Alicorn Battleby Masters-of-the-ElementsChaptersThe InviteRoles and RulesLet the Games BeginCancelledThe InviteAlicorn Battle Chapter 1: The Invent Greetings Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I here by invite you and your friends to Canterlot for a special event that my sister and I are hosting. Sincerely yours, Princess Celestia. Twilight frown as she turned over the letter she got for her mentor and second mother, trying to figure the meaning behind the summons. The letter had arrived early last night, with six fully paid train tickets and a map. She gathered up her friends and told her what was happening. Since it was a summoning, the entire group cleared their calendars and went home for a good night rest. The train ride to Canterlot has been nothing but brainstorming the reason behind the summons. In the end, they all had decided to just wait and see what the princess had summoned them for. Unfortunately, this had a negative effect on Twilight, and she began to panic. It had taken the others everything they had to calm down their friend for a bit. This had returned once they had reached Canterlot and got to the castle “Take it easy, sugar-cube,” Applejack said reassuringly, putting a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Ah’m sure there’s nothing to be fretting over.” “Nothing to be “fretting” over...?” Twilight said in a mix of fright and irritation. “When the princess summons us, it usually means something big is happening, so excuse me of I feel like “fretting” over something, okay?” Applejack took her hoof off of her friend’s shoulder and took a step back. She sighs lightly, and looked at her friends, mainly Pinkie Pie. The pink party pony, like getting some silent message, bounced in front of Twilight, and put on a red rubber nose. She squeezed it twice and then a pie right into Twilight’s face that she pulled out of thin air. “Do you have to throw a pie into my face each time I start to panic?” Twilight asked in slight annoyance. “Because you asked for it, silly,” Pinkie Pie said whimsically, and happily bounced into the castle before any pony could say anything else. With a heavy sigh, Twilight’s horn lit up as she cast a spell that caused the entire pie and the tie to disappear to parts unknown. She looked at her pink friend as she disappears into the castle, annoyance clearly written on her face. She let out another heavy sigh as she walked into the castle, with her friends following her. “I didn’t think anypony would take me seriously when I said that,” the studious unicorn mutter bitterly. The group was heading to the throne room, where they expect the sun princess to be. To their surprise, a guard told them that the princess wasn’t in the throne room, and the follow the map that the princess had given them. With that, Twilight took the lead and began stirring her friends in the direction the map was showing her. The group was lead into the farther part of the castle, and near a wing that was off-limits to normal ponies. Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and gawk at the large doors in front of her. The doors were unique to say the least. The left door was dark blue with the picture of a full moon on the center. The right door was a bright gold color and had the sun in the center of it. Unfortunately, Twilight’s friends didn’t notice her stopping, and ran right into her. They fell onto it each, and made one big mess. The six friends struggled to untangle themselves form the mass of hooves and tails, and finally separated after a minute. When the group was finally free, and back on their hooves, a certain rainbow mane mare shot a glare at her egghead friend. “What the hay, Twilight? Why did you stop like that?” Rainbow asked in half irritation, half annoyance. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn’t listening; her complete attention was back on the door. Her eyes were wider then saucers, and look like she could pass out at any time. Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at this, and looked at the door. “Yes, it a very pretty door,” Rainbow said sarcastically, looking at her friend. “Now let’s go in.” The rainbow mane pony turned towards the door and reached for the handle with her right hoof. Twilight panicked when she saw this, and her horn lit up with magic. Rainbow’s hoof was mere inches from the handle when she felt something yanked on her tail and sent her flying away from the door. “NO!” the unicorn screamed as she used all of her might to send her Pegasus friend flying down the hall. Rainbow’s scream faded as she disappeared down the hall, leaving behind four confused friends, and one slightly panting friend. The other turned and looked at Twilight, ready for some answers. Rainbow Dash put a stop to that when she same zooming down the hall, and get in Twilight’s face. “You better had a good reason for doing that, egghead?” the cyan pony said in a low and sharp tone. Twilight, unfazed by her friend’s words and action, pulled away from the Pegasus, and waved towards the door. “THIS is the door to the princesses’ private wing, you need their permission just to enter!” the studious unicorn said in mix respect and fear. “You and your friends had permission to enter, ma’am.” Slightly startled, Twilight and her friends looked to their right and saw a standard royal guard, standing stoically. Twilight frowns, curious as how she missed that guard before? “Beg your pardon, kind sir,” Rarity said politely as she took a step towards the guard. “But what do you mean?” The guard, stoic as ever, simply replied, “Princess Celestia herself stationed me here to inform you that you have her permission to enter. She’s expecting you in the first room on the right.” His task done, the guard gave a quick, slightly respective bow, and walked off. The girls watched as the guard disappeared into the hall, and faced the door. Twilight swallow a small lump that had formed in her throat, and called her magic into her horn. The door glowed slightly, and opened easily. The entire gasp as they stepped into wing and saw something they weren’t quit expecting. The floor of the entire wing was covered in a soft gray carpet and pictures of different ponies covered the walls. Some of them were pictures of ponies famous throughout Equestria’s history. Others were pictures of ponies the girls had never even heard of. Any questions the girls had were put on hold when they came to the first door on the right. The group suddenly become nervous and looked toward Twilight, the only pony who was really familiar with the leader of their land. Twilight needed to push back another lump that formed as she walked up to the door and nervously knocked on it. “You may enter, Twilight Sparkle,” said the casually voice of Princess Celestia as the door opened with a soft golden glow. Twilight took a hesitant step into the room, and suddenly gawked as she came to a dead stop. Unfortunately, the others were following her, and once again, collided into her, causing them to fall into another mess. The six were able to separate themselves quicker this time, and all filed into the room. Unfortunately, this action had once again irritated a certain pony, and like normal she quickly voiced it. “Twilight, I swear to Celestia, if you do that one more time I will buck you so hard, you’re grand-foals would feel it,” Rainbow said angrily. “Well, Rainbow Dash, I hope that isn’t true,” a soft voice said with a bit of disappointment in it. Rainbow Dash gasped and spun around and gasped again when she saw the state of Princess Celestia. Gone was the regal attire, replaced with a simple gray sweater that fit smugly around the large pony’s frame. The princess’s mane and tail were no longer floating in some invisible breeze, and the mane has been done up in a small bread, resting comfortable against her right side. Finally, the princess was wearing what appears to be reading glasses. “P-Princess…?”Twilight asked in shock. Princess Celestia giggle slightly, secretly amused at her student and subjects’ shock. “Yes, my faithful student, it’s me.” Celestia frown slightly as she noticed that her subjects were still gawking at her. She let out a small sigh, and got up from her seat. This seems to snap the ponies of their stupor, and they bow with respect. “You don‘t need to bow, my little ponies,” she said gently. “And don’t worry either; this form you see me in now is one I take when I want to conserve my magic. Now please, have a seat.” Twilight blinked twice and looked around the room, noticing things about it for the first time. The room was large enough for a group of 15 ponies to move freely, if wasn’t for the large crystal in the center of the room. There were two tables on each side of the crystal, long enough to sit seven ponies easily. Twilight walked up to the table and notice that one of seat had been set for her. She frowned a little when she saw a strange hoof shape groove in the table. “Princess, what’s this all about?” Twilight asked hesitantly as the princess and her friends took their seats. “Today is somewhat special for Luna and myself,” Princess Celestia said somewhat sadly. “I promise I will explain more later. Luna, are you ready Sister?” “Yes sister,” Luna replied, surprising Twilight and her friends. The studious unicorn looked in the direction of the voice, but due to the crystal, couldn’t see the younger princess clearly. She did, however, see that Princess Luna also had guests as well. Who these new ponies were, however, she didn’t know, nor would she get a chance to find out either. She saw moment from the corner of her left eye, and looked as Celestia placed her right front hoof onto the table, into the groove. “Please, my little ponies put your hooves into the groove. I promise you nothing bad will happen,” Celestia said kindly. The group, ever trusting of their princess, did as they were asked, and put their