Twilight woke up in the hospital again, this time almost buried under baskets of baked goods and bouquets of flowers.  Judging by the bright sun outside, it was morning.

"I was out all night?" She groaned. "Hay, Slam hit hard." She shielded her eyes from the light. "Why'd Princess Celestia make the sun so bright today? I should complain to her about that." She smiled a little.

Well, there was nothing gained by just sitting in bed. She should be up, figuring out the time and then getting ready for the match. One more remained: her versus Violet, Celestia's champion versus Luna's. It was too bad that Luna had decided to do... whatever it was she had done... and gone to the extreme of entering a champion in the trial-by-combat matches. Twilight didn't hate Luna, she'd even supported the mare on Nightmare Night, but she would still fight for Celestia. If that meant slaying Violet, so be it.

"Besides," she muttered. "That was in Twilight Sparkle's life. She was a little more naïve than I am." She paused. "Any... affection I still feel for Luna comes from her, not me. It has no place here."

Besides, she had some strategizing to do. With Twilight's luck, the arena would be tilted against her -- maybe it would be pitch-black, or maybe it would take place on the moon. The moon seemed especially likely; beating Luna's champion there would be the ultimate symbolic victory over the princess of night.

"I know a spell to make sure I can breathe, one for heat..." she began to muse. "Violet'll probably be more familiar with moving there than I am, since there's not much gravity, so maybe something that'll increase my mass to the point where it feels normal?" She paused. "No, then she'll be more maneuverable. How about one to increase her mass too?" It was a good idea -- it would get Violet completely out of her element and make her much more vulnerable.

As Twilight began musing how best to set up the spell, she thought she heard a small cough from the side of her bed. She turned to see, peeking out of a basket that had to be half her size, Pinkie Pie.

"Agh!" Twilight jumped a little. Even in the guard, even when studying ancient magic, she'd never heard of anypony that could just appear like Pinkie could. "How'd you get in here?"

Pinkie shrugged.

"I thought you were scared of me," said Twilight, remembering her bitterness. "Change your mind?"

Pinkie hesitated.

"Pinkie..."

"I couldn't lie to you, Twilight," she said. Pinkie looked away. "You're too smart. But you're not the same pony I've known for two years... you're so strong and tough and, and really good at fighting..."

Twilight, despite the last four days of intensive combat, forced herself to try to empathize with Pinkie. "I get that it's a sudden shift, me suddenly being some kind of awesome soldier. But..."

"But it's not awesome!" Pinkie said. "You're becoming a mean pony! Applejack told me you looked really happy to burn up that one Dog! And then she said that yesterday, you killed a pony who was on your side!"

Twilight dimly recalled Applejack yelling something about that, although she'd thought that the farmer had been arrested right afterwards, so she wasn’t sure how she'd told Pinkie. But either way, she hoped that she could put at least this one rumor to bed. "AJ's a little confused. I promise you, I'm not becoming a bad pony. I don't like fighting; I just do it because I have to. And that pony on my side was a traitor who tried to destroy the realm. She was scheduled to die anyway... she just wanted to do it meaningfully."

Pinkie looked very sad by Twilight's confirmation that she'd actually killed Saberhoof. "But you won't fight today, right? Dash said she found a way that you wouldn't!"

Twilight guessed that Dash was just lying to make Pinkie feel better, but she saw no reason why she had to be the one to ruin the lie for Pinkie. She just said, "That's awesome, Pinkie. Thanks for telling me."

Then she paused. It seemed to her, suddenly, that the day's match would be at eight in the morning. She wasn't sure why she thought that, but maybe she'd heard somepony say something while she was being healed. "What time is it?"

"Seven-fifty. I--"

"Seven--oh no!" She sprang out of bed. At least her body felt fine; Princess Celestia's doctors and nurses had some of the most potent healing magic in the world, and they'd apparently used it to good affect on her foreleg and shoulder. They bore her weight without even a hint of pain. "I have to get going! The match starts in ten minutes! Gotta go Pinkie! Bye!"

She took off at a dead run.

It was just her in the ballroom when she arrived.

Wondering if Dash really had persuaded Violet to run away or something, Twilight paced in a couple circles. The room felt very empty when no one else was there. With even the other nobles and dignitaries gone, it felt almost like a mausoleum.

