Ch.3: Dangerous Preparations

The seven friends ended up calling it a night shortly after returning to Ponyville. None of them could seem to muster a friendly mood after the evening they had been through, so they said their goodnights and went their separate ways. As Twilight and Spike walked through the darkened streets, a chill wind blew past, causing them to shiver and hasten their pace. Twilight’s mind was ablaze with the possibilities, filled to bursting with plans, ideas, and fears of what might be should she and her friends fail. She was exhausted, but couldn’t let her guard down, not even for an instant. Because that was when the Nightmare would strike, when she would fail her friends and home, when she would fall into darkness and despair and never return. “I won’t be sleeping tonight,” she sighed…. “Well, I suppose that’s all the more time for me to study… Come on, Spike. Let’s just hurry up and get back to the library.”

“Agreed. It’s WAY spooky out here, let’s get inside!” Spike nodded quickly, hunched over and pawing at his tail.

Once inside the library, they lit every candle in sight, and the purple unicorn set to work, rifling through old scrolls, books flying left and right as she searched for a particular set of documents. Yawning, the young dragon stared down at her, wondering where she got the energy to do anything after the sun went down. “Twilight, are you sure you don’t need me on guard duty? I’m fine, really…. *Yaaaaaawn*…”

“Spike, as much as I appreciate your worry, I am fully capable of handling this. Besides, I’ll have Owloysius with me. You still need your sleep; you’re still a baby. Now go to bed.”

“I am not a baby….” He grumbled. “I….. Fine… You’re right. I’ll see you in the morning Twi.” Spike then turned and flopped on his bed, out before he hit the covers. Twilight smiled warmly, walked up the stairs and tucked him under the sheets.

Turning, she called out to the owl in the lower lobby. “Owloysius, have you seen any of those old textbooks on martial arts? Or perhaps The Unicorn Almanac of Magic?”

“Whoo?” Owloysius hooted, flying up and perching on the nearby table, looking at her.

“No, no reason….. I’ve just meaning to brush up on some reading…. You know, broaden my horizons and all…. Hehe,” she giggled nervously, glancing around the room. She walked quickly down the stairs, trying to avoid eye contact. Owloysius simply stared at her, unconvinced. “Owloysius….. Do you know where they are, or not?” Solemnly, he nodded his head in affirmation, and fluttered off to grab the books she had requested. Twilight hated lying to him, but felt it was better he not know yet. She promised herself she would inform him of the situation before long. She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts as several large books landed next to her. She jumped and let out a little squeal, but instantly regained her composure. “Thank you. I’ll call you if I need anything else, so please take a break for a few hours.” The owl looked apprehensive, but hooted his agreement. He flew to his perch, fluffed up his feathers, and got comfortable. It was going to be a loooong night….

As the sun once again diligently worked its way ever higher into the sky, Twilight awoke with her face in a book, a blanket draped over her shoulders. She mentally reminded herself to thank Owloysius, and then got up to get herself some breakfast. Checking in on Spike, who was still buried under his covers and snoring quite loudly, she sighed and went down the staircase leading to the small nook they called a kitchen. After rummaging through the fridge for a minute, Twilight found a few daisies and a bit of hay, and so made herself a light salad. Feeling better now that she had some food in her, she went back to work, reading through several different books at once with gusto. She was unaware that her young dragon was in fact awake and outside already, hard at work with his own training (for some reason, she didn’t think to look under the covers to check on him, so he left a pillow and a magic scroll that read off what was written on it, to make it seem like he was still asleep. He had been using this method to sneak out of cleaning duty for years…). He knew Twilight didn’t take his earlier brazen attitude at face value; she knew him better than anyone. He was going to prove to his friends that he could protect them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack awoke to the smell of fresh apple strudel, and was groggy from the fitful amount of sleep she had managed to get. She woke up fully in a jiffy and hurried down the stairs of her family home in order to get some food before Applebloom and Big Macintosh got to it all. As she quickly strode through the hall, she thought something was amiss. It was far too quiet…. ‘Bloom and Big Mac ought to have been making some noise eating, or rushing after her to get there. When she entered their cozy dining area, she saw why it was so quiet. Waiting for her were the three closest members of her family, with the apple strudel sitting between them on the table. “Now what in tarnation’s goin’ on here? Ya’ll never wait fer me ta get ta breakfast….. “

Granny Smith spoke up, “Now, don’tcha get all upset fer no reason, dearie. Applebloom was just worried ‘bout ya.”

