Arcane Shift

Words and ideas suddenly started flowing through Twilight Sparkles mind, things that she had never heard of before.  It was all very general, but it was enough to sate her confusion.

The lanes were called "Mid, top, and bot."

Her allies were "Morgana, Taric, Ezreal, and Lee Sin."

Wards, health pots, AP, AD, attack speed, boots, jungle...

Despite her head being filled with these foreign ideas, Twilight was now able to respect the Summoner's Rift (or, at least, that's what she THINKS it's called).  Her wings of little use to her, she trotted down the path.

The nexus and inhibitors were beautiful, and the turrets were of the most masterful craftsponyship she had ever seen.  The trees along her lane were able to calm her nerves, relieving her from the stress of dying and being resurrected.

But she wasn't unready for what she knew would come next.

Twilight saw the little girl, surrounded by a swirling cloud of smoke, hitting her tower with bolts of fire, the minions hitting it with their weak attacks.  Bright, powerful balls of magic came from the tower, destroying any minions the light touched.

Seeing an opportunity, Twilight ran forward, and teleported onto the girl when she was in range.  Twilight began unleashing a barrage of magical bolts, scaring the girl away.  Twilight got to work on clearing away the minions.

Twilight had little idea of what she was doing.  No experience, no knowledge, only power without purpose.  After the little red-haired girl ran away, Twilight stood around, not knowing what to do.  She stared at the girl skipping away, as if she was completely unscathed.

"Push the lane out," a voice, young and male, advised her.

She followed the voice's directions, hitting the purple minions with bolts of magic, the little girl hitting the blue ones with fire.

Occasionally, Twilight could hear the little girl saying things like, "Have you seen my bear Tibbers?" and "You smell like burning."

The swirling cloud of smoke around the little girl hadn't dissipated, even after four waves of minions, and she didn't use anything but her small bolts of fire, which seemed... odd...

Eventually, Twilight had pushed the wave up to the girl's tower, and began hitting it.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black-and-green horse wielding a battleaxe.  Knowing Twilight had seen him, he rushed forward.

Twilight was scared, and didn't know what to do.  Suddenly, in a bright flash, she had moved.  It wasn't too far, but far enough to avoid the horse's charge.

Instinctively, Twilight started running back to her own tower.  When she looked back, she saw a ball of fire coming towards her.

No worries, Twilight thought, It won't hurt me that ba-!

She stopped in her tracks.  The smoke around the little girl dissipated completely, and Twilight was completely paralyzed.  Then, looking back at the large horse, Twilight was... afraid.

No, this wasn't the fear of pain, or even death, but a fear of... IT!  Whatever it was, its very presence made Twilight lose her bearings, and she ran in some random direction to flee.

But the fear had slowed her pace, and the horse caught up.

It brought up its ax to deliver the killing blow.

Twilight knew enough to know that this would end her life (for a few moments), but she didn't look forward to the darkness that followed...

"STOP!!" a voice rang out across the Summoner's Rift.

Twilight watched the ax stop inches from her face as she regained her senses.

The large horse removed itself from its combat stance, and appeared more relaxed.  The little girl stopped her menacing stares, and gazed around in wonder, not knowing what exactly was going on.

In a thundering voice that seemed to echo between the trees bordering the lane, the horse asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

A man dressed in a gold-trimmed robe appeared out of nowhere.  He stood taller than Twilight, and on two legs.

Is this the humans' doing? Twilight asked herself.

"Where is he?" the man called out, "Where is this new champion."

"She," corrected the large horse.

"She?  Well, she's of your kind, so I suppose you know better."

"Awe you looking for da pwitty little pony?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, that one!" the man grew impatient.  "She was mid with you, wasn't she?!  Where is that damn-!"

"You mean... me, sir?" Twilight brought attention to herself.

"Oh..." the man looked down to Twilight, crouching down on one knee.  "I expected you to be... taller..."

"Where am I?" Twilight asked.

"We'll explain everything later," the man replied.  "But, firstly, what is your name?"

"Twilight Sparkle, faithful student of-" Twilight forgot her royal title.  "I mean... Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria!" she said firmly.

"Twilight Sparkle, the Equestrian Princess..." the man said.  "Fun!" he announced loudly,  "Catchy!  Wouldn't you say?"

With that, the lane, towers, forest, and river all vanished, and Twilight and the man appeared in a dimly-lit room.  There were 12 other men, six dressed in blue robes and six in purple robes, all of their faces covered by hoods.

"Now..." his look became serious as he looked around, "I'm sure you've all noticed the... mistake in champion selection today.  It's quite interesting, considering this is a training match for you lot."  He took a moment to stare at each of the robed men individually, then said, "Now, which one of you clever bastards are responsible for summoning this?" He pointed at Twilight.

"Well..." one of the men dressed in blue lowered his hood to reveal a shaggy head of brown hair and cerulean eyes, "That'd be my doing, Master Ytor."

