I got Isekai'd as a Dragonborn

A FEW MOMENTS LATER

“Ok, relax Twilight, the hard part is over, you talked to Spike and made him accept your invitation… just ignore the fact that he looks way different from the last time you saw him… NO! BAD TWILIGHT! THIS IS A FRIEND YOU ABANDONED, DON’T GO MAKING LOVEY DOVEY EYES AT HIM!... just breath in… breath out, relax, and think of where to go with him… WHO THE HELL I’M I KIDDING, I HAVEN’T BEEN TO THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE SINCE I WAS 13, I DON’T KNOW ANY GOOD RESTAURANTS… RARITY, WHY DON’T I EVER PAY ATTENTION TO YOU… And how can he look so relaxed? He must really be angry with me if he can’t even feel nervous around me,” thought Twilight

“AAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING SPIKE?! You weren’t! I FUCKING NOW THAT!... Ok, calm down, you said you wanted to talk to her, and so far so good, just make sure not to mention anything about that day, or the fact that you were desperate to see her again, or the fact that she aged well and has a nice body… NO! NO NO NO NO NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO START WITH THE STUPID HORMONAL TALK! YOU’LL DRIVE HER FURTHER AWAY, stay calm,” thought Spike

“So… Spike, I know I offered to buy you lunch, but… to be honest, I don’t know any good restaurants, do you any?” asked Twilight

“Yup got the perfect one in mind,” said Spike

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“Burger King?!... So, Burger King, this is the fancy restaurant you had on your mind?” asked Twilight

“I don’t like fancy, it’s too… ostentatious, plus, the food is good, and you don’t have to spend much money,” said Spike

“Just don’t ask for the salad,” thought Twilight

“They don’t sell salads,” said Spike

“What?” said Twilight in surprise

“I know what you were thinking, No. 15 Burger King foot lettuce, that doesn’t happen here, trust me,” said Spike as he walked up to the register.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Spike and Twilight sat at a table munching down on some whoppers and fries

“I didn’t take you for the burger type,” said Twilight

“I didn’t take you for the fancy-schmancy type either,” said Spike

“Well… I don’t exactly mind it,” said Twilight

“What? Tiny servings and massive bills? Yeah, I’m staying away from those types of restaurants,” said Spike as he bit down on his burger

“I guess you’re right,” said Twilight as she and Spike chuckled.

A few more instances of awkward silence followed while they ate their food when Spike said

“So, how is the marriage situation coming along?”

The sudden question caused Twilight to spit her drink out of surprise

“WHAT?!!!” said Twilight

“Well, the last time I saw you, you said you were going to start seeing possible suitors for marriage,” said Spike

“Oh, that… well, it was the same thing over and over again, an older man searching for a young girl to add to his harem,” said Twilight

“Didn’t your parents do something about it?” asked Spike

“Yeah, they canceled it… then, I met him,” said Twilight

“Him?” asked Spike

“Frederick Sutcliffe,” said Twilight

“Flash Sentry, I remember him from the match earlier,” said Spike

“Yeah, after the whole incident with the hostage situation, he came over to my house, and he became my playmate… little did I know I had fallen in love with him...” said Twilight

Spike listened closely at Twilight’s tale

“... Then when I turned 14 I found out he was dating my friend Sunset Shimmer, but they broke up a few weeks later, I don’t know why, but, I’m pretty sure it had something to do with her old personality,” said Twilight

“So, you took your chances and confessed after that?” asked Spike

“No… I was going to, but then… I realized he had a crush on another girl,” said Twilight

“Ouch,” said Spike

“Indeed… her name is Sylvia, Sylvia Thompkins… and if you didn’t know any better, you could believe she was my twin sister… We look exactly the same! Same hair color, same eye color, same likes and dislikes!... the only differences are, our heights, she is 5’4” and I’m 5’6”, she wears glasses and I don’t, my hair is longer, and she has a bit of an accent,” said Twilight

“Noted… so, does that mean you gave up?” asked Spike

“Yeah, they’re happy together, I don’t plan to ruin that,” said Twilight

“Good for you,” said Spike as he finished his fries

“Or, I could join his harem,” said Twilight

“That could work too,” said Spike

“That’s all you can say? Really?!” said Twilight

“It’s your love life Twi, your decisions,” said Spike

“You’re right… what about you?” asked Twilight

“What about me?” asked Spike

“Any Ms. Von Drake in your life?” asked Twilight

“Nope,” said Spike

“But you are looking for one, right?” asked Twilight

“I would like one, but…” said Spike

“But?” said Twilight

“I don’t know, for 5 years, I met girl after girl who were only interested in my fame and money, and sometimes I turned one of them down, they looked at me as a monster… it makes me wonder… can I ever be loved for who I really am, or only for what I’ve become?” said Spike with a sad look.

Twilight looked at him and felt bad, and slowly placed her hand on him

“Spike… what I did was wrong… I… I was scared, I wanted to make sense of what I’d seen if I had befriended a real human, or… a demon… and I know I took the worst course of action, I know I hurt you… but for whatever reason, I forbid you from thinking you are a monster, you’re miles away from that category… you’re a hero,” she said

Spike looked up at Twilight and said

“Twilight, I don’t blame you for what you did… if I was in your position, I would’ve done the same thing… it did hurt at first, but, I learned to see both sides of the situation, that’s when I forgave what happened, and I understood your need for distance,” said Spike

“But, still, the way I acted...” said Twilight

“Was perfectly normal for some in shock,” said Spike

“But…” Twilight tried to argue

“Twilight! It’s ok, it’s all in the past,” said Spike

Twilight then proceeded to get up from the table and give Spike a hug

“Thanks… for everything you did that day,” said Twilight

Spike remained silent as he hugged her back.

Unknown to the 2 friends, they weren’t being too discreet when it came to their meeting, to the point that someone was watching them, and generating various misunderstandings in her head.

“What does she think she is doing? And who does she think she is? h-h-hugging Spike out of the blue like that… don’t tell me they’re on a date! No! impossible, Spike isn’t the type of person to hide this from anyone, especially me… right? Right?!” thought Moondancer as she continued spying on Spike and Twilight

“What exactly are you doing?” came another female voice

Moondancer jumped up in surprise and turned to see Fleur de Lis and Coco Pommel

“AH, nothing,” said Moondancer

“Hey, isn’t that Spike?” said Coco Pommel

This comment caught Fleur’s attention, as she looked up and noticed Spike and Twilight finishing their embrace.

“Who is she? And what does she want with Spike?” asked Fleur with jealousy in her voice as she crouched down next to Moondancer to spy on them.

“I have no idea,” said Moondancer

“That’s Tania Nova Schafer Von Dusenholf, she is a noble from Canterlot, and from what I’ve heard, she is really popular,” said Coco Pommel

“Popular? How?” asked Moondancer

“And how does that affect my Spike?” asked Fleur

“I’m sorry, YOUR Spike?” asked Moondancer

“Yes, MY Spike,” said Fleur getting Moondancer’s face

“Next in-line for the thrown popular,” said Coco Pommel

“But she isn’t Celestia’s daughter,” said Fleur

“If the princess never has kids, it is rumored that either Tania or Sean “Spike” would take her place as ruler of Equestria,” said Coco Pommel

“AHA! So that’s why she wants Spike, she wants to make sure they both take the throne, she wants to marry him… WELL, I WON’T ALLOW IT!!! Spike is mine and mine alone,” said Fleur as she got up.

