrared rays made the sensors flare up with red colour, meaning a successful hit. Rainbow made an impressive jump to the side and hid behind a low cover. Scroll traced her movement with his carbine, waiting for her to pop up. He did not have to wait long - as Rainbow stuck her head out, he managed to score a hit before she pulled back, thus "killing" her. He heard the athletic girl shout something (presumably a swear word) and go back to her starting position where she would start again.

A small buzzer sounded through the arena half a minute later, signifying that Rainbow was back in the game. Scroll repositioned himself slightly, and waited for his chance.

He did not have to wait long, as Rainbow Dash began approaching him, changing covers. He fired whenever she broke cover, hoping to clip her "health points" before she pinpointed his exact location. When there was little distance left, one of his shots hit her arm, which brought her HP count to zero.

"Blast!" he distinctly heard her swear this time, and barely refrained from shouting "Language!" at her. As he looked at her retreating form, he tried to analyze the situation.

Not good, she discovered my approximate location quicker than anticipated, and most likely will zoom in on me this time. I can rusk it and score one more hit from here, and then change my location. What should I do? Hmm... perhaps I could risk it and try once more.

He shuffled again and waited. Sure enough, the prismatic-haired athlete was approaching him, taking potshots whenever she could, hoping to make him duck and thus allow her to get closer - or land a lucky hit on him. Despite her visible frustration, she did everything she could to avoid being hit.

One of the infrared beams hit the sensor on Scroll's right arm, and the young man felt a sharp vibration, cursing as his gun was temporarily disabled - a side effect of imitation of ballistic shock - and he cursed, ducking and moving away. As he "recovered", he stuck out and landed a headshot at Rainbow Dash...

...who, in, turn, managed to fling a grenade at the bunker moments before he hit her. The grenade fell into the open slot - and judging by blinking lights, it was alerady primed for "detonation".

BOOM! The sound processor emitted a loud sound, and dozens of IR rays hit sensors on Scroll's body. Needless to say, he was "killed".

Whelp, there went my first rampart... he though dejectedly, returning to his starting area. Must move quick - maybe I'll gain an advantageous position before she detects me?

Scroll Pen could not remember when he had a lasertag duel this intensive. Usually, if someone tried to humiliate him by going at him in a one-on-one lasertag duel, Scroll could easily outsmart or outmaneuver them, and pounce on any weakness his rivals had. Since few had the same approach to lasertag that he had (and those who did virtually never tried to assert their "coolness" by duelling him), he rarely was truly threatened with a loss that was unacceptable for him. Typically, he could outwit any jock (or jockette, rare though they were) in a duel.

Rainbow Dash, however, proved to be a far more competent and competitive opponent. Her athleticism allowed her to endure physical exertion better than Scroll could, and she did her damnedest not to waste any strength and conserve energy, which in turn forced Scroll into an unenviable position: since he could not hold one and the same position for long, he had to change them regularly or even be forced to escape if Rainbow managed to catch him off-guard; but at the same time, he could ill-afford any stress.

Unlike other jocks he knew, Rainbow was actually taking him seriously. Scroll rarely dueled with opponents who took him seriously, and when he did, these were the hardest fights he had been in.

Heh. In for a cent, in for a buck, he thought grimly. Too late to chicken out now. Win or bust!

On the other hand, he felt strangely... flattered that Rainbow Dash did not want to underestimate him.

Knowing that his previous strategy will eventually make him lose, Scroll decided to change tactics. Instead of sticking to cover, he was trying to ambush Rainbow in random parts of terrain. Urban combat-themed arena had enough available cover for that, which he actively used to drive Rainbow nuts with surprise attacks from flanks or behind. She screamed foul words at him whenever he managed to score a headshot from behind, and swore revenge - which she executed by jumping out at him and peppering him with shots whenever she detected him. In return, Scroll silently promised himself that he would bitchslap the prismatic-haired jockette the very next chance he got whenever Rainbow "killed" him.

Unfortunately, this strategy, while it allowed him to keep the final count reasonably equal, had a significant drawback - as he had predicted, he was forced to move more actively, which meant that his energy reserves would begin to dwindle soon, and Rainbow would use it to gain advantage over him.

Not happening, he thought. During his running and gunning through the arena, he found a spot which left him relatively safe from three sides, meaning he could cover the only way to reach him. Even better was the fact that his hiding spot was not really easy to see, meaning he could hit Rainbow and remain unseen.

Noting that the count was thirty-eight to thirty four in Rainbow's favour, and there were only fifteen minutes remaining, Scroll moved out to the position he had marked for using.

The decisive part of their battle began...

