Apple Bloom

Canterlot High. Monday Afternoon.

Ah could tell that them Friendship Games were gettin' close, since I could feel tension in the air as my pals and Ah walked down the halls together. The kind of tension that could only come when a competition was loomin' over the horizon, like an important school soccer game. The last class for the day had ended a while ago and we were passin' one tense student after the other. But, Ah could also feel a tiny bit excitement in the air, which was growin'. Slowly. As we walked, Ah started hearin' some positive voices from a crowd that was gatherin' around the school bulletin board at the end of the hall. We ran up to the back of the crowd where Lyra and Bon-Bon were hugging it out while wearin'... animal costumes? Ah ain't foolin' nobody, Lyra was dressed like a peacock, while Bon-Bon was dressed like an owl! It wasn't the strangest thing Ah ever did see, and ya'll can thank magic for that, but it was right up there. Not wantin' to interrupt a happy moment between those two, my pals and Ah stopped to wait for them to finish. Once they broke up the hug, Ah called out to them with a friendly greetin';

"Howdy, ya'll!"

Lyra and Bon-Bon turned to face us while we happily waved at them. They gave us warm smiles before Lyra greeted us back;

"Hey, kids! Did you hear the news yet?"

That got Sweetie Belle curious, for she asked;

"What news?"

Instead of answerin' with words, the pair motioned for us to follow them through the crowd, which we did so while makin' sure to not bump into folks. Once we got through, we were able to get a good look at what was posted on that there bulletin board. It was a list, a roster to be precise, and sweet delicious applesauce, the sight of it made Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and me feel an explosion of joy in our hearts! An explosion that we made clear with words by jumpin' up and yellin' out in unison for all to hear;

"YAAAAAAAAAY!"

Ah'm amazed, and glad, that we didn't get into trouble for bein' so dern loud!

Later that day, in Sweet Apple Acres.

We carried that joy of ours all the way to our clubhouse, where we got to talk about the the news with Octavia Melody and DJ-P0N3, who were listenin' to us with those sweet smiles of theirs. Ah think the DJ's headphones were set to a lower-than-usual volume at the time. We were all sittin' at the table together, with my two buddies sittin' with me and the two love birds sittin' together opposite us. Scootaloo was the loudest and proudest of the club at the time;

"We got ourselves the coolest, bestest, most awesomest roster ever!" she exclaimed while smilin' wide, her eyes sparklin' like stars in the night sky. Sweetie Belle, with a happy squeak, remarked;

"Of course we do! I mean, let's do a headcount here!"

Sweetie and Ah stood up from our seats and walked over to an open spot behind them. We then crossed our arms and put our backs against each other in a dramatic fashion while lettin' out confident smirks that we aimed at our two musical buddies. Right then and there, Sweetie began to list down each Wondercolt on the roster, just as Ah thought she would;

"We got the dynamic duo that is Lyra and Bon-Bon!"

"They're unbreakable!" Scootaloo added with extra gusto after runnin' over to stand with us, knowing full well what we were up to and lovin' every moment of it. In almost perfect unison, Sweetie and Ah moved our backs away and turned to face our pair of friends, who were trying not to chuckle over our performance. Keeping our smirks up, we slowly smoothed out our hair like cool people while Sweetie continued;

"The helpful and cool rock 'n roller: Flash Sentry!"

"Rock on!" was Scoots' contribution to that part our performance, complete with devil horns raised to the roof with both hands. Switchin' gears, Sweetie took my hands into hers and started to guide me through a simple yet fun dance routine that was entirely off the cuff. As we danced, she added;

"The kind and lovable sweetheart: Derpy Hooves!"

She had me do a quick twirl, which ah ended by strikin' a fun pose before Scootaloo asked with enthusiasm that Ah swear was nearly limitless;

"Who wants a muffin?"

Without messin' up, Sweets and I moved right into doin' the robot dance side-by-side while she spoke again;

"The guy with more smarts than a supercomputer: Micro Chips!"

"Egghead challenges will be terminated!" Scootaloo said in a robotic monotone voice that somehow also had a bad Austrian accent while she was also doing the robot. All three of us then sat on the floor together with crossed legs and pretended to tap on invisible drums on our laps with big ol' grins filled with fun while Sweets added;

"The chill eco-kid: Sandalwood!"

