Okay, guys, we made it to book 3 of "Sonic Underground: Equestria Girls". If you'll remember, book 1 was pretty political, then book 2 was more musical, and for book 3, it's time to get athletic. Here's the rundown

When Rainbow sends everyone an emergency call for a guitar string of all things, Sunset sees someone messing with the portal. When this mysterious stranger turns out to be this world's Twilight, about to compete in the Friendship Games, Sonic and the others must stop her from stealing Equestrian Magic and ripping the Multiverse to shreds. Enjoy!

Ch. 1: Who was That?

It had been a year since the Battle of the Bands, and Sonic and his team were settling back into the swing of things on Mobius when suddenly Rainbow Dash called in over the interdimensional commlink's emergency channel. Quickly, everyone hopped through the vortex just as everyone showed up. Sunset was dressed differently than when Shadow first saw her. Now she was wearing a different jacket, a sky blue blouse with a canary yellow skirt underneath, jeans and high-heeled boots.

"I got your text, Rainbow Dash," she said. "Did something come through the portal? Is Equestrian Magic on the loose? Did Twilight come back with a problem that only we can solve?"

"Did another Mobian crook show up bent on taking over?" asked Sonic, drawing Caliburn, whom he had strapped to his back as Shadow pulled a couple of shotguns off his back that looked like those belonging to Reaper from "Overwatch".

"Has a giant cake monster covered all the cakes in the world in cake?" asked Pinkie Pie, shoving two cupcakes into her mouth at once.

"Pretty sure that would be a good thing," said Manic, brandishing a pulse pistol. "So any of those right, RD?"

"Um, not exactly." said Rainbow, picking up her guitar.

"Uh, I don't understand." said Sunset.

"Me neither." said Sonic, sheathing Caliburn.

"Well people," said Applejack, playing with a broken string on Rainbow's guitar. "I was just tellin' Rainbow Dash here that a broken guitar string doesn't really qualify as an emergency."

"It totally does," said Rainbow. Then everyone did an anime-style pratfall before Sonic got up really angry.

"Are you telling me you dragged my team across the Multiverse for a broken guitar string?!" he asked.

"Really, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity. "I was in the middle of sewing a very complex applique on my latest frock."

"And I was just about to tuck everyone in for the night at the shelter," said Fluttershy, snuggling a rabbit in the cool evening air. "Now we'll have to start stories all over again."

"The Freedom Fighter Emergency Line is only for reporting emergencies," said Tails. "So why bother sending us an emergency message for a guitar string?"

"Well, I was going to pony up and show our fans some awesome guitar licks," she said, gesturing to three younger girls on the stairs of the school. "But I kinda need all six strings to do it. Got any extra?" Everyone groaned until Sonic reached into his pocket and pulled one out.

"Here. It's made of vibranium, so it can't break no matter what," he said.

"Thanks." said Rainbow.

"But everyone finished practicing for the day," said Sunset. "I'm pretty sure all the music rooms are locked."

"No problem," said Rainbow. "The acoustics in the hallway are perfect for power cords." Then she let loose a strong chord on her guitar. "Cmon. Let's go."

"Sorry, we've got work to do back home. Tails?" asked Sonic.

"Can't. The portal cannon's flux capacitor is fried, and I can't exactly pick one up around the block," said Tails, throwing something metal into the nearby trashcan. "Looks like we're stuck here until I can build a new one from bits and pieces."

"Well, we might as well listen to Rainbow's performance." said Shadow as he and the others walked in.

"You coming, Sunset?" asked Applejack.

"I'll catch up in a bit," she said.

"I think I'll stay out here too. Keep her company," said Sonic. Applejack walked in and Sonic called his mother on the interdimensional coms, telling her they were trapped at CHS. Sunset pulled out her magic book and started writing to Twilight in Equestria.

"Dear Princess Twilight," she wrote. "How's life treating you in Equestria? Any cool new magic spells? It's been pretty quiet here at CHS since the Battle of the Bands. We still pony up whenever we play music, which Rainbow Dash just loves to show off, but I still can't quite grasp what it's all about. I would love to hear what you think about it when you get a sec. Your friend, Sunset Shimmer." Then suddenly a bus rolled up in front of the school and someone in jeans and a hoodie walked off just as it drove off.

Then she pulled out some sort of meter and walked over to where the readings were strongest, I.E., the portal to Equestria. She touched it and it started shining when Sonic noticed her.

"Hey!" he called and the person turned to him and Sunset. "What are you doing?" Quickly the person ran off. Sonic, knowing she hadn't seen him before, raced after her realistically enough not to raise any suspicions, with Sunset hot on his heels. Quickly, the person crossed the road. Sonic tried to follow her, but a car got in his way so he jumped over it and ran on the roof.

"Sorry!" Sunset said to the driver. Then, just as Sonic caught up to the person, another bus rolled in and she jumped on board before it raced off. Sonic, who tried to pounce on her, missed and landed on the ground. Soon Sunset caught up to Sonic as he pulled himself up.

"What was that about? Who was that?" asked Sonic.

"I don't know. But the others might. Cmon," said Sunset as she and Sonic raced back into the school.

On the bus, the girl revealed herself to be this world's Twilight Sparkle. She sighed in relief at not being caught. Soon she arrived at a school that looked like it was built out of crystals, and made her way to a small private laboratory in the back. There, she took apart her meter and made it into some sort of high-tech-looking necklace.

Ch. 2: Friendship Games?

The next day, the Canterlot High library was busy as ever with Sunset and the others looking for something that might explain the girl from the bus.

"She was defiantly doing something to the portal," said Sunset.

"And if she didn't, she was gonna," said Sonic.

"Do you think she came through the portal from Equestria?" asked Fluttershy.

"Nah. Pretty sure we would've noticed that," said Sonic. "And I'd know for sure if she came from Mobius with me and the others."

"I think she's actually from over here," said Sunset.

"Well, that's a relief," said Applejack. "The last thing we need is another magical so-and-so bent on world domination coming over from Equestria." Then she winked at Sunset, who was totally over it.

"Agreed," said Rarity. "I have no interest in another fight against the powers of dark magic. The wear and tear on my wardrobe is just too much to keep up with."

"Still, a mysterious figure snooping around the portal?" asked Sunset. "Don't you wanna know what she was up to?"

"I know I do," said Silver.

"I don't even wanna guess." shuddered Fluttershy.

"Well, ya don't have to. Because I totally figured out who it was," said Rainbow, rounding the corner with a yearbook.

"Ooh, ooh!" said Pinkie, somehow pulling out books related to topics she said. "A nighttime statue cleaner? A magical portal maintenance maintainer? A gardener?"

"You guys actually have books on magic portal maintenance?" asked Shadow.

"This is Canterlot High. We've got books on practically everything," said Applejack.

"Even genetic engineering?" asked Shadow.

"Except that," she replied.

"Thought so," said Shadow.

"Yeah anyway, seeing as how they got off a bus from the city, and then got back on a bus headed to the city, I'll bet they go to…"

"Crystal Prep," said the girls disappointedly.

"Yep," said Rainbow. "With the Friendship Games starting tomorrow, they'd totally try to punk us by defacing the Wondercolt statue."

"'Friendship Games'?" asked Sonia. "What are those?"

"A series of events our school competes in to try and win a crazy prize." said Applejack.

"Sounds a lot like the Olympics," said Sonic, remembering his years going up against Mario and his team in the Olympics in London and Sochi. "Can't wait for Rio," he thought.

"Anyway, why would someone take a bus all the way from the city for that?" asked Sunset.

"Because the Crystal Perp Shadowbolts are our biggest rivals?" asked Applejack.

"Because that's just what the students at Crystal Prep would do?" asked Rarity.

"Because even though they beat us in everything…" said Rainbow, showing them pictures of the Wondercolts losing at everything. "Soccer, tennis, golf; They still have to gloat." Then she showed them a picture of the Wondercolt statue dressed up like a clown.

"Seems kinda stupid, if ya ask me." said Manic, resting on top of a bookcase and spinning his drumstick on his hand.

"STUPID?!" asked the girls, causing him to fall off.

"OW!" he shouted when he landed.

"So I guess you think the Friendship Games are stupid too?" asked Rainbow.

"Well, look on the plus side; It's not like we'll be fighting the powers of evil magic." said Sonic.

"No," said Fluttershy. "We'll be fighting against a school full of meanies. Not everything has to be magical to be important."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Sunset. "We're sorry. We know it's a big deal."

"That's putting it mildly, darling," said Rarity. "They're still revamping the playing field out back in preparation."

"How long has it been going on?" asked Sonic.

"About five weeks," said Rainbow. Sonic quickly whistled in amazement.

"You guys take these things really seriously, huh?" he asked.

"I just don't understand why there's this whole rivalry," said Sunset. "Aren't the 'Friendship Games' supposed to be about our two schools getting along?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to get along with someone who beats you at everything," said Applejack.

"Not anymore," said Rainbow, tossing the yearbook away. "This time, things are gonna be different."

"How so?" asked Shadow.

"Oh, you'll find out." she said.

"Why does that not fill me with confidence?" asked Sonic.

"And here I thought dragons were the only ones who could be ridiculously cryptic." said Manic.

Ch. 3: Wondercolts United

Later, everyone in the school was gathered in the gym to see Celestia and Luna up on the stage.

"As I'm sure you all know, tomorrow Canterlot High School will be hosting our fellow students from Crystal Prep Academy as we join together in the spirit of excellence, sportsmanship, and fidelity to compete in the Friendship Games," said Celestia. Everyone gave a lackluster clap and cheer, not anxious to lose. "Since the games only happen every four years, I'm sure you're all curious what goes on."

"You mean other than us losing?" asked Flash Sentry.

"Smooth," thought Sonic.

"And that is exactly why I've asked Rainbow Dash to come up and give you all a little, um… context," said Celestia before Rainbow snagged the mic from her hands.

"Thank you, Principal Celestia," she said before she cleared her throat. "I know a lot of you might think there's no way we can beat a fancy school like Crystal Prep at anything,"

"Unless it's a 'losing to Crystal Prep' competition, cause we're really good at that!" said Pinkie.

"True," said Shadow.

"And I know that CHS has never won the Friendship Games even once," Rainbow continued.

"Sorry, was this speech supposed to be motivational?" asked Sonic.

"Crystal Prep students are super athletic, super smart, and super motivated," said Rainbow. "But there's one thing they aren't."

"And that is?" asked Shadow who had teleported up next to her with his G.U.N uniform on and an M16 in his hands.

