“Zenith! How crass of you to invoke the name of Luna’s stars like that!” She chided me from under the sheets, momentarily forgetting her current predicament.

I also put a hold on my dumbfoundedness for the sake of correcting fallacies, “Luna doesn’t own the stars, Rarity. Nor does she command them in any capacity. She told me so herself. Otherwise the Night Terror would have been able to use them to escape her banishment beforehand. Luna just adjusts some aspects of the atmosphere so that certain stars can be seen while others are shaded out” And that is not a secret that she shares with many. Though it was something that I always conjectured about from the start.

“Oh… Zenith…” Rarity whin-, I mean… complained, “I didn’t want you to see me like this”

Despite what common sense was screaming at me, I walked over and sat on the bed adjacent in position to her, “Unfortunately… I have. And no amount of brain bleach will ever be enough to purge myself of that memory” I facetiously quipped, before getting serious, “What on earth happened to you? I’m pretty sure that you weren’t that… well endowed previously” I didn’t know what brassiere size she was at the moment, but I highly doubted that it wouldn’t need to be a custom make.

She sniffled and worked up what to say, “I regret to say that this… is the result of a failed attempt at a physical glamorization spell”

“A glamour spell? You tried to enlarge your breast size… using magic? What were you thinking!?” I screeched at her, a ‘What is this… I don’t even’ expression highlighting my countenance. Even the slightest lax of concentration when casting that spell would blow something grossly out of proportion, turning part… if not all of one’s self into a grotesque, misshapen mass of flesh. If measures weren’t taken before the magical energies settled in, then this change would become a hell of a lot harder to revert from.

‘Why ever would she think she’d need to do this? Her cleavage was generous enough as it was’ I’m not really into that kink, but I would never deny that Rarity posolutely had that going for her in the looks department.

“I just… wanted to impress you” She whimpered out.

I took another deep breath and pinched myself to ensure that I wasn’t stuck in some kind of perverse fever dream. The negligible sensation of pain verified that I was very much awake and coherent. Once I had passed over the initial disbelief stage, then came the reflecting phase. It wasn’t difficult to mull over in all honesty. Rarity’s superficial approach to elevating herself in my eyes may not have sat well with me, but I also came to the realization that my tepid stance towards her and the condition of our ‘more than just friendship’ relationship spurred her to find a means of coping. I didn’t like her reasoning for this particular choice, but I could understand why she did it.

I leveled with her, “Look, I’m flattered that you tried to do this for my sake, Rarity. But that’s simply not the way to appeal to my heart”

She sniffled and peeked up at me from her covers with misty eyes, “And what would be the best way to reach your heart?”

“Through my chest I suspect” I jested, before receiving a harsh glare from the emotionally harried woman, “Right, right, that was disingenuous of me. To be candid, the best way to get to me is simply by being yourself (‘Not that it’s been helping your case much lately’), none of this… self augmentation nonsense” It was just plain unnatural if you asked me, and I came from a place where that practice that was all too common. Offhandedly, I wondered if there were any plastic surgeons in this land, or if people just performed magic on themselves like Rarity quite daftly did.

“You mean… do nothing to beautify myself superficially? But my normal self repulses you!” She cut me off before I could protest that statement, “Don’t contradict me, Zenith. It was painfully clear to me the other night that my ‘run of the mill fabulosity’ is not to your tastes. So I sought to enhance my appeal with… other, less than savory measures” Her sparked confidence dwindled once she had said it aloud, realizing how foolish it sounded.

“Clearly it backfired” I deadpanned, making Rarity wince from my directness.

I wanted to rub at my temples in exasperation. Why did she have to make this courtship thing so difficult?

I sighed, “Rarity, I’ve told you this before. If I can’t learn to appreciate, or at least tolerate you at your worst… then I sure as hell don’t deserve you at your best. If I somehow cannot do that, then the fault lies with me, not with you. Just be forthright with me” I fairly stipulated.

“Such sweet sentiments I always hear from you, darling” She crooned, much like she did in the library, “But I cannot for the life of me believe that’s how you honestly feel regarding me”

“Well my opinion of you would be drastically boosted if you ceased inspiring grief in our fragile Fluttershy with your needless gossip mongering” I dryly retorted.

She blinked, “What does our dear Fluttershy have to do with this?”

I blinked right back, “You can’t seriously be telling me that she hasn’t hinted about also having feelings for me in front of you, hasn’t she?” There’s no way Rarity could be that oblivious to her friend’s emotions in spite of her eye for detail, could she?

“Oh my goodness!” She gasped, “She hasn’t spoken a word of this to me! Oh, and I was so excited for our first date that I couldn’t help but share my enthusiasm with her. She must have felt so isolated and alone, but put on a supportive smile for me anyway, the inestimably selfless way she is. Why must I be such a lack wit who is so blinded by her own love struck and swimming emotions that she becomes wholly unreceptive to other’s?” She agonized, full blown drama queen mode engaged.

She slapped a fist gently against her cranium, “Ooooh the signs are so obvious in hindsight now that the truth has been exposed! The twinkle in her eyes whenever I’d mention you, the yearning way she’d look at you when she thought no one else would notice, her erect and unafraid posture whenever you were nearby. She’s fallen completely head over heels for you Zenith!” She vocalized, losing her grip on her bed sheet and scrambling to catch it before she gave me another eyeful of her sizable assets.

“I know” I laconically replied.

Rarity was aghast, “You knew this before? Then why didn’t you go to her and talk about this?”

“I did. Just yesterday afternoon, in fact. We agreed to start seeing each other more often, but we’re taking it slow… as friends for now” I tentatively explained, not remembering if there was a term for the indistinct grey area in between a lover and an acquaintance.

Rarity leaned back, “Oh… that’s most admirable of you then, Zenith”

“Thank you” I accepted her compliment, “But that’s neither here nor now. We’ve got to get this…” I swirled a finger at her concealed chest area, “… under control”

She gave me a sarcastic stare, “And what would you suggest? I’ve been trying to reverse this spell ever since it malfunctioned!” She fussed, intense aggravation marking her tone.

“I thought you said it failed?” I remarked with a grin, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Now is not the time to be debating semantics with me, Zenith!” She reproached me through gritted teeth, not reading between the lines in her frustration.

“Very well. How long ago did you cast the glamour spell?” I prompted her with an important question.

“An hour ago… I thought I had it down pat but Opal kept nagging me to refill her milk saucer, eventually she lost her patience and tried pouncing onto me to get my attention. She succeeded, and my casting of the spell went astray, leaving me in this horrific state that you now see before you”

Try as I might, I just couldn’t muster up any sympathy, “I see… I would recommend not trying to reverse the resul-”

“WHAT!?” She cut me off with a bellow, aghast at my advice, “You want me to remain like this!?”

“You didn’t let me finish” I deadpanned, “Instead of reversing it, which in its unstable state could have the extreme effect of ending up shrinking your mammaries until they are nothing, let’s try robbing the spell of its mana feed until it cancels itself”

“And how would we accomplish this?”

‘Oh boy… of all the times my own standpoint had to turn against me, it picked this one’

I inhaled a deep breath before launching into a brief explication, “Magic is most efficiently transferred between two bodies when they are in physical contact. When it comes to acts of magic involving many intricacies, this becomes all but mandatory. I have to… essentially suck out the mana powering the glamour magic using a siphoning spell” I recited mechanically, not eager for her disgruntledly charged response.

“What? No. Absolutely not!” She turned away from me, her lamp’s light illuminating the strands of her hair as it swayed from the sudden movement.

“Okay… so you inflate your breasts to entice me, but you’re suddenly as chaste as a monk when it comes to the physical contact needed to best rectify it? Female logic never ceases to astound me” I commented mostly to myself.

“It is not so simple as that!” She exclaimed, affronted by my wry observation, “A lady who values her reputation does not allow any gentleman who catches her fancy to engage in intimate closeness without extenuating circumstances!”

I raised a critical eyebrow, “So now it’s about your reputation?” I sighed for the umpteenth time, “Rarity, I’m practically the spirit of discretion. This ordeal you’ve gotten yourself into and everything it entails will stay solely between us. No one else needs to know” I assured her.

“While I cherish your tactful disposition, I need more of a guarantee that this isn’t some dastardly excuse for you to ‘inspect my wares’ using your tactile senses” Rarity politely euphemized the situation.

“There are no guarantees in life that will bring you any comfort, Rares. Ah, well…” I exhaled as I got up and made to walk out the door, “I hope Twilight’s not too busy burying her nose in books at this hour!” I strategically opined in passing.

I was halfway out the door when she stopped me, “Wait! Would you really leave your lady to her doom so callously, Zenith?” She tried to guilt trip me into at least staying. My, how shallow some people could act even when their crippling secret was left out on the clothesline to aerate.

“I would if that lady was so fixated on her pride that she let all sense of reasoning slide into the fire” I countered without turning my head, not missing a single beat.

“Why must you torture me so?” Rarity groaned before caving, “Fine! Just promise me that you’ll look away while you do it”

“I won’t peek at the merchandise” I agreed, letting her keep that bit of dignity, “Closing my eyes should help me to concentrate in this task as well”

I returned to her bedside and seated myself beside her. The woman was shaking like a leaf as she mentally prepared herself for what she perhaps saw as a humiliating permittance. I on the other hand, was no less nervous despite not showing it externally. Even the smallest lapse in focus during what I was about to do could spell disaster for the two of us. It wouldn’t be lethal per se, but Rarity would never show her face (or her chest for that matter) in public again, and I would receive a nasty shock from foreign magical feedback for my efforts.

Each living being is subject to the native magic in the space around them, where it flows through them in both directions, in and out. But each creature ‘metabolizes’ it differently, making it their own brand in the duration that it present in their system. This is why there are no two magical signatures that are exactly alike under intense scrutiny, like the kind examined by magically attuned machines such as Twilight’s Spectroscope. You can’t use that same magic to truly disguise your own aura either. It’s like sneaking a Sprite soda with a plastic water cup at a fast food joint. From afar it might look like ordinary water, but up close, one could see the carbonating bubbles that would distinguish it from its non sugary, fluidic cousin.

“Alright…” I idly verbalized to fill the gap of silence that had descended between us, “Are you ready? You might feel a slight pinch once I get started, after that I have no idea if it will hurt or not. But… it’s either a short lived amount of pain, or a lifetime spent putting excessive strain on your spine” I clarified, to which she only vaguely understood, like I was delivering an ultimatum or something of that ilk.

“Please stop talking and do it already” She said in a dead voice, accepting her fate.

I ran a quick diagnostic scan of the spell matrix that was thankfully still active and working its magic on Rarity’s bust. It was nowhere near as complex as the geas that had taken hold of Lyra’s body when I first held an actual conversation with her, but it was not so elementary that I could half ass it and expect to get away without penalty. An idea formulated in my mind as I thought about what I would do with the energies that I would siphon out with a draining spell of abnegation. Though calling it that would be somewhat of a misnomer, since I couldn’t outright deny the spell’s access to Rarity’s body. Instead I sought to rob it of its power until the matrix collapsed on itself and was nullified in its entirety. But good lord, I was basically going to have to grope Rarity for this!

Just as I was about to signal Rarity to lower the sheets and grant me access to her Brobdingnagian bosom, she spoke up, “Wait!”

I stifled the urge to cry out in agitation, “What is it now!?”

She gave me a sheepish look, “Could you… oil your hands first, please? Underneath my dresser over there is a cabinet containing bottles of all kinds, there should be a jasmine scented glass vial in the second drawer” She instructed before I even agreed, automatically presuming that I would.

“Are you serious?” I glared impatiently at her, “Why the scented massaging oils?”

She glanced at me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “For Aromatherapy purposes darling, it will help steady both of our fraying nerves. Please?” She gave the pouty moue that she used to coerce others into doing her bidding.

“Fine” I growled, before retrieving said bottle and dabbing my hands with a few droplets of it. The oil was pungent, and soon the invigorating smell of jasmine flowers assaulted my nostrils with unexpected ferocity and took the majority of my olfactory senses hostage.

“A few more shakes than that, if you would, Zenith” Rarity primly requested. I grumbled unintelligibly but complied regardless.

I emptied the rest of the bottle and roughly tossed the empty vial into the wastebasket, where it shattered in a glassy noise that made Rarity flinch. I made sure my facial expression was as flat as possible as I showed Rarity my hands and wiggled my fingers, “Happy?”

“That depends on how thorough of a job you do, my dear Zenith” She said in a tone that she must have thought coquettishly sultry, content to let me interpret her innuendo however I chose.

“You’re getting comfortable with this whole breast reduction business awfully fast” I vacantly observed, kneading my knuckles together to spread the oil evenly.

“I’m making the most of a poor situation, dear. Is that a crime?” Rarity coyly replied, enjoying this far too much for my tastes, and we hadn’t even started yet.

I ignored her for the time being and refocused on my task. Rarity lowered the blanket once again and I leveled my sight on a boring, not sexual in any way spool rack. However, because it wasn’t terribly well lit in the room, I had to take a few guesses before my hands found their target. I put an excessive amount of force into my snatch and grab though, because Rarity yelped loudly once the deed was done.

“Ooh! Gently please!” She supplicated to me, and I lessened my grip. My face was heating up in spite of my efforts to disregard how misconstrued this whole thing could be perceived.

“Sorry…” I apologized, “… and stop squirming, it’s ruining my concentration” I commanded her in a no nonsense tone.

“But your hands are ice cold, Zenith” She griped in an unmistakably whiny voice, shivering.

“No, they are not” I asserted, “But the massage oil that you insisted I put on is. You can’t have everything perfect all the time, darling” I jeered, using her favored epithet for close friends against her, “Now for lord’s sake, hold still”

She huffed in umbrage to my snide response, but thankfully stayed quiet from there on out. Meanwhile I was silently grateful that I only grabbed the topmost anterior portion of her mammaries, sparing her some embarrassment and me some additional awkwardness.

I activated my channeling spell once my magic made contact with the glamorization charm and went to work at undermining it. I felt a twitchy slash greasy feeling as the foreign magic passed into my system and endeavored to bond with my own mana supply. With how uncomfortable the sensation of vegetable oil filling my metaphysical veins was; I formulated an uninvolved way to shunt it out of my system, via magical burn off. Lifting one hand up and away from us, I channeled a second spell in the form of the Sound Sphere (which was tinted a light blue from the seamstress’s mana that was powering it) and had it play Beethoven’s Für Elise.

“Oh my, such beautiful sounding music” Rarity observed, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. I only saw this through my peripheral vision though, not wanting to void my promise and dishonor us both.

“My tastes in music are eclectically expansive in their scope. And right now I’m in the mood for a bagatelle” I conversed as we waited for the remaining energies to be cannibalized from the glamour matrix. Rarity might not have been as talented as Twilight when it came to casting magic, but she was still well above average compared to most Stellar Magi when it came to capacity, so she had pumped a substantial amount of magic into this partially failed spell.