hooves into the grooves. Celestia then closed her eyes, and concentrated her magic into her horn. Twilight looked at the crystal when she heard it start to hum. Her eyes widen slightly when she saw the crystal glowing in gold and a navy blue, meaning Luna was also using her magic on it as well. Her attention was brought to the table when she noticed a faint glow. Her widen yet again when she saw the groove had lit up, and she, being a unicorn, felt magic flow into her body. “Princess…!” Twilight said in slightly alarm. “What’s going-” Twilight, unfortunately, didn’t get too finished as she was blinded by a suddenly flash of light, exploding out of the crystal, and she felt herself entering into a magical sleep. “Welcome to…Alicorn Battle!” Was the last thing Twilight heard before losing consciousness. Author's Note I will like to take this time to say this; this is a sorta challenge that I had set up for myself. I want to see if I could read, a short, limit-length chapter-type story, that I hope to finish within a short time. Roles and RulesAlicorn Battle Chapter Two: Roles and Rules Twilight blinked twice as her vision came into focus. She looked around as her mind become more alert. She frowned slightly when she noticed that there was nothing around her but darkness. She frowned when saw that the darkness looked…painted on, like the walls of a room had been done up to give this place some sense of foreboding. Not this place felt foreboding in any sense, mind you, it just looked that way. “What the hay just happen?” asked a familiar voice in bewilderment. Twilight looked to her right and saw Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, looking just as confuse as she felt. The farmer was trying to maintain her composure as she gave her surrounding a thorough inspection. The cloud-buster looked a little irritated, however, and looked ready for a fight. Her wings were out to their full length, and she was crouched low to the ground like she was ready to take to the sky. Twilight was surprise that her rainbow mane friend wasn’t in the air already, looking for the pony responsible behind bringing them to this strange place. She looked to left and saw the rest of her friends. Rarity was also composed, though Twilight did see a hint of fear in her friend’s eyes. The white unicorn was calmly looking, trying to get a fix on her surroundings, frowning curiously. Next to her was Pinkie Pie, looking as energetic at ever. The pink pony was bouncing in place and looking around fiercely, no doubt eager to explore. Why she hadn’t yet was a mystery to the lavender unicorn. She looked past Pinkie and saw the last member of their group. Fluttershy was crouched low to the group, her hooves covering her eyes. She would uncovered her eyes sometimes, in a vain hope that things would go back to normal, and recovered them quickly when she realized she was still in a scary place. Rarity saw her best friend in distress, and want over to comfort her…or try to, at least. When she tried to move, she found herself unable to move beyond the spot she was. Still, the white unicorn wasn’t one the leave a friend in need, and continued to try and break whatever force was holding her in place. Twilight frowned slightly, and looked at her owe hooves. She lifted her right front hoof and tried to move it forward. She found that she could move within the space she was in. But when she tried to move beyond it, some invisible force stopped her. She looked at the floor again, and her frown turned a little curious when she notice something in front of her. She looked up and noticed a large A had been stamped onto the space in front of her. She looked around and notice that all the spaces around her had either A or I on them, making her just a little more curious. “…Just what does all of this mean?” she asked herself. “Don’t worry, my little ponies, you’re not in any harm,” a familiar voice said commandingly. Startled, the group spun around in place, and were shocked at what they saw. Princess Celestia set on a large desk, which reach probably twelve to sixteen feet in the air. The desk was a pure gold color, and had 9 turn-off lights on it, three big ones on the right, and six smaller ones on the left. The girls, however, didn’t notice the piece of furniture their princess was sitting on; the group’s attention was solely on the ruler of their land. The princess was completely decked out in a gold armor with silver trimming. Surprisingly, her mane was still in that breaded style and she still had on her reading glasses. The group was in awe, seeing their beloved princess giving off such a commanding presence, something ponies of this day and age really see. Twilight tried to get closer to her mentor, but found herself still glued to the spot she was in. “Princess, what’s going on? Were we?” the unicorn asked in a slight panic. “Don’t’ worry, Twilight Sparkle,” the princess replied, allowing the soft and gentle smile she is known for, blossom onto her face. “At the moment, you and your friends’ spirit has been place into the tapping crystal you saw in Luna and my game room.” Twilight and her friend exchanged puzzled looks, not sure how to process this new information. Thankfully, they didn’t have to. Celestia, being thousands of years old, knew what her subjects, and favorite group of ponies were thinking, and acted on it. “Twilight, I have invented you and your friends to Canterlot to play a game with my sister and myself. I wanted to keep it a surprise, that’s all,” Celestia said kindly, and then her smile turned a little sad. “But I would understand if you didn’t want to play.” “No, no, princess,” Twilight said in an apologizing tone. “We’re just surprise that’s all.” “Beside, any game that a princess has is probably super duper fun!” Pinkie said excitedly, and nearly bounced to the princess’s eye level. “Beg your pardon, princess,” Applejack said humbly. “But what sort of game are we playing?” The princess looked at the farmer with her gentle smile, and said, “I will explain that in a minute, but first I need to give all of you your roles.” Celestia then carefully looked over the six, brow narrow in thought. She looked over the group a second time, and notice how nervous they look, even Twilight Sparkle was on edge, which was consider normal when in the presence of one of the royal sisters. She sighs inwards as her gaze locked onto her faithful student. “Twilight Sparkle…I see you as a tactician,” the princess said kindly. Twilight gasp softly as the spot she was standing in lit up and she felt magic flow into her. She was suddenly clad in a fiery red and yellow one-piece bodysuit, covered by a matching, full body robe. The robe had a golden trim, around the neck, shoulders, and the bottom rim, and the robe was kept closed by a silver chain around the front of the neck. Twilight had a multi-colored ring, resting comfortable on her horn, and a silver tiara with a red orb in it. The unicorn took in a deep breath and said, in a trance-like state, “…Tactician: Health 25: strength 5: defense 12: magical might 15: stepping ability 6: Special abilities: magic use and thought speak.” [Twilight Sparkle…can you hear me?] Princess Celestia asked in concern. Twilight gasped and opened her eyes, looking at mentor with wide eyes. [I can princess! How are you doing that? How am I doing it?] [Calm down my faithful student] Celestia said with a kind chuckle. [As my tactician, you and I can speak to each other through thought. You would able to also talk to your friends once I gave them their roles] Twilight nodded as she looked herself over, in awe of the robes she was wearing, and the power she felt flowing through her. She looked up at Celestia, wanting to know more about this new type of magic, only to find that her mentor was looking at applejack. “Applejack…you shall be my warrior.” The farmer gasp as light shine under her, and soon she was dressed in her role outfit. She wore the same one-piece suit that Twilight had under her robe, but instead of a robe, the farmer wore heavy, gold armor, covering her chest, shoulders, all her legs, and a helmet with horns on it. The armor covering the front hooves also had some sort of strange grabbing device on them. The biggest draw, however, was the large broadsword, strap to the farmer’s back. “Warrior: Health 30: Strength: 15: defense: 15: Magical Might 0: Stepping ability 5. Special abilities: Charge and finish attack,” Applejack said hypnotically. Applejack blinked twice and looked herself over. When she saw the strange grabbers on her front hooves, a crazy thought enter into her head. She tried to move them and to her surprise, they moved. She looked towards the princess, to shock to say anything. “Rainbow Dash…Runner would suit you perfectly.” Rainbow gasp as the light shine under her and her battle outfit appear. Like the others, she wore the fiery red, full body suit. She also had light gold armor covering her chest and shoulders. She also wore bands that have the same grabbing tools that Applejack now has. She has gold bandana, and a pair of short swords strap to her back. Like the others, she spoke in a near trance-like state. “Runner: Health 24: strength 10: defense 15: Stepping ability 10: Magical Might 5. Special abilities: dashing charge and mad dash,” Rainbow blinked twice as she inspected her new look. “Rarity…You shall make a fine trapper.” The white unicorn closed her eyes and bow slightly as the magic flow into her. She was soon dressed in the standard battle attire, but she also had a small jacket that went to her mid-section, and a hood, which currently covered her face, but not her horn. There was a gray ring resting on the unicorn’s horn and she had a pair of saddlebags on her. She had a small dagger hidden in her jacket, barely visible to the others. “Trapper: Health 20 Strength 5: Defense 10: Magical Might 8: Stepping ability 6. Special