Morning came in like a warm breeze. Twilight rose from her slumber and felt better than she had in the past week. Her magic levels fully restored and completely rested, she couldn't help but wear a smile as she put her hooves to the floor with a stretch. In all the noise she'd made, Ruby stirred from her own sleep and, quite groggily, asked, "Whut time izzit?"

"Early enough to start getting ready, I believe," Twilight replied, turning on her bedside lamp with no regard to her friend's sleepy disposition. "How long do you think you need?"

Ruby rubbed her eyes and fell upon the bed once more, waving her hoof as if to hit the snooze button. "Jus' five more minutes..."

Twilight had already begun to pack her bags. "Well, then I'm taking those five minutes to pack. Hope you're awake enough to come with when I'm done."

"We're all teleporting there. It's not like I have to do any work." Ruby turned over and opened her eyes to adjust to the light from Twilight's lamp.

"That may be so... But still... You're getting free passes to watch some of the greatest spellcasters compete against each other. How you could not be excited for this is a mystery to me."

Ruby sat up and opened her eyes wide. "Because it's not any fun to watch someone else compete. If I were in there, sure, I'd be raging to go, but alas and alack, I've been tasked with merely spectating." She hopped out of bed and did a few stretches on her own. "I'll root for you to win on my behalf."

Twilight chuckled. "Thanks. Meet me downstairs. I'm taking you, Link and Navi. Emmy should be able to take Epona on her own."

Just from hearing her name, Ruby scowled at the mention of Emerald. "It'd be fine if she didn't go too..." she whispered.

"Epona? Well too bad. Link insisted." Twilight finished packing, set said bags upon her back and headed down the stairs to the library's main room, closing the door behind her.

"That's... not who I meant."

Link was already awake, early riser as he's always been. Navi was awake as well, sitting on the edge of the side table to the two-seat replacement sofa. The former was already doing stretches, much like Twilight was before she came to the top of the stairs. And, as she had done once before, Link built up a fireball in his hand when he heard her door close. The moment she came into view, he threw it at her.

Twilight caught it and chuckled. "That looks familiar." She dispelled it and walked down the rest of the stairs. "Emmy, Link, Navi. Good morning to you all!"

"Morning yourself. Nice catch, Twilight," Emmy applauded. She was sitting on the chair that Twilight liked so much, with her head turned back to see the lavender mare. "Sleep well enough?"

"I sure did. I'm ready for the day."

"That's good to hear," Link agreed. "We've been up for about half an hour getting ready ourselves."

Twilight noticed he had his pouch, boots and bracelet on. "You're not going to do any of the fighting. Why get ready for war?"

"That many unicorns in one place? Something's bound to go down." Link adjusted his belt and shifted in his boots. "Better safe than sorry."

Emmy cut in. "Opening ceremonies are at eight, so we do have a little time. Still, best to get there a bit early so we don't miss check-in." She got up and put her bags on. "Ready."

Navi got up and flew up to Link's shoulder. "I should be able to get a better look from up here. I wouldn't miss having a front row seat to the show."

"As front row as you can. I don't know how close the plus ones get to be in the stands," Twilight admitted.

"We'll try," Link agreed.

Epona had just come in from the kitchen with about half a dozen sandwiches wrapped in plastic. "I'll cut these in half when we get hungry enough. Oh, hey Twilight."

"Hey. Those for us?"

"Sure are. From what I can guess, the festival food is spendy, and I'd rather spend bits on fun things." She went to the kitchen after setting the bags down and returned with another bag of apples and several water bottles. "Also for the stay."

"You are well prepared," Twilight complimented.

"I've been around."

The group stowed their share of food and drink and awaited Twilight's call. "Alright. Emmy, since you're taking in Epona, you get to teleport with her. Link and Ruby, you're with me."

"Thank Celestia for that," Ruby admitted. Then, she added, "It's just- Hmm... I don't think teleporting with her is safe."

"I'll have you know that any form of teleporting is perfectly safe. Even if somepony makes -"

"Girls, come on," Twilight interrupted. Not here, and not right now, alright?"

"... Fine," the two in question responded simultaneously. They shared a glare and a light growl, and nopony knew why.

"Okay. We should meet in front of the gate to be let in. Emmy, track me after I reappear and we'll take it from there."

"Got it," Emmy agreed. Twilight disappeared with Link and Ruby, and all of their stuffs. Emmy got a lock on Twilight's location and disappeared as well with Epona.

Twilight appeared with Ruby, Link and Navi first, followed closely by Emmy and Epona. They all appeared in a crowd in front of the gate leading to the tournament grounds. Emmy reached in her bag and retrieved the tickets for her and Epona. However, Twilight kept an eye out for the pink mare to whom she would entrust the care of Ruby. She was found near the back, standing by herself. Ruby followed Twilight when she made her approach. "Hello there," she greeted.

"Hey there yourself," the mare replied. "Change your mind about punishing that one mare from the prelims?" She grinned a little.

"What? Oh, no. Nothing like that. She and I actually reached an agreement of sorts." Twilight looked to Ruby. "I actually come with a favor. My friend here has nowhere to stay for the tournament, and I notice you're here alone. Would you mind terribly if you made her your roommate?"

Ruby gave a small wave, feeling a bit awkward about the situation. "H-hi there."

