It hadn't even been a year since she'd taken the throne, and yet Twilight Sparkle was already finding herself nearly overwhelmed with the responsibilities that came with being Equestria's sovereign ruler. Prepared as she might have felt, the experience was something that continued to surprise her nearly every day. And so it was that the alicorn princess started not so secretly longing for a chance to get away from it all, just for a little while.
As fate would have it, Twilight's wish was going to be granted in the most unexpected of ways.
One day by chance, Spike came rushing into the throne room in Canterlot with a very familiar looking journal held in his claws! He raced right up to Twilight and gave her the journal, panting and struggling to catch his breath. "Sunset Shimmer's writing to you. It sounds like she really wants to speak to you, although she won't say why. I tried to tell her you were busy, but she kept insisting."
Twilight simply smiled as she opened up the journal and skimmed through the pages. "It's alright, Spike. I always have time for a friend, no matter who they may be. Besides, knowing Sunset Shimmer, it must be important." She soon began writing down messages of her own, beginning a conversation of sorts with Sunset through the magic of the old journal.
It wasn't long, however, before Sunset revealed the real reason behind her abrupt calling. Once she was certain she was indeed talking to Princess Twilight, this is what she wrote:
Hey Princess Twilight,
I can't believe you're actually the supreme princess of all of Equestria now! I never would've expected Princess Celestia to retire when she'd already been on the throne for so long. But if there's anypony who can take her place, I know it's you. I guess now I'll just have to get used to calling her Celestia. Boy is that weird.
Anyway, I hope this isn't a bad time for you. I'm sure you must be very busy. Everything's fine here on the other side of the mirror in case you're wondering. My friends and I are currently out of school for the summer, and there's been no big disasters or long forgotten threats popping up. If all goes well, we've only got one more year of Canterlot High and then we're all graduating. Where life takes us after that... well, we're still trying to figure that out.
Actually, there is another reason why I wrote to you like this. Rainbow Dash in particular wouldn't stop bugging me about it. I know you've been to our world many times and met all of my friends, but they have yet to meet any of yours besides Starlight Glimmer. Plus, we were thinking of having a little friendly competition if you're interested.
If you can't come, I understand. We'll have to find a way to come visit Equestria, I'm sure I could find a way to keep my friends from causing any trouble or confusion among ponies not in the know.
Sincerely yours,
Sunset Shimmer
Twilight beamed a bright smile that spread across her face from ear to ear. "She couldn't have picked a better time!" She happily proclaimed as she stood up and started prancing. "I was actually gonna go back to Ponyville today to check up on some things. And since the School of Friendship isn't open during the summer, Starlight should be free too. A trip to the world beyond the mirror sounds like the perfect getaway opportunity I've been waiting for!"
"So, I guess we're going, then," Spike blinked. Then a nagging concern came to his mind. "But if you're going to go visit Sunset and take all of our friends with us, who's gonna keep an eye on Equestria while we're gone?"
"Good question, actually," The young princess put a hoof to her chin, deep in thought for a moment. Then, suddenly, the answer came to her as she gasped! "Wait, I know: Princess Cadence can handle things for a day or two. I'll just give her a copy of the journal and tell her to contact me right away if something urgent comes up. I'm sure she can keep things in order." And with that she immediately began making arrangements to do exactly that.
Sunset Shimmer soon received word from Princess Twilight confirming that she would indeed be coming, and that she was bringing all of her friends with her to officially meet the Rainbooms.
When the Rainbooms heard the news, they were ecstatic and overjoyed! They were all certain that their pony counterparts would be easy to get along with, and couldn't wait for the surprise they were preparing for them.
A day later, Sunset and her friends had all gathered by the statue near Canterlot High. Even though they knew now that there were other portals to Equestria, the one by the statue remained their most consistent and reliable means of travel. And they assumed it was the one Princess Twilight would be most familiar with.
Sure enough, the base of the statue eventually began to glow brightly. Sunset and the Rainbooms stood back and waited, as one by one Princess Twilight and her friends all emerged, including Starlight and Spike.
