A Search For Something More

Chapter 37: Magic at the Pep Rally

The next day, the school day began to go by like any normal day ... with one exception. Everyone has been acting a little down if not downright annoyed for some reason. The best I can understand is that it has to do with something called the Friendship Games. I try to ask some of my classmates about it whenever I get a chance, but none of them give me a direct answer. They mostly just ridicule me either for not knowing what the Friendship Games are or for bringing it up.

When it is finally lunch period, I find my lunch table mostly empty, except for Caramel and Soarin.

"Hey guys, where are all the ladies?" I ask.

"They're at Vice Principal Luna's office discussing the Friendship Games with the other members of the school's Friendship Games team," Caramel asks.

"Something I should be doing with them," Soarin grumbles bitterly.

I sigh annoyed before I ask, "Okay, what is this whole Friendship Games thing? I've been hearing about it all day with everyone acting irritated, and I have no idea what it is."

Soarin and Caramel look at me, confused at my outburst.

"What do you mean, you have no idea what it is?" Soarin ridicules. "Everyone knew about it over the past month. Heck, Sunset is on the team."

"What?!" I exclaim. "She never told me about this."

"Well, Rainbow and AJ did say she only learned about it today too," Caramel says. "Maybe you two have been too snoggy-woggy with each other since you two got together that you haven't been paying attention when the teachers have been bringing it up the past few weeks."

"Heh, that makes sense," Soarin says with his arms crossed. "You guys have been pretty focused on just exchanging saliva every chance you get for a while. It probably doesn't help that you two are probably the most worried about Sonata apart from Applejack and her family."

"Well...yeah, I guess that makes sense," I said, scratching the back of my head. "But enough about that. What is the Friendship Games already?"

"The Friendship Games is a tournament between us and our rival school, Crystal Prep Academy, that happens once every four years. It's a big school event where twelve students represent each school and compete in the games," Soarin explains. "Although when I say compete, I mean Crystal Prep destroys us at everything with no effort, and they even gloat over it by pulling pranks on the Wondercolt statue."

"Yeah, Canterlot High has never come close to winning the Friendship Games," Caramel says.

"Why's that?" I ask.

"The students of Crystal Prep Academy are overachievers when it comes to their education," Caramel explains. "Because it's a very expensive school, it has a reputation for being the best because they practically devote every single moment of school on more education than any normal high school could teach in four years."

"And this large amount of education includes activities for the Friendship Games?" I ask.

"Oh, you have no idea," Soarin says. "Last week, Rainbow Dash tried to spy on the tryouts for the games before Pinkie Pie obnoxiously blew her cover, but she saw enough to know that they mean serious business to keep their winning streak."

"Did we already have tryouts?" I ask.

"Yes, that's what I was doing yesterday," Soarin says, annoyed. "But I didn't make the team because Vice Principal Luna decided that half of our team should be the Rainbooms even though neither of them except for Rainbow Dash tried out."

"Seriously?" I ask, surprised. "I mean, I imagine our team will need people who are smart and active like Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Sunset, but it seems like favoritism with Rarity and Fluttershy who aren't that big on playing games."