abilities: scouting and trapping.” Once Rarity came out of her trance she frowned slightly as she looked at her outfit. “Pinkie Pie…no role would fit you, say…the Stealth Walker.” The pink pony jumped in excitement as her spot lit up and the magic flowed into her. Whatever magic was in this place didn’t seem to affect the hyper pony, but that was nothing new. She did a flip as she landed on her back legs, and took up a karate pose, dressed in the outfit the girls had come to expect. Pinkie’s outfit was simpler then the others, only with a mask covering her face, and the same grabbing tools that AJ and RD have, to hold the pair of draggers she had at her side. “Stealth Walker: Health 26 Strength 8: Defense 4: Magical Might 6: Stepping ability 8. Special abilities: shadow walking, and silent strike!” Pinkie said in her usual happy voice. “Finally, Fluttershy, I can think of no role more suiting for you then…” The shy pony cower slightly as she wait for the princess to finish, “…the rule of the healer.” The shy flyer “eep” slightly as the light shin from under her and her battle outfit appeared. Fluttershy’s outfit was far more different then the ones her friends were wearing. She was wearing a full body dress, with short sleeve on her front legs, and a pair of red bracelet that doubled as grabbing tools. There was a small sun-shape hairpiece in the right side of her mane, and she had a wooden staff on her back. “Healer: Health 15 Strength 2: Defense 6: Magical might 6: Stepping ability 4. Special abilities: healing and mending,” Fluttershy said in her usual quiet voice. Now that was done, the group began to look over themselves and each other more thoroughly. But before they could do anything, Princess Celestia got their attention by clearing her throat. “Now, my little ponies, please listen carefully, and looked at my common desk,” the sun princess said calmly. The group did as they were told and looked at their princess the item she was sitting on. They notice for the first time, the lights, which are the moment, were turned off, on the desk. “The goal is to score three hits on a commander’s command desk. The light on the right will glow when damage is dealt to me,” Celestia explained kindly. Twilight and her friends were silent as they took in this new information. Soon, Twilight looked at her mentor with a curious eye. “Is there anything else we should know, princess?” the unicorn asked curiously. Celestia was about to answer only to frown when she felt something in the back of her mind. She sighs faintly, and looked at her student. “There are more rules and tips to go over, my faithful. Unfortunately, my sister’s ready, and we don’t have time to waste. I will inform all of you of more rules as needed. BEGIN!!” Celestia screamed. The group of ponies suddenly gasped as the entire board lit up and they turned around and watch as the square began to change color. They watched as each square changed into a gold color one after the other. They could see a similar event happening at the far end of the board, only the squares were lighting up blue and they figure that was Princess Luna’s side. The board flashed again when the board was completely lit up in colors, temperately blinking the ponies. The group quickly regained their eyesight and saw another group of ponies at the far end of the board. The six couldn’t help but gasp and gawk as they saw the group of ponies that Princess Luna has gathered as her players. “I don’t believe it…” Twilight muttered in disbelief. Let the Games BeginAlicorn Battle: Chapter three: Let the Games Begin “Shining? What are you doing here?” Twilight shouted in disbelief. “Big Mac…? Ah thought ya had the day off?” Applejack asked, feeling just as confused as the unicorn. “Wait…what’s Lightening Dust doing here?” Rainbow asked angrily. “Oh my…Ms. Cherilee, how did you get mix up in all of this?” Rarity asked curiously. “Princess Cadence’s here too?” Fluttershy said in her quiet voice. “And…I don’t know you, but I want to give you a big hug!” Pinkie said happily. Twilight and friends couldn’t help but gawk at the ponies that the younger princess had chosen. The studious unicorn was the first to recover and began to study their opponents for this game. They were dressed in similar outfits that Twilight and her friends had, only with minor differences. The biggest difference was the colors; it was a mix of navy blue and blackish blue. Twilight frown slightly as she saw her brother and notice his outfit was different then her. He still had the one-piece suit, and robes, but he has had light armor under the robe, and he had a sword instead of a ring, like Twilight. [I see my sister had chosen Shining Armor to be her stagiest] Princess Celestia said through thought speak. [What’s the difference between a tactician and a stagiest?] Twilight asked curiously. The studious unicorn looked at her mentor curiously, and in turn the older princess smiled softly. [Normally...not much. But in this game, the stagiest use strength instead of magical might] Celestia explained kindly. Twilight nodded and turned her attention back to Princess Luna’s players, studying them. Big Mac was obviously the warrior; he had the same armor as his sister, only without a helmet, and a double bladed ax in place of a sword. He still had the piece of hay in his mouth and seems too unaffected by all that was going on around him. Next to him was the pony known as Lightening Dust, who wore the outfit of the runner. Twilight frown slightly as she thought about this Pegasus pony. She didn’t know that much about the young flyer, except for what Rainbow Dash told her, and what she had seen during her quick visit to the Wonderbot academy. Her rainbow mane friend had once said that this Pegasus was reckless, and had nearly caused several injuries with her thoughtless moves. Twilight made a mental note to keep an eye on that one, as she looked at the teacher from Ponyville. Ms Cherilee was dressed in the outfit of the trapper, and the only difference between her and Rarity, was the grabbing tools on her front hooves. Twilight noticed that the teacher looked a little nervous, but also looking at Lightening Dust for some reason. Next to the teacher was Cadence, another alicorn and the niece of the princesses. She was dressed in the outfit of the healer, and had a horn ring in place of a staff and grabbing tools. Twilight frown as gaze turned to the final member of Princess Luna’s makeshift team. He was one of the lunar princess’s unicorn guards, but she wasn’t familiar with him. It was the outfit the guard was wearing that was so eye catching, however. It was full body armor, bucker then the armor worn by a warrior, and didn’t look like the pony wearing it could move very well. The pony also wielded a long spear and a shield that could easily cover two ponies. [That’s the Guard role] Celestia said, answering her student’s unasked question. [It has the highest defense in the entire game at 40, but the lowest stepping ability at 2] Twilight gave her mentor a sideway gaze and nodded. While she may not understand the game fully, she trusted her teacher completely. She looked back at Princess Luna and her players, waiting patiently for the game to begin. “Now before we begin my little ponies!” Celestia said, clearly talking to the entire group and not just Twilight and her friends. “Please look at the spaces in front of you!” The 11 ponies and one princess did as they were told, and looked at the ground. The two group frown as they looked at the A and I printed on the spaces around them. The groups looked at their respective commanders, waiting for one of them to speak. “The board is divided in two ways; attack and item!” Princess Luna said talking to all the players like her sister had done before. “Using your Stepping ability, you are able to move across the board however you want, but be warned, once you reached your limit, you can’t move any farther until your next turn.” “When two players are facing each other or lands on an attack space, they would fight for a short period. Be warn when you land on an attack space on the opponent‘s side of the board, that pony‘s player would get the first strike,” Princess Celestia said, taking over for her sister. “When you land on an Item space, you gain a special item for a random number of turns. Now, are you ready, dear sister?” “Yes sister!” Luna replied. The lunar princess took a deep breathe and with her sister, shouted, “COIN TOSS!!” The two groups looked up when they saw a soft glow coming from above them. They all gasp and gawk when they saw a giant coin hovering above them. The coin was blank, unlike a bit, which sometimes had a sun on one side, and the moon on the other. Suddenly the groups heard a voice that ringed out from everywhere, scaring some of the ponies in the room. “Who win will…the solar units or the Lunar Units, let found out!” The group looked up again when they head a faint noise, and to their surprise, saw the coin began to spin, quickly gaining speed. Soon, the large object had gained enough speed that it gave the illusion like the coin wasn’t moving at all. The group then saw something really weird, a sun picture suddenly appeared on the coin, and then a moon picture replaced the sun when it span around. The groups realized what was happening and waited to see which group will go first. Soon, the coin began to slow, loosing speed at a steady pace. Slower and slower it went, showing the sun, then moon, and back to the sun again. Finally, after what seems like a life time, the coin came to a full stop, and the picture facing the groups was… “…Solar units has the first turn!!” the disembodied voice said. “Alicorn Battles…BEGAN!” The entire board lit up in the units’ respective colors and a collected gasp sounded throughout the area. The light die down a second later, and Twilight felt different. It become clear that she can now