"Peace!" Scootaloo declared with a peace sign from her right hand aimed right at Octavia and P0N3. We then shot back up to stand side-by-side, took each other's hands, and beamed while Sweets spoke once more;

"Finally, we got the best band around!"

"The coolest group of friends on the planet!" exclaimed Scootaloo. Ah added with happiness pulled from my beatin' heart;

"Canterlot High's very own magical girls..."

We took a deep breath and yelled out with pride and joy while doin' a big hop in unison;

"THE SONIC RAINBOOMS! YAY!"

Poor Octavia had to cover her ears with both hands to protect her mind from our super-loud happiness, even as she showed us an honest smile. The smirkin' DJ-P0N3, however, was spared the brunt of our loudness, thanks to her headphones. Seriously, if those things could protect a brain from the Sirens' brain-twistin' singin', then they could protect it from anythin'! We watched Octavia take a moment to recollect herself before respondin' all polite like;

"Yes, well, with a team like that, we certainly have a real chance at defeating Crystal Prep this year."

Oh yes we do-oh.

Ohhhhh...

Just like that, the positivity in Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and me got hit by reality with the force of a hoof kick from a horse to the gut. My bow becomin' as droopy as my mood, Ah face-palmed my forehead with my right hand while notin' with an exasperated sigh;

"Oh, horseapples! It's mighty hard to get excited over a competition when our opponents got a mean winnin' streak on our school."

"Don't get us wrong, girls," Scoots began with a sigh of her own, her voice not nearly havin' as much pep as it normally did;

"The Wondercolts team is awesome. But..."

Sweetie Belle finished for her with frustration in her squeakin' voice;

"The Shadowbolts team is annoyingly great at everything!"

Octavia, with a head shake and an understandin' grin, walked up to us and said with surety and her hands on her hips;

"Come now, little ones. The Shadowbolts may be a formidable team, but I have a hunch that our team will surprise them yet."

She got on her right knee and added with a bigger grin and warmth in her eyes;

"Which reminds me of something that the Principal and Vice-Princpal wanted us to give you."

Curious, we watched Octavia turn her head to face P0N3, who reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a note. She then threw the note at the cellist, who skillfully caught it in her right hand. Octavia looked back at us and handed us the note. Ah took it into my right hand, unfolded it, and read it aloud;

"CHS calls for freshmen and eighth graders to aid us during the Friendship Games! Speak with us in the Principal's Office ASAP if you are interested."

The note had the school's logo drawn above the text. Addin' even more to its authenticity were the two signatures written below the text, which belonged to Celestia and Luna. Suddenly, the frustration felt by my two best friends and me was swept away by renewed joy that was so strong, my bow stood proud to match it! Ah swear, our eyes were sparklin' like crazy!

This was a chance, ya'll! A real chance to help our school!

Ya'll better believe we gave Octavia and P0N3 mighty tight hugs that day.

Later that evening, during dinner in the Apple Family's house.

"Ah had no idea youngin's were allowed to help with them games!" Ah exclaimed happily before takin' a good bite out of my apple. Ah was sittin' at the dinner table with Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith. Of course, Ah sat between my big brother and sister, with Granny sittin' opposite of me. Winona was takin' a nice nap on my lap, all rolled up like a ball of fur. After chompin' on my apple, Ah placed it on my plate and gave the little critter a few gentle strokes of her fur while Ah listened to Applejack talk. She explained with a warm glare aimed at me;

"Darn tootin'. It's a tradition in CHS to have the freshmen and eighth graders help out with the games. Ah'm talkin' the grunt work that keeps them runnin' smoothly while the teams compete. From what Ah hear, Crystal Prep's freshmen will be helpin' out too, so it's all fair."

"Makin' sure that the games are fair and fun will do ya' youngin's a lot of good," noted Granny Smith while she pointed her right index finger at me. Big Mac's contribution to the discussion was simple and to the point;

"Eeyup."