"It's been a long time since I've been back here," Starlight commented with amazement. "To think, there's an entire world just like ours in so many ways, but different in so many others."
"So, are these those 'hands' you mentioned once, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at herself, struggling to get used to her appendages.
Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes. Believe me, the first time I came here I was just as surprised as you all are now. It does take some getting used to." And she gave a sheepish blush.
Rarity, meanwhile, blinked as she admired her reflection in the mirror like surface of the statue's base. "Oh my, so this is what it's like to be fully clothed from head to... whatever you call hooves in this world."
And Fluttershy commented. "Um, where are our tails?"
Sunset Shimmer faintly chuckled as she approached the visitors. "Aside from when we pony up, there's no such thing as tails, Fluttershy," She paused and blinked. "Okay, it's gonna be really confusing if we don't figure out how to tell who's who. Aside from Princess Twilight, Starlight, and the Twilight I know you all look exactly the same."
Pony Pinkie Pie giggled and grinned as she approached her human counterpart. "It's like having a twin sister. Well, actually, I have a twin sister. A baby sister."
Human Pinkie Pie gasped! "No way! I have a baby sister too, and she's so adorable, not to mention shy!"
"Don't tell me, her name's Marble Pie." Pony Pinkie proclaimed.
Human Pinkie gasped again and put her hands to her hair! "Yeah, it is. You really are my double me. It's almost like we've been cloned or something."
At that pony Pinkie somewhat nervously replied. "Funny story, actually. I did try that once. And let's just say things got really out of hoof."
"You mean hand." Human Pinkie corrected.
Pony Pinkie shook her head from side to side. "No, I mean hoof. Don't forget, I'm a pony. Or at least, I am back in Equestria."
"Well, that just means it's all the more important we figure out how to tell each other apart," Starlight Glimmer commented with concern. "Maybe we have our friends put on different clothes or something?"
At that human Rarity smiled and flashed a knowing grin. "Funny you should mention that, actually. That's kind of tied into why Sunset invited you all here today. She did mention a 'friendly competition' after all."
Princess Twilight gasped! "Oh my gosh, you're right! I completely forgot because I was so excited!"
Sunset quickly reached out a hand to calm down the frightened princess. "Hey, it's okay. That's why we're reminding you now," And she cleared her throat. "I was inspired by this big televised event that's been all over the news in this world lately. Apparently, every couple of years, people from all over the world gather together to compete in various sporting events in order to win medals. It's a very big deal from what everyone tells me. So it got me to thinking, maybe we," She gestured to the Rainbooms. "Should do something similar. The only problem was figuring out who to go up against."
Human Rainbow Dash then boasted! "Which is why I suggested Sunset invite you ponies here, to take on us. Each of us will face off against our other self in a one on one sport. And whoever can win more events will be the winner."
Human Rarity then stepped forward. "To help us tell each other apart, I took the liberty of designing team uniforms: One for us, the Rainbooms, and one for you, the ponies," She quickly presented two mostly white t-shirts, each with different colored sleeves and skirts reflecting who they were intended for. But one set of the t-shirts had the official logo of the Canterlot Wondercolts plastered on them, whereas the others just had a general rainbow image. "We the Rainbooms will be wearing the official Canterlot Wondercolts outfits. And the rainbow t-shirts are for you ponies, which I guess we'll call Team Equestria."
"So whaddya say?" Sunset asked the ponies. "Interested? I understand you ponies apparently do something similar from time to time. But I was thinking we could call these the new Friendship Games, seeing as we're all friends more or less."
Pony Rainbow Dash immediately proclaimed with confidence. "How could we possibly turn down a chance to show off what makes us what we are?! You probably don't know this, but many of us have not only saved Equestria countless times but we've also got quite a lot of awesome accomplishments to boast about. After all, you're looking at the only pony who's ever pulled off a Sonic Rainboom three times."
Pony Applejack spoke up. "Now sugarcube, let's not get overconfident. Don't forget, we ain't used to bein' these... humans, is it?" She blinked.
Human Applejack replied with a blunt. "Eeyup."
