Everyone was now on a free time for the time being. Sci-Twi wandered outside and looked to the Humane Six as they were in front of the Canterlot High statue.

Fluttershy made sure no one was watching her, when she saw no one, she unzipped her backpack and nuzzled her face against a purring cat's. She then heard something moving in the bushes to see Sci-Twi and Atticus. She smiled to them. "Do one of you wanna give her a treat?" she offered politely.

Sci-Twi stared at her pendant, but she decided to come over to Fluttershy. "Guess we're not the only ones to smuggle our pets into school." she said, taking off her backpack."

"Not just one." Fluttershy smiled as she opened more to show the cat, a bunny, a bird, and a hamster.

"Good old Fluttershy." Atticus smiled.

Without Sci-Twi noticing, Patch came over, changing to his Dalmatian puppy form.

"Oh, wow, all I have is Spike." Sci-Twi said, unzipping her backpack to show her purple puppy.

"It really is uncanny," Fluttershy was impressed with the likeness that this dog Spike had with the one she knew. "Does he talk?"

"Um... Not that I know of." Sci-Twi replied, that was a strange question to her.

"Congratulations on winning by the way, but it didn't really seem like anybody else on your team, besides you and Atticus, were very excited about it." Fluttershy frowned.

"Yeah, they could have show at least some excitement." Atticus said.

"No one at Crystal Prep gets excited about anything they didn't do themselves..." Sci-Twi rubbed her arm.

"That sounds awful." Fluttershy frowned.

Sci-Twi looked away sadly. Atticus looked sad, not knowing of what he could do to cheer her up, until he had an idea along with Fluttershy. Fluttershy reached into her bag and took out her bunny.

"Seems nicer in this world." Atticus whispered.

"Angel Bunny is the best bunny there is." Fluttershy smiled.

"He sure seems like it he's also the cutest bunny there is." Atticus awed.

Sci-Twi looked to them.

"Here, hold this." Fluttershy held out her bunny.

"Uh, why?" Sci-Twi tilted her head before holding her hands out.

"Holding a bunny always makes me feel better." Fluttershy knelt down with a smile.

"Yeah, go on, try it." Atticus smiled.

Sci-Twi took the bunny gently, but failed to see the point. "Well, that's ridiculous, but-"

Angel smiled and nuzzled against her chest.

This made Sci-Twi smile. "It actually kind of works!" she then nuzzled the bunny back, but then noticed that Fluttershy was helping her, which puzzled her. "I'm on the other team and you just lost... Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You look like you needed it." Fluttershy smiled before she began to glow and pony up.

"Whoa!" Sci-Twi freaked out. Her pendant then glowed with Fluttershy and a golden yellow mist fused from Fluttershy and sucked into the pendant.

Various portals opened up and one made a jackalope hop out. Spike growled at the bunny with antlers and started to chase it through the portals.

"SPIKE!" Sci-Twi yelled for her pet.

Another stream of magic then seemed to appear and it came from Patch and his medallion and was going into the pendant as well. Spike hopped near Patch and the magical surge zapped both of the dogs and they fell in Fluttershy's arms.

"SPIKE!/PATCH!" Sci-Twi and Atticus yelled, rushing over to Fluttershy.

Sci-Twi tried to close her pendant, it took a little effort, but she got it closed and she held her purple puppy. "Spike, are you okay?" she asked in deep worry and concern.

"Patch, please, please, please tell us that you and Spike are alright." Atticus begged in deep worry and concern.

"Ugh..." Patch rubbed his head. "I'll be okay, but I feel like I have a small headache..."

"Oh, thank goodness..." Atticus hugged Patch.

"Spike..." Sci-Twi begged. "Are you okay?"

"Um... I think so..." Spike spoke actual words.

Sci-Twi smiled at first, but then she screamed with her puppy since he spoke English and not barks or woofs. She fell, accidentally dropping Spike and ran off instantly.

"Twilight, wait!" Spike ran after his owner.

"Um, see you later, Fluttershy, me and Spike better go and try explain this to Twilight." Atticus said before running off after Sci-Twiwhile carrying Patch in his arms.

