Author's Note

It's Been Real...

PART 1: XI - Our Eternal Rivals (TBE)

"They were definitely doing something to the statue."

"Oh great, this again."

"Or was going to."

The Rainbooms had settled inside the library an hour later. They were gathering their thoughts and preparing for the rest of their Wednesday, although Sunset was talking nonstop about the strange figure that showed up this morning, and it was getting on Noah's last nerve.

"Do you think they came through the portal from Equestria?" Fluttershy questioned whilst rubbing her pet rabbit from her book bag. "No, I'm pretty sure I would've noticed that. I think they were from over here."

"Well, that's a relief. The last thing we need is another magical so-and-so bent on global domination comin' over from Equestria," Applejack replied while leaning back in her chair. It wasn't like she was wrong, of course. Magical mishaps seemed to have some sort of schedule, or not, it's unclear as of now.

"Agreed," Rarity began. "I have no interest in another fight against the forces of evil magic. The wear and tear on my wardrobe is just too much to keep up with."

"Still," Sunset continued. "A mysterious figure snooping around the portal, don't you wanna know what they were up to?" Noah scoffed, "Sunset, I'm gonna put it bluntly, nobody cares. If someone from Earth, as a planet, is snooping around that thing, it's gonna take centuries until they figure out how that works."

"But if they already know it's not natural, don't you think they'll put all their time and effort into figuring it out?" Noah rolled his eyes, "Sunset, hundreds have already witnessed things that aren't possible, period, and nobody has batted an eye at all! Not to mention they've witnessed it twice!"

"Well," Rainbow Dash began, coming from around a bookshelf. "You don't have to, because I've totally figured out who it was!"

"Oo! Oo! The nighttime statue cleaner?! A magical portal maintenance maintainer?! A gardener!?" Pinkie exclaimed, her unstoppable and uncontainable enthusiasm surfacing once again.

"Seeing as how they got off a bus from the city and got back on a bus headed to the city, I'll bet they go to-"

"Crystal Prep," the girls, excluding Sunset, all finished simultaneously. "Yep," Rainbow continued. "With the Friendship Games starting tomorrow, they'd totally try to prank us by defacing the Wondercolt statue."

"Woah Woah Woah, back it up. One: Who's Crystal Prep? Two: What are the Friendship Games?" Noah questioned, utterly lost. Rarity's face fell flat, "Noah, there is no possible way you don't know what either of those is."

"We've gone over this before," Noah continued, "I don't pay attention to the crap on the walls, and I don't know anywhere outside of this damn, er, darn town."

"Well, Crystal Prep is CHS' eternal rivals. We've been havin' the Friendship Games every four years, and we go head to head with them," Applejack explained. "The Friendship Games are a series of activities in which we, well, I already explained that part."

"Wait wait, these are tomorrow?!" Noah asked, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, why? Was something happening for you tomorrow?" Fluttershy asked, confused.

"No, but I do have something on Saturday and I was just trying to get through the rest of the week, it's how my parents raised me." Sunset tilted her head, "What's happening on Saturday?"

"I'm going home." The Rainbooms stared in puzzlement, Sunset replied, "Noah, we all go home at the end of school, what are you talking about?" Noah shook his head, "No no, I mean home home." The Rainbooms continued to stare.

"Oh!" Pinkie replied, "He means he's going back to Earth! You're going back to Earth?!" The Rainbooms' eyes grew wide, "Yep, she got it," Noah confirmed.

Sunset felt her heart stop for a moment, "Y-You're going back? W-Why are you going back? Don't you live here now?" Rainbow Dash stood up, "Yeah, what are you going back for? We thought this was like your new home! With us!"

"Well, my friends and I have been planning this for a while, a week before we went to that diner actually. Since the Sirens' had been defeated, and since they were the reason for all the crap back on Earth, we'd thought that we could return to a more peaceful planet."

"We gave it time, and it turned out life off this island, or whatever, had gotten much better. Crime rates dropped incredibly, nuclear weapons are being disposed of, hell, China and Russia joined NATO! You have no clue how much of a big deal that is!"