"Oh?" That got her attention fully. "Is that right? That's just not allowed. Of course you can room with me. No problem." The mare sounded sincere enough. She approached Ruby, and Twilight got out of the way. "We can do whatever you want to do, as long as it doesn't interfere with the competition."

"Does that include reading? I like books," Ruby asked.

"It sure does."

"Good," Ruby admitted.

"See? Friends already. See you in the competition, I hope." She waved and retreated to the others. "Okay, so Ruby is set up, -"
"Not soon enough," Emmy retorted with a side glance to the crimson mare.

"Do you have a problem with her?" Link asked.

"Oh no. Not at all~" she replied sarcastically. "She and I are all fine and dandy."

Twilight narrowed her eyes at her, then continued, "You, Emmy, -"

"I'm going to the guests only hotel over yonder." She pointed to a tall building on the east side of the field. "Along with Epona, of course."

"And I'll be going with you to the competitor hotel, right?" Link asked. Twilight nodded. "Along with Navi."

Navi refused to return to the underside of his cap and instead remained seated on his shoulder. "I don't want to miss a thing! Hey, you think it'd be alright to stay at the arena while you go off to have your fun elsewhere?"

"Elsewhere?" Twilight questioned.

Emmy explained, "There's also a festival here."

"Ah." Twilight looked up at Navi. "You're unusually excited for the tournament, considering you aren't competing."

"I just wanna see the whole thing. Along with you taking first," Navi admitted.

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "Eh heh..."

Soon, the gates opened and the flood of ponies entered the main property of the tournament. They all made their way to either the hotel to the west or the hotel to the east. Twilight, Link and Navi walked toward the former while Epona and Emmy trotted off for the latter.

Twilight waited in the check-in line to get her room with Link and Navi. There were two stallions making short work of the 64 competitors and their roommates, getting Twilight her key in record breaking time. The two were admitted to room 208B. Ruby and the pink mare to whom she was entrusted were given a room one floor up and a few rooms down to 302B and didn't share more than a few word at a time the whole way up.

Link and Twilight deposited their belongings into the room and departed for the opening ceremonies.

At the front of the crowd, on a small stage, stood a stallion. The 64 competitors stood in front of him, and the hundreds of spectators stood behind them. He lit up his horn and and his voice rang out over the crowds. "Ladies and Gentle-stallions! Colts and Fillies! Welcome to the 111th Annual Spellcaster's Tournament!"

Cheers erupted from the spectators. Twilight glanced to the other competitors and noticed that a majority of them didn't seem to care. Like it was just another day to them.

"We have a festival that will be open to everypony right after ceremonies and will close on the final day before the final match. Please enjoy yourselves between or even during matches, if your skill allows it. First match starts at 9, so be in your seats by then should you wish to bear witness. And let's be honest, you didn't come here for just the festival." The crowd laughed a little. "Competitors! If you could form two neat lines in front of these two lovely ladies-" Two mares teleported in; one wore a red outfit, the other a blue outfit and both wearing black hats. "- when I'm done talking."

Might be match up draws... Twilight thought.

The girls gave winks to the crowd before conjuring a table and placing their hats upside down upon it. "We'll explain how it works in a minute," they revealed in unison.

"And that minute draws near, so before we go, I want to thank you again for your attention and attendance. See you in the stadium at 9! And competitors..." He peered into the crowd, almost directly at Twilight, "Give it your all!" The stallion teleported away.

Everypony save for the competitors retreated or advanced to the festival. The competitors remained and filed themselves into two lines. "32 pieces of paper are included in each hat here. Take one out and see the number scrawled upon its surface."

"Then find your number on this board here and write your name beside it," the other mare added.

One by one, the mares and stallions reached in and took out a piece of paper. When Twilight had her turn, she saw the number 17. She found her number and wrote her name beside it, above two names and below a third. When everypony had drawn, the red mare continued, "The names above and below your own are your teammates. Find them. Somepony among the tournament staff will be with you shortly."

Twilight looked at the names again and was quickly approached by the three ponies meant to be on her team. "You must be Twilight," the yellow mare guessed. "I'm Forest Meadow." The dark green mare greeted with a warm smile. "Pleasure."

"Cloud, will do," the grey stallion greeted.

"Which would make you... Corona." Twilight looked to the back of them to the yellow mare. "Right?"

"That's right." She walked forward between the two. "I like your attitude, girl."

"Uhm... Thanks?" Teammates for round one... if I can, I want to keep my sword reserved for one on ones. Twilight held out a hoof to each of them. "Nice to meet all of you."

Soon, a stallion approached the team. "Cloud, Twilight, Forest, Corona. The four of you are Team Seven. Please. Come with me." He led the group to a tent with the big number 7 on its dual flap doors. Twilight and the others noticed there were other tents and other groups going into them one at a time.

One by one, the teammates entered and exited the tent, with about three minutes spent inside. Twilight was third to go in after Cloud and Forest. The stallion sat behind a desk with a lamp on it. He had Twilight's prelim test paper in front of him. "Twilight Sparkle. 18. Passed all of your physical tests with remarkable ease. Though it shows me you had the hardest time with the obstacle course compared to the other three. Why is that?"

"Up until a week ago, all I've done is read books. My physical side isn't exactly adequate for an obstacle course."