“Yea! Twilight was actin all crazy yesterday, an’ then ya’ll got called up ta Canterlot… Something’s goin’ on, ain’t it? You can talk to us sis.” Applebloom pleaded, putting on her best “innocent little foal” face.

“And what do you think, Big Mac?” AJ asked her older brother.

“Ayep, I’m gonna roll with ‘Bloom on this one. Somethin’ smells, and it ain’t the outhouse.”

Applejack sighed. She knew she was going to tell them sooner or later, she had just been hoping for later. “Alright, look. Ya’ll know I can’t lie to ya… What I’m ‘bout to tell ya’ll does not leave this room, y’hear?” They nodded their agreement. She looked around, pondering where to begin. “All right, here’s what’s goin’ on...”

After explaining the situation, Applejack exhaled and looked at her family. Her brother was chewing harder than usual on his stalk of straw, his brow furrowed, too deep in thought to talk to. Applebloom was much the same way, but the look of eagerness spread on her face suggested she thought of the whole thing in a very different light than Big Mac. At once, they spoke together, “I’m in!”

“Wait, what? Nuh uh, no way am I lettin’ you two join in this, it’s too dangerous and ya’ll know it! Granny, talk some sense inta these two!” She pleaded with her grandmother.

Granny Smith just looked at the three of them. “I don’t see why they caint.”

“Granny, you can’t be serious! They could get hurt!! I am not gonna allow this. The only reason I’m participatin’ is on accounta my friends! They need mah help.”

“And your kin wanna help you. There’s no difference here, darlin’, and if ya’ll are anything like yer parents, yer more stubborn than any mule. Applejack, yer one of the strongest buckers I’ve ever seen. Big Mac is bigger an’ stronger than anypony an’ you know it, and Applebloom is coming into a fine young mare. She’s smart enough ta handle herself. So, like ah was sayin’, ah don’t see why they can’t help ya.”

“I.... guess you’re right. Ya got me…. I guess ya’ll can help me. But promise me you’ll be careful? I don’t want to have to deal with busted ponies helping on the farm next harvest, ya’ll hear me?” Both nodded “Alright, if we got that settled, I say we hit some trainin’. This is gonna be one heck of a fight.” With that, she sped out the door, gobbling down the strudel she grabbed.

“Hey, wait for me!” Applebloom shouted after her sister and followed suit, leaving Granny and Big Mac alone in the kitchen.

“Big Macintosh, you’ll look after those two, won't ya?” Granny asked, finally letting some of the worry show in her voice.

“Ayyup” the large stallion said solemnly. He helped her put away the dishes, and then walked outside to start his own training.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity was pacing around the boutique show-floor, worrying her mane with her mouth. “What in Equestria am I to do?” she thought. “I am simply not a fighter…. I can handle myself, I suppose, but a lady does not get into tussles… oh, WHAT am I going to do? This is simply THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING. EVEEEERRRRR……” She sighed in a grandiose manner and swept herself off her feet onto a nearby sofa.

Just then, Sweetie Belle walked downstairs, rubbing at her eyes. “Rarity, what are you doing? It’s too early for you to be weird…”

“Sweetie Belle, I am not being weird. I am being dramatic. There’s a difference. A lady does not act weird…. that would be uncouth.”

“Yea yea yea… so why are you being “dramatic” this time?” the young unicorn inquired. “You’re usually so composed.” She rolled her eyes and giggled.

“Trust me Sweetie Belle; this is no laughing matter…. I know I’m acting a bit silly, but it is very worrying. There’s to be a tournament, and all of Equestria will be attending. I’m expected to fight in it…. Oh this is simply horrible. First, I don’t want to fight anypony, and second, WHAT WILL I WEAR?!?! This is a disaster….” She continued to mope, flailing her forelegs for emphasis.