But Pony Pinkie Pie loudly insisted! "So what?! It's all in good fun, right? I say we should totally do it!"
"Normally, I detest getting all sweaty and dirty just for the sake of competition," Pony Rarity commented, before her eyes narrowed. "But I've never been one to back down from a challenge, and I don't intend to start now."
Pony Fluttershy then spoke up. "We'll take you on, other uses. May the best girl win!"
"Alright then," Sunset smiled with satisfaction. "Let's go get changed into our uniforms. And we'll let our Spikes keep score." Then she and the Rainbooms led Princess Twilight and her friends away so that they could change into their uniforms in private (seeing as the ponies were now humans and thus could not change out in the open).
Moments later, the Equestrian visitors and the Rainbooms had all changed into their assigned outfits. They then walked together to a large, open area that displayed many different smaller places for specific sports. There was a soccer field with large goal nets at both ends of it, a small and open football field, a batting cage, a small pool, two basketball hoops on a paved and fenced off area, two posts with netting around them, and a track roughly in the shape of an oval. There were also bleachers near each of the designated sporting areas. The two Spikes were nearby, each standing next to a small scorecard that could be easily flipped over with their noses.
"Okay, everyone," Sunset cheerfully declared. "Let the games begin!" Then she asked. "So, who would like to go first? We'll play until one team wins four events, or until all the events are completed. Whichever comes first."
Human Rainbow Dash immediately leaped to her feet! "I'm not waiting any longer! It's time for a soccer showdown!" And she looked to her pony counterpart. "Fair warning, double me: You're looking at the Canterlot Wondercolts' star soccer player. I've played every position there is."
Pony Rainbow Dash scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Big deal. I happen to be part of the Wonderbolts, the best stunt flyers and rescuers Equestria has ever seen! Plus, I represented Ponyville in the Equestria Games a few years back. There's no way I'll lose to you!"
"We'll just see about that, won't we?" Human Rainbow firmly insisted as she led her pony counterpart to the soccer field. Once the two tomboys had reached it, human Rainbow grabbed a soccer ball and started bouncing it on one of her knees as she explained. "Seeing as it's just the two of us, we'll go straight to sudden death: Penalty kicks. We'll take turns being kicker and goalie. Whoever successfully gets more soccer balls into the net wins."
Pony Rainbow eyed the soccer ball as it bounced up and down. "Sounds easy enough. It'll be just like the times I helped train goalkeepers for buckball."
Human Rainbow was quick to warn her pony counterpart. "Well there's a catch. In soccer, you're not allowed to use your hands. You have to use your legs to kick it. Only the goalkeeper can use their hands, and that's only to block the ball. If you use your hands and you're not the goalkeeper, it doesn't count."
"Then I guess you'd better go first and show me how it's done, because that sounds like such a silly rule. What does it matter if you use hands, hooves, or whatever else?" Pony Rainbow rolled her eyes again as she walked over to one of the nets and stood in front of it. "I'm ready when you are!"
"Alright, but don't expect me to go easy on you. I never show mercy, not even to rookies!" Human Rainbow boasted as she then kicked the soccer ball as hard as she could, launching it towards the goal!
Pony Rainbow reacted as best she could, jumping towards where she thought the ball was going to go. Much to her dismay, however, it sailed right past her and into the net.
"Ha! And the first point goes to the Wondercolts!" The soccer star proudly proclaimed! "Ready to quit yet, pony me?"
Pony Rainbow just groaned and growled. "You got lucky, that's all. I won't let another ball get past me!"
Human Rainbow replied by kicking the soccer ball once it was tossed back to her. This time, her shot didn't come anywhere close to the net, and thus it did not count.
Pony Rainbow then managed to block the next ball kicked towards her. But she wasn't able to stop the two balls after that, which gave her human counterpart a score of three successful goals out of five attempts. From there, the roles were swapped.
"Good luck trying to get any balls past me!" Rainbow of the Wondercolts boasted!