"They aren't Wondercolts," said Rainbow when the curtains parted to reveal the school marching band.

(Play "CHS Rally Song" – Original Movie)

Rainbow: We've fought magic more than once
And come out on top

Chorus: Oh, oh

Shadow: There's other schools, but none can make those claims

Chorus: Na, na-na-na-na, oh

Rainbow: Together we are Canterlot
Come and cheer our name

Chorus: Oh, oh

Shadow: This will be our year to win these games

Rainbow, Shadow, and chorus: We'll always be Wondercolts forever
And now our time has finally arrived
'Cause we believe in the Magic of Friendship
And you know, at the end of the day, it is we who'll survive

Then somehow, just by plugging a cord into her miniature turntable set, Vinyl started blasting music over the gym speaker system.

Students: Hey!

Rainbow: We're not the school we were before

Students: Before!

Shadow: Yeah, we're different now

Chorus: Oh, oh (Students: Hey, hey!)

Rainbow: We overcame the obstacles we faced

Chorus: Overcame the obstacle we faced

Students: Hey!

Shadow: We're Canterlot United

Students: Unite!

Rainbow: And we'll never bow

Chorus: Oh, oh (Students: Hey, hey!)

Shadow: So get ready to see us in first place

All: We'll always be Wondercolts forever
And now our time has finally arrived
'Cause we believe in the Magic of Friendship
And you know, at the end of the day, it is we who'll survive
At the end of the day, it is we who'll survive!

Na, na, na-na-na-na
Wondercolts united together
Na, na, na-na-na-na
Wondercolts united together

Na, na, na-na-na-na
Wondercolts united together
(Rainbow and Shadow: We'll always be Wondercolts forever)
(And now our time has finally arrived)
('Cause we believe in the magic of Friendship)

Then out of nowhere, Rainbow started glowing blue before she gained her ears, tail, and wings, much to her friends' surprise.

(And you know…)

At the end of the day, it is we who'll survive!
At the end of the day, it is we who'll survive!

After that, everyone cheered and whistled confident they would win this year. Later on, the band left for class. Rainbow gave them a thumbs-up and a wink before she walked up to her friends.

"Rainbow Dash, that was amazing," said Fluttershy. "Even I feel like we can win."

"I feel like my school pride is at an all-time high!" said Rarity.

"Is anybody else wonderin' how Dash ponied up without playin' her guitar?" asked Applejack.

"Yo." said Knuckles.

"I know, right?" asked Rainbow. "It's probably because I'm so awesome."

"Oy." said Sonic.

"Maybe," said Sunset. "I mean, you are awesome,"

"And a little egotistic," Tails whispered to Silver.

"I heard that." said Rainbow.

"But there's gotta be more to it than that, right?" asked Sunset. "It just seemed so random."

"Well, it would be nice if you girls could get a handle on it," said Vice Principal Luna, who was standing behind her. "We'd like to keep magic as far away from the Friendship Games as possible. We don't want to be accused of cheating."

"We don't need magic to beat those hoity-toity Crystal Preppers." said Rarity and everyone agreed.

"Still, the Friendship Games are serious business," said Luna. "We don't any surprises, especially the kind that could cause us to forfeit." Then she looked at Sunset. "Sunset Shimmer, you came here from a world of magic. Perhaps you can get to the bottom of our magical development."

"I'll do my best," said Sunset. With that, Luna nodded and left.

"Okay," said Rainbow. "Anybody have any guesses on what the events are gonna be this year?" Then Pinkie yanked a pie and cake out of her hair… somehow.

"Pie eating? Cake eating?" she asked then gasped and squished them together. "Pie-cake eating?"

"Wait, you guys don't know what we're doing in the games?" asked Sonic.

"Are you kiddin'?" asked Applejack. "They won't even let us see what they're doing to the field. You'd think they'd at least tell competitors what they're competing in."

"It could be anything." said Fluttershy.

"Anything?" asked Rarity. "How will I ever pick the right outfit?"

"I really wanna help, but I think I'd better focus on why Rainbow Dash ponied up. See ya later," said Sunset and she left.

"Seems like she's got everything under control," said Pinkie. "Nothing to worry about."

"Well, while she's doing that, we've still got plenty of light left to get in some training," said Shadow. "Cmon." Meanwhile, in the library, Sunset was looking through storybook after storybook, in hopes of finding some sort of reason why Rainbow ponied up, but so far, she hadn't figured out anything. She pushed away some notes she made and groaned in angst.

Then she sighed and reached for her magic book and started writing. "Hey Twilight," she wrote. "Haven't heard back from you yet. Guess you must be pretty busy with your role as princess. I could really use your advice right now. Ya see, I've been given the job of keeping magic under control here at CHS, even though I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it. And now, after seeing Rainbow Dash pony up the way she did, it makes me think our magic might be… changing. Everyone's looking to me to figure things out and I really don't wanna let them down, but I'm not sure I have enough experience with Friendship Magic to solve this." Once she finished writing, she was hopeful for a fast reply but was worried the girl she saw earlier did something to the connection.

Ch. 4: More That's Out There

Meanwhile, at Crystal Prep, this world's Twilight, who was now wearing the usual academy uniform. This Twilight was much like her Equestrian counterpart was before she moved to Ponyville; had trouble making friends, oriented to her studies, and really not confident around people. This was obvious as she stared down the crowded hallway. Her glasses slipped down her face a bit, but she reset them and started walking down it, bumping into a few people along the way.

Later on, in her private lab in the academy, Spike was sleeping on her chair when he heard someone walking down the hall. He knew it was Twilight, so he quickly got up and was whacked away into a box by the door.

"Spike! Spii-iike!" said Twilight as she closed the door and sat down. The little pup quickly stuck his head up out of the wastebasket he had fallen into and barked. Twilight giggled as he hopped onto her desk. "There you are!" Then he jumped onto her and started licking her. "Ok, ok," she said calming him down. Then she opened a drawer and pulled out the necklace she made.

"Last night's field test confirmed it, Spike," she said. "With this device, I can track and contain the bizarre energy coming from Canterlot High." At the mention of the school's name, Spike started growling, but Twilight made him cut it out by petting him. "I know you didn't like me going over there, but I just couldn't wait." Spike jumped off her as she pushed her swivel chair over to another desk. "And soon, I'll have all the time I need. All of Crystal Prep is gonna be there for the Friendship Games. I just hope all that rivalry nonsense doesn't get in the way of my research."

Then a ladybug flew around and Spike tried to catch it. "If I can collect enough data on these EM frequencies, I should be able to extrapolate the waveforms to determine their origin," Twilight continued. "That would practically guarantee my entrance into the Everton Independent Study Program." Then she lost her balance in her chair just as someone opened the door. She had pink skin, tri-colored hair, purple eyes, and a dean's outfit. Then she got up with Spike licking Twilight's face.

"Twilight, you know the rules against pets." she said, helping her up.

"Well, Spike isn't a pet, Dean Cadence," said Twilight, thinking quickly. "He's the focus of my research project; 'Human/Canine Cohabitation; Effects and Implications."

Sonic Prime: Y'know, that sounds like a pretty interesting field, if I'm being totally honest.

"If you say so…" said Cadence, picking a piece of Spike's fur off her shirt. "But Principal Cinch is highly allergic, so I suggest you put on a clean shirt."

"Why?" asked Twilight.

"Because she wants to see you." said Cadence.

"Ooh! Maybe she has news about my application to Everton," said Twilight hopefully.

"I've actually been meaning to talk about that," said Cadence. "Are you sure that's what you really want?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" asked Twilight. "A program that allows me to direct all my attention on my own advanced math and science projects? What a dream come true!" Yeah, in case you didn't notice yet, this Twilight's a bit of an ubernerd. Anyway, back to the story…

"But there aren't any classrooms with other students," said Cadence. "You'll be doing everything on your own."

"That is why it's called an Independent Study Program," said Twilight matter-of-factly.

"I just don't want you to miss out on anything, that's all," said Cadence. "Being around other people isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it's how you learn the most about yourself."

"I guess," said Twilight.

"Meet you in Principal Cinch's office in a few minutes?" asked Cadence. Twilight nodded slightly and she left.

"What's she so worried about?" Twilight asked Spike. "Everton is exactly what I need right now. *sigh* It's not like I have anything left to learn at Crystal Prep." Later she had changed her shirt and she was heading up to Cinch's office as Sonic and his siblings, who were playing their instruments, which somehow carried over to the city, lightly filled the air before Twilight started singing.

(Play "What More is Out There?" – Original Movie)

Twilight: I've walked through all these halls before
I've been in and out of every door, oh-whoa-oh
There's nothin' in this school that I don't know
In every class, my grade's the best
The highest score on every test
I think that means it's time for me to go

I know there's more that's out there
And I just haven't found it yet
I know there's more that's out there
Another me I haven't met

This school is full of people
But still I don't belong
They only dream of winning
Look at me like something's wrong
Maybe I'm better off alone
Will I find what I'm lookin' for
If I just do it on my own?

I know there's more that's out there
Something to fill this hole inside
I know there's more that's out there
And I'm not afraid to try

There's only so much this school can offer
And I'm not saying that it's wrong
But I know there's more that's out there
'Cause I've been searching all along

Beyond these rooms, beyond these walls
So much to learn, I can't see it all
There's somethin' out there callin' me
And it's a mystery that I can't wait to see

'Cause I know there's more that's out there
Another place, another way
And I know there's more that's out there
And I'll find out someday!

I'll find out someday...

Once she was done, she opened the door to Cinch's office. Back at CHS, Rainbow was looking at Sonic and his siblings who had finished performing.

"Why'd you just play that?" she asked.

"Eh. we were kinda tense. Playing helps calm us down." said Sonia. Back at Crystal Prep, Twilight was both ecstatic and shaking in her boots, since she was in the same room as the principal of Crystal Prep, Abacus Cinch, a rather stone-faced reclusive woman. Hell, most of the students figured she lived in her office and hadn't left it since the last games four years ago. Then the door closed to reveal a white-skinned young man.

"Shining Armor?" asked Twilight. "Why is my brother here?"

"As an alumni, Principal Cinch thought he could provide some unique perspective." said Cadence.

"On what?" asked Twilight.

"Why, the Friendship Games, of course," said Cinch, a turquoise-skinned woman. "You competed in the last games, did you not, Shining Armor?"

The young man was surprised, but cleared his throat and answered quite simply "I did."

"And do you happen to recall who won?" asked Cinch.