Just like him. Ah was elated, to say the least. But, Ah was also mighty nervous and worried, enough to start twiddlin' my thumbs with my hands on the table. As Ah looked down at them thumbs, Ah put my feelin's into words;

"Ah'm happy as can be over gettin' this chance. But, Ah'm worried that my friends and Ah might mess it up for the school and-"

"Now, hold on a second, missy!" exclaimed Granny. Ah instantly obeyed her order to the letter, not wantin' to upset the head of our house. Ah looked up at her as she told me with that tone of hers that just screamed 'Ah know Ah'm right';

"There ain't no sense in gettin' so worked up over whether or not you'll mess somethin' up before you even get started. When the time comes to start workin', focus on doin' your best and helpin' folks do the same. If anyone expects perfection from youngin's, then they're dumber than a sack of tatters!"

Granny Smith could always find a way to cheer us up. Ah figured that came from her many, many, many years of life experience. Seriously, I knew how old she was and Ah wasn't gonna tell anybody! Ah gave Granny a big ol' smile to let her know that her words got through to me, to which she responded with a smile of her own. My club's contributions to the games will probably not be perfect. But dangnabit, we were gonna do our best for our school! Feelin' motivated, Ah took a bigger bite out of my apple and chewed with gusto. Suddenly, my face got licked by a surprise Winona attack while Ah was chewin'. So, the little critter was lickin' my cheeks, which were made chubby by the chunks of food in my mouth. Frankly, Ah looked like a dern chipmunk and Ah felt so silly, it was amazin' that Ah held back my laughter! The other Apples laughed over the sight while Ah couldn't help but think about how sweet and sneaky our family pup could be.

The next morning, in the music room. Five minutes before the first bell.

The movie club and the Rainbooms were sittin' together. The band had just finished up a quick practice session. The song they practiced, by the way, was 'Shine Like Rainbows'. Oh, that song was a beauty! Ah'd say it was my second favorite song from that band. Ah think ya'll can guess what my favorite one was. Anyway, we were shootin' the breeze for a spell before we had to get to homeroom. Rarity took this time to reveal with an excited smile;

"I have heard that Photo Finish recently went on a bit of a photo-taking spree throughout the school. Nothing harmful, of course. But, she did get into a spot of trouble with the Vice-Principal."

Ah tried my best to stop my body from wincin' upon hearin' Photo's name. After takin' a breath to settle down, Ah chuckled a little as my memory flared up before respondin';

"Yeah, my pals and Ah were eatin' lunch when she and her posse struck the cafeteria like a photo-takin' storm."

"So were we," Sunset noted with a head shake before addin';

"I'm surprised we all managed to avoid that storm."

Rainbow Dash, with a snicker that oozed with trouble, said;

"Luna and Cheerilee sure didn't!"

Her snickering then evolved into loud and shameless laughter, slight rasp and all. Rarity and Applejack rolled their eyes over Rainbow's behavior. As for me, Ah was too busy thinkin' in my head to be bothered by her laughter;

"Number Sixteen: Photo Finish. Number Seventeen: Violet Blurr. Number Eighteen: Pixel Pizzaz."

That old guilt of mine came roarin' to the surface, only for Sweetie Belle to give me a helpful distraction from it by tellin' Rainbow with a knowin' smirk;

"I remember hearing about you and Pinkie failing to avoid being seen by Crystal Preppers very recently."

Hearin' that made Rainbow shut up and freeze up instantly. With wide eyes, she looked right at Sweets and asked her nervously;

"Wh-Who told you about that?!"

As soon as she finished speakin', she connected the dots and found a pink party planner at the end. Rainbow Dash turned to give Pinkie Pie a narrow glare that could pierce through stone. Pinkie and her wide cheerful smile were not fazed by this, however. She pulled a pink balloon out from her poofy hair (how that there hair could hold so much stuff, Ah'll never know) and handed it over to Rainbow while declarin';

"Friendship apology balloon?"

Her smile somehow grew wider than it did a moment ago. Rainbow started to groan within seconds before grumblin' while takin' the balloon;

"I can never stay mad at you, Pinks."

