Friendship Through Beyblade

Twilight and Spike soon got back to Fluttershy’s house where the latter promptly went up to his room with the former close behind. “I just can’t believe it,” said Spike as he sat down on his bed with his head hung low. “I can’t believe I was beaten so easily.”

Twilight placed a comforting hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Well the important thing is that you gave it your all and never gave up until the end,” she said softly.

“But it was like he had me figured out from the start,” said Spike. “He knew exactly how to counter my attacks and he had total control over his bey.”

“Don’t worry,” said Fluttershy comfortingly. “All you need is some more practice and soon you’ll be able to beat that guy, no problem.”

Spike smiled and thanked Fluttershy for her kind words before deciding to get dinner. After that, the trio decided to rest up for their battles tomorrow.

The second round of the tournament was now about to start with the first match being between Rarity and Pinkie Pie. “Hope you’re ready to have some fun, Rarity,” said Pinkie as she bounced excitedly in place.

“The only thing I’m ready for,” said Rarity confidently. “Is for you to make Virgo and I look even more fabulous than we already are.”

The two bladers took aim and prepared to launch as the countdown began. Once it had ended, Rarity and Pinkie released their beys into the stadium with Virgo taking the center immediately and Capricorn bouncing around wildly. Using this movement to her advantage, Pinkie proceeded to have Capricorn attack Virgo from seemingly all directions.

“Amazing,” said Twilight from her spot in the stands. “I never knew a bey could jump around so wildly like that.”

“That’s because of the Quake performance tip,” informed Fluttershy. “Because the axle is cut diagonally, it allows the bey to jump around randomly.” She then turned her eyes back to the battle. “And Pinkie is able to use that random movement to quickly overwhelm her opponent for an easy win.”

Twilight then took a closer look at the battle herself. “But Virgo doesn’t seem fazed,” she observed. “It’s almost like it’s brushing off Capricorn’s attacks.”

“That’s because of the centrifugal force from Virgo’s spin track,” said Fluttershy. “Combine that with its thick fusion wheel and Virgo’s defense is almost on par with its stamina.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in awe as she continued to watch the battle. Meanwhile, Pinkie was getting rather frustrated as she all but begged Rarity to make a move. Masquerade also observed the battle from the stands and scoffed at the pinkette’s overeagerness and reckless attack patterns.

After a few minutes, Pinkie’s frustration soon came to its peak. “That’s it!” she yelled. “If you’re not gonna move, then I’m just gonna have to force you to move myself.” Capricorn then jumped high into the air where it began to surround itself in a pinkish-red twister. “Special move: Corkscrew Hammer!” Pinkie’s bey dove towards Virgo with frightening intensity.

Despite that, Rarity remained unimpressed. “I suppose I expected a bit too much from you, Pinkie,” she sighed as Virgo became enveloped in a bright light again. “Special move: Flashing Brilliant Star!” Virgo’s light stopped Capricorn’s attack, allowing the former to swoop in and send it flying out of the stadium. “You really must learn some new tactics Pinkie,” said Rarity with mild exasperation. “It’s getting rather boring having the same kind of battle with you each time.” She then took back Virgo and left for the stands.

Pinkie walked away sadly as Twilight stepped to the stadium to prepare for her next battle against a blader by the name of Scootaloo. Once both bladers were present, Twilight realized that she had seen her opponent at the gym when she visited Rainbow. Twilight also noted the almost angry expression this girl wore on her face as she hooked her bey to her launcher and took aim. Twilight did the same and the countdown started. Immediately after, Twilight and Scootaloo launched their beys with Striker taking the center and Scootaloo’s bey circling the outside.

“Let’s do this, Cyber,” said Scootaloo with determination. “We’re gonna win this for Rainbow Dash!” Cyber charged down the slope and delivered a series of attacks to Striker.

‘This girl must resent me for defeating Rainbow Dash in the last round,’ thought Twilight. ‘Either that or she feels obligated to do what Rainbow couldn’t.’ She then took a moment to observe Scootaloo’s attacks on Striker. ‘Whatever the case,’ thought Twilight decisively, ‘I should be able to bring this battle to a swift end.’ Striker then charged in to meet Cyber’s attack head-on. “Let’s go Striker,” cheered Twilight. “We’ll give them a battle they won’t soon forget.” Striker then met Cyber’s attack head on and stopped it in its tracks.