Rainbow Dash from Equestria did her best to concentrate, toning out at all distractions as she kicked the soccer ball as hard as she could! Much to her dismay, it bounced off the corner of the net and didn't go in. Her second kick was also a failure, this time because her human counterpart blocked it with the greatest of ease. Fortunately, the two kicks after that managed to make their way into the goal netting, meaning it all came down to the fifth and final kick. A goal here would tie the score.
Pony Rainbow Dash shut her eyes, ran up to the soccer ball, and kicked with a fury she had never known! She opened her eyes just in time to see Rainbow of the Wondercolts make an incredible diving move that was able to block the ball at the last second.
"And with that, the Canterlot Wondercolts score the first point in this contest." The Spike sitting next to human Twilight said as he flipped over the scorecard, showing the number one in a blue squared background.
"Better luck next time, pony me," Human Rainbow said afterward. "Don't feel too bad. You did about as well as could be expected for a newbie."
Pony Rainbow grumbled, but nevertheless managed to reply in a sincere tone. "I hate to admit it, but you beat me fair and square. If this was a race, the outcome would've been different."
"Yeah, I would've smoked you harder!" Human Rainbow Dash insisted! "Honestly, I think this was as close to a fair fight for you as it could've been."
Sunset Shimmer then stepped forward, moving to break up an argument before it could start. "That's enough, both of you. This may be a contest, but it's not supposed to be just about who's better. You both did your best, and that should be all that counts. Now come on, let's move on to the next event."
The next event pitted the two Pinkie Pies against each other on the basketball court. Human Pinkie explained the rules to her pony counterpart. "You just have to get the ball into the net to score points. You can throw it at the net, or you can run up and dunk it in like this," She demonstrated this by grabbing a basketball, running across the court, and leaping into the air near the net to place the ball into it. "Whoever has more points when time runs out wins."
"Sounds easy enough. This is gonna be fun!" Pony Pinkie Pie proclaimed! And the contest quickly unfolded.
Pinkie of the Wondercolts naturally had the advantage early on since she was used to walking on two legs and holding objects with her hands. Even when she wasn't trying her hardest, it was easy for her to score a lot of points. She soon pulled out to a fifteen point lead as her pony counterpart struggled just to hold onto the ball, let alone try to score points with it.
"Hey, come on, pony me!" Human Pinkie chipperly called out. "It's no fun if you don't try to fight back and make it interesting!"
"I'm trying to!" Pony Pinkie replied. "I just can't seem to get a good hold on this ball. It's so... soft. It kind of reminds me of the buckballs we have in Equestria. But I'm using to kicking them, not touching them."
"Well kicks aren't allowed here," Human Pinkie Pie told her pony counterpart. "So get a grip now, unless you want to throw in the towel! I want to have fun, but you're really disappointing me!"
Hearing those words touched something deep inside the Pinkie from Equestria. Suddenly, she found a determination that she had been lacking before. And that determination carried through with the way she handled the ball. Her overall dribbling and bouncing was still a bit sloppy. But she was now bouncing herself, hopping back and forth and giggling all the way.
In the blink of an eye, Pony Pinkie had tied up the score! And then seconds later, she pulled ahead! "Wow! This is so much more fun than I'd thought it would be!" She chipperly, cheerfully exclaimed!
"Well the only thing more fun is an incredible comeback!" Human Pinkie insisted as she yanked the ball away from her pony counterpart and ran all the way down the court! Time was running out, this was going to be the last shot of the game. It was all or nothing! Human Pinkie leaped up and tossed the ball as hard as she could, watching it sail through the air just as the buzzer sounded.
The basketball hovered around the rim of the net for a second or two, then fell off the side. Human Pinkie Pie stood there in disbelief and dismay, her mouth hanging open as all she could say was a frustrated "Shoot!"
Pony Pinkie, meanwhile, was excitedly bouncing back and forth and chanting over and over again! "I won! I won!"
The Spike sitting next to Princess Twilight moved a scorecard with his nose and reported. "And with that, the score is now tied at one for the Wondercolts and the Equestrians."
