The morning classes had all my classmates asking who I was, how fast I was and why I was racing against Rainbow Dash. All I could say was that they should watch the race to find out. Most of the sports teams were voting for Rainbow Dash, whereas a decent number of students were voting for me. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were able to create some flyers for the race yesterday and I was impressed at how many were voting for the two of us. We're pretty much neck-to-neck in the number of votes we both have.

As lunch is starting, I have a smile on my face as I take my lunch outside to the sports fields. More specifically, the 400 metre racetrack followed by the city loop race. Most of the students were seated in the stands surrounding the racetrack. The surprise on my face as I walk out in some fancy running gear, courtesy of Rarity, was obvious to anybody looking my way. I quickly jog up to the starting line, where Dash was in her suit she'd worn from the previous school sports event.

If I can remember correctly, which I'm struggling to do from how nervous I am, I believe it was the... Uh... The Friendship Games? Yeah, I hope that's right. I thought to myself.

Anyway, I walk over to her by the starting line. I watch as she twiddles the stone gem on her neck, when I get a sense of déjà vu. I shrug it off, focusing on the starting line. I hear all the students begin to cheer for the two of us. After all, this is a friendly competition between the two of us. I kept hearing around the school about the magical problems that have appeared so many times and Sunset gave me a quick rundown of their second encounter with magic before the race. I grin broadly, as Dash sees me coming over.

"I see you didn't chicken out, huh?" She says teasingly, releasing her necklace. Indeed, I was two minutes late, but I didn't want to give away my true powers until the race around the town. I'm honestly surprised that Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were able to pull it off.

"Nope," I reply, shifting the race kit Rarity made for me a little to avoid a bit of creasing. I have to say, she knew what I'd like without even asking me. "But I'm ready to beat you any day of the week." Insmirk teasingly.

"Haha," Dash replies. "Good luck with that!" We both laugh quickly, before getting into position at the start line. I had heard yesterday about another Twilight who was coming to see the race, but was delayed last minute. Sunset was hoping to talk face to face, but shrugged it off due to the race.

"On your marks," Started Luna, speaking into a megaphone. "Get set...... GO!!" The moment the horn went off, we took off at our fastest around the four hundred metre track without our powers. Those would be used in the bigger race.

I was able to keep up without breaking a sweat, making the students cheer wildly. I could see Dash smiling as she ran, but every time I caught up with her, I could see her worry until the corners on the track came up. On the third lap and the fifth & final lap, I was almost able to overtake and win, but one of my laces came undone and I tumbled into Rainbow Dash. This became a fast crash across the finish line, where both of us were hoping to see who won. Because of this unexpected finish, we had tied our race times, as our hands both crossed the line simultaneously.

Also, we were out of breath, which felt odd for me, but that was probably due to the lack of super speed, like I could tap into it at will. I fell onto my back after tying the race as Dash leant on her knees.

"Whew," Rainbow Dash rasped, breathing quickly. "Now that was fun! I can't believe we tied the race!" We smiled at each other at that comment. I caught her winking at me, but made no comment. "Hey AJ! Did you see how close that was!" She yelled into the stands, as she ran up to higher friends on the closest row of seats to the finish.

The next event took place through the school, where we had to collect as many flags hidden on the campus as possible in thirty minutes. This allowed the staff in the police department to get our race at the end of the day ready for us. When the signal to go went, I took off normally, which annoyingly let Dash sneak ahead, as she used a brief burst of speed to get to the school entrance, before slowing down and entering the front doors to the building. I felt surprised, then I smirked, then shift into a little bit of my speed to catch up.

Running across campus, we occasionally passed each other. Every time we found a flag, we had to beeline back to the start to put it in our coloured box before finding the next one. My box colour was green, whilst Dash's box was Blue. I wish I had the red one, but I didn't get to choose them. Each time I came back with the flag, we were pretty much neck and neck. Sometimes I was one flag behind, the next I'm one flag ahead. Thinking back to my earlier event, I really wish we didn't run out of time to collect all the flags And tie once again.