Armor chuckled a bit before he answered. "Crystal Prep did," he said. "We always win,"

"We always win," Cinch copied before walking over to a trophy case in her office.

"Why did you ask to see me?" asked Twilight.

"Twilight, I'll be honest," said Cinch. "It doesn't matter whether or not Crystal Prep wins or loses. The important thing is that we are expected to win because Crystal Prep has a reputation. And it is that reputation… My reputation, that is responsible for everything we have here. For everything you've done here. And you've done quite a lot, haven't you?"

"I don't know," said Twilight. "I guess."

"Oh, don't be modest," said Cinch. "You're, by far, the best student this school has ever seen. What I can't understand is why my best student wouldn't want to compete."

"In the Friendship Games?" asked Twilight.

"Look, sis, I know it's not your thing, but representing the school is kind of a big deal," said Armor. "Plus, they could really use your help."

"It seems Canterlot High is undergoing something of a Renaissance," said Cinch. "Test scores are up. Grades, even athletics are on the rise. You see, they are developing somewhat of a reputation. This. Cannot. Happen."

"Principal Cinch, with all due respect, I can't possibly participate in the games," said Twilight. "My work here is very-"

"Ah yes, your work," said Cinch. "Cadence, could you and Shining Armor find my contact sheet for the Everton Independent Study Program?"

"Of course," said Cadence and she and Armor left.

"I understand you've applied?" asked Cinch slyly. "You see, one of the advantages of having a reputation is a certain amount of influence in such things. So let me offer you a deal; In return for contributing your agile mind to these games, I will use my influence to guarantee your application is approved. Though I suppose I could also have it denied. What do you think I should do?"

Twilight was worried the competition would get in the way of her research, but this was her chance to get into Everton, so she was forced to concede. Later, she was back in her lab with Spike, loading up for the trip. Spike tries to not make her go, but she resists.

"Come on, Spike! I was always gonna go to Canterlot High for the games," she said. "Only difference now is that I have to compete. Besides, it's not like Principal Cinch gave me much of a choice." Spike whined and Twilight patted him on the head, cheering him up. "I know, Spike. I don't like it either. I probably won't be able to collect anywhere near as much data as I thought." Then she picked up her pendant and pondered something. "But maybe I can still get some," Quickly she put it on. Spike was worried she would leave him behind, but she just hugged him and put him in her bag. "Spike, I wouldn't leave without you. Just remember to be quiet. And… try not to shed." Quickly, she zipped out to the bus where she found some of her more competitive classmates, all of whom were extremely rude as they rumbled down the road in the bus.

Ch. 5: Twilight?!

Back at CHS, the Rainbooms finished rocking out in the band room as their pony features disappeared and the others applauded them.

"Nice work, ladies," said Sonic. "You've really come a long way since the Battle of the Bands."

"I hope the Friendship Games have a music competition because we would totally rock it!" said Rainbow, laying out a riff.

"Um, we're supposed to keep magic out of the Friendship Games, remember?" said Sunset and Rainbow rolled her eyes angrily.

"Easier said than done, darling," said Rarity, working on her makeup.

"Especially with how Rainbow loves to show off," whispered Tails.

"I heard that." she said.

"I'm sure in Equestria, magic does whatever you want it to, but…" continued Rarity.

"This isn't Equestria." said Sunset.

"True dat," said Silver.

"Dude, no one says that anymore," said Sonic.

"Sorry."

"Well, when it comes to magic, I'm sure you'll figure it out." said Applejack.

"And while Sunset works on keeping the magic out of the games," said Rarity. "I have been working on what to put in."

"Rarity, what did you go and do?" asked Applejack.

"Actually, it wasn't just her this time," said Silver.

"Oh god, don't tell me she's got you wrapped around her finger, Silver." said Sonic.

"Nah, it was just a favor," he replied. "And with such bounty."

"Of what sort?" asked Shadow as Silver and Rarity pushed a few clothing racks in with a ton of uniforms on all of them.

"Well, we had a little time on our hands," said Rarity. "And since we don't know what the Friendship Games' events are… we made a few options for uniforms." Then she threw some over Rainbow and Sonia, instantly putting them in white and blue soccer uniforms.

"You really didn't have to do that," said Rainbow.

"I know," said Rarity, taking it as a compliment.

"No," said Sonic, looking over some of the other wardrobe choices. "You really didn't have to."

"I know!" said Rarity, giggling at the unintended compliment. Outside, the bus from Crystal Prep had arrived and Celestia and Luna came out to greet them.

"Vice Principal Luna can help your students get settled if you'd like me to show you around, Principal Cinch," said Celestia. "There have been quite a few changes since your last visit."

"Oh. Yes, Principal Celestia. I'm sure that would be fascinating," said Cinch. She was obviously being sarcastic, but Celestia didn't let it bug her. Then Luna and Cadence were wrapped in a hug.

"Oh, it's always such a pleasure to see you, Dean Cadence," said Luna. "Even if it means another defeat."

"Thank you, Vice Principal Luna," said Cadence. "But I hear it's not going to be so easy this time." Then Twilight tried to slip off the bus all stealthy-like, but one of her classmates rocketed past her. She had deep blue hair, tan skin and amber eyes. Her name was Indigo Zap, and she was the most athletic person at Crystal Prep.

"Comin' through!" she shouted, knocking Twilight into two of her other classmates; the two-faced Sour Sweet, and the straight up Sunny Flare, accidentally knocking the later to the ground. When they got up, Sunny was pretty ticked.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Oh! Sorry. I didn't mean to," said Twilight acting almost like a beat puppy would. Sunny just got up and left. Twilight sighed and stood up, nearly bumping into Sour. "Oh. Sorry. Why don't you go ahead?"

"You are such a sweetie!" said Sour, her sweet side showing before her sour side kicked in. "I am watching you," she whispered and walked away.

Twilight was really upset when she almost bumped into her amaranth-skinned and lemon-lime haired classmate, Lemon Zest, who was rocking out to the extraordinarily loud music on her headphones before yet another of her classmates, one with opal hair and phthalo gray skin.

Her name was Sugarcoat, and as her name implies, she's the bluntest of the Crystal Prep student body.

"You are kinda being a doormat right now," she said. Twilight realized she was right and fell into even greater despair, when all of a sudden, her pendant started beeping, indicating there was magic nearby. Twilight held it up, and it seemed to be acting as a compass, guiding her to where the magic was; right inside Canterlot High. Quickly, she checked if anyone was watching before she left, following the pendant.

"Hi Twilight," said someone on the steps of the school, but she ignored them and went inside following it.

"Hey Twilight!" said another girl. This greatly confused Twilight, making her wonder how that girl knew her name. She quickly shook it off and continued on, but her confusion only grew as more and more people walked past her and called her by her name. Then, as she was responding to various greetings, she bumped smack dab into… you guessed it, Flash Sentry.

Sonic Prime: And the awkward meter goes up another notch. Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding!

Anyway, after he saw her, he was really confused. "Twilight?" he asked and chuckled as he helped her up. "I almost didn't recognize you." Twilight was just flailing around without her glasses until Flash found them on the ground, adding to his confusion. "Since when did you start wearing glasses?"

"Um… like, since forever," she replied.

"Oh," he said, picking them up. "So how long are you here for?"

"Just for the Friendship Games," she replied, struggling to see clearly.

"Right! Of course. We'll totally win with you here," said Flash, giving her back her glasses, this time confusing her. Then her pendant started beeping and pointed her to the music room.

"Uh. I've gotta go," she said and raced off.

"Uh, ok. Bye? Aw." he said and put his hands over his eyes as a cross-eyed blonde patted him on the back to comfort him. Back in the music room, everyone but Team Sonic was wearing some of the clothes Rarity made. Fluttershy was wearing an ice hockey suit, Pinkie was dressed as a cowgirl, Rainbow as a British constable, Sunset as a welder and Applejack was wearing a jai alai outfit. (Y'know, that sport where the players wear those huge baskets on their arms and throw balls at a wall really fast? Yeah, that one. Anyway…) Rarity was zipping around giving them the finishing touches.

"Uh, Rarity? These outfits are great, but why would you put so much time and effort into clothes we might not even wear?" asked Applejack.

"Seriously, I doubt we're gonna need half this stuff," said Knuckles. "You're gonna burn all your energy before the games even start." Rarity just scoffed.

"Oh, Pfft, don't be silly, darling," she said. "Putting effort into clothes is what I live for! And spending time on my friends fills me with energy!" Then out of nowhere, she flashed as a purple aura billowed around her and she ponied up. Everyone looked in awe, but Sunset and Shadow were getting worried.

"And magic too, I guess," she said, lowering her mask.

"Apparently so," said Shadow. Out in the hall, Twilight's pendant drew her closer and closer to the music room until it opened on its own and started drawing Rarity's aura out the doors into it, suddenly tiring her out as she returned to normal and landed.

"Actually, Knuckles, now that you mention it, I suppose I could use a tiny break," she said and fell into Silver's arms.

"Warned ya," said Knuckles. Suddenly, Twilight walked in, closing her amulet.

"Twilight?" everyone shouted happily, except Sonic and the others.

"Uh yes?" she asked.

"Well, I'll be darned! Ya should've told us you were comin'!" said Applejack.

"Darling, those glasses…" said Rarity, drawing Silver's attention.

"Uh, Sonic? Refresh my memory," he whispered. "Did Twilight ever wear glasses before?"

"No. You guys aren't thinking what I'm thinking, are you?" asked Sonic.

"What're you wearing? It's so… severe." said Rarity.

"My uniform?" she replied.

"For what?" asked Tails.

"For Crystal Prep," said Twilight. "But why does everyone in this school know who I am?"

"Wait a sec," said Rainbow. "Did you just say Crystal Prep?" Then Spike shot his head out of Twilight's bag and barked.

"Spike!" said Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Jeez, you know my dog's name too? What are you, psychic?" asked Twilight.

"Well, Silver is," said Rarity. Meanwhile, Celestia and Cinch were closing in.

"And our music program has especially taken off," said Celestia, before she saw Twilight. "Twilight?" That confused Twilight and Cinch alike.

"This is just getting ridiculous," said Twilight.

"I must apologize for the curiosity of my prize student," said Cinch, confirming Sonic's suspicions.

"Your student?" asked Celestia.

"The smart ones are always curious," said Cinch. "I'll return her to check in with the rest of her classmates." Then she led Twilight away.

"I didn't know Twilight had a twin sister," said Celestia.