move, as it was her ‘commander’s’ turn, and looked at the board in thought. She decided to do a little experiment, and took five steps forward, landing onto an item square. The square lit up and Twilight felt it magic surge into her. “…Ice ring,” she spoke in a near trance-like state. “For next two turn, my spells has an ice effect added to them.” Twilight blinked twice and then felt the item on her horn. It didn’t feel anything different from the item she had on before. Still, she didn’t know what kind of magic she was dealing with, and decided to let go for the time being. She tried to move, only to find herself root into place again. She frown a little as she looked around, like a game, her turned was over, and looked at her friends. Applejack wasn’t far behind Twilight, about two squares behind. Pinkie, surprisingly, was next to her on an item square. She has something around her back, but what Twilight didn’t know. Rarity was close to Fluttershy, who was still behind the group, near the group’s starting point. She looked around and saw Rainbow Dash was the farthest, having gone over to the Lunar Units’ side. Twilight frown slightly when she saw that her friend had a large sword that had replaced her daggers and it seems to be dragging her down. Suddenly, the studious unicorn felt something click in the back of her mind and realized that the princess was talking to her again. [When you enter into items squares, you will get items for a period of time, best suited for your role. However, landing on I square on my opponent’s side will give you random item that might not be suited for your role. And please tell your friends that as well, my faithful student] Celestia explained calmly. Twilight nodded and used her new skills to relay the message, and scared her friends slightly. She chuckled sheepishly and apologized and continued with her explanation. During her little explanation, she noticed that her brother and his group had moved, meaning it was the Lunar Units turn. Twilight watched as each member of the opposing team position themselves in a certain way. She quickly realized that they were working themselves into some sort of formation and studied the formation closely. Shining Armor was in the lead, with Big Mac two squares behind him, and Lightening Dust behind him. Behind the reckless flyer was Ms. Cherilee and Cadence, and finally bearing up the rear was the guard pony. Twilight narrowed her eyes; something about this formation was eerily familiar to her. She gasped as she suddenly remembered where she sees this before. She had once sneaked a peek at her brother’s cadet books, and this formation has been in one. If she remembered right, this formation was kind of decoy ploy. The lead member would act as bait and then use one of the ponies behind him when a foolish opposing force would charge, and they would get a nasty surprise afterwards. [That must be what Shining is planning…] Twilight thought offhandedly. [Remember, Twilight Sparkle, this is a game. What might work in real life, might not work here] Celestia said through their shared thought link, causing the unicorn to jump slightly. [Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, my student] Twilight looked at her teacher and nodded to tell her that she was fine. She then turned her attention to the board as she felt a surge go through her, and she figure that it was her group’s turn. She wasn’t willing to leave her friend hanging, so she moved closer to Rainbow, stopping on the Attack square next to her friend. She then looked behind her, and saw what her friends were doing. Applejack was a few spaces behind her, and Pinkie…well the pink party pony was sitting on her head, looking like she was getting quite the blood rush. Rarity and Fluttershy was the farthest behind still, about three squares behind Applejack. Twilight felt another surge and looked as she watched her brother move closer to her. She noticed that he was wearing a cocky grin he wears when he plays game. Twilight couldn’t stop a sour frown from crossing her lips. He always wears that grin when they use to play games during their childhood days, like he was sure that he was always going to win. And that always drove Twilight up a wall. “So, here we are again-Whoa!” Shining suddenly screamed as he stepped into the square and it lit up, filling both unicorn with a strange feeling. Suddenly, Shining’s magic flared up, and grabbed his sword, swinging at his sister, who looked on with shocked. “…I so sorry, Twily! I can’t stop myself!” Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the weapon to strike her. She did indeed felt something, but it felt like something was going through her instead of cutting through her. Curious, she opened her eyes in time to see her brother’s weapons sail harmlessly through her. The two unicorns watched in stun silence as Twilight’s hit points appeared in front of her, and she lost 12 points. The lavender unicorn looked towards her teacher, hoping for some insight. [I told you before, Twilight Sparkle, you are in no real harm here. You would just loose some of your life from your brother’s attack] the princess explained with a bit of humor in her voice. Twilight nodded and filed this new piece of information away as she looked at Rainbow Dash. Lightening Dust had moved in for the attack, and the two started fighting. She flinched slightly when she saw the other flyer attack her friend in a near ruthless manner, chipping away at Rainbow’s life points. Twilight noticed that each blow only did about 2 to 3 points of damage and realized that the runner sacrifice power for speed, and in the end, Lightening Dust could only do 9 points of damage. Suddenly the studious unicorn could feel the princess talking to her in the back of her mind. [I also forgot to mention that you could also defend, which would reduce the damage you take at the cost of your defense points for a few turns] Celestia explained as Twilight listen carefully, taking in everything. [Now listen carefully, my faithful student…] Twilight listened to her teacher’s plan, and once she was sure she knew it completely, she looked towards her friend. [...Applejack!! Rarity! Fluttershy! Listen up, the princess has a plan…] After the unicorn told the plan to her friends, she took a few steps back, landing on an attack square on the Solar Units side. She looked behind her to see Applejack walked up to the others, and Rarity to something to her and Fluttershy. Once that was done, the shy pony walked timidly to Twilight. She then used her grabbers to grab her staff and wave it in front of Twilight. The studious unicorn felt a small tingling as her points were restored to her. With that out of the way, she looked back at the only member of their group who was still behind enemy lines. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash had enough common sense to move back into the Solar Units’ side, and blew Lightening Dust a raspberry. Twilight just rolled her eyes and felt a shaft in the air as her group’s turned ended. The unicorn’s body tensed, and waited to see if the princess’s plan would work. As the Lunar Unit’s turn began, Twilight noticed her brother giving Princess Luna a sideway gaze. Shinning nodded after a moment, and then began to move across board, quickly reaching and passing his sister. Twilight watched as the former captain stopped in front of Fluttershy and took out his sword. Like before, Shinning had little control over his actions as he brought his sword down on the timid pony. Suddenly Fluttershy glow, and disappear, being replaced by no other then Applejack. The farming pony shouted ‘defend’ and Twilight watched as her friend began a quick sword fight with her brother. Twilight watch as her friend’s defense point and her brother’s attack points appeared above their heads. She watched as Applejack’s points were cut in half, and she suffers four points of damage. She also noticed that Shining took two points of damage himself and realized something. So, by defending, you can also cause some damage to your opponent, Twilight thought, making sure to keep her thoughts to herself this time. Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard a noise and she looked behind her. She frowned when she saw Lightening Dust once again attacking Rainbow. The golden mane mare was obvious still a little sore from the Wonderbots academy. This time, however Rainbow was ready, and defended. She only took 4 point of damage this time, and even managed to damage her rival, even if it was a single point. Twilight once again felt the air shift and felt control returned to her group’s side. She looked at her brother and noted how nervous he looked. Probably just realized how much trouble he’s in, Twilight thought, starting to get a little cocky. Twilight and Applejack then both stepped into the Attack square, and attacked. AJ took out her sword as Twilight began to charge up a spell, the ice ring on her horn causing the glow to turn an icy white. Together, the two mares attacked, and Shinning, in his panic, forget to defend, taking the attack full on. The group watched as Shining’s life points appeared and quickly want down to zero. The white unicorn gasped softly as light lit him up from below and he faded away a few seconds later. The air suddenly settled into an uneasy silence. Everypony, even Lightening Dust gawk at the space where the former captain of the guard used to be, all were to stun to do anything. Twilight was the first to recovered, of course, and began looking around, starting to get a little hysterically. Her hysteria only grew when she couldn’t find her brother near by. “SHHHINNING!!” she suddenly screamed. CancelledSorry, but I had lost my vib for this story. This was supposed to be a chellenge I had set up for my myself, but I just lost the urge to work on it. So, sorry to fans of this story, no matter how small they may have been, but this is the end of the road