Scootaloo was taken aback as her Cyber was halted before her eyes. “”Grr, fine then,” she grunted. “Time for a different approach. Cyber!” Cyber quickly circled behind Striker and attacked it from the rear, using its own momentum to throw it off balance.

“Striker, look out!” yelled Twilight as she watched her bey stumble towards the edge of the stadium. Striker then suddenly leaned over, causing its spin track to grind against the floor and allowing itself to stop just at the edge before continuing to circle the stadium. “Whew, thank you, Striker,” said Twilight in relief.

“Well now, that was a close one,” said the mayor from her balcony. “It looked like Cyber was about to clinch that win, but Striker proved just a bit too agile and escaped. A well executed maneuver indeed.”

“Damn it,” said Scootaloo in frustration. “Guess we’ve got no choice now. You ready Cyber?” As if to answer her question, Cyber leapt into the air and attacked Striker with a barrage of diving attacks. “I’ve seen your little bey in action,” said Scootaloo. “That rubber spin track of yours is pretty strong, but let’s see how long it can stand up to this kind of attack.”

‘This isn’t looking good,’ thought Twilight as Striker seemed to be at the mercy of Cyber’s aerial attacks. ‘Striker’s eternal wide defense performance tip is allowing it to hang in there, but its spin track can’t defend effectively against attacks from above.’

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” said a familiar voice from seemingly inside Twilight’s head. Twilight looked up with curiosity as Striker’s ethereal form appeared before her. “Everything’s going to be okay,” said Striker calmly. “All you need to do is calm down and trust your instincts. Believe in yourself and me as well.”

Twilight took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a bit. ‘Thank you, Striker,’ she said internally as her bey’s spirit vanished. She then observed the battle and saw that Cyber was still going strong with its barrage of diving attacks. After watching for a bit, she had found the pattern and escaped soon after.

“You may have gotten away,” said Scootaloo in frustration, “but I’ll catch you again.” Cyber then chased after Striker along the stadium. “Let’s go, Cyber,” said Scootaloo as Cyber was enveloped in a bright red aura. “Special move: Wild Parkour Rush!” Cyber jumped into the air higher than before and dived at Striker with intense force.

However, Twilight’s maintained her determination as Striker raced to meet Cyber’s attack. “You can do it Striker,” said Twilight passionately. “I believe in you!” Striker’s emblem then flashed as its aura radiated from it as well. “Special move: Harmonic Lightning Spear!” Striker’s ethereal spirit emerged once again as it leapt up to meet Cyber while its horn was enveloped in some sort of multi-colored lightning.

The two beys clashed in an explosion of light and smoke that was felt by everyone in attendance with almost everyone reeling back. Everything soon cleared and everyone saw Striker spin in the center with a bit of a wobble as Cyber fell to the ground with its rotation having been stopped.

“That decides it!” announced the mayor excitedly. “With a tide-turning special move, Striker defeats Cyber and Twilight Sparkle moves on to the semi-finals!” The crowd cheered loudly as Twilight looked around in surprise that they were cheering for her so fervently.

Scootaloo then fell to her knees in despair until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Rainbow Dash standing behind her. “Don’t worry about it, Scoots,” said Dash kindly. “Just give it a bit more time. You’ll get there soon.” Scootaloo sniffed and stood up as tears began to form in her eyes. She then embraced Rainbow as she let her tears flow.

Twilight smiled at the exchange as she voiced her congratulations on a hard-fought battle before leaving the stadium. The mayor also gave her thanks for a great battle and issued a brief intermission before the next battles.

Twilight and Spike decided to grab some concessions with Spike getting a hot dog and fries and Twilight ordering a slice of cheese pizza. As the two sat down at a table, they saw Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo come towards them.