Sonic was just about to open his mouth when Pinkie said "She doesn't. That Twilight is obviously the Twilight from this world since it couldn't possibly be the Twilight from the pony world since the Twilight from the pony world doesn't go to Crystal Prep or wear glasses."

Sonic just closed his mouth and pointed at her with his thumb. "What she said," he said

Celestia opened her mouth for a second, but then just said: "Never mind." Then she walked away.

"This is just getting confusing," said Shadow. Outside, Twilight and Cinch were talking about what happened back there.

"I'm sorry, Principal Cinch," said Twilight. "I was just following these strange readings. Actually, they led me to those girls and-"

"Twilight, what you do in your free time is of little interest to me, but while you're here, I… all of Crystal Prep, in fact, require your immediate focus," said Cinch.

"But why does everyone at this school seem to know me?" asked Twilight.

"Perhaps they're trying to confuse you or lure you away." said Cinch.

"It'd didn't seem like it to me," said Twilight.

"I don't know what they're playing at, but I guarantee you it isn't to help us win," said Cinch. Inside, the team was talking about what just happened.

"I can't believe our world's Twilight goes to Crystal Prep," said Rarity.

"You're saying that Twilight's gonna play against us?" asked Rainbow. "She'd never do that."

"Our Twilight wouldn't." said Fluttershy, making Sunset snap.

"Our Twilight is a Princess in Equestria and an expert in Friendship Magic," she said. "And if she was here, we'd have already figured out why magic is randomly popping up during pep rallies and costume changes,"

"Jeez, we get the point. Calm down," said Sonic. After that, Sunset saw everyone looking at her funny. She let out a sigh.

"Sorry guys," she said. "I'm just frustrated that I haven't heard back from her yet."

"You said yourself, she's a princess in Equestria," said Knuckles. "She probably has enough problems of her own to deal with."

"We certainly can't expect her to drop everything and pop through the portal whenever," said Rarity. "Especially not if it's to deal with something as minor as a few random 'pony-ups'."

"But they aren't 'minor'," said Sunset. "Magic first entered this world when I stole Twilight's crown. It's taken a lot for me to earn everyone's trust. If we have to forfeit the games because I can't think of a way to keep it under control…" Then Shadow put his arm around her waist.

"Relax beautiful," he said, complimenting his girlfriend. "You'll figure all this out, I know it."

"He's right," said Applejack. "You're the one who helped us understand what was going on with the Sirens, remember?"

"I guess," she replied. "But Twilight was the one who really figured out what we needed to defeat them."

"Don't you remember, darling?" asked Rarity. "What we needed to defeat them was you." Sunset smiled and sighed in a happy defeat.

"All right." she said and everyone expressed a quiet happiness.

"Come on, guys," said Rainbow. "Let's see if we can find any info about the events and come up with a strategy."

"Piece of cake," said Manic. "I was crackin' tougher locks than they got in this place when I was a kid." Sunset almost followed but then bit her thumb thinking. Shadow noticed and walked back over to her.

"Hey, Sunset. You coming or what?" he asked.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a bit," she said and walked off. Then Sonic whistled back to Shadow.

"Yo Faker! You coming?" he asked.

"Sunset and I will catch up," he said and walked after her to find her outside walking towards the statue. "Where are you going?"

"Back through the portal," said Sunset. "If Twilight isn't receiving my messages, then maybe there's another way I could reach her."

"I'll go with you," he said. "I'd like to see your world."

"All right then," she said. Then Twilight's pendant directed her towards the portal where it suddenly opened itself again. Then once Sunset touched the statue, the spot around her hand burst into flames.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Let… go!" She and Shadow tried to pull her free, but her hands wouldn't budge as red energy flew into Twilight's amulet. She forced it to shut and they were all knocked back. As Twilight was getting up, Shadow was surprised to see her. Sunset was just worried.

"What did you do?" she asked. Twilight was certain her goose was cooked until Cadence told her to check in with her classmates. Quickly, she ran to do so before Shadow could grab her. Sunset touched the portal but nothing happened. It was solid marble. She tried over and over, each time getting the same results; nothing.

"Where's the portal?" she asked becoming frantic. "Where's the portal?!" Shadow tried kicking it, but that didn't work either. The portal was sealed shut, and there was nothing they could do to open it back up.

Ch. 6: Welcome, Crystal Prep

Later in the gym, the Wondercolts were throwing a "Welcome Back" party for the visiting Crystal Prep students, but if you could see it for yourself, you'd know it didn't really look much like a party. The students of the two schools were on separate sides of the gym eyeing each other distrustfully. In the hall, the team was talking about what happened outside.

"What do you mean the portal's gone?" asked Knuckles.

"We mean it's gone!" said Sunset.

"It sealed itself up somehow," said Shadow as he opened the door to the gym.

"How'd that happen?" asked Sonic.

"I dunno, but it has something to do with that Twilight." said Sunset, pointing at the girl in question across the gym, who was trying to get another reading out of her amulet.

"What in tarnation is she up to?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out," said Sunset. She was about to go over to her but Shadow stopped her.

"Leave this to me. I can squeeze a confession out of highly trained military operatives. This is nothing." he said and walked up behind her. "Twilight. What have you been up to?"

"Me? Oh, I was just, uh-" she said.

"Who wants to know?" asked Indigo Zap, getting in Shadow's face.

"The guy with a gun strapped to his leg," said Rainbow, as Shadow held his hand over the handle of his M1911.

"Yeah right. That thing's totally fake," said Indigo. Shadow quickly drew it from the holster and fired it into the ceiling, leaving a sizable bullet hole. "I stand corrected."

"All right everyone," said Applejack. "Let's not get too competitive before the games even start."

"The games aren't really competitive since we've never lost." said Sugarcoat.

"Who asked you?" asked Sonic.

"That's not a very nice thing to say," said Fluttershy.

"Yeah well, I'm not really very nice around competition of any sort." said Sonic.

"Besides, these games aren't about being nice," said Sunny.

"Kinda defeats the purpose of the name," said Silver.

"Well, you might use a little tact," said Rarity. Twilight tried backing away from everything but then bumped into Pinkie Pie.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie," she said, extending a hand.

"Oh. Hi. I'm Twilight." she said accepting. Then when Pinkie shook it, she messed up Twilight's hair and threw her glasses out of skew.

"I know. You look just like my friend. Her name is Twilight too." said Pinkie.

"That's… weird," said Twilight, fixing herself.

"Uh, Pinkie? Little too much info," said Manic. Then he looked and saw Twilight's amulet. "What the heck's that?"

"It's sort of a spectrometer. I built it to track EM frequencies, but it can also contain anomalies." Pinkie just smiled and blinked at her and Manic was… Well, he may be a mechanic, but he never worked with this sort of tech before.

"I have no idea what you just said," he said.

"It measures things," said Twilight.

"Oh see, there we go." said Manic.

"Like the party?" asked Pinkie.

"Pfft. Call this a party? I've seen cooler stuff at a bus stop in Cincinnati. But that's a story for another time." said Manic.

"Yeah, it doesn't really look like much of a party to me." said Twilight.

"I know. Something is defiantly missing. Come on!" said Pinkie as she grabbed Twilight and zipped away. Manic quickly followed.

"Yo bro! Where ya goin'?" asked Sonic.

"Pinkie's got an idea to liven things up. Back in a minute," said Manic as he ran after her.

"Hello, everyone. I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all of our visitors from Crystal Prep Academy and welcome them to CHS," said Celestia from the stage. Meanwhile, Manic Pinkie and Twilight were straining to push in giant wrapped boxes.

"Jesus Christ, these things are heavy." said Manic.

"What in the world is in these?" asked Twilight.

"Party cannons, of course!" said Pinkie.

"I thought you said you didn't have any two years ago," said Manic.

"Yeah. I lied," said Pinkie.

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Manic.

"And lastly, I would like to recognize the twelve students that CHS has elected to compete," continued Celestia. "I don't think we could've chosen a better group to represent excellence, sportsmanship, and friendship the games stand for." Meanwhile, Pinkie was changing up the layout for the buffet, adding some serious sugar and turning on a disco ball. Then Manic slipped over to Vinyl.

"Yo sweetheart, spin this, will ya?" he asked, passing her a CD.

"Sure thing, man." said Vinyl as she loaded it.

"Let's get this party started right!" shouted Manic as Vinyl turned on a funkalicious dance beat that everyone quickly got hip to as Pinkie returned to the cannons and grabbed the firing ropes.

"Um, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Twilight.

"Absolutely!" said Pinkie and she fired the cannons into the air, making the dreary gathering of winners and losers into a full-blown Party Central.

"Yeah, now this is what I'm talkin' bout!" said Manic as he and the team started grooving in the middle of the gym.

"Man, hope wood shop is one of the events, then we can enter my Persian birdhouse," said Shadow, holding up a sweet birdhouse modeled after a Persian villa with a fountain out front. Then a parakeet stuck his head out.

"Hey! Tweet, tweet," it said in a Persian accent, pointing to the fountain. "Check out my expensive fountain!"

"Dude, that is awesome! When did you make this?" asked Sonic.

"Last week. Rouge insisted on it," said Shadow. Then he saw Pinkie gain her ears and tail and give off a bright pink sparkling aura before she started hovering.

"Oooh! Floaty!" she said. Manic just stared at her in shock. Then Twilight's amulet opened and siphoned in Pinkie's power, dropping her to the ground as she powered down.

"Awww," said Pinkie as she ran out of energy and leaned against the wall.

"You all right?" asked Manic.

"I am party-pooped." Pinkie groaned. Then a stray bolt of white lightning shot out of the amulet and went under the bleacher, revealing an opening to Equestria. Quickly, Twilight shut her amulet, thus closing the vortex. Silver sensed it and gripped his head.

"AAH!" he groaned.

"You all right, Silver?" asked Rarity. He was about to answer but his headache disappeared.

"I sensed something. I'm sure of it," he said. Then Principal Cinch tapped the microphone causing a bit of feedback as the lights went back up and the music stopped.

"OW!" shouted Sonic, gripping his ears. "Buzzkill!"

"I'd like to thank Principal Celestia for her unconventional welcome," she said, cleaning her glasses. "It's been four years since the last Friendship Games, but it feels as though nothing has changed."

"Oh, aren't you in for a surprise?" Sonia asked herself.

"Canterlot High continues to pick its competitors in a popularity contest and Crystal Prep continues to field its top twelve students," said Cinch. "It is a comfort to know that, even after so many years of losses, your school remains committed to its ideals, however misguided they may be."