The InviteAlicorn Battle Chapter 1: The Invent Greetings Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I here by invite you and your friends to Canterlot for a special event that my sister and I are hosting. Sincerely yours, Princess Celestia. Twilight frown as she turned over the letter she got for her mentor and second mother, trying to figure the meaning behind the summons. The letter had arrived early last night, with six fully paid train tickets and a map. She gathered up her friends and told her what was happening. Since it was a summoning, the entire group cleared their calendars and went home for a good night rest. The train ride to Canterlot has been nothing but brainstorming the reason behind the summons. In the end, they all had decided to just wait and see what the princess had summoned them for. Unfortunately, this had a negative effect on Twilight, and she began to panic. It had taken the others everything they had to calm down their friend for a bit. This had returned once they had reached Canterlot and got to the castle “Take it easy, sugar-cube,” Applejack said reassuringly, putting a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Ah’m sure there’s nothing to be fretting over.” “Nothing to be “fretting” over...?” Twilight said in a mix of fright and irritation. “When the princess summons us, it usually means something big is happening, so excuse me of I feel like “fretting” over something, okay?” Applejack took her hoof off of her friend’s shoulder and took a step back. She sighs lightly, and looked at her friends, mainly Pinkie Pie. The pink party pony, like getting some silent message, bounced in front of Twilight, and put on a red rubber nose. She squeezed it twice and then a pie right into Twilight’s face that she pulled out of thin air. “Do you have to throw a pie into my face each time I start to panic?” Twilight asked in slight annoyance. “Because you asked for it, silly,” Pinkie Pie said whimsically, and happily bounced into the castle before any pony could say anything else. With a heavy sigh, Twilight’s horn lit up as she cast a spell that caused the entire pie and the tie to disappear to parts unknown. She looked at her pink friend as she disappears into the castle, annoyance clearly written on her face. She let out another heavy sigh as she walked into the castle, with her friends following her. “I didn’t think anypony would take me seriously when I said that,” the studious unicorn mutter bitterly. The group was heading to the throne room, where they expect the sun princess to be. To their surprise, a guard told them that the princess wasn’t in the throne room, and the follow the map that the princess had given them. With that, Twilight took the lead and began stirring her friends in the direction the map was showing her. The group was lead into the farther part of the castle, and near a wing that was off-limits to normal ponies. Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and gawk at the large doors in front of her. The doors were unique to say the least. The left door was dark blue with the picture of a full moon on the center. The right door was a bright gold color and had the sun in the center of it. Unfortunately, Twilight’s friends didn’t notice her stopping, and ran right into her. They fell onto it each, and made one big mess. The six friends struggled to untangle themselves form the mass of hooves and tails, and finally separated after a minute. When the group was finally free, and back on their hooves, a certain rainbow mane mare shot a glare at her egghead friend. “What the hay, Twilight? Why did you stop like that?” Rainbow asked in half irritation, half annoyance. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn’t listening; her complete attention was back on the door. Her eyes were wider then saucers, and look like she could pass out at any time. Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at this, and looked at the door. “Yes, it a very pretty door,” Rainbow said sarcastically, looking at her friend. “Now let’s go in.” The rainbow mane pony turned towards the door and reached for the handle with her right hoof. Twilight panicked when she saw this, and her horn lit up with magic. Rainbow’s hoof was mere inches from the handle when she felt something yanked on her tail and sent her flying away from the door. “NO!” the unicorn screamed as she used all of her might to send her Pegasus friend flying down the hall. Rainbow’s scream faded as she disappeared down the hall, leaving behind four confused friends, and one slightly panting friend. The other turned and looked at Twilight, ready for some answers. Rainbow Dash put a stop to that when she same zooming down the hall, and get in Twilight’s face. “You better had a good reason for doing that, egghead?” the cyan pony said in a low and sharp tone. Twilight, unfazed by her friend’s words and action, pulled away from the Pegasus, and waved towards the door. “THIS is the door to the princesses’ private wing, you need their permission just to enter!” the studious unicorn said in mix respect and fear. “You and your friends had permission to enter, ma’am.” Slightly startled, Twilight and her friends looked to their right and saw a standard royal guard, standing stoically. Twilight frowns, curious as how she missed that guard before? “Beg your pardon, kind sir,” Rarity said politely as she took a step towards the guard. “But what do you mean?” The guard, stoic as ever, simply replied, “Princess Celestia herself stationed me here to inform you that you have her permission to enter. She’s expecting you in the first room on the right.” His task done, the guard gave a quick, slightly respective bow, and walked off. The girls watched as the guard disappeared into the hall, and faced the door. Twilight swallow a small lump that had formed in her throat, and called her magic into her horn. The door glowed slightly, and opened easily. The entire gasp as they stepped into wing and saw something they weren’t quit expecting. The floor of the entire wing was covered in a soft gray carpet and pictures of different ponies covered the walls. Some of them were pictures of ponies famous throughout Equestria’s history. Others were pictures of ponies the girls had never even heard of. Any questions the girls had were put on hold when they came to the first door on the right. The group suddenly become nervous and looked toward Twilight, the only pony who was really familiar with the leader of their land. Twilight needed to push back another lump that formed as she walked up to the door and nervously knocked on it. “You may enter, Twilight Sparkle,” said the casually voice of Princess Celestia as the door opened with a soft golden glow. Twilight took a hesitant step into the room, and suddenly gawked as she came to a dead stop. Unfortunately, the others were following her, and once again, collided into her, causing them to fall into another mess. The six were able to separate themselves quicker this time, and all filed into the room. Unfortunately, this action had once again irritated a certain pony, and like normal she quickly voiced it. “Twilight, I swear to Celestia, if you do that one more time I will buck you so hard, you’re grand-foals would feel it,” Rainbow said angrily. “Well, Rainbow Dash, I hope that isn’t true,” a soft voice said with a bit of disappointment in it. Rainbow Dash gasped and spun around and gasped again when she saw the state of Princess Celestia. Gone was the regal attire, replaced with a simple gray sweater that fit smugly around the large pony’s frame. The princess’s mane and tail were no longer floating in some invisible breeze, and the mane has been done up in a small bread, resting comfortable against her right side. Finally, the princess was wearing what appears to be reading glasses. “P-Princess…?”Twilight asked in shock. Princess Celestia giggle slightly, secretly amused at her student and subjects’ shock. “Yes, my faithful student, it’s me.” Celestia frown slightly as she noticed that her subjects were still gawking at her. She let out a small sigh, and got up from her seat. This seems to snap the ponies of their stupor, and they bow with respect. “You don‘t need to bow, my little ponies,” she said gently. “And don’t worry either; this form you see me in now is one I take when I want to conserve my magic. Now please, have a seat.” Twilight blinked twice and looked around the room, noticing things about it for the first time. The room was large enough for a group of 15 ponies to move freely, if wasn’t for the large crystal in the center of the room. There were two tables on each side of the crystal, long enough to sit seven ponies easily. Twilight walked up to the table and notice that one of seat had been set for her. She frowned a little when she saw a strange hoof shape groove in the table. “Princess, what’s this all about?” Twilight asked hesitantly as the princess and her friends took their seats. “Today is somewhat special for Luna and myself,” Princess Celestia said somewhat sadly. “I promise I will explain more later. Luna, are you ready Sister?” “Yes sister,” Luna replied, surprising Twilight and her friends. The studious unicorn looked in the direction of the voice, but due to the crystal, couldn’t see the younger princess clearly. She did, however, see that Princess Luna also had guests as well. Who these new ponies were, however, she didn’t know, nor would she get a chance to find out either. She saw moment from the corner of her left eye, and looked as Celestia placed her right front hoof onto the table, into the groove. “Please, my little ponies put your hooves into the groove. I promise you nothing bad will happen,” Celestia said kindly. The group, ever trusting of their princess, did as they were asked, and put their hooves into the grooves. Celestia then closed her eyes, and concentrated her magic into her horn. Twilight looked at the crystal when she heard it start to hum. Her eyes widen slightly when she saw the crystal glowing in gold and a navy blue, meaning Luna was also using her magic on it as well. Her attention was brought to the table when she noticed a faint glow. Her widen yet again when she saw the groove had lit up, and she, being a unicorn, felt magic flow into her body. “Princess…!” Twilight said in slightly alarm. “What’s going-” Twilight, unfortunately, didn’t get too finished as she was blinded by a suddenly flash of light, exploding out of the crystal, and she felt herself entering into a magical sleep. “Welcome to…Alicorn Battle!” Was the last thing Twilight heard before losing consciousness. Author's Note I will like to take this time to say this; this is a sorta challenge that I had set up for myself. I want to see if I could read, a short, limit-length chapter-type story, that I hope to finish within a short time.