Fluttershy sighed as she fell in the middle of the ground and weakly waved. "Bye..."

'Oh, man, why do I have such a headache?' Patch thought to himself while groaning.

---

Sci-Twi ran into the school, putting her hands to her ears, not wishing to believe that she now had an English speaking canine for a pet. She even tried to run away from him.

"Twilight, come on, wait for me!" Spike called to his mistress. "Why'd you have to run away like that?"

Sci-Twi leaned against the lockers and looked at him like he was the crazy one. "Oh, I dunno... Maybe it has something to do with that glowing girl or the hole in space or my talking dog!"

"Yeah, weird, right?" Spike smirked once he scratched behind his ear.

"Well, at least she's not too freaked out." Patch said.

"Aw, man, not you too!" Sci-Twi looked at Patch once he started talking.

"Twilight! Please stop! We can explain!" Atticus called out to her.

Sci-Twi rubbed her head. "This is highly illogical..."

"Oh, it's absolutely logical!" Patch told her. "Positively and absolutely logical! If you say it isn't logical, well, it is, so there!" he then put his paw up next to Atticus's ear when he bent down to pick him up. "What's logical?"

"To put it simply, I believe she doesn't believe that this is happening and Twilight, this is possible, because it's all thanks to magic." Atticus said.

Sci-Twi was checking over her own puppy.

"Oh..." Patch now understood.

"It can't be possible," Sci-Twi still refused to believe. "There's no such thing as magic."

"It's the only explanation." Atticus said.

"Spike, where exactly did you go?" Sci-Twi asked her puppy.

"All I know is that I chased that pointy rabbit through that glowy thing and then I was somewhere else, the next thing I knew, me and Patch were in that nice girls arm's and we could talk," Spike said. "I don't know how we couldn't before, it seemed so easy."

"Twilight! Atticus!" a familiar voice called.

"Quick!" Sci-Twi opened the nearest locker door. "Both of you, hide in here!" She shoved both dogs into the locker and slammed the door shut.

"Who were you talking to?" Principal Cinch asked Sci-Twi.

"That would be me, ma'am, we were just talking about how well we did." Atticus covered up.

"Um... Yeah..." Sci-Twi added nervously, fiddling with a loose strand in her hair. "Were you looking for us?"

"Indeed I was," Principal Cinch nodded. "Quite a coincidence that the CHS students moving on to the next event are the same 'nice' girls who were interested in both of you. Don't you think?"

"I'm not sure..." Sci-Twi avoided eye contact.

"Perhaps you should get to know them after all." Principal Cinch continued.

"But ma'am, I do know those girls." Atticus said.

"Besides, I thought you didn't want me to know them." Sci-Twi added.

"Let's just say I'm covering my bases and Atticus can help you," Principal Cinch replied with an icy smile. "Who knows? Perhaps they will reveal to the both of you the secret to Canterlot High's newfound success."

"I don't know..." Sci-Twi pouted. "Spying feels kinda wrong."

Principal Cinch sent a glare, then pushed up her glasses. "Well, it's your decision, Twilight, it's not as if your application hangs in the balance..."

Atticus glared, that was blackmail and bribery.

"On second thought, yes, it does." Principal Cinch then cruelly added before walking away.

This caused for Atticus to punch one of the lockers out of rage, causing for Principal Cinch to stop in her tracks. Cinch looked over. Atticus snarled at her, shaking his fists.

"Save it for the Games, Atticus." Principal Cinch told him, she seemed shocked at first, but looked cold and stoic as always as she went back to her steps.

"I hate that witch so badly." Atticus glared.

"Man, she's awful," Spike hopped out of the locker with Patch. "You're stronger than you look too, Atticus."

"So, what're you guys gonna do?" Patch then added.

"I don't know, guys," Sci-Twi sounded miserably and emotionally lost. "I don't know..."

"Well, we're not going to cheat or spy on anyone, but we are going to still compete." Atticus said.

"Oh, dear..." Sci-Twi slid down on the floor.