“How cultured you are” Rarity smirked, “There must have been many women who had their eyes on you back where you came from”

I snorted, “An overstatement if ever I heard one. Besides, there were no women back home who were worth my time, so I never bothered with any of them”

Her smirk sagged once she heard the coldness in my voice, “I see… who was the composer of this number?” She asked, wisely changing the subject.

“A man who wrote one of his most famous masterpieces while clinically deaf” I edified her, the notes of the song soothing my frazzled mind.

Her eyes scanned the ceiling as she searched her information banks, “Really? I’ve never heard of any such composer before. Did he conduct any performances at one of Concordia’s concert halls?”

“I’d be confused if he did. Ludwig van Beethoven is a composer from my world, two centuries removed from my time. Long since deceased, and before his time in the opinion of many of his contemporaries”

“A shame. But, at the very least I can appreciate his legacy through you” She laid back and let the plush pillow devour a few more inches of her physique.

We did not speak any further after that aside. Mercifully, there were no snags as we went through the procedure of bleeding the glamour spell of its magic and using the energy for other spells (hard light spells ate up the most mana, so they were the preferred figurative release valve spell). Part of my imagination likened it to drawing the snake venom out of a bite in multiple suctions. Before long, the glamour matrix was completely deprived of its fuel, resulting in Rarity’s mammary size slowly but surely shrinking back to their less generous, but respectable cup size until it was like Rarity hadn’t screwed up to begin with.

“You can breathe easy now. I’ve disabled the glamour spell and everything else appears to check out” I got up, and grabbed a hand towel to dry off with, “I presume that our date is a no go?” I said, looking back to see her verifying the results of my solution for herself. She seemed satisfied, if not somewhat vexed at herself for going through with her unarguably harebrained scheme to ‘spruce up’.

She shook her head, “Not necessarily. I wanted us to go dancing tonight, remember?” She motioned for me to turn around while she got dressed, “I found your foreign classical music to be rather charming, might we perhaps dance to more of that then? You can turn around now” She notified me.

I rotated in place to see her normalized self clad in a flowing gown that was a pristine white like freshly driven snow, and was studded in ground up flecks of various gemstones, scintillating in the moonlight like outrageously expensive sequins. I would never contradict that Rarity was a beauty… even if she had some less than desirable quirks hidden under that prim and pampered exterior of hers; such as the one she exhibited not five minutes ago. None the less, I would not begrudge her a dance or two, as long as it was to my tune.

I summoned a new Sound Sphere using my own magic and had it play a profound melody that echoed off the walls due to the enclosed acoustics the room.

I walked up to Rarity and offered her my hand, “May have I have this dance, my lady?” I went through the gentlemanly motions that Rarity had an infatuation for as she barely suppressed a squeal of delight.

The woman let me lead, as was customary according to the olden dancing traditions of my world and hers. And just like at the masquerade in the capital palace ballroom floor, she was completely content with laying her head against my chest as we swayed to the rhythm of the song. We swelled during the higher tempo segments and twirled when it switched itself up. All the while I was multitasking between guiding the woman in my arms around the floor and wordlessly reflecting to myself. These were rare moments for me to momentarily let go of my troubles. Sometimes I felt as if I only tolerated Rarity, acting the role of her gentleman prince instead of really putting my all into this relationship. But from the searching way she was gazing into my eyes, I could tell that she legitimately felt something for me that went beyond the desire to fulfill her fantasies. It was convincing enough that it made me begin to develop doubts about my reservations regarding her.

We ended up dancing the rest of the night away, our steps illuminated by the starlight streaming in through her balcony window screen.

⁂

Dearest Zenith

I cannot begin to tell you how dearly it warmed my heart to hear that I was primarily the main reason for you volunteering to represent your adopted hometown at the games. Speaking of which, the games are the singularly most important event that has happened to the Kingdom since its reappearance into the world. The streets are more bustling than ever now that we’ve officially begun to expand our boundaries to accommodate our new citizens, who are very brave for leaving behind what they knew for a fresh start in the North. At first I had worries about the Crystal Heart being able to provide enough power for us to gain more shoulder room without risking our safety, but amazingly enough, it’s only gotten even stronger. I vaguely recall that our recent influx of permanent residents is responsible for this. The extra people means more emotional energy for the Crystal Heart to propagate, in an exemplar of a positive feedback loop. Or at least according to what one of my more well read friends helpfully summarized for me. I simplified it as this, the more goodwill that is radiated by the citizenry, the stronger the Heart becomes.

The temperature barrier even has the effect of fertilizing the soils hidden beneath the melted snow! This was most wondrous news, especially now that we’ve officially received a semi permanent Valkyrian weather team to tend to the skies and ensure that our crops are well watered when needed. I remember overhearing one bread vendor and local crop owner muttering that they weren’t as eager nor as efficient as that one chap he hired not so long ago, which made me laugh and silently agree with him. It would appear that I was not the only person you made a long lasting impression on, Zenith. Oh, how I look forward to seeing you again! Are your arrangements for staying in the Kingdom settled? If not, you are always welcome to stay with me.

Our Kingdom is flourishing Zenith, and at a rate that eclipses even the days before the reign of the wretched King Sombra, who usurped the throne and asserted his foul dominion over our people. His replacement, Princess Cadence, is that monster’s utter opposite, embodying the ideals of a just and fair ruler. I once caught a close look of her Mana Mark when she summoned me over for tea once. Is it fate that it closely resembles the Crystal Heart keeping us all alive and happy? I so terribly wanted to ask her how she gained it, but couldn’t work up the courage for fear of broaching on a sensitive topic. Her husband and Prince consort, Shining Armor, has been personally training our sports team to make the best first impression we’ve had in over a thousand years of absence.

On the subject of the games participants, I recall just last week that we welcomed some foreign visitors from across the Sea of Tranquility. Strange men and women they were, their eyes were sharp and piercing, their noses curved and long, and their wings were noticeably larger than those of our Valkyrian friends and possibly yours. My memory is still foggy from residual magicks of the curse that Sombra cast on our Kingdom and all its inhabitants in his last act of defiance… but weren’t the Gryphondrians once a loosely united collection of fierce kingdoms that Arcania contested with frequently? If they are now here not to conquer, but to simply compete, then I worry that this world has changed far more than we had possibly realized. My friend Agatha tells me she still believes half of the new books they receive are works of fiction, so farfetched are the contents illustrated inside.

Oh I want to keep it a surprise but I’m so full to bursting that I must tell you! I’ve recently been chosen by my fellow denizens to represent them on the newly formed intramural parliamentary council alongside a few others. I was quite shocked by this, since I tend to mind my own matters instead of actively walking among my neighbors and associating with them regularly. I asked around as to the reason for why, and the leading response was that it was due to my skill in discerning the true nature behind things and rendering it as clear as daylight. Now that I cogitate on it, that would be a useful skill for a politician to have, no? Still… I can’t help but feel some apprehension about approaching this. It’s a big responsibility to be making calls that affect the greater unit in its whole. Something that I never had to do back… back when my hus- (There was a dried water stain on the word, smudging it. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who she was referring to though. Poor Crystal). I apologize… I still get choked up when I think about my family, but I must move on with my life the best that I can so I can honor their memory. A bit of motherly advice from an old nag like me to you, Zenith. When you do find a woman… or women to love, I’m not one to judge the old ways… hold onto them tight and never let them go. Treasure every moment that you share with them and don’t ever take them for granted. You’ll never know how long you’ll have with them to make memories worth reveling in.

But listen to me rambling on and on to you. I’ll have plenty of time to catch up with you once you arrive, assuming that you’re not too busy supporting your friends in the games. As a newly elected member of the intramural council, I’ll be rather preoccupied on the board of adjudicators for the games, but I’ll keep an eye out for you in the crowds. Oh how I hope that I’ll judge the participants fairly! Feel free to stop by during the off hours of the Athletic Events though, my door is always open to you!

With deepest fondness

~Crystal Clear

P.S I expect to meet both Daring and this cellist of yours some day. Now that I’m an upstanding member of the government, I feel as if I should have practice handing out my seal of approval.

I smiled imperceptibly as I imagined Crystal’s voice narrating the contents of her lengthy dragon fire delivered letter (She had a penchant for being extremely chatty over the mail I’ve noticed). Albeit I had no idea why she would want to meet Octavia when I hadn’t even mentioned her since before I left the capital city for Magiville. I had been keeping correspondence with Crystal over my time in the aforementioned town, carefully avoiding certain details and bare boning others for discretion’s sake. The unsullied emotion that she projected into her written words translated even over their ink boundaries, speaking much about the character of their author.

It was a day shy of the second week of December; a superstitiously unlucky number for a Friday, but I placed little stock in the concept of luck. The uniquely crystalline train car that myself and most of the Magivillian sports team were packed into hitched upwards as we hit a bump in the tracks, roughly jarring me out of my thoughts. The disturbance was likely due to a chunk of ice that had managed to freeze onto the rails despite the antifreeze enchantments placed upon them. It was frosty enough as it was back in the town, but here in the North where the land is almost perpetually locked in winter? Forget about it. If you weren’t a modestly clothed Valkyrian or made out of liquid hot chocolate, you were going to be cold, as our non Skyborn companions occasionally complained of in spite of the air conditioned train cars.

We were traveling in style to the Krystal Kingdom for the weekend, being conveyed there on an intimidating looking train that was constructed almost entirely out of multi shaded corundum crystal, much like the city-town where it had originated. Based on the fresh smell of the cabins and the radiating shine of every conceivable surface (and I’m not just talking about the crystals either), it was brand new, perhaps this was the train meant to replace the one that I-... I mean, that one jerk with the fiery claws derailed during the first heart pounding adventure I found myself dragged along on when I arrived here. The Maidens, Spike, and the other four Elements were in another car along with the non participant townsfolk, doing their own thing or practicing flag twirling in the case of the adolescent flag bearers.

The seat less cabin I was occupying was alive with a flurry of activity and the combined chattering of over a dozen separate voices. Much of Magiville’s sports team was in the middle of exercises to keep their bodies in shape, while the others conversed amicably amongst themselves. Among them was one of the most buff Valkyrian men I’d ever seen, and he was a fellow red eye to boot! He was holed up in one corner of the open cabin bench pressing well over four hundred fifty pounds of weight without breaking a sweat (No idea what for, since he was in the aerial relay team alongside Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy). Though to compensate for all that muscle, which put him on par with many Agrarians, his speech was severely limited to a few terms that he enjoyed shouting boisterously even when folks were right in front of him.

“All right listen up everybody! I have a few things to say before we arrive in the Krystal Kingdom to kick some ass and take some names at the games” Rainbow Dash confidently announced aloud, silencing all other talk and causing me to put the scroll of a letter back in my adventure pack next to the bottle of dragon fire that pulsed faintly whenever I had mail.

Once Dash had every person’s attention, she continued, “I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s thinking that these will be the greatest athletic games ever! Unlike certain non Stratopolis hosted ones from my childhood” She muttered somewhat bitterly under her breath, “Each and every one of you is a part of the delegation that represents our incredible town of Magiville, you’ve all trained very hard to get to this point and I want you to feel proud of yourselves. I know I certainly am” She started clapping her hands together, an action that was soon copied by everyone. With the exception of myself that is… freaking conformists.

Once the applause died down, she pressed ahead with her pep speech, “No matter the sport you’re going into, I want you to know that I think we’ve got a real chance at taking home some Gold to mount over our hearths!” She declared genuinely.

The audience cheered enthusiastically, psyching themselves up like they weren’t from a relatively backwater town about to go up against some very professional teams from the major cities. Eh, I had a soft spot for underdogs, so I’d give them the benefit of the doubt.

My sharp hearing sifted through the noise as Dash once again whispered under her breath, “Though I won’t kid myself when I say that Bulk Biceps, me, and Fluttershy don’t have a snowball’s chance of beating the Wonderbolts… which is ironic, given the scenic, frozen location just outside the window”

I got up from the floor and walked beside her, laying a hand against her shoulder, “Just give it your all Dash, that’s all anybody can ask of you. Besides… weren’t you always chomping at the bit for a chance to square off against your idol, Captain Spitfire, in a race?”

“Of course I am!” She grinned at me, before it faltered, “But I’m also nervous… Spitfire isn’t the Captain of the legendary Wonderbolts for nothing. She may not have the raw speed that Fleetfoot has in spades, but she can flawlessly handle a corner at high speeds like no one can, and she’s tied skills wise with the versatile Soarin in everything else”

She glanced back at Fluttershy, who was currently spotting for Bulk Biceps as he upped the weight by another fifty pounds, “And I’d be jittery enough if it were only me going up against them all. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps aren’t really the best in the air. I can’t imagine how well they’ll thread the needle during a real relay race, what if they crack under the pressure? I’m an awesome flyer, but I can’t carry the team by myself” She admitted as she shook her head wistfully, dispirited by her teammates less than impressive deftness.

I used my sagely tone, “I think you’re cutting them short, they wouldn’t have agreed to participate if they didn’t trust in themselves and in you. Have faith in your friend’s abilities to see you through to the finish line, Dash. I certainly have faith in yours. Heck, if you need extra motivation, just pretend that it’s me in Spitfire’s place and that I had just pranked you with that laxative soda again, you’ll be bypassing her in no time at all!” I joked lightheartedly.

She thumped me on the shoulder for the reminder, “I still haven’t forgotten that!” She hissed. She tried to look angry with me, but a smile cracked on her lips as she snickered, “That’s not bad advice though. I’ll keep it in mind”

She addressed the passengers one last time, “You hear that? Even Zenith here has faith in our skills, and he’s only the pre game entertainment!”

‘Girl, are you in for a surprise’ I thought amusedly. She wasn’t the only one brushing up on her skills for the games for most of the past month.

She leaned over to me and whispered in request, “Hey, do you think you can get me the autographs of the Star Seekers? They’re one of my favorite bands”

“I’ll see what I can do” I chuckled in reply.

She nodded, “Cool. Now are we going own these games or what?” Dash put a hand to her ear and cupped it. A chorus of affirmative responses, including a spirited ‘YEAH!’ answered her, “That’s what I want to hear! GO MAGIVILLE!” She thrust her fist into the air.

“GO MAGIVILLE!” They echoed vociferously as the train banked over the rolling hills, the snow beneath its wheels gradually turning into verdant green grass.

I looked out the window, seeing the city-town where all of this had started for me on the horizon. Crystal wasn’t kidding when she averred that they had being doing some expanding. There were significantly more buildings lining the landscape than I last recalled. The temperature acclimatization barrier had to have been at least fifty percent larger than what I remember it being in order to fit so many new people. Houses and homes that were built out of wood and brick dotted the fringes, in stark contrast to the original crystalline buildings of the snowflake shaped district stamped into the snow. Of which, many of them were general goods stores that offered things that couldn’t normally be found in the Krystal Kingdom, while they doubtlessly exported items from the Kingdom that couldn’t be found anywhere else for a profit.