"With life returning to a happier time, we'd decided that it was time we went back home. Sure, living here in Canterlot City was nice and all, but we were really just here to find ourselves, and we've obviously done that. So, we've packed our bags, or we're going to, and we'll head to the boat we used to get here, turn it around, and head back to America."

"B-But, what about all of that robbing and what not? W-Won't they just arrest you?" Sunset stammered, and Fluttershy agreed. "She's right, weren't you living here to escape the threats back home? If you go back, they'll just arrest you!"

"We were wearing masks, you igits, they don't know who we are, neither do they care as much about a couple of teens robbing small stores. We'll just go back, and since we aren't adults yet, use foster care as a means of getting back on our feet and ready to enter the world."

"Okay, but what about us? Aren't we ya friends? Y'all just gonna up and leave like we was just a couple of pick-me-ups?" Applejack replied, slightly betrayed. "Look, you guys are six of the dumbest, but greatest friends I'll ever have the opportunity to meet in my life. Nobody's ever gonna replace you, and I'll never forget you guys, but this is our lives we're talking about."

"If we decide to return home, then I should expect my best friends to respect our decision and give me their best wishes." Rarity sighed, "Well darling, you're not wrong. If you truly desire to return to your home, then it's not right for us to be against it. Though you were a serious but mysterious jerk to us in the beginning, you'll be remembered as a great friend of ours 'till the end."

"Yeah, Ah guess that's fair," Applejack added. "We gotta make these last two days twenty percent cooler than!" Rainbow Dash added. "Oh! We need a going away party! I'll host it for you and your friends!" Pinkie Pie added. "Oh, it's gonna be such a shame to see you go though, but, it's your choice, and I'm completely on board!" Fluttershy added, quietly shouting.

Noah smiled, "What about you kid? We all good?" Sunset stared and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Out of all the friends Sunset had acquired, Noah was the only true friend.

He wasn't asked to be her friend by an Equestrian princess, he chose to be hers, and he was her best of all things! He took her to restaurants, they had sleepovers, talked on the phone for hours, went swimming, and sometimes they just relaxed with each other on a hill underneath a tree.

Now he's leaving!? Seriously?! How was that fair?! Sunset didn't want her first true friend's friendship to end after half a year! She didn't want it to end ever! But not only will she lose him, but he can't return either, meaning he'll be gone forever!

Her only true friend, gone for all of eternity, never to be seen or heard from again. But maybe Sunset wasn't afraid to lose him as a friend, maybe she was afraid to lose him, period. Meaning... she'd never get that chance... that chance to... that chance to-

"Hey! Kid! You still there? What, did you just go stupid on me or something?" Sunset returned to Earth and stuttered, "I-I-I, u-uh, aren't we supposed to be heading to the gym for a rally?!"

The Rainbooms examined the library to find that it was empty, almost like all life was just snapped out of existence. And Sunset was right, they were supposed to be heading to the gymnasium for a rally. It seemed Noah's news had tuned them out from reality.

"Oh crap, she's right! I'm one of the speakers! We gotta go, now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, appalled that she'd forgotten so easily. "Oh, well, we'll come back to this. C'mon y'all, before we get written up," Applejack replied, and the Rainbooms began for the gymnasium, despite a certain someone still feeling woeful.

"You know what I've just realized kid?"

"What?"

"There's barely any other students here. Matter of fact, there wasn't a lot at the Battle of the Bands or even the Fall Formal. What's with that? Is this school secretly dead inside or something?"

"That's because not everyone goes to the events, Noah."

"Oh... well, then there must be a crap ton of social outcasts here."

The Rainbooms had arrived at the gymnasium and sat through said rally. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was indeed a speaker at said rally, and she somehow managed to turn it into a musical number no less.

Despite hiding her sorrow, Sunset was still terribly out of sorts for her friend, though he seemed to show no feeling or even any compassion about leaving, and Sunset wondered if he cared at all.