"Robert, is it?" Master Ytor asked rhetorically, knowing he had the name right.  "You know, there were three other matches, all with summoners more experienced than yourself, starting at the same time as this one, yes?"

"I am well aware," Robert answered, "Something about... Yordle trade routes, yes?"

"That is correct," Ytor said.  "But, nonetheless, you still managed to summon this creature - Twilight Sparkle - when her magic was strong enough to be felt by myself when I was just mulling around."

Twilight took a moment to take in what she was hearing.  Her mind flashed back to the library.

Scootaloo... Twilight reminded herself, Is this what Celestia warned me against?

"Now," Ytor said, "With thirty other Champion Summoners, most more powerful than myself, all summoning at the same time as you, you still managed to grab this equine as your Champion.  Don't you think the other summoners would try to latch on to this great well of magical power?"

"What are you getting at, Master?" a purple-robed man asked aloud.

"What I'm getting at," Ytor turned to face the summoner, "that Robert here is far more powerful than I could have possibly imagined."

Robert, after taking a moment to take this in, looked shocked for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Now, why did you try to summon her as your champion?" Ytor asked firmly

"Well, it felt sort of like how Ezreal's aura was described to me in my lessons," Robert answered.

"Despite Ezreal being selected by a summoner on your own team," Ytor paused for a moment in thought.  "Didn't you find that a tad suspicious?"

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing," Ytor interrupted, putting a hand on Robert's shoulder.  "You're coming with me.  We may have use for you yet..."  Ytor turned back to face the silent, hooded men, "Stella, please see to it that Miss Sparkle gets to Master Rex, alright?"

"Yes, master," a feminine voice answered.

The Master Ytor opened a door on the far side of the room, and the lighting in the room suddenly brightened.

"Come with me, Miss Sparkle," Stella asked of Twilight.  She complied, and they walked out of the room.

"Robert..." Stella said to herself, "Boy can't get his champions to last-hit, but he can bring you here..."

"Last-hit?" Twilight asked.

"I suppose Rex'll explain all of this to you," Stella answered.  She dropped her hood to reveal blonde hair and blue eyes, "So, where are you from?"

"Equestria," Twilight answered.

"Is that a city-state?" Stella asked.

"No," Twilight responded, "It's the nation I'm from.  The city I'm from is Canterlot."

"They don't have representation in the League, do they?" Stella asked.

"The what?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Stella joked.

"Well..." Twilight felt mildly offended, "I know some stuff..."

"I'm kidding," Stella let out a laugh, "Well, they'll probably explain it to you better, but here are my two bits."

"You humans use the same currency as us?"  Twilight asked.  "And what would I do with two bits?"

"The - what?" Stella laughed some more, "No, it's an expression."

"Oh..." Twilight felt embarrassed.

"Well, where you just were, the Summoner's Rift, is a Field of Justice in the League of Legends," Stella explained.  "It's part of the Institute of War which, quite ironically, exists to prevent war between the many city-states of Valoran."

"Is Valoran this nation?" Twilight asked.

"No," Stella answered, "it's the continent.  Well, anywho, the League hosts battles between champions - like you - which are summoned by Summoners - like myself.  In these battles, any dead champion is resurrected at the Summoning Platform.  The League replaces full-out war between city-states, to prevent loss of life or the destruction of the environment."

"I see..." Twilight pondered this.

War?  She had read about many wars before, but the last one was between Nightmare Moon and Celestia, and before that the war against Discord.  There haven't been any wars since then because ponies, griffons, and all of the citizens of Equestria are pacifistic and happy with Celestia's rule.

"How long has the peace lasted?" Twilight asked.

"Only a few years now," Stella answered, "but anything that can keep Demacia and Noxus from blowing each other to pieces must be worth something!"

"Demacia?  Noxus?" Twilight had never heard of these before.

"They're two rival city-states," Stella said, "The two most powerful city-states, to be exact.  They've been at war since...  Well, for longer than history is willing to tell."

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Stella said.  "They're both unrivaled in power, except by each other.  And as long as there are two people left on this world, somebody's going to want someone dead."

"That... doesn't make any sense..." a life of peace and prosperity had, for the most part, sheltered Twilight from ideals as aggressive as these.

"It must be different where you're from, then," Stella said.  "Valoran's been in a nearly constant state of war since the first men found out how to sharpen a stick."

"Whose idea was it to make this 'Institute of War'?"

Stella let out a sigh, "Master Rex will explain that one to you.  I'd rather you not get the wrong idea about our people..."

Twilight chose not to pursue this point, so long as this "Master Rex" would tell what she needs to know.

She began admiring the halls of the Institute.  Fine marble pillars support a high roof, and the floors had an unnatural shine to them, allowing Twilight to see her reflection.  On certain parts of the wall were pictures of humans, below them plaques of text.  These were great heroes of Valoran, and their stories.

But Twilight hadn't time to admire heroes long dead.  She need answer.

"Why am I here?  What do you want of me?  How do I get home?  When do I-?"