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see who's gonna be pickin' up the silver medal this time," said Sonic as Shadow gave him a leg-up onto the stage.

"Indeed, young man," said Cinch. "I suppose we will. I wish you all the best of luck, regardless of the inevitable outcome."

"Oh believe me. Your winning streak's break is completely evitable," said Sonic.

"Is that even a word?" whispered Silver. Shadow just shrugged. Once Cinch left, Sonic backflipped off the stage right to the others where Manic was helping Pinkie Pie back to the others.

"Sorry, Pinkie," said Applejack. "I thought your party additions were really swell."

"They defiantly broke the ice." said Fluttershy.

"Yeah. Too bad that Cinch had to go all liquid nitrogen and refreeze it," said Silver.

"Yeah. She's awful," said Pinkie.

"Jeez. Pinkie, what happened to you?" asked Sunset.

"I don't know. Everyone started having fun after Twilight and I fired the party cannons and I ponied-up…" said Pinkie.

"Of course you did," said Shadow, rolling his eyes.

"But then the magic just drained right out of me," said Pinkie, catching Sunset's attention.

"Wait. What do you mean it drained out of you?" she asked.

"More importantly, where's that other Twilight?" asked Knuckles.

"Oh, she's right…" said Pinkie pointing over to where she was, but she was gone. "Uh, well, she was right here."

"Where'd she go?" asked Sonic.

Ch. 7: Let the Games Begin!

The next day, the Friendship Games began with Vice Principal Luna on the speakers in the morning.

"Good morning, students," she said. "I'm sure you're all thrilled to start the first day of the Friendship Games. Our competitors will face off in every aspect of the CHS curriculum, culminating in the Elimination Equations finale!"

Then everyone gathered in the hallway, ready to begin as they stared down their opponents. "Welcome to the first event; the Academic Decathlon," said Cadence. "You'll be scored on chemistry, home ec, and everything in between. But remember, only the six students from each team with the most points will move on to event number two. Good luck!"

"Who's up for a little music for the event?" asked Sonic.

"By all means," said Celestia.

"All right, you heard her Underground! Hit it!" said Sonic. First up was Chemistry.

(Play "ACADECA" – Original Movie)

Sunset and Wondercolts: (Ho!) We're gonna take you down
(Ho!) We're gonna take you down!
Take you down! (Ho! We're gonna take you down!)
Take you down! (Down, down down)

Shadowbolts: (Oh oh!) We're here to take you out
(Aw aw!) We're here to take you out (Aw aw!)
Take you out! (We're here to take you out!)
Take you out!

Next up was a test of skill in the kitchen. Some of the entries were kind of sorry-looking, but then the judges got to a cake made by the Shadowbolts that tasted great, but then Pinkie cut open the one she and Fluttershy had made, revealing a perfect copy of the Mona Lisa, shocking the judges. Cinch was ticked at her students for losing, but when they dropped their entry, she just took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Wondercolts: We're not about to let you win, so get out of our way
Think you got us beat, but we're here to stay
United strong, yeah, we'll take you down
You're not so tough, now you're in our town

All of the times we lost before
Not about to give up, we're only bringin' it more
We can smell your fear, we can see your sweat
Hope you didn't spend money 'cause you're losin' this bet!

You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Wondercolts!
You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Wondercolts!

Next was the wood shop, but the rules forbade outside entries, so the Wondercolts were on their own. Kind of a bad idea, since one of their entries, was made from scraps and fell apart at the touch of a pen, whereas Indigo and Sugarcoat's was double-decker with hot-rod flames at the doors. The two who made the one from scraps were upset but ticked when Indigo knocked what was left of it to the ground shattering it.

Shadowbolts: Talk a little too much for a school that never wins
Maybe you should just stop 'fore you even begin
We are Crystal Prep High and we have a reputation
Every little moment is about our education

Put your ear to the ground
Listen to that sound
You're a house of cards
And it's about to fall down (fall down)
About to fall down (fall down), hit the ground

You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Shadowbolts!
You've got nothin' on us
Na, na, na-na-na, na
Let's go, Shadowbolts!

Next up was the spelling bee, and that didn't go well. Contestants were being eliminated left and right, but they got an even number of points.

Wondercolts: Pressure's on, now we're gonna beat you
Step aside, it's time that we defeat you
Crystal Prep yourself 'cause you're about to go
Down, down, down, down

Shadowbolts: Pressure's on, you know we're gonna take you
Just give up before we have to break you
Canter-not-a-lot, you're about to go
Down, down, down, down

Soon they had reached the finale; a competition between Twilight and Sunset to find the correct answer to a complex equation. Tails tried to relay the correct calculations to Sunset through an earpiece he had given her, but he couldn't see it that well so he messed up a few things.

Wondercolts: Take it up to the top
'Cause we know we can win

Shadowbolts: Maybe you should just stop
'Cause we've seen you give in

Wondercolts: We believe in ourselves
And we've got what it takes

All: And we're not gonna stop!

Twilight: I can't wait till this is all over
There's so much more that's going on

Sunset: And before these games are over
I'll just find out what she's done

All: Can she do it? Will she make it?
Who will win it? Who will take it?

Can she do it? Who will take it?
Did she win it? Did she make it?

Who's the winner? Who's the reject?
How did she answer?

Then Cinch pointed to Sunset's board and said quite profusely "Incorrect!" Sunset was disappointed with herself, as was Tails with himself when he looked at the equation on the board.

"Ugh! Dammit, I knew this. Well, if that don't take the biscuit." he said, punching his palm in defeat.

"That means the winner of the Friendship Games' first event is Twilight Sparkle and Crystal Prep!" said Luna. Twilight was extremely happy, but only got a half-assed round of applause from her classmates. Then the girls ran up to Sunset and hugged her.

"That was awesome!" said Rainbow.

"Truly amazing!" said Rarity.

"What are you talking about? You lost," said Sonic.

"Maybe so, but that was as close to winning as Canterlot's ever been." said Applejack, putting her arm on Sunset's shoulder.

"After a careful tally of the points, we'd like to present the students moving on to the Friendship Games' second event," said Cadence. Sonic and the others took it as a silent cue to leave the stage as Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest walked on to it. Everyone clapped at the competitors as everyone but Twilight left the stage. Quickly, she followed them before she ran right into Flash again.

"Congratulations. You were really great," he said, still thinking she was Equestria's Twilight, apparently. (You know guitar players. They can tend to be kind of empty-headed).

Sonic: *clears throat*

Sonic Prime: Oh right. Apart from you, Sonic. Wait, since when could you break the fourth wall?

Sonic: Since "Sonic Colors".

Sonic Prime: Oh right. Sorry. Forgot. Anyway…

Then Twilight's amulet started beeping again. "I'm sorry. Excuse me," she said and quickly left.

"Ok then," said Flash. "Aw." Sonic walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Probably for the best, man," he said. "She's actually the Twilight of this dimension. She doesn't know you."

"Oh. Okay, now everything makes sense," said Flash.

"Well… almost everything," said Sonic, before he noticed the others were leaving. "Hey, wait up!" Quickly, he raced after them and met up with them at the statue out front. Then they all left, Tails and Fluttershy going into the nearby bushes. Tails had hidden his fox tails in a backpack to avoid drawing attention from Crystal Prep, but every now and then, they got all frizzled so he had to pull them out and fluff them.

Same with Fluttershy and the animals she kept in her backpack, like the little gray kitten that poked its head out to nuzzle her. Now was possibly the worst time for that to happen because Twilight popped her head out of the bushes to see Tails' namesakes poking out of his pants.

"They're fakes clipped onto my belt," he said quickly. Then Fluttershy noticed her.

"Do you wanna give her a treat?" she asked referring to the kitten. Twilight thought for a second and decided "Eh. Why not?", so she emerged from the bushes and walked over.

"Guess I'm not the only one to smuggle her pet into school," she said, removing her backpack. Fluttershy giggled.

"Not just one," she said, opening it further, allowing a tan hamster, white rabbit, and small purple bird to hop out.

"Oh. Wow," said Twilight, opening her bag. "All I have is Spike." Then her lavender pup popped out and smiled.

"The resemblance really is uncanny," said Tails as Fluttershy picked him up.

"Does he talk?" she asked, confusing Twilight.

"Um, not that I know of," she said.

"Congrats on the win, by the way," said Tails. "Though it didn't really look like any of your teammates was very excited by it."

"No one at my school gets excited about anything they didn't do themselves," said Twilight.

"That sounds awful," said Fluttershy. Twilight looked away sadly until Fluttershy came up with something to help. "Here. Hold this." Then she held out the rabbit that popped out of her bag.

"Um, why?" asked Twilight, confusingly accepting it.

"Holding a bunny always makes me feel better." said Fluttershy.

"Well, that's ridiculous, but…" Twilight began before the rabbit nuzzled under her chin. "Ohh. It actually kind of works." Then something struck her. "I'm on the other team and you just lost. Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You looked like you needed it," said Fluttershy as she started giving off a gold aura as she floated and ponied up. Tails was worried, but Twilight was shocked.

"Whoa." she said in awe.

"Yeah. Whoa," said Tails. Then Twilight's amulet opened and siphoned in Fluttershy's power. Then more white lightning bolts shot out and opened more vortexes. Then a jackalope popped out of one before locking eyes with Spike and retreating. Spike followed it through several different vortexes before he got trapped in the magic being drained from Fluttershy. Then Fluttershy turned back to normal and caught him.

"Spike!" shouted Twilight as she closed the amulet. Fluttershy shuddered as she handed Spike back to her before tails caught her.

"Spike, are you ok?" asked Twilight.

"Um, I think so," said the dog. Who, up until now, had never said anything. ( Important plot point much? Ah, not too much. Ah, much too much). After that, both dog and owner screamed as Twilight dropped Spike and ran away.

"Twilight, wait!" he shouted as he ran after her.

Fluttershy sighed in Tails' arms. "Bye," she said simply and waved.

"Well, that was out of the ordinary." said Tails.

Ch. 8: More Power Gone

Twilight raced into the building with Spike hot on her heels.

"Twilight, come on! Wait for me!" he shouted to her, but she just covered her ears and hoped she was dreaming when she ran into a dead end. "Why did you run away like that?"

"Um, oh, I don't know," she said. "Maybe it had something to do with the glowing girl or the hole in space or my talking dog!"

"Yeah. Weird, right?" asked Spike as he scratched his ear. Twilight, seeing it really was her dog, bent down to check on him.

"Are you ok? How do you feel? What happened? Where did you go?" she asked rapidly. Spike licked her face to get her to snap out of it.