“Hold your hormones sister…” said Moondancer as she pulled Fleur back into the bushes “... first of all, Spike isn’t yours, you aren’t dating him…”

“Yet,” interrupted Fleur

“... and I have little evidence to believe that he will even lay his eyes on you, or form any sort of interest on you,” said Moondancer

“We’ll see about that, I know what Spike likes, and I can give him what he wants,” said Fleur as she emphasized her body to the other 2 girls.

“If only your brain worked,” said Moondancer

“Excuse me?!” said Fleur

“Even Coco has more chances of being knocked up by Spike than you,” said Moondanacer

“REALLY?!! YOU REALLY THINK SO?!!” said Coco Pommel as she turned red and started imagining it.

“We lost her,” said Moondancer

“Ok, Ms. genius, why is that?” asked Fleur

“Why is what?” asked Moondancer

“Why isn’t Spike going to take any interest in me?” asked Fleur

“Are your boobs bigger than your brain? Spike doesn’t care much about appearances, he likes personalities,” said Moondancer

“What a perfect excuse,” said Fleur

“Excuse me?” said Moondancer

“It fits you perfectly, little Ms. washboard,” said Fleur

“For your information, my boobs are a bit over average, second..” said Moondancer

“You said it yourself, AVERAGE, you must be desperate knowing that Spike won’t even look in your direction if you were wearing a swimsuit,” said Fleur

“At least I don’t have to result to dirty tricks and sexual themes to get boys attention,” said Moondancer

As soon as she said that a catfight began between the 2 of them.

Unknown to the three of them, the world around them continued to spin, and they were unable to detect 2 major issues around them.

First, was the fact that their hiding spot had been discovered, luckily it wasn’t Spike or Twilight, but that person had heard everything, and he wasn’t very pleased with what he heard.

“So, Fleur likes Spike?... I won’t allow it! I won’t lose to him, I’ll show her I’m a better man for her,” thought the figure as he walked away.

And second, was the point that Spike and Twilight had already left the establishment, a fact that Coco Pommel had just realized.

“Hey, they’re gone!” she said

“WHAT?!!!” said Moondancer and Fleur as they stopped fighting each other

“Which way did they go?” asked Moondancer

“I didn’t see them leave,” said Coco Pommel

“Come on, we have to find them, we must get to the bottom of this,” said Fleur as she jumped out of the bushes and tried to locate Spike and Twilight.

A FEW BLOCKS AWAY

“Why didn’t you receive my letters?” asked Twilight

“Because we distance ourselves, the spell didn’t work anymore,” said Spike

“So, what happened to the letters?” asked Twilight

“I have no idea, never cared to find out actually,” said Spike

“But aren’t you intrigued?” asked Twilight

“About where they are, or what was written on them?” asked Spike

Twilight turned red and quickly said

“About where they went… yeah, that’s what’s intriguing,” said Twilight

“A bit, I guess,” said Spike as they continued walking down the street towards the train station.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Twilight said

“Hey, I was meaning to ask you, what’s all this diss war between you and Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight

“Who?” asked Spike

“Rainbow… Raegan, Raegan Davis, what’s all that about?” asked Twilight

‘To be honest, I think she hates me because I defeated her during the “pitch invasion” incident before the tournament,” said Spike

“That’s it?” asked Twilight

“Well, later, she dissed me and other schools and, I reacted, she didn’t take it well, she dissed me back again, and I retaliated,” said Spike

“You did?” asked Twilight

“Well, I was kind of forced to publish the song, but… you get the picture,” said Spike

“Yeah, she can be very… competitive, but, don’t hate her for it, she has a kind heart,” said Twilight

“To be honest, I’d just like to talk to her, to see if we could start all over,” said Spike

“Well, I don’t know much about sports, but, I’m pretty sure that you can do something about it,” said Twilight as she and Spike reached the entrance of the train station

“It was nice to see you again,” said Spike

“Likewise, maybe we can hang out during the weekends, you know, we still have a lot of catching up to do,” said Twilight as she hugged Spike

“I’d love that,” said Spike

“See you on Saturday then,” said Twilight as she left

“Yeah,” said Spike

Spike watched her merge with the crowd until she was out of sight, and he took his leave.

Spike was walking back to his apartment when he, unknowingly walked to the center of the soccer pitch where everything started.

He looked around for a few seconds, before coming up with an idea.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed

RING RING RING RING

“Hello, Princess Celestia?... yes… I’m doing great, and you? I hear morning sickness can be really annoying… I can only imagine… the reason I was calling is, I want to request permission to enter Canterlot High territory… I need to talk to Raegan Davis… More like “Friendly conversation” I need to get to the bottom of something… tomorrow... thank you, say hi to Uncle Discord for me… bye,” said Spike as he hung up “I hope you’re right about this Twi,”

THE NEXT DAY

“Now arriving at Canterlot central station, please exit the train by the left doors, thank you, and have a nice day,” said a voice over the loudspeakers

Spike got out of the train and headed to the street.

“I haven’t been here in a long time, it really changed” thought Spike as his phone started ringing.

“Hello, Twilight?... yeah I just got out of the train… is she there right now?... ok, how do I get there?... ok, all call you when I’m done… thanks, bye,” said Spike

Spike then began to walk towards the location Twilight had given him.

After about an hour of walking, Spike arrived at the park that Twilight had mentioned, but he saw that all of the soccer fields were being used and very few of them had girls playing, but none of them had a certain rainbow-haired girl.

This made Spike nervous, although he was here with permission, and he had the email to prove it, Twilight had told him that he became somewhat of a superstar in Canterlot, to the point of even having a devoted fan club.

You might think that’s something awesome, but for Spike, that spelled trouble, not only because he was not used to being the center of attention, but if a crowd gathered around him, Rainbow Dash might misunderstand it and things can get even worse.

“Where is she? Twilight said she’d be here,” thought Spike

“Hold it right there!” said a female voice

Spike froze up and slowly turned around, there, before him was a group of 4 girls, not older than 12

“Can I help you?” asked Spike nervously

The girls looked at Spike before one of them screamed

“I KNEW IT WAS YOU!!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!!”