Spike came to her side, deciding to comfort her the best he could in a way that only a dog could. Patch came over to comfort her as well and where Atticus also comforted her with a hug. Sci-Twi was happy about the extra support, but still a little down because of Principal Cinch guiding her through this in a very wrong and depressing way. Unknown to any of them, Cherry had overheard and saw everything that happened.

---

Teller was sitting on a bench outside the school, shuffling a deck of cards.

Cherry rushed over to him. "Teller! Teller!"

"That doesn't sound too good..." Teller said to himself as he ruffled the deck.

"Teller! Cinch! Blackmail! Sci-Twi! Atticus! Punch! Locker!" Cherry exclaimed while trying to tell him what she saw.

"Okay, Cherry, calm down and take a deep breath and tell me everything you saw and heard." Teller told her.

"Can't breathe..." Cherry wheezed.

Teller took out a plastic cup, went to an outdoor water fountain, filled it up, and came back over, handing her the cup.

Cherry took the cup and gulped down the water and took a deep breath, relaxing a little. "Principal Cinch is blackmailing Sci-Twi and Atticus! *gasp* Atticus is not happy about it at all! *gasp* Principal Cinch is bribing Sci-Twi into hanging around the Humane Six to get what she wants!"

"That woman will do anything to win, even if it means cheating, blackmail, or spying." Teller told her.

Cherry slowly breathed as she continued to drink her water. "She has to be stopped..." she panted. "How are we gonna stop her AND Dr. Faciler's shadow from consuming us all?"

"We'll just have to hope that the device is destroyed." Teller said.

"I don't like this..." Cherry moaned slightly.

Teller looked at the time. "Well, you better get on the bus for home, I'll see you at SugarCube Corner after you change your clothes."

Cherry nodded, she remembered they arranged to meet there after school today, she then went off. After a while, he saw Patch trying to change back into his human form to his Equestrian form, but he couldn't.

"Hmm..." Teller put his finger to his chin in deep thought. He had a lot more work to do.

---

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was talking with the rest of the Humane Six and Mo was joining them. Fluttershy was talking about her interaction with Sci-Twi since she was considered competition, but they were not mad at her.

"All I did was hand Twilight a bunny, then I ponied up." Fluttershy explained the encounter.

"I just don't get it." Sunset shook her head.

"Get what?" Mo asked.

"It's been weird like that lately," Sunset explained to her. "Rarity's magic came out when she made us outfits, Pinkie's when she fixed the party, and now Fluttershy."

"And then Twilight's pendant thingy sucked all of the magic right out of me and then it began to suck away Patch's magic. I couldn't even stand up and Patch looked like he had a headache." Fluttershy frowned.

"Like me at the party." Pinkie added with a spontaneous smile as always.

"Or me right before we met Twilight and Atticus." Rarity also added.

"So, they're stealing magic?" Sunset suggested.

"Ah don't know," Applejack didn't like that idea. "I know Atticus, but this Twilight doesn't seem like the magic-stealin' type."

"Yeah, but she had something to do with stealing the portal, if her pendant can pull in magic, maybe it stole the portal too." Sunset said.

"How?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know," Sunset was stumped about that. "And the pony, or person, or princess who could help me figure this out is completely unreachable now."

"Man... How are we gonna solve this without Princess Twilight?" Mo groaned once she realized what that meant.

"Too bad, because she knows everything about magic and portals and magic portals and portable magic." Pinkie added gleefully as she seemed to teleport everywhere all around them.

---

They were now at the back of the school.

"For now, let's just focus on beating the Shadowbolts and as long as something puts me on a playing field, I don't think we have anything top worry about." Rainbow Dash said.

Pinkie Pie smiled to the sportier of the six of them.

"Oh, it puts you in a playin' field all right." Applejack said as she pointed to an obstacle course made for the physical challenges of the Friendship Games.

Mo's eyes twitched. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this is overkill."

"You're not." Sunset reassured.

"Ah don't suppose you made motocross outfits?" Applejack asked the fashionista of the six of them.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous..." Rarity replied snootily at first before smiling obviously before taking out a couple of models. "Of course I did!"