Roles and RulesAlicorn Battle Chapter Two: Roles and Rules Twilight blinked twice as her vision came into focus. She looked around as her mind become more alert. She frowned slightly when she noticed that there was nothing around her but darkness. She frowned when saw that the darkness looked…painted on, like the walls of a room had been done up to give this place some sense of foreboding. Not this place felt foreboding in any sense, mind you, it just looked that way. “What the hay just happen?” asked a familiar voice in bewilderment. Twilight looked to her right and saw Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, looking just as confuse as she felt. The farmer was trying to maintain her composure as she gave her surrounding a thorough inspection. The cloud-buster looked a little irritated, however, and looked ready for a fight. Her wings were out to their full length, and she was crouched low to the ground like she was ready to take to the sky. Twilight was surprise that her rainbow mane friend wasn’t in the air already, looking for the pony responsible behind bringing them to this strange place. She looked to left and saw the rest of her friends. Rarity was also composed, though Twilight did see a hint of fear in her friend’s eyes. The white unicorn was calmly looking, trying to get a fix on her surroundings, frowning curiously. Next to her was Pinkie Pie, looking as energetic at ever. The pink pony was bouncing in place and looking around fiercely, no doubt eager to explore. Why she hadn’t yet was a mystery to the lavender unicorn. She looked past Pinkie and saw the last member of their group. Fluttershy was crouched low to the group, her hooves covering her eyes. She would uncovered her eyes sometimes, in a vain hope that things would go back to normal, and recovered them quickly when she realized she was still in a scary place. Rarity saw her best friend in distress, and want over to comfort her…or try to, at least. When she tried to move, she found herself unable to move beyond the spot she was. Still, the white unicorn wasn’t one the leave a friend in need, and continued to try and break whatever force was holding her in place. Twilight frowned slightly, and looked at her owe hooves. She lifted her right front hoof and tried to move it forward. She found that she could move within the space she was in. But when she tried to move beyond it, some invisible force stopped her. She looked at the floor again, and her frown turned a little curious when she notice something in front of her. She looked up and noticed a large A had been stamped onto the space in front of her. She looked around and notice that all the spaces around her had either A or I on them, making her just a little more curious. “…Just what does all of this mean?” she asked herself. “Don’t worry, my little ponies, you’re not in any harm,” a familiar voice said commandingly. Startled, the group spun around in place, and were shocked at what they saw. Princess Celestia set on a large desk, which reach probably twelve to sixteen feet in the air. The desk was a pure gold color, and had 9 turn-off lights on it, three big ones on the right, and six smaller ones on the left. The girls, however, didn’t notice the piece of furniture their princess was sitting on; the group’s attention was solely on the ruler of their land. The princess was completely decked out in a gold armor with silver trimming. Surprisingly, her mane was still in that breaded style and she still had on her reading glasses. The group was in awe, seeing their beloved princess giving off such a commanding presence, something ponies of this day and age really see. Twilight tried to get closer to her mentor, but found herself still glued to the spot she was in. “Princess, what’s going on? Were we?” the unicorn asked in a slight panic. “Don’t’ worry, Twilight Sparkle,” the princess replied, allowing the soft and gentle smile she is known for, blossom onto her face. “At the moment, you and your friends’ spirit has been place into the tapping crystal you saw in Luna and my game room.” Twilight and her friend exchanged puzzled looks, not sure how to process this new information. Thankfully, they didn’t have to. Celestia, being thousands of years old, knew what her subjects, and favorite group of ponies were thinking, and acted on it. “Twilight, I have invented you and your friends to Canterlot to play a game with my sister and myself. I wanted to keep it a surprise, that’s all,” Celestia said kindly, and then her smile turned a little sad. “But I would understand if you didn’t want to play.” “No, no, princess,” Twilight said in an apologizing tone. “We’re just surprise that’s all.” “Beside, any game that a princess has is probably super duper fun!” Pinkie said excitedly, and nearly bounced to the princess’s eye level. “Beg your pardon, princess,” Applejack said humbly. “But what sort of game are we playing?” The princess looked at the farmer with her gentle smile, and said, “I will explain that in a minute, but first I need to give all of you your roles.” Celestia then carefully looked over the six, brow narrow in thought. She looked over the group a second time, and notice how nervous they look, even Twilight Sparkle was on edge, which was consider normal when in the presence of one of the royal sisters. She sighs inwards as her gaze locked onto her faithful student. “Twilight Sparkle…I see you as a tactician,” the princess said kindly. Twilight gasp softly as the spot she was standing in lit up and she felt magic flow into her. She was suddenly clad in a fiery red and yellow one-piece bodysuit, covered by a matching, full body robe. The robe had a golden trim, around the neck, shoulders, and the bottom rim, and the robe was kept closed by a silver chain around the front of the neck. Twilight had a multi-colored ring, resting comfortable on her horn, and a silver tiara with a red orb in it. The unicorn took in a deep breath and said, in a trance-like state, “…Tactician: Health 25: strength 5: defense 12: magical might 15: stepping ability 6: Special abilities: magic use and thought speak.” [Twilight Sparkle…can you hear me?] Princess Celestia asked in concern. Twilight gasped and opened her eyes, looking at mentor with wide eyes. [I can princess! How are you doing that? How am I doing it?] [Calm down my faithful student] Celestia said with a kind chuckle. [As my tactician, you and I can speak to each other through thought. You would able to also talk to your friends once I gave them their roles] Twilight nodded as she looked herself over, in awe of the robes she was wearing, and the power she felt flowing through her. She looked up at Celestia, wanting to know more about this new type of magic, only to find that her mentor was looking at applejack. “Applejack…you shall be my warrior.” The farmer gasp as light shine under her, and soon she was dressed in her role outfit. She wore the same one-piece suit that Twilight had under her robe, but instead of a robe, the farmer wore heavy, gold armor, covering her chest, shoulders, all her legs, and a helmet with horns on it. The armor covering the front hooves also had some sort of strange grabbing device on them. The biggest draw, however, was the large broadsword, strap to the farmer’s back. “Warrior: Health 30: Strength: 15: defense: 15: Magical Might 0: Stepping ability 5. Special abilities: Charge and finish attack,” Applejack said hypnotically. Applejack blinked twice and looked herself over. When she saw the strange grabbers on her front hooves, a crazy thought enter into her head. She tried to move them and to her surprise, they moved. She looked towards the princess, to shock to say anything. “Rainbow Dash…Runner would suit you perfectly.” Rainbow gasp as the light shine under her and her battle outfit appear. Like the others, she wore the fiery red, full body suit. She also had light gold armor covering her chest and shoulders. She also wore bands that have the same grabbing tools that Applejack now has. She has gold bandana, and a pair of short swords strap to her back. Like the others, she spoke in a near trance-like state. “Runner: Health 24: strength 10: defense 15: Stepping ability 10: Magical Might 5. Special abilities: dashing charge and mad dash,” Rainbow blinked twice as she inspected her new look. “Rarity…You shall make a fine trapper.” The white unicorn closed her eyes and bow slightly as the magic flow into her. She was soon dressed in the standard battle attire, but she also had a small jacket that went to her mid-section, and a hood, which currently covered her face, but not her horn. There was a gray ring resting on the unicorn’s horn and she had a pair of saddlebags on her. She had a small dagger hidden in her jacket, barely visible to the others. “Trapper: Health 20 Strength 5: Defense 10: Magical Might 8: Stepping ability 6. Special abilities: scouting and trapping.” Once Rarity came out