“SHHHHHH!!!!” said Spike “I don’t want a crowd to gather around me,” he whispered

But it was too late, everyone in the park had heard the scream

“Hey, isn’t that…?” said one of the guys playing soccer

“HE IS!!!!” said a girl

“Can I have your autograph?” said another

And in a matter of seconds, everyone in the park was running to catch up with Spike

“Sorry!!” said the girl

“Follow us,” said another girl

Spike did as he was told, and followed the girls to a nearby treehouse

“Get in, quick,” said another girl

“You’ll be safe here for a while,” said another

“Thanks, uhm… I never got your names,” said Spike

“My name is Angeline Smith, but you can call me Applebloom,” said one of them

“My name is Susan Belleville, but call me Sweetie Belle,” said another

“My name is Stella Hamilton, but you can call me Scootaloo,” said another one of them

“My name is Bianca Sherington, you can call me Babs Seeds, I’m Applebloom’s cousin,” said the last one

“Nice to meet you,” said Spike

“So, what brings you here?” asked Applebloom

“I came here to talk to someone,” said Spike

“Really? That person being your girlfriend?” asked Scootaloo

“No,” said Spike

“Boyfriend?” asked Sweetie Belle

“Uh, no, I don’t swing that way,” said Spike

“Really Sweetie Belle? Really,” said Scootaloo

“What, it may be a possibility,” said Sweetie Belle

“Stop involving people in those fantasies of yours,” said Applebloom

“Forgive her… she tends to have these pervy moments from time to time,” said Babs Seeds

“It’s ok,” said Spike

“SO, who are you looking for?” asked Scootaloo

“Raegan Davis, or do you know her as…” said Spike

“Rainbow Dash?!” they all said

“You know her?” asked Spike

“Who doesn’t?” said Scootaloo

“Any chance you can tell me where she is?” asked Spike

“Perhaps… how ‘bout a little trade?” said Applebloom

“As long as it’s something PG,” said Spike

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“There were only 4 of them, why did they want so many autographs and pictures?” thought Spike as he walked down the path towards Canterlot’s secret training pitch.

He was still a bit far when he heard

DING!!!!

“What was that?” he asked

DING!!!

“There it is again,” he said

DING!!!! DING!!!! DING!!!!

“FOR FUCK SAKE, RAINBOW!!!!!!!” he heard someone scream, a voice he knew too well

Spike picked up the pace and finally found a clearing where he could see the pitch and its lone occupant.

Rainbow Dash grabbed the 5 balls and placed them into a robotic shooter, she got into position and waited for the ball to come to her.

The machine shot the ball in her direction, Rainbow Dash volleyed the ball towards the net, but this time it flew over the bar and into the safety net behind it.

“FUUUUUUUCK!!!!” she screamed

“Try to angle your body towards the ball, follow its movement, you won’t miss that way,” said Spike as he walked up to her

“What are you doing here?” asked Rainbow Dash after she almost jumped out of her skin

“I need to talk to you,” said Spike

“Well I don’t, I have practice to do, so, bet it, or would you like me to report your pitch invasion?” said Rainbow Dash as she got into position again, connected with the ball but sent it flying far from the goal.

“I actually have clearance to be here, I called the Princess, and she said it was ok,” said Spike as he got in front of Rainbow Dash, and kicked the ball straight into the net, causing it to have a perfect curve and enter the goal by the top right corner.” You see, I was right,”

Rainbow Dash was angry, but she decided to follow his advice, she got into the same stance he did, waited for the ball to be sent her way, and connected with it perfectly for the ball to mimic the same curve Spike created.

“Continue practicing that and you’ll get better quickly,” said Spike

“Thanks,” said Rainbow Dash

“Don’t mention it,” said Spike

“So what do you want to talk about?” asked Rainbow Dash

“I’ve been wondering, Why?” said Spike

“Why, what?” asked Rainbow Dash

“Why act this way?” said Spike

“I thought you were going to say “Why do you hate me?” said Rainbow Dash

“I know you don’t hate me, it’ would’ve been a waste of time to ask that,” said Spike

“What makes you think that?” asked Rainbow Dash

“If you hated me, you wouldn’t have taken my advice in kicking the ball, or you wouldn’t be listening to my music, or have my band’s merch,” said Spike

Rainbow Dash turned red and began sweating even more.

“What… What makes you think I like your music, and that I’m not using it as motivation?” said Rainbow Dash

“If you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t have “last stance” in repeat, and you wouldn’t be lip-syncing to it while working out,” said Spike

Rainbow Dash, once again had lost to Spike, and she knew it.

“The truth is… I come from a very competitive family, both of my parents are Olympic gold medalists, my dad in Track and field, and my mom in swimming… and they always tell me to be the best, because only that matters… sometimes I get too carried away and act like an idiot…” said Rainbow Dash

“You must get carried away a lot,” interrupted Spike

“HEY!!!... no, you’re right… I do, and then, when I got to this school, all of the upperclassmen hated the fact that I was named team captain of most of the sports clubs, many of them said I didn’t have what it takes to be the captain…” said Rainbow Dash

“Why? cause you are new?” interrupted Spike

“No… cause I’m younger and… I’m a girl,” said Rainbow Dash

“Well, that’s just stupid, you are as capable captain as I am… I can even say you are better than me,” said Spike

“Thanks for the vote of confidence… but to be honest, I, kind of hate being the captain, there is so much responsibility, and everyone is expecting you to…” began Rainbow Dash

“... be the pillar of the team, everything good is you doing and every mistake is your fault… and then they want you to…” said Spike

“Keep up the rivalries between schools so that the matches become even more competitive… and if you can’t do that, then you're not worth the position of captain… it’s like, they want you to be an ass about everything and never discover some sort of…” said Rainbow Dash

“... Common ground,” they both said as they turned and looked at each other

“You know… why don’t we put this behind us, and start over,” said Spike as he extended his arm “Hi, my name is Sean Delsin Von Drake, nice to meet you,”

Rainbow Dash looked at him for a few seconds and shook his hand “Nice to meet you, Sean, my name is Raegan Davis,” she said

“Well, that’s all I came to say, good luck in the tournament,” said Spike as he walked away

“Yeah, you too, but don’t think that we’ll make it easy for you in the final… Spike,” said Rainbow Dash

Spike stopped walking, which made Rainbow Dash nervous “Was I too friendly just then?... AND WHY DO I FEEL SO NERVOUS RIGHT NOW? JESUS, I FEEL LIKE FLUTTERSHY RIGHT NOW!” she thought

Spike turned around and said “Well, first you have to get there, worry about Manechester first… They like to do a passing game, mostly playing by the wings… but you didn’t hear that from me,” said Spike as he let out a warm smile “I hope you are a woman of your word, good luck… Rainbow Dash,” he finished as he walked away cooly

For whatever reason, this caused Rainbow Dash’s heart to skip a bit, something that she took notice.

“What is happening to me?!!!” she thought as she looked at Spike, then at the soccer balls, and back at him.

On the way back to the Crystal Empire, Spike sat on the train seat by the window, remembering his conversation with Rainbow Dash

“If only we could find common ground… this sport isn’t about who is wrong and who is right…” he thought, and at that second something hit him; he dug into his pocket and dialed a number.

“Hello?” said Neon

“Neon, tell everyone to meet us at the studio… I’ve got a new song,” said Spike

“What about practice?” asked Neon

“The Semi-finales aren’t happening for another week, the right amount of time,” said Spike

“Ok then, at what time should we meet?” asked Neon

Spike looked at his phone “Around 4 PM, be there, please,” said Spike and he hung up “This has to end!”