Out of the most strangest of coincidences must be happening a lot to me, but I decide to think about it later as I give a military salute as I rush past Dash on my 19th flag, the same amount as Dash has, when I notice the timer. For one whole second, I stared at it with Dash. There were three minutes left for the race, as we smiled at each other. Nobody would see what really happened next, as we attempt to add a little bit of speed to our finds.

In total, forty four flags were hidden on site, but we were told it was almost two times more than normal due to how competitive Dash was and because we have similar abilities. Nobody had been able to find all of them and we were going to see if we could beat that. Running around I hear an inverted boom as I catch a flash of green streak down the hallway ahead of me after we separated. I wanted to see what it was, but I trip on a sheet of paper and fall. I hear doors being slammed quickly as Dash is about to find her next flag.

I get up, racing for my final flag, when Dash zooms past me laughing. I smile, running after her for my final flag. We exchange playful comments about beating each other, when I run off to get my flag. Running back to the front, I end up sliding my feet across the tiles as I run into a newly washed floor. I snack into a wall, then land on my butt. I get up, only to see dash running to put her second to last flag in the box outside then turn around to find her last flag.

I get a bit of a shock when I realise we're tied once again, with only fourty one seconds left on the big timer at the finish. I watch as she stops by me briefly, biting her lip Nervously, like she was choosing whether to get the last flag or to help me. She probably wants to get the flag, but I'm surprised when she helps me up. For a brief moment, I think of the streak and then zoom off after giving a quick thank you to her. I don't really know what I'm thinking, but I start running all over the school looking for the final flag and hopefully beat her and the school's record.

About twenty seven seconds later, I don't really know what happened, but I think back on the green streak as I turn to run down another corridor and I suddenly sense that time is really, really slow As I get partially blinded by a flash of silver light. I run down the corridor, slowly reaching the end, peeking around the corner for a moment, as I watch in very slow motion, myself slipping and falling. I smack my forehead in surprise right as I hear a very muffled, long and deep thwump as I fall on the floor.

Making my decision, I sprint across this corridor intersection as I sense time speed up again, but only back to what I hope it was previously. I run down, checking room, up to a room with a sign saying it's for music practice, arriving right as dash does as well. We both look in surprise at each other as we both arrive to search the room for our last flags. Honestly, this has happened earlier, searching rooms together, but we're both standing there for a couple of precious seconds, until we both enter together.

"I bet both flags are in here if we are both here, ya know." I hear her say, as I shuffle through some small instrument storage boxes. "It's not like it'll be anywhere els-- Oh! I found your flag over here!" I look up in surprise, as I see her holding her flag and my flag.

"Wait a minute," I say, as we both run out of the room and for the entrance to the school. "Why did you help me find my flag?" I question her as we run together, taking my flag.

"It's what friends do for each other," she replies quickly, smiling. "Plus, if you're a friend with one of us, you're a friend with all of us.". We then come close to the entrance, pushing the doors together as we run for our boxes. The timer has seven seconds left, making me think we won't make it in time, but I continue to keep astride with Rainbow Dash and chuck my flag in the box right as she does in hers, as the timer hits zero.

"That's time!" Principal Celestia calls out over the speakers. "Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, please count the number of flags in their boxes." I watch the two young girls empty the boxes, counting them as they do so. Two minutes later, the boxes had been emptied and we'd both tied once again, like the chances of us tying twice were infinitesimal. Again, how do I know these words?! I think to myself.

"Well," Begins Vice Principal Luna, surprised at the outcome from the flag hunting race. "It seems we have another tie." The school's lunch bell goes off. "We'll be ready with the race after lunch. You can place your votes for this final race in the box by the doors to the lunch." And with that, everybody dispersed back into the school for their lunch. I caught sight of Melody speaking with VP Luna and watch with a keen eye, but then look away as my new friends come over.