Pony Pinkie then pranced over to her deflated human counterpart, looking her deep in the eyes as she told her. "Hey, cheer up. What matters most is how you play the game, right?"
"Yeah, but nobody likes to lose," Human Pinkie admitted, smiling ever so faintly. "Could you teach me how to bounce like that? It looked like fun."
The Pinkie from Equestria replied. "I'd be happy too. But for right now, you and I need to cheer on the rest of our friends."
Human Pinkie nodded. "Right you are! I'll go get the popcorn!" And she zoomed away as fast as she could!
Pony Pinkie smiled. "She's learning already." She said to herself.
As the two Pinkies returned to their respective stands, the two Fluttershys got ready for their event: It was taking place in the pool, with red and white plastic barriers set up like lines to keep them from touching each other.
The Fluttershys had both changed into bathing suits, and human Fluttershy was explaining to her pony counterpart. "Swimming isn't just for recreation, it's also sometimes for competition. In this event, we're going to swim from one end of the pool to the other and back."
"Okay, that sounds pretty easy," Pony Fluttershy nodded. "I like a nice, relaxing swim. Especially when it's really hot out. Plus, it's a great way to stay in touch with some of my animal friends who live in the water."
The still somewhat shy Wondercolt nervously corrected. "This isn't meant to be a relaxing swim. At least, not entirely. We're going to be doing four laps. And the goal is to complete each lap as fast as possible. Whoever has the fastest time after four laps wins."
The Fluttershy from Equestria swallowed hard. "Oh my, that sounds a lot... tougher."
"It's okay if you'd rather not go through with it," Human Fluttershy consoled her pony counterpart. "I'm not that big into competition myself. I got into swimming mainly because it was something I already felt comfortable doing without anyone pressuring me into being good."
But Pony Fluttershy would hear nothing of such an argument or proposal. "I've been in tough situations before. And even when I wanted nothing more than to quit, I kept going. This is no different. I don't know if I can beat you, human me, but I'm going to try my best regardless!"
Fluttershy of the Wondercolts smiled and said in a soft tone. "That's just what I wanted to hear. Let's do this." And the first lap got under way.
The four laps between the two Fluttershys was remarkable for how close it was down to the very end. Neither one truly could pull ahead of the other for long, and leads changed frequently throughout it. By the time the fourth lap was drawing to a close, the two Fluttershys were neck and neck! It was anyone's guess as to how this would all end. There was even the possibility of a tie.
In the end, however, it was pony Fluttershy who reached the end of the pool just a split second or ahead of her human counterpart. And with that, the Equestrian team got its first lead of the whole competition.
Pony Fluttershy was quick to climb out of the pool and help her opponent to stand. "This was a lot of fun. You gave me quite a challenge."
Human Fluttershy nodded back. "And you did the same for me. I hope we can meet together more often from now, not to compete but just to hang out."
"Perhaps we can do that after this contest is over." Pony Fluttershy suggested.
As the two Fluttershys were drying off on some carefully placed towels near the bleachers, the two Applejacks went down to the football field to begin their showdown.
"Okay, pony me," Human Applejack said firmly as she carefully set up a football in the middle of the field. "It's just you and I! So here's how we're gonna do this: We each get four downs to try to run the football all the way down the field to score a touchdown, or kick a field goal if we decide to do that."
Pony Applejack grinned. "Sounds a lot like hoofball back in Equestria. I don't see how we're supposed to decide who's better if we're both runnin' the ball down the field and passin' each other by."
Human Applejack corrected. "Well, it'll be like when our Rainbow Dashes were doin' their penalty kicks things. One of us will run the ball down the field, and the other one of us will try to stop the first us from gettin' the ball into the end zone. If one of us scores and the other doesn't, that'll decide who wins."
Pony Applejack nodded. "Okay, I think I get it," She approached the football. "Reckon I'll go first if ya don't mind."
Applejack of the Wondercolts adjusted her hat. "Be my guest, sugarcube. Just try to get past me, I won't make it easy!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Pony Applejack said quite firmly and grasped the football as tightly as she could. She then crouched down, holding the ball close to her chest as she started running down the field as fast as possible.