"Hey, one question at a time. This is pretty new to me too," he said.

"Sorry,"

"All I know is I chased that pointy rabbit through the glowy thing and then I was somewhere else," said Spike. "Next thing I knew, I was back in that nice girl's arms and I could talk. I don't really understand why I couldn't before. I mean, it's so easy."

"Twilight!" came a voice. She recognized it anywhere as Principal Cinch. Quickly, she hid Spike in the nearest locker and turned to face her. "Who are you talking to?"

"Um… myself. It's a nervous habit," she said (Which I completely understand. I do the same). "Were you looking for me?"

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

"I'm not sure." she said.

"Perhaps you should get to know them after all," said Cinch.

"But I thought you didn't want me to." asked Twilight.

"Let's just say I'm covering my bases," said Cinch. "Who knows? Perhaps they will reveal to you the secret to Canterlot High's newfound success."

"I dunno. Spying feels kind of wrong," said Twilight. Cinch looked disappointed.

"Well, it's your decision, Twilight," she said. "It's not as if your application hangs in the balance. On second thought, yes it does." With that, she left and Spike climbed out of the locker.

"Man, she's awful. What are you going to do?" he asked.

Twilight sighed. "I don't know, Spike. I don't know," she said as she leaned against the lockers and slid down to the ground. Meanwhile, Sonic and the others were talking about what happened outside as Shadow was checking his pistol.

"All I did was hand Twilight a bunny. Then I ponied-up," said Fluttershy.

"It just doesn't make any sense," said Shadow. "Rarity's power came out when she made us those uniforms, Pinkie's came out when she fixed the party, and now Fluttershy? It just seems so…"

"Random?" asked Sonic.

"Exactly." said Shadow.

"And then Twilight's pendant just siphoned the magic straight out of her," said Tails. "She could barely support herself."

"Like me at the party." said Pinkie.

"Or Rarity just before we met Twilight." said Silver.

"Now it adds up. Twilight's using her pendant to take all the magic in the school," said Shadow. "That must be why the portal closed."

"So she's stealing magic?" asked Sunset.

"Ah don't know," said Applejack. "She doesn't seem like the magic-stealin' type."

"Yeah, but it's like Shadow said," said Sunset. "She had something to do with closing the portal. If her pendant can siphon magic…"

"Then it must've siphoned in the portal's power too," finished Shadow.

"How is that even possible?" asked Tails.

"I don't know," said Sunset. "And the pony or person or princess who could help us figure this out is completely unreachable now." Then Pinkie poked her head up out of nowhere.

"Which is too bad, because Twilight knows everything about magic," she said, then appearing behind Rainbow. "And portals," Then out of a locker. "And magical portals," Then from the air ducts dropping streamers with her. "And portable magic!"

"Seriously, someone doesn't tell me how she does that in the next few minutes, I'm gonna flip," said Sonic. Then she opened the door to the field and fell on her face.

"Look, for now, let's just focus on beating the Shadowbolts," said Rainbow helping her up. "And as long as this event puts me in a playing field, I don't think we've got anything to worry about."

"Oh, it puts you on a playing field all right," said Applejack. Everyone gasped when they saw what they had done to the field. There was an obstacle course with bullseyes at the end, a speed-skating track and even a motocross race track.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is overkill?" asked Sunset.

"Nope," said Sonic and his team in unison. Applejack kicked the dirt of the motocross track and looked at Rarity.

"I don't suppose you and Silver made motocross outfits?" she said.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." said Rarity.

"Of course we did," said Silver, levitating out two.

"Man, way to think ahead, Silv," said Sonic.

"It helps when you're psychic," said Silver. Then he saw Cinch and her competitors.

"You will race in pairs," she said to them. "Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat will handle the motocross."

"Yes!" said Indigo, psyched to race.

"Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare have requested the short track," said Cinch as the two high-fived. "Since archery is a standard requirement at our school, any of you should be able to do it. Twilight and Sour Sweet will start us off."

"Well, that's just marvelous," said Sour, sweetly before turning sour. "If you wanna lose before we even start."

"Given that Twilight won the last even singlehandedly, I have every confidence that she will be able to pull her weight here," said Cinch. "Won't you?"

Twilight nodded nervously, but she was hiding that she flunked the archery course. Later that day, the stands were packed to watch the competition as Cadence turned on the mic.

"Welcome everyone, to the Friendship Games' Tri-Cross relay." she said.

"Did we have one of those at one of the Olympics? I can't remember," Sonic whispered to Shadow as everyone cheered.

"Me neither," he replied.

"In this event, our qualifying competitors will face off in archery, speed skating and finally, motocross," said Cadence as the guys saw the Wonderbolts' teams. Applejack and Fluttershy were on the archery course, Pinkie and Rarity were on the skating track, and Rainbow and Sunset were on the bikes up top.

"So, if the competitors are ready…" said Cadence before she blew an air horn to signify the beginning of the race. Sour Sweet and Fluttershy started things off as Applejack and Twilight got into place.

Quickly, Sour bounded over the hay bales, grabbed a quiver of arrows, swung over a small mud pit before drawing three arrows at once and firing them all, the second one hitting the bullseye. Quickly, Twilight ran up but stumbled a few times.

Fluttershy stunk with a bow, and she could barely get her arrows two feet ahead of her, but she kept shooting until she hit the bullseye without even looking, astounding everyone and signaling Applejack to move up.

Soon enough, Twilight made it to the shooting platform but missed time after time. Applejack missed her first shot, but then after concentrating, she hit it, no strings attached. After the bullseye, Pinkie and Rarity raced off on their skates, leaving Sunny and Lemon in the dust. Twilight was still having difficulties hitting the target, and Sour was getting more and more irritated with each failed shot.

"I'm sure glad I don't go to Crystal Prep, " said Fluttershy.

"You and me both," said Tails who was standing next to the platform with Knuckles.

"Took the words right outta mah mouth," said Applejack. Then they saw Pinkie having the time of her life skating along. Twilight fumbled with the arrow and saw her team staring at her disapprovingly.

"You're really bad at this!" Sugarcoat called down to her.

"Go soak your head, princess," said Sonic as he finished the finishing touches on Rainbow's bike. Finally, Applejack growled.

"Ah can't take anymore," she said, handing her bow to Fluttershy as she and Knuckles walked over to Twilight.

"Listen, sweetheart, you need to stop aiming at the target." said Knuckles.

"Oh, that makes perfect sense," said Sour. "Don't aim at the target. Thanks so much."

"You wanna keep your arm in one piece?" asked Knuckles, cracking his namesakes. Sour quickly nodded. "Then do us all a favor and shut the hell up."

"You have to stop aiming where the target is, and aim where it's gonna be." said Applejack.

"Yeah," said Sour. "Definitely take advice from the person YOU'RE COMPETING AGAINST!"

"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?!" bellowed Knuckles, flexing so hard, his vest nearly ripped under the sheer force of his muscles. Sour's eyes were dots and she just stayed silent.

"You wanna hit that bullseye or not?" asked Applejack. Twilight's eyes were clouded with tears so she wiped them and nodded. "Then trust me. Take a deep breath…" Twilight followed her instructions to the letter. "And let the arrow go… right… NOW!" Quickly, Twilight released the arrow and it went straight through the bullseye. Everyone cheered as Lemon and Sunny raced off. Knuckles looked at Sour with a smirk on his face.

"Don't you feel stupid now?" he asked. Sour just stayed silent as she was still traumatized from Knuckles nearly turning into the Incredible Hulk after an injection of Bane's Venom.

Sonic Prime: How insanely strong is that you ask? Well, put this into perspective; The mutant Darwin, whose powers specifically adapt to counter any enemy, decided that the best defense against the Hulk was to essentially be anywhere but in the same vicinity as him, which in retrospect, actually seems like a pretty good idea.

I mean, for God's sake, the guy's strong enough to pull together two tectonic plates, each weighing 45 quintillion fricking tons with his bare hands, so just imagine what he could do after a shot of a super-steroid that could even keep Superman at bay for at least twenty minutes.

Odds are even thinking about it might kill you. Especially if Hulk goes into his WorldBreaker mode. But I'm going on a tangent. Let's get back to the story.

"Yeah! That's my girl!" said Spike. After seeing a talking dog, Sour just backed away as Twilight hugged him and Knuckles brofisted with Applejack. Then Applejack raised her hand to Twilight, but she grabbed the farm girl in a hug.

"See?" she asked. "I was telling you the truth." Then she started glowing orange as she ponied up. Then Twilight's amulet shot up and opened, siphoning in Applejack's power. She groaned as her power was being drained as Twilight tried to close the amulet, but nothing worked.

"What… are… you doing?" asked Knuckles, trying to pull Applejack away.

"I don't know!" said Twilight. Then Applejack's power was completely drained as she slumped into Knuckles' arms. Quickly, Twilight locked the amulet, but tripped over Spike, dropping it on the skating track, where it opened and opened another vortex. Silver gripped his forehead and looked at it on the track.

"The amulet! It's the source of all the rifts! We have to close it!" he shouted. But they couldn't with it on the far side of the track. Twilight tried to get it, but a vine from the vortex grabbed her around the leg. Then more and more vortexes opened sending out more vines. On the track, Pinkie grabbed Rarity's leg and used her as a catapult to shoot her across the line. Then Rainbow and Sunset rocketed down the motocross track with Rainbow in the lead.

"Yeah, come on Baby!" shouted Sonic. "Make those Shadowbolts kiss the dirt!" Twilight was still trying to grab and close her amulet, but she couldn't reach it. Then more vortexes opened on the motocross track. Rainbow slid under the vine from one of them but some of the others weren't so lucky as Sugarcoat was trapped by the vine and Sunset had wiped out. Quickly, Rainbow turned around and went back to help her.

"Dash, you saved my life!" she said.

"Hey, what kinda friend would I be if I let my friend get turned into plant food?" asked Rainbow. Then she glowed blue and ponied up, giving her bike to Sunset. Shadow was worried.

"This isn't good," he said. "Cinch is gonna see all this, and she might think we're cheating."

"We can still win this!" shouted Rainbow. Sunset took the signal and rocketed after Indigo Zap on the bike. Soon she was in the lead, but the vines were really persistent as they began attacking Rainbow. Quickly, Sonic curled and hit one with his Spindash. It was neck-at-neck as Sunset and Indigo approached the finish line, but after one last rev, Sunset took the lead and hit the ribbon at the end of the track.

"And that's it! Canterlot High wins!" said Cadence. Everyone started cheering their lungs out as Cinch was shocked at the events from the rifts.