Scootaloo stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “That was a good match,” she said softly as she tried to look at Twilight. “Sorry if I kinda went overboard there. I just wanted to avenge Rainbow’s loss”

Twilight politely accepted Scootaloo’s hand and said, “Don’t worry about it, I understand.” She then placed a comforting hand on the young girl’s shoulder. “I’d probably do the same if I ever saw Princess Celestia lose a battle. Actually, I kind of thought that was the case based on how you were acting.”

Scootaloo smiled sheepishly as Rainbow stepped forward. “Well I guess part of the blame belongs to me,” admitted Rainbow. “I never really taught her or the other bladers that losing is okay as long as you know you gave it your all. And you both did just that.” Rainbow then held out her fist and Twilight reciprocated the gesture with Spike following suit. “That reminds me,” Rainbow continued as she turned to Spike, “I saw your battle with that Masquerade dude. You’ve got some real guts, kiddo.” She then pulled out what looked like an application from the backpack she had been wearing and gave it to Spike. “If you’re ever looking for a place to train, stop by and I’ll whip you into shape.” She then patted Spike on the back before taking Scootaloo with her to stand in the concession line.

Twilight and Spike smiled at each other as they went back to their food and pocketed the application slip as they waited for the intermission to end.

Soon everyone was back in their seats ready to watch the next battle, which was another battle between siblings with Applejack facing her sister, Applebloom. “Don’t you even think about goin’ easy one me, Applejack,” Applebloom all but demanded.

“What kind of sister would I be if I held back against my own kin?” asked Applejack rhetorically as she attached her Bull and took aim.

“It seems that both bladers are as eager to get this underway as we are,” announce Maybel excitedly. “So let’s not delay this battle any longer shall we?” The countdown proceeded and the sisters launched their beys once it ended. Both circled the stadium for a bit before charging in to meet each other at the center.

“Charge hard, Earth Equinus!” encouraged Applebloom as her bey met Bull head-on.

“Push it back, Bull,” cheered Applejack as Bull stopped Equinus’ attack cold and began to push it back gradually.

The clash ended and Bull soon charged in for another attack only for Equinus to suddenly circle around and counterattack from behind. Using Bull’s momentum, Equinus knocked it off-balance and sent it careening towards the edge of the stadium.

“Oh no, Bull!” shouted Applejack in a panic. Right before Bull reached the edge, it used its power and the upward slope to stop itself before diving back into the battle. “Not bad there, sis,” said Applejack as she sighed in relief. “You almost had me there for a minute.” She then gave a determined look. “But now that you’ve messed with the bull, you’re gonna get the horns.” Bull continued its charge as it chased down Equinus.

“Great,” said Applebloom with excited determination, “that’ll make it all the easier to take you by them.” Her bey then changed course and proceeded to meet Bull’s charge head-on.

“Amazing!” marveled the mayor. “It's one big move after another out there. Both sides are trading equal blows and neither one is giving an inch. I suppose that’s what happens when you put siblings against one another.”

Twilight observed the battle with keen interest. “It’s quite remarkable,” she said. “Unless I’m mistaken, Applebloom’s Equinus is based off the pony constellation, Equueleus. If that is the case, then how is it able to stand up to Bull like that?”

“That’s because of how it’s built,” said Fluttershy as Twilight turned to look at her. “Equinus’ earth fusion wheel is one of the thickest fusion wheels, giving it that extra defense. It’s also using the friction from its rubber semi-flat performance tip to not only hold its ground, but get it back from Bull.” Twilight nodded in understanding as she turned her attention back to the duel.

The grapple between the beys soon became a close-quarters fight with Bull and Equinus racing around the stadium while clashing along the way. As the battle proceeded, the crown began to get amped up as this was the first battle to have this level of intensity. Further back, Masquerade simply observed with indifference though he was somewhat impressed by Applebloom’s apparent resolve.

It wasn’t long before both bladers began to feel tired as evidenced by their heavy breathing. “Gotta say,” panted Applejack, “you’ve gotten mighty strong, lil’ sis.”

“I owe it all to you, Applejack,” said Applebloom. “I’ve been training for a long time, getting ready for the day when I beat you.”