Within another five minutes, our ride had pulled up at the station and its passengers began to file out in droves. Spike made himself useful and carried a tall, wobbling stack of luggage containing (mostly Rarity’s outfits) the accoutrements of the participants and set it down on the platform where the wheeled carts awaited (I reluctantly surrendered my fully loaded adventure pack to one of those carts with the assurance that that Guest Reception Service would see them to our lodgings). I heard the Maidens pestering him to make sure that he unloaded the case containing their disassembled flag and he reassured them that he did. He was about to double back to retrieve the next load when two local guards in their shiny gem styled armor carrying a litter swooped in out of nowhere to snatch him up and haul him off, much to his shock and confusion.

Twilight saw my eyebrow raise itself at the odd sight and giggled, “They’re taking him on an tour of the town to honor him in front of the people. They consider him to be a hero around these parts you know, being single handedly responsible for keeping the Crystal Heart from the clutches of Sombra long enough for Cadence to activate its magic and destroy him forever. They actually refer to him as Spike the Brave and Glorious” She sounded equal parts prideful and aporetic.

I shrugged, “So long as he doesn’t allow it to go to his head. Otherwise he’ll become Spike the Superficially Vainglorious” I cynically remarked.

“Oh hush, you. He’ll be the same sweet boy he always is” She softly chided me before gesturing me to follow her, “Come, you and I are to meet Princess Cadence for lunch”

I rolled my eyes, “I’ve already met her before, Twilight. As a matter of fact, she’s the first Princess I ever came across” Outside the realm of video games anyway.

“Then she’ll be happy to see you again!” Twilight cheerfully exclaimed as we walked the reflective roads leading towards the citadel.

I sighed and accompanied the bookish girl to see her old babysitter, being regaled with other stories of how wonderful Cadence was as we made for the stairs of the citadel. As we traveled, I couldn’t help but notice how… sparkly everything was, like it was buffed and polished several times over in preparation for visitors, which it in all likelihood was. We passed by a carved statue of Spike holding up a replica of the Crystal Heart with some tourists posing and taking pictures by. I glanced at Twilight and she mouthed at me ‘Hero worship’ and said no more. We passed by the guards (who didn’t recognize me from before, and why should they? I’m a tad bigger than when I first nettled them for passage) and up the stairs that caused me so many problems in the past. Instead of going straight for the throne room once we were on the right floor, we made for one of the side chambers instead.

The first thing I observed once we stepped indoors was Spike lounging back on a Victoria style gem studded sofa like a lazy bastard while being fed crystal berries of varying colors by one of the citadel’s attendants.

The boy chewed before swallowing, “Mmm… more of the green ones, please? I really like the green ones” Spike asked the woman above his head, who anxiously shuffled among the pile for the greenish berries, which were rapidly dwindling, in order to please her charge.

“Twilight! I’m so glad you could make it!” A familiar voice greeted us. I turned to see Twilight rushing towards the Princess who embraced her in a hug. They detached and did this weird patty cake thing involving sunshine and awoken ladybugs, or something of that girlish ilk.

The Princess disengaged from her former charge and turned to face me, “Ah… Zenith, it’s been a while since the last occasion I’ve seen you. You’ve certainly grown in the short interval since then” She surveyed, having to crane her neck up at a slight angle as to look me in the eyes.

“I blame magic” I cheekily replied, earning another hopeless glare from Twilight at my lack of etiquette for royalty or the sanctity of magic, “And I still haven’t ceased growing, before long I fear that I might tower over most people, and therefore no longer be able to retain my propensity for being naturally stealthy” I came off as flippant about it, but in truth it was a real bugbear of mine.

“Perhaps” She agreed neutrally in a terse voice, “I’m told that you will be performing in the opening ceremony of the games?” She posed a rhetorical question under the guise of making conversation, motioning us towards a glass table with crystal chairs where lunch was served. We all took our seats and let a moment of quietude pass in graceful gratitude to the meal’s provider before digging in.

I resumed our discourse, “I will be performing alongside the Star Seekers, yes. When will I meet with them, by the way? I’d like to know what my temporary band mates are like before we take the stage together” I explained my reasons as I helped myself to a hearty portion of salted crystal corn on the cob. I hadn’t done any research into the band, even though I would be playing beside them in a few hours time. Hell’s bells, I had only just learned that they were one of Rainbow’s favorite bands for crying out loud!

“Right after lunch is finished. After all, you must be very hungry after the long trip getting here” She answered, enjoying a jammed slice of bread herself, “And we have much to discuss before then” She asserted, eying me in particular.

Initially lunch was a boring affair, with Twilight and Spike hogging up most of Cadence’s attention (not that I was all that gregarious to begin with. Though my one contribution to the table talk in the form of a revelation to them about my land of origin having a similar event to the games called the Olympics equally fascinated both the bookworm and the lollypop), which prevented us from talking to each other on the level. Albeit in exchange I did get to hear about the event regarding the reappearance of the Krystal Kingdom first hand, learning unknown details left out of the history texts like how Sombra’s influence only got stronger the closer he was to the Crystal Heart. Of how this made the already difficult job of keeping the local people unawares of their dread master’s return even more challenging. After facing their most debilitating fears in the same dungeons where Daring and I relived ours, Twilight and Spike made it to the top of the citadel where the Crystal Heart was hidden. Unfortunately Sombra, in his maniacal deviousness, booby trapped the circle it was contained in, barring anybody within from escaping in time to avoid his wrath. However, Spike was outside the circle at the time that Twilight haplessly activated it and tossed it outside to within his reach, so she had to entrust the Crystal Heart to his care.

Long story short, Sombra’s shadowy mass chased Spike down the citadel with Benny Hill music blaring in the background (or at least, that’s how my imagination portrayed it), nearly catching and corrupting the Heart in the process. If he succeeded, it would have spelled the second downfall of the Kingdom and the re-enslavement of its inhabitants. Through some stroke of luck (or was it fate?), Spike masterfully played the game of keep away from the big, evil nasty and managed to deliver the Heart to an exhausted Cadence right on time for her to call upon the goodwill of the Krystal people, empowering the Heart and allowing it to vanquish Sombra forever with an engulfing sphere of bright light that counteracted his dark shadow (Or so they might lead themselves to believe).

‘How very symbolic’ I thought to myself as I polished off my fourth plate of food, something that garnered me some disbelieving and rather disgusted stares from most of my company, Cadence excluded (Who merely looked amused). I glowered at them to mind their own business while I continued to chow down on the remnants that were left on the food platter.

“Well! I’m sure you’re excited for your own role in the games Spike!” Cadence announced, diverting the attention away from me, which netted her a minimal sum of my gratitude.

“You bet I am!” He said, pointing a thumb at himself, “I’m going to be the first dragon to light the ceremonial torch… well, half dragon anyways” He self consciously amended, rubbing at his very much human arm.

“That’s good! You should be confident when you take your first steps onto the platform. You’re representing a lot more than Magiville in this regard you know” The Princess tipped her glass of lemonade at him in emphasis before taking a dainty sip of it.

“I am?” The boy asked, not thinking beyond his limited viewpoint.

“But of course! You’ll be representing the whole of Arcania itself this noon!” Cadence clarified, not noticing Spike’s growing apprehension at being in a bigger spotlight than he had assumed.

“Arcania… like the entire country?” He tried gulping his fear down, “Right… no pressure then” He chortled nervously.

“I’m glad to hear it. And I’m sure Miss Harshninny will be relieved to hear it as well” Cadence’s eyes flicked to me and I saw the sparking of a plan in their glossy violet depths, “In fact, why don’t you go to her now and have her walk you through the procedure beforehand for practice? Just tell her that I sent you. Don’t worry about your luggage from the station, I’ve prearranged for them to be carted to your rooms” She instructed, politely making it clear that it wasn’t a request.

Twilight joined in her voice, “I’ll go with him. I have a few things I’d like to discuss with Miss Harshninny myself” She stood up from her chair and bowed, “Farewell Princess Cadence, I’ll see you at the opening ceremony of the games, yes?” Twilight inquired hopefully.

She smiled almost motherly, “Indeed you shall my dear Twilight. I’ll be right alongside my fellow sovereigns and rooting my team on from the high seats, as you should with yours”

The two of them took their leave of us with the attendant from earlier shutting the door behind herself to grant the Princess and I some privacy. A transient lull ensued that was pregnant with awkward silence.

She made the first move, “How have you been Zenith? I can see that you’ve changed a lot since retrieving the Crystal Chalice for me not so many moons ago” She spoke in that tone that people use when they reunite with a friend that they’ve been missing. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why she would feel that way, since we hardly knew each other that well. I surmised that Cadence’s affable personality seemed pre-inclined to permit her to connect that quickly with people.

I scowled in restiveness, “I thought we already went over that?”

“I meant more than just your height, you silly man” She tittered, “I was referring to your overall demeanor. Your steps are still calculated, but not solely out of unwonted caution anymore. You’re also more upbeat, self assured, and there’s a purpose extending beyond yourself that drives you ever onward”

A nonchalant ‘huh’ escaped my lips. Her description was oddly close to the mark. Heh, archery terminology before the Athletic Games makes me crack up inside.

“Not that I’m denying any of that, but how could you tell all that about me?” I was skeptical that she divined that for herself, maybe Celestia has been feeding her updates about me.

“Your eyes reveal a lot about you to me, Zenith. Especially when glimpsing into the inner heart of a person is one of the perks of my special calling. I can see what Celestia means when she claims that you would make a fine addition to our ranks. She once said the same thing about me” Cadence disclosed in a trancelike voice, momentarily lost in the past.

“Please don’t hint about me inevitably having to accepting my Prince hood” I griped as I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms, “I get enough of those insinuations from Celestia. I didn’t ask to be sent here… and I surely didn’t ask to be sent as a Trifect” I told her, levitating over a flask of crystal berry cider and pouring myself a drink.

“None of us did” She whispered quietly, intriguing me, “But that only supports our mutual belief further. You were meant to be among us, Zenith. And in my few centuries of life, I’ve learned that everything that happens, does so for a reason”

“It would certainly appear that way. But I don’t wish to discuss the finer points of destiny with you this morning. I find myself in dire need of your advice, oh renowned Princess of Love” I melodramatically stated in my stage voice.

She tilted her head askew, “My advice? On what?”

“I won’t prevaricate here Cadence, but I wouldn’t mind some counseling from someone who is the leading expert in matters of the heart” I divulged, my worries about my more intimate relationships bubbling to the surface from the inky depths whence they came.

She giggled melodiously, “You flatter me, Zenith. I may be the Princess of the Love, but there are aspects of it that continue to mystify even me” She humbly conceded.

She got to the point, “So you seek counsel from me? Very well. The first thing I need to know is, how has your love life been so far?” She examined me.

“It’s been…” I distractedly looked around the room as I cycled through a list of words to choose from in my head. Not finding the precise word, I selected a generally valid one, “Adequate… I suppose”

She was taken aback, “Simply adequate? Not spectacular, or mind bogglingly insightful?” She prodded, her eyebrow raised at my admitted understatement.

I scoffed, “You want insightful? I could quote a passage for you: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails” I recited one of my favorite sections from the good book. It’s too bad I never had the chance to verify most of those truths for myself, until recently anyways.

“Yes, yes it is” Cadence remarked in agreement, nonplussed, “Where ever did you read that?”

“My family’s Bible” I answered, “When I was young, we read passages like that together in our living room. Some of the morals I learned about I committed to memory, to guide me whenever I feel I might be going astray”

‘And boy, have there been times where I’ve clearly strayed’ I thought with a wince.

She idly hummed to herself, “So it’s scripture from your foreign world then… a shame, I would have very much liked to have read it for myself”

“I don’t think you’d like most of it” I flatly hindered her interest, “Regardless, how satisfying I find my love life varies… but I cannot say that I regret opening my heart to others again”

Cadence’s forehead creased itself in confusion, “Again?” She mimicked me in her impression of a parrot.

My face darkened for an instant before it disappeared, “Not something I wish to recount to you or to anyone else for that matter. The past is best left where it is (‘To rot’)” I said no more on the subject, and the steel in my eyes warned her not to ever broach upon it.

“Very well, what’s relevant is that you have now” We moved on from the touchy subject, “Who was the first woman to capture your heart?”

I grinned a bit, “You’ll probably get a kick out of this one, but Daring Do and I are together… at least in spirit these days. What with her long distance job and everything keeping us apart for the time being”

Not one to prove me wrong, Cadence clapped her hands together as a delighted expression graced her features, “I knew it! I knew there would be a mutual attraction between you two!” She chirped, like she had won some kind of bet she had with herself.

“Yeah yeah, gloat to yourself all you want on your own time please. I still have concerns that I feel need to be addressed” I groused, bellyaching over that knowing look I once saw in her eyes that I wound up proving correct never the less.

“Concerns?” She copied me again, that obnoxious smile plastered on her face.

I rolled the glass cup in my hands, “More like doubts, really. Less potent than they were in the beginning, but they have not dissipated completely. Which is why I aspire to listen to your expertise”

“I can only work with what you give me, Zenith. You’re going to have to expound on these doubts of yours for me” She required.

I refilled my glass and haltingly guzzled it down to give me time to think about how to explain myself.

“I’m somewhat of a demisexual, Cadence. I won’t truly find a woman physically attractive until I find her emotionally attractive first. While this has the inadvertent benefit of shielding me from undue temptation, it also causes a menagerie of roadblocks when it comes to actual intimacy” I explicated.

“But you have been… you know,” She rolled her hand, “Intimate?” She over emphasized.

I tugged at my collar, the only sign that this question unsettled me, “Moderately intimate, yes. But it still nags at the back of my mind that I’m intimate with more than one woman”

“Are all relationships monogamous where you originate? I could see why you would have some difficulty adjusting. There are plenty of critics of my husband that excoriate how he only wants me, principally so when there’s a shortage of bachelors who haven’t set up wide scale family units of their own”

I nodded tentatively, “Purportedly, but so many marriages are ruined by infidelity back home that I think it’s more of an ideal than a strict rule we place on ourselves”

Her eyes dimmed at the reality of my blunt answer, “I’m… sorry to hear that”

I waved a hand dismissively, “Don’t apologize for things you can’t control, Cadence. Getting back to my position towards my love life, I’m not afraid of loving or of being loved, but it was never the most stable of emotions for a stoical person like me to grip. My steadfastness is something that I value heavily, and I did not know if love would take it and render that quality nullified. But I do know that it’s a risk worth taking”

“I can feel the conviction in your words. Tell me about those who have earned a spot in your heart, what makes you love them specifically?” She questioned, shifting in her chair to get comfortable.

I wiggled my eyebrows like they were snakes as I mulled it over, “There’s an interesting question. You could say that I’m in love with Daring’s courage in the face of what seems to be certain death, Octavia’s creative spark and sheer musical talent, Lyra’s ability to stay positive when all hope seems lost and inspire that faith in others… and while I’ve only recently officially started a relationship with her, Fluttershy’s immense kindness naturally attracted me to her; I’ve deemed that tender woman’s innocence sacrosanct to me. I love each and every one of these women in their own appealing way” I declared resolutely.

Then came the other half of the coin, “There’s yet another woman who has also captured the attention of my heart, but I’m still dubious as to whether what I feel for her is genuine love or fleeting fancy, ready to be scattered to the winds at the smallest signs of trouble” I left out the tiny detail where she tried to love potion me, since I didn’t want any mind interfering penalty hammer to drop on her.