"Attention students," said Cadence. "Please proceed to the gym." Finally, Twilight succeeded in closing her amulet and the vortexes with them.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Knuckles as he helped Applejack over to the others.

"Way better than all right," said Rainbow as she landed. "We won!"

"Yeah sure, but someone could've been seriously hurt. Or worse," said Shadow.

"Our magic is going completely haywire, and I have no idea how to fix it!" said Sunset as she took off her helmet.

"Hey-hey-hey-hey, relax." said Sonic.

"Um, excuse me," said Twilight as everyone directed their attention to her. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to learn about the strange energy coming from your school."

"Strange energy?" thought Sonia.

"I didn't know it was magic or how it works," said Twilight.

"Well, that's okay," said Rainbow. "Truth be told, neither do we." Then the amulet went crazy again.

"Oh no! No-no-no! Not again!" said Twilight as it opened and drained Rainbow's power.

"Rainbow!" shouted Sonic as he grabbed her and tried to pull her free. "What's wrong with that thing?"

"I'm sorry! It just started absorbing energy on its own, but I'm not sure how!" said Twilight, trying to close it.

"What do you mean you don't know how?" asked Shadow. What no one knew was that Cinch was watching from around the corner as another vortex formed in the sky, revealing a full moon.

"It also causes these corresponding rifts to appear," said Twilight. "I don't know how that works either!" Sunset and Shadow both looked about ready to snap.

"Is there anything you DO know? Like how to get our magic back? Or how to fix the portal to Equestria?" she asked.

"Equestria?" asked Twilight.

"You're supposed to be so smart, but didn't you ever think you shouldn't be screwing around with powers you don't understand?" asked Sunset as the amulet closed, sealing the rift.

"But I want to understand!" said Twilight.

"And yet you don't!" said Shadow. "And worst of all, you put the lives of my whole team on the line, if not the entire cosmos! If you're not careful with that thing, you could rip space to shreds!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to!" said Twilight as she ran off, crying.

"Twilight! WAIT!" shouted Spike as he ran after her.

"Shadow! Sunset! Relax!" said Sonic as he and Rainbow grabbed the two. "It's clear she didn't mean for any of this to happen, so why are you being so hard on her?" They realized he was right and both facepalmed.

"We screwed up, didn't we?" asked Sunset.

"Oh yeah. Big time," said Manic. Then Cinch turned to Celestia after hearing her clear her throat.

"You can't possibly call that a fair race," she said, gesturing to the track.

"Principal Cinch, we all saw what happened," said Celestia. "You can't think CHS had some sort of an advantage?"

"Oh, can't I? Even without your trained attack plants, your students have wings," said Cinch.

"Well, the race certainly had some extenuating circumstances," said Celestia. After hearing that, Sonic zipped over and leaned against the wall.

"Oh, all that? Pfft. That was just smoke and mirrors. Easiest trick in the book." he said.

"Perhaps we should end the Games now and declare a tie?" asked Celestia.

"A tie? Was this your strategy all along?" asked Cinch. "To force us into accepting you as equals? I think not!"

"Cheese Louise, lady, you're even more paranoid than Shadow," said Sonic, rolling his eyes.

"No matter. The games will continue and Crystal Prep will prevail despite your antics and whatever performance-enhancing regimen your students are on!"

"Hey, no drugs here! Just smoke machines and mirrors," said Sonic. She just glared at him and left. "Sheesh. I am really starting to not like this school."

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop this from happening," said Sunset.

"Don't be," said Celestia. "It's not your fault, Sunset."

"Isn't it?" she asked. "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."

"Hey, we know how you feel. The Chaos Emeralds work in mysterious ways sometimes too," said Sonic.

"Besides, it doesn't matter what Abacus thinks," said Celestia.

"But it does," said Sunset. "The students here at CHS don't just want to win, they want to beat Crystal Prep."

"And I doubt it'll count if our opponents don't think they legitimately lost," said Shadow. "CPA will never believe they lost fair and square with all this power being tossed around."

"And that power is only around… because of me," said Sunset.

Ch. 9: The Dark of Midnight

That evening, both teams gathered at the stands in front of the school.

"Since the score is tied, this final event will determine the winner of the Friendship Games." said Cadence.

"Somewhere on campus, a pennant from each school has been hidden," said Luna, holding up two of the said pennants. "The first team to find their school's flag and bring it back wins."

"And as soon as our teams are ready, we'll begin." said Cadence.

"Silver, time for your mind-sight," said Sonic. Silver nodded and his eyes started glowing a faint cyan. Then they turned back to normal.

"It's in the lunchroom," Silver whispered to his team.

"I don't feel like playing these games anymore." said Fluttershy.

"But we have to. This is the last event!" said Rainbow.

"It's kinda hard to focus with all the stolen power and random vortexes." said Silver.

"And I feel kinda awful about what I said to Twilight." said Sunset.

"Yeah. Me too," said Shadow.

"Especially since she obviously didn't mean for any of this to happen," said Tails. "She's actually kinda nice." Sunset covered her eyes in shame. Everyone looked at Tails and Fluttershy with a disappointed look on their faces.

"Timing, dude." said Sonic.

"Look, guys, let's just get through this last event and prove we're not a bunch of stinking cheaters," said Knuckles. "Then you two can go over and apologize." Meanwhile, Sonic's acute hearing picked up on what Cinch was saying.

"I know I'm asking you to beat a team that isn't playing fair, but Canterlot High must be made to understand that even with this magic at their disposal, beating Crystal Prep is simply not an option."

"What if they grow wings again?" asked Sugarcoat.

"Fair question, though now I believe we can fight fire with fire," said Cinch walking up to Twilight. Twilight realized she was talking about her amulet. "I've seen what your device is capable of, Twilight. Containing magical energy is fine, but have you considered releasing it?" Sonic gasped at hearing this. With all the magic power from around the school in such a small container, he was worried about the effects it might have on the multiverse.

"But I don't even understand how it works." said Twilight.

"But you'd like to," said Cinch. "And since our opponents have already used it to stay competitive, I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same. Unless, of course, you have no interest in Everton." After hearing that, Sonic grew enraged.

"So that's it," he thought. "Cinch has been blackmailing her to steal the magic."

"Though honestly, I think there's more knowledge packed in that little device than any independent study program could offer."

(Play "Unleash the Magic" – Original Movie)

Cinch: I realize that you've always been an outcast
It's not everyone at school who likes to think
To find a student that's like you
I've had one or maybe two
But the good ones disappear before I blink

Shadowbolts: Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh

Cinch: Now, I understand you have your reservations (oh-wuh)
It's hard to have a brain as large as yours (oh-oh-oh-oh)
But if we don't win these games
Well, I think I've made it plain
What will happen if we have the losing scores!

Shadowbolts: Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh

Unleash the magic, unleash the magic
If we lose, then you're to blame (ah, ah-ah-ah)
They all have used it, maybe abused it (ah-ah-ah)
So then why can't we do the same?

Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh

Cinch: Call it power, call it magic
If we lose, it will be tragic
More important is the knowledge we'll have lost (oh-oh-oh-oh)
A chance like this won't come again
You'll regret not giving in
Isn't understanding magic worth the cost?

Shadowbolts: Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh

Unleash the magic, unleash the magic
We're not friends here after all
Our only interest in this business (ah-ah-ah)
Is seeing Canterlot High School fall

Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh
Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh

Cinch: What I'm suggesting's very simple
And since it's win-win on all scores
You only want to learn about the
Magic that you have stored

And as for me and all the others
We only want what we deserve
That our school will clinch the win
And my...

Cinch and Shadowbolts: ...legacy will endure

Unleash the magic, unleash the magic
If we lose, then it's a crime
But we can win it if you begin it (ah-ah-ah)
It's up to you to not fail this time

Then Sunset and the others saw that Twilight was opening the amulet exposing the stored power.

Men: Unleash the magic, free the magic now [continue in background]

Women: Unleash the magic, free the magic now [continue in background]

Twilight: Imagine all I'll learn by setting it free

"If both teams are ready…" said Luna

And now winning these games depends on me
And what other doors might open if I try to use it

"…The last event of the Friendship Games begins…" continued Cadence.

But the magic's what I really want to see

Then Spike ran out of the bushes. "Twilight, no!" he shouted.

Shadowbolts: Unleash the magic, free the magic…
Unleash the magic, free the magic…

All: Now!

Then the magic in the amulet sent out a huge shockwave, knocking everyone to the ground before it formed a small orb that slowly expanded as Twilight started floating and dropped her amulet. Then the orb started growing, sucking Twilight into it, putting her in extreme pain. Cinch backed away in horror as the power pulled Twilight in. Spike and Sonic's team gasped in fear and amazement as Twilight tried to get free.

"Help… ME!" she cried reaching out, but no one came to her aid as she was consumed by the magic and shrieked in agony.

Then the orb sent out a blinding light as Twilight started transforming. Tall purple boots appeared on her feet, purple gloves appeared on her hands, large feathered wings sprouted from her back, her skin turned a shade darker, her hair billowed like flames, and a tall unicorn horn with chunks knocked out of it formed on her forehead along with large lenses around her now blue eyes.

When the light dissipated, she was wearing a purple dress and looked like a demon. She had transformed into the form of Midnight Sparkle. Cinch was terrified and slowly backed away. Spike was scared too as Midnight laughed evilly.

"You were right," she said to Sunset. "I didn't understand magic before. BUT I DO NOW!" Then she shot a blast from her palm at the Wondercolt statue, blowing it into a thousand pieces. Then the team saw a purple glow coming from where it stood and saw a familiar world through it.

"Equestria!" said Sunset.

"She's tearing rifts between worlds," said Silver. "She's going to rip the Multiverse apart!"

"Not on my watch," said Sonic before he curled up and shot at Midnight with a Spindash, but she caught him and shot him away with another beam, knocking him to the ground. "Okay, that could've gone better."

Then he saw the ground in front of the school was cracking with a purple glow coming from the crack. She shot at the crack and opened another rift. Cracks were appearing everywhere and Midnight shot them all, opening a rift with each shot. Students ran in all directions to avoid the rifts until Sunny Flare saw Cinch trying to slip away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she asked.

"Anywhere to avoid that monster," she replied, pointing to Midnight. "And I suggest you do the same!" Then she started running.

"Oh no ya don't," said Manic as he shot stones up around her feet and turned her around, catching her hands in cuffs he made from a rock. "You caused this! So you can just watch as the universe crumbles to ash around you! Serves you right!" Sunny and her classmates were still a bit scared of what Twilight was doing as Shadow and Sunset ran up to her.