"Christ, Rainbow sure does love going, uh, pony mode a lot. I'll never understand the enthusiasm and enjoyment of becoming part horse for the life of me," Noah spoke up.

"Noah," Sunset began, "When you go back to Earth, what do you plan on doing? Besides what you already told us, obviously."

Noah shrugged, "Once I'm back in an American school, I'll finish my final year, graduate, go to college, meet a girl, black-haired hopefully, date for a while, get married, have kids, grow old, retire, find a beach in Hawaii to live on, grow even older, die, and spend eternity with my family and friends."

Sunset raised an eyebrow and stared for a bit. "Well, that's quite the list... Can I ask why you mentioned girls with black hair?"

Noah itched his neck, "Well, I don't know why, to be honest. There's just something about a girl with black hair that just feels so... enticing. That, and the fact that I've spent nearly half a decade looking at girls with the weirdest hairstyles ever witnessed by mankind. I once saw a girl with purple loops in her hair! Loops, Sunset! Loops!"

"That's Rarity, Noah."

"... right..."

"Rainbow Dash, that, was amazing! Even I feel like we can win." Fluttershy quietly exclaimed. After Rainbow Dash's strange musical number, the Rainbooms had gathered backstage to congratulate her."

"Yeah, what she said. Though to be honest, I wasn't really watching," Noah added, and Rainbow Dash's face fell flat. "You were sitting in the front row."

"Yeah, but kid over here kept asking me questions." Sunset cocked her towards Noah, "I asked you one question!"

"One question, too many."

"Are you serious?"

"Probably."

"Well, I feel like my school pride is at an all-time high!" Rarity squealed. "Isn’t anybody else wonderin' how dash ponied-up without playin’ her guitar? You know, besides Noah smashin' it this mornin'?" Applejack questioned, filling the room with a slightly awkward feel.

"I know, right? It's probably because I'm so awesome!" Rainbow Dash replied, while Noah simply responded, "Eh."

"Maybe, I mean, you are awesome, but there's gotta be more to it than that, right?" Sunset suspected whilst rubbing her chin. "It just seems so random."

"Well, it would be nice if you guys could get a handle on it," replied a voice from behind. It was the Vice Principal, Luna.

"We'd like to keep said magic as far away from the Friendship Games as possible. We don't want to be accused of cheating in any sort."

"And as for you, Rictorshine."

"Ah, Christ on a cross.”

"We'll need you to keep any, and all forms of improper dialect or any obscene and vulgar actions even further than possible. Though being called cheaters is bad, we don't need them thinking our students are nothing but squalid, inappropriate, mischievous, young delinquents."

"Anytime."

"That is, if you are taking part in the Friendship Games, of course."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

"Well as for our magic," Rarity began, "We won't even need it to defeat those hoity-toity Crystal Preppers." And her fellow friends cheered and hollered in agreement.

"Still, the Friendship Games are serious business."

"Eh."

"We don't want any surprises. Especially the kind that could force or cause us to forfeit. Sunset Shimmer, you came here from a world of magic, how you managed to enroll here, I'm dumbfounded, perhaps you can get to the bottom of our magical development. The library and what not is quite large, so I'll allow you to pick a partner of your choice."

"I'll do my best, as for my partner..." Sunset slowly turned her head to Noah and smirked. "No, what, why? Why me?" Sunset crossed her arms, "Noah, if you're only gonna be here for three more days, there's no harm in learning what you can about magic before you leave."

"Why would I spend time learning about something I'm never gonna need?"

"Why do we do anything? Besides, can't you do this one thing for me?"

"What about Pinkie Pie?"

"You and I both know I don't have the sanity for that."

Luna crossed her arms, "Noah, it is not up for debate. Sunset has chosen her partner, and you shall oblige. Otherwise, there's a nice comfy desk and chair over in detention if you want to be written up for insubordination."

"Of course there is."