of her trance she frowned slightly as she looked at her outfit. “Pinkie Pie…no role would fit you, say…the Stealth Walker.” The pink pony jumped in excitement as her spot lit up and the magic flowed into her. Whatever magic was in this place didn’t seem to affect the hyper pony, but that was nothing new. She did a flip as she landed on her back legs, and took up a karate pose, dressed in the outfit the girls had come to expect. Pinkie’s outfit was simpler then the others, only with a mask covering her face, and the same grabbing tools that AJ and RD have, to hold the pair of draggers she had at her side. “Stealth Walker: Health 26 Strength 8: Defense 4: Magical Might 6: Stepping ability 8. Special abilities: shadow walking, and silent strike!” Pinkie said in her usual happy voice. “Finally, Fluttershy, I can think of no role more suiting for you then…” The shy pony cower slightly as she wait for the princess to finish, “…the rule of the healer.” The shy flyer “eep” slightly as the light shin from under her and her battle outfit appeared. Fluttershy’s outfit was far more different then the ones her friends were wearing. She was wearing a full body dress, with short sleeve on her front legs, and a pair of red bracelet that doubled as grabbing tools. There was a small sun-shape hairpiece in the right side of her mane, and she had a wooden staff on her back. “Healer: Health 15 Strength 2: Defense 6: Magical might 6: Stepping ability 4. Special abilities: healing and mending,” Fluttershy said in her usual quiet voice. Now that was done, the group began to look over themselves and each other more thoroughly. But before they could do anything, Princess Celestia got their attention by clearing her throat. “Now, my little ponies, please listen carefully, and looked at my common desk,” the sun princess said calmly. The group did as they were told and looked at their princess the item she was sitting on. They notice for the first time, the lights, which are the moment, were turned off, on the desk. “The goal is to score three hits on a commander’s command desk. The light on the right will glow when damage is dealt to me,” Celestia explained kindly. Twilight and her friends were silent as they took in this new information. Soon, Twilight looked at her mentor with a curious eye. “Is there anything else we should know, princess?” the unicorn asked curiously. Celestia was about to answer only to frown when she felt something in the back of her mind. She sighs faintly, and looked at her student. “There are more rules and tips to go over, my faithful. Unfortunately, my sister’s ready, and we don’t have time to waste. I will inform all of you of more rules as needed. BEGIN!!” Celestia screamed. The group of ponies suddenly gasped as the entire board lit up and they turned around and watch as the square began to change color. They watched as each square changed into a gold color one after the other. They could see a similar event happening at the far end of the board, only the squares were lighting up blue and they figure that was Princess Luna’s side. The board flashed again when the board was completely lit up in colors, temperately blinking the ponies. The group quickly regained their eyesight and saw another group of ponies at the far end of the board. The six couldn’t help but gasp and gawk as they saw the group of ponies that Princess Luna has gathered as her players. “I don’t believe it…” Twilight muttered in disbelief.
Let the Games BeginAlicorn Battle: Chapter three: Let the Games Begin “Shining? What are you doing here?” Twilight shouted in disbelief. “Big Mac…? Ah thought ya had the day off?” Applejack asked, feeling just as confused as the unicorn. “Wait…what’s Lightening Dust doing here?” Rainbow asked angrily. “Oh my…Ms. Cherilee, how did you get mix up in all of this?” Rarity asked curiously. “Princess Cadence’s here too?” Fluttershy said in her quiet voice. “And…I don’t know you, but I want to give you a big hug!” Pinkie said happily. Twilight and friends couldn’t help but gawk at the ponies that the younger princess had chosen. The studious unicorn was the first to recover and began to study their opponents for this game. They were dressed in similar outfits that Twilight and her friends had, only with minor differences. The biggest difference was the colors; it was a mix of navy blue and blackish blue. Twilight frown slightly as she saw her brother and notice his outfit was different then her. He still had the one-piece suit, and robes, but he has had light armor under the robe, and he had a sword instead of a ring, like Twilight. [I see my sister had chosen Shining Armor to be her stagiest] Princess Celestia said through thought speak. [What’s the difference between a tactician and a stagiest?] Twilight asked curiously. The studious unicorn looked at her mentor curiously, and in turn the older princess smiled softly. [Normally...not much. But in this game, the stagiest use strength instead of magical might] Celestia explained kindly. Twilight nodded and turned her attention back to Princess Luna’s players, studying them. Big Mac was obviously the warrior; he had the same armor as his sister, only without a helmet, and a double bladed ax in place of a sword. He still had the piece of hay in his mouth and seems too unaffected by all that was going on around him. Next to him was the pony known as Lightening Dust, who wore the outfit of the runner. Twilight frown slightly as she thought about this Pegasus pony. She didn’t know that much about the young flyer, except for what Rainbow Dash told her, and what she had seen during her quick visit to the Wonderbot academy. Her rainbow mane friend had once said that this Pegasus was reckless, and had nearly caused several injuries with her thoughtless moves. Twilight made a mental note to keep an eye on that one, as she looked at the teacher from Ponyville. Ms Cherilee was dressed in the outfit of the trapper, and the only difference between her and Rarity, was the grabbing tools on her front hooves. Twilight noticed that the teacher looked a little nervous, but also looking at Lightening Dust for some reason. Next to the teacher was Cadence, another alicorn and the niece of the princesses. She was dressed in the outfit of the healer, and had a horn ring in place of a staff and grabbing tools. Twilight frown as gaze turned to the final member of Princess Luna’s makeshift team. He was one of the lunar princess’s unicorn guards, but she wasn’t familiar with him. It was the outfit the guard was wearing that was so eye catching, however. It was full body armor, bucker then the armor worn by a warrior, and didn’t look like the pony wearing it could move very well. The pony also wielded a long spear and a shield that could easily cover two ponies. [That’s the Guard role] Celestia said, answering her student’s unasked question. [It has the highest defense in the entire game at 40, but the lowest stepping ability at 2] Twilight gave her mentor a sideway gaze and nodded. While she may not understand the game fully, she trusted her teacher completely. She looked back at Princess Luna and her players, waiting patiently for the game to begin. “Now before we begin my little ponies!” Celestia said, clearly talking to the entire group and not just Twilight and her friends. “Please look at the spaces in front of you!” The 11 ponies and one princess did as they were told, and looked at the ground. The two group frown as they looked at the A and I printed on the spaces around them. The groups looked at their respective commanders, waiting for one of them to speak. “The board is divided in two ways; attack and item!” Princess Luna said talking to all the players like her sister had done before. “Using your Stepping ability, you are able to move across the board however you want, but be warned, once you reached your limit, you can’t move any farther until your next turn.” “When two players are facing each other or lands on an attack space, they would fight for a short period. Be warn when you land on an attack space on the opponent‘s side of the board, that pony‘s player would get the first strike,” Princess Celestia said, taking over for her sister. “When you land on an Item space, you gain a special item for a random number of turns. Now, are you ready, dear sister?” “Yes sister!” Luna replied. The lunar princess took a deep breathe and with her sister, shouted, “COIN TOSS!!” The two groups looked up when they saw a soft glow coming from above them. They all gasp and gawk when they saw a giant coin hovering above them. The coin was blank, unlike a bit, which sometimes had a sun on one side, and the moon on the other. Suddenly the groups heard a voice that ringed out from everywhere, scaring some of the ponies in the room. “Who win will…the solar units or the Lunar Units, let found out!” The group looked up again when they head a faint noise, and to their surprise, saw the coin began to spin, quickly gaining speed. Soon, the large object had gained enough speed that it gave the illusion like the coin wasn’t moving at all. The group then saw something really weird, a sun picture suddenly appeared on the coin, and then a moon picture replaced the sun when it span around. The groups realized what was happening and waited to see which group will go first. Soon, the coin began to slow, loosing speed at a steady pace. Slower and slower it went, showing the sun, then moon, and back to the sun again. Finally, after what seems like a life time, the coin came to a full stop, and the picture facing the groups was… “…Solar units has the first turn!!” the disembodied voice said. “Alicorn Battles…BEGAN!” The entire board lit up in the units’ respective colors and a collected gasp sounded throughout the area. The light die down a second later, and Twilight felt different. It become clear that she can now move, as it was her ‘commander’s’ turn, and looked