"Twilight! You can't do this!" said Sunset.

"Why not? There's a whole other world right there, and it's just filled with magic!" she said, blasting another beam at the door, opening another rift.

"But you're destroying this world to get to it!" said Shadow.

"So what? There's more magic there," said Midnight. "And I want to understand it all!" Then she shot a huge beam straight at the two of them.

"Chaos Shield!" shouted Shadow and generated a green barrier in front of him and Sunset, but they were pushed to the ground further away as an enormous rift formed in the ground. Then Sunset saw Twilight's amulet on the ground where she dropped it. Students were falling through the rift in the ground, but Applejack and the others grabbed and saved them.

"Don't let go!" Applejack said to one of them. Twilight's teammates raced to help as well as Rarity lost her footing and grabbed the edge of reality, with barely any grip.

"Hang on!" shouted Silver.

"Obviously!" said Rarity. But she started slipping and almost fell when Indigo and Lemon grabbed her.

"We've got you!" shouted Indigo. Then Sunset saw that Twilight's amulet was still working. Then they saw the girls start glowing as they helped the others.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Shadow. Sunset grew determined and nodded to him. Quickly, Shadow snapped his fingers and the Chaos Emeralds started floating around him. Then they turned to Midnight.

"This isn't the way, Twilight!" shouted Shadow.

"I know you feel powerful right now. Like you can have everything you want!" said Sunset. "I've been there before! I made the same mistake you're making! I put on a crown and, just like you, I was consumed by the magic it contained! I thought it could get me everything I wanted."

"Oh, you're wrong," said Midnight. "Unlike you, I can have everything I want."

"No, you can't!" shouted Shadow. "Even with all that power, you'll still be alone!"

"True magic comes from honesty, loyalty, laughter, generosity, kindness," said Sunset, holding up the amulet as the girls willed what little magic power they had left into it, all at once as Sunset started floating. "I understand you, Twilight! And I want to show you the most important magic of all time!" Then she slammed the amulet shut and threw it to the ground, the power forming an orb around her as she transformed.

She gained orange combat boots with her symbol on the toes, gleaming gloves, a shining orange unicorn horn, a beautiful peach dress, and flaming yellow wings. "The Magic of Friendship." Midnight backed away as the whole team smiled at her new form.

"Amazing. She's ascended," said Knuckles.

"We need a name for this. How does Daylight Shimmer sound?" asked Sonic.

"I like it." said Sonia.

"And of course, what is harmony without a bit of Chaos somewhere?" asked Shadow as his clothes and hair turned white-gold. He had gone Super Shadow. Then the two used their powers to seal all the rifts.

"First time you've used your powers like this?" asked Sunset.

"Surprisingly, no," said Shadow. Then Midnight charged at them, so Shadow took Sunset's hand and charged back at her like they were doing the tango, causing an explosion of blinding light. Then the two magic-charged ones charged and shot magic beams at each other. When they collided, Shadow took the opportunity and charged up his attack too.

"Chaos Blast!" he shouted and shot a red beam into the collision, but Midnight was more powerful and was about to destroy them as she forced their beams back. Shadow struggled to keep his super form up, but he was nearly out of rings. Midnight cackled that he might win when Spike ran out and shouted up to her. For an instant, she looked down and saw her dog's innocent face and the real Twilight took over for a second.

"Spike?" she asked. Then Sunset noticed that she wasn't trying anymore.

"Her mind is scattered! Now's our chance!" she said.

"Right!" said Shadow. "Inhibitor Rings, release!" Then the gold rings on his wrists broke off and he flashed red as his blast grew in power, knocking Midnight's back. Then Midnight took over again just in time to see a huge beam of energy hit her.

"NNOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as a large white light swallowed her whole. Then she opened her eyes to see she was in some sort of white limbo state with Sunset and Shadow.

"Take our hands, Twilight," said Sunset, hers and Shadow's hands outstretched. "Let us show you there's another way. Just like someone once did for each of us." Twilight, the evil spirit of Midnight exorcised, hesitated at first, but then started crying as she accepted, and an orange flame and green lightning bolt coursed over her body, removing all traces of Midnight Sparkle. Then they all landed back to normal if a bit shook up.

"I'm so sorry," said Twilight. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"We know," said Shadow.

"And going off my own experiences, they'll forgive you," said Sunset. Then Spike jumped up and knocked Twilight to the ground with her glasses in her mouth. Then Shadow went to a knee and grabbed his chest.

"You all right, Shadow?" asked Sonic.

"I'm fine. Just a little low on energy," he said. Then Manic saw Cinch's cuffs were destroyed in the fight and she was behind the stands then she went up to Celestia.

"Principal Celestia, on behalf of Crystal Prep, I demand that you forfeit the Friendship Games!" she said.

"What?" asked Sonia.

"Why?" asked Knuckles.

"Clearly CHS has had unfair advantage for quite some time, and it's certainly obvious that your students have been using magic for their own benefit." said Cinch.

"Are you serious? We don't even know how to control this stuff," said Sonic.

"Besides, I'd like to think that saving the world benefits us all." said Celestia.

"Kudos on a good job, by the way, you two." Silver said to Shadow and Sunset.

"At least they didn't manipulate Twilight into releasing all the stolen magic and turning into a power-crazed magical demon that tried to rip the world apart just to win a game," said Sugarcoat. Everyone stared at her dumbfounded.

"Wow. That's a lot to take in when you say it all at once," said Pinkie.

"Now you know how we feel after hearing one of your hunches." said Manic.

"That's ridiculous!" said Cinch.

"Nope," said Spike. "That's pretty much what happened."

"To the letter," said Sonic. Then he saw some of the Shadowbolts staring at Spike. "You people have no imagination."

"Actually, we're all to blame," said Sour Sweet. "But mostly it was her."

"Mostly? Pfft. More like entirely." said Tails.

"Obviously, my students have been infected by your magic," said Cinch. "But I plan on taking all of this up with the school board."

"Be my guest," said Celestia sarcastically. "I'm sure they'd be very interested in hearing all about the magical students with wings."

"Oh, and the portals to different dimensions." said Luna sarcastically.

"And don't forget to tell them about the talking dog." said Cadence sarcastically.

"Because that would never ruin your reputation." said Spike sarcastically.

"Yeah, people see that sort of stuff all the time in this dimension," said Sonic sarcastically. "Oh wait, no they don't. So as far as I see it, you've got two options. Either A; you tell the school board about what happened here tonight, or B; we keep this between the schools. If you go with A without proof, they'll fire you and throw you in an insane asylum. Same if you go with A with proof. They'll just think it's fake. Of course, if you go with B, if anyone asks what happened here tonight, we deny that anything happened and at the next games, no one will freak out over a few random magical pop-ups. Your choice. In your own time, make it."

Cinch looked at either side of her to see not only the Wondercolts staring at her but her own students as well. She looked like she was about to snap, but instead she just pulled sharply down on her jacket and walked away.

"Good choice." said Sonic.

"Well, I know these Friendship Games haven't been what any of us expected…" said Celestia.

"We all almost died." said Silver to no one in particular.

"But given what we've all just been through, I think it's fair to declare us all winners!" said Celestia. Everyone cheered at that proposal as Sonic walked up next to her.

"Nice put-down," she said.

"It's what I specialize in," he said.

Ch. 10: New Blood

The next day, students from both schools were walking around with gold medals hanging around their necks when Cadence sat down next to Twilight.

"I guess that was one way to finish up your time at Crystal Prep," she said. "Pretty sure Cinch will be fast-tracking your application after all of this."

"Y'know, I've been thinking about it and…" said Twilight. "I'm not so sure now is the time for me to apply to Everton."

"Really?" asked Cadence.

"I may know about a lot of things, but friendship isn't really one of them," said Twilight. "And I'm defiantly not going to learn more about it by being alone all the time."

"So you're staying at Crystal Prep?" asked Cadence.

"Well, it seems the students here at CHS know an awful lot about the subject," said Twilight, watching two girls hug nearby. "I don't suppose…"

"You could transfer to this school instead," said Cadence.

"Really?" asked Twilight hopefully.

"You'd certainly be missed at Crystal Prep, but…" said Cadence. "I think that's a great idea. I'll be sure to speak to Principal Celestia about it right away." Meanwhile, the rest of the team was hanging out near what was left of the statue.

"Any word from Princess Twilight?" asked Sonic. Sunset opened her book and checked but the pages were still blank.

"No, nothing yet," she said. "But on the bright side, I think I may have figured out how magic works in this world. We pony up when we're showing the truest part of ourselves. I was so busy waiting for someone else to give me the answers that I gave up looking for them by myself."

"There are bound to be more magical mishaps that appear in this dimension," said Shadow. "But it's like you said, Knuckles, Princess Twilight has more than enough problems to worry about in her own realm. We can't expect her to always be around to help us."

"But maybe I can be?" asked Twilight as she walked up with Celestia.

"It seems we have a new Wondercolt here at Canterlot High." said Celestia.

"Make that eight new Wondercolts," said Sonic.

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow.

"My team's enrolling too," said Sonic.

"Seriously?" asked Sunset happily.

"Yep. Talked it over with Celestia last night," said Sonic. "She didn't have any problems with it."

"Anyway, I'm not sure how much help I could be, but I'd like to try if you'll give me a chance," said Twilight. Everyone smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure I can count on all of you to make her feel at home," said Celestia.

"You sure can!" said Sunset, wrapping her arm around Twilight's neck.

"Group hug!" said Sonic and they all slid together into a big hug.

"Looks like a new age is dawning in this world," said Shadow, watching the sunrise. "I wonder what other adventures await us here."

"Guess there's only one way to find out." said Sonic.

"Which would be?" asked Twilight.

"Run headlong into any danger that gets in our way." smirked Sonic.

Epilogue

At the remains of the Wondercolt Statue, Sonic, Sunset, and the others were having a picnic when all of a sudden, the Twilight of Equestria shot through the portal.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner!" she said. "I didn't get your messages until just now because I was caught in this time travel loop and, honestly, it was the strangest thing that's ever happened to me!" Then she saw her human doppelganger shocked. Sci-Twi meekly waved at her as Silver just hovered between them.

"Awkward," he said in a sing-song voice. Twilight blinked.

"Make that the second strangest." she said and zipped back through the portal.

"Okay. That was awkward," said Sonic. Then everyone laughed a bit at how funny that was and smiled.