"Yet you conjured a blade that split a magic shot in two at a mere ten feet within a quarter of a second. Quite literally blink and you'll miss it, yet you executed it so flawlessly." He paused, letting Twilight think about where he might be going with that conversation. "I only bring it up because of the weapon you used. The tournament does not allow for cutting weapons."

"I have since altered the design. It's now a battering tool," Twilight argued.

"Prove it to me." He created a ball of magic in front of him. Twilight made her weapon and swung, sending it hurtling toward the wall. On impact, the ball fused with the wall. "Hmm. Good. We will allow its use in the coming matches. Use it how you like."

"Can the others hear or see what's going on in here?" The stallion shook his head. "Good. I kinda want to keep this tool a secret for as long as I can."

"That's reasonable. Are there any other weapons or tools you wish to bring into combat?"

"Well, since you specify battering tools are allowed, can I hit with my shield?" She created a shield in front of her after dispelling her sword. That time, the stallion nodded. "That's good to know."

He reached into a box at his side and retrieved a blue cloth as well as a metal ring. "You, and the rest of the team you are on, have been assigned the color Pink."

Twilight tilted her head. "Then why a blue vest?"

"Put them on." She did as she was told and zipped it up. The cloth disappeared from sight as it adopted her lavender coat and shrunk to fit her perfectly. Then she put on the wristband and watched as it, too, decreased in size to fit. "The wristband controls the color of the coat. Speak the color into it, and the vest will change."

"And why can't the vest do that on its own?"

"Because the vest is designed to monitor your vitals and teleport you off the field should they fall dangerously low. If you are knocked unconscious, you will be teleported off the field. If you run low on magic and can no longer compete, you will be teleported off the field. If you forfeit using the phrase, 'I yield', you-"

"-"Will be teleported off the field?" He nodded once more. "I see why the wristbands control the color now."

"Do you have any more questions for me?" Twilight shook her head no in reply. She was dismissed.

Soon as she stepped out of the tent, Corona complimented, "I like the jacket, Twily." She smiled and passed her on the way to the inside of the tent.

How'd she know I was wearing one?

When Corona came out, she looked confident. "Alright Team Seven. It looks like I was appointed team leader for the time being. Let's see..." She looked over at a nearby clock. "It's 8:40 now. We have our first match in... about an hour? Let's go see the board and find out who they are." The others followed her lead without question.

The tournament bracket was being constantly updated with information as the teams were getting approved by the staff. All of their opposing team passed their check in and appeared beside them in the third match of round one. "Team Twelve..." Cloud muttered.

"Since there's a chance we'll lose our match, we should take this time to share what skills we have. To better formulate some kind of battle plan." The others agreed and followed her to a table in the food court of the festival.

Forest sat across from Corona. "Who wants to share first?" the former inquired.

Cloud spoke next, across from Twilight. "That'd be me. I have elemental magic. Ice, lightning and water." The others looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Just fascinating, is all. All I can do is play music," Forest complimented, sitting beside Twilight. She conjured a pan flute and played a demonstration string of notes. "I'm a lover, not a fighter. Sorry... But I can support you. My songs can grant buffs to you guys as long as you stay in range."

"Of the sound?" Cloud asked.

"Of my magic. It's emission. Which means it sends out my magic to those in about 20 feet range."

Twilight smiled at that. "That'll come in handy. What else can you do with that?"

"Well, I can bounce projectiles off of it like a shield, and I can swing it through the air to make damaging notes appear. The holes the air goes through changes the effect. Like, I leave the high C and G uncovered and throw a ball of wind in the form of a green note. It flies pretty quick, and pushes back whatever it hits. Then there's the middle notes E and F. Those ones send out a yellow note that paralyzes on impact. It's a slow note, but it's powerful enough to last for about 30 seconds. The songs that I play physically can last as long as I play them."

Corona clapped her hooves. "That's incredible!" She cleared her throat. "I'm a martial combatant. Punches and kicks powered by spirit."

"I've heard about that," Twilight noted. "I'm glad you're on our side."

"So am I," Corona admitted. "So what's your skill-set Twilight?"

Twilight hesitated. "I can shoot strong magic blasts from my horn, and I can make a durable barrier." The others looked now at her. More with baited breath than surprise. "What?"

"Is... Is that it?" Corona asked.

"Well, I can make an icy mist that freezes fireballs, I have levitated a full water tower, I have become proficient with teleporting, apparently my reaction time is pretty good."

"An all-rounder then. You'll come in handy." Corona looked at Twilight. "So we have one who is weak to close range," then she pointed at herself, "one who is weak to long range," over to Forest, "one who's weak to both," finally to Cloud, "and one who is weak to neither. Quite the four-pony squad we've got."

"I contest that. I'm not entirely useless in close combat. Sure I've got a shield, but I've also been trained by a member of the Royal Guard. I can hold my own in a swordfight."

"Oh, can you now?" a mare asked, approaching Twilight from the side. The entire group looked at the mare and adopted narrow eyes and tense shoulders. There stood a grey unicorn mare wearing the competitor's bracelet and a training sword on each hip, held by leather straps.

Twilight looked confused. "I'm... sorry, do I know you?"

"Honestly, between you and your brother, I'm not sure who's smarter."

Slowly, Twilight's gaze shifted to the scar under the mare's right eye. "Oh! It's you! Wow, you look really different without all that armor."

"Steel Saber, in case we were never introduced properly."

"Twilight Sparkle," she replied.