At precisely eight o'clock, Celestia swept in. She smiled. "Twilight. Congratulations on making it so far in this test. You are doing exemplarily."

"Thank you, princess. If I may ask... where is everyone?"

"According to the rules, the final match is closed to all except for the final two champions and their respective diplomats or nobles."

"But then... where is Princess Luna?"

"As a special exception, she was also refused entry to this match." Celestia sighed. "Twilight... Luna has been moving against me again. Aggressively."

"What?!"

"That is one reason why she sent a champion here. To attempt to show that I am weak and to seize power. But even in other matters... bribing nobles and my advisors, sabotaging works projects under my name... I believe she is seeking to usurp my power again."

"But, after last time, with Nightmare Moon, we--"

"She thinks she can win nevertheless. Twilight, that is why I must urge you -- whatever else happens today, you must win. You must defeat her champion and prove to her that starting a revolution or civil war would end badly for her. Please, my student..."

Twilight smiled, full of pride at what she could honestly promise. "Of course. I think I know how to beat Violet. I don't care if the match is in total darkness or on the moon or in one of Luna's personal buildings, I can take her."

Celestia looked pained. "Your opponent is no longer Violet, Twilight Sword. Princess Luna has invoked an obscure law that allows her to substitute one champion for another."

Twilight had a sick feeling.

And then the door banged open and Rainbow Dash sauntered in. She was wearing a fancy suit of armor that didn't fit right and was carrying a gigantic sword that she clearly had no idea how to use. Her saddlebag was bulging -- with sandwiches and candy.

"Alright, I'm here! Let's start!"

Twilight was still staring dumbly as Princess Celestia sent them to the arena.

Unlike the rainy mountain and the rubble-filled wasteland, this one was nice and pleasant. They were in a beautiful field, with a river to their south and a small hill just ahead. Rainbow, who had started only fifty feet or so from Twilight, grinned. "See you up on the hill!"

Twilight wandered numbly towards it. She didn't know what Dash was thinking, or with what magic Luna had brainwashed her to do this. She didn't know what to do now. To hurt Dash was unthinkable, but to betray Celestia was outright treason.

The hill had a shallow slope and was easy to climb. When she got to the top, she saw that Dash was lying down and sunning herself. "Want a sandwich?" asked Dash. "They're really good."

Twilight ignored this. "What are you doing, Dash?" she whispered. "Do you know what you've done?"

"Yeah! I stopped the match. See, I know I'm not fighting, and you won't fight me. So we just hang out here until they get bored and come up with a better idea!"

"But... Dash, you don't get it. Luna's trying to take over. If I draw with you, it's like saying that she's as powerful as Celestia. She'll be encouraged."

"Maybe they should talk, then, instead of having us fight." Dash chuckled. "Really, you should have a sandwich. They're awesome."

Twilight sat heavily. She didn't say anything.

Dash waved a sandwich under her nose. "Peanut butter and marshmallow," she teased. "And honey too. I got Pinkie to make 'em this morning, and--"

More to shut up Dash than out of hunger, Twilight snapped at the sandwich and took a big bite. It actually was good, if slightly oversized (a hallmark of Pinkie's cuisine). She wondered briefly if it was laced with tranquilizers, or worse, poison, but then she sighed. Neither Rainbow Dash nor Pinkie Pie were the type to do something like that. In a way it was too bad; it would have been easier to do what she had to do if Dash attacked her first.

"Good, huh?"

"Sure."

"Hey, do you know if the library got the latest Daring-Do adventure yet?"

Twilight looked at her. "Rainbow, we're supposed to be killing each other. Why are you so calm?"

"Because I know you'd never kill me." Dash smiled. "We're friends."

Time passed. First one hour, then two. Twilight felt herself growing more and more conflicted. A tie could have been called long ago; that it hadn't been meant they weren't going to get out of this without fighting.

Twilight shifted, but Dash just smiled. "Kind of nice here, isn't it? Like a little vacation."

"I don't think that's the intended purpose of this place."

"Yeah, but who cares? Way I see it, this is a really awesome picnic that Celestia's paying for. Hey, does that cloud look like a bunny?"

Twilight didn't look up. "What happens when they make us fight, Dash?"

"How would they do that?"

"I don't know. By telling us, maybe, or--"

"Well, we won't listen," said Dash, as if honestly puzzled what other answer could exist.