“That’s mighty admirable of you, Applebloom,” said Applejack. “But I’m not just gonna give you the win. In fact, I’m gonna end this here and now.” Bll then began another charge that seemed to shake the entire stadium. “Let’s go, Bull! Special move: Horn Hammer Rampage!” Bull’s emblem flashed as it’s ethereal form emerged with its horns appearing to glow a bright orange as it closed in on Applebloom’s bey.

“We ain’t going down without a fight,” declared Applobloom. “Meet the attack, Equinus!” Equinus charged Bull and prepared to fight back. “Special move: Galloping Boulder Slam!”

The beys clashed and a huge explosion of force was unleashed throughout the stadium that rocked the stands and the attendees. When the smoke cleared, Bull was seen to still be spinning while Enquinus laid completely stationary by Applebloom’s feet. The young blader fell to her knees in disappointment, but still congratulated her sister on a great battle. A sentiment that Applejack wholeheartedly returned.

Twilight was also impressed at how intense the battle was and how hard Applebloom fought despite the odds being stacked against her. She took out her Striker and looked at it in contemplation before coming to a decision. ‘I’m gonna have to get a lot stronger if I wanna stay in this tournament,’ she concluded to herself.

It was soon time for the last battle, the one with Masquerade. His opponent was a young boy who looked the same age as Applebloom and Scootaloo. He wore a propeller beanie on his head as well as a brown shirt with various video game systems fronted on it and brown cargo shorts.

“Better get ready to lose,” declared the boy as he took aim.

“You can do this, Button Mash dear!” called a female voice from the audience.

“It’s in the bag, mom!” replied Button.

Masquerade observed the exchange with indifference as he was mainly focused on winning the battle and moving on to the next battle. The countdown began and both bladers released their beys once it ended. Button’s bey proceeded to circle the stadium while Masquerade’s Crane took the center and spun there. Deciding to go for a quick finish, Button told his bey to go for a head-on clash. Upon contact however, Button’s bey was knocked back with so much force that it flew out of the stadium and to the other end of the building. Button was left completely shocked at what had happened and soon ran to retrieve his bey. Masquerade simply scoffed as Crane returned to his hand and he walked off without a single word.

Twilight simply watched with frustration. “Who does this guy think he is?” she asked as if he had done something wrong. “He could at least make an effort to be civil towards his opponent.” She then stood up and made her way towards Masquerade.

“Wait,” said Fluttershy as she grabbed Twilight’s arm. “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna walk up to that rude excuse for a blader and give him a piece of my mind,” said Twilight with determination.

“Twilight,” said Fluttershy in reassurance, “if you wanna say something to him, then say it with your bey.” Twilight turned back to Fluttershy with a raised eyebrow. “Words are useless between bladers. If you wanna say something, then wait until you face him in the final round.”

Twilight thought about what Fluttershy said and then reflected on the previous battles she saw where it looked like both opponents were communicating with each other, particularly in regards to the battles between siblings. Deciding to take Fluttershy’s advice, Twilight left the matter alone as the mayor announced the end of the second round and that tomorrow would consist of the semi-final and final rounds. With that, everyone left to enjoy the rest of the festival with some trying their hand at the various carnival games, others getting their thrills on the rides, and the rest stuffing their faces at the food stalls. Twilight found herself in the latter category as she was hungrier than she realized.

“Damn, Twilight,” marveled Spike as he watched Twilight devour her fifth burger and down her second lemonade. “You’re really putting that stuff away.”

“I can’t help it Spike,” said Twilight as she swallowed what was in her mouth. “I guess that battle took a lot more out of me than I thought.”

“I can definitely feel you there,” said Spike. “I always love a good meal after an intense battle myself.” He emphasized his statement by digging into his own spread of food which mainly consisted of various meat and noodle dishes.

“But wasn’t your battle yesterday?” asked Twilight. “How are you still this hungry after all this time?”

“Well to be fair,” said Spike, “I didn’t really get that big a meal last night and I had kind of a light breakfast this morning. This is kind of my catch-up meal.” He then snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up in realization. “That reminds me,” he said as he walked up to a nearby condiment stand and drizzled some ketchup on a few of his hot dogs and burgers.