"Well, Twilight. The powers that be granted my participation in the tournament. On one condition..." Saber turned to her side and whistled very loudly. Everypony in the immediate area looked at her with stunned surprise. One mare, from at least a hundred feet away, turned her head to see, turned back to her business and bowed lightly before trotting toward Saber. "The one condition is that I keep a close eye on this one as she attends the festival. She'll be watching my matches when I have them, and having fun when I'm out of the match. Either way, we're staying the whole weekend.

The new mare came to the side. "You called?"

"Polaris, you remember Twilight? She attacked me in the castle."

"Yeah, I remember you." Polaris smiled. "How've you been?"

"Are we really going to gloss over the fact a royal guard is competing in the tournament?" Forest asked.

"It's not illegal. Some paperwork needs to be submitted beforehoof, but so long as you follow the same rules as the citizenry, you should be fine, right?" Twilight asked.

"That's right. Your brother kept you informed. I tell you, it's a lot of fine print. Well worth it for worthy competition." Saber addressed the group. "So what number are you guys?"

"Seven. Yours?" Corona replied as leader of the team.

"Nine. Last match of round one, lucky me." She glanced at Polaris who had started swaying lightly in delight of just being outdoors. Then she shifted back to Twilight. "See you in the finals?"

"See you there," Twilight affirmed. The group watched Saber and Polaris depart for the festival and its finer entertainment.

Once Saber was out of earshot, Corona offered a compliment. "She seems nice. Gnarly looking scar though."

"I fought her. Twice, kinda. I lost both times. She is why I even considered taking lessons."

"Revenge then?" Corona asked.

"In a way... " Twilight admitted. "The other half of 'why' would have to be because I want to see what I'm capable of." Twilight folded her forelegs on the table in front of her. "If it comes down to her team and ours... I want to take her one on one. I'm sure she'd let me do that."

"And why would we agree to that?" Forest asked.

"You saw her scar, right? My brother, the Royal Guard I learned from, is the one who gave it to her. I wanna see how I stack up is all."

Corona and the others were quiet for a bit. Then the leader spoke, "If you were to guess... Who would win? You or her?"

"Probably her, honestly. More formal training outweighs my trainer's ability to instruct."

"Despite your hesitance, you can have your fight. Besides, in a squad fight, and you have your solo fight first, there'd be no pressure if you won or lost." Corona admitted. "Regardless of the outcome, it'd still be a three on four, hopefully in our favor, and that's assuming we're still in teams at that point. We'd have to progress to the finals if we're gonna fight them."

Twilight thanked her for the permission.

The team talked strategies up until 10 minutes before their match. They talked about attack plans, defense plans, and team attacks. Twilight revealed her reflective blade, Cloud explained his limits as it pertained to his elements and Forest described some of the effects her songs would have. Corona described her talent as being able to take a hit and being able to hit hard.

It came time for their team to go to the ready area. They gathered on their side of the arena staring across at the opposing team. Together, they spoke "Pink" into their bracelets and watched the vests adopt the color in question. Team Twelve walked onto the field and to the center where Team Twelve stood in wait wearing lime green vests of their own.

8 unicorns wearing Staff vests appeared on the cardinal and inter-cardinal points of the stage. A white square appeared over each of their heads and started spinning various symbols. The announcer appeared between the two teams. "Team Seven and Team Twelve. The match has no time limit. Use approved methods of combat only. Spells and Blunt weaponry is fully allowed. If you are incapacitated, you will be teleported off the field."

The revolving symbols from the north side to the south-east side - Team Twelve's side - stopped on a dark orb. The four unicorns on each of those directions transformed their section of stage to a dark forest filled with black mist. Then the symbols on the other four directions stopped on a tombstone with a white ghost coming out of it. Again, the four unicorns terraformed the stage to make it look like a graveyard complete with spooky trees, fresh turned dirt and blank gravestones. It, too, looked like it blocked a small amount of sunlight.

There remained an octagon of unchanged arena floor where the teams were standing. It had a radius of 25 feet to the sides, and an extra 50 feet to the actual edge of the stage, which stopped sharply at its edge to clearly mark its size.

"Alright," the announcer started, "at the sound of the bell, your match will begin." He teleported away and the bell rang.

"Game on!" Cloud shouted. He shot a pulse of icy mist forward at the other team. Each of them had raised a barrier covering most of their bodies from the front.

As soon as she saw the barriers go up, she determined which opponent would be hers by how thin the shields appeared. She chose the one that was the thickest and dashed forward after the ice went out. In a single punch, she shattered the shield and collided with the stallion's face, knocking him back. In the blink of an eye, she vanished along with the stallion.

The two arrived in the forest with their vests the only light. Even that was barely visible, as the darkness was overwhelming. Like a fool, the stallion lit up his horn to try and get a better view of his surrounds. Corona saw his horn through the blackness and closed the distance, bearing down on him with a powerful series of punches and kicks.

She was too fast, he couldn't keep up, so he went and turned off the light, deciding to hide and duck away. Just when he retreated, he heard her hit the tree where he was standing. Very quietly, he started walking away from where he heard the noise, expecting to find his way out.

Branches creaked and the breeze sent chills through his spine. He turned to the side and saw a bright ball of yellow energy flying at him. It was slow enough that he was able to get out of the way. But he was already made out on where he was. She came up behind him and grappled him, taking him to the ground in a struggle. The stallion jabbed his elbow in her ribs a couple times and forced her to let go. Lying there in pain, she saw him stand and charge a blast in his horn. When he fired it, Corona had put up her forelegs to try and block the point blank burst of green magic.