5 DAYS LATER

“... and now we head over to the entertainment news with Kelly Raymond, Kelly,” said the news anchor

“Yes, Lisa, well, today we had a great day for music lovers, Our Last Stand released another single titled “Common Ground” and we have the exclusive right here, roll it!!!” said Kelly

“Oh, I liked this song, Kelly,” said Lisa

“And you aren’t the only one, in just a few hours this song has been out, it already recorded well over 2 million views… in other news, today marks the 30th anniversary of the creation of the golden mic awards…” said Kelly as her voice fades away

“Well, Spike sure know how to write a song,” said Twilight

“Wait? You know him?!” said Rainbow Dash, a bit of jealousy in her voice

“Of course I do, We’re childhood friends, we’ve known each other since we were around 5,” said Twilight

“Oh, it’s just that,” Rainbow Dash sighed in relief

“What do you mean “Just that”?” asked Twilight

“Well… I thought you guys were much closer,” said Rainbow Dash

“Oh no, Spike is my best friend, that’s it,” said Twilight

“Why do you ask Dash, jealous?” said Applejack

“Of course not!!!! What I’m I supposed to be jealous of?!” Rainbow Dash said as she swung her arms around, her face turning red.

“The fact that Twilight has a handsome childhood friend, who is also possibly the strongest person alive,” said Sunset Shimmer

“I-I-I- I have no reason to be jealous of that!!” defended Rainbow Dash

“Right, and I’m Princess Celestia’s daughter,” Sunset Shimmer teased making all of the girls laugh

“I’m gonna go work out!!!” Rainbow Dash said as she walked away furiously

“Do you girls think she’s in love?” asked Rarity

“Oh, definitely,” said Pinkie Pie

“Of course,” said Fluttershy

“Certainly,” said Applejack

“HA! That’s a first, even for me, Rainbow Dash in love, it’s almost funny doesn’t it Twilight?” said Sunset Shimmer as she nudged Twilight with her elbow.

Twilight smiled and let out a small chuckle, for whatever reason, she felt uneasy regarding the last interaction she had with Rainbow Dash

“Why does my chest feel so heavy?... I don’t like this at all,” she thought as she began to think about Spike.

BACK AT THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE

Spike had decided to go to the gym and have some R&R by doing some cardio (It helped him clear his mind)

When he arrived he was surprised by 2 things, first, despite being Friday afternoon, the gym had very few people in it, and second, the few faces that were in the gym, Spike knew very well.

“Well, it is never too late to workout… but those 2… I’ve never seen Fleur de Lis or Moondancer working out, heck, Fleur hates sweating,” thought Spike as he did his best to avoid the treadmills.

“Change of plans, stationary bikes, here I come,” he thought as he walked through the aisles upon aisles of workout equipment trying to find a way into the stationary bike room without being noticed by them.

He was almost there when a voice caught his attention

“98… 99… 100… 101… … 102…” said the voice

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” thought Spike as he turned the corner and noticed none other than Fancy Pants in the bench press machine, his face was red, and covered with sweat, his chest rising and falling in exhaustion, his biceps throbbing in exhaustion.

Spike decided to walk up to Fancy Pants while he reached for his water bottle

“Well, this is new, I didn’t take you for the weight lifter,” he said as he walked up to him

Fancy Pants took one last sip of water and said

“Well, now that we entered the difficult part of the tournament, I realized that we were depending too much on you, Ember, Thorax, and Pharynx… so I decided to come here and train my body a bit more,” said Fancy Pants

“If that were the case, you’d be working on your legs, core, and stamina, not your chest and arms… what’s really going on?” said Spike as he got eye-leveled with Fancy Pants

Fancy pants remained silent and avoided eye contact

“Fancy Pants, if we are going to be business partners in the near future, we need to be able to communicate… unless you want me to find somebody else,” said Spike

The mention of this made Fancy Pants eyes open in fear

“No! I’ll tell you…” said Fancy pants

“Then start singing,” said Spike

“SIGH… a few days ago… I overheard a conversation that got me thinking…” began Fancy Pants.

2 DAYS AGO

Fancy Pants was walking down the hallways towards soccer training when he overheard some of the cheerleaders talking; intrigued, he decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“No, seriously, why DO you like Spike?” asked Eclair

“Well, he’s nice, smart, handsome, he’s got such a cute baby face…” began Fleur

“And his body, OH MY GOD, I’d like to know what he can do in the bedroom,” said Melody

“Back of the line sister, I saw him first,” said Fleur “But, you’re right, he has the body of a God… his big muscular chest, those well toned biceps, his washboard abs…” she continued

“Washboard?! His abs are like 24K gold ingot of perfection,” said Suri

“Not to mention, he is so kind and down to earth,” added Coco

“And his voice… have you heard him sing slow pop songs?” said Melody

“Plus, he is so tall… he is the perfect man… I wonder what our kids would look like,” said Fleur.

“Better question, how OUR kids look,” said Melody

“Melody… I hate to break it to you, but he doesn’t seem interested in you,” said Suri

“Or you,” said Fleur

“Girls!!! Do I have to remind you that we need to look beautiful for the matches? Plus, I don’t want to be cleaning up your blood or… “Mess” from the floors, get to practice!” said Eclair

“Chill, Eclair,” said Melody

“You know, if you keep talking like that, your veins are going to pop out, I doubt Spike would like that,” said Suri

“And I suggest you stop eating so much bread… wouldn’t like to have my biceps to be as big as Spike’s… or Coach Rommel’s for that matter,” said Eclair

“How dare you!!!” said Suri

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTHS AND GET IN HERE, I AM NOT YOUR BABYSITTER!!!!” screamed Upper Crust as she kicked the door to the auditorium open, murder in her eyes.

The girls shivered and quickly headed into the auditorium for practice.

Fancy Pants stood there, making sense of what he had heard.

After a few minutes, he came up with a plan and quickly headed to training.

“So, that’s why you were putting the extra effort during practice,” said Spike

“Now you understand why I’m doing it,” said Fancy Pants

“Yes… and I’m gonna ask you to stop,” said Spike

“Why?... so you can be the only one in the school with a fan club?” said Fancy Pants

“No, if you continue doing this, you’re going to become me… you’ll lose your personality… and if that happens… What's the point of living?... especially when you’re living someone else’s life?” said Spike in a calm voice as he placed his hand on Fancy Pants’ shoulder

Fancy Pants remained silent, not knowing what to say.

“And for the record… If you like Fleur that much, tell her,” said Spike

Fancy Pants looked up at him

“My mothers always say that assertiveness and confidence is the first step for love, the rest happens by itself,” said Spike

“And does that really work?” asked Fancy Pants

“I wouldn’t be here talking with you if my father hadn’t done that,” said Spike with a warm smile

“You’re right, but… she likes guys like you,” said Fancy Pants

“LIKE me, what am I like?” asked Spike

“Strong, tall, athletic, smart… handsome… I don’t think I stand a chance,” said Fancy Pants

“Of course you do… you are all those things, you just have show her that, you’re dependable, that she can count on you when it matters most,” said Spike

“You’re right!... thanks Spike, you’ve been a big help,” said Fancy Pants

“I knew I knew that scent! Hey Spike, wanna come and workout with me?” asked Fleur as she popped her head from behind the bench press machine.

“Relax your hormones sister, you’re one million years too early before I leave you alone with Spike,” said Moondancer as she came up behind them.