It's wonderful how easily good friends can distract a girl from her troubles, Ah tells ya'. Sunset, after chucklin' over her friends bein' themselves, looked at the three of us kids and said with that wonderful smile of hers;

"I should tell you about what happened when I tried to figure out how our magic works. Keyword: tried."

Oh, that story sounded interestin' us! We nodded our heads and listened intently. There wasn't a whole lot of time left before we had to high-tail it over to homeroom, so she gave us the cliff-notes version of the tale.

We were laughin' our butts off by the time she finished the story!

"Oh my goodness, sugarcube! Pinkie done gave ya' a hairdo taller than the Bride of Frankenstein's hair!" Ah exclaimed between bouts of laughter while huggin' my sides with both hands. Scootaloo was laughin' just a much, even as she declared;

"Rainbow... SPLAT!"

The other girls joined in on the well-meanin' laughter, even Sunset, who couldn't help but snicker, snort, and smirk. That girl was a good sport, Ah tells ya'. Once the laughin' died down, Sunset said with an exasperated sigh that banished her smirk;

"Now, if only that whole mess had produced meaningful results other than the fact that I know nothing."

Sensin' the need to cheer her up, Ah gave her a warm encouragin' look and told her truthfully;

"Ah'm sure you'll figure out this 'ere world's magic."

Ah knew my friends agreed with me, but good ol' Scootaloo made that point abundantly clear anyway;

"Yeah, and then you girls can use your awesome magic whenever you want! Like superheroes!" she declared with absolute confidence.

Sunset beamed her amazin' smile at us, gratitude and goodwill shinin' from her eyes. Applejack took a good look at the clock and told us all;

"Let's get our keisters movin', ya'll! The bell's gonna ring!"

Without a second thought, we grabbed our things and made our way to homeroom in a hurry. Don't worry, we were on time!

After school, at the door to the Principal's Office.

After giving the door three quick knocks, Ah stood back and waited with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. It took Luna three seconds to open the door and let us in. Once we were standin' before the desk of Celestia herself, we gave the Principal three sure smiles as Ah placed the note on the desk and told her on the club's behalf;

"The Canterlot Movie Club is up for helpin' with the games!"

Celestia smiled sweetly and nodded at us before respondin' in her usual professional manner;

"We figured you would accept the offer and your help will be most appreciated."

"What do you need us to do?" asked a driven Scootaloo. Celestia and Luna chuckled politely as the younger sister walked over to stand next to the older one at her side of the desk. Luna explained;

"Tomorrow after school, we'll call for our young helpers via the PA system to meet us in the gym where you will all get details and instructions. Keep your ears open for when we give the word."

"Yes, ma'ams!" we declared in unison. The smiles on the Principal and Vice-Principal grew a bit wider as Luna noted;

"You may leave now."

We nodded and began to depart. We were about halfway towards the door when Celestia hurriedly called out to us;

"One more thing though!"

We turned around to look at the pair of leaders, whose smiles had turned into knowin' smirks, and waited. Luna was the one who said this on behalf of herself and her elder sister;

"Good luck with your crusade."

It took me three seconds to figure out in my head how those two found out about our mission.

Well played, Rainbooms, and thanks a bushel!

The next day. After school in the gym.

The three of us were the first ones to get to the gym, other than Celestia and Luna, who were standin' in the center of the large spacious room. Excited and determined, we walked up to them and stood at attention while formin' a line, with me in the middle, Scootaloo to my left, and Sweetie Belle to my right. Once in position, we saluted our Principal and Vice-Principal with our right hands while declarin' with confidence;

"Canterlot Movie Club: reporting for duty, ma'ams!"

We lowered our right hands to have them rest at our sides as quick as a flash. Celestia showed a warm smile while Luna could barely hold back her well-meanin' chucklin'. The Principal then told us while her sister calmed down;

"Let's wait for the others to arrive, then we can proceed."