Twilight rolled her eyes and simply continued to eat her own food until it was time for the two of them to head home to Fluttershy’s house. Along the way, Twilight contemplated what she was gonna do about tomorrow considering she was gonna be facing Rarity in the semi-finals, an opponent she had faced when she first arrived and lost to. Once she and Spike got home, Twilight decided to step into the back room. She remembered Fluttershy saying that this room was where new bladers could practice with their beyblades so that they could use them more effectively.

Deciding to try it out for herself, Twilight set up her Striker and took aim at a small balance beam. Once Striker was launched, it raced along the beam with relative ease and landed on the other side. Twilight then proceeded to various other apparatuses such as a dummy bey in a stadium that was used to practice attacks and a small winding track used to exercise beyblade control. Twilight kept at it for what felt like hours until she felt tired enough to rest and soon walked back upstairs to go to bed.

The next day, Twilight came down bright and early to see Fluttershy in the kitchen making breakfast, pancakes if the smell was any indication. “Good morning, Twilight,” Fluttershy greeted cheerfully. “It sounded like you were practicing hard last night. I don’t blame you since you’re gonna be up against Rarity this morning.” She then carried the pan she was cooking on over to the table and placed the pancakes she was cooking onto a plate in the center. “You’d better eat up,” Fluttershy advised. “You’ll need all the strength you can get for the battles.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” said Twilight as she took a couple pancakes from the stack and promptly dug into them. “I’ll need all the strength I can gather for my battle against Rarity. I lost to her once before, but I won’t let something like that happen again.”

Fluttershy smiled at Twilight’s confidence as Spike walked into the kitchen. He saw Twilight filling up and decided to follow suit as he took some pancakes for himself and promptly devoured them. Fluttershy smiled at the evident similarity between the siblings and soon sat down for her own breakfast.

Soon, the trio arrived for the semi-finals of the tournament with Mayor Mabel at her podium once again. “Welcome once again everyone!” she greeted excitedly. “I hope you’re all ready for some heated action today, because we’ll be holding both the semi-final and final rounds today and then we’ll see who will win the whole thing!” The crowd cheered in excitement as the monitor behind the mayor lit up to display each remaining blader. “Now then, the first battle will be between Twilight Sparkle and Rarity Belle followed by Applejack against Masquerade. So without further ado, let us welcome the first bladers to battle!”
Twilight and Rarity soon walked into the stadium with the crowd cheering in anticipation. “I must say,” Rarity said to Twilight, “you’ve done remarkably well thus far. But don’t think that means I haven’t been practicing myself.” Rarity emphasized her statement by taking out her bey and attaching it to her launcher.

“Just don’t expect this battle to play out like the last one did,” advised Twilight as she mirrored Rarity’s actions. “Striker and I have trained practically all night for this battle and now is the time when that training will pay off.”

“Very well then,” said Rarity with a determined look in her eyes. “I suppose we’ll see who here has the stronger desire for victory.”

“It seems as though both bladers are prepared to give this battle everything they have and then some,” said Maybel. “Well then let’s not delay things for a moment longer, let’s get this semi-finals underway, shall we?”

Maybel then led the crowd in the countdown with Rarity and Twilight joining in. Once they reached the end, both bladers released their beys into the stadium and both of them dashed for the center.

“Send it flying, Striker!” called Twilight. Striker responded by increasing its speed and dashing towards Rarity’s Virgo with threatening intensity.

“Fight back, Virgo!” said Rarity. Virgo eagerly moved in to intercept Striker.

The two beys clashed in a shower of sparks and a burst of force that had most of the audience reeling back. Once the smoke cleared, Virgo and Striker were still locked in a fierce clash until they rebounded away from each other and proceeded to circle the stadium.

“It seems you truly have improved since last time,” Rarity remarked, sounding somewhat proud of Twilight.

“Just you wait, Rarity,” said Twilight with determination in her voice. “I’m gonna show you firsthand how powerful Striker and I have become since we first got here.” With that, Striker sped up again and prepared to strike Virgo once more.