"Or by ordering us, or--"

"Won't listen to that either."

"Okay, what if she sends in guards that'll attack us unless we fight each other?"

"We'll kick their butts from here to Cloudsdale!" Rainbow Dash grinned. "I'll be all, pow! Hiyah!" She fired a few punches off at the sky. "And you'll cast some really cool magic spell that'll send them all flying!"

"Fine. Let's say they send us to the moon or something and won't let us come back until one of us is dead," snapped Twilight.

"We'll escape. We can do anything as long as we stick together, right? Isn't that what you said when we fought Discord?"

"That wasn't me!" Twilight shook her head. "That was some other personality Princess Celestia created. The real me would have led an army against Discord and would have killed him, not just turned him back to stone!"

"Nah. I think that was the real you, and that 'Twilight Sword' is just the new personality. But you know what? I think you're winning over it."

Twilight pushed a hoof against her head. Dash was hopeless.

"You know, AJ was real worried. She was all, 'oh, Twilight'll kill you! She's all crazy!'" But I told her that was ridiculous. I knew you wouldn't hurt me. We're friends!"

"I don't want to hurt you! But I might not have a choice here, Rainbow Dash!"

Dash just smiled.

The time stretched on. The sun didn't seem to be moving, and Twilight wondered how long Princess Celestia would let this drag out. Eventually, Dash gave her another sandwich -- this one with chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel -- but Twilight didn’t eat it.

"I think it's silly," said Dash. The match was entering its third hour. "That Celestia would even try getting us to fight each other. I mean, she had to know you wouldn't do that, right? Just like she had to know I wouldn't hurt you."

Twilight Sparkle frowned. "I take my responsibilities as Princess Celestia's student and champion very seriously."

"Well, yeah, but I mean, you take friendship seriously too, right?" Rainbow smiled dreamily. " Like, the idea of you hurting me for her is just ridiculous. We're friends. What pony cares what Celestia wants compared to that?"

It was a question that would have had a great impact on Twilight Sparkle. But it was exactly the wrong thing to say to Twilight Sword.

"She is our princess! Our ruler!" Twilight's eyes flashed, though Rainbow wasn't looking at her.

"Yeah, and that's why you were working for her so far. That's why you attacked Growler and Goliath and all the others. But I knew that if I got you into a position where you had to pick between Celestia's orders and our friendship, you'd pick the friendship. And that could help us convince you to stop doing these horrible things for her, and..."

Rainbow Dash spoke more, but Twilight wasn't listening. She was rapidly becoming enraged. How dare she? How dare Rainbow Dash try to baldly manipulate her like that? How dare she decide to try to put her, Twilight Sword, into some impossible situation in order to force her to betray her country and her princess?

She could see the whole scheme as if they'd told it to her. They wanted Twilight to quit working for Celestia, especially fighting for her, and return home with them. So to do that, they had Rainbow Dash sign up as her opponent. Twilight, touched by her feelings, would neglect her duty and forfeit or draw with Dash. Celestia would be suitably disappointed in her student and fire her, and then Twilight couldn't do the things that Dash and AJ and Pinkie didn't want her to do. Couldn't defend Equestria.

Of all the selfish gestures Twilight had seen Rainbow Dash make, and she'd seen a lot of them, this was a new low.

"Dash," she hissed.

Dash glanced over and froze. Twilight's eyes were glowing purple and her horn was bright enough to light up a moonless night. "Dash, how could you? You knew how important Princess Celestia is to me. You knew how important what I do here is -- I told you the other night. But you try to manipulate me, abuse our friendship to ruin me..."

"No, no that isn't it. Twilight, wait, I--"

"You knew that I was Princess Celestia's champion first and foremost!" Twilight's voice was rising. "You knew that I'd only have one choice if it came down to it. And you did it anyway. What, just to torture me? To hurt me? So that, once I did what I had to do, I'd be upset?"

"No, no!"

"You put yourself between me and protecting the country!" Twilight roared. "What happens from here is on you, not me!"

She grabbed the knife. Dash screamed and tried to fly away, but she was a glorified weather pony. Twilight Sword was a killer.

It only took a few strokes of the knife, and Twilight Sword became the last champion standing. Next Chapter: The aftermath (Hanging up) Estimated time remaining: 35 Minutes