Human Applejack quickly sprang into action against her pony counterpart, tackling her from the front, then from behind, and finally on the side. Despite that, she couldn't stop her opponent from getting close enough to be able to kick a field goal.
But Pony Applejack opted to press her luck and keep running, confident she could reach the end zone or at least pick up a first down. "You can't stop me, sugarcube!" She taunted her opponent.
Human Applejack wouldn't be deterred, however. With all her might, she lunged at her opponent and dug in her heels, desperately trying to get her pony counterpart to fall. Ultimately, she succeeded in forcing the football out of the Equestrian Applejack's hands just a few yards short of the goal line. And she did it again, and again, and again. Just like that, she had stopped her pony counterpart.
Pony Applejack groaned a bit as she took up a defensive position against her human counterpart. "I won't let you pass me by, sugarcube! We're endin' this match in a tie."
Applejack of the Wondercolts just chuckled, adjusting her hat again. "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, double me. It's not over 'til it's over. I don't plan to lose!" And seconds later, she was off, running down the field as fast as her legs would let her.
Pony Applejack did everything she could to slow and stop her human counterpart from advancing across the field. Try as she might, though, no amount of pressure could hold back human Applejack as she repeatedly picked up first down after first down. At last, she had reached the goal line.
Pony Applejack thought for sure her human counterpart would try to run the ball in for a touchdown, and got into position to try to block such a move.
But with a smirk, human Applejack placed a stand on the field. She then backed up a bit, judging her angle, before running up to the ball and kicking it hard! It sailed right over the head of the Applejack of Equestria and through the goalposts, giving human Applejack the score and thus the win, tying things up again.
"That was a pretty clever move on your part, sugarcube," Pony Applejack said to her human counterpart afterwards. "Guess that's what I get for bein' stubborn."
Applejack of the Wondercolts just replied. "Hey, a win is a win. Sometimes, it's not always about yourself. Part of bein' a good athlete is takin' a good look at the situation and changin' your game to fit the moment."
With the score tied at two a piece, the Raritys were now getting ready for their one on one showdown. It involved the posts with netting all around them. Human Rarity took the liberty of explaining what this particular sport was and how it worked. "This is a little something called frisbee golf."
Pony Rarity blinked in surprise. "I don't understand. Why would they call it that? A golf ball is nowhere close to a frisbee."
Human Rarity nodded. "Oh I know. But they insist on calling it this, so who am I to disagree?" And she explained. "This sport seemed particularly suitable to us, because we don't have to run, jump, or do anything really taxing on our bodies. We just have to throw a frisbee, and try to land it in the nets in as few attempts as possible. Only if you get it into the net does it count."
"And I assume we have a limited number of tries with which to do so?" The Rarity of Equestria asked her human counterpart.
"Indeed," Rarity of the Wondercolts replied. "Whoever gets their frisbee into the net in fewer goes will be the winner. And we'll take turns throwing our frisbees."
Pony Rarity then declared. "In that case, I suppose I'll go first. This sounds simple enough." She carefully grasped the large frisbee disk that was a bright red in color. She eyed the goalpost and the net from a ways away, trying to figure out the best approach. Ultimately, she released her grip on the frisbee and hurled it through the air.
Alas, the frisbee landed at least ten feet or so away from the net, and thus didn't count. Pony Rarity was a bit disappointed, she had felt so confident in that toss just then.
"Better luck next time, darling," Human Rarity said sweetly to her pony counterpart. "Now it's my turn." She held onto a frisbee colored a bright blue, then released her grip and tossed it after only a few seconds. At first it seemed like it was going to land in the net. However, at what seemed like the last second it turned away from the net and fell short of it.
Pony Rarity then took her turn. "Here goes nothing!" She said quite firmly! She returned to where she had stood before and remained there in silence for a moment or two, deep in thought. Then she stepped forward slightly, hurling the frisbee with all her might!
The bright red frisbee soared through the air, flying towards the goalpost and the net. It came down a few seconds later, just barely managing to land in the net.