Her eyes lit up as I ended my monologue, “Ah… so you’re positive about most of them with the exception of the last one. Now I won’t fish for names, but I’d like you to tell me what about this woman estranges you from her”

“She means the best, she really does, and our dates are far less ostentatious than I would have been led to believe, though I suspect that she does this out of consideration for my modest, simpler tastes. But she’s also very vain, placing too much emphasis on the opinions of others that its almost stifling her development as an individual. Her melodramatic antics are amusing at first, but cease to be endearing with the flow of time. If I don’t develop a magnetizing pull towards her that allows me disregard her flaws soon like with the others, I’m afraid that I might never be able to love her like she deserves” I listed solemnly.

“I’m also faintly allergic to the hair her cat sheds… and she’s not getting rid of her feline Opalescence anytime in the foreseeable future” I included offhandedly. That was verging on a lie, but it would have been truer had I not been a Trifect.

“Love cannot be measured with time. It simply is when it is” She proclaimed with a gesture of her hand, “It sounds to me like you’re in this relationship because of something that she sees in you. I won’t advise calling it off with her right now, but if you don’t begin to feel anything for her in return soon, then I suggest coming to her with these concerns. If no solution can be ascertained from there, then it would be safe to say that you are a poor match for each other and should see other people”

“Thank you for your honesty, Cadence”

“I wouldn’t fret much about it, Zenith. Love that is meant to be always finds a way, you can add that to your memorized scripture wisdom” She smirked at me, “I do have one last question for you before we need to cut this reunion short and go to our respective stations for the games”

“Anything within my power to shed some light on is yours to ask, your highness” I melodramatically responded, provided it didn’t cross any lines.

“Tell me, Zenith. You’ve relayed to me what your scripture says about love. But what do you believe it is?” She solicited me for my view.

My inner geek resurfaced, “Definition: ‘Love’ is making a shot to the knees of a target one hundred and twenty kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope. Statement: This definition, I am told, is subject to interpretation. Obviously, ‘Love’ is a matter of odds. Not many meatbags could make such a shot, and strangely enough, not many meatbags would derive love from it. Yet for me, love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticle, and altogether… achieving a singular purpose… against statistically long odds” I quoted mechanically, an oddly reminiscent look on my countenance.

Cadence’s jaw slowly picked itself up a few moments after I finished my speech.

“Such is the wisdom of HK-47” I supplemented, breaking her out of her non-computing funk.

The dumbfounded look on her face was priceless, “I’m sorry? I don’t understand. I felt like I was speaking to a different person for a moment” She vigorously shook her head to clear it, “What was that all about?”

I cracked my neck side to side, “I’m strange, Princess. Hadn’t you figured that out when we first met?”

“I found you to be different than most people, the whole ‘beyond the cosmic veil’ issue aside, yes” She granted me, “But it was never that pronounced!”

“That’s only just scratching the surface with me, Cadence” I grinningly replied.

“I hope this reunion is decidedly less straightforward than the one you’ll surely have with Shining Armor in the ring” Cadence said, reevaluating her no doubt shaken opinion of me.

“Is he still sore about the paperwork I put him through? Because I thought the replacement train was a pretty sweet ride” I amusedly quipped.

“I managed to assuage most of his frustrations since then” She uttered to me with a concupiscent curl of her lips, “Though he is looking forward to seeing your progress in the games”

“Hope he’s ready to have his expectations defied” I cockily commented, and not without cause either. I had gotten nearly implacable with the Claymore, its strengths and weaknesses now entirely known to me.

“Time will tell” She glanced upwards at something behind me and inhaled sharply, “Speaking of time, we’re close to being due for ours. Do you still remember your way around the citadel?” She inquired, rapidly getting to her feet.

I did the same, “You have a directory system carved into the walls, don’t you?” I questioned back, recollecting on the floor maps sculpted into the walls of the citadel.

She inclined her head forward in a dip, “Yes, but you won’t need to use them. Just follow the rainbow line from the throne room to the bridge linking the citadel to the second floor of the stadium. The guards, along with a reformed person I’m sure you’ll recall, will be there waiting there for you” She hinted mysteriously as she made a beeline out the door.

“The Star Seekers?” I randomly guessed, nothing immediately coming to mind.

“You’ll just have to find out for yourself!” She called back to me, “Good luck out there, Zenith!” Came her last words as the doors shut with a click.

I sighed before pouring myself a third glass of crystal berry cider juice (Which was still overrated by the way). Licking my lips at both the flavor and the anticipation of the event about to start, I rose from my seat and exited the room. I walked down the colorful magically traced line to the staircase slash bridge separating citadel and stadium. Halfway across its length was a familiar man with a clipboard in his arms and who was flanked by two guards.

“Jomar?” I let out, almost not believing my eyes.

I took in the man’s changed form. No longer did he wear his ghastly pelt; instead he sported a business tie to complement his pinstriped Victorian ere gentleman’s suit with black slacks. He was also mounting a pair of rounded reading glasses over his blue eyes that made him seem much more refined in contrast to his course looking features when I first met him. He also came off as… happier, than last I saw of him.

“Hail to you, oh great and merciful Zenith” He greeted me in his accented voice, though I could tell that he was also losing parts of it in favor of the local one.

‘Wonderful… I’ve assimilated him with my suggestion to the Princess’ Still; it was better than tossing him in a cell and throwing away the keys.

“And a howdy do to you too” I amicably returned, “What have you been up to lately?”

“Community service to her most wise majesty, Princess Cadence. As fair punishment for my role in aiding and abetting in the theft of the Crystal Chalice, I’m to serve as the court logistics official for the foreseeable future, as well as your personal aide during the games. Any and all questions you have regarding the rules of the event that you’ll be participating in, you can direct to me, and I will do my best to elucidate on them for you” He proffered his services.

My eyes flicked to the expressionless men (‘Pfft… guards’) over his shoulder, “And the armed escort?”

“I insisted on always having at least one guard nearby to prove that I mean to atone for what I’ve done. While the Princess was fine with restricting me to a house arrest, I felt that more measures had to be taken to ensure that I do not relapse into my old, mercenary ways” He briefly explained.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Jomar. I’ve deduced that it must have been you who purposely dropped the codex page that pointed us in the right direction, what with you being the group’s material manager and all. You should have mentioned that to Cadence, you might have been given an even more lenient treatment, seeing how you aided us as well”

He flinched, but was impressed, “That-… I did not think anyone would notice that”

I smirked, “Well I did, the only thing I want to know is, why’d you do it?”

“Ahuizotl was never the most mentally stable of employers… and he never stopped yearning for power. My group tolerated him because he paid well, but I had a sinking premonition that we needed to refuse him our services before he got us into a situation where we would all die… which sadly, happened anyway. I thought that if I could sabotage this last heist, we could spend the rest of our lives in a dungeon alive… rather than buried in the earth because of some madman’s ignoble dream”

“I’m sor-” He cut me off before I could sympathize for his loss.

“No! Do not apologize for doing the right thing, noble Zenith. My comrades have committed numerous atrocities during our tenure as the Wild Cats… sooner or later, death would come for us to collect its due for our crimes” His eyes watered as he looked up at me, “And yet you found it within you to spare me, when you had reason enough to put me to the sword. There are no words in your language or any other to express the gratitude that I feel for you because of that”

I clapped him on the side of his arm, “That’s because I saw that you could be redeemed, and that your skills could be used for the greater good. I’m gladdened to see that you have not proven me wrong”

He bowed his head to me, “And nor will I ever. I owe you a life debt that cannot be adequately repaid”

I shook my head, “You don’t owe me anything, just live your life in the service of those who cannot help themselves”

“As you decree it, so I shall commit to doing so” He emotionally agreed, before strictly getting down to business, “The lighting of the ceremonial torch is soon to commence, would you like to see it up close?”

“I would”

“Then follow me, please” He spun around and walked away, with his escort and myself in close pursuit.

We soon found ourselves on a tall gallery platform overlooking most of the Crystal Stadium, which itself was about the size of most American football stadiums back home. Hundreds, if not thousands of spectators from all over the land were congregated in the stands, waving flags or blowing on elongated flugelhorns to show their collective crowd spirit (They also had those inflatable balloon stick things to thwack together, which utterly baffled me). With my sensitive hearing and being this close up, the roar of the people was all but deafening to me. I picked up our group’s pace until we neared the jutting platform where a very Olympic-esque torch stood proud in the warm beams of the midday sun, waiting to be set alight.

On the grassy field below were dozens of competitors from neighboring cities, towns, and even countries in the case of the Gryphondrians. They were gathered in one large mass and all of them were wearing jackets demonstrating their team colors, along with symbols embossed into the fabric. I could see a fully uniformed Shining Armor in his full set of Princely regalia pacing the ground while presiding over the proceedings. He was somehow projecting his voice without a microphone headset and over the din through speakers that were bolted all around the stadium’s walls above the audience stands. He was currently announcing the delegations of the flag bearers representing their respective places of origin as they filed out onto the field, marching in a manner that reminded me of the happenings before the Boonta Eve Classic pod race. Among their number were three proud young girls carrying the flag of Magiville (which was a clan-less male and female silhouette on a yellow background situated next to a Valentine heart with filigrees sticking out of the bottom) in unison. They circled the outer ring of the elongated hexagram of playing field once before planting their banners into posts dotting the boundaries. Even from this distance, I could make out the joyful smiles on their faces.

All was not well however, as I could see a trembling Spike and a aggravated looking, middle aged, and corporately dressed woman who must have been Miss Harshninny, who was towering over him and glaring at him disapprovingly by the base of the torch. I motioned for my company to stay where they were, while I got closer to make out what they were speaking.

“Did you not hear me? I just gave you the signal. That’s your cue to climb that ladder and light the torch!” Miss Harshninny austerely pressured him, tapping the heel of her shoe against the metal floor of the platform, making a solid clacking noise. Spike could say nothing in his defense, preoccupied as he was with sweating, shaking, and generally looking like he was about to wet himself from stage fright alone.

“Pardon me, but what seems to be the problem here?” I cut in, mostly to divert the fuming woman’s attention from Spike.

She tore her glare away from the boy to point it at me, “Excuse me Sir, but this is not a matter that concerns you” Harshninny rudely dismissed me without a second thought.

I narrowed my eyes, “Wrong, Spike is one of my friends, and whatever is affecting him right now concerns me greatly… now step away from the poor boy and give him some breathing room” I commanded in an official tone that brooked no contention.

Harshninny glowered at me for the rebuking retort, but begrudgingly obeyed, taking a few steps in reverse while I crouched down to Spike’s level and spoke more comfortingly to him than my predecessor.

“Hey pal, what’s wrong?”

He acknowledged my presence by meeting my eyes, “I can’t do it… I just can’t! There are just too many people, too many of them looking at me. I can’t hack having all of this attention on me, it’s strangling! It’s so bad I can’t work up my flame!” He tried to breathe his signature green fire, but a pathetic sputtering noise came out, accompanied by a few streams of useless smoke, “See!? Oh, I’m so going to let everybody down” He despaired, hunching over to make himself smaller, as if he was hoping that he could shrink small enough to disappear.

‘Wow… his fear of being the public eye is downright debilitating’ I thought as I took pity on the harried lad.

I leaned closer to him, “I don’t care for the spotlight either, Spike. But I don’t let it paralyze me to the point of physical inaction” I made a curling gesture of my two fingers so that he would lean in, which he reluctantly did, “Let me tell you about a little technique that you can use called ‘tunnel visioning’. Close your eyes, count to ten, and breathe deep. In that time, I want you to calm the storm raging in your mind and in your heart, okay?”

He listened to my advice, shut his eyes, and steadily inhaled through his nostrils. When I sensed that he had lowered his heartbeat enough, I continued with his patchwork lesson, “Molto Bene! Now I want you to focus so hard on this task that when you open your eyes, everything else just becomes a blurred wisp at the edges of your vision. Can you do that for me?” He nodded fervently as he squinted, “You can open your eyes now” I told him. Two green irises uncovered themselves and stared into mine. My serene presence seemed to be having a positive effect on him, because he was no longer quaking. I’d have to press my advantage before I lost it.

I grasped him firmly by both shoulders and forced his slitted pupils to meet my rounded ones, “You may not look it for the most part, but you have Dragon’s blood coursing through your veins, Spike. That makes you capable of some extraordinary feats. I think lighting one lousy torch pales in comparison to saving this entire kingdom from the likes of the wicked Sombra, don’t you think?”

He still looked relatively unsure of himself, “But what if I screw it up in front of everybody, with all of Arcania to watch me fail?” He sagged even lower, “I should just stick to the sidelines and let them delegate this task to someone else” He demurred, lingering doubt still eating away at his resolve.

“You’ve been sitting on the sidelines for long enough” I gently admonished him with a pat on his shoulder blade, “It’s time to step into the light once more”

He took another deep breath, looking more spurred on than before, “You’re right, I’ve been lingering on the sidelines for so long that I almost don’t want to leave its safety. A-all right. I can do this! I can do this!” He shouted louder with each sentence.

“Sometime today would optimal. Mr. Half Dragon” Harshninny inserted her opinion on the subject, standing adjacent to us, “Preferably in the next thirty seconds or so” She unhelpfully amended, tapping her watch impatiently.

I ignored her, dedicating all my attention on the young boy, “That’s the spirit! Now that torch over there is mocking you by remaining unlit, are you just going to let that insult to your courage fly? Or are you going to show it who’s boss!?” I boomed at him in challenge, inspiriting him to act.

“I’m going to show that stupid torch what’s what, like a boss!” He answered me vehemently, sprinting towards the ladder with a battle cry like yawp. He climbed up the rungs with the fervor of a dozen angry monkeys before reaching its summit. He then inhaled so deeply that his chest was distended to the point where it looked like it was about to pop off his torso, before unleashing a torrent of flame into the kindling bowl and igniting it in a burst of orangey fire that gradually turned blue.

“Attaboy” I whispered, feeling a surge of pride for him.

My company was not impressed, “Hmmf! He shouldn’t have to be encouraged to light it in the first place! That was his only duty for the games, and a simple one at that! How hard was that for him to do when I gave the signal? But noooo… he needs a pep talk from some random passerby who just happens to know him and a pat on the shoulder before doing his job” Bitchninny piped up with a scowl, crossing her arms together and habitually acting like an utter bitch.

“This random passerby happens to be one of the games participants, and also a close friend of their Royal Highnesses. You would do well to mind your tongue” I authoritatively recommended to her as I indicated in their direction.

With timing that couldn’t be more perfect, the aforementioned Princesses waved to me from their box seats (more like portable thrones) in the splendidly royal portion of the stadium, which I returned with a two finger salute. Among them were several other figures, some of whom I recognized (like Blueblood, our town Mayor, and Fancypants with his two wives). Others were clearly from foreign countries, as evidenced by their odd clothes or disparate statures. The man with the turban and elegant robes must have been Sultan Mahad (Who was otherwise occupied with bickering with the lavishly dressed woman who must have been his wife). The other figures I could not recognize right away, but they looked fairly distinguished with their intricate headdresses.