“Wait, there’s going to be a tournament? Like, a fighting tournament? When were you gonna tell me? This sounds like fun! I gotta get the girls and see if we can join!”

“Sweetie Belle, you simply have no taste when it comes to fun…” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. “Although, I suppose if you want to join, I can’t stop you. It’s open to the public. Honestly, you’ll probably do better than I will. But you’d best start getting ready now; some of the best fighters in the world will be there. If you’ll excuse me, I need to work on my outfit for my big entrance” With that, she suddenly had enough enthusiasm to jump off her sofa and dash into her work room. Sweetie just stood there, shaking her head.

“Sometimes I wonder how we’re related…..” She wanted to see if Applebloom and Scootaloo wanted to help her train, and set off to gather them. Walking through Ponyville, Sweetie Belle could tell that the tournament was the talk of the town. The air was practically buzzing with whispers and anticipation for the event. As she passed Sugarcube Corner, she could hear Pinkie Pie shouting excitedly about it. Sweetie shivered a little at the thought of going up against Pinkie in a fight, and quickly trotted toward Sweet Apple Acres.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinkie was talking to the twins about the upcoming contest, gesturing wildly, running in circles, and just being ridiculous as usual. “I can’t wait to show off my new moves! I wonder who I’m gonna get to go up against? Should I try for a silly approach, or do you think I should be more serious?” She put on her war face and growled for them to demonstrate. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were listening in awe, hanging on Pinkie’s every word. As soon as she started asking for their opinions, they became quite vocal.

“Pinkie, you gotta show us some of your moves!” Pound Cake demanded. “I can’t wait to see you in the fights!”

“Yeah, you’re gonna do awesome!” Pumpkin Cake exclaimed, clapping her hooves with glee.

“Thanks guys! This is going to be the most fun I’ve had since I threw that party for Gummy and Rainbow Dash got her head stuck in the punch bowl!”

“Uh, Pinkie…. That was last week…” Pound Cake said, a quizzical look on his face.

“I know that, silly. But that doesn’t make it any less true! This’ll be the most fun I’ve had this week!” Pinkie shouted and grinned, giggling all the while. The twins shared a look and rolled their eyes, then smiled and laughed along.

After the laughing fit had passed, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake nodded in unison and said “We wanna join too!”

As soon as they said it, Pinkie stopped laughing. She looked at them sternly and simply said “No.” They looked at each other with worry. This wasn’t what they were expecting from their normally bubbly and agreeable caretaker.

“But why not?!? You and your friends are entering! We want to help!” They shouted in unison.

“Why not? Because you two are far too young. I refuse to allow it. Your parents left me in charge, and I’m going to be responsible. I understand that you want to help, and I’m sure we can come up with something for you to do, but you are not to try and participate in the tournament. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Pinkie Pie.” They begrudgingly agreed.

“Pinkie Promise!”

“Cross my heart and hope to cry, stick a cupcake in my eye.” They recited, with less than enthusiastic tones. Suddenly, Pinkie’s demeanor was back to normal.

“Oki Doki Loki! Now that we have that out of the way, want to help me work on a few moves?” Upon hearing that, the twins’ spirits picked back up, and they nodded happily. “Alrighty then, let’s get to it!” Pinkie then jumped out the window and proceeded down the street at warp speed, leaving the twins dumbstruck.