Ding-diling-diling-diling-diling-diling-diling-diling-diling-diling!

When the bell signalled the end of the match, both Scroll Pen and Rainbow Dash were panting heavily, desperately trying to get oxygen in their lungs.

The last fifteen minutes have been brutal for them both.

Scroll has successfully managed to gain an advantage over Rainbow in his newest hiding spot, but the prismatic-haired athlete figured out where he was hiding pretty soon, and forced him out of cover with grenades - and into her sights. Not being the one to discard an advantage, she tried to use the cover herself - except that it did not do her any favours, since Scroll peppered her with grenades even more mercilessly. Since using the same cover would have ended with a cycle of "Scroll killed - Rainbow killed" there, both sides abandoned the idea and Scroll had to improvise while thinking furiously on his feet, since Rainbow was not going easy on him.

As such, the scale tipped to either his or her side as the time went, with no determined outcome - which only spurred two rivals to give their fullest even further.

In the end, both of them became riled up enough to forget about any complicated tactics whatsoever, and their duel became more ferocious. Scroll and Rainbow maneuvered around the arena, trying to catch each other unaware, the former trying to flank her or attack from behind and the latter running helter-skelter to throw off his aim or trying to get a jump on him so he would not be able to react in time.

While Scroll was feeling tired, the almost primal (as he would have described it) fight they were in now awakened a surge of adrenaline within him, giving him extra strength. While he still could not match Rainbow's speed, his agility was surprisingly still on par with hers - thanks to the terrain that did not favour quick running - and he used it to its fullest.

Still, in the end, the final count was fifty-three to fifty-five in Rainbow's favour - a result of her killing spree where Scroll had "died" five times before adapting to her hit-and-run tactics, and was unable to catch up with her in time.

Not saying a word, two opponents turned their backs on each other and went to their respective "bases". Scroll gave back the lasertag weapons, used the shower that the lasertag arena had and changed into his casual clothes. When he was done and went out, the rest of the girls (Rainbow excluded) met him.

"That was quite a show, sugarcube," Applejack told him. "Ah was surprised someone could make Rainbow sweat."

"I am full of surprises," Scroll smirked with some degree of arrogance.

"Are you OK, Scroll?" Fluttershy asked, worried. "You don't look really well."

"Well I just had some intense workout, and I'm really gonna feel it tomorrow, but I'll manage. Don't worry about me, Fluttershy."

"What's gonna happen now?" Twilight asked.

"Dunno. We did not have any bet. Rainbow did kick my butt, as she said, though."

"Are you OK with that?"

"Not really. I am somewhat frustrated. Lasertag is one physical activity where I am best at, but she still defeated me, so I'm afraid my masculine pride is somewhat bruised right now."

"I thought it was your butt? I mean, you did fall on it once," Rainbow Dash appeared. Scroll gave her a quick lookover.

Hmmm, appears that she is feeling it as well. Well at least she isn't invincible.

"No, it was my coccyx that suffered mostly," the young man winced at the memory.

"Coccyx?"

"More commonly known as tailbone."

"Oh. Could've said that instead."

"My own bruises aside, thank you for the game, Rainbow Dash," Scroll approached the rainbow-haired athlete, his right hand drawn forward. "It was a pleasure to duel against an opponent like you."

"Even if you lost?"

"I am... vexed a bit, to be honest, but I recognize a good lasertag player when I see one."

"Um..." Rainbow looked at his hand for a moment, thinking. Damn, that guy is still sportsman-like, although he looks like he wants to punch my face. And he is civil... did not see that one coming...

"Something wrong?" his voice interrupted her musings.

"Nah, nothing," the cyan-skinned tomboyish girl shook her head, and clasped his hand with her own, shaking it. "You're quite welcome, Scroll. You made me sweat really hard for me to win. I wouldn't mind going against you some other time. Heck, I'm not even gonna insist you take your words on Daring Do back."

"As I recall, we had no such deal. You simply said you would kick my butt."

"And make you a fan of Daring Do."

"That idea included making me eat my words?"

"I had thought of it at first. I also wanted you to say that on my phone's camera. But honestly, once I went against you, that thought kinda slipped away. In the end, I just... decided to throw it away."

"I see."

"However," Rainbow gained a serious expression, "since you still lost, I insist that you stop by my house and I lend you one of my Daring Do books, for two weeks."

"Vae victis," Scroll muttered. "OK, I'll oblige."

"That's the spirit!" the athlete slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go right now! I don't live far from here."

In the end, Scroll Pen found himself near Rainbow Dash's house with Daring Do and the Quest for Sapphire Stone in his bag, which was slung over his shoulder. Other girls went to their homes, so in the end he and Rainbow were the only ones standing.