It put her several feet in the ground.

She saw him charge a second one and waited. When he fired, she disappeared. The stallion looked around, and the moment he turned his head, it was met with a severe punch. He staggered a little from the force, and was jabbed in the side with a kick it felt like. Again, the mare vanished. The next time, he anticipated the attack and attempted to counter.

Corona ducked the attempt and punched him square in the face so hard the resulting energy pushed through his head and out the back, lighting the forest for a few seconds. The stallion didn't even hit the ground before he was teleported off the field.

She sighed, rubbed her hoof for a moment, then sat and closed her eyes in an attempt to restore her stamina.

Just after Corona broke through the stallion's shield, his other teammates looked over at him in surprise. Twilight took the chance to force a teleport on the one who had the least amount of magic, judging by the strength of the shield. She disappeared with her to the graveyard.

The two appeared beside a tree with several headstones between them. The opponent kept up her shield and stood her ground. Twilight began rapid spraying magic shots at her. Easily, the opponent dodged the shots. She then dropped her shield to focus on dodging. Between shots, the mare tried getting closer to Twilight, but whenever she got close enough, Twilight would teleport to a safer distance and continue her salvo.

Suddenly, from a seemingly impossible angle, the mare gets a shot in her side. In surprise, she turned toward where it came from and saw a hole in the ground. "What?" Then she felt a shot to her face, staggering her and getting her off-balance. In the half a second that followed, several hundred shots unburied themselves and crashed down upon her teetering foe. No time to throw up a shield, the opponent took the full force of the attack - low-powered that the shots were - and collapsed to the ground before being teleported off the field.

Twilight smiled at the crater she made and glanced back at the two still in the center. She ran over to help, conserving her magic for the next encounter.

Cloud had released an initial burst of icy mist forward at the quartet of enemies. The shields they created didn't extend further than their knees. He was the first to act. Corona, with her spirit-powered abilities, dashed forth and shattered one of the shields, connecting with the stallion's face before essentially dragging him into the forest with surprising speed. Twilight picked one and disappeared as well, but to the other side, just as planned. Together, they divided the opponent's forces. Which was easy, due to how they reacted to the ice. None of them teleported away from harm, either by choice, or because they simply didn't know how.

Which left a few seconds where Cloud was alone with Forest and the last two opponents.

Forest shuffled to a position behind Cloud and divulged her role as either support or back-up. The two opponents glanced at each other and decided to split up. The one on the right turned tail and ran toward the forest while the left one ran around Cloud and Forest to try and get to the graveyard.

Confused, Forest watched the runner try and get past them. Cloud focused on the one in front and fired sharp icy spears at him, barring his path. The other stallion saw Cloud was occupied and turned on Forest. He fired a beam at her side. Forest was able to take out her instrument and deflect the shot sideways. She spun in place and waved her pan flute through the air, releasing a medium tone through the two open holes. A big yellow note floated swiftly through the air in a jagged pattern. The stallion tried to dodge, but failed as the icy mist on his hooves solidified and froze his hooves to the ground. He was hit by the note as a static aura enveloped him, causing him to cry out in pain before falling to the ground unconscious. Just like that, the stallion was teleported off the field.

Last but not least, the stallion close to the forest. He heard the final punch of Corona's attack and looked back at Cloud. That mare is probably a physical type. And if she broke his shield, then she's strong. I'd have a better chance against these two. he thought. Cloud fired off several more icy spears at the stallion, all of which missed their mark but only barely. His swift movements allowed him to close the distance with ease.

He hopped over Cloud once he got close enough and clipped Forest in the horn with a quick kick upon landing. She both dropped her instrument and fell to the ground in a little pain, but still conscious. On his reverse turn, he slammed into Cloud's side, toppling him for but a second. Cloud rolled, got to his hooves and shot a stream of lightning at the opponent. Skillfully, the stallion grabbed the lightning in his hooves, condensed it and threw it back just as quickly. Cloud raised an ice shield, which broke when the lightning ball connected with it. It was such a strong spell that it held its form afterward, and got him in the shoulder.

Twilight had arrived and helped Forest to her hooves, helping her to heal a little. "Gonna need some defense. Trust me."

Forest nodded and sat down. She began to play. Twilight stood guard in front of her with a spell charging in her horn. The music reached Cloud, and just in time as the opponent had dashed forward and connected with Cloud's muzzle so hard it sent a small shockwave through the air.

With the help of the defense song, Cloud didn't even flinch. Instead, he only narrowed his eyes. The opponent looked back at Forest and saw her playing. "You!" He disengaged and advanced on Twilight and Forest.

Twilight's training against the quick-moving Emmy had paid off when her eyes were able to track the stallion's movements with great ease. She intercepted his assault with a perfectly timed beam of magic. It was so strong from all that build-up that it carried the stallion through the dark forest, through a few trees and off the stage, skidding to a stop just before hitting the wall of the stands.

Deafening cheers erupted from the stands as Twilight and her team teleported to the center, with the announcer. The terrain also reverted to a normal stage. "Team Seven emerges the victor!" More thunderous applause. Apparently, the previous two matches had been less than entertaining as they would have been heard from the festival otherwise.