Spike turned to look at Fancy Pants, signaling him to take the shot, but he refused

“It’s not the right time,” he mouthed

After seeing this both Fleur and Moondancer grabbed both of his arms and pulled him away from the place

“I’m still not ready to say that… I wouldn’t want to hurt her,” thought Fancy Pants as he went back to working out, but this time, he went to the leg exercise machines.

THE NEXT DAY

“WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE FIRST MATCH OF THIS SEMI-FINAL STAGE BETWEEN CRYSTAL PREP. AND CLOUDSDALE, THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH WILL PLAY THE FINAL AGAINST THE WINNER BETWEEN CANTERLOT HIGH VS MANCHESTER,” said Gideon

“That’s right folks, we are at the final stages of the tournament, with the semi-finals being played today, and the big final happening in 3 days… what is your prediction for these matches?” asked Dante

“Well, Dante, I think Crystal Prep. had a wonderful run of form throughout the whole tournament, I have no reason to believe they will not run away with this match, especially if we remember that they defeated Cloudsdale 5-0 the first time they played each other, I’d say 2-0 for Crystal Prep.,” said Gideon

“And for Canterlot V Manechester?” asked Dante

“4-2 for Canterlot,” said Gideon

“Well, before the match begins let us go through the line ups,” said Dante

“Sunny Flare, starts on goal for Crystal Prep., Indigo Zap, Bengal, Fancy Pants, and Jet Set; Thorax, Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, and Neon Lights, on the midfield, and Ember and Spike, up front,” said Gideon

“Sebastian “Silver Zoom” Zenith starts on goal, Freya “Fleetfoot” Johannes, Trevor “Thunderlane” Peters, Miriam “Misty Fly” Ferguson, and River “Rapidfire” Tennyson on defense; Helena “High Winds” Wilson, Brianna “Blaze” Asheville, and Sienna “Surprise” Rodgers on midfield, and lastly, Stephen “Soarin” Winfield, Freddie “Fire Streak” Shellford, and captain Simone “Spitfire” Finn on attack,” said Dante

“The match will begin shortly, please stay tuned, for after this commercial break, the action will begin,” said Gideon

INSIDE CRYSTAL PREP’S LOCKER ROOM

“COMMON GUYS, WE ARE ONE MATCH AWAY FROM THE FINAL LET’S NOT BLEW IT AGAINST CLOUDSDALE!!” said Rommel

“Relax, play your ball, and enjoy your game… anything else to Spike?... Spike?” said Shining Armor as everyone turned to look at Spike.

He was leaning, face first, on the wall, his left hand on his chest, as he breathed rapidly

“Spike?!” said Shining as he walked over to him, placing his hand on his shoulder

This made Spike jump and turn around, he was sweaty, like if he had just ran a marathon

“Are you ok?” asked Shining

“Yeah… yeah, I was just… uhm… trying to calm my nerves… you know,” lied Spike

“Ok then… but if you, or anyone, feels tired during the match, signal it and we will sub you off, now head to the field and begin warm up… and… uhm… don’t get distracted with the cheerleaders,” said Shining as everyone except Spike left the locker room

“No!... not now,” he thought as he headed out of the locker room.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“AND THE MATCH BEGINS!!!!!” said Gideon

MIN. 5

“Soarin gets the ball and makes a run for Crystal prep’s area… he evades Neon Lights… and now Indigo Zap… HE IS UNMARKED AS HE ENTERS THE AREA… AND HE IS TAKEN DOWN BY FANCY PANTS… it’s up to the referee now… PENALTY KICK FOR CLOUDSDALE,” said Gideon

“Well, it’s a very unfortunate move by Crystal Prep’s defender Fancy Pants, he uses his body to intercept Soarin as he made his diagonal move towards the net, but he didn’t calculate his speed and ends up body checking Soarin to hard, tripping him in the process,” explained Dante

“Spitfire to take the penalty… she doesn’t take much distance… GOAL!!! PERFECTLY TAKEN PENALTY, THEY FIRST GOAL OF THE MATCH FOR CLOUDSDALE, AND 8TH IN SPITFIRE’S RECORD.

MIN. 23

“Free kick for Cloudsdale and yellow card for Indigo Zap,” said Gideon

“Clumsy tackle from the Crystal player, she was late to the ball and ended up making contact with Fire Streak’s ankle,” said Dante

“Soarin to take the kick… he kicks it over the barrier… OH! THAT’S JUST BAD LUCK!!! SUNNY FLARE FLEW TO STOP THE BALL, SHE CONTROLS IT BADLY AND SEND IT FLYING TOWARDS FANCY PANTS’ HEAD… OWN GOAL AND 2-0 FOR CLOUDSDALE,” said Gideon

ON THE PITCH

“OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!” exclaimed Fancy Pants

“Sorry Fancy,” said Sunny Flare

“It’s fine Sunny… it’s just… look at the score line,” said Fancy Pants

“We still have enough time!” said Spike as he walked over to them.

“Don’t get discouraged,” said Ember as she grabbed the ball and ran with it to the center circle for the kick off.

MIN. 30

“Misty Fly has the ball, she passes it to Surprise… who does a quick pass to Thunderlane… who kicks the ball up field… towards Blaze, she controls the ball and passes it to Spitfire… WHO IS ALONE IN THE CENTER… IT’S ONLY HER VERSUS SUNNY FLARE… SHE PREPARES THE SHOT… AND SHE IS DISPOSSESSED BY NONE OTHER THAN SPIKE, WHAT A RUN FROM THE CRYSTAL PREP CAPTAIN,” said Gideon

“I agree Gideon, he covered the whole field in less than 20 seconds… that just come to show the level of physical prowess he possess,” said Dante

MIN. 45

“Last action of the first half, corner kick for Crystal Perp., Lemon zest to take it… Lobbed pass to the far post… AND WHAT A WAY TO REDEEM YOURSELF! GOAL!!! FOR CRYSTAL PREP., GOAL FOR FANCY PANTS, HIS FIRST GOAL OF THE MATCH, AND HIS 5TH IN THE TOURNAMENT, 2-1” said Gideon

HALF TIME

Everyone was rushing towards the locker rooms to talk strategy for the second half… everyone except Spike.

He had remained static since the final whistle, his left hand pressuring his chest

“I have to endure it… at least until we tie this match,” thought Spike

“Spike? Are you ok?!!” came Moondancer’s voice

“Yeah… I’m just… a bit out of breath, that’s all,” said Spike

“Well, acting like a box to box striker can be tiring… here,” she said as she handed him a gatorade bottle

“Thanks,” said Spike as he took it and walked towards the locker room

“You’re hiding something Spike… but what is it?” thought Moondancer

SECOND HALF

MIN. 55

“PENALTY FOR CRYSTAL PREP., A VERY SILLY HANDBALL INSIDE THE AREA BY RAPIDFIRE… AND A YELLOW CARD AS WELL… KICK TO BE TAKEN BY EMBER… SHE GETS READY… AND RIFFLED AGAINST THE POST AND BACK INTO PLAY… GOAL!!! QUICK RECOVERY FROM THORAX, WHO PASSES THE BALL BACK TO SPIKE, AS HE SCORES THE EQUALISER, 2-2” said Gideon

“This is also the 3rd penalty kick that the princess has failed, some more practice maybe,” said Dante

MIN. 63

“Dangerous counterstrike by Cloudsdale, Fleetfoot with the ball… she passes it to Blaze, Blaze to Spitfire, Spitfire to Soarin… Soarin runs with the ball but he is closed down by Bengal and Fancy Pants… back heel pass to Surprise, who makes a diagonal run towards the Crystal area… but she is cut down by Thorax and Sweet Sour… they wrestle for the ball… Surprise does a “surprise” and desperate pass down to the opposite sideline… WHERE HIGH WINDS IS WAITING FOR THE BALL COMPLETELY UNMARKED… SHE BEGINS HER RUN TOWARDS THE CRYSTAL AREA, HUGGING THE SIDELINES… JET SET IS DOING HIS BEST TO TRY AND CATCH UP WITH HER, BUT HE IS NO MATCH FOR HER SPEED!!!!” said Gideon

“I have to… run faster… I… won’t… LET YOU SCORE!!!!” thought Jet Set as he began sprinting at a speed that would make Usain Bolt proud.