"Hold on, my little pony," Master Rex, a tall, hooded man of white hair said, "let's start from the beginning.  What do you know of the League of Legends?"

"Enough," Twilight answered, frustrated that he hadn't answered her questions.  But this man was old, and possibly quite wise, so she had to have patience.  She had dealt with elders before.

It didn't make the process any less annoying, though.

"Stella explained what the League is for," Twilight said.  "Preventing violence with... violence.  Hardly what I would have done, but at least nopony dies."

"Well, what would you have us do, my lady?" He spoke of Twilight as royalty.  And, though that she was, before speaking up to her was never anything less than unnerving.

"End this petty rivalry?  It makes little sense to me, I don't see why Demacians hate Noxians, or vice versa."

"It's not that simple," Master Rex said.  "Your land is different, is it not?  Peace, prosperity, and the horrors of war confined to dusty books that no one is willing to read, yes?'

"Pretty much..." Twilight said.  "But when rivalries between factions have ever come up, Celestia would settle it in the most just manner."

"So, this Celestia is the most powerful being in your realm, yes?" Rex inquired.

"Yes," Twilight answered, "Why?"

"Let me show you something," Rex asked of her.

They walked over to a pool of clear water embedded into the ground the Master Rex's quarters.

After making a few gestures, an image began appearing in the pool.  It revealed a path that curved at a 90-degree angle.  There were trees off to the bottom-right, and a river in that same corner.  There were small blue creatures battling small purple creatures.

"Is this also the Summoner's Rift?" Twilight noted the many similarities.

"Yes," Master Rex said.  "Now, watch the two men."

Twilight hadn't noticed the two men in the lane.  They were both dressed in gold-and-black armor, but looked strikingly different.  One had brown hair and wielded a large lance, while the other had no hair with a strange raven perched on his shoulder.

"The man with the lance is Jarvan the fourth, Prince of Demacia.  The man with the raven is Jericho Swain, Grand General of Noxus," Rex started explaining.

Jarvan threw the Demacian flag at Swain, and used his lance to pull himself to it.

"Each is the ruler of their respective nation, each a champion in the League of Legends," he continued, both he and Twilight closely watching the battle.

Swain's raven flew off of his arm, and seemed to start draining the life from Jarvan, but the Prince persisted.  He continued to hit Swain with his oversized lance.

"They hate each other for their own reasons.  Jarvan hates Swain because of his sense of justice, and Swain hates Jarvan because he's an impediment in Swain's never-ending rise to power."

A strange magical mark appeared below Jarvan and, after a few moments, he seemed to become rooted by what looked like talons.  Suddenly, a golden aura appeared around Jarvan, and Swain's retreat was slowed down immensly.  Jarvan wasn't so eager to let his enemy get away.

"Men like these are always ruler," Rex said.  "They have brilliant minds, are great speakers," he looked down grimly, "and are prone to violence and aggression."

The very moment the talons released their grip on Jarvan, he leaped onto Swain with such strength the the very earth beneath them rose up, creating a small arena.  Twilight nearly jumped at this sudden turn of events.

"They're two of the most powerful men in Valoran," Rex noted, "And each is just as powerful as the other."

Swain launched a bolt of magic at Jarvan, and another magical mark appeared below him with ravens made of shadow circling the Prince.  Then, Swain suddenly took the form of a raven.

Another frightening turn of events.

Swain and Jarvan continued to hit each other, ravens flying between them, until both suddenly collapsed, dead.

"In our realm, men of equal power will fight for the top spot, but no one will ever reach it," Rex looked to Twilight, the pool becoming merely water once again, "In yours, this Celestia holds power above all.  With no one able to challenge her, the people of your realm are either taught to be happy, or too scared to rebel."

"Well, I suppose..." Twilight had never quite looked at it that way.  To her, and all ponies, peace was peace...

"So," Rex clapped his hands together, "You'd better make yourself at home!"

"What?!" Twilight became suddenly frustrated.  "Aren't you going to send me home?!"

"Afraid we can't do that..." Master Rex responded.  "It seems to have been a one-way thing, unlike Ezreal's summonses..."

"I can't believe this!" Twilight said aloud.  "Is there nothing you can do?"

"Well, perhaps..." Rex thought for a moment.  "It may take a while, but we MIGHT be able to send you back to your own world.."

"Alrighty, then!"

"But..." Rex did some more pondering, "But you'll have to be a champion in the League until we can get you home!"

"What?  Never!" Twilight couldn't imagine herself fighting other living beings every day, ending their lives with her own hooves.  Even if it wasn't forever, it still didn't feel pleasant...  "I'll... I'll find somepony else!"

"Who?" Rex was confident he had the upper-hand.  "All of Valoran's most powerful summoners are gathered here, in the Institute of War!  There wouldn't be anyone powerful enough to send you back home!"

"Fine," Twilight growled.

"Now," Rex said in a jovial tone, a strange and sudden change, "We'll put you on a short training course to teach you about the finer points of the League!"

"I look forward to it..." Twilight said sarcastically.