Corona patted Twilight on the back. "Nice shooting, Twi!" The team was walked off the arena to make way for the next bout.

Team Seven met in the leader's hotel room for their victory meal. They celebrated with juice and sandwiches, and talked about what part of their fight was hardest.

"I had to tank a point-blank shot while prone," Corona complained.

"I'm sorry, but my opponent wouldn't stand still," Twilight added.

"Mine kicked me in the horn. Still hurts a little." Forest sipped her orange juice.

"My opponent literally caught my spell and threw it at my face."

Forest asked, "Didn't that hit you in the shoulder though?"

"So he had bad aim," Cloud clarified. "I never said he was good at it."

"Still, we won. And that means we're not in last place." Corona clapped. "Well done, all of you." She smiled looked at the window. "Round two is gonna be much harder."

"Yeah. With everypony that fell in round one, there's a better pony who made it to round two." Cloud ate a bite of sandwich. "We should be getting some rest. Especially you, Corona. You took the hardest hit of the four of us."

"I'm a quick recovery, so don't worry about me." She turned to the door... before there was a knock. Then, a slip of paper made its way under the door. Corona levitated it over to her and looked at it. "Huh... Well, this is a twist."

"What is it?" Forest asked.

"A notice for round two. Not only has our opponent been affirmed - it's Team Fourteen by the way - but it's also set to be a two-on-two match, as will all the matches of round two." Corona set it down for the others to see.

The others looked at it and adopted a concerning look. "Only two of us?" Twilight asked.

"That's what it says," Cloud replied.

"But it's asking for representatives, which leads me to believe that we all go on to the third round if the two we pick actually win," Forest estimated. "Which is a good thing, since it means there's no pressure in picking who competes here."

"Agreed. As the choice falls to me, and I'm just not that confident making this choice on your behalf, what do you guys think? Who should we send into the next match?" Corona asked tilting her head.

The others were quiet in thought aside from Twilight. "Someone balanced, and someone who's primarily offensive."

"Interesting... Why?" Corona asked further.

"Because. It's our strength, I'm sure. Assuming the next team we go up against is going to try what we did in the first round, we'll need a pair of ponies who can hold their own on their own, and so far, only you and I have done that, Corona. So I'd choose both you and me."

"That's quite the assessment. Do you all agree?" Cloud and Forest both nod. "Then it's settled. Twilight, you shall accompany me into the second round."

"I won't let you down," Twilight assured.

Corona nodded in affirmation and wrote down their names on the lines provided before standing up. "I'm going to give this to the Tournament Officials. Cloud, Forest, feel free to enjoy the festival. Twilight, if you need rest, now would be the time to try."

"I'll be fine. I was actually interested in going back to my room, but not for sleep. I brought some books to read." She stood as well and left after Corona. Cloud and Forest followed afterward and locked the door.

They split their paths and enjoyed their own free time.

When Twilight finished a good chapter, she made her way to the tournament board to see if Saber's team progressed, or even if it ended yet. "Just as I suspected, her team advances..." she said with a smile and a shake in her head.

"Who's team?" a voice called. Twilight turned and saw the pink mare.

"Oh, uhh. The second to last one. Team Nine. I have an acquaintance there." She decided to change the subject. "How's Ruby?"

"She's a delight, really she is. However, she told me all about your stallion issue. The dark alicorn?" Twilight nodded. "Now, I know it's none of my business, and I did tell her as much, but she insisted on venting to me about- ... What?"

Twilight was chuckling at the unintended pun. "Heh. 'venting'. It's funny 'cause- well... not important. Go on."

"... about even though he put you through all of that, one of her 'friends' appears to be taking his side on the matter."

"Emmy..." Twilight assumed. "It's true, the two have been... butting heads lately. I didn't think that that would be why though. If they wanna argue about it, I don't want to get in their way."

"Why not? This kind of thing is how friendships are destroyed."

"Because, these mares have unnatural power. I could barely contain their collateral damage the last time they went at it. I even lost a sofa." The mare tilted her head. "Not important. It got replaced."

The mare thought for a moment. "Well, surely you can convince them to drop it for the safety of others?"

"I hope so..." Twilight admitted. "I forgot to ask you earlier, what team did you get put on? Mine didn't watch any of the other matches."

"Team Five. The first match, and the second team on the field after Team Eight. We won, too. But, I'll be sitting out round two. I took a pretty heavy hit, so I'm in no shape to fight today. And if that weren't reason enough, my team wants a full-defense pair, and I guess I count as balanced."

"Same here, honestly. But, I was able to convince the leader of my team to include me in the pair. I didn't come all this way, train for a week straight, just to sit on my haunches and watch someone else fight my battles. Hopefully, you'll get to see me in action. Maybe even winning."

"I look forward to it," the mare concluded. She started to walk off. Twilight looked at the board once more. Then the mare stopped, and turned her head back, causing Twilight to also look at her. "Aim for the shoulders," she offered. Then, the mare continued her retreat.

Twilight gave her head a tilt in confusion before looking at the board again. Why the shoulders? Is it their weak-spot? If so... Why would she want to help me?

The entirety of Team Seven met up just before they were set to go on. Cloud and Forest wished both Twilight and Corona the best of luck in their bout.

"We got this. Right Twilight?" Corona asked, as if to seek assurance.