“Hey! Wait for us!” They shouted as they sprinted after her, grinning from ear to ear.

~~~~~~~~~~

As a certain pink blur and the two foals chasing her passed by her cottage, Fluttershy smiled to herself. Even in the face of this crisis, Pinkie was Pinkie. Fluttershy herself was having trouble remaining calm and collected about the whole situation. How was she to fight other living creatures and cause them pain for her own gain? She knew she wouldn’t be able to do it, and was ashamed of letting her friends down in such a way. She desperately wished she could help without having to fight. Suddenly, a carrot bumped her flank, and she turned to see Angel standing there in a huff. “I’m sorry, Angel! Did I forget feeding time?” The rabbit shook his head, and hopped toward her with something in his paws. It was Fluttershy’s medical license, which she had earned a year ago to help nurse a large group of foals that had suddenly become sick. “Angel, did you want to show me this?” The bunny nodded in the affirmative and thumped his foot. “You think I should act as a nurse to the ponies in the tournament?” He started thumping harder. “Angel, I would, but that would mean losing… I don’t know if I can let my friends down like that… I can’t fight, but I can’t just lose…”

“HA! Says you!” called a familiar cyan pegasus. Fluttershy walked outside to see Rainbow hovering a few feet from her door.

“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?” Fluttershy looked at the ground, blushing. “…and how much did you hear?”

“I heard enough. I came by because I knew you’d be like this. Fluttershy, we all understand that you don’t want to fight. You won’t be letting us down if you don’t go through with it. Besides, there’s nopony I’d trust better to tend to my injuries.”

“Really, Rainbow? That’s such a relief to hear…” Fluttershy exhaled and looked much more relaxed, letting her shoulders slump.

“Well, that, and I know you’d be terrible at fighting anyway,” Rainbow said through a grin as she “swam” backstroke. “Don’t worry about it, just leave it to me! I’ll bust up anypony in my way and toast that Nightmare!” She swaggered in the air and did a loop, trying to comfort Fluttershy with her bravado.

“I… Thanks, Rainbow. I’m feeling a lot better now. Are you sure that’s all you came out here for, though? It doesn’t seem like you to be so concerned.”

“Well, actually, I was on my way to Cloudsdale to stock up on some stuff for the tournament, but its flight-path had me coming this way anyhow, so I thought I’d check in on you. Simple enough, right?” Rainbow said quickly. “Anyway, I’d better get going. See ya!” She sped off, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. As she flew away, she hoped Fluttershy hadn’t noticed her start to blush. She didn’t like the others to know how deeply she cared for them. “Element of Loyalty indeed,” she huffed.

As she reached Cloudsdale, she heard much of the same excited chatter as she had encountered in Ponyville. Word of the tournament seemed to be spreading fast. Rolling her eyes, Rainbow walked into a specialty shop. The Weather Patrol’s supply shop was a little place that catered to the pegasi in charge of weather change in Equestria, and carried a wide array of tool for the job. Rainbow intended to use them to her advantage in the upcoming fights. “Hey, Al, what’s new in stock?” she called to the gruff grey pegasus tending the store.

“Ah, Rainbow Dash! Just got some new stuff, come on back and I’ll show you.” Al motioned her around the counter, to the back store room. Inside, he turned on the lights and opened a nearby crate. “Check these out! Fresh Fog Grenades! Pop one off and get instant fog cover. We also have a mist and cloud variant, if you’re interested… they’d be great for sneaking up on ponies in the fights.”

“Pass. Sneaking isn’t really my style. Learned that one the hard way… What else have you got?” Rainbow motioned toward the other crates.

“Let’s see here… Lightning inducers! Plant ‘em on a cloud and it’ll be ready to blow at the slightest touch. Also have a mini tornado spinner, guaranteed to blow gale force winds in the direction of your choosing. Other than that, it’s the usual fare.”

“Alright, guess I’ll take a few of each. Put ‘em on my tab, Al.” She waited for him to box up her order, and took off to plan out her strategy. She thought she might catch a few winks if she had the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scootaloo watched as Rainbow Dash sped by, in awe of her awesomeness, as always. She would have chased after her and tried to see what was going on, but she had to get down to Ponyville and find Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. She had just learned of the tournament, and planned on getting her friends to join with her. As she flew down the path toward Sweet Apple Acres, she saw Sweetie Belle was already there, standing with Applebloom. She landed next to them with a crash (she still didn’t know how Rainbow took off and landed at such high speeds), and quickly got up to see them transfixed on Applejack putting the hurt on a scarecrow. “Wow… Guess you guys already know about the tournament then, huh?” Scootaloo was astonished at the ferocity with which AJ was pummeling her inanimate foe.

