Fair Game?

Pinkie Pie and Rarity had a good, strong start on the speed-skating track thanks to Fluttershy’s and Applejack’s expert archery skills. But Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare were already gaining on them. Lap after lap, they zoomed around the track, synchronized and powerful.

“Canterlot High only has two laps to go,” announced Dean Cadance. “But it looks like Crystal Prep is making up for lost time.”

Rarity glanced over her shoulder and saw the other team gaining on her. She made the snap decision to turn around and start skating backward. She held out her hands to Pinkie. “Come on!” she urged.

The two girls grabbed hands just as the Shadowbolt team started to pass them. With classic roller derby skill, Rarity whipped Pinkie Pie around a steep turn in the track and sent her careening past the Crystal Prep skaters. Pinkie Pie whizzed around the last lap, grabbed hold of Rarity, and propelled her forward. Both girls crossed the finish line at the exact same moment as their opponents.

Cameras flashed. The crowd cheered.

The girls on their dirt bikes revved their engines. It was time to go. The last part of the relay was theirs. They put their feet on the gas and roared down a steep ramp, flying off in a huge jump as high as the stands.

“This is awesome!” called out Rainbow Dash.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Each bike hit the track and jockeyed for position. Sunset Shimmer steered expertly over a series of moguls, pulling ahead. But just as she turned the next corner, she saw a thick patch of enormous snapping Venus flytraps taking over the track. She jammed on her brakes and squealed to a stop.

Sugarcoat tried to jump over them and landed right in the sharp-toothed mouth of a giant snapper! Her tires popped, and she managed to clamber off the bike and get away just before the Venus flytrap swallowed it. The crowd gasped.

Indigo Zap saw the field of man-eating plants in front of her but managed to use the flytrap chomping on Sugarcoat’s bike as a jump. She catapulted herself into the lead, flying out across the field and zooming ahead when she landed. The crowd was stunned.

A giant flytrap loomed over Sunset Shimmer. Its mouth was open and slobbering. Rainbow Dash pulled up and grabbed her.

“Dash, you saved me!” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.

“I wasn’t about to let my friend become plant food. We can still win this,” Rainbow Dash said. Inspired by the spirit of teamwork, she sprouted wings, ears, and a multicolored pony tail. The crowd was shocked. What was happening now? Was this planned?

Rainbow Dash flew through the air, distracting the Venus flytraps. Sunset Shimmer managed to pull free her bike. Rainbow Dash tricked the plants into attacking one another while both girls steered around them and got back in the race. Could they catch up with Indigo Zap?

Indigo Zap looked over her shoulder as she weaved between obstacles. The girls were catching up, and she put her pedal to the metal. There was one more jump. She rode higher and higher up the ramp, but just as she was about to fly free, a flytrap grabbed her rear tire.

Another plant lunged for Sunset Shimmer, and one opened its mouth right near Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow was driving across the ramp right toward Indigo Zap. She flew over the stem of the plant that had caught hold of the Shadowbolt girl. She helped her ride free! She sacrificed her own win for her opponent.

Sunset Shimmer and Indigo Zap cleared the jump side by side, but Sunset Shimmer was just a tiny bit ahead as they crossed the finish line.

Principal Cinch was in a state of shock.

“Canterlot High wins!” Dean Cadance exclaimed. “I think.”

The Shadowbolts were not happy. Sour Sweet snapped her remaining arrows in two. Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare ripped off their speed-skating suits. Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat yanked at their bikes, trying to free them from the ferocious plants. They were not used to losing, and they didn’t know how to do it gracefully.

The ripples began to fade, and as they did, the plants withdrew and disappeared. Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat fell backward. Their dirt bikes were suddenly free.

On the motor course track, the girls rushed over to Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer.

“Is everybody all right?” asked Applejack. She still felt out of breath from her strange experience of ponying up.

“We won,” said Sunset Shimmer. “But somebody could have been seriously hurt. The magic is going haywire, and I have no idea how to fix it.”

Twilight Sparkle felt terrible. “Excuse me. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to learn about the strange energy coming from your school. I didn’t know that it was magic or how it worked.”

“That’s okay! Neither do we,” Rainbow Dash admitted, pointing at her wings, which were still there.

“Amazing,” whispered Twilight. She reached out to touch them and dropped her device. It popped open. Immediately, purple shimmers radiated out of Rainbow Dash and flowed into the device. Rainbow Dash collapsed. One moment, she was fine, and the next it was as if she had just run a marathon.

Twilight struggled with the device, trying to close it. But she couldn’t. “I’m sorry. It just started absorbing energy on its own, but I’m not sure how.”

“What do you mean you don’t know how?” Sunset Shimmer questioned.

Before Twilight Sparkle could answer, huge ripples appeared in the sky above their heads. Through them, the girls could glimpse the cascading waters of a rainbow waterfall. The waters poured onto the girls’ heads, and they were soaked. What was going on?

“The device also causes these corresponding rifts to appear,” explained Twilight Sparkle. “I don’t know how that works, either.”

Sunset Shimmer was frustrated. “Is there anything you do know? Like how to get our magic back or how to fix the portal to Equestria?”

“Equestria?” Twilight Sparkle reacted as if she had no idea what the word meant.

“You’re supposed to be so smart,” said Sunset Shimmer. “But did you ever think that you shouldn’t be messing with things you don’t understand?”

“But I want to understand!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

“But you don’t,” snapped Sunset Shimmer. “And worst of all, you put the lives of my friends in danger.”

“I’m sorry,” whispered Twilight, close to tears. These girls had been so nice to her, but now they were yelling at her—just like the girls at Crystal Prep. How come she could figure out every math problem, but she couldn’t figure out how to be a friend? She ran off the field before anyone could see her cry. Spike bounded after her.

The ripples in the sky vanished. The rainbow flood slowed to a trickle and dripped to a stop. Sunset Shimmer felt terrible about what she had said to Twilight Sparkle. She knew what it was like to make mistakes and feel alone. But when she had felt at her worst, after turning into a she-devil and trying to take over the school, the Equestria Girls had not only forgiven her but made her their friend. Now it seemed like Twilight Sparkle needed a friend, too.

Over on the podium, Principal Cinch was outraged. “You can’t possibly call that a fair race.”

“Principal Cinch,” said Principal Celestia, trying to control herself. “We all saw what happened. You can’t think that Canterlot High had some kind of advantage?”

“Can’t I?” she answered haughtily. “Even without your trained attack plants, your students have wings.”

“Ah, one student,” said Rainbow Dash, who had overheard them talking. “And I didn’t even cross the finish line.”

Principal Celestia sighed. “The race certainly had some extenuating circumstances. Perhaps we should end the Games now and declare a tie?”

“A tie?!” Principal Cinch was horrified. “Was this your strategy all along? To force us into accepting you as equals? I think not. The Games will continue, and Crystal Prep will prevail, despite your antics and whatever performance-enhancing regimen your students are on.”

Principal Cinch whirled around, collected her team, and marched them off the field.

Sunset Shimmer approached Vice Principal Luna and Principal Celestia. She was apologetic. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop all of this from happening.”

Principal Celestia gave her a gentle smile. “It’s not your fault, Sunset.”

“Isn’t it?” Sunset Shimmer hung her head, dejected. “I should know how to control the magic I brought here, but I don’t. I let everyone down, and now Principal Cinch thinks we’re cheating.”

Principal Celestia tried to console her. “You’re being too hard on yourself, Sunset, and who cares what Principal Cinch thinks? The only way we can convince her we’re not cheating is to lose.…”

Was there any way to lose and still win? That was the question.