"Absolutely," Twilight offered. She elected to withhold the advice she had been given on the count of Corona not being able to capitalize on it. "Stick together if we can, watch each other's back if able. We'll be fine."

"Uh huh!" Corona agreed. The announcer called Team Seven and Team Fourteen to the arena, which looked a bit smaller than the first round. Probably to account for half the combatants. "That's us." Both of them turned their vests pink through dictation into the wristlets.

Twilight followed Corona onto the field. Team Fourteen approached after Corona and Twilight got into position in the center. The opposing pair wore bright yellow vests.

As before, the eight unicorns around the edge had squares over their heads with revolving images, indicating the stage's impending transformation.

The announcer appeared between the teams. "Team Seven's Corona and Twilight Sparkle versus Team Twelve's Cherry Blossom and Rising Tide." Everypony in the audience cheered for one team or the other, obviously. However, the audience seemed to favor Team Seven. The announcer's voice became just loud enough for the combatants to hear him. "The stage is smaller this time. There will be four different terrains. Other than that, same rules as round one."

To the North and North-East, The symbols stopped on a pair of rocks. The stage in that quadrant changed from normal to a mining cave, complete with minecart and rails, as well as lanterns and an empty birdcage hanging by the mine entrance.

On the West to North-West side, the spinning images halted their turning on a snowflake. That region transformed into a snowbank over an iced-over body of water. Snow was falling calmly and the wind was blowing slightly.

Further South and reaching the South-West area, the graphics on the squares stopped on a metal fan. The field turned to an actual meadow with uneven terrain. There was a noticeable air current as each and every blade of grass was flailing wildly.

Around the East and South-East part of the arena, the emblems halted on a puff of fire. The field transformed into a volcano, like what would be in the Dragonlands. There were a few fire geysers erupting on what appeared to be a fixed timer.

The octagon in the center remained as a normal, neutral stage. "Round Two..." the stallion announced. Everypony in the stands sounded like they held their breath as a sense of calm washed over Twilight. "Begin!" He teleported away from the impending clash.

Soon as the announcer vanished, Corona felt a hoof slam against her muzzle so hard it knocked her clean off her hooves and back into the snowfield. She slid to a stop just before hitting the lake. The Tartarus just hit me?! With barely enough time to get to her hooves, the opponent closed the gap and unleashed a fluid combo of punches and kicks at a remarkable speed. Corona was able to block most of them. The final hit was strong enough to break her guard and send her reeling over the frozen lake.

The opponent, Cherry Blossom, leapt overhead and brought her forehoof down. Corona nudged herself to the side, evading the strike, which hit the ice with such force, it shattered the surface and sent up several massive chunks of ice into the air. Even the snowfall was blown out of the way.

I get it now... She watched our fight and targeted me intentionally. Same tactic we used before. I'm sorry, Twilight. You are on your own for this round. Corona cast a spell which increased her movement speed eight times over. I won't be able to keep this up for long, but maybe just long enough.

Her opponent also cast the same spell to match her speed. The two entered into a flow as their surroundings slowed down. Heavy punches and mighty bucks echoed through the air, sending shockwaves with every connection.

The ice finally fell to the ground as Corona found herself in a chokehold. Their speed spells wore off at last. In an effort to break free, Corona reared up and stomped hard, bucking her back legs up and over her head, front flipping and landing on Cherry, crushing her under the weight. She let go in pain.

Corona stepped forward and turned to face her, focusing magic in her hooves and taking a stance. Blossom got up and wiped off some snow from her vest. The former threw a light yellow ball of magic at the latter, who dodged and lurched forward, closing the distance.

Hit for hit, the two fought on. Several minutes later, Corona hit the ground. Blossom stepped forward to deal a fatal blow. Corona saw her opportunity and took it the moment Cherry dropped her guard. She turned and swept the legs out from under her standing foe. Quick to change her direction, Corona twisted the other way and kicked her in the muzzle with her other back leg.

Corona brought her leg to the ground behind her as she spun to a standing position. Not even looking, she charged her hoof with nearly all of her remaining power. In one fluid downward strike, she threw her punch with a mighty yell at where she expected her opponent to be.

Only... her opponent had been knocked out by the kick and teleported off the field.

The strike followed through anyway, hitting the ground instead. Powdered snow flew in all directions as it exposed the ground beneath. Even the dirt was blasted away by the impact, making a crater deep enough to stand in. Corona looked at her work. "I... got her..." Exhausted, she fell forward, spent of energy. She, too, was teleported off the field.

The announcer disappeared from the battlefield and Twilight felt magic wrapping around her. Before she knew it, she was being yanked about the stage before being thrown to the north. In the motion of being thrown, she saw Corona already in the snow field, engaging in combat. One on one it is, then. Hang in there, Corona. You got this.

Twilight saw her opponent fire an impressive number of projectiles her way. Quickly, and while still falling, she summoned her shield. Each shot was so low in power, it fizzled against her barrier. The final shot of them however, was noticeably bigger. It was aimed at Twilight's point of landing.

Realizing this, Twilight sidestepped as soon as she landed, hiding behind the nearest minecart. The shot hit the ground and broke it a little. She peeked under the cart and saw her opponent run closer, stopping just short of the rocky terrain.