We nodded our heads at the pair and waited quietly. It only took a minute for more young students to show up. At first, we were greeted by a trickle of freshmen and eighth graders that went through the gym doors and joined us in the center. Soon enough, however, that trickle turned into a stream of youngin's. By the time the stream had stopped, it was clear to me that at least half of the freshmen and eighth grade rosters had answered the call for aid. A lot of those folks my friends and Ah recognized as our classmates, Snips and Snails especially. The rest of 'em, we didn't quite recognize. After takin' a moment to greet each other, we all formed a line in the center of the gym, with Celestial and Luna standin' before us. Just when the Vice-Principal was about to speak, however, the doors opened again. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Ah turned to look at who was comin', same as everyone else.

Number Nineteen: Twist.

The expression on her face was, like before, calm and stoic. But it seemed to me that she saved that stoicness specifically for whenever she looked at the three of us while she walked over to the line. Some of the other students moved to make room for Twist. Good on 'em for bein' so polite. Of course, this meant that she stood next to Scootaloo's left side. Twist didn't say a word as she joined us in the line. Not a peep.

Ma', Pa, her silence was deafenin'...

Ah was mighty nervous to say the least. Ah mean, it was one thin' to be around most of the people we had hurt, that was just the result of us goin' to CHS. But to be so close to Twist without schoolwork to distract me... Shoot, Ah could feel the weight of my guilt in my brain just by bein' around her! Even so, Ah did my best to keep my composure as Ah managed to turn my focus on Celestia and Luna. Ah figured Sweetie and Scootaloo were doin' the same. We were goin' to get the details on one of the most important school projects we could think of and consarnit, we weren't gonna let anythin' stop us from helpin' with gettin' it done! With all eyes on the school's leaders, Luna began to speak with a calm, clear, and authoritative voice that silenced what little chatter there was between the students;

"Students of Canterlot High, listen well! As you all may know by now, the four-year tradition that is the Friendship Games competition is set to begin in one week from today."

One week left... land's sake, the time was flyin' by fast! Luna continued on after pausin' for a brief moment;

"A key part of this tradition is making sure that the competition runs without incident, so that there can be no doubt about the results."

Celestia added with a similar tone of voice, only with the gentle warmth in her smile added in;

"Faculty from both CHS and Crystal Prep Academy are working to get the Friendship Games ready before the appointed time. They'll also be on hand to help with the behind-the-scenes work during the matches. But, with so much to do during the games, our hands will be quite full as it is."

The Principal and Vice-Principal smirked at us before the former declared;

"That's where you kids come in."

My drive to help folks rose to the surface and took the form of an excited grin as Luna explained further;

"During the games, you will be working with members of our faculty to make sure that the matches are run fairly, safely, and smoothly."

Celestia then turned her head to her right to face the door on the wall to our left. With a quick breath, she called out;

"You can come out now!"

Before any of us kids could react, the door opened, allowing a whole line of CHS faculty members to come walking in to join Celestia and Luna. Miss Cheerilee, Mr. Doodle, Mr. Will, Mr. Turner, and Miss Zecora all entered the gym. Seein' them brought smiles to our faces as we clapped for our teachers. But, it was seein' the last person to get through that there door that made me mighty happy:

Granny Smith!

As much as Ah wanted oh so badly to tackle her with a hug, Ah had to keep up appearances to avoid embarrassin' myself, my friends, and her. As she walked, Ah saw her give us a quick and playful wink that made my smile brighter. Once she took her place in the row of staff, Celestia explained to us youngin's;

"You will all be divided up into groups. These groups will be led by a different faculty member. Excluding Luna and myself, of course, since we will have our own duties to attend to."

"We will decide who goes into what group via lottery," noted Luna before Celestia walked through the side door to the right in a brisk pace. After a few moments, she came back in while a second person brin' in one of them ball spinners Ah normally saw on TV and this one was filled with balls. That person was Miss Inkwell, another CHS teacher. She mainly handled the older Wondercolts, so my friends and Ah didn't have any of her classes back then. Anyway, she and Celestia moved the ball spinner to have it stand between Luna and us kids. We leaned towards it slightly, curious as to how this was gonna be handled. Ah mean, Ah saw a bunch of our names written on the balls, but Ah wondered how the groups were gonna be formed fairly with them. Celestia, after walkin' over to stand at the spinner's right side, explained while lookin' right at us;

"Each group leader will spin the wheel and take a ball. The person whose name is on the ball will be in their group. This will be done until every freshman and eighth grader present is selected."