Exchanging a couple of words, we discuss how Dash and I can't wait for the chance to test our superspeed, then head inside for lunch. Everything feels normal, but I get the same feeling from earlier in my mind again. Like something will happen, but I don't want to ruin the day for all of us, so I keep what happened to myself as we walk down the corridors.

"Hey Rhyan," I hear, snapping my head around to find Applejack talking to me. "You okay? You're lookin' a little pale."

"Aheheh, I'm fine really," I reply, scratching my head as I smile nervously. "I guess I'm just nervous for the race coming up." She just nods in return, before walking off with Dash.

Smiling, we all head into the lunch hall, until the race was to start. About forty minutes later, the race route had been set up. Still can't believe how easy it must have been to set this up. There must have been a favour that was used in return for something the two head teachers had done. Anyway, we begin the race in ten minutes, with Dash showing her excitement of racing some just as fast as her.

"Hey Dash," I call to her, smirking as I bite an apple. "See you at the finish line!" I laugh with the others as she tells me to 'eat dust'. We finish our lunch and head over to the start line.

"Welcome back fellow students," Speaks Celestia, somehow appearing in the spectator's box from when the friendship games were held. "For the final event, we will be witness to a race around the town, marked out by our local police force. SO when our two students are ready, we can start the race!" Getting into position, we both share a smile, or smirk, as we stare down the road.

Luna starts the race once again, but this time, we get to use our powers. The moment she calls go, we rush off in a blur of green lightning bolts and a streak of rainbow for our speed trails. On our first lap, Dash has the lead, but I catch up on the next lap, tying it with her. With three laps left, we both nod in agreement as we let out a bit more speed. Not that it felt like our top speed, but enough to not crash into anything. The next lap, she came out ahead as we passed the stands full of our friends and classmates.

The deep, long, drones of their voices in slow motion makes me smile, almost making me trip up. This allowed her to come up on my left, through the first corner away from the school. I kept feeling dejá vu as we ran around the town, but I was able to fend off my thoughts on it as I just wanted to enjoy the race against Rainbow Dash. Mainly because I don't want it to be another tie again. That thought pushed me to overtake her on the second to last lap, but yet she could still keep up with me, making me smile widely.

However, as we ran around the town on the last lap, I could feel a weird pull from the magical energy I was using as we were matched speed for speed corner for corner, in the town loop. Sometimes it happened when I was ahead, or behind as we raced. I didn't know what to say about it, it feel weird. I want to hold its something amazing, but the thing I can sense about it, isn't a very good feeling. But it isn't a bad feeling either.

"Hey Dash," I call out over the wind, hoping she can hear me. "I think something's wrong with my powers." I share my look of worry with her look of confusion at me.

"WHAT?! How can something be wrong with your pow-WOAAHH!!!" She's cut off as she is talking to me, in just as much shock as I am. As a bright, electric silver flash of light surrounded our vision, blinding us briefly. We come to a stop on an empty street where the finish line should be. "Woah, wait, where are we?"

"I have a sneaking suspicion it's not where, but when." I answer, catching a newspaper drifting on a breeze down the sidewalk and read the date at the top of it. "Um, Dash, did anything happen on this date that I should know about?". I show her the date on the paper.

"Oh no!" She shrieks in shock. "Nonononono NO!" I jump at her reaction as she snatches the paper and reads the date, making me feel, well, shocked, scared and confused. Mostly scared.

"What?!" I reply in fright at her reaction. "What's wrong?!" Shifting my sight between her face and the paper multiple times.

"It's the week where we defeated the Dazzlings at our school's Battle of The Bands!" She responds, clutching her head after dropping it. "That means we're going to be stuck here forever!" I watch her eyes shrink in realisation of something. "OH NO!! There's gonna be TWO of me!!!". I only had two words for my response.

"Wait, WHAT?!"