Rising Tide fired another shot that appeared to curve around the rocks and carts. Twilight deflected it up with her shield when it got close enough. She stepped out from her hiding place and stared at the shot. It curved again and plummeted toward her. With careful aim, she spiked the shot at the mare like a racket hitting a birdie for speed. Too slow to react, the shot got Tide in the chest, sliding her back a few feet before the blast dissipated.

Again, Rising released a salvo of shots that arced over the terrain. Twilight expanded the shield over her head. The shots rained down upon her as cannon fire. And felt just as strong. Each shot served to crack Twilight's shield. Her barrier broke after half a dozen shots made their fall, leaving the next few to crash upon Twilight herself.

She fell to a knee, short of breath for having her barrier broken. She saw the mare ahead of her charge a rather large blast of magic, and she knew what was coming. She charged a spell of her own and waited. The mare fired a large blast, just as Twilight had done her match prior. Twilight teleported out of the way to a standing position and summoned her shield once more.

As well as her sword.

Twilight felt more magic around her, and found herself flung to the volcanic area. She slid to a stop before a geyser that erupted behind her. Just like the time before, Rising Tide stopped her advance just before the dangerous terrain.

Twilight wasn't having it. "Get over here!" she shouted, forcing a teleport on the mare. She reappeared behind Twilight, just as the geyser erupted. It sent Tide high into the air. Twilight turned and saw her come down hard. She landed and fired a shot at near point-blank. Having done it before, Twilight deflected the shot by watching where the opponent's eyes were looking, sending it back to its caster and connected with the mare's shoulder.

She was knocked back and down, sliding to a stop just before the edge of the stage. Twilight ran over and wrapped her shield around her, keeping her in place. In desperation, Rising Tide fired another shot. Again, Twilight deflected with less than two feet between them. The ricocheted shot hit Tide in the horn, which began to smoke.

Twilight raised her sword over her head. "Forfeit, or else..." she demanded.

"You wouldn't!" the mare predicted.

"You're right... I wouldn't." Twilight dispelled her sword and picked her up. "But I'll settle for a ring-out any day." Twilight pulled her back and threw her forward, dispelling her shield just before they crossed the stage line. She slid to a stop just before being teleported away to be with her - still unconscious - teammate.

Twilight took a deep breath and was teleported to the center along with Corona, who was unconscious herself.

The announcer teleported in with them and held Twilight's hoof up high. "Corona and Twilight of Team Seven is the victor!" he announced. Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands. Twilight carried her teammate off the field. Once off, Corona woke up and walked herself. The two met with Cloud and Forest at the tournament board.

"Congrats on the win!" Forest complimented. "It's because of you that we advance to round three!"

"Thank Twilight for that. She's the one that won it for us," Corona admitted. "She balanced the group and pulled a win from thin air."

"No," Twilight denied, shaking her head. "You did amazing work. The victory is ours. As a team."

Cloud frowned. "The next round will be more challenging than the last. The further we go, the more powerful our opponents will be."

"I think you're right. Thankfully, round three's gonna be tomorrow. No way they expect us to go three rounds like this in a day. Even if they wanted to, the time just won't allow for it." Corona yawned. "And besides, I need some sleep after that match... that last punch took all of what I had left."

"Speaking of which, it looked like you went for the kill shot with that attack... Did you?" Cloud asked.

"Okay, so I got a little carried away. No kill like overkill, right?" Corona chuckled.

"Maybe you forgot the rule about excessive force?" Forest asked.

"That's a rule?" Twilight nodded. "Oh... Good thing they passed out then. Eh heh..." Corona tried to chuckle.

Twilight added, "I'm gonna get some rest as well. See you all at the board in the morning?"

The other nodded and departed from the board, except for Twilight, who stayed behind to see who won the remaining matches. Team Five advanced to round three, as did Team Nine. What she couldn't figure out was where the mare from the water was.

Had she lost? How far did she get? Did she stay for the rest of the rounds or did she go home? Tomorrow will have the answers to those questions... she thought. Twilight walked back to her hotel room for some much needed rest.

The room was empty. She guessed that Link was out enjoying the festival with the others. Which was fine. Twilight closed her eyes and fell right to sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in the library bed she called her own. She sat up and stretched. Outside was bright like the middle of the day. Warm, singing birds, the smell of flowers wafting through the air. Her usual book dream.

Twilight walked to the door and heard hoofsteps on the other side. "Huh? Ruby? Emmy? Epona?"

"Guess again," a stallion answered. The shadow stallion from the woods walked through the door and forced Twilight to step back. "They've all gone. Ashamed to have called you their friend. You stood there, and did nothing, when they clashed and spilled blood. Like you didn't care about them."

"You... I don't know what you're talking about..."

"As we speak, the very conflict I speak of peeks over the horizon. At noon on the final day, the two will engage. And you will be powerless to stop them, just as I planned. And I will have a front row seat to the show."

The light from the window burned the shadow pony, forcing him to hide once more. "This can't be happening... I thought I was free from him... Does he still hold sway over me?" She looked concerned as she walked down the stairs to the main lobby.

Everything was as it should be. As it usually was in this dream. She pulled a book from the shelf. Then another, then another few. Irritated, she shelved them and pushed the furniture to the side of the room.

Twilight summoned her sword and shield and began training for the fights to come.

Finished! Day one!

Fight scenes are fun to write. And yeah, the alicorn still has hold over Twilight. And he has eyes through someone else as well.

He'll get what's coming to him. Promise.

Last arc before he gets the sword! #self-hype