Harshninny’s blood drained from her stress wrinkled face once she realized that she had risked angering someone of visible importance, “I retract everything I just said! Spike here did an bang up job, I know I certainly couldn’t light that torch without a box of matches!” She laughed nervously, her stern demeanor cracking in the face of what could have been termination on the spot (If I was feeling excessively vindictive anyway).

I raised a single, incredulous eyebrow, “Nice save… Miss Harshninny”

Spike came rushing back with a smile on his face, “Zenith, Zenith! Did you see that? That was one of the strongest gouts of flame I’ve ever ejected!” He exclaimed as he hugged my stomach.

I patted him on the back, “Congrats Spike, you’ve demonstrated great bravery against your fears today”

“Wait… You’re Zenith?” Harshninny spoke up, “I’m to take you to the field right away. Would you be so kind as to follow me, please?” She bothered to make her request courteously this time.

“You know, you’d probably get better results if you asked people to do things nicely more often in the future”

“I’ll keep that in mind” She seethed through gritted teeth, “Now come! You’re to be part of some mystery demonstration for the people’s entertainment” Without waiting for me to respond, she stomped off down the hallway opposite of the now burning torch.

I sighed, “Gotta go, Spike. You go sit with the rest of the girls and enjoy the games, alright?” I told him as I mussed his hair affectionately.

“I will, and cut that out!” He pulled back and struggled to get his hair tidy again, but I could tell that he was cheerful again.

Turning to my entourage, I gesticulated for them to stay on my tail and speed walked to catch up with Harshninny, who hadn’t even bothered to look back and see if I was keeping pace with her.

I heard her muttering bitterly to herself as I flanked her, “The things I have to put up with in order to ensure that the games progress without a hitch. Next thing you’ll know they’ll have me assist in putting on something insipid, like rock concerts”

“Actually, that’s happening today” I grinningly corrected her, “Hope you like the Star Seekers!”

She sighed irritably and pushed a palm to her face, “Uggh… Celebrities” She moaned despondently.

We descended the stairways until we were at ground level. Some people that were late rushed to grab their seats as they jogged through the entrances. Large Agrarian men dressed in suits, caps with badges on them, and black shades instructed the Stellar Magi among them to pass through a special gateway that glowed with a screen of teal colored energy. When the disgruntled tourists traversed through them, the screen adhered to their skin before accumulating around their focal gem and seeping inside. I saw them blink in confusion as the items they were carrying in their levitation fields fell to the floor with a clatter, forcing them to grumblingly carry their things by hand.

Remembering my promise to Celestia to play fair, I elected to go through one of those gates (much to the puzzlement of my companions, since I didn’t have my usual rhinestone on my head), mildly curious to see how it would affect someone who didn’t even have a focal gem. Rather disappointingly, the magical inhibiting field didn’t feel like anything as I passed through the projecting archway. It still clung to my skin like with the other Mages, but instead of concentrating on my forehead, it did so on my eyes. Just like with the magic disrupting rings, my connection to my internal supply of mana felt distorted and harder to call to the fore. In the event of an emergency, I theorized that I could just grab at a chunk of my magic and brute force the lock on itself, but prayed that there wouldn’t be a need to do so. The officials at the gate gave me uniformly strange stares, despite the shades masking most of their expressions, but asked no questions and granted me passage.

Harshninny conducted us through multiple winding corridors and past several occupied locker rooms where the athletes were washing off or relaxing before their scheduled events. After the last set of doorways, we were on the field. A mobile platform was in the final stages of being assembled in the center from individual pieces, while technicians set up various allotments of equipment in preparation for the opening concert. I even saw pyro technicians adjusting the flame launcher nozzles to synchronize with floor pedals on the stage. The only people who were not toiling or otherwise assisting with the finishing touches to the setup work were four individuals who were clustered in a circle in a sequestered area covered by folding screens serving as the unofficial back stage.

The first to attract my notice was the sole woman in the group, who had platinum blond hair, was wearing a purple shades (though they didn’t hide her eyes like Vinyl’s did), and displayed the Mana mark of a bass guitar on her hands. The second fellow was sporting a classic rocker look, with a white bandana wrapped around his forehead, a bright orange jump suit covering his body, and a two toned red and white flying V guitar that he was tuning in his arms. The third guy was visibly shorter than his colleagues and had long, brown, shoulder length locks and armbands with gems on them. The last was probably the most casual looking of the four, with nothing unusual to describe except for his short and curly navy blue hair that almost looked like a trimmed Afro.

“The concert is scheduled to begin in five minutes, acquaint yourself with your stage mates in the meantime. And for Princesses’ sake don’t hesitate like your friend Spike did” Harshninny spoke her peace before pirouetting on the tips of her feet and leaving without so much as a farewell. Bah, good riddance to her!

The sound of her harsh, grating voice caused the four band mates to peek up from whatever they were wasting time with to look at us. The classic rocker dude smiled and greeted us, “Ello there! Is one of you the mystery extra we were told would be performing with us?” He asked in a cockney accent (native to Troddingham I believe), eyes flicking between Jomar and myself.

“Yes, I am” I answered, receiving his full attention.

“They sure grow ‘em big wherever you come from don’t they?” He got up and thrust his hand towards me, which I shook, “I’m Arpeggio, the group’s primary guitarist”

He held his palm out and swept it towards his band mates to introduce them in order, “That lovely poppet o’er there is Stella, our flawless bassist” The woman nodded to me, but stayed silent, “Shorty o’er here is Beryl, our drummer”

“Heyo!” He excitedly chirped, flipping his drumsticks in the air and twirling them about in his fingers.

Arpeggio motioned towards the last man, “And last but not least, Octave ‘ere is typically our pianist, singer, and synth instrument player”

‘Why do I feel as if these people should be familiar to me?’ I mused, trying to place their names and coming up with bupkis.

He bowed his head formally to me, “I look forward to working alongside you mister…?” He fished for my name in a voice as smooth as silk.

“Zenith. And the feeling is mutual” I replied absently, really obsessing over where I’d heard these names before.

“Zenith, eh? Heh! You’ll fit right in with the Star Seekers” Arpeggio confidently declared with a grin, “So, while we’re cool with taking to the stage with a fifth member and having to play interesting songs that we didn’t write, we’d at the barest minimum would like to know what role you’ll be filling in as” He requested.

“Vocals mostly, though I’ve dedicated one song that I’ll have to borrow the piano from Octave for” I glanced apologetically at the man, “Sorry”

He held out his palm forgivingly, “It’s all right. But did you just say that you dedicated the songs that we’re to perform?” He asked as his eyebrows shot up in intrigue.

“Uh, yeah. Did I forget to mention that I’m the one who wrote down the lyrics and tablature for the songs that we’ll be singing?”

“Really?” Stella vocalized for the first time, “You’re the one who produced these songs?” She held up a stack of paper that had the tablature and lyrics that I inscribed scant weeks beforehand.

I borrowed a page from the Apple family, minus the pseudo lying, “Eeyup. I trust that you’re okay with performing them?”

“We wouldn’t spend weeks rehearsing them if we weren’t. And while they’re different from most of what we’ve seen and heard ourselves, they’re different in a way that I personally find groovy” She said with a tiny smile, which I mirrored in gratitude.

“It’s too bad we weren’t able to rehearse all together, that way our coordination would be assured” I bemoaned.

Octave chortled, “Relax man! Just let the music take you and everything will work out fine. That’s one of the wonders of performing music in a group, you know?”

“It sure is. You’re each knowledgeable about the order of songs that we’re playing in, right?” I double checked with them.

“Yah huh!” Beryl spoke up, “Three songs, the first is for the games, the other two are dedications to special people in the crowd that you’ll be taking over from Arpeggio and Octave for”

“That’s correct!” I expressed with a chuckle. The small man’s enthusiasm was almost as infectious as Pinkie Pie’s. Almost.

“You sure you two don’t mind?” I directed to them, pleased by how gracious they were for admitting me into their cadre without issue.

“Nah, that just means less work for us!” Arpeggio uttered with a lazy drawl, with Octave concomitantly concurring with a thumbs up gesture.

“You’re on in a little over a minute” Jomar politely informed from beside me, “I wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing what kind of music you’ve composed for everyone present” He departed us, with his escort trailing closely behind him.

“Right! That’s our cue!” Arpeggio blurted out and turned to me with an animated expression, “C’mon new guy, we’ve got a concert to rock!”

All of the band members got to their feet and carried their instruments with them if they were portable. I tagged behind them as we hopped up the steps and into full view of the public, who cheered even louder once they could see us. I heard Shining Armor’s voice announce our arrival by name.

“…You’re in for a special treat today folks! We managed to recruit the ever popular Star Seekers to provide some bravado for our opening concert. For those of you who aren’t in the know, they’ve recently released their latest studio album: Sun Surfer, to countrywide acclaim! So give it up for Arpeggio, Stella, Octave, Beryl… and to mix things up a bit, they have an extra member joining them! Please give a warm welcome to… Zenith, from Magiville!” He proclaimed, a slight stutter in his voice after reading off my name. Apparently he wasn’t expecting that.

The sounds from the crowd (triply so from the Magivillians, who stood from their seats) were absolutely earsplitting as each of us took our positions. The stage itself was grand, with several steps and podiums for the musicians to move about if they so desired. There was a panoramic screen fixed to a gantry above us that had a plethora of swirling stars projected onto it, and I assumed that it would change scenery as our concert went on. I went to the forefront of the stage where a cordless microphone with a glowing gem at the end was waiting for me. In my mind I was slightly worried that with my magic cut off I wouldn’t be as effective on stage, but I crushed those worries once I reminded myself that the best thing about muscle memory spells were that they eventually ingrained whatever you did with them into your natural skillset. And I went overkill on the pregame practice in my music chamber back in my cloud home, so I was pretty much covered for this.

I snatched up the microphone in my hands and engaged my showman’s demeanor, “What’s shaking people? I trust that the scenic Krystal Kingdom has been treating you well so far? I’m Zenith as you’ve all heard, and these magnificent people behind me are the Star Seekers!” I motioned behind me with a thumb, “On this momentous day we’re going to be performing some never before heard songs exclusively for you! Are you feeling pumped yet?” The crowds roared their agreement to me.

I cupped a hand to my ear, “I’m a bit hard of hearing, what with all the practice we’ve being doing leading up to this event” I fibbed as I stretched the truth a negligible amount, “So I’m going to ask you again… are you stoked for this!?”

The response I got was brain jarring it was so thunderous in volume.

“That’s more like it!” I pointed to Octave, “Hit it!”

Octave began plunking on the keyboard of his grand piano, which was somehow hooked up with the speaker system despite not having any visible connected wires (it must have been the same magical crystals that were fitted onto the end of my microphone. How incredibly useful those puppies were) as the opening notes of Muse’s Survival filled the stadium. The rest of the band and myself began snapping our fingers, which the crowd soon emulated. When it came time, I sang the lyrics to the best of my ability, trying very hard to imitate Matthew Bellamy’s unique vocal style (It was a shame that I wasn’t dressed as outrageously as he usually was during concert, otherwise I might have been able to channel his persona more easily. I guessed that the standard jeans and a tee combo would have to do).

When the lyrics reached the first crescendo, jets of flame spewed out of the diagonally pre-aimed nozzles surrounding the stage and upping its badass factor by five, erupting several more times over the course of the song. Arpeggio really showed his worth as he danced around the stage with his guitar in hand, doing all kinds of eccentric postures as he shredded at his strings. Stella and I bobbed our heads to the beat during the periods focusing on the guitar solo. The reception from our audience was immensely well received as the song ended with one last emission of fire, and I was worried that many of them were going to wear their vocal chords out with how tumultuous they were at the moment.

“That my good people, was a number named Survival. Fitting for the Athletic Games, wasn’t it?” I remarked to them, exchanging hands with the microphone.

I wiped a bead of sweat off my brow, those flame ejectors sure ran hot, “Some of you Star Seekers fans out there might not approve of this, but I’m going to be stealing Arpeggio’s role for this next song, which I’m dedicating to three very special young ladies who did a smashing job of touting my town’s flag” I announced. I couldn’t pick them out in the numerous throngs of people in the stands, but I imagined that they were quite surprised to be referenced.

Arpeggio relinquished his instrument to me without protest and headed backstage, likely to crash on the couch and refresh himself with a drink of water. I could hear some people in the stands groaning their disappointment at this change of plans. I snorted to myself. They were going to feel silly for doubting me.

I walked back up to the microphone, “What? You folks thought I was only good for lyrics? Allow me to dispel that notion” I took the plectrum wedged between the A and E strings and began strumming the beginning notes of Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle.

The guitar work for this song was relatively simple, with a few repetitive single string notes, double string notes, and power chords composing the majority of it. The guitar solo was a tad more difficult, but I like to think I nailed it. Even though I had to devote much of my attention to my instrument, I still provided the lyrics, which were sung with the Mana Mark Maidens in mind. It was a shorter song than our first, but the audience seemed to like it regardless, I’m sure the Maidens did at the very least.

Arpeggio had a punctual sense of timing, because he came back to the stage right as the last notes faded. I made a melodramatic showing of returning his guitar to him by kneeling and presenting his ‘axe’ to him in medieval fashion. He must have interpreted this a sign of respect, because he flourished a bow in response as he accepted my kingly gift. I then stood up and kicked Octave off of his bench so I could appropriate his piano for the last song. Thankfully, Octave was one of the backup vocalists alongside Stella, so there was no need to take my mike with me and affix it to the countertop of his piano.

I angled the device upward so I could speak into it, “Again, I apologize for uprooting yet another member who has been doing a superb job under the limelight. I might have to check out their new album for myself!” I jested, with the aim of alleviating the hardcore fans in the audience’ fear that I was just some no name, upstart schmuck who was hogging the glory from those who deserved it more. Perhaps I was, but at least I was a philanthropic show stealer.

‘Poor Beryl and Stella, they’ve been performing nonstop’ I thought to myself as I saw them catching their breath. The two of them had great endurance though, and showed no sign of permanently tiring. Beryl in particular warranted some recognition, since he had been the most active member during the concert.

“Anyhow, I won’t tell you who this final number is dedicated to, I’ll just let you figure it out for yourselves” Letting all the late night hours spent practicing music in my acoustically optimized chambers at home guide my movements, my hands pressed down on the smooth, ivory keys of the piano as I began to perform Drops Of Jupiter in earnest. I quickly risked a glance in the direction of the royal box seats.

I had gotten Luna’s attention by the fifth line, I couldn’t make out her expression from down here, but she did visibly scoot forward in her throne and gripped at the arms of her seat before casting a look at her sister, as if questioning her. When her sister merely sent her a half shrug at her, she spent the rest of the song watching my every movement like a hawk. Internally, I prayed that I hadn’t garnered her disfavor and kept a reflective expression on my face as I delved into the chorus. The lyrics to this one would confuse a lot of people, who wouldn’t know who Mozart was, or what the heck tae-bo entailed, or even that you could deep fry chicken. But it was a fun song to sing along to none the less, something I actually caught Stella doing (She had thoughtfully pushed her microphone out of the way so her voice wouldn’t pick up and overshadow mine). I reckoned right then that she was a sucker for mildly romantic music.