Seemed simple enough to me. Regardless, Luna made sure to clarify while Miss Inkwell positioned herself at the spinner's right side, the one with the handle attached to it;

"These are the names of all of the students who expressed clear interest in helping out with the games. Thankfully..."

She let out a grateful smile before declarin';

"None of them are absent as of this moment."

Celestia noted while showing just as much gratitude in her smile;

"The faculty members who stand with us today have already drawn lots to determine who gets the first spin. As luck would have it, Zecora is the first one up."

She turned to look at her and said;

"Whenever you're ready."

Miss Zecora nodded politely and walked over to the ball spinner's dispenser. She was one of our science teachers, with her specialty bein' botany. Sadly, as an eighth grader, Ah was only able to attend her eighth grade science class. But, from what Ah heard from Applejack, she was really good at makin' learnin' about plant-life fun, so Ah had somethin' to look forward to. It also helped that the CMCs had a good history with her to begin with! We all watched with bated breath as Miss Inkwell started turnin' the handle, causing the big round container holdin' the balls to spin around and around. This caused the balls to bounce around like a horde of hungry grasshoppers. Ah swear, Ah could almost make out a name or two! After two, maybe three seconds of bouncin', one of them balls came rollin' down the dispenser and into Miss Zecora's waitin' right hand. She raised it up to her face while turnin' away from the line Ah was standin' in, so no kid could see whose name was on it. Ah thought she was just havin' a little fun. Turns out, Ah was right! Before we could make a single guess, she declared with subtle mirth;

"My work won't make me blue..."

Ah had a pretty guess as to how that rhyme was gonna end. After pausin' for dramatic effect, she turned around and revealed the ball to us, name and all, while smilin' brightly;

"When I am helped by Scootaloo."

Scoots practically zoomed over to Miss Zecora like an orange and purple race car while Sweetie Belle whistled at her in support. Ah clapped with the other kids and the grown-ups while givin' our buddy a big ol' smile. Miss Zecora escorted Scootaloo to stand with her near her spot in the line of faculty members. The excited bundle of energy gave Sweets and me a teeth-barin' smile and a wave with her right hand as she walked. Once the two were in position and the applause died down, Mr. Will, who handled gym class and coached the soccer team, was called up next. Now, compared to every other grown-up in the gym, he was mighty tall. To all of us children, however, he might as well have been a giant.

A giant with a body seemingly built to rock a ton of muscles.

Seriously, the only person Ah could think of who could come close to his muscle mass was Bulk Biceps and that was without bringin' action movie stars into the mix!

He walked over to the ball spinner while lookin' all serious and stuff. His fists were clenched and he stomped with purpose. All was silent, save for some frightened youngin' who noticeably gulped. He stopped at the spinner and stood completely still for one second...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

BAM! Without warnin', Mr. Will flexed his biceps from his right side with the speed of a whip crack, strikin' a bodybuilder's pose while anglin' his head to give every kid watchin' a large proud grin. Before we could react, he turned his body to face us and asked with that deep voice full of enthusiasm and, as he called it, absolute manliness;

"Who wants to help Coach Iron Will make the Friendship Games AWESOME?!"

He emphasized that last word by flexing his biceps once again. Just like that, the youngin's were cheerin and so was Ah! Shoot, some of them were yellin' out "Me! Me! Pick me!" and stuff like that. Luna had to work a little bit harder than usual to calm us back down after that. Hehe, good ol' Mr. Will could encourage anyone he darn well pleased, it was no wonder why Rainbow Dash liked workin' with him. Once things settled back down, the spinner was revved up once more. It didn't take long for him to get a ball and reveal his helper;

"Come on down, Sweetie Belle!" he yelled out with more gusto than a stampedin' bull. Sweets, after givin' me a quick smile full of supportive cheer, ran over to give him a high-five that he proudly accepted. Next up to get a helper was ol' Granny Smith herself. Oh, Ah was hopin' she'd get my name from that there spinner! All of us kids cheered for her as she made her way to the dern thing. Ah crossed my fingers when the spinner started movin'...

