The Pony Games

Twilight groggily slipped into her sheets as the moonlight  streamed in through the lace curtains, leaving yellowish beams of light dancing across her fur.

The mare thought deeply about past suspicions when reliving the painful night of her exile. Flashes of red flames in Celestia's eyes and bursts of sparks at the tips of her mane... It wasn't normal. It didn't make any sense. The princess had never, ever, ever had a bad bone in her body, so... What was wrong with her?

Twilight suddenly remembered a night, long ago. Celestia's bedroom was soundproofed to normal ponies to keep audiences private, but the Alicorns had enhanced senses with their magic. She remembered being about to knock on her mentor's door when an almost inaudible, scarily high-pitched scream had emanated from the walls. Too scared to interfere, she had left, and Celestia had seemed just fine the next day... Or had she?

The unicorn did not realize that she had fallen asleep until a strange, yet familiar, feeling prodded at the edges of her unconsciousness. She was sitting in her study in Golden Oaks Library, thinking hard about all of these questions, as a hoof landed on her shoulder.

"Princess Luna!" she cried as she turned and saw the Princess of the Night. "Oh, Faust, you're real, right? It's not just a dream?"

"Of course tis a dream," Luna said gravely, "but that does not make it fake. Twilight Sparkle, tis the first time we have been able to pull our presence together and present ourself to thee as a full shape. For these past three years, we were but a mere presence, unable to speak, see, and feel the other senses."

"I thought Celestia may have killed you..." Twilight said quietly, still not believing what was before her.

Luna chuckled a bit.

"Thou thought she had destroyed us. Thou has much to learn about true immortality, Twilight Sparkle. Our beloved niece, may she rest in peace, was not of full royal blood. That is why she was able to be killed. We, the two sisters, are fully immortal. We cannot be killed in the sense of death you think of. We can be pulled apart, our essence scattered across Equestria, as I was, but we cannot be destroyed. Thou once possessed this gift, before thy powers were stripped of thee, for your gift was a full immortality. Have no fear, Twilight Sparkle; we will find a way to bring Celestia back."

"Bring Celestia back?" Twilight asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Luna's expression darkened.

"Thou remembers the time thou defeated the evil spirit inhabiting my soul, Nightmare Moon?" she asked.

"Of course," Twilight responded. "I don't see how that... Oh. I see what you're thinking."

"Our theory may be completely wrong, of course," Luna said quickly, "but it's always good to have hope, is it not?"

Twilight nodded, but her dream suddenly became blurry.

"Twilight! Twi..."

"We must depart, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said, fading. "We hope to see thee survive the Pony Games. Beware: Extremely difficult friendship choices must be made. We hope thee will pick the right ones."

Twilight's eyes snapped open as Rosella shook her awake.

"We're here, darling," Rose said irritably. "You slept though our discussion of the videos. Get cleaned up; Canterlot is ready to greet you."

***

The cheering of the crowds as Lucky and Twilight stepped off the train drowned out any attempt at speech. The two followed Rosella along the pathway to the Training Center, a large section of the Castle Twilight realized was the wing she and Luna shared when they had inhabited its halls.

Lucky nudged Twilight, pointing with his eyes to the chariot pulling up to the doors.

"I bet those are more tributes," he whispered.

Twilight watched carefully, but they were too far away to see anypony. Her heart stopped for a moment when a flash of bright pink appeared, but the pony was gone before Twilight could tell who she was.

As they entered, Twilight glanced around the hallway, remembering the statue that had rested there, or the painting that had hung here.

"This must be extremely hard for you," Lucky said quietly.

"It looks completely different," Twilight responded. Lucky was the only pony so far who had seemed to remember who she had been, and it made the mare warm to him. "The hallways are darker. Unfamiliar. It's not so hard."

"You'll be off to meet your stylists, now," Rosie said cheerfully, stopping at a sealed room. "I'll meet you two later tonight. This will be so exciting!"

She trotted off, leaving the two alone with the accompanying Harmonybalancers.

Twilight and Lucky glanced at each other before turning to the door.

"See you on the other side," he said quietly.

"Good luck with a good stylist," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. They laughed for a moment, grimacing at the image of a garishly-styled Canterlot pony working on them. Then they turned, stepped through the door, and walked in opposite directions.

***

"Darling, you just look magnificent!" the light blue mare commented in a heavy accent. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of pink-lensed glasses, and her dress was okay for a Canterlotian, striped black and white. "Photo Finish has finished her task. Mmm, yes!"

Twilight had been pampered, polished, and shined, and was now clothed in a glittering dress full of pink and purple sparkles. The dress was full, a gala-style gown, with ribbon sleeves and a neckline.

"I don't see how this has anything to do with New Ponyville," Twilight argued, looking at it from every direction. Outfits for tonight were supposed to be representative of each individual District, showcasing the specialties of each city. Ponyville's was hard to make, being the trading post of Celestial Equestria, but Twilight was certain sparkles had nothing to do with it.

Photo Finish chuckled. "No, darling. It has everything to do with Ponyville. You are the spirit of Ponyville, and it fully represents you, darling. Now, it is time to showcase your beauty! To the ceremony!"

Twilight found herself being bustled out of the room, stuffed into a carriage, and off to the Opening Ceremony. Lucky sat next to her, seeming just as uncomfortable as she was.

"Nice suit," she noted. Lucky was wearing a purple and pink suit in the style of Twilight's gown, and he grimaced as he looked down at his clothes.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, flabbergast. "It's the most hideous thing I've seen in ages. I can't pull off sparkles! What was Photo thinking!"

The blue mare ushered both ponies into their new carriage, holding a hoof to her lips.

"There is a very secret thing that I want to show you," she said. "It will make you the center of attention!"

She pressed something on the back of both outfits, and they were soon surrounded by magic sparks, like miniature shooting stars flying around their carriage.

"Oh my stars," Twilight exclaimed. "Photo Finish, how did you do that! It's magnificent!"

"The secrets of show business," Photo said, nodding. "Now, your district number is Nine, so your chariot will go ninth. Stun them for me, Lucky Clover and Twilight Sparkle!"

The chariots started to move, and Twilight looked around for a moment, trying to catch sight of any other tribute she had missed.

Her heart stopped as the pink mare in front of her turned, and the flat-maned, dull-furred mare looked up. The sapphire blue eyes of Pinkie Pie forlornly locked with Twilight's in surprise and horror.