After the last dedication played out in its entirety, the Star Seekers and I bowed as a group before a thrilled audience as Shining Armor praised us for a riveting concert and officiated over the official declaration that the games were now in session (as soon as the stage was painstakingly disassembled, that was). Each of the band members clapped me on the back in celebration and admitted to me that they weren’t expecting somebody they had never heard of before to perform the inspired way I did. My entourage emerged from wherever they were observing the concert and Jomar congratulated me on an excellent show (he confessed that he had never heard of rock music before, but found it invigorating in a way that would increase the morale of the spectators) before offering me to take me to my seat next to the rest of the girls until it came time for the duelist’s event. I accepted and received an equally warm welcome from my friends and the Maidens, as well as a handwritten note in cursive from Luna saying that she appreciated the kind gesture of me thinking about her and committing it to song.

The next two hours passed by like they only lasted minutes. My friends and I watched various events of the games and cheered on our fellow Magiville neighbors whenever they manifested. Like true underdogs, the participants from our sleepy town consistently placed in second and third place, preeminently earning us the leading number of medals won with Stratopolis in close second. I had never been to an Olympic event myself, but I imagined that these games weren’t far off in similarity, although the Olympics didn’t have sports like jousting matches (Which the inhabitants of the Krystal Kingdom utterly dominated, unsurprisingly. Part of me likened it to the Canadians and their hockey; such was their home field advantage).

The girls, especially Rarity, fawned over the couples ice skating event (Which was won by a married couple from Vanclover). The Gryphondrian delegation was extremely competitive in a fast paced sport that was known as Skycleaver, where the goal was to hunt down the opposite team’s flag, which would be hidden on one of the opposing team member’s person, while also protecting their own from capture. It was like flag tag in a way, except it took place in the air, and kept you on the edge of your seat with how suspenseful it was. The games were a three day happening, and the aerial relay race was slotted to take place tomorrow, so Rainbow and Fluttershy were currently elsewhere working on passing the baton in white knuckled preparation instead of watching the games with us. I couldn’t begrudge them their prudent choice, if I could be wielding a Claymore right now against highly coordinate shadow sparring partners, I would be doing just that. Their competition was stiff too, Gryphondria and Stratopolis had the best flyers overall, while Magiville really only had Dash and the other two teams had average contestants.

When it came time for the duelist’s event, Shining Armor handed over the responsibility of announcing to someone else and headed elsewhere to trade in his princely demeanor for a soldierly one. Jomar was there for me as always to notify me that I was needed to take to a different stage.

“Jus’ where are you goin’?” Applejack interrogated me once she spotted me trying to sneak away. She was the closest in proximity to me, and the previous event didn’t have any Magiville natives in it, so I wasn’t shocked that she paying more attention to her surroundings than the others.

I held a finger to my lips to stop her from speaking too loud, “To possibly earn Magiville another medal to add to its collection. I’m aiming for gold” I told her with a grin.

“Yer competin’ in the duels, Zenith? How come ya never told us?” She asked me, her eyes becoming razor slits of disapproval as she stared me down.

My grin became a smirk, “Because you never asked” I repeated that same thing I said to her sister.

She puffed a stray hair out of her eyes and snorted, unamused, “I shouldn’t hafta do that. But I wish you the best anyways, pardner”

“Thanks AJ” I slipped into the shadows before the others got the opportunity to notice that I was leaving.

I kept close to Jomar and his escort as he took me down to the locker room area a second time. Only on this occasion, the locker room was more like a kind of armory, with weapons of various assortments lined up on racks or adorning the walls. Jomar spoke with the one of the men minding the armory and pointed at me. Several other competitors were weighing in on what to take with them onto the field, as well as sneakily examining their competition in their peripherals. The man regarded me with a critical eye before searching his wares and tossing Jomar what looked like a full body suit that was made out of a kind of chain mail that was in my size. Jomar thanked him and carried it back to give to me for putting on over my normal clothes.

“What are these for?” I inquired, scrutinizing the weave being held in my hands.

“Magically enchanted chainmail armor that is to register to the judges whenever an opponent scores a strike on you, as well as provide protection from the blunt force of the magically dulled blades that every competitor will be brandishing. The severity of the strike is also taken into account, but the average number it takes to win a match I’m told is three. While it is permissible to daze your opponent using any other part of your body, only hits with weapons will be counted” He helpfully elucidated, while adjusting his glasses so that they’d fit higher up on his nose.

“Ask if they have those body weights for the Agrarians and bring them to me if they do” He did as I bid him and returned to me after several trips with the heavy metal bands that I was to clad myself in underneath my chainmail suit.

“But… m’lord, are you not Valkyrian? Won’t you be unnecessarily limiting yourself with these?” Jomar expressed in confusion, watching me don the body weights.

“I like to challenge myself” I tersely explained as I fluidly sidestepped the question, “And do refrain from referring to me as lord, if you would please” He stammered out an apology that I ignored as I got dressed.

After I slid the armor (which even covered my noggin) and weights on, I took a walk around the room as to adjust to the fit, finding it to be not too tight and not too loose. I also multitasked and considered the numerous swords that were on display, all of which had dulled blades with tapered edges. My eyes locked onto a five and a half foot long two handed Claymore sword with slightly angled quatrefoil terminations and a leather ricasso wrapped over the beginning point of the forte for gripping. I smiled toothily and knew that this was the weapon of choice for me. I pried it off its rack and hefted it in my grip. The thing I loved about the Claymore was that despite having such a long reach, they were remarkably light, which allowed for the wielder to recover his weapon moderately fast. The leather ricasso was an added benefit because it would allow for me to choke up on the blade and switch to a close combat style should my opponent close with me.

“Oh yeah…” I declared to no one specifically as I admired the mighty blade, “…this will do nicely”

“That is most fortunate, as yours is the second match in the sequence” Jomar clued me in.

“And who will my opponent be?”

“By game conventions, I’m not at liberty to reveal that information. Not even to you, great Zenith”

I sighed in faint dismay, “That’s fine, Jomar. I’ll be finding out for myself soon enough I suppose”

As if on cue, a blaring sound like that of a basketball buzzer echoed into the room from outside, followed by the announcer broadcasting the winner of the match over the speakers. I discerned a crimson paint used to dye armor attachments and applied four lines of it under both of my eyes in front of a vanity mirror as a kind of war paint.

“Once more, I wish you the best of luck, great Zenith” He verbalized, saying nothing about the strange pre match intimidation technique.

I rubbed my fingers clean on a polishing rag, “Won’t need it, but thanks. Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a wager to win for somebody” Either Cadence or Celestia, but I had no intention of losing out there.

I care-freely waltzed out into the hallway before making my way to the field. The new stage for the dueling event was elevated and ovular in shape, consisting of several plate like squares that were interlocked in place. I ambled without hurry up the steps and onto the platform, where my opponent was awaiting me.

My eyes widened imperceptibly once I took notice that it was a woman that I was to be primarily dueling. It was harder to tell with the chainmail covering most of her hair, but her feminine face and lips were unmistakably female. She was average height for a woman, though that made her much shorter than I, which could prove to be problematic if I accidentally let her get too close. Her skin was whiter than average, almost milky in complexion. The strands of tri toned silver, white, and pink hair that were sticking out of her suit overlapped with dark, sapphire blue eyes that were icy and calculating, studying me in the same way I was with her. In her hands were a wickedly curved hand axe and a black dagger that looked like a bat’s wing. Clearly, she favored a close quarters style based on those armaments alone.

‘Perfect, it’s not even the second match and I already have an opponent who can rip me a new one if she gets up in my personal space’ I griped to myself, roughly gripping the hilt of my Claymore until my squeezing of the handle was audible.

The female announcer’s voice shook me out of my brooding, “In one corner we have a native from Shady Hollow, and in the other we have a rather familiar looking contestant from Magiville. Who will be the first to score three strikes? Can the music man fight as well as he sings? I don’t know about you people, but the sheer anticipation for this match is getting to me!”

“I really like your hair!” I randomly blurted out to her, mostly out of honesty and a mild hope that it would throw off her assessment of me. She snorted a stream of breath through her nostrils, but otherwise did not physically react to my comment. I tilted my head at her and trembled my lip in fake dejection.

She caved and humored me, “What’s that face paint for? You didn’t have to pretty yourself up for little ol’ me” She japed in retaliation. I liked her already. It was a crying shame that I’d have to be swinging a big ass sword at her soon.

“It wasn’t for your sake that I applied men’s cosmetics, my lady” I answered her, eliciting a condescending scoff from the woman.

“I am no lady” She retorted with some spite.

Not one to be outspoken, I shouted to her, “Neither am I! We have something in common!” I grinningly replied.

‘This opponent seems to study my eyes more so than my movements… perhaps I could use that to my advantage’

“It looks like we have some pre match bantering going on here! Let’s put a stop to that, shall we?” The sound of a bell being struck signaled the start of the match.

Faster than I would have given her credit for, black wings sprouted from her back and propelled her forward, closing the gap between us in scant seconds. My training kicked in and automatically had me leaping to the right to dodge her lunging swipe. Bringing the Claymore to bear, I diagonally slashed in her direction and nicked her in her dagger arm. The area on the armor where I had struck glowed a faint yellow, forcing her to reevaluate her position as she circled around me.

“And we have metaphorical first blood! The challenger from Magiville has scored a grazing hit. Ten of those will mean the end of the match!” The announcer communicated with glee.

I kept my sword pointed at her with both hands grasping it. I could tell that my hit, no matter how petty, had gotten to her pride. Gritting her teeth, she charged me and attempted to bash her way past my defenses with her axe and dagger. Putting the length of the Claymore to work, I kept her at bay and backtracked while she probed at my stalwart position. She grinned as she did something I did not expect and used her wings to leap over me with a flip (kicking me in the face while she was at it). I felt two blades poke at my backside and send me stumbling forward.

“Ooh! Looks like the woman from Shady Hollow has repaid that first blood with interest! Two critical hits on the Magiville native, one more will spell the termination of this bout!”

‘Not a favorable situation’ I slapped myself mentally, ‘Gotta up my game’ I wiped at my nose with a forearm to get rid of the pinchy sensation.

Shady Lady pressed her advantage and gave me little time to recover, clashing at my sword a second time with the intent of scoring one last hit and winning. Her arrogance was making her careless however, and once I spotted an opening to exploit, I slammed the pommel of my Claymore into her chin and marked a red gash into her stomach with a horizontal swipe while she recoiled. My blow had stunned her for several seconds, which allowed me to disarm her axe hand with a follow up strike. Only left with her dagger, she made a furious flurry of stabs and slashes that were easy to ward off with fanning motions of my sword. This back and forth went on for a minute before she tried surprising me a second time with her leap over tactic. This time I knew what to expect, and I pretended to fall for it with my eyes. As she utilized her wings for lift and committed herself to the maneuver, I ducked onto my knees and thrust upward forcefully, nabbing her in her stomach and scoring a penultimate hit. This also simultaneously knocked the wind out of her and sent her reeling. She landed roughly on the ground in a heap, just barely holding onto her dagger. I rushed forward to kick it out of her hands and haul her to her feet, before gripping her by the neck and lifting her off the ground like she weighed no more than a doll. With my blade at her throat, I slowly slid the weapon across the chainmail and initialed my final strike onto her metallic flesh, looking her in the eyes all the while.

The horn blared and signaled the end of the match.

Contrary to the fierce way I was man handling her just seconds prior, I gently put her back on her feet and went through the trouble of dusting her off by the shoulders.

“It was a pleasure dueling with you, Miss…?” I courteously fished for a name.

The woman glared at me with that same frigid stare before quietly replying, “Moonbow” and turning to walk away without another word, or asking for my name in return.

“What a match!” The announcer exclaimed in excitement, “After a wily maneuver by the competitor from Shady Hollow that left him verging on a loss, the competitor from Magiville wizened up and got his act together. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and coming out on top. He moves on to the next branch!” Her, frankly annoying, voice rang in my ears as I walked off the field and to the armory to wait until the next round.

The second match was nothing worth mentioning, mostly because my opponent; a tall, lean man of Gryphondria, only fought the match halfheartedly. I could tell that something was troubling him, but was too busy deflecting the lightning swift stabs from his rapier to ask him about it. The man only scored one glancing hit on me, while I managed to score all three of mine on him in succession once I socked him in the solar plexus and took advantage of his windedness to go crazy with my Claymore. The horn blared and I could all but feel the disappointment in the crowd’s muted applause at how fast it was over. I decided to follow up with this man and see what the deal was.

“You alright there? You seemed… distant during the duel. Is there something wrong?” I asked him as we descended the steps down from the platform.

There was a mote of uncertainty in his eyes as he regarded me. He indulged me though, “I apologize profusely for boring you, good sir. We men of Gryphondria are proud to be representing our great kingdom in the games, but the tidings back in the homeland are ill. My King is sick, and growing increasingly frail with every passing day… I worry for his health, and for the future of my country. Needless to say that it weighs heavy upon mine heart” He answered somewhat poetically, not diverting his eyes from some ambiguous point in the distance. I felt my admiration for this man increase, in spite of how he all but threw the match out of bleak sentiment. He seemed very loyal to his liege.

“I’ve heard about that. You have my condolences, for what they’re worth. Although… he has an heir to take his place should the worst occur, doesn’t he?”

The man scoffed derisively, “My King is a wise and just ruler, but too lenient a father” He said, twisting his head to the side and derisively spitting into the grass, “Princess Gilda is not fit to take her father’s place, let alone sit upon the Onyx Throne. She does not even see fit to involve herself in the affairs of her own people! Instead she remains here and shirks her obligations to the land of her birth” He glanced sidelong at me, “Not that most of us blame you” He amended, intriguing me with his word choice.

He sighed pessimistically, “I fear that the prestigious Gryffindor bloodline has exhausted itself of that prestige”

I was at a bit of a loss. What could I possibly say to that?

“Well… I’m sorry you’ve come to that disheartening conclusion Mister…?”

He put on a cordial smile, even if it didn’t reach his eyes, “Victor… Victor Valcroft, of the eponymous house Valcroft, sworn servants to his Majesty, the King. You fought well today, my friend. You’ve certainly forced me to reconsider my opinions on the quality of swordsmen that this kingdom produces” He complimented in a voice that skirted the line dividing sarcasm and sincerity.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, I guess”

“As well you should. Farewell” He also forwent the desire to ask for my name in return. Pssh… jerks.

The third match was harrowing. Apparently, a prominent member of the A.S.M.V guard decided that participating in the games would be good fun. He was a massive Agrarian man who was built like a bulldozer, and who eclipsed even Big Macintosh in both size and strength. He wielded an enormous ovular shield that was taller than most of the girls. Emblazoned on the shield’s surface was an ornamental golden, metallic Eagle screaming defiantly with its wings outstretched at any who would dare challenge its owner. In his other hand was a long Halberd that could cleave opponents in two if it were sharped. Still, I imagined that getting whacked with that thing would hurt, so I’d have to be careful for this one… more careful anyway.