Luna nodded and made her way off of the stage and out of the gymnasium. "Okay, anybody have any guesses what the events are gonna be?" Rainbow Dash asked, curious.

"Pie eating? Cake eating? Pie-cake eating?!" Pinkie exclaimed, her obstinate zeal making itself known once again. "They won't even let us see what they're doin' to the field. You'd think they'd at least tell the competitors what they're competin' in," Applejack replied, annoyed.

"It could be anything," Fluttershy said with wonder in her voice. "Anything!? How will I ever pick the right outfit?" Noah snickered, "You are just the definition of dramatization, aren't you Rarity?" To which Rarity replied by rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"I, well, we really wanna help-"

"Eh."

"But, I think we better go focus on figuring out why Rainbow Dash ponied up. We'll see you later! Come on Noah, we'll start at the library," Sunset finished, and Noah groaned. "Ugh, this gonna be worse than explaining world war two to a toddler."

Noah, following Sunset, made their way off stage and out the gymnasium, on their way to the library. "Seems like they've got everything under control! Nothing to worry about," Pinkie exclaimed, oddly joyful.

Inside the library, Noah and Sunset sat at one of the tables surrounded by books. Albeit, not much was getting done. "Ugh, this isn't working!" Sunset blurted, irritated.

"What?"

"We've been here for nearly an hour, and we haven't gotten anything done! I knew it'd be difficult, but we haven't even found a single word to help us!"

"Well, it isn't my fault!"

"I didn't say it was..."

"Oh... well... why not ask Twilight? Isn't she like the princess of magic and shit?" Sunset rolled her eyes, "Princess of Friendship."

"Same thing."

"Ugh, well, maybe I can ask her since nothing else is helping right now. Can you hand me my book? Since we switched seats, it should be in my bookbag over there."

"Got you," Noah replied and opened Sunset's bookbag. It was full of a common teenage girl's school items. Paper, binders, folders, pencil cases, a diary that had way too many doodles and painted drawings on it, rulers...

"Here we go, big fat brown book with a weird red and orange sun smack dab in the middle of the cover." Noah handed the book to Sunset along with his pen, she thanked him and opened up said book.

-Dear Twilight...

Haven't heard back from you yet. I guess you must be pretty busy with your role as a princess. Not that I'm jealous or anything. Right now, I could really use your advice.

"Sunset, we're trying to figure another stupid magical thingy out, can we maybe get this done today?" Sunset rolled her eyes, "Funny, feels like I've said the same thing to you several times."

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Sure," Sunset replied, giggling at Noah's simple yet bizarre humor. She returned to the book, fidgeting with the pen, and continued.

You see, I've been given the job of keeping magic under control here at CHS. Even though I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it.

"Kid! Today!"

"I know! Go do something!"

And now, after seeing Rainbow Dash pony-up the way she did, it makes me think her magic might be... changing.

"Sunset, for fuck's sake!"

"I got it!"

Everyone is looking to me-

"Sunset!"

"What, damn it!?"

"Just ask her the question!"

"What do you think I'm doing!?"

"You're telling her your life story!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Just ask her the question and get it done! It's not a message to the king of Goddamn Babylon!"

"I know that! Just let me do me! Go get us some chips or something!"

"For Christ's sake..."

"Go!"

-to figure things out, and I really don't wanna let them down. But I'm not sure I have enough experience with friendship magic to solve this. I could really use your help, and any at all would be much appreciated.

Noah returned with two bags of barbecue chips and sat down. Sunset closed the book and rested her head in her arms on the table. "Did ya finish?" Noah asked.

"No thanks to you, yes."

Noah stared at Sunset. Sunset stared at Noah. "Don't lie, that was pretty funny," Noah replied, chuckling.

"Like a sitcom," Sunset replied before giggling herself. And even though they were only slightly laughing, it soon turned into uncontrollable laughter as if they just witnessed the funniest video of all time. All the while, every face in the library was white with pure confusion and terror.

(Please leave a comment, I enjoy reading what say. Along with any criticism, it’s required to make this book as great as can be.)