“WOW!! JET SET JUST CAUGHT HIS SECOND AIR… AND HE HAS CAUGHT UP WITH HIGH WINDS!!!... BUT HIS EFFORTS DON’T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH, SHE IS GETTING AWAY FROM HIM… SHE ANGLES HERSELF TO CROSS THE BALL INTO THE AREA… AND THE CROSS IS BLOCKED BY SPIKE, AS HE LUNGES STRAIGHT FOR THE BALL'S TRAJECTORY USING HIS BODY TO STOP THE BALL!!!... AND IN ONE LAST MOVE, JET SET CLEARS THE BALL, BEFORE HE AND HIGH WINDS JOIN SPIKE ON THE GROUND… THE COUNTER IS ON… NEON LIGHT’S WITH THE BALL… HE MAKES A HARD LOW PASS FORWARD… LEMON ZEST HAS IT… SHE DRIBBLES PAST ONE… TWO… THREE… PASSES THE BALL TO SWEET SOUR… SWEET SOUR RUNS FOR THE CLOUDSDALE BOX… BUT SHE IS CUT DOWN BY THUNDERLANE… AND THE BALL GOES OUT FOR A CORNER KICK,”

ON THE PITCH

“Sigh, I’ve never ran that fast in my life… What about you Spike? Holding on alright?” said Jet Set as he got up

Spike didn’t reply, he just laid on the grown breathing heavily

“Spike?” asked Jet Set as he got near him

Nothing…

“Spike, you ok man?” asked Jet Set as he turned Spike around; the image he saw was horrifying… Spike was pale, struggling to breath, his hands on his chest; he could tell he was in pain.

“Dude, what’s wrong?” asked Jet Set, as soon as he touched his hand, Jet Set noticed that Spike’s body was warmer than usual

“Get… Get help,” Was all Spike managed to whisper out.

At the mention of this Jet Set got up and started waving his arms like a maniac and screaming to catch everyone’s attention.

After the first scream, the referee, Coach Rommel, Shining Armor and players all turned and noticed Jet Set and Spike.

Shining Armor’s and Coach Rommel’s eyes widened in fear, and they grabbed the first aid kit and oxygen masks and rushed towards the scene with the referee and the cloudsdale medical staff right behind them.

“What happened?” asked Rommel

“I don’t know, but he’s having trouble breathing and his body is really warm,” said Jet Set

“Quick the oxygen mask,” said Shining as Rommel gave him the mask to put on Spike.

Spike then began to depreatly suck in air.

“Just breath Spike, calm down,” said Shining as he kept the mask on Spike

After a few more seconds Spike’s breathing became normal, and he was able to sit up.

“What happened?” asked the referee

“When… when I jumped to block the ball, it hit me in the mouth of the stomach… it knocked the air out of me, and… added to the exhaustion I had from running… It gave me tachycardia, it made it hard for me to breath,” Spike said

“Then.. I’m subbing you off,” said Rommel

“What about your body temperature? you were on fire!” said Jet Set

“Self-healing mechanism… it kicks in when I’m in trouble and rizes my body temperature,” said Spike

“Ok, then… Can you walk? Or do you need to go to the hospital?” asked Rommel

“I can walk… I was about to ask to be subbed out anyway,” said Spike as he got up

TV BROADCAST

“Well folks, the scare has passed, Spike is now on his feet and walking out of the pitch, although he still has the oxygen mask on,” said Gideon

“He must’ve overdid it,” said Dante

“And Royal Pin is coming in to take his place, and he hands the captain’s armband to Ember

MIN. 69

“Back to the game… corner kick to be taken by Neon Lights… short pass to Sweet Sour hos makes a lobbed pass into the area… GOAL!! FOR CRYSTAL PREP. THORAX OUTRUNS HIS MARKER AND ANGLES HIMSELF PERFECTLY TO HEAD THE BALL INTO THE NET. 3-2, for Crystal Prep,” said Gideon

MEANWHILE

Spike found himself in the locker room, coach Rommel said that it was better because of the air conditioning system.

Spike however had more pressing matters to worry about, he quickly opened his bag and fished out his phone.

RING RING RING RING RING

“Hello? Spike?! It’s been so long, how is the tournament going?” came Dynamo's voice

“It happened again,” said Spike

As soon as this sentence left his mouth Dynamo went quiet

“And this time it was worse… do you think… that it’s ready?” said Spike

“I don’t know… I’ll book the next plane to the Crystal Empire, I might arrive early next morning,” said Dynamo

“Thanks… please don’t tell my father or anyone for that matter,” said Spike

“I won’t… but maybe you should… and soon,” said Dynamo

Spike remained quiet for a few seconds and said “You’re right… I’ll do it now,” said Spike as he hung up and used his magic to call his father, mothers, Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Prince Rutherford.

“Spike? What wrong?” asked Celestia

“There is something I need to tell you all…” said Spike

THE NEXT DAY

“And with that goal during the final play of the match, Canterlot High has classified to the final and will play against Crystal Prep. for the glory of it all,” said Gideon

“We spoke to Coach Rommel regarding the incident with their captain Sean Von Drake, here is what he said,” said Dante

“It was a serious situation, when Spike jumped to block the cross, the ball impacted both his stomach and chest, leaving him winded, now that, added to the fast beating of his heart do to the physical exhaustion, caused him to have trouble breathing, and out of that desperation he suffered a tachycardia episode… thank God it was nothing mayor and he is fully recovered, he just needed some rest,” said Rommel

“Will we see him in the final?” asked the reporter

“Is the sky blue?” said Rommel

“Yes,” said the reporter

“There is your answer,” said Rommel as he walked away

SPIKE’S ROOM

“Dude, you really gave everyone a scare,” said Neon

“I know, even Twilight and Rainbow Dash sent me messages asking if I was ok,” said Spike

“And you are right?” asked Ember

“Never better,” said Spike

“Well, We’ll let you rest, I know your injury wasn’t as bad as mine, but still, it was your heart, be careful,” said Pharynx

“I will,” said Spike

“You know, if you want, Moondancer can stay here and cuddle with you,” teased Ember

This made both of them turn red

“I AM NOT DOING THAT! I MIGHT GET PREGNANT JUST BY SLEEPING ON THE SAME BED!!!!” Moondancer screamed

The look everyone gave her was off pure incredulity

“I think you fried her brains,” said Thorax

After a few seconds Moondancer realized what she said and ran out of the room so fast, all that was left of her was the outline of her body.