Ah silently asked for the luck of the first Apple to shine down on me as the balls started bouncin...

Everyone was silent... Until Granny grabbed her ball, brought it up real close to her eyes so she could read the words written on it, and told us with a chuckle while turnin' to show us the ball;

"Well, ain't this a sweet surprise? Get your keister over 'ere, Twist!"

"Wait, what?!" was my single thought when Ah turned to see Twist's reaction. She walked up to Granny in a somewhat hesitant pace. For a brief moment, Ah was able to catch a glimpse of genuine bewilderment on her face. Yeah, Ah was right there with her in that regard, Ah tells ya'. Sweets and Scoots, from what Ah noticed, were lookin' at Twist with dumbfounded expressions. Somethin' in my head told me that them games were gonna be full of surprises.

The helper selection process continued at a steady pace after that shockin' moment, the line of kids shrinkin' as the groups became more fully formed. Granny's group, in particular, had gotten four students over time. Eventually, only six of us remained in the line: Snips, Snails, myself, and three freshmen whose names Ah couldn't recall. Each faculty member present had a whole bunch of youngin's in their group. By sheer good luck, the groups consisted of a mixture of eighth graders and freshmen, though how that mixture looked varied from one group to the next. Miss Zecora stepped up and managed to bag Snips. Next came Mr. Will, who got Snails. The two buddies made sure to give each other fist bumps before returnin' to their respective groups, which made this 'ere Apple smile. Those two always were a duo act. Granny Smith walked up to the spinner, which, compared to before, filled me with dread.

Oh no, that stupid voice in my head just had to speak up at that moment in time;

Twist ain't gonna work with ya' none after what ya' did to her!

As frightened as Ah was, just hearin' that voice made the stubbornness of an Apple fire up in me, which gave me the gumption to stand firm, keep both eyes on my Granny, and respond mentally;

"Twist won't be mean to nobody over the past. No way, no how!"

My efforts were enough to shut that voice up good and proper, and just in time too: Granny had just grabbed a ball!

Ah wasn't gonna let fear stop me from upholdin' our club's self-made charge! Seein' the supportive smiles from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gave me some mighty helpful encouragement. Boy, was Ah gonna need it after hearin' Granny announce with a hearty chuckle;

"This 'ere Apple's got some mighty good luck! Get on over 'ere, Apple Bloom!"

A part of me was thrilled to be workin' with my kin to help keep the games runnin' smoothly. But another part of me was terrified at the thought of upsettin' Twist, let alone hurtin' her. As Ah walked up to join Granny and her group, Ah tried my best to shove my worries aside and keep my focus on what was goin' on around me. No one ever could do their duties without knowin' what their duties were, after all. Regardless of this, Ah could still feel the close-range fierceness of Twist's stoic glare on my right cheek, which was a clear sign that she was standin' next to me. Thankfully, that glare was not aimed at me for very long. Once the rest of the kids were selected, Celestia and Luna started to give out instructions to the groups. But, while Ah was listenin' closely to what my group had to do, my brain was hit by a stream of memories. Of moments made durin' happier days...

"My Apple kin, alive and otherwise... Help me!" Ah pleaded in my mind.

Author's Note

NOTE: As of this chapter's release (technically, the day before), my nation has chosen to walk a dark path that goes beyond politics and into dangerous waters. So, if you're seeing a noticeable uptick in posting frequency, let's just say that fear of dying can be a powerful motivator!

CHS is already preparing for the games and we now have an idea of why we don't see the younger students all that much in the film. But now, Apple Bloom has a possibly more difficult challenge to prepare for and she has red hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

Key Event #1 - Friendship Games

Description: Every four school years, Canterlot High School and Crystal Prep Academy work together to run the Friendship Games. Two teams representing the participating schools compete in a series of competitive events that cover academic, creative, and athletic fields. The idea behind the games is to promote friendship, camaraderie, and healthy competition between the participating schools, hence the name. For years, Crystal Prep has maintained a commanding winning streak against Canterlot High. Its reputation for excellence as an educational institution has only benefited from this success. But, with CHS recently gaining strength in all related fields, this year's games could have a different outcome...