“Yep, we heard this mornin’. Ah’m guessin’ you had the same idea as Sweetie Belle and I. We’re all gonna join too!” Applebloom said excitedly.

Scootaloo nodded. “It’s gonna be awesome!”

Sweetie Belle added: “Not to mention fun!”

The three looked at each other and shouted in unison: “Cutie Mark Crusaders Gladiators are go!!!”, as they hoof bumped. They all giggled and started talking about their plans for winning, leaving Applejack to stand panting over a demolished stick, some scraps of cloth, and a tuft of hay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight had just finished reading on Zebra wrestling holds and was starting on practical uses of magic in battle when she heard the horn call. Looking out through the window, she saw it was announcing the royal messenger, who was spreading news of the tournament and explaining were applicants could sign up. He was also shouting new information to Twilight, the date on which they would gather in Canterlot to hear the rules. It was only three days away, and the fights would begin that afternoon. Twilight realized they didn’t have much time, but was still caught off guard by the urgency with which the princesses were pushing the tournament forward. “If the princesses are starting it all in just a few days, then this is even more serious than I thought…. I was hoping to avoid it, but I think I’m going to need to read that book.” She hung her head and sauntered back to the table where she had been reading the tomes of fighting techniques. Buried beneath the other books and scrolls was a dark purple book, with weathered pages and a dark red font. It was a book of old magic, most of which hadn’t been used in any way for centuries, let alone in combat. Twilight regretted digging this one up, but knew she was going to need the power it offered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While all of Ponyville was getting ready for the tournament, Princess Luna was making preparations of her own. In a dimly lit room on the lower floor of the castle, she had gathered her team, and was delivering to each of them a dossier for their opponent. “I have convened with Celestia, and we have agreed to pit each of you against one of the Element Bearers. Celestia believes they will be the ones to save us, and while I agree that they have strength and tenacity, they are not experienced in combat. This is where you come in. You are to do your best against them, and push them to their limits. If they are truly going to save us, they will need to be able to overcome the challenge you pose. Rain, you will be going up against Twilight Sparkle. She is far more experienced in the use of magic, so be cautious. Keep her close and off balance, she has few close quarters abilities.” Rain nodded. “Starshade, you will be against Pinkie Pie. She is…different. I have no real strategy for you, but I feel your stealth will give you an advantage.” Starshade was not too pleased with this.

“Surely this mare can’t be that bad... According to the report, she’s a pastry chef, not a fighter. I doubt she poses much of a threat.”

“Trust me on this one. She will give you a run, I guarantee it. Now then, back to business. Rocky, I am putting you against Applejack. Be wary of her kicks, and she is surprisingly fast for an earth pony. Stay alert, and don’t let her down home demeanor fool you.” Rocky grinned. “Steel, you will take Rainbow Dash. She is by far the fastest pegasus we have seen in a long time, so do not allow her to race around you. If you must, I have authorized your use of the sonic boom. It may not be as powerful as her rainboom, but it ought to catch her off guard.” Steel grunted affirmation. “Archer, I have placed you against Rarity. She is actually quite capable of fighting hand to hand, but she has no long range spells, so you should be able to hold her back. And last but not least, Fluttershy. Flicker, you will be going up against her. I want you to be cautious against her, she is fragile, but has inner rage. I need you to bring that out. That is the only way for her to win. Do what is necessary, and then run. If she catches you, it’s going to hurt.” Flicker snickered, but seeing the seriousness on Luna’s face, stopped and was suddenly a little nervous. “That is all the information I have for you. Anything else you need is in the report on each of the Bearers. I want you to go to Ponyville and study them as best you can, without being seen. Good luck to you.”

Suddenly, Stronghoof spoke up. “What of myself, Princess? Do I not get to demonstrate my abilities?”

“Stronghoof, you will be participating in the tournament, but will not be going against the Bearers. I know you would be too much for any of them to handle. Besides, I have something special planned for you, in the second portion of the tournament. Fear not, you will play a pivotal role, and will need to use all your strength and skill.” Stronghoof seemed satisfied with that. “Now then, if there are no further questions, go and make preparations for your fights. I will see you again in three days at the start of the tournament.” With that, they dispersed, and got ready for the greatest fight they would ever know.