"Remember, two weeks," the cyan-skinned girl remined him.

"Got ya," Scroll nodded.

"Hey, Scroll, before you go, I have an offer for you."

"I'm listening."

"Canterlot High now has a lasertag team, and we want to take part in inter-school competitions, but our team is, well... kinda too green. I'm doing my best to train them, but I'm afraid we aren't up to snuff, especially if others are gonna be as tough as you, Scroll."

"They may be even tougher than me. I use my brains, but some have both brains and brawl. These were the hardest opponents for me, and I had trouble fighting against them when one-on-one."

"No kidding? Wow, that's gonna be tougher than I thought... anyway, Scroll, do you wanna join Canterlot High's lasertag team as a vice-captain?"

"Vice-captain?.. Wait, seriously?" Scroll's eyes widened.

"Yes, seriously."

"Why me?"

"Who else? No one even managed to get close enough to have a chance of victory against me. Yet you almost steamrolled me. That makes you, like, only twenty percent less cool than me."

"I assume that is a compliment to my skills?" Scroll asked wryly.

"Yep. And you know these fancy tactics, so I think Wondercolts would benefit greatly if you were to join."

"That means that you too would have to learn them."

"And I will," Rainbow turned even more serious. "Scroll, I want Wondercolts to win this game. There are guys in all teams that I sometimes have trouble dealing with, but we work well as a team, because we are Canterlot Wondercolts. As the captain, I must see if there's a possible talent nearby, and you definitely qualify. You just need some more endurance, as I could clearly see you were worse off the wear than me, and a bit more speed. I can train you along with others in that, and you can teach us how to outsmart our opponents. Of course, you can refuse my offer, it's not mandatory to participate... but I'll be honest, I really want you on the team, Scroll."

Scroll looked away to the side, thinking. He could practically see it - he and Rainbow Dash would definitely get into more arguments, or clash over something else. He really wanted to slap her sometimes for her abrasiveness, and he knew he annoyed her when he was in his nerd mode. How would two such personalities not ruin the team when the captain and the vice-captain were like this..?

Canterlot Wondercolts.

Rainbow's words struck him. He remembered something. Absent-mindedly, he looked at the background picture on his phone's screen.

The picture of him and the other girls at Pinkie's party for him, all in Wondercolts' regalia.

Something poked at his stomach like a lance.

I can't let them down, his voice spoke in his head, same yet different somehow.

He looked back at Rainbow's face. The cyan-skinned athlete was looking at him, presenting a brave facade, but her magenta eyes betrayed her nervous feelings.

Brown and magenta eyes locked on each other, and then...

"Alright," Scroll said. "I accept your offer."

"Really?" Rainbow asked again, in disbelief.

"Yes, really."

A second's pause, and then...

"Oh yeeees!" Rainbow rushed forward, and before Scroll knew it, her arms were around him and his ears were under assault. "This is so awesome!"

"Whoa, don't drop me!" Scroll warned her, trying to keep his balance. In desperation, he unconsciously wrapped his left arm around Rainbow, making her press her body onto him even more.

Oh snap, I can't fall, I can't fall, this will be very embarrassing..!

Stepping back, he managed to regain balance, and Rainbow let him go, beaming. Turning back to her house, she shouted over her shoulder:

"Next Saturday at the same arena, then! One p.m.! I'll bring the team so you'll see how we are! And don't forget to check our team schedule tomorrow!"

"Deal! Bye, then!" Scroll shouted back.

"See ya, Scroll!"

With these words, Rainbow entered her house, and Scroll went home.

Wow, this day surely was interesting. First, me and Rainbow all but murder each other, next, she offers me vice-captain's place... Damn, I'm crazy to accept that... then again, why not? She and others should surely make a better team to hang around with... And she was really happy when I accepted for some reason...

He recalled how "happy" Rainbow was, and recalled the feeling of her hug. He almost jerked in place, and felt blood rushing to his face.

Tartarus damn it, man, get a grip! Sure, that was surprising, but not worth getting flustered over!

Still, as he went further and replayed Rainbow's happy hug in his mind, some part of him thought that the hug felt really nice...

Author's Note

Yay, another chapter done!

It's not much, alas - my muse does not work well these days - but I hope that it served as a good enough chapter as a transition to the phase where both Scroll and Rainbow form bonds of friendship and begin learning more about each other.

For a while, I will switch back to Fallout: Equestria Girls, and once I publish the next chapter of that story, I will return to this one.

Say your thoughts, comments and criticism below, and stay tuned!