Human Rarity didn't appear to be intimidated by what her pony counterpart had managed to do. With confident looks, she tossed her frisbee towards the net as hard as she could! It ultimately struck the goalpost, but fell down in a way that it just missed the netting. "Oh." She let out a frustrated, disappointed sigh.
"And with that, Team Equestria moves back into the lead!" The Spike sitting next to Princess Twilight proclaimed. "One more win and they'll win the whole contest!"
"So it's come down to our Twilights," Pony Rarity commented afterwards as she approached her human counterpart. "How ever so fitting, wouldn't you say?"
Human Rarity nodded and replied. "Well, I have every confidence in our Twilight to tie up the score, and in Sunset Shimmer to carry us to victory in the final event."
"I know for a fact that Twilight and Starlight are both more than capable of holding their own," Pony Rarity firmly insisted. Then she looked to her human counterpart and said to her. "Nice job on the uniforms, by the way. I can't believe you don't work at a boutique like I do."
Human Rarity put a finger to her mouth. "Hm, a boutique, you say? Perhaps that is something for me to look into post graduation."
The Rarity from Equestria flashed a knowing wink. "I would be more than happy to let you come and practice at my boutique for a while, provided we could find a convincing way to smuggle you in. We would need a very clever disguise."
As the Rainbooms and the Equestrians all watched with excitement and almost bated breath, Princess Twilight and human Twilight walked down from the bleachers and then walked to the batting cage. They were extra careful as they slipped on helmets lying around.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Princess Twilight asked her human counterpart as she looked around at the balls and bats. "You know the sport better than I do."
Human Twilight nodded, carefully pushing her glasses into place. "Well, this will be like batting practice, but on a more competitive level. One of us will pitch to the other, who will be trying to hit the baseballs with a baseball bat. There are more than enough baseballs for us both to share. And you can bat until you get three strikes, which are three baseballs that go past you within the strike zone. The winner will be whoever can hit more baseballs."
"Sounds easy enough." Princess Twilight replied.
Twilight of the Wondercolts affirmatively nodded. "I know what you're thinking: Like me, you're more into reading about sports than playing them. But like it or not, we have to do this. Whoever wins: No hard feelings, right?"
Princess Twilight nodded back. "Right," And she grasped one of the wooden bats as best she could. "If it's okay with you, I'll bat first and you pitch to me. Then when I strike out, we'll reverse the roles."
"You sure you wouldn't rather pitch first? Pitching's not as hard as batting at least from my experience." Human Twilight offered to her pony counterpart.
Princess Twilight shook her head from side to side. "I've made up my mind: Let's do this!"
Human Twilight walked to the pitcher's mound as her Equestrian counterpart approached home plate. "Alright then. Let's see what you've got!"
Princess Twilight brimmed with confidence, which carried over to the first ball that was thrown at her. It moved slow, giving her plenty of time to prepare for its arrival and hit it quite firmly. The second ball moved much faster, and she only just managed to hit it off to the side, narrowly avoiding sending it across the foul line.
But the next three balls in a row whizzed past the Equestrian Twilight before she had a chance to react! In the blink of an eye, she had struck out with only two successful hits. "Huh, I thought I'd do better than that." She said with surprise as she nevertheless put down her bat and went to the pitcher's mound.
"Like I said, I find pitching to be easier than batting," Human Twilight replied as she gripped the bat with her hands. "I'm ready whenever you are."
"Alright then. Now you'll see just how good I really am!" Princess Twilight proudly proclaimed, and hurled her first ball towards home plate!
The first ball got by human Twilight, counting as a strike. But from there, human Twilight effortlessly hit the next three balls in a row, sending them all the way to the other end of the batting cage and thus giving her the win! "I... I won!" She blinked in amazement!
"Well, in my defense," Princess Twilight admitted as she walked over to her human counterpart. "I'm still not the most comfortable with hands or holding things in them. Guess maybe I should've practiced more."
"Hey, I've never really played baseball at all before. So I'd say it all evens out." Human Twilight confessed as she and the princess shook hands.