‘No fair! He gets a shield and a big ass Spear-Axe!?’ I thought as I gulped down my apprehension at facing such an intimidating looking opponent.

The bell rung out and the man charged me with a swiftness that belied his towering bulk. Stifling a yelp, I feinted left and deceptively circle strafed to the right using my wings (I desperately hoped that nobody from Magiville recognized me when I did that). His recovered equally quickly though, and was back on me in moments. Whenever I would block a swing of his Halberd, he would bash me with his shield and sent me scuttling backwards. His flash bruiser build came at a cost however; as he couldn’t pivot in place nearly fast enough to prevent himself from getting flanked. Borrowing a page from Moonbow’s book, I drew my sword back as if I was going to swing at him overhead while he recoiled his weapon. He anticipated this and angled his shield back to block a blow that wouldn’t come. The angle of his shield gave me enough purchase to run up and engage the usage of my wings to get within his guard. By the time he spun around to deal with me, there were two critical gashes running diagonally across his spinal column. He returned the favor by slamming the shield into my face and sending me careening backwards into a roll. I spat out a globule of blood as I got to my feet, having bitten into my cheek during my fall.

Honorably, the man ceased his charge and spoke in his deep, bassy voice, “You’re bleeding! Shall I call for the Doctors?”

I absently waved a hand in the air and stabbed my Claymore into the floor paneling to help me stand, “It’s fine. It’s not like I’ve bitten off my tongue or anything” I told him without wooziness as I shuffled onto the soles of my shoes. Trifect durability at its finest.

He nodded and returned to his battle stance, “Very well. Prepare yourself!”

I only just managed to get my Claymore up in time to deflect a lunge of his Halberd. Learning from my mistakes and adapting, I stepped around his shield bash and sliced into his shield arm, scoring a non critical hit, but legally forcing him to drop the shield. I supposed that I should be thankful that they tried to incorporate some sense of realism into these duels. My thankfulness didn’t last though, because the man was no less deadly without his shield. His swings and hacks became faster, and much, much harder to block outright. He didn’t just use the business end of his weapon either, finding excuses aplenty to whack me numerous times with the shaft of his Halberd like it was a Bō staff. While they would daze me if he scored a hit on my cranium, Trifect physiology proved immensely difficult to stun for long, and I was always able to duck under a follow up strike.

We continued this song and dance for an entire ten minutes, neither of managing to find an opening to score a decisive hit and end the match. One of us would have to take a risky gamble, and that person was going to be me. Flipping my Claymore into a reverse grip, I pretended to leave him an opening. With hair trigger reflexes, I caught a downward swipe of his Halberd with my sword and used the momentum, along with my imparted strength, to force it into the ground, where I stomped on the flat of the blade to keep it pinned. With a roar, I planted my free hand into the pommel and shoved my Claymore forward, impaling him in his torso… or that’s what would have happened if these weapons were actually sharpened and we weren’t wearing enchanted chainmail. Instead, there was magical resistance that pushed him back, but left a red mark where my stab registered.

“Unbelievable! The champion from Magiville defeats a member of their Majesties’ armed forces with a clever riposte. He progresses into the final branch of the duelist’s event!” The announcer lady spouted, as enthusiastic as ever.

The man huffed as he caught his breath, “You use unorthodox tactics, Zenith. But after facing you in the ring of honor, I can see the merits of having a flexible fighting style. Well fought” The man commended me, knowing me by name. Not that shocking, since most of the guard knew me around the palace, though I’d never seen this fellow before today.

I offered him my hand, feeling a tad faint of breath myself, which he shook amicably with a hearty grip, “I’m not really unorthodox, I just see opportunities and take them wherever I can. Failing that, I create them” I simplified my strategy for him.

He laughed jovially, “That’ll do it! I’m Tower Shield, by the way. I thought you might as well know my name since I know yours”

“Mighty decent of you, Tower Shield” I nodded my respect, “I’m going to find a nice bench to collapse onto now” I headed back to the locker rooms, dragging my Claymore behind me from fatigue and brooding along the way.

Even though I was still mobile enough to dodge the attacks that most opponents I faced would throw at me, the body weights were inevitably taking their toll, and I was growing alarmingly slower in my movements. I prayed that there would be a nice ten minutes before the ultimate showdown with Shining Armor; otherwise I might be in trouble. Regretfully… Fate itself seemed to be conspiring against me, and only granted me five before Jomar told me to get up and haul myself back to the ring for the most challenging match yet.

A bombshell of a reunion awaited me in the ring. Shining Armor was there, looking ridiculous in full chain mail. But standing across from him was a familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while. The man’s eyes widened perceptibly once he became aware of my presence.

“Zenith!” Came the surprised voice of Silver Sword, “Since when did scouts participate in dueling tournaments? And since when did they get this far?”

“Have you no faith in me Silver?” I quipped in good humor, “I thought I proved myself plenty capable when we faced that snow dragon together”

“Aye, that you did” He conceded with a smile while tilting his head questioningly, “Have you grown since then? I don’t remember you being quite so tall before”

“Save the bantering for after the duel, gentlemen” Shining Killjoy rudely cut in, “We have a three way to fight”

I barely resisted the urge to snerk like a juvenile at his terminology, but saluted with my Claymore and took my place in this medieval mexican standoff.

“Alright folks, we’ve finally reached the last stage of the duelist’s event, and what an event it has been, am I right? To shake things up, the finals consist of not two duelists, but three of each clan type! And to make things even more interesting, the respective restrictions placed on them are hereby removed, by decree of Princess Cadence! Each of them is allowed to fully play to their strengths in this match. Sounds like a win-win situation for all involved, doesn’t it?” The announcer giggled, amused by her own witticism.

I glanced at Silver as he shrugged before unclasping the weights on his arms and thighs and tossing them offstage, ‘Oh Cadence, you sneaky little weasel’ Still, I had to admire her cunning.

Lollypop’s hubby’s specialty was Abjuration magic, or protection spells to be specific. Simply put, that meant that he could spam his shield spell whenever he wanted and deflect both Silver’s sword and my Claymore. It wouldn’t be totally one sided though, as Shining had only equipped a Xiphos that was lacking in the reach department. With such an emphasis on defense however, Shining Armor would prove to be a tough nut to crack. And let’s not forget that Silver Sword is an Agrarian, and without any kind of body weights holding him back, his attacks would be difficult to ward off. I’d have to fight this last duel very, very tactically, perhaps pitting them against each other to tire them out before I mopped up. If all else failed, I was now entitled to limitless flight ceiling to dive-bomb them with.

I contemplated all of this in the span of three seconds before the bell rang and Shining and Silver Sword launched themselves at each other. As predicted, Silver’s strikes glanced harmlessly off Shining’s fat strips of shield projections, which shot out magical sparks from the force of the blows being absorbed. Silver grew impatient with trying to break through his defense and sought to try his luck with me instead. I put my wings to work and engaged in acrobatics to try and get inside his guard. Silver was no fool though, and never allowed me to flank him for more than a second before deflecting a blow and riposting.

I nearly gained the misfortune of being the first target to be scored first blood on when Shining attempted to blitz me from behind. My many hours of training paying off in spades, I stopped the overhead blow short and bent out of the way of a stab from Silver, which sailed right into Shining’s torso. As I was currently blocking his weapon, he couldn’t react fast enough to summon his shielding magic and received the first critical hit of the match. Snarling to himself in a rage, he was forced back on the defensive as Silver and I had an unspoken agreement and ganged up on him to see just how adept with his shielding skills he was. Several hacking blows rained down on him as he struggled to keep up with the demand, beads of sweat building on his face. I capitalized on this weariness and circle strafed him with my wings to exploit his unguarded flank.

Sensing the danger, he poured his magic into a bubble spell that repulsed attacks from every direction and held it up. I personally thought it was a cheap tactic, but could see how useful it could be when surrounded by enemies. His spell had a bit of an Achilles heel however, since he was rapidly using up his mana supply to maintain it, and was straining visibly the longer we kept slashing at it. Knowing that deferring to his defensive tactics were no longer an option, he fed the last of his energies into the spell and pulsed it outwards. I saw the flash of magic building on his focal gem and preempted his plan, leaping backwards into the air and pumping my wings to escape the blast radius. This unexpected move seemed to take Silver off guard, who had no means of countering this even if he had seen it coming. He was flung off of his feet and landed on his stomach with an ‘Oomph!’… outside of the ring, which was a disqualification by default. I felt pity for the disgruntled Krystal militiaman, but had bigger fish to fry. Shining began discharging some kind of stunning spell at me multiple times, which were easy enough to evade, as he wasn’t the greatest shot. Using my altitude to my advantage, I began swooping down at him and using my momentum to add additional strength to my blows. Even with what little magic he could muster up for his shield spells, they were not strong enough to resist my renewed string of assaults. With a battle cry of justice for the disgraced Silver Sword, I overwhelmed Shining’s defense and traced an angry red line across his chest. I then landed on the stage to properly finish the job. Down to his last hit point, and thoroughly tired, Shining feebly raised his sword and rushed at me in a last ditch attempt to win the match. I didn’t bother with any fancy acrobatics for this one. Our swords met in a blade lock that I’m sure looked like an epic finale to a duel… the thing was, Shining played right into my hands by doing so. I grinned as I wrapped my left hand around the leather ricasso and used the extra leverage to pivot around the man; thwacking him in the back of the head with the handle of my Claymore and leaving him wide open for an attack. With a final thrust of my Claymore, the duelist’s portion of the Arcanian Athletic Games drew to a close.

The audience was actually silent as the Prince of the Krystal Kingdom was defeated in open combat in front of their eyes. The shock gradually wore off and soon enough; the stadium was alive with the resounding cheers of whistles of the audience.

The announcer was unequivocally impressed, “Absolutely astounding! The man from Magiville comes out on top! That’s one more Golden medal to add to their total of twelve so far! That puts them ahea-” I tuned the rest of her voice out as I turned to Shining Armor, who had sunken to his knees.

“Oh… my wife is going to kill me” I heard him mutter at the extremities of my auditory range.

I offered him a hand up, which he declined, “Why? There’s nothing wrong with the Silver medal” ‘It’s just not as valuable as mine’

“My wife just lost an important bet because I’ve gotten too rusty in the ring” He verbalized bitterly, “It didn’t help that you and Silver teamed up against me, that’s plain dishonorable”

There was that bet again. Why was it such a big deal?

I scoffed in disbelief, “Dishonorable? You were the one who was hiding behind his shields instead of facing us like a real soldier!” I retorted.

He pounded a fist against the stage in anger, “I used to be a Royal Captain of the Guard! There was a time where I could handle two on one situations like that against even dishonorable foes! Now I’m a laughingstock, my guards will never take me seriously now” He bemoaned.

“You’re their Prince, Shining Armor. They respect you by default, but earning their unwavering dedication isn’t something that will be sullied by one lost duel… especially because I was your opponent. And I don’t hesitate to surprise my foes with unorthodox moves, and make good on that surprise for the win” I explained to him to get him to stop sulking, “Anyhow, I’m feeling kind of tired, I think I’m going to turn in for the day. You have fun presiding over the rest of the games! M’kay?” I left him to either stew in his newfound moodiness or mull over what I told him. Stabbing my Claymore into the earth, I spat into my hands to rub away the flaky paint with so that I wouldn’t look like I was on the warpath anymore.

“Zenith! Congratulations on your win! I think you’ve earned it, not too shabby for a scout!” Silver jokingly said to me as I descended the steps from the dueling platform, “How about you and I get some drinks at the Gemmed Tankard with Ardent and Pierce as celebration? My treat” He offered generously.

I gave him a grateful expression, “That… sounds most agreeable, Silver”

I spent the remainder of the day catching up with the closest thing I had to guy friends at the local tavern that Daring and I once visited. We spent the hours imbibing and trading stories of our lives since the last time I was in town. I now had several stories of my own to regale them with, which made me feel somewhat accomplished. Pierce had difficulty taking me for my word when I revealed to him that I was in multiple relationships with nearly half a dozen amazing women (though all he wanted to know was how beautiful they were). Ardent was loud and proud as usual, though he too revealed to me that he met a nice local girl who he was going steady with. When the evening came, we parted ways and I made a beeline for Crystal’s home (Where another heartfelt reunion would occur) and spent the night there.

The next day happened more or less the same as the previous one, with events being announced by a recently humbled Prince Shining Armor that I didn’t pay much attention to. I carried out a short trip to my room in the citadel so I could change out of my plain clothes and into my repaired robes, sliding on my Tantō through the belt loops in my backside out of habit. I mostly came to the stadium to get my ass chewed out by the girls for not telling them that I was part of the athletic games, for them to gawk over the medal that was given to me by Crystal Clear (who anticipated that I would come to her and had asked the officials if she could hold onto it for me), and to show my support for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash as they faced off against four other relay teams in the opening event of the day. The relay course for that was unlike any track I had ever seen, composed of tubes, rings, and mazes of cloud that pushed each contestant’s physical prowess and mental acuity to the limit. As was to be expected, Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps (who had wings that wouldn’t look out of place on a hummingbird) lagged at the rear of the pack, but they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Fortunately for team Magiville, the obstacles took their toll on the majority of the faster teams and bogged them down enough for the two of them to keep pace long enough to fork over the baton to Rainbow Dash. The spectrum headed flyer took that moment to rocket out from her starting position to dart around the track and pass every competitor save one, becoming neck and neck with an also speedy woman with bright, fiery orange hair who must have been Captain Spitfire. They both tried to leave one another in the dust for the rest of the way until they crossed the finish line, with Spitfire being declared the winner by a nose.

I groaned to myself in vague disappointment, but remembered that our team did pretty well considering the odds stacked against them. That was spoiled when I then bore witness to the major embarrassment of Spike trying to sing the Stratopolis anthem and failing horrifically as the three winning teams stood awkwardly on their winner’s podium and listened to a city’s anthem get lyrically slaughtered. Evidently, improvising anthems that he didn’t know was not one of Spike’s uses. Dash took me much later to meet her idols in person in a lounging area down by the locker rooms so I could meet some of my fellow Gold medalists. They were very charismatic people, and I could see why Dash admired them so much. Their fastest, Fleetfloot, spoke with a noticeable lisp and was a cute looking thing, if a bit short. Soarin had a happy go lucky type of personality and freely admitted that he was fond of pies, demonstrating a disturbingly extensive knowledge about the baking process as well as the history behind each individual pie flavor that surpassed mere fondness and wandered into obsession territory. He was a cool dude, even if he was extremely weird and possessed kind of a dopey sounding voice. Their Captain, Spitfire, was an awesome chick and clearly the brains behind their operations as an aerialist group, not to mention that she was smokin’ hot. She told me about why Wonderbolts were only led by Captains because it kept in accordance with a historical tradition from the past where elite wing commanders would turn down any promotions beyond the rank of Captain in order to stay in the field with the troops under their command. I shook each of their hands and accepted their own accolades about my skill with a sword.