“Why didn’t she join the track and field club? We could’ve used her,” said Ember

“Not important… anyway… if anything changes… you have us on speed dial, right,” said Thorax

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” said Spike

“Calls if you need anything,” said Ember as she closed the door.

5 MINUTES LATER

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Come in, Dynamo, it’s open,” said Spike

“How did you know it was me?” asked Dynamo

“Thermal Vision,” said Spike

“Aha, you finally mastered it,” said Dynamo

“Yeah…” said Spike as he sat up form the couch

“Listen Spike… I know you are scared… but there is nothing we can do about it… it’s in your body, and it’s not going away,” said Dynamo

“Then, what can I do?” asked Spike

“Train, gather knowledge about it… and hope for the best,” said Dynamo

“You think it’ll work?” asked Spike

“Only one way to find out… come on, I’ll show you some exercises you can do,” said Dynamo as he threw Spike some clothes.

ONE WEEK LATER

“WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE GREAT FINALE OF THIS SEASON'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT BETWEEN CRYSTAL PREP. AND CANTERLOT HIGH, AND I AM PUMPED, What about you Dante?” said Gideon

“We are on the same boat Gideon, today we crown a champion… and we have good news for the fans of both teams, Sean Von Drake and Mathew Smith have been medically cleared to play today, let’s remember, Sean Von Drake suffered a tachycardia attack during the semifinal game Vs cloudsdale, and Mathew Smith suffered a heavy blow to the head during the match Vs Manechester, but they are fit enough to play, are they going to play the whole match? Possibly not, but let’s wait and see,” said Dante

“Crystal Prep. is going out with: Sunny Flare on goal; on defense we have Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Fancy Pants, and Jet Set; Thorax, Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, and Neon Lights, on the midfield, and Ember and Spike, up front,” said Gideon

“As for Canterlot High, we have: On Goalie, Pricilla “Pinkie Pie” Parsons, the defensive quartet for this match will consist of, Norman Capstan, Mathew “Big Mac” Smith, Ariella “Applejack” Smith, and Roger “Rover” Harvey; on the midline we have, Frank “Fido” Ducson, Sergio “Spot” Cirelli, and Brian “Bulk Bicep” Benson; and up front we have Sasha “Sunset Shimmer” Stein, Raegan “Rainbow Dash” Davis, and central Striker Frederick “Flash Sentry” Sutcliffe,” said Dante

“It’s almost the same lineup from their first game,” said Gideon

“The only change is that Neon Lights is playing instead of Trenderhoof, and Sugarcoat instead of Bengal” said Dante

“Well, the game will begin shortly, please stay tuned,” said Gideon

ON THE BLEACHERS

“So, Twilight, dear, who are you supporting, your school or your childhood friend?” asked Rarity

“Well, I’d be happy regardless of who wins, but… I’m a Canterlot High student, so it obvious,” she said as she raised a school flag for everyone to see

“Now that’s what I call school spirit,” said Trixie as she and the other cheerleaders began their routine

THE TEAMS ENTER THE FIELD

Spike and Rainbow Dash walked up to the center circle to meet the referees.

“Let’s get one thing straight Spike, we’re good and all, but I still want the trophy,” said Rainbow Dash

“Back of the line… skittles,” said Spike as he raised his hand

“Oh, it is one ash breath,” said Rainbow Dash as she shook his hand.

“Captains, ready?” asked the referee

They both shook their heads and headed to their teams' sides.

“AND THE MATCH BEGINS!!!”

MIN. 6

“Bulk has the ball, he passes it to Spot, Spot up to Rainbow Dash… She runs past Indigo Zap with her close behind… lobbed pass… AND THE BALL IS CAUGHT BY SUNNY FLARE! Good idea from Rainbow Dash,” said Gideon

MIN. 19

“Neon Lights is blocked off by Flash and Rover, what is he going to do?... he moves the ball between Rover’s legs and he is off… he makes a diagonal back pass to Ember… Ember holds the ball, and passes it to Lemon Zest… Lemon Zest to Spike… Spike shoots… AND THE BALL IS CAUGHT BY PINKIE PIE, EXCELLENT PASSING PLAY FORM CRYSTAL PREP,” said Gideon

MIN. 33

“Applejack wins the ball, beautiful dispossession… she gives the ball to Norman who begins his run up field… he gives the ball to Bulk… Bulk holds it and waits for Space to open on the field… he passes it to Spot, who uses his speed to nutmeg Sweet Sour and he is off… ball back to the sideline with Norman… Norman to Sunset Shimmer, who attracts Sugarcoat and Jet Set towards her… and makes a quick pass to Norman who sprints past them… sends a lobbed pass into the area… AND GOAL!!!!! GOAL FOR CANTERLOT HIGH, BEAUTIFUL HEADER FROM RAINBOW DASH, LEADING WITH EXAMPLE,0-1,” said Gideon

HALF TIME!!!!!

CRYSTAL LOCKER ROOM

“Common guys, it’s only one goal, we can still win this!” said Spike

“Yeah, time to start using counterstrikes and fast ball plays,” said Thorax

“Everyone ready for the second half?” asked Ember, earning a cheer from everyone.

CANTERLOT LOCKER ROOM

“We need to tighten our defense, let them become desperate and they will attack and attack, running out of air , letting us win easily,” said Rainbow Dash

“Any objections?” asked Flash

“Let’s go beat their asses,” said Sunset Shimmer

“Oh, I like the sound of that!!” said Pinkie Pie as she hopped to the field

“Should we…?” asked Norman

“Leave her, at least she isn’t going to do something weird,” said Rainbow Dash as they headed to the field.

SECOND HALF

MIN. 47

“Neon Lights with the ball… passes it to Spike… OH, BAD PASS, INTERCEPTED BY BIG MAC, AND THE COUNTER IS ON… BIG MAC TO FLASH… FLASH TO RAINBOW DASH, WHO DRIBBLES PAST SUGARCOAT AND INDIGO ZAP… PASSES THE BALL BACK TO FLASH WHO LEAVES FANCY PANTS IN THE DUST… HE ONLY HAS SUNNY FLARE TO BEAT… AND WHAT A SAVE FROM THE CRYSTAL GOALKEEPER, SHE FLEW INTO THE AIR AND STRETCHED LIKE A POUNCING CAT, AND SEND THE BALL TO A CORNER KICK,” said Gideon

“Unfortunately, not everything is ok, Sunny Flare is taking sometime getting to her feet… let’s see the replay… oh yes… she lands in a very awkward position over her left arm,” said Dante

“Do you think she can continue?” asked Gideon

“No, there is the sub signal as she walks towards the bench… and listen to the crowd, they all know what this means,” said Dante

“Patrick “Pharynx” Chamberguard is back ladies and gentleman, can he keep up with the good work that Sunny Flare has been doing? We are about to find out.