All eyes were now upon Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer as the two friends carried their weight of their teams on their shoulders. Both faced immense pressure to win for their team. Yet as the two made their way to the large, almost circular track, the way they talked to each other made it sound as if nothing at all mattered and there was no pressure whatsoever.
"I had a feeling it would come down to this," Sunset said with a chuckle. "This is really the only way it could've ended."
Starlight nodded. "I feel strangely the same way, Sunset. At least this time we don't have to worry about some misguided teenager messing with Equestrian magic that they don't fully comprehend."
Sunset smiled. "May the best girl win, Starlight."
"Same to you, Sunset." Starlight said in reply.
The two girls lined up next to each other on the tracks, and Princess Twilight took the liberty of saying to the both of them. "Racers: On your marks, get set, go!"
Thick clouds of dust were then kicked up as Starlight and Sunset ran around the track! Through the first corner, they kept mostly even with each other, neither one could pull ahead for more than a second or two at most.
Cheers from the teams seemed to echo across the grounds as Sunset and Starlight kept racing, both already starting to show visible signs of exhaustion as they neared the halfway point.
Yet when the two girls looked across to each other, they both seemed to be thinking the same thing. "You ready to do this for real, Starlight?!" Sunset eagerly asked her opponent.
With narrowed eyes, Starlight eagerly responded! "You know it! See you at the finish line!" And she began to increase her running pace at about the same time as Sunset!
The dust grew thicker as Sunset and Starlight ran faster and faster, passing the third corner even as Sunset Shimmer began to take a commanding lead! "Hey, come on! Are you even trying back there?!" She hollered at Starlight. It sounded like playful banter, but at the same time it seemed to have a slightly competitive hint to it.
Starlight panted furiously, pushing herself harder and harder! "I've still got enough left in the tank to beat you! I'm just trying to make things interesting!"
"Well you'd better do something soon, because you're about to lose!" Sunset shouted back. She could already see the finish line up ahead. It was drawing closer and closer by the second.
Starlight Glimmer grit her teeth, running so fast that her body was all but screaming at her to slow down! She ignored the pain and kept pushing! "I WON'T LOSE!" She roared, lunging down the track at a pace that seemed almost too fast to be true!
Sunset Shimmer looked back, and smiled when she saw Starlight slowly closing the gap. "About time you're taking this seriously!" She chuckled, then turned her attention to the finish line that was just up ahead.
Time seemed to slow down to almost a standstill, all eyes were on the finish line as both teams waited to see who would cross first.
At last, after what felt like an eternity, Sunset Shimmer's legs stepped over the finish line just seconds before Starlight's. Just like that, the race was over, and Sunset had won it for the Wondercolts!
Starlight Glimmer, though shocked at the outcome, was still able to walk over to Sunset and shake her hand afterward. "I thought I had you there for a moment, Sunset. Guess I should've realized I couldn't defeat you that easily."
Sunset smiled. "Hey, you did pretty well yourself, Starlight. I'm glad we got to race each other. You were a worthy opponent. Besides, this was mostly just for fun. A chance for us all to get together and hang out."
Princess Twilight walked over with the rest of her team, smiling at Sunset. "Well, Sunset, I have to say your idea was really good. This was the most fun my friends and I have had in ages."
Sunset Shimmer nodded back. "I had a feeling you'd say that, Princess Twilight. And as the old saying goes: It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. You and your friends should all be proud of the effort you brought to these games."
"Well, just don't get too confident," Starlight pointed out. "Because I think some of us might be itching for a rematch one of these days."
"Why don't we talk about that over some milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner?" Sunset offered. "My treat."
Everyone was all in agreement on that. Milkshakes sounded like just the sort of thing to enjoy after an intense competition.
Author's Note
Well, with the Olympics set to begin in the next few weeks, how could I resist when this proposal was brought to me?
Yes, I know soccer is only called soccer in the U.S., but I'm an American so I'm calling it soccer.
Frisbee Golf was included because I was trying to think of a sport that could be similar to things like baseball and basketball, while fitting with Rarity's personality both pony and human.