In the corner of my eye, I spotted a dejected looking Spike stalk past the door of the lounging area and to one of the entrances leading onto the field, politely excusing myself from the Wonderbolt’s company I left a star struck Rainbow Dash behind to drool after her departing idols while I followed the suspiciously acting boy. For some inexplicable reason he was wearing a fedora, rounded shades, and a light grey coat jacket that was a few sizes too large for him. Even though I couldn’t muffle my steps with magic to ensure that I stayed under the radar (I had to pass through the nullifying gates a second time to keep suspicion from the officials regarding my clan type off me), he was too sullen to pay any regard to his environment as he trudged onwards. He stopped just shy from going onto the field and stood to the side, watching the ice archery event occur. I kept my distance for the time being and observed both the boy and the event.

Ice Archery was not like regular archery where shots to the center of the target netted one the most points. Instead, the archer had to cover up an entire target using specially enchanted ice arrows, which would freeze a small portion of any flat surface they struck. It was an interesting sport that required finesse and a speedy hand for nocking a new arrow from the quivers kept on stands next to the individual archers. From what I saw, the two competitors wearing the storm cloud and rainbow emblem on their team jerseys were doing the best work so far, effectively freezing the targets whole on the ground level and moving on to the targets hanging above them on gantries. Other than the two Stratopolis competitors, Pierce was one of the players representing the Krystal Kingdom (And while he was faring well, he was not shooting well enough to eclipse the skill of the two Valkyrian competitors standing next to him, much to his mounting aggravation). The other two competitors were from towns that I could not recall the names of off the top of my head. I did, however, recognize a brown haired man wearing the colors of Magiville as Archer’s father, Straight Shot. Unfortunately, straight shooting was not what determined the winners of an ice archery match, and he was visibly falling behind all of the others. I leaned against wall as I began to zoom in on him as he eventually fidgeted in his movements, which threw his aim off as he took additional arrows to completely cover over the target that was level with him on the ground.

Archer’s father started to sweat as he fell behind the competition with his shots, whipping out an arrow a little too hastily while also misjudging the height of one of his targets. He let one fly with a twang of his bowstring followed by a shriek as the frozen arrow sailed into a wayward cloud floating just about the stadium. The spot where the arrow landed began to freeze up briskly, before the whole of the cloud turned into a rapidly sinking, jagged iceberg of death. There must have been some cloud left in it, as it didn’t fall out of the sky instantaneously. Instead, it agonizingly prolonged its descent and gradually gained speed, letting petrifying fear sink into the helpless spectators hearts as they saw it coming for them, immobilizing many of them to their seats.

Time slowed down and my blood ran cold as I took in the scene, my heartbeat became a rhythmic pounding in my ears. The females in the crowd all gasped and many pointed upwards. The Royal sisters instantly stood to their feet, but I could see that would not intervene on behalf of their subjects unless the need was absolutely dire. The two Valkyrian competitors reacted quickly, tossing their bows to the side and flying up to meet it, trying and slow the icy behemoth’s tumble from the starlit ceiling. Several Valkyrians from the crowd courageously rushed in to aid them, including the ever brave Rainbow Dash and… admirably enough, Fluttershy as well. But even with the additional wing power, it became all too clear that they could only delay the inevitable. Once that gargantuan glacial mass hit the earth, it would shatter into a million pieces, many of which would soar into the stands and injure, possibly even perforate, multiple innocent bystanders. The Krystal Kingdom would bear witness to another great tragedy.

I turned to the boy beside me, “Spike! Contact your inner drake and use your fire breath to melt that ice cloud!” I shouted at him frantically. But Spike just stood and stared at the danger, wide eyed from my unexpected presence and unable to be of much use.

“Dammit!” I cursed. I instantly overpowered the weak seal of magic on me, meant only for repressing an average Stellar Mage, and permeated the atmosphere with a noise like breaking glass. Simultaneously I summoned my wings and raced out into the center of the stadium in full view of everybody spectating.

“FLY, YOU FOOLS!” I commanded the Valkyrians above me in the stentorian Royal Concordian voice, to which they instinctually obeyed and made haste to get out of the soon to be literal line of fire. I felt the energy building up from within, resulting in a hazy crimson shimmer that radiated from my being. I unsheathed my Tantō, barely taking notice of the emblem on the pommel that was glowing a nearly blinding white. Scarcely restrained anger at being forced to act at my own expense boiled up within me, lending great strength to the fire spell I was about to let loose. Channeling all the arcane power I could muster into my blade, I unleashed what had to have been my most powerful, focused fire spell to date. A concentrated torrent of flame shot skyward, piercing the frozen cloud with all the fury that a rushed beam of pure thermal energy could afford. The stream of magically based fire soared into the heavens like an angrier version of the Sorcery projected from Minas Morgul’s tower during the Return of the King. I began to widen the projection aperture of the fire spell, expanding it until it consumed the cloud entirely.

Naught of the hapless cloud remained save for residual humid steam, which quickly cooled and descended onto the ground, shrouding my surroundings in a thin mist. Even though it was all but futile at this point, I sheathed my blade and pulled my robe’s hood over my head, shielding my face from view. A tense silence soon followed, with my previous actions plunging the stadium into a motionless calmness. From under my hood, only my eyes could be seen, which glowed a menacing red after expending so much magic in such a short period of time. With that charming feature active and my dark clothing, I probably appeared like more of a villain than a savior to them. And yet at the edges of my brooding awareness, I could make out the sound of roaring applause, followed by vociferous cheers as the veil of fog parted and revealed me standing there safe and sound.

Not wanting to stick around any longer than was necessary, I began walking back the way I came with mechanically rigid motions. Much was coursing through my mind at the moment, and my evening had taken a turn in a direction that I considered for the worst.

Spike rushed forwards to meet me halfway, “Zenith, that was incredible! You saved those peo-”

“Not another word, Spike the brave and glorious” I tersely interrupted as I pushed past him and into the hallways that would lead up to the citadel, making a swift heading for my quarters.

⁂

Despite sealing myself into my room, I was not feeling any less surrounding by people than I would have liked. I was doubly vexed by how the ‘Go away, I’m brooding’ sign posted on my door didn’t seem to be deterring my visitors.

“C’mon Zenith, it’s not that big of a deal” Rainbow attempted to coax me out by downplaying the whole thing.

“Go away, Dash”

Spike could be inspirited into overcoming his stage fright and lighting the torch, and yet he wasn’t able to summon his courage when others needed him most... typical. His indecision also forced me to reveal my identity to several hundred people, some of whom had occupations in the media. Celestia would see this as an excuse to formally introduce the newest Trifect to their ranks, now that my cover was blown sky high. Every time I'd go out my door and into the world, someone, somewhere would be bother me with their concerns, or instinctual reaction to bow, or other manner of trouble that I cared little for. I could pretty much kiss my desire to remain relatively obscure goodbye. I think from my standpoint, it was perfectly understandable as to why I was in such a foul mood.

“How is performing at a rock concert and in the games in front of countless people any different than revealing that you’re a Trifect?” Twilight posed rhetorically.

“Regular attention dies down with time, the introduction of a fourth Trifect won’t dissipate as easily” I answered as I paced back and forth.

“I think you’re just afraid of attention” Rainbow’s words prodded at me through the door.

“Goading me out won’t work either, Dash”

“Bah! It’s useless, Twilight. We might as well let him stew in there, I’m going to get some dinner with the others” A whooshing of air told me that Dash had winged it out of there.

“Zenith…” Came her last plea, “I understand that you’ve wanted to keep your status as a Trifect secret for a while now, but wouldn’t there eventually come a time where you’d have to be recognized for what you are? I hardly think that saving many dozens of people would a bad first impression to make” She reasoned.

I only barely registered it, busy as I was with planning something that I’ve wanted to do for an age now. I rifled through the belonging in my adventure pack, equipping the rest of my armaments out of habit, before finding the object I was looking for.

“I’ll face the world later… but not now, Twilight. Please understand? I just need some space to myself for a moment”

I heard her sigh forbearingly through the door, “All right, Zenith. But if you change your mind, you can find us in the dining room of the citadel”

“Okay. Thank you, Twilight. I’ll do my best to cheer myself up before then, I promise” ‘Now I know which area to avoid’

I waited for the sounds of her footsteps to recede completely before engaging in what I considered to be cheering myself up. Casting extra sensory perception spells on myself, I scanned the hall for anybody, be they guards or otherwise, before unlocking the door and snaking out into the hallway. Making a short stop by a directory for directions to the royal bedchambers of the Prince and Princess, I cast a full cloak of active camouflage on myself and became one with the shadows. Weaving through the corridors and taking cover behind a curtain or other tall object whenever patrols passed by. Before long I had made it to my objective, though now I had to figure out a way to sneak past the guards standing sentry by the door. While I deliberated a way to distract them, the portal opened and both the Prince and Princess emerged, dressed in formal wear for the evening.

They were in the middle of a discourse, “For the last time, I’m not mad at you, Shiny, nor do I think any less of your skills as an ex-Captain of the guard. Zenith is… a capable person, as he so demonstrated when he vaporized the danger to our guests and subjects” She hesitated, likely remembering how strange I could be in addition.

“In all my time as a Captain in the Royal Guard, I’ve only ever seen Princess Celestia summon that much raw, destructive power” He spoke in awe before he shook his head, “But that’s not what has me the most concerned. Wasn’t it your dream to keep the Krystal Kingdom independent of Arcania? Losing the bet with Princess Celestia means that our new home will practically be all but annexed into becoming the northernmost territory of the country”

‘So that’s what the bet was about’ I mused. Once again, I had unwittingly been a pawn in Celestia’s game of thrones. I had gotten used to it to be honest, though it would be the last time that I championed for her without being duly informed of what I was really doing for her.

“If it were really my dream, my dearest Shining Armor, I wouldn’t have staked it on chance by entering into that wager. I would have stood more resolutely and insisted on keeping the Krystal Kingdom truly independent” She exhaled thoughtfully, “Perhaps this is for the best, having Arcania’s full fledged support will help this Kingdom reclaim its glory days ahead of schedule. The massive amounts of business that the games have stirred up so far is a testament to that, the local economy has never been stronger, to say nothing of all the other support that Arcania has been lending us”

She turned to the guards posted by her door, “Your rotation replacements should be here in the next five minutes, why don’t you two take the evening off early?” She asked them, though it was clear that it was more of a kindly request on her part, really.

The bowed their heads in thanks, “You have our gratitude, your most generous grace” They chorused together with a crisp salute, before turning heel and marching in the opposite direction.

‘Oh… this is too perfect’ I thought to myself as the Prince and Princess disappeared down the corridor. Was it a trap? Were there detection spells inside?

“Nothing ventured… nothing gained” I murmured to myself, pushing ahead and past the door into the opulently decorated bedroom.

If what Cadence said was accurate, I only had about a minute or two of liberty before I’d have to beat a swift retreat. Scanning the room for an optimal spot to put my new ‘alarm clock’ for the royal couple, Cadence in particular, I pushed out a dresser close to the heart shaped bed (‘Why am I not surprised?’) and took out an empty sound crystal that I had purchased from Vinyl and imbued it with Haddaway’s ‘What is love?’, simultaneously enchanting it to go off within a few hours time with a blaring volume. Yes… I was getting over my moping by pranking the royal couple… but I needed something to distract myself from the prospect of committing to my Princely duties, dammit!

Satisfied with my work, I shut the door behind me and made my escape, reengaging my camo spell as precaution. Ghosting between the scheduled replacements, I had a smirk on my face as I envisioned the royal couple freaking out once the sound crystal went off, followed by their guards rushing inside in expectation of an intruder before searching for the disturbance. They’d probably scan the aura tied to the crystal and tie it back to me, but I was willing to take a little heat in exchange for a less troubled mood.

I was literally shaken out of my thoughts when I felt something wooden and flat smack me in the back of the head and disabled the concentration I had on my camo spell, causing it to flicker before rendering me visible again. It didn’t hurt by any means, but my reaction was naturally enacted as if it did.

I spun in place, “Ow! What the-?” I promptly stopped speaking… bearing witness to a bizarre sight.

My Tantō… was levitating itself, the emblem on the bottom glowing once more. I checked around for a Stellar Mage who might have been joshing me, but blinked once I realized that there was no aura around my weapon, not even a very faint or obscure one. Not in the mood for this crap, I reached out to grab it. As if to mock me, it swooped away from me and proceeded to give me another whack on the forehead, soon after it floated down a random hallway.

“Ack! Hey! Get back here!” Yes, I was speaking to an animated-inanimate object, but something… or someone must have been controlling it. It wasn’t unreasonable to let them know that screwing with me was a poor decision.

Taking pursuit, I chased my rogue Tantō down half a dozen hallways (all of which were conspicuously absent of guards) before it ducked inside a doorway, seemingly out of purposefulness. Cautious as always of a potential trap, I flicked out my hidden blades and kept them at the ready as I pushed the rest of the door all the way open. Almost anticlimactically, there was nothing all that interesting about the room, only containing some glass cases filled with ancient pottery, a few well painted portraits, and a huge looking glass mirror with a frame that was shaped like an omega symbol. The Tantō I was chasing was floating in front of the mirror, waving almost mockingly at me before passing through the mirror’s surface. The surface rippled and the reflection of the room became blurred, before stabilizing itself again.

Meanwhile, I was trying to make sense out of what I just saw and couldn’t make heads or tails of it. All I knew was that the mirror was functioning as some kind of portal and that the weapon that had served me so faithfully since the beginning of this all had disappeared on me.

‘I could just leave it… I should just leave it. But I’ve really developed a connection with that thing’ I thought worriedly. I almost felt like it was a part of me at this point.

It wasn’t too hard of a choice. I was going to get my Tantō back, come hell or high water. Guardedly, I approached the mirror and dipped my foot into it, testing the figurative (and almost literal) waters. The surface gave way without resistance, sending out waves like a pebble that was dropped into a pond. Not satisfied, I pressed my hand through the glass and withdrew it, feeling another pang of disappointment when it didn’t feel like anything. A part of me likened it to stepping into a Stargate; only I had no idea where this unorthodox ‘gate’ would take me. I’d have to risk it though, if I wanted to get my prized possession back.

With a deep breath, I steeled myself with resolution, stepped past the event horizon of the mirror, and traveled into the unknown.

Author's Note

And... cue the cliffhanger! It took me longer than I anticipated to get this chapter out, but it's finally here! I apologize to my readers who despise having to read long ass chapters, but at this point my chapter outline has made it clear that monumentally bloated chapters are now a part of my writing style. Don't expect another chapter from me earlier than usual, as I simply don't have the time nor the drive to pump out daily updates like some authors on this site do. Again, comments and constructive criticisms are welcomed (though pretty please with a cherry on top, refrain from only telling me your criticisms, I'd like to know where my strengths lie in storytelling as well. Though I'll fully admit that my fight scenes are utter garbage). If any of you need me, I'll be occupying myself with Starbound... or at least until Shadow of Mordor comes out.

Wishing you all the best,

~Zenith