at the board in thought. She decided to do a little experiment, and took five steps forward, landing onto an item square. The square lit up and Twilight felt it magic surge into her. “…Ice ring,” she spoke in a near trance-like state. “For next two turn, my spells has an ice effect added to them.” Twilight blinked twice and then felt the item on her horn. It didn’t feel anything different from the item she had on before. Still, she didn’t know what kind of magic she was dealing with, and decided to let go for the time being. She tried to move, only to find herself root into place again. She frown a little as she looked around, like a game, her turned was over, and looked at her friends. Applejack wasn’t far behind Twilight, about two squares behind. Pinkie, surprisingly, was next to her on an item square. She has something around her back, but what Twilight didn’t know. Rarity was close to Fluttershy, who was still behind the group, near the group’s starting point. She looked around and saw Rainbow Dash was the farthest, having gone over to the Lunar Units’ side. Twilight frown slightly when she saw that her friend had a large sword that had replaced her daggers and it seems to be dragging her down. Suddenly, the studious unicorn felt something click in the back of her mind and realized that the princess was talking to her again. [When you enter into items squares, you will get items for a period of time, best suited for your role. However, landing on I square on my opponent’s side will give you random item that might not be suited for your role. And please tell your friends that as well, my faithful student] Celestia explained calmly. Twilight nodded and used her new skills to relay the message, and scared her friends slightly. She chuckled sheepishly and apologized and continued with her explanation. During her little explanation, she noticed that her brother and his group had moved, meaning it was the Lunar Units turn. Twilight watched as each member of the opposing team position themselves in a certain way. She quickly realized that they were working themselves into some sort of formation and studied the formation closely. Shining Armor was in the lead, with Big Mac two squares behind him, and Lightening Dust behind him. Behind the reckless flyer was Ms. Cherilee and Cadence, and finally bearing up the rear was the guard pony. Twilight narrowed her eyes; something about this formation was eerily familiar to her. She gasped as she suddenly remembered where she sees this before. She had once sneaked a peek at her brother’s cadet books, and this formation has been in one. If she remembered right, this formation was kind of decoy ploy. The lead member would act as bait and then use one of the ponies behind him when a foolish opposing force would charge, and they would get a nasty surprise afterwards. [That must be what Shining is planning…] Twilight thought offhandedly. [Remember, Twilight Sparkle, this is a game. What might work in real life, might not work here] Celestia said through their shared thought link, causing the unicorn to jump slightly. [Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, my student] Twilight looked at her teacher and nodded to tell her that she was fine. She then turned her attention to the board as she felt a surge go through her, and she figure that it was her group’s turn. She wasn’t willing to leave her friend hanging, so she moved closer to Rainbow, stopping on the Attack square next to her friend. She then looked behind her, and saw what her friends were doing. Applejack was a few spaces behind her, and Pinkie…well the pink party pony was sitting on her head, looking like she was getting quite the blood rush. Rarity and Fluttershy was the farthest behind still, about three squares behind Applejack. Twilight felt another surge and looked as she watched her brother move closer to her. She noticed that he was wearing a cocky grin he wears when he plays game. Twilight couldn’t stop a sour frown from crossing her lips. He always wears that grin when they use to play games during their childhood days, like he was sure that he was always going to win. And that always drove Twilight up a wall. “So, here we are again-Whoa!” Shining suddenly screamed as he stepped into the square and it lit up, filling both unicorn with a strange feeling. Suddenly, Shining’s magic flared up, and grabbed his sword, swinging at his sister, who looked on with shocked. “…I so sorry, Twily! I can’t stop myself!” Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the weapon to strike her. She did indeed felt something, but it felt like something was going through her instead of cutting through her. Curious, she opened her eyes in time to see her brother’s weapons sail harmlessly through her. The two unicorns watched in stun silence as Twilight’s hit points appeared in front of her, and she lost 12 points. The lavender unicorn looked towards her teacher, hoping for some insight. [I told you before, Twilight Sparkle, you are in no real harm here. You would just loose some of your life from your brother’s attack] the princess explained with a bit of humor in her voice. Twilight nodded and filed this new piece of information away as she looked at Rainbow Dash. Lightening Dust had moved in for the attack, and the two started fighting. She flinched slightly when she saw the other flyer attack her friend in a near ruthless manner, chipping away at Rainbow’s life points. Twilight noticed that each blow only did about 2 to 3 points of damage and realized that the runner sacrifice power for speed, and in the end, Lightening Dust could only do 9 points of damage. Suddenly the studious unicorn could feel the princess talking to her in the back of her mind. [I also forgot to mention that you could also defend, which would reduce the damage you take at the cost of your defense points for a few turns] Celestia explained as Twilight listen carefully, taking in everything. [Now listen carefully, my faithful student…] Twilight listened to her teacher’s plan, and once she was sure she knew it completely, she looked towards her friend. [...Applejack!! Rarity! Fluttershy! Listen up, the princess has a plan…] After the unicorn told the plan to her friends, she took a few steps back, landing on an attack square on the Solar Units side. She looked behind her to see Applejack walked up to the others, and Rarity to something to her and Fluttershy. Once that was done, the shy pony walked timidly to Twilight. She then used her grabbers to grab her staff and wave it in front of Twilight. The studious unicorn felt a small tingling as her points were restored to her. With that out of the way, she looked back at the only member of their group who was still behind enemy lines. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash had enough common sense to move back into the Solar Units’ side, and blew Lightening Dust a raspberry. Twilight just rolled her eyes and felt a shaft in the air as her group’s turned ended. The unicorn’s body tensed, and waited to see if the princess’s plan would work. As the Lunar Unit’s turn began, Twilight noticed her brother giving Princess Luna a sideway gaze. Shinning nodded after a moment, and then began to move across board, quickly reaching and passing his sister. Twilight watched as the former captain stopped in front of Fluttershy and took out his sword. Like before, Shinning had little control over his actions as he brought his sword down on the timid pony. Suddenly Fluttershy glow, and disappear, being replaced by no other then Applejack. The farming pony shouted ‘defend’ and Twilight watched as her friend began a quick sword fight with her brother. Twilight watch as her friend’s defense point and her brother’s attack points appeared above their heads. She watched as Applejack’s points were cut in half, and she suffers four points of damage. She also noticed that Shining took two points of damage himself and realized something. So, by defending, you can also cause some damage to your opponent, Twilight thought, making sure to keep her thoughts to herself this time. Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard a noise and she looked behind her. She frowned when she saw Lightening Dust once again attacking Rainbow. The golden mane mare was obvious still a little sore from the Wonderbots academy. This time, however Rainbow was ready, and defended. She only took 4 point of damage this time, and even managed to damage her rival, even if it was a single point. Twilight once again felt the air shift and felt control returned to her group’s side. She looked at her brother and noted how nervous he looked. Probably just realized how much trouble he’s in, Twilight thought, starting to get a little cocky. Twilight and Applejack then both stepped into the Attack square, and attacked. AJ took out her sword as Twilight began to charge up a spell, the ice ring on her horn causing the glow to turn an icy white. Together, the two mares attacked, and Shinning, in his panic, forget to defend, taking the attack full on. The group watched as Shining’s life points appeared and quickly want down to zero. The white unicorn gasped softly as light lit him up from below and he faded away a few seconds later. The air suddenly settled into an uneasy silence. Everypony, even Lightening Dust gawk at the space where the former captain of the guard used to be, all were to stun to do anything. Twilight was the first to recovered, of course, and began looking around, starting to get a little hysterically. Her hysteria only grew when she couldn’t find her brother near by. “SHHHINNING!!” she suddenly screamed.
CancelledSorry, but I had lost my vib for this story. This was supposed to be a chellenge I had set up for my myself, but I just lost the urge to work on it. So, sorry to fans of this story, no matter how small they may have been, but this is the end of the road