MIN. 49

“Corner kick for Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer to take it… lobbed pass… into the graceful arms of Pharynx… who kicks the ball towards the Canterlot area… directly towards Big Mac… BUT THE BALL IS INTERCEPTED BY SPIKE, WHO CONTROL THE BALL WITH HIS CHEST AND DASHES TOWARDS PINKIE’S NET… HE AIMS… HE FIRES… HE SCORES!!!!! WHAT A GOAL FROM SPIKE, TOP RIGHT CORNER, NO WAY FOR PINKIE PIE TO STOP IT, 1-1,” said Gideon

MIN. 78

“Free kick for Canterlot, Flash to take it… he aims… and the ball goes over the bar, wasted opportunity,” said Gideon

MIN. 86

“Final substitution on the Crystal side, Trenderhoof for Neon Lights… and now, neither side has subs for the extra time,” said Gideon

“I’m guessing they don’t want to go to extra time,” said Dante

MIN. 90
“Ember runs the ball to the far left corner...she is looking for an opening in the area for the pass, but nobody is open, Trenderhoof, Spike, and even Fancy Pants, who are the tallest players on the pitch are all being closely marked… time is running out… she makes a while lobbed pass, but it seems to be too high and strong for anyone to get their heads too… AND HOW WRONG WAS I, OUT OF NOWHERE APPEARS, THORAX WITH THE VOLLEY, SENDING THE BALL INTO THE NET, IT IS 2-1, WITH ONLY A 2 MORE MINUTES ON THE CLOCK!!!” said Gideon

“We also have to praise Pinkie Pie, she did a titanic effort to reach the ball but it clips the inside of the post and it ricochets into the net, can they still tie this game?” said Dante.

MIN. 90+2

“Rainbow Dash kick off… AND WE ARE NOW SEEING A FINAL ATTEMPT STRATEGY FROM CANTERLOT, THE “AVALANCHE” FORMATION… AND IT SEEMS TO BE CATCHING THE CRYSTAL PLAYERS BY SURPRISE, THEY DON’T KNOW WHERE TO TURN OR WHO TO MARK… EMBER AND THORAX RUSH TO STEAL THE BALL FORM PINKIE PIE… BUT SHE KICKS IT AWAY AS SOON AS THEY GET NEAR HER… THERE IS SO MUCH CONFUSION IN THE CRYSTAL DEFENSE!!! THEY HAVE LEFT A MASSIVE GAP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THEIR AREA!! WHERE FANCY PANTS AND INDIGO ZAP!!!... RAINBOW DASH CONTROLS THE BALL… SHE TURNS AND GETS NEAR THE AREA… THIS MIGHT BE THE FINAL PLAY OF THE MATCH… SHE ONLY HAS THE KEEPER TO BEAT… OH!!!!! PHARYNX MANAGES TO KEEP THE BALL OUT, TOE-TIP SAVE FROM THE CRYSTAL GOALKEEPER WHO JUMPED THE WRONG WAY… AND THAT IS IT FOLKS!!! CRYSTAL PREP. WINS THE TOURNAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS!!!” exclaimed Gideon

ON THE PITCH

Crystal High players were going wild, everyone was hugging and congratulating each other; Ember quickly ran up to Thorax and gave him a big hug.

“WE DID IT!!” he exclaimed only to be shut up by Ember kissing him on the spot.

This caught many people’s attention, including Spike and Pharynx

“I knew they were dating!” said Pharynx

“Really? I had no idea,” said Spike

“He’s my younger twin brother… I could tell easily,” said Pharynx

“Then, what about you?” asked Spike

“Who knows…” was all Pharynx could say before he was tackled into a bear hug by Lemon Zest

“Pharynx you’re our hero!!” said Lemon Zest

“Oh, no, it was a team effort, I was just lucky,” said Pharynx, suddenly acting as shy as Spike around camaras.

The next thing he knew, Lemon Zest’s lips were on his as she kissed him passionately.

It took a while for his brain to register what was happening, but after it did, he deepened the kiss.

Spike looked at his friends.

“I was planning on saying something super smart, but… I have nothing,” he said

“Well, three can play that game,” said a female voice as Spike turned to see Fleur walking up to him and giving him a hug “Well done, captain,” she finished giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks,” was all Spike said before being tackled by Moondancer

“We did it Spike, we won!!!” she said as she continued hugging Spike.

“Couldn’t have done it without anyone,” said Spike as he returned the hug; then out of nowhere, Moondancer also gave Spike a kiss on the cheek.

“Why is everyone giving me a kiss, it’s so weird,” he thought

Moondancer turned and looked eyes with Fleur de Lis

“Like hell, I’m I going to let you win, Fleur,” she thought with a smug smile

Fleur was about to head towards them when she was stopped by Fancy Pants and Eclair who were inviting her to join the celebrations, and pulled her away before she could do anything.

Meanwhile, Spike broke free from the hug, and went up and down the field giving high fives and the occasional bro hug or hug… until he saw her.

There, sitting on the turf, was Rainbow Dash, she was sitting in a way that her knees touched her chest, and her face was hidden by them.

You couldn’t tell from afar, but Spike knew she was crying, he decided to walk up to her.

“We were so close, SO CLOSE! I blew it, I had the tie that could’ve kept us alive in this game… How can I look at my team… my school… my friends?” she thought

As soon as she finished that line of thought, she felt a hand patting her shoulder

“Good game,” she heard Spike say as she looked up

Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything as she looked down again.

“Hey! What’s wrong?” he asked as he sat next to her

“It’s just… at the beginning of the year I promised everyone that I would bring the trophy home… I wasn’t able to keep my promise,” she said

“Well, I don’t think they cared,” said Spike “I mean, look, they are all cheering, despite you guys not winning the tournament… you placed your school’s name high, and that’s what you should be proud about, not winning an empty piece of metal… the people that only care about that are idiots, idiots that can comprehend the beauty of this sport,” said Spike with a smile.

“You think so?” asked Rainbow Dash

“Look around you, what do you see?” said Spike

Rainbow Dash looked up, and saw all of the fans cheering, at that point it didn’t matter who won the tournament, what mattered to them was the fact that the 2 teams on the pitch gave it their all, and they were proud of it.

“You see… they don’t mind, they’re cheering for you too,” said Spike as he helped her off the ground.

Rainbow Dash looked at the stand and saw her friends clapping and cheering for her to.

Rainbow Dash, then, did something that no one saw coming, she gave Spike a hug.

Spike was really taken by surprise, he didn’t even know how to react, until he just gave up on thinking and went with it, hugging her back

“Thanks... for everything,” she said

“That’s what friends are for,” said Spike

“Yeah… friends,” Rainbow Dash thought as she hugged Spike a bit longer.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“And here we go ladies and gentleman, the moment to make it official… and there is Mr. Burton, ready to hand the trophy to Spike… AND IT’S OFFICIAL, CRYSTAL PREP. HAS WON THE TOURNAMENT!!” said Gideon as Spike raised the cup

“They will celebrate long into the night, I’m I right Gideon?” said Dante

“Let’s hope not, they have class on Monday… anyway, that’s all folks, thanks for following the journey with us, goodnight and goodbye,” said Gideon as the TV broadcast ended.